Chapter 82 Into the Elemental Crucible

The moment Elias stepped beyond the gateway to the sixth layer, a violent gust of wind slammed into him like an unseen hand trying to throw him back. His boots scraped against the ground as he braced himself, shielding his face with his arm.

The air was thick with heat and moisture, a strange contrast that sent shivers down his spine. The sky above was in constant turmoil, dark clouds swirling and flashing with streaks of lightning. The land beneath his feet cracked and reformed-one moment a field of blackened stone, the next, a freezing tundra.

Lyra and Althea stepped through the portal behind him, their expressions shifting from determination to discomfort as the oppressive atmosphere pressed down on them.

"This place..." Lyra muttered, her eyes narrowing as she took in the unstable terrain. "It's alive."

Elias nodded, gripping the Divine Dagger at his waist. "The environment itself is part of the challenge."

A sudden eruption of fire burst from the ground ahead, melting the stone into glowing magma before shifting again into a layer of ice.

This entire layer was a battlefield against nature itself.

As they pushed forward, the wind turned razor-sharp. Gales howled through the wasteland, carrying embers from unseen. infernos.

Then, from the sky, fire began to rain down.

"Move!" Elias shouted, sprinting forward as flaming meteors crashed around them, the ground trembling with every impact.

Althea summoned a barrier of ice, attempting to shield them, but the heat was too intense, and cracks spread across its surface almost instantly.

"Tch!" Lyra snarled, weaving a spell that twisted the flames away from them. "We need cover!"

They pushed forward, dodging and weaving between the falling infernos until they reached the shelter of a crumbling rock formation.

But just as they caught their breath, a new threat emerged.

A deep, guttural growl rumbled through the storm.

A beast of fire and wind-its body shifting between molten lava and swirling currents of air -stepped into view. Its glowing eyes locked onto them with hunger.

It was testing them.

Elias vs. the Elemental Beast

The creature lunged, its molten claws slashing toward Elias. He barely managed to dodge, the heat from its attack scorching his armor.

His instincts screamed at him-he couldn't fight it like a normal enemy.

His mind raced. He needed to use the elements. against it.

Glancing at Lyra, he shouted, "Can you redirect the storm?!"

She nodded, eyes flashing. "I'll try!"

As Lyra chanted, Althea focused on forming

jagged spears of ice, hurling them toward the creature. The frozen projectiles struck true, but the beast melted them instantly, roaring in

defiance.

Elias had to get close.

With a burst of speed, he activated Phantom Step, phasing through the creature's attack and appearing at its flank, His Divine Dagger flashed, slicing through its molten hide.

But the blade barely pierced it.

Before he could retreat, the beast retaliated. A

wave of searing wind blasted Elias backward, sending him crashing against the frozen ground, His vision blurred as he struggled to rise.

Too strong. Too fast.

Then-Lyra finished her spell.

A surge of wind twisted the storm above,

drawing the elemental energy together. The sky rumbled, and suddenly, a bolt of pure lightning struck down, colliding with the beast.

The creature howled, its form crackling with

unstable energy.

"Now, Elias!" Lyra shouted.

Elias gritted his teeth and activated Divine Judgment, his blade glowing with celestial

power. He lunged.

The dagger pierced straight through the creature's core, the holy energy inside it erupting in a blinding explosion.

When the light faded, nothing remained of the beast but molten embers.

The first trial was over.

But Elias knew it was only the beginning.

Trial Two: The Frozen Abyss

After catching their breath, the group pressed onward, moving deeper into the Crucible. The temperature dropped sharply, the warmth of fire giving way to the bitter chill of ice

A dense blizzard howled through the landscape, the snow thick and unforgiving.

They could barely see ahead.

"We need to move carefully, Althea wamed. "If we get lost here, the storm might kill us before any monsters do."

Elias took the lead, his senses sharpened. He had learned long ago to trust his instincts.

Something was watching them.

Then the ground cracked.

The ice beneath them collapsed, plunging them into the darkness below.

Elias barely managed to grab the edge of a ledge, his fingers numb from the cold.

"Lyra! Althea!" he called.

"I'm here!" Lyra's voice came from above. She had managed to levitate at the last second,

avoiding the fall.

"I'm fine!" Althea had caught herself on another ledge, but the cold was already affecting her movements.

Then, from the darkness below, something

stirred.

A monstrous serpent of ice and shadow slithered from the abyss, its glowing blue eyes locking onto Elias.

It lunged.

Elias barely managed to roll away as the creature's fangs snapped shut where he had been.

He landed on another platform of ice, the surface cracking beneath his weight.

This fight would be even harder than the last.

Elias vs. The Ice Serpent

The serpent coiled around the cavern, its massive body blending with the ice.

Elias knew he couldn't fight it head-on.

"Lyra! Can you blind it?" he called.

"On it!"

She raised her hands, summoning a burst of radiant light that filled the cavern.

The serpent hissed in pain, thrashing wildly.

Elias saw his opening.

He activated Phantom Step, dashing across the unstable ice and leaping onto the serpent's back.

Divine Dagger in hand, he drove the blade into its hide.

The creature screamed, shaking violently.

But it wasn't dead yet.

It threw itself against the walls, trying to crush Elias.

He held on, gritting his teeth against the pain.

Then he activated God Slayer.

For thirty seconds, he became a blur of motion.

Slashes ripped through the serpent's icy body.

Each cut weakened it further, until-

With one final strike, Elias severed its head.

The serpent's body shattered, dissolving into mist.

The second trial was over.

But as Elias stood there, catching his breath, he couldn't shake the feeling that something far worse awaited them ahead.

A Glimpse of Zephiron

After climbing out of the abyss, the group continued forward.

Then the storm above parted.

And for the first time, Elias saw it.

A massive figure stood atop a mountain of storm clouds.

Eyes like burning suns glowed from within the darkness.

A deep, thunderous voice echoed across the land.

"You have come far, mortals... but you are not yet ready."

Then-Zephiron vanished into the storm.

Elias clenched his fists.

They were running out of time.