Chapter 84- The Inferno's Wrath

The heat was unbearable.

Elias could feel his skin blistering even beneath

the protection of his armor. The Desert of Wrath was more than just an endless wasteland of shifting dunes-it was alive, its golden sands searing hot, its winds laced with embers that stung like a thousand needles. And towering before them, radiating a heat that warped the very air around it, was their enemy:

The Burning Colossus.

It was a massive construct of molten rock and pure fire, standing over fifty feet tall. Its core pulsed like a sun trapped within stone, and every movement sent ripples of superheated energy surging across the battlefield. With every step, it left behind deep, glowing footprints, melting the sand into pools of liquid glass.

This wasn't just another enemy. This was a force of nature given form.

And it was out to kill them all.

The Battle Begins

The Burning Colossus roared, the sound echoing. across the dunes like an earthquake. Its fists, each the size of a boulder, swung down like meteors.

"Scatter!" Elias shouted, diving to the side just as the impact shattered the ground where he stood. A shockwave of fire and molten debris erupted outward, sending waves of heat that nearly suffocated them.

Althea barely managed to roll away, her injuries

from the previous trials still slowing her down. Lyra, reacting fast, conjured a barrier of ice, but the sheer intensity of the Colossus' heat melted it instantly.

"Damn it!" Lyra cursed, wiping sweat from her brow. "We need a plan! This thing is too strong to fight head-on!"

Elias clenched his teeth. She was right. The Colossus wasn't just strong-it was indestructible. Every wound they inflicted would

be repaired instantly by the endless fire inside it.

They had to think differently.

Exploiting Its Weakness

Elias' mind raced. The Burning Colossus was a creature of pure fire. That meant it had one weakness-it needed fuel. If they could drain its energy faster than it could regenerate, they could bring it down.

He activated Divine Judgment, his newest power from Solmara, and immediately, the air around him vibrated with an aura of golden energy. His speed surged, his reflexes sharpened, and for a moment, he felt like he was on par with the gods themselves.

'Elias, what are you thinking?" Althea asked, readying her spear.

"We starve it," Elias said. "Lyra, I need you to create a cold zone around its core. If we can

lower its temperature, it won't be able to regenerate fast enough."

Lyra's eyes widened. "That's-insane. But it

might actually work."

She stretched out her hands, summoning the

purest ice magic she could muster. A cold wind erupted from her fingers, a blizzard forming in the middle of the scorching desert.

The Colossus roared in defiance, swinging its flaming fists toward her, but Elias intercepted-

His Divine Dagger flashed.

With a burst of speed, he slashed at the

creature's massive arm, the dagger's enchanted

edge slicing through molten rock as if it were flesh. The piercing effect took hold, and the Colossus stumbled back, its arm partially

severed, lava spilling like blood.

Althea took the opening. She lunged, her spear

glowing with divine energy, and impaled its side, forcing it back further into the freezing zone Lyra had created.

The temperature plummeted, and the effects were immediate

The fire dimmed. The regeneration slowed.

And for the first time the Colossus screamed.

The Final Blow

"Now!" Elias shouted.

With all the strength he had left, he activated

God Slayer.

A surge of overwhelming power flooded his veins, his body burning with the force of divine destruction. Time seemed to freeze, and in the next instant-

He vanished.

And reappeared directly above the Colossus' head

The Divine Dagger gleamed in his grip, its blade. infused with every ounce of his will.

"Die," Elias whispered, and then-

He plunged the dagger straight into the

Colossus' core. The reaction was instant..

A blinding explosion of fire and molten energy erupted, engulfing the battlefield in a maelstrom

of destruction. The sky itself seemed to split apart as the Colossus' very essence was

consumed from within.

For a moment, Elias thought he was dead.

Then-silence.

And when the flames died down, only one figure

remained standing.

Elias.

The Burning Colossus was gone.

Victory and Revelation

The system's familiar chime rang in Elias' ears.

[Trial Complete Floor 53 Cleared]

[New Ability Acquired Infernal Core: The power to withstand extreme heat and absorb fire-based energy attacks]

[New Ability Acquired - Molten Strikes: Infuse weapons with searing fire, melting through armor and defenses]

Elias exhaled, trying to steady his breathing. The fight had taken everything from him, but they had won.

Lyra collapsed onto the sand, exhausted. "That-was insane,' she panted. "But we did it."

Althea leaned on her spear, shaking her head.

"Barely."

Elias, however, wasn't celebrating. Something was wrong.

The Burning Colossus was a manifestation of elemental fire, created by the Tower's system. But when he killed it, the death felt... different.

Almost like it wasn't just a construct.

Almost like it was real.

A chill ran down his spine. What if the real Zephiron-the Storm Tyrant-was something far worse than they expected?

He didn't say anything. Not yet.

But as he gazed toward the looming Floors ahead, he had the sinking feeling that they were in for something far more dangerous than they had ever faced before.

And he wasn't sure if they were ready for it.