The vault of the internal inferno

Chapter 15: The Vault of the Eternal Inferno

The World Space had begun to stir in ways no one could fully predict.

Tory stood at the edge of a crumbling cliff, gazing across the floating terrain, where distant platforms shimmered with runes and flame. Behind him, Jim tightened the straps on his armor, a glint of excitement in his amber eyes.

Below them, the land shook.

A pulse of red light erupted from the mountainside beneath their plateau, followed by an eerie rumble that echoed through the shattered skies.

> [System Notice: Legacy Vault Detected – Classification: Eternal Inferno. Status: Active. Participants Detected: 19. Estimated Danger Level: S+.]

Tory narrowed his eyes. "It's begun."

Jim grinned. "Time to earn that legacy."

---

The Legacy Vault Awakens

The Vault of the Eternal Inferno had been sealed for over a thousand years. Hidden beneath a fire-warped ravine, its entrance was forged from a blackened stone that shimmered with molten gold veins. Giant inscriptions ran along its frame, glowing with symbols none but the most elite inscription masters could decipher.

A voice echoed across the World Space.

"Participants, the first legacy vault—Vault of the Eternal Inferno—has awakened. Only ten shall enter. The trial will determine who is worthy of inheriting the legacy of the Flame Transcendent, Ignarion Fang."

Immediately, movement erupted across the realm. Beams of light shot from various directions as the top geniuses made their way to the vault.

Tory and Jim took off, traveling via a series of spatial folds generated by Tory's newly developed [Step Through Space] technique.

---

Pillars of Power: Explaining the Rankings

As they moved, the System began to display relevant data for Tory.

> [Knowledge Module: Activated]

Pill Rankings:

Mortal Grade – Basic recovery and enhancement pills.

Spirit Grade – Can enhance elemental circulation and body strength.

Earth Grade – Alters meridians and allows breakthroughs.

Heaven Grade – Grants temporary control over natural elements.

Saint Grade – Refines lifeforce, opens pathways to higher realms.

Divine Grade – Found only in legacies, can trigger evolution.

The arrays we're divided into various levels

Basic Array – For traps and alarms.

Battle Array – Used in combat for enhancement or suppression.

Seal Array – Locks space or power.

Temporal Array – Alters time perception or flow.

Divine Array – Alters reality, found only in ancient ruins.

Weapon and Artifact Tier

Iron Tier

Bronze Tie

Silver Tier

Gold Tier

Obsidian Tier

Mythic Tier

Relic Tier – Binds to soul, gains sentience.

Transcendent Tier – One-of-a-kind creations by saints and higher.

Tory smirked. "Looks like we're walking into a treasure storm."

At the entrance, ten individuals stood ready.

Tory and Jim joined the group, receiving glares from Farel, Lynn, and Ezer Fang—three of the Celestial Fang members they had previously humiliated.

Selia Aeloria, Kael Zeyvorin, and Mira Greyson also arrived, each cautious but ready. The final entrants were Vynn Dalas, Grath Nomir, and the unknown Fang genius who had watched Tory in silence since the resonance.

The vault doors groaned and parted.

Inside was a sprawling arena of lava rivers, floating platforms, and flame-bound beasts. In the center stood a tower with four levels, each glowing with a different elemental hue: red, white, violet, and black.

A voice thundered from the lava below.

"Flame is not destruction. It is transformation. Prove you can burn, and still rise."

The floor erupted.

---

First Layer: The Flame Beast Gauntlet

Dozens of fire-beasts poured out from the magma rivers—hounds, eagles, even humanoid constructs, each one pulsing with awakened cores.

Jim was the first to dive into battle, wielding his elemental spear with a flourish of lightning and fire. "Let's turn up the heat!"

Tory conjured his gravity domain and began isolating enemy movements while layering space traps across the field.

Farel Fang tried to ambush Jim, but was flung across the room by a gravity reversal.

Selia froze an entire wave with her frost mist while Kael used shadow blades to strike from blind angles.

The unknown genius simply walked through the chaos, flames parting before him like wind before a hurricane.

---

Second Layer: The Puzzle of Transformation

The survivors climbed to the next level, where they faced a flaming mosaic puzzle in the air. The wrong piece would ignite a chain reaction.

Mira Greyson took charge, inscribing symbols mid-air while Tory stabilized space around her.

But it was the unknown genius who stepped forward last, altering time flow to allow the right pieces to move into place without touch.

Tory flinched.

Their time elements resonated again.

> [System Alert: Temporal Energy Sync: 12%.]

The genius turned, brow furrowed. For a moment, he looked as if he recognized something in Tory.

But he said nothing.

Here, each participant was sealed in an isolated flame dome.

Visions appeared—of death, betrayal, failure.

Jim saw Tory dying again and again.

Tory saw himself becoming a monster—Reality running rampant, the world crumbling.

> [System Alert: Confine Protocols Holding. Reality Suppression Status: Stable.]

Tory gritted his teeth and roared, breaking the illusion with a pulse of space and time energy.

He emerged, panting.

So did the others.

Except three.

Ezer, Lynn, and Grath had failed, lying unconscious outside their domes.

Inside, a single pedestal stood in silence.

A blade hovered—black, sleek, and wreathed in pale flame.

Inscribed in Celestial Fang text:

"To wield the Inferno of Ignarion, you must forge it in your soul."

Everyone stared.

Kael moved first, but the flame rejected him.

Selia tried. Denied.

Then Tory stepped forward.

The flame flared.

It recognized something.

> [System Notice: Ash Core Sync – Compatible. Inferno Heritage – Acceptable. Reality Signature – Unknown.]

The flame parted.

The blade fell into Tory's hand.

Everyone stared in silence.

The unknown genius tilted his head ever so slightly.

Then smiled.

> [Relic Acquired: Ignarion's Emberblade. Binding In Progress…]

---

Outside the Vault

As the trial concluded, those outside turned alert.

A few groups were already waiting, their eyes fixed on the vault entrance.

"They're coming out," one whispered. "Get ready. That white-haired boy has something we want."

Tory stepped into the light with Jim, his new sword across his back.

He didn't see the ambush forming in the shadows.

But the System did.

> [Warning: Hostile Intent Detected. Initiate Defensive Protocol?]

Tory's eyes narrowed.

"It's already starting."