Chapter 186 - Battle Against a Soul Golem

These assassin mages... they aren't ordinary foes.

I weighed my options carefully, assessing the situation with caution.

Should I summon my Soul Golem as well?

The thought crossed my mind, but I dismissed it quickly.

Better not… I still can’t control Chronos. If that thing is released, it’ll just be another enemy I’ll have to deal with.

The salamander spat fire into the air, casting a threatening glow across the area.

If I were fully human, I could combine water and wind to create ice… what a pity.

Thousands of strategies raced through my mind, each more desperate than the last. The reality was clear: I was at a disadvantage against the Soul Golem, and every second made the pressure mount. Before I could decide on a plan, the heavy sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the devastated forest around me.

The colossal salamander appeared, its massive body radiating unbearable heat. On top of it, Eliza stood firm, her cold and calculating gaze locked on me. She seemed to be assessing my every move, waiting for the right moment to strike.

“I’m usually in a support role and only act as a last resort. You’ve forced me to use my precious Soul Golem, so feel honored,” she declared, her voice dripping with defiance.

Her taunt wasn’t without merit. The Soul Golem was a powerful weapon, a creature meant to be the final recourse of a summoner mage. The salamander glowed menacingly, its red skin covered in flames that shifted between red and gold, like a living inferno.

I stepped toward the creature.

“Twin Flame Art: Yellow Inferno,” Eliza chanted with precision. Instantly, the salamander opened its blazing mouth, unleashing a massive stream of yellow fire. Before I could react, Eliza amplified the attack, spewing a red jet of fire from her own mouth, merging with the creature’s devastating force.

The yellow and red flames fused into a single, furious firestorm, a whirlwind of destruction hurtling toward me with relentless fury.

I raised my palms quickly, trying to create a wind barrier. Blades of air spun violently, forming a wind wall, but the force of the attack was overwhelming.

“Shit…” I muttered, realizing I couldn’t contain the destructive power.

The explosion came with crushing impact.

BOOM!

The deafening sound engulfed everything, and the surrounding forest was consumed in a wave of destruction. The fire roared loudly, spreading like a ravenous beast. The heat was so intense that I felt my body being pushed back, even behind the wind barrier.

I knew I’d be consumed by the flames, so I focused all my wind mana forward, creating a cutting edge and enveloping myself in a wind armor. The impact was brutal, and I felt my body being flung through the air like a leaf in a storm.

The world around me became a maelstrom of flames and pain.

I crashed into the forest, rolling uncontrollably across the ground as the trees around me turned to ashes. The salamander's roar echoed like a demon’s bellow, and soon after, hundreds of fireballs began raining down from the sky, exploding on impact with the ground.

Each explosion felt closer than the last, and I barely had time to rise before being hit by waves of heat and debris.

The fire continued to spread, consuming everything in its path.

“Fuck…” I muttered as I stood up, feeling the sharp pain of a burn on my leg. The heat still radiated from the wound, but I quickly conjured a stream of water, dousing the area to relieve the pain and prevent further damage.

At least I won’t have to cauterize the wound...

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I tore the fabric around the burn, removing the charred cloth along with the remains of my shoe. The sensation of the cold air on the injured skin brought a momentary relief, but the situation was far from under control.

I looked around, seeing the chaos caused by the salamander’s attack. The forest was ablaze, a scar of fire cutting across the earth like a mark left by hell itself. My Demeter’s Forest had been devastated, the trees partially consumed by flames, and the smell of burning wood filled the air.

“That’s the power of a damn summoner… the power of an army,” I whispered, feeling the weight of the situation. The monstrous roar of the salamander echoed again, growing louder as it approached.

“I have ten seconds to figure out how to defeat this Soul Golem, or I’ll die,” I murmured, forcing my body to move. I began running toward the creature as fireballs rained down in my path. Each one descended like a meteor, exploding upon impact and spreading heat and destruction.

“Water Art: Flood of Destruction!” I chanted, placing both hands on the ground. A massive surge of water erupted around me, forming a swirling whirlpool that expanded into a devastating wave.

The salamander roared furiously, its deep voice resonating through the scorched forest. Its heavy footsteps shook the ground as it prepared to unleash a beam of fire in my direction. The pressure was crushing, and the heat radiating from the monster was unbearable.

“ROOOOAR!” The creature’s roar was deafening, and I knew the impact was imminent.

“Thunder Dash!” I shouted, letting electricity surge through my body, increasing my speed in a flash. I felt the wind intensify around me, as if it too was being drawn into the battle.

The giant salamander charged, its entire body engulfed in flames, while I focused the electricity in my palm, preparing for the attack.

“Now!” I bellowed, as the waves of water converged from all directions. The impact was colossal, and the force of the waves collided with the salamander in a swirl of water and fire.

The clash was explosive – the water evaporated into a dense cloud of steam, while the fire beam was swallowed by the flood. The waves enveloped the salamander, suffocating its flames and creating a chaotic storm of water and electricity.

The energies collided in absolute chaos.

“Whirlpool of the Waves!” I chanted, pouring all my strength into the spell. Tsunamis of water crashed with a deafening roar, the creature’s howls amplifying the symphony of destruction. The spiraling water engulfed us, spinning in a powerful vortex as both the salamander and I were swept by the impact.

The force of the water tossed me around as I struggled desperately to swim to the surface. I used wind to propel myself upward, escaping the swirling current. Suddenly, a bright red glow filled the water, and I could see the creature glowing beneath the surface.

“Fire Art: Evaporative Blaze!” Eliza yelled, leaping into the air with flames.

The heat rose instantly, causing the water to start boiling. I was running out of time; my spell had consumed a massive amount of mana, and I couldn’t afford to waste it.

I plunged back into the water, diving deeper despite the searing heat.

The water bubbled violently as the Soul Golem intensified the temperature. Steam enveloped everything, creating a thick, suffocating curtain that obscured visibility. The mixture of fire and water burst into bubbles, releasing waves of heat that scorched my skin.

Plant Art: Cemetery of Roots!

I invoked, diving further as I held my breath and used wind to propel myself downward. My hands reached the muddy ground at the bottom of the whirlpool, and immediately, thousands of roots sprouted, absorbing the surrounding water. The roots intertwined into a dense network, transforming the ground into a field of submerged thorns.

Amid the murky water, the salamander shone intensely, a core of red fury within the aquatic chaos. A sudden explosion rocked the whirlpool’s bottom, sending me spiraling away in a mix of water and heat.

The impact was brutal, even in water, and I felt my spell dissipate, its energy unraveling as the ring of tsunamis crumbled. The water began to spread across the forest, losing control as it blended into the surroundings.

"I can’t give up now!" I murmured as I fell, clutching my sword.

Without hesitation, I pushed myself up and dashed toward the creature, the burn’s pain and fatigue becoming secondary. My only chance was now.

“Fire Art: Crimson Burst!” Eliza shouted from atop the creature. The salamander spewed a new wave of red, intense flames.

I sprinted toward the fire, my body driven purely by adrenaline. I used wind to propel myself, leaping into the air to evade the ascending burst of flames that tried to reach me. The fire was relentless, snaking behind me like a wild, hungry beast.

“Now let’s play!” I yelled, wrapping my body in a layer of electricity, each spark radiating pure energy.

“Spark Rain!” I chanted the spell, and in a swift motion, pointed both hands upward. A chain of lightning was unleashed, with hundreds of bolts ripping through the air, descending like an electric storm. Each bolt was conducted by the water-soaked ground, amplifying the impact of the shocks.

“AAAAARRRGH!” The creature roared in pain, its fire burst interrupted. Its body convulsed under the impact of the lightning, and I saw Eliza getting struck by the attack, thrown away in an uncontrollable arc. She vanished into the trees, and I seized the moment to push harder.

I hit the ground with a thud, but I didn’t lose momentum, channeling more energy into the ground.

I launched more lightning toward the monster, the electricity racing across the soaked ground like a lightning serpent toward the Soul Golem. The trees around us began to catch fire, struck by stray sparks.

The entire soaked environment had turned into a conductor of electricity—from the leaves to the muddy ground and the water still flooding the area.

“I need to take out the Earth Mage. If he recovers, I’ll be in even greater trouble!” I muttered to myself, running through the devastated forest, my breathing ragged and my muscles aching. My only chance was to strike with everything I had while the enemy was still destabilized.

Each step echoed against the wet ground, and the suffocating mix of burning scents and electricity filled the air.