Everett, Guruji, and Gloria rode the Plated Serpent as it wove through the forest with ease, the dense foliage parting before it like curtains of green mist. The forest gave way to rocky terrain as they neared their next challenge: a towering peak known locally as Volcanic Mountain. It was an imposing structure, its steep blackened slopes perpetually emitting steam and ash. Lava veins pulsed faintly beneath the crust, lighting fissures like molten cracks in the earth's skin. The sky above shimmered with heat distortion, and the air smelled of sulfur and scorched minerals.
As they traveled, Everett voiced his concern. "It's suspicious that all the Heaven Beasts are powerful and unrivaled, yet they rarely leave their territory."
Gloria replied, frowning, "Some creatures may hibernate or form bonds with the terrain. But out of all these creatures, it's not likely every one of them prefers solitary life for eternity. Something's off."
Guruji, ever cryptic, added, "Those who have nothing to lose shall fall to them. Those who carry burden and fate can only reach, not pass. "
They agreed to scout the territory of the Earth Salamander—one of the nine Heaven Beasts—before engaging. The creature was said to live deep inside Volcanic Mountain, a place treacherous to any frost-wielding entity like Everett or his summoned beasts.
As they neared, they changed the beast to glimmer wolf which had an advantage in stealth and speed. The terrain changed drastically. Ten kilometers out, the forest began to thin. Five kilometers from the summit, vegetation disappeared entirely. Jagged basalt rocks replaced trees, and rivers of lava slithered along the slopes. In the center, surrounded by sharp cliffs, a narrow path led toward a caldera glowing red-hot. This scarred trail, they surmised, had been carved over decades by the Earth Salamander's colossal movements.
Within the volcano's heart, floating above the lava lake, was a red crystal. The moment Everett saw it, he felt a resonance from his Cube of Becoming. It looked and felt like part of the realm itself.
"This... This is a Realm Shard," he whispered, eyes wide.
Gloria grinned, her breath short from the heat. "Realm Shard? Sounds exciting."
Guruji's voice dropped to a reverent whisper. "For us, perhaps it is a relic. But for them—for the Heaven Beasts—it is their ladder to divinity. The Realm Shards call to them. If nine beasts dwell here, then perhaps there are nine shards... Nine steps to conquer the unconquerable."
Everett felt the Glimmer Wolf growl softly. It wanted to leap toward the shard.
"Retreat!" Everett ordered sharply. "Glimmer, get us to solid land! We can't fight in a volcano—it's too risky. This place amplifies the Earth Salamander's power and cripples ours."
The Glimmer Wolf bounded out, carrying them swiftly between the molten fissures. Behind them, the Earth Salamander emerged, its body rippling with magma-infused scales and six massive tails. It roared, shaking the cliffs, and pursued them—launching rocks and spurts of lava. Everett raised frost shields to block incoming attacks while Guruji lobbed Sanskrit bombs that froze molten air mid-flight.
Once outside, the trio regrouped between three jagged peaks. The volcano loomed behind them; in front, the Earth Salamander stalked forward, unbothered by the frigid air Everett now summoned.
Gloria stepped forward, cracking her knuckles. "This is like, what, the 180th time I've said this... but I swear, my legendary moment begins now."
She unsheathed her sword and unleashed a wide, crimson slash. It carved the air with terrifying precision and slammed into the Salamander's chest.
The beast didn't even flinch. The only sign it had been hit was a faint whitening on one scale.
Guruji stepped beside them, his eyes glowing like twin moons. He extended a hand and murmured:
"The battlefield of gods is but illusion... and illusion, truth..."
Everett readied his summons. "Let's bring everything. No holding back."
The Phantom Bear hurled an ice bomb. The Earth Salamander blocked with its six tails. Frost Rot licked its armor, but much of it evaporated from the overwhelming heat. Still, the beast paused.
Guruji whispered, "Deity of God."
Suddenly, the world around the Earth Salamander transformed. Illusory monkey-men warriors clashed with demons, locking the beast within a timeless war. For a moment, the Heaven Beast froze, dazed by the visions.
"Now!" Everett shouted.
Gloria entered a trance, her sword humming with power from her mystery slot. She leapt forward, her crimson arc lighting the volcanic shadows.
Gloria's eyes glowed. She began to chant.
"Knighthood of the Forgotten Flame, Stand beside your eternal name. Let glory mold and wrath reclaim— The truth of sword, the end of shame."
Behind her, a spectral knight forged of crimson mist and gold flame emerged, cloaked in ancient armor. The knight merged into her body, causing a blast of red light that scattered loose rocks around them.
Her sword transformed, glowing with divine heat. She whispered its new name: "Final Slash."
"FINAL SLASH!"
With a roar, she slashed downward. A crimson arc erupted from her blade—20 stories tall, dozens of meters wide. It tore forward like a divine judgment, ripping through the terrain like paper, the heat curling trees nearby into ash. The crimson slash struck the Earth Salamander with crushing force, launching it back into the volcano's edge.
"Now!" Everett shouted.
He commanded all his summoned beasts to unleash their ultimate ranged abilities. Wind Elephant blasted a gale cannon of freezing storm. Glimmer Wolf hurled a distortion howling moon. Phantom Bear fired ethereal blades. Ice Salamander launched crystalline spears of chilled venom. Plated Serpent rattled and shot frost projectiles from its armored tail.
Meanwhile, Everett prepared for the next move—the most dangerous of all.
He focused, folding his hands over the cube on his chest. He was entering his Frost Realm.
Over the last two years, he'd practiced dragging powerful enemies into the Frost Realm—a realm that lived inside him. Most lesser beasts could be brought in, where Everett held dominion. But stronger beings—those stronger than him—resisted. They could be seen in the Frost Realm's mirrored threshold, yet refused to enter.
Now, Everett stood at the boundary. His body flickered between dimensions as he tried once more to drag the Earth Salamander into his inner world—a realm of frost, silence, and domination.
The Earth Salamander, dazed but furious, began to rise, magma churning around it. The next phase of the battle was about to begin.