The slow descent of the lava became a virtue in this moment, prolonging the torture of the Chaos cultists trapped within.
Soon, the lava had submerged most of the area, leaving only a few buildings standing. These structures had been built with high temperatures in mind, utilizing heat-resistant metals that withstood the magma.
Droves of Chaos cultists struggled as they were melted by the lava, transforming into Experience Points.
This mob of cultists was a motley crew of grotesque figures from various factions. The loot drops were equally bizarre; Zeke even saw a grey-skinned one drop a Totem of Undying. (TL/N: The Totem of Undying in Minecraft is a rare, single-use item that prevents death from fatal damage, consuming itself to grant the holder health, Regeneration, Fire Resistance, and Absorption buffs; it activates automatically when you take lethal damage, saving you from death.)
The Totem of Undying fell directly into the lava and incinerated instantly, making Zeke grind his teeth in heartache.
That was the one downside of lava: it destroyed loot drops.
However, it didn't matter. Zeke spotted a survivor who had managed to escape into a building—one who looked exactly like the cultist who had dropped the Totem.
The Chaos cultists hiding inside watched the glowing red magma outside, filled with a sense of powerlessness.
This method of attack made it difficult to even muster the thought of resistance; only the urge to flee remained.
Watching the cultists hiding in the building, Zeke downed another Potion of Fire Resistance. After confirming the duration was sufficient, he leaped into the sea of magma.
The lava enveloped him, blurring his vision.
Fortunately, the Minimap displayed a large cluster of red dots inside the building ahead, and Zeke swam in that direction.
Inside the factory building.
The walls temporarily held back the lava, but the pervasive heat was turning the place into an oven.
"It's so hot... Empe—no, Dark Gods above... save me..." a grunt collapsed in the corner.
He prayed, begging for the ability to withstand the heat, but unfortunately, no one would pay attention to a lowly minion like him.
"Shut up, save your strength," the scarred leader snapped, fighting back his own discomfort.
In this atmosphere of despair, a cultist near a window blocked by debris rubbed his eyes. "Look... in the lava... there seems to be someone swimming."
"This isn't the time to lighten the mood. Or are you hallucinating from the heat?" The scarred leader cursed impatiently and looked out the window.
Outside the window, a blurry silhouette was indeed churning through the magma.
There really was someone. The Chaos cultist leaned closer to the window, staring at the figure swimming freely in the lava.
Visibility in the lava was terrible. Relying on the minimap, Zeke managed to swim to the building. He pulled out his Diamond Pickaxe, smashed a hole in the wall, and peeked inside.
Lava flowed in through the hole, scaring the cultists back.
Zeke shook the magma off his helmet, meeting dozens of staring eyes.
"Kill him!" The scarred leader was the first to react.
Other cultists grabbed weapons and rushed Zeke.
Zeke shrank back, disappearing into the rolling magma outside the window.
The Chaos cultists lunged at nothing.
Seconds later, Zeke's figure popped in from the other side of the factory.
The Chaos followers turned and charged, yelling.
By the time they got close, Zeke retreated into the lava again.
After a few rounds, the cultists were being played like fiddles by Zeke, unable to even touch the hem of his clothes.
"Enough!" The scarred leader waved his hand to stop the pointless chase.
He looked up, staring at Zeke, who appeared high up again, but didn't attack.
Zeke stood by the window and, in full view of all the cultists, pulled out a Potion of Fire Resistance.
Under their gaze, Zeke uncorked the bottle, tilted his head back, and drained it.
Then, he thrust his hand directly out the window, immersing it in the lava below.
When he pulled it back, there wasn't a single burn, only a few dripping globs of magma.
"This potion... can resist lava," Zeke said, shaking the empty glass bottle.
Instantly, greed ignited in the eyes of every cultist.
The scarred leader sensed the shift in atmosphere. Bad. What is this human doing?
"Even if you stay in this refinery and avoid the lava outside," Zeke whispered like a devil, "how long can you last? The heat will cook you eventually."
Zeke's gaze swept over the faces below. "Without the potion, you are all dead men walking."
Zeke made the move that broke the camel's back. He pulled a full Potion of Fire Resistance from his backpack and weighed it in his hand.
"There is only one."
With a flick of his wrist, Zeke tossed the life-saving potion into the densest crowd below.
"Mine!"
"Give it to me!"
Everyone's eyes followed the potion as they lunged for it.
The potion landed squarely in the lap of a cultist hiding in the corner.
He caught it instinctively, then froze, looking up at the bloodshot eyes surrounding him.
"I didn't mean to take it..." he stammered, terror written on his face.
"Hand it over!" The nearest cultist didn't hesitate, kicking the scrawny cultist aside.
The scrawny cultist's head hit the ground, blood splattering. No one cared about his corpse; they all pounced on the rolling potion like wolves.
A chaotic brawl erupted.
For that single bottle of potion that might bring survival, the Chaos cultists, who had just been commiserating together, tore apart their last shred of discipline.
"Are you crazy? Stop!" The scarred leader screamed, his eyes splitting with rage as he tried to stop the infighting.
But against the drive for survival, his words were pale and powerless.
A few blood-crazed cultists even turned to attack him!
"It's a trap! It's the human's trick! The potion might be fake!" the leader cried in vain.
"Do you have a better idea?" asked a cultist who had just blown off half of his opponent's body.
True. There was no better way.
Without the potion, death was certain. With it, there was a glimmer of hope.
Like the tactic of "Two Peaches Killing Three Knights," Zeke used one potion to kill a crowd of Chaos Cultists. (TL/N: Two Peaches Killing Three Knights is a story about how an ingenious minister used only two peaches to incite three arrogant, greedy knights into fatal competition, causing them to commit suicide out of shame and honor.)
This battle lasted for some time.
Zeke seized opportunities to finish off several dying cultists, pocketing drops like Spider Eyes, String, Rotten Flesh, and Gunpowder.
When the sounds of slaughter faded, Zeke finished off the last few gasping survivors.
The scarred leader lay in a pool of blood, a large hole in his chest.
He watched Zeke pick up the potion—miraculously unbroken after such a fight.
Just you left. Zeke sent the scarred leader to the afterlife.
A small, golden-glowing wooden statue dropped from the leader's corpse.
Gold drop! Zeke reached for the Totem.
Counting his inventory, he now had three ways to wake Guilliman up.
First: Cow's Milk, which could clear Guilliman's negative status effects.
Second: The Enchanted Golden Apple, with its powerful regeneration that could directly revive him.
If neither worked, there was this Totem of Undying.
Give it to Guilliman, then kill him. The Totem should resurrect him.
Though, Chapter Master Calgar of the Ultramarines might not appreciate that last method.
Whoosh!
A pale purple blur shot out from the shadows behind Zeke, reaching for the Totem faster than he could.
It was a tall, slender figure clad in streamlined bodysuit armor, wearing a strange metallic mask with a smiling face.
[Aeldari Harlequin Shadowseer]. Zeke saw her name tag.
How did this Eldar evade the Minimap detection? A question popped into Zeke's mind.
Did she lurk beside me the whole time without me knowing? That second thought unsettled him.
As for his third thought: Oh no, Guilliman's "in-laws" are here to ruin my plans.