The other arrived more quickly than Asher thought.

  “Wow, they are still fighting?”

  Chris whistled as he got closer to the pillar.

  “It’s going to end soon.”

  Asher said without looking back and kept a solemn voice.

  “So our only choice is to deal with them?” Anny mumbled and came closer. Her hair fluttering softly with the wind. Her voice, though small, held a confidence that wasn’t present before. Her fingers curled up softly into a fist as she clenched and unclenched them.

  She had definitely changed. Asher nodded slightly, taking note of her newfound confidence.

  “Yeah, we found no other way to go through this route.”

  The monsters' clashes were happening everywhere. At some places it wouldn’t be wrong to say it was an all-out war, as thousands of them fought to tear each other apart.

  "Ghrrrrr!"

  The sound of an agonizing scream was audible to everyone present. Asher shifted uncomfortably as he watched the fight reach its end.

  The last rock creature has finally crumbled under the weight of the fierce flames.

  Its body fell apart with loud cracks as green mist rose from its shattered limbs. The flames stood tall like a victorious warrior, but the moment of triumph was short-lived. The dark inferno flickered erratically, its edges thinning like exhausted breath—staggering, uneven. For the first time, Asher saw hesitation in its movements, the fire shrinking back momentarily before lurching forward again, as if dragging itself forward by sheer will.

  Thump!

  "Let's deal with it now!"

  Summer said with a slight grin on her face. Asher's lips twitched as he heard her excited voice and sighed, shaking his head.

  "No, not you. You are too loud; we should not make any more noise."

  Summer froze, her brows furrowing up in disbelief. She looked at others only for them to give her a wry smile.

  "Fine... Just do it fast," she growled.

  "We will, don't worry." Asher nodded and turned to look at Liber, leaning on the pillar with his arms crossed. He had been watching from the sidelines without changing his expression, just like Asher had for some time now, deep in thought. Asher could guess what he was thinking but didn't bring it up immediately.

  "Liber, Anny and I will deal with that thing. You guys conserve your energy for later."

  Asher's fingers twitched slightly as he spoke—not from fear, but from the lingering heat still radiating from the battlefield. The air smelled thick with charred metal and something sharper, like lightning scorching through wet stone. The creature of flame pulsed once, its form shuddering as if sensing the scrutiny. Wisps of dark fire curled upward, momentarily resembling fingers again.

  "Alright." Liber nodded, while Anny smiled confidently.

  "I will go first."

  Asher turned away saying that and walked closer to the broken, collapsed bridge.

  He could hear his own footsteps echo in an unnerving way.

  When he got closer, the flames stirred, turning in his direction.

  "Hello there." Asher smiled, summoning his sword.

  The creature or more like creatures, was surrounded in flames. In that sense Asher was not a good match against them.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Yet—

  Swissh!

  Flames rushed to cover him. Even the weakened monster didn't take any chances with him and just rushed to incinerate him.

  Asher's figure blurred and he jumped into the air, taking a surreal air step.

  'It's not in mood for greetings, I guess.' Asher frowned and let his thoughts rush to seek the curled-up finger-like structure he had seen before.

  He clenched his jaw—the dark fire didn’t dissipate. Instead, it coiled inward, twisting upon itself like a dying serpent, before suddenly surging outward in jagged tendrils. The air rippled with heat, warping the ruins beyond into liquid smears of gray and black.

  The flames continued to follow, but their coils slowed just before reaching him.

  [Kairosflow] was as reliable as always in controlling his enemies' movements, but—

  Ugh... Asher groaned, his head pounding as the monster's shape kept changing.

  He still had problems with uncertain shapes.

  Just then, a dark smoke filled with the smell of ash crawled through the bridge and clashed with the flames.

  The dark flames ignited even more as the ashen smoke, like a venomous serpent, wrapped around it, trying to contain it.

  'Good one, Liber!' Asher praised while still acting as the decoy. The flames were still following him, making him feel as if he was the source of their trouble. They screeched like a wounded beast as embers spread. Asher remained above it, not getting closer and leaping away whenever the flames reached closer.

  From the corner of his vision, he then saw a woman with yellow hair stand still, not far from them, but at a considerable safe distance, surrounded by three silhouettes as if being protected.

  Her eyes remained on them till she blinked and turned her gaze at the beasts of flames.

  The creature suddenly froze before roaring uncontrollably.

  It had lost its senses!

  Anny smiled and didn't close her eyes.

  She kept watching and watching as the monster panicked.

  "Liber now!"

  Liber raised his sword and surrounded himself with a dark smoke coiling his limbs.

  The flames had now lost their coordination—they didn't rush toward Asher anymore but instead lashed outward in wild, uncontrolled arcs, scorching the already ruined bridge. The heat was unbearable this close, sweat trickling down Asher’s temple before evaporating instantly. He could hear the distant, grinding screeches of the creature—no, creatures—trapped within the fire, their voices overlapping like broken records.

  "I trust you, Asher..." Liber mumbled quietly under his breath and raised his sword high. His legs shook and his knuckles whitened as his grip got stronger.

  Asher smiled and saw the flames rise high enough to crush Liber under their weight.

  Boom!

  It happened in an instant.

  No, maybe even faster, as others couldn't watch it happen amidst the smoke and flames.

  But Asher saw it happen clearly; he needed to, otherwise the plan wouldn't work.

  His eyes glowed with a faint silver hue as time itself froze around Liber.

  No one could touch him; nothing could harm him—as though he had slipped out of the world entirely.

  In that moment, under [static], the flames devoured him from within.

  Asher released his hold and watched Liber’s sword erupt in fire—burning serpents coiling around the blade as the smoke parted, clearing a path for him to strike at the center, toward the interlocked fingers.

  Boom!

  Liber's sword came down with a force that cracked the bridge beneath them. The blade struck true—buried deep into the twisted knot of flaming fingers at the heart of the inferno. The creature shrieked, a sound like metal rending, and the flames convulsed violently. For a heartbeat, Asher thought it would erupt outward in one final, desperate surge—but instead, the fire contracted, collapsing inward as if sucked into a void. The fingers blackened, curled inward like dying spiders, and then—silence.

  Swoosh!

  "Huff... I can never get used to this," Liber muttered and turned to look at the others coming closer as the monster was finally defeated.

  "How many times have we done this exactly?" Chris asked with a big smile.

  Asher came down, as if walking on stairs with his hands in his pockets.

  "Five for you, three for Liber." He answered as if it had nothing to do with him.

  They were speaking about how many times they had been used as an unmovable shield under Asher's ability to close the distance with enemies. At first it felt risky, but now watching it happen again and again, others have gotten pretty used to it. Though it wasn't easy to go through this, they needed sharp senses and awareness of their surroundings to deal with anything, as he not only stopped their bodies but their minds as well.

  "Good work, Anny." Liber smiled, prompting Anny to chuckle bashfully.

  Her ability to remove every sense of the enemy she targeted was terrifying. Even evil, Asher thought in his mind. He had felt it firsthand after all.

  The feeling of your world going numb, vision darkneeing and skin cold.

  It wasn't the best feeling one could experience.

  He sighed, letting others chat freely.

  He walked away, going towards the bridge edge and placed a hand on the charred stone. It felt warm enough for him to make an odd face and shift uncomfortably.

  Far beyond the bridge, a castle rose atop a hill—long spires reaching like fractured bones. This was the seat of the central domain’s ruler—or what remained of it. The spires jutted upward like blackened bones, their peaks fractured and leaning at precarious angles. Wisps of dark vapor coiled around them, a slow, rhythmic pulse like breath. Asher felt awe looking at the ancient remains of a long-lost civilization—and slight dread creeping up his spine. That was where they had been going, after all. Into the maw of whatever ruled this nightmare.