Ascension of Chaos

Ashley

Blake and I end up staring at the remains of what once was a large pyramid for three seconds before we both rush to avoid any of those meteors as if our lives were on the line. Because they were.

And it's not just us either as the monsters all seem to be panicking as well. Whether that's the wyrms splashing around the ash desert, the skeletons marching away from any place that looks like a meteor is heading to, the drakes flying circles in the skies, or even the half a dozen fucking mini bosses I see running with them.

Each of the species has their own mini boss.

A massive wyrm spanning over a hundred meters in length that could swallow me and Blake whole with ease named the wyrm broodmother.

An enormous drake spanning the size of three of the other drakes in just wingspan alone with a much more ravenous and angular head that's named draken.

The floating mummy wearing the clothes of a pharaoh with the name ashen pharaoh.

Then there's the greater ashen elemental, the skeleton wearing black robes with the name lich lord, and even the strange monster that I don't see leading anything else. Some massive shark called an ashalodon that's swimming through the ash desert like it's the mini boss's home.

Which it probably is.

Yet despite all of the monsters, not a single one of them pays any mind to us.

Not even the mini bosses.

Because everyone – including us – is focused solely on surviving the King of Destruction's rampage.

The meteors and other smaller missiles continue to fly down from the sky as the King of Destruction's roars grow louder and louder in volume. Gradually killing off dozens upon dozens of the monsters in this region.

Monsters that all turn to ash just like the structures upon being hit.

Making it blatantly obvious where this desert originated from in the first place.

And what the ash is.

Something I notice though is that the brighter red the meteors are, with the more power in them, the less ash there is after the monsters touch them.

But I only notice that in passing as Blake and I run for our lives.

I grit my teeth as I worry more and more about the fact that the King of Destruction is just amassing Skill Points right now. Skill Points it's no doubt spending on powerful skills.

What's worse than this though, is how I'm sure this isn't the last region of the Unique Domain. Not when the mini bosses of this region are only level 140, whereas the level cap here is level 175.

And even more so because of the massive volcano I still see at the center of the Unique Domain. A volcano that I can barely see cave entrances all over the sides of.

Just how strong are the monsters in the volcano? Can we even fight them?

And what about the mini bosses in there?

The thought of it sends a shiver down my spine.

Blake and I continue fleeing from the meteors and missiles one after another, only very nearly getting hit about half a dozen times in the process. But each time it was by a smaller missile, and we managed to get out of the way without getting hurt.

Mostly because the missiles are rather slow. All they have going for them is their size, and even that's limited to just the meteors and not the smaller missiles.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Even the ones in the outer region were more dangerous since they were far more numerous. For the smaller missiles at least.

The large ones are too big to dodge.

But despite the smaller ones not being fast, they're still strong. And we don't get any second chances as they shatter any and all defenses we put into place the moment they touch them. No matter how much mana we put into the defenses.

Nearly ten entire minutes passes, with the two of us running for our lives nonstop until the roaring finally begins to settle down.

And what we're left with after the King's rampage is a savaged desert filled with massive meteors and smaller rocks. Each of whom are slowly turning into that crimson liquid.

All of the monsters quickly begin to rush back inside of their homes now that the threat has passed, meanwhile Blake and I move up closer to the closest body of crimson liquid. Where we both analyze it.

King of Destruction-Touched Magma

Description: A special type of magma created when rocks and lava are seen under the King of Destruction's gaze and then launched out of the volcano through the King of Destruction's power before liquifying upon hitting ground covered by crimson ash. This magma is incredibly potent and will kill any who touches it should they be less than one entire Class above the King of Destruction.

Affects: True Death to those below Class C, Instant True Death to those below level 150

Instant True Death? What's that?

"It's what it sounds like," Chaos answers, the Primordial not having spoken in a while. "True Death is an affliction that will eventually bring on death through True Damage unless healed, whereas Instant True Death will instantly kill anyone afflicted by it the moment it is brought upon them."

Huh.

I turn my attention to the massive meteor that's still melting down into the magma before analyzing it as well.

King of Destruction-Touched Pyroclast

Description: A special type of pyroclast created when igneous rocks are seen under the King of Destruction's gaze and then launched out of the volcano through the King of Destruction's power. These pyroclasts are incredibly potent and will kill any who touches it should they be less than two entire Classes above the King of Destruction.

Affects: True Death to those below Class B, Instant True Death to those below level 175

Well that doesn't look safe.

I glance at one of the pyramids that was turned to ash. Then back at the large pyroclast and the ever expanding magma beneath it.

Magma that is rather weird in the fact that it's not bubbling at all. It just looks like a regular crimson liquid. One that isn't even that hot.

Or at least, it doesn't radiate heat.

I'm not willing to touch it just to see if it's hot or not.

For obvious reasons.

After studying the magma for a few more seconds, I soon come to realize something and pull on Blake's sleeve, making him glance at me. Then he glances at where I'm looking.

At the barren desert around us.

And more importantly, at the lack of any monsters. At all.

Not a single one.

Then we hear loud roars coming from the volcano, followed by the ground beneath us shaking a bit while the sounds of something charging across the ground comes after the roars. Making us turn to look, only to find a parade of what look like dinosaurs charging out of the caves around the volcano.

What surprises me the most though is when said dinosaurs – each of which looks to be of a different species – start to drink up the magma.

Blake and I immediately run for one of the sand whirlpools nearby before hopping in as we realize why all of the monsters here are gone the moment I see the identify result of the newcomers. Each of whom have the same species name despite their appearances.

♢ Level 153 Destruction-Fallen Revalta – 732 Potential Skills – X ♢

Well, shit.

Guess the question of what's in the volcano was answered sooner than I expected.

But… why are they drinking the magma? Isn't that dangerous?

And why were the glowing crimson cracks across their bodies glowing brighter the more they drank?

Most importantly though, what does that magma taste like, and if it's good, will I be able to drink the magma myself if I took their Skill Trees? Because eating dead monster corpses has been rather unpleasant over the past days.

I hear an amused sigh coming from Chaos, but I ignore him.

Hey, I can't help it. Blake isn't any better a chef than I am.

His laughter echoes in my head without the Primordial saying a word, making me pout ever so slightly before turning to face Blake while wiping the look from my face.

"That pout is already being posted on the forums," Chaos comments, making me stiffen up ever so slightly as I glance at the enormous number of followers I've gotten ever since entering this second region of the Unique Domain.

A strong billion followers.

A number that's still rapidly growing by the second.

"I should charge them for it…" I mutter out loud, making Blake snort in amusement despite his previously having been focused on checking our surroundings in the catacombs to make sure we're safe.