Chapter 14: The Devouring Blaze

As Reinhold burst out of the alley, leaning heavily on his cane and rushing toward the scattered firearms, a slightly larger native monstrosity appeared at the edge of the plaza. As it advanced, patches of fish scales erupted across its body, and in the blink of an eye it had transformed into a terrifying creature, its entire form wrapped in scales.

It moved with astonishing speed—far faster than Reinhold, whose leg was still maimed.

The armored monk had not yet reached the statue when the "Advanced Scion of the Sea" intercepted him, blocking his path to the scattered guns. To make matters worse, several other native monsters had not pursued the residents into the second-floor dwellings but instead lingered at the plaza’s edge, hurling weapons at him from a distance.

Reinhold’s expression was grim. With a forceful push off his good foot, he dodged two incoming weapons and swung his chainsaw axe with all his might at the creature before him.

The high-speed, spinning teeth of the axe ground against the scales, flaring sparks and shrieking with a piercing sound. An attack capable of cleaving an ordinary heretic in two left only a shallow, bloody gash on the monster’s body.

Staring into the beast’s emerald eyes, Reinhold cursed inwardly. Even though the enemy had abandoned stealth for a direct confrontation, the difficulty of this battle far exceeded his expectations.

“I have never forgotten the grace my mentor showed me. Of course, I hope you can kill that advanced sea scion and avenge her,” he remembered the apprentice’s words, echoing in his mind. “I’ll never forget the sight of that monster dousing her in kerosene from head to toe and burning her alive.”

The statue of the “Seven-Pronged Trident” loomed behind the monster, with Liliana’s charred corpse still bound to it. The apprentice’s words seemed to ring in his ears, and Liliana’s face came vividly to mind.

He knew there was no retreat—only a desperate fight could win him a slim chance at survival!

Reinhold gripped his chainsaw axe tighter. His eyes were bloodshot, his breath ragged and hot, and at last the fire of vengeance he’d kept suppressed burst forth unrestrained.

His burly, bear-like frame lunged forward. The saw-teeth raked against scales, spilling fresh sparks and cutting wound after wound into the monster’s body.

Meanwhile, the creature’s claws tore through his heavy black coat, leaving savage injuries on his powerful torso.

With a furious roar, Reinhold unleashed the full force of the rune known as “Bloodrage.”

The gory wounds brought not pain nor hindered his movements—instead, his eyes grew redder, his muscles bulged and knotted, and thick black veins crawled like snakes beneath his skin, surging with explosive strength.

A sudden whoosh—Li Nanke’s hair stood on end. Instinctively, he jerked his head aside as a harpoon grazed his ear and buried itself in the wall behind, its shaft quivering.

The monsters had already torn away the barricades along the narrow stairwell, swarming en masse to the second floor.

Confronted by a surging horde of grotesque creatures, Li Nanke knew he couldn’t stall any longer. To remain here meant certain death.

He yanked the cord on a grenade and, leaping through the window, crashed through the glass and dropped from the second floor.

The monsters on the upper floor were just about to leap after him when a raging explosion shattered the remaining windows, showering them with a hail of metal fragments and killing many in the blast.

Li Nanke rolled to his feet, barely pausing for breath as he sprinted down the alley toward the central plaza.

Before the “Seven-Pronged Trident” statue, Reinhold had been locked in brutal combat for some time. His body was covered in ghastly wounds, and a harpoon had pierced his left shoulder. He’d hacked off its shaft, leaving the head still lodged in his flesh.

He fought furiously with the advanced scion, dodging occasional thrown weapons. It was clear he couldn’t hold out much longer.

The instant Li Nanke reached the plaza, he assessed the field and raised his left-hand pistol without hesitation.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire crashed through the air. Four of the lurking native monsters, busy throwing weapons, collapsed dead.

“They’re coming!” he shouted.

Reinhold didn’t need to be told; he could already see the swarm of monsters pursuing Li Nanke, harpoons and spears stabbing into the ground behind him as he ran.

Blood smeared half his face as Reinhold drew a deep breath, his muscles swelling as he swung his axe with all his might.

The spinning teeth ripped through the monster’s shoulder, severing the collarbone and lodging the blade at the base of its neck.

Ignoring the creature’s claws and his trapped weapon, Reinhold—his body as massive as a bear’s—closed in and clamped his muscular arms around the monster, pinning it tight.

His roar echoed across the plaza: “Now!”

With the wind and rain pounding his ears, Li Nanke dashed for the firearms, focusing his will to flood his body with Source Energy. The “Breath of the Lake” trait glimmered brilliantly.

[Trait: Breath of the Lake]
[Level: 3 (82%) → 5 (7%)]

Under its effect, his breathing grew smoother as he ran; fresh air pumped into his lungs, saturating his blood with oxygen and dramatically increasing his stamina and speed.

He crossed the distance in a flash.

Discarding his saw blade and revolver, he snatched up the shockwave rifle and thermite rifle from the ground.

“Now!” Reinhold, mouth full of blood, released the monster at the call, not bothering to retrieve his cane. He kicked off hard with his one good leg, leaping clear.

Both the shockwave and thermite rifles were double-barreled. The slender barrel allowed for rapid, twenty-round bursts, while the thick, menacing barrel was the pride of the Church’s research division—a masterpiece forged by countless scientific priests.

A thunderous blast erupted.

A visible shockwave tore through the air, a white vortex spiraling like a tornado, and in an instant it struck the scale-covered beast.

There was no scene of leaves scattering in the wind—the shockwave’s purpose was not to repel, but to stun and incapacitate a powerful heretic with overwhelming force.

The advanced scion, caught in the shockwave, began to bleed profusely from its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. It tried to dodge, but its steps faltered and it spun dizzily in place.

A heavy report—the thermite rifle’s thick barrel spewed its payload. Several steel pellets exploded around the monster, shrouding it in a dense metallic mist: the terrifying thermite agent.

“Die!” Li Nanke’s cold smile flashed as he pulled the trigger.

The rifle’s narrow barrel spat a blinding flare—a tracer ignited the deadly mist, painting a crimson arc through the air.

For an instant, the plaza fell utterly silent.

Then, in a sudden eruption, searing flame and dazzling light swept over all.

The metallic mist ignited instantly, transforming into a torrential firestorm. Everything within its scope was consumed—flesh, bone, viscera—all melted by a heat no living thing could endure.

The mighty advanced scion didn’t even have time to scream. In moments, it was reduced to a charred, perforated corpse.

The thermite rifle continued its fiery work, blanketing the oncoming monsters with metal vapor and incinerating their twisted forms in a roaring inferno.

…

Reflected in Reinhold’s bloodshot eyes was the blaze, though he seemed oblivious. He only stared at the woman’s body atop the “Seven-Pronged Trident” statue.

At last, unable to hold himself up any longer, he toppled into the rain…

[Dreamer, you have slain an Advanced Scion of the Sea and completed Key Node Two!]
[Node Reward: Trait “Scale of the Sea” (pending collection)]
[You have triggered the Final Node!]
[Final Node: Reclaim the steam carriage at the harbor and use the large wireless radio to contact the Church.]