Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 34: Flames, Fury, and the Monster Within

Bel's gaze swept across the chamber, his mind quickly categorizing the threats.

Four human women, bound and broken, heads hanging low. Still alive.

Fifteen baby goblins, squirming in their filth. Insignificant.

And then, the problem variable. The one standing in the center, thick waves of miasma rolling off its grotesque form.

Bel narrowed his eyes.

"This one's different... definitely not just a goblin. A demon."

The creature locked eyes with them. It made a strange, guttural noise, a deep chattering like grinding bones. Then, without warning, it raised its staff and slammed it against the ground, a pulse of dark energy rippling outward.

Ilya frowned; this felt somewhat familiar, and then, it clicked.

"A spell!"

Bel's eyes flickered to the staff, twisted wood, bound in sinew, glowing with eerie purple veins. The air around it distorted as a surge of energy built up.

Fire.

The moment the realization hit, the staff ignited. The goblin shaman shrieked, raising its staff high before thrusting it forward.

A fireball erupted from the tip, a searing mass of pure fire screaming toward them.

Bel and Ilya moved at the same time.

They leapt in opposite directions, the explosion behind them scorching the air. A deafening boom shook the cavern walls, sending embers scattering across the chamber.

The fire illuminated the grotesque scene, flickering shadows twisting against the walls like grasping hands.

They landed, crouched low, eyes locked onto the creature standing before them.

The goblin shaman grinned, revealing jagged, blackened teeth. Its miasma swirled violently.

Bel exhaled sharply, rising to his full height.

The goblin shaman stood before them. The miasma around it thickened, pulsing like a living thing, tendrils of purple energy swirling as it let out a guttural chant.

Bel's eyes narrowed.

The shaman let out a deep, bubbling growl before its staff flared to life, fire crossed the twisted wood like a serpent.

It stomped the ground rhythmically, its guttural voice rising in intensity as it danced in a frantic yet methodical pattern.

Then, with a final stomp, a burst of fire erupted from its staff.

"Move!"

Bel and Ilya jumped apart as a fiery projectile streaked towards them. It wasn't a single fireball, it was a fast, concentrated beam of fire that detonated on impact.

The explosion behind them sent debris flying, heat caressing their backs as they landed on opposite sides of the chamber.

Bel's eyes flickered over the attack. It was a barrage of condensed fire beams, igniting everything they touched.

He dodged another shot, watching how the flames spread and combusted upon impact.

A delayed detonation effect...

The shaman let out another chant, its voice warbling as it stomped again. The staff glowed, another burst of fire shooting forth. Bel twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the detonation. He surged forward, closing the gap, his fists clenched.

Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on ƒreewebηoveℓ.com.

Just before he reached striking distance, flames erupted in front of him.

A barrier of fire.

"Tch!"

Bel pulled back, but not before the heat scorched his forearm. He gritted his teeth, rolling away as the burning sensation seared into his skin. The system notification flickered in his vision.

[HP: -15]

[HP: 461/482]

It wasn't severe, but it was a warning. This fight wasn't going to be as simple as brute force.

Ilya took the opening, her breath sharp as she sprinted from behind. She moved fast, trying to hit the shaman's blind spot. But just as she swung her dagger, the shaman screeched and twisted, another firebeam exploding toward her.

She barely managed to throw herself aside in time, the heat brushing against her cheek as she stumbled.

The moment she lost balance, the shaman turned, its staff flaring, a fireball forming at its tip.

"Shit!"

But just as the shaman launched the fireball, Bel's punch collided with its staff.

The force sent a shockwave through the air, the staff jolting back from the impact. But the fireball didn't dissipate.

A point-blank explosion engulfed Bel in searing fire.

His body was hurled careening through the cave, crashing into a heap of corpses stacked in the corner, igniting in a sudden, violent blaze.

The stench of burning flesh filled the air.

Ilya's breath caught, her heart hammering.

She forced herself upright. She was an archer and not used to the weight of the goblin club, and the imbalance threw off her stance. But she had no choice. The shaman turned towards her, its eerie chant resuming.

She gritted her teeth.

Not this time.

She bolted forward, the shaman's firebeam charging. At the last second, she threw the club. The firebeam struck it mid-air, igniting it in a bright explosion.

She used the light to shift her position, sidestepping swiftly. She lunged, dagger aimed at the shaman's exposed side.

But then...

Flames.

A second fire barrier erupted. Her arm brushed against the searing heat. She yelped, staggering back. The shaman screeched in amusement, its staff rising once more.

Another fireball charged.

Then, a shadow loomed overhead.

Bel.

A massive rock torn from the cave was in his hands. His body was still steaming from the explosion, but his golden eyes gleamed with raw fury. With a sharp exhale, he hurled the boulder down at the shaman.

The shaman barely had time to react. It jumped, avoiding the crushing impact as the rock slammed into the ground, shaking the cavern walls.

But Bel was already moving.

He leaped, using the rock to jump again. The moment the shaman dodged, he followed through, slashing with his claws.

A sickening crunch echoed as his strike connected.

The left side of the shaman's goat skull mask cracked, purple blood splattering as the creature shrieked in pain. But just before Bel could capitalize on the opening, the fire barrier flared up once again, forcing him back.

Bel rolled aside, his skin burning as another notification flickered before his eyes.

[HP: -15]

[HP: 420/482]

He grimaced, exhaling as he steadied himself. This was getting dangerous.

But then, a scream of rage echoed through the chamber.

The shaman clutched its face, blood leaking between its fingers. The cracked goat skull was broken, the left side shattered completely, alongside a side of its face.

It glared at Bel with its remaining eye, the miasma around it twisting violently. Its staff trembled, its screeches growing more frantic.

Bel flexed his fingers, inhaling slowly.

It's doable. He could kill it.

The shaman's fury erupted in a frenzied chant, its guttural voice rising as the flames around it flared wildly.

Fire spewed from its staff in all directions, scorching the air with waves of blistering heat.

Bel gritted his teeth, dodging nimbly as he ran around the creature. He needed an opening. A pattern. A single flaw to exploit.

The fire surged toward the four women bound at the back of the cavern. Bel's eyes widened. If the flames reached them...

No choice. He veered sharply, sprinting to the other side of the chamber, throwing himself into the shaman's sightline. The demon shrieked, turning its focus on him.

Fire beams rained down, forcing him to duck, slide, and pivot through the chaos. Each missed blast scorched the ground, filling the air with smoke and embers.

Bel grabbed a dagger on the ground and flicked it toward the shaman's feet. The flames swallowed it before it landed. He snatched up a rock next, hurling it at an angle, but the barrier incinerated it mid-air.

A blast of fire caught him; his body caught fire, but he moved through it until it dissipated.

The pain was building up very slowly, still not enough to slow him down but his HP ticked down further.

[HP: -12] [HP: 344/482]

His only limit, the barrier.

It wasn't instant; it had a rhythm, a delay.

Bel moved again, flinging debris in rapid succession, watching the shaman react. A second dagger. A goblin skull. Another rock. Each time, the barrier flared later and later. He was close. Just one more observation...

He had it.

Right after an activation, there was a window before it could be used again. He would attack, feint to dodge a fire beam, then one hit to his throat.

That was a perfect plan.

He smirked, shifting his stance, but before he could act, Ilya lunged forward, her face twisted in rage.

"What... Don't!" Bel barked.

Too late.

The shaman snarled, raising its staff to strike, but Ilya hurled something at its face.

A human head.

The charred skull struck the barrier, rolling against the heat. The shaman flinched. Its concentration wavered, instincts overriding magic as it recoiled from the grotesque projectile.

Ilya roared, charging through the flames, fists clenched.

Bel's breath caught.

The moment she touched the barrier, her body ignited.

A scream tore from her throat, her arms searing with flame. The shaman deactivated the barrier and jumped back, its staff raising, energy surging to finish her off.

Bel moved without thinkingr. He stepped between them, intercepting the staff, feeling the heat surge past his skin as he reached forward. But before he could react further, a blinding light engulfed the cavern.

From the entrance, Lena stood, her hands clasped in prayer, whispering words.

A radiant glow swept over them, washing away the suffocating darkness. The flames on Ilya's body dissipated, leaving only smoldering embers. The shaman screeched, covering its eye, the miasma around it recoiling from the purity of the magic, leaving it exposed mere centimeters away from a monster.

Bel didn't hesitate.

He lunged, his fist hammering into the shaman's gut, sending it sprawling. He was on top of it in an instant, his hands seizing its arms in a vice grip.

The goblin shaman screeched in panic, its limbs flailing.

Bel inhaled sharply, his golden eyes burning.

With a guttural roar, he pulled.

A sickening rip echoed through the chamber as the shaman's arms were torn from its body.

A shriek of pure agony filled the cave, reverberating through the stone walls, drowning everything else.