Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 83: Caldera Supervolcano

People once called the Caldera Mountains the Caldera Volcano. This was no ordinary mountain, it was an entire range that had once been a colossal supervolcano.

Though dormant for ages, the volcano was far from dead. It waited patiently for the perfect moment to awaken. That day would have come tens of thousands of years later if things had gone according to plan.

Rumble!

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But then, the immortal phoenix found the mountain.

The massive beast, hundreds of in length, tapped into the mountain’s geothermal energy and began burrowing into the earth. It shredded through the ground, drawing heat from the magma and intensifying the geological unrest.

The phoenix’s actions set off a chain reaction.

Boom!

The energy released by the phoenix’s collision with the mountain rippled outward like shockwaves. It unleashed intense heat, tremors, and a deafening roar. Unlike typical earthquakes, the tremors originated at the surface.

As the phoenix slammed into the earth, the surface surged upward like a wave, obliterating everything in its path.

Pressure within the mountain range began to mount, and that was only the beginning.

Hungry for heat, the phoenix plunged deeper into the magma in search of even hotter regions. As it swam and frolicked in the molten rock, its movements stirred the magma rising from deep within the Earth. The heat generated by the phoenix’s actions made the nearby lava bubble and boil.

Power, more than enough to trigger a typical volcanic eruption, continued accumulating. But this wasn’t just any volcano, it was the Caldera supervolcano; an entire mountain range built upon volcanic fury.

For the moment, all that was visible were tremors, aftershocks, and plumes of smoke rising from the mountains.

The small republic, nearly a city-state in its size, lay in close proximity to the mountains. If the volcano erupted, it would obliterate Vales City before anyone had a chance to escape.

In response, the capital dispatched two earth-magic experts, Thomas William and Andrew Gilbert, to address the crisis. Using underground viewing magic designed for ore prospecting, they were stunned to discover a giant bird moving deep beneath the surface.

“W-what on earth is this?”

“I don’t know. But it’s a monster. You’re saying a creature like this could occur naturally? That’s absurd, this must be Grimudo’s work!”

“I’m not so sure. For now, let’s stick to reporting only the facts.”

Andrew had trouble understanding the situation. The Republic’s leader, Apprentice Andolf McLaren, was on good terms with Grimudo, so why would he send a monster to destroy the Cidatel Republic? But trying to answer that question didn’t matter at this point.

The two magicians observed the underground disturbance intently. A protective magic circle shielded them from the tremors. Soon it became evident that the situation was far graver than they had imagined. Earthquakes, lava flows, and devastation had already gripped the mountain range. But this could just be the beginning, not the end.

“As long as that thing continues its rampage, the crustal disturbances will persist. We may have already missed our chance to stop it.”

“So if that thing keeps running wild down there...”

“It’s dangerous even if it stays still. The creature has tapped into a deep heat source, drawing energy from it, and it’s not the only force extracting heat.”

No one in the magic tower understood volcanoes better than the former civil servant, Thomas William. He understood the situation’s severity better than Andrew did. Andrew, on the other hand, hailed from the Vales Branch of the magic tower.

He knew that in a vast world, no matter how obscure, someone was bound to study it.

The Cidatel Republic had long benefited from Thomas’s research on the dormant Caldera volcano. Though it never made him rich, he had always regarded it as a passionate hobby. For him, mastering earth magic was merely a tool to further his research, not for personal gain.

In Thomas’s eyes, the Caldera volcano was meant to remain dormant for centuries, even beyond his own lifetime. But the monster, the immortal phoenix, had awakened the volcano early.

No one could predict exactly when the eruption would occur, but an immense force was steadily building underground. Craving geothermal energy, the phoenix fed voraciously on the heat deep within the earth. Yet, it couldn’t absorb it all. The heat it failed to absorb only added to the growing pressure.

“The heat that the creature fails to absorb is intensifying the lava, raising the pressure inside the mountains. If this continues, the pressure will eventually overcome even the mountains themselves. When that happens... Well, boom! The whole thing collapses. The disaster would be completely unavoidable.”

An eruption of this magnitude was beyond negotiation, reasoning, or escape. Harmael could invade the Cidatel Republic with her demon army, and that could be fought, but a volcanic eruption posed an entirely different threat.

Grimudo might have seen it. The largest eruption in history, the Ropunpo volcano in the south, had wiped out an entire island. That event paled in comparison to the might of the Caldera supervolcano. It could destroy the whole region.

“Fighting against a volcano is impossible. Our only choice is to flee.”

“Let’s secure passage on ships for our families and get as far away as we can to survive.”

“But what about everyone else?”

Andrew fell silent at Thomas’s words.

They instinctively knew the answer, though neither dared to voice the ominous thought, as if saying it aloud might seal their fate. It felt as though uttering it might turn the ominous thought into prophecy, and reality.

“All we can do is compile a detailed report with every piece of this information and submit it to the highest authorities of the Republic. Let’s document every detail of what we observed and send it in. We should pack our families and flee today, whether the higher-ups believe it. That’s all we can do.”

They understood that deserting the battlefield might lead to torture in an underground prison. But was the Caldera supervolcano the enemy?

Could humans truly be considered enemies when faced with a force as colossal as this volcano? They could do nothing but tremble and fret, careful not to provoke its wrath. The best they could do was fret and flee at the first sign of an eruption.

“We don’t know when it’ll erupt. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in two days... If we’re lucky, we might have a week. Alerting the higher-ups gives them time to act, but that’s the limit of our power. Thomas, we have families.”

“We’re not the only ones with families. I can’t leave.”

“Get real! Staying here won’t solve anything!”

Andrew placed a hand on Thomas’s shoulder and shook him. His eyes were desperate, too.

He could have abandoned Thomas if necessary, yet he genuinely cared for him. They had only met briefly, but Andrew felt a kinship with him.

“No, there is something I can do. That’s why I have to stay.”

“I know you’re a brilliant scholar, but what can one person possibly do here?”

“Though we can’t halt the volcano with human strength, we can confront the monster. If we can neutralize it, the eruption might be delayed.”

Andrew stared blankly at Thomas’s words.

“You don’t mean...”

“I’ll propose that the republic’s leaders gather the strongest to subdue that monster. No hero, however great, knows this volcano’s terrain as well as I do. I intend to guide them to it.”

He gently removed Andrew’s hand from his shoulder and then clasped it tightly.

“Andrew, could I ask you to care for my family?”

Unable to speak further, Andrew hesitantly nodded. He bowed his head in shame, unable to follow Thomas, and remained silent.

“Is that necessary?”

After a long pause, Andrew finally spoke. Thomas gave him a faint smile.

“It’s the way to protect my family. If the supervolcano awakens... where else can they go? An eruption is like an unopened box, we can only guess at the horrors within.”

“Then we must hurry. If we subdue that monster quickly, we might avert the worst.”

The two exchanged nods and rushed toward Vales City.

Thus began their desperate struggle to avert catastrophe.