Fire Mage-Chapter 636: Ignis Sanctuary

Chapter 636: Ignis Sanctuary

Time seemed to crawl as he focused entirely on the new spell model. After hours of meticulous work, he shaped a functioning prototype. Though incomplete, it radiated enough power to fend off even a Peak-Stage Legendary Magical Beast.

Taking a step outside the cave, Charles extended his hand and activated the spell.

Golden flames burst to life around him, forming a luminous barrier that spread five meters outward in every direction. The Ignis Sanctuary shimmered like a dome forged from divine flame—pure Lawful Fire Essence flickering along its surface. It didn’t just repel danger—it exuded an aura that warned it would burn anything that dared approach.

For the next fifteen minutes, Charles stood within the sanctuary, eyes narrowed in concentration. He observed how the Fire Essences danced through the barrier, how they reacted to his will, how they layered into defensive properties. Every motion, every flicker, became data.

When the spell finally dissipated, he let out a breath, satisfied. The essences calmed and drifted back into dormancy.

The spell had potential—but Charles understood its flaws.

The first was duration: fifteen minutes at most.

The second was defense: while strong against physical strikes, magic, and even curses, it might still be vulnerable to unique spells—his own Soul Shock, for instance. And could it withstand his Purple Fire? Or resist the surreal powers of dream-related magic?

Still, he couldn’t help but smile.

"When completed, this could rival peak Legendary or even Demi-God level spells."

His gaze lifted toward the grey, cloud-thick sky.

"Genesis," he called, "how much Wisdom Power do I need to reach the peak of the Legendary Rank?"

A mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

[It depends, Host. But you’re already far beyond an average mage. In your Rebirth Domain spell alone, you’ve comprehended over fifteen Fire Laws. Across your other spells, you’ve quickly grasped 700 Fire Essences. With time, you could master even more Fire Laws, making you unmatched in your rank.

However, to fully pursue the path of Fire Laws, you need immense Wisdom Power—to stabilize your soul. I can’t give an exact figure.]

"So, you don’t know?" Charles muttered, then added, "How much does an average mage need to reach their peak?"

[Around 400 to 500 points, Host.]

Charles frowned slightly.

"Then... have I already reached that level?"

Perhaps. But even with all his current power, it still wasn’t enough to fully complete Ignis Sanctuary.

"I’ll have to take things slowly," he murmured, eyes drifting toward the distant treeline. Time was slipping through his fingers. He longed to master the Lawful Fire, yet it always felt just out of reach.

"Time, huh?" His lips curled into a wry smile. "Maybe I should try unlocking the Chaos Flame inside the Time Crystal."

With that thought, he returned to the cave.

Over the past week, Charles hadn’t just focused on improving himself—he kept tabs on the outside world. Using his Purple Word spell, he maintained contact with Head Deacon Colt, who provided critical intelligence.

Six members of the Order Church, eight from the Hawthorne Family, and three from the Amber Church had gathered at the Dream Palace. Their goal: to challenge a domain once ruled by the fallen Priest of the Dream God—Pathmaker.

Archbishop Victor had joined them. So far, his actions raised no alarms.

"The Order and Amber Churches plan to leave the Dungeon after raiding Pathmaker’s domain. The Hawthorne Family plans to ally with the Fairchilds and head for the next layer... But Victor..." Charles frowned. "He’s waiting for something. Cautious. What’s he after?"

Shaking off the unease, Charles summoned a flickering ball of flame to illuminate the cave. Warm light danced across stone walls. He reached into his space ring and retrieved the Crimson Orb, carefully lifting a snake egg from inside.

It pulsed with an eerie, malignant glow. The moment he touched it, a wave of unease washed over him.

On average, a soul takes ten months to form a consciousness...

But Charles knew time was against him. If a new soul didn’t form soon, the essence within would move on to its next life.

His thoughts drifted—to a certain snake.

And to the information Jade had shared—about the Life Church’s strange activities in the Dream World.

"Why am I thinking of that snake again... after all these years?" he muttered.

Now a Legendary Mage, Charles’s foresight had grown keener. He knew better than to dismiss stray thoughts.

There’s no such thing as coincidence.

A suspicion crept in.

"Could it be? Was the powerful enemy the Life Church fought in the Dream World... the Shadow Princess?"

The idea planted itself firmly in his mind.

"If the chance arises, I’ll question the Cardinal of Life myself."

He gently returned the egg to the Crimson Orb and stored it back in his ring.

Then, after a moment of quiet, Charles retrieved a small, reddish crystal from his space ring. At first glance, it looked simple. But the moment he touched it, he felt the immense energy trapped inside.

A tingling sensation crawled through his fingertips.

Closing his eyes, Charles extended his wisdom power, probing the crystal’s depths. As he navigated its internal structure, he realized it wasn’t elemental at all—it was saturated with temporal energy.

But just as he began to grasp its nature, his thoughts slowed. His mind dulled. His clarity began to dissolve.

Sensing the danger, he immediately shifted into his elemental form and cast [Accelerate Thoughts]. His perception sharpened, thoughts quickened, and the fog lifted.

Once again, he reached into the crystal—this time without resistance.

But then, without warning, a powerful force seized him.

The crystal’s core flared—and dragged Charles’s entire elemental form deep inside.

In just a few seconds, Charles was hurled through space at an incredible speed, until he arrived in a place unlike any he had seen before. Suspended before him was a massive, reddish sphere of fire. Though not as magnificent as the true Sun, it loomed larger than a mountain.

It feels like I’m floating in space, he thought, his eyes fixed on the fiery globe.

It must’ve been at least half a kilometer wide—perhaps even more. The sheer size of it made his body feel minuscule in comparison. At the center of the fireball rested a strange black orb, unmoving and eerie, like the unblinking eye of some hidden creature.

Wait... was that an eye?

A cold shiver crept down his spine. Curiosity tangled with unease.

Though the black orb remained still and made no move to harm him, its presence set his nerves on edge. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. When no threat revealed itself, he allowed his tension to ease and scanned the surroundings for any hidden dangers.

The sight around him was breathtaking—crystal walls surrounded the fiery sphere, trapping it like an eternal flame in a gemstone. It was mesmerizing, beautiful, and utterly alien. Overhead, he noticed the cavern’s ceiling and a tiny floating fireball that gave off a soft glow.

It was the very fireball he had conjured earlier.

Yet now, it looked enormous.

No... I didn’t grow smaller—everything else became larger.

The crystals around him were unlike the Time Crystals he had encountered before. They hinted that this might be a pocket dimension entirely separate from the physical world. But what held his attention most was still the giant fireball.

Questions buzzed through his mind, but not a single answer emerged.

"How did something like this end up here? Is it part of a greater being?" he muttered, recalling the Phoenix Bird sealed within the Rebirth Star. It didn’t seem impossible.

After a few moments of thought, Charles decided to return and check how much time had passed in the real world. Focusing his willpower, he slowly began to ascend. It took nearly an hour of steady flight before he felt a familiar tug—a force pulling him back.

The next moment, the strange power yanked him out of the crystal realm and back into the dark cavern. His body returned to normal as he landed lightly on the ground.

Almost instantly, the hovering fireball flickered and vanished with a soft hiss.

Time clearly moved far slower inside that dimension than outside.

"I knew time worked differently there... but not this drastically," he murmured.

Eager to test his theory, Charles pulled a stopwatch from his space ring and checked the time: 9:45 PM.

Determined to measure the time distortion, he placed the crystal beside the stopwatch. Then, closing his eyes, he focused his wisdom power on the crystal.

Within seconds, the now-familiar pull dragged him back to the strange space. The massive reddish fireball still burned silently in the void. Wasting no time, Charles flew upward once more. After another hour, he reached the exit and was drawn back to the cavern.

He landed exactly where he had been and picked up the stopwatch. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

9:45 PM.

He stared at it, blinking.

Only twenty-three seconds had passed in the real world.

Stunned, he checked again. The result was the same.

"One hour inside... equals one hundred forty hours in there," he whispered. His pulse quickened. Excitement flared in his chest—tinged with a hint of fear.

An idea sparked in his mind.

Should I use this chance to study the Chaos Fire... and maybe create a new spell?

His eyes sharpened with resolve. After a moment of thought, Charles sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, ready to dive back in.