Warlock of Oceans: My Poseidon System-Chapter 479: Fifth Floor: The Molten Cavern of Lava Lizardmen (19)

The lava leviathan roared, its molten body flickering wildly as it grew desperate. The fiery glow of its core pulsed erratically, signaling its strength was waning. Yet, with its back against the corner of the battlefield, the creature retaliated with a ferocity that demanded every ounce of focus from the trio.

The leviathan's tail lashed out in a wide arc, a molten whip slicing through the air. Cyrus raised his shield, the fiery impact sending him skidding backward. Sylus darted in, leaping over the molten appendage to deliver a precise strike to the creature's side. His blade shimmered with aetheric energy as it cut into one of the glowing veins, sending molten sparks flying.

The leviathan thrashed, its serpentine body coiling and uncoiling in a deadly rhythm. Molten Surge rippled across the battlefield, creating rivers of lava that hardened into jagged volcanic terrain. Athena, quick to adapt, conjured a bridge of frost to provide the trio safe passage. She hurled icy shards at the leviathan's core, each projectile hissing and steaming on impact.

The leviathan countered with Lava Cyclone, spinning its massive body to create a fiery vortex. Debris and molten rock spiraled toward the trio, threatening to engulf them. "Stay low!" Athena yelled, dropping to the ground and conjuring a frost barrier. Cyrus and Sylus dove beneath the swirling inferno, emerging just as the cyclone subsided.

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Cyrus took the lead, charging forward with his shield glowing. He slammed it into the leviathan's tail, forcing the creature to rear up. Sylus seized the opportunity, scaling a nearby volcanic ridge for a vantage point. With a powerful leap, he landed on the leviathan's back, driving his blade into its molten surface. The beast howled, thrashing violently to shake him off.

"Hang on, Sylus!" Athena shouted, focusing her energy into a massive spell. She created a freezing storm above the battlefield, shards of ice raining down with pinpoint accuracy. The frost bit into the leviathan's molten body, cooling and hardening sections of its frame.

Cyrus followed up with a powerful charge, his blade glowing with golden light. He struck the hardened sections, shattering them and exposing the creature's molten core. "Now, hit the core!" he yelled.

Sylus, still clinging to the leviathan's back, plunged his blade into one of the exposed veins. Lava burst forth, the creature writhing in agony. With a final surge of strength, it launched itself into the air, twisting and coiling as it prepared one last attack.

The leviathan's fiery body began to collapse inward, signaling the activation of Volcanic Rebirth. The trio braced themselves as the creature exploded into a massive pool of lava, the heat searing the air. But this time, there was no regeneration. The molten pool began to solidify, the fiery glow dimming as the leviathan's energy was spent.

Cyrus stood over the hardening lava, his sword still glowing. "Is it… over?" he asked, his voice heavy with exhaustion.

Athena scanned the battlefield, her staff at the ready. "I think so. It's not reforming."

Sylus staggered over, his armor scorched but intact. "Well, that was fun," he said, collapsing onto a nearby rock. "Let's not do that again."

The trio stood together, their breaths heavy as the once-mighty lava leviathan lay defeated, its molten form reduced to cooled, inert rock. They exchanged a brief glance, relief washing over them—but they knew their journey was far from over.

As the lava leviathan's form solidified into a dormant mound of obsidian, the fiery glow of the battlefield began to fade. The volcanic terrain around them shuddered, the rivers of molten lava cooling at an accelerated rate. A low, rumbling vibration echoed through the cavern, and the oppressive heat began to dissipate, replaced by a stark, chilling stillness.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the once-molten ground as the bubbling pools of lava hardened into jagged black obsidian. Pillars of volcanic rock became glossy and sharp, glinting faintly in the dim light of the cavern. The intense reds and oranges of the fiery landscape were now replaced by shimmering shades of black and deep gray, the cooled rock reflecting faint glimmers of the fading firelight.

The few remaining lava lizardmen howled in agony as the rapid cooling process overtook them. Their fiery skin dimmed and cracked, steam hissing violently as the intense heat was drained from their bodies. One by one, they stumbled and thrashed, their glowing eyes fading into dull embers. Their molten forms began to harden, turning rigid as their fiery lifeblood cooled into stone.

The cries of the lizardmen became weaker and more fragmented until, finally, they ceased altogether. What remained of the once-ferocious creatures were now petrified statues, frozen mid-motion in poses of anguish and despair. Some stood with weapons still raised, others crumbled into fragmented pieces, scattered among the obsidian landscape.

The trio stood amidst the eerie stillness, the only sound the faint crackling of cooling rock. Athena let out a slow, shaky breath, her staff glowing faintly as the frost dissipated. "What… just happened?" she murmured, looking around at the transformed battlefield.

Cyrus lowered his shield, his brow furrowed. "The leviathan must've been the core of this entire place. Its death triggered some kind of reaction."

Sylus kicked a small shard of obsidian at his feet, watching it skitter across the now-glassy ground. "Whatever it was, I don't think those lizard guys are coming back anytime soon."

The cavern was transformed. What had once been a hellish landscape of molten rock and searing heat was now a desolate, haunting expanse of glossy obsidian and stone. Jagged spires rose into the cavern's heights, casting long, sharp shadows. The air was still, almost cold, and the trio couldn't help but feel the weight of the silence.

"Let's keep moving," Athena said, breaking the quiet. Her voice was steady but tinged with unease. "This place feels… wrong now."

The group pressed forward, their footsteps echoing on the glassy surface of the obsidian plain, the petrified forms of their former enemies standing as grim monuments to the battle that had just unfolded.

The new landscape stretched endlessly, a dark and alien world carved by the fury of molten fire now subdued into hardened silence. The obsidian field shimmered under a faint luminescence that seemed to emanate from the very walls of the cavern, creating an otherworldly glow that played tricks on the eyes. It was as if the cavern was alive, the cooled magma radiating a faint pulse that hinted at the raw energy still coursing beneath the surface.

The massive spires of volcanic rock dominated the horizon, their jagged silhouettes rising like the remnants of a forgotten fortress. Some spires curved into intricate arches, their surfaces streaked with veins of crystallized minerals that caught the faint light and refracted it into subtle rainbows. Others stood sharp and defiant, their needle-like peaks piercing upward as if to challenge the cavern's ceiling. Along their bases, intricate patterns of cooled lava had swirled into frozen whirlpools, creating natural art that added an unsettling beauty to the desolation.

The ground beneath the trio's feet was treacherous, an unpredictable mosaic of glossy obsidian that reflected distorted images of the cavern above. Cracks ran like veins through the terrain, their edges razor-sharp and glowing faintly as if the magma beneath was reluctant to fully relinquish its heat. Walking was a precarious task; every step required calculated precision to avoid the shards of obsidian that jutted from the ground like deadly thorns. The jagged ridges created natural barriers and narrow paths, forcing the trio to move with both caution and ingenuity.

Scattered across this alien terrain were the petrified remains of the lava lizardmen, their statuesque forms forever locked in expressions of agony and defiance. Some clutched weapons that had fused with their stone bodies, their blades dulled and lifeless. Others were caught mid-strike, their twisted postures a haunting reminder of their final moments. Small fragments of these statues littered the ground, crumbling into brittle shards that crunched underfoot, filling the cavern with a ghostly echo.

Pools of obsidian dotted the landscape, their mirror-like surfaces reflecting the faint glow of the cavern walls. Some were perfectly still, their depths unfathomable, while others rippled as if disturbed by unseen forces. Around these pools, the cooling process had created strange, concentric rings of blackened rock, giving the illusion of ripples frozen in time. Occasionally, the surface of a pool would crack, releasing a sharp hiss of steam as trapped heat escaped into the cavern.

The cavern walls themselves were an imposing sight. Layers of hardened magma formed grotesque murals of frozen chaos, with streaks of red and orange snaking through the blackened surfaces like the veins of some ancient, sleeping beast. Stalactites hung ominously from the ceiling, their sharp points glistening with moisture that dripped steadily onto the floor below. Some of these stalactites were connected to the ground by thin, glassy columns, creating natural pillars that added to the cathedral-like majesty of the space.

The air, once blistering and suffocating, was now cool and heavy with the scent of sulfur and ash. Every breath carried a faint metallic tang, a reminder of the volcanic forces that had shaped this domain. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the distant tremors that echoed through the cavern like the heartbeat of the earth itself. These tremors sent subtle vibrations through the ground, causing the pools of obsidian to quiver and the faint crystalline veins in the walls to shimmer momentarily.