Death… And Me

Chapter 4501: Company

All the fire suddenly began to converge, getting more and more compressed. As for the fire itself, the temperature inside increased even more, until it almost looked like the sun, just in miniature. The Red-Golden Flames were already terrifying before, but this was clearly something on an entirely different level. Rean could feel the heat even from where he was standing, and the pressure coming from the flames made his instincts scream that something extremely dangerous was about to happen.

”Shit! Get out of here!” Rean immediately shouted, dashing away.

Roan and the others were certain Rean wouldn’t be doing that without a good reason, so none of them thought twice before they all darted into the distance together with Rean. Even Arcis, their Law God, didn’t hesitate for a moment. Rean had been the one closest to the fox throughout this entire process, so if even he felt the need to run, there was obviously no reason for the others to remain nearby.

That obviously left Fariu and his two companions puzzled. Was that some kind of plot to lure his group away? They wanted them gone a moment ago, and now this? What if he fell for their trick? Fariu couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment as several thoughts crossed his mind. Perhaps Rean had deliberately created this situation to force them away from the flames.

The Red-Golden Sphere of Flames continued to get more compressed, and the temperature increased nonstop. It only took an instant for even the area where Fariu’s group was standing to also get too hot for them. The heat was already burning through their Godly Energy defenses, and the air itself seemed to distort around them.

It finally dawned on Fariu that the thing was about to explode!

”Fuck! Run!”

Fariu and his companions turned around and darted away as fast as the twins’ group. Regardless of whether it was a plot to trick them or not, it simply wasn’t worth risking their lives for it. Whatever was happening inside that sphere, it had already reached a level where even a Late Stage Zone God like Fariu didn’t dare to remain nearby.

Too bad they made that decision too late...

*Ziu... KABOOOOMMMM!!!*

An enormous explosion of concentrated Godly Energy and Red-Golden Flames blasted everything several hundred meters away! That was only the area that the explosion of flames reached. Beyond that was the shockwave, followed by the extremely high temperatures that swept through the surroundings. The ground itself cracked and shattered under the force, while countless trees were instantly reduced to ashes.

*Awwooooooo!!!*

As the explosion happened, a projection of a fox howling to the skies appeared within it. It was enormous, just as big as the explosion itself. Still, the Gold and Red eyes made it obvious that it was the same fox Rean was taking care of.

The sight was so shocking that even Rean couldn’t help but glance back for a moment while fleeing. The enormous fox projection seemed to carry an ancient and wild presence, and for that brief instant, the entire area felt as though it had become the territory of some terrifying beast.

Fariu’s group managed to leave the inner explosion area where the flames covered everything, but not the immediate shockwave and the extreme temperatures that followed. The trio was blasted into the distance like ragdolls, their clothes and skin burning furiously.

*Arrrgghhhh!!!*

*Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...*

Their bodies hit the ground and kicked several times, and trees were knocked down for several kilometers. Everything was burnt and destroyed inside the explosion area and its surroundings. The landscape that had once been filled with vegetation was now nothing but scorched earth, with flames still dancing across the ground in several places.

Fariu did his best to resist the impact, but even as a Zone God, it was just too much. The shockwave had been far more powerful than he had expected, and his body had already suffered tremendous damage from the flames.

He was going to die...

...or so was supposed to be the case.

*Grab!*

Out of nowhere, a blue bird covered his almost-dead body, using the force of the impact to get away from the impact area. The Laws of Ice circulated around the bird as the Ice Element forcefully fought the high temperatures. The surrounding heat was still frightening, but the Laws of Ice allowed the bird to carve out a small area where they could survive.

Eventually, the two of them got far enough that the bird could land on the ground again.

”Hmph! You idiot! Didn’t you hear my subordinate tell you to run?!” Sure enough, that was Arcis.

”Se-Senior...” Fariu spoke with difficulty, most of his body charred, making it hard to tell if he was going to survive or not. Even speaking seemed to require the last bit of strength he had left.

Arcis snorted. ”If I hadn’t pulled you out, you’d already be dead.”

Fariu couldn’t answer. He knew that was the truth.

Roan approached them right after. His hair became a mix of white and black as a burst of Light Element entered Fariu-Gu’s body. ”Eat this pill and consider yourself lucky.”

’Life Style, Instant Recovery!’

Fariu was fed one of Roan’s nutrient pills as Rean’s healing skill began its job. The charred skin fell, the bones mended, and his hair grew back. The damage was quite serious, so even with Rean’s skill, it took Roan over two minutes to finally bring Fariu back from the brink of death, let alone heal everything afterwards.

Fariu slowly opened his eyes, still looking dazed. He instinctively moved his arms and legs before realizing that they were actually working again. His expression immediately changed.

”I’m... alive?”

”Not because of your intelligence, that’s for sure,” Roan replied coldly.

Arcis glanced at Roan. ”Don’t mind him. He’s just like that.”

Fariu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. After almost dying from the explosion, he certainly didn’t have the courage to complain.

—

Meanwhile, Rean began to make his way back into the explosion area. The flames began to recede, and his high tolerance made it much easier for him to progress. Even so, he could still feel the terrifying heat pressing against his body, and he had to circulate his energy to prevent himself from getting burned.

”I guess it makes sense considering just how many Godly Crystals that girl has consumed so far...” Rean murmured to himself.

Rean knew she definitely wasn’t dead. He could feel her life force not too far from him, but especially her extremely powerful Yang Energy. In fact, her life force seemed stronger than before, which was enough to reassure him that the explosion hadn’t harmed her.

Then, at the very center where the flames still raged, Rean saw the silhouette.

He stopped for a moment.

The silhouette was small compared to the enormous flames surrounding it, but there was something strangely calm about it. Then, as if the flames had sensed him, the flames suddenly rushed inward, entering the fox’s body.

The entire process happened incredibly quickly.

One moment, the area was still covered by countless Red-Golden Flames.

The next, almost all of them had disappeared.

Now in the middle of that crater, a fiery red and golden fox stood. She still had the same size as before. However, there was an obvious difference.

There weren’t two tails...

but three!

*Rawr!*

The fox burst forward, and a trail of flames appeared behind her. No doubt the fox had just gotten even better at controlling her flames. Her movement was smoother, faster, and more natural than before, as if the flames themselves had become an extension of her body.

But above all...

”So fast!”

Rean was forced to brace himself.

*Bang!*

Normally, he would have been fast enough to dodge. However, he was still not at his peak because of the Godly Pressure, so the fox was just fast enough to catch him.

*Ouch...*

The impact made Rean’s entire upper body shake.

”Hey, calm down, calm down!” Rean said as his chest and arms trembled in pain. That was quite the big impact he had just received. As for the fox, she was now rubbing her face against him affectionately, clearly not realizing that her greeting had almost knocked him over.

Rean couldn’t help but smile.

Finally, Rean lifted the fox by her arms, bitterly smiling. ”Girl, just what is wrong with yo-”

Rean’s words stopped midway. ”Ahem! Nope! There is nothing wrong with you! Yes! You are perfectly fine!”

Rean definitely wouldn’t say the same thing everyone always said about him and his companions. If he did that, he would have to admit there was something wrong with his group as well.

That was never going to happen!

*Rawr!*

The little girl nodded in agreement.

”See? Even you agree. We are all very, very normal! Definitely!”

Then, he put her on his shoulder, stroking her head with care. She was very hot, but nothing he couldn’t resist at the moment. Her fur was slowly, but certainly, turning back into her normal snow-white. It was just that it would take a few minutes at the current speed.

Rean looked at her three tails again. ”Three tails, huh? So that’s what happens after you break through?”

*Rawr?*

The fox tilted her head.

”Don’t look at me like that. I’m the one asking you!”

The fox simply blinked at him.

Looking around, Rean couldn’t help but feel surprised. ”I have to say, you sure made a commotion here. Say, was it a breakthrough that you just had? I’ve never been able to ascertain what realm you were in.”

*Rawr?*

The fox looked at Rean, puzzled. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand him, but that she wasn’t certain herself. She couldn’t talk, but after all these years, and with her high intelligence, she already could understand them very well.

”So you don’t know either, uh?” Rean just smiled. ”Well, it is fine. You got stronger, and above all, you got one more fluffy tail. You look great!”

*Rawr!*

And the fox definitely agreed, puffing out her chest with pride.

Rean chuckled. ”That’s right. A very impressive fluffy tail.”

The fox’s three tails swayed behind her with obvious satisfaction.

”Well, let’s go ba-”

Rean didn’t finish his words. Instead, he changed them. ”Don’t leave my shoulder.”

Right after, his Light Element bent the light around the fox, making her completely invisible.

Finally, he looked up, and there he saw an airplane for the first time in this Woster Prison.

It had just arrived at this location.

Rean’s expression immediately became more serious. After all, they had deliberately kept the airplane hidden for years, and they hadn’t seen any airplanes anywhere near the Ashen Hills. If one had suddenly appeared now, right after the fox’s enormous breakthrough, one could tell who had just arrived.

”Seems like Fariu’s elder has arrived.”