The Golem Mage

The salamander opened its jaws wide, unleashing a cone-shaped blaze directly toward Alec, however Alec calmly retreated as Titan and Magnito moved to intercept the attack.

Both golems acted swiftly—on Titan’s side, a massive wall of ice surged upward, while on Magnito’s side, a thick sheet of metal shot up from the ground, under normal circumstances, such defences wouldn’t hold up against a Tier 7 demonic beast’s attack.

However, something was different this time.

The black flames from Alec’s Flaming Aura overlapped with the spells, giving both defences a darkened glow.

Titan’s ice gleamed with a faint black hue, and Magnito’s wall shimmered with the same eerie aura.

Their spells had been cast in perfect sync, and with the added augmentation from the Flaming Aura, the power of their defences surged beyond their usual limits, just enough to barely hold back the salamander’s attack briefly.

But that brief moment was enough.

As the rest of the golems took advantage of the window to scatter, dodging out of the salamander’s blast range.

Titan and Magnito, knowing they couldn’t hold the line much longer, broke formation and darted away as well.

Yet that sudden dispersion gave the salamander exactly what it wanted—space to move freely and focus on the one target it had marked from the start, this time, when the red salamander moved, despite its speed still being the same Alec was finally able to read its motion after equipping his equipment set.

He raised his left arm defensively as the creature’s massive tail swept toward him with alarming force.

But even with his preparation, it made no difference.

The blow struck with bone-crushing power, and Alec’s body was hurled backward like a ragdoll, slamming hard into the barrier that separated the fiery region from the central zone, the impact echoed across the field, the force of it driving the air from his lungs.

Even Alec had expected to be knocked clean into the central area from that attack, yet for some reason unknown to him, the impact hadn’t flung him across the barrier.

He didn’t have the time or the luxury—to question the mechanics of the third level of the Beast Forest or the physics behind what just happened, especially when a furious Tier 7 demonic beast was barreling straight toward him.

Though his bones ached and his insides felt scrambled, Alec tightened his grip on his weapon.

A dangerous thrill surged through him, he couldn’t explain why, but something about facing an opponent he knew he couldn’t kill head on ignited a reckless excitement within him.

Perhaps it was because deep down, he knew he wouldn’t truly die here.

This was just his consciousness, dragged in through the amulet, even if he lost, he would awaken outside, battle-worn but alive—and stronger. As the real prize was the experience he could keep.

“Come!” Alec growled, lowering his stance and raising his blade to eye level, its tip trained on the charging salamander.

The intelligent gleam in the beast’s eyes had vanished, replaced by primal rage, gone was the curious observer—what remained was a furious predator, and Alec welcomed that familiar hostility, he knew how to fight monsters this way not with them showing too much neutrality.

Bang!!

Each of the salamander’s thunderous steps shook the ground like a mini explosion, the two closest golems—Oni and Butcher—reacted immediately, while the rest of the golems were still fanned out from their earlier maneuver, too far to help in time.

Oni surged from the left in a blur of black liquid mist, while Butcher streaked from the right with electric-blue lightning crackling in his wake, both golems moved at full speed, aiming to intercept the rampaging beast at the center—one from shadow, the other from storm.

However, the salamander saw the intercepting golems as nothing more than a nuisance.

It suddenly leapt into the air, catching Alec off guard, as his eyes twitched in disbelief, for such a massive beast, the red salamander moved through the air with baffling grace.

Alec had been certain that a creature of its weight would be grounded, yet here it was, gliding with ease.

Butcher was the first to react, launching himself skyward with the beast, his massive thunder axe remained in its default two-handed form, spinning above his head like a storm turbine, discharging crackling bolts of lightning with every rotation.

Each spin built more momentum, charging the weapon with violent energy.

On the ground, Oni didn’t stay idle, he swung his scythe, which morphed mid-air into a more circular form—the blade curving awkwardly, transforming into a hooked weapon, from the base of the handle, a soul chain uncoiled, trailing down to Oni’s right hand.

His intent was clear, even to the salamander, but the beast didn’t bother evading.

As the curved scythe wrapped around one of its rear limbs, a loud screeching sound rang out—like metal grinding against something just as tough. Oni braced himself, muscles straining as he tried to yank the beast back to the ground.

“Ahhh!” he roared, exerting every ounce of strength, which caused the salamander who still continued to hover in the air to be amused—forgetting, for a critical moment, about the other threat.

Butcher, having gathered sufficient momentum, unleashed his attack.

His axe, now glowing with charged lightning mana, crashed downward toward the salamander’s head, the instant the strike landed, there was an eerie moment of silence—followed by a deafening BOOM and a violent shockwave that ripped through the air.

The black flames coating the weapon flared violently, enhancing the impact.

Alec’s eyes widened as he clearly saw a massive bolt—not the regular lightning butcher shoots, but black lightning—explode outward from the point of contact, zapping the salamander in a thunderous eruption of power.

Finally, the salamander’s body appeared to go numb, stunned by the devastating lightning discharge from Butcher’s strike.

At that moment, Titan and Legion arrived beside Oni, clicking their hands into position behind his waist as they joined in the effort.

Together, the three golems pulled with immense force, yanking the beast from the air and slamming it to the ground with a thunderous crash.