Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 2077: Land of fire

When the icicle activated, lines emerged on the ground just like previously.

They swiftly spread out in various directions right away.

It was obvious they were linking up to the other nodes of this formation.

Before long, a vast array materialized on the ground, marked by numerous icicles at its key positions.

Viewing from the sky made the entire setup crystal clear. Yet soaring high brought an intense chill.

Below, structures offered some shelter from the biting winds sweeping this area. In contrast, ascending into the heavens exposed us fully to that icy gale.

As the array completed, we descended toward the spot where the entrance was set to reveal itself.

We'd begun our descent prior to the array's full activation, given my knowledge of the entrance's location. After all, this formation matched the one we'd faced earlier perfectly.

Though crafted by the gods, these arrays didn't vary by location. What functioned in one spot would perform equally well elsewhere.

Thus, it replicated the previous array exactly.

Upon landing, the entrance awaited us, identical to before—a staircase plunging into the earth.

Yet approaching these steps brought a novel feeling.

A wave of warmth emanated from the stairs.

Whatever lay beneath pulsed with intense heat, starkly opposing the icy desolation surrounding us.

I couldn't shake the resemblance to the divide between the rock elementals' domain and the surface above it.

Nevertheless, I pushed aside deeper speculation, unaware of what truly awaited below.

That said, I could guess the type of elementals thriving in such a scorching environment.

With the entrance unsealed, delay was unwise; it was bound to lure threats like bait in water. The elemental energies spilling out would inevitably summon corrupting forces.

Greater releases of energy only heightened the pull on that corruption.

Hence, resolving our objectives here demanded utmost haste.

"It’s getting hotter..." Those trailing me murmured this truth as we descended the stairs.

The deeper we ventured, the fiercer the heat intensified.

Eventually, I erected a barrier around our group to mitigate some of the sweltering air. Still, the pervasive warmth overwhelmed it, refusing total negation.

This heat's ferocity escalated relentlessly with our descent.

At the stairs' base, the origin of the blaze came into view.

A sense of déjà vu washed over me here.

It mirrored the dungeon where I'd discovered Ifrit almost perfectly.

Lava dominated this realm.

Flames engulfed every inch of the landscape.

In a fire-saturated domain like this, such overwhelming heat was inevitable. The issue lay in shielding my companions from it all.

I could manage temporarily, but sustaining the defense would drain my reserves quickly.

Alone, Ifrit's power might suffice, but safeguarding the group long-term proved impossible.

So I declared, "Everyone, you need to head back."

Klein and the royal guards resisted, bound by duty to shield me. The rest had joined out of curiosity for the elementals stirring this chaos.

But I insisted, "If you’re here with me, I won’t be able to stay here for long protecting all of you. I need you all to leave so I can focus on what I need to do here."

Several faces twitched with protest, yet even the Sorcery Empire's magicians recognized their limits in this inferno.

Their strength fell short of enduring the ambient heat unaided.

Without my intervention, they'd have retreated sooner.

Ultimately, they yielded, accepting they hindered me. I bestowed a fading barrier to guard their ascent.

Alone now, I scanned the surroundings, pondering my next move.

Summoning the resident elementals ranked first, though the method eluded me still.

After a moment's reflection, I lifted the hand bearing the Mark of God.

A mere thought ignited the Mark, unleashing divine energy across the vicinity.

Beyond that, I retrieved a stone, displaying it prominently.

The rock elementals' elder had gifted this, assuring its utility in seeking other elementals.