The Creators: From Night City

Page 281

With fists like shooting stars, Jiang Bing, braving the intense heat, slammed his opponent from the ceiling to the ground. He then kicked off the wall and launched another attack like an arrow released from a bow.

The bloated spider body beneath Krag struggled and roared incessantly, yet it remained helpless against Jiang Bing's high-speed attacks. Krag could only let it vomit large mouthfuls of semi-solidified chaotic flame magma, filling the space around it in an attempt to block Jiang Bing from getting close.

However, the [Power-Taotie]'s fist still landed precisely on her beautiful face, leaving her face, which seemed like a perfect creation of heaven and earth, bruised and swollen, while also successfully enraging her.

"No!!" With a cry of alarm coming from the entrance of the 'Spider Cave', Krag suddenly threw away the deformed longsword in his hand, put his hands together, and began to pray.

She was unleashing the chaotic flames within her without restraint, even if it would irreversibly worsen her own abnormalities.

Chaotic flames erupted from her body as if a massive amount of oxygen had been blown in, spreading red spots from her deformed spider body beneath her, covering her fair abdomen, and rapidly spreading upwards.

The temperature instantly soared to an extremely terrifying level. Kragg, who had been both beaten and humiliated, had fallen into a state of complete rage. Her eyes seemed to burn with endless flames of anger, and with her continued prayers, these chaotic flames transformed into a terrifying storm that swept across all space.

"Krag, no!" Krana, the only one who escaped the distortion of the chaotic flames, saw this and felt pain in her heart. However, Krag, whose mind had already been partially corrupted by the distorted flames and whose body and soul had been tainted with madness, could no longer hear human words. All she wanted now was to burn everything to ashes.

Klara could only stretch out her hands to forcibly deflect the flame storm surging towards her, like a reporter going against the flow of a typhoon, trudging forward step by step with difficulty.

But someone was faster than her and walked more steadily.

Jiang Bing had only one attitude when faced with the flame storm.

Reckless!

The chaotic flames, like maggots that gnaw at the bone, burned and stained the surface armor of the [Power-Taotie], and the high temperature even transmitted through the armor to Jiang Bing's body.

Waves of heat washed over him, one after another, like the raging storms on the sea.

But none of this could stop him from moving forward.

The boots of [Mighty - Taotie] sank into the boiling magma on the ground. The surface of the armor sizzled as it touched the magma, but the shimmering blue light emanating from [Mighty - Taotie] could not be concealed by the fiery red surroundings.

With ample energy support, Nergigante, as an Elder Dragon, began to reveal its tyrannical and unreasonable side.

The armor is often destroyed by the chaotic flames, only to regenerate and grow anew in the next moment. The two are constantly engaged in a tug-of-war, causing the [Power - Taotie] to burn fiercely like kindling.

Jiang Bing withstood the onslaught of the opponent's chaotic firestorm and, under Krag's incredulous gaze, walked into the inner circle of the firestorm. He reached out and grabbed her clasped hands, forcefully pulling her bruised face in front of the ferocious beast-shaped mask of [Power - Taotie], and they faced each other with icy stares.

Golden eyes pierced through the other's madness, while fiery eyes made Kragg shudder and snap out of his rage.

Everyone knows exactly what happened to the mage when he was caught in close combat by a heavily armored warrior.

Jiang Bing lifted Red Spider's enormous, deformed body and, using Kragg's humanoid half-body as a fulcrum, threw it in a beautiful throwing arc before slamming it heavily against the wall.

The chaotic firestorm, which seemed intent on destroying everything, abruptly stopped, and the scene returned to silence, with only the sound of Kragg, whose bones were broken, sliding heavily off the wall clearly audible.

"Are you awake?" Jiang Bing's voice sounded hoarse and low, reflected by the [Power-Taotie] mask.

Whether Red Spider was conscious or not is unknown, but it is certain that she was beaten to the point of being unable to get out of bed. Even though her life form at this moment appeared exceptionally resilient under the catalysis of the chaotic flames, it was still difficult for her to withstand Jiang Bing's continuous beatings in a short period of time.

Not to mention the backlash she also had to bear from the unrestrained eruption of chaotic flames.

"My name is Krana, a member of the Chaos Witches." The hooded woman who joined the battle halfway through protected her sisters and tried to communicate with Jiang Bing.

Chapter 551 The Craftsman's Spellfire

She pulled back her tattered and dirty hood, revealing a full head of long black hair and a beautiful face that bore a striking resemblance to Kragg and Clara. She knelt beside the Red Spider, soothing the raging chaotic flames within it, while simultaneously expressing goodwill towards Jiang Bing.

"Thank you for your mercy just now."

She had witnessed the entire battle and knew perfectly well that Jiang Bing hadn't used lethal force.

"Finally, someone we can communicate with." Jiang Bing waved to signal Woodhawkwood and Kakarus to stop cowering there like dogs, and then walked over to Klara's side.

“Daughters of Chaos, as the being who understands fire best, I wish to make a deal with you,” Jiang Bing said, pointing to the battered and bruised Krag.

"Izaris has been destroyed by the out-of-control Chaos Fire. This unknown hero, we are all penniless exiles, homeless wretches. What do you see in us?"

Jiang Bing looked Klara up and down. He had to admit that the old witch Izaris had an amazing foundation. Her daughters were all stunningly beautiful and had great figures. In addition, the power of the Chaos Fire gave them an extra touch of charm, making each of them more radiant than the last.

No wonder they are called 'witches'.

"What I'm after is your experience of being corrupted by the chaotic flames." Jiang Bing retorted with a hellish joke.

After all, compared to the primordial flame, only the power of the chaotic flame is closest to it.

"You want to control the Chaos Flame?" Klara couldn't help but raise her head, looking at this arrogant person with her black eyes.

"No"

Jiang Bing also squatted down, removing the [Power-Taotie] gauntlets so that the 'craftsman's' hands could personally touch the deformed body of the red spider Kragg.

Jiang Bing's touch caused Krag's body to tremble slightly involuntarily, as if in response. After all, he didn't discriminate between men and women when it came to fighting, and he was absolutely ruthless when necessary.

They've all given the child stress-reducing treatments.

Sensing the other's distorted flesh and blood structure and equally deformed and mixed soul, Jiang revealed his purpose.

"I want the First Flame."

"That's impossible," Klara replied to Jiang Bing without the slightest hesitation.

"I fear that you will be consumed by the burning flames of creation before you even get close to the First Forge. Izaris is a prime example of this, my lord."

"I can cure your deformed sister." After taking her pulse, the old Chinese medicine doctor, Cyber, dropped a bombshell on her.

Being twisted in body and soul by chaotic flames is considered an incurable disease in this world, but for Jiang Bing, who possesses all the heavens and myriad worlds, it is not an incurable disease at all.

Putting aside his status as a 'craftsman', the 'top talents' in the medical field might be able to find a way to treat this 'deformity,' or at least the physical deformity wouldn't be a problem.

"This is impossible!" Klara exclaimed, her face filled with disbelief.

Looking at the other party's surprised and uncertain expression, looking at this person who was the ultimate target of his time-space journey, the progenitor of sorcerers who had arrived uninvited before even setting off, Jiang Bing smiled slightly like a devil: "Let's make a deal, Klara, a deal that stakes your life and the future of your two sisters."

……

Klara patiently explained the nature of flames to Jiang Bing.

"No matter what kind of flame it is, burning is its eternal destiny, but firewood determines its nature."

"So whether it's the Chaos Flame or the primordial fire that created everything in this world, their essence is the same: to relentlessly maintain their own burning." Klara raised her hand and ignited a wisp of Chaos Flame in her palm, which was also the first spell fire in the world, and showed it to Jiang Bing.

Before the 'craftsman' could even do anything, Kakarus behind him almost drooled, shoving aside Hawkwood in front of him and practically pouncing on him.

Laymen can only see the details, but only experts know what this seemingly tiny flame represents.

"To contain the Primordial Flame, one must not only possess a powerful soul, but also have unparalleled mastery over the flame." The progenitor of sorcery, Krana, extended the wisp of sorcery flame toward Jiang Bing.

"This is what I've learned from my research. Compared to my mother and sisters' grand plan to use the Chaos Flame to replace the First Flame, I hoped to use the Pyromancy Flame to simulate the First Flame, so that everyone could have their own First Flame. But I failed. I was very presumptuous, wasn't I?" Klara said self-deprecatingly.

“The fire of magic is the fire of the mind. I have had the privilege of observing the First Flame, and its ignition is an imitation of the First Flame. It faithfully reflects the inner self and essence of each individual. If we want to contain the First Flame, it may be a possibility,” said Krana with the boldness and rigor characteristic of a researcher.

“Lord Sabur, please touch it, and I will give you a wisp of my own flame to guide you on the path to understanding flame.”

Kakarus is now so envious that he's almost like a berserk zombie, corrupted by the abyss and losing his humanity. You see, the lineage of sorcerers has always been based on a master-apprentice system. The fundamental reason for this is that to become a sorcerer, one must obtain a wisp of flame from another sorcerer.

This indirect process of 'passing on the fire' means that the apprentice is born to inherit the master's magical fire. For a sorcerer, the magical fire is very special. It can be said that the fire is half of his own manifestation. The master's strength naturally determines the apprentice's strength.

As the flame born from the progenitor of sorcery, Krana, it is naturally considered the most powerful and unique sorcery fire in the world.

Jiang Bing did not hesitate and reached out his hand to the other's palm. After all, he had gone to great lengths to travel through time and space, largely to find Klara, the progenitor of sorcery, and seek a solution to contain the Primordial Flame.

The flames licked Jiang Bing's skin, but he felt no pain; instead, he felt a warm, comforting sensation.

The faint yet warm flame gradually lingered on Jiang Bing's palm, and quickly spread along his palm all over his body, finally disappearing beneath his skin.

However, Jiang Bing sensed the presence of a certain flame, quietly burning within his body.

So he imitated the other person by opening his palm, and a tiny flame suddenly ignited.

“Success.” Klara extinguished the flame she was controlling. “Next, you need to guide it, connect it with your inner potential, and unleash a flame that belongs to you.”

But what is the essence of a 'craftsman'?

As Jiang Bing granted the flame the 'authorization' from the craftsman, the flame suddenly flickered. Under Klara's questioning gaze, a pale golden light suddenly ignited from within the crimson flame transmitted from the other party, instantly assimilating the entire flame into a pale golden hue. Jiang Bing's powerful composition caused the flame to leap up high as if adding fuel to the fire, illuminating the surrounding area in a golden glow.

Chapter 552 The Initial Furnace

Compared to the decadent era when the flames were about to burn out, the ancient era, in which gods such as the Tomb King, the witches of Izalith, and the white dragon Seath were still active, could be described as wild and untamed.

This wild and untamed style is reflected in every aspect, most obviously in the location of the initial furnace.

The initial furnace of this era had no intention of hiding anything; it was simply laid out openly before the world.

As its name suggests, the Great Tree Hole is an enormous tree hole, so large that it practically spans the entire realm of the gods, Lordran.

The First Fire first ignited deep within a primordial tree hollow, and similarly, the First Furnace was located inside this massive tree.

The Great Tree Hole is connected to the Initial Furnace.

Without the guidance of the witch Izaris, Jiang Bing would probably have spent a lot of time trying to figure out the way forward. But now, with the guidance of an insider, Jiang Bing was like on a fast track. He easily made his way down to the underground space where the initial furnace was located through the interconnected passages of the big tree hole.

Encased underground by rocks and tree roots, there is nothing here except for the stone path in front and a magnificent stone gate at the end.

The two native inhabitants, who were determined to see the First Flame even at the cost of their lives, gazed at the magnificent gate with complex expressions, their feelings incredibly complicated.

After all, behind the door lies the key to the continuation of the world, and also the root cause of the world's ongoing suffering.

Jiang Bing didn't care about any of that. He felt the waves of heat coming from behind the door. The light and heat, which existed in a higher dimension, were continuously radiating outwards to the whole world. He was already impatient.

So he kicked the stone door.

But the gate remained completely still.

That's quite surprising.

The 'craftsman' could only examine the door by hand and found that the material of the door was very unusual. Moreover, the door had been sealed by Gwyn in some way. The standard for breaking the seal was simple: one must have enough power to become the next kindling to support the First Flame.

This is naturally to protect the primordial fire and the fire-transfer ritual.

However, this seal was practically useless against Jiang Bing.

Heiml's roots burrowed the entire door, frame and all, into Heiml, serving as a souvenir for Jiang Bing's trip, and also recording the spatial coordinates leading to the Initial Furnace.

Behind the door was the initial furnace that Jiang Bingxin had been longing for.

With excitement, Hawkwood and Kacalus followed Jiang Bing through the doorway onto the path of light.

It was a long stone staircase, but the two sides of the staircase were filled with endless white light, which made Hawkwood want to reach out and touch it.

"Behind the white light are turbulent currents of spacetime. If you get swept away, I won't be able to find you." Jiang Bing didn't turn his head, but as if he had eyes in the back of his head, he stopped the other party's reckless behavior with his words.

The First Hearth was not located in the present world, but was hidden by Gwyn in a separate space, and this door and the passage behind it were the teleportation routes to this space.

Sure enough, after walking a few steps, a desolate, dilapidated world filled with white ash and charred remains came into view.

The three of them stepped through a thick layer of snowflake-like ash and entered the space of the Initial Furnace.

Desolate and silent, not even a breeze blows. Looking around, all that can be seen is devastation and ruin, with only a huge, scorched and twisted furnace standing in this bowl-shaped space.

Of course, there are also the guardians who wander aimlessly across this white wasteland, the Royal Guard that Gwyn once brought into the First Forge.

"Boom!!"

With two loud bangs, a halberd blackened by flames spun out and landed heavily on the cave wall, which was covered with a thick layer of white ash.

A loyal black knight knelt before Jiang Bing, his thick shield and half of his elbow shattered by the force of the previous clash. Yet he still tried to stand up, like a bloodless and tearless robot, attempting to block Jiang Bing's advance.

But he failed.

[Negotiation] The hurricane swept through, shattering his already tattered armor. What was revealed was not flesh and blood, but ashes that had been completely burned away by the First Flame, which sublimated and disappeared as the armor fell apart.

The flesh and blood of these black knights had long since been burned away, leaving only their obsession with guarding the initial furnace, fused together with their armor.

However, obsession cannot put food on the table, and the gap in military strength is a real and insurmountable chasm.

A ball of magical flame exploded on another black knight, the huge impact knocking him back and causing him to stagger, but it did not cause any effective damage.

The ashes, already burned by the First Flame, have become incredibly resistant to fire, since they have nothing left to burn.

"Damn it!" Kakarus lashed out with his colorful whip, striking his opponent but failing to even leave a mark on the thick, blackened metal armor.

Even though he had received the teachings of the long-awaited progenitor of sorcery, Klara, the Black Knights were still like rocks in a latrine—stinky and unyielding—to a sorcerer.

Fortunately, Hawkwood suddenly appeared from the side and used his sword and shield to get the enemy out of the predicament.

The black knight wielded the massive two-handed greatsword as if it were a one-handed sword. Although his movements were stiff and rigid, his powerful attacks still forced both of them to give it their all.

It wasn't until Jiang Bing, who had freed his hands, used [Negotiation] to deliver a height compression spell to the opponent, cutting him and his sword to pieces, that the exhilarating siege finally ended.

Having learned their lesson, the two obediently followed behind Jiang Bing, waving flags and shouting as they stepped over the corpses of Gwyn's guards, and soon arrived at the gate of the First Forge.

Without any lengthy exclamations, the two people behind Jiang Bing only exchanged a glance before Jiang Bing, who was leading the way, pushed open the ordinary metal door.

Behind the door was a circular space. The ground was scorched beyond recognition, with uneven rocks scattered irregularly throughout the space, and the ground was also covered with a thick layer of white ash.