Chapter 655: Finishing The Mission

After getting what he wanted, Clyde turned back toward the battle.

He had already killed his guardian monster so he no longer had anything to worry about. The creatures were not particularly strong by his standards but they could still cause serious trouble for Samuel and the others.

But Clyde did not want to attract suspicion so he decided to wait.

From a distance he could make it look as though he was still struggling against his guardian. There was no reason for him to finish his battle too quickly when everyone else was still fighting.

The sounds of combat echoed through the crater.

Arven’s magic flared between the roaring flames, his spells briefly illuminating the battlefield. Samuel’s spear flashed with red energy whenever he attacked, creating brief streaks of light through the fire. Maira, Leyan, and Don moved somewhere beyond the flames as well, their movements much harder to see because none of them relied on flashy skills.

Clyde could not see everything clearly from his position but he knew they were still fighting. He sighed and waited.

Their mission was not to kill the six guardians. They had entered this Ruin to retrieve the Demon artifact that had once unleashed the destruction surrounding them. The ruined city, the burning crater, and the powerful creatures guarding the area all pointed toward something important.

Clyde knew that finding the artifact wouldn’t take long. The six guardians were gathered around the center of the crater for a reason. The artifact should be there.

After some time, Clyde noticed a change in the battle. Samuel began to overwhelm his opponent. He could see the creature staggered backward under the pressure before Samuel finally drove his spear through its chest.

The guardian dropped dead to the ground.

Clyde watched for another moment behind the curtain of flames, and thought that was enough so he started moving toward the others.

Maira, Leyan, Don, and Arven were still fighting their respective guardian monsters. Clyde approached without rushing, making his movements look natural. He kept his sword ready while watching the surrounding flames.

Several more minutes passed before the remaining battles finally ended.

One guardian died after another. The last monster hit the burning ground and the battle was finally done.

The six of them gathered together again.

Samuel looked over his five teammates. His eyes moved from one person to another, checking for injuries before he nodded with satisfaction.

"Nobody got hurt too badly. That’s good."

The others nodded or let out tired sighs.

They had survived without serious injuries but they didn’t find the battle easy. The six guardians had pushed them harder than the burning undead on the surface, and the effort showed on their faces and movements. Except for Clyde of course.

Samuel did not waste time. "Let’s find the artifact," he said.

He led them toward the center of the crater.

The group advanced together through the scorched field where the six guardians had previously knelt. Their corpses remained scattered around the battlefield, slowly losing their flames as smoke drifted.

As they reached the center, something finally appeared through the fire. They saw a staff standing upright in the middle of the ground. It was almost two meters tall.

Its shaft looked like burning metal, dark and blackened in some places while glowing orange through cracks along its surface. Flames wrapped around the top of the staff, but not like the surrounding fire, those flames appeared strangely concentrated and burned brighter, burned more intensely.

The fire seemed almost alive with its own light.

Samuel stopped. His eyes immediately focused on the weapon.

"There it is." He pointed toward the staff. "Let’s get it quickly. Don’t forget to watch our surroundings."

Everyone nodded and they moved forward as a single unit while no one lowered their guard.

Their eyes constantly moving between the surrounding flames, the dead guardians, the shadows between the ruined stones. Any of them could have hidden another monster and none of them wanted to discover one lunging at them after lowering their guard.

But nothing attacked. The group reached the staff without encountering another threat.

Samuel stepped forward. He hesitated before reaching for it.

Even from several steps away, the staff looked dangerously hot. Its shaft resembled molten metal and the flames surrounding its upper end burned intensely that it distorted the air.

Samuel grimaced and grabbed it, but nothing happened. He tightened his grip and waited, but still nothing. The staff did not burn his hand.

The others stared at him.

"You alright?" Don asked.

Samuel looked down at the staff.

"For now." He said with a slight grimace. "It doesn’t feel hot at all. We should get moving before the protection wears off."

The others agreed. They turned away from the center of the crater and began walking back the way they had come.

The amulets around their necks still glowed faintly, but their magical light had weakened compared to when they first entered the flames. Their protection would not last forever.

They needed to leave.

The group climbed through the burning crater and eventually reached the surface again. The ruined city looked just as hostile as before, with smoke filling the sky and distant buildings still burning.

Samuel immediately led them toward the portal point.

Once they reached the designated location he pulled out the fortress amulet and activated it.

Runes appeared across its surface. The air in front of them rippled.

A portal was formed, revealing the familiar magical passage back to Sivagadh Fortress.

Samuel looked at the others one last time. "Everyone ready?"

They nodded.

One by one, they entered. Clyde followed last.

Before stepping through the portal, he glanced back toward the burning Ruin.

His expression remained calm. The mission had succeeded, they had obtained the Demon artifact. But more importantly Clyde had found a follower of Asmodeus and sent a message directly to the Demon King. Now he only needed to see what Asmodeus would do next.

Clyde stepped through the portal. The burning Ruin disappeared behind him. A moment later, the group returned to Sivagadh Fortress.

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