272 - - baptism of flame

It was a spacious space for the depths of the earth.

The ceiling was so high that Thor could hardly reach it at all.

The semi-circular depth of the room seemed to be more than a dozen steps.

The feeling of hard, irregularly rising rocks was felt under one's feet.

Not only the ground, but also the walls and ceiling were covered with rugged bedrock.

There were no signs of having been cut away by someone's hand, and there was not a single straight line that was the same on the surface of the rock.

There is not a single straight line that is the same on the rock surface.

Hidden beneath the man-made prison was a huge natural cave drilled into the reddish-brown rock.

And not just any rock.

The girl and the child looked around at the brightness of their vision, so bright that they didn't need their magic stone lamps, and their mouths opened wide as if in unison.

"Wow, the rocks are glowing!　Thor-chan."

"What the hell is this?

As they had pointed out, a dull red light was leaking from cracks running here and there on the rocks.

The light was dim, but bright enough to be worthwhile because there were so many of them.

Moo, who was immediately interested, bent down and poked at the red glow.

"It's so warm, isn't it?

Nenemimi's arm extended and picked up the child by the neck.

Moo floats in the air, flapping his arms and legs in amusement.

"Silly, I told you to be careful, it's hot!　...... wind, you seem to be safe."

A breath of relief escaped Kikiriri's lips as he checked the fingertips of the suspended child.

She then flicks the beetle-shaped necklace around Moe's neck with her finger.

"This is really useful," she said.

"Looks like it's pretty hot in here."

Thor, who is wearing red scaled armor with no gaps, asks the beads of sweat on Kikiriri's forehead.

His face is perfectly cool.

The immutable effect of the black vajra stones he wears prevents the heat of the surroundings from affecting his body.

Therefore, the heat and other sensations can be felt, but he is in a strange state of not accepting the changes.

"Yes, it's so hot, it's f*cking hot. I want to take it all off.

A purple-eyed warrior in tight-fitting black leather armor frowned deliberately as he lowered Mu to the ground.

The armor looks light, but the lack of ventilation probably causes the wearer to perspire and steam.

However, he cannot afford to be too careless with his protection in a place where vicious monsters roam about.

In contrast to the cold air of the underworld, the hot air of the hell of fire was overflowing in this level of the underworld.

Some of the rocks that make up the caverns contain molten parts, and if you carelessly touch them with your bare hands, you are sure to suffer severe burns.

However, thanks to this, they were able to see more than enough even at the bottom of the earth where no sunlight could reach.

When Thor held out his hand, Moo jumped at him vigorously.

He picks him up and examines the soles of his feet before alerting the child.　

"I knew it. Be careful. Your precious shoes are burnt."

"Mwah!"

It is true that Kurogeumsuki is resistant to change, but it is not a panacea.

It also has a limit to how far its effect can reach, and it does not extend to other items worn by the wearer.

Naturally, stepping on the red molten rock would affect the soles of one's shoes.

"Hey, fix it!

"You're a busy man, To-chan. I don't know if I can fix it next time. So you'd better do as I say.

"You're always telling me what to do, Tor-chan."

"Yeah, I'll tell you anything you want to hear if you're not going to get yourself in trouble.

Moe laughed ticklingly at these words, which sounded worried, and then buried his face in Thor's shoulder and wriggled it.

Kikiriri, who had been watching with a look of dismay, let out a small breath and turned around to ask her sister a question.

"How are you, Nene?"

Nenemimi, who had bent down and put her ear to the ground, stood up and pointed in the direction of the south.

His lips are still tightly knit, as if he has already entered into a state of entrainment.

From this large space just outside the door, there are two large passageways to the north and south, and three rather narrow paths to the far east.

Kikiriri took one look at the southern passage her sister pointed out and called out to Thor and the others as she started walking in the opposite direction.

"Are we ready?　We should get going."

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Yes, let's do our best!"

"I'm looking forward to working with you, Kiki-san."

A few minutes of walking down the north corridor.

Toll and his team's eyes catch sight of several shadows in a large space ahead of them.

Nenemimi, who had already sprouted blue lightning needles all over her body, raises her arms and commands them to stop.

The current lineup consists of the warrior and the lightning twins in the lead.

A few steps behind are Moldamo, the water user.

Thor and the others are behind them.

The more people, the easier it is to attract monsters that sense our presence.

Therefore, although it was almost a comfort, Kikiriri and the others kept a small distance from Thor and the others.

Also, since the skill points were divided by the number of people who participated in the battle, it was decided in advance that the two groups would not touch each other's monsters.

There was another reason for dividing up the fighters.

Although we had come to understand each other's personalities to some extent through discussions, our abilities as adventurers were a different story.

Therefore, the purpose of today was to show how well we could fight each other.

Naturally, if the results are disappointing, we may choose to change our ways of association.

While Thor and the others watch to see how they will handle their first battle, the twins make their move without any particular signs of being preoccupied.

After looking at each other, Kikiriri unexpectedly lifts the axe in his hand.

He slams the handle of the axe into the wall right next to him.

As soon as Sora and Mu roll their eyes at the high-pitched hard sound echoing through the passageway, a change occurs in the large space behind them.

A ferocious snarl of some sort echoes through the air, and then multiple shadows come rushing out at once before them.

They were beasts running on four legs.

They looked like short-haired dogs and were only as tall as an adult's waist.

No, they are still big enough, but not as big as the animal monsters we have seen so far.

However, its appearance was more than enough to meet our expectations.

At first glance, the body is covered with black skin, but it is covered with fine cracks here and there.

Peeking out from underneath was a familiar red light, a glow that looked just like heat-melted rock.

The lead black dog, its fangs bared, takes off in a leap to close the distance of a few steps.

But the twins are already gone at the landing spot.

As if splitting off to the left and right, the two run as if sucked into a wall on the side.

At the same time, an axe is swung, striking hard at the bodies of the several animals that jumped in after them.

The axes smash into the bodies of the monsters, and red, molten rock splatters like a tide of blood.

The smell of burning immediately fills the corridor.

Letting out an angry snarl, the dogs immediately turn around and rush toward the twins.

But this time, they are already gone.

They moved with blinding speed, and then they were able to move through the dogs with a brilliant move.

A beat later, the sound of an axe blow echoes high in the air.

It is not that the black dogs are slow.

A normal person would not even notice their approach until their whistles are chewed out.

But the kikiriri are faster than that.

And not only are they fast, but the process of getting into their movements is masterful.

Their anticipation rivals that of Thor's .

The two attack in a rhythmic fashion, perfectly dodging the onslaught of the onslaught of the monster horde.

It seemed as if they had the upper hand in the blink of an eye, but it was not so easy after all.

A few of them, which had been dripping lava all over their bodies, suddenly stop and open their mouths wide.

The steam that gushed out from the back of their throats was scorching hot steam.

No matter how fast they could move, there was no way to avoid the mass of air that was spewing out over a wide area in the narrow passage.

Immediately, their well-defined faces and exposed skin areas are badly burned.

"O Lord of the Tree of Life! Shed tears of compassion on these wounded children--.

Then, without a moment's pause, Mordamo's voice overlapped.

Immediately, the scars from the burns disappeared as if they had never existed.

Without changing color, the twins instantly close the distance between themselves and the black dogs who had stopped to release their fiery breath.

The four axes in their hands were already coiled in layers of thick purple thorns.

--

The vajra-iron axes are swung at the monster's head, creating numerous purple trails.

The black dogs, their vital points shattered in an instant, fall to the ground without a single bark.

The battle was over in a matter of minutes.

Surrounded by the six dead monsters, Kikiriri proudly lifts his chin.

"Well, that's about it. Now it's your turn.

The twin sister turned her head and saw new monsters slowly moving toward her.

They were a crowd of people, their entire bodies ablaze.