Chapter Thirty-Three


    As Ambrose took a step inside the room, the lamp on the throne pulsed with sanguine carmine light and rose into the air. Ambrose prepared himself, poking his [Infernal Aegis] skill with a mental finger to activate it. A swirl of black smoke poured out of the lamp, twirling and swishing like a wind being shaped by an unseen hand.


    Flame as red as a glowing embers of a cigarette butt smoldered into existence, flowing along with the smoke as if being threaded like a needle. An angular, devilish skull formed in the air, solidifying from the air itself.


    Coals of dark fire were its eyes, its gaping maw gnashing with jagged teeth of golden orange flame. From the black air, armor formed, forged from nothing, sleek like polished obsidian in the sunlight. Crimson flames shone from the armor as if it were kindling, and a whip of dark fire lashed into the air.


    Ambrose tossed a [Retributions Gaze] at the monster.


    [Fire Djinn Level 188]: Djinn’s are elemental spirits. There are four types: earth, wind, fire, and water. They are collected by being trapped in magical artifacts and can usually grant three wishes to those who capture them. This Djinn’s master died before it could grant its third wish and has been trapped here since. The Djinn cannot be recaptured until returning to its realm after being freed from its current captivity.]


    “It’s going to get a lawsuit, is what’s going to happen,” he muttered.


    Like striking lightning, it attacked, air whooshing and warping as the fiery whip blazed toward him with an eagerness to consume and burn. Luckily, his skill was enough to repel it. However, his skill was contained to his armor, and now, it no longer expanded around him.


    It was an important fact to note because the whip was able to wrap around him and yank him towards the Djinn at flashing speed. Anyone else might have allowed it just to happen, but as he spun towards the being of fire and smoke, he opened a hellfire portal just in front of him.


    He flew through it as the Djinn let out a roar like the cackling blaze of a bonfire during a starlit night. He appeared just above it, Akaroth in hand. Noelle billowed behind him, and Akaroth was roaring in his mind as he brought her down in an overhead slash.


    Lightning arched, adding the scent of ozone to the burning scent of dust and ash to the air. The blade bit into the armor and was knocked away, sparking like he had struck a stone.


    He landed with a clang of steel on stone and pushed himself back away from the Djinn as it lashed out with a clawed hand.


    It''s eyes smoldered, tracking his movements.


    Then it launched fireballs at him. Dark balls of sanguine crimson, hunger followed in their wake.


    Ambrose merely flexed a hand, opening a portal in front of himself once more. Sailing through it, the elemental attacks detonated not against him but the Djinn.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Explosions rocked the room, dust and rocks falling to the ground. Treasure fell, the noise echoing around them, mixing with the sounds of the detonating fire to create a cacophony of chaos.


    Unharmed, it moved its arm upward and then down, sending the whip of darkness and flame his way.


    However, Ambrose was ready and grabbed the elemental weapon with his left hand. Using all of his D-Grade strength, he pulled. Roaring, it was pulled off the dais.


    He could almost see it put more mana into the whip as its fire tried to burn through his shield and eat him. Ambrose did the same, making sure his shield held.


    Hefting Akaroth, lightning danced around her, and he threw the axe, after infusing it right into the Djinn’s face. Its head reared back, and the gleaming stone that formed its face cracked.


    Fire blazed in.


    Noelle exalted him and urged him to finish it. Ambrose recalled Akaroth and attempted to yank the whip from its hands.


    A cackling sound came from the thing.


    It''s laughing, Ambrose thought.


    Vanishing into smoke, his hands closed around empty air, no longer holding the whip. Another whip threaded itself into the air, rolling outward in a fast attack that would have taken his head off if not for his quick thinking.


    He brought Akaroth up in a parrying slash that kept the whip from his face.


    Maybe I should get a helmet; Ambrose smiled a wry, grim smile.


    Right now, he needed to take a different approach. It was a lot of back and forth, it wasn’t going anywhere. Deciding to test the waters, he unleashed his spirit from [Infernal Aegis] and the pressure blanketed the room.


    He expected the Djinn to have access to spirit, and so it wasn’t much of a surprise when the creature unleashed a blazing spirit of its own to counter his.


    For a moment the battle turned away from the mere physical.


    The Djinn’s spirit was truly an unchecked fire. However, Ambrose knew a little bit about fire, and his spirit was a match. He pushed, trying to overcome, but no, he couldn’t.


    Gritting his teeth, he flooded the ground around it with his mana, and used an ability he hadn’t used for a while in a tactic he had developed in what felt like an age ago.


    Jaw working, Ambrose used [Infernal Recall] to pull the stone around the room directly upward with a boom like exploding rockets. Stone spun, shards ripping through the air.


    And Ambrose fell along with the Djinn into utter darkness. It’s whip struck toward him, a living serpent of flame that hissed and spat fire. He batted it away with the flat edge of Akaroth.


    Falling through the utter black lit only by the flames that swirled around them, Ambrose couldn’t help but think they looked like falling meteors in the night. Using Akaroth’s ability, he sent tendrils of lightning towards the Djinn.


    It roared as the dangerous electricity did battle with its flaming form.


    Ambrose summoned axes of flame, but the fire did nothing to the Djinn.


    It must have an immunity he thought with a frustrated growl.


    He was tempted to send in Noelle to claw at it as they fell, but again he was worried about losing her to such a powerful foe. Instead, he leaned into Akaroth, blasting it with bolts of iridescent blue electricity. That proved to be most effective, but the Djinn quickly put a stop to it with a shield of dark fire it called into existence.


    They fell for an age, fighting back and forth until Ambrose decided he needed to go all in. Raising Akaroth, he willed her into her true form as a storm brewed in the surrounding darkness.


    Akaroth roared, lightning billowing around her like clouds formed of pure lightning. Ambrose fell onto her back as she opened her maw and let loose a beam of destructive electricity as thunder echoed around them.


    Akaroth’s wings flapped as some kind of solid surface of yellow rock came into view, fastly approaching. Its shield of fire repelled his dragon’s beam, but it shattered into smoke and fire as it hit the ground in a detonation of darkness.


    Begone spirit of fire! Akaroth echoed in his head.


    He doubted it could hear her words, but almost in response to them, the Djinn began to morph.


    This battle was just getting started.