Chapter 570 – Energies Combine.

The massive, turtle-like monster began to tremble, its entire frame convulsing with a deep, earthshaking rumble that echoed across the battlefield. The light in its serpentine eyes flared red with fury. Cracks spread across its shell, revealing glowing veins of magma beneath, like a forge on the edge of eruption.

Its transformation was violent and unnatural, more a forced mutation than an evolution. The three serpentine heads shrieked in unison as their scales blackened and flaked away in molten chunks, exposing glowing muscles that writhed like living lava. Each mouth stretched wide, fangs lengthening into obsidian blades wreathed in flame. Even its legs split and cracked, reinforced by bone-like plating infused with fire, glowing as veins of lava surged through them.

The ground around it began to melt, bubbling into pools of liquid fire. Volcanic vents on its back flared brighter than ever, no longer erupting in bursts but sustaining a constant blaze, like infernal engines. Fire and ash poured from its shell, cloaking it in a storm of destruction. What had once been a heavy, defensive carapace now glowed a molten red, its surface alive with heat and flame, like a walking mountain ready to explode.

It was no longer just a monster, it had become a walking cataclysm. Worse still, instead of continuing its battle with Roland, it suddenly turned away, as if following a command or pursuing a mission. With an earsplitting roar, it charged. The creature was no longer slow. Lava splashed with every step, and the earth cracked beneath the force of its renewed momentum. It was burning through every last reserve of mana and stamina, its own life force driving a final, suicidal rampage.

“It’s forcing a transformation beyond its limits… It won’t last long like this.”

Roland, watching from above, narrowed his eyes and muttered grimmly

“But it’ll be enough to reach the city walls and once those walls are down…”

Roland’s jaw tightened. He couldn’t let it reach the city. Too many civilians were behind those walls: craftsmen, healers, children, and soon, people who would be his responsibility. Although he had secured his golems along the battlements, some monsters still managed to reach them. If a giant hole was blasted into the wall, there was a high chance others would get inside and cause chaos.

Even a single tier three monster breaching the defenses could be catastrophic, especially since all their forces were stationed on the walls, leaving little manpower to respond inside the city. The narrow streets and many buildings would make protecting civilians much more difficult. He had to destroy this monster before it reached the wall, or at least find a way to stop it.

“It’s going fast…”

Roland acted quickly and ordered all available golem units stationed on the walls to fire at the approaching monster. Even if they could not do much damage, he hoped their attacks might at least slow it down.

From the northern wall, a new metallic sound echoed across the battlefield. The heavy clatter of multi-jointed limbs struck stone and steel as several spider golems broke away from their positions. They skittered toward the section of the wall that faced the advancing monstrosity.

It did not take them long to relocate. As they settled into position, the runes on their bodies began to shift in color, changing from a deep crimson to a pale watery blue. Moisture formed around their turrets as they prepared to fire.

*FWHOOM.*

The first volley echoed like thunder. Spheres of compressed mana shimmered with crystalline frost and glistening water as they streaked through the air. When they struck the creature’s molten shell, bursts of steam and crackling frost erupted. Chunks of magma cooled rapidly and hardened into brittle fragments.

The creature roared in fury as its body was drenched in chilling energy. Some of its magma vents were now clogged with solidified stone. A second barrage followed, this time more precise and concentrated. Two shots struck two of the monster’s massive heads. The moment they landed, a surge of steam exploded outward and wrapped the creature in a thick mist.

It was working to some degree, but the monster still wasn’t stopping. It let out a shriek and erupted again. Flames burst from every crack in its body, and magma surged along its limbs like veins filled with raw fury. Its momentum had slowed somewhat, but the golems were still not enough to bring it down. For Roland, this was enough. The creature’s speed had dropped by thirty percent, and it was burning through its stamina even faster. That gave him an opening. He surged forward, cutting through the night sky as he flew back toward the city.

As Roland ascended sharply into the air, the heat from the monster’s molten form followed him like a rising inferno. For a brief moment, the creature slowed, its steps growing heavier as the sudden clash of heat and cold weighed it down. But then, several small molten rocks erupted skyward. At first, they blasted off in random directions, but then, as if guided by magic, they all turned toward him.

‘What are those? Some kind of volcanic magic missiles?’

He could tell this was no random effect. The fiery projectiles were clearly tracking his movements through the air. It was as if the monster had identified him as the true threat and was trying to distract or eliminate him before it reached the city walls. Even as he veered off to the side, the creature stayed its course, charging straight toward the city. The missiles continued to pursue him relentlessly.

With the help of his flight unit, he twisted and darted through the sky, narrowly avoiding each fiery blast. Explosions lit up the air behind him as he bobbed and weaved, keeping just ahead of the burning storm.

The rocky missiles hadn’t slowed him down much, but he couldn’t shake a growing sense of unease. The monster was behaving oddly, almost as if it were being guided by something, someone. A creature like this would normally be easy to lure away with a few well-placed attacks. He began to suspect that the dungeon which spawned it had issued a directive, compelling its creations to focus on destroying settlements. If that were true, it would explain the relentless focus, but he couldn’t be certain until he examined the dungeon core and uncovered its secrets.

The last projectile slammed into the water shield he had summoned and exploded mid-air. However, Roland had reached the area near the city perimeter, just ahead of the charging monster. Hovering in mid-air, he activated his spatial runes. Within moments, metallic rods began to materialize behind him. They were large, thick like logs, and covered in intricate runes.

Roland didn’t hesitate. With a flick of his wrist, the metallic rods launched downward like silver javelins, embedding themselves deep into the earth ahead of the charging beast. They formed a wide arc, spaced with precision, glowing as soon as they struck ground. Dozens of them, each forged from mage-infused steel and etched with elemental runes, formed a massive semi-circle trap zone, right in the monster’s path.

A mana pulse spread through the soil, followed by a series of muffled tremors. The rods activated in sequence, their runes flickering to life in waves of pale blue and grassy green. The ground began to shimmer, then churn, as if the very earth was rejecting its own solidity.

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