[Chapter 306. A Deadly Grace]

Searanox stopped the four of them just before the narrow opening that led into the next chamber, holding out his gauntleted hand in a sharp, commanding gesture.

"You four will stay back," he ordered, his voice low but firm against the tunnel's oppressive atmosphere. "They have ranged attacks, and I don't want them getting any ideas."

His gaze lingered on Carmen, who instinctively tightened her grip on her staff, her knuckles white even through her gauntlets. Vanessa already had her tome open, magical energy swirling faintly around her fingertips, while Sarah and Lana exchanged a glance that spoke volumes about their eagerness to prove their worth. Behind them, the tunnel wall pulsed with residual heat, casting dancing shadows that made the stone seem to breathe.

Iris moved past them without a word, her boots making soft, rhythmic clinks against the floor. His drones followed in perfect formation, their metallic frames reflecting the chamber's orange glow as they took position on the narrow walkway. The stone bridge spanned a chasm of molten magma, its surface barely wide enough for a group of people to walk abreast. Steam rose from fissures in the rock, creating shimmering curtains of heat that warped the air around them.

The moment they entered the chamber, the group of Salamanders spotted them. Their yellow eyes gleamed with predatory intelligence as they rose from their pit of magma like wraiths from a fiery hellscape. There were five of them in total, each standing nearly two meters tall with slick, dark red scales. One clutched a crude obsidian spear, others held swords made from sharpened volcanic glass, while the largest among them carried a shield that was a polished slab of obsidian.

The shield-bearer moved with military precision, positioning himself in the front as his companions spread out behind him. His thick, muscular arms strained as he brought the massive shield up. The dark volcanic rock glowed with orange energy, seemingly drawing power from the surrounding heat. The barrier flared to life with a sound like crackling embers, immediately blocking half of the walkway and pulsing with a defensive energy that made the very air shimmer.

Iris didn't slow down. Her forward momentum carried her toward the barrier with unwavering determination. Her blade began to glow with a deep turquoise light that defied the chamber's heat, the magical energy gathering along the Eldritch Zweihänder's length like condensation on a freezing surface. The blue light intensified until it rivalled the magma's glow, casting eerie shadows that made the Salamanders scales appear to shift and writhe.

`Is she about to slam right into the barrier?`

Searanox's internal question materialized the instant her turquoise-imbued blade met the orange barrier. Reality itself seemed to fracture. A sound like a mountain splitting under impossible pressure echoed through the chamber—a sharp, crystalline crack that spiraled directly through the obsidian shield. The protective wall didn't just break; it disintegrated, fragments of volcanic glass flying in all directions like shrapnel.

Her Zweihänder, blazing with ethereal cold, continued its unstoppable trajectory. The blade passed through the shield-bearer's arms as if they were wet paper, and then directly through its torso with such sheer velocity that the creature had no time to register the attack. Dark blood, steaming in the superheated air, sprayed across the walkway in a wide arc as the Salamander's body collapsed into two separate halves.

`Holy shit... I underestimated her big time.`

The realization struck him with the force of a physical blow. All this time, he had considered her his subordinate—powerful, yes, but still operating within parameters he understood. He had been gravely mistaken.

Before the remaining Salamanders could process the brutal execution of their shield-bearer, they lunged as a single unit, their obsidian weapons descending toward her exposed position. The first spear thrust would have impaled her heart, had a translucent, pale white wall not materialized between them in the split second before impact. The Mystic Ward flared to life just as the obsidian weapons connected, absorbing the kinetic force of their collective assault with barely a flicker. Despite the heavy sounds of stone striking the magical barrier, Iris stood completely unmoved within her protective bubble, her expression utterly unchanged.

In the next moment, Searanox's drones moved with coordinated precision that would have made any military commander weep with pride. The offensive drones targeted the spear-wielder, their beam emitters converging on a single point on its chest, creating a violet impact that instantly vaporized its upper body. The assault drones descended on the sword-carriers, their crimson beams slicing through scales and flesh.

Within thirty seconds, what had been a highly coordinated group of intelligent adversaries was reduced to a collection of steaming corpses, their dark blood sizzling on the heated stone walkway.

He watched Iris pull her Zweihänder from the cooling body of the final Salamander, the turquoise glow along her blade gradually fading as she turned her head back toward him.

"I expected more of a resistance after you told us to be careful." Her voice was flat, but her eyes told a different story. In those silver depths, he saw not triumph, but disappointment—a silent question forming in her gaze, asking if this was truly the extent of the challenge he had prepared her for.

"It's always better to be overly prepared and disappointed in the strength of your enemies than to have them exceed your expectations. Always expect the worst," Searanox said. While he appeared calm on the outside, his voice maintaining the authoritative tone that had become his signature on these expeditions, his mind was racing.

Internally, he struggled to reconcile the immense power she was displaying with his understanding of her capabilities just a week prior. Each devastating strike from her Zweihänder sent new calculations through his consciousness. The advantage was undeniable, but it came with an unsettling realization about his own growing dependency on her raw physical prowess.

They blazed through the chamber in record time; even the Greater Salamander stood no chance against Iris's Arcane Strike. The technique was executed with lethal precision, her blade humming with turquoise energy as it sliced through the larger specimen's thick hide. The creature's death was instantaneous, its form collapsing into the magma next to the walkway with a splash that sent molten droplets raining against the cavern walls. Each encounter lasted mere seconds, the Salamanders coordinated tactics crumbling entirely before Iris's relentless assault and his drones suppressing fire. His rifle contributed, but felt increasingly like an auxiliary weapon rather than the primary threat it had once been.

Before he knew it, they stood at the end of the walkway. In his previous run, this section had cost him not just time, but a significant portion of his TP, the energy expenditure leaving him strained and cautious. Last time, he had been forced to use his most powerful attack to break through the final defensive line, destroying half the bridge in the process—a desperate measure that had left him vulnerable for the boss encounter ahead.

They fought through the tunnels beyond, while the four women simply followed. The obsidian walls seemed to close in around them as they progressed deeper into the volcanic labyrinth. The rhythmic clinking of their boots against the stone provided a steady counterpoint to the distant rumble of the earth's core. Each step forward brought them closer to the heart of the dungeon, where the Greater Fire Drake awaited its inevitable confrontation.

As they reached a bend where the tunnel curved sharply to the left, he signaled for Iris to stop with a subtle raise of his gauntlet. The four women behind them halted abruptly, their conversation ceasing as they sensed the sudden shift in his demeanor.

"The next group of Salamanders is yours," he said, looking back at them, his voice carrying clearly despite the low volume. His gaze swept across their faces, noting their expressions. "You've watched us fight; now put what you saw into practice."

"You want us to fight them?" Carmen asked first. Her grip tightened on the Golden Chanter's Staff as she stepped forward slightly, the polished wood gleaming in the dim light of the tunnel.

Her question was immediately echoed by Lana, whose hands instinctively moved to adjust Wavebreaker as if preparing for an immediate engagement. "Isn't that dangerous? We are only level thirteen, while they are above level twenty."

"You killed the beasts on the second floor of the Labyrinth," Searanox countered. "They were also level twenty. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to fight these. When we reach the boss, you may have to stay behind and fight a group of them in the tunnels depending on how long the boss fight will take. It's better that you get some experience fighting them while Iris and I are still here to intervene."

"I guess you are right," Carmen said. She traded glances with the other three, a silent communication passing between them as they mentally prepared for the coming battle.

Vanessa's fingers traced the symbols etched into the Empty Tome's cover, while Sarah's eyes narrowed with sharp focus as she adjusted her grip on her daggers. The four of them took the front, their formation tight and practiced despite their nervousness, and turned the corner. The air immediately grew hotter as they approached the wider tunnel ahead.

A few meters ahead stood three Salamanders. There was no shield-bearer among them, their dark red scales gleaming with an oily sheen. Their yellow eyes burned with intelligence as they spotted the intruders, their obsidian weapons held at the ready.

Lana pushed forward, Wavebreaker held high. After a guttural shout that echoed through the volcanic passage, a barrier extended around her shield. It shimmered with pale white energy, providing a contrast to the surrounding oranges and reds of the dungeon.

With their attention fully drawn to her, the three Salamanders ran toward her, their clawed feet scraping against the stone floor with a sound like grinding rocks. Immediately, they were blasted by a bolt from Vanessa's Starfall Matrix. The spell struck the lead Salamander squarely in the chest, the energy eating away at its scales as the creature staggered but refused to fall. Simultaneously, Sarah vanished into one of her spatial rifts, reappearing directly behind one of the beasts to plunge her daggers deep into its neck.