As a noble incantation caster, he was naturally supposed to provide fire support from the rear.
After continuously casting incantation magic from a distance, Ron—who had been closely observing the battlefield—immediately noticed Tiona being trapped within the flames of the Evil God.
Could that kind of flame be endured head-on?
Absolutely not.
These were flames from a Soulslike boss out of the Elden Ring—fire that could be classified as belonging to an "Evil God" under the Golden Order. Even the Erdtree itself could be completely burned to ashes by it.
What chance did mere flesh and blood have against that?
"Perfect timing."
"Let's test the stat boost that comes from absorbing these flames."
So—
Even with a raging inferno ahead, Ron did not slow his advance in the slightest. Forcing every ounce of power out of his body, he burst forward at extreme speed.
As for the obstruction created by the Floor Boss—
He didn't care at all. Since he had chosen to burn his body in exchange for greater strength through Power Within, then this life was already something he had to stake.
If he died, so be it!
He rushed straight through the sea of fire. His clothes ignited instantly, and when the flames touched his skin, the searing pain made even Ron grit his teeth.
Looking ahead—
At the distant figure of the girl, swaying on the verge of collapse within the encroaching flames—
This scene…
For some reason, it felt strangely familiar. As if it had happened not long ago—when he had exhausted his life force through the Godslayer's Greatsword, and at the critical moment, it had been Tiona who caught him.
"Why does it feel like…"
"...this world is just one big cycle?"
...
Focused on battle.
This trait was hard to call a flaw. It allowed Tiona to make better real-time judgments when facing monsters, bringing out even greater strength.
But the downside was just as clear—
Losing herself too deeply in combat could cause her to fall into danger without realizing it. In the past, she had always had her companions from the Loki Familia to pull her out.
But now, things were different!!
Looking at the exposed white bones in the Fire Giant's arm, Tiona was satisfied with her attack.
However, as the magical laurel armor gradually faded—
Feeling the heat waves sweeping in from all directions, and the wall of flames cutting off her retreat—
"..."
Her heart skipped violently.
She scanned her surroundings. Even the rocky ground was cracking under the extreme heat, and stepping barefoot on it caused sharp pain.
With the durability of a Level 5 adventurer, she could endure it.
But—
She had to find a way out.
"Anyway…"
"I've got enough panacea. Injuries like this should be manageable, right?"
With that thought, Tiona didn't hesitate in the slightest. After all, she understood the principle—better a short pain than a long one.
This way, she could at least preserve her combat capability.
And just then—
As if having lost its previous target, the floating sphere of Evil God fire before the Fire Giant slowly turned toward her.
Without any warning—
A torrent of blazing flames poured out, forming a pillar of fire that surged straight toward Tiona.
Not only that—
The ground beneath her, which had barely been stable, began to split apart. From the widening cracks, magma-like, almost tangible flames erupted.
Her escape route was completely sealed.
"..."
"So now it's my turn?"
She absolutely couldn't just stand there and wait for death!
She forced herself to stay calm—but the range of that flame pillar was enormous. Within it, she could even sense a trace of annihilation.
Even if it meant crossing a sea of fire—
She had to push through!
But—
Things did not unfold the way she had hoped.
The extreme heat surrounding the flames began to distort her vision. The scorching waves of heat were rapidly draining her stamina.
"Damn…"
"I'm not seriously going to die on the 17th Floor, am I?"
She tried to force her body to move—
But her limbs simply refused to respond.
A deep sense of danger filled her heart. Yet if one were to call it despair… it wasn't quite that.
After all—
The moment she became an adventurer, she had already anticipated a situation like this.
Just as her consciousness began to blur and her body lost control, collapsing toward the ground—
She suddenly felt an extremely solid shoulder bracing against her back.
"..."
Tiona instinctively turned her head.
Then—
She saw the boy whose face looked like it was about to ignite on a physical level. His black hair had already completely burned away, leaving behind a charred, dark scalp.
Ron.
Why was it this guy?
The girl opened her mouth, trying to speak, but even her voice came out hoarse: "In front…"
"I know that already!!"
This was exactly what companions were for.
Helping each other.
Staring at the flames surging toward them, Ron decisively raised his arm.
Power Within!
Driving every last drop of magic power in his body, the incantation—used at full force—directly formed a barrier in front of him and Tiona, isolating the flames and heat.
This faint yellow barrier—
Was absorbing all of the Evil God flames. Not only that, even the temperature of the surrounding sea of fire was visibly dropping.
Until—
The inferno, born from the flames pouring out of the Fire Giant, completely vanished.
Only then did he slowly lower his arm.
The boost brought by this unprecedentedly powerful flame felt like it was about to tear his body apart entirely.
Pain—
An overwhelming, never-before-felt pain surged through him.
"Damn it…"
"Old-school stuff really hits different!!"
Ron tugged at the corner of his mouth.
His skin, already charred black from the Evil God flames, now seemed to have molten magma flowing beneath it, containing a violent, terrifying energy.
This power—
Even surpassed everything he had accumulated across all his adventurer levels!
But it came at a cost.
He could feel it—compared to the dragonflame he had absorbed from Lansseax, the Evil God flames were far more extreme… and far more destructive.
"You okay?"
"..."
The girl opened her eyes and looked at Ron, whose body was as black as charcoal.
If she could speak clearly—
Tiona would have said: you should worry about yourself first!
She gently shook her head, then with difficulty reached for the panacea at her waist. But instead of using it herself, she handed it to Ron.
"Want a drink?"
"Forget it."
Noticing Tione had already arrived—
Ron shook his head and glanced at the pair of short blades in the tan-skinned girl's hands. In terms of weapon grade, they were definitely better than his.
Since he had decided to act as a "suicide truck"—
Then he might as well be the one with the biggest explosion.
He took a deep breath, but the fibrosis in his lungs made him cough uncontrollably: "Senior Tione, your sister should be fine. Just needs a bit of rest."
"Mm…"
"And also—could you lend me your weapon for a bit?"
"..."
Her sister was indeed fine.
But the one who had taken everything head-on was Ron—a rookie adventurer whose strength was only Level 3. That left Tione with a complicated, conflicted feeling she couldn't quite describe.
She gave a slight nod.
But looking at the boy's miserable state, the hand that was about to pass him the blades slowly lowered.
Her eyes were filled with complexity: "In your current condition, you're clearly not fit to keep fighting. This Fire Giant… we should slow down the strategy."
In the end—
It came down to her and Tiona not being strong enough. Against a massive opponent like the Fire Giant, relying solely on close combat made it impossible to kill it.
"Who says I'm not fit?"
Relying on the Tarnished template's "recovery" magic—
He could push his HP to the limit.
Even on the brink of death, he wouldn't immediately perish. It allowed the effect of Power Within to be prolonged—
At the cost of enduring extreme pain.
At this point—
There was no way he could retreat.
Looking at Tione before him—
Compared to Tiona, she was the complete opposite: a far more voluptuous figure, a true tan-skinned beauty.
Perhaps influenced by the Evil God flames he had absorbed, even his personality showed slight changes.
He tilted his head.
Ron's charred face split into a grin, his white, even teeth forming a stark contrast against his current state. He felt overwhelmingly powerful—strong beyond belief.
"Mm…"
"Tione… have you ever seen me at my peak?!"
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---