Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 390: Duel in the Sea of Lava

Skills and Daos flew everywhere. The world was chaos. Everything was a wreck.

The red dragon roared as it covered the world in flames. Min Ling twirled her spear, absorbing them, while Arkenstal formed thousands of seals with his hands, sealing the flames in a separate spacetime.

Facing the B-Grade dragon, defense was all they could manage. Fortunately, they were no longer alone. A dozen cultivators flew around the dragon, striking it with their powers whenever they could. If the dragon tried to turn at them, Min Ling and Arkenstal took to the offense, forcing it to turn its attention back to them.

The dragon was already bleeding all over, but its vitality was overwhelming. It refused to fall. It refused to escape, either, as its mind was clouded by wrath, pride, and sorrow. All twelve of its children lay dead on the blackened ground below.

The battle had already flattened a hundred miles of jungle around them, but it remained white-hot.

I WILL DESTROY YOU! the dragon roared, wildly unleashing flames everywhere. The cultivators used everything they had to make some distance. A couple were already injured. Six more had died in the battle against the dragon childrenit had turned out more difficult than they calculated.

The longer they delayed, the greater the chances of something going wrong. Everyone was trying their hardest to end this as soon as possible, fighting tooth and nail against the dragon.

Min Ling, however, was not really trying. She kept a good part of her strength in check, fighting in a very cautious manner. Arkenstal was forced to do the sameif any of the two grew exhausted while the other remained in top shape, it was possible that one faction would slaughter the other.

However, even with the two leaders holding back, the dragon was slowly but surely headed towards death.

I cannot delay any longer, Min Ling thought, grimly watching the dying dragon. Jack Rust You better make it back in time.

***

Jacks space bubble came to a stop in the sea of magma. A hundred feet away was the entrance from which theyd entered, and from which they could quickly reach the surface.

But it was blocked. A man stood before it, covered in his own space bubble, his arms crossed and his lips raised into a cold smile.

Baron Longform Jack muttered, his voice crossing the magma to reach him. What are you doing here?

I could ask you the same thing, Baron replied lazily. Abandoning the battle to steal the treasure That is a heavy crime.

There was no point trying to deny this. Even if there was, time was precious. Every wasted second threatened the battle ending and Jacks plan being seen through. What do you want? he asked directly. Ill give you a cut of the treasure. Half of my share.

Even if you offered it all, I still wouldnt take it, Baron replied, breaking into a wide grin. Have you forgotten, Jack Rust? You killed my cousin. You challenged my authority and humiliated me. You made me waste hundreds of Dao stones. The two of us are already enemies The only thing I want is your death.

Jacks brows dropped. A tremendous sense of threat fell over him. They will not believe you, he said. If you fight me here until the battle ends, they will think you came for the treasure as well.

I will surrender the treasure and let them inspect my space ring. They will believe me. With your monkey holding all the information, it will not be difficult to convince them of who the real thief was.

Jack gritted his teeth. This was terrible. If Baron wanted to hold them here, there was nothing they could do to escape. Let alone playing it innocent, even surviving until everyone arrived was questionable. Baron Longform was significantly stronger than Jack.

Is there no way out? His mind raced, coming up short. Teleporting far away was impossible; by observing the Barons space bubble, Jack could see that his own bubble was inferior. This reflected their understandings into space. If Baron Longform wanted to lock down space and prevent Jack from teleporting, he could do it.

Jacks eyes narrowed dangerously. His aura rose. Must we fight? he asked.

We wont fight. I will murder you.

Baron Longforms aura erupted as well. The world was dyed gray. A spectral iron fist smashed into Jacks space bubble, shaking its integrity and almost making it collapse. This wasnt even a real attack, just a substantialization of Barons aura.

I have researched everything there is about you. I have compared your progress to other historical figures, Baron said slowly. Right now, your strength should be close to rank twenty of the Cathedral. Even if youre hiding something, you can reach top ten at most. As for me, Im number three. I can easily destroy you.

Jacks mind shook. That wasaccurate.

He took a deep breath. His mind flashed once more, making sure he missed nothing. At the end, he was forced to admit that Baron had outmaneuvered him. He had bidden his time in the Cathedral, minimizing his threat level while preparing to ambush Jack. He had shown nothing, making Jack underestimate him, and waited for the perfect moment.

A single move led to check-mate.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Now, Jack and Brock were trapped. There was no way back, out, or forward. Diving deeper was also uselesseven if this cavern was very, very deep, as Brock had said, the only exit was upward, and it was blocked. Since escape was impossible, the only thing Jack could do was fightand hope for a miracle.

There is still a chance, he thought. Min Ling is with us. If she arrives before Baron kills us, she can helpbut I told her to delay the battle above for as long as possible. Shit.

Baron moved. A hundred feet was nothing. He reached them instantly, smashing out a fist. A gray aura fell on Jack and Brock, suffocating them like an iron wire around the neck. At the same time, space around them solidified, becoming unbreakable.

Baron Longforms fist came shuttling forth. Jack had no choice but to defend. He dissolved his space bubble, pouring everything into a punch of his own. METEOR PUNCH!

The magma around them vibrated. It bubbled around itself, creating a large area of emptiness. Jack flew back, his fist broken. Two extra arms were already sprouting from his armpits, and his body was growing, but it would not be enough. Brock had flown away.

Baron gave chase. Facing him, everything was doomed to fail. All Jack could do was survive.

The gray aura returned. Jack felt fear rising in his soul, an awareness of his coming death, paralyzing him. He fought it off through sheer willpower, but the auras effects persisted, limiting his power. His fist was shattered. The next one as well. Jack was sent flying backward, deeper into the ocean of lava, while Baron didnt let up for a single second. He used his full powerhe wouldnt give Jack a single chance to survive.

Jack was forced to admit that Baron Longform was the most dangerous opponent hed ever facedbut that didnt mean he would give up.

All hesitation melted inside him, giving rise to endless courage. His heart was on firehis mind was frigid cold. The Dao flared, filling the lava. Jack released a roar. If he was going to die, he would die while going all-out.

He lifted every stop. Space pulsed as an aura of his own erupted from inside Jack, grinding against Barons gray. This was Brutalizing Auraand Barons gray aura was the skill Jack had once seen in a Dao Vision, from which hed been inspired to create Brutalizing Aura.

These two skills were similar.

For a moment, the lava was filled with grating sounds like saws grinding against each other. Currents were created. The locked-down space was disturbed. Jacks aura pushed against Barons, momentarily achieving an equilibrium.

But then Baron pushed through. Jacks aura was limited to a foot outside his body, and his strength remained restrained by ten percent. At least, he could fight.

Baron had a cold, determined expression. He was always calculating. He wouldnt give Jack a single opening. His fists rained down, while Jacks rained up. Two storms collided. The lava exploded. Tons of stone fell around them, lost in the bottomless ocean, while Jack kept retreating. His regeneration could barely keep up with his swiftly-accumulating injuries. It took everything he had to stay alive.

You can persist! Baron noted. Excellent! When I kill you, all your secrets will be mine!

His attacks intensified. Jack had been flung around so much he had completely lost track of his position. All that remained was a frantic, ceaseless assault, pushing him to the brink every moment.

Am I going to die here? he thought. His mind looked for the turtle in the Life Drop, but it was unresponsive. He looked for the death cube and Boatmans insights in his mind, but they carried no hidden strength. Nothing could save him. He was alone.

At least Brock had escaped. Perhaps he could live. If he came back and was killed by a single stray attack of Baron, that would be so unfair

Jack did not lose heart. Defense after defense, he persisted. When the bones in his hands shattered, he persisted. He would die before giving up.

Suddenly, a clarion cry cut through the lava. Jacks perception was limited to the space between himself and Baronhe had no idea what was going on. Baron Longform, however, did. He suddenly turned to the side, smashing out into the lava.

The world explodedand from within it, small shapes appeared. They had ferns for wings and draconic faces. Their eyes were brown and their bodies made of wood.

They were draconic twigs.

Attack! a roar cut through the void as first a dozen, then a hundred, then hundreds of twigs broke through the lava to attack Baron. Their assault seemed never-ending. Baron Longform roared, expanding his gray aura and suppressing their power, but it proved ineffective. They fell on him, and he had to punch them away. It was like a warrior facing off against a crowd of angry geese.

Big Bro! Attack!

Jack was confused, but he did not hesitate. He rushed Baron Longform. The twigs were nothing but a distractionwithout him there to assault the enemy, they were just dying for nothing.

Only as he rushed did his mind make the connection. Draconic twigs were plants, but also dragons. They must have been immune to the magma. Brock had disappeared not because he ran away, but because hed rushed to bring this army of twig bros over to help Jack.

Jacks heart was filled with warmth. Charge! he shouted with all his strength, while Baron roared in reply. His fists were colored grayhe smashed away dozens of twigs with each strike, but they were resilient. One attack was not enough to kill them. They jumped right back into the fray, sieging him with their fangs and claws.

Brock was nowhere to be seen, remaining in the distance where he would be safe, but Jack was right there. His fists erupted with strength. He had four of them, while the Baron only had twothat gave him an advantage in both defense and attack.

Longform turned to face him. His face was warped in fury, his eyes were cold, and his chest was puffed out, suffering only surface wounds from the twigs. Begone! he shouted, smashing them away with a sonic wave. Space formed a wide bubble around him, keeping the twigs at bay.

Fist of Emotions! Jack roared out, driving it into Baron. His mind shook for a second, losing focus on the bubble and allowing Jacks own space mastery to break it. The twigs rushed back inside, swarming Baron. He cried out in fury.

Baron clapped his hands together. An intense shockwave erupted, blowing back the twigs. Jack managed to sneak in a punch, sending him flying backward, but Baron withstood the injury to strike back. The phantom of a gray giant appeared behind him. Baron and the giant punched out at the same timea massive shockwave rolled forth, creating a vacuum of lava behind it and directly shattering the bodies of several twigs. Wood flew out, instantly immolated. Only splinters were left.

The rest of the twigs cried out in angerand, from their bodies, the golden light of brohood emerged. Twelve twigs rushed at the weakened shockwave. The lights on them combined to form a shield and withstand the attack. The shockwave was dissolved. The twigs had prevailed.

These twigs were already connected. Each had some individuality, but they also shared one mind. Through that, Brocks brohood was enhanced, augmenting their power and letting them fight Baron. If not for that, they would have all become splinters already.

Brock was not mind-controlling the twigs. Theyd joined the battle on their own initiative. Jack and Brock had risked themselves to save the twigs and their motherand the twigs, already indoctrinated into the bro culture, would risk their lives in return.