Mystical Fantasy : The Analogi

Explosion after explosion tore apart the tranquility of the Ifrit village. The red mist thickened, and rumbling booms echoed from the direction of the mountain.

On the rocky path leading to the Forbidden Cave, Zeo stood tall and unmoving.

Before him, a dozen orc beastkin, armed with massive hammers and axes, surrounded him like a pack of starving wolves.

From another direction, Elder Zelalehm appeared behind him, his eyes widening. "N-No way… he got ahead of us?!"

In the distance, Jakovi—the orc leader—still engaged in battle with Velzhara, also noticed from the corners of the fight. His expression instantly changed—filled with rage and shock.

"That guy…!!"

Velzhara also sharpened her gaze at Zeo. "I thought he was just a wild rat… turns out he's as much of a nuisance as these pigs."

Zelalehm stepped forward and shouted, "Young man! Step aside! This doesn't concern you!"

Zeo didn't turn around. His eyes remained locked on the cave, which had partially cracked from the earlier blast.

Jakovi roared from afar to his troops, "Take him down! Leave nothing behind!!"

The orc soldiers charged.

WHOOSH!!!

But Zeo moved swiftly. One spin of his legs stirred the stones, forming a cloud of dust. With one stomp—BOOM!—he triggered a shockwave that sent several orcs flying.

An orc swung a huge axe from the side, but Zeo ducked, slid beneath the blow, and drove his knee into the creature's gut.

CRACK!

The orc collapsed.

Two more leapt from behind. Zeo spun, punching them simultaneously with a shockwave-infused strike strong enough to send them hurtling into a nearby ravine.

Zelalehm grew increasingly uneasy. He had seen Zeo fight before and knew the boy was no ordinary opponent. The fact that he had defeated multiple Ifrit warriors earlier, and now easily handled elite orc soldiers, proved just how powerful he truly was. His precision, reflexes, and decision-making—Zeo was not someone to be underestimated.

Zeo exhaled sharply, his gaze intensifying. "This is getting annoying… They're not that strong, but there are just too many..."

He clenched both fists, then placed them on the ground.

"Void Collapse: Quake Rend!"

The earth trembled.

Cracks spread like spiderwebs across the slope. Rocks split. The path to the cave crumbled. In an instant, a landslide swept away most of the orcs—and Zelalehm—with it.

BOOOOOMMM!!!

The ground beneath them collapsed, forming a deep trench and exposing glowing red stone beneath, creating a vision of hell devouring the invaders at the mountain's base.

Most of the nearby Ifrit troops were able to save themselves by gliding with their Fire Wave skills.

Zelalehm, though injured, also used his skill to fly over the chasm. But he was too slow to catch Zeo, who now stood at the cave's entrance.

Zeo looked down at all of them.

Then, with a single sweep of his arm—

BAMM!!

The cave's gate collapsed with a thunderous crash, burying the entrance in massive rubble and sealing it off from anyone left outside.

Zelalehm reached the blocked entrance. He stared at the fallen rocks—there was no opening.

He tried to blast through the barrier, but his energy was nearly spent from the long fight.

"Damn it!"

---

On the main battlefield, Velzhara and Jakovi clashed head-on. The Ifrit Queen's magma attacks rained down relentlessly, but Jakovi—with the signature orc resilience and Pain Killer skill—seemed immune to pain.

Even when his arm was scorched, he simply laughed and retaliated with his heavy axe.

"RAAARRGHH!!"

Velzhara was pushed back. Lava poured from a wound on her shoulder. She hissed, her eyes widening as she saw Zeo enter and seal the cave shut with debris.

"This is dangerous… If that boy awakens what's inside, he must not touch that place...!"

Jakovi looked stunned by her words.

"Awaken something? Isn't it just some ancient artifact?"

Velzhara didn't answer. Panic began to cloud her face as she watched Zelalehm fail to clear the blocked entrance.

Jakovi grew more excited. If it wasn't just an artifact, but something more valuable… he had to end this fight quickly and get inside—before that boy claimed what he wanted.

Jakovi charged at Velzhara again. But the Ifrit Queen wasn't easily defeated. Even with help from the Frog Djinns, Jakovi still struggled to overpower her in her fiery domain.

The battle dragged on. Everyone was exhausted and anxious. The cave entrance remained sealed, and a mere youth had already been inside for a while.

Velzhara began to tire and wanted to end the fight. With her remaining strength, she summoned a towering wall of fire, ten meters high, separating herself from Jakovi. Then, she leapt into the air, her body merging with the flames and hot winds. In a swift maneuver, she flew toward the cave.

Jakovi snarled and slammed his giant hammer into the ground.

"Throw me!!" he barked.

Two large orcs came running, forming a platform and launching Jakovi upward with all their strength. Adding momentum with his hammer, his massive body shot through the air like a missile, chasing after Velzhara.

They neared the cave's mouth, conserving enough energy to blast through the rubble blocking the entrance.

But then—

DZZZZZUUUUUUMMMMM!!!!!!!

A deafening explosion rocked the cave area. Rocks flew, fire and smoke erupted, and a massive shockblast tore outward.

Velzhara and Jakovi, just about to reach the cave, were flung into the air.

BOOOMM!!

They slammed into rocks and tumbled to the ground, badly wounded. But neither moved to fight again. All went still, watching the smoke rising from the cave.

And from behind the haze and dust…

A massive silhouette emerged. Its form was unclear. Upright. Silent. As if daring the world itself.

---

Beyond Ifrit territory…

The heat had faded. Lush trees appeared, and the sky grew clearer.

Ravyn stumbled out of the forest, her body battered, but her eyes still sharp.

Some Ifrit soldiers had chased her, but she'd taken them down one by one with her speed and agility.

Now she stood on a high cliff, looking back—toward the land she'd just escaped.

Then—

DUUUUARRRRR!!!

A massive tremor rippled across the ground.

The earth shook. The winds shifted. Red light surged into the sky from the direction of the Ifrit village.

Ravyn turned quickly. Her eyes widened.

"…Master…"

She held her breath, then dropped to her knees, clutching the earth.

"Master... please... stay alive..."

A fine dust began to fall from the sky, carried by the shockwave of the recent explosion. She closed her eyes, trying to feel the rhythm of the land—as if hoping to sense Zeo's presence amidst the chaos.

In her chest, her prayers went unceasing.

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