The Goddess's Might Saves the World - Chapter 4

The very earth was convulsing.
When the Hero and the Goddess stepped into the Volcanic Abyss, they were met with a scene ripped from the world’s final prophecy. The sky was entirely consumed by a scarlet blaze, as if the stars themselves had been swallowed by an insatiable fire; the clouds above churned, piled like scorched ash upon the horizon.
Lava poured from every mountain fissure, a terrifying torrent of ten thousand roaring fire-dragons tearing across the land. The iron flow, mixed with the magma, roared incessantly, its clamour shaking the foundations of heaven and earth. Each explosion sounded like a blacksmith hammering the world’s bones within the cosmos’s own furnace.
“H-how hot is this…”
The Hero clutched his nose and mouth, his steps faltering. Every breath was a gasp of searing fire. Sweat immediately plastered his brow, and the shimmering heat haze made his armour blisteringly hot to the touch.
“This… this isn’t a place for a mortal to stand…!”
The Goddess, in stark contrast, stood straight-backed, her Sacred Wings slightly unfurled as if her very presence carved a boundary against the searing Hell. A faint white light radiated from her Sacred Core, its radiance interweaving with the molten red flames, appearing as the sole patch of snow-white purity amidst the inferno—steadfast and utterly unshakeable.
“This is Balck’s domain…”
Lumina murmured, her voice cool, steady, and heavy with the solemn promise of a terrible fight.
“He has dominated the earth and the iron ore alike with his molten flames.”
The Hero gritted his teeth, struggling to pierce the gloom. He saw that the distant mountain walls had long turned into glowing red iron shells, with molten liquid dripping down the crevices, splashing sparks as it hit the ground. A rain of volcanic ash occasionally fell from the sky, stinging his exposed skin.
“If… if even a place like this has been consumed…”
The Hero’s voice was hoarse, his eyes filled with creeping doubt.
“Then… can we truly win against him?”
The Goddess offered no immediate reply. She simply gazed toward the mountaintop, the light of her Sacred Core subtly pulsating with her heartbeat, as if engaging in a dialogue with the volcano’s roar.
Suddenly—Boom!
The crater exploded, and a pillar of molten rock shot straight up, turning night into a terrifying day. The earth instantly split open, and countless chunks of iron and burning rock rained down, striking the valley and the cliff faces with a deafening impact.
“He’s coming…! That monster… he’s actually rising…!”
The Hero stumbled back and fell, only scarlet terror remaining in his eyes.
The Goddess, however, stared directly into the lava, where a massive dark shadow was slowly lifting. Its movements were impossibly slow, yet they carried a crushing weight heavier than any storm.
“The Molten Iron Giant King—Balck…”
Lumina’s voice was low, sounding like a declaration to the Hero, and to the entire world.
“He has finally awakened—here.”
The molten pillar still roared, its red glow staining the entire sky. The air was scorching like invisible blades, tearing the Hero’s breath into ragged fragments.
“Cough, cough…!”
He clutched his chest, his throat burning from the acrid smell of sulphur and rust. His vision blurred from the intense heat, making it nearly impossible to focus on the crater. Yet, he forced his eyes open, knowing that something more terrifying than the abyss itself was stirring there.
The volcanic fissure continued to widen, and the earth shook as violently as a fevered heartbeat. Lava poured down from the cracks, forming hundreds of scarlet torrents, incinerating everything in the valley. Stones melted, and iron ore twisted into bizarre, scorched shapes.
“…This is his very breathing.”
Lumina whispered, the light of her Sacred Core twinkling in the fierce blaze, like a solitary star defying the scorching sun.
The next instant, a roar tore through the sky.
In the centre of the molten column, an enormous palm slowly emerged. It was not made of flesh and bl00d, but forged from solid molten rock and steel. Every drop of lava dripping from its fingertips could bore straight through the earth. The hand braced against the crater, causing the entire mountaintop to fracture and collapse.
Following the first hand, a second slowly reached out. Then, a dark figure, towering taller than the mountains themselves, finally rose from the depths of the volcano.
“Oh, Heavens… what in the world is that…!”
The Hero’s voice trembled; he could barely hold his Sacred Sword steady.
The dark figure’s head slowly lifted, and two eyes opened simultaneously. They were not pupils, but two churning craters of fire, with molten rock rolling inside and flames rushing skywards. As his gaze swept across the land, even the air seemed to shimmer and distort from the sheer heat.
“The Molten Iron Giant King…”
Lumina’s gaze remained composed, yet utterly solemn.
“Balck… is finally about to manifest in his full form.”
Boom!
The Giant King’s chest vibrated, and flames, accompanied by a torrent of iron, erupted from his body. This single exhale was enough to stir a blazing gale that shattered nearby stone walls.
The sky was stained scarlet by the flames he expelled, like a world enveloped in a cage of fire.
The Hero, terrified, stumbled back several steps, his heel catching on loose rock, nearly sending him tumbling into the scalding lava.
“I-impossible, this is simply… the actual incarnation of a volcano!”
The Goddess reached out, firmly steadying the Hero. The light from her Sacred Core flared, absorbing the worst of the immediate heat. Her voice was a low, steady anchor:
“Do not fear this. He is nothing but a giant forged of iron and fire. And I will use the light of my Sacred Core to put out his furnace forever.”
Boom—Boom—Boom!
Accompanied by the earth-shattering roar, the massive dark figure finally stood fully erect. Lava streamed from the seams of his body, like bl00d coursing through fiery veins. This was no mere Demon Lord, but a living volcano, transformed into a humanoid shape.
Balck’s body towered over the peaks, his shoulders resembling two burning mountain ranges, and his chest a massive furnace where a sea of molten iron churned. When he lowered his head, his two eyes of burning flame, like two small craters, instantly dyed the sky and earth red with their light and terrifying heat.
The Hero was completely frozen, his legs shaking uncontrollably.
“…What… what kind of monster is this… bigger than the Hellhound, more terrifying than the Tentacle Demon God…”
His voice wavered, and his hands, holding the sword, shook uncontrollably, unable to raise the blade.
Balck exhaled a breath. It was not a simple respiration, but a volcanic eruption. Scarlet flames rolled up scorching iron ash, and the fierce wind swept through the valley, instantly disintegrating the cliff face. In that single breath, the sky was covered by thick fire and black smoke; the moonlight and starlight vanished without a trace.
The world instantly transformed into “The Furnace’s Cage.”
“You wretched, tiny insects—”
A voice as deep as the Earth’s core rumbled from Balck’s throat, every syllable accompanied by spurting sparks and molten metal.
“Dare you disturb my slumber?!”
The Hero’s eardrums ached from the sound, and he collapsed onto his knees, clutching his head, his face ashen with despair.
“It’s o-over… this is not something we can possibly defeat…”
However, the Goddess standing before him simply unfurled her Sacred Wings, the light from her Sacred Core steadily blocking the intense flame shockwave. White light and scarlet fire intertwined; she was like a clear, bright moon in the deepest, hottest pit of the abyss.
“Molten Iron Giant King—Balck…”
Lumina’s voice was cool, yet carried the resilience of steel.
“Whether you are the iron-fire cage or the core of the earth itself—I shall crush you.”
She slowly raised her hand, and the light from her Sacred Core gradually expanded, as if illuminating the entire volcano into a silver-white altar.
The Hero looked up, gazing at her back, a mixture of fear and profound reverence swelling in his chest.
“My Goddess… are you truly going to face a giant like that head-on…?”
The Giant King’s immediate response was to take a step.
Boom!
With just one step, the mountainside instantly fractured, and lava poured forth like a sudden flood. The ground beneath his foot groaned, as if the world itself were forced to bow to his weight.
Balck raised his great burning axe, and flames shot up along the blade towards the sky, immediately forming a firestorm.
“Come—let me see if your Sacred Radiance can withstand the judgement of iron and fire!!!”
Boom—!!
With a deafening explosion, the crater completely collapsed, and scarlet lava rushed into the heavens, swallowing the night sky. As the lava surged like a deluge, the immensely massive dark figure finally completed his full step.
Balck, the Molten Iron Giant King.
His entire body was forged from steel and molten rock, like the thousand-year-old remains of an ancient deity lost underground, now reignited by flame and iron torrents. The molten fire erupting from his shoulders churned with every breath, like constantly erupting miniature volcanoes. His chest was a burning iron furnace; he could melt the very air with a single exhalation.
“Thump—Thump—Thump—”
With every step, the entire volcano trembled, the ground shattered, and the iron flow roared. The surrounding air was no longer mere atmosphere, but a scorching breath that could instantly burn through the lungs.
The Hero’s body was rigid, the hand gripping his sword had lost its strength; cold sweat and hot sweat mixed and streamed down his face.
“Is this… is this a mountain? Or a god made of fire?!”
His voice trembled, barely daring to look directly into those eyes burning with fierce flames.
The Goddess, however, raised her head, her gaze cool and unwavering. The Holy Light from her Sacred Core shone exceptionally bright amidst the scarlet blaze.
“No, he is the Imprisoned King in the shape of a furnace. Balck… the tyrant who commands the earth’s iron and fire.”
Balck raised his hand, the arm larger than the entire valley. He grasped a burning great axe, its steel blade fused with lava, as if half a mountain of molten fire were shouldered in his hand. When the blade swung, a firestorm swept across the sky, tearing open the entire firmament, the red flames instantly consuming the stars.
“You wretched, puny intruder…”
His voice was deep, as if coming from the Earth’s core, causing the valley walls to collapse.
“This is my Iron Prison—no one leaves here alive!”
Boom—!!
Flames spread outwards from his body, instantly transforming into countless pillars of fire that rose up, sealing the entire volcanic valley, weaving a perfect cage of fire.
Lava surged like an iron river, and the flowing flames acted as impenetrable walls, trapping the Hero and the Goddess with no path of retreat.
The Hero cried out in sheer terror:
“Th-this isn’t a battle… this is… an execution!!”
The Goddess calmly spread her wings, the light of her Sacred Core expanding once more, shielding the Hero from the flame’s oppression. Her voice was firm and solemn:
“Then let the light of my Sacred Core shatter this cage of iron and fire!”
Boom—!!!
Balck raised the giant axe high, the blade slicing through the sky like a burning scarlet crescent moon. Flames coiled around the axe edge, forming hundreds of fiery vortices, twisting madly like bound dragon-serpents.
“Perish now—!”
Balck roared, his voice turning into an earth tremor; the mountain walls collapsed in an instant.
The next moment, the great axe plunged down suddenly.
—Boom boom boom boom!!
Lava rushed forth like a dam burst, and the fierce flames transformed into a deadly torrent, engulfing the Goddess and the Hero. This was no mere fire, but molten flame capable of instantly liquefying steel. Beneath the heat wave, rocks melted into scarlet iron rivers, and the air warped like a shattered mirror.
The Hero shrieked, nearly swallowed by the heat wave.
“N-no, it can’t be—we’ll be burnt to ashes if this keeps up!”
The Goddess flapped her wings and spread her arms, the light from her Sacred Core instantly bursting forth.
“Holy Radiance—Shield!”
A milky-white curtain of light unfolded from her chest like a heavenly canopy, forcefully blocking the molten fire torrent.
The flames collided with the Holy Light, erupting in a dazzling silver-red clash.
“Sizzle, sizzle—!”
The Holy Light constantly warped under the high temperature, white smoke rose from her armor, and sweat beaded on the Goddess’s brow, but she gritted her teeth and held fast.
Seeing this, the Hero suddenly drew his sword, roaring as he charged forward, a desperate cry.
“Don’t you dare underestimate humanity any longer—!!”
He raised the Sacred Sword, its light flashing, and struck towards Balck’s ankle.
However—Clang!!!
The blade struck the body of molten iron and lava, eliciting only a sharp, brittle sound, followed by sparks flying everywhere. The sword’s light instantly dimmed, like a firefly hitting an iron wall.
“What… it had absolutely no effect…?”
The Hero’s pupils sharply contracted in horror.
Balck looked down, a look of playful mockery igniting in his molten eyes.
“Wretched human, your sword… cannot even cut through my iron shavings!”
Boom—!
The great axe swung down again. The powerful shockwave sent the Hero flying, crashing heavily onto the volcanic rock, bl00d trickling from the corner of his mouth. His hands trembled, and the Sacred Sword in his grip let out a mournful, low moan, on the very verge of shattering.
The Goddess looked back, her eyes instantly sharp with urgency.
“Hero, retreat! This is a contest between Radiance and iron-fire—this is not a cage you should have to bear!”
The Hero, however, gritted his teeth and clambered up, his voice trembling but fiercely defiant:
“No… I won’t just stand here and watch! If I can’t even lift a finger, what right do I have to call myself a Hero, or to stand beside the Goddess!”
The flames were a prison, the iron flow surged around them.
The Hero’s body was slammed hard against the cliff face by the shockwave, cracking and collapsing the rock around him. The Sacred Sword in his hand, which had once helped slay the Demon God with the Goddess, now vibrated with a tragic hum, cracks appearing along its blade, its light dim as a flickering candle.
“No… how can this be…”
The Hero reached out, trying to raise his sword again, but his arm was too weak and trembled uncontrollably. The scorching air burned his lungs; his exhaled breath carried the smell of burnt rust. He coughed, his vision blurred by the heat, yet he desperately fixated on the Goddess’s figure.
—The Goddess was, at that moment, being completely swallowed by the flood of flames.
After Balck swung his axe, he opened his mouth and spat out a scorching torrent of molten-fire breath that cascaded down like a volcanic fountain. The flames condensed into scarlet iron walls on all four sides, completely isolating the Goddess and the Hero.
“Inferno Prison—!”
Balck’s roar was like a declaration of absolute judgement; heaven and earth trembled in submission.
The Goddess’s Sacred Wings vibrated desperately, and the light from her Sacred Core struck the iron-fire wall repeatedly.
“Hraagh—!”
The Holy Light burst forth, briefly pushing the molten flames back, but it was immediately sealed again by a fiercer blaze. Her armor sizzled, and the scarlet molten fire left scorch marks along the edges. Even the Goddess’s Holy Radiance Light struggled to completely break open this flame prison.
The Hero used his last ounce of strength to yell:
“My Goddess!!!”
His voice, however, was swallowed by the towering waves of fire, barely able to carry through the intense heat.
She glanced back, her eyes meeting the Hero’s through the chains of fire. There was no fear in those eyes, only absolute resolve.
“Hero, do not give up… the light of the Sacred Core will not be stolen by iron-fire!”
No sooner had she spoken than the torrent of flames roared closed, completely engulfing her.
“No—!!!”
The Hero’s heart-wrenching scream echoed outside the cage. His Sacred Sword finally gave way, letting out a pitiful, sharp “ding!” as the broken tip fell onto the searing rock, instantly glowing red-hot.
He fell to his knees, his fingertips weakly picking up the fragment of the broken sword. The intense heat scorched his palm, but he felt nothing, for the pain in his chest was worse than the flames.
“If even the Goddess is melted… then what kind of Hero am I…?”
His voice trembled, and his tears instantly turned into white mist in the rising heat.
Deep within the flames, the Goddess’s Sacred Core still emitted a faint light. It was no longer dazzling, but like a seed of life, quietly brewing amidst the scarlet Hell.
Balck threw his head back and laughed, his voice shaking the entire volcano:
“Futile struggle! Even a god must turn to ash before the Molten Iron King!”
The molten fire churned, and the flame cage dyed the sky a deep, ominous scarlet.
Despair—it nearly crushed the Hero’s very soul.
Within the flame prison, the world was reduced to an intermingling of red fire and dark shadows. The sky seemed covered by a burning curtain, and the mountains trembled and fractured with the giant’s vibration. Lava flowed like bl00d, and the iron body of Giant King Balck loomed, overlooking everything, his laughter a hammer striking the heart of the world.
“Hah—Sacred Sword? Hero? Or even a Goddess? Before my molten iron torrent, you are nothing but dross destined to become ash!”
His voice carried the roar of metal grinding, every word laced with heat that seemed to burn the soul.
The Hero knelt at the edge of the molten rock, with only the broken sword fragment in his hand, cold and powerless. His body trembled, and the firelight blurred the scene before his eyes, yet he clearly saw the Goddess’s figure gradually being consumed by the relentless flames.
“I… can’t I do anything at all?”
His voice was dry, like sand baked by the fierce flames. The tears on his cheeks evaporated into steam before they could fall.
At the center of the flame cage, the Goddess’s wings were scorched black by the tide of flames, and her armor was melting into fissures. Yet, despite this, a sliver of white light remained on her Sacred Core, faint but stubborn, like a never-extinguishing furnace core.
“Hero… do not lower your head.”
Her voice passed through the flames, laced with pain, yet still clear and compelling.
“The true sword… is not in your hand, but in your heart.”
The Hero’s head snapped up, his eyes stained scarlet by the reflection of the fire. He saw that light on her Sacred Core pulsating in the molten iron, as if calling to him, urging him not to sink, not to despair.
“The sword… in my heart?”
He tightly grasped the broken sword. The fragment reflected a last ray of light in the blaze. In that instant, he seemed to understand that he was not merely the Goddess’s ward, but her equal in conviction.
The flame cage trembled. Balck laughed maniacally, raising his great axe, and lava surged in response. The iron flow roared, as if ready to crush heaven and earth together.
“What good is further struggle? You shall both become iron ash!”
However, just as destruction was about to fall, a tremor of Holy Light came from deep within the flames.
—Thump.
It was the sound of a beating heart, echoing like the world’s heart.
The Goddess slowly spread her arms. Her silver hair was burnt charcoal-red by the flames, her armor reduced to mottled fragments, but her eyes were utterly resolute. The light on her Sacred Core gradually expanded, like a Holy Furnace awakening.
“Since the Sacred Sword is broken… then let my Holy Radiance become the world’s sole furnace!”
Light and fire met at her chest, forming a silver-red torrent hotter than lava and more dazzling than the iron flow. The volcano’s roar instantly quietened, as if heaven and earth held their breath, waiting for this mythical event to unfold.
The Hero’s pupils violently contracted, his chest instantly pierced by a scorching wave of belief.
“My Goddess…!”
He couldn’t help but cry out, his voice finally penetrating the flames and echoing on the volcanic peak.
The flame cage churned like an ocean of doomsday. Lava flowed down the valley, and chunks of iron fell like meteors, pounding the earth into a charred wasteland. For a moment, heaven and earth seemed completely swallowed by the furnace, with only the Goddess’s white light, flickering like a lone star deep in the flames.
Balck roared with laughter, his voice a great crashing sound of grinding steel.
“Radiance? A mere weak mortal body dares to contend with a molten iron body! I am the heart of the mountain, the king of iron! Nothing can melt me, nothing can break me!”
He raised his great axe again, and lava surged down the blade, like a fiery dragon churning, cleaving towards the Goddess and the Hero.
Boom—!
The crater exploded, firelight shot to the sky, and steam and iron-fire formed a rolling red giant wave, completely engulfing the Goddess’s figure.
“My Goddess—!” The Hero’s desperate scream was almost completely drowned out by the wave of flames.
Yet, right in the center of the molten fire, a power distinctly different from the flames suddenly expanded.
—It was the Divine Conviction Light.
“Balck… you claim nothing can melt you?”
The voice came from deep within the flames, clear yet carrying a deafening majesty.
Following her words, a silver-white radiance broke through the flame tide, rising from the inferno like a newborn moon disc. The Goddess’s wings had been reduced to charred feather-bones, but her Sacred Core now shone to its absolute peak, as if the furnace of heaven and earth was reawakening within her body.
“Then let me show you—the fire of Conviction can melt even the abyss and solid rock!”
Rumble—!
The Divine Conviction power suddenly erupted, surging towards the heavens like a reverse flood. White light and red fire intertwined; the lava instantly vaporized under the pressure of the light, turning into a wall of steam and mist that obscured the entire volcano.
Balck’s massive body trembled. He lowered his iron-forged head, revealing a look of shock for the first time. The fire in his eyes flickered, dimmed and unstable under the pressure of that milky light.
“Th-this is impossible! How can your mere mortal frame surpass a body of molten iron!”
The Goddess abruptly thrust her arms out, raising both hands. The light from her Sacred Core condensed into two silver-red arcs, like fiery hoops drawing heaven and earth into the furnace core. She chanted loudly, her voice shattering the volcano’s echo:
“With Divine Conviction as the furnace, with conviction as the fire, melt the Iron King—!”
With the final, low growl, she burst through the molten torrent and flew straight towards Balck’s face.
The Hero could only watch with wide eyes as this mythical scene unfolded before him. His heart pounded relentlessly, and he muttered to himself: “The Goddess… she’s going to use her Sacred Radiance… to turn the volcano itself into a furnace…”
Balck roared and swung his axe, the gigantic fiery trajectory cleaving down like a heavenly river. However, the milky light instantly enveloped the axe blade, directly melting the thousands-of-degrees-hot iron chunk into silver-red slag, which poured away, cascading down as a rain of iron.
“No—! My axe!!” Balck roared, his voice betraying genuine fear for the first time.
The Goddess’s figure passed through the iron rain, carrying the light of the furnace core, and abruptly clamped her arms, firmly pressing the Giant King’s head between her Sacred Core.
Heaven and earth instantly fell silent.
The volcano stopped erupting, and the iron flow condensed at her chest, rushing towards that single point as if all the iron in the world were returning to its heart.
“Divine Conviction Crushes the Iron Furnace—!”
The sound boomed out, shattering the firmament.
The molten roar of the lava was, in this moment, overwhelmed by a different sound. It was the resounding beat of a divine drum—where the Goddess’s silver-white Holy Light and the molten-red flames violently collided, emitting a roar that even heaven and earth could not withstand.
Balck’s head was firmly suppressed. His roaring shook the valley: “Impossible! I am the Molten Iron King! I am the Will of the Volcano! All flames shall be consumed by me, and all steel shall be forged by me!”
The Goddess’s face was illuminated by the fierce fire, her silver hair already scorched but still faintly shining. Her eyes were resolute, but her voice was as cold as a blade cutting through iron:
“And I am the Goddess of Radiance. The Sacred Core is not weakness, but the furnace fire that can embrace and melt all things!”
Rumble—!
She abruptly drew her arms in, the light on her chest turning into the core of the furnace. Balck’s iron frame began to dissolve, molten iron dripping away like wax.
The Hero stood on a distant cliff, his eyes practically sealed shut by the intense light, yet he strained to look. He saw Balck’s head being consumed inch by inch by the milky light, and the previously scorching lava gradually cooling under that power.
“This… this isn’t merely a battle… this is the Goddess… smelting the entire world with her Sacred Radiance!”
Balck struggled, waving his giant arms to break free, but every strike turned into molten iron rain, which was, in turn, absorbed into the furnace core of her Sacred Core.
“Thump! Thump! Thump!”
Each impact sounded like the final beat of a colossal drum, shaking the heavens and the earth.
“Aaaaaahhh—!”
Balck’s final roar was filled with defiance, the flames in his eyes flickering not with rage, but with the stark terror of being crushed by the furnace light.
The Goddess’s voice descended with the power of judgement:
“Balck, let your molten iron return to the earth.”
Boom————!
The “Divine Conviction Crushes the Iron Furnace” fully erupted.
An endless column of silver-red light shot up into the clouds, completely piercing the volcano’s black smoke. The lava lake was instantly drained, transforming into countless fragments of iron meteors that crashed in all directions. Balck’s head completely melted in the milky light, and his body subsequently collapsed, pouring down as a torrent of molten slag.
Heaven and earth seemed to be re-forged. The volcano’s roar gradually subsided, the fierce flames extinguished, leaving behind not scorching destruction, but a slowly cooling lake of silver-black iron.
The Hero fell to his knees, trembling all over. Although his Sacred Sword was broken, a conviction he had never felt before ignited in his heart. He gasped for breath, whispering with a shaky voice:
“My Goddess… your Sacred Radiance truly… melted even the Molten Iron King…”
The white light gradually receded. The Goddess still stood at the center of the lake, the light on her chest was like the furnace’s final flame, steady but unextinguished. She looked down at the Hero, her voice tired yet infinitely gentle:
“Never underestimate the Sacred Core, Hero. The abyss, the flame, the steel… nothing can resist conviction.”
Tears welled in the Hero’s eyes. He tightly gripped the broken sword hilt, as if making a solemn vow to this newly cooled world.
In the distance, as the volcano quietened, the earth echoed with another sound.
—“Dong… Dong… Dong…”
It was not the footsteps of the Iron King, but the solemn reverberation of ancient bells.
Beneath the night sky, the silhouette of a hazy tall tower appeared, the bell tolls echoing through time and space.
The Goddess looked up, her pupils slightly contracted, and she murmured softly:
“The Phantom Bell Tower of Time… Chronos…”
The wind sounded like a low sob, as if foreshadowing a new, mythical battlefield about to unfold.
The crashing of heaven and earth subsided, and with the dissipation of the final silver-red light pillar, the Volcanic Abyss finally fell into an unprecedented silence.
The surging of the lava had stopped. The iron slag, once flowing like a river, gradually cooled, and the churning scarlet flames dimmed, little by little, until only pale blue embers remained. These embers floated on the surface of the solidifying iron lake, twinkling quietly like falling stars in the night sky.
The air was still thick with the searing smell of rust and scorched earth, yet it was now mixed with a strange, clean coolness—the breath of heaven and earth, sighing once more after Balck had been melted. The ground no longer trembled, the sky no longer roared, leaving only a desolate yet restored tranquility.
The Hero sat slumped on the shattered cliff, covered in sweat and dust. He tightly gripped the broken hilt of the Sacred Sword, staring blankly ahead. The Molten Iron Giant King, once so formidable, was utterly gone, transformed into the obsidian iron mirror at the heart of the lake.
“This… this is the true power of the Goddess…” he muttered softly, his voice trembling but filled with profound reverence. “Not just the abyss, not just the lava—even iron and fire can be melted by the Sacred Core…”
The Goddess slowly walked out from the lake’s center. Her silver hair was dusted with iron filings, and her armor was scorched and mottled, yet she appeared supremely sacred, illuminated by the Holy Light on her chest. Her steps were heavy; with every stride, a ripple of silver light spread across the lake’s surface, as if carving a sacred pattern into the iron lake.
The Hero held his breath, daring not to blink. In this moment, he even forgot the countless times he had cowered on the battlefield. He only knew that the figure before him was the true sun in his heart.
“My Goddess…” his voice was hoarse, but filled with vibrating emotion. “You bore so much alone… and I could only weep and shout from behind…”
The Goddess stopped and looked back at him. Her eyes were weary yet gentle, like the last unquenchable flicker of fire in a furnace. The Holy Light on her chest pulsed, brightening and dimming with her breath, as if synchronized with the heartbeat of heaven and earth.
“My Hero,” she whispered, her voice carrying across the cooling night wind, soft yet firm, “don’t ever underestimate what you are. You are the one who bears witness to this power; without you, my light would simply be forgotten.”
The Hero froze, tears silently tracking down his face. He tightly clasped the broken sword hilt, and for the first time, a fire, surpassing fear, ignited in his heart—it was one of utter devotion and a solemn oath.
The lake surface gradually cooled, the lava forming layers of obsidian-like iron shells, yet silver-red light veins showed through the cracks, as if the world’s heart were still slowly beating. The stars in the night sky reflected in the lake, intertwined with the iron light, forming a breathtaking, mythical canvas. The Goddess stood at the lake’s heart, the Holy Light from her chest flickering ceaselessly. It was not the pride of victory, but the residual embers left after the battle, reminding her like the hearth fire—even though the Molten Iron Giant King was melted, this journey was far from over.
The Hero dragged his heavy feet toward the lake shore, his figure swaying, almost every step treading on the shadow of his own fear. His hands still trembled, but his gaze was locked on the Goddess’s back. That silhouette, superimposed against the iron lake and the starlit sky, was like a sacred image spanning ages.
“I… I don’t want to just weep and shout anymore,” the Hero whispered, his voice trembling like a confession of his soul. “Every single time… you stood forward alone, protecting me, protecting the world with your Sacred Radiance. And all I could do was stand behind you, praying we wouldn’t lose…”
He knelt on the ground, his hands firmly pressing the broken hilt of the Sacred Sword. The faint light of the fragment was almost gone, but in this moment, it seemed to be breathing life back into him.
“But… I can’t. I cannot be just a witness. I want to become someone who can stand side-by-side with you!”
The Goddess quietly turned around, her silver hair fluttering in the night wind. She heard the Hero’s heartfelt plea. Not rushing to answer, she gently placed her palm over her chest, as if listening to her heart beating in sync with the world.
“My Hero…” she spoke softly, her tone carrying both exhaustion and a motherly affection, “the power of the Sacred Core is not mine alone. If you truly desire it, if you are willing to place your fear here as well, then one day… you too will possess a conviction that can burn the world.”
The Hero looked up, his eyes rimmed red. The cool light of the iron lake reflected on his face, his image splitting into countless reflections on the lake’s surface, as if every possible version of himself were looking back at the Goddess.
“I… I am willing.”
His voice was firmer than ever. “No matter the cost, no matter what darkness I must face, I am willing to entrust myself to you. My Goddess, please let me become the Hero who can truly bear this burden with you!”
Time stood still.
It was as if even the wind and the bell tolls held their breath, waiting for the Goddess’s reply.
The Goddess slowly extended her hand, pulling the Hero up from the lake shore. Her palm was still hot, like the furnace fire that had just melted the Giant King, but that warmth travelled into the Hero’s heart, giving him a sense of stability and strength he had never known.
“Raise your head, Hero,” her voice was low and steady, like the toll of a bell tempered in the furnace. “What you witnessed was not failure, but rebirth.”
The Hero wiped the ash and tears from his face, trying to straighten his back. He looked at the lake’s center. The cooled iron lake was like a giant mirror, reflecting the starry sky, the volcanic remnants, and the figures of both him and the Goddess.
“So… this is the power of the Sacred Core…” he murmured, his voice no longer just simple awe, but carrying the heavy resolve to bear the burden.
The Goddess gazed at the lake’s surface, the Holy Light on her chest flickering between the night sky and the lake light, as if embracing heaven and earth. Her tone became soft, yet still solemn:
“This iron lake shall record our battle. It is not just the grave of the Molten Iron Giant King, but also the Mirror of the New Covenant. Hero, leave your oath here, and let heaven and earth bear witness for you.”
The Hero knelt, clasping the broken Sacred Sword, its tip touching the lake’s surface. His voice trembled but was firm:
“I swear by this body. Whether the future enemy is the abyss, the fire, or even time itself, I shall stand and fight alongside my Goddess!”
As his words fell, silver ripples suddenly spread across the lake’s surface, as if responding to his oath. Starlight fractured upon the iron lake, dividing his reflection into countless pieces before reuniting it into a complete figure—one much taller than before.
The Goddess watched this scene, her eyes slightly moved. She gently nodded, placing her palm on her chest, and whispered: “The Sacred Core has heard your voice.”
The night sky was silent, yet in that moment, another sound began to resonate.
—Dong. Dong. Dong.
It was the ancient bell toll, coming from the depths of distant time and space. The starry sky reflected in the iron lake suddenly trembled, and the phantom silhouette of a tall bell tower emerged on the mirror-like surface. Gears turned upon it, and the flow of time cascaded like water.
The Hero looked up, his face full of astonishment: “Is this… a new Demon Lord?”
The Goddess’s gaze was calm, the light on her chest twinkling. She whispered in reply: “The Phantom of Time… Chronos. The molten iron was merely a trial, but the true battlefield… lies at the far side of the clock.”
The phantom bell tower on the lake grew clearer, the tolling synchronizing with the heartbeat of heaven and earth. The Hero grasped his broken sword, and the Goddess stood tall, the light of her chest illuminating the earth once more.
The Volcanic Abyss had returned to silence, but the gears of the world had, in this moment, begun to turn anew.