The storm of corrupted creatures came without warning — a sea of twisted limbs, glowing red eyes, and gurgling screeches that pierced the thick, rotting air of the Forbidden Zone. Iris had just stepped away from the group's protective formation to scout ahead when the ground beneath her erupted, blackened claws bursting through the earth as if the world itself had grown fangs. Within seconds, she was surrounded.
They came in waves — grotesque, malformed things with too many teeth and bodies that pulsed with a sickly green light. Iris reacted on instinct, her time magic crackling to life. With a flick of her wrist, she froze three of them mid-leap, their bodies suspended in shimmering temporal bubbles. But for every one she stopped, five more surged forward.
"Back off!" she cried, twisting through the air and creating a ripple that slowed everything around her. Still, it wasn't enough. Her breathing grew labored, her legs wobbling beneath her. Even her magic—normally precise and elegant—was beginning to falter. The sheer volume of the horde was draining her faster than she could recover.
From the distance, Lina saw it happen.
"No," she whispered. Then louder: "No! IRIS!"
Without hesitation, she launched herself forward, her body igniting with a fierce, golden-red blaze. Flames licked across her skin like armor, not burning her but feeding off her fury. The corrupted monsters turned at the sound of her scream, just in time to be met with a wall of fire that roared louder than thunder.
The others dove for cover.
MC hit the ground face-first, screaming something completely incoherent as Jax tackled him out of the way with a bottle of mead still in hand. Kira was already behind a rock, grumbling, "Showoff," even as her daggers glinted protectively in front of her.
Then came the explosion.
Not just a burst, not just a flare — a full-blown, battlefield-scorching, tree-destroying, sky-darkening inferno. The ground shook beneath them as a shockwave of searing heat rolled through the Forbidden Zone, turning corrupted creatures to ash in the blink of an eye. Half the horde was vaporized on the spot. The other half? Running. Screaming. Melting.
When the flames finally receded, all that remained was scorched earth, smoldering debris, and the lingering heat of power unleashed without restraint.
In the middle of the devastation, Lina stood, panting, arms trembling at her sides. Her once-flawless battle outfit was singed at the edges, her hair floating as if still caught in the residual heat. Her eyes blazed just as hot as the fire she'd summoned — but within them was something else too. Fear. Not of the monsters.
Of herself.
Iris, collapsed to her knees and covered in soot, looked up with wide eyes. "You… you evolved it."
Lina didn't answer right away. Her gaze flicked to her own hands, which were still faintly glowing. "I didn't mean to," she whispered. "It just—happened. When I saw you—"
Iris stood, wobbled slightly, then smiled despite the situation. "That was the most reckless, ridiculous, and completely over-the-top rescue I've ever seen."
Then she leaned forward and kissed Lina on the cheek.
Lina blinked, went scarlet, and shouted, "W-What was THAT for?!"
"For saving me, dummy," Iris smirked, then turned away quickly, coughing as if nothing had happened.
MC stumbled toward them with leaves in his hair, looking thoroughly singed and confused. "I just—did we win? Or are we in an anime now?"
Kira crossed her arms. "Same thing."
Jax nodded solemnly. "I declare this moment... too hot to handle."
Luna didn't laugh. She was staring at the horizon again, her expression distant.
Because in the distance, beyond the burnt trees and scattered monster remains, a new shape had begun to rise. Towering. Watching.
The Forbidden Zone wasn't just reacting to their presence.
It was waking up.
END OF CHAPTER 62