Age of Adepts Chapter 735 Battle of the Stone Stairs.

Chapter 735 Battle of the Stone Stairs.
Billis stood alone in silence at the entrance of the fire dragon's labyrinth.
It was several thousands of meters underground after all. There was even a rolling river of lava right beside him. It was only natural that the cave was unbearably warm.
However, the waves of dragon roars and terrifying aura of might that emanated from the labyrinth caused Billis' body to tremble uncontrollably. The bug adept once again realized the massive difference in power between himself and the people on the other end.
Second and First Grade. A terrifying gulf existed between even beginner Second Grade and peak First Grade.
Consequently, he could only guard the exit path alone while the Second Grades were fighting the fire dragon with all their strength.
Just as his thoughts started to wander, a series of odd wing beating sounds came from the valley above. Old Fox Vanlier plunged down from above, his body completely covered in fire.
The temperature here was far too high. Even intermediate First Grade Vanlier could not survive here for long.
"Careful…careful. Those dragonborn have charged all the way back."
Small fires were all over his furry bat body. Vanlier had practically slammed onto the teleportation platform like a crashing plane. When he finally transformed into his human form again, his body was covered in black scorch marks and boils of various sizes.
Apart from the so-called teleportation array, the only way to travel from the top of the valley to this teleportation platform was a single narrow, winding path. Right now, a horde of Firethroat Dragonborn were roaring and walking down the stairs, swarming toward the platform.
At this moment, the roar of the dragon could still be clearly heard from the labyrinth. Even the valley was quaking intensely.
It was apparent how intense the battle between the two parties was!
"Dammit, dammit! The battle hasn't ended yet! How are we supposed to stop those dragonborn when they get here? With just the two of us?" Vanlier couldn't help but start grumbling.
"Four!" Billis' ghostly green eyes remained unblinking under his robe.
"Four?"
Vanlier had just asked the question when the Voodoo Doll and the Stitch Ghost Golem hovered out from the shadows. The two dolls started to let out an odd and sinister laugh.
The two little guys might only be the size of a palm, but they were actually First Grade magical creations. Each of them had strange abilities that were completely different from the norm. Still, even with the two of them, there were only four First Grades present. It didn't seem to be enough to deal with the berserk dragonborn that were swarming towards them!
While Vanlier's gaze flickered about, Billis' body started squirming as some large insect projections rolled out from within. A short moment later, these insect projections solidified into actual ferocious mantises before Vanlier's eyes. These mantises were surrounded by flashing jade green runes.
One, two, three, four.
In the blink of an eye, the empty platform filled up with twenty-two magical mantises with slender bodies, flat wings, and wicked scythe-shaped limbs.
"Go my precious; let there be a bloody banquet here!"
As Bug Adept Billis hissed, the magical mantises stood up on their hind legs and made sparks with their scythe limbs. It was now that they extended their wings and lunged at the berserk dragonborn walking down the steps.
A battle of blood and flesh unfolded now!
The two instinctively murderous dolls immediately followed after the mantises at the sight of this.
Meanwhile, Vanlier, who had always acted as an advisor, felt his heart tremble when he saw the mantises. He had long heard of Bug Adept Billis' improvement and his renown for being the rising star of the Crimson's second generation adepts that was most likely to advance to Second Grade in the short term.
However, this was his first time witnessing Billis' power for himself!
With that swarm of his and these fierce insect generals, he could probably stand his ground against certain Second Grades. As for the First Grade adepts back at the clan? He could probably crush them with such power.
It seemed he would have to try and get closer with this bug adept and establish a bit of a relationship.
Old Fox Vanlier thought to himself as he took out some potions and started to treat his wounds.
Some time ago, the roars from the labyrinth had gone silent.
"Lord Billis, in there…" Vanlier asked with a bit of hesitation.
He might be a First Grade Crimson adept like Billis, but the vast difference in power made him unconsciously treat Billis like a Second Grade adept.
Perhaps satisfied by Vanlier's respect, the cold and silent Billis finally spoke.
"They've won over on master's side! They are sweeping the battlefield right now. It didn't end too well for the fire dragon!"
Billis might have suffered tremendous losses from scouting earlier, but some bugs had still survived after all. With these insects as miniature scouts, Billis was able to witness the entirety of the Second Grade adept's glorious dragonslaying feat from a third person perspective, even while absent.
In all honesty, Billis might have been satisfied with his current strength. However, when he saw the scene of the battle between the Second Grade adepts and the fire dragons, he immediately amended his position.
One couldn't think too much of him right now because of his powerful army. If he were actually to be sent onto the battlfield of a Second Grade, everything he had would turn into dust.
So what if he had a virtually endless swarm of insects? A single dragon's breath from that Second Grade fire dragon would exterminate the majority of them! So what if he had ferocious insect generals? They couldn't even break through a layer of the Second Grade fire dragon's skin! The insects and insect generals might be uncontested against opponents that were of the same grade or weaker than them. However, if they were to run into difficult enemies, any number of them would not be as useful as that dragonborn.
That was why the battle that erupted in the lava hall also caused Billis to fall into contemplation. He started reflecting on his evolution path and his role within the clan. Perhaps he would advance to Second Grade very shortly. It was better to figure it out now rather than later.
A bloody and brutal battle was happening on the winding stone stairs carved into the walls of the hot lava valley.
Due to how narrow the stairs were, only one dragonborn could fit at the same time. Consequently, the Firethroats formed themselves into one long line and charged down the steps. Billis' magical mantises either unfolded their wings or climbed up the walls to intercept the dragonborn along the stairs, breaking out into a bloody conflict.
The Firethroat Dragonborn were all muscular and massive, and the large long-handled axes in their hands were unstoppable when they waved them. However, such heavy weapons could not be used to their fullest potential on such a narrow path. They weren't as agile or mobile as the slender and fast mantises either.
What lay beneath the stairs was a dark and swirling river of lava. Even with the excellent fire resistance of the Firethroats, falling into the river would mean death. That was why the mantises constantly circled the stairs and looked for spots of weaknesses among the dragonborn before diving at them.
Due to the harassment of the insects, a Firethroat dragonborn occasionally take a misstepped and fell from the stairs, plunging into the lava with an audible plop. Dragonborn like these had no chance to struggle and save themselves. The blazing lava devoured them in a mere two to three seconds. Not even a bubble popped on the surface.
"What's the situation here?"
A familiar male voice rang out. Greem walked out of the labyrinth with the adepts. The only person missing was the Dragon Devourer Oliven.
It was clear that the dragonslaying battle had left the Crimson adepts injured. Some of them even carried fairly grievous wounds. However, the joy of victory was painted on everyone's faces. They were excited.
"Those Firethroat Dragonborn have all hurried back. My Lord, do you think we should retreat now?" Old Fox Vanlier asked respectfully.
"Now now. That Oliven's still…never mind. Let's try and stall a bit longer for her!"
With Greem's order given out, a trace of wickedness appeared on the faces of these Second Grades that had just won a battle.
The battle against the fire dragon had been too dangerous and stifling. The battle had been trying with only their power and numbers. It caused an indescribable fire to accumulate in the hearts of every one of them. Now that they saw these dragonborn warriors who had come to court death, the Crimson adepts couldn't suppress their killing intent any longer.
"Let's go!" A scorched and burnt Mary beat her wings and took to the skies, leading her two badly injured blood knights against the Firethroat Dragonborn.
They were all severely wounded from the previous battle and were in need of high-energy blood to replenish the exhaustion of their strength. The sight of so many Firethroat Dragonborn was like the sight of a moving blood bank. Their glee showed on their faces.
Zacha and the Goblin Shredder had been kicked about by the fire dragon like a ball for the entire duration of the battle. Now that they finally had a chance to relieve their anger, they wouldn't possibly give up on it. Similarly, they too charged onto the stone stairs.
Inside the lava hall, an unbearably bloody ceremony was unfolding.
The previously intimidating and berserk fire dragon was now lying on the floor like a dead dog. His large abdomen swelled massively, forming a barrier of flesh and tendons. One could vaguely see the silhouette of a girl curled in a ball inside him.
The fire dragon's limbs had all been shattered, and its neck was bleeding profusely while missing a large patch of his hide.
Under the guidance of a mysterious force, all the life energy of the Second Grade fire dragon, along with his overwhelming Spirit and dragon soul, was slowly vanishing. Even the blood, bones, flesh of his body, and the dragon crystal in his skull were melting into a surge of energy by the corrosion of a strange force and slowly being assimilated by the mysterious girl.
The power within the mysterious girl's body started to boil in this place where no one could see.
A strange and immensely powerful flux was slowly forming.