Chapter 14 – Amidst the Roar of the Volcanic Stone Gate's Ruler
For (Uchiha Sasuke), power stood above all else.
His desire to understand this new world was growing exponentially, intertwined with his burning need to return to the Shinobi world. To finish his final battle. To sever the bonds that prevented him from becoming the one who would achieve absolute peace and fulfill his elder brother's wish.
He had exited the Gate after obtaining most of the information he wanted.
Yet, this information was far from complete. Even he had realized, on an instinctual level, that so far, he knew perhaps only 1% of the things that were utterly alien to him. At this moment, it was difficult to even deduce anything substantial.
Memories returned to (Sasuke)—memories from before sending the clone.
He had summoned it covertly while toying with the Volcanic Giants, who were merely training dummies for him to understand his Rinnegan's spatial manipulation abilities.
After the clone had shot forward with a speed akin to vanishing, it reached the castle of the dungeon's ruler, the Lord of the Volcano, (Darius), also known as the Giant Puppeteer with the ability to control volcanic puppet magic.
The moment it arrived, the clone of (Sasuke) wasted no time on ceremony.
Without a single warning, it destroyed the volcanic wall using Chidori sharp spears of lightning.
KRA-KOOM! CRACKLE-SHATTER!
The explosive entry caused a shockwave that annoyed the dungeon's ruler, (Darius), who had been watching the fight the original body of (Uchiha Sasuke) was having against his destructive weapons, the Volcanic Giants.
Without hesitation, (Darius) let out a roar of annoyance and disruption.
GRRROOOOAAAAARRRGH!
He then looked using scrying spells toward the source of the explosion.
His eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He glanced at the screen showing the battle of (Uchiha Sasuke) against the group of giants, then back at the intruder in his throne room.
His voice trembled, not from fear, but from profound confusion, mixed with a violent urge to smash everything around him.
"How is this possible? How can he fight the giants and be here at the same time? Is this an illusion? A spell? But I cannot feel any magic from him! This polluted power… what kind of power do you possess, you creature who forces even kings to look upon you?"
His words were like those of a hellish sage, desperate for knowledge he couldn't currently access.
"I will split you in half myself, then. Alone."
The castle was instantly engulfed in a wave of lightning, emanating from (Sasuke)'s clone, which in a single moment had detonated roughly 30% of the castle's structure.
The action forced the magma reserves behind the active volcano to erupt, triggering a gargantuan earthquake.
All of this happened in less than a second.
Meanwhile, the clone was plunging directly toward the center of the energy signature its Mangekyo Sharingan could pinpoint with exquisite precision.
But before it could reach its target, something exploded in front of it.
FWOOOOM!
Using his immense speed, the clone dodged the blast, retreating several steps with a graceful shush-shush-shush of his sandals on the hot stone. He looked toward the epicenter of the explosion.
A giant body, resembling a titan roughly five meters tall, stood there. Its muscles were knotted and sharp, like carved basalt. It wielded a massive golden war axe, and several glowing stones were embedded in its chest and arms.
(Uchiha Sasuke) could keenly feel the magical energy pulsing from those stones.
In terms of raw power and energy, (Uchiha Sasuke) didn't hesitate to conclude that the opponent before him was many times stronger than the Ant King. Dozens of times stronger, perhaps.
At this moment, he stood there, looking at the giant.
The giant, in turn, looked at (Uchiha Sasuke) and spoke in a tongue incomprehensible to the clone.
The sound was a guttural roar mixed with a hellish wail. But the intent the monster wished to convey was clear: "Human creature? How can you be here at the same time? I can see my magically-armed giants, along with lava magic, fighting you on the other side!"
Of course, to the clone of (Uchiha Sasuke), the sound was just noise. And this particular dialect and grating sound did not please the copy.
It answered with pure disdain.
"Is that the sound of your barking surrender? If so, you may kneel. Perhaps I will forgive your disgusting actions."
He was, of course, referring to the dungeon ruler not coming to face him directly upon his arrival. For (Uchiha Sasuke), who esteemed his own power as supreme, the failure of the strongest being in this place to confront him immediately was an insult to his very right to exist.
While saying this, he didn't hesitate to release a small pulse of chakra.
WHOMP.
It collided with the aura radiating from the dungeon ruler, and in the same instant, pushed it back.
The reactive force from (Sasuke)'s energy was enough to make the dungeon ruler, (Darius), stagger back several heavy steps. THUD. THUD. THUD.
But simultaneously, it released a warrior's scream of pure, unadulterated rage.
"YOU WRETCH! IS THAT ALL? I WILL KILL YOU HERE FOR THIS INSULT, YOU LOWLY HUMAN CREATURE!"
(Darius) disappeared, turning into a heat-haze mirage.
SWOOSH.
At the same time, volleys of magma formed. A sequential magic, composed of several giant fire spells, materialized from superheated magma orbs that coalesced from the very air.
FWOOP-FWOOP-FWOOP!
"Lightning Style: Sequential Acceleration."
(Uchiha Sasuke) used the lightning coursing around his body to increase his speed exponentially.
In a single moment, he evaded every one of the hundreds of projectiles. ZIP-ZIP-ZIP-ZIP!
The ground struck by these orbs didn't just melt; it transformed directly into vapor and molten dust. Magma from under the rocky floor began to surge upward as if it intended to flood every corner of (Darius)'s volcanic castle.
But for the dungeon ruler, (Darius), this was just the opening act. He launched his "World-Scorching" attack.
"I WILL KILL YOU, HUMAN!"
A gigantic circle formed above (Darius). Several gates appeared within it, and from them emerged numerous Volcanic Soldiers.
In the center of each soldier's chest was a magical gem, brimming with raw energy. This energy could be compared to A-rank hunters. Some of them might even be comparable to S-rank hunters.
"Attack him directly! Do not let him leave here alive!"
The troop of soldiers launched themselves toward (Uchiha Sasuke).
But the latter utilized every incoming attack from each lava soldier with calm precision.
With an elegant, almost dismissive dance, he avoided blows of searing heat, volcanic projectiles, and waves of molten rock. Every one of his movements was precise, lethal, and calculated to the extreme.
Finally, with a slight, almost casual motion, he released several precise arrows of concentrated electricity.
PING! PING! PING-PING-PING!
They shattered the magical crystals in the chests of all the summoned soldiers.
The entire event took less than half a minute.
But this was all (Darius), the castle's ruler, the master of lava magic, had wanted. Time to complete his grand spell.
The ground beneath (Uchiha Sasuke)'s feet shattered.
CRUNCH-BOOM!
His mind worked at lightning speed.
His energy… it's being channeled for a long-range attack. It seems he's not adept at close physical combat… but that's incorrect.
(Sasuke) dismissed that probability. The opponent he was facing was a massive giant, yet it moved with significant agility and could command multiple soldiers. Furthermore, he felt these soldiers weren't truly alive; they were being manipulated using some form of strange technique.
"Tch. This is… immensely interesting, you ugly-shaped giant."
(Uchiha Sasuke) said this while performing several actions simultaneously.
He jumped, evading rising volcanic pillars (SWOOSH), released multiple lightning strikes toward the advancing lava soldiers (CRACKLE-ZAP!), and finally spoke directly to the face of the dungeon ruler, (Darius).
His face was that of a terrifying, massive demon, with sharp, jagged teeth.
A giant circle of magma now covered the entire castle throne room.
(Darius) laughed maniacally, the sound like grinding boulders.
"WELL THEN! IT IS YOUR DEATH, HUMAN CREATURE! YOUR FATE ENDS HERE, FOREVER!"
After several short-range skirmishes, (Darius) had become certain: this person, whom even the Monarchs deemed necessary to kill, was a genuine, undeniable threat. His movements, his speed, his techniques, his combat skills…
To (Darius), who had lived for thousands of years as one of the Ogre race—a warrior possessing magic, strength, diverse skills, engagement arts, and varied strategic plans—it was infuriating. He hadn't been able to land a single blow since the beginning against this… human.
He had even summoned his lava-forged soldiers, who matched his speed, perhaps were even faster, capable of swapping places using the sea of magma beneath the castle.
Yet…
(Darius) smiled. His final spell, the "Echoing Sun of Magma," was a spell capable of eradicating any living being at its center, with temperatures reaching tens of thousands of degrees. Everything within its radius would distort and vanish forever.
That was what should have happened.
But in the very next moment, something terrifying occurred, forcing the dungeon ruler to retreat frantically while releasing a scream, a shriek, and a roar of utter, profound confusion.
"GYAAAAAAAAAGH?!"
The sun he had summoned, which should have dissipated everything in its path, was suddenly surrounded by black flames.
Those flames… their intensity, their heat, were higher than anything he had ever witnessed before.
(Darius) expected those black flames to collide with his sun.
But the opposite happened.
The black flames devoured his sun.
They consumed it with a terrifying, ravenous hunger, as if feasting on the fire itself. Within mere seconds, the sun that contained all of (Darius)'s gathered power—the magical energy of his very realm pooled to generate an attack of this magnitude—had vanished without a trace.
He looked at that human, who had now passed through the remnants of all his lava soldiers.
He spoke in a voice incomprehensible to (Uchiha Sasuke), but dripping with primordial horror.
"What… what are these flames, you cursed creature? How can a human like you possess such destructive fire, capable of devouring souls?!"
His deep knowledge of magic allowed him to recognize this type of flame. Flames capable of swallowing souls and burning them. The black flames. Extremely dangerous and terrifying in the history of the Ogre race.
The truth, however, was that he didn't know the flames (Uchiha Sasuke) used were the flames of his ocular power, linked to the abilities of the Rinnegan.
The power of the Six Paths.
The (Uchiha Sasuke) fighting the Volcanic Giants was able to connect with the clone he had sent and channel his power through the clone, even allowing the clone to summon Amaterasu—the most dangerous flame technique, known to burn forever.
After perceiving the power of the blow (Darius) intended to use, (Uchiha Sasuke) hadn't hesitated. He used his technique and burned, swallowed that sun whole with his black flames.
In the same moment, he looked at (Darius), listened to the incomprehensible wailing, and for the first time, understood the meaning behind the roar.
He spoke, his voice overflowing with contempt.
"Is this surprising to you? That your pathetic style was so easily destroyed? Don't worry. When I obtain the information I want, I will end your worthless life. And regarding this display… I admit it was interesting. Your attack made you seem strong in my eyes. But that's all. You will die."
There was no mercy in the heart of this human. All he wanted at this moment was to use his Rinnegan ocular technique to probe the mind of that giant, the dungeon ruler, to find out what the Gates were, to know a way back to the Valley of the End, and to finish his personal battle against Naruto.
But as he prepared, something strange happened.
The dungeon ruler began to emit a horrifying scream.
"KREEeeeeee—!"
Then, its body began to disintegrate, piece by piece. It wasn't being burned; it was unraveling, like a puppet whose strings were being cut.
Then, a voice spoke. For the first time, (Uchiha Sasuke) was able to understand this voice perfectly. It was icy and filled with a disdain that could freeze a continent.
"A creature from another world… resembling a human. You have dared to enter the land of the Rulers. Your end will come soon. Wait for it, you worthless human creature."
That voice was glacial and overflowing with malice. To most people, hearing such a voice, brimming with such cunning hatred, would inspire deep fear.
But for (Uchiha Sasuke), who heard these words—these words that, to the last survivor of the Uchiha clan, ignited an explosive killing intent in his heart—fear was an alien concept.
However, before he could say anything in retort, it was all over in an instant.
The clone's connection flickered as its target vanished. He decided to return to his main body.
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Returning to the present…
(Uchiha Sasuke) exited the Gate alongside the other Korean hunters, after the Gate had been officially opened following the dungeon's clearance.
An S-rank Gate had been successfully raided.
This was the information most people were cheering about, their voices a distant buzz of celebration.
But for (Sasuke), his face was a mask of frozen wrath. The eyes of the Rinne-Sharingan, glowing with violent violet, and the Mangekyo Sharingan, spinning crimson within them, shone with annihilating intent.
He had pieced it together. The "Monarchs." The so-called Rulers.
He spoke, his voice low, cutting through the celebratory noise like a blade through silk, a promise etched in hatred and lightning.
"So, your name is 'Monarchs,' isn't it?"
A chilling pause, filled only with the hum of his chakra.
"Wait for me. I will make you pay for those words. This is my promise."
He let his name hang in the air, a vow and a curse.
"I am (Uchiha Sasuke)."
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End of Chapter 14
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Author's Note:
Well,someone just signed their own death warrant in triplicate, didn't they? Thank you for reading through the fiery chaos, dear readers! Your support is the real eternal flame. Hearts and mischievous smiles to you all! ♥‿♥
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