"Speaking of which, Hakobe Mountain is quite vast, and we've been walking for quite a while," Ken remarked, glancing around at the endless snowfields.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Erza came to an abrupt stop. She stared ahead, her expression sharp with focus.
"Be careful," she warned, her voice low and serious. "The spherical ice cave ahead is Vulcan's lair. The number of Vulcans there is likely several times the amount we faced before."
Ken raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What makes them so dangerous?"
Erza continued, her tone grim. "Some of these Vulcans possess magic, particularly those capable of magic reception, which makes them a lot harder to fight. And what we're up against is the King of Vulcan. According to rumors, the King's magic power is extraordinarily strong—perhaps even stronger than that of ordinary mages. There's even a theory that it can control the weather here. When it's enraged, it can summon blizzards capable of burying entire armies."
Ken's eyes narrowed. This was more serious than he had anticipated.
Erza sighed, the seriousness of the situation evident in her face. "In short, the King of Vulcan will be a dangerous opponent."
Ken looked perplexed. "If it's so dangerous, then why is this only an A-rank mission?"
"Because the client is only willing to pay 400,000 J," Erza replied with a shrug. "They refused to increase the reward, so it was posted in the guild, and no one wanted to take it. Originally, I intended to handle it alone, but then I noticed that you had taken an interest in this job as well."
Ken shook his head, slightly amused. "What a ridiculous reason to underestimate the danger."
Suddenly, Erza tensed, her sharp eyes scanning the sky. "Stop!"
Ken immediately froze. "What is it?"
"The clouds," she muttered, pointing toward the horizon. "They don't look right. I sense magic fluctuations coming from there."
Before Ken could react, the winds began to pick up, snowflakes swirling violently around them. The temperature dropped sharply, making it hard to keep their footing.
Dark clouds began to gather ominously above them, signaling the arrival of something catastrophic.
"Get down!" Erza shouted, plunging her sword into the ground to steady herself.
Ken, still on high alert, turned his eyes to the growing storm. Despite the worsening weather, his vision sharpened, and he saw a blurry, moving figure in the distance.
Suddenly, a massive funnel-shaped cloud appeared, connecting the sky to the earth in a terrifying display of power. The tornado spun rapidly, its destructive energy crackling with raw force.
"A tornado? In the middle of a snowy mountain?" Ken gasped. "This doesn't make sense."
Erza's expression darkened as she speculated, "It's the King of Vulcan. Though Hakobe Mountain is always covered in snow, this kind of anomaly has never been seen before. It seems that the King of Vulcan knows we're a threat and is attacking first."
Ken quickly surveyed the terrain. All around them were towering snow hills, and they were positioned at the lowest point. As he scanned the horizon, he saw something even more alarming: a mass of dark shapes moving toward them.
"These Vulcans are no fools. They're using the terrain to trap us," Ken muttered. "We're surrounded."
The circle of Vulcans closed in, and the tornado roared ever closer, its momentum building. Ken's eyes focused on the enormous figure ahead—the King of Vulcan, standing tall and mighty, its presence commanding the storm itself.
"That's it—the King of Vulcan," Ken murmured, his voice tense. "It must be the one controlling this tornado."
With a loud cry, the King of Vulcan roared to the heavens. The minions that had been advancing stopped and gathered at the peak of the snow slope, standing still as if waiting for orders.
The tornado continued to swirl around them, releasing a constant barrage of death signals toward Ken and Erza.
Erza gritted her teeth. "It seems the King of Vulcan is trying to trap us here. With these slopes all around us, breaking free will be nearly impossible."
"Then we fight our way out!" Erza declared, her armor shifting to the Armor of Purgatory, a set built for close combat.
"The defense on the left is the weakest. We'll break through there. Follow me—Ken?"
Ken, however, was not responding. His gaze remained fixed on the spiraling tornado, and a strange gleam sparked in his eyes.
"I might have an idea..." Ken murmured, stepping forward.
Erza blinked in confusion. "What are you doing?"
Ignoring her, Ken inhaled deeply, his focus entirely on the tornado.
"Ouch!" The King of Vulcan observed Ken's strange behavior, thinking he had been intimidated by the storm. It let out a mocking roar. "Pathetic human, don't you see the storm will devour you?"
But as soon as the King of Vulcan finished laughing, its expression shifted to shock.
The tornado, which had previously been a devastating force of nature, suddenly seemed to be under Ken's control. The storm, instead of wreaking havoc, was drawn toward him, swirling into concentrated energy beams that flowed into Ken's mouth.
"What... what is this?" The King of Vulcan stammered as its summoned storm began to dissipate, sucked into Ken's body with incredible force.
The minions watched in horror as Ken consumed the tornado's energy without using a single spell.
Desperately, the King of Vulcan poured more magic power into the tornado, intensifying the storm's power. But Ken didn't falter. He increased the speed of his absorption.
With a deafening roar, the tornado exploded with even greater force. Several of the Vulcan minions were torn apart, their bodies shredded by the chaotic winds.
Ken inhaled once more, and the storm's final remnants surged toward him, vanishing into his body.
The King of Vulcan, now drained and exhausted, collapsed to the ground, its massive frame heaving for breath.
Erza stood stunned, unable to hide her awe. "Did you... just inhale the entire storm? But... aren't you a Fire Dragon Slayer?"
Ken grinned, his energy now higher than ever. "When you eat something, your strength comes with it."
He turned to her, the storm energy flowing within him. "Now, let's turn the tables."
Ken's wings erupted from his back, and with a swift movement, he flew toward the King of Vulcan.
The massive creature, still dazed, didn't even see Ken coming. In an instant, Ken was behind it, his speed too much for the King of Vulcan to follow.
"Storm Dragon's Wing Strike!"
The King of Vulcan's colossal body crumpled to the ground, sending snow flying in every direction. The sharp horn on its head was severed with a clean strike.
The remaining Vulcans, seeing their leader fall, froze in terror. Ken held the horn up, a confident smirk on his face.
"Your boss is dead. If you don't want to meet the same fate, I suggest you leave... now."
The surviving Vulcans hesitated, but with a final, defiant cry, they scattered, disappearing into the storm.
Erza stared in awe as Ken casually strolled back toward her, the horn still in his hand. "That... was fast. Even I couldn't have done that."
Ken shrugged, a playful grin on his face as he presented the horn. "Well, a little magic and a lot of strength never hurt anyone."
With the storm now dissipating, the two of them walked away from the fallen King, the echoes of the battle slowly fading behind them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Next Chapter: Unveiling Hidden Strength