Balrog X major upgrade X the arc finally ends

The bear-men atop the mountain were all pressed to the ground and embedded into the earth.

Occasionally, lightning and molten fire would pour down from the sky, instantly turning it into ashes.

The raging blue-white lightning and the scorching golden-red molten fire were locked in a stalemate in the air, instantly dividing the sky into two distinct halves.

The lightning struck the earth's fire, turning the snow that hadn't even begun to fall into the air into steam, making the entire snowfield seem to melt.

The bear's paws gripped its horns, and for a time neither could gain the upper hand.

However, the Molten Goat was ultimately not Ornn himself, and gradually began to be worn down by Volibear's relentless lightning power...

Yuri also felt immense pressure, looking up at the scene with a solemn expression.

Just as he was secretly comparing his own combat strength with that of the two demigods, three clusters of light suddenly caught Yuri's attention.

They continued to merge within the gradually melting molten lava goat until they completely transformed into a single sphere of light.

Finally, the Molten Goat, its magic exhausted, was torn apart by the Thunder Bear, and the ball of light fell from the sky.

"Ha ha!!"

The Thunder Bear's body was covered in burns and cracks, clearly indicating that its injuries were quite severe.

But he continued to laugh wildly, as if he had defeated Ornn himself, proclaiming his victory. "Ornn, I have finally defeated you! I am the most powerful demigod in the world!! Thunder and storms will sweep across the entire world!!"

As the power of the molten lava dissipated, dark clouds once again covered the sky, and lightning blazed across the summit of Hearthhome once more, transforming into a sea of lightning amidst Volibear's maniacal laughter.

"Maybe not."

Suddenly, a voice, though not loud, pierced through the thunder.

Volibear, his crimson eyes gleaming, turned to look at Yuri on the ground and sneered, "I almost forgot about you, you ant."

Yuri was not intimidated by the imposing presence before him. He maintained a calm smile as he looked at the giant bear in the sky, which resembled a god.

However, at this moment, he had an extra glove in his right hand.

The gauntlets were entirely bluish-white, with a single, lifelike, golden vertical pupil on the back of the hand, and spikes covering Yuri's entire Devil Bringer.

This is what fell out of the Molten Goat's body earlier.

The moment Yuri touched it, he instantly understood why the Molten Goat had dissipated so quickly.

It's all because of this boxing glove in my hand.

"Magic tool— Balrog... Is that so? I'll remember that!"

Yuri murmured to himself, then suddenly smiled, "Since it's my first appearance, I should definitely make a cool entrance!"

As he finished speaking, his eyes seemed to be ignited by a flame, instantly transforming into a surging fighting spirit.

As the demonic power within him continued to flow into the Devil Bringer, the shimmering light ceased to be a deep blue.

Golden-red flames began to ignite on the Balrog boxing gloves, as if they were covered in molten lava.

A crimson magical arm appeared, expanding rapidly in the air with the aid of magical artifacts, before shrinking back in an instant and converging towards the Devil Bringer.

As the crimson magical arm continued to compress, the dim golden pupils on the back of Balrog's hand appeared increasingly vivid and bright, as if they had come to life.

Until the golden-red glow of the molten fire shone brightly, completely illuminating the night sky.

"So, are you ready to become a roasted bear?"

Yuri arrogantly shouted at Volibear in the air.

"Prepare for the storm!!"

Volibear roared, his body crackling with lightning, a cloak of dark clouds forming his silhouette, and he descended from the sky on a whirlwind, hurtling towards Yuri.

Yuri also leaped into the air, his right hand poised behind him, enveloped in golden-red molten fire, and unleashed a powerful blast at the god-like giant bear.

"The Thundering Voice - Smash Down!!"

"Earthshaker Inferno - Blazing Sky!!"

"Boom--!"

The second collision between Yuri and Volibear was no less powerful than the previous clash between demigods.

One side descended to earth with divine might and thunder, while the other ascended to heaven amidst the molten fire of the earth's core.

The blue-white lightning and the golden-red molten fire eroded and crushed each other, seemingly unable to overcome one another.

But unlike before, Yuri's fist now possesses unparalleled power, in addition to being coated with the molten fire from the Earth's core!

The power of the Devil Bringer was already unmatched, and now, with the addition of a magical artifact forged from Impact Steel, its power is comparable to a volcanic eruption.

The terrifying impact, powerful enough to shake the heavens and earth, instantly crashed into Volibear's body, seeping into it along the cracks previously created by the Molten Goat.

In an instant, streaks of crimson-gold light began to emerge from the cracks on Volibear's body.

"What?!"

He roared in disbelief, his body, scarred by countless cuts and spears, how could this be...?

"Goodbye."

With a whisper, the molten metal and the impact transformed into a pillar of energy that pierced the heavens and earth, instantly engulfing Volibear's body.

"No! Ornn!! I haven't lost yet..." he roared before turning to ashes.

The next second, it turned into specks of light and vanished into the world.

The beam of energy continued its relentless advance, dispelling all the boundless dark clouds in the sky.

As for Ornn, whom Volibear always thought about, he silently watched everything from inside the lava cavern through the hole created by the molten lava goat, muttering, "This hammer blow was for my followers."

"We won... we won!"

Brax, who had just crawled out of the cave, stared in disbelief at the Stormbringer dissipating into the air, and rushed toward Yuri, who was falling from the sky.

Yuri lay on his back, panting, looking at the dazzling starry sky and the bright moon illuminating the night.

Although his arm was not injured this time thanks to the protection of the magical artifact, the powerful attack just now had almost exhausted all of his magical power.

Right now, all he wants to do is lie quietly; he's too lazy to even move.

"Yuri, that's great! You actually won!" Brax excitedly ran over to congratulate him.

But before he could rejoice for long, more than ten bear-men suddenly appeared from the other side and attacked the two of them.

They survived the aftermath of the great war.

"No, no, no, don't be afraid, Yuri, I'll protect you!"

Brax hurriedly stepped in front of Yuri, clearly panicking himself, yet telling others not to be afraid.

Yuri remained silent, watching Brax's retreating figure.

At this moment, golden-red spots of light appeared on Brax's body, which he himself did not notice; these were the magic of molten fire.

Yuri smiled, though the magic was still very weak and not enough to contend with the dozen or so bear-men before him.

However, the dazzling night sky had already been lit up...

"Waaah--"

The deep, melodious bugle call resounded across the summit of Hearthhome, echoing in the star-studded night sky.

One by one, figures appeared from all directions and stood on the edge of the circular pit.

"That, that is..."

The muffled horn sound startled not only the bear-men, but also drew the attention of Brax.

A tear welled up in his eyes as he watched the figures responding with horns.

They are from the Hearth Family!

Hundreds and thousands of the Hearth Family stood in a circle around the edge of the circular pit, looking at each other, seemingly surprised that there were so many of their own.

They came spontaneously upon hearing the horns from the Hearthhome and witnessing the wondrous sight of the God of the Forge battling the Stormbringer in the sky.

On the way here, all the Hearth Family shared the same belief.

This time, I will never be a burden to God again!

They charged down from all sides, heading straight for the center of the circular pit. The once-fierce bear-men were instantly utterly routed by the group of the Hearth Family.

I told you so...

Yuri lay comfortably on the ground with his hands behind his head, quietly watching the starry night sky and the bright moon hanging high in the sky.

At this moment, they are so close together, yet they remain well and radiant.

"The power of longing can overcome all obstacles, and can reach even those separated by vast distances."

He murmured softly, then fell into a deep sleep, and soon a steady breathing sound could be heard.

Five days later, Yuri returned to the old goat's lava cave.

He had actually woken up a while ago, but he just hadn't left yet.

The reason, as Ornn promised, was that the weapon he was given had not yet been forged.

That piece of Impact Steel was so big, it couldn't possibly be used to make just one boxing glove.

However, in the heat of the moment, Ornn combined the unfinished gauntlets left by Brax, some Impact Steel, and materials left by the fire Devil named Balrog, and used the power of molten fire to forge a portion of it in advance, which he then gave to Yuri.

The real magical artifacts are naturally a set.

Moreover, after defeating Volibear, he acquired four more bear paws, and since he was going to forge them anyway, he entrusted Ornn to do it for him.

This time, Ornn didn't refuse and readily agreed.

Perhaps... this is the gratitude from some old goat who isn't good at expressing himself.

"Hey, old goat!"

Yuri raised his hand to greet Ornn, who was working.

"Um."

Ornn hummed in response.

Yuri approached Ornn, then suddenly stepped aside, revealing Brax hidden behind him.

Brax looked at Ornn, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

He had actually wanted to come for a long time, but whenever he thought about his previous disrespect towards God, he couldn't bring himself to come here again.

If it weren't for Yuri, I don't know when he would have come to his senses.

"Um, that..."

Just as Brax mustered his courage to say something, Ornn suddenly tossed him a horn—the very one Brax had left behind.

"Give."

This action clearly indicates that Ornn still acknowledges his status as a Hearth Family.

"God..." Brax stared blankly, incredulous, "You... you still keep it?"

Ornn nodded, adding his previous comment on Brax's work, "It's well done, but there's a problem with the nozzle, so it won't make a sound."

"Huh?"

Yuri and Brax immediately turned into beady eyes and tilted their heads to the side.

"Um?"

Ornn looked at the two of them, puzzled, not understanding why they had such expressions.

In fact, he didn't sound the horn immediately when he was in the lava cave; he had to switch to his own horn to summon the lava goat.

Although it would be fine even without the horn...

"How about it, Griffon? Want to try some? If you eat it, you might even evolve!"

At the summit of Hearthhome, Yuri sat alone under the night sky, holding a "magic core" that crackled with lightning, and asked Griffon within his body.

"We're one Yuri, so it's the same whether you absorb it or I absorb it," Griffon said irritably.

"That's true." Yuri chuckled softly.

This magical core was dropped by Volibear after his death. Yuri's Devil Bringer reacted immediately upon seeing it, so he kept it.

Yuri once asked Ornn if gods truly existed, and what kind of beings these so-called demigods were.

But the old goat, who didn't talk much, gave a vague answer, saying only, "Devil or demigod, you can think of it however you want."

"As for whether gods exist, I don't know."

Honestly, this is as good as saying nothing at all.

However, he could believe Volibear was Devil, but that old goat... he had never seen Devil so reclusive.

And he's so friendly to people.

Perhaps... one of these brothers is a demigod, and the other a half-demon? Is that why they are so irreconcilable?

Yuri gazed at the night sky, lost in thought.

"Stop thinking about it, Yuri, just swallow this thing first." Griffon's voice rang out again.

"Okay, let's grab a late-night snack then."

Yuri spoke, Devil Bringer materialized, grabbing the "magic core" and instantly refining and absorbing it.

Unlike the weakened version of the Fruit of Power absorbed last time.

Even though both are Demon Hearts, Volibear's is clearly much more violent and possesses far greater magical power.

The surging magic flowed into Yuri 'Devil Bringer, as if even his arm had been stretched larger.

In addition to pure magic, it also possesses a violent power of thunder.

That was a completely different, extremely destructive type of lightning from Griffon's purple lightning.

Yuri frowned slightly. It seemed that if it hadn't been for the old goat's help, the outcome of that attack might have been very different...

And it's almost certain that he loses more than he wins.

However, this power now belongs to him.

No matter how powerful a force is, without a controller, it becomes like a rootless plant. Once inside Yuri's body, it naturally cannot rise again.

In an instant, the magic power within the Demon Heart split; he absorbed the pure magic power, while the power of thunder went to Griffon.

They were one, their magic was inseparable, so naturally they had to let this silly bird have a taste of the good stuff.

Soon, as the sun rose and set, the first rays of morning sunlight began to appear.

Yuri slowly opened his eyes, his Devil Bringer clenched into a fist.

He could feel that he was now incredibly powerful!

Perhaps, I could go and exchange a few blows with that old goat?

After thinking about it, Yuri decided to let it go... He felt like he was asking for trouble.

Although the old goat didn't like fighting, he was actually a very good fighter.

However, Yuri eventually arrived at Ornn's lava cavern, as today was the day he was preparing to set off.

All the magical artifacts had been forged, and he had no reason to stay any longer.

"Goodbye, old goat!" Yuri, carrying his weapons and equipment, waved goodbye to Ornn.

Ornn remained as "indifferent" as ever. "If all goes well, our paths will never cross again."

"Don't be so cold, maybe you'll miss me? Haha!" Yuri laughed happily as he left the cave with its gate torn down.

Ornn shook his head and said helplessly, "No one has said a word..."

"Thanks, old goat!"

Before Ornn could finish speaking, Yuri emerged from the large hole that had been created by the Molten Goat earlier.

He grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

This is the real farewell.

Looking at the light shining in from the "skylight," Ornn paused, gazing at the surrounding cavern that resembled a giant furnace.

Suddenly, he remembered what Brax had said before.

Friends...

Perhaps it's nice to go out and see the world once in a while?

If all goes well, our paths will never cross again... But it never does.