After Duke pointed it out, Merrick also realized something was wrong.
From what he had learned before, Molten Fire Flowers grew in areas where fire-element energy was extremely dense. Their roots were generally only two or three meters long, and they did not truly grow from the ground—they could move at any time.
"Could there be some concentrated source of fire-element energy underground? Maybe this Molten Fire Flower grew from there," Duke guessed.
On the other side, the instant the energy barrier shattered, before the crisp sound like breaking crystal had faded, that pure and vast fire-element energy exploded outward, its scorching aura instantly igniting the suppressed greed and killing intent in the air.
The burly man was like a ferocious beast that had been lying in wait for a long time. The moment cracks spread across the energy barrier, his scar-covered muscles suddenly tensed, erupting with terrifying power.
He did not charge at the flower. Instead, he stamped his left foot down viciously, leaving a shallow crater in the ground. His whole body shot forward like a boulder hurled from a catapult, tearing through the air with a shriek as he aimed straight for the seemingly fragile transparent roots beneath the Molten Fire Flower.
The massive axe on his back was already in his hand at some point. The dark-red stains along its blade seemed to come alive, steaming into a bloody mist that condensed into an enormous dark-red axe aura.
The giant axe descended with the force to split mountains and cleave peaks, chopping fiercely at the point where the roots connected to the ground.
Even as Duke spoke with Merrick, he kept an eye on the situation. He noticed that this burly man appeared to cultivate as both a wizard and a knight.
This man's spiritual power