Sea of Fire

Too clean.

They had been trapped in a fire for ages, yet there was no soot on their faces, no scorch marks on their clothes. Not one of them had even coughed.

They huddled together, looking wretched beyond belief—but it was all an act.

Their eyes lit up when they saw Ranger.

Not with the hope of people about to be rescued. It was more like wolves spotting a sheep.

Every hair on Ranger's body stood on end.

"Stay where you are!"

The moment she spoke, the "trapped" group sprang into action!

Wisps of black mist seeped from their bodies and swiftly gathered on the floor, forming several slender Fallen Beasts with unnaturally contorted postures.

They were born from the group's own negative emotions. Their Negative Crystals had run out long ago.

By now, how could Ranger fail to recognize who these people were?

She quickly opened up some distance, drew the twin guns at her waist, and fired at the enemy.

Unfortunately, while the enemy wasn't particularly strong, neither was her attack power. For the moment, she struggled to break through.

Worse still, the fire was spreading. The rolling black smoke had grown thicker, and if the flames kept building, there might even be a devastating explosion later...

Wait...

Seeing the vicious grins on the organization members' faces, Ranger suddenly understood.

They meant to trap her here and die along with her!

Ranger no longer wanted to waste time fighting them, but every time she tried to escape the encirclement, someone blocked her path.

She had Absolute Evasion.

But the enemy had positioned themselves well. To force her way out, she would have to charge into the flames.

She would inevitably be hurt.

"Hahaha... You've figured it out, haven't you, Ranger? What we're really after."

"It's infuriating... Watching you