CHAPTER 256: ERUPTION

"What does that matter! I don’t need luxury!"

Koios tugged him toward the square and Shiao Yi was dragged along. There was no way he could win in a contest of strength.

Dropping his hips and planting his feet, Shiao Yi resisted the pull.

When Koios yanked harder, Shiao Yi used the force to leap at him and headbutted him squarely in the jaw.

"Ugh!"

Koios didn’t seem to learn.

Shiao Yi ripped his arm free from Koios’s loose grip.

He tried to escape down a narrow path, but the others formed a circle around him.

The bear-man he had thrown earlier is now enraged, he was growled and charged toward him again.

"What a wild monkey. It’s seems I’ll have to train you before you become my bride," Koios groaned, his jaw swollen dark red.

His words charged the surrounding men with fighting energy, they were serious now.

Roughly twenty of them, maybe more. Shiao Yi dropped his hips slightly and assumed a combat stance. There was no way he would let these men get the better of him. He would fight with everything he had.

...

Following Krios’s lead, Dominic reached the end of the narrow path, where a wide open space suddenly spread out before him.

From there came a noise that was anything but calm.

"What... is this?"

Dominic leaned forward beside Krios, who had stopped in shock, and he too froze in place.

Before him were two men, and some of them were groaning, unable to rise. Further away, several others seemed to be crouched or down on the ground. Surrounding them, a group of large men had gathered, their faces twisted with anger. Their target, judging by their size, was a small boy.

The boy who is Shiao Yi slipped through the thick arms reaching for him while dodged punches aimed at him and in the process, one man’s fist struck another man who had failed to grab him.

The agile boy swept the leg of the next man, causing him to stumble and fall on top of the first, creating a loud crash.

Shiao Yi threw grown men, kicked them, and even caused some to clash into each other, he was standing alone at the center of the chaos, fighting ferociously.

Dominic could see even from a distance that Shiao Yi was breathing heavily,he was exhausted from the fight. He had been battling relentlessly.

Dominic immediately rushing forward while swung his hands and knocked the men in front of him away. He saw one of them reaching for Shiao Yi’s shoulder, trying to hold him down.

"Don’t touch my wife!"

Unable to contain his anger, Dominic unleashed his magic.

Boom!

The ground shook violently, ripples ran across the earth and cracks spread across the ceiling and walls.

"Whoa!"

"Ahh!"

"Eeek!"

Screams rose as people dropped to their knees on the trembling floor.

"Do—Wait! Don’t!"

Shiao Yi, crouching low and moving on all fours to dodge and leapt into Dominic’s chest.

"Shiao Yi! I’ve been looking for you!"

Dominic wrapped Shiao Yi in his arms.

"My wife..."

Ignoring the muttering man at his feet who reached out, Dominic kicked him aside and tightened his hold on Shiao Yi, he was determined to never let go.

"I can’t believe how much I—"

"This isn’t the time!"

Shiao Yi cut Dominic off sharply, stopping him from speaking his thoughts.

"Releasing magic here is impossible! Dominic, can’t you hear me?"

Dominic who is currently holding Shiao Yi tightly in his arms strained to listen despite the sharp reproachful tone in Shiao Yi’s voice. Part of him bristled at being scolded, yet he focused on every word.

Thud... thud... thud...

From far below, a subtle vibration ran through the ground, accompanied by a low, rumbling sound like distant thunder.

"What is that?" Dominic asked.

"The magma is about to erupt," Shiao Yi replied.

"Magma?"

"This is a volcanic area. There’s a flow of magma below us. That’s why it’s warm here. The magma pool had been stable, but your enormous magic power had activated it all at once. If we’re not careful, it could burst out here. It could erupt."

"You’re saying a volcano is about to erupt?"

Dominic’s eyes widened in shock.

The men around them who is scattered on the ground also turned pale and scrambled to their feet.

"I’ve formed a hypothesis about how this world works. Everything here is powered by magic. Even the energy of magma is connected to the magic of the world. That’s why volcanic activity here is usually more stable than in my world. Earthquakes are rare. But when too much magical energy concentrates in one place, it destabilizes the balance. That’s exactly what’s happening now."

Shiao Yi nodded in Dominic’s arms, though half of what he said went over Dominic’s head.

"So... what does that mean, Shiao Yi?"

"It means that your massive magic is pulling the magma toward us. The flow is trying to rush right here, now."

"The river of fire... it’s coming here?!"

Koios let out a voice of pure shock and the surrounding people screamed in terror. The ground beneath them quivered more violently and the low ominous rumble grew louder by the second. Even Koios seemed to realize that thinking about a bride was the last thing on his mind.

"Everyone! Get to the surface! Go outside! Warn the other clans to evacuate immediately!"

Koios shouted orders to the men. Krios who is nearby understood the danger as well and ran back along the path to alert the others.

"Koios!"

Shiao Yi raised his voice from Dominic’s arms. The dark-skinned man who is standing at the center of the chaotic square turned his gaze sharply toward Dominic.

"How far does this settlement extend? How far do the people live?"

Koios could hardly understand the meaning behind Shiao Yi’s question, but there was no time to ponder such things in an emergency. His answer was brief and direct.

"The homes follow the mineral veins. Mostly, they’re spread east and west of this center of the mountains."