Morgan had already run to Barrend's side, supporting the barely breathing Dwarf King. If not for the "Hellfire Shield" passed down by the Fine Gold family, this group of dwarves would not have survived. Morgan shouted loudly, urging his companions to follow him in escape rather than continue digging through the thick rock of the Ridge Mountains. All the cave dwarves supported each other, emerging in single file from the mountain crevice.

The Balrog Flame Demon roared in anger and turned to pounce on the escaping dwarves, unwilling to let prey escape from his grasp. As his black foot rose, ready to stamp the dwarves into the ground, chains of lightning leapt and danced from his toes to his nose, exploding into a stream of sparks.

"Your opponent is me, you stupid rock!" Lynch pointed at the Balrog Flame Demon and said, "I've always wanted to know whether fire or lightning is stronger!"

The Flame Demon roared toward the mage, swinging its massive fist directly at the cave entrance. Magic was not the Flame Demon's forte, but in terms of strength, he feared no creature. Lynch's body was smaller than the demon's fist, but the mage didn't care and made no attempt to evade.

Like a meteor crashing to the ground, the attack of the Balrog Flame Demon buried his forearm entirely into the mountain. In the tumbling smoke and burning rubble, the mage's body was not found. The Balrog felt that he hadn't hit anyone, his fist merely slashing through the air.

Lynch had already used an illusion technique to disrupt the opponent's vision, his true form stood at the side of the Flame Demon's body, raising a finger aimed at his head with a green disintegration ray. The Balrog sensed the attack with the corner of his eye and swung his head aside with all his might. The disintegration ray only hit his curving horn, melting the Lord of Flame's crown.

The Balrog jerked his fist out, positioning himself in front of the mage. He didn't strike first but rather intently watched the mage's movements, ready to seize any gap in Lynch's spellcasting to make his move. The two opponents remained immobile, and the situation reached a stalemate.

The dwarves quickly exited through the passage, having suffered heavy losses, with few left unscathed. Morgan stayed at the rear of the group, throwing his last warhammer at the back of the Balrog's head.

However, the tide of the battle was turned by the Snake-man Leader besieged by the undead. A burst of explosive white light flashed, instantly dispelling all the undead present. The weaker ones couldn't even react and vanished immediately in the light. The stronger banshees retreated rapidly with their bodies melting, trying to hide in the shadows.

The snake-man's guards had all been turned into corpses by the undead assault, and some, filled with negative energy, had turned a purplish-black color. The great snake looked somewhat shabby, but his clothes remained intact, indicating that he hadn't suffered any serious injuries. He glanced at the Balrog Flame Demon, whose flames had extinguished, and then at the severely injured mage, assessing the odds.

"Lynch, it's a shame you're not on my side, so you stand on the side of failure and death," the great snake said. "There's no need for me to continue this battle, as it's a trivial matter for me. I wish you and the Flame Demon a pleasant conversation."

With those words, the great snake raised a black sphere surrounded by runes from his hand. The two magic barriers set by Lynch were immediately dispelled, and the red glow on the Balrog Flame Demon was covered in shadow, regaining his strength.

The snake-man disappeared with a flash of form into a white portal. In the blistering flames, he was unwilling to linger here longer.

The Balrog Flame Demon's energy made the air begin to burn, and Lynch's lungs were pierced with sharp pain. Refined Gold always wanted to pull the mage to leave quickly, for the Flame Demon had drawn out a gigantic flaming sword, raised high above its head, emitting an earth-shattering shout.

Lynch pulled out his last scroll, the final measure he had against the fierce fire element. Regardless of how the great serpent managed to bring the Bator Hell's creature to this world, there must be a spatial rift functioning here. Since the great serpent had used teleportation to leave, perhaps teleportation spells here still worked. Lynch broke the golden scroll, sending a psychic message to Norton before shouting, "Come Flame Demon! Since you want an ultimate battle, I will accompany you to the end!"

Morgan closed his eyes, and after a white flash, the cave returned to calm. Neither the white light on Lynch nor the red light brought by the Flame Demon could be seen. The dark underground suddenly fell silent. The dwarves even felt as if events were just an illusion, and there had been no Flame Demon, no snake-men, no mage battle. They had merely experienced a nightmare, from which they had just awoken.

"Lynch! Lynch! Where are you?" Morgan shouted loudly, but only echoes rippled through the cave. He shook his head, as his mind often couldn't handle excessively complex matters. "It must be a dream!" he said. But when he raised his hand, he saw a ruby ring flashing with light.

...

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