The waves of fire formed by the Forbidden Fire pushed against his body, making him wobble. Brock spread his legs and crouched slightly, struggling to maintain his balance amidst the flames.
Staring at the gap in the sealing pedestal right before his feet, Brock exerted strength into his arms and raised the Nail of Sealing.
Then, he thrust it violently into the gap of the pedestal.
The residual Forbidden Fire, gushing out in a continuous stream, seemed to sense something and pushed back against the descending greatsword.
Like a beast sensing danger, it began to struggle.
The Forbidden Fire was no longer as calm as before; it was as if it possessed a will of its own, working together to scorch Brock.
The thrust-down Nail of Sealing was pushed back by the erupting residual Forbidden Fire. No matter how much strength Brock exerted, he couldn't drive it in.
He couldn't push it down!
His strength was too weak!
As a mage, Brock simply lacked the physical power to force the Nail of Sealing back into the sealing pedestal at this moment.
The residual Forbidden Fire seemed to know it was about to be sealed and resisted with all its might.
Brock didn't believe that this fire possessed intelligence.
But it really did seem to have instinct and will!
Brock found his own guess amusing. How could fire have instincts and a will like a living being?
Yet, standing amidst the residual embers of this Forbidden Fire, he truly felt that way.
The ridiculous thought about the fire flashed through his mind for only an instant before Brock pressed down with everything he had.
At the same time, the wood armor monster was summoned once more, forming a layer of inner armor beneath his fireproof suit.
With his physical attributes boosted across the board, Brock finally forced the Nail of Sealing down.
The tip of the Nail of Sealing finally touched the gap in the pedestal. With a full burst of strength, it sank into the pedestal inch by inch.
It went in!
As the gushing Forbidden Fire was blocked, the intensity of the surrounding residual flames also began to wane.
The pressure on Brock decreased sharply. He gripped the hilt with all his might and, at a slow pace, drove the Nail of Sealing into the sealing pedestal bit by bit.
As it was inserted, the Nail of Sealing in his hands began to change.
Its color shifted from a dark grey to a deep red.
The temperature was rising.
Although the Forbidden Fire was now blocked, it was continuously scorching the Nail of Sealing.
Before, the Nail of Sealing had merely been the lid for the Forbidden Fire.
Now, however, the Forbidden Fire had found a vent and was relentlessly rushing against this lid.
The Nail of Sealing bore the direct brunt of the Forbidden Fire's incineration.
The direct consequence of the rising temperature was felt in Brock's hands.
The film formed by the Frost Magic Water on his gauntlets evaporated rapidly, and the high temperature of the hilt began to scorch his palms.
Brock didn't dare let go. If he did, the Nail of Sealing he had struggled so hard to insert would surely be blown out instantly, and his sealing plan would fail completely.
How could the seal be completed?
At this rate, even if he pushed the Nail of Sealing all the way in, it would be launched back out the moment he let go.
Could the seal even succeed like this?
Brock's confusion didn't last long. The Nail of Sealing in his hands actually began to emit mana.
This clearly wasn't a magic item, so why was it suddenly radiating mana?
While Brock was wondering, the sealing pedestal beneath his feet seemed to sense the mana signature of the Nail of Sealing. Complex runes began to light up across the pedestal.
These runes connected end-to-end, forming runic chains that wrapped around the Nail of Sealing in Brock's hands.
A sealing array.
Such a sealing array was actually engraved upon this pedestal.
And the Nail of Sealing in his hand was the core of the seal?
Brock was a mage, after all; his grasp of knowledge and various secrets was far superior to that of other classes.
He could now see the principle behind the sealing pedestal beneath him.
Under the incineration of the Forbidden Fire, the Nail of Sealing was being continuously refined, shifting toward the form of a magic item.
This mana fluctuation was absorbed by the runes engraved on the pedestal, serving as the power to activate the array.
This power then acted back upon the pedestal to firmly seal the Forbidden Fire.
In other words, the Forbidden Fire smelted the Nail of Sealing, the Nail of Sealing supplied the refined mana to the pedestal, and the pedestal used that power to seal the Forbidden Fire.
Therefore, the Nail of Sealing could never become a finished magic item. Only an unfinished half-product could serve as the core to continuously maintain the seal.
This was a sealing array based on the principles of foundry arts.
Its operating principle was unusual, differing from any mainstream sealing magic in the current magical world.
Mainstream sealing magic and arrays typically relied on overwhelming force—like using a stone to plug a well or holding down a boiling pot lid with constant pressure.
This method, however, utilized foundry arts to convert the power of the sealed object, using that very power to seal it in return.
How brilliant. Truly brilliant.
As the sealing array unfolded, the Forbidden Fire went completely wild, relentlessly battering the Nail of Sealing.
The Nail of Sealing shook violently, and the runic chains wrapped around it began to tremble as well.
The temperature of the Nail of Sealing continued to climb, and the gauntlets of Brock's fireproof suit began to melt.
Brock could only use the Frost Magic Water to try and cool the armor on his hands.
The Frost Magic Water was being consumed rapidly, and the gauntlets on his hands eventually melted away completely.
As the Nail of Sealing sank inch by inch into the pedestal, the intensity of the residual Forbidden Fire grew smaller and smaller.
Right then, a sudden pain flared in Brock's chest. He looked down and saw a sharp blade piercing through from behind.
He had been run through.
Brock turned his head with difficulty. Standing behind him was a monster merchant who looked quite like a human, save for a pair of wooden horns on his forehead. He appeared to be a kind and amiable young man.
A monster merchant had actively attacked him!
A monster merchant had actually dared to attack an adventurer!
Moreover, he hadn't noticed this monster merchant's approach at all.
Brock spat out a mouthful of blood. The monster merchant showed no mercy and pulled the blade straight out.
Brock collapsed to the ground as if his bones had been removed.
“You've worked very hard.”
Brock clutched his chest while the wood armor monster struggled to plug the wound.
“Who are you?”
Even now, Brock found it hard to believe he had been backstabbed by a monster merchant.
“Origami Mane.”
Origami performed a flourish like a magic trick, producing a silver Candelabra in his hand.
That was one of the three Candelabras currently being pursued by countless adventurers in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment—one of the Forbidden Fire Containers!
“The residual Forbidden Fire here is quite massive. Even I could only manage to damage the seal; I had no way to get close enough to absorb it.”
“However, it's a different story now that someone with a Forbidden Fire Blessing has suppressed the fire once more.”
Origami approached the seal and activated the Candelabra.
A continuous stream of Forbidden Fire was drawn out from the seal, being absorbed by the Candelabra.
On the Candelabra, the absorbed fire formed orange candles with an oil-painting texture.
The massive amount of residual Forbidden Fire within the sealing pedestal was absorbed by the Candelabra at an incredible speed.
Once all the holders on the Candelabra were filled, a special flame mark formed on the main candle holder in the center.
That mark was similar to the Forbidden Fire Blessing Mark on the back of Brock's hand, but it was far more complex and profound.
Origami reached out, allowing that profound mark to settle onto the back of his hand.
Rate on N.U.
