Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord-Chapter 348 - Storm Island Has Entered the Chat
Atlas had returned to Shattered Ember, his second floating island, where Baldric was already waiting for them that afternoon. They stood together on a rocky cliff that circled a massive lava pool far below.
One of the island’s raid bosses dwell within that molten pit, and even from this distance, its presence was obvious. The lava roared and erupted in random bursts, jets of fire shooting skyward again and again despite the real monster still hiding beneath the surface.
"According to Lady Celestia’s recent prophecy, my lord," Edrik explained, "the island’s biome should start changing again within the next few days."
Baldric gave a short laugh before adding, "Yeah, hahaha, it’s normal for an island like this to shift two or three times a year." He raised one hand, rubbing his fingers together as if testing the air.
"Like... you can already feel how the moisture in the atmosphere has changed a little," he continued. "I’m certain this volcanic island will transform soon. Fighting a fire-type monster while the terrain stays volcanic would be a nightmare. It’d have infinite sources of flame and lava to draw its power from. Attacking it up close would be nearly impossible."
He paused, then added more seriously, "Sure, we could go for long-range attacks, but considering how wild this raid boss is supposed to be, I’d bet it’ll break free from its lair eventually. And once it does, it’ll attack everything on this island. That would be a disaster."
Atlas nodded slowly. "We’ll need to take down at least one of them before the Dominion Convergence begins. I’m certain the experience points and rewards we gain will give us a solid boost afterward."
He paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on the bubbling lava below. "We have plenty of water-element users among us, and Dullorak already confirmed he can use one of his abilities to contain the raid boss inside the pool so it won’t escape. But yes, the real problem is whether we’ll have enough damage power to bring it down before it breaks free and causes massive destruction."
Atlas fell silent again, thinking carefully before he spoke. "Let’s prepare everything," he said, turning to Edrik. "If the biome hasn’t changed within two days, we’ll launch the assault."
Edrik bowed his head slightly toward Atlas in acknowledgment.
The next thing they did was something Baldric had been doing regularly for the past few weeks. Down below, near the edge of the lava pool, several people were seen setting up a sequence of traps and charges.
Once the preparations were complete, they quickly withdrew to a safe distance. Just moments before a massive explosion erupted at the center of the lava pool.
"This will bring the monster out," Edrik said afterward.
Atlas had been told about this method several times before, but this was his first time witnessing it in person.
The ground beneath them began to shake violently. Bursts of molten rock exploded upward, sending columns of lava spiraling into the air, twisting and expanding with a deafening roar.
Then, from the heart of the pool, the monster’s enormous head emerged, bellowing with a thunderous cry that echoed across the island.
Edrik continued. "We need to keep the monster awake, my lord. So we can catch it in this state when the biome shifts."
That was the main strategy: to stall for time and hope that the next environmental change would favor them. Anything but fire-based terrain would do. Water or storm would be ideal, and even ice would still be far better than this volcanic nightmare.
What they witnessed was pure ferocity. The raid boss had first appeared when the island shifted from the Eternal Ice Island to this volcanic one, a time when the creature had only just awakened from its long slumber. Back then, it hadn’t even shown its full strength.
Yet even in that state, the monster had managed to incinerate the enemy forces trapped above the lava pool. Wiping out hundreds of lives in mere moments.
This was deadly serious. This raid would have to be executed flawlessly if Atlas wanted to secure the best possible outcome.
**
Two days later, the moment they had all been waiting for finally arrived.
Atlas stood once again in the same place, right at midday. Though here on the volcanic island, the sky was never visible beneath the thick clouds of smoke rising from below.
He wasn’t alone. All along the ridge encircling the lava pool, the entire Gacha Haven army stood ready, fully equipped in their battle gear with weapons drawn. Every single one of them had come prepared for what was about to happen.
Their target, the Lava Leviathan, had also emerged, letting out a roar so powerful it seemed to shake the entire island to its core. It was clear the creature knew it was surrounded. Hundreds of warriors were now closing in from every direction.
At that very moment, Atlas caught a faint change in the air. He inhaled slowly, sensing it. The temperature was dropping, and fast.
"The environment is about to shift," Baldric said beside him.
Almost immediately, the monster grew restless. Massive pillars of lava burst upward, spinning violently across the pool. It was the kind of attack that could annihilate anyone caught within its range.
Everyone watched in tense silence as the molten glow beneath them began to fade. The brilliant red of the island’s lava slowly dimmed, the radiance dying away. The island was transforming.
Atlas lifted his hand, feeling something cool touch his skin.
"Rain?" he murmured.
"Seems luck is on our side," Edrik replied with a faint smile.
The change came rapidly. The lava across the island hardened and cooled within moments, the once-blazing terrain darkening to shades of gray and black.
Then, the first few drops turned into a downpour. Rain poured heavily across the entire island, hissing as it struck the steaming rock.
A sudden flash tore through the clouds, followed by a deafening crack of thunder that rolled across the entire sky!
"I suppose this is your moment to shine, my lord," Edrik said with a grin, his voice nearly drowned out by the storm.
The biome had shifted into a raging storm island. A nightmare for workers who would have to endure it for months to come, but a blessing for Atlas. This was his element. The lightning that tore through the heavens could now be bent to his will, directed toward his target.
The rain poured even harder, hammering against the hardened ground, while the massive lava pillars still burned defiantly within the pool ahead. The monster refused to retreat, guarding its lava pool despite the violent shift in the environment, and that was exactly what Atlas wanted.
Everyone across the ridge lifted their long-range weapons at once. There would be no close combat this time. Even the usual melee fighters had switched to ranged gear, adapting to the new plan.
Dullurak rose into the air as ten heads spun around him in a slow circle.
A deep, echoing rumble followed. Then, suddenly, every drop of rain in the air froze in place. Suspended midfall. A heartbeat later, the water burst outward, spreading into a massive dome of liquid force that sealed the monster within.
Atlas raised his spear again, lightning crackling fiercely along its length.
"Let the storm answer our wrath! Strike with me!"
And at that cry, the sky itself seemed to split apart as a barrage of lightning spears rained down upon the imprisoned beast.
