Finally, the flames had opened a new era.
In the depths of the south of the Ignis Empire lay that secret research facility, its floor heated red.
Inside the facility, two types of cores faced one another.
Several Flame Cores surging with the energy of fire,
and several cores of metallic material seized during battle with the Metalum Empire.
The two cores vibrated as if reacting to each other, and the researchers surrounding them watched in silence, none daring to speak.
“Yes, I believe all preparations are now complete….”
Senior researcher Reksa spoke in a hushed voice.
The crystal he held glowed red.
The fusion device, activated by Vulcanus’s command, began to rotate slowly.
The two cores moved as if being drawn toward the center, and the surrounding temperature began to rise sharply.
The metal pillars inside the facility began to twist faintly from the heat, and an unidentified vibrating sound emanated from the surroundings.
At first, resistance occurred.
The two cores repelled each other as if rejecting one another.
But soon, flame seeped into the gaps of the metal, and the two cores made contact.
“Ah, they’re sticking…!”
Someone shouted, and in that instant, the two cores erupted with intense light and a deafening roar.
Flash!
Whoooooo… weeeeeeeng…!!
Poooooof!!
Kwaaaaah…!!!
And a massive golden flame surged upward.
It was an explosion of two energies creating synergy, a moment when something new was about to be born.
Even so, the explosion did not end.
Kwaa, kwaaaah…!!
Pooooooof!!!
“Eugh, ugh, uuaaah!!”
The researchers, including Reksa, staggered as they were pushed by the tremendous force.
Shhhhhh….
After the explosion, silence fell.
Having vented its fill, it finally seemed to stabilize.
The researchers stared at it blankly.
The identity of the newly born entity was the Gold Core.
The Gold Core newly born at the heart of the flames simultaneously possessed the luster of metal and the trembling of fire.
The walls were still vibrating, and metallic dust fell from the ceiling.
The researchers opened their eyes wide and gazed at the Gold Core.
For the first time in the history of the Ignis Empire, a being combining two attributes.
“Finally… fusion has been achieved.”
Reksa’s voice flowed out like a whisper.
Those words spread like a declaration, and soon the entire facility sank into silence.
It was the moment one era set and a new era opened its eyes.
“Ooooooh…!!”
Immediately after the two energies merged into one, several researchers began to murmur.
“D-did it work?”
“It seems so!”
“So we did it?!”
“Wait, quiet, quiet!”
Reksa shouted at the researchers.
The facility sank into silence once more.
And shortly after, heavy and imposing footsteps echoed, shattering that stillness.
“His Majesty Vulcanus enters!”
The researchers all fell to their knees toward the being entering the laboratory.
Vulcanus appeared with flames burning across his entire body and approached the Gold Core without a word.
The Gold Core was slightly larger than existing Flame Cores and Metal Cores, taking a form close to a sphere.
The core vibrated as if sensing Vulcanus’s presence, and he slowly moved his hand toward it.
In that instant, the Gold Core reacted.
It produced a brief yet intense flash, and the surrounding metal resonated in unison.
In that light, Vulcanus grinned.
“Hmph. So this is the power of fusion.”
He gently lifted the Gold Core.
“Fire spreads, and metal bears fruit. This core must possess the power to guide diffusion into fruition. The scattered heat has become a vessel that governs metal.”
Murmuring was heard again among the researchers.
Vulcanus turned and raised his voice toward everyone.
“Magnificent. From now on, this core’s name is the Gold Core. It is the seed of a new era, where the energies of fire and metal have fused!”
And the words that followed were a declaration that would resound across all of Ignis.
“We have not merely discovered a weapon or a resource. This is the evolution of Ignis. Now that the golden flame has begun to burn upon this land, our enemies will be even less able to stop our conflagration!”
The flames of war blazed once more in Vulcanus’s eyes.
He commanded briefly.
“But this is not the end. It is a new beginning. Prepare for the new era. The metal of those Metalum bastards shall be smelted into our gold.”
News of the Gold Core spread throughout Volcanium in an instant.
Though few knew its true nature, the citizens of Ignis sensed intuitively that a new era had come from nothing more than the words “the fusion of fire and metal.”
“They say it’s a golden flame. That metal burns red-hot?”
“Then has our country finally conquered Metalum?”
“Maybe not quite, but it’s basically like that!”
“Wow….”
The crowd gathered before the Flame Pond in the square cheered.
Some carved patterns of flame together with golden designs into walls and floors, and young flames played by throwing ignited stones on one side.
Truly, all of Volcanium was abuzz.
Amidst it all, one citizen spoke with worry.
“But is this really okay?”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
The citizen beside him asked, and he answered.
“The emergence of something new in this world is welcome, but on the other hand, couldn’t it become the spark of chaos?”
“Huh? What are you talking about? Since fire and metal have become one, it becomes the strongest power this world has never seen.”
“That may be so. But do you think other countries will just sit and watch? They’ll start moving frantically too. No, they might already be moving. And in that process, how many more wars will break out….”
Some were excited, while others were anxious.
The square was still burning.
Ignis’s flames surged upward, and the justification for this new power was buried within that heat.
The Gold Core was transported by the researchers into the fortress within Volcanium.
Placed before the throne, the Gold Core emitted light on its own, pulsating like a living, breathing being.
Vulcanus sat upon the throne, with his subjects and several researchers surrounding the core at his sides.
Pellos exclaimed in admiration.
“This is not a simple fusion…. It feels as if the two energies devoured each other and returned to one.”
Barkas also spoke.
“Truly fascinating. To think this is the result of our flames fusing with Metalum’s metal…. Is it not dangerous? Is it not joined together somewhat unstably somewhere….”
Reksa answered.
“To speak honestly, it is not a completely stabilized result. It is like water that has only calmed on the surface. The interior is still in turmoil. If I dare speak with certainty, this core contains explosive power in some form. Its direction is still ambiguous, however….”
Vulcanus, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.
“That direction is something we shall forge.”
In that instant, the center of the Gold Core flashed brightly for a moment.
Vulcanus gazed quietly at that light and spoke slowly.
“Truly something to look forward to. The world’s new era has already begun from us. Before long, this gold shall dominate the world.”
He then asked Reksa.
“Very well, let us try producing new soldier types with this core. How many more of these Gold Cores can we fuse going forward?”
Reksa answered with apparent bewilderment.
“Um… we have nearly exhausted our Metal Cores during the research process. I believe constructing buildings and training soldiers will prove difficult with just this….”
Vulcanus took a deep breath.
“Then you mean even barracks are impossible right now?”
Pellos nodded.
“It appears so, Your Majesty. The Flame Cores have already been mostly allocated to the expansion of the fortress and barracks, as well as the defensive walls. New soldier types utilizing the Gold Core will also require separate barracks.”
Vulcanus pressed his lips tightly shut.
Barkas, standing at his side, quietly opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty. Precisely at times like this, we must expand the existing barracks. It is regrettable that Metalum still stands, but our forces were easily pushed back in the last battle. If we were to strike now…?”
“We are now far stronger than we were then.”
Vulcanus took up Barkas’s words and asserted.
His voice was low yet powerful.
“We were merely testing them then. Their defense was solid, but they had weaknesses. This time, we shall thoroughly break through that weakness.”
Ragdor cautiously added.
“However, Metalum may have also reinforced its forces since the last battle. They may have prepared various countermeasures.”
Vulcanus rose from his seat.
He gazed alternately between his own territory and Metalum’s territory on the map carved into the wall.
“Anyone can easily predict that much. What matters is that it is time to prove we have grown even stronger than that.”
Vulcanus turned his head and looked at Pellos.
“The barracks expansion is finished, I presume?”
“Yes, the expansion is complete.”
“Then for now, produce new soldier types using only Flame Cores.”
Ignis’s western front.
Deep heat from lava was erupting from the heart of the newly expanded barracks.
A massive Flame Core reactivated at the center, and the entire barracks began to vibrate.
Amidst smoke and flames, a silhouette in red armor slowly revealed itself.
Ignis’s third soldier type was the Crimson Knight.
“First Crimson Knight manifestation complete.”
The instructor in the training ground drew a breath.
The Crimson Knight boasted an oppressive presence incomparable to existing flame infantry or flame spearmen.
The red armor enveloping its entire body boiled like lava, and the massive sword in its hand emitted a red aura.
“Armor of fire, sword of fire…. A warrior that burns itself yet never extinguishes.”
The surrounding soldiers also looked at him.
The Crimson Knight silently looked around, then slowly knelt.
Its chest blazed like a red flame.
Vulcanus watched that sight from afar.
Standing before the throne like a burning statue, he gazed at the newly born warrior with deep eyes.
“The golden flame remains sealed, but the ember is enough with us alone.”
He raised his head and looked toward the northwestern sky beyond the throne.
“Once again, I come for you, Metalum. Wait and see. Let us find out how long you can endure this time.”
A small ember flared at Vulcanus’s fingertips.
That ember slowly floated up and flew toward the red sky.
Meanwhile, in the distant north.
In a quiet deep-sea research facility, another energy was swirling.
Aqua’s research team, which had been exploring the possibility of combining different energies—wave and forest—detected the amplitude of an anomalous signal growing larger.
“The energy…… is answering.”
In the era of dual-attribute cores, another energy seeks to follow in its wake.