A green wave rising in the middle of the night and what opposed it was an ice-cold stream of azure water.

The two intertwined elements collided and offset each other, creating fierce shockwaves.

Where hellfire dominated, water simply vaporized, and where water prevailed, flames were snuffed out.

However, most areas maintained an equal balance, perhaps because of this, white mist reminiscent of dawn fog filled the surroundings.

Even within the rising mist, Casey and the hellfire continued to exchange attacks while targeting each other.

"What, what power."

"Not even giving an inch against that monster. There's absolutely no opening to intervene."

The Magic Intelligence Department agents watching from a distance couldn't help but be amazed.

They knew Casey was Marias' younger sister and a magician bearing the title of color.

But in their hearts, they had unconsciously harbored a sense of superiority, thinking they might be better than Casey.

In truth, it was jealousy.

Casey was born with outstanding talent, yet she was wasting it on detective work.

Meanwhile, they were training hard, eliminating criminals, and risking their lives in battle.

They thought they would be the ones capable of playing their part in operations like this but watching Casey's fight, they painfully realized that had been an illusion.

"She's on a completely different level from us."

They couldn't deny having felt envious of being called a single-attribute element user but they had been confident they wouldn't lose if they actually fought.

Magical skill isn't determined simply by having strong power.

Real combat is different. You never know until you're in the fight.

Such complacent thoughts were washed away at this moment.

That green flame-burning skeleton was a monster that could spray unavoidable attacks just by exhaling.

Casey Selmore was engaging in a head-on power struggle against such a monster.

They couldn't deny this phenomenon by talking about elemental advantages.

From the point of freely manipulating hundreds of tons of water, there was no question of advantages or anything else.

"Fall back."

At that moment, a cold voice flew toward the Intelligence Department agents.

It was Rudger speaking to those observing the situation.

"You are..."

"This is no place for you to be."

"Are you saying we can't be of help?"

"That's right."

The agents' faces flushed with humiliation, not expecting such a blunt statement.

What made it more shameful was that those words weren't wrong.

"The situation has grown too large. We're controlling personnel, but with such a flashy display, people will hear the commotion even from far away and gather out of curiosity."

Rudger's eyes captured the green light flickering inside the hazy steam.

"Expand the control line. And don't let anyone inside. That's what you can do right now."

"Who, who do you think you are to know anything!"

The one who bristled at those words was a young magician.

The one who had picked a fight with Rudger, and simultaneously had his life spared by Rudger.

"We're also risking our lives fighting for the country! And you're telling us to fall back here?"

He knew Rudger was far stronger than himself.

He also recognized him as the savior of his life.

But he simply couldn't bear being treated this way along with his seniors.

"We didn't come all this way just to do something like that!"

"Then, did you come all this way to force your inadequate abilities?"

"That..."

"Get your head straight. If you're truly working for the country, start with the very small things you can do right now."

When Rudger's cold gaze fell on him, the young magician closed his mouth.

He wasn't unaware that what he'd said was ultimately just stubbornness.

Watching his junior biting his lips in frustration, the team leader spoke in a heavy voice.

"...You're not wrong. We'll fall back."

He could truly feel why Marias had specially called these two people.

Like a proper team leader, he made the most rational choice.

Rather than meaninglessly losing lives, let's do the best we can do, even if that might seem insignificant.

The team leader spoke to Rudger.

"Please handle that monster on our behalf as well."

"I was planning to anyway."

The Magic Intelligence Department agents retreated with heavy steps.

It was fortunate they didn't simply force their way or anything.

If they had insisted on helping, the situation would have become more complicated.

Rudger watched Casey, who was still in the midst of fighting.

'Casey is still raging energetically.'

As if venting her frustration at not being able to show her skills often, Casey was using every magic she could deploy against the black skeleton.

Even the steam created from the collision with fire was ultimately water.

Unless that too was completely eliminated, this fight could only turn advantageous for Casey.

Water ultimately circulates endlessly.

Casey gathered the hazy steam and once again created a torrent exceeding hundreds of tons.

-Kwakwakwakwa!

The massive stream of water rotated like an angel's halo above the black skeleton's head.

As if displeased by having water above itself, the green flame's firepower intensified.

The rising green flame devoured the water halo.

The black skeleton, which was trying to completely vaporize everything, realized something was strange.

No matter how much it vaporized, there was no end.

Even though it was trying to eliminate everything without leaving even steam, the water kept being supplied from somewhere without stopping.

The reason could be understood right away.

"Hey. Skull face. Did you forget where this is? This is near the harbor."

Casey mocked the black skeleton that had been Caloto's corpse.

"You shouldn't fight me near the seaside."

Streams of water were floating in the air, moving as if alive.

Like countless silk ribbons adorning the sky, numerous waters covered the night sky while continuously adding to the water halo.

This place was a port city and a logistics warehouse near the seaside so there was plenty of water to replenish nearby.

Seawater existed in quantities that could fairly be called infinite and Casey could keep bringing it to use as a weapon without expending much effort.

"But what about you? Do you have confidence in evaporating all the seawater that exists in this world with that pathetic flame?"

As if responding to that provocation, stronger flames rose from the black skeleton's body.

It was powerful firepower truly worthy of being called hellfire and the surrounding area was instantly dyed in green light…for about 3 seconds.

-Shwaaa!

Artificial rain poured from the sky as a localized cloudburst completely extinguished the green flames.

The black skeleton realized that if it continued with pure firepower like this, it would ultimately just exhaust its strength and be defeated by Casey.

The black skeleton stretched its finger toward Casey.

Then the hellfire gathered at its fingertip exploded in a cross shape, becoming a beam that shot toward her.

It was a surprise attack that would be hard for Casey to react to while handling large amounts of water.

However, the green beam curved dramatically midway as if space had distorted and shot up toward the sky.

"Seems you've forgotten about me."

Rudger, rippling with dark shadows, stood in front of Casey.

He could bend attacks targeting such narrow areas at will, even if he couldn't handle wide-range attacks.

"What? I could have blocked that without your help!"

"In times like this, you should just honestly say thank you."

"...Who, who's thanking you!"

Casey shouted loudly.

As if venting this irritation, she poured even fiercer rain toward the black skeleton.

The black skeleton, which became an innocent target for venting anger, couldn't even resist with its characteristic green flames.

The black skeleton, now submerged in water, was tossed about within it.

It looked like filling a transparent bucket with water and spinning it like a whirlpool.

The whirlpool created on the ground began to gradually erode the black skeleton's body.

It would die at this rate.

It felt the crisis.

How long had it been since it took over the master's body, and it would end here?

That desperation and urgency triggered even stronger firepower.

-Pueeeong!

The hell magic exploded from inside its body and shattered the whirlpool from within.

Casey wasn't surprised by that sight either.

She tried to gather the scattered water again to surround it and that's when the black skeleton showed an unusual reaction.

Unlike when flames were flickering in all directions, it compressed the green flames more tightly around its body.

The black skeleton wrapped in compressed flames eventually kicked the ground.

-Puhwak!

Green flames discharged from both legs provided thrust and Casey's eyes widened seeing it suddenly rise high into the sky.

"What's that now?"

"Looks like it's learned a new way to use its power."

Unlike blindly attacking strongly, it had figured out how to handle power.

Hints of this method had been vaguely felt since it compressed flames to shoot from its finger.

"Not good. Looking at that growth rate, if it survives here, it will grow into an even more dangerous being."

"What it's aiming for now is that magic circle, right?"

"Yes. It won't just run away either. It must have its own pride."

Just as Rudger said, the green fireball that had shot up into the sky changed direction and fell toward one side of the ground leaving a long tail behind as it moved, it looked just like a meteor falling.

The two moved in perfect sync without saying anything.

Casey created countless water barriers along its trajectory which could either change its direction or reduce its firepower.

Meanwhile, Rudger approached where the magic circle was.

Caloto's two disciples, who had just finished their work, shuddered when they saw Rudger but their fear was momentary, and they bared their teeth and glared at Rudger as if they would kill him.

"How dare you do that to Master!"

"I feel somewhat wronged about that part."

That person they called master lost control of his power and died in an explosion.

It seemed a bit like shifting responsibility to treat him as the master's enemy.

'Though I can't say I had no influence.'

But what does that matter now?

That's not what's important right now.

"You two. If you don't want to die, withdraw right now."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

The two disciples drew up hell magic and manifested magic.

Rudger drew magical formulas even faster, thinking this would happen.

That's when Casey's warning rang out from behind.

"Watch out! It's still coming!"

Rudger and Caloto's two disciples looked up at the sky.

Beyond the countless water barriers created in the void, they could see the falling green meteor.

Though its size and firepower visibly decreased each time it passed through a water barrier, it showed no sign of stopping.

Rudger contemplated whether to counter it or simply blow it away somewhere else.

If it reached the magic circle like this, it would absorb the hell magic gathered at its center and cause an explosion.

Along with his judgment, Rudger's magic manifested a spell at tremendous speed.

He had no time to add elements so he chose a magic cannon with the strongest power using pure magic.

That blue flash was shot at the center of the magic circle where hell magic was gathering.

Caloto's two disciples, distracted by the green meteor, couldn't react in time.

"Wh-what!"

The first disciple's eyes widened seeing the magic circle that had started to stabilize.

A magic circle imbued with hell magic couldn't be stopped simply by destroying it but Rudger chose a completely different method instead.

He inserted his own magic into the core of the magic circle.

Blue magic mixes with green magic.

The two magics seemed to collide yet synchronize as Rudger's magic wrapped around the hell magic and led its flow elsewhere.

That alone was enough.

The magic circle, which needed a set amount of magic to flow along the given route, would lose more than half its effectiveness just from this method, though not cleanly.

Rather than destroying it with impact from the outside, it was being disrupted from within.

Moreover, an ordinary magician was reversely controlling hell magic, said to be the most ferocious and powerful.

"This is something even Master couldn't do..."

Rudger, who had achieved this, had to immediately jump back to avoid the falling green meteor.

A dust cloud rose with a massive explosion as another shockwave burst from its center, tearing through the dust cloud.

The black skeleton standing at the center of the magic circle realized the hell magic it tried to absorb fell far short.

Its gaze moved here and there before turning toward Caloto's disciple who had collapsed nearby.

The black skeleton stretched its hand toward the second one, who was closest.

"Wh-what! Kuaaak!"

The second disciple screamed in pain.

Green magic flowed out through his eyes, nose, and mouth, and was absorbed through the black skeleton's hand.

The second disciple who had his magic stolen died with his eyes rolled back.

The black skeleton, having replenished its hell magic, spewed even stronger flames.

"Ah, really. Just when we finally killed it a bit, suddenly it recharges?"

Though Casey was irritated at that sight, she immediately tried to subdue it but an unexpected voice cut in, stopping her.

"Good work."

It was a gentle yet confident voice and before Casey could react.

-Jjeojeojeok.

The black skeleton was enveloped in white frost and froze solid.