Chapter 265

Flame and frost.

They were attributes of extreme opposites, but Barseon, as if unconcerned, struck his staff on the ground.

Thud.

As the end of the staff hit the ground and a vibration spread.

Countless streams of cold energy intertwined in the air, creating spears.

Then, as the spearheads tried to move towards Seonghyun, Stella's eyes widened and she raised her bluish shield.

The moment Barseon's gaze wavered and looked at Stella.

The tips of the frost spears moved towards different places, and were immediately fired.

As dozens of greyish-blue lights shot out into the air like a flood of light flashes.

Stella's eyes wavered.

She had definitely drawn the aggro, but why were the spears aimed at all the party members and not her?

She couldn't understand it, but she quickly shouted.

"Gather!!!"

At Stella's shout, the party members, who were about to act differently, all gathered.

As the members clustered in one place, the spears all flew towards that one spot, and Stella thrust her shield towards the greyish-blue spears and emitted her energy.

The bluish energy formed a dome shape, creating a barrier.

Crash!!!

Clang—!!!

Shushushushu—!!!

The spears shattered the barrier as easily as sugar glass.

The party members, exposed to the spears, tried to use skills to do something, but it was already too late.

The spearheads, flying faster than they could perceive, were about to pierce all the party members.

But at that moment, a violet light enveloped the world.

Fwooshh—!!!

Like a fierce conflagration consuming the earth, it spread, bleaching the surroundings with a violet hue and illuminating everything.

The spears, imbued with greyish-blue cold, melted like snow in spring due to the violet light that illuminated the world, and in an instant, they lost their existence and disappeared.

The party members were startled.

Were they surprised by the high level of skill?

No.

They had already recognized that Seonghyun was superior to them in the first place.

Then what was the reason for their surprise?

'...We...'

'...What we can do is'

'Noth...ing.'

'Damn it.'

A sense of despair bloomed in everyone's hearts.

They realized they had almost been hit by that attack without being able to defend or react.

And there was only one person here who could face Barseon.

Just as the party members were thinking that.

A voice was heard from behind them.

Thump, thump.

The sound of footsteps, casual as ever.

But despite being ordinary footsteps, they were clearly embedded in their ears.

The footsteps, echoing as if filling the entire space, gradually moved toward Barseon.

And they could see him.

The man stepping forward, emitting a violet heat that contrasted with the greyish-blue cold emanating from Barseon.

Seonghyun stepped forward as if to say it was alright.

The man who was 20 levels lower than them.

But now, he, who was more reassuring than anyone else, gestured with his hand.

Fwooshh—!!!

Flames flocked around him as if they were alive.

The flames, which wrapped around the air and circled Seonghyun, gradually grew in size like a conflagration consuming nature, eventually forming the shape of a dragon.

On the other hand, Barseon, who was facing Seonghyun, also tapped the ground with his staff.

Kuuung—!!!

The vibration echoed low and wide.

Then the greyish-blue cold around Barseon also condensed in the air, solidifying the atmosphere.

But it was a little different.

The greyish-blue energy, which should have transformed into ice, moved as if a living spirit had possessed the ice, and changed into the form of a woman.

Like a goddess statue, with a sense of divinity, the woman opened her eyes.

Emitting a menacing ashen light, she flew towards Seonghyun.

The party members swallowed hard at the wraith-like appearance.

But Seonghyun's fire dragon also began to move.

The dragon's form flew to bite the woman, and the woman's form lunged forward, extending her nails to tear the dragon apart.

Fwooshhhhhhh—!!!

Kigigigigigigigi—!!!

The maw of the conflagration's dragon, opened to incinerate everything and swallow the world.

The woman's nails, like a cutting winter wind that tears through the air, wailing like a banshee.

As the two collided.

The violet and greyish-blue light merged and eventually spread throughout the world.

A shockwave, bleached pure white as if allowing no other color, swept through the surroundings belatedly.

Kugugugugu—!!!

Stella tried to block the shockwave, which was coming with the force to completely erase the huge lobby, with all her might, but even that was difficult.

"Keuheuk!!!"

"Aaaargh!!!"

"Cr-crazy!!!"

"Keuheeuuk."

Unable to withstand the shockwave, they all flew back and collided with the wall.

Also, the impact was so strong that no sound could be heard, and the wall collapsed.

No, a part of the castle collapsed.

The shockwave that had bleached the world gradually subsided.

And by the time the light disappeared, they realized that the lobby that had existed just moments ago had vanished from the world.

The Prism Effect party members couldn't help but gape at the sight of a part of the Necromancer Lord's castle collapsing, breaking through the ceiling and wall to connect with the outside.

And amidst all that, they thought it made no sense that the area where they were standing had remained completely intact in the shape of the castle.

But after the light disappeared, they could now understand.

"D-did he protect us???"

"H-huh."

"He even took care of us during the battle..."

"Haha..."

The area behind Seonghyun was relatively safe, with the castle's form preserved.

Although he couldn't block all of the shockwave, everyone was touched by the sight of him somehow blocking such a destructive force.

But the battle was not over yet.

Seonghyun also frowned, looking a little perplexed.

Despite having the advantage of an extreme type matchup.

He couldn't overwhelm the opponent.

'He's strong.'

It seems a hidden raid boss is truly a hidden raid boss.

He was strong.

If Seonghyun were to use his other powers to fight, it would naturally be an easy victory for him.

But this time, he didn't want to.

Hadn't he decided to only use Inferno Lord?

'Let's use it properly this time.'

With that thought, he ignited the flames again.

On the other hand, Barseon looked at Seonghyun, and his eye-lights dimmed slightly as if his brows were furrowed.

-'A monarch is a monarch, after all.'

Even Barseon had no choice but to acknowledge Seonghyun.

Extreme type matchup?

That was never a consideration for Barseon in the first place.

His cold, which had reached the pinnacle, should have been able to overcome the type matchup.

But even when he used his full power, it wasn't easy to extinguish that flame.

And he felt it instinctively.

-'The Lord of Hellfire.'

If he handled the frost of hell.

Then Seonghyun handled the flames of hell.

He could feel it from their recent clash.

But what did that matter?

Now was the time to punish this amusing lord who dared to invade the Necromancer Lord's castle.

-I shall show you the power my lord has given me.

With that shout, Barseon pushed his cold to the extreme.

At the same time, countless greyish-blue spears of cold appeared.

Towards the spears that bloomed endlessly and shot out from the air, Seonghyun also ignited his flames.

Fwooshh—!!!

As a wall of violet flame appeared in mid-air.

Not a single greyish-blue spear could penetrate that wall.

Then, the violet flame that had swallowed all the spears gradually shrank, but then rose again, condensed in one place, and fired a violet flash.

Barseon's eye-lights widened as he saw the violet flash that penetrated everything.

But that was all.

He used the greyish-blue energy to refract the violet flash, nullifying the flash that was flying towards him.

Kwagwaaaang——!!!

The refracted violet flash then disappeared after penetrating all of the castle walls.

And Barseon, who saw that, couldn't help but feel a shiver.

If he had been hit by that, he too would have been pierced like that.

Seonghyun was just as surprised.

To think he could refract his flash like that.

His application was considerable.

As they acknowledged each other's skills.

The two attacked each other with all their might.

When the greyish-blue light swirled, the cold spread around and lowered the temperature, and conversely, when the violet flame surged, it melted all the cold.

Gradually, the heat and cold picked up speed, with one side freezing and the other melting.

"Wh-what is this."

"I-is he really the same kind of user as us?"

"...Huh."

"I-I'm speechless."

The Prism Effect party, who was witnessing it firsthand, couldn't say a word.

To the point where they couldn't believe that Seonghyun was a user like them.

He even thought he might be a named NPC.

But how could that be?

Everyone swallowed hard as they watched the battle.

And the flow of the battle was, literally, a close match, with neither side gaining an advantage.

Neither side gained even a slight advantage, and it took on the aspect of a war of attrition, with each side eating away at the other's energy.

Their energy should have gradually decreased.

But the flame surged and swallowed the cold, and the cold invaded the flame and extinguished it.

Kwwaaaaaang——!!!

It would have been quite damaging to his pride to not be able to overwhelm his opponent despite the type advantage.

But Seonghyun's expression was as calm as ever.

As if he didn't care at all.

But even in that state, he was observing the battle with shining eyes, and Barseon, seeing that, couldn't help but be horrified inwardly.

-'He's getting stronger and stronger.'

It had been a close match with neither side having the upper hand.

But even though Seonghyun was gradually getting stronger, that state was being maintained.

On the other hand, Barseon was not getting any stronger, so he was looking at Seonghyun while grinding his skeletal teeth.

-'Damn it.'

As he got stronger and stronger, what Seonghyun did was simple.

As he got stronger, he gradually reduced the amount of energy he used.

As if to maintain the state of a close match.

And as he gradually realized the state of the flame and grew stronger, Barseon recalled the distant past and his own lord.

-'My lord was the same.'

All monarchs are monster-like beings.

That guy was the same.

Look at him growing stronger as he fights.

The sight of him trampling on his pride as if mocking him, as if he were insignificant.

Barseon, while infuriated, coolly examined the situation.

The fact that he was getting stronger now meant nothing special.

-'He was born not long ago.'

Watching the domain of cold shrink little by little as the cold and flame clashed, Barseon felt it.

Seonghyun had not possessed the power of that monarch for long.

Barseon had to aim for that.

With that, Barseon, emitting a greyish-blue light from his eyes, pushed his cold to the extreme.

There was only one chance.

The only chance to overwhelm Seonghyun.

Barseon condensed all his power and spread it around.

A cold chill, colder than even the polar regions could produce, spread around, freezing everything and, like a domain, swallowed the surroundings.

As soon as Seonghyun saw that, his eyes widened.

'How can he use that magic?'

As he made that face.

Barseon shouted.

-Absolute Zero.

It was the moment a lost magic recorded in the grimoire of ruin was once again unfurled by the hands of a lich from ancient times.