I see. So the reason no new powerful enemies have appeared for so long is indeed because you’re the only one......

  Hulim gripped her wand steadily, dodging continuously while silently chanting a certain incantation.

  "【......】"

  "Do you like close combat that much? You’re clearly a mage."

  "Huh——?!"

  Morgar, who was closing in on Hulim again, showed a furious expression.

  The magic tool he used was a magical weapon similar in function to a wand. However, unlike wands that amplify all aspects of magic, magic tools are specialized for a single function—such as exclusively boosting Fire, Water, Wind, or another single element. Moreover, they only enhance specific types of spells within that element, like defensive barriers or area-of-effect attack range.

  This fully specialized nature makes their use very narrow. Most mages don’t rely solely on one type of spell, so few use magic tools.

  But for those with specific combat styles, magic tools can be extremely powerful.

  From their earlier confrontation, Hulim had figured out the effect of the magic tools Morgar wore on both hands—they significantly accelerated the casting speed of Fire Attribute attack spells. That’s why he could continuously cast low-rank Fire spells instantly in that manner, though their effect on high-rank spells seemed limited.

  "A so-called battle-mage fanatic......"

  "Get down there—Torrential Burial!"

  A dazzling blue light lit up at the tip of Hulim’s wand.

  Morgar suddenly sensed danger and immediately erupted with a surge of flames in front of him.

  Boom——!

  In the next moment, a massive ultra-high-pressure water column, like a laser, struck Morgar, slamming him toward the ground.

  Thud!

  The floor suffered another heavy blow, continuing to collapse downward.

  It wasn’t until it smashed through several floors and hit a thicker section below that it finally stopped.

  Watching the steam rising from the collapsed passage, Hulim frowned.

  "As expected, he’s not that easy to kill......"

  Whoosh——!

  Hulim dodged in an instant, moving away from the position directly above the collapse.

  In the next moment.

  Boom——!!!

  A huge column of fire soared into the air, dyeing the entire underground space a brilliant orange-red.

  "Bastard...... Bastard...... Bastard bastard bastard bastard......"

  Morgar stumbled out of the flames, tattered and disheveled, looking extremely embarrassed. His entire face was distorted by extreme anger.

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  Though he’d survived, that attack had inflicted considerable damage on him.

  "I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you——!!!"

  He clasped his hands together, then spread them outward, aiming at Hulim.

  The magic tools on both hands glowed red simultaneously.

  "【......】"

  "Dragon’s Flame Breath——!!!"

  "Torrential Burial!"

  A terrifying torrent of flames collided head-on with an ultra-high-speed water column.

  Boom——!!!

  Water and fire reacted violently. Shockwave-like white steam instantly spread in all directions.

  The ground above shook again—this time, the tremors were even more intense than before.

  "Die——!!!"

  In the underground space completely shrouded in white mist, where visibility was reduced to a minimum, Morgar and Hulim tracked each other’s voices. All kinds of spells were cast instantly, blasting toward one another.

  Amidst the thick mist, flashes of various colors flickered constantly.

  The roar of explosions echoed endlessly......

  "Bastard! This damn mist!!!"

  After attacking for a long time with little effect, Morgar flew into a rage.

  "Disappear——!"

  "【......】"

  "Flame Storm!!!"

  Boom! Boom!

  A massive fire tornado appeared in the underground space, instantly dispelling the thick white mist. In its place, the rapidly rotating Flame Storm gradually engulfed everything—rocks, soil, and broken buildings began to melt at that moment.

  "【......】"

  "Ice Storm!"

  Boom!

  A sudden ice tornado directly forced the fire tornado, which was about to occupy the underground space, out of the way. The two tornadoes—one white, one red—collided violently underground.

  Continuous vibrations spread outward. Dirt and rocks kept falling from the ceiling above, while the ground above endured constant mild tremors that lingered on and on.

  Boom——!

  As a steam shockwave spread in all directions, the Flame Storm and Ice Storm canceled each other out and vanished.

  "Die——!!!"

  Whoosh!

  Morgar, his entire body shrouded in flames, directly charged through the lingering steam. Like a flaming meteor, he hurtled toward Hulim at high speed.

  Hulim activated her Wings of Wind and retreated quickly, trying to increase the distance. However, Morgar—regardless of whether his body could withstand it—erupted with flames recklessly, chasing closely behind her. The gap between them continued to shrink.

  "【......】"

  As she moved, Hulim chanted another incantation.

  "......Earth Surge!"

  Boom! Boom! Boom......

  The moment the spell was cast, the entire underground space seemed to come alive. Rocks and soil from the ceiling and the ground surged continuously.

  Hulim waved her wand forward.

  Boom——!

  In an instant, the surging dirt and rocks transformed into giant serpents, slamming toward Morgar.

  "Out of my way——!!!"

  Thud!

  Morgar unleashed an explosive flame from his hands, shattering one earth serpent. His forward speed barely slowed.

  But......

  Thud! Thud! Thud......

  Even as he kept shattering the earth serpents, more and more of them attacked.

  His speed inevitably decreased—until he finally came to a complete stop.

  "Bastard bastard bastard bastard bastard......"

  Morgar’s face was almost completely distorted. The flames surrounding his body seemed to be an extension of his anger.

  "Bastard, get lost——!!!"

  Boom——!!!

  Violent flames erupted from Morgar as the center, spreading in all directions and instantly shattering a large number of surrounding earth serpents.

  "Huff, huff, huff......"

  Morgar panted heavily. Maintaining such a burst of power was an enormous drain on both his stamina and magic.

  Rumble rumble......

  A strange noise came from above.

  "Huh?"

  Morgar looked up, only to see a massive stone pillar—seeming to be formed by the merging of dozens of earth serpents—slowly taking shape, aimed directly at him.

  "......"

  Boom——!

  The stone pillar crashed down toward him at extreme speed.

  "Come on——!!!"

  Morgar condensed explosive flames in his hands and actually charged upward, directly toward the falling pillar.

  Thud——!

  As a flame shockwave spread and a shower of rock fragments scattered, Morgar and the downward-falling stone pillar froze in mid-air, locked in a stalemate.

  But then, the stone pillar began to push Morgar downward.

  And its speed kept increasing, faster and faster......

  "Uaaaaaaaaah——!!!"

  Morgar erupted with flames with all his strength, but he still couldn’t stop the stone pillar from pushing him downward.

  Thud!

  A floor was smashed through.

  The stone pillar’s speed slowed slightly, but after passing through the floor, it accelerated again.

  Thud! Thud! Thud......

  Floor after floor was shattered.

  It wasn’t until it hit the bottommost level of the underground structure—with no more floors below—that it finally stopped.

  Boom!

  After a deafening crash, silence fell over the underground......