Chapter 152 - Start of the War (1)

Chapter 152 - Start of the War (1)

Chapter 152 - Start of the War (1)

"Artpe… Regina is so scary."

"It's all right. I feel the same way."

The boss battle had started, but the hero's party wasn't able to do anything.

Was it because the enemy was too strong?

No, that wasn't the case. The enemy was powerful, but the party had leveled up for the past half-year within the ruin. If the entire party attacked the enemy, it wouldn't be too hard for them to take down their enemy.

"I'll kill you!"

However, one of their own was causing a problem. Cold air was emanating from Regina's entire body, and it froze the ground. The boss, who had finally made its appearance, couldn't move past Regina. The boss' Mana was being frozen. Artpe's party wasn't supposed to be affected by Regina's power, yet the cold was too powerful. It was making it hard for the other members of her party to move!

[Persecute······ Persecute······!]

"I'll fucking kill you!"

"That girl is always as cold as ice, yet she speaks such harsh words….."

"As expected, the power of the cake is great."

Maetel's words missed the entire point, but no one was listening to her.

"Oh Winter Queen. Forget the duty of growing the land. The Winter's cold air will take away the crops of the land!"

"Regina is going for a really long incantation!"

Artpe had caught sight of the information regarding the boss of the ruin using his Read All Creation ability. It was the [Ancient Light Spirit King]. It had come forth as if it was going to squash the party. However, the light coming out from its body couldn't get past a certain distance. It was all being frozen, so in truth, it looked ridiculous right now.

"Artpe, how is it possible to freeze light?"

"You asked the core question, Maetel. There is a 120 page paper that explains the relationship between Ice magic and Light magic. I'll summarize it. Basically, it is possible to freeze light depending on the day's condition."

"Magic is really a preposterous power."

Artpe didn't need to explain the ability of the boss. His party members could clearly see that the enemy dealt with the power of light. Power was being infused into light, so its speed and destructive capability was unrivalled. It was the worst type of enemy!

······it should be the worst. However, Regina was freezing everything, so they were stunned.

"However, if you want to gainsay the ability to freeze light, you have to deny the fundamentals of magic. Magic is mysterious and miraculous. Of course, it doesn't match with reality. In fact, the more it doesn't match with reality means that the rank of the magic is higher. The Ice magic being used by Regina right now is the highest ranked Ice magic."

The Winter Queen had given Regina many of her powers. He already knew this. He also knew that the Winter Queen had given Regina part of her Record.

However, Regina looked as if she was the Winter Queen herself!

Maybe, the Winter Queen was able to foresee that Regina would face off aginast the Ancient Light Spirit King in this ruin.

"Oh, Ruler of Winter! Bring Winter to this place!"

[Eeeek! I deny you! My children! Revive this place with your warmth and bright light!]

After losing her cake, the angered Regina had unleashed a fierce attack. The Light Spirit King had been flustered only for a brief amount of time. Soon, it tried to turn the tide of the battle.

[Go!]

[!]

[!?]

[!!?!]

The Light Spirit King was made out of pure light. Parts of its body detached themselves as they flew into the air. Countless Wisps appeared from within these detached parts. The Wisps were all over level 350!

"Hey guys, I guess we know what we have to do now!"

"It's more Wisps! Again!"

"In fact······ I think I'm capable of killing them now!"

The party members were grumbling, but they moved with superhuman skill. Artpe brought out several thousand strands of Mana String. When the Mana Strings bound the Wisps, the armed party members shook off the cold winds. They swiftly charged towards the Wisps, and they attacked their enemies.

Vadinet also didn't stay idle. She placed buffs on her party members, and she manifested God's Hammer to inflict an AOE attack! She attacked as she kept her distance.

[You imprisoned light! Light is supposed to be free above all things!]

"Freeze! Melt then disappear! Frozen Bite!"

[Koo-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]

The Wisps were supposed to stop Regina, yet in a flash, the Wisps were imprisoned. The Light Spirit King had to make the Wisps, so a small opening had formed. Regina struck its body with cold air. It was a powerful spell that infused the target with the cold. Then it crushed and melted its target!

In the process of chanting her spell, she kept speaking with an exclamation point. Regina had always checked herself when using her magic. The current Regina didn't care about controlling her magic!

"Rise! Sit down! Grow rapidly as the wind!"

Regina's specialty was Ice magic and Wind magic. Once she created ice, she had the special ability to raise the cold winds to increase the effectiveness of her attacks.

The only downside was the fact that such a move consumed extremely large amount of Mana. However, she was able to borrow Mana from Artpe, so she didn't hesitate to use numerous spells. She created couple hundred enormous Ice Spears in the air!

"Feel the Winter's harshness with your body!"

[Koo-oh-ahhhhhh!]

The Ancient Light Spirit King let out a horrifying scream. It wasn't caused only by Regina's attack. The party was killing the Wisps at an extremely fast rate.

The Wisps were created by the Light Spirit King, and it contained its Record and Mana. Each Wisp being destroyed caused damage to the main body.

"All right. It's effective! Let's keep pushing!"

"I never expected such a brutish hunting method to be effective in a boss battle······."

"Yahoo. I just broke through 100 kills!"

Artpe had been tired of killing Wisps starting from the 20th floor. It was too easy to kill the Wisps, so he made a crazy suggestion to his party members. He wanted them to try the kiting method for fun. The party ran through the floor of the ruin to gather as much Wisps in one place. They practiced killing a massive amount of Wisps gathered in a single location.

They purposefully made the Dungeon's difficulty higher. It allowed them to increase their EXP, loot and skill. It was a plan to kill three birds with one stone! Elrick had been the only one in the party that had shed tears of agony when carrying out this plan. He had bad mouthed Artpe at the time. However, the fruit of their labor could be seen right now.

If the Ancient Light Spirit King wanted to stump Artpe's party, it would have to send three times the number of Wisps it sent!

"Hooo-ahhhhhhhhhhp!"

Maetel was faster than the others as she cut down the Wisps. In a flash, she stabbed her bastard sword deep into the floor, and she detonated her Mana. Golden Mana erupted from various locations of the floor. It skewered and detonated the remaining Wisps!

"Artpe, what was that technique?"

"It is a shout of concentration. You can just call it as Shout."

[My god. My children…..]

"Freeze!"

[Koo-hooo······ Oh, my warriors of Light!]

The Ancient Light Spirit King realized that the Wisps weren't the answer, so it finally used its own power. On top of that, it gathered all the Mana existing within the ruin to manifest a new spell. It was trying to bring out beings that had a stronger self-consciousness and a more solid form. It was trying to call out Spirits possessing the attribute of light!

"Eeeeek······! Get broken into pieces!"

[Awaken from the essence of Light! Come to me steed, which is faster and stronger above all else!]

Regina wanted to stop her enemy's incantation, so she sent all kinds of spells towards it. However, it seemed the Ancient Light Spirit King developed some resistance against the cold in a short amount of time. Her attacks weren't as effective as before. Regina realized that she couldn't end the enemy by overclocking her own Mana. She turned to look behind her.

"Kook······ Maetel! Artpe! Mana!"

"You want both our Mana?"

"Does she think I'm some kind of a potion?"

He grumbled, but they had already killed all the Wisps. He didn't need his Mana at that moment. Artpe retracted all the Mana Strings spread out into the surrounding. He recovered his Mana as he pushed it all into his staff.

The Demite let out a brilliant purple light, and in the next moment, the amplified Mana was transferred to Regina through Maetel. Regina's eyes shone with a sky blue light.

"Children of Winter! Children that loves silence and tranquility!"

"Huh? Could it be….."

"Since Artpe said 'could it be', I'm sure you are right. Whenever Artpe says those word, your guess is always right!"

Recently, Maetel was getting very good at catching onto a situation, so it was making it difficult on him. Artpe pouted as he started recovering his emptied Mana.

While he was doing this, an extreme change occurred in the air. The Light Spirit King continued to create Light Spirits using pieces of its body. On the other hand, Regina's sky blue cold energy started to coalesce. Clear forms of spirits were starting to form!

[I see! You have the power of the Winter Spirit!]

"You are really really bad. Really really really really bad. My children! Free yourselves and kill that bastard in my stead!"

The Mana was amplified by Artpe and the Demite. Then it was passed through Maetel to reach Regina, and it was transformed into cold Mana within her. It started to fill the entirety of the 40th floor.

From within the cold Mana, spirits created by Regina started to appear. Each spirit was weaker than the spirit made by Light Spirit King. However, the sheer number of Regina's spirit completely overwhelmed the Light Spirits!

"It sees the Winter Queen made Regina into the new Winter Queen. It is to be expected. Regina isn't human, yet she is closest to resembling a human. Maybe she is the most suitable candidate to wield the power of the Winter Queen….."

"Wow. It's pretty. It is as if it is snowing."

The Light Spirits were letting out sparkling light. The Winter Spirits were made out of ice and snow. They were half translucent, and they reflected light. It was a grand spectacle where all these spirits were gathered in one place, but in truth, it was merely a site where two idiots were fighting a proxy battle through the Spirits. It would be a place where mayhem will take place.

"Kill them!"

[Shine your bright light on those that are trying to bring in the darkness!]

The army of Winter Spirits clashed fiercely with the army of Light Spirits. Regina and the Light Spirit King glared at each other as they devised spells to attack the other with. It was a spectacle that was straight out of a myth.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, oppa."

Artpe's party got ready to pour vinegar on this mess.

"All right. Let's go."

Maetel wasn't just using the Record Master skill on Regina. She gathered Vadinet's magical energy and holy power. Then she took Elrick's ridiculous strength and stamina. She directed it all towards Sienna!

On the outside, Sienna looked the same. However, power entered into her slender arms, and her hammer was infused with holy power. She held power rival to the gods.

"Hoo-oooh······ Hahp!"

When she was ready, Sienna charged forward. Currently, Sienna was sharing Maetel's Stealth skill, so she was able to rush past the numerous spirits. The spirits couldn't detect Sienna.

Of course, Regina and the Light Spirit King were busy fighting each other. Both of them hadn't expected anyone to bypass the battle. No, it was possible that they had forgotten about the existence of Artpe's party.

Sienna used this flaw in their awareness, and she was able to reach the enemy in mere 2 seconds.

"Hoo-ooh, hahhhhhhp······ Hoohp!"

She gripped her hammer, which was letting out a white light, and she jumped high into the air! In that moment, the Light Spirit King finally became aware of Sienna, but it was too late!

[Koohk!?]

"Divine!"

The sledge hammer was already large, but when it was wrapped in holy power, its size grew three times its original size. Sienna used it to strike the Light Spirit King's face with all her might!

"Punishment!"

[Koo-hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]

Critical hit! The godly strike was the culmination of three powers. It cleanly blew apart the Light Spirit King's head.

Since the Light Spirit King didn't possess a body made out of flesh, it didn't possess the same vital spots as humans. Despite this fact, the attack was powerful enough to wipe out half of its base power.

[You biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch!]

"Sienna is bad. You interfered with me exercising my rightful anger."

"But!"

Sienna was sent flying by the rebound. Before she fell to the floor, she threw her sledge hammer with all her might to attack the Light Spirit King. It contained all her remaining Mana!

"My birthday party was interrupted too!"

[Koo, koo-ho-ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]

The Light Spirit King had to extract a significant amount of its own power to face off against Regina, so it couldn't withstand the second attack of Sienna. It broke apart.

It was the strongest boss rank monster encountered by Artpe's party up to this point. It died a very ignominious death.

"Look over there, Artpe."

"Yes. It is done."

After losing its host, the Light Spirits started to disappear from the air. Regina had consumed all her magical energy, so the Winter Spirits also disappeared.

"······ah."

Regina slowly descended to the floor. She looked at Sienna, who had landed more elegantly than her. That's right. Today's main character was supposed to be Sienna.

"I was selfish, and I overreacted. I have no excuse."

"It's all right, Rei. I felt the same as you."

The two girls exchanged innocent smiles. The rest of the party hadn't fought directly with the boss, but all their power had been consumed. They sat down on the floor from exhaustion. Artpe let out a bitter laughter as he sat down.

"We developed a new strategy, so I'm satisfied with the result."

"I don't like it. It wasn't that fun."

When the owner of the ruin died, the Dungeon Merchant made his appearance. It wasn't Mycenae, but they had gotten used to seeing this merchant's face over the past half year.

Artpe made an order for Sienna and Regina.

"I want a cake. Give me the biggest one you got."