Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

Simon immediately focused and threw all the unwarranted thoughts out of his mind and closed his eyes. He tried by conjuring the strongest flame he could muster up in his right hand, next he tried to bring out the lightning properties of his electro magic in his left.

The two different forms of manas naturally repelled each other and the closer they got, the stronger they fought for dominance. Flame tried to subjugate electro and electro tried to subjugate flame. However, since the flame magic was a tier higher than the electro magic, it was able to dominate the other element.

Bringing out an equilibrium between these two attributes of magic became quite difficult, but Simon did not give up. He tried again and again, nevertheless each time the flame magic came in contact with the electro, it swiftly suppressed it.

Sweat poured down his head as he focused intently on amalgamating the two elements. At this moment, Simon entered a profound state and time seemed to come to a crawl. He could neither sense his surroundings nor could he hear anything. At this moment, all his concentration was focused on the two elements, trying to make them reach an equilibrium.

Subsequently, at the same time Simon's body was bathed in flames and lightning. The two elements coiled around him as they vaguely took the shape of a dragon.

The heat and light radiating from his body was getting stronger and stronger and after a while, it reached a dangerous degree.  The surrounding temperature reached a point where the very space itself started getting distorted. The light coming off of Simon was so strong that everything in a few hundred meters around him started burning.

SHRIEEEEEK… the treants realising the danger coming from the magic, swung their thick wide branches towards Simon to stop him from casting the magic. But before their branches could reach him, hundreds of neighs sounded out across the whole forest before the ground started trembling.

Like rumbling thunder, galloping sounds of horses echoed out across the forest as hundreds of Bloodthorn Demonic Warhorse charged towards the treants.

This was the [Stampede] skill of the Bloodthorn Demonic Warhorse which allows it to create hundreds of illusions of itself. Hundreds of demonic warhorses charged towards the treants bringing forth clouds of dust.

The thick branches that were aimed towards Simon were smashed apart by their flaming hooves as they charged forward. Their momentum was like that of a tidal wave. The treats sensing the danger from the oncoming attack wrapped their trunks with their branches and utilized all their skills to raise their defense even higher.

Before the illusions of the demonic warhorse illusions reached their target, they ignited into flames as they rammed themselves towards the treants. A loud demonic neigh was heard and all the treants burst into flames.

BOOOOM... CRACKLE...

From within the flames, one could see the treants writhing in agony and their continuous shrieks rang across the forest. But just like the other attacks, the treants fended off the flames by manipulating the earth and all the while continuously using the [Root] skill to regenerate the burnt trunks and branches.

After the flames died down, the three gigantic treants came into view once again. Smoke rising from all around their bodies as they shrieked, furious at their assailant. The earth magic was a tier lower than the flames magic which was a intermediate tier magic.

However, the earth magic's speciality lied in its defence and control. If one has complete mastery over this form of mana, one can even raise their defence to the point where even the strongest of attacks could be easily fend off.

Whereas the fire magic was completely attack-oriented with destructive nature and did not provide much to the defence.

Whooooosh… RUMBLE…

Thunder rumbled and an intense heatwave assaulted everyone. The flames coiling around Simon vaguely took the shape of a dragon that was more than twenty meters long. It had a fierce face and was radiating off a destructive aura from the flames it was made of.

Deep within the eyes of the dragon, one could see purple lightning rolling and rumbling. The flame dragon was releasing a force that seemed like it could decimate everything and the lightning rolling within it, enhanced its destructiveness by manifold.

ROOOAARRR...

A draconic roar that could shake one's soul, rang across the area. The entire aura around Simon changed after the dragon took shape but it appeared like he was still in a profound state and had yet to wake up.

SHRIEEEEEEEKKK... a loud shriek incomparable to before came out from the three treants and for the first time since the battle began, they sensed danger to their lives. Without giving a chance for the magic to be released, they wildly swung their branches intending to squash Simon along with it.

However before the branches could come near, a beautiful figure appeared in front of him.

Irene lightly stepped on the air below her and her alluring figure made an elegant movement before a ten-meter wide ice lotus sprang to life in front of her. The ice lotus gave an absolute sensation of frostiness and it looked like there was nothing in this world that it couldn't freeze.

Irene's pearly white skin became quite pale after releasing the ice lotus but she did not pay it any mind as she beckoned with her finger and the ice lotus slowly flew towards the oncoming branches.

Little by little, the ice lotus bloomed and the azure light coming out of it became even deeper. Just before the attacks met, the ice lotus fully bloomed and the azure light coming off of it was so piercing that it lighted the entire area for a few seconds.

WHOOSH...

Moments later, a loud sound of something getting frozen echoed out across the whole forest. After the light disappeared, the land, forest, treants everything was frozen in place. Icy air pervaded the surroundings and the land in a few hundred meters became glacier.

In this icy world, the flames radiating from Simon's body were the only source of heat. The flames continued inflating intensely and the purple lightning rolling inside the flame dragon grew brighter.. The power behind the magic seemed so strong that it threatened to destroy everything it came in contact with it.