-1160- [ No. 539 ]

"Whoo—!"

At the top of the towering cornerstone gate, the wind kept howling, blowing in one gust after another, seeming so restless.

On the rooftop of this colossal pyramid-shaped structure, there sat a massive and intricate crimson magic array, emitting a faint glow.

Within this magic array, a book floated in mid-air.

It was a book continuously emanating terrifying and mysterious fluctuations, sending shivers down one's spine.

Rozen held La Folia and landed here as light as a feather, witnessing this scene.

Immediately, their gazes were drawn to the book emanating terrifying and mysterious fluctuations.

"Grimoire..."

La Folia muttered softly, identifying the true nature of the book.

Indeed, it was a grimoire.

And not just any ordinary grimoire.

Rozen saw the words on the cover of the grimoire.

— No.539.

""No.539"..."

Rozen's eyes flickered.

"Do you know that grimoire?" La Folia immediately asked.

"Ah." Rozen nodded, explaining, "That's a grimoire specifically designed for spatial manipulation."

Different from "No.282," which is only used for recording vast amounts of knowledge, the power of this "No.539" is extremely formidable. Once activated, even a low-level mage could interfere with the entire spatial layout of a city using its power.

Of course, low-level mages wouldn't be able to control the power of this powerful grimoire, but once it goes out of control, its threat is absolute.

Not to mention, simply causing chaos in the spatial layout of an entire city is enough to create a huge disaster. If the spatial structure collapses as a result, it would be almost tantamount to a natural disaster, destroying one or two cities would be no problem at all.

"I see." La Folia understood, "So, the source of the spatial anomalies on Itogami Island is this grimoire, right?"

Only a grimoire could possess such astonishing power to interfere with the spatial layout of an entire artificial island.

However...

"Just stopping that grimoire will solve the problem, right?" La Folia quickly grasped the situation.

Or rather, the situation was already very clear.

Since the source is that grimoire, stopping its operation would resolve the issue.

But...

"It depends on whether others are willing to see it stopped." Rozen said indifferently.

"Clang—!"

Almost simultaneously, the crimson magic array surrounding the grimoire suddenly burst into light.

Within the magic array, a dense fog began to rise.

Seeing this scene, both Rozen and La Folia didn't hesitate for a moment. They immediately leaped aside, leaving their original position.

"Whoosh—!"

The next moment, in the thick fog, a dark shadow flashed past, causing a sharp sonic boom.

It was a tentacle.

With a diameter of about 150 centimeters, its length was immeasurable, reminiscent of the body of a cephalopod such as a squid, wriggling like a snake.

The tentacle cut through the air like a long whip, heavily striking the position where Rozen and La Folia had been just a second ago.

"Boom—!"

With an explosion-like collision, the tentacle hit the ground, causing the impact force to spread out.

Rozen and La Folia both watched this scene without the slightest hesitation, turning their heads to gaze at the thick fog.

Inside, identical tentacles continued to rise incessantly.

Countless tentacles writhed in the thick fog, emitting a nauseating and eerie aura.

The scene was like a giant octopus lurking in the thick fog, terrifying.

However, Rozen and La Folia were not afraid.

Because they had long anticipated it.

"Looks like we're receiving a very warm welcome for comming here." La Folia smiled elegantly.

"Aren't you ready to come out yet?" Rozen cut to the chase, his tone full of impatience.

So...

"I wonder who it is. Turns out, it's just a couple of kids who haven't fully grown up yet?"

"A bit disappointing, sis."

These words came from two witches who slowly emerged from the thick fog and tentacles.

One wore red clothing, but her attire was as revealing as that of a foreign dancer, combining provocative stockings, a magician's robe, and a long hood into a mage's blood-red witch ensemble.

The other wore all black, with a wide-brimmed triangular hat and a deep black cloak. Her skin-tight leather motorcycle knight suit covered her from head to toe, but it accentuated her enticing curves, giving her a more sensual aura as a witch.

— "Witch of Crimson".

— "Witch of Darkness".

"Are you the Meyer sisters?" La Folia observed the two scantily clad witches in front of her, smiling as she asked.

Rozen also scrutinized them, squinting slightly.

Facing the scrutiny of Rozen and La Folia, the two witches sneered disdainfully.

"You two know who we are and still feeling no fear?"

Emma, the older witch, licked her lips, looking bloodthirsty.

"It's a little unpleasant. Can I kill these two idiots, sis?"

Octavia, the younger witch, smiled seductively, her words sounding extremely cruel, as if she couldn't wait to torture the teenagers in front of her.

The notorious reputation of these witch sisters could be glimpsed from this.

They were the beings known as the "Witches of Ashdown," as cruel and bloodthirsty as La Folia described them, self-proclaimed warriors among the LCO.

Countless tentacles continued to writhe incessantly behind the two witch sisters, a sight truly awe-inspiring.

Unfortunately...

"Surprisingly high and mighty, aren't you? Seems like you're quite confident in your power." La Folia raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, smiling ambiguously.

"Even though you were scared off by the 'Witch of the Void' ten years ago, you've now returned without learning your lesson, yet still dare to be so arrogant. Are you two just fools with empty reputations?" La Folia's words unexpectedly turned extremely sharp and venomous.

This made the two witches' feigned smiles abruptly stop.

Then, uncontrollable anger surged from their faces.

"Do not mention that puppet in front of us!"

Emma shrieked sharply.

"H-How dare you speak like that...!"

Octavia's pride seemed to have been wounded as well, twisting her face somewhat.

La Folia just continued to smile innocently.

"Did I say something wrong?"

La Folia innocently tilted her head, as if puzzled.

The actions of the scheming princess thoroughly enraged the two witches.

A tremendous magical power surged from the two witches respectively.

In the next moment, all the tentacles wriggling incessantly behind the two witches burst out violently.

Their target: La Folia.