-1374- [ Pierrot ]

"Rozen?"

Seeing Rozen suddenly make a move against Hiraga Reisen, Edelweiss, who had been quietly observing the whole time, was utterly stunned.

This was only natural.

Initially, Edelweiss thought that since Rozen had already glimpsed some of the insider details, he, like herself, would sit back and watch the chaos unfold without getting involved.

Indeed, when the most dangerous and powerful Kurogane Ouma made his move, Rozen had been watching coldly from the sidelines. This had confirmed to Edelweiss that Rozen, like herself, had no intention of intervening in this dispute.

Who would have thought that Rozen would choose to take action at this moment?

But this was unavoidable.

As Rozen had said, he had a score to settle with Hiraga Reisen.

Glancing at the rock giants bound by silver chains, Rozen spoke to Hiraga Reisen indifferently.

"The one who attacked me in Okutama the day before yesterday was you, wasn't it?"

Rozen's words were crystal clear.

Yes, the one who attacked Rozen at the foot of Okutama the day before yesterday was indeed Hiraga Reisen.

Seeing Hiraga Reisen's fingers twitch and several rock giants form and attack as if they had come to life, Rozen was sure that this person was the mastermind who had sent the rock giants to attack him.

However...

"Oh my, I don't understand what you're saying."

Hiraga Reisen denied it with a playful smile.

Unfortunately...

"That's too clumsy." Rozen smirked and said, "Do you think I wouldn't notice the lines extending from your fingers?"

From Hiraga Reisen's outstretched fingers, fine, barely visible lines extended, connecting to the rock giants.

These lines were likely Hiraga Reisen's Device.

"Your ability is to manipulate puppets with these lines, even forming them into puppets to use as your weapons, right?"

Rozen mocked as he spoke to Hiraga Reisen.

"The method is exactly the same as the one used to manipulate the rock giants that attacked me the other day."

In response, Hiraga Reisen shrugged, still not admitting anything, or perhaps finding it amusing, continued to respond dismissively.

"Isn't it a bit rash to determine my guilt based on just that?"

Hiraga Reisen's tone was filled with amusement.

But this wasn't without reason.

Line-type Devices were indeed extremely rare, even rare, but not exclusive to Hiraga Reisen.

For example, Kurogane Ikki, Todo Touka, and Kurogane Ouma all had Devices in the form of Japanese swords. Different in appearance but the same in type, having the same kind of Device wasn't unusual in this world.

Moreover, the ability to manipulate puppets wasn't particularly rare.

Therefore, it was indeed hasty to conclude that Hiraga Reisen was the culprit based on just that.

However...

"You think this is funny, don't you?"

Rozen squinted his eyes, his smile fading.

"Then I'll play along."

With that, Rozen snapped his fingers.

"Buzz!"

A tremor suddenly sounded.

"What...!?"

At that moment, Hiraga Reisen was finally taken aback.

Because the tremor came from his own body.

More precisely, from the black mist emanating from Hiraga Reisen's body.

A black mist surged from Hiraga Reisen, instantly covering his body in black.

"What... What is this...!?"

Hiraga Reisen flailed his arms in panic, trying to shake off the black mist, while letting out a strange cry.

Unfortunately, the black mist clung to Hiraga Reisen like a leech, making it impossible for him to shake it off.

Naturally.

"This is my curse; do you think you can just wave it away?"

Rozen smirked.

"A... a curse?"

Hiraga Reisen was stunned.

But that was indeed the case.

"You thought that by manipulating puppets from a distance, staying far away from me, I wouldn't be able to find you and would be helpless against you?"

Rozen's eyes were full of sarcasm as he looked at Hiraga Reisen.

"Before your puppet was destroyed and the line severed, I had already followed the line, traced your magical power, and cursed you."

This was the skill of a highly proficient magus and jujutsu practitioner.

Some magus and jujutsu practitioners could track an enemy's magical power or jutsuryoku.

Some magus and jujutsu practitioners could locate an attacking enemy in return.

Rozen, capable of both, chose the most efficient method: following the enemy's magical power along the line Hiraga Reisen used to manipulate the puppet and placing a curse on him.

And this curse would drain the enemy's magical power, ultimately sapping their strength and turning them into a helpless shell.

"So, the question is."

Rozen finally fixed his gaze on Hiraga Reisen.

"Since I placed such a curse on you, why are you unharmed now?"

Rozen knew his own curse well enough to know that it hadn't taken effect; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to summon it with a snap of his fingers.

If the curse had taken effect, Hiraga Reisen should have already entered magical power exhaustion, unable to recover, and become a helpless shell, unable to move within seven days.

Yet now, Hiraga Reisen was completely unscathed, still having fun without even noticing the curse.

The reason for this...

"Now that I look closely, I understand."

Rozen's eyes flashed with fire.

"Boom!"

With a burst of flames, Hiraga Reisen's chest was blasted apart.

"Ugh...!"

Hiraga Reisen let out a muffled groan as he was blown away by the explosion.

However...

"...!"

Edelweiss, who had been watching, narrowed her eyes.

"Just as I thought."

Rozen murmured.

Hiraga Reisen, whose chest had been blasted, did not spew blood or die on the spot. Instead, a mechanical chest cavity sparked.

In other words...

"You yourself are a puppet; my curse on you is naturally ineffective."

Rozen revealed the truth.

"You are not Hiraga Reisen."

Hiraga Reisen of Bunkyoku Academy might not have existed or might have been secretly replaced by an imposter.

The so-called "Pierrot" was merely a puppet.

A puppet manipulated by an unknown Blazer, infiltrating Bunkyoku Academy and targeting Rozen and Hagun Academy.

The puppet named Hiraga Reisen staggered to its feet.

"Hmph hmph... hehehe... hahahahaha...!"

Hiraga Reisen let out an evil laugh.