-1529- Go home with you

"You..."

Emilie, rubbing her butt while staring at Rozen with a seemingly indifferent expression, let a look of surprise appear on her face.

Clearly, Rozen's behavior had startled this woman who referred to herself as big sis.

After all, Emilie wasn't an ordinary person.

At the very least, in this underground city, there was no one who could be her opponent—whether they were human or an Armored Beetle.

But just now, Emilie had definitely not sensed Rozen appearing behind her.

No, if he had simply appeared silently behind her, that could be explained. The issue was that Emilie was certain she had already grabbed hold of him.

Yet, even in that situation, Rozen had managed to disappear without her noticing, reappeared behind her, and even embraced her, catching her off guard, and gave her a smack. This wasn't something just anyone could pull off.

Could it be...

"Are you Rorelei Arneet?"

Emilie's eyes lit up as if she had realized something, and she looked at Rozen expectantly.

Rozen raised an eyebrow.

"So, big sis know who I am?"

Rozen's calm response brought a smile back to Emilie's face.

Moreover, this smile was even more radiant and intense than before.

"So, you're the human who developed high-grade mana?" Emilie said excitedly. "Big sis's been admiring you for a long time."

As she spoke, Emilie winked at Rozen. She indeed seemed both charming and seductive, enough to make one's heart flutter.

If Rozen were still the same as before, he might have been unable to resist. But now, with his mind in perfect balance, if he couldn't handle this, he wouldn't be Rozen anymore.

"That's truly flattering." Rozen responded with a flawless smile, politely adding, "In that case, why don't we find a café and sit down for a nice cup of tea?"

Hearing this, Emilie burst into laughter.

As she laughed, jutsuryoku gathered in her hand, causing black particles to swirl in her palm, eventually forming a black sword.

"This is...?"

Rozen's gaze shifted to the black sword.

Emilie raised the sword, brought it to her lips, kissed the weapon in a sultry manner, and then spoke playfully.

"This is a jutsuryoku sword, condensed from jutsuryoku — Tardis."

The girl named Emilie was, in fact, a humanoid Armored Beetle.

"Humanoid Armored Beetles not only use jutsuryoku but have two major assets, one of which is creating their own jutsuryoku weapon," Emilie explained helpfully.

This explanation piqued Rozen's interest somewhat.

"Two major assets, huh?"

Rozen recalled the black scythe Kirsty had once used.

That was likely a jutsuryoku weapon, just like the sword Emilie wielded.

As if she wanted to provide a detailed explanation, Emilie wagged her head and said:

"Humanoid Armored Beetles typically have two major assets. One is forming a unique jutsuryoku weapon, and the other is a special ability exclusive to humanoid Armored Beetles. With these two assets, even without mana or the ability to condense collapse force, humanoid Armored Beetles are generally stronger than human Sky Wizards, especially since jutsuryoku is inherently stronger than mana."

Emilie chuckled lightly.

"This big sis has never suffered a loss at the hands of a human Sky Wizard. No human Sky Wizard has ever taken even a single strand of hair from me. So, if you can manage that, I'll go home with you. What do you say?"

Without hesitation, Rozen responded.

"Alright." Rozen agreed cheerfully. "Then show me that special ability you mentioned."

"Well, that's not something I can use casually," Emilie said, locking her eyes on Rozen. "But first, let me see if you can force me to use it."

With that, Emilie darted forward.

Swish!

Like a gust of wind, Emilie flew toward Rozen with astonishing speed, appearing as light as a ghost. She swung her jutsuryoku sword, now a black arc of light, toward Rozen.

The slash was so fast that even the wind couldn't keep up, making the sound of it cutting through the air almost imperceptible, yet sharply piercing the ears.

Just this one strike was enough for Rozen to confirm that the seductive woman before him, who called herself big sis, was not beneath an S-class Sky Wizard—in fact, she might surpass them.

An ordinary Sky Wizard likely wouldn't even be able to react, let alone withstand such a slash.

As for Rozen...

Clang!

With a soft sound, the black arc of light was blocked, revealing the jutsuryoku sword's original form.

"...!"

Emilie was shocked.

Because Rozen, standing in front of her, hadn't moved a single inch. He had merely extended one finger, stopping the slash with the pad of his fingertip, rendering the sword's blade motionless as it pressed against his iron-like finger.

"Big sis sure doesn't hold back, cutting straight for my face like that."

Rozen feigned an expression of hurt.

But on his face, a half-smile appeared.

"In that case, let me show you a trick of mine."

As soon as Rozen spoke, a talisman appeared in the palm of his other hand.

"Order."

Rozen chanted a brief incantation, causing the talisman to turn into a beam of light that sank into the ground beneath their feet.

"—!"

Emilie instantly sensed the danger and retreated without hesitation.

Almost simultaneously, the ground trembled.

Clang!

In a metallic sound, a sharp spike erupted from the ground where Emilie had just stood.

Clang clang clang clang clang...!

A succession of spikes rose from the earth, chasing Emilie as she retreated, forming a path of thorns.

Emilie had never seen such an attack, and she dared not be careless. She immediately extended her free hand, gathering jutsuryoku into her palm.

Buzz!

With a humming sound, black spheres of jutsuryoku materialized in Emilie's hand.

They were jutsuryoku bullets, condensed from pure jutsuryoku.

"Go!"

Emilie fired the jutsuryoku bullets, aiming them at the advancing spikes.

Boom boom boom boom boom...!

Amidst the explosions, the jutsuryoku bullets shattered many of the spikes, sending debris flying and dust billowing.