-1511- How many

The Wiegert residence was half-destroyed.

A massive earthquake struck the entire floating city.

These two anomalous events quickly spread throughout the city of Vebel like wildfire.

"The chairman's mansion was destroyed?"

"Who would dare do something like this?"

"Do we know who it was?"

"No idea. The servants at the mansion just mentioned that prior to the incident, the chairman had invited a Sky Wizard to meet with him."

"Could it have been that Sky Wizard?"

"What about the chairman? Is he alright?"

"Supposedly, the chairman wasn't home at the time. He was at the Noesis Palace, which spared him from the disaster."

"Is that so?"

"But didn't they say earlier that the chairman had invited a Sky Wizard to his home? How did he end up at the palace?"

"Who knows."

"Lately, the news has become so unreliable."

"First, there were mysterious disappearances, and now mysterious destruction. Why are so many things happening all at once?"

"Exactly."

The townspeople talked among themselves, spreading the news, and soon it reached the ears of the representatives who had gathered in Vebel.

"A Sky Wizard, huh..."

"A Sky Wizard attacked the chairman's mansion?"

"That's completely reckless."

"It must be some fool from one of the floating city academy."

"Let's just hope this doesn't drag us into the mess."

The young people from the various floating city academies started talking, and the issue stirred even more attention.

Especially among the citizens of Vebel. Upon hearing about the incident at Zeth Wiegert's residence, many people immediately began to pray, hoping Zeth was unharmed.

This showed just how highly regarded and popular Zeth was in the hearts of the people.

In the past, Zeth had repeatedly earned battle honors by driving out large numbers of Armored Beetles, and he was considered a hero.

Since he was a hero, it was only natural that the people, who even respected Sky Wizards, would idolize him.

Of course, Rozen's reputation wasn't too far behind either. In fact, among all humans, his name was arguably the most well-known. However, in Vebel, many had only heard his name but never seen him, so they wouldn't recognize him.

Moreover, Rozen was no longer wandering around the streets.

Because...

"What...!?"

In the hotel, as Rozen recounted the events he had experienced, the four people present all cried out in shock.

"You destroyed the chairman's mansion?"

Kanata was filled with astonishment.

"And the recent earthquake was also caused by you?"

Chloe felt dizzy.

"Se... Senpai..."

Yuri was utterly confused.

"You barged straight into the enemy's headquarters? That's way too reckless!"

Mena outright scolded him.

The members of Special Forces Unit S128 all began chattering at once, constantly reprimanding Rozen.

Who could've imagined that after merely splitting up to gather information, Rozen would end up causing such a huge incident?

Rozen understood their frustration.

After all, they had come to deal with the humanoid Armored Beetles controlled by Zeth, but Rozen ended up walking straight into the enemy's base because of an invitation. It was reckless to the point of absurdity.

In fact, if Rozen weren't strong enough, there would have been no way to survive Kirsty's assault, let alone Zeth's self-destruction. No one else in the human world could have turned such a dire situation around.

Indeed, only Rozen, with his immense power and intellect, managed to not only escape unharmed but also deliver a heavy blow to the enemy.

However, as Rozen's companions, they spared no effort in giving him a proper scolding.

It couldn't be helped. No matter how powerful he was, recklessness was still recklessness, and they weren't going to let it slide without a lecture.

Even the usually gentle Chloe, the serious Yuri, and the strict Mena were scolding Rozen angrily, while Kanata just stood to the side, smiling wryly.

Rozen could only shrug and silently endure their reprimands until they eventually tired out and let him off the hook.

"Well, as long as you returned safely, that's what matters."

Kanata, as if to smooth things over, turned to Rozen and asked:

"So, now that you've met Zeth, what do you think of the chairman?"

At this, the girls also directed their attention toward Rozen.

"What do I think?"

Rozen pondered for a moment before speaking.

"He's a very dangerous person."

Indeed.

If Rozen were to describe Zeth, that was the best way to put it.

Although Rozen had handled the situation with relative ease, that was purely because of his immense strength and sharp intellect.

Even so, Rozen still had concerns. For instance, he didn't want unnecessary casualties among humans, and he didn't want to destroy the entire city, as that would cause the deaths of all its inhabitants. With these concerns in mind, he couldn't go all out.

And if even Rozen had these reservations, it was easy to imagine what would happen to others facing Zeth.

"Without counting me, I don't think we have enough power on our side to confront them."

Rozen concluded with certainty.

Kanata, Chloe, Mena, and Yuri all adopted serious expressions.

"Not even enough to fight?"

Yuri's face hardened.

"Are they really that strong?"

Kanata, however, seemed more eager than ever.

In response, Rozen dashed their hopes.

"The enemy is indeed strong, at least compared to you all. You wouldn't stand a chance."

After all, Kirsty had survived a direct hit from Kiffa Ater, even while only using jutsuryoku.

Granted, Rozen had held back during the attack, summoning only a portion of the Beast Vassal without using its full power or abilities. He also avoided dropping it from the sky to prevent harm to the mansion's human servants. However, even with all that restraint, Kiffa Ater, being the most destructive of the Twelve Beast Vassals, still packed a fearsome punch.

Kirsty managed to block that hit. If she had used her Collapse Force, she would've been even stronger.

So Rozen believed that if Kanata, Chloe, Mena, and Yuri encountered Kirsty, not only would they be unable to defeat her one-on-one, but even all of them together would likely be annihilated if she took the fight seriously.

And if that was the case for Kirsty, who was said to be weaker than Zeth, there was no need to even consider the danger of facing Zeth himself.

"Zeth and Kirsty are probably the strongest members of the humanoid Armored Beetles. You guys wouldn't stand a chance."

Rozen evaluated coldly.

"Aside from them, if you're up against someone who can only use jutsuryoku, you might have a chance, but if the enemy can wield Collapse Force, you won't have any hope."

And so the real question emerged.

"How many of the enemy forces can use Collapse Force?"

This question caused everyone to look at each other in concern.