-789- Chose the wrong approach?

Upon the spacious deck, Rozen and Edmund once again faced each other once again.

Rozen observed the Crown Prince, who openly appeared before him, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Edmund wore a smile on his face, displaying neither fear nor concern. His demeanor remained arrogant, yet his gaze remained fixed on Rozen, conveying that he didn't underestimate Rozen's arrival.

"Quite unexpected," Rozen remarked as he assessed the Black Prince before him, "I never thought you'd dare to show up in front of me so openly."

Considering Rozen had previously inflicted severe injuries on Edmund and now thwarted his automaton army, standing on Daedalus's deck in front of him shattered layers of Edmund's pride and assurance, leaving him with no support.

Now, this audacious Crown Prince dared to appear in front of Rozen once again. Did he believe Rozen wouldn't harm him or even kill him?

Edmund seemed to be aware of what Rozen was thinking.

"Just like before, you speak without restraint. If it weren't for rebellion, I could charge you with disrespect to the Great British Empire just for that."

Edmund spoke while maintaining a smile that never faded.

Rozen, on the other hand, found the situation rather amusing.

"So, you do have some self-awareness, knowing that you've rebelled and can no longer rely on the protection of the Great British Empire, huh?"

Rozen mocked.

Edmund, seemingly unfazed, responded, "Whether or not the Empire is currently mine, it will be eventually. I don't need the Empire's protection. It should be an honor for the Empire to join me."

Edmund sneered.

However...

"I never expected that there would be someone like you in this world, truly terrifying."

Edmund spoke with genuine interest.

"Are the creatures you summoned the Shikigami of the Far East? You seem to be using ancient magic before the advent of Machinart, right?"

It appeared that Edmund believed Rozen's Summoning Arts to be the Eastern Onmyoudou.

"Summoning such a large army effortlessly, challenging nations single-handedly – even I have to admire such power force."

Edmund extended a hand towards Rozen.

"How about it? Want to join me? That power, designed for war, could be put to good use for my conquest. With Eva sealing all the automatons, and your legion, conquering nations would be a walk in the park. You should let that power contribute to my dominion."

This Crown Prince once again extended an hand to Rozen.

This selfish and arrogant proposition was accompanied by genuine eagerness and desire in Edmund's words.

However...

"If I remember correctly, you mentioned at the square that having me around would make you feel unpleasant, didn't you?"

Rozen's gaze at Edmund became ironic.

Edmund, oblivious to this, replied casually, "No matter. Even I occasionally make mistakes. Now, I find you to be a rather pleasant person. With you and Eva, there won't be any enemies left in this world. It's the favor bestowed upon me by the gods, and ignoring it would be a crime against fate."

"Is that so?" Rozen's expression suddenly turned indifferent. He said in a detached manner, "Haven't you considered that because of you, the people of Machinart City are being persecuted? That's the real crime that deserves divine punishment."

"The people?" Edmund's eyebrows raised, followed by a mocking smile. "If persecuting commoners brings divine punishment, then kings of this world would have perished long ago."

The implication was...

"The only purpose of commoners is to contribute meager efforts to the king's dominance," Edmund said. "The people who cannot become my power can only be drowned by their own weakness. That's the harsh reality of this world."

Silence fell after his words.

Rozen remained silent, glaring coldly at Edmund.

Facing Rozen's gaze, Edmund appeared unfazed.

"It's a good barrier that seals magic and spells," Edmund commented, surveying the barrier around Daedalus. "However, it seems to affect everyone within, friend or foe. No magic or spells can be used in this space, right?"

Indeed, within the "Anti-Magic Barrier," neither the caster nor the target could use magic. All magical properties were suppressed, preventing magic from being released or spells from taking effect.

"If Daedalus's flight relied on magical constructs and functions, it would have fallen due to magic circuits ceasing to operate, wouldn't it?" Edmund grinned.

"How do you plan to defeat me when placed in such an environment?"

After all, not even Rozen himself is exempt within this barrier.

If it were a power acting directly on Rozen, it would have been nullified or immunized by Gyokuto long ago.

However, this 'Anti-Magic Barrier' targets the entire space. Even if Rozen himself is unaffected by the 'Anti-Magic Barrier,' magic cannot be released externally, rendering spells ineffective, and leaving one in a state unable to utilize their powers.

Not to mention...

"Summoning such a massive army must have drained your magic tremendously. Once magic is depleted, even your strength becomes useless."

This, too, Edmund accurately predicted.

Although Rozen can now summon armies of monsters numbering in the tens of thousands, rivaling the strength of a nation, even with his "Mind's Eye" reaching the divine realm, summoning such a massive army rapidly depletes Rozen's magic power.

Therefore, despite Rozen being able to unleash large-scale magic with minimal magic power and absorbing external magic for his own use, he cannot withstand the consumption caused by the tens of thousands of troops. His magical energy is rapidly diminishing.

If this had happened before Rozen's "Mind's Eye" entered the divine realm, he wouldn't have been able to last even a minute.

Now, Rozen can only sustain the army for less than half an hour, unable to maintain it indefinitely.

In this situation, Rozen's ability to focus on controlling tens of thousands of troops is already an astonishing feat. If he were to personally engage in combat, the consumption of energy and magic would be even more formidable.

"It's because of this that you created this barrier, unwilling to use magic to determine the outcome," analyzed Edmund.

"I guess you must possess some martial arts skills, intending to overpower me with that?" Edmund made such a speculation.

"Unfortunately, you chose the wrong approach."

When Edmund spoke these words, a figure suddenly appeared behind Rozen.

"Ooooooh...!"

In a deep roar, Glendan unsheathed his sword and swung it heavily towards Rozen's head.