-1191- The released criminals

"That's... what's going on?" Kojou exclaimed, bewildered by the scene before him.

In the place where the old cathedral, now completely destroyed and shrouded in dark smoke and dust, stood, another unfamiliar building had appeared.

Surrounded by thick iron walls and iron thorn nets, it resembled a military fortress turned prison.

The original cathedral was replaced by this prison, a true prison.

This was the authentic Prison Barrier.

However, it should have existed within Natsuki's dream.

But now, with Minelauva Iris completely severing the dream, this genuine Prison Barrier had detached from the dream and manifested externally.

Naturally, the entities serving as prisoners within also appeared here.

They were criminals emitting a ferocious aura.

These criminals all appeared in front of the Prison Barrier, entering the view of Rozen and the others, their gazes seemingly vacant.

Only a few individuals standing at the forefront of the prisoners gazed back with clear, self-aware eyes.

There were six such individuals.

Among them was a teenager with short, spiky hair, dressed in vibrant street-style clothing, resembling a delinquent.

Another had purple hair exuding a decadent aura and a seductive charm, with revealing attire under a long coat, emanating a sultry allure.

One wore a robe-like outfit, glasses perched on their nose, appearing harmless and delicate.

Another was clad in armor, wielding a massive sword, their expressionless face resembling that of a mercenary.

And there was a small, frail old man dressed like a monk, his body thin as a twig.

These individuals varied in age and attire, each with their own unique characteristics, yet they all looked at Rozen and the others with disdainful gazes, displaying contempt for human life and human rights, clearly regarding themselves as superior and others as insignificant.

Standing at the forefront of these individuals was a woman.

With hair cascading down to her feet and dressed in the attire of a noblewoman from the Heian period, she possessed a youthful and captivating appearance, her eyes a crimson pair of fiery orbs.

This woman bore an uncanny resemblance to Tokoyogi Yuuma, except for the length of her hair and the color of her eyes, with little to no discernible differences.

Observing this woman...

"Aya..." Natsuki, lying in Altera's embrace, softly uttered the woman's name.

She was none other than Tokoyogi Yuuma's mother, the former Grand Librarian of LCO, infamous as the "Witch of the Notaria" — Tokoyogi Aya.

Rozen also gazed steadily at Tokoyogi Aya, who stood at the forefront of all the criminals, closing his eyes for a moment before reopening them.

"It's been a while, Aya-nee," Rozen spoke with a hint of coldness.

As a former acquaintance of Natsuki, Rozen had met Tokoyogi Aya several times in the past.

Tokoyogi Aya immediately turned her gaze towards Rozen.

"Nichiyo?" Tokoyogi Aya's indifferent voice lacked any hint of nostalgia.

"You've grown up, and you seem to have matured quite well. Just looking at you like this gives me a feeling of whether I'm looking at a god or a monster, quite impressive," Tokoyogi Aya observed Rozen with eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything.

However...

"If we're talking about monsters, you seem more like one now, don't you?" Rozen scoffed.

"In the past, I could still sense a bit of humanity from you, but now, all I sense from you is the icy, dark magic. Should I say you're worthy of being called the Witch who didn't hesitate to sink the entire Itogami Island to the bottom of the sea just to complete your experiment?" Rozen's words were all honest and straightforward.

When he was younger, Rozen could still sense humanity from Tokoyogi Aya, and she treated Natsuki as a genuine friend, never disregarding her existence.

If it weren't for this, Rozen wouldn't even call her "Aya-nee."

But now, Tokoyogi Aya no longer gives off that feeling.

"To secure your own escape, did you really abandon your own daughter?" Rozen's eyes burned with endless rage as he looked at Tokoyogi Aya.

This wasn't Rozen pitying Tokoyogi Yuuma, nor was he particularly concerned about her well-being.

Just as Tokoyogi Yuuma could act against Rozen and Minamiya Natsuki, who were strangers to her, Rozen was equally unfamiliar with Tokoyogi Yuuma. If he helped her out for the sake of Kojou, it would be fine, allowing her to escape the witch's curse. But even if it didn't succeed and something happened to Tokoyogi Yuuma, Rozen wouldn't feel much guilt.

After all, he had done his part, hadn't he?

However, the ordeal Tokoyogi Yuuma had gone through as a test tube baby, created for a single purpose, resonated deeply with Rozen.

For Rozen, Tokoyogi Aya's actions were an unforgivable crime.

So, Rozen's anger wasn't directed at Tokoyogi Yuuma's fate, but at Tokoyogi Aya's actions.

Not to mention...

"To sacrifice thirty percent of the criminals inside the prison barrier just to ensure your own escape. Is this the path you've chosen, Aya?" Natsuki struggled to get down from Altera's arms, glaring at Tokoyogi Aya.

Seeing Natsuki's weak appearance, she must have expended a lot of energy and effort to prevent Tokoyogi Yuuma and Tokoyogi Aya from doing as they pleased inside and outside the prison barrier, right?

But in the end, Natsuki still failed.

It wasn't because Natsuki lacked the ability, but because the chaos inside and outside the prison barrier made it impossible for her to handle both sides. In the end, she was taken advantage of by Tokoyogi Aya.

Now, Natsuki was biting her lip, looking extremely regretful.

It wasn't easy to see such behavior from Natsuki.

But this also meant that the current situation was dire.

After all, not only Tokoyogi Aya, but all the other criminals inside the prison barrier had been freed.

However, except for the five people standing on the same side as Tokoyogi Aya, the rest were all strangely blank, showing no reaction at all.

Rozen immediately understood what was going on.

This was...

"Mental domination?"

All those criminals had been completely controlled.

Because of this, Tokoyogi Aya was able to offer up thirty percent of the criminals inside the prison barrier as sacrifices.

And the one controlling these criminals was the sexy vampire woman emitting a decadent and seductive aura.

In her hands, a thorny whip was held, hanging down to the ground, growing in all directions, entwining the bodies of each criminal.

That whip wasn't a magical tool but a living weapon in the form of a beast vassal.

This woman was a vampire.

Rozen's gaze immediately scanned each criminal who remained conscious, identifying their identities from his memory.