-1518- Nothing much

As Rozen was battling many Asmod in the Warehouse Street at the outskirts of Vebel, about a thousand meters above, a black dot appeared in the sky, hidden beneath the darkness of night.

"It's starting, it's starting!"

A girl spoke with an innocent, pure, and light voice.

A girl who appeared somewhat young, probably around the age of a prep-school student.

The girl had hair so white it seemed completely devoid of pigment, skin as fair as Elis Wiegert's, and a face formed by a delicate nose and small, soft cherry lips, creating an exceptionally lovely appearance like a white fairy. Her aura was full of innocence, which would easily bring a smile to anyone who saw her.

The girl wasn't wearing any protective gear; she was simply dressed in a light pink blouse and a navy blue tiered skirt, with knee-high black socks, giving off a sense of pure innocence.

This young girl was sitting atop an Armored Beetle.

No, she was sitting on just one of them, as two more of the Armored Beetles were beside her, exuding an incredibly fierce aura, clearly not ordinary creatures.

Despite their ferocity, the girl made them sit obediently by her side, unmoving.

"As expected, just like what he said. If I wait here, someone will come to play with me."

The girl's name was Leysritt Flowerchild, and she beamed with a smile.

However, that innocent smile, combined with the three ferocious Armored Beetles around her, only gave off an unsettling sense of dread.

Leysritt seemed entirely unaware of this, happily watching the battle below in the Warehouse Street at the outskirts of Vebel, clapping her hands with joy.

"All of the Asmod have been deployed. They are my entire collection. That should be enough to enjoy a good game. Yet, master thought my preparations were lacking and insisted that I bring Broken, Orm, and Livia along as well. How could any human possibly play with them?"

Leysritt pouted as she spoke.

However, she still had to follow the orders given by her master.

Otherwise...

Her head shrunk slightly as if recalling something frightening, and she voiced her reluctance.

"Since master already gave the order, you all should go play as well."

Saying that, Leysritt raised her hand.

"Buzz——!"

A buzzing sound reverberated, and two forces surged forth.

One was a human force—mana.

The other was an inhuman force—jutsuryoku.

Leysritt manipulated the two forces, blending, intertwining, and merging them until they finally produced the ultimate force capable of disintegrating all things—the Collapse Force.

"Heh!"

With a cute exclamation, Leysritt split the Collapse Force into three and injected it into the three Armored Beetles.

"———!"

The three Armored Beetles roared toward the sky. Their auras became even more menacing, and their bodies began to change. They grew larger, and their exoskeletons toughened, as their power increased drastically.

"Go!"

Leysritt pointed down below.

The three Armored Beetles immediately rushed downward, like three meteors, speeding toward the Warehouse Street at the outskirts of Vebel.

"I hope everyone has fun."

Leysritt, as though wishing her friends well, cupped her cheeks and swayed her feet joyfully in midair.

Little did she know that the events about to unfold would be something she could never forget for the rest of her life.

...….

Meanwhile, a fierce melee was taking place in the Warehouse Street at the outskirts.

"Screech!"

"Screech!"

One Asmod after another let out shrill cries that no human could make. With their blade-like arms raised, they charged wave after wave toward Rozen and River Endycase.

"Retreat!"

Seeing this, River immediately shouted to Rozen.

"There are too many enemies! We can't win this! We must retreat!"

However, River was dumbfounded right after he finished speaking.

Because he saw Rozen not retreating as he had suggested, but instead walking forward slowly.

"You're insane…!?"

River became anxious.

As artificial humanoid Armored Beetles, the Asmod couldn't wield the Collapse Force like Real Nua could; they could only use jutsuryoku. But even so, they were far more powerful than ordinary Armored Beetles.

Their exoskeletons could withstand a full-force strike from an A-rank Sky Wizard, suffering only minor damage, and their regeneration abilities were extremely formidable. Even if half of their bodies were blown away, they could recover within seconds. Combined with their ability to strengthen their blade arms with jutsuryoku and their swift movements, the average Sky Wizard was no match for them.

It was estimated that a single Asmod had combat power equivalent to an A-rank Sky Wizard.

Considering their near-immortal regeneration abilities, they could even wear down an S-rank Sky Wizard.

And this was only a single Asmod.

Now, dozens of Asmod were charging at them, with even more gathering. No matter how strong a Sky Wizard was, facing this many Asmod would lead only to certain death.

So when River saw Rozen actively walking toward the horde of Asmod, it was natural for him to be alarmed.

Unfortunately, River had already forgotten who had just, with a single glance, annihilated three Asmod.

"Zing!"

As Rozen walked forward, fire began to spark in his eyes.

"Boom——!"

With an explosion, a storm of flames swept across the battlefield.

One Asmod after another was blasted away by the flames, their steel-like exoskeletons melting as if they were mere paper.

In an instant, the Asmod rushing toward Rozen were blasted apart, with half of their bodies blown away, flung aside like discarded trash.

"Wha…!?"

River was utterly shocked.

But at that moment, more Asmod charged forward without fear, rushing through the flames and closing in on Rozen.

Facing these Asmod, Rozen raised a finger, pointing at them.

"Buzz——!"

The air trembled slightly as incredible mana gathered at Rozen's fingertips.

In the next moment, Rozen aimed at the charging Asmod and unleashed black mana bullets.

"Bang!"

One Asmod was blasted away by the black mana bullet.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

The Asmod charging at Rozen were sent flying one after another by the mana bullets, slamming into warehouses, denting the walls deeply.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of Asmod, each equivalent to an A-rank Sky Wizard, were obliterated by Rozen's Gandr.

"Whew!"

Rozen blew on his finger, as if he had just fired a gun, and spread his hands.

"Nothing much after all."

Hearing this, River's jaw nearly dropped to the ground, completely astonished.