-1575- Shatter your confidence

"This is...!?"

Seeing chains of silver-white shoot out from Rozen's body, Yamier instinctively heightened her Collapse Force, transforming it into blazing flames that enveloped her.

However, what surprised Yamier was that the chains didn't come at her. Instead, they scattered in all directions, enclosing the area around her and Rozen, forming a silver-white spherical cage.

Seeing this, Yamier instantly understood.

Rozen's goal wasn't to attack or to escape her, but quite the opposite.

"This way, neither you nor I can interfere with the outside."

Rozen hovered before Yamier and casually said this.

Upon hearing these words, Yamier had only one thought.

Is he crazy?

That's right.

This was the thought of everyone witnessing this scene.

"He actually trapped himself with Yamier, completely ignoring the rest of the battle?"

Even Zeth was shocked.

Not just Zeth, even Annerose and the others were stunned.

"What is he trying to do?"

"Isn't this just pushing Chloe and the others into a desperate situation?"

"Does he have no intention of rescuing them?"

Emilie, Cris, and River were equally shocked.

Everyone thought that seeing Chloe and the others in danger, Rozen would undoubtedly find a way to protect them, fight against the enemies, and try to win the match under adverse conditions.

However, no one had expected that Rozen would not only refrain from helping Chloe and the others but would also actively trap himself with Yumier, ensuring that neither of them could interfere.

"Could he be planning to use this method, treating his teammates as bait, and then defeat Yamier Kaiser in a one-on-one fight?"

That's what Annerose believed.

In the knockout rounds of the Sky Wizards Martial Arts Festival, the competition's rules were similar to Mistgun's ranking battles, where two teams would compete to eliminate the other.

However, unlike Mistgun's ranking battles, the only way to win in the Sky Wizards Martial Arts Festival was to struck down the opposing team's captain.

In other words, as long as the captain wasn't struck down, the match would continue.

For example, in the first match, Yumier defeated four Sky Wizards from Falcion but didn't manage to defeat Noel, the team captain. Therefore, Falcion hadn't lost yet. If Noel could defeat Yumier, the captain of Vebel, it would still count as a victory for Noel, even if Vebel's other four Armored Beetles weren't defeated.

In such a scenario, Yumier's team planned to first demonstrate the overwhelming power of a Collapse Force wielder. Yumier would hold off Rozen, while the others would defeat Mistgun's Sky Wizards, and then they would join forces to take down Rozen.

Of course, that was the plan. Yumier herself simply wanted to face Rozen head-on, so joint attacks were only a backup strategy in case of unexpected events. Yumier had no intention of using joint tactics unless necessary; she wanted to defeat Rozen in a one-on-one fight to claim victory.

That's why the battle had developed this way.

But now, Rozen had not only ignored his own teammates but also created a stage where he and Yumier could settle things in a one-on-one duel. Annerose thought Rozen was plotting to turn the tables, using his teammates as bait to lure away the four Collapse Force wielders, and then defeat Yamier, the captain, to win the match.

Thinking this, Annerose relaxed.

Unfortunately, the next development would shake everyone to their core, changing the situation for both camps.

"You all must think that among humans, only I can pose a threat to you. As long as I'm dealt with, humanity will be no match for you and will become nothing more than prey for your Armored Beetles, right?"

Inside the cage formed by the Injunction Shackles, Rozen neither launched a fierce attack nor seemed intent on settling things with Yamier. Instead, he spoke calmly.

Seeing this, an ominous feeling arose in Yamier's heart.

Still, with her confidence, she responded.

"Of course. Compared to us Collapse Force wielders, humans are nothing but ants. If it weren't for Lord Zeth's insistence on ruling humans rather than exterminating them, we could have wiped them from this world long ago with our power."

This wasn't just boasting; it was a fact.

With the number of Collapse Force wielders on their side and their massive army of Armored Beetles, Zeth could have easily destroyed humanity if he wanted to.

Compared to the Armored Beetle faction, humans were far too weak.

Thus, if the two sides went to war, humanity would surely lose. Even if they holed up in floating cities powered by high-grade mana reactors, once their mana ran out, all that awaited them was destruction.

That's why neither Zeth nor Yumier viewed humans as a threat.

Because they weren't a threat, the strategy was to rule them rather than exterminate them.

If Rozen hadn't appeared, humanity truly wouldn't have had the qualifications to fight the Armored Beetles.

But Rozen did appear.

And now...

"I'll shatter your confidence and show you whether the 'ants' you talk about can really be crushed at your whim."

With this declaration, Rozen raised his hand high and clenched it into a fist.

Everyone saw this scene.

Including Kanata, Chloe, Yuri, and Mena.

Seeing this, the four, who were struggling and covered in wounds, suddenly lit up.

Then, they all smiled.

"Zing—!"

In that instant, the four magic-alchemized weapons in the hands of Kanata, Chloe, Yuri, and Mena began to glow.

"Boom—!"

Simultaneously, a terrifying power surged from their bodies.

That power resembled a radiant spiritual aura, gradually rising.

That power gleamed with majestic mana, flickering like waves.

Kanata, Chloe, Yuri, and Mena's auras all grew immensely powerful.

"What...!?"

In the VIP stands, Zeth's expression changed for the first time.

And it wasn't just a subtle shift—it was a drastic one.

Others who recognized that power reacted the same way.

"That's...!?"

Emilie, Cris, and River were shocked.

Annerose even stood up in disbelief.

"High-grade mana...!?"

That's right.

What surged from Kanata, Chloe, Yuri, and Mena was high-grade mana.

Mana comparable to Collapse Force.