-1032- The first clash

Itogami Island, Old Southeast Region.

At this moment, on the bridge leading to the Old Southeast Region, armed forces from Itogami Island remained on guard, keeping the area tightly secured. Only armored and quarantine vehicles passed through the checkpoints freely, entering and exiting the Old Southeast Region. Despite the activity, there was no liveliness; instead, it exuded a strict and cold atmosphere.

Armed helicopters patrolled the skies, while patrol ships cruised the waters. Searchlights continuously swept back and forth in the air and sea, illuminating the surroundings to prevent darkness from becoming an advantage for infiltration. The vigilance was extremely strict.

"It's even hard for a fly to get in."

Rozen stood on the bridge, observing the scene.

"Mm..."

Avrora looked tense.

The two of them had used Rozen's Space Manipulation Magic to leap here and concealed their presence with Invisibility spells, allowing them to stand on the bridge without being questioned by the armed forces.

But that was as far as they could go.

"Zing..."

A faint light flashed in Rozen's eyes.

Using his Spirit Vision ability, Rozen saw the flow of magic on the bridge.

Is that... a barrier?

Rozen calmly identified the nature of the magical flow.

"Not only is there strict physical security and blockade, but the magical defenses are impeccable as well. No wonder it's a Demon Sanctuary with numerous Attack Mages specializing in studying demon abilities."

Rozen expressed his admiration candidly.

Without that layer of barrier, Rozen wouldn't need to stay here and could have easily transported Avrora into the Old Southeast Region. But now, with the barrier in place, Rozen couldn't use magic to jump spatially. If they approached, the Invisibility spell on them would be immediately dispelled upon contact with the barrier, attracting the attention of the armed forces and resulting in interception.

Hence, they halted here.

"Can't we get in?"

Avrora voiced her concern.

"It's not that we can't get in, it's just troublesome," Rozen replied without concealing the truth, directly informing Avrora.

Faced with the barrier, there were basically two methods to resolve it.

One was to quietly dismantle a portion of the barrier and sneak in unnoticed, but it would require a considerable amount of time to analyze and control the barrier. It was relatively safe, though.

The other was to forcefully break through, attracting the attention of the armed forces but allowing Rozen to directly shatter the barrier. This was the usual approach.

Of course, there were also unusual methods.

"If we use far step, can't we enter the Old Southeast Region directly through the ley lines flowing around Itogami Island?"

Itogami Island, crafted by the existence known as Itogami Senra at all costs, integrates advanced scientific technology, Feng Shui, and magic. It floats approximately 330 kilometers south of Tokyo in the central Pacific Ocean, constructed from carbon fiber, resin, metal, and magic, creating a massive artificial island atop the ley lines of the sea.

The so-called ley lines refer to the spiritual veins flowing on the surface of the Earth, containing the power of the world itself.

Just like how the world where Chaldea resides also has ley lines, so does the world of Tokyo ravens, possessing vast magical and spiritual power.

That kind of vastness is not something humans can comprehend; it's almost infinite, comparable to the Holy Grail's level of power.

Of course, ley lines can be good or bad. Good ley lines contain astonishing magical and spiritual power, while bad ley lines are close to drying up. They are like the veins of the planet called "Earth" itself, or its magical circuit, flowing with immense energy and power from nature. Most of them exist within the land and are considered a mysterious natural resource for humans.

In the world where Chaldea is located, ley lines are regarded as important wealth by many magical families. Therefore, most magical families have their own territories and utilize the ley lines in the land for mysterious research and operations.

In the world of Tokyo Ravens, ley lines are more widely distributed in Tokyo. Sometimes, the network of spiritual energy emitted between people forms ley lines, affecting the use of spells.

In this world, such ley lines are called Dragon Veins.

Itogami Island is built on the ocean where Dragon Veins flow. The spiritual power flowing from the Dragon Veins brings vitality to the residents and guides the city to a prosperous path.

The land built on the Dragon Veins is also full of power, making it possible to conduct more powerful jujutsu, magic, and various spiritual and supernatural experiments than usual. For the Demon Sanctuary specializing in demon research, it is an ideal condition.

However, building a city on Dragon Veins is not easy.

Because the power of the Dragon Veins flowing through the exposed ocean far exceeds that contained in the land of the continent, even the Holy Grail, which is said to have infinite magical power, may not be able to match it.

Building a city for human habitation in such a place is tantamount to creating a singularity or breaking ground on a volcano, the dangers of which are evident.

For this reason, the designer of the city, Itogami Senra, divided Itogami Island into four blocks: east, west, south, and north, likening them to the Four Gods in Feng Shui. Through the organic integration of the island blocks, the control of the Dragon Veins was achieved, ultimately realizing this groundbreaking construction.

Rozen saw through this layout of Itogami Island when he was three years old and praised it countless times.

"A city built in this way is simply a super-sized altar."

Mysterious research conducted on this altar progresses faster than one can imagine.

However, precisely because of this, Itogami Island as a whole and its surroundings are located above the Dragon Veins. If Rozen uses far step, he can go anywhere.

"The barrier blocks the space leading to the Old Southeast Region, but how could they block the Dragon Veins?"

In summary, if Rozen uses far step, he can completely bypass the barrier and enter the Old Southeast Region.

Itogami Island's defenses cannot stop Rozen at all, not even hinder him.

For Rozen, the real obstacle is...

"I knew you would come to stop me, Natsuki-nee."

Rozen muttered to himself, causing Avrora, who was next to him, to be first surprised and then astonished to discover something.

That was when, in front of the two of them, a petite figure appeared at some point.

"I've told you before, no night strolls allowed."

Natsuki looked coldly at Rozen, and a suppressed magical power surged from her body.

"I'm sorry about that, Natsuki-nee."

Rozen brought out a tough attitude that hadn't been seen in a long time, smiling gently.

"I've been good kid for too long, let me be a bad kid occasionally."

That's what Rozen said.

"Then you should know that the consequence of being a bad kid is punishment, right?"

That's what Natsuki said.

"So, Natsuki-nee, are you prepared to punish me?"

Rozen asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If you really don't want to listen."

Natsuki admitted expressionlessly.

The two siblings looked at each other, and the collision of their gazes produced a fierce spark that had never existed before.

Magical power gradually emanated from both of them.