-1320- Do you really think you can beat me?

"Both of us?"

When Rozen's words reached Tomaru Renren and Saijou Ikazuchi, the two student council members stopped arguing and turned to look at him.

"Isn't that underestimating us?" Tomaru Renren sounded more curious than angry.

"Do you really have that much confidence to take us both on at once?" Saijou Ikazuchi's voice was low and powerful, though he didn't appear angry either.

If anyone else had been present, they would have been shocked by Rozen's statement.

After all, these two were ranked third and fourth in Hagun Academy, both in their second year, and far stronger than Kirihara Shizuya. They were not opponents to be underestimated.

To put it bluntly, if these two participated in the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival, they would at least be top sixteen, possibly even top eight contenders.

While there was a significant gap between them and Todo Touka, who had strength comparable to the Seven Stars Sword King, even Touka would find it challenging to face them both together.

Rozen's plan to challenge them both at once was certainly surprising.

However...

"You both lost quite easily to Ikki and Stella in the selection battles, didn't you?" Rozen stated bluntly, leaving the two speechless.

In the selection battles, both had indeed suffered crushing defeats against Ikki and Stella.

Tomaru Renren had managed to hold out against Ikki for a while, but within seconds, Ikki had struck her down with a single decisive blow.

Saijou Ikazuchi had similarly launched a fierce attack on Stella, only for her to take it head-on and then blow him away with one move.

In other words, while they were impressive, they weren't at the level of Ikki, Stella, or Todo Touka.

Given that...

"Even though I didn't participate in the selection battles and don't plan to enter the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival, I'm still a Blazer on the same level as Stella, an A-rank Knight. Do you really think you can beat me in a one-on-one fight?"

Rozen spread his hands and continued.

"If not, you might as well team up. That way, we might have a decent fight. Otherwise, you'll be easily defeated just like in the selection battles."

Rozen spoke with a half-smile.

This finally elicited a reaction from Tomaru Renren and Saijou Ikazuchi.

"Don't regret it, junior!"

"Let me experience the power of an A-rank Knight again!"

Tomaru Renren and Saijou Ikazuchi shouted in turn.

Then...

"Boom!"

With a sudden, loud stomp, the constantly bouncing Tomaru Renren suddenly disappeared.

"Whoosh!"

Like a gust of wind, Tomaru Renren's form became a blur, whipping through the battleground at incredible speed, accompanied by a howling wind.

"Let's go, Let's go!"

She shouted excitedly as she ran faster and faster, until it seemed like she vanished entirely.

Simultaneously...

"Ooohhh!"

With a loud roar, Saijou Ikazuchi gripped a double-edged zanbato in his hands, lifting it high above his head and starting to spin it.

"Rumble...!"

The rapidly spinning zanbato created a vortex of air, whipping up a storm and generating a fierce, howling wind.

Instantly, the entire battle zone was engulfed by the storm created by the running Tomaru Renren and the spinning blade of Saijou Ikazuchi.

"Oh my, it has begun," Misogi Utakata smiled from the audience as he watched the scene.

Rozen stood in the center of the storm, observing the gales whirling around him from all directions, his eyes glimmering slightly.

At this moment, voices echoed from all around him.

"Ha-ha-ha! You're too careless, junior!" Tomaru Renren's excited voice called out as she dashed around with afterimages and gusts of wind.

"You didn't stop us from activating our abilities. Don't tell me you don't know what our abilities are?" Saijou Ikazuchi's voice followed Tomaru's.

"Our abilities require time and opportunity to fully manifest. Not stopping us is your mistake!" Saijou Ikazuchi said seriously while his zanbato continued its rapid spin.

Rozen knew exactly why they were saying this.

As they had pointed out, their abilities needed time and opportunity to develop.

Tomaru Renren's ability allowed her to accumulate speed indefinitely, ignoring the concept of deceleration. As long as she kept moving, even if just stepping in place, she could continuously build up her speed to astonishing levels. That's why she had been bouncing around from the start—not out of restless energy, but to prepare her ability.

Saijou Ikazuchi's ability was of the same type. Just as Tomaru Renren could accumulate speed, Saijou Ikazuchi could accumulate the weight of his slashes. Each swing of his blade would add to its weight, capping at ten tons. By rapidly spinning his Device, he compounded the weight of his slashes exponentially, creating a whirlwind that disturbed the atmosphere.

Both abilities were forms of conceptual interference, second only to causal interference abilities.

This was why both of them were ranked third and fourth in Hagun Academy as second-year students.

Anyone familiar with their abilities would try to stop them from accumulating speed and power right from the start to avoid facing increasingly stronger opponents.

But Rozen remained unmoved, standing in the same spot, calmly waiting while the storm built up around him.

In this situation, Tomaru Renren's speed increased endlessly, eventually breaking the sound barrier and reaching supersonic levels.

Human dynamic vision could no longer keep up with her speed.

Even Rozen could not track her with his naked eyes alone.

Likewise, Saijou Ikazuchi's blade spun faster and faster, the violent air currents roaring around him as he built up the weight of his slashes to their limit.

With Rozen allowing them to proceed, both of their abilities reached their peaks, achieving extraordinary speed and power.

Then...

"Black Bird!"

Tomaru Renren appeared like a bullet from the storm, suddenly materializing behind Rozen. She unleashed a flashing strike at his back.

She was already wearing a pair of iron gloves, clenching her fists. With a single punch aimed at Rozen's back, she released the energy converted from her accumulated speed, creating a sonic boom and shaking the atmosphere with her supersonic punch.

"Crescendo Axe!"

At the same time, Saijou Ikazuchi, having built up the weight of his slashes to the limit, charged Rozen from the front. He lifted his zanbato high and swung it down towards Rozen's head with a force that seemed to shake the very earth.

Facing this pincer attack, Rozen finally raised his head.

"Boom!"

An astonishing amount of magical power surged from his body.