-660- Hurry up and show me

"Hum!"

When Felix released his spectacular magic, transforming into countless streams of light on his outstretched hand, and injected it into the automaton named Eliza, the girl-type automaton with a helmet raised her head to gaze at Yaya.

In the next moment, Eliza's figure suddenly flickered and turned transparent.

This was merely an afterimage left behind at her original spot.

The automaton named Eliza dashed forward at an astonishing speed, instantly appearing in front of Yaya.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!"

The silver greatsword in Eliza's hand turned into countless sword shadows, flashing like beams of light, thrusting toward Yaya.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang!"

Yaya activated the magic circuits of her "Kongouriki" and held her hands in front of her body, directly intercepting all of Eliza's thrusts with the sharp blade of her greatsword. This created a fierce symphony of metal clashes, accompanied by sparks flying.

"Oh?" Rozen raised an eyebrow, smiled, and said, "Is she called the 'Valkyria' because of her proficiency in thrusting attacks?"

While saying this, Rozen also released magic, infusing it into Yaya's body.

Yaya's power immediately surged.

"Ha!"

With a confident shout, Yaya suddenly swung her hand, and the sleeves of her kimono, moving like shadows, deflected Eliza's thrusts. Her sleeves became as hard as steel, and they successfully repelled the sharp sword strikes.

"What!?" Felix was greatly surprised.

Not just Felix, even the Public Morals Committee members who had retreated to a safe distance couldn't believe their eyes.

Certainly, no one expected that Felix, who was ranked 4th, would be so thoroughly outmatched in front of Rozen, but Felix brought this upon himself.

"He doesn't even have control over 'Mind's Eye,' and choosing close combat against Yaya's 'Kongouriki' is simply foolish," Rozen taunted. This prompted Yaya to turn her furious onslaught into a powerful spinning kick that landed with tremendous force on Eliza.

"Thud!"

Similar to the initial piercing strike aimed at the abdomen, Yaya's spinning kick struck Eliza's stomach directly, causing her body to take the shape of a '〈' and generating a powerful blast of energy. Eliza was sent flying.

A sharp sound of breaking the sound barrier echoed, and Eliza, like a projectile, heavily landed in front of Felix, shattering the ground and raising a cloud of dust.

"Tsk!" Felix stepped back hurriedly while clicking his tongue. His face twisted momentarily before a pretended smile replaced it.

"Impressive for a dark horse who can compete with Magnus. It seems close combat won't work."

Although Felix said this, the expression on his face told a different story, indicating that he couldn't accept this outcome.

Of course, Felix wasn't naive. Faced with Yaya's 'Kongouriki' enhanced by Rozen's 'Mind's Eye,' he knew he couldn't win without using magic.

"Let me show you the true power of 'The Thirteen'! Rorelai!"

Felix shouted loudly, "Don't think that in this academy, only Magnus can be your opponent!"

After speaking, Felix released magic, and the magic lines extended into the dense dust cloud in front of him.

At that moment, Eliza's magic circuits were activated.

"Boom!"

A thunderous explosion sounded like something was bursting within the dense dust cloud, unleashing flashes of light.

It was a rapid jet of water.

"Water?" Rozen couldn't help but frown. He was puzzled, not by the power of the high-pressure water spear coming his way but by the discrepancy between this display and the intelligence regarding Felix's automaton.

Wasn't it said that Felix's automaton could manipulate lava and thick mist?

The information from Karyusai Shouko mentioned that, despite the unknown nature of Felix's automaton's magic circuits, it had controlled lava, turning the ground scorching hot, and had dug a trench. It had also manipulated dense fog to disrupt enemy forces.

Therefore, students at the academy speculated that Felix's automaton had an effect of controlling heat, allowing it to create both lava and mist.

Now, Felix's automaton exhibited the ability to manipulate water, which was entirely different from the reported information.

"Interesting," Rozen observed Felix, who was smirking.

"Let's see what secrets you're hiding."

Rozen activated 'Spirit Vision,' 'Heaven's Eye,' and 'Mind's Eye' to observe the entire situation and released more magic to empower Yaya.

Upon receiving Rozen's magic, Yaya's power surged once more, making her even stronger.

She advanced instead of retreating, not dodging the high-pressure water spear that was coming her way, but rather, charging forward.

"Whoosh!"

The water spear that could pierce even steel fell on Yaya, but it couldn't even scratch her skin, let alone cut through her kimono. It disintegrated instantly upon contact with Yaya, and she passed through it like a shadow, reaching Eliza's front.

"Eliza!"

At Felix's command, Eliza understood her master's will. She turned her entire body into a stream of water.

This way, physical attacks couldn't harm Eliza.

Rozen's comment was, "Clever tricks."

"Swish!" Yaya, who had approached Eliza in the form of flowing water, lifted her leg in a swift kick, producing a sharp noise that sliced through the air.

This kick had far more power than any of her previous strikes, so much so that even the air couldn't withstand it. A powerful friction in the air created intense heat, enough to evaporate water into vapor.

In other words, this was a lethal blow capable of instantly killing Eliza.

"Not good!"

Felix, ultimately an excellent puppeteer, didn't earn his rank of fourth without reason. He realized the danger and shouted urgently, "Quickly, change back, Eliza!"

At Felix's desperate tone, Eliza, who had transformed into a stream of water, abruptly froze and rapidly returned to her solid form.

"Bang!"

Yaya's terrifying kick struck Eliza's side without deviation, and the shock was astonishing, shattering the atmosphere and causing the ground to crack and crumble.

"Crack!"

Another sound emanated from Eliza, but this time, it wasn't the sound of armor breaking but rather the sound of her ribs snapping.

Yaya's powerful kick had not only ruptured Eliza's side armor but also broken her ribs. Eliza, who had just reverted from her liquid state, spun wildly like a kite with a cut string, violently rotating as she was sent flying. She collided with a nearby large tree, knocking it down and breaking it into countless pieces.

"Whew."

Only then did Yaya slowly release a breath, lowering her hands and regulating her breathing.

The entire arena fell into silence.

"How is this possible?" someone from the Disciplinary Committee murmured, and everyone in the vicinity exchanged bewildered looks.

"A-Amazing," Frey, who was watching from the sidelines, exclaimed.

As for Felix, his facial muscles twitched involuntarily.

Not long after, Felix managed to speak, albeit with great difficulty.

"How... How are you this strong?" This was probably something Felix hadn't even dreamed of.

To this, Rozen had to tell him.

"Is this impressive?" Rozen smiled indifferently. "After all, Magnus dispatched only one automaton to fight me on equal terms, right?" Although that was a result that occurred after Magnus resorted to the secret technique of the 'Crimson Wing Formation.'

Furthermore, Rozen added, "I haven't even shown my full strength yet."

"Come on, do you have any other tricks? Hurry up and show me."

Rozen provocatively beckoned to Felix in front of everyone, challenging him.

"You!" Felix could no longer hide his emotions. The warm, friendly smile he had maintained all along gave way to a ferocious expression, driven by the blow to his pride.

This was not a side of Felix that anyone would show in front of others.

Now, Felix had finally dropped his facade.

"I will make you regret this!" Felix gritted his teeth and squeezed out the words, and as if he were going all in, he reactivated Eliza's magic circuits.

In that instant, nobody could detect the change occurring within Eliza's magic circuits. Specifically, it was as if a switch had been flipped, completely altering the effect.

Soon after, a strong wind rose.

"Whoosh!"

A turbulent hurricane formed around Eliza, who lay on the ground in two disconnected pieces, gradually growing in strength.

"Wind?" Rozen's eyes narrowed slightly. In his mind, all the clues finally connected. "So, this is how it is?"

In the midst of the great winds, Rozen smiled slowly, but it was an exceptionally cold.