-132- Try comming after me

"————"

Rozen's entire body froze as if immobilized, rooted in place.

Behind him, the puppet named Kamakiri raised her scythe high, aiming it at his neck, ready to strike.

Undoubtedly, it was an attack capable of taking the life of a human.

As Rozen's controlled puppet, Yaya is being intercepted by the doll named "Kagerou".

Extending her hand toward Yaya, the puppet named Kagerou generated a ripple of magical energy between her palms.

Faced with this situation, Yaya chose to ignore it, driven by her anxiety.

"Get out of the way!"

With a loud shout, Yaya concentrated her strength and delivered a lightning-fast kick towards Kagerou.

Rozen wanted to tell Yaya to stop.

"Don't attack!"

Because Kagerou obviously had the confidence to block Yaya's attack, otherwise she wouldn't have been sent by Akabane Tenzen.

Given Tenzen's abilities, seeing Yaya's overwhelming strength that even surpassed Hotaru, and dispatching Kagerou to confront her, indicated Tenzen's assurance in dealing with Yaya.

In such a scenario, launching an attack without caution was incredibly unwise for Yaya.

If Rozen had more time, he would have used the technique of "Enforced Domination" to make Yaya cancel her attack.

However, it seemed that Tenzen had taken this into account, even going so far as to make the heavily injured Kamakiri move to Rozen's back and launch a fatal strike.

In this condition, how could Rozen have the strength to control Yaya?

He had only just started manipulating Yaya, and even with his remarkable ability, they hadn't developed any synergy yet. He couldn't simultaneously manage so many aspects.

"Tsk…!"

Rozen was taken aback, too late to think much. He focused his magical energy on himself, using "Magic Defense."

"Clang!"

A protective shield formed by a magical circle appeared behind Rozen.

If it were Hotaru, Rozen's hasty "Magic Defense" might not have been enough to block her attack.

However, Kamakiri's attack was based solely on her weapon. With "Magic Defense," Rozen could withstand it without any problem.

…No!

"Without any problem?"

If that was the case, why would Akabane Tenzen have Kamakiri attack him?

He should know his abilities best and realize that Kamakiri's single attack wouldn't penetrate his "Magic Defense."

"Could it be…!?"

Rozen suddenly turned his head, looking towards Akabane Tenzen's direction.

In the next moment, Rozen finally saw the worst-case scenario.

"Blitz…"

Magical energy surged like an electric shock through Akabane Tenzen's body.

At that moment, Akabane Tenzen extended his hands flatly, and an expression of seriousness emerged on his face that had been covered in frost.

Under these circumstances, visible changes occurred in Akabane Tenzen's body.

"Clang…"

Akabane Tenzen's eyes suddenly lit up, transforming into a glaring red.

"Bang…"

A burst of fresh blood sprayed from Akabane Tenzen's back, instantly vaporizing and turning into pure magical energy.

Akabane Tenzen was allowing his own back to spew blood, consuming his body, and causing his magical energy to surge exponentially.

It was the pinnacle of the Akabane Clan's secret technique.

"Crimson Wing Formation…"

With red wings appearing on his back, Akabane Tenzen's eyes glowed red. He stretched out his hands, and a tremendous amount of magical energy converged at his fingertips, forming ten threads.

These threads were fine, flexible, uniform, strong, resilient, and scorching hot, emitting a terrifying aura.

Equivalent to the combined magical power of hundreds of magicians, these ten threads extended from Akabane Tenzen's fingertips. Five connected to Kamakiri and five connected to Kagerou.

"Bang!"

Kamakiri's body erupted with terrifying power.

"Bang!"

Kagerou was similarly enveloped in a surging magical energy.

Both puppets received five times the magical power they had before, gaining an astonishing increase in strength.

The outcome was decided in this situation.

"Boom!"

Rozen's "Magic Defense" shattered, and Kamakiri's attack struck him.

"Boom!"

Yaya's kick, landed on Kagerou, was fully absorbed. Then, within the magical ripples emanating from her palms, it transformed into a flash and was redirected towards her, engulfing her completely.

"Ugh…!?"

"Yaaaah!"

Rozen's groan mixed with Yaya's scream as one was cleaved in half like a waistband, spattering a large amount of blood, while the other was blasted away, rolling uncontrollably.

Just because of the power of "Crimson Wing Formation," both Rozen and Yaya were defeated.

As Rozen and Yaya lay on the ground, unable to move, the scene fell into silence.

Kamakiri and Kagerou returned to Akabane Tenzen's side.

Hotaru also descended from the sky and returned to Akabane Tenzen's side.

Akabane Tenzen silently watched Rozen lying in a pool of blood, remaining silent.

"Master."

After a short pause, Hotaru stepped forward and spoke for the first time.

"Do you want me to finish him off?"

The implication was to deliver the final blow to Rozen, effectively ending his life.

Generally speaking, this would indeed be the best course of action.

However, Akabane Tenzen shook his head.

"If we do that, it would be dangerous."

Akabane Tenzen's words puzzled both Hotaru and the other dolls present. They couldn't understand his reasoning.

Dangerous?

But hadn't they already successfully dealt with the enemy?

Such thoughts crossed the doll's minds.

But...

"Have you all forgotten what I just said?" Akabane Tenzen continued to look at Rozen and said calmly, "My adopted brother here has a secret."

In other words...

"He still has means he hasn't used," Akabane Tenzen said with remarkable composure, "That's why I left Tamamushi, Mitsubachi, and Himegumo by my side. Originally, I didn't even intend to send Kagerou, but their power turned out to be more formidable than I imagined."

To guard against Rozen's still-hidden methods, Akabane Tenzen had prepared four puppets for defense and only reluctantly sent out Kagerou as a last resort.

This illustrated just how seriously Akabane Tenzen considered Rozen's concealed abilities.

But this was mutual.

Rozen also kept the existence of "Summoning Magic" hidden because Akabane Tenzen had yet to deploy many of his puppets. Rozen intended to use it when necessary.

Of course, if Yaya hadn't arrived in time, Rozen would have already used "Summoning Magic."

However, it was obvious that "Summoning Magic," which could only summon mid-level familiars, couldn't directly overcome Akabane Tenzen, who possessed six automaton puppets.

After all, under Akabane Tenzen's control, all six of his puppets could exert power equivalent to high-level familiars.

Rozen could only rely on Yaya to fight and consider "Summoning Magic" as his last resort, something to use in a crucial moment.

Akabane Tenzen realized this, and therefore, he left behind several puppets as a precaution.

The two sides engaged in this mutual standoff, and in the end, Akabane Tenzen, armed with "Crimson Wing Formation," claimed victory.

"This is the power of 'Crimson Wing Blood.' Without this power, you would've lost to me, Nuragami."

"Try coming after me."

"See if you can catch up."

Leaving these words behind, Akabane Tenzen departed with his six puppets, the flames still burning.