-640- The persuit under the night sky

"Yaya!"

As the dark figure suddenly burst from the bushes and darted toward him, Rozen had already sensed its presence using his "Heaven's Eye," and he immediately called out to the doll girl by his side.

"!"

In the blink of an eye, Yaya, who had just been in a sullen mood, released her magic throughout her body without hesitation. She leaped directly in front of Rozen and threw a punch, accompanied by a whistling gust of wind, toward the direction of the dark figure.

"Thud!"

A muffled impact erupted in the pitch-black moonlit night without any warning, akin to a thunderclap.

Yaya's "Kongouriki" was fully activated, and she swiftly received Rozen's magic, the punch she struck was not earth-shattering, but it unleashed an unparalleled force.

As a result, the assailant who had suddenly attacked was sent flying. Accompanied by the expanding shockwave, the figure was propelled back even faster than when it had pounced.

However, the opponent didn't seem to be hurt. Instead, they somehow used some magic to adjust their posture mid-air, nullifying the force acting upon them.

They then landed on the ground like a four-legged beast, displaying no intention to engage further. They turned around, plunged into the forest behind them, and disappeared.

"Yaya! Chase after it!"

Rozen immediately ordered Yaya.

"Yes!"

Yaya activated her "Kongouriki" to its fullest, gathering all the magic Rozen had provided and purposefully adjusting the flow of her movements under Rozen's control. This heightened her agility, maneuverability, and explosive power. Fluttering her kimono, she turned into another dark shadow and zoomed towards the depths of the forest.

As for Rozen, he let his kinu coat flutter, propelling himself into the air like an arrow, shooting ahead.

In the late-night forest, a shadow resembling a four-legged beast darted through at an astonishing speed. The moon girl in a pitch-black kimono leaped and glided through the trees like a leopard. The boy, draped in a coat, soared in mid-air, catching up from above, showering a trail of bright sparks.

It must be admitted that the opponent's speed was remarkable; even in the dense forest, they could swiftly maneuver, akin to a wolf running in the darkness, disappearing in the blink of an eye. While Yaya's speed was also fast, she wasn't as familiar with the terrain. Amid the opponent's zigzagging through the trees, she struggled to catch up.

Rozen, utilizing the flight capabilities of his kinu coat, was the fastest among the three. However, due to being in the air, despite having a bird's eye view, the opponent would occasionally hide among the trees, making them elusive. Were it not for Rozen's "Spirit Vision," which allowed him to see the flow of spiritual energy and magic, and his "Heaven's Eye," scanning the surroundings, he might have lost track of the opponent.

In this situation, Rozen's eyes flickered slightly.

"Let's see who you really are."

Rozen provided more magic to Kinu, allowing the coat's speed to increase again. The sparks sprinkled from the coat became denser, turning Rozen into a golden comet as he zoomed across the forest.

In a short time, Rozen caught up with the assailant.

Immediately,

"Clap!"

Rozen clapped abruptly.

At that moment, the magic he mobilized transformed into jutsuryoku, expanding from his clapping hand like soundwaves, heading towards the direction of the black shadow, which was fleeing like a wild beast.

"Thud!"

Amidst the sound of the blast, the black shadow was blown away and tumbled on the forest floor.

"Haaaa!"

At the same time, Yaya successfully caught up with the opponent. Leaping from a tree, she released an extremely powerful downward kick towards the rolling black shadow on the ground.

"Boom!"

Yaya's kick was like a falling meteorite, heavily slamming onto the ground, shattering it and creating a whirlwind of impact and dust.

The surrounding trees shook violently and almost toppled.

This incredibly powerful strike would undoubtedly cause multiple fractures and severe injuries if it hit a human body.

Fortunately, the black shadow swiftly flipped over, springing towards another direction, evading this blow.

Then, the black shadow escaped the forest and darted towards a street outside.

Just as Yaya was about to pursue, she immediately heard Rozen's astonished and urgent voice from above.

"Be careful!"

This voice was not directed at Yaya.

Under Rozen's control, Yaya wouldn't get hurt, so even if she encountered an attack, Rozen wouldn't be so urgent.

Rozen's urgent warning was aimed at the street outside the forest.

There, a student was briskly walking.

Coincidentally, heading towards the direction where the black shadow had darted out.

On this day, Charlotte Belew returned to the dormitory later than usual.

"Fortunately, there's still some time before curfew."

The girl named Charl briskly walked down the street, heading towards the direction of the Gryphon Women's Dormitory, where only excellent students could reside.

Sigmund sat on her shoulder as usual, gnawing on a piece of chicken, and said so.

"No need to rush. After all, this isn't the first time you've violated curfew."

It can be seen that the girl nicknamed "Tyrant Rex" is quite a headache.

"I'm not intentionally breaking curfew," Charl protested. "I'm just extending my usual practice time to improve my strength."

That's why Charl appeared on the academy's street so late.

Although there have been a few unavoidable times in the past that made Charl return to the dormitory very late, this time, Charl was simply late because she extended her usual practice time.

"How so?" Sigmund saw through his user's thoughts and said, "Feeling the pressure?"

What kind of pressure?

Of course, it's the pressure felt when facing formidable enemies like Rozen and Magnus directly at the Night Party.

"Indeed, although you're ranked 6th, the gap between you and the 'Marshal' is not small, especially after witnessing his magic amplification technique. It's normal to feel pressure and a sense of crisis, not to mention the unexpected appearance of Rorelai Arneet."

Sigmund said so.

"Since you know, then don't make sarcastic remarks."

Charl was a bit discontented.

It was precisely because she saw the strength of Rozen and Magnus that Charl extended her usual practice time.

Otherwise, she really didn't know if she could defeat such strong enemies at the Night Party.

Since that's the case, she can only strive to improve herself.

"In the end, this is a good thing, so I won't scold you this time."

Sigmund said this, then continued to gnaw on his chicken.

"What? You make it sound like everything I do is a bad thing."

Charl was still dissatisfied.

The girl, accompanied by her dragon, arrived at the edge of the forest.

"Be careful!"

An urgent voice immediately reached Charl's ears, startling her.

"Charl!"

Sigmund, perched on Charl's head, suddenly stood up as if sensing something, giving a warning loudly.

However, at this moment, it was already too late for another warning.

"Swoosh!"

A black shadow suddenly darted out from the forest.

Fiercely pouncing towards Charl, who was standing there in a daze.