-999- World of Ice

Rozen naturally headed to the location where Kojou and the others were transferred.

"Since No. 12 has been unsealed, it means that not only has the Holy Lance been taken, but it has also been used."

In other words, Kojou and the others were likely attacked again.

"But who could it be this time?"

Judging from Balthazar Zaharias's reaction, the attack on Kojou and the others was probably not his doing, and the unsealing of No. 12 was also beyond his expectations.

"Could it be the other candidates?"

Rozen speculated.

The Blazing Banquet is originally a ceremony conducted by all those who possess the fourth Primogenitor's Rigid Bodies. Apart from Balthazar Zaharias, it's not surprising that others with kaleid blood arrived at Itogami Island and had their own plans involving different kaleid blood.

Perhaps, besides Balthazar Zaharias, there were others eyeing No. 12, seeking an opportunity to unseal it.

And if that's the case, it's natural for Kojou and the others, carrying the means to unseal it, to be attacked.

Rozen lamented that he only considered Balthazar Zaharias as the enemy in front of him, while instantly using space manipulation to arrive at the coordinates where Kojou and the others were previously transferred.

As he wanted Kojou and the others to seek refuge with Natsuki, Rozen naturally transferred them to the front of the luxury apartment building in the western district of Itogami Island where he lived.

Rozen was already familiar with this place and instantly arrived in front of his own apartment before he even reached the apartment building.

"...!"

As he arrived in front of the apartment, Rozen couldn't help but hold his breath.

"Ugh..."

"Err..."

Just ahead, not far from the apartment, two figures lay there, groaning softly.

It was Kojou and Veldiana.

"Are you guys okay?"

Rozen quickly approached and turned Kojou and Veldiana over, speaking to them.

There were no obvious injuries on either of them, apparently just incapacitated, which made their faces look somewhat unpleasant.

Among them, Kojou reached out and grabbed Rozen's sleeve.

"Nagisa..."

Kojou strained to speak, making Rozen suddenly realize something.

"Nagisa is missing?"

Looking around, Rozen couldn't find Nagisa's figure at all.

This gave Rozen a foreboding feeling.

Could it be...

Just as Rozen was thinking, Veldiana spoke in a distressed voice.

"W-we were just transferred here, and then Nagisa suddenly attacked us and took the Holy Lance away...!"

With just that sentence, Rozen's premonition was completely confirmed.

"Why... Nagisa..."

Kojou muttered unconsciously, supporting his head.

Why would Nagisa attack Kojou and Veldiana and take away the Holy Lance?

In fact, the reason is not hard to guess.

"Has the spirit inside Nagisa awaken?"

That's the reason.

The unknown spirit inside Nagisa's body must have awakened, causing Nagisa to attack Kojou and Veldiana and take away the Holy Lance.

If not for this, Nagisa wouldn't have attacked Kojou and Veldiana at all, and even if she did, with Nagisa's abilities, she wouldn't have the capability to knock out a vampire noble like Veldiana.

So, it's only possible that the spirit inside Nagisa's body, which Rozen is about to exorcise, has awakened, causing such an event.

As for why the other side suddenly woke up, it's not hard to guess.

"Because the beast vassal of the fourth Primogenitor was summoned before Nagisa's eyes, stimulating it, right?"

The spirit inside Nagisa originally came from the Ice piller containing No. 12, and her relationship with the fourth Primogenitor can be imagined to be very close.

This resulted in the beast vassal of the fourth Primogenitor being summoned before Nagisa's eyes, its magical power stimulating the spirit inside Nagisa's body, finally waking up the spirit that had been suppressed and weakened to the limit.

As a result, the spirit controlled Nagisa's body and took away the Holy Lance.

"Could it be that Nagisa herself used the Holy Lance to unseal No. 12?"

Perhaps, that's the truth.

The Holy Lance itself is not something that can be used casually. Without the spiritual power of a powerful priestess with special qualifications, it wouldn't even have any effect.

And if it's Nagisa, with her qualities that can unseal even the seal of the ruin, it's not impossible to use the Holy Lance.

"It's indeed a blind spot," Rozen couldn't help but smile wryly.

"Nichiyo..."

Kojou grabbed Rozen's clothes, desperately trying to say something.

Rozen naturally knew what he wanted to say.

"Anyway, as long as you're okay, I'll take you to my place first. You can rest there."

Rozen spoke like this.

"Don't worry, I'll handle Nagisa's matter."

After saying that, Rozen didn't give Kojou a chance to reply. With a snap of his fingers, Kojou and Veldiana disappeared one after another from where they were, transferred to the top floor of the apartment, entering Rozen's home.

Then, Rozen stood up, turned his head, and looked in one direction.

It was the location of the ice field.

"Roar!"

Almost at the same time, accompanied by a dragon's roar, a brilliant light fell from the sky like a meteor, landing beside Rozen.

Besides Hokuto, who else could it be?

"Thanks for your hard work, Hokuto."

Rozen reached out and patted Hokuto's head.

"Go back for now. If we need to fight later, I'll summon you."

At these words, Hokuto let out a low growl, as if saying, "That's how it should be," and then turned into a halo of light and disappeared.

Rozen then looked towards the location of the ice field, turned around, and disappeared from where he was.

********

Itogami Island, North District.

This place has been completely frozen, becoming an endless expanse of ice.

The Port Route runs through it like an ice river.

Tall buildings have all turned into icebergs, situated here.

At first glance, it's simply an endless ice field, with the frozen scenery faintly visible, including various vehicles, traffic lights, and street lamps frozen by the roadside.

Of course, the freezing of the scenery may not be the most frightening.

But on closer inspection, even the people panicking by the roadside are frozen inside, each with a look of horror on their faces, as if trying to escape, but ultimately, they were frozen one by one, becoming part of this silent ice field.

"It's really audacious..."

Rozen, who arrived here through spatial manipulation, spoke softly.

"If the beast vassal hadn't disappeared quickly, I'm afraid the entire Itogami Island would have been frozen and sunk to the bottom of the sea, right?"

This is the power of a Primogenitor-level beast vassal.

In the face of such power, human ingenuity is truly insignificant.

However...

"Compared to the incineration of human history, this is nothing."

Rozen said calmly and looked at the most frozen building in front of him.

That building is none other than the MAR Research Institute.

"Is No. 12 inside the MAR?"

This surprised Rozen and made him realize.

For the Demon Sanctuary specializing in researching the abilities of demons, the kaleid blood of the fourth Primogenitor is undoubtedly a precious research sample.

Placing it in the northern district where research institutions are abundant and having one of the research organizations conduct research, is also a normal thing.

And MAR, as a globally renowned company, is naturally the best entrusted object.

So, it seems natural for No. 12 to appear here.

Unfortunately, it's still a dangerous thing.

"Just casually researching something like that, and it ends up like this, no one can be blamed."

Rozen prepared to step into the frozen building.

However...

"Hmm?"

Rozen suddenly stopped his steps.

Because...

"Boom!"

The gate of the frozen research institute suddenly burst open.