-1444- How real Sky Wizards fight

At this moment, it wasn't just the three members of Squad E601 who were looking at Rozen. Everyone present was watching him, including Freon. As they looked at this young man, who had countless honors and rumors surrounding him, a glimmer of hope appeared in their eyes.

This was only natural.

"Aren't you the strongest Sky Wizard in Mistgun? Didn't you achieve victories even on the front lines with ease? Then hurry up and take action!"

Misora's voice was filled with urgency.

Surely, everyone was anxious now, eager for Rozen to step in.

The current situation was crystal clear and could be described as dire. The three members of Special Task Force S128 had yet to bring down the Variants, and the surrounding Armored Beetles continued to harass them, gradually encircling the trio in a dangerous situation.

As for the defense line protecting Mistgun, Rozen's earlier assessment had been accurate: as the Sky Wizards' mana was nearing depletion, many of them had begun to slow their rate of shooting and cannon fire. Even the power of their attacks had diminished, and their breathing had become increasingly labored. The defense line was retreating faster and faster, getting closer to Mistgun's position.

Moreover, as time passed, many frontline Sky Wizards began to suffer injuries, yet they refused to retreat. Each one gritted their teeth and continued to resist the Armored Beetles with determination.

The situation for the Sky Wizards was increasingly grim, with the signs of defeat becoming apparent.

On the other hand, the enemy's numbers didn't seem to be decreasing at all, and the leader of the enemy forces—the massive Variant—had yet to make an appearance.

Comparing the two sides, the outcome was already evident.

If things continued this way, Mistgun's fate would be nothing short of complete destruction.

But if Rozen took action, it would be a different story.

Although many people hadn't witnessed Rozen's true power—Misora, Lecty, and Rico had only seen a fraction of it, and most students of Mistgun had never seen him in battle—those who had believed in him without question.

After all, Rozen had led Squad 128 to rise to A-rank during his first year in the Preparatory Division, and the squad advanced to S-rank in his second year. From then on, they no longer needed to participate in ranking battles. In his third year, he was summoned to the front lines, and by his first year in the Bachelor Division, he had already retired from combat, preparing to transfer to the Alchemist Division.

Now, as a second-year Bachelor Division student, most of the senior students who had seen Rozen fight in ranking battles had already graduated, and the junior students had yet to witness Rozen's true combat prowess.

Misora, Lecty, and Rico were second-year students in the Preparatory Division.

In other words, they had only entered the academy last year.

By that time, Rozen was already preparing to transfer to the Alchemist Division and had stopped participating in battles.

As a result, most of the current Preparatory Division students had never seen Rozen in action; they had only heard of his reputation.

Yet, despite this, there was no shortage of people who admired Rozen.

After all, Rozen had been summoned to the front lines during his Preparatory Division days, participating in battles against the Armored Beetles. He had even earned command authority due to his abilities, becoming the highest-ranking officer for a time in the front-line floating city fortress. He led the human army to victory in those battles.

And not just once—Rozen had several such achievements to his name.

Given all this, even those who hadn't seen his power believed in it.

Therefore, if Rozen took action, the current situation would surely improve.

Of course, within Squad E601, besides Rico, Misora and Lecty hadn't thought that far ahead. They simply believed that since Rozen was hailed as the "Hero of Humanity" and the strongest Sky Wizard in Mistgun, his involvement, even if it couldn't be decisive, could at least turn the tide a little.

To put it simply, Mistgun could no longer afford to hide its strength.

Rozen had reached the point where he had no choice but to step in.

Surely, Rozen wouldn't sit by and watch Mistgun's destruction, right?

That was simply impossible, wasn't it?

Naturally, Rozen wouldn't allow Mistgun to be destroyed.

However...

"You all have too little faith in Mistgun's Sky Wizards, don't you?"

Bathed in everyone's gaze, Rozen continued to watch the screen.

"Even without my intervention, they can deal with the Armored Beetles."

Rozen declared this in an extremely calm voice.

But before anyone could react, Rozen changed his tone.

"Of course, if things continue like this, they won't win. They need to change their strategy."

Rozen then turned to Freon.

"Give me the communication crystal, and synchronize the channels for all the deployed Sky Wizards. Make sure everyone here can hear my voice."

Without giving Freon time to respond, Rozen directly took the communication crystal from her ear.

Then, Rozen turned his back on the three members of Squad E601, looking at the projections on the screen before him. As the three girls stood there in a daze, his voice echoed clearly.

"Watch closely."

"This is how real Sky Wizards fight."

As soon as he finished speaking, Rozen pressed the communication crystal to his ear.

...

On the battlefield, the battle between the humans and the Armored Beetles raged on.

"Haaahhhh...!"

Kanata's figure was like a true shooting star, dodging the incoming attacks from the Tenjin"4", weaving through their assaults, and then positioning himself above one of them. He raised his Magic Cannon Sword high and struck downwards.

"Clang—!"

The manifested jutsuryoku barrier deflected Kanata's powerful strike, causing him to retreat as he dodged the relentless attacks of the Arachnell-class with a frustrated expression.

"These Tenjin"4" Variants are different from the ones we've encountered before. They're much stronger."

Typically, by now, Kanata would have already downed two or three of the Tenjin"4" Variants.

"Even their jutsuryoku barriers are much sturdier. After my cannon shot penetrates them, I don't have enough power left to burn them down."

Chloe also retreated, her expression serious.

"Chloe-senpai...! Kanata-senpai...!"

Yuri, showing signs of fatigue, approached while breathing heavily.

It seemed that this high-intensity extermination battle was taking a toll on Yuri.

"If this keeps up, things won't end well. We can't afford to keep holding back, Chloe."

Kanata's face was equally grave as he spoke.

One major reason the three members of Special Task Force S128 had yet to bring down a group of medium-sized Variants was that they had deliberately reduced their mana consumption.

After all, what others could deduce, these three couldn't overlook.

Chloe and her team were well aware that the true boss of the enemy forces had yet to appear.

If they were to go all out now and deplete their mana, they wouldn't be able to handle the real threat when it emerged.

Perhaps this was part of the enemy's plan—sending medium-sized Variants to drain their mana and reduce the threat posed by Special Task Force S128.

As a result, the trio had been conserving enough mana for the upcoming battles, not daring to go all out.

But now...

Just as the three were uncertain about how to proceed, a voice finally came through their communication crystals.