-2128- The three brothers of Akabane

"————!"

In the midst of the fierce and blazing battle, both Raishin and Magnus suddenly stiffened, as if frozen solid. In that instant, they were completely unable to move.

The same happened to the girls of the combat unit, manipulated by Magnus. Their eyes widened, frozen in place, unable to move a muscle.

A surge of magic—not vast, but incredibly dense—had invaded their bodies, taking control over them.

Thus, the intense clash between Raishin and Magnus came to an abrupt halt, unable to continue any further.

"Woosh!"

At that moment, the sound of the air being torn echoed from the temple-like sanctum, and several figures descended upon the scene.

A young man, accompanied by three stunningly beautiful girls, appeared on this battlefield.

"Nuragami!"

Upon seeing the young man, Raishin's eyes widened.

"You..."

Even Magnus looked surprised that Rozen had shown up here, his expression shifting slightly.

Rozen had finally arrived at the scene, and with a single glance, he grasped the situation.

It looked like Raishin and Magnus had fought to a draw. Both had pale faces, and their eyes reflected exhaustion and weakness—signs of how intense the battle had been.

The power of the Crimson Wing Formation still lingered on their bodies.

The girls of the combat unit had clothing torn with gashes and stained with blood.

The tip of the demonic blade in Raishin's hand—drawn and wielded—was dripping with blood.

The entire battlefield looked as if it had been plowed through. Deep cracks, craters, shattered rocks, and scattered debris—anyone could tell from the wreckage that a ferocious battle had taken place.

"You guys really went all out."

Rozen quickly grasped the situation, a faint wry smile appearing on his face.

It was Raishin who responded.

"Let me go! Nuragami!"

Struggling, Raishin shouted loudly at Rozen.

"No, I can't do that." Rozen refused without hesitation. "I can't let you two continue fighting."

Naturally, that statement was met with protest.

"Why?" Raishin looked at Rozen with disbelief. "Are you trying to stop me from killing the one who wiped out my clan?"

He seemed unable to believe that Rozen would do such a thing.

After all, Akabane Tenzen had betrayed and slaughtered their entire clan. Even if Rozen didn't want to kill him, he shouldn't be stopping Raishin from doing it.

Unfortunately, Raishin was assuming too much.

"From the outcome alone, yes, I'm stopping you," Rozen said, gazing intently at Raishin, as if he could see right through him. "But it doesn't mean I'm on his side. If he wanted to kill you, I would stop him too."

In other words, as long as Rozen was here, neither Raishin nor Magnus would be allowed to kill the other.

"Don't ask me why." Rozen cut off Raishin's rising questions and continued, "I already told you, there's something suspicious about the massacre back then—there may be hidden truths. With that possibility, do you really think I'd let you kill him before the truth is revealed?"

Raishin bit his lip, his emotions growing increasingly agitated.

"I told you—I saw it with my own eyes. I saw him slaughter our entire clan! You were there too, in that sea of fire, didn't you see the corpses lying around him?" Raishin cried, as if reliving that moment, filled with hatred. "Isn't that enough proof?"

It seemed Raishin had completely ignored Rozen's words.

Rozen had already told him—what you see with your eyes isn't always the truth.

But Raishin clearly didn't believe that.

If that's the case...

"Do you trust me?" Rozen asked plainly. "Do you think I'd say this without reason? Or do you think I'm protecting a murderer?"

That question rendered Raishin speechless.

Raishin knew Rozen all too well.

Since they were children, Rozen had always been known for his brilliance—his quick mind and adaptability were so impressive that even Akabane Tenzen often felt inferior, led around by Rozen's logic.

Someone like Rozen wouldn't speak without a solid reason. He had to have grounds for what he said.

"Then tell me—if it wasn't him, then who killed Father, Mother, and Nadeshiko?"

Raishin asked in a low voice.

But before Rozen could reply, Magnus interrupted.

"It was me," Magnus said emotionlessly. "I killed them all. There's no need to doubt that."

Those cold and merciless words dropped the atmosphere to absolute zero.

Raishin's face twisted, the magic power surging from his body turning into a wave of murderous intent.

Rozen let out another wry smile. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

There was nothing he could do.

Magnus's words, while cold and heartless, carried a certain conviction and resolve.

Which meant—he wasn't lying.

No matter what hidden truths lay behind the Akabane clan's massacre, if Magnus—formerly Akabane Tenzen—truly committed the act, what else could Rozen say?

Even Raishin lowered his head.

"Let me go, Nuragami," he said softly.

But Rozen didn't comply.

He knew full well—if he let Raishin go now, the latter would immediately charge at Magnus and attempt to kill him.

That alone was reason enough not to release him.

However, just because Rozen didn't release him didn't mean Raishin was helpless.

"Hum!"

Suddenly, the demonic blade in Raishin's hand trembled violently, emitting waves of magic that enveloped him.

"Szzt!"

A slicing sound echoed as the binding spell of the Kotodama surrounding Raishin was severed, restoring his freedom.

Raishin had used the demon blade Masamune to undo Rozen's word command.

At the same time, something stirred on Magnus's side as well.

"Zing!"

Responding to a magical feedback line, light flashed over Magnus's body, and the magic power of Rozen's word command was completely absorbed.

It was the magic circuit of the automaton Tamamushi—Magic Absorption.

As the name implied, it was a circuit that absorbed magic power.

Thus, Tamamushi had relayed the power of this magic through the link to the Crimson Wing Formation connected to Magnus, absorbing Rozen's Kotodama and freeing him.

In the blink of an eye, both brothers regained their freedom.

"Prepare to die!"

Raishin burst forward at blinding speed.

"Hotaru! Kamikiri! Kagero! Tamamushi! Mitsubachi! Himegumo!"

Magnus instantly commanded six automatons to charge toward Raishin.

But Rozen had already noticed both brothers' movements.

With the help of Spirit Vision and Mind's Eye, there was no way their small gestures could escape his notice.

So, as the brothers lunged toward each other, multiple figures intercepted them.

"Please stop!"

Irori appeared in front of the team of automaton girls, laced with frost.

"Yaya won't let you pass!"

Yaya confronted the squad directly.

"This is Rozen's order. Sorry, big sisters."

Komurasaki also leapt into the fray.

As for Rozen, he appeared before Raishin.

"So you want to fight?"

Rozen's voice rang through the entire battlefield.

"Fine. I'll be your opponent then."