-2129- Come on

"Nuragami!"

Seeing Rozen block his path, Raishin was forced to stop in his tracks.

However, Raishin's face was full of anger, clearly showing his strong disapproval of Rozen's actions.

On the other side, Magnus was not the least bit surprised by Rozen's intervention. As he looked at the three sisters of Setsugetsuka standing in front of his team, a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes. Rather than halting, he increased his magical output, changed formation, and channeled the Crimson Wing Formation lines into all six automatons, pushing their power to the extreme.

Seeing this, Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki dared not be careless. They too shifted formation and raised a defense line.

If one observed carefully, they would notice that the formations of both Setsugetsuka and Magnus's team shared the same essence.

That's because both formations originated from the ancient Puppet Art passed down for a millennium in the Akabane family.

The difference lay in this: the formation used by the Team was exactly as recorded in the Puppet Art, while the formation of the three sisters had deviated from the script—yet appeared more fluid and natural.

Over the centuries, Rozen had long since surpassed the original level of the Puppet Art. Through relentless self-development and innovation, he had refined and elevated it across countless levels. He could command formations and strategies fit for armies of hundreds of thousands—something the original Akabane Puppet Art could never achieve.

At present, even with only three automata, Rozen's formations far exceeded what was recorded in the Akabane family's art.

"This is..."

Magnus noticed something off. His expression shifted slightly, but without showing it, he launched an offensive, signaling his Team's girls to advance.

"Be careful! Yaya! Komurasaki!"

"Yes!"

"Okay! Onee-sama!"

Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki immediately surged with mana, their magic circuits activating in an instant, and pushed to their limit.

With the ability of Thought Partition, Rozen possessed twenty-seven distinct lines of thought. Coupled with his innate ability to multitask, even while confronting Raishin directly, he could still control Setsugetsuka to fight Magnus' Team on equal terms.

Facing Raishin, Rozen remained silent. A flash of flame appeared in his hand as he gripped the Holy Sword of the Sun.

"That sword..."

Raishin's attention was finally diverted. Looking at the sword in Rozen's hand—Galantine—his expression changed slightly.

Raishin could feel it. On that sword wrapped in the flames of the sun, there resided a power that surpassed even the Masamune.

And that was only natural.

After all, Galantine was one of a pair of divine weapons forged by the stars—the sister blade of Excalibur. As the solar counterpart to the Star Sword, it represented the sun itself, and was far beyond any magic blade that had merely accumulated centuries of power.

Raishin was shocked not only by the sword's appearance, but more so by Rozen's actions.

Because if Rozen had drawn that sword, then he must have one intention only.

"You probably thought that the 'Divine Child' of the Akabane clan, like the 'Heaven Child,' only used magic to fight, didn't you?"

Rozen smiled at Raishin.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm about to disappoint. I may not have trained in swordsmanship, but I have used systemized sword techniques. Want to give it a try?"

Hearing that, Raishin found it ridiculous for two reasons.

First, he knew how weak Rozen's body used to be. Now he dared to fight him with a sword? Ridiculous.

Second, Rozen's sword stance was far too casual. It lacked any of the discipline or structure that true martial artists possessed. From the perspective of someone like Raishin—who had honed his swordsmanship to the level of Mind's Eye—it was laughable.

And yet, strangely, Rozen's posture, though unorthodox, had a charm of its own. It possessed the air of a personal, unique style. Even with Raishin's keen eye, he could find no flaws in it.

Raishin unconsciously tightened his grip on Masamune and glared at Rozen.

"Get out of the way, Nuragami!"

Raishin shouted.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

Rozen replied calmly.

"Don't push me!"

Raishin's face twisted with strain and frustration.

"Come on, then."

Rozen knew that words would no longer stop Raishin.

Since that was the case, he would have to use more forceful methods.

Raishin could see it too. There was no persuading Rozen without violence.

"...You leave me no choice!"

Raishin took a deep breath and made up his mind.

"Boom!"

A torrent of powerful mana surged from his body, turning his eyes crimson red. Blood energy burst from his back, forming vibrating crimson wings.

"Bang!"

Raishin stomped down, shattering the floor beneath him. Like a bolt of crimson lightning, he shot toward Rozen.

Rozen immediately raised Galantine.

"Clang——!"

The Holy Sword of the Sun, blazing with flame, clashed fiercely against the magic sword enveloped in crimson mana. The deafening crash ignited a shockwave like a storm, sweeping outward.

"Crack crack crack...!"

As they took the impact, the ground beneath Rozen and Raishin crumbled and collapsed, sending fragments flying all around.

"Haaah!"

Seeing that one blow failed, Raishin pulled back his blade and instantly unleashed a storm of slashes, sending countless strikes raining down toward Rozen like a whirlwind.

The slashes howled, the flashes dazzled, the force overwhelming—like being caught in a vortex of blades. Rozen could feel the sting on his skin.

But Rozen remained calm. He used Heaven's Eye to observe every path Raishin's blade took, and Mind's Eye to predict the trajectory of the strikes. With a flare of heat from Galantine, he met the attack head-on.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!..."

The clash of steel echoed without pause.

Rozen and Raishin swung sword and blade at blinding speeds, their weapons sparking with flame and magic in a relentless collision of steel.

The two figures weaved and darted through the battlefield—one like a shadowy wraith, the other a crimson demon. As they flickered in and out of sight, the flurry of sword and blade lit up their surroundings.

The ground was scarred and shattered by their attacks. The walls and pillars of the cathedral were sliced clean by blade and sword alike, covered in gashes. Even the air was in turmoil, torn by sword energy and scattered with flying debris—an electrifying sight.

"Nuragami! You...!?"

Raishin had finally witnessed Rozen's swordsmanship. Watching Rozen unleash a variety of techniques and match him blow for blow, Raishin's heart was overwhelmed with complex emotions.

Rozen, in contrast, remained composed.

"Don't get distracted, or you'll get hurt."

He warned.

In his hand, the Holy Sword of the Sun radiated with starlight.