On this day, in the Tanzawa Mountains of Kanagawa Prefecture, a battle that could shake heaven and earth unfolded beneath the sky.
A clash so momentous it deserved to be recorded in the annals of history.
Terrifying magical energy swirled.
Black auroras spread like ink in water.
The earth trembled without cease.
Mountain peaks shook one after another.
A truly world-shaking battle raged here.
"BOOOOOOM—!"
At the epicenter, an entire mountain disintegrated—collapsing into rolling boulders and cascading dust as it sank into the ground, the deafening roar of its destruction echoing endlessly.
Within the chaos, Beast Vassals of devastating power surrounded the colossal turtle-serpent monstrosity, their attacks carving destruction across the landscape.
The vampires—some materializing as mist atop distant peaks, others soaring on wings of magic—wore expressions of ecstatic frenzy. Their runaway magical energy birthed new Beast Vassals, which joined the assault.
The abomination roared, its body wreathed in black auroras that dissolved the vampires' attacks—even consuming the Beast Vassals themselves.
Both the assaults and the Beast Vassals were constructs of magic.
And against foreign erosion, which negated all supernatural power, they stood no chance—captured and erased one after another.
Yet the vampires were not helpless.
"Manasvin! Utpalaka!"
Vatler, grinning madly, summoned two gargantuan serpents—one a raging black tsunami, the other a frozen glacial river—that coiled together midair, fusing into an azure dragon.
The dragon's breath shattered mountains around the abomination, collapsing the terrain into a storm of boulders that pummeled the beast, forcing it back with pained howls.
Magic might fail—but the physical devastation wrought by the attack bypassed foreign erosion's negation entirely.
"Meretseger!"
Not to be outdone, Iblisveil sent his venomous cobra slithering through the air, twisting the atmosphere into violet-tinged poison. The abomination's flesh smoked and melted upon contact, drawing another agonized screech.
This Beast Vassal transformed the very air into corrosive acid—a tangible threat even foreign erosion couldn't nullify.
The vampires—one a prince, the other nearly a Primogenitor—had found their strategy.
But their enemy was no fool.
Between attacks, it retaliated with blazing fireballs rivaling Beast Vassals in destructive force.
Tobias and Kira took direct hits—half their bodies vaporized. Were they not immortal vampires, they'd have died instantly.
Even Vatler and Iblisveil suffered multiple blows, forced to summon Beast Vassals as shields—only for them to be consumed by the black auroras, leaving the vampires wounded and scrambling.
Yet this only intensified their euphoria.
They attacked with reckless abandon, turning the battlefield into a hellscape.
Mountains fractured.
The earth buckled.
A corner of the Tanzawa range resembled the aftermath of an asteroid strike—quakes and explosions never ceasing.
Amid the magical storms and geysers of debris, the marsh dragon soared to safety, its passengers trembling at the spectacle below.
"T-That's... the true power of a vampire prince and a noble nearing Primogenitor status...?"
Yuiri's voice shook with awe.
Back at Shinjin Lake, Yuiri had witnessed the power of Vatler and Iblisveil—but what she saw then was merely the surface of their strength.
Now, they were fighting seriously.
Iblisveil continuously summoned multiple Beast Vassals, coordinating their assaults seamlessly.
Vatler, no longer content with fusing just two Beast Vassals, had begun merging three—creating a three-headed dragon whose might rivaled that of a Primogenitor's Beast Vassal.
Meanwhile, Tobias and Kira—both powerful pureblood nobles renowned even in the Warlord Dominion for their combat prowess—had already withdrawn from the battle, their bodies too damaged to continue. Against an enemy that pushed even Vatler and Iblisveil to their limits, they stood no chance.
"I just hope there aren't any civilians nearby..."
Yukina bit her lip in concern.
Anyone caught in this calamity would face near-certain death—no different from being trapped in a natural disaster. Survival would depend entirely on luck.
Rozen, however, remained eerily detached—his gaze distant, as if preoccupied.
Noticing this, Yukina frowned.
"Senpai... aren't you going to intervene?"
Rozen smiled faintly.
"It's not that I won't. I'm just... assessing the situation."
"Assessing...?" Yuiri blinked in confusion.
Rozen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Haven't you noticed? Something's been watching us this whole time."
Indeed—something had been observing them.
Rozen had sensed it early on, which was why he'd held back—tracing the source of this surveillance through the flow of magical energy.
Now, after silently unraveling the opposing spell, he'd finally glimpsed the observer.
"Honestly... I have no idea why that person would be in a place like this."
His voice carried a note of exasperation.