Rozen truly hadn't expected that the person secretly watching from the shadows would turn out to be her.
This realization instantly eased the vigilance in Rozen's heart, leaving only helplessness behind.
Initially, Rozen had assumed that whoever was lurking in the shadows was some kind of mastermind—perhaps even someone connected to the three Primogenitors. That was why he had remained on high alert, refraining from dealing with the Cleansers and instead observing from the sidelines.
Using his extraordinary knowledge of magic, he had covertly traced the flow of the opponent's magical energy through their spells, intending to expose the hidden schemer and eliminate them all in one fell swoop.
Who would have thought that, in the end, it would turn out to be such a mischievous character?
Still, mischievous as they might be, Rozen was relatively at ease with their presence.
This person might indeed be plotting something behind the scenes, but they would never harm Rozen—of that, he was confident.
With that in mind, Rozen no longer needed to hold back.
"Senpai?"
"D-Divine Child…?"
Perhaps sensing Rozen's sudden relaxation, Yukina and Yuiri spoke up in surprise.
After all, they couldn't understand why Rozen had been so serious just moments ago, warning them about someone watching, only to suddenly seem at ease now.
"It's fine. You don't need to worry about it anymore," Rozen shook his head, offering no further explanation. Instead, he gazed ahead and said, "Right now, we should focus on how to resolve this situation."
With no need to concern himself with the hidden observer, the only thing left to deal with was the unfolding crisis before them.
And at this point, the situation was spiraling out of control.
"Boom—Boom—Boom—!"
The earth-shaking battle in the mountains continued, collapsing the terrain, tearing apart the atmosphere, and reducing entire slopes to rubble. The tremors grew increasingly violent, and the deafening roars of destruction showed no signs of stopping.
By now, it was impossible to tell how many mountains had been flattened or how many forested paths had been obliterated. The devastation stretched for kilometers, leaving nothing but ruins in its wake.
The overwhelming might of the Beast Vassals clashed relentlessly against the horned serpent, their attacks barely able to penetrate the black aurora-like erosion of the otherworldly barrier. Instead, they relied on indirect strikes to inflict damage, leaving the serpent's body riddled with wounds.
Of course, neither Vatler nor Iblisveil were unscathed. Both had their bodies shattered multiple times by the serpent's bombardment, only to regenerate again and again.
The battle grew fiercer and more destructive with each passing moment. If this continued, the entire Tanzawa mountain range would be reduced to ruins, Kanagawa Prefecture would suffer collateral damage, and even Tokyo would eventually be shaken by the aftermath.
Yukina and Yuiri watched in horror, gripping their holy spears tightly as they bit their lips.
"This can't go on! We have to stop them!" Yukina exclaimed.
"You're right! If this keeps up, the damage will be catastrophic!" Yuiri agreed urgently.
Though this area was a remote, sparsely populated mountain range, it wasn't completely uninhabited. Places like Kamioda Shrine had existed here for generations, and there were others like it.
Not to mention, the Self-Defense Forces and the Lion King Agency were still busy exterminating the Horned Serpents. If this battle raged on unchecked, it would inevitably lead to disaster.
From this perspective, the arguments of the Knights of the Sinful God weren't entirely baseless. The power of vampires was indeed overwhelmingly destructive—even a single Beast Vassal could cause massive devastation, let alone a Second-Generation Progenitor and an Old Generation vampire noble.
And these two were no ordinary royalty or aristocrats. One had devoured his own sister, while the other had absorbed two Elders, granting them the ability to fuse their Beast Vassals—putting them on par with the Primogenitors in terms of raw power. If left unchecked, they would carve irreversible scars into the world.
Which was exactly why Yukina and Yuiri had to intervene.
For the sake of this country.
"Indeed... it's about time to end this."
Rozen nodded in agreement.
Then—
"Wait here."
Leaving those words behind, Rozen stood up from the back of the swamp dragon and melted into space, vanishing without a trace.
"Senpai!"
Yukina tried to call out to him, but it was too late. She could only stand there, stunned.
Seeing her like this, Yuiri also grew uneasy.
"Hey... Yukina-chan," Yuiri said hesitantly. "You don't think the Divine Child will go even further than the Duke of Ardeal and His Highness Iblisveil, do you?"
Her words struck right at Yukina's deepest worry.
All Yukina could do was pray.
Pray that Rozen would show mercy.
"RAAAAAAAAAAGH—!!!"
At the same time, within the poisonous purple miasma, the horned serpent—its body smoking as if dissolving—let out a pained howl as it was bombarded by countless falling boulders, forced back while roaring in fury.
"Damn Demons! Damn vampires!"
The voice of the Knight of the Sinful God echoed from the serpent's maw as it unleashed another searing blast of flame, hurtling toward both Vatler and Iblisveil.
"Excellent! Keep it coming, Knight of the Sinful God!"
Vatler, though battered and bleeding, laughed wildly as he unleashed his magical energy.
"I'll tear you apart limb by limb!"
Iblisveil was in no better shape, his body drenched in blood as he snarled viciously.
Both prepared to summon their Beast Vassals once more to counter the incoming attack.
But this battle was destined to be taken over.
"—!"
The space before Vatler and Iblisveil suddenly rippled like disturbed water, swallowing the incoming flames whole and leaving no trace behind.
"Hm?"
Vatler and Iblisveil blinked in unison before frowning and turning their gazes forward.
There—
"You've had your fun, haven't you?"
A figure appeared without a sound.
"Now it's my turn."
Rozen stood with his back to Vatler and Iblisveil, facing the horned serpent as he unilaterally declared his intentions.
"Trying to steal our prey, Minamiya Nichiyo?!"
Iblisveil spat out the words with clear displeasure.
"Depriving others of their enjoyment isn't very sporting, you know?"
Vatler's tone, too, carried a note of disappointment.
But Rozen paid them no mind, not even turning his head as he replied.
"Didn't we agree it was first come, first served? Since I was the one who found this thing first, I have the right to fight it, don't I?"
His words left both Vatler and Iblisveil momentarily speechless.
With a faint smirk, Rozen ignored them and turned his full attention to the horned serpent.
"Minamiya—!!!"
As the saying goes, "When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred." Rozen's appearance sent the already enraged Knight of the Sinful God into a frenzy.
Watching the horned serpent charge recklessly toward him, Rozen's lips curled upward.
Cold, sharp emotion flickered in his eyes.