บท 1385: -1367- Taste the consequences
"Boom————!"
In the depths of Okutama's mountains, a telephone booth was shattered by a massive fist, as if struck by a cannonball. The booth was obliterated, and the ground beneath it fractured, sending dust and debris flying.
The ground quaked, creating a spiderweb of cracks around the destroyed telephone booth.
The perpetrator was a rock giant—a colossal entity entirely made of brown stone.
This giant was over five meters tall, resembling a golem, but far larger and stronger than the golems faced by the student knights of Hagun Academy. However, it was entirely different from the golems summoned by Rozen.
Rozen's golems were crafted from a combination of rock, metal, wood, and earth, making them significantly harder and more refined than this stone giant, which was a crude assembly of bare rocks.
Despite its crude appearance, its size and strength were undeniable. The moment its enormous fist smashed down, the telephone booth was pulverized.
Naturally, anyone inside the booth wouldn't have survived.
A normal human would be killed instantly by such an attack. Even a Blazer, with magical protection, could be severely injured and on the brink of death.
In other words, this stone giant had been targeting Rozen from the start.
The attack was intended to be lethal, leaving no room for survival.
If Rozen had been hit without any defensive measures, he too would have perished.
That is, if he had no defenses and was actually hit.
But...
"With a body of that size, did you really think you could hide your footsteps?"
A mocking voice came from behind the stone giant.
"————!"
The stone giant's eyes glowed red as it turned around to face the voice.
There, standing at the edge of a newly formed crack, was a young man. He stood there, as if he had precisely calculated that the giant's attack wouldn't reach him, looking up at the towering stone figure with a smile.
He spoke calmly.
"The ground trembled so much, I knew you were coming from a mile away. Trying to ambush me? Idiot."
Rozen said casually.
The stone giant's eyes flashed as if enraged. It lifted its massive foot, preparing to stomp down on Rozen.
Unfortunately for the giant, it had no chance.
"Bang————!"
Just as the giant prepared to step, its enormous body suddenly exploded. In a burst of flames, it shattered into countless burning stones, scattering in all directions.
Rozen remained standing, his eyes now resembling blazing flames, burning a fiery red.
Watching the stone giant disintegrate under his explosive magic eye, Rozen muttered.
"A puppet?"
Yes.
The stone giant wasn't a summoned creature like Rozen's golems but a puppet, crafted and controlled by someone else.
Even without using his Mind's Eye, Rozen could see with his Spirit Vision that the stone giant was connected by numerous invisible threads.
This indicated that someone was controlling the puppet from a distance, using those threads to manipulate the giant and attack Rozen.
"You've got some skill, not leaving any trace for me to follow back to your location. You must be far away, controlling this puppet remotely, right?"
Rozen spoke as if addressing someone, his tone indifferent.
"But don't think you can show off in front of me with just this."
Distance?
For a skilled magus or jujutsu user, distance was no obstacle.
Even if he couldn't trace the threads to the controller, it didn't mean that Rozen, with his vast knowledge of spells, was helpless against them.
"Just wait and taste the consequences."
With those words, Rozen's figure disappeared from the spot.
...
Meanwhile, in a dark, hidden room, someone was present.
"Oh dear, it was over so quickly. How boring."
The person spoke in a light, mocking tone.
This was someone dressed like a clown, wearing a clown mask.
"I see, so that's Hagun Academy's other A-rank knight, appointed as a representative instructor. He's not an ordinary student. I wanted to take him out, but it seems that puppet wasn't enough."
The clown sighed, but there was no real frustration in his voice. Instead, he sounded like a child who had found a new toy and was thinking of ways to play with it.
In this situation...
"That side should have been fully entrusted to that 'assassin.' Why did you act on your own?"
A heavy, oppressive presence filled the room as these words were spoken.
A muscular man in a kimono entered, his expression cold, exuding a terrifying aura.
This aura was more akin to a ferocious beast, a savage creature, or a demon than a human.
Under such pressure, an ordinary person would faint.
But the clown remained unfazed, even laughing absurdly.
"You say that, but I just wanted to help things along. Besides, letting me have a bit of fun shouldn't be an issue, right?"
It was clear that the latter part of the statement was the clown's true intention.
The muscular man spoke with cold indifference.
"Trying to deal with an A-rank knight with such a flimsy toy is sheer arrogance."
The muscular man showed no support for the clown.
"Oh, I can't argue with that."
The clown scratched his head, seemingly helpless.
"That man is my prey," the muscular man declared. "When the plan starts, if he manages to return, I'll be the one to face him."
After all, the man wasn't participating in the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival. Facing him would be a good opportunity then.
"Until then, don't do anything unnecessary. Go play other games, Pierrot."
With those words, the muscular man turned and left.
Leaving the clown alone, feeling quite bored.
"How dull, there's no fun to be had."
It was unclear whether the clown referred to his target or the muscular man who had warned him.
"Well, the game has just begun. I'll enjoy it slowly."
The clown laughed wildly and then turned to leave.
Unaware that a dark magical aura had flashed and entered his body.
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