"Buzz—!"
In the sky above the arena, the force field representing the Wizard Field expanded once more, covering the entire arena.
"Boom—!"
Almost at the same time, the flames around Yamier exploded, transforming into a rolling blaze, raising the temperature throughout the arena.
The heatwave, like a storm of scorching air, blew towards Rozen and the others.
"Ugh...!"
Kanata, Chloe, Yuri, and Mina immediately deployed magical barriers in front of themselves, blocking the heatwave.
Rozen, however, did not take any defensive measures, simply unfolding the Kongouriki technique and letting himself stand within the heatwave, while his gaze remained fixed on Yamier.
Everyone, including Zeth, believed that Rozen, after using the Fire Realm Incantation on the Ninth Artificial Floating Island, could, like Yamier, convert magic power directly into flames and heat. But Rozen knew better about his own situation and also understood Yamier's peculiarity.
Rozen could see at a glance what made Yamier special.
"Is it the same ability as Karna?"
Yes.
Yamier possessed the same ability as Karna.
That ability was one of Karna's unique skills—Mana Burst (Flame).
Through this skill, Karna, the incarnation of the sun, could transform his magic power into raging flames. These flames could be used either for offense and defense, applied to weapons for combat, or even for propulsion, enabling him to fly at supersonic speeds in the air, making it an extraordinarily powerful skill.
Though Mana Burst wasn't particularly rare—many Blazers knew how to use this technique—Yamier's case was special. She could convert her magic power into flames and heat, possessing the same Mana Burst (Flame) ability as Karna.
With this ability, even without using jutsuryoku or collapse force, Yamier's strength was undeniable.
However...
"I'm no longer the Master who could only be protected by Karna."
Rozen suddenly smiled.
This smile seemed to provoke Yamier, causing her to slash down her crimson sword without hesitation.
"Rumble...!"
The intense flames immediately transformed into a tidal wave of fire, surging forward.
The scene resembled multiple explosions happening at once, advancing with a terrifying momentum.
This attack, if not for the Wizard Field, would likely have blown away the entire arena.
With such a powerful strike, regardless of Rozen, Chloe and the others surely wouldn't dare to take it head-on.
"Scatter!"
Immediately, Chloe, as the vice-captain, gave the command, and everyone dashed off in different directions, leaving the spot in an instant.
Only Rozen remained, gazing at the oncoming wave of heat. He reached out and, using the Magic Defense, raised an invisible barrier before him.
"Thud—!"
The raging flames struck the transparent barrier like waves crashing against a cliff, and with a booming sound, they were stopped by the barrier.
The flames swept past the barrier's sides, completely unable to reach Rozen.
However, it was clear that Yamier hadn't unleashed the flames to attack.
"Now!"
Yamier coldly gave the command.
"Gregor! Francis! Parson! Gerrit!"
Yamier called out the names of her subordinates one by one.
""""Understood!""""
Behind her, several humanoid Armored Beetles, representing Team Vebel, stepped forward.
"Show these lowly humans the power of our humanoid Armored Beetles!"
Yamier ordered.
""""Yes!""""
The four humanoid Armored Beetles responded loudly.
The next moment...
"Boom!"
With the sound of an atmospheric explosion, a black tide surged from the bodies of the humanoid Armored Beetles of Vebel.
At this moment, it wasn't just magic power—they were all using jutsuryoku, merging magic power and jutsuryoku to form a higher level of power—Collapse Force.
Winds howled around them.
The space around them groaned.
The black tide of power surged into the sky like a volcanic eruption.
Even Yamier activated her collapse force, causing her presence and oppressive aura to grow exponentially.
Seeing Yamier and the others like this, Rozen's eyes flashed.
"Finally!"
"So they've finally revealed it!"
Finally, Kanata, Chloe, Yuri, and Mina all felt a jolt in their hearts, and their expressions became serious.
Meanwhile, in the VIP viewing seats, Zeth slowly smiled, while Annerose face darkened. Cris, Emilie, and River all held their breaths.
Because they knew, the true calamity had finally arrived.
"What... what is that?"
"Mana...?"
"That's not mana, is it?"
"What's with this ominous feeling?"
In the spectator stands, the faces of many who were watching Yamier and the others unleash Collapse Force began to change, becoming both noisy and anxious.
The same scene was unfolding across the floating cities worldwide.
Under the gaze of people all over the world, Collapse Force, once thought to be just a hypothesis, finally stood in the light.
And the power of humanoid Armored Beetles was being showcased on the global stage for the first time.
"Destroy them!"
Without hesitation, Yamier gave the order.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
The four humanoid Armored Beetles immediately stomped the air, shooting out like flashes of light toward Kanata, Chloe, Yuri, and Mina.
"...!"
The four immediately reacted, scattering again without hesitation.
But the four humanoid Armored Beetles, using the powerful boost from Collapse Force, displayed tremendous speed, instantly catching up to their targets.
"Clang—!"
Gregor swung his magic sword heavily at Kanata, who hurriedly raised his magic cannon sword to block, unleashing tremendous power.
"So heavy...!"
Kanata used his magic cannon sword to parry the incoming magic sword, but the immense strength instantly overwhelmed him, and within a second, he was sent crashing toward the ground.
The others fared similarly.
Chloe was barraged by the boy wielding a magic lance. Even when she unleashed cannon blasts, they were crushed by his magic bullets, and she was sent flying by the explosion.
Yuri and Mina were simultaneously attacked by a boy and a girl, and after just a few exchanges, they were forced back, unable to gain the upper hand.
The four S-class sky wizards of Special Task Force S128 were all overwhelmed in an instant.
As for Rozen...
"Your opponent is me."
Yamier stepped before Rozen, pointing her sword at him, her voice filled with battle fervor as she eagerly challenged him.
"I won't let you interfere."
It was as if she could already see Rozen's flustered expression.
In her eyes, the other four were merely small fry, easily dealt with. As long as she kept Rozen busy, there was nothing to worry about.
However...
"Interfere?"
Rozen not only didn't seem flustered, but rather, like a hunter about to trap his prey, he showed a mischievous expression.
He couldn't help it.
"I should be the one saying that."
As he spoke, a blood mist rose from Rozen's body.
Chains of silver-white shot out from him, filling the surroundings.
"This is...!?"
Seeing chains of silver-white shoot out from Rozen's body, Yamier instinctively heightened her Collapse Force, transforming it into blazing flames that enveloped her.
However, what surprised Yamier was that the chains didn't come at her. Instead, they scattered in all directions, enclosing the area around her and Rozen, forming a silver-white spherical cage.
Seeing this, Yamier instantly understood.
Rozen's goal wasn't to attack or to escape her, but quite the opposite.
"This way, neither you nor I can interfere with the outside."
Rozen hovered before Yamier and casually said this.
Upon hearing these words, Yamier had only one thought.
Is he crazy?
That's right.
This was the thought of everyone witnessing this scene.
"He actually trapped himself with Yamier, completely ignoring the rest of the battle?"
Even Zeth was shocked.
Not just Zeth, even Annerose and the others were stunned.
"What is he trying to do?"
"Isn't this just pushing Chloe and the others into a desperate situation?"
"Does he have no intention of rescuing them?"
Emilie, Cris, and River were equally shocked.
Everyone thought that seeing Chloe and the others in danger, Rozen would undoubtedly find a way to protect them, fight against the enemies, and try to win the match under adverse conditions.
However, no one had expected that Rozen would not only refrain from helping Chloe and the others but would also actively trap himself with Yumier, ensuring that neither of them could interfere.
"Could he be planning to use this method, treating his teammates as bait, and then defeat Yamier Kaiser in a one-on-one fight?"
That's what Annerose believed.
In the knockout rounds of the Sky Wizards Martial Arts Festival, the competition's rules were similar to Mistgun's ranking battles, where two teams would compete to eliminate the other.
However, unlike Mistgun's ranking battles, the only way to win in the Sky Wizards Martial Arts Festival was to struck down the opposing team's captain.
In other words, as long as the captain wasn't struck down, the match would continue.
For example, in the first match, Yumier defeated four Sky Wizards from Falcion but didn't manage to defeat Noel, the team captain. Therefore, Falcion hadn't lost yet. If Noel could defeat Yumier, the captain of Vebel, it would still count as a victory for Noel, even if Vebel's other four Armored Beetles weren't defeated.
In such a scenario, Yumier's team planned to first demonstrate the overwhelming power of a Collapse Force wielder. Yumier would hold off Rozen, while the others would defeat Mistgun's Sky Wizards, and then they would join forces to take down Rozen.
Of course, that was the plan. Yumier herself simply wanted to face Rozen head-on, so joint attacks were only a backup strategy in case of unexpected events. Yumier had no intention of using joint tactics unless necessary; she wanted to defeat Rozen in a one-on-one fight to claim victory.
That's why the battle had developed this way.
But now, Rozen had not only ignored his own teammates but also created a stage where he and Yumier could settle things in a one-on-one duel. Annerose thought Rozen was plotting to turn the tables, using his teammates as bait to lure away the four Collapse Force wielders, and then defeat Yamier, the captain, to win the match.
Thinking this, Annerose relaxed.
Unfortunately, the next development would shake everyone to their core, changing the situation for both camps.
"You all must think that among humans, only I can pose a threat to you. As long as I'm dealt with, humanity will be no match for you and will become nothing more than prey for your Armored Beetles, right?"
Inside the cage formed by the Injunction Shackles, Rozen neither launched a fierce attack nor seemed intent on settling things with Yamier. Instead, he spoke calmly.
Seeing this, an ominous feeling arose in Yamier's heart.
Still, with her confidence, she responded.
"Of course. Compared to us Collapse Force wielders, humans are nothing but ants. If it weren't for Lord Zeth's insistence on ruling humans rather than exterminating them, we could have wiped them from this world long ago with our power."
This wasn't just boasting; it was a fact.
With the number of Collapse Force wielders on their side and their massive army of Armored Beetles, Zeth could have easily destroyed humanity if he wanted to.
Compared to the Armored Beetle faction, humans were far too weak.
Thus, if the two sides went to war, humanity would surely lose. Even if they holed up in floating cities powered by high-grade mana reactors, once their mana ran out, all that awaited them was destruction.
That's why neither Zeth nor Yumier viewed humans as a threat.
Because they weren't a threat, the strategy was to rule them rather than exterminate them.
If Rozen hadn't appeared, humanity truly wouldn't have had the qualifications to fight the Armored Beetles.
But Rozen did appear.
And now...
"I'll shatter your confidence and show you whether the 'ants' you talk about can really be crushed at your whim."
With this declaration, Rozen raised his hand high and clenched it into a fist.
Everyone saw this scene.
Including Kanata, Chloe, Yuri, and Mena.
Seeing this, the four, who were struggling and covered in wounds, suddenly lit up.
Then, they all smiled.
"Zing—!"
In that instant, the four magic-alchemized weapons in the hands of Kanata, Chloe, Yuri, and Mena began to glow.
"Boom—!"
Simultaneously, a terrifying power surged from their bodies.
That power resembled a radiant spiritual aura, gradually rising.
That power gleamed with majestic mana, flickering like waves.
Kanata, Chloe, Yuri, and Mena's auras all grew immensely powerful.
"What...!?"
In the VIP stands, Zeth's expression changed for the first time.
And it wasn't just a subtle shift—it was a drastic one.
Others who recognized that power reacted the same way.
"That's...!?"
Emilie, Cris, and River were shocked.
Annerose even stood up in disbelief.
"High-grade mana...!?"
That's right.
What surged from Kanata, Chloe, Yuri, and Mena was high-grade mana.
Mana comparable to Collapse Force.
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