To put it bluntly, Rozen's rampage had left the surrounding area utterly devoid of life, with no hope of recovery for decades—perhaps even a century.
In other words, for the next several decades or even a hundred years, this place would likely remain a war-torn wasteland, resembling a battlefield ravaged by artillery fire, with no chance of returning to its former lush, verdant state.
Now, the forest was gone, the mountains were gone, and if this hadn't been an uninhabited area, the disaster and destruction would have been catastrophic.
After all, the scale of devastation was comparable to an entire district of Itogami Island—just how terrifying that was went without saying. No wonder Yukina was so furious.
Of course, Yukina didn't know...
"I was actually holding back quite a bit."
Rozen really wanted to say that.
If he had truly gone all out, with his current vast reserves of magical energy—rivaling that of a planet—even without resorting to High-Grade Mana, let alone Compressed Mana, or amplifying his output with the Crimson Wing Formation, he could have reduced thousands of square kilometers to ruins. The damage would have been far worse than this.
Even Regulus Aurum, freshly summoned, had been somewhat dissatisfied.
After all, given the rare opportunity to rampage freely, only being allowed to unleash less than a tenth of its power was understandably frustrating.
Fortunately, Rozen didn't voice these thoughts—otherwise, Yukina would have exploded in anger.
Even as things stood, Yukina didn't let Rozen off the hook, scolding him relentlessly.
"As expected, Senpai is a dangerous person who can't be left unsupervised for even a moment."
In the end, Yukina delivered this verdict.
"Yeah, yeah." Rozen chuckled helplessly. "Then you can keep an eye on me for the rest of your life."
"Of course I will!" Yukina reflexively shot back before realizing the weight of her words. Instantly, her face flushed bright red.
"Heh..." Rozen had also spoken without thinking, and now that he realized it, he could only laugh awkwardly.
There was no helping it—the moment those words left his mouth, the displeasure radiating from the four Servants inside him was palpable enough to be felt with his knees. It was better to exercise some self-restraint.
Still blushing furiously, Yukina quickly changed the subject.
"A-Anyway, now that the enemies are dealt with, we should hurry to Shinjin Lake and find Nagisa and Avrora."
As she spoke, the redness faded from her face, replaced by worry.
After all, the situation had clearly taken a turn for the worse, and with the time they had wasted here, there was no telling what might have happened to Nagisa and Avrora.
Rozen, however, was surprisingly no longer in a hurry.
"Don't worry. Nagisa and Avrora will be fine."
He spoke these words to Yukina with certainty.
And for good reason.
"Do you think I would have stayed here leisurely dealing with enemies if I didn't have a plan after realizing someone was deliberately trying to stop us from reaching Shinjin Lake?"
The moment he noticed that someone was unwelcoming—even going so far as to send Wyverns to block their path—Rozen had already suspected that the incident at Shinjin Lake might be more complicated than it appeared.
Especially that dark erosion—Rozen didn't believe for a second that it was something ordinary. Otherwise, he wouldn't have concluded that even summoning a Beast Vassal to attack it would be useless.
Realizing this, Rozen felt that resolving this incident might require some effort.
Thus, he had decided to investigate the origins of the Wyverns and the true nature of the erosion.
As for Nagisa and Avrora, Rozen didn't entirely trust the Lion King Agency to guarantee their safety either.
So, while battling the Wyverns, Rozen had secretly dispatched a guardian to watch over Nagisa and Avrora.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be so calm and unhurried now.
"More importantly, you should prepare yourself to greet our esteemed guests."
Rozen smiled at Yukina.
"Guests?"
Yukina blinked in surprise.
Then, sensing something, she whirled around, raising Sekkaro and pointing it at the empty space ahead.
"Who's there!?"
She demanded sharply.
The next moment, an elegant laugh rang out.
"As expected of the Lion King Agency's Sword Shaman, chosen to wield the Mechanical Demon-Purging Assault Spear Mark Seven and serve as the Divine Child's watcher. Truly remarkable."
As the voice spoke, mist suddenly coalesced in the air before Yukina, forming three figures.
"Lord Ardeal...!"
Yukina's expression turned wary.
Who else could it be but Vatler and his two attendants?
"It has been too long, our beloved and revered Divine Child."
Vatler placed his right hand over his chest, offering Rozen an elegant yet fervent bow.
Behind him, Kira mirrored the gesture respectfully, while Tobias glared at Rozen with clear hostility.
"Vatler." Rozen's gaze settled on the vampire, and he smirked. "I knew you'd be here. You really live up to your reputation as a battle maniac."
He wasn't the least bit surprised by Vatler's appearance.
Not only had he already seen Vatler's Beast Vassal earlier, but back on Itogami Island, Rozen had already guessed that Vatler's destination when he set sail on his luxury yacht was this very place.
"You flatter me too much." Vatler's words were modest, but his face was alight with amusement. "To meet the Divine Child here is truly an honor. After the Third Primogenitor, the Chaos Bride, was defeated by you on Itogami Island, you vanished for two months. Seeing you well now is a great relief."
Hearing this, Rozen's lips curled into a meaningful smile.
"Cut the crap, Snake Charmer." Rozen's tone was laced with amusement. "The fighting spirit burning in your eyes is practically screaming, 'I want a fight too.' How about I indulge you right here?"
These words made Yukina stiffen in alarm, while Tobias and Kira's expressions shifted slightly.
Even Vatler hadn't expected Rozen to be so direct. His eyes narrowed—but not in fear. Instead, they gleamed with a maddened delight.
"If you would grace me with the opportunity."
Vatler's voice was thick with fervor.
The man who had sealed a Primogenitor and the vampire closest to a Primogenitor locked eyes, their overwhelming magical energies slowly rising around them.
However, the tension was short-lived.
Because—
"I didn't expect you all to be hiding in a place like this, doing something so interesting. Mind if I join in?"
A haughty voice abruptly cut through the air, reaching everyone's ears.
"...!"
Everyone's heads snapped upward.
There, hovering in the sky, a boy with magical wings folded across his back descended slowly, arms crossed.
Seeing him, Rozen narrowed his eyes.