"Ugh…"
With a faint groan, Rozen slowly opened his eyes.
The moment he did, he felt it.
He sensed an overwhelming density of mana—as rich as spiritual energy—rushing toward him.
"———"
Rozen instantly sharpened his focus, his eyes narrowing instinctively.
"Vmm!"
Inside his body, his previously sluggish Magic Circuits suddenly surged to life as if stirred by a powerful vitality.
At that moment, the intense mana in the atmosphere began flowing into Rozen through his breathing and the circulation of his Magic Circuits. It completed a full loop inside him before being exhaled again.
This cycle visibly improved the state of his Magic Circuits—he could feel the changes with unmistakable clarity.
The sensation lit up Rozen's eyes. A flicker of joy stirred in his heart.
"As expected, now that I've reached the Age of Gods, my Magic Circuits are functioning better."
This confirmed Rozen's earlier hypothesis: coming to this era wasn't entirely a bad thing.
Using both his Wise Eye and Mind's Eye, Rozen had already confirmed something else.
"So this is True Ether—the Fifth True Theoretical Factor."
In other words, Rozen had successfully completed the final spiritron transfer and arrived in Mesopotamia, circa 2600 BC.
He now stood on a wide, open plain.
Beside him, Mash had donned her knight-like battle attire, gripping her shield firmly. Like Rozen, she squinted slightly as she soaked in the ambient mana, a trace of happiness blooming on her face.
"It's incredible, Senpai! The air is really filled with mana!"
Mash joyfully shared her feelings with Rozen.
That alone spoke volumes about the abundance of mana in this era's Greater Source —a stark contrast to the steadily depleting magical environment of the modern age.
Even Rozen's black coat shimmered faintly with embers, while the ornate ring on his left index finger radiated flowing light, signaling that Kinu and Gyokuto were just as pleased.
For divine beings like Kinu and Gyokuto, this was a favorable environment.
And they weren't the only ones who felt joy.
"Fou! Fou!"
With a delighted cry, a small white creature appeared out of nowhere, bounding happily across the plain.
"Fou? How are you here?"
Mash blinked in surprise.
"You followed us again, little guy?"
Rozen, too, was astonished. He hadn't realized the creature had tagged along.
He hadn't seen Fou for days, having been occupied with Roman's adjustments to his Magic Circuits. He'd assumed the creature stayed behind this time—but it had somehow managed to slip through unnoticed, just as mysteriously as always.
Watching Fou frolic, Rozen looked up, reminded of something.
There, the familiar sight awaited him in the sky.
"As expected, that light band is here too in this Singularity."
Suspended in the blue heavens like a ring of radiant light, it exuded a mysterious aura, as it had always done.
But now, it no longer intimidated Rozen. He stared at it calmly, eyes glinting with a faint, eerie glow.
Through his Wise Eye, Rozen could perceive the enormous convergence of mana and heat surging within the light band—pulsating continuously.
The intensity of that mana and heat resembled a miniature sun, capable of scorching the land to cinders with the smallest discharge.
Even Rozen felt a chill watching it.
In the past, he hadn't been able to sense the light band's threat directly—but now, he could tell. It was no trivial thing.
Even at his peak, matching the mana and heat emitted by that phenomenon was uncertain at best.
If that really was the doing of the Mage King Solomon, then Rozen had to take it seriously.
With that thought, Rozen shifted his gaze toward Mash, who was now chasing after Fou, and remembered something.
"Where's Altera?"
The moment he voiced the question, a familiar, cold tone answered.
"I'm here."
Altera emerged from behind Rozen, quietly approaching him.
But as she did, Rozen's pupils narrowed slightly.
Because he saw it.
The True Ether in the air seemed to recoil from her presence—retreating as if terrified, warping the air around her in visible distortion.
It was as though the atmosphere had encountered a natural predator and fled in fear.
"Altera, you—"
Rozen started to speak, his voice tense.
But Altera, as if expecting this, shook her head.
"There's no need to be surprised. For this era, I am undeniably an enemy. In fact, it's only natural that a world so close to the ones I've destroyed would react this way to my presence."
She turned her head sharply, her tone still frigid.
"More importantly, you should focus on the danger approaching us."
Her words made Rozen pause—then he sensed it too.
From all around them, strange surges of mana were closing in.
Using Spirit Vision, Rozen could see the atmospheric energy warping unnaturally as something rushed toward them at high speed.
"Mash!"
Without hesitation, Rozen called out.
"Yes!"
Mash had sensed it too. Without delay, she leapt back to Rozen's side and raised her shield.
"Fou!"
Even Fou stopped running and quickly darted back, leaping onto Rozen's shoulder.
And then—
"Grrrr..."
"Grrrr..."
Low, bloodthirsty growls rumbled around them as the beasts revealed themselves.
They resembled lions, but were far larger—each the size of a car, with blazing golden manes like living fire.
"ROAR!"
"ROAR!"
The giant lion-like beasts advanced from all directions. Their eyes gleamed with feral bloodlust, drool dripping from their jaws. The way they stared at Rozen's group left no doubt—
They saw them as prey.
Without question, they intended to hunt them.
But...
"What kind of magical beasts are these?"
Rozen muttered in astonishment.
He had never seen or even heard of such creatures before.
"Did such monsters really exist in the Age of Gods?"
Mash echoed his shock.
Only Altera remained composed, watching the approaching beasts with cold indifference. She raised her delicate hand—and a tri-colored light sword appeared in her grip.
"Do you desire destruction as well?"
Her declaration rippled across the field like wind.
For a moment, the beasts seemed to flinch in fear.
But almost instantly, their terror was consumed by rage.
"ROAR!"
"ROAR!"
With violent howls, the monsters charged.
Thus began the first battle of the Seventh Singularity.