"At last, you've made it?"
High in the sky, Jeanne [Alter], riding atop her dragon, gazed at Rozen and Anna who had arrived together, murmuring softly as her eyes turned toward Gorgon.
Directly before Jeanne [Alter]'s sight, Gorgon was still bathed in the sea of fire. Though her expression brimmed with fury, it also revealed something no one else could see—doubt, and even fear.
Jeanne [Alter] understood very clearly: that anger was directed toward Rozen, but that doubt and fear were aimed at Anna.
To Gorgon, Anna's very existence must be her greatest variable—and her greatest terror.
"As fellow Avengers, as fellow impostors… I actually feel a little sorry for you, Gorgon."
Jeanne [Alter] muttered with a hint of pity, then urged the dragon beneath her onward, leading her host of dragonkind away, rushing toward the battlefield.
Because—she was no longer needed here.
Gorgon did not stop Jeanne [Alter] either.
But only because she no longer had the strength—her entire being had been seized by that small figure.
"Y-You… who are you!?"
This question had already echoed on the battlefield countless times.
But never before had it been spoken with such doubt-filled terror as now.
"..."
Anna gave no reply. She only looked silently at Gorgon.
That gaze was as if looking upon her own demise—upon an inevitable, tragic fate.
Under that gaze, what surged in Gorgon's heart was no longer just fear, but an unprecedented hatred and rage.
"Don't look at me with those eyes!"
Gorgon roared. Her serpentine hair thrashed wildly, maws opening in unison, gathering massive mana, and releasing bombardments of magical blasts one after another toward Anna.
In response—
"Come forth, the first Beast Vassal—Mesarthim Adamas."
With Rozen's calm invocation, a mist of mana rose from his body.
A pure, immaculate diamond-like ram slowly emerged before him, crystalline gems orbiting its form, forming a barrier that stood protectively in front of Anna.
"Hum—!"
Each magical blast that struck the jeweled barrier rippled like stones on water, then rebounded in full, slamming back into Gorgon's own body.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!"
Caught completely unprepared, Gorgon was struck by her own reflected attacks, letting out cries of pain as her massive body staggered backward again and again.
"You…!"
Gorgon looked at Rozen, both shocked and furious.
And only now did she realize—compared to last time, Rozen's body had undergone a tremendous change.
Though still a man clad in a black cloak, within that tiny frame surged mana like an endless abyss with no bottom—emanating infinite waves of power.
Relying on her instincts as a goddess, Gorgon understood. Right now, within this human's body, there dwelled a terrifying power that had not existed before.
A power vast enough to be compared with the planet itself—no, with the world itself.
And indeed, that was the truth.
"Did you think I was still the same as before, Gorgon?"
Like Anna, Rozen gazed at her quietly.
"Sorry—last time I wasn't quite myself. Now I've fully recovered. Hopefully, I can bring you a surprise."
After four continuous days and nights of adjustment, Rozen's Magic Circuits had finally returned to a perfect state.
Not only had his mana recovered to its peak, but thanks to misfortune turned into blessing, he had advanced even further, far beyond his former limits.
Now, the mana within Rozen's body could truly be called inexhaustible.
Because of the forced refinement of Foreign Mana—even if it was incomplete—his Magic Circuits had nonetheless been tempered by a power beyond the world's understanding, making them tougher and stronger than ever before.
Thanks to this, Rozen's Magic Circuits could now generate even more mana, restore it faster than ever, and his reserves had swelled to more than ten times what they once were.
Once already beyond planetary scale, now magnified tenfold—the vastness of his mana was little different from true infinity.
Thus, once restored, Rozen immediately brought forth his many Servants, awakened his host of familiars and Beast Vassals, and advanced upon the battlefield in overwhelming force.
In short—
"This time, you're truly finished, Gorgon."
Rozen declared.
"You dare boast!" Gorgon snarled with laughter. "So your mana has grown—do you really think that means you can kill me?"
At her words, Rozen gave no lengthy answer. He simply looked at her.
"You're welcome to try."
That single sentence.
And hearing it, Gorgon laughed.
Not a sneer, not a bitter laugh—but the hollow laughter of someone who had abandoned everything, almost despairing.
"Humans are always like this—thinking they can kill me, thinking they can be heroes. They come before me, chasing dreams of triumph and glory, of honor and reverence—only to, in the end, scream, howl, and beg before death takes them."
Gorgon threw back her head, laughing bitterly as she clutched at her brow.
"We—We only ever wanted to live peacefully upon that island! But you came to us—speaking of killing us! And once slain, you showed the same disgraceful weakness! Yet still you came—one after another… one after another… one after another… endlessly, endlessly, endlessly before me!"
Gorgon's voice broke into shrieking hysteria.
"Because of you foolish humans, I fell into corruption! I devoured my own sisters! Everything I cherished—I lost it all!"
"So tell me—what is wrong with my vengeance upon you humans!?"
"What is wrong!?"
Unfurling her wings, Gorgon rose into the sky, a storm of mana raging around her.
"I will have my revenge! Revenge upon all humanity! I will kill you all!"
Her hate-filled roars echoed to the heavens.
But then—
"No. You will not succeed."
A faint voice cut across her rage.
Though quiet, it shook Gorgon's very soul.
"Anna."
Rozen lowered his head, looking to the girl at his side.
There, Anna met his gaze.
"Master… there's something I wish to tell you."
She spoke softly.
But Rozen did not listen.
Because—
"I know." Rozen smiled faintly, with both pain and tenderness. "I already know, Anna."
Hearing this, Anna froze for a moment—then understood.
"So… you had already guessed my true identity?"
Anna's voice trembled with dazed realization.