"BOOM!!!"
With a deafening roar, in a corner of the tropical jungle, sand and dust erupted upward like a geyser, rising into the air like a mushroom cloud.
The ground quaked violently, spiderweb-like cracks spreading rapidly in all directions.
"What!?"
Mash, Ryougi Shiki, and Ishtar were all startled, staring at the oncoming sandstorm. They quickly pulled back to avoid being caught in it.
Only Altera, still maintaining a spirit form, watched in silence. Her body twitched as if she wanted to move forward—but then forcibly stopped, remaining still as she continued to observe.
Quetzalcoatl's single strike had caused such destruction.
From within the storm of dust, Rozen's figure was blasted backward, skidding across the ground. His feet scraped hard against the earth, retreating over a vast distance before finally halting.
"Ugh…"
Still holding up his Holy Sword in a defensive stance, Rozen let out a pained groan. His sword arm trembled, numb from the impact, and he gave a bitter smile.
"Is that Strength really just B-rank?"
Rozen couldn't help but doubt it.
Just now, Quetzalcoatl had descended from above with a mighty strike, and Rozen had blocked it head-on with the Holy Sword. The result was this—blasted away, his arm numb.
"Even with threefold enhancement from blessings, facing B-rank Strength is still too much."
If not for Rozen's Mind's Eye seeing through Quetzalcoatl's attack angle, allowing him to adjust both his posture and the Holy Sword's point of contact to disperse much of the force, that strike likely would have shattered every bone in his body.
"As expected… a War God is still a War God."
Rozen couldn't help but murmur.
His words drew an immediate response.
"What's wrong? Are you ready to give up?"
Quetzalcoatl emerged from the haze of dust, dragging her Macuahuitl. Her bright, sunny smile never wavered as her gaze fixed upon Rozen.
Unfortunately, the murderous aura radiating from her body was so dreadful that no one could feel at ease.
One could easily imagine that if Rozen truly surrendered, Quetzalcoatl would, without hesitation, smash his head apart in an instant—killing him beyond saving.
Yet beneath this suffocating killing intent, Rozen merely drew in a deep breath, once again raising his Holy Sword.
At that moment, his mind and body completely relaxed.
"…?"
Quetzalcoatl suddenly froze mid-step, her expression shifting.
Because she felt it—Rozen had entered some sort of state.
"That is…"
Quetzalcoatl frowned, but at the same time, anticipation sparked in her heart.
Unaware of her thoughts, Rozen was gradually releasing the restrictions he had placed on his Mind's Eye.
To prevent his brain from being overwhelmed by the vastness of the World Record, Rozen had always relied on Gyokuto's power to limit the extent of the Mind's Eye.
Later, after growing more accustomed, he learned to freely adjust its scope on his own.
Until now, he had only kept his Mind's Eye slightly above the divine realm, just enough to glimpse short fragments of the future.
But now, with his brain domain steadily unlocking under the sublimation of Foreign Mana, Rozen felt that he could withstand more of the backlash.
Or rather—he could unlock all restraints.
After all, with only about a month left before his sublimation completed, Rozen believed he could already endure the full, perfected state of the Mind's Eye.
Thus, Rozen closed his eyes.
Clink…
It was as though locks within his body had been undone, producing a crisp sound only he could hear.
In that instant, Rozen's entire presence changed.
He became transcendent.
He became unfathomable.
He became vast.
Even when facing a being on the level of a chief god, despite his unstable magic circuits and unrecovered mana, Rozen had stepped into a realm he had once touched but never fully mastered.
"…!"
The smile and eager anticipation on Quetzalcoatl's face froze, slowly hardening into solemnity.
The watching girls also sensed Rozen's transformation.
"What's going on with him?"
Ishtar exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh?"
Ryougi Shiki arched her brows, her gaze deepening.
"Could it be…"
Mash seemed to realize something, her expression filling with worry.
"He's already able to use it?"
Even Altera, still in spirit form, softly whispered as she observed.
In this moment, Rozen simply stood with his eyes closed, sword raised, exuding a presence more mysterious, transcendent, and immeasurable than ever before.
That aura made Quetzalcoatl's expression grow increasingly grim.
As a War God, she understood it clearly—Rozen had entered a realm unknown even to her, a state she could not touch.
A realm surpassing the divine, unattainable even to chief gods.
And yet, it appeared now on a human.
"So humans… can reach such a realm?"
Within Quetzalcoatl's heart bloomed both shock and joy, twisting her solemn features into something almost feral.
With his eyes still closed, Rozen seemed to sense her emotions, and a faint smile curved his lips.
"What's wrong?"
Rozen chuckled softly.
"Are you going to give up?"
He returned Quetzalcoatl's earlier words back to her.
To which—
"How could I possibly?"
Quetzalcoatl laughed.
"Right now, I'm happier than I've ever been before!"
With a thunderous stomp, she launched herself like a missile, surging toward Rozen and stirring up violent gales.
The Sun Goddess closed the distance in an instant, raising her emerald blade high and slashing downward.
This strike was even more powerful than before—the air detonating in belated shockwaves where the sword passed.
A blow like this could likely level a hill.
And yet, facing such devastation, Rozen simply moved as though inspired—his eyes still closed, body tilting aside naturally, avoiding the strike with effortless ease.
BOOM!
The massive blade missed him by less than a centimeter, smashing into the ground and sending tremors tearing outward.
Rozen stood amidst the gale, his clothes and hair whipping violently in the storm.
But his stance was like a pine tree—firm, unyielding, immovable.
Then, he raised Galatine. With a flare of fire, he struck in a motion as soft and flowing as wind through willow branches.
That slash cut through space, cut through time, transcending the laws of the world itself. It was speed in its purest extreme.
Quetzalcoatl couldn't react at all.
Slash!
A sharp sound split the air, followed by a spray of blood.
Scarlet droplets scattered across the battlefield.