-735- Insurmountable gap

Beneath the pitch-black moonlit night, brilliant sparks continued to dance through the air, making the young man in a magnificent coat descend slowly from mid-air, appearing like a divine being.

Rozen looked down from above, observing Alice, who, in turn, lifted her head to gaze at him.

"I knew it, you'd eventually catch up to me," Alice finally spoke with a hint of bitterness on her face.

Upon hearing this, Rozen remained silent.

Because...

"Swoosh!"

Like a phantom, Shin's figure suddenly appeared behind Rozen. His long leg, like a blade, cut through the air, striking down with full force, aiming for Rozen's head.

Under the effect of "Fragarach," even an ordinary kick from Shin carried tremendous power. If it hit, shattering the skull would be the least of the consequences; the entire head might explode.

Of course, this attempt was unsuccessful.

"Thud!"

Shin's kick, like a military blade, struck Rozen's dark cloak with a heavy impact. Rozen didn't even turn around, as if he completely ignored the attack from behind. His coat seemed to come alive, instantly flipping and forming a protective cloak to block Shin's strike.

The forceful wind caused by the impact blew between the falling foot and the cloak.

"Tsk...!"

Shin couldn't help but click his tongue, clearly frustrated that his surprise attack had failed.

However...

"Courtesy demands reciprocity. Since you can attack puppeteers, we won't hold back either," Rozen still didn't turn around, but he spoke indifferently.

As his words fell...

"Ha!"

A doll-like girl dressed in a kimono leaped from the other side of the forest, plummeting like a meteor or shooting star, and delivered an equally powerful kick towards Alice below.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a thunderous sound, Yaya's strike caused one corner of the forest to explode like a geyser erupting intermittently, scattering sand and causing the ground to collapse and crumble into countless fragments.

Yaya leaped out from the center, leaving behind only a deep crater as proof that she had struck without holding back in the slightest.

However, Yaya's attack turned out to be in vain.

"Swoosh!"

Alice's figure appeared on the other side in a mirage-like illusion as she knelt on a tree branch, breathing slowly.

Naturally, this wasn't Alice using teleportation or anything of the sort. Instead, she had already left the original spot, leaving behind a deceptive illusion.

This was the magic Alice had been using all along—Brocken.

As the name suggested, this allowed the user to manipulate illusions, incorporating effects such as transformation, concealment, deception, and disguise into a single spell.

Alice used this magic to impersonate Cedric, even disguising herself, and employed it in combat, alternating with Shin's "Fragarach." This allowed Shin to exploit its deceptive capabilities, keeping their opponents guessing.

Right when Rozen appeared, Alice utilized this magic to leave an illusion behind and make herself transparent, attempting to escape.

However, this action inadvertently saved Alice's life.

"I won't let you escape!"

Yaya shouted, without any hesitation, leaping once again and delivering a punch carrying a whistling gust of wind towards Alice, who was half-kneeling on a tree branch.

"Bang!"

Amid the explosion, Yaya's punch shattered the trees, causing their fragments and leaves to flutter wildly.

However, before Yaya could strike, Alice remained highly sensitive and employed magic. She left only an illusion behind in the original spot while she had already appeared somewhere else.

Yaya noticed this and, like an infuriated storm, continued to leap and pursue Alice.

For a while, the forest was filled with booming sounds, causing gravel and dust storms to rise sporadically, disrupting the land and air.

Yaya relentlessly pursued Alice, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks towards her. However, every time, she only struck Alice's illusory remnants, while Alice herself had long vanished.

As for the aerial battle, Rozen was equally facing Shin's intense assault.

"Swoosh!""Swoosh!""Swoosh!""Swoosh!""Swoosh!"

Shin appeared to split completely into countless afterimages, flying around Rozen. Using the magic "Fragarach," Shin perfectly controlled the molecular motion of his body. This allowed him to demonstrate astonishing speed and execute nearly impossible action trajectories. He launched a continuous barrage of kicks from all directions at Rozen.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Shin's kicks, like a relentless storm, overwhelmed Rozen's figure, raising a series of muffled thudding sounds that disturbed the atmosphere.

However, like Yaya, Shin's attacks against Rozen were all in vain.

The difference was that Yaya was deceived by illusions, while Shin was blocked by the windless, ever-moving cloak. The cloak sparkled with countless bright flames, akin to a shifting shadow that continuously rose and fell around Rozen, deflecting all of Shin's attacks.

This was a scene that would be impossible at the Night Party.

Due to the Night Party's absolute prohibition against attacking puppeteers, not even Rozen would initiate an attack against another puppeteers if he didn't want to break the rules.

Here, two high-level Automatons were fiercely attacking each other's puppeteers, showing no mercy.

In ordinary circumstances, this would likely result in a mutual downfall regardless of the difference in strength between the parties.

Unfortunately, both Rozen and Alice, regardless of the disparity in their abilities, had ample self-defense capabilities. They could effortlessly handle their Automatons even when facing an intense attack from each other's Automatons.

However, Rozen and Alice still had an insurmountable gap.

Alice could at best protect herself but lacked combat abilities.

Rozen was different.

"Have you had enough?"

Rozen, without ever lifting his gaze to look at Shin, casually spoke these words.

Then...

"Since you've had enough, how about you 'stop' for me?"

Rozen's relaxed words carried an undeniable force.

Jutsuryoku slowly emanated from Rozen, causing this phrase imbued with power to take effect.

The raging storm abruptly ceased within Rozen's vicinity.

Shin maintained his posture of a downward kick while appearing above Rozen's head. However, his entire body was frozen in place, making him show a surprised expression.

Only then did Rozen raise his eyelids to gaze at the automaton standing before him.

"Kneel."

Rozen's voice was calm.

"Thud..."

Shin involuntarily descended to the ground and, amidst a twisted expression, knelt on the ground.