——Ryougi Shiki.
This name was completely unfamiliar to Rozen.
Since the other party was a Servant, that should mean she was a hero or great figure from some era and some country.
Yet Rozen quickly ran through all the knowledge in his mind and could confidently tell everyone: in no era, from no country, had there ever been a hero by the name of Ryougi Shiki.
However, her surname, Ryougi, did ring a bell for Rozen. He thought he might have heard of it before.
And it wasn't just Rozen—even Merlin seemed to react slightly upon hearing the name Ryougi.
"…Could it be…?"
Merlin murmured to himself like that.
But the girl who called herself Ryougi Shiki didn't seem to care about any of that.
"You don't need to remember the name. Just remember I'm the maniac here to kill you—that's enough."
Saying this, Ryougi Shiki, holding only an ordinary dagger, boldly stepped forward once again.
"I don't hold any grudge against you. But since Ereshkigal is interested in your soul and wants to take you away, I have no choice but to kill you. Otherwise, the scent of death and the Garula spirits alone aren't enough to drag you down."
While she spoke, Ryougi Shiki broke into a run. Her speed increased with her words, and just as she finished speaking, she had accelerated to full speed—once again becoming a ghostlike afterimage, shooting toward Rozen.
"Master!"
"Stand down!"
Mash and Anna both shouted, preparing to intercept again.
But this time, Rozen placed his hands on their shoulders—not to accept their protection, but to charge forward himself, just like Ryougi Shiki.
"Watch out for her Mystic Eyes!"
Merlin's voice rang out from behind.
"I know!"
Rozen replied with just that, then gripped a flare of fire in his hand—Galatine manifested.
Seeing this, Ryougi Shiki didn't retreat.
Instead, her eyes lit up. The corners of her mouth curved slightly, and her icy blue Mystic Eyes gleamed even more brightly.
The two charged at each other—and met in an instant.
Clang!
A sharp metallic clash rang out as the Sun-blessed holy sword and an ordinary dagger collided.
No sparks flew.
Because before they could, flames from the sun had already ignited on Galatine.
Boom!
The fire erupted like an explosion and surged toward Ryougi Shiki—but failed to hit her.
Her combat instincts were incredibly sharp. Perhaps she had a skill akin to Mind's Eye, or something like Instinct.
Whatever the case, she sensed the danger just before the flames exploded and leapt back.
"I thought you wanted to kill me?"
Rozen swung Galatine, transforming the solar flames into a sweeping curtain of fire toward Ryougi Shiki.
She stared intently at the incoming flames. Her icy blue Mystic Eyes radiated a strange allure.
Then—she slashed at the flames.
Shing!
With a single stroke, the curtain of solar flame was cleaved apart.
The solar fire, as if losing its life, let out a wailing hiss and scattered into embers.
Seeing this, Rozen narrowed his eyes and clenched his hand—several talismans appeared.
"Order!"
With the invocation, Rozen released the talismans.
There were five in total—one transformed into a golden sword, one into a roaring blaze, one into a rushing torrent, one into writhing vines, and one into flying boulders—completing the full set of the five-elemental talismans.
Faced with this overwhelming onslaught of jutsuryoku, even a Servant armed with nothing but a plain dagger shouldn't be able to withstand it.
And yet—Ryougi Shiki did.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
She moved like a spirit cat, flitting through the storm with agile grace. Dodging one moment, parrying the next, she wielded her dagger to draw arcs of cold light that cut down every attack in her path.
Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing!
Amid the sounds of slicing, the golden sword, the flames, the water, the vines, the rocks—all were effortlessly slashed through by that ordinary-looking dagger, vanishing like fragile toys.
Rozen could sense it—it wasn't just the manifested forms being cut. Even the elemental qi behind them—the fire qi, water qi, earth qi, metal qi, and wood qi summoned by the talismans—had been severed.
No, not just severed. They had been killed.
That was not the power of the dagger.
It was the power of her Mystic Eyes.
"So that's what it is…"
Rozen fixed his gaze on Ryougi Shiki and spoke.
"You really do possess a pair of rare and terrifying eyes. I'm surprised you haven't lost your mind from them."
At these words, Ryougi Shiki raised an eyebrow.
"You've figured out the true nature of my Mystic Eyes?"
She replied coolly, "As expected of someone who can travel freely to a Singularity. Killing you won't be easy after all."
As she spoke, she looked around.
The number of undead monsters had sharply decreased—many were even retreating in disarray.
That was because, as they tried to close in, they were met with counterattacks from Mash and Anna, who were concerned for Rozen but still diligently keeping the enemies at bay.
At the same time, the sounds of approaching Uruk soldiers and Rozen's Beast Vassals began to echo from the surroundings.
Clearly, reinforcements had nearly arrived.
The invading death-spirits were being driven back by the Uruk side.
This made Ryougi Shiki realize—killing Rozen was no longer feasible.
"…Well, that's that, then."
She sheathed her dagger.
"What? Not fighting anymore?"
Rozen asked her.
"Nope. I'm done." Ryougi Shiki replied flatly.
"Ereshkigal said that if it proves too difficult, then forget it. Honestly, she didn't seem all that keen on taking you anyway. If anything, she looked like she was awkwardly trying to hide her real intentions."
With that, Ryougi Shiki gave Rozen a long, deep look.
"But if you're really serious about resolving the issue with the Three Goddess Alliance, then come visit the underworld."
"That goddess who's been forcing herself too hard… she probably needs you."
Leaving those parting words, Ryougi Shiki turned and walked away.
"Wait…!"
Mash made to pursue, but Rozen stopped her.
"Let her go."
Rozen shook his head and said, "Trying to stop her would be too dangerous. If she really decided to go all out, I'm pretty sure she could kill every last one of us—even if it meant her own death."
Such was the weight of Rozen's judgment.
"Is that really okay?"
Anna asked, still visibly reluctant.
"Yes."
Rozen nodded. He gazed in the direction Ryougi Shiki had disappeared, and murmured as if speaking to himself:
"Maybe… she's not really our enemy."
Recalling the things she said, Rozen had a hunch—
"Maybe she wasn't really trying to kill me at all."
"Maybe… she just wanted me to do something."