"M-Miss Ishtar...!?"
Seeing the mana begin to surge around Ishtar, Mash was stunned and hurriedly tried to say something in a fluster.
But by that time, Ishtar had no intention of giving anyone a chance.
"Enough talk!"
Several gems suddenly appeared in Ishtar's hand and were fired like bullets.
The gems turned into streaks of flowing light, raining down like a meteor shower in a violent burst toward them.
Rozen could sense that each of those gems was imbued with considerable mana.
"Storing excess mana in gems and using them when needed, huh?"
Rozen instantly grasped the mechanism.
In other words, these gems acted as mana batteries, which could either replenish her own mana, boost her power, or directly be used as mana bombs.
And now, Ishtar was clearly using them in the latter way.
In that case...
"Order!"
Rozen's hand flashed as well, and several talismans appeared. He released them, sending them flying as radiant lights to intercept the oncoming barrage of gems.
The two forces collided midair.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
In the next moment, the clash between the talismans and the gems caused a series of explosions, with waves of flame blooming midair.
Rozen had detonated the spells within the talismans, causing them to act just like Ishtar's mana gems—engaging her in mutual bombardment.
But then...
"Did you really think this level could challenge me?"
As if she'd already anticipated her gems being intercepted, Ishtar wasn't fazed at all. Amidst the blossoming explosions in the air, she dived straight down—rushing through the firestorm.
In her hand was a spiraled weapon that looked like both an arrow and a golden sword, and she charged directly at Rozen.
"Mash!"
Rozen remained calm, calling out.
"Yes!"
Mash finally stopped trying to explain in a panic, as if realizing that combat was inevitable. With firm resolve, she raised her shield and moved to intercept Ishtar.
"Clang!"
Ishtar's weapon struck Mash's shield with force, releasing a clear metallic ring.
"Miss Ishtar, please calm down."
Mash easily blocked the blow. With a thud, she counter-shoved the shield, forcing Ishtar to recoil.
"You're not bad."
Ishtar wasn't angry about being knocked back.
In fact, she remained calm like Rozen, and even began to smile.
"But that level still won't threaten me, you little fools."
With that, Ishtar charged again. Her spiral weapon turned into countless afterimages, slashing down again and again.
Mash was startled and hurriedly raised her shield once more.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...!"
Clashing sounds rang out rapidly as Mash's shield took blow after blow, sparks flying from its surface.
"Hehe!"
Ishtar attacked relentlessly like a storm, her strikes raining down while she laughed gracefully and melodiously.
She clearly enjoyed the battle.
As a goddess of war, despite also having the gentle nature of a goddess of fertility, the war aspect of Ishtar's divinity was clearly dominant.
And as a war goddess, Ishtar certainly wouldn't hate fighting—in fact, she reveled in it.
Such a battle-loving Ishtar was, without a doubt, incredibly powerful.
Even without using Maanna, her close combat skills alone rivaled those of top-tier Servants.
If this were the old Mash, she might not have been able to withstand Ishtar's assault.
However, this was no longer the old Mash. She had fully accepted Galahad's power, absorbed and fused with it, and developed even greater potential.
In terms of pure defense, Mash had already reached a rank-breaking Servant level—so much so that even Karna and Scathach couldn't easily breach her shield.
Especially when defending her Master, Rozen, Mash's defense and guarding abilities would reach even higher levels.
So even though Ishtar launched an aggressive onslaught, she still couldn't break through Mash's defense.
Gradually, even Ishtar began to change her view.
"Didn't expect you to be this tough. Not bad. I like humans who are strong-willed and competent."
Ishtar smiled with full confidence and said, "If I don't use my Authority, even I probably won't break through that shield. Tch, guess I have to get serious now."
Saying so, Ishtar raised her hand toward the sky.
"Buzz—!"
Above, Maanna, which had been quietly hovering, suddenly spun and aimed at Mash.
Enormous mana gathered in front of it, forming a massive arrow of pure mana. Like a bow drawing to full tension, it began to shine brilliantly.
"...!"
Mash's expression changed.
"Take this!"
Ishtar mercilessly swung down her hand, releasing the glowing mana arrow from Maanna straight toward them.
"BOOOOM——!"
With a thunderous roar, the entire city of Kutha trembled for an instant.
The massive mana arrow struck the ground, making it seem as if Kutha had suffered a direct hit from a nuclear bomb, erupting with a geyser of sand and dust.
A shockwave followed, sweeping across the city like a hurricane, roaring down every street.
Ishtar's strike—its power was truly overwhelming.
She had taken to the skies at some point, smiling down gleefully at the scene below.
"How's that? Feels good, doesn't it?"
Ishtar laughed as though she'd just gotten sweet revenge.
Who knew...
"Did you forget about me?"
A dry, amused voice rang out behind her—and Ishtar's smile froze.
Before she could even turn around, a hand landed on her shoulder.
"I don't want to hurt you, but to get you to settle down, I'll need you to cut me a deal, alright?"
As he spoke, a burst of violet flame ignited from the hand gripping Ishtar's shoulder.
Ishtar's pretty face immediately turned pale.
"W-Wait...! What are you doing...!? Stop!"
Ishtar shouted and tried to escape—but she couldn't.
Because at this moment, the violet flame was rapidly siphoning mana from Ishtar's body, weakening her strength by the second.
Yes—
"Your mana is mine now."
Standing behind Ishtar, Rozen smiled slyly while relentlessly absorbing her mana.
Thanks to that, the mana within Rozen was being swiftly replenished.