"Since you don't intend to make a move, I'll be the one to take care of these people."
As a voice clearly directed at Rozen rang out, Loki stepped forward.
A surge of immense mana erupted from his body, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"I'll also—"
Frey hurriedly tried to say something, but Loki cut her off.
"You just stay there and watch."
Loki spoke to Frey in a tone that left no room for argument, then glanced at Rozen.
"Let me show you my current strength. Come, Cherubim."
At Loki's call, Cherubim behind him lifted its head and approached with the clinking sound of machinery.
"Oh?"
Rozen raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly without saying a word, quietly standing in place to watch.
Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki, seeing that Rozen had no intention of acting, also remained still but on guard.
Loki walked alone toward Abain's group, causing a stir among the onlookers.
"Is Fimbulvetr's Winter not going to take action?"
"Could it be that the Sword Emperor intends to snatch Fimbulvetr's Winter's prey?"
"Well, this just got interesting."
Such discussions gradually spread through the audience.
Everyone had expected Abain's opponent to be Rozen, but no one thought it would be Loki who stepped forward.
Even Abain's expression darkened slightly as he spoke.
"Are you planning to become Fimbulvetr's Winter's pawn, Sword Emperor?"
Abain questioned coldly.
What he got in return was a snort from Loki.
"Who the hell is that guy's pawn?" Loki retorted coldly. "I just happened to need opponents to test out my current strength, and you lot aren't even worthy of catching that guy's attention—he doesn't even have the desire to lift a finger. That's why I'm reluctantly taking over."
At those words, Abain immediately grew enraged.
"You'll pay the price for your arrogance, Sword Emperor."
With that, Abain waved his hand, and the doll users around him immediately released their mana, pouring it into their Automaton Dolls and activating their magic circuits.
The next moment, all kinds of offensive magic began to manifest.
There were fireballs like cannon shells.
There were hurricanes that whipped up sandstorms.
There were crisscrossing blades and throwing knives.
There was a spray of poisonous liquid with a pungent stench.
There were also smoke screens, sound waves, gravel, stones, and electric shocks—standard but effective forms of attack magic, especially useful in group battles.
These were the results of the glove holders' efforts over the past two months.
However...
"Cherubim."
Facing the oncoming barrage of various attack spells, Loki remained indifferent as he gave his command.
"I'm ready."
The Seraphim's eyes lit up instantly. Responding with a mechanical electronic voice, it extended the mechanisms on its back, unleashing a barrage of short swords.
Hot wind swirled around the Seraphim's body.
That was its magic circuit—Hot Air Manipulation(Jet).
Under the heat of these high-temperature winds, the Cherubim's short swords turned into blades capable of slicing through steel with ease.
One by one, the short swords shot out, like streaks of meteors dancing through the air, slicing through the oncoming spells along elegant arcs.
"Shnk! Shnk! Shnk!"
With the sound of slashing, the short swords cut down fireballs, hurricanes, blades, and even corrosive poison—all shredded and dissipated into the air.
Those short swords, infused with intense heat, could cut through even flames and storms.
"Spin."
Loki sent his mana into Cherubim.
"Yes, Master."
Cherubim leapt into the air on a gust of hot wind, transforming mid-air—its shoulders, arms, and sword merged into a solid blade, while its components rearranged like a jigsaw puzzle.
In an instant, the angel turned into a massive sword nearly as tall as a grown adult. It spun rapidly, releasing scorching winds, looking as if it were aflame—a spinning sword of fire.
This spectacle was the very reason behind Loki's registration code: Sacred Blaze.
The massive sword spun in the air, tracing beautiful arcs as it slashed into the enemy ranks.
The puppeteers in Abain's group panicked, commanding their Automatons to attack, defend, or evade—but to no avail.
Cherubim, now a blazing sword, seemed alive—a monster with a will of its own. Sometimes it flew like a shooting star, sometimes like a spinning blade, sometimes curving like a crescent moon, and sometimes threading through enemy attacks, dodging and striking down Automatons one after another with ruthless precision.
Such maneuvers would have been impossible for the old Loki.
But after mastering Mind's Eye, Loki could now see through all incoming attacks and discern optimal movement trajectories. Under his control, Cherubim had evolved dramatically, displaying overwhelming power.
With its Hot Air Manipulation magic circuit, the Seraphim had already been nearly unstoppable in offense. It could freely adjust its trajectory and speed by emitting bursts of hot wind. Now, with Loki's sharpened skills, none of the enemy's Automatons could even graze it—they were all torn apart, not a single one left intact.
Even Abain's golem met the same fate.
"H-How can this be…?"
Abain was utterly stunned.
Especially when he saw his Automaton sliced clean in two by the descending flame sword, reduced to ashes under extreme heat, not even a single part left behind—Abain nearly broke down.
"How could the gap be this vast…!?"
Abain couldn't accept it.
Too bad...
"This is the gap."
Before he knew it, Loki stood before Abain, looking down at him from above.
"If you can't even beat me, what makes you think you can beat that man?"
Loki's words made Abain's face go completely pale.
"Hand over all your gloves."
Loki looked at Abain, now seemingly disinterested, and impatiently ordered.
Abain wanted to resist but saw the blazing sword spinning above Loki's head.
His lips twitched, but in the end, he slumped in defeat, removed his glove, and tossed it to Loki.
Seeing this, the other glove holders also gave up hope and handed over their gloves one after another.
Thus, a group of nineteen puppeteers were completely defeated by Loki alone, and eliminated from the competition.
Such strength surprised the crowd, stirring an uproar in the audience, and even made high-ranking Night Party participants look grim.
Even the Academy Director was astonished and impressed.
"To think the Sword Emperor has mastered the Mind's Eye... Now the Night Party is going to get interesting."
Clearly, those with sharp perception had already seen through Loki's transformation.
"Did you see that?"
Loki returned with Cherubim and directly addressed Rozen.
"I saw it," Rozen smiled faintly. "You've grown much stronger."
Rozen acknowledged it.
However...
"It's precisely because you've become too strong... that you must be troubled, aren't you?"
Rozen's words made Loki's eyes flicker.