The arena returned to silence.
Everyone was staring at the frozen statue of August Veyron, stunned as if struck by awe, unable to move a muscle.
"Did he lose…?"
Olga Saladin gazed at the scene. Though she felt regret, a strange sadness welled up in her heart for reasons she couldn't understand.
Was this the feeling of "sorrow at a rabbit's death from a fox's perspective"?
Olga smiled bitterly at the thought.
The others exchanged looks as they turned to Rozen, who had claimed an overwhelming victory, remaining speechless.
Surrounded by Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki, Rozen tossed the glove in his hand before the frozen statue of Veyron.
"You're indeed strong. Even though you're ranked 100th, you clearly possess the strength to contend for a spot among the Thirteen."
It was Rozen's recognition.
Sleipnir's magic circuit was actually one of the highest-grade types.
Back then, Rozen had once marveled at it after seeing through the automaton doll's circuit using his Mind's Eye.
It was a magic circuit that manipulated distance.
"If you shorten the distance, no matter how far apart you are, you can reach your enemy in a single step."
"If you extend the distance, your enemy's attack becomes nullified—its power dispersed into empty air."
"That's the reason he appears to move like teleportation. Yaya's earlier kick failed because of the same principle."
Veyron's ultimate finisher was also an application of this magic.
"By shortening the distance between oneself and the enemy, and then striking—if the distance is reduced to just one percent, the speed of the punch increases a hundredfold, and the impact force becomes ten thousand times stronger, annihilating everything in that tiny space."
It was, undeniably, a technique worthy of praise.
Even a Wiseman would die instantly if struck directly.
Had it not been for the invincible Kongouriki, even Magnus might've found it tricky to deal with.
Unfortunately...
"You chose the wrong opponent."
Rozen declared his victory.
It was only then that the Night Party's executive members came to their senses.
"Quick! Bring the stretcher!"
"Call the medical department!"
"Get him to the medical ward!"
"Prepare thawing magic! Hurry!"
Under the orders of the Night Party's executives, a group of students in white coats from the medical department entered the arena and carried away the frozen Veyron.
The executive committee formally announced Veyron's defeat.
Some questioned whether Rozen had broken the rules by attacking the puppeteer directly and turning him into an ice sculpture. But since Veyron had worn his automaton as armor, defeating him required attacking directly. After discussion, the committee concluded that Rozen had not broken any rules.
Only intentionally targeting a puppeteer was considered a foul. If one was incidentally caught up while attacking an automaton doll, that was unavoidable.
After all, puppeteers were magi. Injury and bloodshed were part of combat. Unless someone was deliberately attacked or killed, it wasn't considered foul play.
That was the rule that had allowed the Night Party to progress thus far.
"You okay?"
Charl descended from the sky, landing lightly on the wind before Rozen.
"So you've finally decided to start eliminating people, huh?"
Loki also returned with Cherubim, glancing at the glove on the ground and sighing.
"August Veyron..."
Frey also returned with her Garms. Due to her past with Veyron, her expression was somewhat complicated at seeing him eliminated.
Surrounded by them, Rozen simply smiled and looked ahead.
The Thirteen had regrouped, their expressions heavy and alert as they stared this way.
Clearly, Veyron's defeat had made everyone wary.
Veyron's strength had been on par with any of them—perhaps even superior to some. Yet Rozen had easily defeated him. Naturally, the pressure weighed heavily on the others.
Charl and Loki wanted to take advantage of the momentum.
But Rozen stopped them.
"Do you really think they'd come on stage without being prepared?"
Rozen's words made sense.
Although Olga and the others had stepped into the arena together, they couldn't be sure they wouldn't be immediately defeated.
They were well aware—if they revealed their true purpose for appearing, Rozen and his group would try to eliminate them before they could grow stronger.
That meant they had anticipated this situation.
"They probably entered the Night Party early and completed the required one-hour standby period while we were absent, assuming no fights would occur tonight. We arrived late and gave them time."
Rozen pointed out the detail everyone had overlooked.
"Now, they can retreat at any time. If the situation turns against them, they'll simply withdraw—you won't be able to stop them."
His words caused Charl, Loki, and Frey to freeze, speechless.
Olga and the others relaxed slightly, but not completely.
"That's right. We've fulfilled the standby requirement and can retreat whenever we want."
Olga stepped forward to speak.
"Looks like our battle will have to pause here."
Loki immediately spoke up.
"Planning to run?"
He glared at Asura Owen, taunting.
Asura remained unfazed.
"If you were my opponent, I'd gladly face you head-on, Sword Emperor."
His meaning was clear—the one they feared was not Loki or Charl, but Rozen alone.
"Though I'd have liked to continue, since that Tyrant Rex's strength is enough to make me go all out..."
Sonechka Snitkina's voice carried a tinge of regret.
"In summary, we will withdraw for today."
Olga's words echoed calmly.
"Let's hope the future unfolds favorably for us all."
With that, Olga turned and left decisively.
Asura and Sonechka followed, prompting the other Thirteen members to retreat one after another.
Finally, only Hazel Heimdall remained, staring silently for a moment before turning away with a cold expression.
The battle tonight had come to an end.
Charl, Loki, and Frey realized they could no longer stop the tide and all wore grave expressions.
Rozen watched the departing puppeteers—or rather, a few among them who had caught his attention—and gave a calm smile.
Tonight, seven appeared. One was eliminated.
And the Night Party would continue.