"How did it go?"
As Yukina walked toward him, Rozen patted Avrora on the back while asking.
Yukina's expression was still far from pleasant, looking somewhat heavy-hearted as she gave a small nod.
"I've reported the situation here to Master. Master said that the Management Cooperative of the artificial island has formally requested the Lion King Agency for assistance, hoping they'll help Itogami Island through this crisis. So the Lion King Agency is currently trying to dispatch personnel, but because of the previous shipwrecks and air accidents, regular transport from the mainland will need some time before it can resume flights and voyages to Itogami Island."
In other words, reinforcements from the Lion King Agency would take some time to arrive.
"Master also said that they'll only be able to send reinforcements by tomorrow at the earliest, and it'll likely be the day after tomorrow before they arrive."
Yukina sighed at this.
"The day after tomorrow, huh..."
Rozen shrugged as well, a helpless expression on his face.
There was nothing to be done. If the Lion King Agency's people really wouldn't arrive until around the day after tomorrow, it would probably be too late.
Itogami Island was already in a state of chaos, and the people from Tartarus Lapse were still operating in the shadows. Now that the Crimson Wing Formation had been broken and the island's quarantine lifted, if the enemy wanted to strike, they would undoubtedly do so before logistics resumed, trying to destroy the island in one swift move.
In other words, time was of the essence. If they waited for the Lion King Agency's reinforcements, the opportunity would likely be long gone.
Yukina clearly understood that as well, which was why her expression was so grim.
Of course...
"Lady Shizuka Koyomi, the leader of the Three Saints, is stationed on this island. If it's her, we can still hope she'll make a move."
Yukina tried to gather her spirits as she said this.
Indeed, even if help from the Lion King Agency couldn't arrive immediately, with Shizuka Koyomi, the leader of the Three Saints, here, there should still be hope.
However...
"I think it's better if you don't put too much faith in Shizuka Koyomi."
Rozen said unexpectedly.
"Wh-Why?"
Yukina froze.
Seeing this, Rozen smiled faintly.
"Koyomi is strong, sure, but the reason she's strong is entirely because she possesses the ability Silent Destruction. Besides that, I doubt she excels in other areas."
It was true.
Shizuka Koyomi was certainly regarded as Japan's strongest Attack Mage, but the reason she earned that title was entirely due to her ability, which granted her absolute initiative in combat.
With this ability, even against a Primogenitor, Koyomi could strike first, defeating them before they could defend, evade, or even react. That's why even beings on the level of Primogenitors had to take her seriously.
But if you removed Silent Destruction from the equation, Rozen didn't believe she had any other exceptional skills.
After all, from her age, she was still a third-year student at Saikai Academy High School, not even twenty years old. If it weren't for her ability, there's no way she'd be called Japan's strongest.
Therefore...
"Her usefulness is actually quite limited. With the island in turmoil and the terrorist group still lurking, I doubt she can do much."
That was what Rozen believed.
Which is why he advised Yukina not to rely too much on Koyomi.
Perhaps even the Silent Destruction wielder was at a loss right now.
Yukina didn't argue.
Because she couldn't.
But she still felt a bit unwilling.
"Are we just going to sit and let things unfold?"
Yukina seemed deeply discontent with the situation.
In response, Rozen gave a small grin.
"Relax. Do you really think I'm just sitting here wasting time with you?"
Rozen said as he added, "I've already sent out my shikigami to perform a carpet search across all of Itogami Island."
Upon hearing that, Yukina's eyes lit up.
Of course, she didn't doubt Rozen's capabilities.
He might not have been running around like Natsuki or Asagi to resolve the crisis, but if one were to measure actual effectiveness, Rozen was arguably the one tackling the crisis in the most efficient way.
With the Special Zone Guard's command systems in disarray and military viruses breaching the Management Cooperative's servers—rendering surveillance and magical detection tools unusable—the Cooperative was overwhelmed and had no means to effectively hunt or capture the culprits from Tartarus Lapse.
Yet Rozen had deployed tens of thousands of shikigami, scattering them across the island in a way that even the Special Zone Guard, at full strength, couldn't match—performing a true carpet search.
If anyone was paying attention, they'd notice flocks of birds constantly circling the skies over Itogami Island, as well as swarms of mice darting back and forth through alleyways and sewers, sweeping every inch of the island.
With that level of efficiency, finding the members of Tartarus Lapse was only a matter of time.
Of course...
"I still don't know what the other members of Tartarus Lapse look like, aside from Senga Takehito and that vampire. So identifying them won't be easy—especially since Senga Takehito is a skilled feng shui master with great mastery over barriers and formations. It would be simple for him to use the environment to cloak himself with jujutsu. I can't guarantee I'll catch them right away."
Rozen said honestly.
"But the moment they act, I'll be the first to notice."
In other words, unless Tartarus Lapse remained completely hidden, the next time they made a move would be when they exposed themselves.
When that happened...
"I'll personally pay them a visit."
Rozen said this to himself as he looked down at the girl in his arms.
At some point, Avrora had fallen asleep, though her expression remained pale and uneasy, a slight tremble at the corner of her eyes betraying her anxiety—heartbreaking to witness.
Clearly, Avrora's fear had yet to subside.
Rozen gently stroked her radiant hair and spoke silently in his heart.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
Whether or not those words reached her, Avrora's expression seemed to relax slightly.
Even Rozen hadn't realized—
This time, the enemy wasn't interested in Avrora at all.
Their true target... was someone else.
Someone also deeply connected to Rozen.
And Tartarus Lapse was about to make their move—
To kill them.