"I'm Asura Owen. I've heard a lot about you."
Asura stepped forward and stood beside Olga, as if to tell others that he was no less powerful than Olga. His eyes, fixed on Rozen, were calm and composed.
"I've heard your name so many times that my ears are getting calluses, the most ancient magus of the modern time."
Sonechka stepped out too, unwilling to be outdone. Unlike the calm demeanor of Asura, her eyes burned with a fiery fighting spirit.
With the two of them stepping forward, the momentum on Olga's side seemed to swell, growing ever more intense.
However, not only did Rozen remain unmoved by this display, even Charl and Loki also stepped forward, forming a line with Rozen. The three of them now stood opposite Olga, Asura, and Sonechka—an unmistakable confrontation.
"Didn't expect you all to lower yourselves voluntarily. In such a hurry to take the stage?"
Charl asked, questioning their motives.
"You look like you've formed some kind of alliance. Is this your strategy?"
Loki's words were like a probe, testing their intentions.
To the two of them, the fact that Olga and her group appeared on the battlefield of the Night Party together made their intentions obvious—they had joined forces to fight against their side.
Even if Rozen and the others had no such thoughts, their interactions suggested camaraderie to any outsider.
That is to say, this group of individuals were companions, forming a faction in the Night Party. Whichever one of them you faced, the others would certainly lend their strength. Each one of them was powerful, and forming a clique only made them more of a threat—an obstacle that glove holders aiming for victory in the Night Party could not ignore.
Moreover, even if they hadn't formally allied, with Rozen present, everyone knew that trying to defeat him solo was virtually impossible.
Given this, it wouldn't be surprising if the rest of the Thirteen were to form their own alliance just to oppose this faction.
At least, that's what Charl and Loki thought.
Unfortunately...
"You're mistaken," Asura shook his head. "We haven't exactly formed a faction."
"Exactly," Sonechka nodded, speaking frankly. "The reason we're appearing together is merely to avoid being picked off one by one. Aside from that, we've only agreed to a temporary non-aggression pact."
Hearing that, Charl and Loki were stunned. They furrowed their brows, seemingly trying to understand the true meaning behind Asura and Sonechka's words.
Only Rozen smiled, as if he'd understood what was going on.
"So in other words, you're not appearing together to fight—but to avoid fighting?"
Exactly.
If Olga and the others entered the arena individually, instead of together, it would likely provoke this side into attacking first.
Their opponents were strong members of the Thirteen. If they voluntarily ranked down and appeared on the field, then regardless of Rozen's stance, Charl and Loki would surely be unable to resist attacking to take out such formidable threats.
After all, Olga and her group were powerful and had no deep connections with this side. There would be no reason to hold back. Once they appeared, it would be natural to try to eliminate them immediately.
Under such circumstances, if these seven individuals were to take the stage one after another over the past week, the result would have been clear—Charl and Loki would've defeated them one by one, leaving none behind.
Not to mention Rozen's unpredictable presence. If he decided to make a move, even if several of them had already entered, they could all be crushed.
To avoid that outcome, Olga and her group had united to rank down at the same time, placing their rankings right next to one another, each using their right to abstain from battle until today, and then appearing together with full strength to preserve themselves.
With seven members of the Thirteen appearing all at once, not even Charl and Loki would be foolish enough to act rashly.
While both had grown stronger by leaps and bounds, their opponents weren't pushovers. United, those seven were overwhelming—even Charl and Loki had no guaranteed chance of victory.
Especially Asura, Olga, and Sonechka—if Rozen's instincts were right, their strength wasn't far behind Charl and Loki's.
It was this realization that caused Charl and Loki to appear so tense and on guard.
However...
"Why would you voluntarily lower your rankings?"
Rozen asked the obvious question.
"Right," Charl immediately caught on and added, "Even if you wanted to show up together to avoid being picked off, there was no need to rank yourselves down, was there?"
All seven of them were members of the Thirteen—figures standing at the top of Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart. They had no need to voluntarily drop down in the rankings just to appear now.
Normally, it would have taken at least a month for them to appear in the Night Party rotation.
If they used that time well, they could strategize, improve their abilities, and prepare for battle.
To voluntarily enter at this stage—frankly—seemed unnecessary.
Of course, that's looking at it from Rozen's side.
From Olga's perspective, it was a different story. The sooner they entered, the better.
The reason was simple.
"If we don't enter, then the competitors around rank fifty will just be defeated one after another by you guys. It's a complete waste."
Olga spoke up.
"Rather than letting that happen, we might as well step in now and make the most of our strength."
Everyone immediately understood the meaning behind her words.
In short...
"As the Student Representative, I hereby make an announcement to all."
Olga turned to the audience and student body, raising her voice so it echoed through the entire arena.
"As you've all seen, the powerful puppeteers led by Fimbulvetr's Winter have completely dominated the Night Party. This is not something that deserves criticism—on the contrary, it deserves praise. Their strength is worthy of admiration, and their prestige is exceptional. We should all recognize and respect that. But we, as glove holders, have worked tirelessly, enduring our studies and overcoming trials to earn the right to participate in the Night Party. If we are eliminated before even having the chance to show our worth, it would be truly frustrating."
"Therefore, we, members of the Thirteen, have decided to intervene with the Night Party matches starting today."
Olga's declaration brought absolute silence to the arena.
Not a single sound followed.