"What exactly emerged from the depths of Shinjin Lake besides the Horned Serpents?"
In truth, Rozen already knew the answer.
After all, he had seen it firsthand—through his Wise Eye, he had perceived the creature's immense spiritual energy.
And that energy was all too familiar to him.
Not only did he have a shikigami that possessed similar energy, but in the past, he had even refined and supplied this same energy to nurture that shikigami, allowing it to grow into a formidable force capable of standing on its own.
Meanwhile, Kuraki Shirona and the others had seen it with their own eyes.
Exchanging glances, their expressions turned grave.
After a moment of silence—
"A dragon."
Shirona spoke the word with solemn weight.
"What?"
Both Vatler and Iblisveil reacted instantly.
Even Yukina was stunned.
"A... dragon?"
She blinked in disbelief.
Seeing her reaction, Yuiri and Shio quickly moved closer.
"It really was a dragon, Yukina-chan," Yuiri said, her voice trembling slightly as she recalled the sight.
"We all saw it—bursting out from the depths of Shinjin Lake," Shio added, emphasizing the point.
At that moment, a monstrous shadow had erupted from the lake's depths, unleashing a roar that shook the heavens.
That roar—had been the cry of a dragon.
In other words—
"The Holy Annihilation's legacy sealed in Shinjin Lake... was a dragon?"
Tobias sounded genuinely surprised.
"Is that true?"
Kira murmured in disbelief.
As previously mentioned, dragons were a race that existed only in the Chaos Zone and the Dark Continent—now critically endangered, with sightings practically nonexistent in modern times.
This was why, during the Blazing Banquet, even Zaharias had been shocked when Rozen summoned Hokuto.
Dragons were an immensely powerful and intelligent race—their strongest even rivaling Primogenitors in power and human sages in wisdom. In this day and age, they were little more than legends.
Now, Shirona and the others were claiming that the Holy Annihilation's legacy in Shinjin Lake was a dragon.
It was impossible not to be astonished.
Was it a god-slaying weapon crafted by the hands of the Devas?
Or perhaps a unique dragon species with power comparable to a Primogenitor?
If it wasn't at least that formidable, it wouldn't qualify as part of the Holy Annihilation's legacy—nor would it have remained sealed for so long before resurfacing.
In other words—
"That dragon—wherever it's gone—is the key to this incident. A being directly linked to the Holy Annihilation?"
Iblisveil grinned, his interest thoroughly piqued.
Naturally, Vatler felt the same.
"It seems we'll have to track it down first," he said, his tone casual but his intent unmistakable.
Clearly, even Vatler had taken an interest in the dragon.
Only Yukina seemed to recall something, quickly turning to Rozen.
"Senpai, could those Wyverns that attacked us earlier be connected to the dragon in Shinjin Lake?"
Before Rozen could answer, her words had already drawn everyone's attention.
"You encountered Wyverns too?"
This time, it was Akatsuki Hisano who looked shocked.
"Is this true, Himeragi Yukina?"
Shirona pressed urgently.
Yukina nodded seriously.
"Yes. On our way here, just before reaching Shinjin Lake, three Wyverns appeared one after another and attacked us."
She provided the information without hesitation—it wasn't something that needed to be hidden.
However—
"'Attacked you'...?"
Hisano frowned.
"How interesting that you ran into something like that," Iblisveil remarked, sounding almost displeased.
"Wyverns, huh...?"
Vatler chuckled to himself, lost in thought.
Finally, after a moment of contemplation, Shirona spoke.
"One thing is certain—those Wyverns couldn't have been related to the dragon in Shinjin Lake."
That was her assessment.
"Really?"
Yukina seemed doubtful.
For dragons and Wyverns to appear simultaneously, yet be completely unrelated—it was hard to believe.
After all, Wyverns were an inferior subspecies of dragons—lesser kin with impure bloodlines. Though lacking a dragon's full power, they were still formidable enough to be used in warfare. The two were undeniably connected.
Now, with both a dragon and Wyverns appearing, if they truly had no relation, the coincidence would be staggering.
Yet, Shirona's reasoning held merit.
"Think about it, Yukina." Rozen glanced at her. "We were attacked by Wyverns before the ritual even began—before Shinjin Lake's seal was broken. That alone proves they couldn't have been connected to the dragon in the lake."
"Ah—" Yukina's eyes widened in realization, then she grimaced. "You're right. And you already said those Wyverns were artificial lifeforms—homunculi that could use erosion. There's no way they were related."
The moment those words left her mouth—
The atmosphere in the room shifted violently.
"An erosion!?"
Shirona and Hisano stiffened.
"Erosion...!?"
Vatler and Iblisveil whipped their heads toward Yukina.
The tension in the room skyrocketed.
"Wh-what's wrong...?"
"Did we say something bad?"
Yuiri and Shio shrank back, startled.
Yukina, too, froze in confusion.
Only Rozen remained composed, his eyes narrowing as he observed the reactions around him.
Then, stepping forward, he shielded Yukina with his presence, his gaze piercing.
"You know something."
His voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable weight.
"Tell me—what is it?"
Under his scrutiny, the others exchanged uneasy glances.
Finally, it was Vatler who broke the silence.
"It seems you've encountered... the Cleansers."
—The Cleansers.
That single word made Rozen's eyes gleam with sharp interest.
"Explain."
His tone left no room for refusal.
"What are these 'Cleansers'?"
After a brief silence, Shirona stepped forward.
"Allow me to clarify."
And so, she began her explanation.
———
Some time later, the gathering in the main hall disbanded.
Shirona and Hisano decided to assist the government's efforts, coordinating with Attack Mages to eliminate the remaining Horned Serpents scattered around Kamioda.
Yuiri and Shio stayed behind to provide support.
As for Rozen and the others—they had a different objective.
"Find that dragon."
That would be their next move.