Miracle Summoner

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"

It was a sandstorm.

As if it could cover the sky and blot out the sun, it almost completely obscured one's vision, constantly raging like a violent storm.

The sandstorm was incredibly fierce.

So fierce that, as soon as Rozen and Mash flew into it on their dragon mount, the dragon let out a startled roar.

"Roar!"

The dragon roared while struggling to maintain control, flapping its wings to avoid being blown away by the sandstorm.

However, no matter how famous the dragonkind was, it couldn't move forward in such a sandstorm. Flying smoothly was simply impossible.

"Senpai!"

Mash, clinging tightly to the dragon's scales on its back, called out loudly.

She had no choice. The storm was so ferocious that, without clinging tightly, Mash would have been blown away immediately.

Rozen, too, was engulfed by the sandstorm. His coat flapped violently as he stood in its path, shielding himself from the gale and blocking all the incoming sand and wind.

Even so, Rozen found it hard to breathe. His movements were unstable, one hand raised in front of him for protection, though it had little effect.

Without hesitation, Rozen pulled out several talismans.

"Order!"

Accompanied by a short chant of release, Rozen threw the talismans into the air. One by one, they flew outward like streams of light, surrounding the dragon.

"Zing!"

In the next moment, the talismans emitted a radiant glow, forming a barrier-like shield that enveloped the dragon.

The sandstorm was immediately repelled outside the shield. The dragon's body finally steadied, its wings beating as it hovered in midair, letting out a roar of relief.

"Hah…"

Rozen and Mash both let out a sigh of relief.

"It seems the environment here is harsher than I expected."

Rozen surveyed the surroundings, but apart from the sandstorm, nothing could be seen.

"Senpai, the connection with Chaldea is still down."

Mash had tried to establish communication with Chaldea, but, as expected, there was no response.

"That's not surprising," Rozen replied. "Now that we've entered this area, I'm certain. The atmospheric mana concentration here is absurdly high. It's understandable that Chaldea can't interfere."

The mana in the atmosphere was so dense that, according to Rozen's estimation, it could rival compressed mana—a highly condensed form of magical energy.

Ordinary aerial magus wouldn't even be able to refine or control such mana. Rozen could only imagine how difficult it would be to move freely in such an environment.

If it weren't for the protection of Kinu and Gyokuto, as well as the fact that his powers had greatly evolved, mastering even the most compressed forms of high-grade mana and foreign mana, prolonged exposure to this environment could have endangered his body.

"I really can't imagine how the Mountain People have managed to survive here."

Rozen frowned as he spoke, causing Mash's expression to grow tense.

"What should we do, Senpai?"

Mash looked to Rozen as her pillar of support.

"In an environment like this, I can't deploy my familiars. Any detection techniques I can think of would be disrupted by this mana-rich atmosphere. Even my Heaven's Eye probably won't work here—only Mind's Eye might pick up on some traces." Closing his eyes briefly before reopening them, Rozen continued, "Chaldea previously analyzed the characteristics and movements of the Mountain People and suggested a likely route they might take. Let's follow that route for now."

"Understood, Senpai." Mash nodded firmly.

"Let's go!" Rozen stomped lightly on the dragon's back, signaling it.

"Roar!"

With a mighty roar, the dragon flapped its wings and flew toward the far end of the sandstorm.

Thanks to the barrier's protection, the sandstorm was repelled, allowing the dragon to fly smoothly.

But just then—

"Hm?"

Rozen's expression suddenly shifted. He quickly forced the dragon into a sharp turn.

"Ah!"

The sudden maneuver caused Mash to cry out in surprise. She nearly lost her grip and was almost thrown off.

What happened next came without warning.

"Boom!"

From within the sandstorm, a massive black shadow burst forth like a cannonball, tearing through the storm at an astonishing speed. It passed through the exact spot where Rozen and the others had been moments before.

Had Rozen not commanded the dragon to swerve, the shadow would have slammed into it.

"Roar!"

Realizing this, the dragon roared in fury.

Rozen and Mash, however, wore grim expressions.

Both had clearly seen it.

They had seen the existence that emerged from the sandstorm.

It was a colossal beast.

A creature that looked like a statue, exuding a sense of unyielding rigidity. Its golden body was adorned with gemstone-like decorations, its form resembling a lion, wings spread on its back, and its face was human.

The beast hovered in midair, staring at Rozen and his companions from a distance.

Its human-like eyes gleamed with a predatory light.

Anyone with knowledge of Egyptian mythology would recognize this creature immediately.

"A sphinx!?"

Mash's startled voice gave away its identity.

Sphinx.

Also known as "The Beast with a Human Face and Lion's Body."

It was the symbol of Egyptian royalty and wisdom. In modern times, it was regarded as one of the world's architectural wonders. In mythology, it appeared as a monstrous creature, feared as a manifestation of Horus, the Egyptian god of the sky. Revered as the "Father of Terror" in Egyptian legends, it symbolized fire and wind's destructive power.

In Egyptian mythology, the sphinx served as the royal guardian beast, celebrated in both Greek and Babylonian traditions as a legendary monster. It surpassed magical and mythical beasts alike, standing on par with dragons.

In other words, the entity before Rozen and Mash was a divine beast capable of challenging powerful Heroic Spirits. It might even rival Fafnir, the dragon they encountered in the Singularity of France.

The emergence of such a being made Rozen realize something.

"So this is the Sun King's beast…"

The monster, rumored to devour all humans who wandered into the desert, had finally revealed its true form.

This revelation was anything but good news.

The dragon, on the other hand, roared furiously, its rage ignited by the predator's gaze.

The two sides stared each other down.

Then, with a powerful beat of their wings, they charged toward each other.