"...It’s so peaceful," Ara murmured as the carriage rolled along the path toward the dungeon.
"True enough. But there is no need for unnecessary conflict," Elena replied, looking up from her book on military science.
The carriage had already left the highway and was now traveling over trackless terrain. Or, more accurately, the ground had been trodden down by many travelers heading for the dungeon until it resembled a rough trail.
Despite the rugged conditions, the journey was proceeding smoothly—so smoothly that Ara sounded bored.
Normally, the trip from Gilm to the dungeon required two nights. However, the carriage was a magic item that extended its enchantments to the warhorses pulling it, granting them strength and speed beyond that of ordinary horses. Furthermore, the warhorses themselves were among the finest steeds in the Kingdom of Mireana. It was only natural that they were making excellent time.
Additionally, most monsters that would typically ambush a carriage for prey took one look at Seto walking alongside and realized they were outclassed. They stayed hidden. Occasionally, creatures with low intelligence—like the Iron Snake from the day before—would attack anyway, unable to grasp the difference in power. Such monsters were literally kicked aside by Seto, their lives extinguished in an instant. Their remains were then stored in Rei's Misty Ring to eventually serve as the Gryphon's meals.
Traveling at such an extraordinary pace, they were on track to reach the dungeon in only a single night from Gilm.
"But Lady Elena, it's hard to stay alert when nothing is happening. I wish at least some bandits would attack; it would provide a bit of a distraction."
"Ara, you're being far too bellicose," Kyuste muttered, looking exasperated as he sat on the sofa reading a book about the dungeon.
"Oh, please. You look just as bored as I am, Kyuste."
"Hmph. Do not lump me in with you. I am studying the dungeon's layout, so I am hardly idle."
Perhaps his words acted as a trigger. The sound of the whistle they had heard several times before began to echo inside the carriage.
"See? You said something strange and now..."
"Don't blame me! Besides, that Gryphon will probably just handle it in a few seconds anyway."
Contrary to Ara’s wish, however, the whistle—which usually stopped quickly once Seto intervened—continued to blow without ceasing.
Uneasy, Kyuste stood up to ask the driver, Vel, what was happening. Just then, the door connecting to the driver's seat swung open.
Vel peered inside. His usual lighthearted smirk was gone, replaced by a uncharacteristically grim expression.
"What's the situation with the monsters?" Kyuste asked.
"This... might be a bit bad," Vel replied curtly.
From those words alone, everyone in the carriage realized that things were taking a turn for the worse. Kyuste gripped his magic spear, and Ara drew her sword. Elena stood up with her whip-sword in hand.
Rei, acting as an escort, also stood, ready to withdraw the Death Scythe from his Misty Ring at a moment's notice. He didn't summon the weapon immediately because of the space constraints; the Death Scythe was over two meters long, and he didn't want it getting caught in the doorway as he exited.
"Vel, is it a problem to keep the carriage moving?" Elena asked.
"It’s looking pretty difficult."
"Why? Is the enemy too fast?"
Vel shook his head silently. Even as they spoke, he kept a sharp eye on the terrain ahead, making small adjustments to keep the warhorses on track.
"No, the thing is, I can't see the enemy at all. But the Hostility Detection hasn't stopped ringing once."
"Is the enemy targeting us from such a distance that we can't see them? Or are they literally invisible?"
"If it’s an undead ghost, we're in for a headache," Ara noted.
Elena nodded briefly and made her decision.
"We cannot lead an unseen enemy to the dungeon. More importantly, running away is not my style. Kyuste, stop the carriage. We intercept them here."
"Are you sure? I feel like we should just try to outrun them."
"Don't be tedious."
"Fine, fine. Honestly, our queen is either remarkably brave or just incredibly reckless... No, it's nothing, really."
When Ara silently leveled the tip of her sword toward Vel's face, he broke into a cold sweat and brought the carriage to a halt.
"Rei, your coordination with us likely isn't perfect yet, so feel free to act as you see fit."
"That helps. I'll work with Seto as usual."
Elena gave a small nod to Rei's response and turned her gaze toward Ara. Understanding her unspoken command, Ara threw open the door the moment the carriage stopped and was the first to charge out. Kyuste followed with his magic spear leveled. Finally, Rei leaped outside, instantly manifesting the Death Scythe from the Misty Ring.
"Lady Elena, I see no sign of the enemy!"
"Neither do I!"
"See what I mean? And yet the Hostility Detection is still screaming its head off," Vel shouted from the driver's seat, his bow at the ready as he scanned the perimeter.
"There is certainly no visible foe. However, if the detection has reacted, someone is definitely watching us with malice. Stay alert. Do not drop your guard."
Listening to Elena's orders, Rei held his Death Scythe ready and moved toward Seto, who was standing near the carriage. The area around them was open grassland, with a dense forest located a short distance away.
If anything is suspicious, it's those trees, Rei thought.
"Seto, do you feel anything?"
"Guruuu."
Seto shook its head. Even with its heightened senses as a Gryphon, it couldn't detect the enemy's presence.
At this rate, we'll be picked off one by one. I need some insurance.
"Magic Shield."
Rei activated one of the skills the Death Scythe had learned by absorbing a magic stone. Instantly, a shield made of light formed beside him, moving automatically to a position where it wouldn't hinder his movements with the scythe.
Elena and the others glanced at the glowing shield for a moment, but they quickly returned to scanning the area for any trace of the enemy. Minutes passed, yet no attack came. They couldn't even catch a glimpse of their stalker.
"Rei, have you confirmed the enemy's position yet?"
Elena called out from the far side of the carriage, but even with Rei and Seto's instincts combined, they found nothing.
"No, there's no sign of—"
"Rei?"
Elena asked again when he cut off mid-sentence. Rei didn't answer. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharpening as he searched the air.
"Guruuu."
Seto felt it too. The Gryphon let out a low, wary growl.
There were only the grasslands and the forest. A dry wind, typical of the change from summer to autumn, blew across the plains. In that silence, he heard a faint, subtle sound.
"Rei, what is it? Did you find something?"
"—!"
The moment Elena spoke, Rei swung the Death Scythe down with a reflexive burst of speed. A sharp metallic clang rang out. In that split second, Rei saw it—the object that had been deflected by his blade.
"Lady Elena, be careful! It’s a Giant Mantis! It’s as big as the carriage, and it’s using optical camouflage to stalk us!"
Rei’s shout echoed across the plain. He had seen it: a massive Mantis, its body nearly the size of the carriage itself. It had flickered into visibility for the briefest moment as it struck. After its scythe-like arm was parried by Rei's Death Scythe, it had vanished once more.
Is it some kind of alchemical stealth? But why didn't I hear anything? And Seto should have been able to find it by scent.
The question nagged at him, but then he recalled his knowledge from the countryside and understood. A mantis is an ambush predator; it remains perfectly still until the prey is close. It hadn't made any noise because it was lying in wait. Rei had simply happened to step into its range. As for the scent, he'd have to figure that out after they dealt with the threat.
"Ah!"
A sudden scream broke the tension. Rei spun around to see Ara. The right shoulder of her armor had been smashed, but she was barely holding back a massive blade with her sword.
Now Rei saw the monster clearly. It was roughly four meters long. Its body was covered in a beetle-like carapace, and it possessed two pairs of scythes—four arms in total.
Ara was blocking one arm while Kyuste held back another with his magic spear. The Mantis tried to finish them with its remaining two limbs, but Vel’s arrows and Elena's whip-sword forced it to defend itself.
Assessing the battlefield in an instant, Rei shouted to Elena.
"Lady Elena! Seto and I will take it from above!"
"Understood! But if it’s a mantis, it might be able to fly! Be careful!"
Rei vaulted onto Seto's back.
"Seto, you ready?"
"Guruuuuu!"
With a short cry and a brief run, Seto beat its wings. Kicking the very air itself, the Gryphon soared upward. It banked sharply, circling back to loom over the Mantis as it fought the four others on the ground.
No, it's not a fair fight, Rei realized. The two vanguards are pinned down, which means Elena can't use her whip-sword's versatility or her magic without hitting her own people.
The battle was clear from the air. Whether by intelligence or instinct, the Mantis was positioning itself so that Ara and Kyuste acted as shields against Elena. Vel’s arrows weren't powerful enough to do more than scratch the thick carapace.
"Good grief. Usually, a mantis has a soft belly, but this thing is wearing a suit of armor. Seto, let’s go! Follow my lead! Wave attack!"
"Guru!"
At Seto's response, Rei leaped from its back. He raised the Death Scythe high as he plummeted toward the monster's head.
"—!"
In that moment, the Mantis’s head swiveled 180 degrees, tracking him perfectly. It batted Ara aside with a single blow and swung one of its massive scythes toward the falling Rei.
"Flying Slash!"
Seeing the monster's movement, Rei's instincts told him it was about to release a wind-based attack. He was right. A blade of wind erupted from the scythe. Rei countered with his own Flying Slash. The two attacks collided in mid-air, neutralizing each other.
But the Mantis had four arms.
"Rei! Get out of there!"
Elena’s voice rang out as Kyuste was also sent flying. He was headed straight for Elena. She had been about to strike, but if she did, she would hit Kyuste. Faced with the choice of dodging or catching him, she chose the latter. She couldn't afford for Kyuste—their only recovery magic user—to be taken out of the fight by the impact.
"Sleipnir's Shoes, activate!"
Unaware of the drama on the ground, Rei activated his magic boots. He kicked the air to stabilize his posture and reposition himself in mid-flight.
"Guru!"
Seto dove through the air, catching Rei on its back before landing a safe distance from the creature.
"Thanks, Seto."
"Guruuu."
Rei readjusted his grip on the Death Scythe. Beside him, Elena stood ready after catching Kyuste.
Looking around, Rei saw Kyuste gripping his magic spear, trying to circle to the monster's rear. Vel continued to fire arrows to keep the creature distracted. Ara, however, was unconscious after slamming into the carriage.
"Rei, we can't let this drag on. We need to kill it now!"
"I agree. It’ll be a pain if it tries to fly away."
"Then keep it busy for a moment. I’ll finish it with magic."
"Can do. Here I go!"
"Don't miss my signal!"
Rei charged, closing the distance with the Death Scythe held low. The Mantis waited silently, its four great scythes raised high—then it brought them down.
It launched four consecutive wind slashes. Rei sensed the time delay between each one and kept moving forward.
Now that I know they're coming, I have plenty of ways to stop them!
He twisted his body to evade the first slash, cut through the second with a mana-infused strike of his scythe, and shattered the third with the weapon's shaft. The final slash hit his Magic Shield and dissipated. Through the vanishing sparks of light, Rei found himself face-to-face with the monster.
"Haaaah!"
As the Mantis swung its physical limbs, Rei met them with the Death Scythe. The mana-charged blade collided with the monster's scythe. Kyuste, watching from the rear, expected a struggle, but there was only a wet thwack. The Death Scythe sliced through the Mantis’s arm as if it were nothing more than a twig.
"..."
Even with its upper right arm severed, the Mantis let out no cry of pain. It silently swung its remaining three scythes. Rei dodged and struck again, severing the upper left scythe.
What is this? Something feels wrong.
Some insect monsters didn't feel pain, but they usually reacted to the impact or the loss of a limb. This Giant Mantis was different. It had lost half its weapons and didn't even hiss or threaten him; it just continued its mechanical, emotionless assault.
The unease distracted him for a split second—and in a battle like this, a second was an eternity.
The Mantis seemed to use its severed left arm as a decoy, swinging its remaining two limbs in a pincer attack. Normally, Rei could have dodged it easily, but the timing of his distraction left him wide open.
"Don't daydream in a fight!"
Kyuste’s magic spear whistled through the air, thrown from the Mantis's rear. It struck the scythe that would have dealt Rei a lethal blow, parrying it away. The spear buried itself in the ground just past Rei's shoulder.
Rei didn't waste the opening. He leaped back as Vel’s arrows peppered the monster to prevent a follow-up attack.
"Get back!"
Elena’s voice boomed across the grassland. Rei reflexively kicked the earth, putting significant distance between himself and the monster.
The Mantis stood alone. Kyuste had already backed away after throwing his spear, and Vel was safely at range. Ara remained unconscious by the carriage.
With a clear line of fire, Elena finished her incantation.
"Lightning Tornado!"
The moment the spell was cast, winds converged on the Mantis, spiraling into a massive cyclone. At first, it merely pinned the creature's legs, but it rapidly expanded until it completely engulfed the four-meter-tall monster. True to its name, the tornado was saturated with bolts of lightning. Trapped at the epicenter, the Mantis was subjected to a relentless onslaught of crushing wind and searing electricity.