"Lady Elena, shouldn't we retreat for now!?"
Vel shouted as he fired an arrow from atop a tree, intercepting a Water Monkey that was leaping toward Ara.
They had been fighting in the forest—a battlefield where the monkeys held every advantage—for over an hour. Because the combat had been incessant, both Ara and Kyuste were nearing the end of their physical strength. Ara's condition was particularly dire; she was holding her ground through sheer willpower alone. Vel was forced to focus his arrows on supporting her, which left Kyuste with insufficient cover, creating a vicious cycle that drained the knight's stamina even faster. Had Elena not been providing support with her whip-sword and wind magic, the vanguard would have collapsed long ago.
Hearing Vel’s suggestion, Elena stole a quick glance back toward the direction they had come from. The number of enemies in that direction was indeed small, and breaking through appeared easy. It was almost as if they were being invited to escape that way.
To Elena, a veteran of many battlefields, that obvious exit felt like nothing but a trap.
"No! They have almost certainly laid an ambush behind us."
"But if we stay here, our strength will just be ground down until there's nothing left!" Vel’s shout was laced with desperation. Because he was providing cover for the front line, he understood better than anyone that the two knights were at their limits.
(He's right; we'll be depleted in a war of attrition at this rate. I need to make a major move.)
Even as the thought crossed her mind, a Water Monkey lunged at her.
"How persistent!"
Elena retracted her whip-sword into its solid state, sliced through a Water Ball fired as a feint, and cut down the approaching monkey in a single motion. Without breaking her flow, she swung the blade again, extending it like a whip to lash through the surrounding swarms.
However, only a few monkeys suffered fatal wounds to the throat; most were left with mere shallow gashes on their limbs.
"Hah!"
While Elena's group struggled, Rei was being beset by even more Water Monkeys than the rest of the party combined.
He dodged Water Balls with dance-like grace, using the blade of his Death Scythe to cleave through multiple foes at once. When they got too close, he swung the weapon's shaft, shattering their water-protected ribs with brute force.
"O flames, become pebbles and pierce!"
Rei chanted as he kept the enemies at bay. Because he was simultaneously engaged in close combat and evading projectiles from the trees, he couldn't afford long incantations. Naturally, the resulting magic was short and lacked overwhelming power.
"Flame Pebbles!"
He swung the Death Scythe, releasing a Fire Ball about fifty centimeters in diameter that had manifested on the blade. It traveled a few meters before bursting, scattering small flames about a centimeter wide in every direction.
"Kikikii!?"
The monkeys screeched as the parts of their bodies not covered by water were scorched. They momentarily retreated to create distance, giving Rei the window he needed to pour magic power into a new spell.
"O flames, become a boundary that returns malice to those with ill intent. Create a Wall of Extreme Flames to separate me from my enemies, and grant me its blessing."
As he spoke the final words, Rei thrust the shaft of the Death Scythe into the ground. From the point of impact, flames a few centimeters high raced across the earth, tracing a complex magic circle.
"Rei, what are you doing!?"
The fire formed a massive ring that encompassed Elena and the others. The moment the circle completed itself, Rei activated the spell.
"Crimson Flame Wall."
With a deafening roar, a massive wall of fire eight meters high erupted along the lines of the magic circle.
"Guruuu?"
Set rubbed its head against Rei worriedly. He patted the gryphon and scanned the perimeter.
The monkeys near Rei had already fled, startled by the earlier pebbles. Similarly, the swarms that had been harrying Elena were gone, leaving only a few stragglers trapped inside the circle with Ara and Kyuste. Seizing the opening created by the sudden wall of fire, the two knights struck with the last of their strength, while Elena's whip-sword snaked out to finish the rest.
"Rei, I assume this magic is your handiwork. Explain its effects."
Judging the immediate threat cleared, Elena turned to Rei. Beside her, Ara and Kyuste had collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.
Rei nodded and pulled canteens of water from his Misty Ring, handing them out. Even Kyuste, who usually found any excuse to snap at him, accepted the water in silence, his chest heaving.
"Lady Elena, please take one as well. We should be safe for about thirty minutes."
"I see. Since it's your magic, I'll trust your word." Elena took a canteen and drank deeply.
Rei found himself watching the graceful line of her throat as she swallowed, but he snapped out of it when Set tugged on his Dragon Robe with its beak. He took a drink himself and pulled some juicy fruit from the Misty Ring for his partner.
"I feel like I've returned from the dead... Now, the explanation."
"It's called Crimson Flame Wall. It forms a defensive barrier centered on me. What makes it unique is..." Rei gestured toward the wall.
Outside, several Water Monkeys were firing Water Balls into the barrier. The reaction was instantaneous. The moment a projectile touched the fire, a Fire Ball of equal size shot back from the wall, incinerating the attackers on the spot.
"As you can see, the wall counter-attacks anything that hits it. We can focus on recovering for the next half hour while it holds."
"...That is incredibly advanced magic. Regardless, we owe you our lives." Elena nodded, though she looked puzzled by the mechanics.
Vel, who was less exhausted than the others since he had been using a bow, spoke up. "Hey, Rei. This is a flame wall, right?"
"Obviously."
"Then why isn't it hot in here?"
"It's all in the mental image during the casting. It's a wall of fire, but I've adjusted the interior to maintain a constant temperature. The outside, however, is extremely hot. For monsters that cover themselves in water, it's their worst nightmare."
"Wow, you can even do that?"
"It's quite convenient. Let’s take ten minutes to rest, then we’ll decide how to handle them," Elena commanded.
They all sat on the ground to recover. Rei leaned against Set's warm flank and closed his eyes.
(The number of Water Monkeys was higher than expected. Yesterday there were twenty; today there had to be at least a hundred. That Rare Species must be leading them... but they attacked too early. I thought they'd wait until we were more drained. Is it because of that spear I threw?)
"Forgive me, Lady Elena. I have shown you a pathetic display. To be driven to this by mere monsters..."
"I feel the same," Kyuste and Ara’s voices drifted over.
They had regained their composure quickly, true to their training as knights. Soon, one of them approached Rei.
"Lord Rei, may I continue using this sword?"
Rei opened his eyes to see Ara.
(Well, it would have been a lot more annoying if it were Kyuste.)
He nodded, but then his eyes narrowed as he looked at the weapon she held. When he had handed it to her mid-battle, it had been in good condition. Now, the blade was visibly warped.
"You can, but... that sword looks like it's at its limit. Is it really okay?"
"To be honest, no. But my own sword is... well..." Ara looked toward her original weapon, which lay snapped in half nearby.
"Rei, if you have anything better, could you lend it to her?" Elena asked, noticing Ara’s slumped shoulders. "Something she can actually use."
"I know her strength is a huge asset for the vanguard, but I'm afraid I don't have any other swords better than that one."
Rei didn't carry spare main weapons. His Death Scythe was fueled by his own magic power and was nearly indestructible. He mostly collected daggers for dismantling, throwing spears, or rare magic items.
(Wait... Ara, Herculean Strength, magic item...)
The four words clicked into place: Ara, Herculean Strength, Magic Item, Falcon's Claws.
He didn't have a sword, but he did have a weapon that might suit a woman of Ara’s top-tier strength. He pulled up the Misty Ring List in his mind and selected the Power Axe.
He had won it in a bet against Vargas, the leader of the Falcon's Claws. It was a magic item found within this very labyrinth.
(Lending a magic item found here to someone who lost their weapon here... there’s a certain poetic justice to it.)
A massive battle axe appeared in Rei's hands.
"Ara, do you want to try this?"
"What is it?"
"A Power Axe. It's a magic item, a type of battle axe."
"...I can certainly feel the magic power. What does it do?" Elena asked, looking intrigued.
Rei shook his head. "I only recently acquired it, so I don't know the specifics. But the name Power Axe gives you a pretty good idea."
"True. Ara, what do you think? Will you try it?"
"Lord Rei... may I?"
"Go ahead." Rei handed the heavy weapon over.
"Eek!" Ara let out a small, uncharacteristic squeak as she took the weight.
"So this is a magic item..." she whispered. She gripped the handle with one hand, lifted it, and gave it a test swing.
"Wow," Rei breathed.
"What is it?" Elena asked.
"The previous owner had to use both hands to wield that thing. I didn't expect her to swing it so easily with one."
Ara continued to swing the axe, familiarizing herself with its balance through a series of slow, controlled strikes.
"Ara! I know you want to test your new weapon, but time is short. Focus on resting," Elena reminded her.
"Yes, Lady Elena!" Ara walked back over, carrying the massive axe in one hand as if it were a toy. "Lord Rei, please let me use this. It feels as if I've used it for years."
"No problem. We need you at full strength. So, Elena, about our next move."
"Right. Retreating the way we came is out. It’s too obvious they want to drive us that way. It’s a trap."
"But Lady Elena, do monsters really have that kind of intelligence?" Kyuste asked.
"You saw them, Kyuste. They surrounded us and forced a war of attrition. You don't think they're capable of setting a simple trap?"
"...I'll admit there's a possibility."
"That leaves us with a breakthrough. We need to push through their strongest point. Ideally, I'd like to take down that Rare Species..."
"The leader is probably right behind the thickest part of the line," Vel added, having regained his usual casual tone. "But they’re monsters. They might not act the way we expect."
"Likely. And since they're in the trees, our options are limited. Pushing forward and breaking their encirclement is our best bet."
"Then the problem is the pursuit," Vel muttered. "I don't want those things nipping at our heels the whole way out."
The group nodded. During the silence, Set tugged on Rei's Dragon Robe again, let out a low trill, and looked at him expectantly.
Rei knew what it wanted. It was suggesting the use of King's Intimidation, a skill it had learned from a Magic Stone. It was an area-of-effect skill that wouldn't cause collateral damage like his fire magic. It would project an aura of pressure that would make lower-ranked monsters freeze and reduce their movement speed. It was perfect for slowing down a pursuit, and since Set was an A-Rank monster, it might even affect the Rare Species.
"Rei? What is Set saying?"
Rei hesitated. Set was already a rare A-Rank monster. Revealing that it possessed skills beyond its species was a risk. He trusted Elena, and Ara would take Elena's secrets to the grave, but Kyuste and Vel were different.
(Still... I can have Elena take responsibility for them. And if things get truly dangerous, there's always the Seed of Restraint. It's a harsh choice, but better than dying.)
Feeling the heat of the flame wall beginning to flicker as its duration waned, Rei finally spoke.