A heavy silence hung before the doors of Boruntar's Residence.
The thugs and low-rank adventurers who had surrounded Rei’s group stood frozen, unable to find their voices after what they had just witnessed.
In a single, fluid motion of his massive scythe, Rei had unleashed a flying slash that severed the branches of a garden tree, dropping a hidden bow user to the ground like a stone. A second strike followed instantly, tearing through the walls and windows of the mansion’s 2F. Then, moving faster than the eye could follow, Rei had struck the hulking Vargas with the Death Scythe's shaft, launching him through the front doors and deep into the entrance hall.
"..."
The display was so overwhelming that no one dared speak. Every eye was fixed on Rei.
Set had used its Eagle Claws to deflect the arrows aimed at Galahat, but Rei’s actions had been so spectacular that the gryphon’s defense had gone almost unnoticed.
The last remaining archer realized that as long as Rei and Set were there, any further attempts were futile. Unwilling to share the fate of the others, they had already vanished into the shadows to find a new position.
In the wake of the silence, Rei rested the Death Scythe on his shoulder and glanced at the men surrounding them.
"Well then, your reliance on Vargas seems to have been misplaced. What now? If any of you still have the stomach for this, take a step forward."
Despite his provocation, not a single man moved. They had seen the sheer brutality of that last strike.
Some turned their gazes toward the wreckage of the doors. Vargas, who had been clad in sturdy metal armor just minutes ago, now lay unconscious with the flank of his breastplate completely crushed. If he were still awake, he would be suffering the hellish agony of multiple broken ribs.
Vargas was one of the strongest men currently at Boruntar’s Residence. To see him literally blown away without even being able to lift a finger had an immediate, devastating effect on the morale of the defenders.
"What’s wrong? You were barking quite loudly at me earlier. Come on, show me that spirit. Didn't you say it was common sense to attack with these numbers? Didn't you tell me to tuck my tail and run home?"
"..."
The men remained silent. They understood instinctively that any word or movement would be interpreted as a hostile act—and that they would suffer the same fate as Vargas.
"Honestly, you rabble. Grouping together made you bold, but look at you now. Pathetic. Fine. Get lost, then. Go wherever you like."
"..."
Rei gave them the chance to leave, but the men hesitated. If they fled now, they would be marked by the Azoth Firm. They were caught between a monster and a powerful corporation.
Rei’s irritation flickered at their indecision.
"We are going to storm Boruntar's Residence. If you refuse to allow that, then stand in my way. In that case, I will treat you as enemies and eliminate you. If you don't like those terms, tuck your tails and run. ...Let’s go."
He signaled to Phron, Brasso, Galahat, and Mult. With Set following close behind, Rei took a step forward, his Death Scythe ready on his shoulder.
Every time Rei took a step forward, the crowd took a step back. This continued until Rei’s group reached the gate without a single person lifting a finger. Of course, the gate had already been forcibly opened by the flying body of Vargas.
Standing directly before the entrance, however, were two men: Sancant and Fader. The two gatekeepers held their spears level, refusing to budge.
"Move," Rei commanded curtly.
Fader trembled at the sound of his voice and looked toward his partner. Sancant was pale, but he showed no sign of yielding.
"H-Hey, Sancant!" Fader whispered urgently.
It was obvious to anyone who had seen the exchange with Vargas that Rei was not an opponent they could handle. Fader’s eyes practically begged Sancant to reconsider.
"He hired someone like me when no one else would," Sancant replied. "I feel a debt of gratitude for that. ...Fader, I’m not asking you to join me. Do as you like."
"God... dammit! To hell with it! You think I could just leave you here after you say that?!" Fader yelled, leveling his spearhead at Rei.
"You're a fool for following my lead. ...You really are an idiot."
"Shut up! I know that already! Good grief, why am I even doing this..."
The two clicked their tongues, but their spears remained pointed at Rei. Rei felt a momentary flicker of admiration for their resolve, though he let it vanish from his face immediately.
"Hostility, then. That’s your choice?"
"Uoooooooooh!"
The answer was a roar. Sancant and Fader shouted to drown out their own fear, thrusting their spears at Rei's torso. Having worked as partners for so long, their coordination was impressive. Sancant thrust first, and Fader followed a split second later, aiming for the opening created when the opponent moved to block or evade the first strike. It was a well-timed, synchronized assault.
Against a normal opponent, it likely would have worked. Their only mistake was that the opponent was Rei.
"Your technique is decent... but slow!"
Rei caught Sancant's spear with the Death Scythe's blade, severing the metal tip in an instant. With a rapid twist of his wrist, he swung the Death Scythe's shaft around, knocking Fader’s incoming spear upward.
"Gwah!"
Fader cried out in pain. Sancant's spear had been cleanly cut, but Fader’s weapon had been struck by the overwhelming weight and strength of the Death Scythe's shaft. The shock was too much; Fader’s hands went numb, and he lost his grip. The spear was launched high into the air.
"..."
Sancant stared in stunned disbelief. In a single heartbeat, his weapon had been ruined and his partner disarmed.
Ignoring the look of awe and terror on the gatekeeper's face, Rei reached out with his left hand and caught Fader’s falling spear. He drove it down into the ground with a massive impact.
A heavy thud echoed through the garden—a sound far too loud for a spear hitting dirt. The weapon didn't just stand there; it was driven fifty centimeters deep into the earth.
"That's enough. You have no way to stop us. Step aside."
"Please," Galahat added, his voice overlapping with Rei’s. "I don't want to see you two get hurt over this. Step aside quietly."
Sancant hesitated, looking as if he might still try to take a step forward, but Fader caught his arm.
"Sancant, that's enough. We've fulfilled our duty."
Sancant stopped.
"Don't you see?" Fader continued. "The moment that guy Rei showed up, it was checkmate for Mr. Boluntar. You challenged him anyway. You've done enough as a gatekeeper."
"...I suppose you're right," Sancant replied with a heavy sigh. "I understand, Galahat... please, pass through."
"Thank you. I'll make sure things don't go poorly for you two. You have my word."
Galahat nodded to them in comfort, then led the way between the two gatekeepers and through the entrance.
"Wait, Galahat! You aren't at your best yet!" Mult shouted, hurrying after him.
Rei, Phron, and Brasso followed. The thugs and low-rank adventurers who had surrounded them just minutes ago could do nothing but watch them go.
"Well, 'wow' is about the only thing I can say to this," Phron remarked as she stepped inside.
The entrance to Boruntar’s Residence was a wreck. The heavy double doors had been smashed to splinters where Vargas had hit them. Inside, the residence entrance hall was grand, but the atmosphere was marred by Vargas, who lay sprawled on the floor in a heap of broken armor.
"The doors might have been trapped, anyway," Phron added, looking at the unconscious man with exasperation. "Let's just call it 'all's well that ends well.'"
To Phron, the fact that Vargas had challenged Rei again after already losing once was baffling. If he had trained for months to seek a rematch, that would be one thing, but attempting a long-range assassination and using an injured Galahat as a hostage had been a coward's move. To her, the result had been a foregone conclusion.
Brasso seemed to agree. He gave the unconscious man a mocking glance before turning his attention elsewhere. To the two of them, who had seen a glimpse of Rei’s true power during the Harpy Subjugation, the idea of D or C-rank adventurers winning against him—no matter the numbers—was laughable. The only way to win would be a relentless war of attrition that never let him sleep, but even then, Rei’s magic would likely just wipe them out in a single blast.
"Guruuuu."
Set entered last, its throat rumbling as it surveyed the interior. Usually, a gryphon would never be allowed inside such a mansion, but given that they were facing an army of hired hands, no one was about to complain. Even Galahat, who knew this house best, welcomed the gryphon’s presence.
"A bit lonely, isn't it? Not a single person here to welcome us," Brasso remarked, resting his Earth-shaking Hammer on his shoulder.
"They're probably concentrating their forces in one spot," Phron muttered, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.
"Likely," Galahat agreed. "Since they're at a disadvantage with Rei here, they'll try to break us by hitting us with everything they have in a single room. It’s just like my big brother."
"Where do you think they are, then? We dealt with the rabble outside, and we've cleared out anyone in the hallway. There shouldn't be many left."
"Rei’s right," Galahat said thoughtfully. "The room where Rei met him before is the most suspicious, or perhaps the office across from it. ...No, wait."
Galahat cut himself off, looking around the hall.
"My brother's office is the most obvious choice, but it’s too small for a unit of adventurers to fight in. He’d be worried about his own defense. In that case..." He looked up toward the 2F.
"What's up there?" Brasso asked.
"The dance hall. My brother used it to host parties for his associates."
"Spacious, then," Phron noted. "Enough for adventurers to maneuver."
"Exactly. It's the largest room in the house. Of course, there's always a chance he's huddling in his office for safety, but..."
"Well, we have to check the dance hall regardless. We can't have them hitting us from behind while we're searching the offices," Rei said.
"...Actually, it seems we won't need to search," Rei added, his eyes narrowing as they fixed on a figure near the dance hall entrance on the 2F.
The figure was drawing a bow.
"Hah!"
As the arrow was loosed, Rei stepped forward. In a flash of light, the Death Scythe's blade swept through the air, effortlessly bisecting the arrow aimed at Galahat.
"Looks like we have an invitation. They probably don't want us wrecking the rest of the mansion," Rei muttered as he watched the archer pointedly retreat into the dance hall.