The carriage was besieged by Icebirds. Even though Rei had rushed to the scene as a reinforcement, and despite his overwhelming strength, it was impossible for a single person to safeguard the wagon on the ground while simultaneously neutralizing every avian monster circling overhead. Consequently, while Rei was militarily dominating the Icebirds in his immediate vicinity, the struggle remained a back-and-forth affair as he constantly moved to cover the other adventurers whenever they were swarmed.
"Hey, you! Can't you do something about this!? You're supposed to be our backup, aren't you!?"
The first to crack under the pressure was one of the merchants hiding inside the wagon. He poked his head out and shouted desperately at Rei.
However, he was immediately yanked back inside by the other merchants, who had spotted the incoming Ice Arrows. An instant later, several frozen projectiles thudded into the body of the carriage.
Watching the scene out of the corner of his eye, Rei swung his Death Scythe to keep the Icebirds at bay. Simultaneously, he retrieved a knife from his Misty Ring and hurled it at a monster that was about to pounce on one of the guards, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
(I can't blame them. Even if they're a caravan, they're ultimately just merchants. They might be more accustomed to rough travel than city folk, but being attacked by a swarm of this magnitude is a rare nightmare.)
Muttering to himself, Rei raised his voice so that both the merchants and the guarding adventurers could hear him.
"Don't worry! Reinforcements from Gilm are on the way! If we hold out until then... we win!"
Sensing a gap in his defense, an Icebird dove from directly above, aiming for the top of his head. Rei shifted a single step to the side, letting it whistle past. As the bird flapped its wings to slow down just before hitting the ground, Rei used the butt end part of the Death Scythe to impale the creature through its blue-feathered chest. Without pausing, he swung the Death Scythe's shaft, sending the carcass flying into the other Icebirds that were looking for an opening.
"Kikiki!"
Infuriated by the death of their kin, the Icebirds screeched in a high-pitched frenzy, circling faster to intimidate the group.
"Tch. I told them backup is coming, but this is never-ending. ...Fine then."
Rei surveyed the battlefield once more.
The adventurers were clustered around the wagon, with the flock of Icebirds forming a tight aerial siege. Crucially, the wagon and the men were directly behind Rei, and the Icebirds were weak to fire.
"I'm going to use magic! Stay clear of my front!"
"What? Oh, got it! If you're going to do it, do it now! We're at our limit!"
Rei nodded at the guard's reply. Gripping the Death Scythe—his magic catalyst—he began to chant.
"Flame, manifest your power like a blazing scorch as a vortex."
As the incantation ended, the compressed flame that served as the spell's core appeared at the tip of the Death Scythe's blade.
"Swirling Hellfire!"
The compressed flame shot forward and impacted the densest part of the flock. An instant later—
Fwoosh!
With a deafening roar, a flame tornado erupted. The Icebirds caught in the vortex were instantly engulfed. They were incinerated and carbonized without even the chance to let out a final shriek.
"Whoa... th-that's incredible... I've never seen flame magic that powerful."
While keeping his sword ready, the adventurer man acting as a guard gasped in awe.
In truth, the potency of Rei’s spell was several tiers higher than that of any ordinary mage, fueled by his immense magic power. The swirling pillar of fire had erased nearly 10 Icebirds in a heartbeat.
With a spell like that, they had a chance. Hope surged in the hearts of the exhausted adventurers.
However, there was one major miscalculation. The Icebirds had clearly recognized that their flock-mates were being slaughtered by fire—their natural nemesis. This realization transformed their aggression into a dense, focused murderous intent.
"H-hey. Wait a minute. The Icebirds are acting... different. They're livid," the archer woman muttered, her voice trembling.
"Ugh, you're right. The way they're looking at us... or rather, at that kid who came as backup... it's not normal."
Despite the shock in his voice, the adventurer held his sword high, ready for the inevitable frenzy.
But before the Icebirds could swarm Rei in their madness, the situation shifted again.
The man with the spear, who seemed to be the leader of the caravan guards, saw an Icebird attacking the second wagon suddenly get pierced by an arrow from out of nowhere.
He looked around and spotted a wagon racing toward them from the direction of Gilm. On the coach box, a woman sat with her bow drawn.
"Reinforcements! More help is coming from Gilm!"
At the shout, Rei glanced toward the approaching vehicle and smirked.
Mirene was the one handling the horses, and next to her, Ekryl was firing arrows with tireless precision.
(So she did manage to drag Ekryl out. But where's Sulnin the Mage? At this range, he could have pinned them down with magic. His spells aren't as overkill as my flame magic, so he wouldn't have to worry about collateral damage.)
The Icebirds hesitated, momentarily bewildered by the sudden arrival of more enemies. Rei was not one to let such an opening go to waste.
He channeled magic power into the Death Scythe once more and began a second chant.
"Flame, you are a being made of fire. Gather with that flame. Flap your wings with great wings of fire!"
As he spoke, fire condensed at the tip of the blade. Unlike his previous spell, the flames began to take the distinct form of a bird. The moment the fiery avian was complete, he released the spell.
"Phoenix of the Skies!"
The fire bird surged forward, its wingspan stretching nearly three meters wide. It radiated an overwhelming heat as it flapped its wings, diving straight into the flock according to Rei's will.
Fire versus ice. The battle was decided the moment they touched; the Icebirds were instantly consumed by the heat. Rei’s fire bird didn't even slow down, ignoring the falling cinders as it turned its talons toward the next target.
"Kiki, ki!"
"Kikikiki!"
The Icebirds shrieked in warning, scattering to keep their distance from the predator of flame. While the monsters were distracted by their natural enemy, the caravan guards didn't miss the chance.
"Thin them out while they're distracted!"
Following the instructions of the man with the spear, the guards mustered their remaining strength for a counterattack. Simultaneously, Mirene’s wagon arrived, and about 10 adventurers leapt from the back. It was a small group compared to Gilm's total population, but it was an impressive turnout for a force assembled so quickly.
"Everyone, prioritize guarding the wagons! Don't get greedy for kills!" Mirene commanded.
"Right!"
"Got it!"
"On it!"
Responding to Mirene's orders, the new arrivals began carving through the Icebirds from behind while the monsters were still fixated on the fire bird.
Mirene, Ekryl, and three adventurers moved to support Rei’s wagon. The remaining seven headed for the wagon Seto was guarding. This distribution was based on the fact that Mirene, a C-Rank Adventurer, and Ekryl provided enough power to compensate for the smaller head-count.
"...Tch! The fire bird's duration is up! Watch the Icebirds' movements!"
Rei shouted as the time limit he had set for the spell expired. Seconds later, the bird of fire dissipated in a final burst, scattering embers that sent several more Icebirds spiraling to the ground. Mirene and the others were quick to finish them off.
(Looks like we’ve got this handled.)
Rei let out a long sigh. Even though he felt a sense of relief, he kept a firm grip on the Death Scythe, his eyes scanning for threats.
The arrival of Rei and Seto had turned a desperate situation into an even match. Now that over ten veterans from Gilm—renowned as some of the best in the Kingdom of Mireana—had joined the fray, the outcome was settled. Even with the original guards at their physical limits, victory was certain.
...Or so it seemed. The reason the victory had to be described in the past tense appeared right before Rei's eyes.
He saw a small face peeking out from the wagon to survey the chaos. Rei recognized that face instantly; after all, he had spent the last week putting its owner through rigorous combat training.
(What—!? Why is Basrero here!?)
Rei held his breath. He desperately wanted to shout, but he clamped his mouth shut to avoid drawing the Icebirds' attention to the boy.
"Mirene!"
Instead, he called out to Mirene, who was busy parrying Ice Arrows with her blade.
"Hey, what is it!? I'm a little busy here, so get straight to the... point!"
She deflected a final arrow, and in the split-second lull that followed, she proved her experience. Lunging forward, she closed the distance with an Icebird trying to flee into the sky and cleaved its nearly 1m long body in two.
"Look at the wagon! Why is Basrero here!?"
"Huh!?"
The question was so unexpected that Mirene reflexively looked toward the carriage. There she saw Basrero, peeking out with a terrified expression as he watched the battle.
Mirene's cheek twitched as she retreated to Rei's side.
"I-I don't know! How the hell did he get here!?"
She was utterly bewildered. But as she watched Basrero's next move, her expression grew even more strained.
Basrero climbed down from the wagon, clutching his sword. His face was pale and stiff with terror, yet he took one step, then another, toward the center of the battlefield.
Fortunately, the Icebirds were entirely focused on Rei and Mirene, ignoring their periphery. They hadn't noticed the new threat—or rather, the easy prey—approaching from behind. But that luck wouldn't last. The moment they spotted him, Basrero would be dead. His life was currently hanging by a thread.
Rei finally made the choice to call out, though he was careful to keep his eyes on Mirene so the monsters wouldn't follow his gaze.
"Basrero, you're in the way! Get back in the wagon and stay there!"
The boy flinched, freezing in place. He looked confusedly between the wagon, Rei, and the Icebirds. After a few seconds of visible hesitation, he began walking toward the monster encirclement again.
(Dammit, he's not listening!)
Rei swung the Death Scythe in a massive arc to ensure the Icebirds remained fixated on him.
"Rei, wait... It’s not that he's ignoring you. He's probably so overwhelmed by his first battlefield that he doesn't know what he's doing!" Mirene shouted.
Rei looked back at the boy. Mirene was right; Basrero's face was paralyzed with tension. To Rei, it looked like simple stubbornness, but to Mirene, who had decades more experience as an adventurer, it was clear the boy was lost in a fog of panic and confusion.
"Rei, this is bad. If the Icebirds notice him..."
"I know. ...Fine. I'll break through and grab him. Can you hold this side?"
"I don't have much choice. Ekryl, you heard that!? It's about to get hectic!"
"Understood," Ekryl replied. "But I didn't have much time to prep, so I'm low on arrows. The sooner you wrap this up, the better."
"You heard her," Mirene said, glancing at Rei.
Rei nodded and took a step toward Basrero. At that exact moment—
"Wait—stop!"
"Hyaaah!"
Rei's warning was drowned out by Basrero’s spirited cry. Completely lost in the heat of the moment, the boy lunged at one of the Icebirds that had landed on the ground, swinging his sword down at its back.
"Kiki!?"
The strike had decent weight behind it. Between Basrero’s natural talent, the bird’s sluggishness on the ground, and the total lack of warning, the sword bit into the monster’s torso. However, the blade stopped after only cutting a few centimeters deep.
Basrero was talented, but he was still only a 10-year-old child. He didn't have Rei’s outlier physical strength or a powerful magic item like the Death Scythe. Cleaving an Icebird in two was impossible for him.
"Kikikiii!"
Enraged by the shallow wound, the Icebird spun around and fired a volley of Ice Arrows at point-blank range.
"Dammit! Sleipnir's Shoes, activate!"
Using the boost from his boots and his own raw physical ability, Rei blurred across the distance, bursting through the flock. He scooped Basrero into a protective embrace just as the Icebirds' arrows slammed into his back, one after another.