The day of the decisive battle arrived. As if to cheer Rei and his companions on, the sun showed its face even more prominently than the day before, pouring down an unrelenting deluge of light.
Though they had been blessed with fine weather for several days, today was clear to an unprecedented degree. It felt less like spring and more like the height of summer.
"It’s only morning, and this heat is already more than I can take," Miroir complained, casting a resentful glare at the sun as it continued its persistent, blazing display.
"Now, now, Miroir-san. Considering this is a port city, the sea breeze should make it much more comfortable than staying inland," Hendeka said, trying to soothe her. He carried his usual sword at his side, but a quiver and a bow were now slung across his back.
"The breeze helps, sure, but I'm not thick-skinned enough to ignore the heat like that guy over there."
"Hm? What’s wrong with a little heat? More importantly, we finally get to fight the Lemures. There’s no way I wouldn't be excited. Especially after yesterday—those runts were so weak it just built up more stress. I need to move my body before the main event."
Miroir let out a heavy sigh at her partner’s words. Egret sounded as though he were praying for monsters to jump them while they walked along the highway.
"Honestly, you... how are you this fired up when we're about to face the Lemures? Ah, right. It’s because you're Egret."
"Exactly!"
It was a comment that could easily have been taken as an insult, yet Egret puffed out his chest and grinned, perhaps because he was exactly who she said he was.
"Did something happen yesterday? I didn't hear anything about the city being attacked," Hendeka asked, unable to follow the conversation.
Miroir smiled and leaned in close to him, her fingers lightly brushing his cheek. "Hendeka, there are some things in this world that are better left unknown."
"Y-Ye-Yes, ma’am!"
Startled by the sudden proximity, Hendeka’s face turned beet-red with embarrassment.
To him, Miroir was a B-rank adventurer who had reached that heights despite being less than five years older than him. In a sense, she was a person even further above the clouds than Rei. Moreover, she was undeniably beautiful. Being approached so closely by such a woman that their cheeks almost touched was more than enough to fluster the inexperienced Hendeka.
"E-Egret-san..."
Desperate to break the tension, Hendeka called out to Miroir’s partner, but the man in question was in high spirits, letting the Ice Bird Shen perch on his arm while feeding it dried meat from a pouch.
"Ki, kikiki!"
Shen pecked at the meat happily, letting out a cheerful cry.
(I’m jealous...)
Hendeka couldn't help but think it. He wouldn't be able to support Shen’s weight on his arm like that. Or rather, he might manage for a minute, but he certainly couldn't hold the bird for a long period. Seeing Egret do it as if it were weightless made a sincere sense of envy well up within him.
"Hm? What’s up? Are you done with Miroir? Sorry, but she can be a bit difficult. Try to get along with her, preferably in a way that doesn't cause any blowback for me..."
A whip lashed out, cutting Egret off as the tip cracked sharply against the ground.
"Egret, if you're looking for a fight, I'm happy to provide."
"...I stand corrected. Miroir is a magnificent woman, and I truly want you to understand her charm."
Even the boisterous Egret lacked the courage to defy Miroir, who handled all their complicated affairs. He retracted his statement instantly.
In truth, Egret knew that if they ever split up, he would be the one in trouble. It was a pragmatic judgment made by a man who fully recognized he was a muscle-brain.
"A-Ahahaha. Right. Miroir-san is definitely a charming person."
All Hendeka could do was offer a strained laugh to smooth over the awkwardness.
They continued their trek, eventually arriving at the grassland Rei had selected two days prior as the battlefield for the Lemures.
"Now we just have to wait for Rei to use his magic item to force the Lemures to teleport here."
"Man, he’s really just going to use an outrageous magic item like that so casually, huh?"
"He must have judged that the Lemures is a formidable enough foe to require it. Honestly, trying to fight a monster that attacks from nowhere while invisible is impossible without some kind of 'cheat' on our side. Although..."
Egret tilted his head as his partner trailed off, looking uncertain. Hendeka noticed as well and spoke up with a worried expression.
"Miroir-san?"
"No, it’s probably just my imagination. At any rate, our job is to keep the Lemures pinned down here until Rei arrives once it shows itself."
She let out a sigh as she saw her partner’s dissatisfied face.
"If we can kill it before Rei gets here, that’s fine too, but for now, we just need to keep attacking so it doesn't leave the area... speak of the devil, here it comes."
The space about ten meters above the ground began to split open, looking like a widening eye—or perhaps a gaping mouth. Beyond the rift, the bottom of the sea was visible.
Strangely, despite the connection to the ocean floor, no seawater poured out from the spatial rift.
The three people and one beast were momentarily captivated by the impossible sight, but Egret was the first to snap back to reality. He had been looking forward to this more than anyone.
"It’s coming! Everyone, battle positions! Hendeka, stay back and provide support with the bow! Shen, harass it from the air! Miroir, stay at mid-range as usual! I’m going to drive this home!"
At Egret’s command, Hendeka scrambled back while readying his bow, and Shen flapped its wings to take flight. Miroir braced herself, whip ready to strike, and Egret leveled his pole-axe.
The moment they were all ready, something slithered out of the spatial rift. It hit the ground with a massive thud that echoed through the area, the impact shaking the earth like a localized earthquake.
"Is that..."
The mutter came from either Hendeka or Miroir. It was laced with awe and terror, their expressions turning rigid.
Only Egret maintained a ferocious grin, his gaze filled with fighting spirit, though even he couldn't stop the cold sweat from trickling down his neck the moment he saw what was before them.
The entity was massive and long, coated in a shimmering purple mucus that looked particularly revolting. It was roughly thirty meters in length, with a torso so thick that five grown men linking hands wouldn't have been enough to encircle it.
Half its face was dominated by a mouth filled with several rows of needle-sharp fangs. Initially, the creature’s eyes held a trace of fear, but that quickly shifted to pure rage. The fact that it didn't attack immediately but instead observed its surroundings proved that this monster possessed a degree of intelligence.
"A Sea Serpent? No, it’s far too large for that."
Miroir’s confused mutter held the truth of the situation.
"So it really is a Rare Species... or a High-ranking Species!?"
A standard Sea Serpent was a Rank C monster. No matter how large they grew, they rarely exceeded ten meters in length or three meters in diameter. They didn't secrete toxic purple fluids, and their fangs were small enough to stay tucked inside their mouths. Most importantly, a normal Sea Serpent was a creature of pure instinct, devoid of wisdom.
"To think we’d pull up such a monster... it’s beyond my expectations. A Sea Serpent is normally Rank C, or Rank B if you account for the difficulty of fighting it in the water. But this thing is Rank B even on land—no, it's likely an A-Rank equivalent."
This was the monster they had called the Lemures because its identity was a mystery. Miroir spoke rapidly, forcing words out to keep her body from trembling as she desperately gathered her resolve under the creature's overbearing gaze.
Hendeka, only a D-rank adventurer, could only nod mutely. He had already forgotten the words he had shouted just seconds before; his consciousness was on the verge of being swallowed by the sheer presence of the giant beast.
If this silence had lasted even a few seconds longer, Hendeka’s spirit might have broken entirely. But then—
"Uooooooooh! If it's Rank B, it's the same level as us! We can do this! Our only job is to keep it pinned here until Rei arrives! Don't let it get to you!"
Egret roared to inspire himself—or perhaps to drown out the fear clawing at his throat. He charged, closing the distance with the Sea Serpent with his pole-axe held high. His shout snapped the others out of their daze. Miroir lashed out with her whip, and Hendeka, though his hands shook, drew his bow and released an arrow.
"Ki, kikikikiki!"
Shen, too, dove from the sky toward the entity that was vastly superior to itself. It did so for one reason: to protect its precious master, Hendeka.
"Shaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The Sea Serpent simply stayed its ground, taking the combined assault without moving.
"Uooooooooh!"
Egret swung his pole-axe with all his might, but the moment the blade touched the Sea Serpent's skin, it slid across the purple mucus. The weapon veered off in an unintended direction, leaving Egret’s hands feeling oily and slick. Worse yet, the metal of the blade began to visibly corrode before his eyes.
Simultaneously, Hendeka’s arrow struck the mucus-covered skin and skidded off without piercing the surface.
The only attack that had any effect was Miroir’s whip. The moment the tip made contact, she snapped her wrist, sending a kinetic shockwave deep into the Sea Serpent’s body. However, a single crack of a whip was hardly a fatal blow to a thirty-meter colossus. Instead, it succeeded only in drawing the monster’s undivided attention to her.
"Wait... how are we supposed to handle this?" Miroir whispered as she found herself caught in the Sea Serpent’s cold, predatory gaze.
From this moment until Rei’s arrival, the three adventurers and one beast would be locked in a desperate struggle.
A short time earlier, when Rei was still flying over the coast of Emocion with Seto.
They had reached a point far enough from the city that the port was nothing more than a speck on the horizon. Rei looked around and spoke.
"Grimm, is it time? Fortunately, the Lemures hasn't attacked us yet, but it’s only a matter of time. I’d like to start the forced teleportation before that happens."
"Hmm, I suppose so. It is difficult for me to remain under the sun forever. I wish there had been at least a few clouds."
Rei gasped softly as he realized Grimm was floating beside Seto. He hadn't noticed him at all. Even though he had been the one to call for him, the Lich had appeared without any sound or precursor.
"Fofofo, do not be so surprised. Since we had an appointment at this hour, I made sure I was ready to act immediately."
"...I see. As expected of you, I suppose."
To be able to hide his presence so completely from both Rei and Seto was a testament to the power of a Lich who had lived through eons.
Rei accepted this as he stroked Seto’s neck, calming the Griffon as it tensed up at the sudden arrival of the powerful monster.
Grimm watched the one man and one beast with what seemed like amusement—though with a skull for a face, it was impossible to be certain—even as he turned a dissatisfied gaze toward the sun that was relentlessly burning his form.
If Rei and Seto had been thinking clearly, they might have noticed the faint trails of black mist leaking from Grimm’s body.
To a Lich, sunlight was a potent poison. Even for a being as ancient as Grimm, the rule held true. Even as they spoke, his very essence was being scorched.
"Now, we have little time. Let us begin."
Muttering those words, Grimm began to concentrate his magic power. The ancient magic of a being who had survived for millennia was about to manifest.