"This is..."
"Guruuu."
Rei and Set caught their breath as they gazed at the figure of Grimm floating beside them.
Rei lacked the ability to sense magic power directly, yet the sheer magnitude of the mana Grimm was gathering felt like a heavy, unnatural weight pressing against his senses.
『Now then, let us first locate this creature you call the Lemures.』
Grimm muttered, waving an arm draped in his lavish robe. Rei didn't notice the exact moment it happened, but a pulse of magic power rippled out from that single gesture, surging into the depths of the sea. Had Rei been able to see or feel magic power, the way the mana radiated in a circular pattern from Grimm would have surely reminded him of a submarine’s sonar.
『Hmm. It seems the rumored Lemures is this fellow here. It appears to have sensed my presence and is attempting a hasty retreat... but it is a trifle too late. There, I have caught it.』
Grimm grasped the Lemures's location with his magic power sonar as effortlessly as one might pick up a stone from the roadside.
Ever since the day Rei arrived in the City of Emocion and suffered the monster’s first attack, he had been unable to even catch a glimpse of the creature. Seeing Grimm find it so easily was proof of a gap in magical skill between the two that was as vast as heaven and earth.
『Ho, ho. Based on its form, it seems to be a Sea Serpent type monster. Whether it is a rare species or a high-ranking species... No, perhaps it is better termed a new species? It is a race I have never encountered before. Now, do not struggle so.』
Rei listened intently to Grimm's observations, desperate for any shred of Lemures information.
(A Sea Serpent? I see. I’d been picturing a Kraken or something similar, but I was looking in the wrong place. Instead of drifting through the water, it was moving along the seabed.)
『Hmm. I see, quite fascinating. It seems to possess several intriguing abilities. I can understand why it was never easily found.』
"Grimm?"
『This monster called the Lemures is... No, let us save that for later. It would be a poor reflection on the one who inherited Lord Zephyle's will if he were defeated by an opponent of this caliber. For the sake of your own growth, I shall refrain from providing further intel. More importantly... are you ready on your end?』
Rei frowned slightly at Grimm's cryptic words but nodded anyway. He realized he wouldn't get another word out of the lich.
Beside him, Set glared sharply at the ocean's surface, ready for whatever was to come.
Grimm glanced at the two of them, exuding an almost grandfatherly aura, before extending his right hand—adorned with various magic item rings and bracelets—toward the water.
『Very well. Let us begin.』
Grimm whispered a short incantation as he focused his magic power.
With that single movement, the sea split apart.
The rift was massive, as if the ocean itself had been cleaved open for several kilometers. The fact that the surrounding seawater did not come rushing into the void was a testament to the supreme mastery Grimm held over space magic.
『It is futile to struggle. A being of your stature cannot escape my magic power.』
Grimm chuckled to himself as he prepared the teleportation. While the rift was visible, the Lemures remained hidden in the depths, out of sight from above.
As Rei squinted, trying to peer into the abyss, Grimm spoke to him.
『Rei, I have already linked the seabed to the location you designated last night. The Lemures is resisting desperately, but it is only a matter of time. You should head to the site now.』
"Yeah. Though I really wish you could have just used that space magic to teleport me there too."
『You were the one who rejected that idea, were you not? You wanted a more solid alibi for how the Lemures was "forcibly moved" by a magic item.』
"I know... I'm going. Grimm, I'm counting on you."
『Umu, leave it to me. Fight to your heart's content, you and Set.』
Rei nodded, stroking Set's back as he withdrew the Death Scythe from the Misty Ring.
"Alright, Set. That Lemures has been hiding and taking potshots at us for far too long. It's about to show its face. Let's go end this."
"Guruuu!"
Set gave a fierce cry, his fighting spirit laid bare.
While Set was usually mild-mannered, he clearly harbored a grudge after being subjected to the Lemures's cowardly, one-sided attacks for so long. He beat his wings powerfully and surged toward the grassland where they had agreed to meet Miroir’s team.
The pair flew in a wide arc around the City of Emocion. Their silhouette was clearly visible to the people below, many of whom momentarily feared a new disaster. However, seeing that the sea remained calm, most simply returned to their business.
There were, however, a few exceptions—the guards who had been constantly harassed by the influx of adventurers. The few mages among them who possessed the ability to sense magic power were driven to a near panic state by the mana Grimm had unleashed.
They had already felt overwhelmed by the magic power radiating from Rei; sensing a second source of equal or greater magnitude—beyond the limits of their comprehension—was more than they could handle. The guard force upper management wore grim expressions, yet they could only breathe sighs of relief that the City of Emocion itself remained unharmed.
The adventurers reacted differently.
Those who sensed Rei and Grimm's mana rushed out of the guild and the inns to investigate, and curious onlookers followed them.
What they saw from within the city, despite the distance, was a sight to behold: the gargantuan body of the Lemures. While they didn't know the creature's identity yet, the massive form of the beast that had terrorized the region was unmistakable. Many weighed the danger against the potential profit and chose the latter, racing out of the city gates.
These were the people who had come for the Lemures bounty but had been unable to even find the monster. Most had given up hope of a payout, but this sudden appearance ignited the avarice of those who refused to let the money go, as well as those who had spent every last coin getting to the city and were stuck. Seeing Rei—who had been earning a steady income from captains and ship owners—flying toward the monster on Set's back was the final push they needed. They were certain that if they followed Rei, gold would follow.
Previously, the sea had been a barrier for those without ships. Now that the fight was on land, there were no such restrictions. A tide of adventurers poured out of the City of Emocion, following the direction of Set's flight.
Parties with carriages pushed their horses. Those with mounts galloped ahead. Those with neither negotiated frantic rentals from the locals, and the rest simply ran on foot.
Driven by greed or a thirst for glory, they all converged on the site where the giant creature had appeared.
Unaware of the crowd following in his wake, Rei continued toward his target on Set's back. His brow was furrowed, his eyes narrowed in annoyance as he glared at the horizon.
Since the monster could be seen even from the city, there was no way Set could miss a creature over thirty meters long from the air. The reason for Rei’s irritation was simple: he could see the Lemures was already moving violently.
That was proof that someone was already engaged with the beast. It was obvious that the "someone" consisted of Egret, Miroir, Hendeka, and the ice bird Shen.
"Set, let's hurry. I didn't expect a monster of that size to appear."
"Guruuu!"
Set cried out and beat his wings with renewed vigor. Their speed increased, and the Lemures's massive body drew closer with every passing second.
Gripping the Death Scythe, Rei took a deep breath and began to channel his magic power. He started his incantation, intending to land a devastating opening blow.
『O Fire, thy power is my power. Burn the enemy by consuming magic power according to my will. Thy characteristics are spreading flames and hellfire. Use my magic power as a catalyst to increase thy firepower further.』
As the incantation ended, ten fireballs manifested around the Death Scythe. Each was a sphere of concentrated destruction fueled by Rei's overwhelming mana, and they even possessed a degree of homing capability. It was the perfect magic to use against a thirty-meter Sea Serpent.
Rei intended to slam all ten spheres into the massive creature the moment they were in range, but...
"Shaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
As if sensing the impending threat, the Lemures's head snapped toward Rei and Set. It was as though it had tracked their approach from the very beginning.
(...Right. It could track us from the seabed. Of course it would sense us coming from the air.)
Rei muttered to himself and lightly nudged Set's sides with his legs, signaling that the evasion was up to him.
Wary of the newcomers, the Lemures seemed to lose interest in Egret’s group, turning its full attention toward Rei and Set. Rei watched the monster carefully as they closed the gap, keeping his spell primed.
(Even with that purple mucus, I can see it clearly now. If something this big was wriggling around on the seafloor, you'd think someone would have spotted at least a part of it...)
In an instant, they were within range. Rei swung the Death Scythe, releasing the spell.
"10 Fireballs!"
The ten spheres of fire surged forward, each weaving through the air as if possessed by a mind of its own.
These were fireballs of pure destruction; even a single hit would incinerate a D-rank monster down to the marrow. Shen, sensing the catastrophic power through instinct, beat its wings frantically to get clear of the impact zone. But the Lemures was not so easily deterred.
"Shaaaaaaaa!"
The Sea Serpent stared down the incoming projecticles, let out a piercing roar, and unhinged its vicious, fanged jaws.
"Set!"
"Gruuu!"
Instinctively sensing a shift in the air, Rei shouted a warning. Set responded instantly, beating his wings in a sharp maneuver to the front right.
A split second later, a torrent of water erupted from the Lemures's mouth. It was a water breath, the aquatic equivalent of a dragon's fire.
While the sheer mass of the seawater was significant, it likely wouldn't have been a fatal blow to Rei or Set. However, they weren't the Lemures's primary targets. The monster aimed its breath at the ten fireballs screaming toward it.
The Lemures swept its head in a wide arc, using the high-pressure stream to intercept the flames.
Fire met water. Normally, the flames would have been snuffed out instantly, but Rei’s fireballs were far from normal. The two forces clashed in mid-air, steam hissing as they struggled for dominance—until finally, the sheer volume of water overwhelmed the fire.
The Lemures continued to sweep its breath, systematically extinguishing every one of Rei’s fireballs.
Rei’s magic didn't fade quietly, however. In a final act of resistance, the evaporating water created a massive cloud of steam that blanketed the entire battlefield.
Rei clicked his tongue and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Egret, Miroir, get away from it! Set!"
Set understood the command instantly. He beat his wings hard, rising high above the Lemures.
"Set, cover me from the air!"
"Gruuu!"
With those brief words, Rei used the cover of the steam to leap from Set's back, plummeting toward the Lemures below.