Even as the sensation of plummeting through the air rushed over him, Rei’s eyes held no fear, only a rigid determination.
Since arriving in the City of Emocion, he had been subjected to a relentless barrage of attacks from an unseen foe. While he certainly felt the irritation of that experience, he channeled it into a burning fighting spirit directed at the Lemures, which lay somewhere beyond the thick shroud of water vapor.
He continued to fall through the mist for several seconds. Judging intuitively that the moment to strike had arrived, Rei swung the Death Scythe.
In water vapor so thick he couldn’t see a meter ahead, measuring the distance to the Lemures was impossible. Under such conditions, a close combat weapon—even a great scythe—would typically be useless. That is, unless Rei had a way to attack from a distance.
(Even if I try to settle this with magic, judging by that Water Breath earlier, it’ll be a tall order.)
Muttering to himself, he activated one of the Death Scythe's skills.
"Flying Slash!"
With that shout, a blade of compressed air erupted from the Death Scythe. It sliced through the vapor, racing to carve into the Lemures on the other side. However...
"Don't do it, Rei!"
Rei caught Egret’s warning from the ground and knit his brows, still mid-swing as he fell.
Though he found the warning suspicious, he couldn't make out the details while in midair. He continued his descent and activated Sleipnir's Shoes just before he hit the dirt. Killing his momentum, he landed softly and silently.
The steam apparently hadn't reached the ground. Below the fog, he found Egret clutching what looked like the pole-axe remains with a grim expression, Miroir looking bitter, and Hendeka, whose face was pale with fear.
Realizing Rei had landed near them, the three hurried over.
"Rei, over here! We need to pull back for a moment. Luckily, the steam is blocking its—"
"Egret!"
Rei reflexively kicked the approaching Egret square in his armor, the force of the blow sending him, Miroir, and Hendeka flying back together. At the same moment, Rei used the recoil of the kick to leap away. In the next instant...
"Shaaaaaaaa!"
With a deafening screech, the Lemures’ head lunged through the very space where Rei had been standing a heartbeat before.
"Tch. It seems its non-visual tracking is still active. It would have been better if that only worked underwater."
He adjusted his posture in midair and landed, bracing for a follow-up attack, when a thought occurred to him.
(No, wait. It noticed me, not Seto? If that’s the case, then back at the sea, it wasn't sensing Seto in the sky, but my presence... Indeed, even when I was flying with Shen, the attacks only targeted Seto and me. In other words... Tch!)
Just as his thoughts were coming together, the massive Lemures’ head lunged again. It swept past his side, curved upward, then plunged back down toward Rei, intent on swallowing him whole.
"Like I’d let you eat me!"
He shouted and leaped, activating Sleipnir's Shoes once more. He moved as if bouncing through the air—one step, two, three—and swung the Death Scythe.
"Flying Slash!"
He unleashed the skill again. Among Rei's repertoire, this was the skill he was most accustomed to; it was instantaneous, carried significant power, and provided a reliable long-range attack.
However, in the next moment, Rei discovered why Egret had tried to stop him.
The slash from the Death Scythe's blade struck the Lemures’ body dead center. Yet the creature’s torso, coated in that purple mucus, remained completely unchanged. It hadn't sustained so much as a scratch.
"Wha—!?"
He had used Flying Slash countless times and had utter confidence in its power. Seeing the Lemures unharmed caused him to freeze for a split second in midair.
The effect of Sleipnir's Shoes expired, leaving him hovering helplessly for an instant—an opening the intelligent Lemures had no intention of overlooking.
Boom!
Whipping its tail instead of its head, the monster’s massive form surged toward him.
"!? Tch, dammit!"
Suspended in the air, Rei could do nothing but wrap himself in his Dragon Robe to brace for the impact.
The robe could prevent direct lacerations, but it couldn't nullify the sheer kinetic force of being struck by the tail of a Lemures exceeding 30m in length.
He was sent flying like a stone thrown by a giant. He bounced several times, gouging a furrow into the earth before he finally managed to kill his momentum.
It was a testament to his skill that despite being blown five hundred meters away, he never let go of the Death Scythe's shaft.
He used the butt end of the scythe to push himself up, feeling a dull throb in his side.
(Ow... It’s not broken, at least. Small mercies.)
He reached inside his Dragon Robe to check the injury, muttering irritably.
As he did, the Lemures raised its body in the distance. It stared down at Rei from its height, its throat beginning to glow with an ominous light.
He hadn't seen it clearly while dive-bombing earlier, but Rei recognized this as the preparation for the Water Breath. He quickly leveled his scythe and activated a skill.
"Magic Shield!"
A Shield of Light materialized beside him. The moment he confirmed it, Rei began closing the distance to the Lemures. He shifted the Death Scythe to his left hand and drew a throwing spear from the Misty Ring with his right.
Rei judged that since his flame magic—his only magical specialty—would likely be snuffed out by the Water Breath, he needed to try a different approach.
However, as Rei prepared to hurl the spear with all his strength, Egret roared at him.
"Don't, Rei! That purple liquid on its skin will corrode your weapons!"
Rei glanced at Egret’s hands for a fraction of a second.
Sure enough, the pole-axe Egret held had been reduced to a useless wreck. Only the shaft remained, serving as a makeshift club. Egret was clearly using the pole-axe remains because any replacement weapon would be ruined by corrosion the moment it touched the beast.
Ignoring the warning, Rei threw the spear at the Lemures’ body with every ounce of his strength. Simultaneously, the Lemures seized the opening and unleashed a massive torrent of water from its maw.
(Work, damn you!)
The spear sliced through the air, racing to pierce the Lemures’ thick hide.
At the same time, the Water Breath slammed into the Magic Shield. It did no damage to Rei, instead splashing harmlessly into the surrounding area in a massive spray.
Rei didn't wait to see the result. He drew another spear in good condition from the Misty Ring and tossed it toward Egret.
"Use this!"
He shouted while drawing a third spear for himself, keeping it ready to fire.
He kept one eye on the Magic Shield blocking the Water Breath while glancing at the spear he had thrown earlier. It lay on the ground, having failed to even penetrate the Lemures’ body.
"Dammit, no luck!"
Even from a distance, he could see the spearhead was already heavily corroded. Egret’s warning about the purple liquid had been spot on.
He turned his gaze back to the Lemures and...
"!?"
His breath caught at the sight.
The Shield of Light that made up his Magic Shield was gradually fading away, dissolving from the edges like mist under the pressure of the Water Breath.
"You've got to be kidding!"
Rei shouted reflexively, but panic wouldn't save him. He had to figure out how to survive the Water Breath once the shield vanished.
(I thought it could block any attack once... but maybe the continuous breath counts as multiple hits? No, focus! How do I get out of this!?)
He scanned his surroundings and saw Hendeka a short distance away, desperately drawing his bow to fire at the Lemures’ head. Most of the arrows were useless the moment they touched the purple liquid seeping from the skin. However, seeing his desperate effort, Egret and Miroir caught on to the plan. Realizing their whip and spear couldn't reach, they began hurling stones at the monster's face.
Simultaneously, Seto and Shen joined the fray from the sky, diving toward the Lemures’ head.
"Kikikikii!"
With a sharp cry, about five Ice Arrows materialized around Shen and shot toward the monster’s head.
While the creature could shrug off physical weapons with its purple liquid, magic was another story. The Lemures clearly didn't want its eyes pierced by Ice Arrows, so it snapped its eyelids shut.
Yet, it continued to spray its Water Breath at Rei without pause—a testament to how much it feared him. The fact that it could sense Rei's presence without sight was likely why it felt safe closing its eyes.
However, the Lemures had made a fatal error. It had forgotten about Rei’s partner, the being born of Beast Magic.
"Guruuuuuuuu!"
With a thunderous roar, Seto dive-bombed from the heavens. It wasn't a simple fall; the Griffon flapped its wings to add even more momentum to its descent.
The Lemures sensed the approaching threat and tried to shift its massive weight, but it was too late. Seto’s foreleg strike slammed into its head.
The blow combined Seto’s weight, the increased velocity from his wings, and the enhancement of the Bracelet of Herculean Strength. The impact struck the Lemures’ head with enough force to pin the thirty-meter monster to the earth.
A wet, heavy thud echoed across the field as the Lemures' head was driven into the dirt. The ground groaned, and everyone nearby felt a tremor as if an earthquake had struck.
The Water Breath was forcibly cut off as the monster's jaws were slammed shut. The moment Rei saw the opening, he screamed.
"Now! There's no corrosive liquid on the head! Attacks will work!"
"Uoooooooooh!"
Egret was already moving before Rei finished his shout. He charged forward with a roar, intent on burying his spear in the Lemures’ head.
"Sha, shaaaaaaa!"
The Lemures sensed the danger. It shook its head, baring its fangs to snap at the oncoming Egret.
But in that moment of confusion following Seto’s devastating blow, the ultimate opportunity fell to Rei.
To the Lemures, there were two threats: Egret, who was closing in on its vulnerable head, and Rei, who was still a hundred meters away. Although both were within its reach, it judged Egret to be the more immediate danger.
Boom!
As its jaws opened to crush Egret, Rei threw his spear with every bit of Herculean Strength he possessed. It tore through the air and buried itself deep in the Lemures’ throat—the exact spot needed to channel its Water Breath.
"Gyaaaaaaaaa!"
The creature’s cry was muffled and distorted as its throat was pierced.
"Just die already, you bastard!!"
As the Lemures thrashed in agony, Egret let out a final roar and drove his spear directly into the monster's right eye.
The strike landed true. As the Lemures rolled and thrashed in excruciating pain, Rei ignored the ache in his side, gripped the Death Scythe, and began to close the distance.
He moved in to deliver the final blow.