The Wyvern, flying through the heavens as if it owned them, suddenly caught the heavy scent of blood.
It wasn't just one kind; the scents of several different creatures lingered in the air. Drawn to the rich aroma, the beast flapped its wings and adjusted its course.
Among the Dragon Species, it belonged to the lowest-grade species, known as both Wyverns and flying dragons. However, being called "lowest-grade" was a distinction used only in comparison to other dragons.
Naturally, they possessed immense combat power compared to ordinary monsters. Even a Wyvern raised from an egg by a Dragon Knight would be a threat equivalent to High C-Rank or Low B-Rank.
If it were a Wild Wyvern, it was no exaggeration to say that almost all of them possessed the strength of B-Rank or higher.
When such a beast took to the sky, ordinary monsters stood no chance against it. This Wyvern, currently tracking the scent of blood, firmly believed itself to be the king of the sky.
It believed there was no foe it could not crush with its own claws and fangs.
The creature’s only misfortune was that, since the day it was born, it had never once encountered a being superior to itself.
Aside from its parents and siblings, everything else was either prey or a target for the hunt.
Believing itself the undisputed king of the sky, this unfortunate—or perhaps in some sense, fortunate—Wyvern was lured by the scent of blood wafting from the woods below. It flapped its wings, scouting the situation on the ground from a high altitude.
Though the woods obstructed its view, the scent of blood was impossible to ignore.
After circling the area several times, the Wyvern's sharp vision finally succeeded in spotting numerous humans standing in the gaps between the trees.
It had eaten several Orcs earlier that morning, but its stomach was already starting to feel empty. Deciding these were suitable targets, the beast let out a cry to flaunt its presence and demand that the owners of the blood surrender themselves.
"Shagyayaaaaaaaa!"
It was a roar that felt far wilder than that of any Wyvern ridden by a Dragon Knight.
In the past, merely hearing that voice would cause prey to flee in terror, or lead those who could not escape to realize their fate and accept death. That was the kind of terror it commanded.
However... that was only what the Wyvern had experienced up until now. From the ground, a single being rose into the sky as if to declare such threats irrelevant.
It was a monster with the lower body of a lion and the upper body of an eagle. It was a Rank A Monster Gryphon—a being that was naturally superior to a Wyvern.
However, because the Wyvern had never encountered anything stronger than itself, its wild intuition failed to trigger. Instead, it foolishly judged that a particularly satisfying piece of prey had risen into the air to meet it.
The moment for it to realize the cost of its arrogance was fast approaching.
We go back in time slightly.
The adventurers had been panicking after spotting the Wyvern circling above the woods, but when Rei drew his Death Scythe from the Misty Ring and brandished it, they fell silent, overwhelmed by his presence.
Once he confirmed that the eyes of every adventurer were fixed on him, Rei spoke.
"Don't worry. As long as Seto and I are here, a Wyvern or two is nothing we can't handle."
"No, but that's a Dragon Species! Are you sure you can deal with it?"
One of the adventurers muttered in disbelief, and the others nodded fervently in agreement.
However, even as he was subjected to those looks of doubt and anxiety, Rei turned his gaze toward the woods, seemingly unbothered.
He looked in a direction completely unrelated to the Wyvern's flight path.
The adventurers followed his gaze, and then Seto emerged from between the trees.
Upon seeing Seto’s form, which exceeded two meters in length, hope finally dawned on the adventurers' faces.
It was true that a Wild Wyvern was a formidable High-Rank Monster. However, they suddenly remembered that the Gryphon before them was an even greater threat—a Rank A Monster.
Rei spoke again, making sure to capitalize on the shift in the mood.
"My alias of Crimson was earned during the war with the Bestia Empire this past spring. During that war, I... or more accurately, Seto and I, fought the Bestia Empire's Dragon Knight Order on more than equal terms and wiped out almost all of them. Since Seto and I are both here, a single Wyvern is hardly worth a second thought."
He paused, then continued while allowing a ferocious smile to play across his lips.
"Actually, it's more like a single Wyvern is nothing more than prey. Listen, I'm going to go take care of it now. Once I do, that Wyvern will be added to the targets for this stripping request. Does anyone have an objection?"
He glanced at the adventurers, but they remained silent.
Among them, some realized that stripping a Wyvern hadn't been part of the original contract, but no one dared to say it out loud.
After all, the only person they could rely on right now was the boy standing before them.
Judging by appearance alone, he didn't look like an adventurer who would have earned a famous alias, nor did he look capable of defeating a Dragon Knight. However, it was precisely because he had achieved those feats that he bore the name Crimson.
"Good. Then I'm off to kill that Wyvern. Just to be safe, you should all hide in the shade of the trees so it doesn't spot you from above. Seto."
"Guruuu!"
In response to Rei's call, Seto crouched down to let him mount.
Once Rei was securely on its back, Seto took several running steps and flapped its wings, soaring into the air.
The adventurers found themselves mesmerized by the almost fantastical sight, but the Wyvern's cry from above brought them back to their senses. They quickly scrambled to hide behind trees and rocks.
They hid while choosing to place their faith in the strength of the adventurer named Rei.
After clearing the canopy and reaching the open sky, Rei and Seto spotted the Wyvern roaring toward the ground.
Its body, covered in green scales, surpassed the Wyverns ridden by the Dragon Knights Rei had fought in the war in both size and raw intensity.
(The difference between a Tamed Wyvern and a Wild Wyvern, huh? Not that I really need a Wyvern Magic Stone anymore.)
Having fought them in the previous war, both Seto and the Death Scythe had already absorbed magic stones from Wyverns.
Therefore, even if they defeated the creature here, there was little benefit in terms of Beast Magic.
Of course, the materials were a different story. Even if it was considered the lowest grade, it was still a Dragon Species, meaning its parts would fetch a high price.
Furthermore, though Rei had no intention of doing so, a captured Wyvern would have sold for an astronomical sum.
Ordinary Dragon Knights bonded with dragons hatched from eggs. However, eggs were incredibly rare, and there were always those who wanted to become Dragon Knights while avoiding being bound to a noble house.
For such people, the final, desperate method was to subjugate a Wild Wyvern.
Of course, this was an extremely difficult task, almost always resulting in the death of the aspiring knight or the Wyvern being killed or driven away.
"Shagyayaaaaaaaa!"
The Wyvern directed a provocative roar toward Rei and Seto as they rose to meet it.
Against any other monster it had faced, that roar alone would have caused them to flee or lose their will to fight.
Because this Wyvern had lived in such a small world, it assumed the same would happen this time.
But...
"Gurululuuu!"
The response to its challenge was a roar of even greater intensity.
It was no ordinary cry. It was a roar fueled by one of Seto's skills: King's Intimidation.
While a Level 1 skill wasn't enough to completely stop a Wyvern in its tracks, the beast's movements became visibly sluggish.
"Shagyayaaaaaaaa!"
Insulted that it—the king of the sky—had been momentarily overwhelmed, the Wyvern opened its mouth wide while roaring. In the next instant, it unleashed Fire Breath from the back of its throat.
"What!?"
Rei had expected an attack the moment its mouth opened, but the fact that it used Fire Breath took him by surprise.
The Wyverns ridden by the Dragon Knights he had fought before had spat Fire Bullets, not a continuous stream of fire.
Seto proved its skill regardless. It folded its wings and surrendered to gravity, diving beneath the arc of the Fire Breath.
(Fire Breath? Is it a different species from the ones the Dragon Knights used? No, it's slightly larger, but the shape is the same. The difference must be the environment it grew up in.)
Rei remained calm despite the fire passing directly overhead.
Naturally, Fire Breath—which can track a target as the user moves its neck—is a greater threat than single-shot Fire Bullets. Furthermore, while there is usually a delay after firing a Fire Bullet, Fire Breath only requires the user to take a breath, which takes less time than recharging a projectile.
Of course, there were many exceptions—some monsters could fire bullets in rapid succession, while others required a long cooldown after a breath attack.
"Damn, I wish we could use Fire Breath too... Hah!"
Thinking of the adventurers hidden below, Rei gave the command. Seto spread its wings to halt its descent and soared back up, targeting the Wyvern's underside.
The Wyvern had no intention of allowing them into its blind spot. It unleashed a second stream of Fire Breath, but Seto was already prepared.
Seto flapped its wings powerfully, weaving through the flames and closing the distance...
"Flying Slash!"
A shockwave of air unleashed from Rei's Death Scythe flew in a straight line, slicing through the Wyvern right wing membrane.
"Shaa!? Shagyayaaaaaaaa!"
The Wyvern suddenly lost its balance and began to plummet toward the ground, screaming in pain. Seto chased after it, tucking its wings to increase its speed in a sharp dive.
"Guruuu, gurululuuu!"
As it descended, Seto activated its Magic Eye of Shock. The Wyvern, which had been desperately trying to regain its posture, was struck by an invisible force that felt as if its head had been slammed by a hammer.
Given the distance, the Level 1 Magic Eye of Shock didn't cause significant damage, but the impact was enough to shatter the Wyvern's focus for a crucial second.
"Flying Slash!"
Rei unleashed another shockwave. The slash cut through the air, shredding the healthy left wing membrane as well.
"Sha, shagyayaaaaaaaa!"
No longer able to even attempt flight, the Wyvern fell toward the earth at terminal velocity.
Seto flapped its wings repeatedly, accelerating until it caught up to the falling beast.
"Gurululuuu!"
With a mighty roar, Seto raised its foreleg and activated a skill it had acquired only the day before: Power Crush.
Even without skills, Seto’s strike was devastating thanks to its natural physical ability and the effect of the Bracelet of Herculean Strength. Now, enhanced by Power Crush and the momentum of a high-altitude dive, the attack possessed a level of power beyond anything it had ever displayed.
Seto’s clawed foreleg slammed into the Wyvern's neck. It didn't just break the flesh and bone; the strike pulverized the neck entirely, swinging through with unstoppable force.
The Wyvern’s consciousness vanished the moment it saw the strike descending. Its flame of life as a Dragon Species was snuffed out instantly.
A sickening crunch—a sound far too loud to be produced by organic matter—echoed through the air, reaching the ears of the adventurers hiding in the woods.
The force of the blow shattered the neck, causing the head and torso to separate and fall toward the ground as two distinct masses.
"You guys below, get out of the way!"
Rei's warning echoed down from above. Fortunately, the head was caught by tree branches without hitting anyone, and the torso crashed to the ground nearby. The trees seemed to absorb much of the impact, leaving the body largely intact.
The fact that the Wyvern's corpse remained in such good condition despite the fall was a testament to its status as a Dragon Species, however low its grade might have been.