"Uoooooooooo!"
A roar echoed through the surroundings.
However, that roar was less an intimidation of the enemy facing him and more an attempt to wipe away the fear within himself.
It was only natural. Standing before the man now was an individual wielding a giant scythe. In the secret battle against the Subjugation Army about a week ago, this person had shown the power to defeat nearly six thousand men almost single-handedly.
The man letting out the roar had been there, which made the terror even more acute.
To be more precise, he had been stationed outside the camp, using his bow to pick off Subjugation Army soldiers through gaps in the protective fence.
Because of that, as a soldier of the Mobile Unit, he understood the strength of the person before him better than anyone.
Fortunately, Rei was not currently using the skill that covered his body in a strange aura—the one that made people unable to move just by looking at him.
That was exactly why the soldier was able to launch an attack at Rei, even if he had to shout at the top of his lungs just to suppress the feelings of awe and terror within him.
A longsword strike was unleashed.
No matter how much fear he felt toward Rei, he was still a soldier of the Mobile Unit—someone considered an elite even within the Rebel Army.
Because of that, even though he wielded a Mock Battle Longsword, the trajectory of his swing possessed enough power and sharpness to deliver a fatal blow to any ordinary opponent.
But the longsword, swung down in a diagonal slash, was easily parried by the Death Scythe's shaft.
The soldier must have expected as much. Instead of stopping, he utilized the momentum of the parry to spin, unleashing a horizontal slash toward Rei's right flank.
It was a strike that would undoubtedly cause a bone fracture if it hit the torso. But in the next instant, the man realized that the longsword he should have been gripping was gone. Then he noticed a giant blade held against his neck.
"T-That's enough!"
The soldier acting as the referee shouted, and a stir arose from the onlookers.
"Eh? Huh? What happened to my sword...?"
The soldier muttered, unable to comprehend the situation. A moment later, a heavy thud echoed nearby.
When he hurriedly turned his gaze toward the sound, he saw his longsword buried in the ground several meters away.
He understood almost instinctively that the weapon was his.
He understood, but he didn't know why it had ended up there.
"What? Just what happened?"
The soldier muttered, looking back and forth between his empty hand and the sword.
Rei watched him for a moment before casting a glance toward another soldier standing nearby.
"Explain it to him," Rei signaled wordlessly.
The soldier who received the order spoke to his still-dazed comrade.
"You used the momentum from when Captain Rei parried your first strike to spin and unleash a horizontal slash. You remember that part, right?"
"Yeah. I did it myself, so of course I remember. It's what happened after that I don't get."
The soldier stated the obvious, and his comrade nodded in agreement.
He could explain the sequence of events precisely because he had been watching from the side. Had he been the one on the receiving end, he likely wouldn't have understood a thing either.
"Captain Rei caught your horizontal slash with the Death Scythe's butt end. To be precise, 'caught' isn't quite right... it's more like he snared it. Then he flicked the snared longsword into the air—I'm not sure of the exact wording—and used that same motion to thrust the blade against your neck."
After hearing the explanation, the soldier finally seemed to understand his defeat. Even without an edge, the longsword had pierced the ground through the momentum of its fall and its own weight alone. While staring at it, the soldier turned his gaze back toward Rei.
What resided in his eyes now was an even deeper sense of awe.
He could understand the logic of the movements now that they were explained.
However... what was truly terrifying was that when the longsword was snared, he hadn't felt any sensation in his hands at all.
The weapon had simply vanished from his grip without him noticing.
To snare an opponent's weapon so seamlessly—how much skill was required for such a feat?
Though he was an elite of the Mobile Unit, there was no way he could imitate what had just happened.
It was a difference in strength so vast it was presumptuous even to compare them. That was what he had been shown.
Rei spoke to the soldier, who was beginning to lose his confidence, without appearing particularly concerned.
"The first strike was sharp; it was a good blow. The strike utilizing the impact of the parry wasn't bad either. But even if it's to gain momentum, you shouldn't spin like that. Doing so means you lose sight of your opponent, if only for an instant. It might be fine if you can track your opponent through their presence, but since you don't have that level of skill yet, you need to think more carefully."
"Yes, sir..."
While heartened by the praise, the soldier began to consider how to correct the flaws Rei had pointed out.
With those thoughts in mind, he returned to the other soldiers.
The Mobile Unit's training for the day consisted of mock battles with Rei, but most lost without lasting more than a few exchanges.
Of course, if they lost without being able to do anything, there would be no point in the exercise.
For that reason, Rei would offer a word or two about what they did well and where they failed.
In this regard, the time he had spent training Ruzy's party, the Wind Dragon Fang, was proving useful.
"Alright, next... before that, it seems we have a guest."
The soldier who had been about to step forward for his turn stopped in his tracks, caught off guard.
Though they were elites, these soldiers had learned through their time with Rei that there was always someone better. They sought strength hungrily without becoming discouraged.
In that sense, for the members of the Mobile Unit, Rei's presence was irreplaceable.
That was why, upon being told someone had come to disturb their training, they turned their gazes with displeasure... only to find Videre, a unit commander of the White Rose Knight Order.
There were other members of the White Rose Knight Order in the camp, but Rei and the soldiers' gazes were fixed on Videre alone.
Clad in white metal armor with a scabbard at her waist, she wore a look of grim determination.
The soldiers must have noticed her expression. Without a word, they silently cleared a path.
"My thanks," Videre said shortly.
Walking straight ahead, she arrived before Rei and offered a small bow.
"I apologize for disturbing your training. But... Lord Rei, would you be willing to cross blades with me?"
"Why so sudden? Looking at you now, it doesn't seem like you just want to join the rotation."
"Indeed. I am aware of your strength, Lord Rei. Since I was actually saved by it, I have no reason to doubt your power. However... considering Her Highness Frizion's situation, I cannot be satisfied simply by what I have seen. I can only truly understand your strength by experiencing it for myself."
She wanted to duel him. Rei thought for a moment before eventually nodding.
"Fine. Watching a fight also serves as training for the soldiers."
Videre didn't particularly enjoy having her fight treated as a teaching material, but she wasn't about to miss this opportunity.
She gave a short nod of consent and drew her longsword.
Since she had brought it herself, it was naturally not a training weapon. In fact, it emitted a captivating pull that caught the eye—a sensation Rei knew well.
It was the same feeling he got when looking at a Magic Item.
(A magic sword, huh? ...I saw her during the battle before, but I thought it was just a normal sword back then.)
Tilting his head inwardly, he cast a glance toward Seto, who was lying down a short distance away. He gave a small shake of his head.
It was a sign that he wanted Seto to leave this to him.
Seto grasped the intention immediately, closing its eyes again to return to its rest.
"This is a mock battle. You understand that, right?"
"...That means no killing, I presume. Understood. On my part, I thought it would be a shame to kill Lord Rei, Mercurio's trump card, in this place."
A stir went through the air. Hearing Videre's words, the soldiers of the Mobile Unit muttered in surprise.
It was only natural. Those present had seen the Subjugation Army's camp reduced to ash.
For some, their feelings toward Rei had reached a level bordering on religious faith.
To suggest she might kill such a person—she didn't seem to be in her right mind.
"Hmph. You, with the kind of power that was almost killed by that small group of soldiers, are going to kill me? You should learn a bit more about humility."
Rei's words were sharp provocations, but they were also the truth.
After all, the White Rose Knight Order had been entirely on the defensive against the same enemies Rei had subsequently wiped out.
"Heh, I suppose any more idle talk is useless. Now... show me the power that earns you the name Crimson!"
With those words, Videre kicked off the ground and closed the distance.
Activating the magic sword's function, several bolts of lightning began to coil around the blade.
"Tch, a lightning magic sword. How troublesome."
Spitting the words out irritably, Rei shifted his body to evade the thrust aimed straight at him. In the same motion, he used the Death Scythe's butt end to sweep at Videre's legs.
Her footing swept out from under her, Videre thrust her free hand onto the ground to avoid falling and swung her magic sword again, aiming for Rei's feet.
"Whoops."
Rei blocked the magic sword by thrusting the Death Scythe's butt end into the ground.
The moment the magic sword and the Death Scythe's shaft collided, a smile appeared on Videre's lips... but in the next instant, she was struck with shock by the voice above her head.
"What's wrong? Did something good happen?"
Before Videre's eyes stood Rei, appearing completely undamaged.
Normally, if one blocked a strike from her magic sword with a metal weapon or armor, the electrical discharge would flow through and paralyze the target for several seconds.
Though brief, it was a window far too large in a fight.
Delivering a strike during that opening was Videre's winning strategy, but...
"Why can you still move!?"
While shouting in shock, she didn't stop. She leapt backward from her crouching position—proving she hadn't been made a unit commander of the White Rose Knight Order for nothing.
"Now, I wonder why."
Rei reached for the Eye of Nebula at his waist and generated an arrowhead. With a flick of his wrist, he threw it as a follow-up.
Since it was a mock battle, he didn't aim for a vital spot like her face, but at the shoulder of her armor.
A metallic "clink" echoed.
Naturally, hitting metal armor didn't deal much damage, but it was enough to interfere with her attempt to regain her stance.
Had it been a normal arrowhead, it would have been a slight nuisance at best.
However, the throw came from Rei. It possessed a power no normal human could produce, and Videre lost her balance.
It took only a mere instant for her to regain her footing, but that was more than enough time for Rei.
The moment he threw the arrowhead, he had already kicked off the ground to follow it.
"What!?"
By the time Videre realized it, the Death Scythe's giant blade was already against her neck. Had Rei moved his arm even slightly, her head and torso would have been forced into a permanent parting, accompanied by a massive spray of blood.
With the blade so clearly against her throat, Videre had no choice but to admit defeat.
"I surrender. It is my loss."
Stunned by how easily she had been bested, she declared her defeat.