A silhouette soared through the autumn sky, its massive wings beating steadily.
Anyone who knew its true identity would surely have fled in terror. Yet, to those who truly understood its nature, it was a creature one couldn't help but want to dote upon.
"Seto, they say the encampment is covered in phantoms, so keep your eyes peeled. Just touching the illusions shouldn't be an issue, but since we're dealing with an Imperial Treasure, there’s no telling what it can actually do."
"Guruuuu."
Seto let out a cry as if to say, "Don't worry, leave it to me," and Rei gave the creature a trusting pat.
In truth, Rei wasn't particularly worried. It was true that findng an encampment covered in phantoms would be difficult, and there was a significant chance they might accidentally stumble into it. However, the Subjugation Army was currently laying siege to that very position. Even if the area was shrouded in phantoms, there was no way they could miss the cacophony of battle raging within.
Furthermore, as a Gryphon, Seto’s sense of direction was far sharper than any human's. There was no chance the creature would fail to find its way back to the place where they had lived, even if only for a short time.
However...
"Guruu!"
Seto spread its wings and banked hard, veering sharply through the air. A few seconds later, a rock the size of a human head whistled past, narrowly missing them.
"Tch. I guess they guessed that Seto and I would scout ahead."
Rei looked down to see several units deployed on the ground. There were three on each side of the highway, totaling six. Each unit consisted of about ten men, and each was equipped with a catapult.
A stone projectile from another unit—one that hadn't fired yet—was launched, and Seto beat its wings again to dodge the incoming boulder. Fortunately, the enemy had focused on catapults and brought few archers. Even if they had, regular arrows would never reach Seto at this altitude.
Of course, archers of exceptional skill might have been a different story, but such experts had likely been assigned to the main assault on the encampment; they were nowhere to be seen here.
Multiple rocks were released in succession, sometimes simultaneously, all targeting Seto. If they couldn't reach with bows, they would use catapults. Typically, catapults launched massive boulders, but the ones prepared here were rocks the size of a human head.
While such stones were too small to breach city walls, the enemy had judged them sufficient for a single man and his beast. Indeed, if a rock of that size launched by a catapult were to hit Rei or Seto, it would cause devastating damage, even if it wasn't a fatal wound. Additionally, because the rocks were smaller, they were easier to load, allowing for shorter firing intervals and a higher volume of fire.
"And they're spread out, which makes them a pain to deal with. No doubt a countermeasure against my magic."
Most of Rei's magic had a massive area of effect. If the enemy stayed clumped together, his magic would destroy all the catapults at once. This was a deliberate precaution.
"I suppose it wasn't hard for them to imagine I'd rush to the rescue the moment I heard the Rebel Army was under attack."
"Guruu?"
Seto let out a trill as if asking, What’s the plan?
Even as it asked, it kept its wings spread wide, continuing to dodge the rocks hurtling through the sky. When a rock was aimed precisely where Seto was veering, the Gryphon simply shattered it with a single blow from its forepaws, scattering fragments into the air.
"Right. We could just fly past, but... those catapults still have high destructive power. If we ignore them, they'll likely be used against the Rebel Army or even Frizion's forces. Better to destroy them here."
Rei considered his options for a moment, looking down from Seto’s back to count the targets. Six in total. Since they were placed with considerable distance between them, he would have to take them out individually.
"Seto, can you handle half of them?"
"Guruu!"
Seto cried out as if saying, Leave it to me! Rei added one more instruction just to be safe.
"I'll tell you now: no using skills."
"Guruuuu."
Judging by the cry that Seto understood, Rei decided it would be fine and leapt straight off the Gryphon's back.
As he plunged from a height of about a hundred meters, the soldiers operating the catapults momentarily thought they had won. For an ordinary human, falling from such a height was a death sentence. But Rei was anything but ordinary.
As he plummeted toward the ground feet-first, Rei activated his Sleipnir's Shoes. Taking several steps through the empty air, he killed his momentum as he descended directly above a catapult.
Rei’s weight alone might not have done much, but he held the Death Scythe—a weapon that weighed a hundred kilograms for anyone other than himself or Seto. The catapult struck by the Death Scythe’s Butt End was instantly smashed, scattering catapult fragments everywhere and inflicting various injuries on the nearby soldiers. The lucky ones escaped with scratches, while the unlucky ones suffered fatal wounds as the shattered wood crushed their skulls or pierced their throats.
But the slaughter was only beginning.
"Haaah!"
With a roar of spirit, Rei kicked off the ground and swung the Death Scythe. Most of the soldiers were torn apart by the Death Scythe's Blade before they could even comprehend their situation, their limbs, torsos, and heads sent flying. In seconds, every soldier around the catapult lay in a pool of blood.
"Whoops!"
Rei shook the blood from the blade and dodged an incoming arrow in the same motion. It was only natural; his intent to destroy the catapults was obvious, and the other units using the catapults knew they were next. Seto was already rampaging elsewhere, but these men judged that eliminating Rei, who was on the ground near them, was the priority.
Rei dodged the first arrow, then wove through several more—or sliced them out of the air—as he closed in on the next catapult. The unit guarding the catapult was desperate. Knowing their machine would be destroyed at this rate, they frantically operated the mechanism and launched a rock at Rei. It was still only a rock the size of a human head, but it possessed more than enough power to kill a man.
However...
"I've already seen that trick!"
With those words, he swung the magic-infused Death Scythe in a flash. The rock split cleanly in two and sailed past him. Without even glancing back at the shattered stone, he charged the catapult and its guards.
The unit didn't simply stand and watch; they drew longswords from their waists or snatched up spears from the ground, bracing for close combat. The few archers also discarded their bows and reached for melee weapons.
"Flying Slash!"
With that cry, a Flying Slash released from the Death Scythe tore through several bodies before vanishing. Flying Slash lacked the power to completely sever a human body; while it could cut through skin and flesh, it couldn't hack through bone. Even so, the Flying Slash's slash successfully wounded a great many soldiers. Naturally, their injuries slowed them down, and that was when Rei plunged into their ranks.
By charging into the middle of the unit, Rei forced the enemies to be cautious; if they swung their weapons carelessly, they would hit their own comrades. The situation might have been different if they had daggers, but none of these men were composed enough to think that clearly while Rei was rampaging in their midst.
Even if they had a few seconds to regroup, it might have mattered, but Rei swung the magic-infused Death Scythe in wide arcs, the blade claiming every life in reach. He literally cut them in two with a single strike. Comrades who were alive seconds ago were dead the next.
The area around Rei was stained red with the soldiers' blood. Internal organs, flesh, and bone were scattered across the ground, and the heavy scent of iron rust filled the air. The sight of him swinging that Great Scythe was truly a testament to his Crimson's Alias.
Despite the thick stench of iron, Rei did not stop. Moving with steps like a dancer, he swung the Death Scythe and harvested the soldiers' lives. The battle lasted only seconds, and when it was over, not a single enemy remained standing.
Looking around, Rei watched as the soldiers of another nearby unit turned and fled. He reached out to the intact catapult and used the Store function of the Misty Ring to put it away. He also collected all the rocks prepared around it before walking toward the final unit.
However, those soldiers hadn't just run; they had thoroughly destroyed their catapult before fleeing to prevent Rei from utilizing it. They clearly knew he possessed an Item Box.
(So the people here really were a unit specifically meant to take me out.)
The catapult was a loss, but the rocks the size of a human head remained undestroyed. He collected the stones as a minor consolation prize just as the sound of wings flapping reached him from above.
"Guruuuuuu!"
Seto appeared, trilling happily. The Gryphon landed and ran toward Rei. He caught the creature and stroked its head.
"Finished already?"
"Guruu!"
Seto gave a cry as if to say, Of course. Smiling, Rei looked toward the three units he had assigned to Seto. All three catapults were destroyed, and soldiers' corpses were scattered about. However, the body count was surprisingly low.
Realizing they were facing the Gryphon Seto rather than Rei, most of the soldiers had chosen to retreat immediately. Only those who had refused to run without a fight had left their corpses behind.
Rei took out the Dagger of Flowing Water and washed the blood from Seto's Beak and forepaws, then stored the remaining rocks.
"Alright, Seto. We've cleared this area. Let's head for the Rebel Army's Position. The survivors will likely report our approach, so I'd like to strike another blow and deal some damage before they can prepare."
"Guruuuuu? Guruu!"
Seto trilled in agreement and offered its back. Let’s go! Rei nodded and mounted the creature.
Seto also had many friends in the Rebel Army. Beyond the combatants, there were the non-combatants—the prostitutes and traveling merchants who had often fed it snacks. Normally, such people would have evacuated before the fighting started, but the Subjugation Army’s blockade had trapped them inside, and the surprise attack had come before they could escape.
(The enemy must have dispatched these units before we even left the Imperial Capital—before we fought Blatta and Rhodos. Moving that many soldiers usually attracts attention... from what I've heard, that kind of tactical subtlety is likely the work of Schuls, given his influence over the military.)
Rei and Seto had heard from the messenger that since the non-combatants couldn't leave, they were still trapped inside the camp.
"Guruuuuuu!"
Carrying Rei, Seto beat its wings and soared into the sky. As they flew toward the encampment, they soon spotted a unit of about 200 people below them. Noticing the survivors from the previous skirmish running toward that unit for protection, Rei’s mouth curled into a smirk.
"Seto, let’s do this. Fly slowly over that unit. We need to give them a little payback for the catapults."
"Guruu!"
Seto understood perfectly. It slowed its flight as it approached the sky directly above the enemy unit. Seeing this, Rei pulled out the rocks the size of a human head he had just stored in his Misty Ring and began dropping them.
Even a rock the size of a human head weighed over ten kilograms. Dropping them from a hundred meters up was devastating. And he didn't drop just one or two—he rained down ten, twenty, thirty.
The kinetic energy was equivalent to rocks being continuously launched from catapults, and the unit below was defenseless. While the physical casualties weren't absolute, the psychological terror was overwhelming, inflicting mental damage close to a state of total collapse.