"Use your skills."
The moment those words were uttered, very few would have grasped their meaning.
Skills were generally understood to be the exclusive domain of humans. While it was true that some monsters could manipulate wind and water, breathe fire, or manifest earthen spears, those were considered innate special attacks unique to their species. To the people of this world, a monster’s elemental attack was no different from a human throwing a punch with their fist.
Consequently, no one could accurately fathom what Rei meant by telling his companion to use a "skill." A few wondered if "Seto" was the name of a hidden ally—perhaps a soldier lying in wait—but many others had already heard Rei call the Gryphon by that name. More importantly, this was the Subjugation Army, a force that had been ravaged by Rei time and again. Information on him was gathered as a top priority and distributed to everyone above a certain rank.
Those officers knew the name of Rei’s tamed monster, and that knowledge only deepened their confusion.
Noise was equally perplexed, but his experience as an S-Rank adventurer urged him to act. Judging the immediate area to be a death trap, he leaped back instantaneously.
At that exact moment...
"Guruuuuuuuuuuu!"
Having received Rei’s command, Seto let out a sharp cry and unleashed a Fire Breath from the sky. The flames slammed into the earth exactly where Noise had stood a second before, scorching the ground and flooding the area with a wave of intense heat.
Though it was autumn and the temperature was low enough that snow might soon fall, the soldiers nearby felt a scorching heat as if they had been plunged back into the height of summer.
Even Noise found the sight utterly unexpected. Clad in his Overlord's Armor, he landed far from the point of impact and stared, his voice thick with disbelief.
"A Gryphon... using Fire Breath?"
Noise muttered the words blankly, but his instincts hadn't dulled. In the next breath, he spun around and swung his magic sword behind him. A high-pitched metallic ring echoed as he intercepted Rei’s follow-up.
Rei frowned at the failed sneak attack. "I was hoping you'd be a bit more rattled. That strike was supposed to end this."
"Hmph. You were radiating far too much murderous intent," Noise countered. "For anyone else, you might have suppressed it well enough, but to me, you're still green."
"Is that so? Then take this!"
Rei used the momentum from their clashing blades to whip the scythe around, attempting to thrust the butt end of the shaft into Noise’s torso. Noise reacted instantly, parrying the blunt end with the flat of his magic sword.
"I knew that beast was no ordinary monster, but Fire Breath? Is it a Rare Species Gryphon?"
"Hah, you talk big for someone who barely managed to dodge. But since I’ve shown my hand, I’m going all out. My alias, Crimson... it was given to both me and Seto as a pair. Seto!"
"Guruuuuuu!"
Responding to Rei's call, Seto unleashed another Fire Breath from the sky. The torrent of fire struck the ground and bloomed outward. The flames didn't just target Noise; despite the space Rei had cleared earlier, the duel was taking place within a 100-meter square. The Fire Breath naturally cascaded toward the walls formed by the Subjugation Army soldiers.
"Gwaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Fall back! Fall back! We're going to get caught in it!"
"Hot! It's too hot! Someone, put out the fire!"
"Damn that Crimson brat! Just because we’re the enemy, he thinks he can do whatever he wants!"
"Water! Get a mage who can use water magic over here!"
"There aren't any mages left! Use the sand! Smother the flames with dirt!"
Panic and screams erupted as soldiers desperately threw soil onto their burning comrades. However, Seto’s Fire Breath was not easily extinguished. In many cases, the dry grass mixed with the soil only served to spread the fire further, worsening the damage.
Amidst the pandemonium, Rei and Noise continued their dance of death.
"Haaaaaaaaah!"
"Do you really think such a clumsy attack will work? You're a disgrace to the name Crimson!"
The two moved like blurs across the scorching hell of the battlefield, their weapons clashing in every corner of the clearing. Clad in Overlord's Armor, their speeds were far beyond what the rank-and-file soldiers could track. One moment they were at the center, the next they were at the edge, their duel shifting with dizzying speed.
However, Noise clearly held the upper hand. The Magic Shield Rei had deployed earlier had already been shattered by a single blow from the magic sword.
"Guruuuuuu!"
Seto continued to rain Fire Breath down, attempting to track Noise’s movements. However, the attack required a moment to inhale and aim before the flames left the beak. For a man capable of the high-speed maneuvers granted by Overlord's Armor, that split-second lag was more than enough to evade. As a result, the fires missed Noise and continued to decimate the surrounding soldiers.
"Oh? Then let's see how you handle this. Seto!"
"Guruuu!"
"What!?"
This time, Seto utilized the Magic Eye of Shock. Though the physical impact was minor, unlike the Fire Breath, the effect was instantaneous. That speed was the key. Even a light jolt was enough to freeze Noise’s movements for a fleeting, vital second.
"Got you!"
Rei didn't miss the opening. He swung the Death Scythe with everything he had. Noise, proving why he had reached the rank of S-Rank, snapped back to his senses and managed to evade at a speed that could only be described as superhuman.
Even so, he wasn't fast enough to escape entirely. A small cut opened across Noise's cheek. It was a shallow wound, but it was the first time Noise had taken damage in the entire fight.
Tch. It’s too shallow, Rei thought irritably. If I’d taken an arm, the Bracelet of Magic Absorption would have drained a massive amount of his magic power.
The effect of the Bracelet of Magic Absorption was proportional to the damage dealt. A mere graze on the cheek provided only a pittance of stolen mana.
Noise reached up and wiped a single drop of blood from his cheek with his thumb. "...You did something just now, didn't you?"
Because he was maintaining the delicate magic control required for Overlord's Armor, Noise had noticed it. A tiny, almost imperceptible amount of his magic power had vanished—a single drop of water lost from a vast pool.
"Who knows? Maybe it's just your imagination," Rei deflected. "Overlord's Armor burns through magic power like crazy, after all."
Noise nodded, his eyes narrowing. "I mentioned you did something, but I never specified it was magic power. I see. So that great scythe steals mana when it draws blood? A troublesome ability... but now that I know your trick, it won't be difficult to counter—!"
Noise lunged forward with a sharp cry. Metal screeched against metal as Rei parried the ultra-high-speed strike with the Death Scythe.
"Seto!"
"Guruu!"
Parrying the blow, Rei plunged back into the high-speed exchange. They vanished and reappeared across the field, leaving the surrounding soldiers as helpless spectators to a fight they couldn't even see clearly. The only beings truly participating were Noise, Rei, and...
"Guruuuuuuuuuu!"
Seto’s roar thundered across the battlefield. The soldiers at the perimeter froze, paralyzed by the King's Intimidation skill. However, the roar did nothing to Noise. He didn't even flinch. King's Intimidation only worked on those of a lower class than the user, which meant that Noise was undeniably superior to Seto.
Seto didn't waver. It already understood that this opponent was on a different level. Its goal hadn't been to stop Noise entirely, but merely to find any way to slow him down.
"Guruuu!"
Two Water Balls, each forty centimeters in diameter, manifested around Seto and shot toward the ground. Though Rei and Noise were moving at speeds beyond human comprehension, Seto was one of the few beings capable of tracking them.
The Water Balls weren't aimed directly at Noise, but at where he was about to be. Noise predicted the trajectory and effortlessly shattered the spheres with his magic sword, splashing water across the dirt.
To anyone else, the act of swinging the sword would have taken no time at all. But for Rei and Noise, moving in the accelerated world of Overlord's Armor, it was an eternity. In that stolen moment, Rei made his move.
"Magic Shield!"
The absolute defense manifested once more, a shield capable of blocking any single attack, even one from an S-Rank adventurer.
"Again? You repeat yourself!" Noise shouted, thrusting his blade forward.
The thrust was like a flash of light, delivered with such speed that multiple strikes seemed to land at once. Rei knew the Magic Shield would shatter the moment a single blow connected, so he desperately evaded and parried with the Death Scythe to keep the shield intact.
The staccato ring of clashing steel drew the eyes of the soldiers.
"Look, over there!"
"Forget them! Focus on the fire!"
"It burns! Someone, help me!"
Despite the epic clash occurring in their midst, the soldiers could only focus on saving their comrades from being burned alive.
Rei felt a mounting sense of dread. Damn it, even with Seto, we’re barely holding him off. No, he’s still winning. If this keeps up, I’ll run out of magic power for Overlord's Armor and it’ll be over. It’s all or nothing!
Steeling his resolve, Rei swung the Death Scythe in a massive arc.
"Power Slash!"
The strike prioritized raw destructive power over speed. Bolstered by the effects of Overlord's Armor and the sheer weight of the hundred-kilogram scythe, the blow carried a force that Noise couldn't simply deflect. The impact was far greater than Noise had anticipated, and he took the shock head-on.
"Guh!"
Noise grunted as he was blown backward. Rei didn't let up.
"Seto! Poison!"
"Guruuuuuu!"
Seto understood the command instantly. It folded its wings and dived toward the ground, activating its Poison Claw. It was Seto’s highest-level skill—its ultimate trump card. However, the skill required a direct hit. Against a target as fast as Noise, landing such a blow was nearly impossible.
Even with a Gryphon’s extraordinary vision, Seto’s body simply couldn't keep up with Noise’s movements. It was still a young creature, not even two years old.
At least, it couldn't keep up on its own.
"Wind Hand!"
Rei activated his skill, manifesting a translucent Wind Tentacle from the butt end of the Death Scythe. The appendage was only effective at its tip and possessed little raw power, but it had enough force to do one thing: restrain Noise for a fraction of a second.
"What!?" Noise gasped, his movement suddenly snagged.
"Guruuuuuuuuuu!"
That single moment was all Seto needed. With its Poison Claw glowing with lethal light, the Gryphon dived straight for its target.