Under the pouring summer sunlight, Rei flew through the sky astride Set.
Gazing at the cumulonimbus clouds, Rei called out.
"Are you doing okay over there!?"
The wind was fairly strong, so he raised his voice louder than usual.
In response, a voice drifted up from beneath Set.
"I'm fine, no problems so far!"
It was Vihera, who had accepted the Lizardman pack subjugation request alongside Rei.
Set couldn't fly with anyone other than Rei on his back, but he was capable of carrying heavy loads dangling beneath him — a giant bear carcass, for instance, or Hester when he had been attacked by a Goblin pack.
Hearing about that, Vihera had proposed this method of travel.
Not that it was anything particularly special. Hester had been transported by gripping Set's front legs with both hands and dangling beneath, but Vihera was simply holding onto Set's right front leg under her own power.
Naturally, as a precaution against falling, Set's leg and Vihera's hand were tied together with rope. Even so, most people would never want to attempt such a thing.
But doing it with sheer delight — that was Vihera.
The Lizardman subjugation request had been accepted jointly by Rei and Vihera, but whether traveling by carriage or on horseback, there was no keeping up with Set's speed.
That was why Vihera had suggested this approach.
This way, it wouldn't look unsightly to onlookers, and more importantly, if push came to shove, she could detach herself from Set at will without having to ask him to let go.
Of course, she couldn't go jumping from high altitudes like Rei, who had his Sleipnir boots.
Even so, being able to detach of her own volition in an emergency was a reassurance for Vihera.
(I never imagined the view from up high would be this magnificent.)
Dangling from Set's front leg, Vihera gazed down at the ground below.
What spread out beneath her was a vast green carpet stretching as far as the eye could see.
It was a sight visible during spring and summer — half the year — but even so, it was more than enough to hold Vihera's attention.
(I wonder if Dragon Knights riding Wyverns always see views like this? That's a little enviable.)
The two people and one griffon continued flying through the sky until, about ten minutes from Gilm — a considerable distance, given that ten minutes was measured by Set's wing speed — they finally spotted their target: the Lizardman pack.
They spotted them, but...
"Why is there already a battle going on?"
Rei muttered, staring down at the ground.
Indeed, below them, a Lizardman pack was already engaged in combat with what appeared to be a group of adventurers.
The Lizardman subjugation request had originally been accepted by Rei and Vihera.
After accepting it, they had held a planning session that was really just a meal — a snack, in Rei's mind — but even accounting for that, traveling by Set was still faster than a horse at full gallop.
And yet, by the time they arrived, the fighting had already begun.
"What's the plan?" Vihera asked, dangling from Set's leg.
Rei considered for only a few seconds before making his decision.
"Originally, this was a battle we signed up for. That means whoever's fighting down there is doing so on their own. In that case, they can't complain about us joining in, can they?"
"That may be true, but if we're not careful, we could end up clashing with those adventurers."
"We have the justification of having accepted the request. Even so, if they... no, that's not it."
Rei cut off mid-sentence and turned his gaze toward the adventurers fighting the Lizardman pack.
They were clearly trying to disengage and retreat, but the Lizardmen weren't allowing it.
In other words, they hadn't deliberately sought out this pack — it was an unexpected encounter.
(Also, there are two... no, three Lizardman Leaders? They're trying to surround those adventurers.)
Each Lizardman Leader commanded a pack of a little over ten, totaling around forty.
Compared to a hundred Goblins, that was considerably fewer, but an individual Lizardman's combat ability was on an entirely different level from a Goblin's.
Of course, not all packs were the same — they varied depending on the monster leading them.
If a Goblin Leader could command dozens of Goblins, it wouldn't be strange for a Lizardman Leader to command close to a hundred Lizardmen.
Among those, the Lizardman Leaders commanding these particular packs could be considered average for their kind.
"Alright, I'll take out the Lizardman Leader of the pack attacking those adventurers head-on. Vihera?"
"Let's see. Then I'll take the Lizardman Leader of the pack on the adventurers' left."
From his position straddling Set's back, Rei couldn't see Vihera's face.
But even so, he could imagine without a doubt that she was smiling.
"Set, you handle the pack on the right."
"Gruuu!"
With their brief — truly brief — planning session complete, Rei had Set carry him directly above his target pack, then casually leapt from Set's back.
"I'll go on ahead."
As he dropped past Vihera, he muttered those words, and for just an instant, surprise flashed across her face.
She knew Rei had Sleipnir boots, but even so, she hadn't expected him to jump from this height — an altitude of roughly a hundred meters.
(Come to think of it, was this the first time I've shown her a jump from this height? No, I feel like I've done it before. I've jumped from this altitude plenty of times, so I don't really remember.)
Recalling Vihera's stunned expression, Rei drew the Death Scythe and Twilight Spear from his Misty Ring as he plummeted through the air.
Fortunately, strong as they were, the enemies were still just Lizardmen.
To Rei, they might be somewhat tougher than usual, but he didn't consider them formidable opponents.
That was precisely why he had readied himself for Twin Spear Style.
There was also the simple advantage of having more attacks at his disposal than if he used the Death Scythe alone.
As he hurtled toward the ground, he activated his Sleipnir boots several times to adjust his trajectory.
His landing target was, naturally, directly above the Lizardman Leader — larger than the surrounding Lizardmen.
Just as he had slain the Goblin Leader, he intended to finish off the Lizardman Leader in a single blow.
He swung the Death Scythe gripped in his right hand... and in that instant, for reasons Rei couldn't fathom, the Lizardman Leader sensed the attack and swiftly raised its longsword overhead.
If it had been an ordinary strike, it might have actually blocked it.
Unfortunately, the one launching this attack was not by any means someone who could be described as ordinary.
The one-handed strike of the Death Scythe, despite having no magical power channeled through it, sheared effortlessly through the blade of the Lizardman Leader's longsword and split the creature from head to trunk in a single clean cut.
Its body split left and right, innards spilling from the cross-section, the bisected form crumpled to the ground.
The surrounding Lizardmen couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
When someone drops on you from directly overhead, that was only natural.
It was a perfect ambush — a strike worthy of being called lightning-fast.
At the sight unfolding before their eyes, the Lizardmen froze for an instant.
And that instant was all Rei needed.
"Flying Slash!"
The only ones around were enemy Lizardmen.
Given that, there was no need to worry about friendly fire.
A blade of air shot from the swung Death Scythe and severed a Lizardman's neck.
At the same time, the Twilight Spear in his left hand crushed the skull of a Lizardman to his left.
He tried to pull the Twilight Spear back for a horizontal sweep... but a metallic clang rang out, and Rei, who had caused it, furrowed his brow slightly.
He had yanked the Twilight Spear back with such force that its handle collided with the handle of the Death Scythe.
But his hesitation lasted only a moment.
In the next instant, he bisected a nearby Lizardman from torso to hip with the Death Scythe and crushed another's head with the Twilight Spear.
Only after all that did the Lizardmen finally snap back to their senses. They charged at Rei all at once.
Among them were undoubtedly some seeking to avenge their fallen Leader.
In response to their assault, Rei swung the Death Scythe in a showy arc to deliver a deterrent strike.
Normally, simply swinging a scythe wouldn't seem all that threatening.
But with Rei, it was a different story.
After all, the Flying Slash released from the Death Scythe's blade moments ago had already claimed one Lizardman's life.
Because of that, the Lizardmen had no choice but to regard his swings with caution.
(Huh. Unlike Goblins and Cobolts, they don't just immediately charge at anything they see as an enemy... well, at least not at first.)
Recalling how Cobolts had attacked him even knowing they stood no chance — unlike Goblins, who simply charged regardless — Rei's expression showed a flicker of mild surprise.
He continued observing the Lizardmen surrounding him, then casually glanced toward the other packs.
Set had already slain his Lizardman Leader and was trampling the remaining Lizardmen.
With a single sweep of Set's front leg, Lizardman limbs went flying. Some lost half their bodies; others had their heads crushed outright.
Beak strikes pierced Lizardman scales with ease, and while body tackles weren't instantly lethal, they sent Lizardmen flying several meters.
Though Set wasn't using any skills, the Lizardmen were being crushed one-sidedly.
Judging that Set needed no help, Rei turned his gaze toward Vihera.
There, Vihera was trading blows with the Lizardmen using fists and kicks.
The reason she hadn't touched the Lizardman Leader commanding the others was likely because, rather than killing it with a surprise attack like Rei had, she wanted to fight it head-on.
Of course, it wasn't about fighting fair and square — Vihera simply wanted to enjoy the battle.
But regardless of her motives, there was no doubt that the Lizardman Leader's attention was fixed entirely on her.
Two of the three Lizardman Leaders present were already dead, and the remaining one couldn't take its eyes off Vihera.
As a result, the adventurers who had been under attack suffered no further assault and successfully withdrew from the battlefield.
(Well, that should mean those adventurers are safe for now. Which means all that's left is to take down these Lizardmen.)
Rei swung the Death Scythe wide to intimidate, and as the Lizardmen momentarily froze at the motion, he plunged into their midst.
Charging into close range while wielding long polearms — one in each hand, no less — would normally be nothing short of suicidal.
The most destructive part of a polearm was, naturally, its tip — the spearhead for spears, the axe head for poleaxes.
But once the distance was closed, attacks at the most lethal point became impossible.
However, Rei's physical abilities overturned that conventional wisdom with ease.
The swung handles of the Death Scythe and Twilight Spear shattered Lizardman arms and ribcages, sending them flying.
"Shaa-!"
Screams erupted from Lizardman mouths as they were hurled through the air.
Perhaps sensing the danger of Rei closing in, the Lizardmen each tried to swiftly back away... but naturally, Rei gave them no such opening.
The Death Scythe and Twilight Spear, swung in rapid succession, mercilessly claimed Lizardman lives one after another.
Within minutes, every Lizardman remaining in the area had fallen to the earth.
Limbs, tails, heads — there was scarcely a Lizardman left with all of those intact, and the pungent stench of iron — of blood — spread through the air.
"...Well, that should about do it."
He swung the Death Scythe and Twilight Spear respectively, shaking off the Lizardman blood clinging to the blades, and muttered.
He carefully scanned the area in case any Lizardmen were still alive and playing dead, but fortunately, not a single living Lizardman remained in sight.
"Now then, how are things over there?"
He turned his gaze toward where Set and Vihera were still fighting.