The Treant Forest was expanding toward Gilm.
No one knew exactly when the Treant Forest had first appeared, but it was certain to have originated somewhere between Gilm and Abuelo. The area where the forest was now encroaching toward Gilm had once been grassland.
Those who had resolved to fight the giant turtle—the Treant Forest's avatar, or perhaps its true body—alongside Rei had gathered on a stretch of grassland slightly removed from the forest.
Those who had chosen to avoid the battle and head back to Gilm to report were already gone.
Many of the researchers had wanted to stay, but Marina, unwilling to leave them where they might be caught in the crossfire, had pressed the departing adventurers to take them along—by force if necessary.
At first, some had clung to the hopeful notion that perhaps the giant turtle wouldn't emerge from the Treant Forest at all. That illusion was swiftly shattered.
The creature had lumbered out of the Treant Forest without a moment's hesitation, pursuing the adventurers—no, pursuing Rei in particular.
"Well, better it came out here than stayed inside the forest," Rei muttered, wreathed in visible crimson magical energy.
If he so chose, that energy was potent enough to incinerate anything on contact. But through his own control, its effect was limited to a slight rise in the surrounding temperature.
Even so, the mere sight of Rei in his current state would be enough to make an ordinary adventurer lose the will to fight—assuming, of course, they stood as his enemy.
For a being of that caliber, being on his side was immensely reassuring.
In truth, most of those who had stayed to fight were using Rei—blazing in Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor—as their emotional anchor.
Every step the creature took sent a faint tremor through the ground.
The phrase "looking up at" existed, but here it was literal. The opponent was so massive—comparable to a small hill—that even from close range, it was impossible to take its entire form into one's field of vision.
Facing such a being, some kind of emotional anchor was a necessity.
"Rei, how are we going to fight?"
Vihera stood beside him, Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor still blazing. Yet despite the looming battle, her face bore a lustrous expression of sheer joy—pleasure and ecstasy were closer to the mark.
For Vihera, who found delight in combat, this battle wasn't something to fear. It was something she craved.
Giant flowers, unnaturally strong Treants, a host of other plant-type monsters—and now a giant turtle emerging from the Treant Forest. This single night was, without exaggeration, the most fulfilling time Vihera had ever experienced.
Watching her, Rei felt an involuntary smile tug at his lips.
He had assumed nearly everyone was terrified of the coming fight. Yet here was someone who actively welcomed it.
That alone loosened the knot of tension in his chest.
Giant turtle... not really my style, is it?
The thought drifted through his mind as he watched the creature bearing down on them.
"Marina, do you happen to know the name of that monster?"
He asked with Death Scythe in one hand and the Twilight Spear in the other, but Marina could only shake her head.
"Unfortunately, this is my first time seeing one. It's likely a new species."
"I see. Then I'll provisionally call it Gigant Turtle. 'Giant turtle' is a bit too on the nose. Don't you think?"
A few of the adventurers around them cracked small smiles at that.
A monster's name hardly mattered, but standing before a creature so massive it looked like a walking hillock, Rei's words undeniably eased some of their tension.
"Ha, you're right. Fighting something called Gigant Turtle sounds a lot more impressive than just 'giant turtle.'"
"You just want bragging material for the bar. I know you've got your eye on Hashana-chan."
"Guh—did you really have to bring that up here?!"
Even banter like that rippled through the crowd.
"...All right. First order of business—how we attack the Gigant Turtle. What kind of strikes will work best is anyone's guess. What I can tell you is that shell has a seriously high defense."
The round of laughter from the bar talk had done its work loosening the tension. Now Rei's voice snapped them back to attention. The remaining adventurers turned toward the approaching Gigant Turtle and nodded.
Turtle-type monsters weren't common, but they weren't unheard of either. Some present had fought them before, and they nodded with hard-earned conviction at Rei's words.
"Given all that... I'll take the first strike. Fortunately, I've got a spear that comes back to me."
Those who knew the Twilight Spear's capabilities cast envious glances at him. Those who had witnessed the frenzy it stirred among merchants offered faint looks of sympathy instead.
Ignoring both, Rei shifted his grip—taking the Twilight Spear in his right hand, a departure from his usual preference.
As a Magic Item usable while Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor was active, the Twilight Spear was among the finest he had.
With that in mind, he channeled his magic into the weapon. A light running start, a twist of the body, and he hurled it with everything he had at his target.
When he'd used it over the Treant Forest, he'd been riding Set, so a full-power throw hadn't been possible. When he'd fought the root puppet—the forest's avatar—he hadn't had Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor active at all.
Now, there were no such limitations.
Boosted by the enhanced physical abilities of Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor, the spear rocketed straight toward the Gigant Turtle.
The distance between Rei and the creature was still considerable, but the spear didn't care. It cleaved through the air as if such a gap meant nothing at all.
That spear, which could have punched through anyone or anything without raising eyebrows, flew true—then, inexplicably, stopped dead several meters short of the Gigant Turtle, as though it had struck something invisible.
"What?"
The murmur came from someone in the crowd. Every adventurer still present had been tracking the Twilight Spear's flight. Having it stopped by the shell would have been understandable. Having it halted in empty air was completely unforeseen.
The one who answered their bewilderment was, predictably, Luno, standing beside Thresha.
His eyes had been temporarily sealed by the radiance of Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor, but the effect had healed by the time they'd reached this position.
As for why Luno was here at all—naturally, it was because Thresha was. He could have abandoned her without consequence, but having come this far, he'd decided to see it through. Underneath it all, he was the type who looked after people.
Through Luno's eyes—his Magic Eye that could perceive magical energy—the Gigant Turtle's actions were crystal clear.
"It's magic! It's using magic to deploy a barrier!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a sound like glass shattering on stone rang out across the field.
Heads snapped toward the Twilight Spear. The weapon that had been hovering in midair a moment before was no longer there—it was already streaking straight at the Gigant Turtle.
"Impossible! That barrier, so effortlessly!?"
Only someone with a Magic Eye like Luno's could have perceived the full extent of the barrier's defensive power. That he was stunned into near-disbelief spoke volumes about just how much magical energy Rei had poured into that throw.
Strictly speaking, Luno could see exactly how much mana had been invested in the spear. The shock of seeing the barrier itself—the sheer density of the Gigant Turtle's magic—had simply overwhelmed him.
In any case, the Twilight Spear had punched through that barrier without losing a shred of speed, hurtling toward its target.
The throw had originally been aimed at the center of the Gigant Turtle's three heads. Striking the barrier had destroyed it—a cause for celebration among the onlookers—but it also knocked the spear off its intended trajectory.
That was to be expected. But rather than careening off into the void, the spear continued toward the creature's body, which, given its sheer mass, was only natural.
It shattered, pierced, and demolished the trees growing from the shell.
Those trees were presumably no ordinary plants, sprouting as they did from the creature's back. But they possessed no strength capable of withstanding the Twilight Spear charged with Rei's magic.
Tree after tree splintered apart, yet the spear's speed never faltered.
Then came a sound like metal crashing against metal—a grating screech that echoed across the field.
"...Tough."
The Twilight Spear was embedded in the shell, but the Gigant Turtle showed no sign of pain. The spear had scratched the surface but couldn't punch through. That much was clear.
"GRRROOOOOAAAAAAAR!"
The Gigant Turtle's roar shook the air—louder than its previous bellow, but lacking the same crushing force. This wasn't intimidation. It was the sudden sting of unexpected pain and the rage of having been wounded.
It was by no means a fatal blow. Compared to a human, it would be like having a chunk of flesh gouged out along with the skin—a nasty wound, certainly, but far from lethal.
Moreover, considering the Gigant Turtle's size—literally comparable to a small hill—the injury from that single strike was nothing to make a fuss over.
But... nonetheless.
Rei's attack had damaged the Gigant Turtle—a creature that had seemed utterly invincible. That was an undeniable fact.
Witnessing it firsthand sent the adventurers' morale soaring, whether they wanted it to or not.
Until that moment, they'd told themselves they wouldn't lose. Even so, the sight of the Gigant Turtle had planted a seed of dread they couldn't entirely suppress.
But seeing Rei's strike land, seeing the Gigant Turtle cry out in pain—they believed they could fight. It was only natural.
They probably knew they were forcing their own courage, but for now, riding the momentum of Rei's strength was their only option.
"Let's go! We're taking it down! Ranged fighters, provide cover! Everyone else, aim for its legs! But don't underestimate that bulk—watch its attack range!"
It was no exaggeration—one hit meant death. A creature the size of a small hill possessed that much destructive power.
"What about you, Rei?"
"Me? Isn't it obvious?"
With those words, the Twilight Spear—still embedded in the Gigant Turtle's shell a moment ago—materialized back in his hand.
The Adventurer Man who'd asked the question could only gape. He'd known of the spear's existence, but clearly not its returning ability.
"I'll immobilize that turtle, then burn it to a crisp."
The magic barrier, the shell's formidable defense, the trees on its back—there were too many unknowns. Even the fire magic Rei excelled at might not be effective under these conditions.
Better to cripple it first, weaken it, and perhaps test a lesser spell before committing fully.
That was his judgment. Rei mounted Set. Vihera, already accustomed to the routine, grabbed the griffon's front leg, and together they launched into the night sky.