After defeating the soldiers stationed in front of the massive door, Rei surveyed the surroundings.
Naturally, he focused his attention on what lay beyond the door.
Since it was certain that Jaya's people were on the other side, they would immediately check outside if they sensed anything amiss.
He had tried to dispatch the soldiers without letting sound carry, but if they had already confirmed the situation on their end, there was a chance enemies were lying in wait inside.
Of course, even if Jaya soldiers were waiting for them, Rei was confident he could handle it.
But if a battle broke out beyond the door, the facility inside could be destroyed as well.
In other words, if there was anything important—research data on the giantification process or the Black Crystal, for instance—it could be lost.
And though he no longer expected it, there was still a possibility that some kind of Magic Item lay inside.
(Well, if that Magic Item turned out to be a replica of the Black Crystal, I definitely wouldn't want it.)
He recalled the moment he touched the Black Crystal on the Underground Fifth Floor of Mejougo.
The instant he made contact, the Black Crystal had launched a mental attack against him.
Exactly how long he had been under that assault, Rei had absolutely no idea.
It felt like mere seconds, yet it also felt like hours—or perhaps days, months, or even years.
In the end, it was Elena and the others' voices that brought him back to his senses. He then activated the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor and burned the Black Crystal to ashes, putting an end to the attack.
Even so, the mental assault was something Rei never wanted to experience again. Even if a replica existed, he couldn't possibly want one.
Furthermore, carelessly allowing such a thing to spread could cause unforeseeable disasters, so if a replica did exist, he intended to destroy it.
"Looks like there's no problem on this end," he said.
"You're right. ...Though speaking of which, haven't your Sleipnir boots improved since last time? It was pretty risky for me to reach this height, but you seemed to have plenty of room to spare, even treading air higher than I did?"
Since their opponents had been mere soldiers, Elena hadn't needed to wield her beloved Mirage. Barehanded, she made the observation to Rei.
At her words, Rei gave a straightforward nod.
"That's true, but... didn't I tell you before that I reinforced my Sleipnir boots?"
He added that he thought he had mentioned it during one of their Paired Orb conversations, but Elena shook her head.
"No, I'm quite certain you didn't say anything of the sort."
Setting aside exceptions like the present, Rei and Elena generally lived apart. For Elena, communicating through the Paired Orbs was one of her pleasures.
Moreover, her original abilities were already formidable, and having inherited the Ancient Dragon's Magic Stone, those capabilities had increased dramatically. If Elena put her mind to it, recalling what Rei had said wouldn't be difficult at all.
Given that, if Rei had told her about reinforcing the Sleipnir boots, she never would have forgotten—especially since she also used Magic Items herself.
Reading Elena's expression, Rei realized he had been mistaken about the Sleipnir boots and apologized.
Incidentally, long-distance relationships existed in this world too.
They did, but... unless one was a noble, most of them ended in breakups.
Depending on the distance, it could take months for a letter to reach the other side. In the worst cases, half a year or even a full year was not uncommon.
And that was assuming the letter arrived safely at all, given the possibility of bandit attacks along the way.
Maintaining mutual romantic feelings under such conditions was extremely difficult.
(Thinking about it, Japan really was well-suited for that sort of thing, with email, phones, SNS, and all.)
Even so, Rei recalled having seen somewhere that long-distance relationships in Japan also had a high chance of ending in breakups.
The fact that his source was something he had seen on TV, or in anime and manga, rather than something heard from a friend, was very much in character for Rei.
Then again, the main reason was simply that where he lived was the countryside, and there had been no one around to engage in a long-distance relationship in the first place.
Or if there were, they had absolutely nothing to do with Rei.
"Rei? What's wrong?"
Marina, who had approached the door, called out to him. Rei shook his head, indicating it was nothing.
"Just thinking about what's on the other side once we open this door."
"Is that so? ...Well, I'll accept that for now."
Saying she would take his explanation at face value for the time being, Marina directed her gaze toward the door Rei had been looking at.
The door was built quite large, designed so that Giants could pass through it.
Ryutas had said that beyond it were many of those responsible for the current incident.
Whether or not that was true, it was certain that someone affiliated with Jaya was inside.
If that's the case—the moment that thought crossed his mind, Rei instantly distanced himself from the door.
No, it wasn't just Rei. Elena, Marina, Vihera, Byune—every one of them backed away from the door.
Because an intense sound had just come from the other side.
It was the kind of noise as if something had been hurled against the door with all their strength.
"...What was that?"
For a moment, he wondered if they had been spotted taking down the soldiers and someone had launched a counterattack. But despite that, the door showed no sign of opening.
On the contrary, since the heavy metal door firmly sealed off the other side, it was only through Rei's superhuman hearing that what sounded like screams barely reached them.
"Well, I can't begin to imagine what happened, but..."
"What could it be? I can hear what sounds like screams."
"You're right. Could some kind of problem have occurred? Or perhaps the Resistance actually infiltrated?"
Following Rei's words, Elena, Marina, and Vihera each muttered their thoughts.
Only Byune—the thief who should have been the first to notice any abnormality—tilted her head with her usual expressionless face.
Just like Rei's body, created using Zephyle Clan technology, the other three possessed exceptional capabilities as well.
Elena, who had inherited the Ancient Dragon's Magic Stone; Marina, who carried the bloodline of a Shrine Maiden of the World Tree even among Dark Elves; and Vihera, who had absorbed Unbris.
All three possessed special powers in their own ways, and right now, they were demonstrating hearing as sharp as Rei's.
"Hardly. The Resistance's main force should have been decimated. By the Giants' attack, no less."
"...But it's not like the entire main force was wiped out, right? Then you can't exactly deny the possibility that survivors exist, can you?"
At Vihera's words, Rei tilted his head skeptically.
He considered whether that possibility actually existed... and concluded it probably didn't.
"If something is happening on the other side of the door, opening it would tell us immediately."
At Elena's suggestion as she looked at the door, Rei nodded in agreement and placed his hand against it.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been difficult for one person to open, but if that person was Rei, it was another story entirely.
He pushed the inward-swinging door, and it began to open, little by little.
In that instant, what drifted through the gap was a scent Rei knew all too well—the stench of iron rust.
And the screams of several people—perhaps more.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Stay back, stay back! Don't come over here!"
"Stop, you idiot! I said stop, stop!"
"No, don't eat me! Don't eat me!"
"Damn it! We've got Giants, so our defensive combat power is fine!? Who the hell said that!"
Those were screams of pure despair, as if they were coughing up blood.
And it wasn't only screams that reached them.
"Shit! We don't have enough manpower! Why did we send reinforcements to Mejougo!"
"It can't be helped! More importantly, just focus on protecting everyone for now!"
"God damn it! Why won't that Giant move from in front of the door!"
"Uwaaaaaah! Shit, let go, I'm telling you to let go! Follow orders! Ah, sto—don't eat me, don't eat me, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Mom, help me!"
Through the gap came the sound of bones being crushed—like a carnivore devouring a small bird.
Understanding exactly what that sound was, Rei quietly eased the slightly open door shut.
When he turned around, Elena and the others stood there, looking as if they couldn't begin to comprehend what had just happened.
Not that Rei understood it himself.
No—he did understand what was happening.
The Giants on the other side of the door were running amok for some reason.
And in place of the combat power sent as reinforcements to Mejougo, they had likely stationed the Giants as a defensive force.
With bodies far more robust than any normal soldier's, yet absolutely obedient to whoever commanded them—for those remaining here, they would have made a far more practical fighting force than ordinary troops.
But this time, that decision had backfired completely.
For reasons unknown, the Giants had suddenly gone berserk.
Some tried to bring them under control, but those people were the first to be devoured.
As soldiers scrambled to somehow stop the Giants, the result was that right now, on the other side of the door, a bloodbath of the most literal kind was unfolding.
"What do we do?"
"...Even if you ask me that..."
Vihera turned her gaze toward him and posed the question, leaving Rei at a loss.
Never having anticipated such a development, Rei stood there dumbfounded—a somewhat rare sight.
It was only natural. Until recently, the Giants had been completely under Jaya's control.
Those on the other side of the door had brought the Giants into their own living quarters precisely because they had that confidence.
But the Giants had suddenly broken free of all control and gone on a rampage.
No—it wasn't just a rampage. Based on the voices from inside, people were being eaten alive.
"We'll have to rescue them."
Reluctantly—truly reluctantly—Rei made the call.
He had been told that those beyond this door were the ones involved in creating the Giants.
Given that, under normal circumstances, he couldn't possibly want to save them.
The idea of putting his own life on the line for such people was something he could never accept.
But to gather information about the Giants and the Black Crystal, they needed living sources.
(Getting eaten alive by the very Giants you created is just reaping what you sow, if you ask me.)
With that thought, Rei turned his gaze toward Elena and the others.
There, as expected, he found them wearing expressions of clear displeasure.
Yet even while looking reluctant, they understood that rescuing the people inside was necessary.
They were already preparing to breach the room.
"We have no choice if we want to get answers from the people inside. Not that I'm happy about it."
Elena made no effort to hide her dissatisfaction, but she had nonetheless accepted that it couldn't be helped if they wanted to obtain information.
Feeling reassured by that, Rei glanced at the others.
Marina and Vihera, though looking equally reluctant, both gave him reluctant nods.
Only Byune returned a nod with her usual blank expression—but that wasn't out of any eagerness to help the people inside. It was simply that, as always, her emotions didn't show on her face.
"Alright, let's go."
With those words, Rei slowly pushed open the door that had been cracked just slightly.
He opened it just enough for a single person to slip through and stepped inside.
The first thing that greeted him was a scene that could truly be called a vision of hell.
People being torn apart and scattered by the Giants.
Corpses with only their upper or lower halves eaten, then tossed aside on the ground as if they were of no further interest.
Then again, those corpses could perhaps be considered fortunate, since they would never have to endure any more pain or terror.
What was truly gruesome was how many victims had chunks of flesh torn from their bodies, yet the wounds weren't fatal, and they were still alive.
Looking at those people, Rei drew the Death Scythe from his Misty Ring and closed the distance to the nearest Giant.