Facing Gaga, Rei let out a small breath.
He already knew this, but even unarmed, Gaga was more than strong enough.
Gaga's usual weapon was a greatsword so massive that even in the hands of his three-meter-tall frame, it could only be described as gigantic.
Being able to swing such a weapon with ease meant Gaga's arm strength was extraordinary.
In an unarmed fight, it went without saying that every strike would carry that raw power behind it.
What's more, the Gaga from moments ago had thrown an elbow strike.
(I've done mock battles with Gaga several times before, but has he ever had an elbow strike that sharp?)
The elbow had cut through the air with a sound so sharp it was as if it were slicing the wind itself. If that blow had connected, there was no doubt it would have dealt serious damage.
Of course, this was a mock battle. Even if it had landed, Gaga wouldn't have followed up with another attack. Rei trusted him at least that much.
But even so, there was no mistaking that an elbow strike was an exceedingly powerful attack.
"Not bad."
Gaga had probably been training specifically for this fight with Rei. Rei murmured those words with that intent in mind, though Gaga couldn't understand them.
Still, as a rival who had faced him in mock battles many times before, Gaga somehow grasped what Rei was trying to say. He flashed a ferocious grin in response to the praise, then kicked off the ground once more.
Closing the distance with Rei at a speed that seemed impossible for his massive frame, Gaga swung his fist.
Though Gaga could attack from outside Rei's reach, the fact that he had deliberately stepped into range was likely because his elbow strike had already been revealed. Having shown it once, Rei was naturally on guard. Given that, there was no longer any reason to hide it.
If anything, Gaga likely judged that putting Rei on guard by showing off the elbow strike would work to his advantage.
In truth, that wasn't a mistake.
Having seen the elbow strike earlier, Rei had no choice but to stay wary of Gaga's attacks, choosing to observe rather than seize the initiative. He had managed to dodge the elbow, but that had been mostly reflex. He wanted to see the strike delivered right in front of him—and that was why he had held back.
However, for Gaga as well, while it was now known that he possessed an elbow strike, as long as it carried the power of a One-hit kill, he couldn't afford to use it carelessly. The more he showed it, the more sharply Rei would react. To prevent that, it was best to unleash it only when it would actually deal damage.
That was the ideal. But Gaga also understood that he was capable of pulling off such a feat.
"●●●●●●●●!"
With a loud roar, Gaga leapt into the air right in front of Rei, exposing his back.
Doing something like that at point-blank range seemed like nothing short of suicide. But spinning with a speed that belied his massive frame, Gaga unleashed a kick—a midair backward spinning kick.
Such a flashy move wasn't difficult for Rei to dodge. He avoided it effortlessly and immediately moved to counter, but—
"!?"
A tail whipped toward him as Gaga spun once more in midair. Rei abandoned the counter and chose to evade.
Gaga's tail came flying straight at him with incredible speed—a supple, flexible strike. Being Gaga's tail, it was naturally impressive even compared to other Lizardmen. That magnificent tail, thicker than a poorly-made club, had been swung like a whip.
A club wielded as a whip.
Rei was slightly taken aback by the maneuver, but with it happening right in front of him, he couldn't just ignore it. He ducked quickly, judged that a second spin was impossible, and fired off a counter strike.
But here too, Gaga overturned Rei's expectations.
It was true that Gaga couldn't spin more than once in the air—but using the momentum from that rotation, he launched a backfist. A powerhouse punch that looked like it could shatter rock came hurtling straight at Rei.
Yet, despite surprising Rei time and again in this exchange, the next one to be caught off guard was Gaga.
Rei caught the backfist casually.
Given their difference in size, he couldn't manage it one-handed, but he grabbed the fist with both hands and forcefully threw Gaga to the ground.
It wasn't a throw using technique, like in judo where the soft overcomes the hard. He threw Gaga down with pure arm strength.
A case of the hard overcoming the hard, perhaps.
"●●!"
Slammed forcefully onto his back, Gaga let out a cry of pain from the impact. Still, as one who possessed top-class strength even within the Gran Dragonia Empire, he wasn't about to let it end here. Enduring the pain in his back, he forced himself to his feet.
He stood—but before he knew it, Rei was already in front of him. The next moment, his arm was seized and he was pinned to the ground.
"This is over."
Gaga probably couldn't understand the words. Still, perhaps sensing their meaning, he eventually relaxed his muscles, acknowledging his own defeat.
"You were pretty strong."
With that, Rei released Gaga's arm. Since Gaga had accepted his loss, he wouldn't try any cheap shots.
Many Lizardmen approached Gaga. In contrast, the Fleeing Adventurers gathered around Rei.
"I totally thought it'd be more of a playful fight. Never expected it to turn into such a serious battle."
"Did you? Well, I suppose that's the natural assumption. But for me, it was a worthwhile fight."
In truth, as a mock battle, fighting Gaga hadn't been a bad experience at all. In that sense, Gaga's request had been beneficial for Rei as well.
Though Rei would have preferred it on any day other than today, when he had spent the day crushing several Underground Organizations.
But given that Gaga had pushed so hard for a mock battle, there was no mistaking that he had a reason it had to be today.
(Could it be that he challenged me because I was tired today? No, knowing Gaga's personality, that's unlikely.)
Gaga loved fighting, but he wouldn't challenge someone who was exhausted or weakened. Not because he preferred to fight fair and square, but simply because his opponent wouldn't be able to go all out, making it boring for him.
Anyway, as Rei was talking with the Fleeing Adventurers, Zozo approached.
"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Rei."
"No, it's fine. So, why did Gaga suddenly ask for a mock battle? It's not like he wanted to test his own strength, right?"
If that were the case, he could have done it during morning training. Given how things had unfolded, it was certain he had challenged Rei for an entirely different reason.
"I believe so as well. However, Brother did not tell me his reasons either. I apologize."
"I see. Zozo doesn't know either. Got it. Then I'll just wait for Gaga to bring it up eventually."
"Thank you very much."
Bowing deeply, Zozo began walking toward Gaga.
What Gaga had been thinking when he challenged Rei to this mock battle remained a mystery. For now, Rei decided not to dwell on it and continued talking with the Fleeing Adventurers.
"So, were you guys placing bets?"
"Hell no. I mean, if we bet, everyone knows who's gonna win, so they'd all just bet on you."
If the Lizardmen had overheard that, it wouldn't have been surprising if it caused a commotion. Thinking that, Rei glanced at the Lizardmen gathered around Gaga.
For the Lizardmen, Gaga was a figure that could be called their very symbol. Since the teleported Lizardmen were soldiers, their reverence for Gaga, who possessed overwhelming strength within the Gran Dragonia Empire, was deeply ingrained. Whether non-military Lizardmen felt the same way, Rei didn't know.
Catching Rei's gaze, the Adventurer seemed to understand what he was getting at. Scratching his head, he continued.
"I'm just saying, if Gaga fought someone else and they placed a bet, the bet would actually work. And Gaga would probably be the favorite. I only said it doesn't work as a bet because you're the one fighting him."
"Then that's fine. But some of the Lizardmen have been learning words lately, so be careful. If they overhear something carelessly, it'll just piss them off."
The Adventurer nodded at Rei's words.
As he had said, Gaga's strength was naturally known to anyone tasked with guarding this place. They sometimes joined in on mock battles, so they understood his abilities firsthand. Still, the fact that a match against Rei wouldn't even work as a bet was proof of how widely known his strength was.
Considering everything Rei had done since becoming an adventurer, that was perhaps only natural.
"Anyway. The mock battle is over, so—"
Rei was about to say he wanted to get some sleep when suddenly the sharp cry of Set rang out from a short distance away.
"Grrrrrrrrr!"
It was a cry urging everyone to be on alert. Even without being intimately familiar with Set, they understood the situation.
The Adventurers and Lizardmen who had been in a half-playing mood just seconds ago, along with the Knight commanding the camp, instantly shifted into the faces of warriors standing on a battlefield.
"What happened?"
Rei quickly scanned his surroundings. Gaga, having been thrown down, had also quickly taken a stance, preparing for whatever might come. The only drawback was that, since this had been an unarmed mock battle, he didn't have his trusted greatsword.
Rei was in the same boat unarmed, but with his Misty Ring, there was nothing to worry about.
Taking out Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear from his Misty Ring, he also tossed a longsword previously taken from Bandits toward Gaga.
"Use that."
Though he couldn't understand the words, Gaga seemed to grasp what Rei was saying from the situation. He picked up the longsword from the ground and readied it.
But when held by the massive Gaga, especially being so accustomed to seeing him with his usual greatsword, the longsword inevitably looked flimsy. Since it was a weapon taken from Bandits, the fact that it wasn't chipped or rusted was probably the best that could be said for its quality.
Still, fighting with a familiar weapon was far more promising than fighting unarmed with an unaccustomed style.
"Aoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
A loud howl echoed through the surroundings. Hearing that distinctive cry, it wasn't difficult to imagine what kind of creature it was.
(A Wolf-type monster, huh. Troublesome.)
Even with the moonlight, the burning Slime, and campfires, it was still night. And Wolves were among the more troublesome monsters to encounter after dark.
(The only saving grace is that it's just one. The problem is...)
Wolf-type monsters generally traveled in packs, coordinating their attacks on prey. Naturally, fighting not just one but multiple enemies—enemies that coordinated with each other—was a hassle. In that sense, it was just as Rei thought: a saving grace in an unfortunate situation.
But the problem was that the howl had come from the direction of the lake.
If it had come from within the Treant Forest, he would have accepted it as troublesome but understandable, given that Set had reacted. And yet, the howl came from the lake.
That was clearly wrong.
Set, who had issued the warning cry earlier, had moved to Rei's side before anyone realized, facing the lake and growling in vigilance.
From Set's behavior, it was clear the enemy was at the lake.
And then... it revealed itself.
No, it would be more accurate to say that its form was visible despite it not being close yet.
"No way... what the hell is that..."
The Adventurer Man holding a spear at Rei's side muttered in a daze.
But the fact that he was even able to voice that was saying something.
After all, at the end of Rei and the others' gaze was a giant monster that had to be seven to eight meters tall.