In the end, they decided to attack the Queen only after closing the distance to a certain extent... and Rei and his group began moving toward her.
Compared to when they had first encountered the Queen, the difference between then and now was stark.
The biggest change above all else was, unsurprisingly, that there wasn't a single Dragonias anywhere around them.
The magic Rei had used before entering the Underground Space had killed a vast number of Dragonias—truly an uncountable number—but even so, a considerable amount had survived.
The majority of those had been red-scaled Dragonias, capable of surviving even when engulfed in the flames created by Rei's magic. But now, not a single red-scaled Dragonias remained here either.
There was no sign of the small number of other-colored Dragonias that had survived Rei's flames through sheer luck, nor of the Commander-class Dragonias that possessed high intelligence.
Every last one of the Dragonias that had been present in such overwhelming numbers had been slaughtered by Rei, Vihera, and Set.
A handful might still be alive somewhere, but as far as Rei and his group were concerned, such stragglers weren't worth worrying about.
"I never thought that just getting rid of the Dragonias would make moving this much easier," Rei remarked.
"Back then, the Dragonias were avoiding us and creating a path, so we had no choice but to follow it... but now, we don't need to worry about anything like that," Vihera added.
She murmured reflectively, but the expression on her face wasn't as calm as her words suggested.
What awaited them was a battle with the Dragonias' leader—the Queen.
Given that, it was only natural that Vihera, seeking a battle with a formidable foe, nearly surrendered herself to the combatlust dwelling within her.
The fact that she could still hold a conversation with Rei like this showed just how well she was managing to keep that combatlust in check.
Since it was a drive she had likely lived with from the moment she could remember—no, perhaps even from the moment she came into existence in this world—Vihera's tenacious mental fortitude was well-versed in the art of controlling it.
"It's nice being able to walk freely... Shall we head to a spot where the Twilight Spear can reach first?"
With the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor activated, it was possible that a throw from here could reach the Queen.
But an attack wasn't simply about reaching the target; it needed to connect and deal damage upon impact.
In that sense, even with the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor active, landing a hit on the Queen with the Twilight Spear from this distance would be difficult.
Above all, the gap was too great. There was a real possibility that the Queen could use Earth Spirit Magic to raise a shield, or employ some even more unexpected defensive method.
Besides, I don't know how much intelligence the Queen possesses, but she must have seen me throw the Twilight Spear countless times. Given that, it wouldn't be strange for her to have a countermeasure ready at a moment's notice.
Even against the last surviving seven-colored scaled Dragonias, it had ultimately been a Twilight Spear throw that brought it down.
That was precisely why it wouldn't be surprising if the Queen was on guard against that method of attack.
Still, the enemy's massive size wasn't solely a disadvantage for Rei and his group.
An enormous enemy also meant that attacks were that much easier to land.
That was undeniably an advantage.
"Gruu!" Set let out a sharp cry.
"Vihera!" Rei, who had dismounted and was walking alongside her, called out sharply.
As expected, Vihera responded instantly, immediately bracing herself for whatever was about to happen.
And then—the two of them and their beast leapt from where they stood.
An Earth Spear erupted from the ground, piercing the spot where they had been just a moment before.
"So this distance is already within the Queen's reach!"
As Rei said, in this situation, the only one capable of launching an attack with an Earth Spear was the Queen—though, truthfully, the Queen was likely the only survivor left at all.
Regardless, Rei and his group had evaded the strike, but they could only marvel at the enormous range of her Earth Spirit Magic.
The distance from where they stood to the Queen was several kilometers.
The fact that she could attack with Earth Spirit Magic even from such a distance clearly demonstrated just how troublesome an opponent she was.
"What do we do? Should we pull back outside her range once?" Vihera asked.
"That's not a choice that suits you, Vihera. To begin with, do you think she attacked the moment we entered her range?"
"That's..."
Given the Queen's high intelligence, it wasn't necessarily the case that she would immediately launch a hasty attack just because they had entered her reach.
If that was the case, then their current position was already well within the Queen's range—they had gone quite deep inside it.
That was precisely why the course of action Rei should take here was not to fall back, but to advance.
"Let's go. If you're slow, I might take the Queen down before you even get to fight... Actually, Set, could you carry Vihera?"
"Gruu? ...Gruu!" Set responded with a hint of hesitation before giving a cry of acceptance.
For Set, it would have originally preferred to carry Rei on its back and run.
Or perhaps, it had wanted to fly.
The Queen used Earth Spirit Magic, and naturally, her attacks were launched from the ground.
If they were flying, they couldn't completely negate the attacks, but it would certainly limit her options significantly.
That was why Set thought flying would be the better option in the current situation. But for Rei, the more methods of attack he had against the Queen, the better.
Given the difference in size, using Magic Impact Palm wouldn't be enough to deal a fatal blow to the Queen, but it could certainly deal damage.
With that in mind, Rei wanted to bring Vihera to the Queen's location as quickly as possible.
And above all, since Rei had the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor activated, he could move faster on his own two feet than by riding on Set.
Of course, running on the ground naturally meant a higher likelihood of being constantly targeted by the Queen's Earth Spirit Magic. But in that sense, there was also the consideration that he could somewhat shield the airborne Set and Vihera.
The question is whether the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor can block Earth Spirit Magic attacks... Taking one hit head-on might not be a bad idea.
The Dragonias' attacks—even those of the seven-colored scaled Dragonias—had been unable to break through the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor.
Given that, whether the Queen's Spirit Magic could pierce it was a close call.
Rather than finding out whether he would take damage from an attack after closing in on the Queen, confirming it from a distance would make it easier to respond in an emergency.
Making that judgment, Rei called out to Set and Vihera, who were still moving about.
"I'm going to test whether I can block the Queen's attacks. When she attacks next, I'll take it head-on... don't worry about it."
"Wait, are you sure you'll be okay!?"
"Gruu!?"
Rei's words were clearly unexpected for both Vihera and Set.
As they stared at him in surprise, Rei nodded to indicate that it would be fine.
"If I get close to the Queen and find out the armor doesn't work when it matters, that would be no laughing matter. We need to be prepared for whatever happens. Besides... if the Queen's attacks don't work on me, that gives us a significant advantage going forward."
The only known method of attack the Queen had was Earth Spirit Magic.
The opponent was, quite literally, a colossal body that had to be looked up at, and in a situation where she could barely move, it was virtually impossible for her to attack with claws or fangs like other Dragonias.
If so, her means of attack were naturally limited.
In a sense, making a sound like nails on a chalkboard resonate directly inside the opponent's head could also be considered a form of attack, but for now, there was no sign that the Queen recognized it as an offensive tool.
That was precisely why, in the current situation, whether Rei could nullify Earth Spirit Magic held tremendous significance.
After explaining his reasoning, Vihera and Set both wore complicated expressions... but they ultimately accepted his words.
The fact that they knew firsthand just how powerful a skill the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor was, having seen it with their own eyes, was likely one of the reasons they agreed so readily.
"Still... she doesn't seem to be attacking," Vihera said, stopping her feet and suddenly voicing the question.
Indeed, her observation was accurate.
After the first Earth Spear strike, they had expected a follow-up attack... but none came. In fact, there was no reaction from the Queen at all.
"Probably, if she attacks us consecutively, we'll adapt to her pattern... so this is likely intentional. Or, there's a reason she can't use Spirit Magic in succession."
Rei hoped it was the latter.
But given that she had created this vast Underground Space with Spirit Magic, such a hope was likely misplaced.
In other words, the answer was almost certainly the former.
Or maybe her Earth Spirit Magic is incredibly powerful, but she can't use it consecutively? ...Wishing for something like that is probably futile. In times like these, it's better to assume the worst.
Which was better: challenging the Queen with optimistic assumptions, or with pessimistic ones?
Thinking about it that way, Rei chose the latter.
Of course, in terms of which felt better, the former was more pleasant.
But as someone who placed himself in the midst of battle, when considering which made it easier to respond in a crisis, it was inevitably the latter.
"For now, I'm fairly certain the Queen perceives me as a threat... In that sense, not having to worry much about that is a big deal."
"Be careful."
Saying only that, Vihera decided to accept Rei's course of action for the time being.
Judging from his demeanor, she had likely concluded that whatever she said in this situation wouldn't stop him. That was also a significant factor.
Rei nodded at Vihera's words, then deliberately put distance between himself and the others before starting to walk toward the Queen.
He had moved away from Vihera and Set because he judged that if the Queen attacked, anyone near him could be caught in the aftermath.
That was precisely why he first needed to create distance from Vihera's group and confirm whether the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor could nullify the Queen's Earth Spirit Magic.
"Now then, what will you do? If I keep approaching you straight like this, you'll lose your means of attacking, you know?"
He wasn't sure whether his words reached the Queen, but he murmured them anyway.
Of course, if she could hear him, there was also a chance she simply wouldn't attack.
From the Queen's perspective, Rei was saying he would intentionally take her attack to test its effect—she had no obligation to play along.
There was also a distinct possibility that she would mix in feints, deliberately using a weaker attack if she did strike.
Whether Rei had thought that far ahead, or was simply confident he could handle whatever came...
Regardless, for now, he advanced while waiting for the enemy's reaction.
Set and Vihera traveled at a distance from Rei.
However, Vihera was now riding on Set's back, leaving the movement to him.
It was likely a precaution so that if the Queen took any action, they could respond immediately.
Rei cast a grateful glance toward them... and showed no sign of stopping his advance.
She had just moments ago sharpened the ground and tried to impale them from below, so the idea that she couldn't attack was highly unlikely.
But whether fortunately or unfortunately, there was still no sign of the Queen launching another attack.
Thinking that he would probably be fine even if he took the Queen's attack, and therefore wanting to settle that question sooner rather than later... Rei kept walking forward without stopping.