"I can see it!"
Rei shouted sharply from atop Seto as they flew toward the main gate, the Necro Golem trailing close behind. The gate had finally come into view.
Down on the ground, the wide avenue leading to the main gate was still crowded with people. Fortunately, it was obvious that the Necro Golem was heading straight for the gate. Those who had originally been moving in that direction quickly realized they would be caught up in its rampage if they continued. Many had already ducked into side alleys or taken shelter inside nearby buildings.
That said, while the side streets offered some safety, several people who had hidden inside buildings were buried alive when the Necro Golem smashed through the structures and caused them to collapse.
For those victims, it came down to nothing more than terrible luck. All Rei could do was lament their poor judgment.
Still, the number of casualties was lower than expected. More people than anticipated had listened to Robel and Dwanda and evacuated promptly. The borrowed golems frantically helping to guide civilians to safety had also made a significant difference.
Even so, some deaths and injuries had been unavoidable.
The main gate visible ahead was noticeably larger than when Rei had last seen it. Dwanda had mentioned that the gate was being expanded to accommodate giant golems, and the current size proved those words had been true.
(Still… the width is one thing, but will the height be enough?)
The Necro Golem had originally stood around ten meters tall. Over time, however, it had continued to grow and now measured well over fifteen meters. It was roughly fifty percent larger than the initial estimate.
Given that, it was questionable whether the current gate—likely built to the dimensions Dwanda had first ordered—would be tall enough for the creature to pass through safely.
There was no time to worry about such details, though. With the Necro Golem bearing down on them from behind, they had no luxury to hesitate.
Fortunately, the upper section of the gate did not appear particularly sturdy. If the Necro Golem could not fit, it should still be able to smash through the frame and force its way outside.
Of course, if it collided with the gate, it would almost certainly sustain injuries and leak rot fluid from its body. Once that happened, green poison smoke would rise wherever the fluid touched the ground, causing heavy casualties in the surrounding area.
(And what about the people trying to enter Egginis? Have they been properly evacuated? If not, they’ll get dragged straight into the fight.)
Although not to the same degree as Gilm, Egginis was a major hub for the golem industry. Merchants and nobles frequently visited to purchase them. Such people should have been waiting near the main gate. Rei could only hope they had been moved to safety in time.
Unfortunately, from their current altitude, he could not see what was happening directly in front of the gate. If anyone had ignored Robel and Dwanda’s instructions, they would almost certainly be caught in the Necro Golem’s path. Rei could only pray that no such people remained.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
As if to shatter his hopes, a carriage came barreling through the main gate and into the city.
The vehicle was covered in garish, tasteless decorations and looked extremely expensive. Purchasing something like that would require a small fortune. Yet every ornament seemed to clash with the others, creating an overall effect that was downright unpleasant to look at.
Rei had no way of knowing exactly why such a carriage had charged through the gate at a time like this, but he could make an educated guess.
(A noble, most likely.)
And the kind of noble he particularly disliked—the sort who believed their status meant they could do whatever they wanted.
Such nobles usually considered it natural to give orders but reacted with intense displeasure when ordered themselves. Among those who sought golems, these types were unfortunately common. In fact, when it came to flaunting wealth, they probably made up the majority of customers.
“They charged in during this mess. They brought this on themselves. Seto, ignore that carriage!”
“Grru!”
Seto purred in acknowledgment and continued flapping his wings, maintaining a careful distance from the Necro Golem chasing them from behind.
The gaudy carriage that had forced its way through the gate must have spotted the massive creature approaching down the avenue. The horses panicked at the sight, ignoring their coachman completely and smashing straight into a nearby building.
Anyone inside the carriage would have been injured to some degree, but since they hadn’t been killed, Rei decided it wasn’t his concern.
…What the passengers themselves thought about the matter was another story entirely.
(Safe! We’re still safe!)
The Necro Golem pursuing Seto had been harassed by the pair for so long that it continued prioritizing Rei and Seto over the carriage that had suddenly appeared at the edge of its vision. Despite Seto repeatedly darting in close to taunt it, the creature never once attacked them.
Rei had no idea how much awareness the Necro Golem still possessed, but it was clearly fixated on the two of them.
“Seto, it’s still focused on us. Once we get outside the city, we’ll put some distance between us and finish it off in one go.”
“Grrurru!”
Seto purred happily at Rei’s words.
While the griffin was usually happy to fulfill any request from his beloved Rei, this battle had been incredibly frustrating. The enemy attacked relentlessly from range while Seto was forbidden from striking back. Friendly as he was, Seto was still a monster with a fair amount of pride. Being subjected to one-sided attacks did not sit well with him.
Understanding this, Rei had given him permission to attack once they left the city and gained enough distance. With that settled, nothing should stop them from exiting through the main gate.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, a sudden explosion rang out.
“What the hell!? Who’s the idiot responsible for that!?”
Rei twisted around on Seto’s back to look behind them.
Smoke was rising from the Necro Golem’s back. As expected, rot fluid poured from the wound, and the melted ground below emitted thick clouds of virulent green poison smoke.
If such deadly fumes spread across the main street so close to the gate, the damage would be catastrophic. Many of those fleeing toward the gate had already taken shelter inside nearby buildings. Even Rei couldn’t begin to guess how many people might die from the poison generated by that single attack.
“Damn it, that was completely unnecessary!”
Irritated, he searched for the culprit and spotted a single man.
A thin man in his forties stood there, already nocking another arrow. Beside him lay the overturned gaudy carriage Rei had seen earlier. It was easy to guess that the man had been riding in it. Even if the connection was coincidental, the current situation made it the most logical conclusion.
Rei didn’t know why a bow shot would cause an explosion, but he could assume it was some kind of Magic Item. Given how expensive and tasteless the carriage was, its owner clearly had the wealth to purchase such things—whether noble or wealthy merchant.
That was fine. Or rather, it wasn’t fine with poison smoke now drifting through the area, but compared to everything else, it was still within acceptable margins.
The real problem was that the Necro Golem, having been attacked, had shifted its attention away from Seto. It now stared directly at the middle-aged man holding the bow.
“Hiii!”
The man finally seemed to realize what he had done now that the Necro Golem had turned to face him head-on. A strangled scream escaped his lips.
“Run!”
Rei shouted as Seto executed a sharp turn and dove toward the creature, but the man had collapsed in terror. He was in no condition to stand. A closer look would have revealed that his crotch was soaked as well.
Even at Seto’s speed, they wouldn’t reach the man before the Necro Golem raised its foot and crushed him.
“Tch!”
The best option now was to snatch the man up and retreat before the stomping foot came down. However, the safe distance they had maintained to dodge the creature’s tentacles now worked against them.
Realizing they wouldn’t make it in time, Rei pulled a near-broken spear from his Misty Ring.
Normally he would use the Twilight Spear for throwing attacks. But the opponent this time was the Necro Golem. Any damage inflicted would cause it to spew rot fluid. Using the Twilight Spear against such an opponent risked melting the weapon entirely. Even if it didn’t melt, Rei had no desire to wield a spear coated in the corrosive fluid afterward.
In that case, a disposable spear that could be discarded was clearly the best choice.
“Hah!”
With a sharp shout, Rei hurled the damaged spear. It flew true and pierced straight through the Necro Golem’s left leg—the only foot still planted on the ground, since its right leg was raised to crush the man.
The Necro Golem, made of rotting flesh, felt no pain from the wound. As a golem, it was not a living being and possessed no sense of pain. Even if Dailas served as its core and retained some sensation, Rei had not targeted the core’s location, only the left leg. The chances of the core being there were extremely low.
Nevertheless, the strike was more than enough to throw the fifteen-meter-tall creature off balance.
Under normal circumstances, a thrown spear would not inflict significant damage on something of that size. But when Rei was the one throwing it, the story changed completely. His throw carried enough power to stagger even the Necro Golem.
As a result, the creature’s descending foot missed the man with the bow and slammed into the ground a short distance away.
That did not mean the man was safe, however. While he had avoided being crushed, the spear had pierced clean through the Necro Golem’s left knee. That meant the wound—and the rot fluid pouring from it—was now on the same side as the man.
“Run!”
Rei shouted again as they closed the distance, but the man remained frozen in place.
Rot fluid continued to spill from the Necro Golem’s wound. Fortunately it did not splash directly onto the man, but the moment the fluid touched the ground, clouds of green poison smoke billowed upward. At that exact moment, Seto snatched the man with his front claws, and Rei and Seto immediately retreated from the toxic fumes.