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Pram tried to push away the chimera with pure force by pouring more aura into his rapier. “Keeyyaaaaak!”
However, the muscles in the lower half of the chimera’s body, which appeared to be the legs of a minotaurus, inflated and easily endured Pram’s force.
Pram read the chimera’s attack through its muscle movements. ‘High kick… !’
Pram dodged the attack by lowering his head. He was going to counterattack subsequently, but found himself unable.
He thought he had dodged the chimera’s attack, but its leg twisted in an unnatural manner and was now on a trajectory with his head.
“… … !”
The chimeras that he had encountered in the Shadow World did not have this kind of ability. It was clearly several levels more sophisticated than those crude chimeras.
Pram hastily raised his sword.
Sparks flew out as the chimera’s hard skin and Pram’s sword raked against each other. The chimera’s body, boasting its extraordinary durability, easily endured the force of the Blank?um blade.
*Swishh*
The chimera rotated its body halfway and flung its fist towards Pram. Unlike a normal fist though, this one appeared to be the head of a wyvern. As it approached Pram, it opened its mouth wide with the intention of swallowing him whole.
*Claaaang* *C-Clang*
As the sharp, saw-like teeth and the sword interlocked, a shrill sound echoed.
The chimera was extremely aggressive. It lashed out incessantly in order to eliminate those who had trespassed in its territory.
*Whizzzzz*
Every time the chimera swung its limbs, it left behind the sound of strong gusts of wind. Pram’s body was not as weak as it seemed. Despite his small size, he was still well-built, better than any ordinary Rook Class swordsmen.
However, the chimera’s attacks were destructive beyond comparison. If a single one of its blows connected properly, Pram would be torn asunder.
Pram dodged and shielded himself from the chimera’s onslaught, using all of the techniques he had mastered through his training and experiences.
“Haaaaap.”
After several exchanges, a dazzling aura rose up from Pram’s sword.
A single beam of light shone in the dark forest.
“Keeyyaak!”
The chimera, now down a hand, shrieked in agony. Despite its screams, Pram was unrelenting. He let out slash after slash, refusing to let his counter-attack go to waste.
It seemed like the chimera’s hard skin was unable to withstand an attack filled with aura. The number of injuries it sustained gradually increased.
Follow current on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt‘If I just continue to pressure it and slowly whittle it down… !”
While Pram was caught up in his own thoughts, the chimera’s mouth opened. A horrid stench filled the air immediately.
‘Acid!’
Pram attempted to retrieve his sword, buried in the chimera’s shoulder, and beat a hasty retreat.
*Cracckkk*
However, before he could do so, the chimera’s muscle flexed strangely and locked Pram’s sword in place. It then used its other hand to grab the sword.
It only took a single lapse in judgement for Pram to find himself on death’s doorstep. “Urggh!”
While Pram panicked, a silver marble, no bigger than a fist, struck the chimera’s neck. It was Runel.
Not being able to withstand the sudden shock, the chimera’s neck snapped. At the same time, the acid flew out in a different trajectory than intended and melted the ground off to one side. [Giga Lightning]
A thunderbolt burst towards the chimera and burned its entire body pitch black. “Kyaaaaakk!”
Pram seized the opportunity by boosting his power and gathering his aura. A bright light twirled around his sword.
He stepped back, before lunging forward and using his sword to strike with every ounce of his being.
A high-speed stab, repeated tens of thousands of times.
The chimera raised its remaining arm to block the strike.
At that moment, Pram invoked the ability of his Cloud Striders once again.
He let loose his attack, after instantly moving to the back of the chimera. The chimera was not able to block the attack.
*Crack*
The chimera’s head burst like a watermelon in the blink of an eye. Its body squirmed for some time even after its head was gone, but soon after, lost its vitality and collapsed helplessly. “Pheww… ”
Pram shook off the blood from his rapier.
Looking at the chimera’s corpse, Desir was lost in thought. “Pureus Niftion… ”
Pureus Niftion, the alchemist who spent his entire life in the pursuit of eternal life. Desir encountered him in a Shadow World based one-hundred and twenty years ago.
Pureus created chimeras and completed the homunculus with the assistance of Skull Mask, who had been controlling the Magical Kingdom.
Desir, who had cleared too many Shadow Worlds to count, and who had personally experienced many centuries of history, didn’t feel it was too boastful to claim that he held a fair amount of knowledge over the history of humanity. However, the production of chimeras had been prohibited when all of the countries on the continent agreed to ban such research.
Desir was not aware of any country foolish enough to turn all other countries against them. This made him certain that the chimera that they just fought with now was a legacy left behind by Pureus. Asking who was behind the chimera was useless; it was a self-evident fact.
‘What is Skull Mask’s goal?’
According to the story told by the old man in the blacksmith, the chimera has been dwelling here for the last few years.
Therefore, this meant that the Skull Mask had been planning something here since at least then.
Skull Mask was not only able to successfully complete his plan in the Magical Kingdom, but also made massive advancements in the manufacturing of chimeras.
This chimera, produced with a far more advanced and refined technique, was incomparably more powerful than the version they previously encountered in that Shadow World. Even Pram, a Rook Class swordsman, was only able to suppress the chimera after receiving support from Desir.
Placing a chimera here this powerful probably meant that whatever plan was unfolding here had significant priority. It must be something extremely important to Skull Mask.
‘What in the world was it guarding?’
Desir speculated that its role was to protect something.
The chimera dwelled only in this place and never left its designated area. Whether it was a monster or human, the chimera would kill all trespassers.
‘Does Count Nordin know about the chimera?”
A very powerful monster dwelled under his territory.
It was understandable that he was not suppressing the monster, since it gave such an advantage to his territory. However, he should have tried to figure out its identity at least. It would be foolish to neglect a monster without first identifying it.
‘There’s also a chance that he tried to find out its identity but failed. But if he already knew its identity… ’
A chimera is a living weapon, of which the research itself is taboo. If he knew about its existence and didn’t report it to the Emperor, it would be a huge problem.
‘A trade between the merchant group of Divide and Count Nordin. And the chimera beneath the Nordin Territory.’
Desir speculated that these two events, which both just happened to occur within a single territory, were likely connected to each other.
However, it was just baseless speculation, for now.
The task they had to carry out had been decided.
“Pram, the chimera must’ve been guarding something. We need to find out what that is.” Whatever was so valuable that it required a chimera as a guard had to be important.
It was the only lead they had that could solve the question burning in Desir’s mind right now. If they identified what the chimera was guarding, they could possibly find a vital clue to these mysteries.
*R-Ring*
The moment Desir and Pram were about to make a move, a notification sound rang from the communication pad. It was from Adjest.
[-Took care of the basilisk. What’s our next move?]
They seemed to have successfully handled the other monster. The request for monster suppression had now been fulfilled.
“Desir.”
Pram clung on to Desir, gripping his rapier. He had a tense look on his face. There was a trace of fear in his voice as well.
Follow current on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“I know.”
Desir contacted the rest of the party members through the communication pad. [-Hurry and come to where we are.]
Since the chimera appeared, there was no way to know what kind of dangers lurked ahead. They had to commit themselves entirely by getting plenty of rest, after just engaging in both a large scale battle against the basilisks and their hunt for the stragglers. But they were not able to do so.
The communication pad rang again, but Desir barely noticed. His attention was focused somewhere far more demanding.
“… Twenty. No, there’s far more than that.” Chimeras flooded into the area.
There was no need to arrange a detection spell to notice them. The chimeras were approaching Desir and Pram, not even bothering to conceal their overwhelming bloodlust and murderous temper.
There were roughly forty of them.
Just one of them had been an even match with a Rook Class swordsman, Pram, whose strength stood equivalent to a few knights.
Desir broke out in a cold sweat.
‘This… could be extremely troublesome.’
The Starling Party had experience facing hundreds of chimeras in that Shadow World. The number present was far less compared to back then.
The only problem was the fact that only Desir and Pram, just those two, were present this time. The rest of the Starling Party could not assist in this battle.
* * *
The sun descended over the horizon and the mountain was plunged into complete darkness. In this darkness, there was a place where sparks flew out ceaselessly.
*Chingg*
Piercing, metallic sounds echoed throughout the mountain.
Runel circled around Desir, protecting him from the chimera’s attacks while Pram kept his guard up against the endless wave of chimeras while using his aura.
Amidst all of this chaos, Desir arranged a spell. [Fire Storm]
*Crrraaashh*
A huge wave of fire swept out in all directions. All of the chimeras that were encompassed by the heat were exterminated without a trace.
These chimeras had become far stronger in the last one-hundred and twenty years, but Desir and Pram had grown even faster. Desir had reached the Fourth-Circle and Pram was on the brink of becoming Bishop Class.
Desir, the strongest magician in the Empire, was recognized by the Emperor. With Desir taking an active role in this fight, the situation was stable to some extent.
However, that was all. ‘The situation is bad.’
The chimeras had already surrounded Desir and Pram from all directions. It would be infeasible for just the two of them to keep their guards up in all directions.
Desir’s spells were steadily reducing the number of chimeras, but it was beyond his power to suppress all of them.
They were coping well, but it was only a matter of time before they fell.