“They say speak of the devil and he shall appear.”
Yujin saw the giant rising from the Great Forest.
Krurr…
On the creature’s shoulder sat the head of a reptile, below the shoulder was a muscular human torso, and from the waist down, the hind legs of a lion took the place of human legs.
“What on earth is that ragged figure!?”
He answered the flustered Anderson.
“That’s a Chimera.”
A hybrid stitched together from at least three monsters. From the appearance of that giant, Yujin was certain there was a mastermind behind this incident. A Chimera with the power to command a swarm was clearly an artificial creation.
‘And a product of very advanced magic at that.’
A Chimera was a completely different life form from the clumsy golems made by mages. Golems were puppets shaped from inanimate objects and controlled remotely, whereas Chimeras were single living beings synthesized by mixing different genes.
“W-what is that…?”
“We didn’t see anything like that in the last battle either.”
“Uh, what do we do?”
The soldiers stationed behind were also taken aback by the Chimera’s appearance. It was understandable; to their eyes, this was their first Chimera. These rare creatures only appeared frequently during the Demon King’s descent.
‘With the forces here, they can’t stand against a Chimera.’
Before more victims appeared, they needed reinforcements capable of handling the beast. Right now, the only forces able to face a Chimera were this side’s knights.
“Anderson, go summon Blizzard.”
“And you?”
“Me?”
He clenched the last remaining throwing knife in his right hand like a dagger.
“I’m going to catch that thing.”
“Huh?”
Judging from his expression, he didn’t believe it. Whether he trusted their abilities or not didn’t matter, but now wasn’t the time to waste on distrust.
“I recommend you head back to the castle as soon as possible.”
That was the last thing Yujin said to Anderson.
Krurr.
The Chimera turned its head toward them, and after recognizing them as enemies, it rotated its body as well. The reptilian jaws opened wide, glowing with crackling energy inside.
“Move out!”
“Damn it!”
The major finally left his spot. Sounds of soldiers retreating followed from behind. They were probably fortifying the castle’s defenses, but ‘better to be inside the walls than here.’
There was no time to care for others’ lives in the face of such a formidable enemy.
Whirl!
Yujin spun the throwing knife in his right hand and gripped it in reverse. At the same time, the energy condensing inside the Chimera’s mouth swelled rapidly.
The ball of light grew in size, turning an ominous black and red hue before—
Kuweer!
With a roar, a beam shot forth. The beam formed from the Chimera’s magic pierced through the air, rushing to annihilate everything standing there.
Fsss…
‘It’s hot.’
The beam’s heat already burned his skin. Such heat could vaporize steel just by contact. A Chimera capable of unleashing such a destructive beam was imitating a dragon’s breath.
He channeled magic into his empty left hand. A century ago, a mere thief wouldn’t have been able to withstand this attack, but an immortal who had lived a hundred years was a different story.
‘Last time I used this was 15 years ago.’
Now was not the time to hold back. If he failed to stop this beam, the castle walls behind would be struck, and the damage to the allies and civilians there would be immense.
Suuuu…
The magic in his left hand became black smoke swirling around his wrist. The smoke was identical to the immortal’s regeneration smoke, but the result would be different. As the smoke wrapped around his left hand, he gave the command.
‘Silent Knight partial activation.’
The particles converged, forging a black gauntlet that gleamed like obsidian. Though it was only a fraction of the power embedded within him,
‘It’s enough.’
He stretched the gauntlet-clad hand forward. The beam fired by the monster approached, colliding with the black surface of the gauntlet.
Thud!
“Ku…!”
The impact rattled through his entire body, knocking his feet back, but the Chimera’s attack had no further effect.
Shaa…
The beam was absorbed by the gauntlet’s black surface. No matter how powerful an attack mimicking a dragon’s breath, before the Silent Knight’s gauntlet, it was nothing but something to be swallowed.
‘The absorber of all things.’
That was the power of the gauntlet on his left hand.
Fsss…
The Chimera’s beam vanished from sight, leaving behind scorched earth except where Yujin stood. Through the smoke rising from the burned ground, the Chimera’s form was visible.
‘Deactivate.’
He resealed the gauntlet on his left hand. It had been used temporarily to block the beam, but this power was not something he wanted others to know.
‘Besides, it has side effects.’
He looked down at the left arm that had worn the gauntlet. From hand to elbow, the skin was blackened and burnt. This was the price of using the gauntlet’s power.
“Ugh.”
The pain was familiar now, but his left hand was useless. Of course, he could still fight the monster with one hand, but it would take longer—and the longer it took, the greater the damage.
Krurr.
The Chimera growled and glared at him. Was it anger at its perfect strike being nullified? Or an instinctive reaction to the elusive prey?
‘I’ll have to wear it down slowly with scratches.’
He aimed his dagger with his still-strong right hand at the beast. With this small dagger, it was difficult to land large, deep strikes. His fighting style was to fight small and scrappy from the start.
‘If only there was a warrior to land heavy blows.’
Just as he thought that—
“I’m here!”
“Huh?”
Looking up at the voice from above,
“Ugh—!”
Bang!
A massive figure landed right in front of them. It was less a landing and more like a cannonball crashing into the earth. The impact dug a deep crater into the ground.
“Finally, the time has come for me to step in!”
Blizzard rose from the crater and cracked his neck. Though he spoke confidently, showing off his armor, both his hands were empty of weapons.
“Where are your weapons?”
“They’re coming soon!”
The lion said as he raised his empty hands toward the sky.
“Come forth!”
Perhaps because of his roar, dark clouds suddenly began to gather overhead. Yujin knew what that phenomenon meant.
‘So he inherited this from the previous Blizzard.’
Kurrung!
Thunder rolled between the clouds as the dark sky split open, revealing a patch of blue. From there, two objects fell to the ground with a crash!
Blizzard caught two axes as they landed. The chill in the air deepened and the wind stirred the moment he gripped the axes.
‘Severe Winter and Snow Chill.’
Those were the names of the two axes. One blow could freeze the area with Snow Chill, the other slash through it with Severe Winter.
‘Two relics symbolizing the name Blizzard.’
Blizzard aimed the Severe Winter axe at the Chimera.
“That one?”
His eyes asked if this was the foe he was to slay.
“Yes, fight to your heart’s content.”
Grrr…
The knight growled with satisfaction at the answer.
Kaaah…!
The Chimera didn’t stay still and charged. With the enemy doubled, its aggression rose. Every step the beast took shook the ground.
“Uwaaaaah…!”
The lion charged at the monster. Clad in armor and wielding two axes, the knight ran a few steps before stomping explosively on the ground.
Thud!
The earth cracked as the knight leapt toward the Chimera, which swung a fist to intercept.
“Hryaah!”
The lion, riding the momentum, swung the Snow Chill axe with his left hand. The heavy sound of the axe cutting through the air caused everything in its path to freeze solid.
Crack…
The Chimera’s fist brushed the axe and was encased in ice.
“I’ll take one for myself!”
The knight spun in midair and brought the Severe Winter axe down. As the storm-infused blade cut vertically from above, a blast of wind struck the Chimera’s arm.
Pingrang!
With the sound of shattering glass, the frozen arm of the Chimera broke into pieces. Perhaps because freezing numbed its nerves, the beast did not scream but simply retreated, keeping its distance from Blizzard.
“It’s useless!”
Blizzard slashed the air horizontally with the Severe Winter axe. A vortex formed along the axe’s path, striking the Chimera’s chest.
Kyaaak!
The monster staggered backward from the storm strike. Flesh was torn away, exposing bone and organs. Though not fatal, it was a serious wound, yet the Chimera regained its stance.
Bubble…
Its chest began regenerating, covering the exposed bone and organs.
“Tch! How annoying!”
Blizzard turned back and grumbled. If the Chimera’s regeneration could heal such damage, it meant suppressing it with normal attacks was nearly impossible.
‘Then I have no choice but to aim for the vital spot in one strike.’
If he severed its head from its shoulders, the Chimera would lose consciousness, and without consciousness, it couldn’t use its regeneration. In other words, they had to cut through its neck and spine at once.
“Blizzard.”
“On it!”
Yujin made the slitting gesture across his own neck. There was no hand signal more intuitive for a swordsman.
The lion smiled in response.
“Got a good plan?”
“First, try slashing its neck.”
“Understood!”
The knight nodded and charged the Chimera again.
Kuwaaah!
The Chimera opened its jaws and fired beams. This time, the shots were rapid-fire but weaker. Still, a direct hit would cause serious injuries.
“Huhaha!”
But Blizzard dodged left and right with animal-like reflexes. His movements just before the beams hit were thanks to his lion blood enhancing his physical abilities.
Kyaaah!
Judging he was at a disadvantage, the Chimera ceased firing and clenched its still-healthy fist. It planned to strike as the knight jumped in.
“That won’t do.”
Yujin picked up a shard of ice from the ground. It was part of the frozen area Blizzard’s axes had created. Not as hard as steel, but sufficient as a throwing weapon.
Swish.
He spread his feet shoulder-width and bent his waist, preparing to throw the shard. Just as he was about to release—
“Uryaamat!”
The knight roared and leapt from the ground, while the Chimera aimed a punch at Blizzard’s side. It was uncertain which would land first—the Chimera’s fist or the knight’s axe.
“Go!”
Releasing all the power from his waist, Yujin flicked his hand holding the shard. At the moment the condensed force unleashed at its peak, the ice shard was released.
Shwak!
The shard flew straight through the air, heading for a single target: the Chimera’s fist.
Thud!
The shard struck the beast’s fist. The recoil pushed the Chimera’s fist backward. Thanks to that slight gap, Blizzard avoided being hit, shouting,
“Die!”
His axe struck the Chimera’s carotid artery.
Phuak!
Blood spurted from the side of the monster’s neck. But unlike humans, monsters didn’t die from that alone. Knowing this, Blizzard ordered his axe, still lodged in the Chimera’s neck.
“Rampage!”
Bang!
From inside the beast’s neck, an explosion erupted. Flesh and blood scattered in all directions as the axe’s storm blast tore away half the Chimera’s throat.
Jji-yeok…
The Chimera’s head dangled loosely, but as expected—
Its spine was only slightly cracked. Such damage was easily healed by its regeneration, and sure enough, its neck began to knit back together.
“Ooh?”
The Chimera raised its hand and aimed at Blizzard, who stood on its shoulder.
“Damn it!”
Bloodied, Blizzard cursed and leapt down.
Clack!
The Chimera’s hand grasped at empty air. If it had been just a moment later, Blizzard would have been crushed. The problem was that now there was no way to cut off the Chimera’s head.
Blizzard put distance between himself and the beast and shouted,
“Hey! What do we do now!?”
Fortunately, the answer to Blizzard’s question was already decided. It was their turn to act from here.
‘Just die already.’
Yujin poured all his power into his last throwing knife and threw it.
—!
The knife flew at an unheard speed, aiming at one point alone. That point was the Chimera’s exposed spine.
Crack!
The knife struck the spine with a sharp sound, and—
“Explosion!”
Yujin clenched his fist. The explosion magic embedded in the knife reacted to the command, triggering a new blast inside the Chimera’s neck as it began to close.
Bang!
The monster’s head fell off.
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