Chapter 129
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Enverman (2)
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Once a man who dominated an era with his fire-attribute magic.
But now, Sergei floated aimlessly inside a massive cylinder.
"You got lucky. Who would've thought I'd get my hands on the corpse of a 7th-circle mage?"
The corpse of a 7th-circle mage wasn't something you came across every day.
And finding one in pristine condition was even rarer.
"How did you...?"
"Oh? From that reaction, it seems you knew his face. In short, I got lucky."
The lord of the Volcanic Mage Tower, Sergei, had once transferred his mind into one of his own chimeras to deal with Jun, who had infiltrated the tower.
But during that process, he'd been caught off guard by Jun's sudden ambush. As a result, his body and mind separated, leaving him in a vegetative state from the shock.
He was then handed over to the count, and the Volcanic Mage Tower was thoroughly investigated under a legitimate imperial order. That's when it came to light that they were the ones who destroyed the Shylock Mage Tower.
'I heard he was hanged after that.'
Normally, an execution like that wouldn't happen so quickly.
Not even the imperial family could ignore the Mage Tower outright.
But the man himself, Sergei, had ended up in a vegetative state, and the Mage Association played dumb about the whole thing.
In the end, Sergei became morning dew on the gallows relatively swiftly... and that corpse ended up in Enverman's hands.
"I got lucky in all sorts of ways. We had some connection, you see. Sergei here bought quite a few chimeras from me."
So that's why there were chimeras in the Mage Tower.
Jun learned a secret he hadn't known about, but it brought him no joy.
"The problem, though... is that his body is so resilient, his memories from life cling on far too strongly."
With that, Enverman looked at Jun and smiled, as if savoring his own creation.
"I implanted cells from a Balrog, a 7th-layer monster that dwells in volcanoes, into this man's flesh. It's not complete yet, but if I use his will as a base and add Balrog flesh... I should be able to create a chimera that thinks and moves on its own."
"Linking memories to achieve immortality?"
Enverman's eyes widened at Jun's question.
"You caught on right away! Impressive!"
"......"
It wasn't a philosophy he particularly wanted to know about.
But he couldn't exactly show that.
'Good thing this guy's so loose-lipped.'
In truth, chimeras weren't all that rare.
Even among past emperors, some had tried to bolster the empire's forces with them.
And in places like this black market, plenty of people made them in secret.
'That's why Enverman here is blabbing so freely.'
Even so, Jun hadn't expected him to use a 7th-circle mage's corpse for a chimera!
'If I can just get out safely and report this...'
He was about to wrap up the conversation and fake a procedure date when Enverman spoke first.
"I can't just let someone who recognizes this one's value walk away. Hold on a moment."
"No, really, I can just――"
Enverman manipulated the cylinder's controls.
With that, the liquid inside turned red, and the chimera within opened its eyes.
――And then.
――――――――――!!!!!
"Wha-what? Why is this thing...?"
The moment the chimera possessing Sergei's will locked eyes with Jun, it flew into a frenzy, thrashing wildly.
Enverman hurriedly adjusted the cylinder, and as the liquid shifted back to green, the creature slowly closed its eyes.
"What the hell? Why'd it go berserk?"
Enverman, wiping cold sweat from the urgent situation, had no idea why the chimera had rampaged, but Jun did.
'It recognized me.'
Even with his mask and illusion magic fooling Enverman himself, Sergei's chimera had pierced Jun's identity through his mana alone.
'That was close――'
Kwaaang!
Kuooooreeeeh―――!!!
The chimera suddenly snapped its eyes open, shattering the cylinder and letting out a beastly roar.
At that moment.
Maya felt an ominous premonition.
Not from instinct, but because her ancestral spirits had suddenly grown agitated.
"......?"
"What's wrong?"
Maya scowled deeply at Eleanor's question, who could glimpse spirits in fragments.
"The leader's screwing us over again."
"Where do you even pick up phrases like that......"
"Get ready. Quick."
"Haa......"
Maya's hunches like this rarely missed the mark.
The ancestral spirits were in such an uproar that even Eleanor, sensitive to them, noticed.
And soon enough.
Kwaaaaang―――!!!
A massive explosion rocked the basement where Jun and Aiden had entered, flames bursting out. From within, Jun emerged, shielding Aiden with a red barrier of light.
"Combat ready!!!"
It was a desperately ragged shout.
Maya and Eleanor let out deep sighs from the pits of their stomachs.
"Next time he says it's an easy mission, we sew his mouth shut."
"Damn right we do."
The chimera, Sergei, lost its mind the instant it saw Jun and unleashed its most powerful spell on instinct.
If Jun hadn't thrown up a fire-attribute shield in that split second, he would've exploded right there.
'What a crazy world.'
He'd said it was implanted with Balrog cells.
Its human form was almost gone, replaced by grotesquely swollen muscles and thick fur covering its body.
With every breath, black flames flickered and spewed forth, giving it the look of a demon risen straight from hell.
"It's a chimera!"
The Blackguard Knights were already drawing swords and shields to charge when Jun spotted Enverman crawling out unscathed from the explosion.
"There! The one who made the chimera! Block him first!"
"Not a customer, but the imperial dogs after all!"
Realizing his predicament, Enverman abandoned escape and assumed a combat stance.
Enverman himself was a powerhouse nearing 7th level.
Thus, Tairdin, also at 7th level, would have to handle him.
"What about that monster?!"
"It's after me! I'll take responsibility and hold it off!"
"......Understood!"
Whatever had led to this mess was secondary; Tairdin focused on the immediate crisis.
Letting that monster loose could cause casualties, but capturing its creator was the higher priority.
Lest such beasts be mass-produced.
While the Blackguard Knights moved to engage Enverman, Aiden, sword already drawn, asked Jun.
"Sunbae."
"As you know, Sergei was a fire-attribute magic master."
A powerhouse who reached 7th circle purely through fire magic.
The issue was its attribute.
Fire excelled in raw destructive power among attributes, so Jun quickly explained its traits.
"Without its wits, it can't cast perfect spells. That's something I can block. But the real problem is the Balrog's abilities."
"What is it?"
"Flame Breath. You know it well, right?"
The monster from the leather greaves Jun had given Aiden recently—a 7th-layer dweller.
"The one the Bora Mercenary Corps killed......"
"Of course, it's not fully developed. It's a chimera, after all."
Its burst power might hit 7th level, but its average wouldn't.
The basement explosion proved it.
"Eleanor! Cover the Blackguard Knights too!"
"Damn it, pulling out the tough chants now!"
"Maya, how many slashes to kill it?"
"......Tough one. Too much for my mana."
Not fully realized, but a fusion of a 7th-circle mage and 7th-layer monster.
Even [Swarm of Spirits] couldn't take it down, by her calculations.
Jun abandoned the short-burst plan via Maya.
"Cover Eleanor! Aiden, get ready!"
"Got it!"
Enchantment: Elemental Armory
[Attribute: Ice]
Reinforcement: Elemental Body
[Attribute: Wind]
Once Jun's buffs were complete, Aiden surged forward like a typhoon, whipping up winds to close in on the chimera.
The chimera hadn't anticipated that speed; its reaction lagged slightly.
Aiden's blazing aura blade sliced precisely into its chest.
Kraaaaaah――!!
With a roar of pain, it swung claws wreathed in flames.
Aiden barely parried with his sword, but flames erupted from its hand in that instant.
"Urk......!"
Jun's enchantment blocked the first burst, but only briefly.
As the intense flames focused, Aiden retreated hastily.
"Can't block it head-on......"
He bit his lip, staring at his orange-tinged blade.
Meanwhile, Jun prepared ice-attribute magic, the chimera's perfect counter.
'The imagery for containment......'
Permafrost that allowed no warmth.
An icy wasteland where no life could survive.
Ice Break
Kwagagagak――!!
Simultaneously, through 'Phantom,' he readied Ice Spear.
Perhaps because its body harbored fire attributes.
As its lower half sank into the icy terrain, it let out a groan of agony.
And then.
"Sorry I'm late!"
Eleanor apologized, but none of her comrades blamed her.
The Blackguards were locked in fierce combat too.
"Damn, he's using sorcery!"
"Surround him and keep your distance!"
"Incoming! Phalanx formation!"
Enverman, pumped full of enhancement drugs, was overwhelming the Blackguards like a storm.
Without Eleanor's support, encirclement might have failed.
"Life of Light"
"Hall of Light"
"Life Shield of Light"
"Pierce of Light"
⟨ Holy Light Buffs ⟩
After buffing the Blackguard Knights, Eleanor cast support spells on Jun and the others.
Aiden's burns healed, his physical abilities enhanced, protective magic against sudden strikes layered on.
Finally, a sacred arrow flew at the chimera.
Like Jun's ice, the chimera—as an 'evil' defiling life's sanctity—was vulnerable to holy power.
Kiyaaaaah――!!
It instinctively shielded its vitals with both arms, but its guard dropped for a moment.
Detecting Target
Ice Spear
Jun's ice spears shot through the opening.
Three lances embedded into the chest Aiden had cracked open.
In an instant, the creature's body froze solid.
As it seemed about to collapse pathetically from the unexpected pincer attack.
Kwaang―!
Enverman, flung toward the chimera by a Blackguard strike, spat blood.
"Urgh! No mercy even against an old man......"
He muttered, wiping blood from his lips.
In this desperate crisis.
Blackguard Knights and White Whale Mercenary Corps blocked every path.
Yet his expression still held composure.
"Tch, my suit's all rumpled."
He merely brushed off the wrinkled fabric in annoyance.
"Serene even before death."
Enverman smirked at Tairdin's words, lighting a cigarette.
"Death? A word far removed from me. Let me show you the path to immortality I've walked."
With that, he pulled a cylinder from his pocket and, before anyone could react, injected it into the chimera and himself.