Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Orc Subjugation (4)
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Boiling emotions aside, Demian’s mind remained calm.
The most important thing when facing a chimera was to stay alert and observe carefully.
Chimeras were created by fusing multiple monsters together. As such, they possessed a wide array of abilities.
Judging them by appearance alone was dangerous. You never knew when or where some new ability might emerge.
“……Your bravado is top-notch, at least. But do you know how many people have died acting cocky like that?”
Noctis pointed at Demian with his index finger and shouted.
“Yeppi, show him what you’ve got!”
It was a cute name that didn’t match his imposing figure.
-Kruk!
Suddenly, the chimera’s body vanished. At the same time, a gust of wind blew from straight ahead.
The sudden strong wind whipped his hair and clothes wildly. Dust got in his eyes, forcing Demian to squeeze one shut.
In that instant, the chimera appeared right in front of him and swung its arm at Demian.
-Krurruk!
Even with one eye closed, it was no issue. Demian gauged the distance and dodged with ease.
In that split second, a sense of dread washed over him. As Demian leaped back, five deep gashes scarred the ground.
It wasn’t just the ground. The trees behind him split and came crashing down.
“What an interesting creature.”
Demian remarked, sounding amused by the sight.
“Not only can it turn into wind, but it can also launch wind slashes?”
Just now, the chimera hadn’t simply teleported in front of him. It had transformed into wind to move.
When it swung its arm, the ground and forest had been torn apart because it converted the wind into a slashing attack.
“That’s why chimeras are such a headache.”
Neither ability was ordinary. And it was clear the chimera hid even more powers.
“Now do you get how amazing our Yeppi is? Yeppi, press the attack!”
Noctis issued another command. The chimera swung its arms wildly.
Each swing unleashed a barrage of wind slashes. In the blink of an eye, the forest turned into a field of stumps.
But Demian didn’t so much as twitch an eyelid as he evaded every attack.
“This is getting fun.”
He was grinning widely, clearly enjoying himself.
“Yeppi! What are you doing? That guy keeps dodging!”
Demian’s relentless evasion irritated Noctis.
“Kill him right now!”
The chimera’s eyes changed. Its body grew hazy at the same time.
“Oh?”
The chimera turned to wind and vanished. Moments later, it reappeared behind Demian.
-Krurruk!
It swung immediately. A blade of wind came slicing toward Demian.
Demian threw himself sideways to dodge.
As he landed and looked up, the chimera had already disappeared again.
-Kruk!
This time, the sound came from right behind him. Demian kicked off the ground and launched into the air.
The chimera’s arm cleaved through empty space. Its wind blade gouged the earth.
-Krurruk!
The chimera transformed into wind once more. Watching it, Demian sounded bored.
“Flashy to look at, but not very practical.”
Turning into wind for omnidirectional movement was decent enough.
But it had to revert to its physical form to attack.
Timing that moment made dodging or blocking easy.
Just like now.
Demian spun midair and swung his sword. At that instant, the chimera materialized in front of him.
-Kraang?
Demian was faster than the chimera’s attack. His holy sword sliced into the chimera’s torso.
In that moment, the chimera raised both forearms to block the holy sword. The blade clashed against its scales.
The holy sword cut through scales and muscle, burrowing deep. Green blood sprayed out.
“Hm?”
But that was it. Demian’s holy sword had only sliced through the chimera’s hide—it hadn’t severed bone.
Seeing this, Noctis crowed triumphantly.
“Yeppi’s fused with drake bones! You’ll never cut through!”
Drake.
One of the dragonkin monsters that reigned at the top of the monster hierarchy.
Its massive frame unleashed monstrous strength and ferocity, making it one of the most dangerous large monsters.
Drake hide and bones were especially renowned for being nearly impossible to cut with aura.
“Yeppi! Crush him!”
The chimera lunged forward. It swung both arms, attacking Demian.
In the meantime, Noctis shouted at Marina.
“Marina!”
“……No need to rush me. I’m already ready.”
The haggard woman, Marina, invoked her black magic. The death venom, which had taken the form of a serpent, transformed into a swarm of hornets.
The hornet swarm flew at terrifying speed, encircling Demian like a noose.
The chimera blocked the front.
The venomous hornets surrounded the rest.
Any movement to dodge the chimera would mean instant stings injecting poison.
Even cornered, Demian showed no urgency.
“Quite the coordinated assault for such mismatched foes.”
Demian drew his Thousand-Mile Sword. He dodged the chimera’s attacks while swinging the blade through the air.
Each swing made the Thousand-Mile Sword vibrate sharply.
When the vibrations peaked, Demian flicked his finger against it.
Demonic Sword - Great Sonic Wave
A piercing high-pitched screech erupted in all directions, as if it would burst eardrums. The two black mages hurriedly clamped their hands over their ears.
The overwhelming sound shattered the hornet swarm’s form, reverting it to venomous liquid. The chimera staggered, unable to regain its senses.
Demian gripped his holy sword instead of the Thousand-Mile Sword and condensed his aura.
Drake bones? So what.
If aura couldn’t cut them, just condense more aura.
Any mid-class swordsman could manage that much.
Let alone Demian, whose skill had long surpassed mid-class.
The compressed aura enveloped his holy sword. The aura, once like a haze, thickened to smoke.
-Krurruk!
At that moment, the chimera shook its head violently. It had shaken off the Great Sonic Wave’s effects and recovered.
But it was too late. Demian’s holy sword was already swinging for Yeppi’s neck.
That was when it happened.
“Yeppi! Spew it out!”
Noctis bellowed. Instantly, Yeppi’s jaws gaped wide.
Flames erupted from the chimera’s throat.
* * *
Crimson flames engulfed Demian in an instant. They spread to consume the surrounding forest as well.
The intense heat turned trees to ash in seconds. Even the soil and gravel on the ground melted.
“Kyahahaha!”
Noctis cackled gleefully.
“Surprised? Our Yeppi has a drake’s flame sac too!”
The main reason drakes ranked among the deadliest large monsters.
They could spew flames.
A mere trifle compared to a dragon’s breath, but enough to turn a castle into an inferno.
“Serves you right! Who told you to act all high and mighty? That’s what you get for letting your guard down—you’re charcoal now!”
Unlike Noctis, who was already drunk on victory, Marina watched the flames tensely.
“No, Noctis!”
Thanks to her, they spotted it early.
“Th-that guy…… He’s alive! He’s still alive!”
Demian Haksen, standing unscathed amid the inferno.
“What nonsense is that? That’s drake fire!”
Demian emerged, parting the flames. Noctis’s eyes widened in shock.
“This much fire is easy enough to block.”
Demian brushed embers from his clothes as he spoke.
Previously, Demian had absorbed a fire spirit’s heart.
As a result, his body had gained resistance to flame.
“N-No way…….”
Demian strode out through the flames. Noctis and Marina fell into panic.
“M-Marina…… Wh-what do we do?”
“I-I don’t know! How are we supposed to deal with a monster like that…….”
Demian swung his holy sword repeatedly. Compressed aura unleashed massive slashes.
The first cleaved the chimera in half. The second severed its waist. The third and fourth sliced diagonally.
Lines etched across the chimera’s body over and over. Finally, it collapsed into chunks.
“You bastard……!”
Noctis screamed, eyes bloodshot with hatred and despair.
“How dare you! Kill Yeppi? I’ll never let you get away with…… Gahk!”
Demian charged at Noctis and kicked him in the gut. Noctis slammed into a nearby tree.
“You…… I won’t…… let you…….”
Even then, Noctis refused to come to his senses. Sprawled on the ground, he spat fury at Demian.
“Did you hear me……? I’ll avenge Yeppi! I swear I’ll…… Kyaaak!”
Demian pinned Noctis’s fingers with his holy sword. Three severed clean off.
“M-My f-fingers…….”
“One more word, and I’ll take your wrist.”
Demian’s voice was flat. That made it all the more terrifying. Noctis clamped his other hand over his mouth.
Demian yanked his holy sword from the ground and swung it sideways.
“Kyaaaak!”
Marina’s left hand flew off. The severed hand clutched a vial of venom.
“Don’t try anything foolish. It won’t work.”
Marina clutched her stump, gasping for breath.
“I have a lot of questions for you two. I hope you’ll answer them honestly.”
“Wh-who’d answer you?”
“Yeah. Don’t waste time—just kill us.”
The two black mages glared venomously. Demian burst out laughing at the sight.
“That’s more like it. Keep resisting. That’s what makes it fun.”
Otherwise, how else could he vent under the pretext of interrogation?
“Conveniently, I just learned a great new technique.”
Demian had bought a half-burned mana cultivation method and technique manual at the Nokhyang Auction House.
Restoring them hadn’t taken long. When he examined the complete versions, Demian realized he’d found treasure.
The mana cultivation method was called Silken Forbidden Needle.
It allowed manipulation of the meridians—the paths through which mana flowed in the body.
With it, one could temper their own meridians or reinforce them to unleash massive power in bursts.
But the true value of Silken Forbidden Needle lay elsewhere.
It could manipulate an enemy’s meridians as well. Block them, or stimulate them to inflict excruciating pain.
“Perfect. I needed practice dummies anyway.”