Chapter 163
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Lekarux (6)
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With Sharis stepping up, the battle was unfolding much more smoothly.
Even before she joined, it had been an even fight. There was no way they'd be pushed back now that she was in the mix.
'As expected...'
Her status window hadn't lied.
Lekarux's chimera, its movements drastically slowed by the intangible energy, was bitten by Legiratus.
Crunch!
The thing began thrashing wildly, howling in agony.
Its massive size made me worry the tunnel might collapse if it kept going.
"If we let it rampage like this, we're in trouble. Do something about it."
"You're saying it like it's the most obvious thing."
Sharis grumbled as she extended her hand.
Suddenly, crimson-black hands materialized in the air, seizing the rampaging chimera and pinning it down.
'Sharis specializes in bindings and mental attacks, huh.'
Mental attacks wouldn't do much to that chimera, though.
'No offensive capabilities?'
"You just doubted if all I could do was bind that chimera, didn't you?"
'...How the hell does she know? She's not a ghost.'
I jolted in surprise.
"Your face is so obvious."
"Hey, why are you picking on me? I'm just anxious to finish this and go."
"Just watch quietly."
Squeeze...
The hands Sharis had summoned tightened their grip on the chimera.
Crack!
The chimera began to crumple under the pressure, crushed bit by bit.
"Well, now..."
My own chimera was living up to its name, devouring the immobilized beast.
It was like it had an endless hunger.
'Not for nothing did it get Gluttony.'
Come to think of it, both White Gluttony and Black Gluttony consumed memories and senses from monsters.
A while later, the chimera's life signs vanished.
"All done. See? This is what happens when I step in."
"...Yes, you're amazing."
"What's with that reaction? I helped out, you know!"
"No, it's just... that chimera was your enemy too, not just mine."
"Forget it. Should've just left it alone."
'Man, her personality is a pain to deal with.'
She was so prickly, I wanted to grab her hair and swing her around.
"Anyway, let's hurry. They've probably run into that old man Lekarux by now."
I finished speaking and retrieved the chimera in seed form.
As we pressed on, at some point, intense cold and heat waves started emanating from ahead.
'What's this? The cold is Ha Yu-ri's magic, but the heat...?'
Heat rivaling Ha Yu-ri's chill.
The entire cave trembled with vibrations.
And a creepy, unpleasant sensation crept up on me.
'...Is that old monster Lekarux this strong?'
I could feel it clearly even without facing him directly, from a distance.
That sticky, repulsive feeling.
"Looks like the old coot's going all out. Something feels off, though..."
"What do you mean?"
"The energy I'm sensing is different from what I remember. Deeper, somehow."
'Stronger than before?'
Suddenly, Sharis brought up an unrelated topic.
"You know what Lekarux's original epithet was?"
"Epithet?"
"Yeah. It's changed now, but back then, he was called the Rising Star of Taios."
"What kind of childish name is that?"
I'd never heard about his epithet before.
"The old man was a promising life sciences professor at the Taios Kingdom's royal academy, admired by all."
"Heh... A guy who experimented by turning people into chimeras was a professor..."
"Lekarux wasn't always like that. He gradually lost it. As a chimera sorcerer professor, he started changing strangely."
"Guys holed up researching in their rooms always go mad eventually."
"Well... Anyway, he ended up using his most devoted disciple in a chimera experiment."
"...The guy's insane."
Sharis giggled at my words and asked,
"Guess what that chimera we just took down was?"
"..."
I didn't need to answer; her question gave it away.
Sharis continued nonchalantly.
"The fun part comes after. Know what his epithet became next?"
"...No idea."
"Taios's Fallen Star."
"...Let's hurry as much as we can."
The deeper we went, the thicker the unpleasant air grew.
Reaching the source of the cold, heat, and foul atmosphere battering my body, what I saw was a horrific, indescribable mass.
"...Master!"
Ruska spotted me and called out, but I had no time to respond.
Ha Yu-ri was locked in combat with an unknown woman.
Or rather, she seemed hard-pressed just to block the attacks.
And then... the thing before my eyes.
'What... is this?'
Black blobs writhed, forming human faces one moment, monster faces the next, then hands and feet—shifting shapes every second. It was grotesque, repulsive, horrifying.
Countless eyes and teeth shifted around chaotically.
'Is this... a chimera?'
At first, I thought it was another of Lekarux's chimeras.
Until Sharis spoke.
"...Old coot."
'What?'
I glanced at Sharis; she was staring right at the abomination.
'That's Lekarux?'
The horrific mass responded, opening multiple mouths.
"Sharis, long time no see. Come to catch me—no, us—traitor?"
"...Old coot, what did you do? That form..."
"What do you think? You get it, right? I've transcended the limits of life as a species. Immortality."
"You... tampered with taboos."
'Taboo?'
"What's a taboo?"
"...When fusing species or lives, you mix at most four or five entities."
I knew that. Even in my initial chimera synthesis studies, four or five was the limit.
"Know why? Beyond five on average, genetic issues or whatever make the chimera's body unstable. The ego collapses too."
"So..."
"That's why exceeding it is taboo. The more you mix, the more it fails—horrific results."
"He broke the taboo and turned into that?"
Sharis shook her head at my question.
"No, just breaking taboo wouldn't turn him into that. This lunatic experimented on his own body, defying it."
I couldn't help but recoil at Sharis's words.
'Fuck, he turned himself into a chimera?'
I couldn't fathom the mindset.
"Sharis, why don't you understand? Taboo? Just human limits. Self-imposed fences."
I ignored Lekarux and looked toward Ha Yu-ri.
"Yul-ah! Please! Please...!"
"..."
Ha Yu-ri's situation didn't look good.
'My unique trait won't work on that thing.'
No idea why.
But it felt like because it was neither human nor monster anymore.
For now, I needed to check the woman Ha Yu-ri was fighting.
Blazing Mana (Legendary Grade) - Your mana is optimized for fire magic. Dramatically increases fire magic acquisition speed. Permanently +10 Mana, -2 Stamina.
Late Bloomer (Legendary Grade) - You possess immense talent. However, it requires vast time and effort to awaken.
Grand Sorceress (Legendary Grade) - Dramatically increases magic comprehension.
[Mana and trait grades forcibly elevated by external factors. Ego deeply dormant due to mental trauma.]
'Ha Yul? Ha Yu-ri's little sister?'
I'd been puzzled why Ha Yu-ri was only defending, but now it made sense.
Her sister's hair was dyed red, so I hadn't realized.
'Artificially empowered...'
Lekarux must have modified Ha Yu-ri's sister's body.
'Ego dormant from mental shock... Means it can be awakened?'
As I examined Ha Yul's status window, Lekarux spoke.
"Hmm... Similar scent. Insignificant, but walking my path?"
He seemed to be referring to me.
"Same path? I don't want to turn my body into a monster."
"...To you, my body looks merely monstrous? How foolish."
"Whatever. What happened to Ha Yu-ri's sister? If you made her like that, there must be a way to reverse it."
"Who knows. If you defeat me, the link severs, but returning to normal? Doubtful. Can you even kill me to begin with?"
I almost laughed at his smug confession.
"Sharis."
"What?"
"Can you buy time against Ha Yu-ri's sister alone?"
"...Buying time means no serious damage?"
I wasn't asking her to overdo it.
"No. Some injury is fine. Just keep her alive."
"Then yes. But I can't stall forever."
Sharis glanced at Ha Yu-ri and continued.
"...She's no pushover."
Good enough.
'Time to switch players.'
Ha Yu-ri wasn't at full strength right now.
Better to put Sharis on the sister, use her AoE mental attacks on Lekarux too, while Ha Yu-ri and Ruska handle the old monster.
I shouted to Ha Yu-ri.
"Ha Yu-ri, we'll take your sister! Fall back!"
"What? What do you mean?! That's my sister! I...!"
'Sigh... This idiot woman.'
"Listen. To save her, don't call her name—kill that old monster."
'No time to argue.'
I signaled Sharis without waiting for Ha Yu-ri's reply.
Understanding, Sharis immediately bound Ha Yul.
Chains and hands from nowhere wrapped her—a spectacular sight.
'She won't hold long anyway.'
It was only momentary.
Ha Yu-ri watched her sister with trembling eyes, then squeezed them shut and ran to me.
"Yul-ah, sis will save you. Just wait a bit..."
'Good, switch complete.'
Now it was time to erase that thing—neither man nor beast.