Chapter 68
Chapter 68
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Valkazar's Challenge
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After a fierce battle with the worm-shaped chimeras,
Jeon and his companions advanced through the dungeon, staying alert to threats from all sides—front and back, left and right, even above and below.
But the surprise attacks from the chimeras that had been so relentless just moments ago had completely ceased.
"Could it be... that was the end of their assaults?"
"Not a single one blocking our path, let alone bursting from the ground or ceiling..."
As Tasha cautiously voiced her thought and Rector muttered as if a bit of tension had leaked out,
the chimeras had vanished so thoroughly that all their prior vigilance seemed pointless—not even a glimpse of them remained.
"Several possibilities come to mind. That might have been all the chimeras here, or they're luring us into letting our guard down, or maybe they're gathering somewhere to dig traps or prepare an all-out assault."
"The key point is we don't know much about the enemy."
"Exactly. We've marched right into their territory."
As Khalid said,
no matter the assumptions, there was only one thing they could do.
Prepare as best they could and keep their senses razor-sharp for the enemy's unpredictable strike.
"Still, it's not all disadvantageous for us. Whichever it is, the enemy must be rattled by our strength."
If the foes had overwhelming numbers or sheer power,
they wouldn't be hiding like this.
"In fact, it means we can put up a real fight."
The enemy's caution meant they felt threatened by the group's power too.
Listening to Khalid, Jeon suddenly voiced a question that popped into his mind.
"If the opponent turns out to be Lord Kairon, what are our odds?"
In Jeon's view, the party's skills were far from weak.
Khalid, a high-ranking 6th Circle mage; Ralph, 5th Circle with his Distortion Wheel; the proficient 4th Circle battle mage Rector; Tasha, a 4th Circle talent despite her youth.
And himself, 3rd Circle but with pure skill rivaling 4th Circle or higher.
"Hmm."
But Khalid didn't answer Jeon's question lightly.
After a moment's thought, he spoke,
"Have you ever actually seen an archmage in action?"
His response was a question of his own.
"I've never seen an archmage, but I have seen a swordmaster."
"I see."
Among those Jeon had personally witnessed, the strongest was Alexar Silvermont, head of the Silvermont Family.
They'd even sparred, so Jeon naturally equated an archmage's might to Alexar's level.
'Of course, he was going easy on me—a lot.'
Even so, judging by that standard, Jeon figured the party had decent odds.
The enemy might be overwhelmingly powerful individually, but they had numbers and variables on their side.
"Purely comparing an archmage and swordmaster's prowess, they're comparable. But given our current lineup, an archmage would be far trickier."
"Trickier how...?"
"Archmages dominate space itself. And their spatial domains impose heavy restrictions on fellow mages."
Space.
It was something Jeon had pondered since his fight with the goblin mage Zarka.
Ralph's Distortion Field was born from insights into mana and space, after all.
"Of course, it varies by archmage—the degree and type—so it's hard to say definitively. But I'd call it about even."
Even with the matchup disadvantage,
five members at 4th Circle or above against one—even—it was impressive.
"Add in these chimera things on top..."
"Mm, that would put us at a disadvantage."
Of course, retreat wasn't an option.
At the end of this path lay not just Kairon, but the missing Silvermont mages too.
Abandoning them wasn't possible.
Thus, maintaining tension while exchanging words, they pressed on.
"Mm."
Khalid, walking point with Rector, suddenly halted for a moment.
The party stopped with him.
"...Looks like the enemy chose all-out war."
Among the group, Khalid had the sharpest mana detection.
His murmur while staring down the straight path ahead meant he'd sensed the enemies' mana there.
"How many?"
"...A lot. No attempt to hide it either—they're openly waiting. And there's at least one skilled one among them."
"Skilled... you mean...?"
"No, not Lord Kairon. Strong, but not archmage level."
Khalid answered Rector's questions in turn, eyes closed in focus.
'A skilled fighter who's not Kairon.'
Likely someone from the Ruin Church.
The problem: even Kairon alone was even odds; add chimeras and another powerhouse?
"Not good."
Khalid grimaced slightly—the situation wasn't favorable.
"It could be a blessing in disguise. Maybe Lord Kairon can't move right now."
But Jeon quickly added reassurance to steady the group.
It was a plausible possibility too.
"True enough. Whatever it is, we can't back down."
Rector flexed an arm in agreement,
and Khalid, realizing he'd spoken rashly, nodded.
"You're right. No matter what, our best effort is the answer."
Retreat impossible, overthinking was pointless.
Their exchange only steeled their resolve.
"Let's fight."
With renewed spirits, the party advanced toward the waiting foe.
What Jeon and the party encountered at the path's end differed starkly from the dungeon so far—a perfectly square structure like a massive chamber.
There stood a lavishly dressed man, Valkazar, alone and greeting them boldly.
"My, everyone's faces look so resolute."
"Who the hell are you?"
"Me? Hmm... well?"
Valkazar pondered Khalid's question.
Master of the chimeras, great high priest of the Ruin Church, a noble being worlds apart from you rabble—too many titles to choose from.
"Gatekeeper for Lord Kairon?"
"...What?"
While he dithered, Jeon's blunt remark twisted his mood.
"Who guards whom?"
Valkazar's smug expression crumpled.
"You saying I'm some lackey guarding that old fart?"
"...I didn't go that far."
Gatekeeper and lackey weren't quite the same,
but Jeon's follow-up fell on deaf ears—Valkazar was already incensed.
"No need explaining to soon-to-be corpses."
He'd wanted a lofty exchange,
but realized vermin like these weren't worth it. With a snap of his fingers into the air,
"This one's name is Valkazar. The harbinger of your doom—commit it to memory!"
Despite his rage, his self-aggrandizing tone persisted.
Rumble rumble rumble.
The vast chamber began to shake.
"Incoming!"
The party braced for combat.
Boom! Boom boom!
The floor erupted and ceiling crumbled like explosions, revealing chimeras within.
First came the worm-shaped ones from before.
But now, atop their heads rode other chimeras.
"Everyone, group up!"
Ralph immediately activated his Distortion Wheel.
Whummm! The wheel's vibration enveloped the clustered party in a distortion field.
Scraaaape!
The first charging chimeras' attacks were halted by the field.
"Can't hold forever!"
The field had limits, after all.
Under the barrage, its surface rippled from overload.
"That's enough!"
Rector, who'd gathered flying debris into a giant hand, nodded.
The distortion field vanished, revealing dozens of gaping-mawed chimeras outside.
Spotting them, Rector swung both arms first at the grounded ones, followed by Khalid and Tasha unleashing spells everywhere.
Fwaaash!
Once again, Khalid's magic shone brightest.
His 5th Circle spell conjured dozens of ice spears, launching at the diving chimeras from above.
"Terrain's unstable! Watch your step, everyone!"
Confirming it, Jeon kicked off a falling boulder, swinging Lunareik.
'Won't match the prior power.'
During the brief field uptime, Silver Flame Tail had stacked thrice at Lunareik's tip.
Roooar!
Silver claws slashed at side-rushing chimeras.
The force shattered the caught worm-chimera to pieces.
"Karruk!"
But the massive goblin-chimera rider barely escaped, leaping from the debris toward Jeon, axe raised to cleave his skull.
Jeon ignored it, preparing his next spell.
-Kyaaang!
Silver burst from Jeon's bosom, growing to block the goblin's strike.
"Karruk!?"
The goblin chimera gawked as its axe halted in silver light upon Silver's body.
That was its last memory.
"This fox magic gets more fascinating the more I see it."
Ralph appeared atop the goblin chimera, decapitating it.
"Lord Ralph, please link up with Tasha."
"Don't worry about that."
After the kill, Ralph flew to Tasha per Jeon's request.
She was the weakest in the party despite her strength for her age.
But with Ralph blocking tough hits via distortion field, she could shine amid the chimera swarm.
'They couldn't have failed to predict this.'
The chimeras' attacks were fierce, but
the battle favored Jeon's group.
Despite not training long together, their coordination clicked, and individual skills were top-notch.
'What's their play?'
Jeon's first thought: Valkazar providing fire support behind chimera meat shields.
As Khalid noted, a skilled controller using chimeras as shields would be hard to counter.
He'd considered assigning Silver to mark him exclusively, but oddly, no moves from Valkazar despite the chimera slaughter.
'...He's smiling?'
Glimpses through the chimeras showed a mad grin on his face.
"Good, as expected, you handle basic chimeras with ease."
Watching the party's prowess, Valkazar deemed the moment ripe and drew a black orb from his bosom.
An artifact from his apostle master, the high priest's insignia.
"Heh heh heh, but how about against non-standard chimeras?"
He infused mana into the orb.
The change hit not the orb, but the chimeras swarming Jeon's party.
Squelch! Cruuunch!
"Weird noises around us...!"
"Damn! The corpses—they're moving! Everyone, careful!"
The fallen chimeras slain by the party's magic began clumping together.
Over ten bodies condensed into one grotesque new chimera.
"Kieeeek!"
Unlike others retaining base creature forms,
this patchwork abomination defied definition.
Think centipede with limbs and heads haphazardly attached along an elongated body, heads sprouting midsection.
"Kieeek... kieeek!"
Formed, it scanned around, eyes flashing as it locked a target.
Cruuunch—whoosh!
Body rippling, it whipped toward Ralph and Tasha like a massive flail.
Despite its sloppy look, the speed forced Ralph to deploy his distortion field swiftly.
Scraaaape!
It held, but Ralph's face soured.
'One attack stronger than a dozen simultaneous strikes!'
This blow outpowered the prior swarm barrage.
A few blocks fine, but repeated? Even distortion field couldn't guarantee full defense.
"Immense power! Don't engage recklessly!"
Ralph warned the party—the new chimera was no joke.
Poor defenses wouldn't suffice.
His tense voice hardened the others' expressions.
But Jeon's was different.
'That's definitely...'
Jeon's gaze fixed not on the new chimera, but Valkazar.
The artifact in Valkazar's hand looked familiar.
And soon, Jeon recalled why.
'Similar vibe to Jack's artifact.'
Jack, who dominated the Pentagram Guild in Haswell—the artifact seized from him matched in aura and appearance.