< Chapter 53 - Chimera #2 >
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The Flex Mountains, where Akaiman’s dungeon is located, are made up of nine peaks.
There were several large and small mine shafts drilled into the five peaks near the village, but now all but one were closed.
“They say that in the old days, there was a lot of silver.”
Princess Darian spoke cheerfully, like a child presenting her homework, and everyone, including Yuder, listened intently to Princess Darian’s story.
“There are a few mines in the Spencer Duke’s domain, but they are mostly iron or copper mines. I heard that silver or gold mines are quite rare.”
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Princess Darian was practically born and raised in the Spencer Dukedom.
Naturally, her story always ended with the story of the Spencer Dukes.
“We’re almost there.”
The fork in the road between the seventh peak, the highest peak, and the eighth peak, the largest peak.
The hole where the Chimera regularly appeared was on the seventh peak, and the entrance to Arkham’s dungeon was on the eighth peak.
“ah.”
Princess Darian, who had been chattering like a baby bird with a cheerful voice until now, suddenly took on a gloomy expression.
But that was only for a moment. Soon, Princess Darian’s face regained its spirit and she greeted Uther and Cordelia.
“I wish you good luck, brother and sister.”
“Thank you. May good luck be with you, Princess.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
Princess Darian nodded vigorously again at Cordelia’s request following Uther’s greeting.
“It’s okay because Lord Cornwell is here. There are other knights too. The knights of the Spencer Dukes are very strong.”
Princess Darian, who had been pounding her chest, looked back at the knights as if to say, “Isn’t that so?” and the knights all responded to the princess’s smile with the same grin.
“Juder Bayer, and Cordelia Chase.”
Lord Cornwell, who had not left Princess Darian’s side, approached Uther and Cordelia.
It was to do a final check of the operation before leaving.
“When a chimera appears, send a signal from that side and we begin our exploration.”
“Yes, please rush in as soon as the scroll you have starts glowing.”
Sir Cornwell nodded as he looked back at the scroll at Uther’s words and spoke again.
“If you happen to lose sight of the Chimera or are unable to engage it, don’t forget to immediately send the signal again.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
When Uther answered coolly again, Lord Cornwell closed his mouth tightly for a moment and then spoke in a slightly softened voice.
“You are still young. I hope you don’t push yourself too hard in the hope of achieving great things. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Lord Cornwell, thank you for your concern.”
“Ahem.”
Cordelia responded softly, causing Lord Cornwell to cough, and Uther, suddenly reminded of Count Chase, gave a small smile.
“Anyway, let’s set off now. Good luck.”
“I wish you good luck.”
Uther and Cordelia waved back at Princess Darian, who was waving between the knights, and headed straight for the seventh peak.
Since they had already gone on a field trip yesterday, both of them walked without hesitation.
“But you know.”
“uh.”
“As I said yesterday, can Princess Darian come with me?”
“Well… Since Lord Cornwell judged it to be okay, then it must be okay. Besides, Princess Darian isn’t just a helpless girl, right?”
“That’s true, though.”
Those who inherited the blood of the Cailun royal family – and those who inherited it directly – were not ordinary humans.
Because their blood contains powerful divine powers inherited from their ancestors, it was common for royal children to develop some supernatural powers before they became adults, sooner or later.
‘It is also the cause of the royal family massacre.’
The sacred blood that flows through the royal family of Seilun.
The royal genocide was not simply an event to destroy the Kingdom of Cailun, but was an event that was intended to cut off that sacred blood.
‘No, is this something that will happen?’
Because that’s something that hasn’t happened here yet.
‘I’m also thinking of preventing it from happening.’
Yuder, who had regained his composure, spoke to Cordelia, who was walking ahead bravely.
“Cordelia.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Should I carry you?”
“Oh, is it okay?”
Almost everyone came anyway.
The seventh peak where the chimera appears.
“I felt it yesterday too, but it’s really cool.”
“It feels like it was made on purpose because of the chimera.”
“Is that really so?”
At the top of the peak, there was a large rock standing tall. It looked like a throne prepared for a chimera.
And a large hole underneath it.
The hole, which was nearly 10 meters in diameter, was so steep that it could almost be considered vertical. Even if the rock at the top was unknown, it was clear that Akeima had made this hole on purpose.
“Okay, then let’s do something about it today too.”
“But, Your Majesty, how much time is left?”
“Uh… about 40 minutes?”
Yuder had given himself plenty of time, considering that Princess Darian and her party had to reach the eighth peak.
40 minutes ahead.
Cordelia suddenly smiled at Uther’s words and spoke in a quiet voice.
“Then do you want to eat our packed lunch?”
“already?”
“You need to fill your stomach before fighting. And I wanted to eat. From the morning. This time, I cooked too.”
“Excuse me, Princess. Today’s cheap lunch box is a sandwich, right?”
“Yeah, delicious ham and egg sandwich.”
“Since when has putting ham and eggs between bread been considered cooking?”
“No, then? No, I said. Why are you killing our Cordelia? I tried my best.”
As Cordelia pouted her lips as if expressing her displeasure, Uther eventually nodded.
“Okay, let’s eat.”
“Hehe, it’ll definitely be delicious. I put a lot of effort into it.”
“You put a lot of care into putting this together.”
“Mr. Woo, if you keep doing that, I won’t do it again. Don’t you know that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step?”
“Well, the will to learn is what’s important.”
Yuder smiled brightly and put down the basket after preparing the place he had prepared, and Cordelia hummed as she took out the sandwiches and orange juice she had put in the basket.
“It feels like a picnic. The scenery is nice too.”
“I know.”
First of all, it was the highest peak.
“Okay, this is the best one.”
Uder, who accepted the sandwich that Cordelia had handed him as a gesture of kindness – a sandwich cut into the shape of a right triangle, to be exact – snickered for a moment.
Because it reminded me of the sandwich Cordelia ruined by trying to cut into star shapes.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because I just like it.”
“Aren’t you a hothead? Or are you being an idiot?”
“No way.”
Yuder smiled and took a bite of the sandwich he had accepted, and Cordelia followed suit and took a bite of the sandwich.
“hmm.”
Maybe it was because of the surrounding scenery, or because it really felt like a picnic, or because it was as well-made as Cordelia had claimed.
Uther smiled at the sandwich that tasted more delicious than usual, and Cordelia, who was watching Uther’s reaction, smiled bashfully as if she was relieved.
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About 30 minutes later, at the deepest part of Arkayman’s dungeon.
Chimera opened her eyes at the same time as usual, flapped her wings once, and then flew off the ground.
Akeima’s chimera had a fairly classic appearance.
A creature with three heads, each with a lion, a griffon, and a drake, the body of a bear, the wings of an eagle, and a venomous snake instead of a tail.
But one thing that was unique was that Akeimon’s Chimera was not a living thing, but a magical tool.
Although they were made from real demons like the common chimeras, their operating principle was closer to that of undead monsters like zombies or skeletons.
The reason why Akeima made the chimera like this was not only because his major was in the creation of magical tools rather than biology, but also because in order to guard the dungeon for a long time and act in a set manner, it was better to have a machine rather than a living thing.
And here’s one more thought from Akeima.
‘Isn’t it a bit too much for a living creature to be locked in a dungeon for the rest of its life and be a gatekeeper?’
As expected of a great wizard, the eccentric Arcane occasionally showed his humanity in strange places.
In any case, the Chimera was created as a magical tool by the will of Akeima, and like a machine, it has always gone out of the dungeon at the set time to absorb the sunlight without a single error for over a hundred years.
A familiar road that has been taken hundreds of times.
Light began to enter the eyes of the chimera that had passed the short-range space jump magic circle in the middle.
Above the head.
A place where the bright sun shines, unlike the always dark dungeons.
“Koooo.”
The chimera flapped its wings once more and headed straight for the exit above its head.
To escape the dungeon, to wedge the wind, to face the sun once more!
“Koooo!”
That was the moment when I roared and exited the exit.
Quagga River!
A tremendous impact accompanied by a loud noise struck the Chimera.
Completely unexpected and with such great shock, Chimera rolled on the ground and crashed into the rocks, not even regaining consciousness.
What happened?
What on earth happened?
“bingo.”
15 minutes before the chimera emerges from the exit.
Yuder, standing in front of the exit, clenched his fists and began to gather his energy.
It was to unleash the Sun Heart Fist, one of the Ultimate Sun Shinkong techniques that he had learned from Landius.
‘The longer you gather energy, the stronger the power becomes.’
A truly simple, yet powerful technique.
A black flame-like aura rose from Yuder’s entire body as he closed his eyes and gathered his energy in his right hand.
It was the energy of the Nine Heavens and Nine Gates that had become one with the Ultimate Sun God Art.
‘Black Sun.’
That is Uder’s ultimate sun divine technique.
The power of the sun redefined by the Nine Heavens and Nine Moons.
“You seem like a villain.”
Although Uther flinched at Cordelia’s accusation, he tried to remain calm and focus his consciousness.
Naturally, I thought of Landius’s teachings.
“Disciple, the Sun Heart Fist is a technique that is difficult to use in real combat. It is a kind of practice technique that teaches you how to control the enormous energy of the Ultimate Sun Divine Art.”
The reason was simple.
Because it took too long to gather energy.
In a real battle where every moment determines life or death, it was absolutely impossible to gather energy without moving for several minutes.
‘but.’
It’s different now.
Because I knew when and where the chimera would pop up.
’15 minutes.’
The time it takes to maintain the solar core at the current level of Yuder.
So, allowing for a slight margin of error, Yuder stood in front of the exit 14 minutes and 30 seconds early.
‘Of course, since there is no electronic clock, it’s all a feeling.’
And about 15 minutes.
As expected of a magic tool, Chimera kept to the appointed time, and Uder extended his fist without hesitation.
What unfolds is the Black Dragon Cross Sword imbued with the power of the Sun Heart Fist.
The strongest blow that Yuder himself can unleash!
Quagga River-!
The black dragon’s energy that extended from Uther’s fist struck the chimera’s abdomen.
The enormous impact from what could be considered a virtually zero distance caused the Chimera’s massive body, which was rising into the sky, to bend at a right angle and crash into the ground.
Quagga River-!
The Chimera’s gigantic body crashed through the ground. It was pushed back nearly ten meters before colliding with the rock pile that formed the summit of the seventh peak, and the massive impact shook the entire seventh peak.
“wow.”
Cordelia, slightly impressed, quickly approached the Chimera, passing the panting Uther, and wrapped the detonator around the neck and wings of the still unconscious creature.
“good.”
Next is scrolling.
Cordelia took out three large leather pouches from her waistband and connected them to the fuse.
There were pockets containing dozens of scrolls that I had made with Uther all night long.
‘Next is just that.’
He pushed the pouches one by one into the chimera’s mouth.
Although they were much larger than Cordelia’s fist, they were smaller than the Chimera’s throat, so they fit easily.
“Okay! I’m ready!”
At Cordelia’s scream, Uther immediately raised his hands and covered his ears, and Cordelia, who was far away from the chimera, snapped her fingers and ignited the detonator’s flame.
And the scene that followed.
A roar that shook not only the seventh peak but the entire Flex Mountain!
Kwagagagagagagagagang!
Dozens of scrolls stuffed inside a leather pouch exploded at once.
That is, the chimera was destroyed from within.
Moreover, the fuselage straps wrapped around the wings and neck played their role very well.
It caused enormous damage not only internally but also externally.
Just a few seconds like that.
Cordelia, who had been coughing in the midst of a huge cloud of dust, fanned herself with her hand to shove the dust away, looked straight ahead, and soon a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
“Problem solving.”
And a ring of pure white light rises near the chest.
Cordelia was the one who struck the final blow, but perhaps because of the level difference to begin with, a ring of light appeared for both Uther and Cordelia.
“I ate it raw.”
But it couldn’t be helped.
I knew exactly when and where it would appear, but I couldn’t confront it head on.
“Yuder! Are you okay?”
“Cough, groan. Ugh. Just dust. Ugh, if it’s gone.”
Yuder was so exhausted that he could do nothing but sit quietly in the dust.
Cordelia clicked her tongue at the painful answer he managed to get out with his face as if he was about to die, and used wind magic to clear the dust away.
“Well, anyway, it’s over. Now all that’s left to do is wait, right?”
“Oh, let’s wait until Princess Darian and her party obtain the Seven-Colored Grass.”
I caught it easily, but I didn’t have to show that I caught it easily.
The one that was finally taken down after a fierce battle looked the best.
“Ahem. So you’re saying I’m a villain after all?”
But contrary to what she said, Cordelia raised the corners of her lips several times, then sat down next to Uther and looked back at the hole as she spoke.
“But Yuder.”
“Yes, princess.”
“Will things go as we think?”
“maybe?”
Uther’s thoughts.
And when Princess Darian and her party returned after about three hours.
Uther’s words became reality.
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< Chapter 53 - Chimera #2 > End
