Raviata’s lieutenant, Ardia James, was someone who trusted his instincts.
Once the leader of the most famous assassination organization on the continent, he was cautious but did not hesitate to trust and act on his instincts in times of crisis.
These instincts had saved James from many dangers, and this time was no different.
After the expedition team was split apart by an attack from the dark elves organized by the enemy, James chose to act independently rather than rejoin the team.
He was confident he could survive on his own and wanted to assess the situation from a unique perspective away from the group.
Raviata also trusted James’s judgment and did not question his decision. How long had it been since he started wandering alone according to plan?
Danger.
Sensing imminent danger, James instantly hid himself in the shadows.
Dimensional magic.
In line with his reputation as the former leader of a renowned assassination organization, he melted into the shadows, leaving only his minimal bodily functions active.
“Eiyy. Tsk, tsk. As expected, something hastily made doesn’t hold up well.”
A creaky old man’s voice echoed around the place.
There was no way an ordinary old man would be in such a dangerous cradle.
James habitually sifted through possible individuals who might be here.
Since he also observed the chimeras on his way to this place, James soon thought of one person who could be here.
Gordon. Is it him?
Gordon was once the leader of a black mage group.
The black mage group that had waged an all-out war against the coalition was now decimated, and the Empire which was the head of the coalition had officially announced Gordon’s death.
However, James’s current intelligence organization had recently confirmed that he was active in a group they were monitoring.
This is not good.
If nothing else, Gordon’s abilities were the real deal.
He was too strong for a mere expedition team to handle, but James quickly changed his thinking.
If it was the Gordon he knew, there was no way he wouldn’t be aware that James had come this far.
Gordon was an exceptionally talented individual in many areas and would certainly be aware of the existence of dimensional magic.
Moreover, seeing that there were no undead around him, it seemed he couldn’t use them due to the nature of the Great Mezaiya Forest.
Is he avoiding the eyes of the elves?
Perhaps things would turn out easier than expected.
However, instead of going directly to Raviata now, James needed to find another member of the expedition who had arrived in the Great Mezaiya Forest before the team.
Only then could Raviata be able to do her best with peace of mind.
Just when James decided this and was about to move away.
“Well, well. Who is it we have here? Come out instead of hiding like a rat.”
“……!”
Gordon’s gaze turned in the direction where the darkness stirred.
Long before James reached Gordon’s dwelling.
[Is that really possible……?]
Shane nodded his head at Obern’s question.
Just now, Shane had been discussing Gordon, the main target of this expedition.
Even in his previous life, when Gordon’s identity started becoming known, people merely thought he was a mad alchemist.
Of course, his cruelly genius side was highlighted. But he was still seen as a defeated man who had been beaten once by the coalition.
However, people were mistaken in one crucial aspect. His talents weren’t just genius-level, and that was the main issue.
And it was these talents of his that gave birth to a true devil’s flower when he met the organization.
For example, the chimera legion created by Gordon could not simply be compared to chimeras made by ordinary black mages.
These were beings capable of “species growth” which was a trait currently only allowed to humans now that other races were sealed.
This shouldn’t be taken lightly.
As time passed, the number of chimeras Gordon created would increase, and each one was akin to a biological weapon that was crafted from the strengths of various monsters.
If such beings could also grow, how unfair would that be?
[Among them, the numbered ones are particularly troublesome.]
Numbered ones.
These were chimera beings Gordon cherished so much that he even referred to them as his own children.
Though their numbers were still few, in the future, these chimera beings would grow to the point where each could command a legion, and they would bring terror to humanity.
[Among them, the most troublesome is Alpha.]
[Alpha, you say?]
[Yes. From the organization’s perspective, he’s a failure. He’s impossible to use as part of a legion.]
[Then why is he the most troublesome?]
[Because, conversely, it means he’s strong enough to be used as a single entity by the organization.]
Gordon’s first chimera, Alpha, was created when Gordon was filled with intense hostility towards the Empire.
It was during the time when the coalition, formed mainly by the Empire, annihilated the group of black mages he led.
Gordon wanted to repay the Empire in kind for what he had suffered.
However, because the organization wanted legions, Gordon had to be content with creating just one.
Despite that, Alpha was a troublesome opponent.
[Alpha was a chimera that caused anti-magic waves just by existing. How could an entity that rejects the source of life, that is magical power, not be troublesome?]
[Anti-magic… Then why do you leave such a being to the expedition team?]
The path ahead.
The direction Shane was heading was not where the expedition team was struggling.
But Shane answered Oberon’s question in one sentence.
[Because there’s no need to.]
Anti-magic beings are threatening to humanity which has developed around magic.
However, Alpha was not yet a completed entity, and moreover, Alpha’s greatest nemesis was also there.
“Hehehe, let’s play together!”
With Alpha’s monstrous scream, the shields of the Lampert adventurer party shook violently once more.
Seeing their auras flicker precariously as if they were about to collapse, Klein decided they could no longer stay on the defensive and charged forward.
It’s hard to keep up with that speed.
The chimera called Alpha had such incredible acceleration that even Klein’s dynamic vision struggled to follow.
However, there was still a way.
“Huh? You want to play with me?! Good!”
When Klein whom Alpha had failed to ambush earlier stepped forward, the latter’s attention was easily drawn.
When Alpha once again took a leap, Klein fixed the trajectory of his drawn sword.
But.
Ssss.
Seeing Alpha’s grin just before the leap, Klein quickly swung his sword defensively.
Boom—!
Originally, Klein intended to strike along Alpha’s path the moment he leaped.
He knew that once Alpha began his jump, he wouldn’t be able to change direction mid-air.
However, when he saw Alpha’s grin at the last moment, Klein instinctively sensed something was off and changed his stance. Fortunately, his instincts were right.
The attack that should have come from the front flew in from the side.
Thanks to sensing the killing intent and preparing for it, he barely managed to block it, but the heavy impact made a bad sound come from Klein’s sword.
“Hmph!”
At that moment, he twisted his sword to deflect Alpha’s fist and drove a magically reinforced kick into the creature’s abdomen.
“Kihehek!”
“……!”
The attack landed properly.
And almost immediately, Alpha retreated.
“Ow, ow! Hehe… But this is fun. How did you know?”
Ignoring Alpha’s question, Klein looked at something twitching behind the creature.
It was a tail, the size of an adult’s torso.
A tail that hadn’t been there at first had appeared the moment Alpha locked eyes with Klein and leaped.
What kind of body was this?
After surviving such a critical moment, Klein shouted.
“Attacks enhanced with magic work on him!”
Even after relaying the information he had just figured out to the expedition team, Klein stood at the forefront and eased the burden on Eleksa and her adventurers.
“Hehe, it’s a bit frustrating, but this, this method is fun too. Mhmm. Hehehe.”
However, the expedition team did not gain an overwhelming advantage.
Due to the anti-magic waves, Eleksa and her adventurers who were taking on most of Alpha’s attacks started to tire quickly, and unlike at the beginning, the aura that maintained their shields began to waver significantly.
They looked like flames in the wind that were about to be extinguished at any moment.
Having already noticed this, Alpha targeted the ones holding the shields at the forefront rather than going after Klein or the imperial guard knights.
Among them, the most threatening was Anais whose aura was largely unaffected by the anti-magic waves.
However, Anais was currently busy dealing with the chimeras spawned by the mother bodies.
In the midst of this chaos,
“Ugh…!”
One of the adventurers who had been fending off Alpha’s relentless attacks dropped his trembling arm.
Regardless of his mental strength, his arm muscles had already begun to necrotize. They were no longer responding to his brain’s commands.
“Hehe, friend, friend looks hurt. But can’t play anymore. Hehe.”
With the expression of a child cruelly killing ants for no reason.
Alpha who was armed with pure malice made yet another victim with his fists.
“Damn it, Tylec!”
“Fu*k!”
One adventurer who was filling in for his comrade who dropped his shield showed a gap, and Alpha who had animal-like instincts did not miss that opportunity. He thrust his tail through the shields and struck the man’s head.
That blow alone caused the adventurer’s face to become mangled and he collapsed to the ground, showing no further signs of movement.
“Shit!”
Even Eleksa couldn’t help but curse.
She particularly glared at Dominic and the imperial guard knights, who had been passively waiting for an opening since earlier.
And these are supposed to be imperial knights!
Around the time Eleksa’s anger erupted at the sight of them being worse than the knights guarding the northern wall of her hometown.
Alpha charged again. He left them no time to mourn the fallen comrade.
This time, however, the attack didn’t succeed. Klein came out of the shield formation and blocked Alpha’s fist while being enveloped in a flickering aura.
But as the sword broke under the strain of the impact, Alpha used his tail to aim for Klein’s heart.
“Kehee?!”
But when he felt a burning pain in his tail that he had never experienced before, Alpha retreated a great distance.
His tail had been severed before he could even realize it.
Although his outer exoskeleton was tightly protected with strong muscles, Alpha’s incomplete body was unable to block the sword wrapped in aura.
Meanwhile, Klein didn’t chase after Alpha who had retreated a great distance.
“Thank you for lending it to me.”
“…No, it’s alright. Carlot would have liked to be of help, too.”
The sword in Klein’s hand belonged to the adventurer who had fallen to Alpha’s first surprise attack.
And by using it, Klein once again severed Alpha’s tail which was still wriggling despite being cut off. Then he spoke to Eleksa.
“I’ll take the lead from here on out, and with all due respect, you’re going to have to weave your shields in a way that impedes his movement.”
“…Are you sure? …No, that was a foolish question. Alright, I will trust you.”
When she saw Klein whose appearance was now engulfed in dragon flames, Eleksa nodded her head.
Is this the opportunity that big brother mentioned?
Klein didn’t fully understand the exact principles of anti-magic.
However, after seeing the magical power spread around him dissolving like water caught in a net, Klein unleashed his own explosive magical power.
Though he still struggled to control this violent amount of magical power all at once.
There was no choice in this situation.
If he hesitated because he couldn’t control it, more victims could emerge. Just like a moment ago.
“Ahh, it hurts, it hurts!!”
Seeing Alpha who was shedding tears from his eight eyes and letting out a roar, no one knew what might happen next.
In fact, the anti-magic waves grew even more intense than before.
But a mere net couldn’t possibly withstand the giant waves crashing in.
Like a dragon awakening and ascending from a tranquil lake, the overwhelming magical power bursting from Klein was enough to dispel even the anti-magic net.
Eventually, the expedition team felt relieved as the anti-magic waves subsided.
The aura that was as unstable as a wavering candle solidified into the form of a sturdy shield, and the time for a counterattack had finally come.
As Klein’s performance began, the flow of the battle became one-sided.
Eleksa and her adventurers have now regained their aura and they formed a defensive formation to encircle Alpha, making it difficult for him to leap easily.
Each time, Klein would charge before Alpha could jump, and when Alpha was forced to attack in frustration, Klein’s counterattacks would follow almost inevitably.
Klein had become accustomed to Alpha’s speed.
“Why, why?! Why won’t you all just die?!!”
In the meantime, wounds accumulated all over Alpha’s body.
The intense pain he felt for the first time in his life gnawed at his unstable mind, but more than that, the presence of enemies who refused to die easily shook the deep-rooted malice within Alpha’s spirit even more.
“Huff…”
However, they still couldn’t let their guard down, as Alpha had a natural talent for killing.
Even in this unfavorable situation, Alpha’s attacks that exploited the expedition team’s gaps were all threatening.
A single mistake could drive them to the brink of death.
But perhaps it was thanks to their resilience in creating opportunities despite such crises.
“Dieee!!”
Alpha, repelled by an adventurer’s shield, let out a terrible scream and leaped at a member of the Lampert adventuring party. The adventurer stepped back and unleashed his aura, catching Alpha in mid-air.
Not missing the opportunity, Klein and Anais rushed in at the same time and slashed Alpha’s shoulder and side.
“Kyahhh!”
Finally, Alpha collapsed to the ground, and only then could the group breathe a sigh of tense relief.
A single entity had managed to put such a large group through a hard-fought battle.
Just when they thought it was finally over.
And when Klein approached to finish Alpha off.
A brief flash of light erupted from behind.
“Ah?”
“…?!”
The aura that had been swirling like a dragon around Klein disappeared. At the same time, the aura of the Lampert Adventurer Party members who had yet to lower their shields also disappeared in an instant.
As the group whose balance was disrupted turned their heads back, there stood the perfectly fine Dominic with a bitter smile on his face.
“Sorry about this.”
In Dominic’s hand was a hexagonal orb emitting flashes of light at regular intervals.
The flashes emanating from the orb were far more intense. They were freezing the surrounding magical power far more effectively than the anti-magic waves Alpha had created.
“You all have to disappear from here now. For the future of the Imperial family. For the future of humanity…”
Dominic who had drawn his sword at some point started approaching the group with his knights.
Klein was the only one who saw the darkness flickering beneath Dominic’s shadow.
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