77-Episode 77: Ruins and Chimera

Then I'm off!

Everyone in the second camp cheered at Lisou's declaration.

'I'm expecting a souvenir!

Don't hog the whole thing!

After cleaning up after the battle with the Anthraptor, we decided to take a well-deserved rest before we set out to explore the ruins.

There were S-ranked adventurers and a few A-ranked adventurers who would be escorting us to the entrance of the ruins.

Liliella was among them.

''We'll protect Lex-san up to the entrance of the ruins,''

Liliera-san slams her spear's stone thrust into the ground with a lot of energy.

''It's nice to meet you, Liliella-san.

Since we S-ranked adventurers were mainly exploring the interior of the ruins, we didn't want to waste our energy on that.

The rest of us were busy escorting the second camp, dismantling defeated Antraptors, and further strengthening the camp's defense.

It seems that even those who aren't directly involved in exploring the ruins have a lot of work to do.

◆

Huh!

Thank you!

The escort adventurers take down the demons along the way.

''Say!''

Liliera-san also fought off the demons with a series of quick spear thrusts.

''You're the boy's partner. You are as brilliant with a spear as my companion.

'I'm glad to see you,' said Roddy, smiling and praising Liliella.

'Thank you. I'm sure Mr. Liliella will be pleased to hear that.'

Huh, but my partners are no slouches. Well, I ended up being the camp's escort this time.

It seems that the people in Roddy-san's party members were unable to join the escort this time because they were busy healing and reinforcing the camp.

''Oh dear, it's a shame that we can't collect them when we've just defeated a high-ranking demon.

I don't blame you. We're here to protect an S-ranked team. If you want to collect the material, you get to go home.

I just hope no other demons eat me until then.

I'm disappointed that I couldn't collect the demons that my escort adventurers defeated.

It takes a long time to dismantle a demon.

That's why I was told to prioritize the collection of defeated monsters, so that they could take care of their escort mission later.

By the way, Liliella carefully stored the demons she defeated in her own magic bag.

It's worrisome that she didn't collect everyone's demons, but perhaps there's some reason in her own way, Liliera.

◆

After that, we were attacked by a number of monsters as we went through the cave.

Finally, about 30 minutes after we started our search, we arrived at the ruins we wanted.

''There really are ruins underground........''

The ruins are covered by a white wall and there are some ornaments here and there.

From the fact that the design looks familiar to me, it is probably the remains from a time close to the time when I was alive in the previous life or two.

But why did they bother to build it underground?

We'll be heading out to investigate the site. You guys have a safe trip back.

Yeah, have a good day, everyone.

Don't get attacked on the way home because you're too busy collecting demon materials.

I know.

Lisou-san and her escort adventurers exchanged goodbyes with a light joke.

''Be careful, Lex-san, too.

Liliera-san comes over to say goodbye with a worried look on her face.

''Well, if you're good at it, Lex-san, it might be too much to ask.

'That's not true. But it's very nice to have you worry about me.

Because in my last life and the last two lives, there were people who worried about me losing my powers as a wise man or hero, but no one worried about me personally.

I'm very happy about that alone.

'Hey, let's go home!

The escort adventurer calls out to Liliella.

''I'll be back then.

You take care of yourself, Liliella.

Yeah.

And so, Liliella and the others headed home.

''Then we'll work too!

As if to change the mood, Roddy raised his voice.　

''Shut up, Seiran, we're going to be exploring unknown ruins, so why don't you be quiet? We don't know what's inside.

Oh, my God.

Mr. Lissou scolds Mr. Roddy for shouting loudly, but he doesn't seem to be too sorry about it.

''With the exploration magic, I can feel numerous demon reactions around the entrance, this is a bone from the start for an A-ranked average demon to have this many.

When Ramise told her the information she had obtained through her exploration magic, Lisou-san grinned at her.

''It can't be helped. Let's let them force their way in.

In other words, it's a form of force.

◆ ◆

Excuse me.

It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends and family.

The demons in my field of vision noticed me and turned around, but they suddenly let out a scream and struggled.

The reason for this is because of the powerful light magic that the Heavenly Demon released to float behind him.

What happens if a demon that lives in a dark place as its territory and relies on a small amount of light is suddenly exposed to a strong light?

The answer is that the light will burn out your eyes and cause temporary vision loss, like this.

"All right, I'll shove it up your ass.　Seiran is Lord!　Big game eaters and celestial magic are our backup!

I hold my two great swords in front of me like a boar's horns and charge at them.

The straight-line demons, unaware of what is happening, are blown away by my buddy's assault on them.

Some of them die as they are, and some of them survive.

But it doesn't stop them.

With so many demons, it's indeed impossible to deal with them all.

Just because he's an S-ranked adventurer doesn't mean he's randomly strong.

The trick to living a long life is to immediately assess who to fight and who not to fight and move.

Some of the demons that avoided my rush will immediately counterattack.

It's a good reaction, even for an enemy.

They bite at my arm from the side as I pass through, but that kind of attack can't penetrate my defense.

'I'll pay you back!'

I waved my black fangs and cut the demon down under one sword, and then I resumed the rush with my sword at the ready again.

I don't care about my damage.

If it comes down to it, I'll have a saint in my corner.

My role is to charge in and clear the way.

''Hm?''

If you look, more than a dozen demons are blocking the path ahead.

As expected, it's difficult to pierce those things?

Spiral Rain!

Then, a celestial magic voice sounded from behind and dozens of water crushes pierced the demons as they spun at high speed.

''Good job!''

He's a bit of a difficult guy, but he's good at his job.

Seeing the wall of demons collapsing under the magic of the celestial magic, I take the opportunity to jump into the crowd of demons, swinging my two great swords with a big swing.

The demons drop further in the assault, not caring about the counterattack.

''Say!''

Then the big game eater comes from the side to cut down the wounded demon and cover it up.

It's quite a feat, as it cuts down demons with its thin sword into single swords.

As expected, if it's just me, the holy woman and the heavenly magician were going to be attacked when they broke through, so it's a relief.

Then I saw a single door at the end of the wall of demons.

''Saintess!　Once you're through that door, put up a demon-proof ward!

Just let me do it.

And when I reach the goal, I immediately open the door and roll inside, swinging my sword down.

My own wild countermeasure against an ambush.

But it seems that there was no ambush.

On the contrary, this was not a room.

The ceiling that was visible a moment ago is not there, and darkness is spreading.　

And I can see the dirt at my feet.

Have you gone through the building to the other side of the cave?

'Lord!　God bless you!　Fieldwall!

The next saint who comes in puts up a ward to avoid the demons.

'Alright, come in!'

After confirming that all the people who followed me from behind had rolled into the ward, I hastily closed the door.

Then, once I confirmed that the view of the chasing demons was blocked, I hurriedly entered the ward.

''Haru Arashi, big game eaters, be vigilant in the vicinity!　Heavenly Demon, use your exploration magic to find out how the pursuers in the room react!

Even if they break through the door, they won't be able to find us inside the warding.

The only thing left to do is to stay inside the warding until the demons give up looking for us.

But strangely enough, the demons are not going to break the door.

On the contrary, there is no sound of them knocking on the door.

When I was suspicious, the Heavenly Demon Lord nodded his head.

''What's wrong?''

That's funny, the demons are suddenly turning back.

What do you mean?

So you're telling me that the only territory you're on is inside the building?

Well, that would help.

◆.

After confirming the safety for the time being, we immediately look around.

When I came in, the lights only reached near the entrance, but now that the Heavenly Demon is there, the magic of the lights illuminates the surroundings evenly.

''This is the courtyard...?''

The reason for the questionable form is that there was not a single plant or tree growing there.

However, on the ground there is a path paved with stone pavement and a stone ornament where there were probably plantings.

There must have been a lot of ancient people here in the days when these ruins were not ruins.

But now it's all that remains of it.

Anyway, let's take a break here.

I'm sure there are people who were injured in the unreasonable assault, so let's prepare ourselves for the moment.

◆ ◆

Come to think of it, that weapon of yours is also a magic item, isn't it, Lisou-san?

I was resting inside the warding to heal, when the big eater said something like that.

'Ho, you noticed.

''Earlier, the demon bit me, but Lissou-san wasn't hurt. Instead, I saw one of the fangs on the back of the black sword shattered.

You're looking at it surprisingly well.

''That's right. This sword is a double great tusk, a pair of magic items.

I stop my search and hold up the black one of the two great swords.

This black one is the black fang, and the ten fangs that grow out of its back will take up the slack when it attacks you. The fangs will shatter with each attack, and once they have shattered, it will take a day to regenerate one. And if the attack is too strong, multiple fangs will break at the same time.

And then he holds up the large white sword.

The white one is the white fang. When you attack, you add on the attack that you received from the opponent and return it to the opponent. This is my trump card that can be used to strike a large blow without injury if you use it well.

Yes, this is the biggest secret that has allowed me to survive until now as an S-ranked adventurer.

Some of you may think it's unfair to rely on the power of tools, but this is an item I found in the lower levels of the dungeon.

In other words, it's only because I had the ability to do so that I was able to obtain this item.

The people who came up with the nonsensical accusations usually shut up when I told them so.

''........Are you sure you want to tell me that much?

You didn't think they would teach you that much, but the big eater gives you a surprised look.

''Haha, I'm teaching you because I want to see this face.

You'll be able to find a way to make it work. There aren't many people who can handle two swords at once. One by one is not enough to show the true value of the sword.

That's right, the reason why I'm so generous in teaching the ability of the Twin Great Fang is because it's rare to find a great sword user who can handle two great swords at the same time.　

It's hard to find a buyer for a magic item that has no use, even if its performance is high, the price will only get higher and harder to find.

The best of them would be displayed on the walls of a nobleman's mansion.

The only thing that matters is that you have to know the power of your friends when you're fighting in the same party, right?

I'm sure you're right.

The big eater nods repeatedly to himself.

The first thing you need to know is that you don't have to tell them your trump card. This is the industry where yesterday's friends can become today's enemies. This is a good trump card for me to teach you.

And as expected, it's a terrible thing to ask a young man to show his hand.

Well, now that you've recovered, we'd better get going. If we're too late, the campers will be worried about us.

You're not going to be able to do that.

''What's this?''

After resuming our search, we decided to look for a door back into the ruins from another route in the courtyard.

It's a good idea to have a different entrance, so there's less chance of encountering the demons.

But on the way, we came across an unusual sight.

It was a mountain.

However, the mountain was not made of earth or rock.

It was a mountain made of golems.

"Is this...the remains of a pile of golems?

Just like the Heavenly Demon's words, the golems that had been turned into mountains were all of them broken.

''It's like a golem's graveyard.''

Harurashi said jokingly, but it didn't sound like a joke at all.

This scene was truly like a graveyard.　

It's as if all the golems in the ruins had gathered here and died.

The body of the golem itself even looks like a tombstone.

"What in the world happened here...?

We were mesmerized by this bizarre scene.

''The damage to these golems, it's not a sword or magic wound.

And in the midst of this bizarre air, the big eater muttered to himself.

''What?''

'Look, these are bites and scratches. They look as if they were attacked by some large creature.

With that said, the golem that the big game eater pointed at had a round hole in it where my arm could have gone in as it was, and large claw marks that would have torn through the body of a golem the size of a human.

I mean, if these were clawed scars, then how big was the Lord who gave those wounds!

''Above all, this scar...''

The big eater pauses for a beat to deliver a further shock.

'It's relatively new,'

...What?

New?　That's what I'm talking about.

Considering the condition of the golem, it's a recent injury.

What the hell?

That's when it happened.

ooh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

"?

There was a groan that echoed throughout the ruins.

It sounded like a yell, but it was hardly the cry of a decent creature.

'Something's coming!　What about the probe magic?

There isn't one!　There has never been such a huge reaction anywhere before!

The Heavenly Demon let out a screaming voice.

Is this man so distracted that something is right next to him?

He's coming!

I came to my senses at the sound of the big game eater's voice, and I held up my prey in both hands.

A few fangs were broken in the earlier battle, but there are still a few more left.

Even if your opponent is a dragon, it will buy you enough time to escape.

Vibrations are approaching us.

The other side seems to have a complete grasp on us.

An eerie menace looms from beyond the darkness.

And I saw it.

The blasphemous figure.

"Huh?

The saint screams at the sheer ugliness of Sole.

Sole had the body of a giant lizard.

Its front legs were the legs of a beast and its hind legs were the legs of a bird.

Its tail had an eyeless snake at the tip, and occasionally a glimpse of its mouth, which looked like a bright red crescent moon.

From its back, scaled arms stretched out in layers like tree branches.

And the head was extremely unusual.

At first glance, the face looks like an adorable cat.

However, both eyes have fangs like a lamprey, and both ears have gleaming eyeballs.

Various beastly legs sprouted from its mouth, which wriggled eerily.

It was a physiologically repulsive monster, as if God had created the wrong parts to install it.

Kruoeaaaaaaaa........

Of course, it's impossible to make a decent squeal with a mouth like that.

Sole let out a nauseating moan.

''What the hell is that........''

It was clearly not an ordinary creature.

Even the ugly demonic beasts that were said to have been created by evil gods had a slightly more decent shape.

That's how messed up the existence in front of me was.

''It's a.......chimera, isn't it?''

In the midst of all this, the big eater muttered quietly.

'Chimera?　That thing?

Chimera, that's the name of an ancient civilization's creature that was created by synthesizing multiple creatures.

It is abhorred by the church to which the saintly woman belongs as an insult to the life created by God, in a different way than the undead and so on.

'Yes, that thing isn't a proper creature's form. It's clearly a chimera created by someone with malicious intent.

The big eater assures me.

In fact, I'm even relieved by that affirmation.

There is no way such an abnormal existence can exist naturally.

That's how abnormal this thing was.

Ulororossiyeaaaaah!

The chimera lets out a bizarre yell that doesn't sound like a yell and stands up and swings its paws.

"Scatter!

The three of you move quickly in response to my voice.

I'm sure you'll be able to find the right one.

"Ouch!

I push the saint away and take a chimera's claws with my black fangs.

With the power of the Black Fang, I can withstand a few shots from the chimera's attacks, no matter how strong they are!

The chimera's claws, comparable to my black fangs, slammed into the black fangs.

I jumped backwards, killing as much of the impact of the claw as possible, and tried to return the attack I received there with my white fangs.

''Avoid!''

I stopped my attack and jumped back further at Hararashi's urgent voice.

Immediately afterwards, my body was blown right off to the side.

I could sense from the sensation that it wasn't a direct hit.

But even so, I receive a pain that seems to tear my body apart.

The blown away body hits the ground and bounces.

I thought I was going to be sent flying everywhere as it is, but fortunately or unfortunately, I was able to stop by hitting the pile of golem wreckage from earlier.

The wreckage of the fallen golem just hurt.

''Sorry, I'll recover!

The saint immediately casts a recovery spell on me.

I can't move my body in pain, apparently it's a pretty serious injury.

I move my eyes and look at the black fang in my hand.

I want to pat myself on the back for not dropping it.

''What?''

What a surprise, all the fangs on the back of the black fang are broken.

In other words, the attack just now took all of Black Fang's defenses with it.

Hey, this one fang is preventing the attack of a B-ranked demon!

Does that mean that his strike is equivalent to several B-ranked demons, perhaps more than an A-ranked demon?

And even though the Black Fang had taken that much damage to him, this wound?

If it wasn't for the saint, he would have died.

Right now, with Hararashi and the big eater in tow, the Heavenly Demon Guide is attacking him with magic.

However, the chimera's body will regenerate from the edge of receiving the Heavenly Magic Guide's powerful magic.

What's this regeneration ability?

I think it's probably using a hydra or some other demon with a high regenerative capacity in its body. I'm sure that's why his body grew abnormally and became such a monster.

''Big bastard, you're good at knowing chimeras too!

He looks happy despite the fact that the Heavenly Demon is in the middle of a battle.

It's a good thing that his knowledge idiot doesn't have to be anywhere.

''If you're going to exterminate Hydra, you have to burn the wounds. Seiran, big eater, I'll burn it, and you guys don't let up on your attacks anyways!

Okay!

I understand!

The celestial magician releases a check spell, and Harurama and the big eater head towards the chimera.

''No, one hit by his attack and you won't survive.

"Wait, guh!

I tried to raise my voice to warn them both of the attack, but the pain prevented me from making a good sound.

'Rest now. It's a pretty deep hand!'

The saint scolds me for trying to move.

d*mn, it's my job to be the wall of the party and open up the situation, but it's shameful.

Besides, the two of them had already thinned out into chimeras.

In this situation, I had no choice but to pray for their safety.

''Ha!''

Hararashi slashed at the chimera's thick paws, but he only cut a few thick patches of fur, but it wasn't an effective strike.

''What's with this guy's fur!　It's like iron!

The chimera's fur seemed to be harder than expected, and Harurashi let out a scream.

Orouquaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The chimera's angry paws swat them away, but they evade it with ease.

At the same time, however, a branching arm on its back attacks them.

Is that what the attack on me was all about!

Simultaneous attacks with multiple arms that extended from his back like branches, that was the identity of the attack that disabled Black Fang with a single blow.

''Avoid........''

No, I still can't find my voice.

''Sonic Lancer!''

Several of the arms that attacked Hararam with the magic of the celestial magic guide were blown away, and Hararam managed to evade them.

However, the big game eater was not able to receive the support of the celestial magic guide because he dodged in the opposite direction from Haruram.

In this case, they would eat a simultaneous series of attacks until the Big Monster Eater!

Moreover, unlike me, that guy doesn't have black fangs.

If I received this unavoidable attack, instant death was a certainty.

"Physical Boost!

At that time, the body of the big bite devourer blurred.

"?

And unbelievably, the big bite's arms extended in all directions at exactly the same time, slicing through all of the chimera's branch arms!

Huh?

What happened, there is no other word for it.

''Mr. Rameez!　Please burn me!

Huh?　Huh, Flame Blast!

The celestial magician who came to his senses at the words of the big bite eater released his magic and one of the chimera's branch arms was burned.

Curololacqua!

The chimera suffers with a sickening scream of creaking metal.

''Still!''

The big bite to jump in again.

''Melting Sword!''

The big bait-eater's thin sword is enveloped in a blue-white flickering light, and it cuts the chimera's legs like a calm.

It's impossible, with an attack of such a thin sword, to give an effective strike to the steel fur protecting its front legs....

I thought so, but the big game eater's sword severed the chimera's front left leg as if it were cutting cheese, and then it sliced through to the back leg as well.

The two legs on the left side are severed, and the chimera loses its balance and falls down.

''Nah!''

He cut off the chimera's legs with a single blow, which even Hararashi couldn't do!

That's a pretty impressive sword of hers, too!

What kind of material can you use to make a cut like that?

Is it a sword technique, or is it magic?　Or is it magic?

I was thinking about this, but the severed surface of the chimera's leg reminded me that I had no time for that.

If this is the case, the severed leg will regenerate.

Hurry up and burn the wound, Heavenly Demon!

I was so impatient, but I wondered why Chimera's legs showed no signs of regenerating at all.

What do you mean?

And then I realize that the chimera's leg is burnt to a crisp.

I'm not going to be the only one who's been in the market for a while.

I'm not going to be the only one who's been in the market for a while.

That glow must be an enchantment-type magic.

The effect of that magic must have burned the chimera's wounds at the same time as it severed them.

If I hadn't been watching from a distance like this, I wouldn't have noticed it.

''What power!''

Normally, magical swordsmen are halfway decent at it.

If you prioritize your sword skills, your magic will be neglected, and if it's the other way around, your sword will be inexperienced.

But both of their big game eating skills were top-notch, or even superb.

The chimera makes use of its remaining branch arms to make multiple attacks from all around, but it evades them with ease.

This is how I can tell from watching the battlefield from a distance, but there was no body blur in that guy's movements.

If a person loses their balance, their movements become unnatural.

It's even more so if it's a simultaneous attack like the one we have now.

But the big game eater's movements were never in jeopardy, even when he lost his balance.

Perhaps if they had fought together beside you, you wouldn't have noticed the abnormality.

''One more!''

And one by one, the big bite eaters burned down the chimera's body.

Seiran and the Heavenly Demon Guide provided cover, but as can be seen from a glance, it was useless cover.

And not long after that, the chimera's body was neatly divided.

''Huh........Ah, were you alright, Lisou-san?

The big eater, relieved of the tension from defeating the chimera, waves to us.

Its appearance is that of an innocent newcomer's sole.

''Oh dear, am I still inexperienced, too...?''

Lately, he had been careless that the Black Fang would protect him even if the enemy's attack hit him.

This is the result of that.

I was made to realize that I had been relying too much on magic items without realizing it.

I don't think I'll be able to master that move after training.

You can't normally move like you have a bunch of hands that look like they're growing out of it, or something like that.