153. Chimera’s Release
“As Demon King, I command you! Chimera, cease your endless rest and show yourself before me!”
“…….”
“Demonstrate your strength! Show your existence, the very same existence that strikes fear into all of the demonic realm! I command you in the name of the Demon King!”
“Answer the Demon King’s call! Chimera!”
The Demon King’s roar rang through the skies and earth.
After his summons, the landscape of the demonic realm completely changed in an instant.
The demonic realm was bathed in purple light before, but now, as if someone had taken away the light itself, it became dark.
It seemed as though a night without a speck of moonlight had fallen over the demonic realm.
The Fear roars of monsters throughout the demonic realm rang throughout following that.
Was it because a darkness so pitch black that you could not see in front of you had come over them?
That could be part of the reason.
However, the Fear roars they let out all carried a hint of terror and fear.
They must instinctively sense with their bodies of the great calamity that was about to arrive.
The pitch dark blackness didn’t last long.
The dark skies of the demonic realm became smeared with red.
It was almost as the skies were painted with the blood of humans.
Five dark red spheres floated in the sky.
The spheres looked similar to how the sun appeared from Earth.
Including the Demon King and Ladin, not many would know what those red spheres meant.
The weaker monsters were busy trying to hide themselves, and there were many amongst them that went weak at the legs and collapsed on the spot.
The Demon King had undone the seal on the Chimera. The dark red suns floated above the castle where the Demon King was.
In the middle of the 5 suns, the Chimera showed its form.
Many heads clung to its body as if they were parasitic, its body twitching along in a disgusting fashion.
The Chimera had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, the tail of a serpent, and the wings of a bat.
Its appearance seemed similar to the Chimera back on Earth, but the size of its body was enough to cover the skies of the demonic realm.
Not only that, but it was so strong that it could not be even compared to the Kelvecore.
“Kuhhhhuhg!”
The Chimera flapped its huge wings and landed in front of the Demon King’s castle.
With just its appearance, the monsters on the field perished without even being able to scream.
With just the flap of its wings and a single howl, the monsters were turned to dust.
Jamon stood up and walked outside of his castle.
It was to face the Chimera.
Even Ladin, who was shaking with fear, followed the Demon King outside.
The whole area was tense.
The castle door opened, and Jamon met with the Chimera that was guarding the entrance.
Due to the sheer amount of fear, Ladin could only stare down at the ground.
He could not even bring himself to look at the Chimera.
After all, he knew best what unsealing the Chimera would bring forth than anyone else, since he had witnessed the chaos firsthand before.
Chimera’s breath from its nostril were kicking up thick dust.
After a short moment, Chimera’s eyes met with the Demon King Jamon and gave off a mysterious smile.
Chimera then lowered its head and laid down on the ground.
Even while showing respect towards the Demon King, it did not stop staring at his eyes.
Stepping on the frozen ground that froze over from the cold air coming off of the Chimera, the Demon King came closer.
Standing right before the Chimera, the Demon King spoke.
“I am the Demon King Jamon. The one who has summoned you here is me.”
“Kurururu.”
“I am aware of your strength due to hearing about it constantly. Enough strength to consume the demonic realm. I am speaking about your absolute power that no one can stop.”
“Kuru……”
“I am also very well aware of how little time you have left. The first unsealing in hundreds of years……. You want to start running wild as soon as possible, right? You want to go through the demonic realm like a hurricane, bringing destruction in your path? I know that you want to release all of your inhibitions that you’ve been holding back.”
“Kururu……. That’s right……. However, do you have the confidence to not regret setting me free, Demon King?”
Chimera asked the Demon King while letting out an intense killing intent.
The reason why the Chimera lowered its head before the Demon King was simple.
Access to the Chimera was one of the Authorities the Demon King had.
Only the Demon King can undo the seal and summon the Chimera here.
Other than that method, there was no other way for the Chimera to appear.
What was to follow after that was unfathomable, but since the Chimera was summoned thanks to the Demon King, it was only natural that it show respect.
Jamon also looked into Chimera’s eyes as he spoke.
“Did you mention regret? From the way you speak, I can tell just how pathetic and weak the Demon Kings before me were. However, I am different. As the Demon King king who has called you forth, I have all the qualifications needed to be your master!”
“Kururung. We’ll find out soon enough……. I hope that you aren’t wrong. I do not want to be disappointed by an easy fight…..”
“You won’t be disappointed. Instead, that spot will be taken by regret and remorse.”
While the conversation between the two continued, Ladin kept on sneaking peeks at the Chimera.
He kept staring back down at the ground, but during the times that he peeked, he saw it clearly.
What he saw were things attached to the Chimera, clearly greatly suffering away.
What he saw was a blast from the past, a time when the 6 demonic tribe leaders fought for the throne of the demon king, with the demon tribe Gan winning for a brief moment and allowing one to rise to the title of Demon King, Seu Reol.
To end the war, Seu Reol had undone the seal of the Chimera.
Ladin saw him and the other 5 tribe leaders letting out terrifying screams filled to the brim with pain, attached to the body of the Chimera.
That’s right. Those who lost their lives to the Chimera did not meet their ends with death.
Even while the Chimera was sealed and resting, those who lost to the Chimera were to suffer eternal pain that was so intense, none could endure it without letting out horrific screams.
This punishment was to last until the Chimera, who none could dare defeat, was to be completely eliminated.
As if Ladin had seen something he shouldn’t have, his body trembled more intensely.
He had stood opposed until the end about releasing the Chimera.
He wasn’t aware of the suffering one would endure after being defeated by the Chimera, but he was aware of the catastrophe summoning the Chimera would bring.
Ladin wasn’t even aware of himself shaking his head and muttering to himself.
“No…… We’ll all die…… Summoned something that should have not been……. We’re all going to die……… I can’t end up like them….. I can’t.”
However, his mutterings were drowned out by the sound the Chimera’s breathing and did not reach the Demon King’s ears.
Even while that was happening, the conversation between the Chimera and the Demon King continued.
“Chimera. Shouldn’t you get going now?”
“The moment that I consume one of those orbs in the skies, I will move like a whirlwind through the demonic realm. To find a stronger magical energy essence. To find a stronger opponent……. I shall enjoy butchering, stepping down on everything, bringing destruction, and annihilate everything. Everything in the demonic realm that I have arrived in!”
“Pff. That is what I want as well. Before you become sealed away again, it seems that this will be our first and last time conversing. Destroy everything in this realm. I command you as your master.”
“Kururu. There won’t be a need to set targets. No matter how well you hide your magical energy, I will find you…..”
“Kuhahaha! Sounds like you want to be put back to sleep before your time is up, weakling……”
“Then….. I shall begin…….. As I kill my way up from the bottom, I’m sure you’ll be somewhere at the end. It won’t take that long. A Demon King…… different from the previous Demon Kings. When the time comes, you’ll have to prove me your strength.”
“Good. Hurry now. Go and consume everything. Afterwards, find me. I shall face you as much as you want!”
“Kururung…….”
The moment that the Demon King finished speaking, the Chimera swiftly flapped its wings and took to the skies.
The cries of all the monsters fused with the Chimera that seemed to tear apart the very air grew further and further away.
Seeing the Chimera flying further and further away, the Demon King leisurely walked back into the castle with a slightly more relaxed expression.
The Chimera only enjoyed battles and butchering.
It had held back all this time, now recalling the taste of blood that it had never forgotten once, hunting monsters with stronger magical energy signatures after each kill.
Included in those list of targets would be the humans and Belkoseu.
Ladin and himself could also become targets of the Chimera, but the Demon King believed that this was the best solution to put the troublesome humans to rest forever.
It would be great if Belkoseu, who had the Authority that gave him immortality, also perished in the jaws of the Chimera, but he didn’t expect that to be the case.
After all, Belkoseu was an existence that could not be annihilated.
Moving with complete confidence that he would not be defeated, the Demon King headed back into the castle.
Flying close to one of the dark red orbs in the sky, the Chimera consumed one of them with a single bite.
Its large jaws had no trouble consuming one of the orbs.
The 5 orbs signified how much time was left.
After swallowing all five orbs, it wouldn’t be long before the Chimera would be sealed away once more.
How ironic the situation was, since it had to take the very action that would seal itself.
However, until it consumed the first orb, the Chimera could not kill anything or anyone.
After a certain amount of time, it would need to eat another orb to continue.
Without any other options, it had to enduring consuming the orbs.
The effect of the orbs didn’t end there.
Depending on the rank of the orb consumed, it allowed a greater amount of its strength to become unsealed.
To explain this simply, the first orb consumed would be the equivalent of an Awakened learning a skill.
The second orb consumed would grant strength equivalent to a an Awakened Awakening a skill after having it reach level 100.
The third orb would mean strength equivalent to an Awakened reaching level 200 on a skill and Transcending it.
The five orbs split into each rank allowed the Chimera to display far more powerful strength with each consumed.
Having consumed the first orb and releasing its first stage of power, it began to hunt for its prey with fire in its eyes.
Accurately pinpointing the location of its first prey in one attempt, it flapped its wings and flew forward with incredible speed.
“Kuruuuu! I have waited for hundreds of years. I seek ones that will give me the thrill of battle…… An opponent who will leave me scars that won’t heal……. If the fight is anything like the previous letdown, I shall turn the entire demonic realm into ashes!”
****
Min-Cheol had defeated Ifrit.
Karin, who had categorized the pile of loot, was whistling a tune with excitement at the thought of steak nicely sizzling away.
Everything was going so well that it was enough to make one worry.
Both Karin, who was whistling away with joy, and Belkoseu, who was looking at the scene with a treacherous expression, both twitched their bodies as if struck by lightning.
Since we were past the edge of the demonic realm, we were surrounded by pitch black darkness.
That was why Jong Ho and I had no idea that the scenery of the demonic realm had changed.
However, being the monsters that they were, Karin and Belkoseu could sense it.
At this very moment, they knew that something that shouldn’t exist had been summoned forth.
“KEH HEH EHHHHHHHHHH!”
“Kuhu…… What a fool. So he has actually resorted to this……”