The largest pillar of fire yet erupted.
One side of the oak forest caught fire, and several of the watching people screamed, but Benedict was already at the Chimera’s flank.
Taking advantage of the gap while the Chimera wheezed as if overexerted, he charged straight in.
A brilliant blue aura clearly visible even from here scattered. The white blade that seemed ready to cut through all demonic energy was surging with pure blue light.
The sword strike wrapped in aura boasted incomparable power to before. The Chimera hastily swung its front paw down at Benedict, but flinched and retreated as soon as it touched the diagonally thrust sword. It wasn’t scratched yet, but it was only a matter of time. Soon the Chimera’s tough hide, which had been helpless, began to be sliced away.
Claws flew off, and blood spurted from the front paws. Benedict charged in relentlessly one after another, and under the fierce offensive the Chimera leaped back several times. The monster corpses scattered on the ground were crushed. Trees were also stepped on and broken here and there, and the forest entrance billowing with black smoke became a scene of carnage.
The Chimera, which had been retreating as if frightened, suddenly stopped, stepping on the garden.
“No!”
The Chimera, bearing sword wounds here and there, howled toward the sky. The bubbling, eerie howl pierced through and spread into the glass windows.
“The Lich gave an order.”
The mage explained, trembling from the fear that made his whole body shudder.
“The two are… magically connected.”
The Chimera, having finished its roar, shook its head vigorously, then prepared to leap again.
Its body, as large as a low hill, lunged at Benedict in great gulps. Front paws the size of boulders swung, and thick oak trees were smashed apart. Clack, clack, the huge upper and lower jaws interlocked as it kept biting at the air.
Benedict, who had only been avoiding the monster’s bites here and there with minimal movement, suddenly changed his movements. The moment the Chimera tried to bite again, he leaped in one bound onto the monster’s snout that had just closed.
Stepping on the Chimera’s bridge of nose, he leaped quickly once more. It was instantaneous. Benedict, who had ended up mounted on the Chimera’s back, drove his sword surging with blue light straight into the monster’s shoulder.
Kuaaaah!
The monster howled in pain and thrashed violently. Benedict remained unwavering as if he had become part of the Chimera. With his sword embedded in the Chimera’s body, he grabbed the mane like reins with his other hand. The Chimera’s roar filled with hatred burst forth. Its pitch-black throat began spewing fire again.
“This way! It’s coming this way!”
No more fire came from the Chimera’s gaping mouth. The monster’s eyes, which had been panting as if giving up, blazed again. The Lich’s command seized its reason, and the giant monster began rushing toward the mansion.
“Move!”
When someone shouted, everyone frantically moved away from the window. Voices filled with extreme confusion could be heard. “Joachim!” Mikhail grabbed and called me from beside me, but I remained beside Miss Sana. Remaining there, I watched the moment that might be the end, approaching with great strides.
The distance just before impact. I could see Benedict’s focused eyes. His two eyes, covered in pure killing intent while staring only at the Chimera’s nape, heated to red. In that moment Benedict seemed to give everything of himself to his sword. The blue blade covered in aura moved as if wavering.
Bluish-white flames.
The Chimera’s head filled the view completely, and just before that, Benedict drove down the blazingly blue burning sword with all his might once more. The long longsword completely burrowed into the monster’s nape.
From beneath Benedict’s two hands gripping the sword handle tightly, a more intense beam of light than ever before surged up. His hands gripping the sword moved smoothly sideways as if slowly dividing the empty space. Blue flames spread, and scarlet streams of blood burst out like fireworks.
The monster’s thick nape was torn to shreds.
The entire world was dyed crimson. The monster’s neck, conjured by magic combining all sorts of monster corpses, seemed to pour out as much blood as the number of sacrifices. The beast’s corpse was tilting. Mikhail held me tight.
With a rumble, I felt the earth shake.
Miss Sana quietly opened the terrace door.
Detaching Mikhail, I too followed her outside.
The rain had completely stopped. Cold, damp air soaked in the smell of blood touched my cheeks. Besides Miss Sana and me, several other people came out to the terrace. We remained silent for a moment, staring at the unbelievable scene.
Below the terrace, the Chimera’s huge body could be seen collapsed. Its mass was so enormous that even lying there, it seemed like I could extend my hand under the railing and touch the stiff-looking mane.
Hot steam was rising from the spilled mass of blood. It was still seeping out with a gurgle, soaking the blue lawn like a sea of blood.
And beyond the Chimera’s corpse, Benedict was facing the Lich.
The Lich had already been blown to a corner of the garden and was stuck beneath a broken tree stump.
Benedict approached the twitching Lich at a pace neither fast nor slow.
The Lich tried hard to raise its body, supporting itself with its staff using trembling skeletal hands. But Benedict was already approaching. It belatedly lifted its scythe, the sinister magical implement used for cutting and assembling monsters, but it couldn’t be stronger than the Chimera’s claws.
Benedict was already swinging his sword. The blade wet with red blood was wrapped in pale blue light.
The corrupted soul was cut.
People’s gazes followed the trajectory of the giant scythe spinning up into the sky. When the curved blade stuck deeply into the forest entrance with a thud, the entire situation was over.
The Lich, which had been frozen with its two bony hands crossed, slowly scattered. It collapsed into ash.
“Dead! The Lich is dead!”
The mage announced with certainty.
The people who had been holding onto hope completely cast away their anxiety and filled with joy. Shouts of celebration rang out. I also jumped up, inadvertently embracing people. Some clapped their hands or knelt down to give thanks to God.
“It’s over! It’s all over!”
While roughly patting the back of the embracing Mikhail, I looked down at Benedict. He too was sheathing his sword. He was completely soaked in rainwater and blood.
I looked back at the Regent Duke’s side. They stood in the corner with an incongruous atmosphere, mixed with the Iota people.
The Iota side was clapping but subtly stiffened. The Regent Duke was strangely glaring at them. I was looking at his face full of anger in bewilderment when it happened.
A desperate voice pierced through the excited air.
“This can’t be!”
It was the mage.
He who had clearly announced certain victory had turned ashen.
Without explaining anything, the mage rushed to the terrace in a fluster. My heart also sank as I hurriedly followed behind him outside and asked.
“What’s wrong?”
“Look at that……”
The mage’s trembling voice rang out.
Everyone who had followed behind me stared ahead in puzzlement. In the garden and forest that had been wrecked by battle,
fog was rising.
“…What is this……?”
No, it wasn’t fog. I belatedly felt the air rapidly heating up.
The rainwater was evaporating.
The mage opened his mouth.
“Such tremendous magic power… it’s irreversible, this… the scale of magic power is……”
The mage didn’t need to explain further.
Everyone, even those without magic power, was feeling it with their skin. A tremendous power was descending to this place. All the moisture in the air heated into water vapor and became hot. A short, eerie hissing sound like heating a hot pot rang out briefly. Everyone instinctively sensed the violent moment.
I touched the railing with trembling hands. Benedict was still in the garden. Having sheathed his sword, he was silently watching the heating air with both hands hanging down.
I followed his gaze.
Beyond the forest’s edge, I could see a black shadow rising toward this side.
A translucent barrier appeared before my eyes. I heard the mage who had formed hand seals to create a defensive barrier urgently shouting to get down. As I stood there in a daze, a cold hand grabbed and pressed down my nape. It was Mikhail.
I only looked at Mikhail’s trembling profile as he had his head pressed blankly against the terrace floor with his eyes tightly shut and shaking.
Soon hot air rushed in before my eyes with a whoosh.
A roar that shook the earth.
Only a roar, a terrible cry reached my crouched ears. It felt like my whole body was resonating as if something had violently struck the ground.
A tremendous shock echoed as if covering all the ground, then rumbled and subsided.
“Oh,” I exclaimed briefly in admiration.
I cautiously raised my head.
Nothing had happened. Through the gap of the open terrace door, I could see the curtain fluttering violently and then slowly settling down.
The surroundings were still hot. But everyone was safe.
I hastily checked on Benedict’s safety too. He was also safe. Seeing him standing there just as before, I released the railing I had grabbed in extreme relief.
People who had been prostrate gradually raised their heads.
After confirming their own and each other’s soundness, everyone stood up in bewilderment.
Kiiiiaaaa—
At the sound heard from afar, I exhaled a sigh of relief and looked at various spots in the forest where flames flickered.
“Not the enemy……”
The monsters were burning.
The remaining monsters that had hidden throughout the forest were instantly becoming black ash.
“It was an ally.”
Mikhail, who raised his head belatedly, briefly exclaimed in admiration and received my words.
Through the heat wave, the howls of monsters already dead once could be heard. The pure flames devoured the black blood and burned only the dead bodies. They left the forest alone. Once they finished their task, they would only die down.
The flames of purification were descending.
