Chapter 96: Orc Extermination (4)

Despite his boiling emotions, Damian's mind remained calm. The most important thing when facing a chimera is to be vigilant and observe carefully. A chimera is created by combining various monsters, thus possessing a wide array of abilities. Therefore, judging by appearance alone is dangerous, as one never knows when, where, or what kind of ability might emerge.

"…You sure know how to put on a show. But you know, a lot of people have died because of that!"

Noctis pointed at Damian with his index finger and shouted.

"Yebiya, show them what you're made of!"

It was a name that didn't quite match the brave appearance.

-Creak!

Suddenly, the chimera's body disappeared. At the same time, a strong wind blew from the front.

The sudden gust of wind made Damian's hair and clothes flutter wildly. Dust flew into his eyes, causing him to squint one eye shut.

At that moment, the chimera suddenly appeared in front of him and swung its hand at Damian.

-Creak!

Even with one eye closed, it wasn't a problem. Damian easily dodged by gauging the distance.

In that instant, a sense of foreboding washed over him. As Damian pulled his body back, five deep slashes appeared on the ground.

It wasn't just the ground; the trees behind him also split and fell.

"Quite the interesting creature."

Damian said with a hint of amusement after seeing the scene.

"Not only can it turn into wind, but it can also use the wind to deliver a lethal strike?"

Just a moment ago, the chimera didn't suddenly appear in front of him; it had transformed into wind to move.

When it swung its hand, the ground and forest turned into a mess because it had converted the wind into a lethal strike.

"That's why chimeras are such a headache."

Neither of its abilities was ordinary. Moreover, it was certain that it had many more hidden abilities.

"Only now do you realize how amazing Yebiya is? Yebiya, keep it up!"

Noctis issued another command. The chimera wildly swung its hands.

With each swing, a lethal wind strike poured out. In the blink of an eye, the forest turned into a wasteland.

But Damian didn't even blink as he dodged all the attacks.

"This is getting interesting."

He was even smiling and enjoying it.

"Yebiya! What are you doing? That guy keeps dodging!"

As Damian continued to dodge the attacks, Noctis grew frustrated.

"Kill him now!"

The chimera's eyes changed. At the same time, its body became blurry.

"Oh?"

The chimera transformed into wind and disappeared, reappearing behind Damian.

-Creak!

It immediately swung its hand. A wind blade enveloped Damian.

Damian dodged by leaping to the side.

When he landed and looked up, the chimera was already gone.

-Creak!

This time, the sound came from directly behind him. Damian kicked off the ground and soared into the air.

The chimera's hand sliced through the air. A wind blade cut into the ground.

-Creak!

The chimera transformed into wind again. Damian, seeing this, said with a hint of disappointment.

"It looks impressive, but it's not very practical."

Transforming into wind to move in all directions was decent.

However, the problem was that it had to return to its original form to attack.

If one could predict that moment, dodging or blocking the attack was easy.

Just like now.

Damian spun his body and swung his sword. At that moment, the chimera appeared in the air.

-Clang?

The chimera's attack was slower than Damian's. His holy sword sliced through the chimera's body.

At that moment, the chimera raised its arms to block the holy sword. The holy sword and the chimera's scales clashed.

The holy sword cut through the scales and muscles, and green blood spurted out.

"Hmm?"

But that was all. Damian's holy sword only cut through the chimera's skin, not its bones.

Seeing this, Noctis shouted triumphantly.

"Yebiya has the bones of a drake! You can't cut through them!"

Drake.

One of the most dangerous dragon-type monsters, known for its massive size, immense strength, and ferocity.

Especially, the skin and bones of a drake were famous for being so hard that they couldn't be cut by aura.

"Yebiya! Keep pressing the attack!"

The chimera lunged forward, swinging its hands to attack Damian.

During this time, Noctis shouted to Marina.

"Marina!"

"…I don't need to be rushed. I'm already ready."

The haggard woman, Marina, manifested a black magic spell. The fatal poison, which was in the form of a snake, transformed into a swarm of hornets.

The hornets flew at a terrifying speed, surrounding Damian.

In front was the chimera.

Around him were hornets carrying the fatal poison.

If Damian moved to dodge the chimera's attack, the hornets would immediately inject their poison.

Despite being cornered, Damian didn't look flustered.

"Trying to launch a coordinated attack, huh? Doesn't suit you."

Damian drew his千里剑 (Chilrijeon). While dodging the chimera's attack, he swung the Chilrijeon in the air.

Each time he sliced the air, the Chilrijeon began to vibrate fiercely.

When the vibration reached its peak, Damian flicked the Chilrijeon with his finger.

Evil Sword – Taeseongeum (太聲音)

A high-pitched sound spread in all directions, as if to burst the eardrums. The two black mages hurriedly covered their ears with their hands.

The swarm of hornets couldn't maintain their form and returned to their liquid state. The chimera staggered, unable to regain its composure.

Damian switched from the Chilrijeon to the holy sword, condensing his aura.

Drake's bones? What's the big deal?

If he couldn't cut through them with aura, he would just condense more aura.

Every mid-class mage had this level of skill.

Not to mention, Damian had long surpassed the mid-class level in terms of skill.

The condensed aura enveloped the holy sword. The aura, which looked like mist, was thick.

-Creak!

At that moment, the chimera shuddered its head, regaining its composure from the influence of the Taeseongeum.

But it was already too late. Damian was already swinging the Chilrijeon at Yebiya's neck.

At that moment,

"Yebiya! Spit it out!"

Noctis shouted. Immediately, Yebiya opened its mouth wide.

Flames erupted from the chimera's throat.

* * *

A crimson blaze enveloped Damian in an instant, spreading to the surrounding forest.

The intense heat turned the trees into ashes in a moment. The soil and gravel on the ground melted.

"Ha ha ha!"

Noctis laughed gleefully.

"Didn't know, did you? Yebiya has the fire sac of a drake!"

The main reason drakes are considered one of the most dangerous large monsters is their ability to breathe fire.

Compared to a dragon's breath, it's just a speck, but it has enough power to turn a city into a sea of flames.

"Serve you right! Who told you to show off? You become charcoal when you let your guard down!"

Unlike Noctis, who was already drunk on the joy of victory, Marina was watching the flames with a tense expression.

"R, Noctis!"

Thanks to her, she noticed it quickly.

"T, That guy… he's still alive! He's alive, I tell you!"

Damian was standing in the flames, unharmed.

"What are you talking about? That's the fire of a drake."

Damian walked out of the flames, shaking off the embers on his clothes. Noctis's eyes widened in shock.

"Such a simple fire is easily blocked."

Damian had once absorbed the heart left by a fire elemental, making his body resistant to fire.

"M, Makes no sense…."

Damian walked out of the flames, and Noctis and Marina fell into a panic.

"M, Marina… w, what do we do?"

"I, I don't know! H, How do we deal with such a monster…."

Damian swung his holy sword in quick succession, releasing condensed aura to create massive lethal strikes.

The first strike split the chimera in half. The second strike cut through its waist. The third and fourth strikes sliced it diagonally.

Several lines were drawn on the chimera's body. Eventually, the chimera's body split into pieces and collapsed.

"Y, You…!"

Noctis's eyes were bloodshot with hatred and screams.

"How dare you! Killing Yebiya? I won't let you off…!"

Noctis lunged at Damian, who kicked him in the stomach. Noctis was slammed into a tree behind him.

"Y, You… I won't let you off…."

Even as he lay on the ground, Noctis spat out his anger at Damian.

"Understand…? I will avenge Yebiya's death…!"

Damian stabbed Noctis's fingers with his holy sword, severing three of them.

"M, My fingers…."

"Say one more word, and I'll cut off your wrist."

Damian said in a cold, emotionless voice, making it even more terrifying. Noctis clamped his hand over his mouth.

Damian pulled out the holy sword embedded in the ground and immediately swung it to the side.

"Kyaah!"

Marina's left hand was severed. The severed hand held a vial of poison.

"Don't bother. It won't do any good."

Marina gasped for breath, clutching her severed wrist.

"I have many questions for you. I hope you answer honestly."

"Who, who would answer you?"

"You're right. Don't do anything pointless. Just die."

The two black mages said with venomous eyes. Damian burst into laughter.

"Right, that's the spirit. It's more fun when you resist."

That way, he could vent his frustration under the guise of an interrogation.

"By the way, I just learned a very good technique."

Damian had purchased a partially burned mana cultivation technique and skill book at the auction in Luxiang.

It didn't take long to restore it. When he saw the complete mana cultivation technique and skill book, Damian realized he had obtained a treasure.

The name of the mana cultivation technique was Mianli Jinzhen (綿裏禁針).

It was a mana cultivation technique that allowed the manipulation of meridians, the pathways through which mana flows in the body.

Using this, one could train their own meridians or strengthen them when exerting a large amount of power at once.

However, the true value of Mianli Jinzhen wasn't in these abilities.

It was in the ability to manipulate the meridians of others. One could block or stimulate meridians to cause extreme pain.

"Fortunately, I needed a practice partner. This is perfect."