Nido Tensei Shita Shounen wa S-rank Boukensha Toshite Heion ni Sugosu ~ Zense ga Kenja de Eiyūdatta Boku wa Raisede wa Jimi ni Ikiru ~

Episode 77: Ruins and Chimera

“Well then, I’m off!”

The members of the second camp cheered at Risou’s declaration.

“We’re expecting souvenirs!”

“Don’t hog them all!”

After finishing the aftermath of the battle with Antraptor, we decided to take sufficient rest before embarking on the exploration of the ruins.
Joining us were several A-rank adventurers as escorts to the entrance of the ruins.
Liliera-san was among them.

“We’ll protect Rex-san until the entrance of the ruins.”

Liliera-san struck the spear’s butt into the ground with determination.

“Thank you, Liliera-san.”

This was a consideration so that we S-rank adventurers wouldn’t waste unnecessary energy on escort duty to the entrance of the ruins.
The remaining people were busy with guarding the second camp, dismantling Antraptor, and further strengthening the camp’s defenses.
It seems there were plenty of things to do even for those not directly involved in the exploration of the ruins.

“Haa!”

“Take that!”

The escort adventurers defeated the monsters along the way.

“Take this!”

Liliera-san also repelled the monsters with a series of quick spear thrusts.

“As expected of a boy’s partner.
Your spear skills are on par with my comrades.”

Rodi-san praised Liliera-san with a smile.

“Thank you.
Liliera-san would be happy to hear that.”

“Hmph, but my partners are not inferior either.
Well, this time I ended up being assigned to guard the camp.”

Rodi-san’s party members were busy with healing, reinforcing the camp, so they couldn’t participate in the escort this time.

“Oh well, it’s a shame that we can’t collect the materials from the high-ranking monsters we defeated.”

“Can’t be helped.
Our job is to escort the S-rank team.
If you want to collect materials, do it on the way back.”

“Just hope we don’t get eaten by other monsters before then.”

The escort adventurers were disappointed that they couldn’t collect the materials from the defeated monsters.
It takes time to dismantle the monsters.
That’s why they were told to prioritize the escort mission this time and leave the collection of monster materials for later.
By the way, Liliera-san cleverly stored only the monsters she defeated in her own magic bag.
I’m curious why she didn’t collect the other monsters, but maybe Liliera-san has her own reasons.

We continued to advance through the cave while being attacked by numerous monsters.
And about 30 minutes after starting the exploration, we finally reached the ruins we were aiming for.

“There really is a ruin underground…”

The ruins were covered in white walls with decorations here and there.
From the design, it was probably a ruin from a time close to my past life or the life before that.

But why did they bother to build it underground?

“Now, let’s proceed with the ruins investigation.
Be careful on your way back.”

“Yes, everyone, take care.”

“Don’t get too absorbed in collecting monster materials on the way back and get attacked.”

“I know.”

Risou-san and the escort adventurers exchanged parting words with a light joke.

“Take care, Rex-san.”

Liliera-san bid farewell with a worried expression.

“Well, with Rex-san’s abilities, it might be unnecessary to worry, but…”

“It’s not like that.
But I’m really happy that you’re worried about me.”

In my past lives, there were people who worried about losing the power of a sage or a hero, but no one worried about me as an individual.
Just that alone makes me very happy.

“Hey, let’s go back!”

The escort adventurers called out to Liliera-san.

“Then I’ll go back.”

“Take care, Liliera-san.”

“Yes.”

And so, Liliera-san and the others headed back.

“Well then, let’s get to work!”

Rodi-san raised his voice to change the mood.

“Shut up, Seiran.
We’re about to explore an unknown ruin, so can’t you be quiet? We don’t know what’s inside.”

“Sorry.”

Rodi-san scolded Seiran for making a loud noise, but Seiran himself didn’t seem very remorseful.

“Using the exploration magic, I sense the presence of numerous monsters around the entrance.
It seems there are as many monsters as the average A-rank ones.
This is a tough bone from the start.”

Risou-san grinned as Ramise informed us of the information obtained from the exploration magic.

“Can’t be helped.
Let’s forcefully invade.”

In other words, we’ll use brute force.

“Excuse me!”

Saying such, Risou, also known as Sou Daiga, jumped into the ruins with weapons in both hands.

The monsters in sight noticed us and turned around, but they suddenly screamed and writhed in pain.
The reason was the powerful light magic emitted by Heavenly Demon Magic floating behind me.
What happens when monsters who live in darkness and rely on faint light suddenly get exposed to strong light? The answer is that their eyes are temporarily blinded and they lose their vision.

“Alright, let’s charge through! Seiran, you’re in the rear! Big Game Eater and Heavenly Demon Magic, provide support!”

I charged forward with my two large swords held in front like boar’s tusks.
The monsters in a straight line didn’t even understand what was happening and were blown away by the charge of my partner, “Sou Daiga”.
Some died instantly, while others survived.
But I didn’t stop to finish them off.

There were too many monsters, so it was impossible to take on all of them.
Just because I’m an S-rank adventurer doesn’t mean I’m invincible.
The key to longevity is to instantly determine which opponents to fight and which ones to avoid.

Some of the monsters that evaded my charge immediately counterattacked.
It was a good reaction, even for enemies.
They tried to bite my arms from the side as I passed by, but such attacks couldn’t penetrate my defense.

“Take this!”

I swung my black fangs and cut down the monsters with a single stroke, then resumed my charge with my swords ready.
I didn’t care about my own injuries.
After all, there’s a Saint with us.
My role is to charge and clear the way.

“Hm?”

I looked ahead and saw a dozen or so monsters blocking the path.
It would be difficult to break through them.

“Spiral Rain!”

Then, Heavenly Demon Magic’s voice echoed from behind, and dozens of water droplets pierced through the monsters at high speed while rotating.

“Good job!”

He’s a bit difficult, but he’s a capable man.
Thanks to Heavenly Demon Magic’s magic, the wall of monsters collapsed, and I, swinging my two large swords vigorously, jumped into the crowd of monsters.

The monsters retreated further from the relentless charge.

“Take this!”

Big Game Eater came from the side and cut down the lightly wounded monsters, providing support.
With her slender sword, she easily cut down the monsters in a single stroke.
It was quite a skill.
It was fortunate because if it was just me, Saint and Heavenly Demon Magic would be vulnerable to attacks when breaking through.

And beyond the wall of monsters, I saw a door.

“Saint! Once we pass through that door, create a barrier to keep the monsters away!”

“Leave it to me.”

With that, I opened the door and rolled inside while swinging my sword.
It was a rough ambush countermeasure.
But strangely, there was no ambush.
On top of that, this place wasn’t indoors.
The ceiling that was visible until a moment ago was no longer there, and darkness spread out.
And I could see the ground beneath my feet.

“Did we accidentally end up outside the building and into a cave!?”

“My Lord! Bestow your holy protection! Field Wall!”

The Saint who entered after me created a barrier to repel the monsters.

“Alright, everyone, get in!”

Once I confirmed that everyone who followed me had rolled into the barrier, I hurriedly closed the door.
And when I confirmed that the monsters chasing us had their line of sight temporarily blocked, I quickly entered the barrier.

“Seiran, Big Game Eater, keep an eye on the surroundings! Heavenly Demon Magic, use the exploration magic to detect any pursuers in the room!”

Even if they break through the door, they won’t be able to find us inside the barrier.
We just have to wait inside the barrier until the monsters give up searching for us.

But strangely, there was no sign of the monsters trying to break the door.
On top of that, there was no sound of them banging on the door.
Curious, Heavenly Demon Magic tilted her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s strange, the monsters suddenly turned back.”

What does that mean? Does it mean that their territory is only inside the building? Well, if that’s the case, then it’s a relief.

After confirming our temporary safety, we immediately looked around.
When I entered, the light only reached the vicinity of the entrance, but now, with Heavenly Demon Magic here, the light magic illuminated the surroundings evenly.

“This is… a courtyard, perhaps?”

I asked in a questioning tone because there wasn’t a single blade of grass growing there.
However, there were stone-paved paths and stone decorations that were probably once planted.
Surely, in the era when this ruin was not a ruin, there were many ancient people here.
However, now it’s just a desolate place with remnants of that time.

“Anyway, let’s take a break here for now.”

Some of us might have been injured from the reckless charge, so let’s regroup and prepare.

“Speaking of which, Riso-san, your weapon is also a magic item, right?”

While taking a break and healing inside the barrier, Big Game Eater (Oomono Kurai) said that.

“Oh, you noticed?”

“Earlier, I saw that Riso-san didn’t get injured even though he was bitten by a monster.
Instead, I saw one of the fangs on the back of the black sword break.”

Surprising that you noticed.

“That’s right.
This sword is called Soudaiga, a pair of two magic items.”

I temporarily stopped exploring and held up the black of the two large swords.

“This black one is Kokuga, it takes the place of my shoulder and takes the damage from attacks.
Each time it takes an attack, the fangs break, and it takes a day for one fang to regenerate after it breaks.
Also, if it receives a too strong attack, multiple fangs can break at the same time.”

And then I held up the white large sword.

“This white one is Hakuga, it adds the damage received from the opponent when attacking and returns it to the opponent.
It’s my trump card that can deliver a heavy blow without getting hurt if used properly.”

Yes, this is the biggest secret that has allowed me to survive as an S-rank adventurer.
Some people might think it’s cheating to rely on the power of tools, but this is an item I found in the lower levels of the dungeon.
In other words, I was able to obtain this item because I had the ability.
Most people shut up when I say that to those who try to pick a fight with me.

“…Is it okay to tell me all that?”

Big Game Eater (Oomono Kurai) showed a surprised expression as if he didn’t expect to be told all that.
Hahaha, I’m telling him because I want to see that expression.

“It’s fine, after all, these Soudaiga are just like regular large swords in appearance.
There aren’t many people who can handle two of them at the same time.
It can’t fully demonstrate the true value of the sword if you handle them one by one.”

Yes, the reason I’m willing to reveal the abilities of Soudaiga is because there are very few swordsmen who can handle two large swords at the same time.
Even if a magic item has high performance, it becomes more difficult to find a buyer if it doesn’t have a practical use.
At most, it will be displayed on the walls of a noble’s mansion.

“Besides, it’s better to know the strength of your comrades when fighting in the same party, right?”

“Indeed, you’re right.”

Big Game Eater (Oomono Kurai) nodded repeatedly in agreement.

“Well, that doesn’t mean I have to reveal my trump card.
In this industry, yesterday’s allies can become today’s enemies.
In my case, it means this was a trump card that I could afford to reveal.”

It would be cruel to ask a young person to expose their hand.

“Well then, now that we’ve finished healing, let’s get going.
If we’re too late, the people at the camp will worry.”

“W-What is this!?”

As we resumed our exploration, we decided to search for another entrance to the ruins from a different route within the courtyard.
It would reduce the possibility of encountering monsters if we entered from a different entrance.
However, on the way, we came across an abnormal sight.

It was a mountain.
However, that mountain was not made of soil or rocks.
It was made of golems.

“Is this… a pile of golem remains?”

Just as Heavenly Demon Magic said, the golems that had become a mountain were all broken.

“It’s like a golem graveyard.”

Haruran joked, but it didn’t sound like a joke at all.
This sight was truly like a graveyard.
It seemed as if the golems in this ruins had gathered here and died.
The golem bodies themselves looked like gravestones.

“What could have happened here…”

We were captivated by this strange sight.

“The damage to these golems is not from swords or magic.”

In the midst of such a strange atmosphere, Big Game Eater (Oomono Kurai) muttered.

“What?”

“Look, these are bite marks and claw marks.
They look like wounds caused by a large creature attacking.”

Saying that, Big Game Eater (Oomono Kurai) pointed to a golem with a hole big enough for my arm to fit in and a large claw mark that seemed to have torn through the golem’s body the size of a human.
In other words, if these were wounds caused by claws, how big was the creature that inflicted them!?

“Moreover, these wounds…”

After a brief pause, Big Game Eater (Oomono Kurai) delivered even more shocking news.

“They are relatively fresh.”

“What?”

Fresh? That means…

“Considering the condition of the golems, these wounds were inflicted recently.”

“W-What!?”

That’s when it happened.

GoooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!

“……!?”

A groan echoed throughout the ruins.
It sounded like a roar, but it didn’t sound like a normal creature’s cry.

“Something is coming! What about the detection magic!?”

“There’s nothing! There hasn’t been such a large reaction anywhere until now!”

Heavenly Demon Magic screamed in a panicked voice.
Does that mean there is something right next to us that is causing him to panic!?

“It’s coming!”

Startled by Big Game Eater (Oomono Kurai)’s voice, I snapped back to my senses and prepared to attack with both hands.
Even though some of the fangs on my sword had broken in the previous battle, there were still plenty left.
Even if the opponent is a dragon, I can buy enough time to escape.

The vibration is getting closer to us.
It seems like the other side is fully aware of our presence.
A creepy sense of oppression is approaching from the darkness.

And I saw it.
Its blasphemous figure.

“Huh!?”

The saint screamed at its grotesque ugliness.

It had the body of a giant lizard.
Its front legs were like those of a beast, while its hind legs were like those of a bird.
Its tail had a snake with no eyes growing at the tip, and occasionally, a mouth like a bright red crescent moon could be seen.
Arms covered in scales grew from its back, extending like branches of a tree.

And its head was exceptionally abnormal.
It looked like an adorable cat at first glance.
However, both eyes had fangs like an electric eel, and its ears had bulging eyeballs.
Various animal legs grew from its mouth, and they wriggled eerily.
It was a monster that evoked a physiological disgust, as if the gods had made a mistake in attaching its parts.

Kruoeeuaooooa!!

Naturally, it was impossible for it to make a normal cry with such a mouth.
It let out a nauseating groan.

“What is that…?”

It was clearly not an ordinary creature.
Even the grotesque magical beasts said to be created by evil gods had a somewhat normal form.
That’s how abnormal the presence in front of me was.

“…It’s a chimera.”

In the midst of all this, Big Game Eater (Oomono Kurai) muttered quietly.

“A chimera? That thing!?”

A chimera, the name of an ancient civilization’s creature created by synthesizing multiple organisms.
It is despised by the church to which the saint belongs, not in the same sense as undead, as an insult to the life created by the gods.

“Yes, that thing is not the form of a proper living creature.
It’s clearly a chimera created by someone with malicious intent.”

Big Game Eater (Oomono Kurai) asserted.
I felt relieved by his assertion.
There is no way such an abnormal existence should naturally exist.
That’s how abnormal it was.

Urororosiiiaaaeaa!

The chimera stood up and swung its front legs.

“Scatter!”

In response to my voice, the three of them moved instinctively.
However, the saint was the only one who couldn’t escape in time.

“Tch!”

I pushed the saint away and took the chimera’s claw with my black fang.
With the power of the black fang, I can withstand several attacks from a B-rank monster!

The chimera’s claw, which is comparable to my black fang, clashed against it.
While jumping backward, I tried to kill as much of the impact from the claw as possible and planned to return the attack with my white fang.

“Get out of the way!”

In a urgent voice, Haruran stopped me from attacking and I jumped further back.
Immediately after, my body was sent flying sideways.

I could feel that it wasn’t a direct hit.
However, my body still felt the pain as if it was being torn apart.
The body that was sent flying hit the ground and bounced.

I thought I would be thrown further, but fortunately or unfortunately, I was able to stop by colliding with the pile of golem remains from earlier.
However, the fallen golem remains hurt.

“I’m sorry, I’ll heal you!”

The saint immediately cast healing magic.
The pain was so intense that my body couldn’t move, it seemed like I was seriously injured.
I moved my eyes to look at the black fang in my hand.
I want to praise myself for not dropping it.

“What!?”

To my surprise, all the fangs on the back of the black fang were broken.
In other words, all of the black fang’s defense was taken away by the attack just now.

Hey, hey, with just one fang, I can defend against the attacks of a B-rank monster! That means that one blow from that thing is equivalent to several B-rank monsters, probably even A-rank monsters or higher?

And despite receiving that much damage with the black fang, I’m still alive.
If it weren’t for the saint, I would have died.

Currently, Haruran and Big Game Eater (Oomono Kurai) are distracting it while Heavenly Demon Magic attacks with magic.
However, the chimera’s body is regenerating as soon as it is hit by Heavenly Demon Magic’s powerful magic.

“What kind of regeneration ability is this!?”

“I think they’re using a high-regeneration monster like a Hydra or something on their body.
And because of that, their body has abnormally grown and turned into this monster, right?”

“Big Game Eater, do you know about Chimeras too!?”

Despite being in the middle of a battle with Heavenly Demon Magic, they have a happy expression on their face.
Seriously, their knowledge obsession is troublesome because it doesn’t choose the right time.

“If we want to defeat the Hydra, the basic is to burn the wound.
Seiran, Big Game Eater, you guys don’t let up on the attacks no matter what, I’ll do the burning!”

“Understood!”

“Got it!”

Heavenly Demon Magic casts a restraining magic, and Seiran and Big Game Eater move towards the Chimera.
Oh no, if they get hit by its attack even once, they won’t survive.

“Wait, guh!”

I tried to shout at the two to be careful of the attack, but I couldn’t make a sound because of the pain.

“Please stay still for now.
You have quite a deep wound!”

The Saint scolds me as I try to move.
Damn it, it’s my job to be the party’s shield and break through the situation.
And the two have already approached the Chimera.
In this situation, all I can do is pray for their safety.

“Yes!”

Seiran slashes at the Chimera’s thick front leg, but it only cuts a few strands of its thick fur and doesn’t have any significant effect.

“What is this fur!? It’s like iron!”

The Chimera’s fur is unexpectedly hard, and Seiran screams in frustration.

Orooakuaaaooaooaooa!!

The Chimera’s front leg, which raised a voice of anger, sweeps away the two, but they easily avoid it.
However, at the same time, the arm-like branches that extended from its back attack them.

The attack that struck me was that! It was the simultaneous attack by multiple arms that extended like branches from its back, the same attack that rendered Kuroha’s Black Fang unusable.

“Dodge…!”

No, my voice still won’t come out.

“Sonic Lancer!”

Some of the arms that attacked Seiran are blown away by Heavenly Demon Magic’s magic, and Seiran manages to avoid them somehow.
But because Big Game Eater moved in the opposite direction of Seiran, they couldn’t receive the support of Heavenly Demon Magic.
If they receive this unavoidable attack, they will definitely die, especially since they don’t have Black Fang like me.

“Physical Boost!”

At that moment, Big Game Eater’s body blurred.

“Huh!?”

And unbelievably, Big Game Eater’s arms simultaneously extended in all directions and cut through all of the Chimera’s branch arms!

“What!?”

What happened? I can’t find any other words to say.

“Ramise-san! Please burn it!”

“Huh!? F-Flame Blast!”

Heavenly Demon Magic, who came to their senses from Big Game Eater’s words, casts magic, and one of the Chimera’s branch arms is burned.

Kyurororakuaaa!

The Chimera screams in an unpleasant metallic creak, clearly in pain.

“Now!”

Big Game Eater jumps in again.

“Melting Sword!”

When Big Game Eater’s slender sword is enveloped in a pale blue flickering light, it cuts through the Chimera’s legs as if cutting through calm water.
It’s impossible, with such a thin sword attack, it wouldn’t be effective against the steel fur protecting its front legs…

But, I thought so, but Big Game Eater’s sword cuts off the Chimera’s left front leg as if cutting through cheese, and then slashes through its hind leg.
With its two left legs severed, the Chimera loses balance and falls.

“What!?”

Even Seiran couldn’t do it, but Big Game Eater cut off the Chimera’s legs in one blow!? Their sword is quite an extraordinary weapon, isn’t it!? What kind of weapon can make such cuts!? With the strange attack from earlier, where multiple arms appeared, and this attack just now, is this swordsmanship? Or is it magic!?

While thinking about that, I remember something more important when I look at the severed legs of the Chimera.
They will regenerate if we don’t burn the wounds quickly, Heavenly Demon Magic! I was impatient, but the Chimera’s legs show no signs of regeneration.

“What’s going on!?”

And then I realize.
The severed legs of the Chimera are charred.
And Big Game Eater’s sword is flickering with a pale blue light.
That radiance is undoubtedly an enchantment-type magic.
With the effect of that magic, they cut and burned the Chimera’s wounds at the same time.
If I hadn’t been watching from a distance, I wouldn’t have noticed.

“What a skill.”

Normally, a magic swordsman’s abilities are mediocre.
If they prioritize swordsmanship, magic becomes neglected, and vice versa.

But Big Game Eater’s skills are top-notch in both areas, no, they’re beyond top-notch.
The Chimera uses its remaining branch arms to launch multiple attacks from all directions, but Big Game Eater easily dodges them.
By observing the battlefield from a distance like this, I can see that their movements are steady without any wavering.
If a human loses balance, their movements become unnatural.
Especially with simultaneous attacks like just now.
But even when Big Game Eater loses balance, their movements never become precarious.
If I had fought alongside them, I probably wouldn’t have noticed this abnormality.

“One more time!”

And Big Game Eater continues to slash and burn the Chimera’s body one after another.
Seiran and Heavenly Demon Magic provide support, but even from an outsider’s perspective, it’s clear that their support is unnecessary.
And shortly after that, the Chimera’s body is cleanly divided.

“Phew… Oh, are you okay, Risou-san?”

Big Game Eater, who has relieved the tension after defeating the Chimera, waves their hand at me.
Their appearance is that of an innocent rookie.

“Phew, I’m still far from being skilled…”

I’ve been getting careless lately, thinking that even if I get hit by the enemy’s attack, Black Fang will protect me.
This is the result of that.
I’ve realized that I’ve been relying too much on magic items without even realizing it.

“But… I don’t think I can train enough to master those movements.”

Moves that look like they have multiple arms growing out of them are just impossible.