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The Angel of Ruin and Blade of Shadows – Part 05

The knights had paid little attention in that direction. Never did they anticipate any trouble at the toxin-producing factory.

The captain immediately issued commands. “1st, 2nd, and 3rd squads, maintain the encirclement! 4th squad, head to the factory!”

Acknowledgments came, and in the darkness, highly trained knights spread out. Over twenty knights headed toward the factory.

The factory, collapsing just moments before, now lay eerily silent. Under the pale moonlight, a portion of the building had been reduced to rubble, sending clouds of dust in the air.

The knights approached cautiously, swords drawn, their blades gleaming.

The servants who had emerged from the lodging watched with bated breath. Igloo, keeping a vigilant eye on the forest, cast glances at the factory.

“Is anyone there?! Are you okay?! Answer me!” The knight leading the way approached the wreckage of the collapsed roof. “Hey, is there anyone—”

Out of nowhere, something pink twisted like a whip and coiled around his body, yanking him into the factory. It all unfolded too quickly that not even a single gasp escaped anyone’s lips.

Muffled grunts came from the spot where the knight had been dragged, accompanied by what sounded like metal smashing and water dripping.

The nearest knight swallowed hard. There was something there. Suddenly they were reminded that this building was a factory manufacturing poison, run by a suspicious researcher. Even knights, usually ready to confront any formidable foe on orders, hesitated briefly in the face of the unknown out of fear.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaah!”

A piercing cry swept like a shockwave, paralyzing the knights in their spots. Immediately after, the factory’s wall burst open, and something jumped out.

A few knights and some of the servants near the lodging were caught in the blast, but others had no time to dwell on the casualties.

It stood on legs as thick as an elephant’s, but its upper body had lizard-like skin, towering to a height of about ten meters. The lizard-like head was covered in a thick layer of dust, likely from rising and breaking the roof.

What truly stood out were its three pairs of arms.

Among them, one set was equipped with claws, another was covered in thick, gorilla-like fur, and a third resembled human arms, albeit with a purplish hue—each pair was as thick as a sturdy log.

A chimera. A monster engineered with the same technology used to create the angels. The blood splattered on its face and body likely came from the knight it had dragged into the factory.

Maids and servants screamed as they scrambled toward the safety of the lodge. The chimera sprang into motion, its colossal legs causing the earth to quake with every step.

“Ah—”

One of the fleeing maids tripped and tumbled forward, but none of her companions paused to help. It was the same maid Hikaru had seen earlier.

She whirled around, despair in her eyes. The chimera loomed just behind her, its lizard mouth gaping wide, revealing a slimy pink tongue—the very same retractable tongue that had ensnared the knight just moments ago.

“Ha!”

Suddenly, a white slash sliced through the air and struck the chimera directly in the back. The creature shrieked.

“Damn, hardly scratched it.”

The chimera swiftly pivoted to face Igloo, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes. As Igloo said, the slash had indeed cut its back, but the wound was shallow, with only a trickle of blood.

“Dat… urts… you basta…!”

The chimera spoke human words.

Igloo looked momentarily baffled, clearly not expecting it either. He was further distracted by an unusual protrusion on the chimera’s abdomen—a protrusion that eerily resembled a person stuck to it.

“Sir Igloo!” yelled a knight.

Snapping back to his senses, Igloo saw the advancing chimera and sidestepped with a click of his tongue. Fortunately, the chimera was sluggish, so evading it was manageable—or so it seemed.

Reptilian eyes locked onto Igloo as he sprinted away. In an instant, its maw yawned open, and a tongue lashed out.

Igloo instantly tried to swing his greatsword, but the tongue snaked around it, wrenching the weapon from his grasp.

“Ahh?!”

Blood trickled from where the tongue had made contact with the blade, but the chimera appeared indifferent as it swallowed the sword.

---

Meanwhile, concealed within the bushes, Hikaru sensed the collapse of the knights’ formation. The sudden appearance of the chimera had prompted them to converge on the factory.

“Lavia, stay here.”

Hikaru’s eyes were neither on Igloo, now disarmed, nor the knights assuming combat positions. He was concerned about the maid frozen in fear.

These women were ordinary citizens who had toiled here without knowing precisely what was being manufactured within this facility. Hikaru wanted to save them if possible.

“When I need you to cast a spell, I’ll give you a signal,” Hikaru said. “If you cast it now, many will get caught in the blast.”

“But—”

“I’ll be right back.”

Hikaru unleashed his Stealth to its fullest and bolted away. Even Lavia, who had been monitoring his movements, quickly lost sight of him. Hikaru’s Stealth, amplified by the veil of night, was performing exceptionally well.

“Hikaru…”

Lavia also possessed Imperceptibility, which prevented others, barring individuals with unique abilities like Igloo, from detecting her presence.

The chimera roared, and knights surrounded it. Igloo, stepping back under the knights’ protection, urged them to retrieve his holy sword.

I’m… useless, Lavia thought, hiding in the woods away from the chaos. Her emotions were as dark as the night, shrouding her chest. Hikaru said my magic might be needed. He depended on me. But my magic is imperfect.

Powerful fire magic was difficult to control. She couldn’t adjust the force of her most potent fire spell, Flame Gospel, and could only barely change the flames’ trajectory. It was challenging to handle.

She had destroyed the altar, but that could have been achieved with gunpowder or magic items.

Hikaru can manage everything on his own.

Alone, he could have maximized his Stealth while hiding in the woods. Igloo might not have noticed him at all.

Hikaru counted on her, but she felt like she was failing to live up to his expectations.

I can’t keep going like this. I’m not worthy of being Hikaru’s partner. I need to do better, much better.

Just then, her ears caught the sound of footsteps stepping on the undergrowth.

---

The chimera’s gaze was fixed on the knights. Seizing the opportunity, Hikaru hastened toward the maids.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? Wh-What?” the maid stammered, petrified.

“Can you stand?” Hikaru extended a hand to help her up. “Let’s get out of here.”

The maid didn’t know who this sudden arrival was, but she realized he had come to her aid. Her steps were unsteady, so Hikaru supported her.

At that moment, Hikaru sensed a presence behind him.

“Gyiiihh!”

“Tsk.”

“Ahh!”

Hikaru swiftly pushed the maid out of harm’s way as the chimera unleashed its pink tongue. Drawing his Dagger of Strength from his waist, he swung it with precision, severing the approaching tongue. A spray of blood followed the strike.

However, this skirmish had not gone unnoticed by the knights.

“Hey, who’s that in black?”

“He pushed a maid!”

“Is that the intruder?!”

Several knights sprinted towards him. Engaging both the chimera and the knights at the same time was exceedingly unfavorable.

Hikaru cast a brief glance at the fallen maid nearby.

“Ah…”

The maid looked as if she wanted to say something, but no other words came out. The person she was meant to address had vanished into the darkness.

The knights should help the maid.

Hikaru retreated swiftly with his Stealth on. Sure enough, one of the knights assisted the fallen woman.

This chimera is a more pressing concern.

The chimera, now unable to locate Hikaru, went on a furious rampage, its deafening roars echoing through the forest. The knights, shielding themselves with large kite shields that provided full-body protection, struggled to withstand the violent swings of the chimera’s massive arms. One swing would send them flying.

“Knights Templar! Can’t you take down that monster?! My sword is inside its stomach!”

“Sir Igloo, the holy sword belongs to His Holiness. It was merely loaned to you temporarily.”

“I received it, so it’s mine!”

“Then you should have held onto it properly…”

“Enough of this! Kill it quickly!”

The conversation between Igloo and the commanding officer reached Hikaru.

This guy seems reasonably skilled than the average adventurer and perceptive, but his Rank A status is a bit questionable.

He didn’t seem as agile as the archer Ryver, at least.

His reputation might be inflated due to his equipment. That would explain his lack of action against Einbiest.

Despite his sister and companions being captured, he did nothing against the confederacy. It was entirely possible that Bios was involved, but even so, an adventurer would usually want to take matters into their own hands. With Rank A adventurers, especially—people possessing inhuman abilities—this sentiment should be even stronger.

However, if Igloo’s skill lay solely in wielding a powerful magically-enhanced sword, then it made sense why he was hesitant to take action himself.

The unfortunate part is he’s completely useless in taking on this chimera.

Sighing, Hikaru studied the chimera. It had a massive body, diverse attack methods, and overwhelming power.

Can my Assassination handle an opponent like this?

Hikaru’s Stealth was working, so Assassination should too. However, his weapons—suntetsu, an atlatl, and his Dagger of Strength—were too small for the chimera’s sheer size.

Lavia’s magic could be effective against a creature this large, but casting it here risked jeopardizing the knights. Should the fire spread to the nearby lodge, the people taking refuge there would be in danger.

Should we just retreat? This chimera is Bios’ problem anyway.

If Hikaru were to flee now, the knights would be left to battle the chimera on their own.

“Waah!”

“Guh…!”

The chimera continued its rampage, hurling another knight away as if tossing a toy.

Seizing the opportunity, the captain lunged at the creature, but his sword fell short of reaching the chimera’s body, merely grazing its leg. The strike only inflicted a shallow cut due to the creature’s thick skin. The chimera, now bearing a wound, grew even more enraged.

It might be difficult for the knights alone. If they get wiped out, the next target will be the servants hiding in the dormitory.

Hikaru couldn’t simply stand by and let innocent people die.

Argh, fine.

Hikaru deactivated his Stealth.

The only option was for the humans here to deal with the chimera.

“Hey, Knights Templar! Evacuate the servants from the lodge! While there are still people who can move!”

The appearance of the black-clad figure once again set the knights astir.

“What are you saying?! Didn’t you create this monster?!” the captain retorted.

“No!” Hikaru denied. “I know you guys know about the poison and the research on fusing humans and animals. It was Ranna who—”

Hikaru’s breath caught. Where was Ranna?