The chimera's head grew back like it was nothing. Based on Catherine inspection, the rapid pace of mana regeneration is also shown, turning back to life whilst our life is on the line.
As time passed, it's gruesome wounds healed on their own and one of the limbs Patricia's sliced off grew back. The chimera didn't have any burst reduction, that marks only the power of its "Second Life" skill.
Normally, I would have just left them to fend for themselves, but I didn't hate my brother and others enough that I'd be comfortable just watching them die. And if I let Cassius, who by some miracle had survived, die, then what what's the point of me accepting the mission in the first place? I'd take on a contract to bring Cassius back if I found him alive, and I wasn't one to renege on his promises.
The party were ready for another battle from the chimera. Elias was giving one of his members some time to organize a plan.
"Eirene, you said that this chimera had a second life, am I right?"
"Indeed, Brother!"
"Means that this chimera has down to its last life. Let's give everything we got in this chimera, Catherine, you play support"
"Okay, Elias!"
"Eirene, Patricia and I will engage the chimera, never make a shred of mistake in this battle."
After the dust settled, I could see that the chimera had manage to recover instantly. It had pulled out every last ounce of strength in order to do so. Having regained it's footing, the chimera rest in it's crimson-eyed gaze on me,
"Ladies, that chimera was charging it's flames once again. Get ready!"
Realizing it was dangerous to keep the fighting near Cassius. Elias charged after it. He reloaded his sniper rifle as he ran, firing a second barrage soon after.
Elias had launched this series of fierce attacks to draw the chimera's attention to him, but it appeared that it had only eyes on his little sister, me.
Realizing what was going on, Elias immediately warns about the incoming attack.
"Catherine, protect Eirene"
"Roger that… Water Barrier!"
Cassius let out a very unmanly shriek and shrunk back. However, before the flames could hit me, a giant wall of water rose up to protect me. The flames dissipated as it slammed into Catherine's water barrier.
"Thanks, Catherine."
"No problem"
Barely able to keep up with the lightning pace of the battle, Patricia pulled out her weapons, a collection of throwing knives imbued with magic. There were twelve of them and they had the unique ability to attract each other, so as long Patricia kept one of her hand, she could recall all the others.
She wrapped her knives in a wreath of flame and threw them at the dragon.
"Divine Slash!"
All thanks to Patricia's aim, she managed to hit one of the daggers in the chimera's eye, it popped out right before the blade landed. Patricia threw one of her daggers only aiming through both of the chimera's eyes, disrupting it's vision.
With it's eye started to regenerate once again, I attacked from behind, raising my blood sword high imbued with defense reduction. With landing a heavy strike, I can shatter it's thick scales easily. I focused on a direct attack, raising my voice into a martial shout as I closed in.
"Do it, Roxy!" Shouted Plasma
The beast's tail flew back at once. I placed in a vulnerable position to further attacks, I wouldn't get a chance like this so easily, but I was quicker than the chimera. I sent the blood sword flying towards the beasts underside.
"Grrrrr…"
I grunted as I felt my blade once again repelled by its swinging tail
"What's the matter, Roxy? Is that really the best you've got?" Plasma said through my thoughts
"Hey! Aren't you suppose to be helping?"
"I already told you about the monsters weak points. No need support as always."
"Shut up Plasma, will you?"
There, I positioned myself in a farther position of the area, where I stood there at Cassius. I morphed my blood into the shape of a bow, ready to launch an attack, suddenly, Elias interrupted…
"Eirene, land those shots into the monsters head, it its his weakest point"
"Okay, Brother…"
"For good measure, give me your bow! I will buff this weapon of yours."
Elias get hold of my blood bow, then chanted the spell from his dark magic.
"Dark Buff… Activate!"
Soon enough, parts of Elias's dark magic plunging straight at my blood bow, emitting a dark mist that covered the entire model. This coating my blood bow in a thick layer of dark magic. Buffing my bow in the process
"Thank you, Brother!"
Similar to White's light magic, Elias dark magic have the ability to apply buffs and increase stats, I checked my blood bow using my inspect skill
Blood Bow
Durability 4000/4000
Damage: 140
Attributes: Lifesteal, Marksmanship, Dark Magic
As I revealed my condition from my bow, I can tell that we can win this battle, my durability and damage has been doubled significantly.
As I know, Elias has filled the support, offense and defense role all by himself. Showcasing his dark magic completely filled it's thing. Because of that, I shot a flurry of arrows on the chimera.
While I was firing a volley of blood arrows straight through its head. Patricia sliced a huge cut on the chimera's body, by using its shining rapier from earlier, she can cut anything with ease. Elias shot directly at the chimera using one of his sniper bullets along the way.
"This… it's working!"
I felt some resistance at first, but then the blood sword began to gradually overpower the chimera's defenses. However, as I lost myself in destroying the chimera thick scales. I heard Elias cry out.
"Eirene! Behind you!"
I felt a sudden, terrible premonition, but by the time I realized it, the chimera opened its jaws once again, directly pointing at me and Cassius, releasing it's searing flames once again, as we were backing up. Catherine blocks our path and raises it's staff from the chimera
"Mana Mirror!"
As I heard Catherine chanted the word loudly, a huge wall formed beside me, it was transparent, almost seemed opaque and seeable. As the scorching hot flames went into contact onto the wall, it directly bounced through the defensive layer.
Instead of devouring us, the chimera's flames were reflected right back into its monstrous face.
The blazing torrent slammed into the creature with vicious force, setting its own body ablaze. The chimera's very own roar turned into a tortured howl as its golden mane ignited.
The goat head bleated in panic while the snake tail whipped desperately through the air.
Scales melted, fur burned away, and the beast's powerful defenses crumbled under its own searing power.
For the first time, the chimera was forced to taste its own deadly medicine, and it was burning alive.
Seeing the opportunity to slain the beast in one go. Elias raised it's sniper rifle high, it's scope was glinting through the moonlight and immediately shot through the chimera's head. It pierced through it's thick skull and it penetrated on its way down.
Now the chimera died a second time
"Huh? Guess you can die twice."
Hearing my response makes the party lose into shape. Catherine had ran out of mana because of the mana mirror she casted earlier, because of that, her mana drained completely, unable to walk in the process.
Confirming that the chimera is guaranteed dead. Elias reverted back his sniper rifle to an revolver and shot through the chimera's stomach, revealing the stone-hard heart once again.
"That's one hell of a heart."
Elias extracted the chimera heart and placed it into his neatly prepared sack. It shines a gentle yellow in the light of the sun. The heart is like a gold-plated treasure. So this is the chimera's heart.
"I treasure this."
"Hey! Brother, we must share these rewards from us!"
"Remember the three conditions, I must take all of your rewards. Including the beasts heart."
Elias is still reckless as always, not only he is pragmatic and aloof as always. He showed signs of greediness from his personality, he recalled the three conditions clearly. Defending it's protest through mine
"Hey! I helped you slain the chimera!" I shouted
"Huh? Eirene is same as always."
"Not fair, those conditions were a fluke anyways!" I teared up
"Okay, you can obtain the rewards from Lord Phillip, while I keep the chimera's heart. Do we have a deal?"
"Sure, Brother!"
As these previous conditions agreed. Elias abandoned the second condition all for the sake of his little sister's happiness, he came here just for the rewards for slaying the chimera, as he will be granted five gold.
Upon smelling the chimera's blood, my blood curse activated, my craving for blood is now present. Normally, I have the ability to control my urges willingly ever since my first evolution. But my cheeky AI assistant deactivated that protection and drooled my mouth for the first time in weeks.
I didn't drank blood for the past two weeks, suddenly, Elias interrupted
"Eirene, so that blood manipulation of yours? Can you tell me about your human skill for me?"
"Easy, the ability to drink blood. Watch me!"
I drank the chimera's blood without hesitation, the fangs grew to a size of a eraser. Then dug deep on one of my fangs through the thick scales of the chimera. Elias and the party were bamboozled.
[Drain Activated Extraction Completed, consumed 24 liters of blood]
Damn, the blood liter of the chimera blood is twice as the spider queen. I didn't bother checking my stats because I felt that my strength is increasing. While the party stood and commented me
"Eirene, you have extraordinary talent, you can make weapons out of your own blood. You mastered blood manipulation!"
Elias has little knowledge about my blood curse, he recognized my human skill as blood manipulation, a rare skill for adventurers like me. I didn't bother telling him about my full potential about my blood curse. I made my skill a secret to others
Suddenly, Elias sensed something was wrong, he checked one of his crows and sensed it's terrifying presence.
"What is it Elias? I knew you saw something from the crows?" Catherine noticed
"Ugh… a lot of monsters, from the mountains"
Elias explained his sightings on one of his deployed black crows, he sensed that more than a hundred monsters or high force that was approaching at the south of Rebelbub Village, they were marching as it seems to be heading in the same direction.
This explains that during our battle, not a single high orcs were on sight. Only the chimera remained in the forest.
He'd sent his crows once again for good measure, out of search for the monster army. One of them had spotted a large gatherings of monsters, but… the numbers seems off.
"No, not a hundred right? I'm supposed I'm on a digit short? A thousand monsters in advance!" Elias muttered
"What the…?"
"The monsters were marching and heading to Rebelbub Village, I suppose that they are attacking the village. The chimera was just a distraction, now the village was in danger."
Everyone's eyes flew in surprise. It appears the monsters were aiming for the Rebelbub Village. If they continued at their current pace, they would be down the mountain in half a day, and reach the town in another half.
"W-We need to hurry back and warn everyone! Then we need to evacuate and ask reinforcements from the capital… And then, and then…" I stuttered
Realizing the seriousness of the situation. I tried to think through my panic and figure out the best course in action. Against an army of high orcs heading to Rebelbub Village, even the ridiculously overpowered party didn't stand a chance.
However, while everyone else was panicking. Cassius quietly asked a rather odd question.
"Umm, Elias, couldn't you do something about the monsters approaching the village. I was worried about their safety."
At Cassius words, everyone looked expectantly to Elias. Their eyes filled with hope. Annoyed by their expectant gazes, Elias casually waved his hand as if to dismiss the thought.
"Brother, aren't we going to warn the villagers, they were good people. I don't want to watch these villagers get wrecked by the horde of monsters" I said
"Indeed, Elias, the villagers cannot fight these hordes of high orcs alone, we need to do something!" Patricia added
"I saw those thick walls of Rebelbub Village, they were worn out because of the monsters attacks. Elias, do something."
Tired of the constant arguing on one of his party members, He grabbed Cassius into his collar and snapped back.
"Don't look at me like that. Our job is to bring Cassius to safety back to Town Allure. I can't fight a war if I've got to protect them. I don't care about the village's safety. I only came here for the rewards"
Elias' reckless behavior is the exact opposite of mine. My personality is all about safety. Elias's reply shook the entire party, he'd only cared about the rewards, he cared about himself more than anything.
However, there was no way they could leave his little sister alone among the party of monsters. I hesitated a bit, but then came up with another idea… namely that Elias could accompany his sister.
Tired of their constant arguing over whether to stay or leave, Elias gave me a cold stare.
"If you want to stay behind you can. I'm going to take Cassius back to the village"
With that, Elias forcefully grabbed Cassius by the soldiers and started to drag him down to the mountain.
Me and the party members tried to protest, saying they couldn't leave this huge army alone, Elias was strong enough to take on the whole horde of high orcs. Annoyed, Elias let out a sigh of relief and rounded me.
"Like I said before, my only job is to see Cassius to safety. I can't fight an army if I've got someone to protect. Hell, let's say for argument's sake I could kill them all. In a forested place like this full of boulders and rivers, there's no way I could be sure I'd gotten every single one. Just give it a rest, okay. Just so you know, only I can drive my black horse, so if I go fight, you guys have no chance of making it back before the village attacked."
Cassius and I fell silent. Elias's argument had made it clear how pointless and reckless their insistence that he fight a horde of high orcs.
Because of my brothers response, I snapped back
"Okay! It is what it is, I will fight the horde of monsters all by myself. You can take all the rewards I have, even if you don't participate, I still use my strength to protect the villagers to safety. I would risk my own life just for the village's safety!" I shouted at my big brother
"Hey! Are you stupid! You will die just by fighting off those high orcs. It's better to assess your safety more than mine."
"Still, I won't leave the village alone. I will fight these monsters with all my might. If you wish to participate, my chances of dying will decrease."
"Your reckless behavior tells me something. Okay! I will join in. I will follow everything that my little sister wants."
But of course, Elias wasn't the kind of person to carry her nicely. Frowning with annoyance, Elias decided to join in.
However, my fierce protests had talked him into at least dragging her by the scruff of her neck. No matter what anyone said after that he refused to compromise any further. This resulted in this being the style I was dragged into by pushing myself from the villagers' safety.
The party hurried to Rebelbub Village as fast as they could, an army of monsters were marching at the village.