Kays Translations

Chapter 287: Blasphemous Chimera

Three heads, three faces.

The face in the front was shedding blood from its eyes and ears, spewing words of hatred so intense that it couldn’t even tolerate its own existence.

The right face had both eyes open but continued to vomit blood from its mouth and ears, while the left face’s only movement came from its twitching ears.

With all three faces together, it could finally see, hear, and speak.

“I’m not going to die!!!!”

The composite being, a Chimera Orc as it should be called, lifted a log with its right hand and swung it down towards Gerhardt with all its might.

What would happen if he took such an attack head-on? They wouldn’t be able to hold a proper funeral. Gerhardt had planned to evade by a hair’s breadth and counterattack, but he changed his plans. He didn’t have the courage to face this blow head-on. Even a slight falter would turn him into mincemeat on the spot. Gerhardt had no absolute confidence in his own courage.

A large tree crashed onto the wilderness. With a deafening roar, stones scattered around, some hitting Gerhardt’s body.

…That hurts!

Realizing that these would probably turn into bruises, Gerhardt attempted to retaliate by diving into the Chimera Orc’s embrace.

The pressure on his cheek, followed by a strange slicing sound a bit delayed. He didn’t quite understand what was happening, but Gerhardt abruptly stopped his slashing and jumped back.

In an instant, roots projected before him. It was a sweeping blow from the Chimera Orc’s left hand holding a large tree.

Gerhardt exhaled deeply while firmly gripping the handle of his sword.

…What is this monster? It’s too flawless.

The color drained from Gerhardt’s face. He couldn’t see a way to victory, wearing an expression of frustration.

There was something Lutz his swordsmanship companion once discussed: dual wielding was terrifyingly difficult. Swords were heavy, making it hard to swing them effectively with one hand. With one sword in each hand, concentration inevitably split, resulting in only half-hearted movements.

What was this monster in front of him? It had yet to exhaust its strength while wielding two large trees, and perhaps due to its multiple heads, its aim and movements were precise. A giant creature wielding two trees instead of swords, Gerhardt desperately tried to recall hints from his past adventures, but he had never fought such a monster before and none of his experiences served as reference.

“Hey, monster! Do you have three of everything, including dicks and assholes? Which one do you use when you screw!?”

When Lutz provocatively taunted, the front face of the Chimera Orc glanced at him briefly. At that moment, Josel leaped towards the Orc’s back, while Keith and several knights simultaneously dashed towards its sides.

To counteract the literal multitude of attacks, they had no choice but to make use of their numerical advantage. Josel and Keith attacked, and the Chimera Orc swung its large trees like a storm. They couldn’t get close after all. Josel and the others had no choice but to stop their advance and retreat.

As the Chimera Orc’s arms reached their full extension, Lutz and several knights leaped forward.

“You trash are annoying!”

The Chimera Orc roared, and suddenly one of the knights was sent flying. An adult male wearing armor soared into the air.

With a loud thud, the knight fell heavily on his back and groaned briefly before becoming motionless.

He’s still breathing, he’s still alive.

As Gerhardt focused his gaze, he noticed that one of the Chimera Orc’s five arms was tightly clenched. That powerful arm must have struck him and sent him flying.

It was reckless. Only two of its arms were holding logs, and while the other three weren’t holding weapons, they were free to punch or grab. It was rash to assume that he could handle it once he got close.

Another knight was grabbed by the torso, while another was grabbed by the leg.

The knight’s bones creaked as his torso was gripped. Just as his face contorted in fear, thinking he might be crushed, blood suddenly splattered, and the force restraining him weakened.

Maybe a rib had cracked, as it hurt intensely with each breath. Even so, the knight mustered his strength, pushing the chimera orc’s fingers up from the inside, freeing himself and landing heavily on his rear.

“Can you stand!?”

A strong pull on his arm. It was Lutz’s face he saw. It seemed Lutz had managed to cut halfway through the chimera orc’s wrist.

“Yeah, somehow.”

The knight forced a smile despite the pain. Then, the merciless chimera orc launched another attack. A third weapon that shouldn’t have existed. It was another knight whose ankle had been grabbed.

“Are you going that far…”

The knight was tossed around and came towards him at high speed. Lutz managed to raise his arm to defend himself, but he was thrown several meters and slammed into the ground.

“Hey, are you still alive!?”

The knight with broken ribs gritted his teeth against the pain. Lutz shook his head lightly, forcibly regaining consciousness.

“Are you okay? You should step back for now…”

As he was about to speak, a shadow fell over his head. Looking up, he saw the Chimera Orc preparing to swing the knight’s body high above.

He’s beyond saving now.

Lutz gritted his teeth and stepped back. Immediately after, the knight whose leg was grabbed was slammed onto the ground, blood and flesh scattering. The red stains left behind, along with the torn-off leg by the Chimera Orc’s hand, were the only evidence that one knight had survived.

People were torn apart right in front of him. The gruesome sight made Lutz’s throat tighten, rendering him unable to even breathe. A primal fear etched deep into his soul spread throughout his body, causing even Lutz, who had endured many trials, to tremble uncontrollably.

“I can’t die in a place like this!”

Lutz shouted with all his might, forgetting his fear and fleeing. It was undignified, but there was no room for showing off. Survival took precedence over everything.

Realizing that reckless charges would only increase casualties, the nine men kept their distance from the Chimera Orc. No, the knight with broken ribs and the knight thrown into the air wouldn’t be able to fight anymore. Only seven remained.

The injured were ushered to the rear as the men formed a group. The Chimera Orc crept closer, muttering curses.

“Die! Die! Die!”

As Lutz tried to catch his breath, feeling shallow and fast, he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. It was Gerhardt, his expression firm but with a smile playing on his lips.

“How about it, scared?”

“Yes, I’m terrified. Absolutely terrified. That’s why…”

Taking a deep breath, Lutz exhaled slowly. His breathing steadied, and strength returned to his eyes.

All his fear transformed into anger and a sense of duty.

“That’s exactly why we can’t stop here.”

Without saying a word, Gerhardt flashed a fearless smile and gave Lutz’s back a firm pat. Then he patted his beloved disciple’s back, followed by Keith and the other knights.

“Well then, shall we go for round two?”

“Yeah!”

With a determined nod, the seven of them faced the anomaly. The flame of their fighting spirit had not yet been extinguished.

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