The Wing of Order was ordered to ascend and anchor to inspect and investigate the Twin Head Wyvern and the Tri-head Wyvern.
It’s unknown when the multi-headed monsters were deployed, but the investigation team hadn’t even heard rumors about them, so they likely began deployment in the past few months.
This is an unexpected development for us, but we can’t simply leave it be, and more importantly, we can’t choose to retreat here. If we don’t investigate even a little to grasp their weaknesses and characteristics, we won’t know how much damage they could cause.
They also have a striking appearance, and multi-headed monsters don’t even exist in the stories of Helios Orb. So, it’s not just about feeling disgusted, but there’s also the possibility of being intimidated, which is why we need to make them known.
The monsters, which we’ve decided to call Chimeras, were met with great disgust and discomfort from both Ritter and the Hunters, as expected.
“Chimera, was it? The Gradia Continent really is a demon realm if monsters like this continue to appear.”
“I agree. Honestly, I never expected monsters this sickening to appear.”
Faris of the Holy Grave and El of Falcon’s Beak were no exceptions, and were also disturbed by the sight of the Chimeras.
“I agree. However, what’s here is here, and it’s likely more will appear, so we need to steel ourselves again.”
“It’s unexpected, but now that we’ve come this far, that’s certainly true.”
“We can’t possibly do something as pathetic as turning back. Besides, if we did, the ones who couldn’t come would beat us up.”
“It would be good if it only ended with a beating.”
Ah, that might be true.
While monsters like Chimeras don’t exist on the Philia Continent, there are still plenty of monsters with unpleasant appearances.
Insect-type monsters, in particular, are disliked by many male Hunters, let alone women.
So, if we were to flee simply because we felt disgusted, we’d face consequences from the Hunters who couldn’t participate in this campaign.
“Well, setting that aside, Arrogentia (Capital City) is said to be in the center of the Gradia Continent. At the speed of our Airship, we should reach it the day after tomorrow, but it’s certain that the Abaricia army will attack us along the way. Therefore, it will take three to four days to reach Arrogentia, possibly five in some cases.”
“The longer it takes to reach Arrogentia, the more time we give the Divine Emperor to prepare his forces. However, if we send Yamato and the others ahead, it would render the Wing of Order useless.”
Yeah, I know.
We don’t know how many Abaricia soldiers have become Demon Race, but it’s certain they command monsters of A-rank or higher, like Dragons, and on top of that, we’ve discovered they’ve created biological weapons called Chimeras.
Furthermore, these Chimeras seem to have higher Magic Power than monsters of the same rank. If Abaricia has established a method for enslaving O-rank Dragons, then the possibility of Chimeras exceeding O-rank cannot be ruled out.
“Speaking of Chimeras, Yamato and Mako said they were biological weapons, created, right?”
“Yes, there’s no way such creatures could exist naturally, and even if they were a mutation, there are too many of them.”
“Yes, I agree with that. But if they were created, it means there’s a method to create them, right? Especially creating new monsters, I wonder how they managed it.”
I hadn’t even considered Faris’s question until she mentioned it.
But it’s true, if humans created them, then there must be a method, and given their numbers, a mass production method must have been established.
However, I have absolutely no idea what that method might be.
“That’s certainly true. It’s undoubtedly an act that defies even the gods, but there are limits.”
“A method, huh? Combining genes and culturing from the cellular level… that’s probably impossible, right?”
“That’s completely sci-fi, and impossible with Helios Orb’s current technological capabilities. It would be more plausible if they utilized Demon Crystals.”
Well, I also think culturing from the cellular level is impossible.
I hadn’t thought of using Demon Crystals, but that does seem more likely.
“I understand using Demon Crystals, but I have no imagination as to what method it would be.”
“That’s right. Well, it’s a method that probably can’t even be repurposed, let alone applied, so I don’t even want to know.”
“I agree.”
I absolutely don’t want to know either.
I don’t know the method, but I suspect it’s a gruesome one.
“So, the Demon Race riding these things will attack us from now on?”
“That’s a high possibility. Abaricia must already know that the Wing of Order has landed. We’re not hiding it either.”
“Flying at the current altitude where we’re hovering is impossible, right?”
“Yes, hovering is the limit. The Magic Power concentration increases with altitude, which seems to accelerate the deterioration of Monster material. While hovering, we can maintain a protective barrier, so it’s preventable.”
Helios Orb is a closed flat world, but the Magic Power concentration begins to increase from about 5,000 meters above the ground.
There are mountains over 5,000 meters in altitude, but the Magic Power concentration near the summit is the same as on the ground, so I think the distance from the ground is the standard. This is said to be the reason why monsters have difficulty operating above 5,000 meters. Chimeras, which can operate at an altitude of 7,000 meters, likely have a high resistance to Magic Power due to their production process.
“The Wing of Order uses Lapis Lazuli, Divine Tree, and Monster materials of A-rank and O-rank, but is the Magic Power concentration so high it corrodes even those?”
“Ancient Class Magic Power can be endured by increasing the output of Mana Rings, but even then, it didn’t seem possible for long periods.”
Even with Ancient Class, at an altitude of 10,000 meters, due to the high Magic Power concentration, Magic consumption is intense, and the verification was a life-threatening task. Flying and Scaffolding, of course, and even Wing Burst’s effectiveness decreased. Until we reached an altitude presumed to be safe at 5,000 meters, I feared we might lose consciousness and be smashed onto the ground. Even with the Magic Power of Element Class, long-term operation felt impossible. Therefore, for hovering encampments at 10,000 meters, after repeated verifications and experiments, we developed Tenma Stones for a Magic Power attenuation barrier, combining various Inn spells to protect the Airship from high Magic Power concentrations. Thanks to this, the risk of exposure to high concentrations of Magic Power while deployed has been eliminated, but it also has the drawback of being unable to move. It’s a relief that limited upward and downward movement is still possible, albeit with reduced speed and effectiveness. That’s why on the Philia Continent, the Airship’s maximum altitude is set at 5,000 meters above ground, and only the Wing of Order can hover at altitudes as high as 10,000 meters. Of course, we rarely fly at such high altitudes, and the Wing Crest Airships mostly fly around 1,000 meters, never exceeding 5,000 meters.
“I didn’t know that. Well, flying too high would just make it impossible to see what’s happening on the ground, so the benefit would be minimal.”
“I agree. Well, we don’t have any Airships.”
“Neither do we. It might be convenient, but Traveling is sufficient for movement, and we have Multi-functional Beast Carriages, so camping isn’t an issue.”
“I agree. Well, even if we placed an order now, priority is given to countries, nobles, and Guilds, so it would be years before we could get one.”
That’s right.
Currently, the Celestial Emperor’s family and the three Royal families’ Airships have been completed and delivered. So now, the three Ducal families, the Marquisate families, and the Guilds’ Airships are under construction. Ah, and those for the various countries’ Duke families and some Marquis families of Amister as well. Rika seemed happy when construction on the Marquis Amatista family’s Airship finally began before we departed.
“Setting that aside, from now on, not only Demon Race but also Chimeras will appear, right?”
“We have to assume so. According to Mana and Prim, they are generally not much different from the Wyverns of the Philia Continent, but they spit Breath from multiple heads, and those heads sometimes move independently.”
I’ve heard that too. One of the Chimera’s heads is definitely that of the original Wyvern, but the other one or two appear to be from entirely different species. For example, one was of the Tiger or Bull type, and the Tri-head Wyvern was of the Lizard type. I don’t know what this difference signifies, but I suspect it’s a matter of compatibility.
“On top of that, their strength is confirmed to be above Monster Rank, which is truly troublesome.”
“I agree. Moreover, judging by the map, there are two large cities on the route to Arrogentia. Armies will undoubtedly be stationed there, and there are many moderately sized towns.”
“In addition, there seem to be military bases to the north, east, west, and south of Arrogentia. Although it’s classified information and even Solemne’s spies couldn’t investigate in detail, the existence of the Four Divine Armies, including the bases, seems to be well-known.”
The Four Divine Armies are elite units of the Abaricia army, named after the Four Divine Beasts: Genbu in the north, Seiryu in the east, Byakko in the west, and Suzaku in the south. On Helios Orb, at least on the Philia Continent, the Four Divine Beasts neither exist nor have any folklore associated with them, so it’s certain that the Divine Emperor organized them. Furthermore, Arrogentia (Capital City) is guarded by the Four Spiritual Beasts: Reikyu in the north, Oryu in the east, Kirin in the west, and Houou in the south. The Imperial Palace and the Abaricia Orthodox Church are garrisoned by the Chiyou Army, which serves as their close guard. While they use the names of Chinese mythology’s Four Divine Beasts and Four Spiritual Beasts, as well as a war god, I doubt the Divine Emperor knows the details, so they probably just named them because they sounded cool. I don’t believe that foolish Divine Emperor understands the intricacies of myths and legends.
“Ah, the Four Divine Armies. I heard that the Demon Race that attacked during the Battle of Linea were elites from the Four Divine Armies, right?”
“Wasn’t the Chiyou Army mixed in as well? The Divine Emperor’s disgraced flight after that defeat was apparently a hot topic in Abaricia for a while. Well, for about a year, the military’s crackdown across the country made people keep quiet about it.”
“I suppose so. But no matter how much the military cracks down, the fact is they suffered a crushing defeat. Especially in remote villages, they say nothing even reached them.”
Yes, and that’s precisely why the investigation team was able to obtain that information. While we couldn’t find out the details, it’s said that the invasion force gathered from the Philia Continent during the Battle of Linea was composed of elites, primarily from the Four Divine Armies, especially the Azure Dragon Army which commands Dragons, and was led by the Chiyou Army. At the time of their dispatch, it was widely advertised that no one could defeat this unit, so information did reach even remote villages. However, in the end, they were annihilated, and the only survivor, the Divine Emperor, fled in a humiliating manner, or rather, was simply allowed to escape. Upon their return, there was widespread chaos and even rebellion. Well, that rebellion was quickly suppressed, and the investigation team couldn’t ascertain the details.
“That’s why the deployment of Chimeras must be seen as a great achievement to overcome the great defeat at the Battle of Linea.”
“It’s not an achievement but an act of devilry. Well, even those Chimeras don’t seem like much of a threat.”
“There could be others, so we can’t let our guard down.”
“I know that.”
We’ve only confirmed Twin Head Wyverns and Tri-head Wyverns, but we can’t definitively say there aren’t others. On Earth, the Chimera from Greek mythology, a composite beast of a lion, goat, and snake, is famous, but arguably the Nue from Japanese mythology and the Ryu and Genbu from Chinese mythology can also be considered Chimeras. Ah, and Gryphons and Hippogriffs too. Well, in Abaricia’s case, the definition of Chimeras as biological weapons probably refers to monsters with multiple heads. As for these Chimeras, while we don’t know when the Divine Emperor started researching them, we can’t definitively rule out the existence of others beyond the Twin Head Wyverns and Tri-head Wyverns. Rather, we should assume that the Four Spiritual Armies guarding Arrogentia, and the Chiyou Army serving as the Imperial Guard, have Chimeras deployed that rival or surpass Dragons. However, no matter what we face, we cannot afford to lose. To achieve this, we intend to use the Engraving Divine Artifacts without hesitation, as well as the strategically powerful Tuatha Dé Danann. That is the primary reason Emperor Reinhardt is accompanying us. For the peace of Helios Orb, for our tomorrow, and for the future of our children, we will absolutely win.
