Philiana, having cut off the Chimera’s challenging tail, went on the offensive.
The Chimera roared in anger at Philiana, who had cut off its own tail. It lunged at her, intent on eliminating the greatest obstacle. She backed away diagonally, using her sword as a shield and keeping her eyes on the enemy.
Thanks to the feint and her backward movement, she avoided a direct hit, but the Chimera attacked Philiana relentlessly. Although she was struggling due to its large size, she didn’t know how long she could hold out. Philiana likely knew she’d be counterattacked if she made a rash move.
“Grrr!”
Whose voice was that?! I was so focused on the lion’s head that I’d forgotten.
“Philiana, a magic attack is coming!”
“Yes, I know.”
A fireball from the goat’s head attacked Philiana. She moved her legs sideways while keeping her body facing forward. This allowed her to dodge without taking her eyes off the enemy.
“Watch out, your feet!”
Elenas suddenly cried out. The next moment, lightning struck at Philiana’s feet, accompanied by the rumble of thunder. What was that technique?! Was it lightning magic? The ground beneath the rising smoke was blackened and scorched. Philiana herself had narrowly avoided a direct hit, but her posture was broken.
The Chimera wouldn’t miss such a momentary opening. What a combination. Was this their symbiotic relationship? Nina and Sharin rushed to help, reacting to the lion’s movements, but it was too late.
“Guh-guh-guguaaa!”
But it wasn’t Philiana who screamed next. Before I knew it, Heiring had thrust his sword into the goat’s head. There had been no sound or sign of him. Hearing his companion’s voice, the Chimera, unwilling to allow it to proceed further, slammed the goat’s head against a nearby tree. It intended to crush him along with it.
*Thump!* The tree shook. Heiring was thrown back from the Chimera’s back as if blown away by the impact. He slid across the ground, rolling to cushion the fall. As expected of the butterfly swordsman, his movements were graceful. Though lacking in strength, as Aerin had said, his technique was superb.
“Damn it, as I thought… as I thought, I’m no match…”
“What are you two doing? Get up quickly. Right, Heiring and Piyo, maybe you could attack from the air!”
What was wrong? Heiring didn’t look happy even though his attack had landed. In fact, he looked disappointed. I happened to glance at the goat’s head and saw the sword he had thrust into it was still embedded.
“You understand now, don’t you? My power isn’t enough to sever it. Combat is about strength; against a formidable enemy, technique is nothing more than a cheap trick.”
Even so, he stood up.
“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault for being so pathetic. This is a disgrace to the Guard Wings. Please take Aerin and escape.”
Is he planning to fight alone? We could help too. No, from his perspective, we’re just civilians; even if we could be of use, he shouldn’t rely on our help.
“I did something terrible to him. I dragged him into my selfish desires. As you can see, I’m not tall, nor am I blessed with a good physique. How many times have I wished I’d been born a Hunter Harpy?”
The Chimera changed its target and looked back at us. It must have recognized Heiring, who attacked the goat’s head, as a threat.
“Now, go. Its attention is on me right now.”
“Greeee!”
Perhaps out of anger at being stabbed, or perhaps because it chose the safer option, the goat’s head unleashed a fireball towards us. There was only one, and it was large, but I could see through it!
My vision turned red, and hot wind enveloped my entire body. I held my shield diagonally.
“Guhhh! Hyaaah!”
Please, just curve! The fireball was even bigger up close than I imagined. It was like a heavy sun was approaching.
“Hot!”
I was blown backward by the blast and tumbled. The fireball exploded overhead. I placed my shield above my head to block the scattering embers. I managed to defend myself somehow. Turning around, I saw Heiring’s astonished face. Beside him was Elenas, who had rushed over.
“You’re thinking, aren’t you? ‘I was protected by a civilian again’?”
“Wh-what?”
“My sword was taken, I’m pathetic, I have nowhere left to turn, and my existence has no value.”
Heiring’s face twisted in pain at Elenas’s words. It was only natural; he’d lost his sword, his very identity, and to top it off, he was protected by me. But I’ve become a little bit stronger too. Let me do what I can.
The Chimera’s attention was diverted overhead by the explosion. This was our chance.
“Piyo, go get that embedded sword back!”
Almost simultaneously with my words, Piyo leaped from a nearby tree and dived towards the goat’s head without hesitation. The goat, startled by the sudden attack, was desperately trying to bite. Meanwhile, the lion below hadn’t noticed yet. Even though they shared the same body, their necks might be separate.
With an explosion, Piyo somersaulted through the air.
“Gueeeeaah!!”
The goat’s death-like scream, followed by a shower of blood, rained down. With a dry *clink*, the sword rolled across the ground. Piyo landed softly, picked it up, and offered it to the kneeling Heiring.
“Here, try not to lose it this time.”
