The first thing that came to mind was, ‘It’s big’.
Judging by my eyes, it’s roughly the same size as Ji Liz. It’s shorter than the SerpetTurtleShark we defeated before, but that one had a long tail and body, and it was a sea battle. Fighting something on land, especially something attacking from the sky, gives off a completely different kind of pressure.
Thud—
My barrier managed to block the sudden assault, making a sound like hitting a rubber tire with an iron ball.
「…!」
Everyone behind me tensed up and grimaced as the creature bounced back from the impact and used the momentum to distance itself, landing about five meters in front of us.
Now that it had stepped out of the backlight, its form became clear.
The first thing I noticed was its head—like a lion’s. It had a massive mane that seemed to writhe with malice, and its mouth was filled with sharp, bared fangs.
Then I noticed something else. Next to the lion’s head… was the head of a goat.
Two heads. Wait, two heads? Really?
The goat’s head wasn’t the cute kind you’d find in Ji Liz’s village. Its horns were twisted and gnarled, its skull was bony and fierce, and its rectangular pupils gleamed like something out of a nightmare Baphomet. Terrifying.
…And to make things worse, the eyes of both the lion and the goat were shifting colors, like some kind of gaming PC. The irises flickered and glowed in a way that made it clear—there would be no reasoning with this thing.
This was bad. Really bad.
These two heads were attached to a body that looked like a cross between a lion and a goat. The silhouette was more goat-like, but the paws were those of a lion. Its back was adorned with bat-like wings, and its tail… was a snake, complete with its own set of eyes and a flickering forked tongue—
I barely managed not to fall to my knees because I’d seen this creature before—not in this world, but in games and manga back in Japan.
A creature with the heads of a lion and a goat, with wings on its back and a serpent for a tail—a hybrid beast.
The chimera, a legendary monster from myth.
「A chimera…」
That very monster now stood before us.
「Kimela? Is that what it’s called?」
Karen asked, hearing my whisper.
「Uh, yeah, in my previous world, that’s what we called it. It’s supposed to be a mythical creature. But does that mean they exist here?」
「Hmm. I’ve never seen or heard of one like that. A two-headed creature like that shouldn’t exist. It’s definitely a mutant… but something’s strange.」
「I guess it could just be a coincidence… but what’s strange?」
「It’s missing a Crucible Crystal.」
「Oh…」
I hadn’t noticed until she mentioned it.
Sure enough, at a glance, neither its back nor its mane nor its belly had that cluster of sharp, crystalline spikes typical of mutants.
「But this clears things up. It’s probably the one that destroyed the settlement.」
「Yeah. But that means…」
Just as I glanced toward the charred remains of the nearby houses—
「Grrrrrrrrrrrryhaaaaaaaaaaaaaeeeeeeeeee!!」
It let out a thunderous roar, like a timpani filled with rocks being shaken violently, a sound that made me wince.
And then—
Both the lion’s and goat’s mouths unleashed pale blue flames.
The fire came within about a meter of me before slamming against the barrier, but even though it was deflected, it tried to wrap around, licking the edges.
「Wow, that looks like it’s insanely hot!」
「Grghhh…」
「Maybe we should spread out it a bit?」
「Yeah, we need to be careful with the air too.」
As I gently pressed my hand on Chocola’s back to calm him, I focused my attention on the barrier. I widened it, especially toward the back where Berde-san and the others were standing, reshaping it from a sphere to a more streamlined form like the nose of a bullet train.
I glanced back at the group and called out.
「Just in case, could you all stay together and don’t move!」
There was no reply.
…Actually, everyone seemed frozen—just not in the way I intended.
I meant huddle together, not turn into statues.
Rick-san, his lips pale, muttered softly.
「How… how are you all so calm? With that thing here.」
Noemi-san nodded in agreement, her head bobbing up and down.
Berde-san and Schnei-san were both tense, their faces drawn tight like their bodies.
Noah was clutching his chest, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
Parker-san, meanwhile, was grinding her teeth in frustration, her fangs bared.
「You guys are something else… I can’t believe you can stay like this in a situation like this.」
I shook my head and forced a smile.
「No, to be honest, I’m not that calm either.」
I knew the real reason why everyone was frozen in place.
The reason they couldn’t move.
Because, truthfully, I was too.
My legs had been trembling this whole time.
And not just my legs.
My heart was pounding furiously in my chest.
If I let my guard down, my breathing would become ragged.
My clenched fists were damp with sweat.
To put it simply—I was terrified.
Karen’s tense expression was evident. Chocola’s growls carried a seriousness that wasn’t just for show.
Even though we’d taken down countless mutants before, this—
「This is the first time we’ve faced something like this.」
The chaotic, twisted magic power radiating from the chimera pierced through my senses, causing a painful sensation as it tried to tear into me.
—What is this thing?
Take the first time we fought the shock bear-san, for example.
That thing had an overwhelming presence, and looking back, it was one of the strongest mutants we’d ever encountered. But even so—we managed to handle it easily, just me and Chocola, right after we came back to this world.
But this one…
Even now, with my magic more refined and advanced than it was back then, this creature scared me.
It felt like if I let my guard slip for even a moment, its chaotic magic power would disrupt mine, and the barrier would shatter.
「Mmmmmmmrururrrrrrrrrrrrrrieeeeeeeeeeg!」
The chimera’s roar echoed again.
It seemed frustrated that its flames weren’t working. Maybe it was angry that it couldn’t kill the intruders in its territory.
The fire faded, revealing the two heads once more. Those freakish eyes kept flashing in a myriad of colors, like some kind of cursed gaming device. Honestly, I had to give it a ridiculous name in my head just to stop myself from losing it!
Wind began to whip around the chimera’s body, and with it came crackling lightning. The air chilled, the moisture within it audibly snapping as it froze. Wind, lightning, ice, and fire—all at once. This is ridiculous. How many attributes does it have?
All those forces surged toward us simultaneously. I poured more magic into the barrier, focusing intensely. It wasn’t the raw power of the storm itself that was the worst part—it was the chaotic nature of the magical frequencies forming the attacks. If I didn’t stay sharp, I felt like I might lose control over the flow of causality.
Still, my mind worked furiously to form a plan. How to kill this thing? The usual tactic of using ‘Articles of Faith’ to stop its movements and then finishing it off—would that even work?
The real problem was its chaotic magic power.
Mutants like this were known to disrupt surrounding magic with their unpredictable energy frequencies, making it harder for their opponents to control their own spells. I’d heard of this phenomenon before, but until now, I’d never really felt it. I’d always been able to cast magic without trouble, even against these creatures.
This was the first time I actually doubted myself.
Could I even do this?
「Sui.」
But—before my uncertainty could fester any further, she stepped in front of me.
That beloved figure, standing tall with unwavering confidence.
Her pale honey-colored hair. Skin as white as porcelain. Those sharp, pointed ears standing proud.
And when she turned to look back at me, those eyes—those jade-green eyes that mirrored my own name.
「Karen…」
「Sui, focus on protecting everyone. Keep your mind on the barrier, concentrate on your magic. And Chocola will attack on my signal.」
「Bark!!」
Chocola barked with a fierce determination. Gone was the earlier tension from his growls; now, his voice was filled with confidence.
And just like that, I found myself steady as well. My legs had stopped trembling, my heartbeat had calmed, my breathing was even, and the sweat on my hands had dried. The flow of magic power inside me was smooth, coursing through me without a hitch.
「Karen.」
「Mm, don’t worry.」
Karen, the girl with the magical eyes ‘Calm Spring’ of our family.
Her voice held the same gentle calmness that resembled father’s, while her gaze carried the fierce intensity that was so much like mother’s. She turned to face the chimera, her expression resolute, and spoke.
「I’ll handle this. Don’t underestimate the adopted daughter of ‘All Night’ and ‘Heavenly Bell’, you beast.」
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