Chapter 407: That

I feel something’s off.

Sophia frowned and said grimly, “I have a bad feeling—something’s going to happen tonight.”

Hm?

Joanna raised an eyebrow, squinting as she began to sense the air.

…

After a moment, the priest shook her head helplessly. “I sense nothing here. My Lord has given me no revelation.”

Although the Ice Goddess had ceased granting her any revelations since arriving at the Misty Mountains, years of habit were hard to break—this loyal priest still instinctively relied on divine grace.

“But since you say so, something bad is likely coming. Warn the others to prepare.”

“Understood. You notify your sisters—I’ll patrol the perimeter.”

The two turned to leave, ready to alert everyone—tonight would surely not be a peaceful one.

But before Sophia and Joanna could depart, a lazy voice called out to them.

“Hey… aren’t you two being a bit too tense?”

As the third person present, the Mushroom Merchant sighed, extending fungal threads to fiddle with her miniature puppet.

Miser glanced at them, sneering casually: “Are you really that scared? That thing’s strength isn’t enough to threaten your lives, is it?”

The Mushroom Merchant didn’t understand their reaction.

Why be so anxious?

After repeated calculations by Sophia and the others, the “Three-Headed Chimera” was indeed stronger than any one of them—but far from overwhelming.

In raw power, yes, it was strong—but only to a limited degree.

It was a threat, but not an exaggerated one.

What troubled them most were its three heads’ unique attributes and its extraordinary regenerative ability.

Sophia once fought desperately, trading blows to leave brutal wounds on the Chimera’s body, nearly suffering fatal damage herself and falling into slumber as a spirit.

Yet the wound that had nearly pierced its entire body healed completely within mere breaths, leaving only one head drooping to the ground, temporarily powerless.

When its core was mortally wounded, it could draw life energy from one of its heads to recover.

According to their deductions, unless all three heads were simultaneously crippled, effective damage was nearly impossible.

This was a difficult enemy.

Not only did it have complex mechanics, but it was also a tanky, stats-heavy monster.

Such an enemy must not be engaged lightly—once you strike, it must be with overwhelming force, to settle matters in one blow!

With the three of them present, the Chimera’s threat to Elda Hold was not high—but caution was still necessary.

Even Sophia and the others had to be careful; everyone else’s dwellings were even more vulnerable, easily destroyed by stray combat energy.

Joanna was deeply anxious—she cared deeply for the temple and the simple wooden huts—each one built with their own hands by the sisterhood of priests!

Sophia refused to allow even the slightest damage to Elda Hold—none whatsoever.

But to Miser, Sophia and Joanna’s worries were meaningless.

Miser felt no attachment to Elda Hold; her thinking differed entirely from theirs.

This town—no, perhaps “village” was more accurate—what special value did it hold?

Elda Hold’s construction was still in its earliest, earliest stage; there was nothing substantial to destroy.

What was there to worry about?

She even secretly thought—somewhat cynically—that others’ destruction could be seen as a form of clearing land.

…

Sophia stared at Miser, silent for a moment, then shook her head gently but firmly: “No matter what you say, I will protect this place until my Lord returns.”

The Centaur Spirit had already given up explaining to Miser the meaning of this land to them—the words had been spoken.

If this Fungus didn’t believe in them, there was no need to argue further.

“Elda matters more than my own safety.”

“This is our home.”

“Protecting this place is the task my Lord entrusted to me—I must honor my promise to him!”

“Whether you believe it or not, when my Lord returns, all problems will be easily resolved,” Sophia declared firmly.

Those who walk different paths cannot share the same purpose.

Though Sophia and Miser were nominally both under Herbert, their loyalty differed in depth.

Yet Miser’s next reaction was unlike what Sophia expected.

The Fungus, who had always seemed so arrogant, now nodded in quiet agreement—without a hint of denial.

“Hmm, true.”

Hm?

Sophia paused, turning her head to stare at the Mushroom Merchant in disbelief: “You believe?”

“Of course I believe!”

Miser glanced at her oddly, puzzled: “Don’t you think—if I didn’t believe in him, why would I have followed him here?”

“Didn’t I just say, this kind of small problem? He’ll solve it easily when he returns.”

In fact, when it came to faith in Herbert, Miser trusted him more than the other two combined!

Sophia’s unconditional trust in Herbert stemmed from her faith—even knowing he was only High Rank, she believed in him almost blindly.

Joanna didn’t fully understand Herbert’s strength; her trust came from the Goddess’s decree—since the Goddess said he was trustworthy, he was.

But Miser had witnessed Herbert’s “true power” with her own eyes!

That thing was merely a Legendary-tier aberrant monster—but that man had slain an Epic-level demonic god’s avatar.

“I don’t know what Herbert has set up here, but surely he left some necessary safeguards?”

Someone like Herbert would never leave his base without backup measures.

He must have prepared thoroughly—any pre-set danger would trigger automatically.

Either a defense strong enough to withstand the threat, or a direct alert to summon him to appear in person.

In short—it’s definitely not a problem.

Miser’s relaxed attitude made Sophia and Joanna exchange glances; their tense nerves eased slightly.

“This…”

“Phew!”

Seeing Miser so calm, she must know something!

Perhaps, as she said, Herbert had indeed hidden safeguards here—activated the moment danger neared.

Sophia fell silent for a while, then gave a slight nod.

Her gaze toward Miser softened. “Miser, perhaps you’re right—but even so, we can’t let our guard down. We still need heightened vigilance tonight.”

“Of course. I’m not stopping you—do what you must.”

Miser shrugged, teasing: “But I know you want me to join your team—surely it won’t attack tonight, right after we just talked about it?”

“How could something so coincidental happen? That’d be too lucky… EHHH?!”

Mid-sentence, Miser’s expression darkened—then, noticing no one else had noticed, she subtly adjusted her miniature puppet to mimic the same grim expression.

“Trouble.”

!!!

“What’s wrong?”

Sophia sensed something amiss and whispered urgently: “Did you sense something?”

There really is a problem?!

Miser half-closed her eyes, “listening,” then slowly nodded: “I’ve detected an abnormal vibration.”

“Since arriving here, I’ve planted fungal threads around the perimeter—to analyze the soil and serve as sentinels.”

Her face grew serious. “Now… one of the threads buried underground has been destroyed!”

“It’s here!”

“Three hundred meters west!”

“No—two hundred meters now!”

“Its speed has slowed, but it’s still approaching.”

!!?

Hearing Miser’s words, Sophia’s expression turned grim.

So close?!

The Chimera had always probed—but never come this near.

The closest it had ever gotten before was three kilometers away—and never advanced further.

The Centaur Spirit had no time to ask for details—she sprinted out immediately.

Joanna had already dashed out the moment the Chimera reached three hundred meters, warning every sleeping priestess.

A prism-shaped ice crystal shot from her palm, exploding midair like fireworks, jolting Elda awake.

Boom!

After the thunderous sound, every sleeping priestess of the Ice Goddess felt the strange magical surge and jolted awake, eyes snapping open.

Something’s happening?!

Then they heard Lady Joanna’s voice—

“Everyone! Emergency alert!!!”

The priestesses, their expressions grim, swiftly emerged from their quarters, gathering around Joanna with various weapons in hand.

Flails, halberds, greatswords, two-handed swords, sickles…

Among these priests, only one carried the conventional staff familiar to most—but even that staff had a bloodstained blue gem embedded at its tip, its history steeped in some unspeakable atrocity.

Not only the priestesses were startled; other residents of Elda Hold also awoke.

The gray dwarves, who had barely enjoyed a few days of peace, nervously poked their heads out of their dug-out burrows.

What happened?

Though Elda Hold was far from perfect, for gray dwarves like them—who had long since lost their homes—this freedom, unbound by restraint or punishment, meant everything.

They sincerely hoped no disaster would strike here.

“…”

Sophya stood above all of Elda, bow in hand, her sharp gaze sweeping rapidly through the mist beneath the night sky.

Nothing?

She had detected no trace of the enemy at all.

“It’s vanished…” Sophya’s heart sank.

The chimera never appeared?

The thought flashed through her mind, but she never doubted Miser would make such a trivial joke.

“Lord Miser, where is it hiding now?”

“It’s currently one hundred meters west… hmm?”

Miser was about to answer, but his expression shifted slightly.

“No, wrong—two hundred meters? Four hundred? Three hundred? Hmm?”

“It… its aura has vanished.”

After carefully sensing again, Miser said gravely: “It has realized it’s been exposed and has gone completely into hiding.”

Sophya’s expression darkened, and she slowly nodded.

This was no unexpected outcome.

After Joanna launched that ice-crystal firework, the chimera could hardly have failed to notice.

If the chimera had simply been driven off, that would have been better.

But what unsettled Sophya was the creature’s reaction.

Its behavior had changed—more rational than ever before.

“Is it not the ram’s head in control? Is it the wolf’s head? Or… the vulture’s head?”

The three heads of the chimera each possessed distinct personalities and attributes.

The ram’s head was fire-aligned, impulsive and arrogant; previous clashes were mostly led by it.

The wolf’s head was ice-aligned, cold and reclusive in its methods.

The third vulture’s head radiated death, always silent, showing no special reaction—but impossible to ignore.

“…”

The scene fell into stalemate.

At present, the people of Elda knew only that the three-headed chimera had not reappeared—but it had not left.

That inexplicable pressure lingered over everyone’s hearts.

Among the crowd, two girls stood side by side.

At this moment, Yunir’s gaze subtly shifted—from innocent naivety to mature depth.

The Goddess of Winter had descended.

She slightly furrowed her brow, observing; her eyes glowed as she scanned once, then fixed her gaze on a corner a kilometer away.

Just as she was about to give these little ones a subtle hint, Teresa beside her twitched her tongue.

Teresa’s expression changed abruptly; she pointed toward the same spot the Goddess had just looked at, urgently crying: “There—ah!”

In her haste, she bit her tongue.

The girl’s eyes welled with tears; she pointed, her speech slurred: “Zhai! Zhai na bian—”

Though Teresa’s voice was garbled, Sophya, with her mind razor-focused, still noticed and understood her words.

Though that spot appeared empty to her eyes, she instantly spun her bow and released the taut string.

Whoosh—

The sharp arrow tore through the air, streaking from above Elda into the black mist.

The magical arrow split mid-flight into dozens, then hundreds, raining down like a storm upon the empty ground.

The arrows crossed a kilometer of distance—and just before striking the earth, they finally triggered a reaction.

The arrows turned black in an instant, then ignited with black flames and exploded violently.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amid the massive dust cloud, a monstrous, grotesque form emerged from the mist’s shadows.

It had a massive, lizard-like body and three terrifying, twisted heads.

Now exposed, it roared in fury; the ram’s head spat a torrent of flame, letting out a piercing screech.

“Roar!!!”

The vulture’s head fixed its cruel gaze on the centaur spirit, then slowly lowered it toward the girl pointing at it.

The chimera had identified who had exposed it.

It had already planned to retreat—but now that it had been seen, it must do something.

Kill her!

Next time, it wouldn’t be found!

Teresa: !!?

The instant the vulture’s head locked onto her, she felt overwhelming terror—as if falling into a frigid abyss!

Death’s malice drew near!

Trembling uncontrollably, Teresa let out a faint, mournful whimper.

She instinctively wanted to flee, to hide from this malice.

But just as she was about to turn and run, she slammed her foot down!

Thud!

“No!”

Teresa clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay rooted, glaring at the creature.

She could not run.

She had fled countless times already; she could not keep running forever.

To earn the right to stand beside him, she could no longer run away.

She had to face it.

Overcome the fear within!

Though her body still trembled uncontrollably, she had taken the most crucial first step.

Yunir gently pressed her palm against Teresa’s lower back and whispered: “It’s alright. Don’t be afraid. Everything will be fine.”

Teresa felt the warmth radiating from her back, took a deep breath, and slowly nodded: “...Yes. Lord Herbert will come to save us.”

The Goddess of Winter: ?

Huh? Didn’t I just comfort you?

Why are you mentioning his name again?

You’re definitely in love with him!

…

“Everyone, prepare!”

Under Joanna’s command, the priests raised their weapons, forming a circle; at its center, a massive ice spike slowly took shape.

All watched the monstrous beast, hoping it would retreat on its own.

But clearly… it wouldn’t.

“Roar—”

Sensing the town’s tension, the three-headed chimera grew even more excited.

It boldly took a step forward.

Thud!

Closer.

As it sensed the atmosphere grow heavier, it roared—its three heads shrieking in unison with glee.

“Roar!!!”

It roared again, its Shitan steps growing bolder.

Thud!

One step, two steps, three steps… it began to run!

The beast charged forward, surging toward the light in the darkness.

“Get out! Leave this place!”

Sophia fired another arrow and issued a stern warning.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Arrows rained down, but the Chimera paid no heed, letting them strike its body, leaving behind wounds that healed swiftly.

It even grew more excited from the pain.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

At that moment, everyone—including Miske—stared at the charging behemoth, their expressions turning grave.

The Mushroom Merchant had claimed she wouldn’t help, wouldn’t do anything beyond her duties… but in a moment of life or death, how could she possibly stand by and let someone die?

If she did, Herbert’s return would surely bring her a terrible fate.

That Holy Knight was never one to be lenient.

Just as conflict was about to erupt and Sophia prepared to lead the others into battle against the three-headed Chimera—

The spring at the town’s center suddenly blazed with brilliant golden light!

A radiant column of light shot upward from the water’s surface, piercing the sky!

Hummm!!!

“What!?”

“What’s happening?”

“That’s…”

The Eldar all gasped, then exhaled in relief as they realized the light seemed to come from their own side.

The massive change caused the three-headed beast to halt abruptly—it sensed a grave threat.

Danger?

“Grrr…”

As it considered retreating for now, a blood-stained golden light burst forth from the column.

That golden light was like a divine lightning bolt cleaving the heavens, as if the gods themselves had unleashed punishment!

Crack!

The dazzling golden light struck the Chimera’s head at blinding speed, piercing its sheep’s forehead before it could react.

Before everyone’s stunned gaze, the terrible light vanished in an instant, piercing straight through the sheep’s head and leaving a massive hole.

“Grrr!!?”

The event happened too suddenly; by the time pain registered, the remaining two heads could only let out belated roars of shock and fury.

It hadn’t suffered such an injury in ages!

Though one head was temporarily destroyed, its overall power hadn’t dropped much—if it absorbed enough energy, it could regenerate.

But this pain and rage drove the Chimera utterly mad.

“Grrr—”

It raised its head, glaring at the crimson figure floating in the sky, and unleashed a torrent of ice blades from its wolf head!

But its attacks seemed painfully slow to the figure—the crimson form moved with impossible speed, effortlessly dodging every ice blade.

After evading, the blood-colored figure still made no counterattack, merely hovering in midair, gazing down at the monster like a mockery.

The Chimera understood that gaze.

It was not even worth noticing!

How dare it look down on me!

“Grrr!”

In fury, it forgot caution, drew in a deep breath, and unleashed a freezing storm like a dragon’s breath.

Dozens of meters around it instantly froze solid—the ground became a mirror of ice, reflecting the crimson figure above.

Under this massive-area attack, the figure failed to dodge entirely, struggling in midair, its evasive speed greatly reduced.

…

“What is that!?”

Joanna watched the scene, sighed in relief, and signaled the priestesses to lower their prepared spells.

If possible, she preferred none of them be drawn into battle.

They had been sent by the Goddess to assist—not to shed blood for this land.

“Is this the backup plan Herbert prepared?” Joanna complained to Sophia, who had landed. “If you knew about this, why didn’t you say so? I was so tense!”

“Uh…”

At that moment, the Centaur Spirit could only awkwardly scratch his head and said uncertainly, “You might be mistaken—I have no idea what’s happening.”

Sophia was, in fact, the most confused of all—what exactly was in this lake?

What had Lady Freyme left inside when she created this water?

Joanna raised an eyebrow, opened her mouth, then silently changed the subject: “Whatever it is, it seems Herbert truly left a contingency, as Miske said—this crisis has been averted.”

“Hm?”

Miske hesitated upon hearing this, carefully sensing the radiant, warm figure.

She checked again and again, blinked, and grew even more puzzled.

“Wait, what are you two talking about?”

She turned to them, speaking strangely: “What contingency? Isn’t that… Herbert himself?”

Don’t you realize what you’re saying?

Isn’t he right there?

“Herbert?”

“That’s our Lord!?”

Sophia and the others were stunned, staring at Miske in utter bewilderment—their confusion nearly spilled from their eyes—what are you talking about?

That’s Herbert?

Impossible!

How could that possibly be Herbert!

Miske: ???

The Mushroom Merchant, unsettled by their stares, glanced again—and confirmed: “It’s him! And he hasn’t even used his full strength yet!”

Miske had witnessed firsthand how Herbert fought the Demon God’s avatar—he had nearly become a falling sun!

This legendary peak Chimera? It couldn’t possibly be his match!

Trapped by a freezing storm?

Are you joking?

That’s a divine favored of the Sun God!

That scheming bastard is just playing around—he’s deliberately mocking the enemy.

“Wait—you’ll see soon.”

As Miske spoke, Herbert responded.

Just as a thick layer of ice formed on his body and he was about to fall from the sky—he erupted with blinding light!

The mirror array of the Mirror Realm acted like a magnifying lens, amplifying Herbert’s holy power manyfold, concentrating it all into his armor.

The suppressed light and heat exploded instantly, illuminating the entire darkened area!

“Grrr!!?”

The sudden burst of light, like the most terrifying flash grenade, caused the nearby three-headed beast to shriek in agony, clamping shut all four eyes.

The moment it closed its eyes, it felt piercing pain once more.

Herbert, prepared in advance, dove from above, attempting to replicate his earlier strike—this time targeting the vulture head.

He condensed a longsword of holy light and drove it deep into the creature’s forehead.

But this time, Herbert failed.

The holy sword did pierce the forehead as expected—but it didn’t break through; halfway in, it snapped under impact.

Crack!

Yet Herbert didn’t give up—he retreated, then charged again.

Once more!

Whoosh—Slish!

“Grrr!!?”

After the second attempt, leaving a symmetrical mark on the wolf head, Herbert vanished instantly, evading the beast’s furious retaliation.

Herbert hovered midair, eyes lowered, coldly observing the beast’s chaotic attacks, nodding silently—he had reached a conclusion.

“Hmm… still lacking.”

He couldn’t win.

As a newly entered Legendary Holy Knight, he still couldn’t defeat it.

Without the advantage of a surprise attack, without the amplified power, his current Legendary-beginning strength was insufficient to slay a beast that had long reached Legendary Peak.

He had inflicted real damage—but only by embedding his holy sword into the vulture head’s forehead, leaving a bloody hole.

He breached its defense—but didn’t kill it.

His speed and defense far exceeded his true realm, yet he lacked an effective offensive technique.

It wasn’t entirely without solution—if Herbert returned to the Mirror Realm and recharged once more, he could still unleash that lightning-like attack.

But preparing for it takes too long, and there’s some risk.

Delay invites change!

This beast guarding the fragment of the Spirit Pool has always been his target.

This three-headed Chimera offering itself up like this is a rare opportunity; without the Spirit Pool’s enhancement, its power has dropped significantly.

If you let it go now, and it retreats to its lair and refuses to come out, you’ll never get such a perfect chance again.

You must seize this opportunity!

As he pondered, Herbert’s gaze swept over the people of Elda Province.

“Their strength… hmm, barely enough, but it’s probably still insufficient.”

Sophie and the others aren’t weak, but they likely can’t achieve total annihilation—there’s still a risk of casualties.

If they’re not enough either…

Then there’s no choice—we must resort to emergency measures!

We must strike hard!

Since you three brats refuse to show some sense and lie down quietly, don’t blame this old man for breaking the code of honor.

“You wait!”

Herbert looked at the three-headed Chimera whimpering furiously on the ground, curled his lip, and sneered.

“I’m going to call in reinforcements!”

Saying this, he shifted his focus to the mirror-like ice surface—and indeed saw the Mirror Demon Lady within.

After receiving Lucalía’s confirmation, Herbert took a deep breath and plunged straight down, crashing into the ice.

“Lord Herbert!!?”

“My Master!?”

Fortunately, Herbert didn’t smash his head open—he successfully returned to Elda through the “ice mirror.”

“Ha! Success!”

Herbert laughed aloud, had no time to speak with the Mirror Demon Lady, didn’t pause a moment, and immediately opened a portal, charging into the Endless Labyrinth.

He called out, summoning a portal to the Deep Water Prison.

This time, Herbert was preparing an all-star lineup—he’d summon every monster girl he could reach and let them give that three-headed Chimera a proper lesson.

“Fremé, help me! Come—uh!?” Herbert was about to push open the door again when he suddenly felt a heavy weight on his back.

“Hey! Where are you going?” An annoyed voice came from behind, making Herbert freeze.

Huh?

The person behind bit Herbert’s earlobe fiercely, growling: “Why call her and not me? Is Fremé more charming than me!? Speak!”

!!!

“Valentina! You’re awake!”

Herbert turned around, embraced the discontented Dragon Girl behind him, and exclaimed joyfully: “You’re perfect—I choose you!”

Valentina was about to be delighted, but something about his words felt odd.

…Huh?

“No, no! You’ve arrived just in time!”

Herbert had no time to explain—he grabbed Valentina and kissed her hard, then rushed: “Quick! Come with me!”

“Someone’s bullying me!”

Valentina instantly brightened after being kissed, but wasn’t satisfied—she wanted more.

But before she could speak, she suddenly opened her eyes upon hearing those words.

Her crimson slit pupils flashed with deadly light.

“Hn!!?”

(End of Chapter)