“With such chaotic magical aura and the body under such intense strain, even without anyone intervening, this Chimera might just drop dead on its own.”
Melrose stared at the Chimera as it entered its second phase and analyzed calmly, “But we can’t just leave it alone right now. A lot of students have gathered in this Swamp Land… An upper Intermediate magic beast—you can handle it, right?”
Melrose addressed Xiliya. Though their previous interactions hadn’t been pleasant, the urgency of the situation was obvious, so Melrose didn’t bother with pleasantries.
“No problem, with you helping.”
Though she really didn’t want to team up with Melrose, now clearly wasn’t the time to throw a tantrum. Xiliya responded expressionlessly. The two exchanged no further words, shared a glance, and simultaneously launched their attacks on the Chimera!
The enraged Chimera let out a terrifying roar. The hysterical bellows from the goat head and lion head blended into something indescribably horrifying. It charged straight at them, tanking their magical attacks head-on!
This was clearly a prime chance to take it down. Neither held back, unleashing high-damage magic that slammed into the Chimera instantly… But it charged on as if it felt no pain. Xiliya and Melrose had no choice but to halt their charging spells and dodge temporarily.
The Chimera’s fur, blasted into a bloody mess, began writhing and regenerating. Ximo watched with furrowed brows… This boss had high attack, high defense, and infinite self-healing? It knew damn well whether it was cheating or not!
Even Ximo could tell this level of regeneration was off. It wasn’t so much vigorous vitality as it was the sensation of the Chimera burning through its life force.
“Drag it out until its body reaches its limit on its own?” Melrose pondered tactics.
“No, I think a fatal blow that kills it in one hit can’t be healed.”
Xiliya based her judgment on the previous Forest Fox. Though that Forest Fox had been in a similar state to this Chimera, it had dropped dead on the spot after taking her fatal strike. No matter how strong the healing, it shouldn’t recover from fatal wounds—that defied common sense.
The Chimera grew even more violent, rampaging through the Swamp Land and splashing mud everywhere. Xiliya and Melrose exchanged a glance and sprang into action. Xiliya took responsibility for tying it down. She no longer skimped on her mana reserves, going all out with various methods to hold the Chimera back.
Meanwhile, Melrose stood back and observed quietly? After a few exchanges, Xiliya finally seized an opening. She chanted Elemental Magic rapidly, and massive ice crystals erupted from the ground, precisely freezing the Chimera’s front paws.
Now! Melrose raised her hand and instantly unleashed [Arrow of Pure White], this time aiming for the Chimera’s heart. The massive arrow pierced straight through it.
Even so, the Chimera merely paused before slowly rising from the ground again. Everyone present was stunned. A fatal wound through the heart could be healed? That meant… to kill it in one shot, they’d need even more powerful magic?
That strike had clearly dealt massive damage, though. The Chimera’s movements wobbled, but it still lunged desperately. The two dodged swiftly, but as Xiliya flew back in retreat, the snake head struck with even greater speed.
For the battle-hardened Xiliya, this wasn’t much of a threat. She just needed to deploy Barrier Magic in front… But for some reason, her magic flow stuttered, and the Barrier Magic failed to activate. However, a flying dagger sliced through the air even faster, stabbing into the snake and blocking the attack.
“Ximo? No need for your help. This Chimera’s almost at its limit. Just stall a bit longer.”
Xiliya could see that though the monster could heal fatal wounds, it undoubtedly accelerated its life-force burn. If they kept it up, even if she and Melrose got hurt, the Chimera would fall first.
“No, no, no. I think this monster’s weakness is elsewhere. Look—one, two, three… Plus me, we’ve got exactly three people.”
Ximo counted aloud in front of them, and Melrose and Xiliya instantly grasped her meaning.
“I think it’s worth a try.”
Melrose glanced at Ximo, a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected this little maid to actually be useful. Xiliya had no time to respond, as the Chimera charged again.
This time, after dodging, the three launched a coordinated assault with perfect synergy. Melrose and Xiliya’s magic targeted the Chimera’s two heads respectively. After the magical explosions, the Chimera’s body swayed but didn’t fully collapse.
As the monster teetered, on the verge of slowly healing again, a figure flashed from behind it—Ximo. She spun through the air, a cold gleam flashing in her hand as her dagger precisely severed the snake head from the Chimera’s rear.
The final head rolled into the mud with a gurgle. With all three heads struck fatally, the Chimera could no longer hold up. Its body collapsed completely onto the ground, and the wounds stopped healing.
Was it really over this time?
Xiliya panted heavily, not daring to relax her vigilance. But after waiting a while with no movement from the Chimera, it seemed they had truly defeated it.
The intense battle had drawn many examinees nearby in the Swamp Land. Xiliya saw students skilled in healing magic gathered around the injured freshman from earlier, checking his wounds.
Phew, it looked like it was truly resolved…
The crisis that had killed students in her previous life was averted. This should have been cause for joy, but Xiliya’s brows remained furrowed, a faint unease lingering in her heart.
Honestly, this crisis had been… much simpler than she’d anticipated.
This wasn’t hindsight mockery. Xiliya simply hadn’t expected to resolve it so quickly.
Though she and Ximo’s help had sped things up, even without them, Xiliya didn’t think the Chimera could kill so many students present.
The monster’s healing was terrifying, but with Melrose’s strength and the other students teaming up, even a grueling battle should have ended with it crushed by sheer numbers—especially since Melrose hadn’t gone all out.
