At that moment, outside the cave.
The instant the shriek echoed forth, Danche felt a sharp stab in his mind, a nameless rage surging from deep within, his thoughts overcome by a maddening urge to kill!
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!
Fortunately, he had undergone rigorous training before coming here. He swiftly slapped himself hard, just barely pushing back the rising madness and preventing a total loss of control.
But this delay had already cost him precious seconds. He had no chance to soothe his chimera, forced to watch helplessly as the beast leapt with a roar straight toward the five figures ahead!
He cried out, both anxious and relieved. Anxious, because a berserk chimera turning on him could mean death or mortal wounds; relieved, because his chimera clearly loved him deeply—no matter its madness, it would not harm its master and instead chose to attack the enemy ahead!
Well, the foes were from Liberl Port anyway—a fight was inevitable. Let Barbary strike first and claim the advantage.
With such thoughts flashing through his mind, Danche allowed his chimera to attack. Part of him even wondered just how powerful his own training had made the beast.
Up front, when the chimera pounced, Charles’s battle instincts surged—he immediately incanted, four washbasin-sized magic arrays spinning above his head: "Eldritch Blast!"
Surrounded by the paladins’ Aura of Protection and with his own Eldritch Mind already honed, the mental impact on Charles was minimal. He could instantly react.
Four invisible strands of energy streaked out. The distance was great but Charles’s improved attributes meant his aim was precise as ever, and the berserk chimera didn’t even attempt to dodge.
All three of the chimera’s heads screamed in agony as huge swathes of flesh were blasted to ribbons. The force damage of Eldritch Blast unravels matter at the most basic level; muscle tissue atomized into near nothingness. This torment was far worse than simply tearing out flesh!
In back, Danche’s eyes bulged, fury surging anew to quash his reason. "Chimera tribe, attack!"
He bellowed, and the remaining half-orc warriors—already roused to a fever pitch by the demon’s shriek—roared in feral fury! Axes raised, thick legs pounding the earth, they charged for Charles and his companions!
Meanwhile, Anno shook off the agony of the shriek and, seeing the chimera, her face hardened. "A red dragon head—that chimera can breathe fire! Spread out!"
"Charles, let’s keep our distance and take turns tanking its attacks!"
She instantly assessed the subrace and gave orders—she and Charles both wielded shields, so she naturally regarded them as the frontline.
Hold the line so the rear spellcasters would have space to do their work.
It was a logical thought—but she didn’t truly know a Hexblade’s combat style.
Charles, with a single dash, retreated behind her, ensuring he remained within the Aura of Protection. He barked: "Fall back! Keep your distance! Hattie, restrain that chimera! Nidalee, split the battlefield! Theresa, blind them!"
Even as he shouted, Charles was already incanting—four massive round magic arrays formed behind him again!
Behind him, Hattie, Theresa, and Nidalee all retreated at speed. Though no longer shielded by the paladins’ aura, they were well clear of the chimera’s breath radius.
Each incanted quickly, readying spells, trusting Charles to deal with the monster and shifting their focus to the other incoming enemies.
Above, the chimera dove at them, dragon head gathering deadly flame. As it flew downward, it dipped low and spat forth—
A torrent of fire from the heavens! Fortunately, it wasn’t a true red dragon, just a hybridized beast—temperature and area were limited, only covering Charles and Anno—
A golden Aura of Protection flared to life as the flames struck. At the same time, Charles completed the casting: "Absorb Elements!"
Invisible magic power churned overhead, forming a translucent vortex. Most of the flames were swallowed up, the aura’s protection dampened them further, and when the remnants struck, they felt more like scalding water than true fire. Between Charles’s wards and Anno’s plate armor, both shrugged off the flames with ease.
The rest of the fire only scorched the dried grass and leaves, impressive to behold but doing little real harm.
Meanwhile, the four magic arrays above Charles loosed their energies again.
Bang! Bang! Bang! BANG—
The blasts struck the chimera at close range, huge wounds opening, red flesh exposed and blood gushing, a grisly sight.
Again, the chimera bellowed in agony. Eight Eldritch Blasts had nearly killed it, driving the last vestiges of sanity away, bloodlust boiling over. Ducking its goat head, it plummeted headlong, the massive, curling horns driving for Anno—
She raised her shield, dodging, but the goat head twisted nimbly for the perfect strike. The move was flawless—well-trained indeed.
She had to block, which was hardly ideal. The full weight of the chimera barreled down—the mighty horns slammed her shield dead on—
The impact numbed Anno’s left arm, nearly knocking all sensation from her limb. Armored, she stumbled backward, boots skidding through burning grass, straight into Charles’s arms.
Charles grunted, the attack disrupting his next spell, so he caught Anno, steadying her.
In front, the chimera’s attack continued—relentless as a living siege engine, breathing as it rampaged.
Wings flared, it leapt, razor claws outstretched, the central lion head opening wide to reveal a bloody maw and gleaming tusks—
"Evard’s Black Tentacles!"
Hattie’s incantation completed at that moment. Thick black tentacles erupted from the earth, snaring the chimera’s limbs and wings, wrenching the beast hard down!
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The chimera crashed to earth, snarling and snapping, but the tentacles held firm. Behind them, Hattie’s face was cold—her spellcaster level might not be high, but the power of her spells still outmatched brute force!
Now it was time for the spellcasters to dominate the battlefield.
Charles’s eyes brightened at the sight of the bound chimera. He released Anno, right hand sweeping upward as countless fiery threads wove in the air—a longsword, blazing with searing fire, materialized in his grip.
Add to that the previously cast Elemental Weapon, and the energy from Absorb Elements—his blade now burned with searing magical flame.
Advancing on the immobilized beast, Charles slashed down at its body—
Pinned by the black tentacles, the chimera could not dodge. The longsword, white-hot, sliced through the lion’s mane and cleanly through its neck!
The searing flame charred flesh in an instant; even for a chimera, with its monstrous vitality, repeated deadly wounds were more than it could bear.
Even as the black tentacles sucked what was left of its strength through the gaping wound, the lion head groaned out a final death-cry, the massive body shuddered, and at last fell still.
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