Chapter 168 — Hero [3] - Stepping Forward

The appearance of the recently arrived creature became clear.

It was just that, unlike any other beast Liora had met before, this one looked completely different.

It didn’t seem to have evolved from any species of animals known to Liora. Instead, it seemed to be an amalgamation of different things.

Resting on its shoulders was the head of a horned goat, while its torso was covered in thick green scales that resembled those of a lizard.

Its body was supported by a pair of furry wolf legs, and its hands were muscular, matching those of the Ape Beast standing not far away.

A thick snake tail protruded from its back and continuously hit the earth around it, creating deep pits and cracks along its path.

The creature’s appearance and powerful aura made it crystal clear—this beast was not any weaker than the Ape King that Duchess Lobelia was facing.

Seeing that the Chimera looked ready to strike at the human soldiers, the Duchess wanted to come forward and stop it.

Unfortunately, the Ape Beast showed a surprising amount of intelligence.

It immediately stepped forward and slammed down its massive fists, restricting Duchess Lobelia’s ability to leave their battlefield.

For a moment, the soldiers and nobles alike felt helpless.

They could only powerlessly watch the massive palm descend towards them, silently awaiting their death.

There was only one person among them who stood out.

It was Eleanor.

Although her body was also frozen in place by the palm’s forward momentum, her thinking process was clear.

Noticing that the Duchess was unable to save them due to the Ape Beast’s obstruction, something seemed to have awakened inside her.

Subconsciously, her hand clasping the blessed sword moved on its own.

She swung the sword towards the sky, seemingly wanting to meet the Chimera’s blow.

Most of the soldiers in the city couldn’t understand where she gained such confidence.

Standing in front of the Chimera, she seemed like an ant facing an elephant.

How could an ant possibly contend with an elephant?

Only the soldiers who had followed her in the earlier battle had a strange amount of trust in her.

Subconsciously, they also raised their weapons and struck towards the descending palm, mirroring Eleanor’s movements.

Their attacks were weak, but their fighting intent and momentum perfectly matched Eleanor’s.

Invisibly to the naked eye, it gathered towards Eleanor and poured into her weapon.

The next moment, the blessed sword and descending palm collided in the air.

Shockingly, the death that the nobles were fearfully awaiting didn’t happen.

Despite the massive difference in both size and strength, Eleanor’s sword strike was able to fend off the Chimera’s attack.

Before they could breathe a sigh of relief, though, the Chimera took action again.

Without any pause, it brought its other palm down.

The nobles were scared but no longer as terrified.

Hopeful, they turned to look at Eleanor, who had unknowingly become their spiritual pillar.

For some reason, everyone believed that she could contend against the terrifying Chimera and save them.

But Liora, standing on Hope City’s walls, understood that this was impossible.

In her senses, Eleanor’s strength had all been sucked away.

It was already shocking enough that she had gathered her own strength, the potential of the soldiers, and the power of the blessed sword to perform the earlier strike.

By now, she no longer had the stamina to fight.

Let alone battle the Chimera, even the weakest of Knight Apprentices would be able to kill her with ease.

A flicker of light flashed in Liora’s eyes as she watched this happen.

For a brief moment, she wanted to stay still and watch what would happen.

Would Eleanor really die, or would something unexpected happen and allow her to survive what could only be considered certain death?

But Liora quickly suppressed her curiosity.

She felt that it would be best if no other variable appeared.

Moreover...

"Perhaps this is an opportunity to get into contact with Duchess Lobelia and the upper nobles of the Empire...", Liora thought.

With that in mind, she no longer held back.

Just when the Chimera’s palm was about to blast the beasts and humans to smithereens, her figure appeared along its trajectory.

With a raise of her arm, she brought her own palm above her head and struck back.

A deafening sound followed.

The air around the point of collision tumbled, splitting in all directions like blades made of wind.

Liora had actually managed to achieve what Eleanor had done earlier—to fend off the Chimera’s attack.

Moreover, she had accomplished it with incomparable ease.

In the two palms’ collision, Liora seemed to have come out on top.

The Chimera’s terrifying body shook as it was forced to take a few steps back, bringing destruction to the land beneath it.

On the other hand, Liora remained completely intact. Only her crimson hair fluttered faintly as a blade of wind brushed across her beautiful face.

Despite this, her expression didn’t change.

After she cast a glance at the battlefield around her and saw the stunned expressions on the soldiers’ faces, she moved once again.

However, she didn’t attack the Chimera this time.

Instead, she dashed away, seemingly no longer willing to engage in battle.

But the Chimera would, of course, not care about her opinion.

Angry at having lost in their earlier confrontation and excited to have finally met a worthy opponent, it chased after her, as if it had forgotten about Hope City.

Only the stunned soldiers, the nobles, and the beasts were left behind, as the figures of the Devil and the beast faded away.

For a few seconds, no one, including the mindless beasts, moved.

Everyone was still shocked about what had just happened.

But soon, a valiant female voice broke through the silence.

"Don’t worry! Lady Liora is going to deal with that beast! All we have to do is hold these beasts back and wait for Her Excellency and Duchess Lobelia to deal with their opponents!", Eleanor yelled.

No one would have taken her words seriously if it were before.

A mere relative of an Earl, and a female at that, was not worthy of ordering them around.

But now, having seen her defend against the Chimera, and guessing the nature of her relationship with the powerful female Knight, they could no longer ignore her.

Whether it was because they believed her words or whether they were simply affected by the situation, they chose to follow her commands.

Soon, the battlefield turned back to normal.

Having recovered somewhat, Eleanor raised her head and continued acting as the focal point in the humans’ defense.