Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 134

Bergana’s Great Labyrinth, 36th floor—a single step closer to the depths where even dwarves rarely went. The deeper layers maintained an eerie stillness, as if rejecting human presence. Only faint breathing and the irregular footsteps upon stone pavement reached Walm’s ears.

Walm shifted his gaze from the darkness ahead to the floor beneath his feet, then to the walls and ceiling. Finally, he focused on Hari, who led the way in front of him, checking for any signs of abnormality. Behind Walm, his party members Yuna, Mariante and Merrill followed closely, watching their rear. His role in the formation was to assist Hari, advancing slightly ahead. He served as a link between the front and back, requiring him to act with flexibility.

Compared to previous passageways, the 36th floor was unnecessarily wide and tall. Even if Cyclopes walked side by side, they would still have ample room to move. This meant that vigilance in three dimensions was imperative here.

As the party carefully pressed deeper into the labyrinth, Hari raised a clenched fist. The signal for heightened caution immediately stopped the group in their tracks, each member holding their breath. Walm, too, heard it—a faint, bouncy sound akin to a taut ball bouncing unpredictably. Naturally, no child was playing with a ball in the labyrinth. The dull, rapid sounds intensified, approaching the party with unmistakable intent.

“We’ve been completely detected. Prepare for battle, they’re coming!”

Merrill’s command was given. Recognizing that combat was inevitable, each member resumed breathing and prepared themselves. Walm gathered his mana while Yuna nocked an arrow to her bowstring. Seven creatures charged through the passageway at an alarming speed.

“Three Chimeras, four Cerberuses!”

Hari swiftly identified their foes. Walm had experience fighting silver wolves and two-headed Orthrus, but the three-headed beasts before them dwarfed their lesser kin. The Cerberuses were nearly twice the size of a normal wolf. The Chimeras were even larger, their lion heads snarling, goat-like lower bodies coiling with unnatural strength, and snake tails writhing with a mind of their own. The grotesque pack charged toward the party, baring their fangs.

Walm unleashed a fireball into their midst. Though agile, the seven monsters had already closed too much distance to fully evade the attack. If at least a few were injured, the battle would tilt in their favor. That was Walm’s intention but the three Chimeras suddenly puffed up their cheeks and spewed flames of their own. Blue and crimson fires intertwined, heating the passage with intense heat. The flames illuminated the previously shadowed corridor, revealing the monstrous figures.

“They countered it?! They’re coming from both sides!”

Walm shouted the warning as his fireball was neutralized by their counterattack. The creatures split into two groups, skillfully maneuvering through the inferno.

“Walm, Yuna, take care of that side!”

Merrill, along with Mariante and Hari, engaged one Chimera and four Cerberuses. Merrill’s wind magic fanned the flames further, creating a chaotic battlefield. Walm and Yuna were left with two of the remaining Chimeras. There was no time to protest—the others had taken the greater burden. Complaints were a luxury they couldn’t afford. Yuna released an arrow, threading through the firestorm to strike a Chimera’s torso. The beast shuddered but quickly shook off the impact, causing the embedded arrowhead to fall out.

“It’s too tough to penetrate…”

Yuna muttered in frustration. Perhaps the range affected the strike, but more than that, the Chimeras possessed thick muscle density and a dense magical barrier covering their bodies. They could likely withstand their own flames. That resistance, unfortunately, extended to Walm’s fire magic as well.

“Come at me, you freakish mutt!”

Walm taunted, raising his halberd. His refined speech seemed effective—one of the Chimeras lunged at him with its front claws poised.

Anticipating the attack, Walm prepared to counter. But at the last moment, the Chimera tensed its hind legs, springing sideways with unnatural agility. Walm barely tracked the beast’s evasive movement.

“Walm, it’s heading your way!”

The second Chimera, which had been engaging Yuna, suddenly switched its focus to him. Despite having arrows lodged in its thigh and hip bone, it charged recklessly, drooling as it aimed for Walm’s throat.

“Burst!!”

With a quick chant, Walm invoked wind magic to propel himself backward at high speed. The Chimera’s fangs clamped shut on empty air. But even as he escaped its maw, the snake tail lashed out, venomous fangs snapping toward his exposed side.

“Not happening!”

Walm swung the butt of his halberd, slamming the snake’s head. It recoiled, spewing venom into the air. Before he could catch his breath, the first chimera that had maneuvered to Walm’s flank brought its claws crashing down from above. Resistance would be meaningless.

Prepared for impact, Walm braced the halberd’s butt against the ground with his foot, angling the spear tip upward. The descending claws met unyielding steel. The force rattled his arms, but the blade sank deep into the Chimera’s forearm, scraping bone and slicing through flesh.

Taking advantage of the moment, Walm twisted the weapon. The half-severed limb couldn’t withstand the strain, snapping completely with a sickening tear. The Chimera shrieked, a grating, glass-on-glass screech.

It certainly seemed to be in pain. Walm found the sound satisfying. Yet, considering the other chimera still lurking, he couldn’t afford to waste too much time on just one. As he withdrew, he swiped at the remaining arm with the halberd’s hooked blade. Though it didn’t fully sever, it was enough to hinder the beast’s movements. Putting distance between himself and the writhing chimera, Walm shifted his focus to the one he had left behind.

Despite being weakened, the chimeras were still formidable foes. Whether by claws, jagged teeth, or the venomous fangs of their serpent tails, a single mistake could drastically shift the battle’s tide. One of the chimeras, swelling its throat, prepared to unleash a torrent of flames like a retching beast. Facing fire with fire—Walm found the audacity amusing, a grin curling his lips. The demon mask in his bag quivered with anticipation, much like an impatient child at a festival. For once, he and the mask were in agreement. Without hesitation, Walm dove straight into the flames.

“Walm, dodge it!” Yuna’s scream echoed.

The fire was indeed potent, but to Walm, who had long been enveloped in demon fire, it was still tolerable. The chimera with its maw wide open, belatedly sensed the abnormality, but it was already too late.

The halberd’s tip forced its way through the soft palate, carving upward into the beast’s skull. Walm twisted the weapon back and forth, stirring its brains with deliberate care. He then peeled away the creature’s torn magical barrier along with the lingering flames. Though the halberd was finally withdrawn, the chimera still refused to collapse. Its lion eyes had lost all vitality, but the serpent tail lifted high, locking its gaze onto Walm.

“You too, huh?”

The chimera lashed out in desperation. Walm leaned back, narrowly dodging the sweeping claws. The ensuing charge was powerful, but slower than before. Observing its sluggish movements, Walm came to a realization—perhaps the serpent tail served as a secondary brain, struggling to take control of the body.

Though its actions lacked the precision of the lion’s, its raw strength was not to be underestimated. With one chimera already half-dead, Walm debated whether he could handle them both at once. Before he could decide, Yuna’s voice resolved the matter.

“Finish yours, I’ll handle this one!”

Yuna sprinted toward the maimed Chimera, loosing arrows in quick succession. Each shot hit a joint, reducing its mobility. She clearly had a plan. Trusting her judgment, Walm turned back to his own prey.

The wounded chimera, failing to track Walm, flailed its limbs wildly. Exploiting the openings, Walm carved into its body with his halberd. He shaved away flesh from its shoulders, drove the axe head into its knee, and dug the spear tip into its ribs. The beast, unable to endure, swung its claws down in a last-ditch effort. Walm met the attack with a rising slash.

Minimal force was required—the chimera itself supplied the necessary momentum. The blow cleaved through its wrist, severing the paw entirely. Unbalanced by its own weight, the chimera faltered. On three legs, it was defenseless. Seizing the moment, Walm rushed toward the serpent tail.

The snake gaped wide, spewing venom in a desperate attempt to halt him. But Walm conjured a wall of flames, vaporizing the liquid mid-air. With nothing left to obstruct him, he executed a swift and clean slash, severing the snake’s head. The massive body convulsed before finally crashing to the ground. The detached serpent head emitted a faint hiss, its last breath expelled as Walm crushed it under the butt of his halberd. Without missing a beat, he turned to assist Yuna.

Despite holding her bow in one hand, Yuna engaged in close combat with her shortsword. Remarkably, she had already dealt with the serpent tail, neatly severing it and ensuring its demise. She had claimed to be proficient in melee fighting, and now Walm could attest to the truth of that claim. In another party, she could likely serve as a frontliner as well.

Approaching unseen, Walm raised his halberd and brought it down in a crushing blow. The Strong Strike cleaved through the chimera’s spine and shoulder in one sweep. The beast staggered, its lower body failing to respond. Yet, even in its crippled state, it stubbornly clung to life.

That resistance lasted only until Yuna drove her shortsword through its eye socket. With the blade buried to the hilt, the chimera finally surrendered to death.

“Next one.”

“Mhm.”

No further words were needed. They turned toward the ongoing battle, where ice spears had skewered a cerberus mid-air, freezing its writhing form into an eerie sculpture. The corridor had transformed into an art exhibit of grotesque carnage. Another cerberus lay with its head pulped beyond recognition, and yet another displayed its three severed necks like some macabre centerpiece.

Only two enemies remained, both already gravely wounded. With the finishing touches all that remained, Walm and Yuna closed in. Raising his halberd, Walm met Mariante’s gaze.

Mariante understood instantly, shifting her stance and using her mace to herd the last cerberus into Walm’s path. The battered beast, down one head and with mangled limbs, lunged at Walm with the last of its strength. He stepped forward and swung. The axe blade sheared cleanly through the remaining heads, sending them tumbling across the blood-soaked floor.

The final chimera had already been silenced. Having withstood the relentless assault of Merrill, Hari and Yuna, it never stood a chance. Those three, having fought together for far longer than Walm, moved in perfect synchrony. No words were needed, no glances exchanged—they simply knew what needed to be done.

The impromptu symphony of violence had reached its conclusion. As Walm surveyed the aftermath, the others gathered around him.

“No additional monsters?”

“None,” Merrill confirmed. “The air is still.”

With a sigh of relief, Walm allowed himself a moment’s rest.

“Is anyone hurt?”

Walm scanned the three who had been fighting separately. Superficially, they only had some dirt and grime on them, but there were no visible injuries. Still, he knew better than to be complacent. Not being a healing mage, he couldn’t determine if there were internal injuries or damage hidden beneath their armor.

“Hmm, nothing serious.”

“I’m fine.”

“No issues here. If I had to say, though, the most dangerous moment was when Walm jumped into the flames.”

“You saw that?”

A tinge of embarrassment washed over Walm at having his reckless act noticed.

“Yuna screamed, so of course, we saw it.”

“If you’re going to pull a stunt like that, at least give us some warning. It’s bad for my heart.”

Scolded by Merrill and Mariante, Walm conceded his fault without resistance.

“That was my bad. I didn’t expect everyone to enjoy a fire-dodging spectacle so much.”

“Oh, but who wouldn’t love it? Maybe next time, you can put on a proper performance for everyone.”

Seeing no escape from their teasing, Walm simply shrugged. With this group, they might actually make him do it. Mariante, however, was quick to rein in the playful conversation.

“Enough chit-chat.”

“Even if the monster density is lower past the 36th floor, we’ve been talking too much.”

“That information came from drunk dwarves you bribed with booze, didn’t it?”

Mariante shook her head in disbelief. Those dwarves were suspiciously cheap informants. Then again, given how they were even when sober, it was hard to imagine them lying outright. But just how reliable was the information of a drunk dwarf?

“Even if there are fewer monsters, this place is still anything but safe.”

Speed, resilience, the ability to survive losing a head, and on top of that, spewing fire and venom. Creatures like these roaming in packs explained why fewer adventurers aimed for conquest. Walm couldn’t help but scoff at the thought.

“If you’re scared, we can turn back now.”

He was pursuing the impossible—seeking to heal an affliction that defied natural order. If he couldn’t push forward here, the legendary Deep Crimson Bloom would forever remain out of reach. Fortunately, he wasn’t alone. Among them, five like-minded fools were set on reaching the bottom.

Walm glanced at each of them one by one.

“We’re finally starting to see the bottom. We’ve come this far as five. No point turning back now.”

At Walm’s remark, Merrill nodded in satisfaction.

Translator – Lyxxna