It was you.... Mr. Gunray!

That's right!

　What came out of the collapsing building was the undead Ganei, the chimera researcher who had fought with us in the past, and the giant chimera he seemed to have created.
　Until now, these chimeras were mainly orcs, but this chimera had almost no trace of an orc anymore.
It is a chimera in the true sense of the word, with the characteristics of countless creatures on its body.

Why in the world did you do this?

Why on earth did you do it? To create the most powerful Chimera ever!

　I knew that was the reason. But that raises the question.

'The strongest?　But then there's no reason to stick with orcs...?

Well, that's true. But it's all part of the grand experiment.

The Great Experiment?

Well, well. Up until now, my former companions have created chimeras by multiplying various demons to defeat the white disaster. But all of the chimeras I have created with these numerous combinations have been no match for the white disaster.

　Indeed, that's why Gan-ei-san continued his chimera research until he became undead.

"And now that I've lost the last piece of white disaster, I'm finally out of options...

　Mr. Gan-ei looks up to the heavens and slumps his shoulders.

"Then," he says, "I met by chance. I met by chance.

　Ganei turned his gaze to the collapsed building.

''Just when I was combining the demons in the dark to see if I had missed anything in my research so far, a miracle happened.

Miracle?

Or it could have been a satanic prank. I was synthesizing a chimera and I stumbled upon a mutation.

"....mutation?

What's up with you, bro?

　Jairo-kun, who doesn't understand the meaning of mutation, tilts his head and asks me.

It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to see the difference. A bird with three wings or a horse with extremely long legs is not a normal bird, right?

I see. That's what you call a mutation.

Well, well. A mutant chimera is not the result I had in mind, but I have found hope. Instead of an answer based on a predictable formula, an unexpected mutation could give birth to an individual that would lead to white disaster!

　I see. It's true that even in the wild, there are many mutant individuals who are troublesome.
The idea of intentionally creating them may make sense in a way.

'But then why orcs?　You don't have to be an orc if you're looking for a mutation, do you?

　Yeah, Liliera-san is right. If the goal is to create a powerful individual through mutation, it's better to start with a powerful individual.

That's not a bad question. That's a good question, that's an important one for research. You may be a good researcher.

'What?　Oh, thanks.

　It's a bit cute to see Liliella-san embarrassed by the sudden praise.

You are right to wonder. Orcs are not a powerful race, even among the higher-ranking species. But my goal is not to create strong orcs. My goal is to create a middleman, a mutant orc!

A work in progress?

Surely you're right, it's more efficient to use powerful individuals to wait for them to mutate. But powerful individuals are so powerful that few of them breed, and that's why I've chosen to use a fertile Orc as a prime body. That is why I have chosen the fertile Orc as my body.

'What?　Wait a minute?　You're building a chimera, aren't you?　Why go to the trouble of breeding them?

　We were puzzled by the sudden mention of the word "breeding" when we had said that the purpose of the mutation was to create a mutation. But we were puzzled when the word "breeding" suddenly came up, to which Mr. Gan-ei grinned.

Huh, that's the other purpose of this research, to make them wild!

""Gone wild!"

'Exactly. A chimera is a creature that, when combined with other creatures, is more powerful than any individual species. But there is no wild instinct. It has no wild instincts, only a numerical strength. However, a wild creature, even a fragile one, will fight to the death to survive, even to the point of defeating a superior being. That's why I decided to ask the chimera I had created for that purpose. A chimera that has gone wild and mutated into a chimera!　I call it the Chimera Farm Project!

"Project Chimera Farm?　Is that what you were doing to keep those Chimera out of the building?

Mmm!　Also, there were too many of them to fit in the lab.

""It's too annoying!"

They're not pets that you're going to throw out because there's too much of it!

If you're going to call yourself a ranch, at least fence it off!

'Kah, what do you say!　How can a wild life grow if you surround it with fences?　Wildness can only grow when left to its own devices in the harshest of environments!　By multiplying the mutant chimeras born in the wild, they will eventually become the most powerful chimera in the world!　That's why the most fertile Orcs are the perfect test subjects!

Wow this sucks.

You're so graceful when you don't think about all the trouble you're causing people...

'But considering the fact that undead don't have a lifespan, maybe it makes a lot of sense?

'As a servant of God, I don't approve of playing with your life...'

I'll just have to let this undead guy grow up.

"Oh, you're going to fight?

　Jairo, who was looking bored earlier, suddenly becomes excited when he hears that he's going to fight.
　Now, you didn't understand what we were talking about, did you?

'Oops!　If we're going to do this, let's get on with it!　Brother, let us take care of this guy!

'Hahahahahaha!　Are you going to challenge my chimera orcs?　It's true that these chimeras are plain chimeras that haven't even become intermediate materials yet. But if you're a nasty little boy, you're no match for them.

Heh, how about that one?　Don't underestimate us!

Very well. Let's feed this first mutant, affectionately known as Giga-Orc, to me!　Eat those little bastards, good Giga-Orc!

　When Gan-ei commanded, Giga-Orc-chan, nicknamed Giga-Orc, who was below him, let out a bullhorn.

''In a manner of speaking, that thing is also an orc.

Yes!　Cut me loose....

Cukewoo!

　Just as Gyro-kun was about to attack Giga-Orc-chan, Mofu Mofu jumped out of the way, drooling in front of him.
　After all that food, you still haven't eaten enough!

''Gavukyuu!''

　And the moment I thought that Mohammov bit GigaOrcchan.

"Guekew?

　The Fluffy Mofu let go of GigaOrc's mouth and spat out GigaOrc's nibbled meat.

''Fuhahahahaha!　Surprise!　This Giga-Orc's meat has been adjusted to taste very bad for your protection!

What did you say?

No matter how greedy you are, you will never be able to eat a Giga-Orc!　You're so disappointing!　Hahahahahahahaha!

"What a terrible thing to do to make meat taste bad!

That's right, you!　You can't eat it if it tastes bad!

No, that's not the point.

'Hwahahahahaha!　Chagrin, chagrin, chagrin!　I won't let you eat my little chimera again!

　When we were shocked by the unexpected measure, Gan-ei let out a hearty laugh, "Gan-ei, you're taking such a drastic measure against mofo...?
　Mr. Gan-ei, you're taking such a drastic measure, even though it's a countermeasure against the Fluffy Fluffy...?

"d*mn, it's a tricky one. What do we do now, brother?

'Hmmm, yes. If the ingredients themselves don't taste good, there's a limit to how much you can cook them.

"Cukew.

　Normally, if you're going to artificially remake a creature, you're supposed to make it taste better, but I never thought I'd be able to make it taste bad.
　Especially the shock of the mofo I was expecting after eating the chimera so far.
　He's heartily disappointed and is more depressed than I've ever seen him.

'Go ahead and do it, Giga-Orc!　It's the beginning of my time!

'Don't!　Everybody spread out!

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

　The countless arms and tentacles of GigaOrcchan are attacking us.

　But what am I going to do?　Jairo, you said to stay out of it, and I guess I should just keep my mouth shut and say that this is a Dragon Slayers' fight.
　It's not good manners to mess with the prey that another party is fighting, even according to the adventurer's rules.

Air Slasher!

　As Mina intercepted it with her wind range attack magic, a large amount of vacuum waves tore through GigaOrcchan's body, causing her thin arms and tentacles to fall to the ground.

'Sweet, little girl!　The ability to regenerate is the basic function of a chimera for the white plague!

　As if in response to Gan-ei's words, Gigaoak-chan's arms and tentacles instantly regenerated from the severed surface.

''You have another troublesome ability.

I don't care!　Melt Sword!

　Jairo-kun uses his flaming magic sword to burn off Giga-Orc's tentacles.

''Heh, it doesn't matter how many there are, as long as we burn them all out!

　The basis of having an anti-renewal ability is to burn the wound.
　Gairo-kun flies around at high speed, burning up GigaOrc's body.

''That's already taken care of, kid. Giga-Orc, bite off the wound!

What?

"What?!

　What a surprise, Giga-Orc-chan began biting off his own burned-out wounds.
　Then the bitten off wound regenerates and arms and tentacles grow back.

''Geez, gross!''

How about this!　If only the burned-out wounds weren't so bad, it's possible to regenerate again!　This is the counter-regeneration measure!

'Hmmm, that's a very sober and effective way to do it.

　It's a primitive and violent method, but it's certainly a good way to prevent burning out.
　The idea of countermeasures to counter the countermeasures without using the latest technology is brilliant.

'But then it wouldn't matter if we burned the whole thing out!　Flame Inferno!

　Mina releases a wide range of flame magic to burn GigaOrc's body.

''Another Flame Inferno!

　Mina released Flame Inferno multiple times because she couldn't burn the entire area in one shot.
　That magic was used to counteract weeds, so the vertical range is long, but the horizontal range isn't so much.

''Huh, how's that, I'm growing too. The rest of the time, the orc's own oil triggers the spread of fire.......that!

　It looks like he was going to say that the oil inside the orc's body is spreading and won't stop the fire from spreading until it burns completely, but contrary to my expectations, the flames in Giga-Orc's body quickly disappeared in no time.

''What do you mean!

''Hahahahahahaha!　Sweet, little girl!　I told you I have a plan, didn't I!　The oil in this Giga-Oak girl's body has been reduced to the last minute to prevent the flavorful ingredients from being used!

What did you say?

Moreover, they synthesized a jellyfish-like aquatic monster to make it taste watery and less tasty, and a lot of water to counteract the massive fire magic!　Know that it's impossible to burn out the body part, let alone the terminal tentacles!

d*mn!

　Mina sounded sincerely frustrated at Gan-ei's perfect countermeasure.

''I don't really care about the reason why, but it's an accurate countermeasure as a result.

'Yes, the truth is that tasteless demons are tough for nothing.

　Nolbu, Meguri and the others were impressed with Gan-ei's anti-moffing measures.

'But it's tricky in this situation. But if it regenerates and its powerful fire magic doesn't work, there's nothing we can do about it, is there?

'We can't even use the long game if we're going to regenerate. We can't even try to get the numbers together...

''And with this opponent, my wind attribute enhancements and Norbu's defensive tactics aren't very effective...''

By the way, Giga-Orc's body is compressed, and there's even more water inside it than it looks. Moreover, the many roots growing out of its body are connected to the underground water veins, and it is constantly rehydrating!

By roots, you mean you're also incorporating elements of plant-based demons.
　The more types of creatures a chimera synthesizes, the harder it is to adjust, but Gan-ei's skill in making that possible is a big deal.
　As expected of him, he even became an undead man to advance his research.

''Noooo!　We can't do anything about it!　Don't you have a better idea, brother-!

Jairo-kun is crying to me that he's running out of ideas.
Can I join the fight now?

''That's right. If you can't do it with fire magic that emits instantaneous flames, how about a system of magic that continuously releases high temperatures and burns down?

'Sustained burnout?　What kind of magic is that?

　Oh, you didn't learn sustained magic, did you? I'm not sure if the children's magic book I brought back from my hometown lists that type of magic as well.
　I'm going to make one next time and take it with me.

It's a good idea to use it first. Volcano Lake!

　Concentrating his magic power, he unleashed a spell at the feet of the Giga-Orc-chan underneath Gan-ei, and the ground began to boil with fierce heat.

''Noooooo!　What is this!?

　And the ground turns red and begins to melt into mush.

''I-I can't!''

　Sensing the danger, Gunray jumped up into the sky, and the flying chimera picked up Gunray.
　But the giant Giga-Orc-chan was not so lucky.

''Bumoooooooo!''

　Giga-Orc-chan's body began to be burned as she melted bright red and sank to the boiling ground.

''What is that!　It's like the ground is a bottomless swamp!

You can't compare this heat to ordinary fire magic. What is this magic? I don't know.

This magic is the Volcano Lake. This is Volcano Lake, a domain-mutating, sustained-attack spell that turns a specified area into a lake of lava.

"'Region mutant?'

'Yes. As you can see, by making the terrain itself an offensive environment, you can deal sustained damage to enemies within its range. This time it's heat damage from lava, but you can also freeze your opponent to death by replicating an extremely cold region, or crush them to death by replicating the water pressure of the deep sea at the bottom of the ocean. The drawback is that it consumes a lot of magic power when it is activated, but the advantage is that the effect lasts for a while after the spell is activated because it tweaks the environment itself. Also, the advantage of this is that it is easy to use it to induce defensive magic tools to run out of magic power because of the characteristics of the effect that lasts.

No, I don't think it's every day you get to fight an enemy who uses that stuff.

''I mean, if it's triggered over such a wide area, it's likely to cause damage to enemies other than those with magic tools...''

　While he was talking about such things, Gigaoak-chan's body was spreading flames, and his body was no longer buried in a lake of lava up to his neck.
　She tried to escape somehow, but her arms and tentacles were quickly set ablaze, and more importantly, she couldn't even float up under her own weight.
　And so, not long after that, Gigaoak-chan sank into the lake of lava.

''Therefore, persistent magic is effective in countermeasures against having the ability to regenerate.

Doesn't that mean it has to be in a public place?

It's too dangerous to use along the road.

"If you use it in the forest, the forest catches fire.

And I don't think my magic is going to work.

We're warriors too. I don't think we can use it.

　However, people were unpopular with the use of Volcano Lake as it was very unlikely to be used.

''Hmm, if you consider the damage to the surroundings, then what else is there to do, like a magic that deprives the surrounding area of oxygen and makes the target unable to breathe and suffocate to death?''

""There's a useful magic trick!"

No. I thought it would be easier to convey the message if I showed you some easy-to-understand sustained magic.

I thought you had used some kind of magic to create hell...

Well, well, that's what I'm talking about, even if you have the regeneration ability, there are ways to counteract it. There are a lot of countermeasures to regenerate other than the ones I've described here.

Nah. You lost your stride.　

I could use some choking magic. Tell me about it later.

Well, whatever it is, you can be sure that the troublesome chimera has been eliminated. That's why I'm so proud of you, Lex.

''Squeak!''

　While everyone else was relieved, for some reason, only Mohumov was angrily pecking his paw at my leg.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it's a good idea to have a good time.　What are you mad about?

What the hell is going on?　That little giga-oak girl was so bad that I couldn't eat her mofo, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem to burn her out?

Could it be because of that?

Huh?

　Prompted by Norbu's words, I looked at the ground and saw a group of chimera orcs scorched to black by a lake of lava.

''Ah.''

Kygwiu!

　I see, the reason Fluffy was angry is because I even burned an edible oak. That was a bad thing to do.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll share the chimera orcs I killed later to make up for it.

Squeak!　Coo!

　When I shared the chimera orc meat that I took out for now, Mohumoff seemed to improve his mood and brought the chimera meat to a rock near the lava lake and began to cook it.

"That Fluffy Fluffy is cooking the meat properly...?

Are those really just demons?

　Everyone watches with a smile as Fluffy Moffy roasts on the banks of the lava.
　Yeah, it's a peaceful scene.

'Oh, my God...'

　Oh, don't. I forgot about that guy.
　I catch sight of Mr. Gunray in the sky aboard the Chimera.

"Ugh!

　Mr. Gan-ei met my eyes and backed away as if frightened.

''As expected, I've been too much of a nuisance this time. We can't just leave it at that.''

　Last time I missed it because the demons had escaped without my knowledge, but this time they were intentionally releasing the chimeras.
　If that's the case, we can't let them escape now.

''Gan-ei-san, I'll get you!

　With determination, I declared to Mr. Ganei.