Vorath, Xekar, and their third accomplice disappeared into darkness.
Moments later, countless dark portals opened throughout the arena, and Chimera Beasts began emerging from them one after another.
As they spread across the battlefield, the adventurers and the royal army of the Kingdom of Cero immediately prepared themselves for battle.
The Chimera Beasts looked horrifying.
Each one carried a corrupted aura, and their twisted appearances made it clear they were no ordinary monsters. Their bodies were stitched together unnaturally, with different beast parts fused into a single terrifying existence.
Everyone waited for the Chimera to make the first move.
And they did.
An all-out battle erupted across the arena.
The adventurers and soldiers fought cautiously, testing the strength of these unknown creatures.
The war had begun.
The Chimera Beasts proved to be incredibly difficult opponents. Ordinary swords barely cut through their bodies, while magic seemed far less effective than expected. They rampaged through the arena with only one purpose, to destroy everything in their sight.
Such monstrous beings could never be allowed to escape.
King Arthur immediately ordered barriers to be erected around the entire arena.
"What happens here... stays here."
Within moments, multiple magical barriers surrounded the battlefield.
King Arthur then turned toward the kings and royals from the other nations.
"You all do not need to fight."
His expression remained calm despite the chaos.
"This is my failure. Those intruders managed to reach this place under my watch."
He looked around the battlefield.
"You may leave the arena. I will take care of everything here."
At the same time, reinforcements from the Kingdom of Cero were called to join the battle.
The tournament participants and the royal army continued fighting the Chimera Beasts while more soldiers rushed into the arena.
One of the Chimera had the head of an elephant, the body of a tiger, and the wings of an eagle. Every part of its body felt unnatural, as though it had been forcefully stitched together. Each Chimera was uniquely modified, making no two exactly alike.
There were around eleven of them in total.
The Grand Party and the Hands of Karma immediately took control of one side of the battlefield, engaging three Chimera Beasts.
Meanwhile, seven more Chimeras rampaged through the spectator stands.
Standing against them were several renowned adventurer groups, including the Wind Chasers, The Rising Heroes, Black Sigil, Redwake, Divatrix, The Coil, Platinum Edge, Astra Axis, Eternal Wings, and many others alongside Cero's royal army.
King Arthur had specifically ordered that adventurers from other kingdoms should not participate in the battle, allowing the Kingdom of Cero to handle its own crisis.
Instead, those adventurers focused on evacuating civilians both inside and outside the arena while remaining on standby beyond the barrier.
The only exceptions were Astra Axis and the Hands of Karma, the two parties from outside Cero that remained on the battlefield.
Unknown to everyone... The eleventh Chimera remained perched silently atop the arena.
No one noticed it.
Everyone's attention remained fixed on the monsters causing destruction below.
Despite their numbers, defeating the Chimera Beasts was proving extremely difficult.
Their bodies possessed incredible endurance, making them resistant to both weapons and magic.
Even worse, every wound they received regenerated at astonishing speed.
Everyone understood the frightening truth.
The Chimera were not necessarily strong enough to defeat all of them outright...
But if the battle continued like this, the adventurers and soldiers would eventually exhaust themselves.
The longer the fight lasted, the more dangerous the situation would become.
A solution was desperately needed.
While battling one of the Chimeras, Darius quickly took command as he called out Wind Chasers, Rising Heroes, Platinum Edge, to keep it occupied
His teammates and rest of them immediately understood his intention.
As the three parties distracted the Chimera, Darius concentrated all of his magic into a single attack.
"Solar Erasure."
A concentrated beam of pure white fire erupted forward.
The temperature was so immense that the Chimera was completely erased the instant the beam struck it.
Nothing remained.
Everyone watched closely.
Several moments passed.
The Chimera never regenerated.
It was truly dead.
The answer had become clear.
Leave no body behind.
Destroy them completely in a single attack before they have the chance to regenerate.
Darius's strategy was immediately adopted across the battlefield.
Those with overwhelming firepower prepared decisive attacks, while everyone else focused on restraining the Chimera long enough for those attacks to land.
Soon...
One after another...
Three more Chimera Beasts were completely annihilated.
Suddenly, one of the remaining Chimeras spread its wings and flew toward the section where the royals still stood.
King Arthur calmly raised his hand.
"Everyone."
"Stand behind me."
"And stay low."
The approaching Chimera charged toward him at tremendous speed.
Arthur simply pointed his fingertips at it.
"Praito Butham: Point Blank Execution."
A tiny ray of divine light emerged from his fingertip.
In the next instant... It expanded into a colossal pillar of light.
The Chimera was erased instantly.
The divine radiance was so overwhelming that it illuminated not only the arena but nearly the entire capital, forcing countless people to shield their eyes.
---
Praito Butham is a sacred technique that allowed its user to channel divine light through their weapon.
It was regarded as one of the holiest and most powerful techniques in existence.
A light capable of exterminating every form of darkness.
However, mastering it placed an immense burden upon the body, making it a technique very few could ever master. Only members of the royal bloodline of the Kingdom of Cero possessed the ability to wield Praito Butham.
Throughout history, many exceptional users had existed.
Yet King Arthur stood apart from them all.
Unlike every predecessor before him...
He never relied on a weapon.
To Arthur... His own body was his weapon.
As a result, Praito Butham flowed through every part of his body.
To his people, he was a kind and compassionate king.
But to his enemies... He was a terrifying existence.
And if protecting his people required him to become a monster... Then he would gladly do so.
---
As King Arthur destroyed another Chimera, the one silently perched atop the arena finally moved.
It released a deafening screech that echoed throughout the battlefield.
The remaining Chimera Beasts immediately responded.
Without warning... Their bodies suddenly tore themselves apart.
Pieces of flesh and corrupted energy flew through the air toward the Chimera above.
It devoured every last fragment.
Its body began expanding.
Growing larger.
More twisted.
More corrupted.
More terrifying than before.
As though it had reached its final form, it let out a scream of agony while violently transforming into something far more monstrous than before.
Then... Its glowing eyes slowly locked onto King Arthur.
The message was unmistakable.
It wanted to fight the King.
And King Arthur... was ready to remind it why he ruled.