Chapter 233 : Holy Nation (5)
Chapter 233: Holy Nation (5)
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"……."
Carl let out a dry laugh from behind the mask.
He had tangled with the powers of the Demon Realm so extensively, yet it seemed his identity still hadn’t been properly exposed.
That must be why they were acting so arrogantly.
"Hey. Have you ever heard anything about this mask?"
Rather, he found it strange.
At the very least, it seemed logical that they would share information about someone who had recently been wrecking their organization.
Sure enough, the man's eyes widened slightly as if he had just realized something.
"Was it those bastards called NOX or NUX? I never thought they’d dig this deep. Filthy bugs. If they’re going to die, they should just die alone instead of spreading damage all the way here."
Still, it wasn’t like he seemed particularly shaken.
Just as Carl was about to chuckle, the mutated Lizardman rushed in.
Shyak!
Its sharp claws narrowly missed the mask.
Carl narrowed his eyes behind the mask at the unexpectedly quick speed.
Kang! Kung─!
He struck the claws away with his sword and stomped hard to pin the creature’s foot down.
However, the Lizardman managed to respond deftly, retreating and putting distance between them.
‘Indeed.’
Its strength, speed, and reflexes were all top-class.
If every creature around was like this Lizardman, it would be a disaster for anyone else.
If monsters of this caliber were mass-produced, some regions might collapse even before the Demon Realm’s army invaded.
"I should test its durability too."
Tap.
Carl dropped his sword and clenched his fist, then kicked off the ground with force.
The Lizardman, thinking it was an opportunity since Carl had dropped his weapon, charged straight in without hesitation.
Whoosh.
But Carl had no intention of dragging out the fight.
Before their claws could even touch his fist, he lightly seized the creature’s wrist using the Breaking Grip Technique.
The Lizardman immediately swung its other claw at Carl’s neck, but it was repelled by something solid and bounced back.
Grrrk!
The ash-gray protective aura didn’t allow the Lizardman’s attack through.
Carl smirked and clenched his fist before slamming it hard into the creature’s chest.
"One hit for now."
Jjeoong!
The impact was so fierce it echoed throughout the lab.
The Lizardman, struck squarely, momentarily lost consciousness as its eyes rolled back and it staggered backward.
Soon, it collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily, and vomited green bodily fluid.
"You fool! What are you doing!"
The lab director snapped angrily.
But the reprimand wasn’t directed at Carl.
It was aimed at his own Lizardman, now stumbling and collapsed.
"……."
The Lizardman wiped its mouth and struggled to its feet.
Still, it recovered quickly—it seemed to possess tremendous regeneration.
"Hmm."
Carl rolled his hand, gauging the creature’s level.
It was at least at the level of a high-ranked Expert.
If he brought Laysis in, it would be quite a good fight.
If she could cut through this creature’s hide, it might be time for her to aim for the next level.
Thud!
Carl continued to pummel the Lizardman.
After showing off his beating, he looked at the lab director and shrugged as if to ask, “Is this all you’ve got?”
The lab director, face twisted with wounded pride, spoke behind him.
"You all go too."
Whoosh.
Three figures stepped forward past Carl, robes fluttering.
They were the ones he had chased from the mansion to here.
Like the Lizardman, they were likely experimental subjects of the lab director, emanating dangerous auras.
Clack.
Carl, not intending to waste more time, picked up the sword he had left on the floor.
He kicked off the ground and charged forward, prompting the figure in the center to leap out and cross both arms.
Kang!
"……."
Carl’s eyes narrowed.
It was the first time he felt a proper recoil travel down his sword.
From the force of the clash, the robe tore apart, revealing the figure underneath.
The surface of its skin was uneven and marked with dark spots, resembling granite.
As it blocked the sword with both arms, fragments like crushed stone scattered, raising a cloud of dust.
"This is a monster I haven’t seen before."
"Far down south, there’s a faith surrounding giant stones. They worship solid rock, and investigations revealed it’s based on a real monster. It’ll be hard to cut with a sword."
The lab director explained gleefully to Carl.
So not just Lizardman traits—he had incorporated other monster traits as well.
"Hey."
Carl tapped the creature with his sword tip and asked.
But all he could see in the eyes of the Stone Man was one-sided hatred.
Fwoooosh!
Right then, scarlet flames erupted beside him.
Carl tried to step aside, but the confined space made evading the trajectory impossible.
His expanded protective aura blocked the flames rushing toward him.
Not even a hair was singed, and Carl looked slightly surprised as he emerged unscathed.
"A Salamander, huh. I thought those only existed in legends."
It wasn’t just a Red Drake—this seemed to be a proper synthesis of a Salamander, considered almost like a spirit.
Otherwise, how could one explain the flames atop its head, burning like hair?
"Then that one over there…"
Carl turned toward the last remaining figure with curiosity.
So far, there had been stone and fire.
What remained would likely be water, earth, or lightning.
But the last one broke expectations in the worst possible way.
-GRAARGH!
A three-headed rabid hound leapt, aiming to tear into Carl’s shoulder.
Clearly, that form was not a monster of the Middle Realm, and Carl let out a dry laugh.
"Cerberus? Did he transplant a monster? He really tried everything under the sun."
The lab director's research spirit was almost impressive.
If only he hadn’t aligned with the forces of the Demon Realm, perhaps NOX would have scouted him.
"Hahahaha! These are the results of my life’s work! What will you do now!"
"Why are you doing something as petty as turning humans into monsters with such brilliant research?"
"Silence!"
Had Carl struck a sore spot?
The lab director, who had been laughing in exhilaration, suddenly twisted his face and shouted.
"What would you know! The effort I’ve spent buried in the darkness my whole life! Go! He’s to be used as a test subject, so keep him alive!"
At the lab director’s command, they all kicked off the ground and rushed toward Carl.
"Hmm."
Carl looked at them.
Though there was no need, he had faced each one of them individually.
It was purely out of interest.
‘I must not let this place fall into the hands of the Holy Nation.’
He had personal plans forming in his mind.
It felt like a waste to report this place merely as a site researching how to flood a city with monsters.
‘If not complete synthesis, perhaps it’s possible to develop an elixir or potion that borrows their power temporarily…’
That would be of great help to NOX.
Especially the stone and Salamander ones were particularly enticing.
That’s why he had gone to great lengths to capture them alive.
"Try to dodge appropriately. I’ll hold back my strength for you."
Boom!
The demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art weighed down on the lab interior.
The thick and viscous demonic energy caused the lab director’s skin to crawl.
‘What is this?’
He had assumed they were being chased by the Holy Kingdom or an Inquisitor.
Was there actually a cannibal among the forces of the Demon Realm?
"You damned bastard…!"
The lab director made a swift decision.
He had planned to stand his ground and hold out until reinforcements arrived.
He had built up too much in this facility to abandon it.
So he tried to use the experimental subjects to fend off the enemy—but it seemed that was a miscalculation.
Clatter.
He threw himself toward an escape route that only allowed one person to pass through.
While his figure vanished in an instant, Carl was in the midst of hand-to-hand combat with the monsters surrounding him.
Thud. Crack.
All of them were precious experimental data.
He crushed them decisively without killing them, and in moments, Carl was the only one left standing.
Tap tap.
He lightly dusted off his hands and looked around.
The monsters were all subdued, but the lab director had already escaped.
He wasn’t too concerned, though.
Crunch.
Tearing open the exit and stepping outside, he was met by a group waiting for him.
"What about him?"
"He tried to escape, so we subdued him. What shall we do?"
Looking at the lab director, now a mess after getting beaten up all over in such a short time, Carl spoke without hesitation.
"Extract the intel and kill him."
"Understood."
The Soul-Seizing Technique of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was unleashed.
Fortunately, the lab director had not made a direct contract with demons or the demonic race.
That meant Carl could freely search his mind.
"Hmm."
A tale of an unfortunate childhood.
The limitations of an unjust society that never recognized his talent.
And then, the creeping temptations that returned.
‘So much clutter.’
Carl discarded all the trivial memories and focused solely on the research data.
"Oh?"
Then suddenly, he came across some interesting information in the lab director’s memory.
Snap.
Carl lightly waved his hand and ended the lab director’s life, then turned and said,
"We're heading back. The enemy might send reinforcements, so take what we can and retreat quickly."
"By your command."
Leaving Queen nodding behind him, Carl pushed off the ground with light steps.
He returned to the inner section of the mansion in Polfoardel, currently being cleared out.
There, drenched in sweat as he moved a huge object, Paladin Ruthwell welcomed Carl.
"Did things go well?"
"Unfortunately, he noticed something mid-way, so I had to eliminate him. He was quicker than expected."
"He must’ve been quite skilled. That’s understandable."
"More importantly…"
Carl looked around the mansion.
It, too, seemed to have undergone a fierce battle—destruction and collapse evident throughout.
If not for the barrier concealing them, the entire capital would’ve been in chaos.
"There are no injuries."
"A clergyman who loses to a demon is no clergyman, haha."
Ruthwell said with a laugh.
Though Carl did notice a few limping or being carried off.
Still, since they said they were fine, he didn’t press further.
Clerics could heal themselves anyway.
"Did you find anything over here?"
"We found a sort of plan. It seems they were plotting something in the capital, but the documents are damaged, so it’s hard to make out."
Carl gave a brief nod.
It probably tied into the plan involving spreading that raw solution to turn people into monsters.
"Leave the cleanup here. Let’s head back. We should regroup with His Highness the Crown Prince for now. That side should be wrapping up too."
At Ruthwell’s words, Carl nodded.
While they had raided this mansion, Crown Prince Yulian had struck another facility suspected of collaborating with the Demon Realm.
In terms of military power, that side was far superior, so there was little concern over casualties.
"Let’s go. I’ve got something to report as well."
Carl’s eyes narrowed as he gazed at the mansion.