The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

“This seems to have gone to shit.”

A casual and slightly playful tone. And yet, the words that came out of his mouth conveyed urgency.

The entire underground research facility was shaking. A pile of dirt poured from the ceiling, and the fixtures and equipment on the desk fell to the floor and broke, creating a disharmony.

It was a space that was built so sturdily that unless there was an earthquake, there would be no trouble. Such a place was shaking. Naturally, I could guess that something was happening outside.

“It seems the Blood Alliance has finally made a move.”

“……”

At the man’s words, the old man maintained a heavy silence with a stiff expression.

“It was a good idea to buy time by deceiving them, and I agreed with it. But things in the world are not that easy. Things don’t always go as planned.”

It was a comfort to the old man, and also a warning that he was reminding himself of.

“I also messed up once due to an unexpected variable. Coincidentally, the same person is involved.”

The agent, Alfonso, had already experienced such a failure. At that time, it was Al-Raid. The problem was that the Public Security Bureau had found out the identity of the front company.

Even if it was a fluke, a failure was a failure. But then and now, a common person was involved.

Contractor Allen. He didn’t know if it was intentional or just good luck, but it was a big source of trouble.

“……If the Blood Alliance moved directly, it would mean that the Public Security Bureau had condoned it.”

“That’s probably the case.”

“It means that the bats have found out our goal. They must have tattled to the Public Security Bureau without any shame.”

The safety of the organization called the Brotherhood. It was a matter that was out of the question from the beginning for both the Blood Alliance and Shadowfang.

It was because the organization of the Brotherhood itself was just a shade for their purposes. The Blood Alliance used it as a means of disguise to hide the existence of vampires, and Shadowfang used it as a means to restore the pure bloodline.

So, they didn’t care if one of them collapsed or if the organization was in danger. They would just show their fangs to each other when the opportunity came.

“It’s my mistake. I don’t even have a clue where the information leaked from.”

He heard that it was a contractor who had defeated Victor Laznik. Then it couldn’t have been that the information had leaked from that side.

It was a mystery how the vampires had found out about their research.

“How far has the research progressed?”

“Let’s see, they say they’ve found a direction after the subject that lasted for 24 hours last time. First, they’ll suppress the body’s genetic rejection, and then they’ll try to blossom the potential of the bloodline.”

“There’s no time to wait for the research results. Prepare for the procedure.”

“A bold… decision. If we awaken all the subordinates with the pure bloodline, the power will be roughly matched.”

“No, it’s far from enough. So I will receive the procedure.”

“……”

Alfonso hid his gaze under his sunglasses and calculated coldly.

“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like a good idea. The old man could be in trouble.”

“If it’s not me, they can’t be stopped. I can feel it. The head of the damn bat swarm, who dares to call herself a queen, is aiming for me.”

“Is it a feeling? Huh, if it’s the vampire queen, there’s nothing we can do.”

It was still an incomplete technology. Even if they mass-produced the pure bloodline as it was, it was difficult to expect that they could defeat the vampire queen.

So he, the leader, had to step up.

“For the glory of our clan, I can offer my life as many times as I want.”

An indescribable madness swirled under his half-open pupils.

“If the research continues and the pure blood can be restored, that’s enough.”

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it anyway. There’s only one entrance, so if they push in, there’s no way to escape. I’ll just be praying for you to win.”

Alfonso gave instructions to the researchers who were hesitating, engulfed in anxiety.

“You all heard me, right? Let’s prepare for the procedure right away.”

***

The facility, which was accessed through a connecting passage hidden in the parking lot, did not seem to have been hastily built recently. It was cleaner than the building on the ground, and the size, which could be guessed from the hallway, was comparable to it.

And yet, it had been hidden as a complete secret, so the effort put into it was great. It wasn’t that Shadowfang had prepared such a facility, but that this facility had met Shadowfang’s conditions.

“An underground facility. It was a research institute with a shady side from the beginning.”

Vincent’s statement was not surprising. It was a neighborhood where even a black mage’s workshop was hidden.

It could be seen as a basic skill to secretly conduct sinister research and experiments behind the scenes.

“But it’s a rat in a trap.”

I didn’t worry at all that Shadowfang would run away. Their aspiration was here.

In the worst case, they had to take the data, even if it meant abandoning the facility. And we had made a surprise attack so quickly that they had no time to prepare.

In order to take the data to escape, or to operate the research institute stably again, Shadowfang had to fight us.

“These damn bastards, finally here!”

“Block them from getting inside!”

As expected, Shadowfang finally deployed the forces they had been hiding. Everyone who blocked the front was a werebeast.

They were not just mongrels who were drunk on the beast’s instinct and couldn’t even tell heaven from earth. Their united momentum was sharply honed.

Lion, tiger, wolf, rabbit… although the animal factors were all different, they were guys who knew how to handle mana properly.

Even if they were inferior to Victor Laznik, who was an underboss, they did not look easy.

“We’ve come to the right place. It’s the royal guard.”

Vincent explained their identity.

“They’re the ones who protect the head of Shadowfang. It’s certain that the leadership is inside.”

A sinister laugh flowed from between Vincent’s lips. Although he was a strangely sincere Vincent, it seemed that he was no exception to the sinister nature of a vampire, who was ridiculed as a bat.

“Kaaak!”

“Ugh!”

“Aaaak!”

As the royal guard moved, the front line was pushed back faster than when the werebeasts had appeared on the ground. Originally, in this world, the quality of the troops was more important than the number.

And unlike the ground, the underground was a narrow space. The number of enemies they had to face, who were rushing down the hallway, was limited, so they blocked the path like an iron wall even with a small number.

“Tsk.”

I hadn’t thought of facing the werebeasts with the rabble of the Brotherhood anyway. The vampires mobilized by the Blood Alliance were the forces that would soon catch them.

However, unlike just before, the vampires could not move rashly. This was also because of the narrow space.

Unlike on the ground, where they could freely explode corpses and pour out blood, if they used their abilities here, the damage to their allies would be greater. If there were casualties among the werebeasts, they could break through that wall quickly, but… until then, it was best to wait.

“It’s good to be stable, but it’s not good to drag it out for too long.”

It looked like an iron wall now, but it was a defense line that would collapse if we waited. Even if the rabble of the Brotherhood was not enough, the contractors brought in by the Blood Alliance had the skills to face them.

But the advantage of a surprise attack is that it fades the longer you give the opponent time. I didn’t know what means Shadowfang would mobilize to overturn their disadvantage, so the fact that time was being dragged out was our loss.

In the end, I stepped up. I didn’t need to defeat them all. If I made a gap for the vampires to run wild, my job was done.

Although a superhuman can dodge bullets, that’s a story for when they are aware of the shot aimed at them. A long-range snipe could overturn that common sense and inflict a fatal wound on them.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, the werebeast royal guard did not know that the muzzle of the M2 Maximum had spewed fire. There were guys who had dodged it narrowly, as if by a wild instinct, but not everyone was lucky.

“Keut!”

Blood splattered. It was a defense line that a small number had fought hard to create. As one side collapsed, the crack spread in an instant.

And so, the fall of one werebeast was the beginning. As they used the blood of their enemies as a medium to exert their abilities, the vampires showed the viciousness of blood magic to the fullest.

Now, the narrow space had become a poison to them. As they were hit by the blood magic without being able to secure a space to escape, the battle was settled in an instant.

“Let’s split up and move. Don’t worry about finding the leadership of Shadowfang, just destroy everything you see.”

I was in charge of commanding the contractors and mercenaries. It was not our job to deal with the leadership of Shadowfang.

The goal given to us was to destroy the research institute’s facilities and data. That’s why it was inefficient to move in a group.

They were contractors who had raised their hands for the Blood Alliance, even though Shadowfang had warned them, thinking it was an opportunity. Even if the werebeasts were fierce, if they were made to move in squads, there was no need to worry about getting into trouble.

On the other hand, I moved alone. I had already seen the skills of the royal guard. Even if they came at me as a group, they would not be a threat to me.

I broke the door and entered, and found a computer. Even a rough glance showed that there were many storage devices.

I wasn’t so leisurely as to distinguish and delete what was Shadowfang’s data one by one. In the other rooms, I could hear the constant sound of something breaking and being destroyed, as if they had chosen to break the main body.

The method I chose was different from them.

“Beta.”

An android, a helper who could be proud of being the best hacker.

[It’s a closed network. It’s made so that it can’t be accessed from the outside, and the central system can’t be accessed through the end terminals.]

…Unfortunately, it wasn’t much of a help.

“That means I don’t have to worry about the research data being moved to an externally connected storage space.”

[That’s right.]

That’s true, but just finding that out was a big harvest.

“Then I just have to destroy it as I please.”

I scattered the explosive seeds and turned it into a pile of ashes. It was a simple task of just running down the hallway and scattering the seeds as I saw them.

And then, I gradually headed to the deeper parts of the underground facility.

The forces of Shadowfang were not just the royal guard near the entrance. As if to prove that I was gradually heading to the center, they appeared in unexpected places and blocked my path.

Among them were even enemies who had partially awakened the pure bloodline, just like Victor Laznik. They would have been a tough opponent for others, but they were no match for me.

That’s why it was even more uncomfortable.

“This is strange.”

I voiced my question as I headed deeper with Vincent, whose path had overlapped with mine at some point.

“The enemies are moving completely individually.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“It seems they’re not trying to repel us, but to tie our feet.”

Guerrilla warfare in a narrow space. It was an efficient strategy for Shadowfang, who had a small number.

The problem was that Shadowfang had to have a life-or-death battle with us. Since the external transfer of data through the internet was impossible due to the closed network, it was unlikely that there was a separate exit other than the entrance we had come through.

So, it would have been more logical to preserve their forces after giving up a suitable number of sacrifices, rather than trying to buy time in earnest…

The question was soon resolved.

“……”

An old man who stood blocking the path.

“Lugar.”

Vincent, who had found him, raised his guard.

“The head of Shadowfang.”

“……I see.”

Now that he had appeared, I could see why Shadowfang had tried to buy time.

“He took the risk and received the procedure to awaken the pure bloodline himself.”

It was literally buying time. Buying time for the strongest force of Shadowfang to acquire the military power to overturn the unfavorable situation.

(End of Chapter)