Episode 493

Crack!

Sion’s telekinesis snapped the neck of a hunting dog that was guarding the area. At that moment, Adol softened the ground to ensure the dog’s fall was silent.

As they quietly dealt with the dogs and prepared to enter the castle ruins, Boris signaled them to stop. He had spotted more guards inside.

‘Those guys…’

They were black knights clad in dark armor, modified soldiers who could wield demonic energy and felt no pain due to the stimulants they had taken.

Boris gestured to Bisco, who nodded and released a hallucinogenic mist from his hands.

Sssss—

The mist spread low across the ground, gradually reaching the black knights. Initially standing still, the knights soon began to show signs of confusion.

“Ughhh—”

Though the stimulants had dulled their minds, their bodies were not entirely paralyzed. The hallucinogenic mist, enhanced by the alchemical concoctions of the twin alchemists and the mist generator designed by Fainan, doubled its effect.

Reacting to the mist, the black knights drew their swords and began to fight each other, perceiving one another as enemies under the influence of the hallucinations.

Seeing that Bisco’s illusion had worked, Boris and his team moved further inside. As they entered the inner part of the ruins, they saw more guards protecting the path to the underground.

Boris glanced outside, then signaled Bacchus through a secure communication line. Hidden in the reeds, Bacchus responded by emitting a vampire’s ultrasonic wave.

Woooo—

From the forest behind, figures emerged. Thud, thud, thud— They were red knights from the north, led by Zeke. Among them was Bishop Castik, a former five-star knight in Zeke’s past life, now reborn as part of the vampire knight order through Carmilla.

The knights, whose bodies were saturated with demonic energy, had been transformed into vampires to escape their cursed state. Though they lost their human strength and skills, they gained the vampires’ unique physical prowess, making them formidable in battle.

“Distract the enemies and draw their attention!”

At Bacchus’s command, the red knights charged on ghostly steeds, luring the hunting dogs and knights away from the ruins. With the initial threat of the night killers eliminated by the vampires, they could move freely.

The sudden appearance of the red knights caused the guards to pursue them, creating a gap in the defenses.

“Let’s move.”

Bacchus led the vampire reconnaissance unit into the ruins, taking advantage of the distraction. He signaled Boris that the forces had moved, then began attacking the snipers and hunting dogs on the outskirts.

Vampires, moving stealthily in the dark, were as fearsome as elite assassins. Receiving Bacchus’s signal, Boris led the reconnaissance unit further inside.

Serina stepped forward, approaching the knights guarding the path to the underground.

“Halt! Who goes there?”

The knights were startled by the sight of the beautiful Serina emerging from the darkness. She seized the moment of their distraction, transforming her body into metal and charging forward.

Shing—

Her hand, now a sharp blade, pierced through the knights’ armor and struck their hearts.

“Ugh!”

The knights fell, bleeding from the swift and powerful attack. With the path to the underground secured, Serina signaled Boris.

The reconnaissance unit cautiously descended, ensuring no one was following. The underground structure, seemingly an old excavation, had supports placed throughout.

As they ventured deeper, they encountered Siemens’s knights on guard. Boris gestured to Sion, who extended his hands toward the knights.

Crack—

The knights’ necks snapped, and they fell silently, thanks to Adol’s softened ground. Though Sion’s telekinesis had weakened without the enhancer, his training with Arina allowed him to control his powers with precision.

Boris instructed Adol to bury the fallen knights, erasing any trace of their presence. They then examined the area the knights had been guarding.

An arched entrance led to a corridor shrouded in darkness, with only the entrance visible. Strange sounds seemed to echo from within.

‘Something feels off.’

Boris, known for his intuition, turned to Serina.

“Scout ahead.”

Nodding, Serina retrieved two metal spheres from her pouch. She placed them on the ground, activating her bloodline ability. The spheres split open, transforming into beetle-like devices.

Whirr!

The metal beetles took flight, their vision relayed to Serina, allowing her to survey the interior. Using her will, she guided the beetles deeper into the corridor.

As the beetles ventured further, Serina discovered something unsettling.

‘What is that…?’

Inside, the corridor was filled with grotesque experimental subjects. Some had melting skin, others had grotesquely swollen limbs, and many had lost their human form entirely.

Serina relayed the information about the subjects to Boris.

“How many are there?”

“It’s hard to estimate, but there are likely over a thousand.”

After a moment of contemplation, Boris spoke to Bisco.

“It seems we need to use the new weapon here.”

Bisco set down his bag, retrieving several metal canisters. With Serina’s guidance, he placed them in a line on the floor, just before the area with the experimental subjects.

He opened the canisters and activated the magical circuits as instructed by Fainan.

Standing up, he reported to Boris.

“All set, sir.”

“Good. Sion, Serina, go lure them here.”

Sion levitated, while Serina transformed her body into metal. Together, they approached the area with the experimental subjects.

Grrrr—

The subjects, more horrifying up close, noticed Sion and Serina approaching.

Screech!

They charged at the pair, driven by madness. Sion unleashed his telekinesis, targeting the subjects.

Boom—

The heads of the charging subjects exploded under Sion’s power. Yet, shockingly, their bodies continued to advance.

“What the hell are they?” Sion exclaimed in disbelief.

Beside him, Serina sighed and chided, “Sion, I told you not to mess around in the field.”

Grumbling, Sion nodded, “Yeah, yeah, I got it. Always with the nagging.”

At that moment, Sion and Serina simultaneously ascended to the ceiling, clinging to it. The subjects rushed past them, continuing forward.

Grrrr!

As the subjects neared, Boris signaled Bisco.

“Bisco, now!”

Bisco activated the devices embedded in the floor.

Boom!

A plasma net unfurled from the metal canisters, ensnaring the frenzied subjects.

Boom, boom, boom—

The subjects’ bodies burst upon contact with the plasma net, filling the area with their remains.

“Ugh.”

Bisco barely suppressed his nausea at the gruesome sight. Even Boris, with his strong stomach, felt queasy.

‘It’s not pretty, but it works.’

The plasma generator, based on the magic formula from Zeke’s Hershion, proved effective despite being single-use.

Boris, along with Bisco and Adol, stepped over the remains of the subjects and moved further inside. Sion and Serina awaited them.

Serina reported to Boris, “Sir, the path is blocked.”

Boris examined the area, confirming her observation. It was indeed a dead end.

As Boris surveyed the area where the test subjects were kept, he found it odd that there seemed to be no other way forward. It was strange that there was nowhere else to go.

Drawing on his skills from his time with the Imperial Intelligence Agency, Boris meticulously examined the blocked walls.

“There’s something here, Bisco,” he said.

At his words, Bisco pulled a metal rod from his bag and handed it to Boris.

Boris took the rod and placed it against the spot he had identified.

To his amazement, a hidden magic circle appeared, and a portal materialized in front of the wall.

It seemed the test subjects were stationed there to prevent outsiders from accessing this portal.

Boris looked at the interference magic artifact created by Hades with a sense of wonder.

‘No wonder it’s so effective—it’s a dragon-made artifact.’

After a moment of admiration, Boris and his companions stepped through the portal.

A low hum resonated as they entered, revealing a completely different landscape.

Before them lay a vast space constructed of solid stone.

‘So, we’ve emerged from the ruins where no grass grows.’

Judging by the portal’s scale, it didn’t seem they had traveled too far.

At that moment, Adol communicated something through sign language, and Boris nodded in understanding.

‘It felt like a completely different place, but it turns out it’s just a deeper underground section of the same site.’

The condition of the stone walls and floor suggested this area was also part of an excavated ruin.

The expansive space appeared unguarded, as if no one expected intruders to breach the portal.

Then, Serina spoke up.

“Captain, there’s a path over there.”

Boris followed the direction Serina indicated.

As they proceeded, they found a staircase leading downward.

After sending a metal beetle to scout below, as Serina had done earlier, Boris cautiously led the group down the stairs.

The area at the bottom was also lined with stone walls and floors, but as they descended, a strong scent of blood filled the air.

‘This is…’

A staircase led down the side of the space, revealing a massive chamber about ten meters below.

Boris crouched to peer over the railing into the chamber.

Red smoke billowed continuously from below, where dozens of mages were busily at work.

Rumbling noises echoed as a giant wheel turned within the wall, and on the opposite side, people—mostly from the southern continent—were caged.

One mage shouted, “Damn it! The quantity’s off! Throw in one more!”

At this, other mages approached the cage and dragged out a man.

The man, seemingly drugged, had vacant eyes and trembled uncontrollably.

The mages tossed him into a hole in the wall near the wheel.

The wheel continued to turn, emitting a horrific sound.

Shortly after, small red granules poured out from a hole beneath the wheel.

The mages collected these granules and handed them to others, who processed them into ominous, dark red stones.

Boris realized what they were producing.

‘Bloodstones.’

They were manufacturing bloodstones, essential for summoning demons.

Boris understood that the wheel-like device embedded in the wall was producing artificial bloodstones.

Destroying this place would deal a significant blow to Siemens and Narak.

But then, it happened.

A black portal opened from within, and a presence exuding an ominous aura stepped out.

The figure was enveloped in a formidable aura and clad in impenetrable Hershion armor.

Boris froze as he recognized the face.

It was a face he knew well.

‘Edward Siemens.’

It was the second son of the Siemens family.