Sword of Salvation-Chapter 71: - Monster Nest

A SOURCE from Sterminatore and Ultores said they had found a total of eleven tracks that might have led to Doctor Lergen’s whereabouts.

Each track led in a different direction, yet none of them pointed toward any of the six major cities of Mangolla Kingdom. Most tracks headed northwest. However, upon closer inspection, they frequently overlapped with one another. This indicated that all the tracks had been deliberately made to mislead them.

Calling them tracks was inaccurate—they were an "indirect invitation" meant to lure someone to the doctor. But who was invited? That was uncertain. What was clear was that the invited person was whoever managed to find the correct track.

The tracks themselves had been made by animals whose hearts had been replaced with demon hearts. This proved that the information Sterminatore and Ultores had was not wrong. Deer and wild boars were the most common—both exhibiting demonic traits, with larger bodies and ferocious natures.

Mariel and Celinee continued tracking through the forest, following one of the trails. They were alone—no other humans were in the vicinity. It could be said that the two had advanced far ahead of the other Ultores and Sterminatore members.

From last night until nearly dusk, Mariel and Celinee had encountered seventeen demon-hearted beasts. Celinee had killed them all—she needed targets to vent her anger and frustration. If Mariel had not forced the ninja to rest every few hours, the number would have likely doubled.

The trail Mariel and Celinee followed eventually split into two branches.

Celinee—who was a few steps ahead of Mariel—did not stop at all. She did not hesitate either. The ninja shot forward, choosing the left path without question. Mariel followed her without asking. After all, this was not the first time they had encountered a forked trail.

Celinee’s decision proved correct minutes later.

"This is the first gorilla, right?" Mariel asked as he stopped beside Celinee, who had halted ahead of him.

Celinee nodded, her eyes locked intensely on the massive gorilla. It had porcupine-like fur, long curved tusks like a wild boar, and a sharp tail resembling an alligator’s.

"How strong is it?" Mariel asked again.

This was the first time Celinee had ever stopped in front of a demon-modified beast. Previously, she had cut them down without hesitation. That was why Mariel asked. Of course, he could feel the power radiating from the alligator-tailed gorilla, but Celinee could sense it with more precision.

"It’s on par with an Ultimate Demon I once fought."

That was not surprising. Doctor Lergen could create half-demons with pure power equivalent to a Primordial Demon. Seeing a demonic gorilla as strong as an Ultimate Devil was no longer shocking. The real question was whether or not it had a Devil Curse.

"It would be best to save your prana," Mariel said, his eyes fixed intently on Celinee. "Your stamina has already been drained quite a bit. If you keep pushing yourself, you won’t be able to face Doctor Lergen at your best."

"You’re right, but I can’t stop. You said you’d tell me your goal if I could use fusion mode, didn’t you?"

"That’s true."

"Then there’s no need to worry about me." Celinee stepped forward, both of her kunai coated in prana. "I’ll kill it soon enough. Water Release:—"

A ninja technique without hand seals? Mariel was slightly surprised. This was new. Celinee had never shown such an ability before. When had she learned it?

"—Multiple Water Bullets."

Dozens of water bullets instantly appeared to Celinee’s right, left, and front. They all shot forward at once, targeting the demonic gorilla. Their speed easily surpassed sound, and with their sheer number, dodging them would be difficult.

However, despite its massive size, the demonic gorilla was remarkably fast and agile. It couldn’t avoid all the bullets, but what it managed to do was impressive. More importantly, it didn’t dodge to the sides, backward, or upward. Instead, it dodged while charging forward.

Celinee threw both her kunai and immediately formed a hand seal. "Ninja Art: Kunai Multiplication!"

The two prana-coated kunai she had thrown instantly multiplied into dozens. The close distance left the gorilla with no room to evade. It continued its charge, undeterred by the incoming kunai, but its momentum was halted—the force of the kunai knocked it back.

At the same time, Celinee had already activated her demon mode. Her skin darkened rapidly, a clear sign that she was using her demonic power. She didn’t let the gorilla fall; instead, she shot forward at full speed, attacking it with both hands, now sharpened into short spears.

Mariel understood why Celinee had chosen to use her demonic power. The gorilla’s regeneration speed was astounding. If given even a few seconds, all the holes created by the kunai would completely heal. The beast had to be eliminated without any chance to recover.

Celinee’s right hand successfully pierced the gorilla’s heart, but the creature did not die without resistance. Its massive arms moved reflexively to strike Celinee. She managed to block one arm, but not the other. The gorilla’s blow struck her head, sending her flying.

Mariel didn’t try to catch Celinee. Instead, he created a wind spear and hurled it straight into the wound the ninja had made. The demonic gorilla was blasted back, crashing violently into a large tree. What Mariel did was merely to ensure that the demon’s heart had completely stopped functioning.

"The gorilla’s mind was controlled," Celinee said as she stood up after being thrown. "I had my suspicions while dealing with the other demonic beasts, but now I’m sure. This is different from the spiderweb demon I fought before. The ability used to control this gorilla left no trace."

Upon hearing Celinee’s explanation, the first thing Mariel thought of was Levia. However, even though she was certain that the beautiful demon was involved, she didn’t believe Levia was the one controlling the gorilla and the other demonic beasts. The probability was zero.

"Doctor Lergen?" Mariel asked.

Celinee shook her head. "If he could, there wouldn’t be any half-demons betraying him. This is someone else’s ability." The ninja paused, her brows nearly knitting together. "Doctor Lergen relies on loyal half-demons to manage his important laboratories scattered across the region. All of his assistants are half-demons. So, it could be them."

"Ah, if that’s the case, this might be troublesome." Mariel could already picture the difficult situation awaiting them. "But don’t worry. If you don’t want to wait for the others and wish to keep going, we can handle this together. I’ll take care of all his assistants—you can focus on the doctor."

"Are you sure?" Celinee asked for confirmation. "I don’t know how many assistants are with him. But since this is an important lab, he’ll likely release all the half-demon subjects from the incubation tubes. We might be facing dozens of half-demons."

"As long as I don’t hold back, as long as I truly want to kill them all, there’s nothing for you to worry about."

If Mariel wanted to end a battle quickly, if he wasn’t in a good mood, he wouldn’t give his enemies a chance. He wouldn’t even care to learn what kind of powers they possessed. He would erase them instantly—just as he had done with Bearbro.

"In that case, I’m counting on you, Mariel."

Mariel nodded, and Celinee resumed running—of course, after retrieving her kunai.