Sword of Salvation-Chapter 73: - Monster Nest (3)

As soon as they emerged from the cave’s corridor, a space as vast as King Maggio’s palace courtyard greeted them.

If magical candles had illuminated their path before, the cave chamber—its floor and walls covered in white tiles—was now lit by electric lamps.

Electric lights and prana generators, developed by Northern Continent, had been circulating in Western Continent for two decades, yet many regions and households still relied on oil lamps, candles, magical candles, and magical lamps. Even King Maggio’s palace depended on magical lamps.

That was why this sight was somewhat surprising.

"This only proves how important this laboratory is," Mariel muttered as he halted, his eyes intensely focused on the demonic beasts standing in a unique formation.

They stared at Mariel sharply, ready to strike at any moment. They neither growled nor roared nor made a sound. The demonic beasts remained silent, their gazes filled with killing intent.

"But not more important than the laboratory in Birmithan," Celinee interjected, maintaining some distance from Mariel. "The one there is bigger, and its facilities are more advanced."

"That lab is directly backed by Arthur IV, so that doesn’t surprise me. But this... I doubt King Maggio knows about this place. Doctor Lergen might be more than just a criminal doctor."

Celinee scoffed. "Obviously," she retorted. "He’s a kidnapper, a murderer, and a walking poison to this world. Calling him a ’criminal doctor’ sounds like a praise compared to his true atrocities."

That wasn’t what Mariel meant—he hadn’t intended to insult the doctor. When he said Lergen was more than just a criminal doctor, he implied that Lergen possessed vast expertise and resources.

The term "doctor" originally came from Northern Continent, where surgery was first introduced. The Western Continent had healers who relied on herbal remedies. In Southern Continent, there were both healers and mages. Meanwhile, in Eastern Continent, there were healers, alchemists, and medical ninjas. Alchemists were advanced healers who focused on more than just herbal remedies. On the other hand, medical ninjas were somewhat similar to mages—they used prana for healing.

Given all his actions, Lergen couldn’t be classified as just a criminal doctor. Mariel suspected that Lergen also had alchemical expertise. He wouldn’t even be surprised if Lergen owned a vast trade network or numerous businesses across various nations.

A lab like this required enormous funding, not to mention the materials and technology involved. Conquering the world would be much easier if Lergen became Mariel’s pawn, like Levia.

’Ah... Celinee wouldn’t be pleased with what I’m thinking.’

"You’re right," Mariel murmured, not bothering to clarify his actual thoughts. "Doctor Lergen is too dangerous to be left alive."

With that, Mariel stepped forward.

The demonic beasts reacted instantly. They lunged in unison, all attacking Mariel at once.

Mariel didn’t hold back. He unleashed a massive wind wave, sending every monster flying. They crashed into the walls, some even being thrown back into the corridor connecting the chamber to the cave’s inner sections.

The demonic gorillas and forest lions immediately rose and charged again. However, Mariel, cladded in wind armor, had already launched himself at them. He gave them no chance. His twin wind swords extended, branching out like sharp roots. The gorillas and lions died in an instant.

Other demon-like creatures quickly followed, but Mariel dispatched each one with a single slash. No matter where their hearts were located, his long, branching wind blades always found their mark.

In less than three minutes, every demonic beast lay dead.

"Keep your distance from me," Mariel ordered Celinee—without glancing back as he strode forward. "I want all their attention on me. You focus on detecting Lergen’s location. It’ll be a waste if he escapes."

Celinee said nothing, but her feet were already moving, following the young man.

"Ah," Mariel murmured as he exited the corridor. "This room is twice as small as the previous one."

The moment he finished speaking, he heard the sound of a door closing. He didn’t need to look back to understand—Celinee was trapped outside, and he was locked inside the square-shaped room filled with 51 half-demons. Two cameras hung from the ceiling—another piece of technology originating from Northern Continent.

"I hope you’re enjoying the show, Doctor."

Mariel doubted they could hear him, but he was certain Doctor Lergen could read his lips.

Mariel’s gaze then shifted to the half-demons, who had already transformed into their demon forms. Just like Celinee, they were all high-class demons. In fact, their forms were even more refined than most high-class demons. Why? Because half-demons did not possess the chains that bound demons to the underworld.

"If you surrender and betray Doctor Lergen, I won’t kill you."

Mariel expected at least one or two scoffs in response to his words. However, they all remained silent. Not a single one seemed to care. They all stood there with confident expressions, ready to attack at any moment.

"I see. Oh, well. It looks like I’ll only let a third of you live."

Right after saying that, Mariel shot upward and destroyed the two small cameras that had been well-hidden. His actions immediately triggered the half-demons to attack. However, not a single one of them managed to reach him. They all froze in place, shock evident on their faces.

All half-demons had reverted from their demon forms.

"I destroyed those cameras so I wouldn’t have to hold back," Mariel said as his feet landed on the ground. But this time, his expression was different. He stared at them sharply, his body radiating an overwhelming amount of prana to intimidate them all. "This is your second chance: if you surrender and betray Lergen, I’ll let you live."

-----[ ooOoo ]-----

In one of the rooms at the far end of the lab, Lergen and Livera sat side by side on a sofa. Their eyes were fixed on the monitor screen, which displayed the room Livera had prepared to trap the doctor’s two guests.

They had expected to see two people caught inside. However, only the young man was trapped within, while the woman had been left outside. They didn’t know whether their guests had anticipated the trap or not. But if they hadn’t, then their luck was extraordinary.

Lergen felt a bit disappointed that he couldn’t witness his experimental subject’s performance. However, that disappointment quickly vanished when the young man tilted his head up and looked directly at the camera.

His lips moved as if saying something, but the camera’s angle made it difficult to see his exact words. Lergen didn’t know what he was saying, but he guessed the young man was questioning the camera’s presence.

"I thought I hid that camera well."

"Kukuku. If he can see the camera, that means you didn’t hide it well enough. But don’t worry, Livera, I won’t hold a small mistake like that against you. Kukukuku—"

Lergen didn’t finish his signature laugh. The monitor screen suddenly went black. He hadn’t seen what happened because he had turned to face Livera. Livera hadn’t seen it either, as she had looked away moments earlier.

"It seems he destroyed both cameras, Doctor."

"I take back what I said earlier, Livera. I do have a problem with your little mistake. Kukuku. Join Yon and his four companions. Crush that boy’s arms."

Livera could only sigh in resignation. "There’s no guarantee he’ll survive against 51 subjects," she said as she stood up. "But if he does, I’ll take my frustration out on him. So I’m not taking responsibility if he dies, Doctor."

"Kukukuku. If that happens, we’ll simply leave this continent."

-----[ ooOoo ]-----

Celinee growled in frustration when she saw another door behind the steel door she had just destroyed.

She wasn’t annoyed because she was tired from breaking through, but because she had already destroyed four doors before this one. How many more doors were blocking her way? She couldn’t suppress the irritation rising within her. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The ninja shifted back into her demon form and began smashing the steel door with Devil Curse. However, before her spear-shaped hand could destroy the sixth door, she immediately leaped to the side as she sensed Mariel focusing his prana toward it.

Exactly two seconds later, a wind blade pierced through the door Celinee had been trying to destroy. The blade then moved, slicing the door into sections until a hole large enough for her to pass through was created. The moment Mariel dispelled his wind blade, Celinee charged forward without hesitation.

"They didn’t attack...?" Celinee asked.

She saw no signs of battle. Among the 51 half-demons before her, not a single one bore any wounds. She could easily guess what had happened, but she needed to hear confirmation from the young man—not because she doubted her own deduction, but simply because she wanted to hear Mariel’s response.

"I already told you, didn’t I? I want to make this kingdom a place open to half-demons like you," Mariel said before turning his gaze back to the half-demons. "Go. Don’t worry about anything. Just do as I instructed."

They nodded in unison and rushed past Celinee, exiting the room.

"You’re really serious about this," Celinee muttered, still in her half-demon form.

"You doubt me?"

"No. It’s just that I... you... ah, forget it. I’ll help as much as—"

Celinee didn’t finish her sentence. Both she and Mariel had been distracted by the wall at the far end of the room, which had suddenly opened.

Six individuals stepped through the gap left by the shifting wall. Five of them walked in front—three men and two women. The sixth, another woman, stood at the very back. Among them, the one at the rear was the strongest. She even surpassed Zagabob.

"Celinee," Mariel called out in a hushed tone. "On the count of three, run forward as fast as you can. I’ll switch places with the woman at the back and send the other five flying. One..."

Celinee didn’t question anything. The moment the count reached three, she shot forward at full speed. Her eyes caught Mariel already behind the five half-demons, their expressions filled with shock at what had just happened.

But before they could react, Mariel had already positioned himself at their center and sent all five of them crashing to the sides. A fraction of a second later, Celinee sped past him.

"Be careful."

Celinee heard Mariel’s whisper as she passed.

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have time to. But her lips curved slightly. With newfound energy, Celinee dashed toward Lergen’s location.

"Can we talk?" Mariel asked the moment Celinee was gone, his intense gaze locked onto the woman he had switched places with. "Or, do I need to kill those five first before we can have a conversation?"