A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 108

'Damn it...'

While Sieg had been observing the artifact, he felt a strange presence. He pulled out his sword and aimed it at the entity.

"Arghhh!"

The monstrous beings charged at Sieg.

Bang!

Sieg swung his sword, infused with the Energy of Metal.

Sieg's sword clashed with the monster's iron mace, sparks flying in all directions. Although Sieg wasn't entirely defenseless, the unexpected strength of the monster pushed him back.

Sieg steadied himself, holding his sword firm. He intended to use Soul Resonance against the monstrous adversary.

'Sever(絶).'

With .

Woo-oo-oon!

Using Soul Resonance and Word Magic together, Sieg infused Sever into his blade. Sensing something unusual, the monsters brandished their maces and charged at Sieg together.

"Kaarrgh!"

Sieg swung his sword directly at the three monsters.

Schwing!

The power of the Soul Resonance, when combined with Soul Resonance enhanced by Word Magic, was overwhelming. With a single strike, not only were the monsters' maces destroyed, but their bodies were cleaved in half.

Slip!

Thud!

The upper bodies of the monsters, having been severed, dropped to the ground. Sieg, who had unleashed the complete Soul Resonance, stood momentarily mesmerized by what he had achieved.

'Hah, to think I could achieve such power just with a single word magic. This is definitely a different force than aura.'

If Kaiser had witnessed this complete display of the Soul Resonance, he wouldn't have dared dismiss it as pseudo-magic.

The fiends, struck by Sieg's sword, spewed black blood and perished. Their bodies began to decay rapidly upon losing their lives.

Sizzle!

Their skin and flesh rotted, and their bones crumbled. Watching the rapidly decomposing fiends, Sieg furrowed his brows. Determined to uncover the empire's atrocities, he ventured deeper into the dungeon.

While camouflaged by his invisibility skill, Sieg keenly listened to the sounds emanating from a deeper part inside.

'What's that noise?'

The sounds of clashing chains and people lugging heavy objects echoed together.

Sieg once again masked his presence and peered further inside.

'What the hell is that?'

To his surprise, inside the dungeon, dozens of people were chained, excavating and moving piles of dirt.

"Move faster!"

Sieg glanced in the direction of the shouting voice.

'Damn Imperial hounds.'

As suspected, the dungeon was under excavation by the imperial hounds.

Clearly, they were desperately trying to take control of the Avian ghetto to claim the entire underground dungeon. The hunters lashed their whips at the slaves, urging them to expedite the digging process.

Suddenly, one of the slaves carrying dirt stumbled and fell.

Thud!

One of the imperial hounds examined the fallen slave, then signaled someone.

Robed figures emerged, taking the slave away to an unknown destination.

'Where are they taking him?'

Typically, those dressed in robes were likely mages. Judging by the southern dungeon, it seemed probable that there was a secret laboratory here as well. Sieg discreetly followed them.

Along his path, it became apparent that this wasn't the only excavation site. Owing to the massive scale of the dungeon, it seemed they had divided it into sections, using slaves to excavate.

After passing through the excavation site, Sieg tailed them further into a chamber located deeper within the dungeon.

"One more has arrived!"

Upon their shout about another slave arrival, someone approached and examined the slave's condition. They checked the eyes and assessed the skeletal structure.

"They seem to be in good condition. We'll use them as a test subject. Lock them in."

The robed individuals lifted the slave and placed them inside the iron cage. Inside the cage were other slaves, lying on the filthy ground.

Sieg, hidden by his invisibility, realized that this place too was a human experimentation lab akin to the southern dungeon.

'What on earth is the empire doing here?'

It was at that moment.

"Aaaaagh!"

A horrified scream echoed from within the chamber.

The screams continued for a while before finally ceasing. Shortly thereafter, bloodied bodies and mages, drenched in the same blood, were spotted being carried out.

The eldest-looking mage, tossing aside his bloodstained robe, muttered.

"Damn, the test subjects aren't providing satisfactory results lately. We're not getting proper readings."

Another mage beside him responded.

"You're right, master. The cursed Crimson Blossom Disease cure has dwindled the number of test subjects. We can't proceed with the experiments."

The older mage gritted his teeth and growled.

"How on earth did those Alencia bastards come up with that cure? We're on the verge of having the entire project shelved."

"They've dispatched lesser modified creatures to intercept the distribution of the cure, so the number of test subjects will soon increase again."

"Damn it, on top of everything, the Lion Sword is running amok. Nothing is going smoothly."

Overhearing their conversation, Sieg clenched his fists tightly.

'So the empire was responsible for spreading the Crimson Blossom Disease. And then they abducted those affected to use as test subjects. Modified creatures... does that refer to those monsters from earlier? And the Lion Sword... does this mean Abel might be involved somehow?'

If Abel's involvement in the empire's inhumane experiments could be proven, it would strengthen the case to have him ousted from Draker.

'System, can you save this too?'

『By linking with the available Dragon Eyes feature, it's possible to store video records securely.』

Sieg decided to store the footage, unsure if it could later be transferred to a video recording device.

The Dragon Eyes activated, recording everything Sieg saw.

Documenting the experiment site, Sieg decided to sneak further in to gather more evidence.

While gathering documents, Sieg discovered the true identity of the modified creatures.

'Experimental subjects enhanced by transplanting demonic beast blood into humans?'

That was as outrageous as it was insane. Demonic beast blood, similar to regular monster blood, was like poison to humans. Only troll blood, used in crafting healing potions, could be prepared through extensive processing. Therefore, it was natural that the demonic energy-tainted blood of beasts couldn't be compatible with humans.

Sieg understood why the monsters' bodies decayed so quickly.

'Conducting such insane experiments... I knew the emperor was mad, but not to this degree.'

Sieg placed the gathered documents into his inventory and resumed his exploration of the area.

In the corner of the laboratory, he discovered ancient artifacts, seemingly excavated from this site. Many had avian-themed adornments, hinting at an ancient Avian race origin.

Sieg used his Dragon Eyes to examine the artifacts, but found no special functions.

'The artifacts don't seem particularly significant. What exactly are they searching for here?'

Turning his attention elsewhere, Sieg encountered a mural on one wall of the laboratory. Curiously, he examined this artwork.

It depicted a massive Avian warrior clad in heavy armor, quite different from the traditional attire Sieg associated with the clan.

'Is this the ancient attire of Avian warriors?'

Something still felt amiss. The depiction seemed more like a bronze statue made to resemble Avian warriors. Even the Dragon Eyes revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

Having gathered all possible data, Sieg was confident there was nothing else of significance. Deciding it was time to leave, he readied his invisibility skill.

Just as he prepared to leave the laboratory, a strange sound reached his ears.

Screech!

It resembled the sound of space being torn open.

A nonexistent space split open, revealing a figure cloaked in black robe, accompanied by someone wearing black armor stepping through the rift.

They pointed directly at Sieg, who was hidden with his invisibility skill, and shouted.

"A trespasser! Quick, capture him!"

At the mage's command, the black-armored knight charged toward Sieg.

Fwoosh!

Despite being hidden, the knight accurately targeted Sieg, swinging his sword.

Clang!

Sieg blocked the knight's sword with his own Dragonscale Armor.

The black-robed mage, observing the exchange, spoke in an eerie voice.

"Discover his origin. Sever his limbs and keep him alive."

The red glow in the black knight's eyes intensified.

Sieg noticed the energy was similar to that of the knight guarding the dungeon entrance earlier.

Whoo-oo-oo-oo!

The black knight swiftly swung his sword at Sieg.

Unlike the aimless swings of the monsters, the black knight's movements were precise, like a trained warrior, with formidable force behind them.

Crash!

Though Sieg met the black knight's sword with the Energy of Metal, his wrist throbbed from the impact.

The force matched the monster's power, yet its technique and movement paralleled a well-trained knight. While it didn't reach the level of a blue knight, it certainly surpassed that of a purple rank.

Sieg infused his sword with the Soul Resonance's power.

Woo-oo-oo-ong!

His sword, infused with Sever, clashed against the black knight's weapon.

Crash!

Before the sharper edge of the sword art, brute strength was meaningless.

Sieg's sword cut through the black knight's weapon effortlessly.

Clang!

The severed blade dropped to the ground.

The black-robed mage, witnessing this, murmured in a chilling tone.

"He's no ordinary foe."

The mage swung his staff.

Screech!

With a horrendous sound, another tear appeared in space.

Emerging from it were three additional black knights.

Now surrounded by four knights, they closed in on Sieg.

Unfazed, Sieg pointed his sword toward the approaching knights.

'Even if it's taxing, I must defeat them and capture that mage.'

The core of these vile experiments seemed to revolve around the black-robed mage. Imbued with determination, Sieg swung his sword, laden with the Will of Cut.

Crack!

Anything in contact with Sieg's sword—be it weapon or armor—was severed.

The black knights, slashed by Sieg's sword, bled dark ichor and collapsed. They, too, rapidly began to decay as if they had been infused with demonic beast blood.

The mage, impressed, examined Sieg's sword.

"A magic sword, perhaps? To cut down modified creatures with tougher skin than ogres so effortlessly. Remarkable."

Having dispatched the knights, Sieg charged at the mage.

Whoosh!

The mage tore open a gap in space once more, seemingly hiding within it. Sieg swung his sword, but the mage had already concealed himself.

'Damn. I should have caught him before he retreated.'

The mage's magic differed from typical mages. Sieg detected no trace of mana, which ordinarily accompanied spellcasting.

'Who exactly is that?'

Sieg felt an uncanny similarity to the mysterious necromancer he had previously encountered at Don Juan's estate.

Realizing he lost the chance to capture the mage, Sieg decided to flee the site.

Squeal!

An eerie, familiar sound echoed.

The sound of the imperial hounds' whistles—it meant evading capture quickly was no longer possible.

'I've lingered here for too long.'

Sieg activated his invisibility skill, searching for an escape route.

However, as the imperial hounds rushed into the laboratory, the mage who had hidden earlier reappeared.

He accurately pointed towards where Sieg was concealed.

"There he is! Capture him!"

It was inexplicable how the mage detected Sieg's presence, despite the aura concealed by the invisibility skill obtained after devouring the core.

As the imperial hounds rushed where directed, Sieg concentrated firepower onto his sword.

Fwoosh!

He unleashed flames toward the advancing imperial hounds.

"Aaargh!"

Unprepared due to their hasty advance, the imperial hounds were engulfed in flames, writhing in agony on the scorched ground.

Seizing this opportunity, Sieg activated his Magic Reflection skill and darted toward the mage.

Screech!

Possibly due to Sieg's Magic Reflection, the mage couldn't quickly rend space to escape.

Sieg swung his sword toward the mage.

Schwing!

The mage's arm was cleanly severed by Sieg's blade.

"Ugh!"

Clutching his severed shoulder, the mage retreated, glaring at Sieg with ominous intensity.

"How dare you tamper with the Abyss..."

The word 'Abyss', as uttered by the mage, resonated in Sieg's ears.

'Abyss? Like what Dario Totolino mentioned?'

The mage brought his staff to his wounded shoulder. Red organic matter squirmed out from the severed area, amalgamating and forming a new arm in an instant.

Having regenerated his arm swiftly, the mage menaced Sieg with bared fury.

"I'll turn you into neither the dead nor the living—frozen in my lab."

The mage's staff accumulated a dark energy.

『Concentrated demonic energy detected.』

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A mass of dark energy surged toward Sieg.

Simultaneously, Sieg used his Flash Bomb skill at the mage.

Flash!

The laboratory brightened intensely with white light.