Chapter 50

Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Harley (1)

“Grrr, grrr…”

A beast covered in charcoal-colored fur panted heavily.

The creature, barely propping up its bulk with two massive forearms that called to mind a silverback gorilla, was already drenched in crimson from the deep gashes covering its flesh.

“Kraaaagh—!”

Bellowing in sheer rage, the beast straightened its spine.

Though it remained ignorant of who had ambushed it out of nowhere, it was a seasoned alpha that had ruled over this territory for ages.

Even if its flesh was ripped to ribbons, it refused to fall without a fight!

Yet, the stalkers lurking in the shadows were in no mood to respect the creature’s defiance.

[Try your best… to avoid breaking it. Exercise caution. You do not want another scolding.]

Ghouls and skeletons advanced from the dense foliage, closing in on the cornered beast.

At the forefront stood Malcolm, the Death Wizard serving under Hans’s commands.

[Abyssal Shackles.]

Jagged stone spires shot out from the earth, pinning the beast’s extremities, while the surrounding horde of undead lunged at the target in unison.

“Kwwaaagh!”

The creature, however, did not simply submit.

Fissures spiderwebbed across the rocky masses pinning its massive forearms, which suddenly ballooned with engorged musculature.

Crack—

Shattering the stone encasing its upper limbs,

It struck the dirt with immense force, tearing free from the anchors holding its legs.

Though pierced in multiple areas by the oncoming undead, it began to thrash about violently, driven by its stubborn, primal vitality.

Consequentially, the skirmish dragged on far past expectations.

[Careful. Mindful! Keep it alive. Avoid corrupting the flesh… This is proving tedious. Its fortitude is remarkable… Abyssal Shackles.]

The entire delay stemmed from their master’s explicit directives.

Capture the specimen alive, uncorrupted, and in the most pristine condition possible.

Had they merely required a carcass, Malcolm could have obliterated it single-handedly long ago.

Had they been allowed to simply subdue it alive without restrictions, a blend of dark sorcery and the undead horde would have neutralized it effortlessly.

But they were denizens of the grave.

They were manifested from demise, and the bedrock of their vitality was dark magic power.

They were entities that radiated a lethal malice simply by standing near vulnerable lifeforms.

Restraining an adversary without leaving a mark proved far more taxing than anticipated for creatures who exhaled death and blights.

Malcolm found himself heavily restricted in casting dark sorcery, while his undead minions had to suppress their inner malice to the absolute limit.

Compounding the problem was the fact that their quarry possessed such a stubborn life force that even knocking it unconscious was an ordeal.

“Grrr…”

Following a grueling effort using spells designed to minimize the taint of dark magic power, and after countless undead sacrificed their physical forms…

Malcolm’s unit at last succeeded in neutralizing the beast to the point where it could no longer resist.

The ape-like creature lay pinned beneath a mountain of undead, twitching weakly with its limbs bound tight.

[A success… We shall return immediately.]

Yet, as fate would have it, disaster struck the moment vigilance wavered.

“Kraaagh—!”

Crack!

[Ah.]

In that fleeting second when the cohort relaxed, the beast, summoning a final surge of desperation, snapped its jaws around the ankle of the Skeleton Knight anchoring it down.

Crunch! Crunch! Gulp—

Severing the bony joint, the creature mashed it thoroughly between its teeth and forced it down its throat.

Though the surrounding undead swarmed instantly to pin the creature back down, the swallowed foot was gone for good.

They could hardly slice open its belly when the directive was to bring it back as intact as humanly possible.

[Hmm…]

The structural damage to the subordinate could easily be mended with dark magic power, but that was a minor concern.

The real issue was that an undead corpse part was hardly a pristine biological specimen.

[Wild beasts possess durable stomachs, so it may endure it…]

A monster’s digestive system was built to process anything, meaning a piece of an undead should be trivial.

Clinging to a shred of optimism, Malcolm hauled the securely bound beast back to Hans’s lab, but…

Thwack!

Naturally, it was far from fine, resulting in Malcolm receiving a brutal thrashing from Hans, who was incredibly irritable due to failing experiments. Thus, the wizard had to head back out to hunt once more.

All the while, he used dark magic power to piece back together the cracked skull where his master had repeatedly struck him.

—

Hans sat in deep meditation with his eyes shut.

Naturally, he lacked actual eyelids to close, but the effect was identical; he had blocked out all external stimuli, plunging deeply into his own psyche.

He was systematically parsing through the infinite pool of data contained within the “Forbidden Knowledge” to find practical applications.

By merging the biological data regarding chimeras with the experimental records of the Heaven’s Turn Society, he began synthesizing formulas based on the empirical evidence he had gathered firsthand.

Pulling his awareness back to reality, Hans stared down at Harley, who was stretched out across the stone operating table, and fell into deep contemplation.

[Excellent, the dragon blood appears to have integrated flawlessly into his circulatory system.]

Now that nearly a quarter of a year had slipped by since the inception of the trials, the layout of the cavern had transformed drastically.

Beakers filled with bizarre concoctions, organic matter kept pristine through preservation magic, and an assortment of nightmarish surgical implements littered the space.

Furthermore, sinister magic arrays and esoteric apparatuses positioned around the cavern radiated a dim, foreboding glow, asserting their presence.

It had truly become the sanctuary of a mad researcher who had cast aside his morality.

When factoring in the dark arts woven into the crafts, the atmosphere was arguably much more sinister.

“The muscle tissue feels somewhat rigid. The integration process doesn’t seem entirely finalized. Regardless, it is far from fatal.”

[We shall monitor the progress. His systemic adaptation is advancing quicker than projected. We are on the precipice of a breakthrough. Truly, my intellect is unmatched. Hehehe…]

The trials proceeded without major interruptions.

A day slipped past.

“Ugh, there is an intense burning sensation boiling within my chest…”

[Hmm, an adverse reaction? I assumed his “Adaptation” trait would neutralize it. I must moderate the dosage.]

Three days subsequent.

“Ugh— Cough! Blegh!”

[Hmph… Has it bypassed the threshold of “Super Recovery”? Most unfortunate. Had we pushed just a fraction harder, absolute success would be ours. Let us recalibrate the parameters.]

A week flew by.

“…”

[…His neural matrix is unresponsive. Losing Harley at this juncture is unacceptable… Perhaps a drastic measure is required? Saturating him with the entirety of the remaining dragon blood might stabilize the bond.]

Slightly more than three months had elapsed since Hans and Harley initiated their collaborative project.

“Hmm?”

[The psychic link is restored! A marvelous outcome for a risky venture. Though the reserve of dragon blood is depleted, it remains preserved within Harley’s anatomy, allowing our observations to proceed. Hehehe…]

“…Yet, my physical form feels profoundly altered…”

Precisely at that moment,

《The subject satisfies the necessary parameters to evolve. The trait “Adaptation” shifts into the unique trait “Mutation”.》

《The subject satisfies the necessary parameters to unlock latent traits. You have unlocked the unique trait “Physical Transformation”.》

《The subject’s healing thresholds have been shattered. The trait “Super Recovery” shifts into “Regeneration”.》

“Oh?”

[Oh?]

The duo uttered simultaneous gasps of astonishment at the system notifications materializing one after another.

“With these developments…”

[Our project is a definitive triumph.]

It was a monumental milestone, realized in roughly a hundred cycles of Auterica time, which equated to ten days on Earth.

Granted, the final product deviated significantly from their initial blueprints, but their core objective was realized.

“Mutation” functioned by reshaping the host through foreign genetic material, meaning fundamentally, it served the exact same purpose.

‘Securing “Regeneration” during the process is an unexpected windfall.’

This development was undoubtedly triggered by the repeated transfusions of blood harvested from creatures boasting immense healing traits for the trial.

It marked the initial reward of manifesting “Mutation”.

The positive developments, however, did not stop there.

《The core trait advances and unlocks latent capacity. The maximum threshold of avatars available for deployment has expanded.》

He was now granted the capacity to manifest an additional avatar.

‘Wow… I never anticipated this outcome.’

Up until this juncture, the cap on his avatars had expanded solely through investments made within the Karma Shop.

This marked the absolute first time an avatar slot had opened through organic progression.

‘There were minor milestones reached previously. Did this latest evolution push us past a hidden benchmark?’

It made sense; as his developmental attributes accumulated over time, a breakthrough was bound to happen.

The reality that rapid progression could be purchased via the Karma Shop implied that the identical heights could eventually be reached through standard progression.

‘A fifth avatar… and I have finally made Harley viable.’

It was time to map out a strategy for utilizing this freshly unlocked vessel.

Compared to his past dilemmas, this was a highly welcome predicament.

—

Four months had rolled by since Heinrich received his investiture as a holy knight.

He was currently stationed with the Radiance Guardian Holy Knight Order, the elite unit tasked with securing the interior perimeter of the Roselia Cathedral.

Membership in this specific order was strictly reserved for holy knights displaying immense holy power and unshakeable piety, yet he had been granted entry as an initiate due to high-ranking clergy recognizing his immense potential.

Heinrich’s holy power, which had experienced consistent advancement, now rivaled the zenith of the high priesthood.

The superior assigned to mentor him was Lady Lailyn, a azure-haired paladin belonging to the Radiance Guardian.

“Securing the inner sanctum is fairly straightforward. As your prior deployments have shown you, the outer walls feature multiple defensive perimeters. Furthermore, this sector houses the Order Captains and Archbishops…”

And deeper within the complex resided the Saintess, the Council of Cardinals, and the Pope himself.

Naturally, these individuals would not deign to act personally unless facing a dire crisis.

‘Setting aside the Saintess, who roams wherever she pleases.’

“Regardless, vigilant patrols remain essential. Particularly, the corridors branching toward critical zones must be sealed to prevent any unauthorized entry, even accidental ones.”

“…What sectors are designated as critical zones?”

While he assumed she meant the private quarters of the hierarchy or hidden treasuries, he posed the question to Lailyn, who was guiding his orientation, just to confirm.

It was a casual inquiry.

Yet, she merely stared at Heinrich with an expression of mild hesitation.

“Hmm… Given your current level of holy power, it should be permissible… Still, protocols must be observed. Follow me.”

Heinrich trailed behind her as she navigated toward a highly isolated wing of the grand cathedral.

An abandoned corridor he had never once patrolled during his assignments.

To be precise, it was an area deemed exempt from standard patrols.

Knock, knock—

“Greetings from the Radiance Guardian. I have brought an initiate who requires the binding oath.”

The wooden door unlatched following her gentle rapping.

A figure emerged from the shadows inside and wordlessly gestured for them to enter.

‘A Heresy Inquisitor.’

Dark clerical vestments, a deeply pulled hood, and a cloth veil concealing his features.

This location served as the operational hub for the Heresy Inquisitors of the Main God Church.

He walked behind the mute guide down a corridor permeated by an unnaturally somber aura, eventually entering a chamber devoid of windows.

“Take a seat across from him and review the parchment on the desk.”

A single parchment rested on the desk within the chamber, and a Heresy Inquisitor sat silently on the opposing side.

Stepping forward carefully, he pulled out the chair and scanned the text of the parchment, which bore the header ‘Radiance Guardian’. It turned out to be a standard non-disclosure agreement, nothing out of the ordinary.

A formal pledge binding him to safeguard any classified data he stumbled upon during his duties.

Just as he prepared to scan the lines,

Swoosh—

The figure seated opposite him extended an arm and pressed a palm against Heinrich’s forehead.

He tensed momentarily at the abrupt contact but forced himself to ignore it, calmly reading the contents of the parchment aloud.

“…Hence, I pledge to maintain absolute secrecy under any and all conditions.”

The moment his recitation concluded,

A surge of holy power erupted from the palm resting against his skin.

“…”

“…?”

Without uttering a single syllable, the Heresy Inquisitor pulled his hand back into his robes.

“The process is finished. Let us depart.”

From the moment they left that room under Lailyn’s lead, he hadn’t heard a single utterance aside from their own voices.

“…Is that sector always so devoid of speech?”

“Indeed, and it is in your best interest to keep it that way. If those walls start speaking, it signifies a terrible crisis is unfolding.”

There was no need to probe further regarding what a terrible crisis entailed.

“So what was the purpose of that ritual? A magical constraint to keep secrets hidden?”

“Haha… A constraint? Far from it, it is a divine favor. The Blessing of Silence. Its function prevents you from articulating restricted data, whether by choice or by force. Truly remarkable, is it not?”

It was a constraint!

It was functionally identical to any other magical restriction, save for the fact that it utilized holy power as its anchor.

‘Though, since they term it a blessing, it shouldn’t do something extreme like detonating my skull if triggered, right?’

“Whew… Then what manner of critical zone warrants the deployment of this ‘Blessing of Silence’?”

“Patience for a moment. I am likewise bound by the Blessing of Silence, meaning I can only disclose the details after executing the proper protocols. It will take but a brief minute.”

The duration of his wait was anything but brief.

However, the revelations disclosed to him after completing the arduous clearance procedure were monumental enough to clarify why such extreme security was mandated.

“…The sacred sacrament currently being conducted cannot tolerate any disruption. Furthermore, the private chambers of the Saintess…”

Details regarding the living quarters of high officials or concealed vaults paled in comparison to this knowledge.

“…And finally, there is one ultimate truth you must safeguard.”

Deep within one of the most secluded subterranean vaults of the Church,

“A location we are sworn to defend with our very souls should a catastrophic breach occur.”

‘That relic’.

“The final relic of the Immortal King…”

Was entombed beneath this very Roselia Cathedral.