Chapter 135
Ssssst!
Sieg had absorbed the power of the Hydra, making Gurav's form even larger. Now, it resembled a basilisk, and Gurav flicked its tongue with a menacing sound.
"It's... it's a monster!"
"Aaaargh!"
The people on the street screamed and fled in terror.
Ssss! Ssss!
As Hydra's venom spread everywhere, acrid smoke began to rise from the grass and trees.
The paladins, who had been in disguise, were startled by Gurav's appearance and raised their shields in a defensive formation.
The hounds witnessing this were confused.
'Who are those guys?'
Then it happened.
Clack, clack!
Undead formed from monster bones appeared.
Simultaneously, a Demi-Lich emerged, shouting in a chilling voice.
"I serve as the vassal of the 'Rider of Blood and Madness!'
Eliminate those seeds of light immediately!"
The Demi-Lich unexpectedly issued orders aimed at the disguised hounds.
Taken aback by the sudden command from the lich, the startled hounds instinctively drew their weapons.
The paladins were equally surprised by the scene.
'Who are those men?'
The paladins identified those individuals, who stood with the monsters, as foes and charged at them with shields raised.
"Chaaarge!"
Boom!
The undead monsters hit by the paladins' shield shattered and scattered.
At that moment, a figure in black armor emerged from within the midst of the monsters and attacked the paladins.
Clang!
The paladins, now fully aware of the hostility, recognized the hounds as enemies.
"They are heretics! Heretics have summoned monsters and demonic beasts!"
The paladins, blinded by their fanatic faith, perceived the situation as they wished.
With frenzied eyes, the shield-bearing paladins charged at the hounds.
Likewise, the hounds, as the paladins charged, had no choice but to defend themselves with the weapons they had drawn.
In the ensuing chaotic battle, the reason for fighting became unimportant.
They focused solely on defeating the enemy in front of them.
Sieg watched this unfold from behind the bushes, hidden by his invisibility, and smirked.
'Well done, Dragon Fang Soldiers 1, 2, 3.'
He had secretly placed Dragon Fang Soldiers among the hounds and incited them to attack the paladins, causing the fight.
The paladins and hounds were fighting each other under the misunderstanding of their identities just as Sieg had planned.
'It would be great if they annihilate each other.'
Just then.
Pheeew!
A loud whistle was heard from the back.
As soon as they heard the whistle, the hounds in the fight started to retreat immediately.
The paladins followed them persistently, but it was difficult to catch up with those specialized in pursuit techniques.
Sieg then instructed Gurav and Richmond to lure the paladins as far away from the street as possible.
Then he turned around and pursued the retreating hounds.
Before the hounds could deploy their Heaven's Net, he needed to sever the connection points to provide an escape route for Arina's group.
Rustle―
Chasing after the hounds while in hiding, Sieg discovered that they halted in front of a cabin deeper in the forest.
At that moment, a knight disguised as a mercenary emerged from the cabin.
'He looks like a Blue Knight level. Could he be the field commander?'
The imperial knight shouted at the hounds.
"You idiots! You were supposed to catch the lineage of Rubern, why are you confronting the paladins?"
The hounds felt sorry as the situation had suddenly escalated, but there was nothing they could do.
In the military, the superior's words were the absolute law.
The knight gritted his teeth and shouted.
"Damn it! Failing even at a mere surveillance mission! If Commander Daria finds out, she'll have my head!"
The name Daria caught Sieg's attention.
'Daria... Could it be referring to Daria Calvi of the Sagittarius?'
Daria Calvi, a knight of the Sagittarius constellation, was one of the most skilled female knights in the empire.
Known for using a bow rather than a sword, she was reputed to accurately hit an ant on a wall from several kilometers away.
'If Daria Calvi is here, that's troublesome.'
Morgan Bupon, who was once a Knight of Ophiucus, was more a brilliant strategist than a strong knight.
However, Daria was said to possess the closest skill to a black knight among the imperial red knights.
It was undoubtedly burdensome for Sieg.
'I didn't expect the empire to consider the Rubern lineage so important that a commander-level knight would get involved.'
Suddenly, Sieg recalled Arina's words about how all the powerful figures of the continent desired to possess the miracle-wielding Rubern lineage.
The empire's crazy emperor, obsessed with immortality, naturally coveted it.
Sieg drew his sword and covered his face with a mask.
'I must divert their attention as much as possible.'
He ordered Richmond to lead the monster faction and bring the paladins towards the hounds.
If the two groups hadn't formed an alliance, it was necessary to crash them together to cause chaos.
Roarrr!
From afar, Gurav's voice echoed.
The empire's knights and hounds were on guard as they drew their weapons.
"Dammit, and now a monster horde."
The imperial knight signaled the surrounding hounds to join up with the main group.
Secretly following them, Sieg continued to guide Richmond and Gurav.
As the hounds made their way to a cave where their camp was set, Sieg noticed something.
'Damn, they've set up camps everywhere.'
He communicated the cave's location to Richmond and Gurav and prepared to observe while concealed.
But suddenly, a bolt of black lightning struck Sieg's location.
Boom!
He narrowly evaded the lightning strike by rolling aside.
'What...?'
Seeing magic precisely striking his hidden position shocked Sieg.
Then a realization crossed his mind.
'Back at the Avian Race temple, that dark mage detected my position too.'
Though unsure of the principle, it seemed the abyss had a spell for detecting invisibility.
Sieg activated his Dragon Eyes to scan his surroundings.
Soon, a mage in a black robe appeared from within the cave.
"You fools! This way!"
The mage pointed precisely towards Sieg's location with his staff.
Knights and hounds charged toward where the mage pointed.
Whoosh!
Sieg disabled his invisibility and lured the hounds and knights towards the forest.
He threw daggers at the hounds now and then, pulling them out from his attire.
Swish! Swish!
Daggers infused with energy of metal struck the hounds' legs and arms.
The knights deflected the daggers with their swords and charged at Sieg.
Clang!
The swords of the imperial knights clashed with Sieg's sword.
"Haaap!"
The imperial knight pushed forward with an aura blade.
'That's not going to work.'
Sieg parried the charging knight's sword using the Energy of Water, counterattacking in return.
Boom!
His powerful sword strike battered the knight's armor.
"Urgh!"
The knight's armor caved in from the forceful blow.
Realizing Sieg's prowess, the imperial knights corrected their stances.
Against these adversaries, Sieg unleashed the Energy of Wind.
Whoooosh!
A mighty gale swirled from his sword as he swung it towards the knights.
Slam!
Engulfed by the immense wind, the knights were sent flying into the forest.
Whoosh!
Seizing the moment, Sieg swung his sword at the faltering knights.
Clang!
Some managed to fend off with their swords, yet most were struck down by Sieg's blade.
"Urgh!"
Once the storm settled, more than half of the empire's forces had been diminished.
With clenched teeth, the imperial knight aimed his sword at Sieg, ready to fight till death.
Observing them, Sieg pondered.
'Why are these guys so loyal to that insane emperor?'
Attempting to execute every order from the emperor obsessed with immortality, probing every dungeon on the continent, baffled Sieg.
Yet the knights, regardless of Sieg's doubt, charged en masse their aura blade towards him.
"Haaap!"
The imperial knights swarmed towards Sieg simultaneously.
Crash!
Sieg's sword imbued with the Will of Break clashed with the knights' swords.
"Urgh!"
The knight who took on the full force of the Will of Break spewed blood and collapsed.
'Now's the time to retreat and draw them farther away.'
Witnessing the knights halt momentarily from the fierce clash, Sieg prepared to pull back just then.
Boom!
Again, black lightning targeted where Sieg was standing.
'Damn mage.'
The mage, cloaked in black, appeared with a swirl of dark smoke.
He pointed his staff at Sieg and said.
"Fool, what are you, anyway?"
Sieg replied with no words but by aiming his sword at the mage.
'Perfect. Time to lure them now.'
Sieg retreated while directing his Penalty of Light skill towards the mage.
Boom!
A flash of potent light descended towards the mage.
Sizzle!
A black hemisphere shielding the mage emitted dark smoke.
"Damn it, that's the magic of the Rubern. Capture him! He's from the Rubern lineage!"
As Sieg had foreseen, the mage recognized the light magic.
Without delay, Sieg turned and fled deeper into the forest.
Screeeeech!
The distinctive sound of whistles filled the air.
The hounds were signaling the deployment of their Heaven's Web, tightening their encirclement.
'Richmond, how are the paladins faring?'
'Oof, master. These guys are persistent. Me and Gurav might get killed if this drags on.'
At that, Sieg commanded Richmond and Gurav to advance deeper into the domain of the hounds' Heaven's Net.
He intended to trap the paladins within the Heaven's Net.
Meanwhile, the mage floated behind Sieg, yelling.
"Capture him! Don't let him escape!"
Keeping an appropriate distance, Sieg lured the mage forward.
He aimed to seize the abyssal mage.
Roarrr!
Gurav's cry was heard from afar.
Knowing the paladins were deep within the Heaven's Net, Sieg dismissed the summons of Gurav and Richmond.
Then he ceased running and faced the mage.
The mage, gliding through the air, brandished his staff at Sieg.
"I'll paralyze you alive!"
Crackle!
Several black energy balls were launched at Sieg.
At that moment, Sieg drew the Orichalcum sword from his inventory.
Hummm!
He immediately activated the Penalty of Light skill.
Crackle!
Light currents enveloped Sieg's sword.
'Hoo?'
Sieg slashed away the incoming energy balls with the Orichalcum sword imbued with the Penalty of Light.
Swish—
The energy balls incinerated into ashes upon contact with the Orichalcum sword.
The sight left the mage alarmed as he halted mid-air.
"Unbelievable! Cutting magic with a sword?"
Sieg sliced through all the energy balls heading his way.
He then leapt into the air and swung his sword towards the mage.
Whoosh—
But only black smoke remained where the mage had been.
Landing on the ground, Sieg scanned the surroundings with his Dragon Eyes.
He sensed the suspicious presence and cast Dragon's Claw in that direction.
Swoosh!
He felt something get caught by the Dragon's Claw.
"Ugh!"
The mage emerged from the smoke, bleeding black from the chest.
"The wound... it's not healing... How...?"
Though Sieg had used Dragon's Claw before, he'd never seen such effects. It appeared wounds inflicted by Dragonian Skills couldn't be healed.
'I had no idea Dragon skills had such an effect.'
While purification techniques and light skills annihilated demonic energy, the Dragonian Skills seemed to inflict different kinds of fatal wounds.
Crackle!
Holding the Orichalcum sword, engulfed in the Penalty of Light, Sieg steadily advanced towards the mage.
Gripping his bleeding wound, the mage aimed his staff at Sieg.
Sieg questioned the mage.
"To which devil are you a servant of?"
The query startled the mage.
He soon let out a scream-like groan.
"So, it's you, the one who disrupted the project on the Valencia side. I never imagined the Rubern lineage would be involved."
As expected, the mage was part of the abyss.
Pointing his sword, Sieg spoke.
"If you're after miracles, it's futile. Tell that crazy emperor to abandon his delusions."
The mage spat a mouthful of blood, chuckling ominously.
"You shall never leave this place."
Then suddenly, the mage took out a dagger and slit his own throat.
Sieg was shocked by the mage's sudden suicide.
'Damn, I needed to capture him for information.'
Grinding his teeth, Sieg glanced over the mage's corpse bleeding out.
At that moment.
Hisss—
Black smoke began to emanate from the mage's body.