The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World

Chapter 668- Tainted Lands (3)

A tail unfurled behind it. Its fingernails elongated into claws.

The transformation took place slowly and disturbingly.

Before long, the subject could not even be recognized.

If one looked at the label below the glass tube, the name and species of the subject were clearly specified.

Name... Species- Human.

This signified that the subject 10044 was once a human.

However, looking at him now, there were no traces left that associated him with human.

In fact, the creature inside the pod looked more like the race that humanity called demons.

Squelch. Squelch.

Footsteps echoed wetly through the darkness.

On the orders of Victor Voss, a researcher made his way over to ’that’ being to report.

The air here was cold like frigid wind. The ground was sticky, with black tar like substance coating the place.

Every step sunk slightly. It made treading difficult.

To make matters worse, the place was so dark that even the lantern-like device in his hand, capable of lighting up an entire stadium, was unable to pierce the darkness.

It barely illuminated a few meters ahead before being swallowed by the darkness.

Even light struggled to survive here.

The place was unnerving with an overwhelming amount of demonic energy saturating the place.

It made even breathing heavy and oppressive.

If possible, the researcher did not want to come to this place.

Unfortunately, the responsibility had fallen onto him.

And refusing an order here was equivalent to suicide.

As such he had no choice.

Swallowing his nervousness, he made his way deeper into the dark space.

"L-Lord... I brought the report you asked for."

His trembling voice echoed out in the darkness.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then two crimson eyes slowly opened within the darkness.

The next instant, a powerful pressure descended onto the place. It forced the researcher to kneel.

In the darkness, a faint outline gradually became visible.

A man sat upon a throne made of black wiggling tendrils.

He had a handsome face and sharp features.

His long black hair cascaded over his shoulders like liquid darkness.

His skin was unnaturally pale, almost corpse-like. It contrasted sharply against the crimson markings spreading across his neck and jawline.

Two curved obsidian horns protruded from the sides of his forehead.

Black scales spread across portions of his exposed skin. They disappeared beneath his cloak.

The figure sitting atop the throne was none other than the Eighth Heavenly King Astaroth.

"Hmph."

His voice rumbled through the darkness.

"You people sure have guts making me wait this long."

The researcher trembled like a leaf. The wrath of a Heavenly King was not something even a modified human/chimera like him could endure.

"If Duvessa had not insisted your little organization possessed value, I would have killed every last one of you already."

Astaroth’s crimson eyes narrowed dangerously.

"T-Thank you for your mercy, Lord Astaroth."

The researcher’s face paled instantly. Sweat dripped down his forehead.

Then with trembling hands, he hurriedly presented the report.

Astaroth casually grabbed the report and scanned through its content with his crimson eyes.

After a short while, a disturbing grin appeared on his face.

"Finally some progress. Good."

Seeing that Astaroth was in a good mood, the researcher sighed in relief.

"Tell Victor to increase the number of subjects. We have enough human sacrifices from Lunaris."

GURGLE.

At those words, something shifted overhead.

The researcher subconsciously looked upward.

And froze.

The instant the darkness above became visible, his pupils contracted violently.

The ceiling, no, the entire cavern was filled with what could be called cocoons.

There were thousands and thousands of them.

Like black rotten fruits, they hung from the ceiling. Painting an unnerving picture.

Inside each cocoon, faint human silhouettes could be seen.

It was unknown whether they were dead or alive.

However, one thing was clear. Just like subject 10044, they too were undergoing some transformation.

The sheer number would cause one’s scalp to tingle.

"I-I will relay the message immediately!"

The researcher quickly lowered his head. He practically fled from the dark space.

Compared to this place, even the inhumane experiments they were conducting in the laboratory seemed peaceful.

Once the researcher left, silence returned to the dark space once more.

Astaroth slowly lifted his head and looked at the countless cocoons above him.

"Hmph, I cannot rely solely on the Organization."

His crimson eyes glowed ominously.

"Since humanity dares to intrude into the Tainted Lands, then I shall let them relive that great day once again."

A cruel smile formed on his face.

Right after his words fell, the tendrils throughout the cavern suddenly began thrashing violently. As if coming alive.

Then from somewhere beneath the endless black tar below, something colossal stirred awake.

The entire cavern shook violently. For a moment, thousands of gigantic eyes blinked open.

"Baccarat, my pet, go give our guests a lovely greeting."

More than a week had passed since the Dawnbringers officially began their expedition into the Tainted Lands.

And the results they achieved were astonishing.

Everywhere the Dawnbringers marched, corruption receded.

The blackened frontier that had terrified humanity for centuries was steadily being pushed back.

The purified roads created by the branches of the World Tree became humanity’s lifeline inside the Tainted Lands.

Several camps, medical stations, watcher towers, and supply depots were established after every several dozen miles to maintain smooth operations.

The purified roads established by the World Tree had become the backbone of the operation.

Thanks to the continuous flow of pure mana, knights could fight without suffering severe exhaustion from environmental corruption.

Backup forces could also arrive much faster now.

In short, humanity was doing great in establishing a foothold in the Tainted Lands.

Inside the command tent.

Reinhardt stood before a map spread across the table.

The previously blank parchment was now marked with a lot of information.

Although vast portions of the Tainted Lands still remained unknown, Reinhardt believed that humanity had already mapped close to ten percent of the entire Tainted Lands.

Such progress was unthinkable before the formation of the Dawnbringers.

"The Third Division is doing excellent work."

Out of all the divisions, the Third Division advanced the deepest.

Led by Hell Marshal and the Dark Knight, the Third Division specialized in reconnaissance, mobility, and swift extermination operations.

Their progress was terrifyingly fast.

That said, Reinhardt did not become content with these measly victories.

Success meant that the demons were scheming something.

He didn’t believe that they would remain silent forever.

"They should be making their move soon."

For the past several hours, a faint sense of discomfort lingered inside his chest.

It was subtle.

Yet impossible to ignore.

Thanks to his Divine Trait [Celestial Harmony], Reinhardt’s senses toward danger had long surpassed normal intuition.

It was almost like a mixture of instinct and divination.

And whenever this feeling appeared, something was always wrong.

BUZZ.

As if on cue, the transmission device on the table suddenly began buzzing.

Reinhardt quickly picked it up.

"This is First Division Leader Reinhardt. Report."

Static crackled briefly before a rough voice answered.

"This is Third Division Leader Hell Marshal."

"Speak."

"We scouted further north-east. Approximately forty miles ahead. We discovered a massive demonic horde."

"So far, we have confirmed the presence of five Demon Generals. At least thirty High-Ranking Demons and tens of thousands of lower and middle-ranking demons."

At that report, the atmosphere inside the tent instantly became heavy.

Every single person here understood that the demons were finally retaliating.

Reinhardt tapped the table and questioned.

"Do you know the direction they are heading for? No, doesn’t matter. We cannot allow a horde of that size to roam freely."

He immediately began issuing orders.

"Third Division will maintain surveillance only. Do not engage recklessly. Your priority is observation."

"Second Division will rendezvous with your location and eliminate the horde."

The Second Division was led by some of the most destructive Heroes among the Dawnbringers.

Combined with the Third Division’s scouting ability, eliminating the enemy force would be a piece of cake.

Although the third division’s combat power was not to be looked down on either, it was good to be cautious.

Especially when they had no idea what the enemy was up to.

"Understood."

After he reported the serious matter, Hell Marshal’s voice became a little casual.

"Sir Divine Paladin, you know Vaerion has been sulking this entire time. Princess Diana’s presence in Solaris was quite a shock. Why didn’t you tell us that she was in Solaris all this time?"

Reinhardt discussed some casual topics with Hell Marshal before hanging up.

His eyes returned to the map.

Looking at the movement of the demonic horde reported by the Third Division, Reinhardt couldn’t help but feel that something was strange.

Very strange.

They were not advancing toward the frontline camps.

Instead, their movement curved unnaturally.

Almost as if they were trying to attract attention.

"A feint?"

Reinhardt looked at the map intently.

Then suddenly, realizing something, his pupils contracted sharply.

Looking at the route they took, the position of the camps and the advancing divisions, everything connected like a puzzle.