In the center of the underground facility was a large hollow and a massive structure occupied more than half of the vast space.
The roots of a dead World Tree.
The base of the tree clung to the ceiling, sending out ivory-colored roots in all directions. The roots had pierced through the walls of the hollow and extended throughout the entire underground facility.
The base was attached to the ceiling, so the tree was quite a bit above the ground in the hollow.
Naturally, a dome-shaped space formed beneath the roots. The hollow space was filled with all manner of magical tools and devices.
It had long been a research facility for warlocks of the Biotech school.
The warlocks were bustling around, still working diligently on their research.
"How's the progress?"
An elderly man approached and asked.
The man in charge of the bustling warlocks, a grizzled-looking man in his mid-thirties, approached him and bowed his head. His skin was pale, as if he hadn't seen sunlight in a long time, and his eyes were hollow, as if he were looking at a living corpse.
The warlock spoke in a very cautious tone.
"Yes, Master. The energy you've drawn can be applied to the second stage without any problems. We're well on our way to stage three, too, and if we can get past that, the final stage seems possible."
Andrei Semov, one of the most influential figures in the field of biotechnology, the wizard responsible for some of the greatest medical advances in modern human history but his thirst for knowledge became uncontrollable, and he dabbled in taboo human experimentation.
Eventually, he was forced to flee into the darkness, losing everything he had but he had been secretly building a secret pipeline to the underground, building a new faction and creating a school of warlocks that would allow him to conduct the experiments he wanted without being recognized.
Andrei was the one who discovered the roots of the now-dead World Tree. More precisely, he was exploring the unknown power contained within it.
"Are you saying you haven't finished the third stage yet?"
Andrei frowned, and his apprentice, a man in his thirties, ducked his head in surprise.
"Yes. Apparently, it's a power that we can't easily handle yet……."
"You said it was demonic power."
"Yes. It's a power greater than mankind's, one that is now only a legend."
"Stupid. There is no power greater than humanity."
The apprentice flinched at Andrei's rebuke.
Andrei ignored the apprentice and stared at a large incubation facility off to one side of the common room. Inside were people submerged in a green liquid.
"Look at those test subjects. Once upon a time, humanity rejected demonic power, refusing to understand it at all, but now we harness it. Why do you think that is?"
"It's all because of your brilliance, Master."
"Forget the flattery, what has changed since then is the advancement of knowledge. Study, analyze, explore. All fear comes from ignorance and the unknown. If you know, it is no longer a force to be feared."
To the ignorant, demonic power is a taboo that must never be touched but if you can harness it, it is the greatest weapon of all.
"I'm lucky to have a facility like this underground in the capital, let alone a dead World Tree and the demonic power it contains."
Thanks to this, Andrei was able to make a quantum leap in his life's work.
He now had free access to a World Tree and demonic power, two samples that would take a lifetime to obtain.
He didn't know why the dead World Tree was in the capital underground with only its base left and the same goes for the demonic power sealed within. There must be a reason, but Andrei didn't care, he saw it all as an opportunity.
"With this, I can get revenge on everyone who has ever made fun of me, and I can even surpass that madman, Victor, who annoys me every time."
To do that, he needed to continue his research.
Progress had been slower than he'd originally planned, but it was still within the realm of possibility. If there was a problem, it would be the unwelcome visitors to this underground facility.
"What happened to the intruders?"
"We've sent in some unfinished Seconds, but it looks like their skills aren't up to par, and they're having trouble."
"Hmm. I see."
The Seconds were liberators who had volunteered to be guinea pigs, infused with demonic power and chimera cells, then revived with necromancy.
As the warlocks divided their experiments into stages, they named their experiments First, Second, and Third.
The Firsts were the chimeras created by mixing beast factors with the life force of the World Tree.
The Seconds were Liberation Army agents who were infused with the cells of such chimeras and demonic powers combined with black magic.
The Second's experiments alone were so powerful that they were able to overpower even the strongest knights. So the Second's loss now meant that their enemies were not ordinary.
"If they've been defeated, then the invaders must be skilled."
"Judging by their lack of numbers, they must have come as a small elite force."
"I suppose. Excellent choice, because in a place like this, no matter how many they try to shove in, they'll only end up with more casualties."
"So, Master, what do you suggest we do?"
"Send in all the Seconds. Same goes for the Firsts. We can't kill them, but we can stall them. And we need to make sure the Phase Three experiment goes perfectly. What's his status now?
"So far, he's experiencing a force backlash, but he's still in the stabilization zone. If we keep this up, he'll open his eyes within the allotted time."
The words brought a smile to Andrei's lips.
"Heh. I kind of like that. Hopefully I'll get to watch Third wipe them all out."
Andrei's gaze drifted to the center of the hollow. Inside a much larger incubator than the others, a man was hunched over, submerged in red liquid.
"That's a lot of desire for an officer in the Liberation Army, to participate in an experiment where we can't guarantee his life."
"I suppose that's what they mean by power hunger."
"Yes. And since we're working together, I'll give him the best of both worlds. When the Third is complete, I will send him to……."
Andrei's head snapped up as he spoke. There, in his line of sight, was a group of chimeras in formation.
Andrei squinted and glared at them.
"Master?"
"……The rat's gone into hiding."
With that, Andrei muttered and reached out toward the chimeras. As soon as magic flared at his fingertips, the head of one of the chimeras burst open.
"Master, why are you suddenly……."
"An enemy. It seems there's someone over there with a keen eye for biology."
"What? What's that…….?"
"They've been spying on us, taking control of our chimeras. Apparently, your methods have been discovered. Did you not know that?"
"If so……."
"Speed up your research on Third. It's a race against time from here on out."
With that, Andrei stepped away.
Hans, whose link had been broken by the chimera's death, lifted his bowed head.
"……Crazy. He noticed this?"
He thought the chimera he used would never be seen through by the enemies, but he was wrong.
Andrei, the leader of the biotech faction noticed their presence and dismissed the surveillance chimera.
Hans's face grew grave and he immediately began to write down the information he had seen.
"Sedina."
"Yes."
Sedina, who had been standing by, answered the call and Hans handed her a paper.
"There's nothing more I can do here. It's your turn."
"Yes……!"
* * *
Rudger and Chris immediately converged on Second's corpse to analyze it.
"The corpse's necrosis is very rapid. Is it the effect of necromancy?"
"That's one thing, but it's probably from being forced to use powers that don't fit. It seems like they've gained ridiculous physical abilities, but their time of actual activity is short."
"Yeah. Based on the rate of necrosis, they probably won't last more than fifteen minutes. They fight by burning through all their life force at once."
"But unless we know what they're doing inside, we're not going to have fifteen minutes to waste."
Nodding, Chris suddenly looked back at Belaruna.
"Even more surprising than that. How on earth did Lady Belaruna know he was going to make a move?"
"What? Me, me?"
Belaruna asked, confused, as if she hadn't seen the arrow coming at her. She was the one who had moved before anyone else before the Second test subject was revived.
"Well, the postmortem stiffening that was supposed to happen didn't happen…… so I was just wondering, warlocks also work with corpses."
"I see, you're pretty quick on your feet considering that."
"……."
Rudger stared at Chris in disbelief. Now he wasn't even going to ask where the elf had seen a post-mortem stiffening corpse.
'Later, when I get home, I'm going to clap my hands and say it's great that Belaruna did human experimentation.'
As he thought this, Rudger had a moment of unease. Surely she hadn't already started experimenting on humans?
'Not yet, judging by what she's doing to Hans.'
It was only an attempt, but she wouldn't hesitate to do it if she had the chance.
'I thought Seridan was the biggest ticking time bomb, but it turns out she's the bigger problem.'
Rudger shook his head. What mattered now was this test subject in the hands of the enemy.
"I guess we'll just have to stay on our toes, because they're not going to stop here."
"I'm sure they won't."
Chris nodded, agreeing with Rudger.
"I didn't mean to make light of this, but it's a lot worse than I thought."
"What's even scarier is that they've got something even worse in store."
"I thought I was just going to analyze the World Tree, but somehow I ended up here."
"Do you regret it?"
"No. I don't regret it. I've made some good connections since I've been here."
"You don't even think about hiding……anymore."
"What?"
"We've come this far and since we can't back out I'm going to blast through this as fast as I can. Are you ready?"
"Hmm. You didn't have to ask."
"That's good to know."
Chris and Rudger readied themselves for battle.
In the distance, they could see the Liberators coming toward them and Chris immediately drew his wand from behind his back.
Usually, he didn't care about his magic wand, but after Belaruna praised him, he started using it from the beginning.
He didn't stop there, but rather looked at Rudger and asked.
"You won't use your wand?"
"No, I won't, and I don't need to."
This was an unusual case, and he was afraid of being discovered if he made a mistake so Rudger had to refrain from using magic that would give him away.
"Arrogant."
Chris understood Rudger's words to mean that he was so confident in his abilities that he didn't need to use a magic wand.
"Something like that."
Rudger didn't bother to correct the misunderstanding, so he simply replied and activated his magic.
* * *
Trina Ryanhowl drew the swords at her waist.
Holding a sharp blade in each hand, she sliced through the First and Second Test Subjects in a flash of light.
The chimeras were no match for Trina. Although they could be quite intimidating to ordinary soldiers, but to a master who transcended humanity, even a few of them could be easily wiped out.
What was troublesome was the Second test subjects who could take them by surprise.
"Trina, behind you!"
"I know."
A sharp blade stabbed toward the back of her head but Trina tilted her head lightly to the side, dodging the attack, and then spun her body.
The centrifugal force of the blade swung in a half-moon as the dodge and counterattack were almost simultaneous.
Trina's blade skimmed lightly over the Second's chin, it was a blow that even the Second, whose reaction time was beyond perception, could not dodge. Its head was severed and clattered to the floor.
Without a second glance at the corpse, Trina swung her sword again. The spikes from the distant chimeras were cut off by the blade and fell helplessly to the ground.
Throughout the attack, which barely gave her a chance to breathe, Trina never faltered.
She was not disadvantaged by the enemy numbers, such was the strength of a master.
"Trina!"
"Okay."
Casey gave her the signal, and Trina immediately stepped away. At the same time, countless droplets of moisture in the air coalesced into sharp spikes that swept through the First and Second Test subjects.
"Looks like it's settled."
"It's not over yet, it's only a matter of time before another wave comes, and besides, Trina, you can feel it, can't you?"
"Yeah. The chimeras don't matter, but the Liberation Army experiments……are getting stronger and stronger."
The first Seconds to appear had been killed and then resurrected with powers beyond human comprehension.
Trina and Casey were surprised by it, but were able to defeat them without difficulty. However, each subsequent Second was stronger than the last.
They were able to complete their physical transformation without dying, and they retained some degree of rationality, so they didn't just attack blindly.
"Gradually, the test subjects are becoming more sophisticated."
"That's right. And if it continues like this, there will probably be one that we can't deal with."
"You mean we need to break through quickly before that happens?"
"That's not possible, because as soon as they see an opening, they change the terrain."
"Constantly changing terrain and using increasingly stronger experiments to attack us it's a blatant stalling tactic, but we can't do anything about it."
As someone who doesn't even know the geography of this place, it's pretty annoying.
If they trace back the roots of the World Tree, they'll find the enemy home base, but they keep changing the terrain, looking for gaps.
It was then that Trina stirred and fixed her gaze to one side. Casey was about to ask what was wrong, but then she felt something, too, and shut up.
[Boom!]
Trina and Casey readied themselves for battle but their enthusiasm quickly faded as the dust settled.
"Hmm?"
Their opponent had spotted them, too, and stared at them blankly.
It was Rudger Chelici, who came here as an analyst.