Chapter 57: The Source of the Mutation

"All teams, split up and eliminate these monsters! Everyone else, assist the magicians in extinguishing the fire. Two of you, split up and guard the reality anchor!" The leader, clad in heavy armor, barked out orders to coordinate next steps.

These elite troops moved swiftly, efficiently dividing and assigning tasks between themselves. Even without verbal communication, they executed their operations seamlessly, clearing out the monsters around them with precision.

Only then did Wang Yu notice the mages among them. There was one magician for every four heavy-armored soldiers. Like the soldiers, the magicians also wore armor, though theirs was lightweight and made of magic-infused steel. The armor was inscribed with runes that reduced the force of impact and protected against piercing attacks.

Escorted by a few heavy-armored soldiers, the magicians stepped forward and retrieved the staffs strapped to their backs. Unlike traditional staffs, these were bulkier, sturdier, and packed with more inscribed runes to amplify their abilities. These staffs seemed to be tailored specifically for defensive, area-based magic rather than individual combat—or so it seemed. Who knew if these magicians would swing their staffs to bash someone in a pinch? As they gathered their magic, vast quantities of mana surged into their staffs, cycling through the runes to amplify their power. Various spell arrays began to take shape.

Above the central magician, wind gathered and spiraled upwards in a small tornado. Other magicians in the vicinity also began chanting incantations. As the central tornado grew larger, frost crystals began to condense in the air.

Guided by the mages, the frost crystals merged into the tornado and swirled within its expanding vortex. The temperature of the air began to drop noticeably. As time passed, the tornado reached its maximum size, filled to the brim with elemental ice.

"Release!" shouted the magician maintaining the tornado, unleashing the vortex of ice. The other magicians simultaneously freed the volatile ice from their control. After a brief delay, the tornado erupted in frost.

In an instant, everything around the tornado was flash-frozen. The massive tornado radiated an extreme chill, scattering ice shards as it advanced toward the blazing inferno. The sheer force of the wind extinguished parts of the fire outright, while the extreme cold prevented any reignition.

Ice shards continuously shot outward, melting upon contact with the flames and producing water, which smothered the fire further. Wherever the frost tornado passed, the flames were extinguished. In mere moments, the blaze that had engulfed the entire street was forcibly suppressed and snuffed out by the combined power of the mages.

Three minutes later, the frost tornado dissipated, leaving the once-raging inferno extinguished in its wake. Only a few isolated embers continued to smolder in hidden recesses.

Wang Yu stepped forward. His ripples extended outward, but were still constrained by the suppression field of the reality anchor. Five meters was his limit, for now. Nonetheless, it was sufficient for his purposes. He walked over the charred remains, his ripples scanning the ground and rubble for any surviving monsters.

"Crunch!" His short axe cleaved through a pile of debris, slicing apart a monster trapped underneath. Without a supply of void energy to revive it, the creature quickly lost its vitality and died.

"Are you a member of the special ops unit?" the heavily armored leader of the Nightblades battalion asked Wang Yu.

"That's right," Wang Yu confirmed.

The leader glanced at him. Despite Wang Yu's seemingly unimpressive combat ability, his specialized detection skills were clearly invaluable. It seemed that the rumors about the uniqueness of these newcomers were well founded.

"Wang Yu, prepare to regroup with Charles and Edward. Captain Hughin will be arriving soon, and you'll be heading deeper into the territory to resolve this matter at its source!" The Professor’s voice suddenly came through Wang Yu’s earpiece. Earlier, the Professor had cut communications with him to coordinate the rest of the special ops team.

"I thought we were only supposed to handle the perimeter," Wang Yu replied. He wasn't afraid, but he was curious about the sudden change in plans.

"This cult's activity has escalated far beyond our initial expectations. What was assumed to be a minor issue has since become critical. This Font of Life, Erphine, in particular—compare the goblins you encountered to these monsters."

Wang Yu agreed with the Professor. The goblins empowered by the Lady of the Night were simply enhanced and brainwashed. However, these mutant flesh-slime monsters possessed incredible regeneration, and were direct manifestations of Erphine's divine power. The high concentration of void energy in the area further indicated Erphine's substantial influence over the material world.

"Three squads, including ours, will secure this area. The Riot Suppression Squad will handle the perimeter. You can proceed with your mission without worry," the armored leader reassured Wang Yu, after overhearing part of his conversation.

"Understood." Wang Yu nodded. This heavily armed group indeed inspired confidence.

"There's no need for concern. With Captain Hugin leading this mission, success is practically guaranteed. He's capable of handling challenges far beyond this level. Consider this a chance to gain experience and assess your strength," the Professor added, removing any lingering doubts Wang Yu might have.

"Charles and Edward will join you shortly, and then the captain..." Before the Professor could finish, Wang Yu heard a rush of footsteps. He turned and tensed up, as did the three Nightblades' squads in the vicinity.

"Wang Yu! The Professor sent us here to regroup with you and wait for the captain to arrive!" a familiar, lively voice called out, putting Wang Yu at ease. It was Charles.

The Nightblades' squads also relaxed and resumed their tasks.

Charles, looking every bit the stage magician, was sprinting toward them with surprising speed. Behind him, clad in knightly armor, was Edward Wolyn.

Wang Yu glanced at this colleague of his, whose specialty lay more in his heritage than any actual talent he had. He looked very much the classic knight, with thick, sturdy knight's armor, a beautiful longsword strapped to his waist, and the blond, handsome, sculpted features of a classic fairytale knight.

At the moment, Edward was carrying a thin, pale girl on his back. The contrast between the noble knight and the frail child was striking.

"What's the situation over there?" Wang Yu asked as Charles approached.

"About the same as it is here. The Professor told us about the situation," Charles said.

"Have the Nightblades' squads arrived there too?"

Charles nodded. "And the reality anchor has been deployed as well. We just have to take down this supposed Font of Life, Erphine, now."

"That simplifies things. It doesn't sound too bad."

"Not too good, either," Charles replied, shaking his head. "Many have already perished. The worst off are the survivors who've lost everyone they loved."

Wang Yu noticed Charles' gaze lingering on Edward and the girl he carried. "What's her story?"

"That girl's name is Vanessa. Her mother was a Font of Life cultist. When the situation broke out, her mother sacrificed herself and then corrupted her father's soul."

Charles shuddered. "By the time Edward and I arrived, we found her parents in the form of monsters, trying to compel her to complete some Restoration of Life ritual.

"She's been like that ever since." Charles frowned angrily, clearly dissatisfied with how the situation had turned out.

Wang Yu glanced in the direction of Charles' gaze and noticed how poorly Vanessa was doing.

Meanwhile, Edward was currently engaging in discussion with other Nightblades. He seemed to be intending to entrust Vanessa to their care.

Holding Vanessa's hand, he gestured toward one of the soldiers, likely the one who had been designated to look after her.

The soldier removed his helmet, revealing the kind face of a middle-aged man. He offered a kind smile and extended a hand toward Vanessa, motioning for her to come forward.

However, the girl remained expressionless, her face blank, with visible tear tracks and lifeless eyes.

She stood woodenly, devoid of any emotion, ignoring the soldier's extended hand.

The middle-aged soldier glanced at Edward with a slightly troubled expression, his face showing a trace of helplessness mixed with pity.

But he was a seasoned veteran, someone who had weathered countless battles. Though he felt sorry for her, he quickly regained his composure. Gently, he reached out, picked Vanessa up, and carried her away. The girl, her face pale and wooden, showed no resistance and allowed herself to be carried.

After a brief nod to Edward, the soldier departed with Vanessa, leaving Edward to turn back toward his comrades.

"Ah, well, that's how it is," Charles sighed, his tone heavy with resignation. "That scene must've been too much for her to bear."

"There's nothing to be done. This is just the state of the world—disasters don't spare people because of their identity," Wang Yu replied, his perspective pragmatic. He had long accepted that fretting over what had already happened was futile.

"Quite so," Charles agreed.

Having entrusted Vanessa to the soldier, Edward returned, looking visibly downcast. This young knight, who seemed to embody chivalric ideals, appeared to have been deeply affected by what had happened.

"Don't look that gloomy, now. We've still got the source of the corruption to deal with," Charles said, walking up to Edward and patting his shoulder.

"I know, but it's hard to accept. If only we'd arrived earlier..."

Edward's mood was unusually somber. Vanessa's emotional breakdown had clearly left a deep impression on him.

"I'm upset too, but what can I do? If we could change the past, would I be in such a sorry state?"

Charles patted Edward's shoulder forcefully a few more times, gesticulating wildly as he spoke.

Edward raised his head, glancing at him hesitantly before giving a reluctant nod. However, there was a faint, indescribable expression in his gaze.

"Hey, I was just giving an example! You didn't need to take it so seriously. Do you think I'm cavalier and unreliable? You know, if my dad were the Grand Duke of Lionheart, do you think I’d be like this?"

Somehow understanding Edward's unspoken thoughts, Charles immediately started defending himself. He was animatedly protesting Edward's misjudgment of his character while also lamenting his supposed misfortune of not being born into royalty.

Wang Yu couldn't help but smile upon seeing how the two of them interacted with one another.

He began to understand why the Grand Duke of Lionheart had sent Edward to the Nightblades.

This son of his seemed to be overly kind and indecisive. He would need experience and trials to hone and temper his mindset.

As for Charles, despite his seeming frivolity, he had somehow managed to help Edward break free of his growing melancholy.

The two of them turned out to be surprisingly complementary.

Thanks to Charles' antics, Edward's mood had noticeably improved.

The dignified young knight approached Wang Yu and extended a hand to him. "Hello, I'm Edward. From now on, we'll be comrades. Please guide me well. I'm particularly skilled with defense. I'm an advanced knight-in-training, and my knight's secret art is Steel Sunlight."

Wang Yu shook his hand. "Wang Yu, intermediate knight-in-training. My knight's secret art is Blood Tempest, and I dabble a little in everything."

"What about me?" Charles interjected, popping his head into the conversation with a smug grin.

Wang Yu and Edward simultaneously chose to ignore him.

His motives were simply far too obvious. He was already a full-fledged magician. If given the chance to introduce himself, he would surely launch into a boastful speech.

Wang Yu and Edward ignored him, unwilling to let him have the chance to do so.

"Unbelievable!" Charles huffed, visibly frustrated.

As the three members of the special ops team were getting acquainted with each other, the Professor's voice resounded from their earpieces.

"Alright. Enough fooling around. The captain will be here soon. Get ready to investigate the source of the problem within the district."

Immediately, Wang Yu and the others shifted back into serious mode and focused on preparing themselves for the battle to come.

The heavy sound of metal grinding against metal began to echo from down the street. There was a deep, rhythmic thud of something large moving and colliding with the walls and the ground.

Wang Yu turned to look as a familiar figure came into view. His eyebrows rose in surprise.

The glow of a lantern illuminated the dim street. A massive axe was dragged along the ground, sparks flying where the blade scraped against the gravel.

The man holding the axe and the lantern, clad in a bloodied longcoat and smoking a cigarette, turned the corner.

What drew everyone's attention wasn't just his axe, but also the grotesque, stitched-together creature impaled on it.

The hulking monstrosity, made up of various dismembered human parts, twitched occasionally as the man continued to drag it behind him.

"Burn it," came the man's deep, magnetic voice.

He swung his axe effortlessly, sending the massive corpse flying toward the Nightblades stationed nearby.

"At once!" The soldiers saluted and immediately summoned a mage to incinerate the abomination.

Wang Yu observed the man folding up the axe's handle and securing it to his waist. He recognized him as the lanternbearer whom he had met the night of his arrival in the capital.

That was exactly the same lantern he had held back then.

"Hugin Smokes, your captain. Now, follow me. Let's take down the source of this mutation."

Hugin's introduction was curt and to the point. Even before finishing it, he had already begun walking deeper into the district.

His weathered face, framed by stubble and fatigue, betrayed no emotion. His demeanor was somehow lethargic but sharp.

"Y-Yessir!" Charles' voice trembled as he responded, drawing a curious glance from Edward.

Why was he acting so obedient all of a sudden?

"Don't mind him. He's just terrified of the captain," Wang Yu muttered to Edward.

It was unclear just what Hugin had done to Charles, but Charles was palpably fearful of him.

Wang Yu stepped forward, following behind the captain, with Edward and Charles trailing close behind.

The group entered the interior of the district by the inner walls.

It was pitch-black. The area lacked even the most basic public utilities like streetlights. Even if any had been present, they would have been stolen—along with the lamp oil—within half an hour.

Given the horrifying mutations that had emerged from the district, no lights could be seen from any of the crude houses in the vicinity, creating a stark contrast with other districts in the city.

While other areas remained lively and well lit, this place was steeped in oppressive darkness.

In the shadows of the crumbling buildings lurked the monsters that had made this place their haven. The district was dark, but far from silent.

Eeriee whispers echoed through the air. "Restoration of life..."

"Praise be..."

"It hurts... It's unbearable..."

All sorts of fragmented speech could be heard among the dilapidated structures, their sources obscured by the pervasive darkness. The madness that seemed to hang in the air tested the willpower of any who dared to enter.

Even so, the members of the special ops team were trained for such challenges. Their willpower remained firm. Wang Yu and Hugin were unshaken; though Charles and Edward were somewhat tense, they remained composed.

The lantern in Hugin's hand served as their sole light source. Its soft, bright glow illuminated a wide area.

Strangely enough, despite its brilliance, the lantern failed to reveal the sources of the whispers that seemed so close by.

Hugin's strides were steady and without any hesitation as he moved deeper into the district, ignoring the peculiarities all around them. The others followed in silence.

"Hm?" Wang Yu frowned. He noticed that they were moving beyond the range of the reality anchor.

He could sense the void density around them increasing.

He released his ripples and found that he was still only able to perceive a small range around him.

The surrounding void energy remained inaccessible despite its concentration.

In other words, there was an entity powerful enough to attract and manipulate the void in the vicinity.

As if to confirm Wang Yu's suspicions, they arrived at the innermost section of the district, right by the inner walls of the capital.

At the edge of the lantern's light, a grotesque monstrosity came into view, a hideous mass of conjoined limbs that sprawled across the wall, its mere sight inducing visceral discomfort both physically and psychologically.

The enormous creature clung to the wall, extending countless fleshy tendrils that resembled parasitic vines. Blood vessels and sinewy muscle mixed together to create a nauseating coating smeared across the wall.

From its monstrous bulk emerged a single, gigantic eye, forcing its way through the flesh. It oozed some indeterminate, foul liquid, while a murky green pupil floated within its center, shifting as if alive.

The massive eyeball seemed to fixate on them. It gave off an overwhelming sense of madness, eerie and terrifying, washing over them like a waterfall.

"So this is the source of all these mutations... What a disgusting monster."

Hugin took a puff of his cigarette. The smoke curled strangely around him as he cinched the lantern to his belt and retrieved his massive axe.

The thrice-segmented handle locked into place as Hugin attached the axe head securely to the shaft.

Exhaling another puff of smoke, Hugin lifted the enormous axe—half again his height—and met the grotesque eye of the monster without a trace of fear.

"Die."