A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 53

Creak! Creak!

The small boat made a chilling sound.

Sieg, Simon, and his twelve subordinates held their breaths as they approached the harbor of the Pavela region.

Perhaps in preparation for a full-scale war with the Mechain Cartel, members of the organization were patrolling the city armed with weapons.

Sieg used Dragon's Eye to pierce through the darkness and survey the surroundings.

Then, he brought up the map, guiding the boat to a location where there were no patrolling members.

'This way.'

Following Sieg's hand signals, Simon and his subordinates scattered, hiding themselves in the shadows.

Soon, a Pavela cartel member patrolling the shoreline wandered near.

The man lowered his crossbow, pulled down his pants, and began relieving himself.

"Ah... feels good to let it out!"

At that moment, Sieg swiftly approached from behind, drawing a dagger and slitting the cartel member's throat in one clean motion.

He tossed the dead body down the breakwater, where Simon's subordinates caught it. They filled the corpse's clothes with stones and carefully dropped it into the sea without making a sound.

It was seamless, as if they had rehearsed it countless times.

After ensuring the surroundings were clear, Sieg signaled for Simon and his subordinates to ascend to the upper shore.

Concealing themselves behind the piles of cargo at the harbor, Simon whispered to Sieg.

"How do you plan to approach the Pavela Cartel's base? The entire city is swarming with their forces."

Sieg pulled out a mask and donned it as he replied.

"The area controlled by Pavela was once under the influence of the Holy Empire for a long time. That means there's a subterranean canal system built during the Holy Empire era."

"You're suggesting we reach their base through the underground canals? That's absurd. The pathways are a maze, twisted and complex. How will you navigate through them?"

Sieg smirked.

"There's a way for everything."

Using the map's navigation function, he could travel even the most intricate paths via the shortest route.

Not that he had any intention of explaining this to Simon.

In any case, Simon didn't have a better solution, so he didn't argue further.

Sieg located a sewer opening near the harbor and guided the group inside.

The Pavela region still used the sewer system built during the Holy Empire's era.

The ancient structure, akin to a relic, was littered with filth, and the stench was overwhelming.

However, Simon and his subordinates were seasoned veterans who had endured the harsh conditions of the borderlands. None of them showed signs of discomfort or struggle.

Following the map's guidance, Sieg led the group toward the Pavela Cartel's headquarters.

After walking through the canal for several hours, the group finally arrived at a sewer connected to the cartel's headquarters.

'They've stationed guards all over the area ahead.'

Sieg was now acutely aware that individuals ranked Red Knight or above didn't appear on the map, as he had learned during his battle with Cain. This meant he needed to exercise even greater caution.

Using hand signals, Sieg instructed Simon's team to plant explosives in various strategic locations around the Pavela Cartel's headquarters.

Breaking away from Simon and the others, Sieg decided to carry out the assassination of a key Pavela Cartel figure and deliver a warning on behalf of the Mechain Cartel.

He emerged from the sewer and moved toward the waste disposal area.

'This really takes me back.'

An assassin often had to infiltrate through the least desirable paths, and over time, places like sewers and garbage dumps had become Sieg's preferred routes of entry.

After discarding his thin infiltration suit, Sieg took out a purification scroll to rid himself of the stench.

Drawing his dagger, he silently advanced deeper into the mansion.

His target was Matteo, the second-in-command of the Pavela Cartel.

The cartel's boss, bastian, was currently staying on an island in the Southern Sea. Instead of targeting Bastian, Sieg planned to eliminate Matteo and deliver a warning. This would surely enrage Bastian, forcing him to launch an all-out war against the Mechain Cartel.

'Don Juan probably assumed this mission was doomed to fail.'

To Don Juan, Sieg's raid was akin to a suicidal commando strike—a warning in itself to the Pavela Cartel.

However, Sieg fully intended to infiltrate the headquarters, assassinate the second-in-command, and plant bombs to destroy the base.

If successful, the situation would spiral out of even Don Juan's control.

That was precisely the opportunity Sieg was aiming for.

* * *

Whish!

Sieg navigated the corridors, silently eliminating cartel members with his dagger as he advanced toward Matteo's location.

'There are fewer people inside than I expected.'

Knowing that the Pavela Cartel was collaborating with the Empire, Sieg couldn't rule out the possibility that knights were stationed here.

However, he didn't encounter any cartel hitmen or imperial knights, only armed patrols.

A strange sense of unease crept into Sieg's mind.

'Something's not right.'

He brought up the map and surveyed the interior.

No personnel were marked.

Remaining vigilant, Sieg moved through the hallway, opened a door, and entered the mansion's interior.

A spacious banquet hall lay before him, with a long staircase leading upward at its center.

Then it happened.

Flash!

Suddenly, lights flickered on, and a hidden group of people swarmed into the hall.

'How?'

Sieg surveyed the individuals surrounding him, his mind racing.

The cartel's hitmen were not alone; imperial knights and mages were among the group as well.

'So they used stealth.'

Stealth magic erased all traces of presence. However, Sieg hadn't realized it could also make individuals invisible to the map.

At that moment, one of the imperial knights stepped forward, giving orders to the others.

"Don't kill him. Capture him alive."

With that command, the imperial knights charged toward Sieg.

Sieg grabbed the leading knight and thrust his dagger into his neck.

"Guhhk!"

He then snatched the knight's sword and retreated slightly, slashing through the cartel members guarding the rear with swift, precise movements.

Swish!

"Fire! Shoot him!"

The cartel members unleashed a volley of arrows at Sieg, but his movements were far too fast. The arrows harmlessly embedded themselves into the walls and floors.

Sieg drew additional daggers and hurled them toward the hitmen stationed throughout the hall.

Using the power of the Elemental Sword, he infused the daggers with the force of wind. The projectiles flew at incredible speed, striking the hitmen's vital points with deadly accuracy.

"Gahhh!"

Terrified, the cartel members wildly fired crossbows, but their panicked shots only ended up injuring their own allies.

One of the imperial knights shouted.

"Mages! Immobilize him immediately!"

The mages, flustered, began chanting their spells. The banquet hall floor shimmered and transformed into a swamp-like terrain.

'This won't be enough to stop me.'

Sieg threw his daggers onto the swampy surface and leaped onto them, using them as stepping stones to rush toward the imperial knights. It was a display of agility enhanced by his mastery of the Swift Wind Technique.

Startled by Sieg's rapid approach, the knights hastily assumed defensive stances.

But it was already too late.

Thud!

Sieg vaulted over them, shoving the knights backward. Losing their balance, the knights toppled into the swamp-like terrain and began flailing helplessly.

"Arghhh!"

Seeing their comrades struggling in the quagmire, the mages quickly canceled their spell to save them.

Sieg clicked his tongue as he observed the uncoordinated imperial knights and mages.

'So, they sent a bunch of amateurs to look good for the cartel.'

Just then, the commanding imperial knight stepped forward.

Woooom!

At least one of them seemed competent, as the knight formed a faint aura blade around his weapon.

Sieg charged toward the imperial knight with his sword raised.

Clang!

Sieg's blade, imbued with the Field of Gravity technique, struck the knight's sword with immense force.

"Ugh!"

Despite forming an aura blade, it was useless if the wielder couldn't handle the sheer weight and momentum of Sieg's attack.

Sieg relentlessly hammered the knight's sword with his blade infused with the Field of Gravity technique.

The knight, unable to withstand the force, stumbled backward, his hands trembling as they gripped his weapon.

"Hah... hah..."

Sieg didn't stop. With a swift motion, he sliced through the knight's leg, armor and all.

Slash!

"Arghhh!"

The knight screamed in agony as his thigh was severed, collapsing to the ground in writhing pain.

Without hesitation, Sieg raised his sword and severed the knight's neck, silencing him instantly.

The sight of the Blue Knight's futile death caused the surrounding hitmen and imperial knights to falter and step back.

Sieg activated Dragon's Majesty, amplifying their fear tenfold.

Some of the weaker-willed knights and cartel members even lost control, wetting themselves under the overwhelming pressure.

"If you want to die, come at me. If you want to live, drop your weapons and get lost!"

Sieg roared.

Roughly half of them discarded their weapons and fled immediately.

The remaining group, however, tightened their grips on their weapons and hesitantly edged closer to Sieg. Their stiff movements, forced by sheer willpower, almost made them look pitiable.

Sieg leapt into the air without warning.

Whoosh!

He landed on the second-floor balcony, swiftly dispatching the mages stationed there before they could act.

"Gaaah!"

Leaving the mages alive could prove dangerous. If they had the opportunity to cast spells at the right moment, even Sieg could be caught off guard. Worse, another opponent like Cain could emerge, posing a serious threat.

By eliminating the mages first, Sieg forced the knights below to climb to the second floor.

'Idiots.'

They willingly entered the narrow space, a terrain disadvantageous to them but perfect for Sieg.

One by one, as they climbed, Sieg pierced their hearts with his sword as if skewering meat on a stick.

"Grrrk!"

Sieg shoved a knight, still impaled on his blade, over the balcony railing.

Before long, the banquet hall was littered with the corpses of dozens of knights, mages, and hitmen.

Sieg flicked the blood from his sword and sheathed it.

"What in the world are the Empire's forces doing in the south? I can't make sense of this."

It was then.

On the opposite balcony, a figure in a black robe appeared.

'Who is that?'

The figure didn't register on Sieg's map or even on his heightened senses.

The mysterious individual, their face obscured by the robe, spoke in a low voice directed at Sieg.

"A slippery eel dares to interfere with the grand cause."

Sieg raised his sword, pointing it at the suspicious mage, his guard up.

"Who are you?"

The robed figure extended a hand adorned with a black gemstone ring.

In an instant, black smoke began pouring out of the ring.

Ssssshhhhh!

The smoke spread throughout the banquet hall, seeping into the corpses strewn across the floor.

The dead rose simultaneously.

'A necromancer?'

Sieg quickly scanned the figure's robe but saw no signs of the Scorpion Clan's emblem or rings.

Meanwhile, the dozens of knights, hitmen, and mages that had fallen now screamed in guttural tones as they staggered back to life.

'Not the Scorpion Clan? And even within their ranks, there are only a handful who could create this many zombies at once.'

While not all necromancers belonged to the Scorpion Clan, most high-ranking dark mages were associated with them.

As Sieg contemplated the figure's identity, the black-robed individual who had raised the undead shouted toward the zombies.

"Capture him! I shall personally extract his soul to reveal the truth of his transgressions!"

The archaic, theatrical manner of speech made it abundantly clear that this person wasn't ordinary.

"Graaaah!"

The zombified knights, brandishing their weapons, charged at Sieg.

"Get lost, you zombie bastards!"

Sieg swung Bahamut, his blade cleaving through the zombies.

Thwack!

The zombies' heads shattered upon impact with his sword, exploding into fragments.

『You have defeated a zombie knight tainted by demonic energy.』

『You have gained 10 Karma Points.』

'Huh?'

Unexpectedly, Sieg received Karma Points. He glanced around, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

To him, every zombie now looked like a walking bundle of points.

"Perfect!"

Leaping from the second floor, Sieg swung his blade, scattering pieces of zombies in all directions as the aura blade sliced through their decayed flesh.

"Graaaaah!"

However, moments later, the black smoke engulfed the fallen zombies, reassembling their dismembered limbs and raising them anew to attack.

Undeterred, Sieg enthusiastically continued to destroy the zombies over and over. Even as they revived, he smashed them apart again, reducing them to mangled scraps.

Eventually, there were no intact bodies left for the dark magic to resurrect.

The black-robed figure watched Sieg from the balcony, saying nothing.

After wiping out every last zombie, Sieg turned to the suspicious figure and shouted.

"Is that it? Got any more?"

The robed individual, who had been silently observing, slowly retreated.

Without a word, they dissolved into a cloud of black mist and vanished.

Sieg tensed but could do nothing to stop them. He felt a pang of frustration at letting the suspicious mage escape.

'If we meet again, I'll turn you into points next time.'

Shrugging off the regret, Sieg sheathed his sword and ascended the central staircase.

At last, he arrived at Matteo's office.

Suddenly, from the shadows, a dagger slipped out, aimed directly at Sieg's neck.

As if expecting it, Sieg turned his head calmly and spoke with a composed expression.

"Simon."