The Seven-Headed Lizard has no way out. Staying in the polluted lake is like a human being trapped in a gas chamber; it will definitely try desperately to escape.
The instinct for survival overcame the Lich's Mind Control, Swamp Lord charged headlong toward the shore, even if it meant fighting Red Dragon, it was better than suffocating at the bottom of the lake.
Gunsel felt like he was being hit by a series of misfortunes. He quickly found his assistant and asked, "How's the mutation going?"
"One-third have already completed the mutation; the rest will have to wait a little longer..."
"We can't wait any longer!" Gunsel rudely interrupted. "Equip those who have completed their mutations with weapons, and assemble in the hall immediately. I need to leave right away!"
Although the Seven-Headed Lizard had gone out of control, rather than letting it charge forward alone to be surrounded and killed, it was better to follow its momentum and launch a full-scale attack to try and wipe out the human army in one fell swoop. They were few in number, and Gunsel was very confident.
The sudden departure of the Lich and monster guards allowed the bloodthirsty Paladin to calm down slightly. Gunsel must have left in such a hurry because something had happened, and he had to find a way out quickly.
He quickly used Cleanse to cleanse the bloodstains from his body, made a slight adjustment, raised his sword with both hands and leaped up, simultaneously using Instant Wings to accelerate, and pierced the light barrier like a flying arrow.
"Hammer of Righteousness!"
Although he was holding a sword, it did not affect the release of the skill. The golden light hammer, shining brightly, struck the magic shield first, followed by the Firekiss.
The sword tip felt like it had pierced a hard piece of cotton; it could only penetrate slightly before it could not go any further, and the violent reaction force bounced him back to the ground, almost causing him to fall flat on his face.
The light shield fluctuated violently, seemingly on the verge of collapse, but quickly returned to normal. Unas shook his head; the Hammer of Righteousness, with four times the normal attack power plus a full-force thrust, was still not enough. It seemed to be just a little short.
At this moment, a slender figure dressed in a long robe, wearing a hood, and with a mask covering his face suddenly appeared at the edge of the light barrier, quietly watching the Paladin below. Judging from his attire, he should be one of the Lich's assistant mages.
Unas quickly scrambled to his feet and tried to ingratiate himself, saying, "Friend, what's your name? I'm Unas, a paladin of the Silver Hand."
There was no reply. Unas continued, "Can you release me? I swear in the name of the Holy Light that I will grant you any request, as long as it does not violate the doctrines of the Paladins." He tried his best to sound like a respectable Priest.
"You must protect my safety and help me escape from here," the other person finally spoke.
Unas was overjoyed and quickly said, "I swear in the name of the Holy Light to protect you with my life. As for escaping from here, my goal was to rescue all those persecuted by the Liches, and I think you are no exception."
The slender figure remained noncommittal, saying, "This cell was prepared by the Lich for his most dangerous prisoners. No one but him can open it, not even me. But every magical seal has a weakness. As long as we find the point of connection to the magic power, with the attack power you just displayed, we should be able to break through this magical barrier."
"You'll help me find the node, right?"
"Yes, you need to be prepared. As soon as I give the signal, attack the node with the same force as before. I think it will definitely succeed."
"Thank you so much. Let's get started. I'm ready anytime."
Although the Hammer of Righteousness consumes a considerable amount of energy, the highly concentrated Holy Power recovers quickly, Unas can easily handle.
The figure stood silently in place, as if in a daze. If someone were to look closely into his eyes, they would see complex runes flashing within them.
He suddenly extended a finger, firing a white beam of light onto the magic shield. Without further ado, Unas instantly activated Wings of Vengeance and Hammer of Righteousness simultaneously, followed by Firekiss. All the attacks Horde on the white spot pointed out by his opponent.
The same sensation struck again, Unas was bounced back to the ground once more. But this time, the fluctuations in the blue magic shield could not be smoothed out naturally. Like a balloon with a hole punctured, the shield flickered a few times and then quickly disappeared.
Ignoring his dazed state after the fall, Unas quickly scrambled to his feet and used his Instant Wings to propel himself upwards.
The only underground cell was empty, indicating that it was indeed a place where important prisoners were held, a solitary dwelling.
Where is Gunsel?
"He led the monster guards and the new mutants to attack your army."
"What new mutant?"
The tall, thin mage assistant revealed the Lich's plan, Unas was immediately filled with shock and anger. Gunsel was actually going to forcibly turn all the prisoners into low-intelligence monsters to aid in the battle; this move was truly ruthless.
"You said only one-third is complete, what about the rest? Can't we stop the mutation?!"
"This... I don't know. It must be very difficult. The catalyst has already been fully injected into their bodies; it's hard to stop it."
"Make them stop immediately, no matter what method you use!" Unas's anger surged, and his attitude towards his benefactor became somewhat harsh.
Fortunately, the tall, thin mage wasn't angry. "For now, the only solution is to freeze them. The Lich ordered us to develop things that catalyze mutations, and I know almost nothing about how to suppress mutations."
"Then let's get moving! I'll help too!"
Only six mage assistants and a dozen guards remained in the research institute. Enraged and with time running out, Unas no longer conserved his energy. He activated his Light Wings and swiftly cleaved all the guards into pieces. This brutal method completely intimidated the mage assistants, who immediately surrendered.
There is also a cryogenic storage room here. Among the mage assistants are two low-level water mages who first perform simple quick-freezing on the mutating prisoners before quickly transferring them to the cryogenic storage room.
Unas smashed open cell doors, revealing prisoners of various races, most of them lying trembling on makeshift beds, undergoing mutation.
He also saw a creature that had just completed its mutation. Its race was indistinguishable; its skin had turned gray and was covered in wrinkles, its muscles had atrophied, and sharp bone spurs had grown on its forehead, elbows, and knees. Its teeth and nails had turned into sharp weapons, and it looked like a demon from hell.
None of the monster guards he had seen before resembled this. After killing the highly aggressive mutant, Unas asked the tall, thin mage, "Why didn't he become stronger?"
"This catalytic Mutagen Potions was a failed design from the start. It only had one advantage—the mutation rate was very fast—so it was abandoned long ago. The Lich is only using it as a temporary fix; it can indeed quickly catalyze the creation of easily controlled monsters."
So, was it because of their own attacks that Gunsel was forced to slaughter these poor people?
Unas didn't want to think that way; all he wanted now was to freeze all the victims as quickly as possible, and then tear the Lich to pieces!