The wings weren't from the succubi Hel had encountered before, but from a race she wasn't familiar with—the Lust Demons.
According to Niv, Lust Demons were said to be the result of fallen angels—one of the most powerful lineages among the demonic races.
As for the serpent tail beside them, it came from a Six-Armed Lamia Demon—a terrifying creature with the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower body of a serpent.
Their beauty was only rivaled by their lethality.
Not only were they battlefield commanders among the demons, but they were also known for their fearsome prowess in combat.
Even within the power-obsessed hierarchy of demonkind, their status ranked among the very highest.
The wings and tail, like the angelic parts before them, didn't contain any bloodline trait crystals.
However, Niv had thoughtfully placed the corresponding hearts right beside them.
Each of these hearts radiated an intense energy—every single one had reached the Saint Rank, meaning they could yield red-grade bloodline traits.
"This city really is wealthy," Hel muttered in amazement. "So many saint-tier materials just lying around."
"There are also some dragon materials in storage," Niv replied. "As for the rest, most are only Tier Six."
"Once we're done here, I'll go with you to check them out."
Hel nodded, then began opening the heart-filled containers one by one, extracting the bloodline traits from each.
When she was finished, five glowing red traits floated in her palm.
"With these, I can synthesize five demigod-grade elven brains.
As for the rest, I've tried, but most either lack sufficient quantity or the racial potential is too weak—the best they can reach is red quality.
Oh right—do we still have any dragon heads in the storage?
If I had two more, I could make a demigod-level dragon brain."
"Please wait, Master," Niv said, closing her eyes to check the internal inventory. After a brief pause, she reported,
"There are three dragon heads left. But they were used as research samples, not as core components for constructing Ascension Brains.
Niv isn't sure if they're still usable."
"That's fine," Hel said, waving it off. "Just bring them over. I'll finish crafting the remaining three external brains while you prepare that."
She returned to the crystal chamber, and after some time emerged once more—this time holding three new blood-red spheres.
Niv couldn't help but laugh.
"Master, aren't you being a bit too hasty?"
"What? What's wrong?" Hel asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Since you've already infused those brains with bloodlines," Niv explained patiently, "you might as well have chosen larger ones.
That way, when Niv reconstructs bodies for them, they'll have greater combat potential."
"Ah… good point," Hel admitted after a pause. "I only made them small so you could carry them around easily. I forgot about that."
"Or maybe," Niv teased with a playful smile, "it's just Master's loli complex showing again."
"Cough, cough! Don't slander my good name like that."
"Then perhaps," Niv continued mischievously, "Master really wants a tiny, portable wife-doll—something you can hold in your hand and play with whenever you want?"
"Cough! What nonsense are you talking about…"
Hel awkwardly turned her head away, avoiding Niv's gaze.
Whatever she was actually thinking, only the gods would know.
"Actually," Niv whispered teasingly, "if Master really wants to play with Niv, Niv wouldn't mind at all…"
"Enough," Hel said, pressing a hand against Niv's forehead and cutting her off. "Your master is not a pervert. We'll talk about this later.
Right now, let's focus on what bloodlines to use for the last two brains."
Still chuckling, Niv straightened up. "Master still has Beastmen bloodlines, doesn't she? For the final one, we could use an elven bloodline.
Even if you don't have enough on hand, this city is filled with elf remains.
With your abilities, Master, creating a compatible bloodline should be easy."
"Fine."
Hel nodded and began merging the Beastmen bloodline traits while asking curiously,
"So, how big are you planning to make these brains this time?"
"Would a dragon-sized one be okay?" Niv asked innocently.
Hel: "…"
"That one's off-limits," she said flatly. "I still need it.
The brain made from that will also be for you—but in a different way."
"How's that different?" Niv asked, tilting her head in confusion.
To her, weren't all these brains meant for her use anyway?
"These six external brains," Hel explained, gesturing toward the crimson spheres,
"are for you—to create avatars and boost your computational capacity."
Then she turned toward the massive crystalline structure behind her.
"But that dragon brain," she said, pointing at the largest core inside,
"I'm planning to combine with the remaining materials to build a new Ascension Brain—
a central hub for the soul network and a repository for stored souls."
"I see… But Master, if it's just data storage, couldn't you use the existing souls within the network? Previously, the soul containers were all made from primordial matter anyway.
Are you planning to use the network to collect souls in bulk?"
"Exactly," Hel replied, smiling faintly.
"I sent the Insect Queen to the Watchwall region to establish a soul network there—to harvest the souls of the countless fallen warriors.
After all, high-tier magic consumes enormous amounts of soul energy."
"That's true," Niv agreed.
"The Watchwall is perfect for that. Most of the Beastmen who die there are ordinary foot soldiers without ranks.
Their souls linger in their corpses and don't require extraction from elemental cores.
Even without your direct involvement, you could gather a vast number of them."
"Good. The Beastmen bloodline's ready," Hel said. "Once I finish this one, let's go look for those elf remains."
"Please wait a moment, Master—the dragon heads are on their way now."
Just as Hel was about to re-enter the crystal, Niv tugged at the hem of her robe.
Moments later, the elevator platform activated once more.
When it descended again, it carried three enormous containers, each holding a massive, hideous dragon head.
"Well, I'll be damned," Hel muttered, staring at them. "This elevator can really handle its load."
She couldn't help but be impressed by the efficiency of the alchemical golems operating the platform.
Hauling down something this huge all at once—it was no small feat.
"All right," she said finally, floating toward the containers.
"Let's see if these dragon heads are still usable."