_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A nauseating stench filled the air as the humanoid creature—its entire body covered in festering sores—slowly rose to its feet. It let out a guttural roar and lunged toward Jack and the others.
"What is that supposed to be?" Jack asked, glancing at Rias.
Rias let out a quiet sigh. "I think I mentioned this before. Whether it's angels, devils, or humans, the form you see on the outside is shaped by the power of the soul. That's why the soul can influence the body—and even sacred gears."
Her gaze shifted to the grotesque creature ahead, her eyes turning cold.
"But if the soul is stripped away, or becomes corrupted, the body starts to twist and warp into something… unnatural. Like what you're seeing now."
The stray devil they had dealt with before had gone through something similar—though in that case, it had fallen by its own will, its soul tainted in the process.
Which meant that these humans in front of them had all lost the power of their souls. What remained were little more than walking corpses, their bodies mutating in unpredictable and horrifying ways.
"How could anyone do this… it's too cruel…" Asia's voice trembled, clearly shaken.
Kind-hearted as she was, she couldn't accept something like this.
"There are experiments far worse than this," Rias said calmly. "But both Heaven and the Underworld have long since banned this kind of research."
She gestured toward the green liquid pooled around the broken containers, her expression turning icy.
"That substance looks like some kind of dormant-state gas. When living beings are submerged in it, their bodies enter a kind of suspended state. Looks like whoever was here destroyed the tanks before we arrived."
"So someone's trying to use these things to kill us?" Akeno said with a faint smile.
"It's not that simple." Rias shook her head. "These creatures are too weak. The real threat is probably still ahead."
Jack stepped forward, raising his sword. Magic power surged into the blade, and the Sword of Kings burst into radiant light.
The grotesque creature charged him—but before it could reach him, a brilliant slash of light struck it head-on, sending it flying backward with a deafening crash.
"Hm?"
He had expected that strike to burn it to ash instantly. Instead, the result surprised everyone.
"There's divine power inside them," Rias said, pinpointing the reason.
Whoever conducted these experiments clearly had bigger ambitions than it seemed—they had somehow infused ordinary humans with divine power.
Jack swung his sword again, this time pouring in even more magic. The blade flashed—and the creature was finally reduced to ashes.
Akeno and the others moved in as well, quickly destroying every remaining test subject in the lab before any further mutations could occur.
"We've already wasted too much time," Jack said quietly. "Whoever's behind this is probably ready for us by now."
They all knew it was a trap. But there was no way they could just ignore these creatures.
If the dimensional barrier were to collapse and these things escaped into the outside world, the chaos that followed wouldn't be something trivial.
"Heh. No matter what they're planning, it's all pointless," Rias said, completely composed.
She had every reason to be confident. After all, she was the heir of the Gremory clan—and her brother was one of the current Demon Kings.
Stepping over the wreckage, Jack and the others pressed deeper into the facility.
Before long, a new enemy appeared.
A middle-aged man in a white lab coat turned to face them. He wore thick glasses, his bloodshot eyes hinting at extreme sleep deprivation. His entire demeanor screamed unhinged scientist.
"Welcome, welcome! My name is Genzo Umon—a mad scientist!"
The man introduced himself with theatrical flair, placing a hand over his chest and giving a slow, exaggerated bow. His expression twisted with manic excitement as he looked at Rias and the others.
"I've been waiting here for quite some time."
"Oh? The fallen angels left just you behind? You don't look like much," Rias said, stepping forward with one hand on her hip. Her crimson hair stirred as magic power flowed through her body.
"Heh. I alone am more than enough." Genzo grinned wildly. "I've had the honor of participating in this miraculous experiment—witnessing wonders beyond imagination. I have no regrets left in life. And my soul will live on forever… ahh, ahh, life truly is a marvelous thing!"
"Who told you souls are eternal?" Rias scoffed, then quickly pieced it together. "Ah… so that's the lie the fallen angels fed you."
If souls were truly eternal, then the great war between angels, fallen angels, and devils wouldn't have claimed so many lives. Their numbers wouldn't have dwindled the way they had.
Even beings with near-infinite lifespans never claimed their souls were everlasting.
Once the body is destroyed, a soul without a vessel will fade as well.
But this so-called mad scientist had been deceived too deeply to accept that.
At this point, he was no different from a fanatic—someone who no longer feared death, convinced that even if his body perished, his soul would live forever under divine protection.
"Tch… You can't trust the words of devils," Genzo sneered, the madness in his bloodshot eyes intensifying. He let out a hysterical laugh. "Then let me show you our masterpiece!"
He spread his arms wide. Behind him, machines roared to life as the ground slowly split open. From below, a cage rose into view.
Inside the cage—made of a special metal infused with holy power—stood a young man with his eyes closed. He looked completely normal at first glance.
But to Jack and the others, it was obvious—an overwhelming surge of sacred power slumbered within him.
"Test Subject 02. One of our two most perfect creations," Genzo announced with pride. "Using you devils to test his strength couldn't be more fitting. Heh… I can't wait to see what he can do. After all—he's a god we created."
Jack couldn't help but click his tongue, amused by the man's narrow worldview.
Sometimes, ignorance really was laughable.
"A god? This?" he said with a faint smile, his tone calm but cutting. "You're seriously underestimating what that word means."
"Hmph. Devils are as arrogant as ever," Genzo snapped. "The ones who snuck in before you were just like that. And how did they end up? Captured alive!" He burst into laughter. "Yes… yes, this time we'll capture you too!"
He rubbed his hands together eagerly, his gaze sweeping over Jack, Rias, and the others. Then he licked his lips in a way that made his intentions painfully clear.
"After all… you'll make excellent test subjects."
"..."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________