Ryuya had seized the timing of the anti-magic field perfectly. The remaining fallen angels were effectively captured alive.
With the sealing of the Magic-Sealing Crest upon them, there was no way for them to stir up any trouble in the short term.
Rias immediately withdrew her magic and walked over together with Akeno.
"You really caught the timing beautifully, Ryuya," Rias said with a smile, praising his control over the battlefield. Thanks to his intervention, their intent to self-destruct had been snuffed out completely—and it also gave her the chance to interrogate these survivors.
"Good morning, you beautiful fallen angel ladies."
Rias maintained her elegant smile, yet there was a cold, commanding presence about her. In the eyes of the fallen angels, she appeared aloof and lofty.
"Hmph, what are you so smug about?" one fallen angel snorted.
Even in defeat, these women clearly refused to accept it.
What they didn't know was that this was simply Rias's usual bearing. It was precisely this cool, elegant aura that made her seem so unattainable—and why she was the dream goddess of every male student at Kuoh Academy.
"Hehe, I don't need to be smug," Rias replied with a graceful smile as she walked closer, looking down at the battered figures sprawled on the ground. "Defeating a few weaklings like you isn't something worth taking pride in."
"So," she continued calmly, "why don't you tell me about your plan?"
Naturally, the fallen angels refused to cooperate. One of them burst into mocking laughter.
"Interrogate us? You're dreaming, bitch. Do you really think you'll leave this place alive? That lord will slaughter all of you! Hahaha—"
A cold flash of steel cut her off.
A sharp sword pierced straight through the woman's mouth, entering from the right and exiting from the left. The blade twisted—and a severed tongue mixed with teeth and blood flew out, splattering the ground crimson.
Ryuya held the Sword, lifting his foot to pin the woman's face to the ground. He looked down at her calmly.
"You don't seem to know how to speak properly."
His tone was flat, but the pressure in his dark eyes was overwhelming.
That eerily calm demeanor—coupled with the fact that he struck mercilessly without hesitation—instilled genuine fear, successfully intimidating the remaining fallen angels.
Seeing Ryuya defend her so decisively, Rias's smile deepened, clearly pleased by his actions.
On the other hand, Akeno wore a look of regret. "Aww, that kind of opportunity should've been left to me~"
She was genuinely disappointed that she hadn't acted in time and let Ryuya take the lead—after all, it had been such a perfect chance to indulge herself…
Ryuya cast a calm glance at the four remaining fallen angels. "There are still four left."
"Hehe, how considerate of you, Ryuya," Akeno said with a beaming smile. Just what kind of 'considerate' this was remained questionable—was it simply because he'd left her four targets to torment?
Rias shot Akeno a sideways look. "Don't tease my Ryuya."
"Ara~ ara~ okay, okay~"
Ryuya then spoke up, "Rias, if we can't get anything out of them, we'll just go check it ourselves. Let's not linger here too long."
"Two minutes," Rias said, turning to Akeno.
"Yes, President."
Akeno immediately licked her lips, smiling sweetly as she looked at the fallen angels. That gentle smile, however, struck them as deeply unsettling.
"Y-You… what are you going to do?"
The few of them couldn't help but tremble slightly. At this moment, genuine fear finally crept into their hearts.
"Ara ara, don't be nervous. We still have two whole minutes to spend together, after all…" Akeno's voice was gentle, yet golden arcs of lightning flickered at her fingertips…
Before long, piercing screams echoed through the area.
In just two short minutes, those cries quickly faded from shrill wails into weak, broken sounds. Ryuya held Asia in his arms, letting her bury her face against his chest—such a bloody scene was best not seen by a girl as pure as her…
Akeno soon walked back over. The gentle smile still hung on her face, but faint traces of blood stained her long, fair legs…
She didn't feel the least bit unsettling about her current state as she spoke to Rias and the others:
"They were very tight-lipped. In the end, they only mentioned the core of this space—it seems to be some kind of laboratory."
"Is that so?" Ryuya said casually. "Then I guess that place is definitely dangerous."
"Of course," Akeno replied with a smile. "They're probably planning to use some kind of ambush there to kill us."
"Even so, it's a place we have to go," Rias said with a faint smile. "Let's move. I'm curious what kind of 'gift' they've prepared for us."
The group set off immediately. After dealing with the fallen angels earlier, there didn't seem to be much defensive power left in this alternate space. Ryuya and the others advanced straight through, encountering no resistance as they arrived at the core area of the space.
There stood an experimental base, brimming with a sense of modern technology. It seemed the fallen angels had relocated an entire human facility into this place.
With a single glance, Ryuya felt that the base resembled a massive cage. Around its outer walls, metal pillars infused with divine power stood one after another, enclosing the entire facility.
The doors to the experimental base were shut tight. Ryuya and Koneko Toujou walked at the front to clear the way as the group approached together.
The doors weren't locked. As the sensors detected their presence, the doors automatically slid open to either side.
The scene inside the first-floor hall instantly came into view.
"This is…"
Asia couldn't help but cover her mouth.
Inside the hall, rows upon rows of containers filled with green liquid were neatly arranged. Bubbles continuously rose within the liquid, and inside each container floated a naked human body—men and women alike, nearly a hundred in total.
"Human experimentation?"
Ryuya raised an eyebrow. He could sense that these people still possessed traces of life, yet the feeling they gave off was deeply unsettling—almost as if they were no longer human, merely empty shells that still bore human bodies.
"These audacious bastards… they actually extracted these people's souls," Rias said grimly, her expression darkening.
"Where are the people here?"
"They've probably all fled," Ryuya replied. "To them, these people were already useless, so they just left them behind."
"Hmph. Cunning fallen angels," Rias snorted coldly.
At that moment, the sound of shattering glass suddenly rang out.
Everyone turned their heads, only to see cracks spreading across the glass of a nearby container. Then, with a loud crash, it shattered completely.
The human woman inside fell out of the liquid, coughing violently. But her coughing soon turned into a low, painful growl.
Something horrifying quickly followed—her skin rapidly began to rot, her body swelling grotesquely. In the span of just a few seconds, she transformed into a hideous, monstrous creature!
---
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Please support the new book, Thank you! 🙌