Accompanied by a nauseating stench, the humanoid monster—its entire body covered in festering sores—slowly stood up and let out a hoarse roar at Ryuya and the others.
"What's going on here?" Ryuya turned to look at Rias.
Rias let out a soft sigh. "I think I mentioned this to you before. Whether angels, devils, or humans, the manifestation of one's outward form is granted by the power of the soul. That's also why the power of the soul can influence both the physical body and Sacred Gears."
Her gaze shifted to the humanoid monster ahead, her eyes turning cold.
"But if the soul is forcibly extracted, or if it becomes contaminated, then the external physical body will undergo all kinds of grotesque distortions—just like what we're seeing now."
The stray devil Ryuya had helped subjugate before had actually been a similar case—only that one had fallen of its own accord, leading to the corruption of its soul.
In other words, these humans before them, having lost the power of their souls, would all become walking corpses, undergoing various unpredictable mutations.
"How could anyone do this… this is far too cruel…" Asia murmured, clearly shaken by the scene.
Kind-hearted by nature, she simply couldn't accept such actions.
"There are experiments even more cruel than this," Rias replied calmly. "But regardless, both angels and devils currently forbid conducting experiments of this kind."
As she spoke, she pointed at the green liquid, a chill appearing on her face.
"These liquids seem to contain a hibernation-inducing gas. When living beings are submerged in it, their bodies enter a dormant state. It looks like, due to our sudden intrusion, the people here destroyed all the tanks before fleeing."
"So someone was planning to use these mutants to kill us?" Akeno said with a faint smile.
"It won't be that simple," Rias shook her head. "These mutants are far too weak. The real trump card is probably still waiting for us."
Ryuya stepped forward with his sword, channeling demonic power into the blade. The Sword of Kings immediately lit up with radiant light.
The humanoid monster charged at Ryuya—only to be met head-on by a dazzling slash of sword light in the very next instant, sending it flying backward with a thunderous crash.
"Hm?"
Ryuya had expected it to be reduced to ashes with a single strike, but the result completely exceeded everyone's expectations.
"These people all have divine power inside their bodies," Rias pointed out, revealing the key issue.
It seemed the ones behind these experiments had grand ambitions indeed—to actually grant ordinary humans divine power!
Ryuya swung his sword again, this time pouring in even more demonic energy. At last, the mutant was successfully cleaved into ashes.
Immediately after, Akeno and the others also took action, destroying all the experimental subjects on this level of the laboratory, eliminating them before any further mutations could occur.
"We've wasted quite a bit of time. The ones behind this are probably already prepared," Ryuya said softly.
Even knowing it was a trap, they couldn't simply ignore these experimental subjects.
If this alternate space were to collapse and these mutants escaped into the outside world, it would undoubtedly cause massive chaos—and that would no longer be a trivial matter.
"Hehe, no matter who's scheming behind the scenes, it's all going to be in vain," Rias said calmly.
She had every reason to be confident. After all, she was the next head of the Gremory family—and her brother was the current Devil King.
Stepping over the wreckage scattered across the floor, Ryuya and the others pressed deeper into the experimental base.
Before long, a new enemy appeared ahead.
It was a middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat. He turned around slowly, thick, heavy-duty high-prescription glasses perched on his nose. His eyes were bloodshot, clearly showing signs of extreme sleep deprivation.
He exuded the unmistakable aura of a mad scientist.
"Welcome, welcome! I am Ituso Gerfin—a mad scientist!"
Upon seeing Rias and the others, the man who called himself Ituso revealed a frenzied look. He placed his right hand over his chest and performed a slow, exaggerated gentleman's bow.
"I have been waiting here for quite some time."
"Oh?" Rias Gremory stepped forward, resting one hand on her hip. Her crimson hair fluttered without wind, the visible manifestation of demonic power flowing through her body.
"So the fallen angels only left behind a weakling like you to cover their retreat?"
"Hehe… one person is more than enough," Ituso chuckled. "I had the honor of participating in this miraculous act of creation. I have witnessed wonders of this world beyond imagination. I have no regrets left—especially since my soul shall live forever. Ah~ ah~ life truly is a marvelous thing~"
"And who told you that souls are eternal?" Rias replied with a scoff, then showed a look of sudden realization.
"Oh, I see. So that's how those fallen angels deceived you."
If souls truly were eternal, then the great wars between angels, fallen angels, and devils would not have resulted in so many deaths, nor would their populations have dwindled.
Even races like angels and devils—whose lifespans are practically infinite—have never claimed that the soul itself is immortal.
Once the physical body is destroyed, a soul that has lost its vessel will also dissipate.
However, this mad scientist—deceived far too deeply—clearly refused to believe that.
One could say he had already become a fanatical believer. To someone like him, life and death no longer mattered, because he firmly believed that even if his body perished, his soul would still attain eternal life under the protection of a god.
"Tsk tsk… the words of devils cannot be trusted."
The madness in Ituso's bloodshot eyes intensified as he let out a hysterical laugh.
"Then… allow me to show you our great masterpiece!"
He spread his arms wide. Behind him, the machinery roared to life, and the floor slowly split open, revealing a rising platform that lifted a cage into view.
Inside that special metal cage—infused with divine power—stood a young man. His eyes were closed, his appearance no different from that of an ordinary human.
Yet to Ryuya and the others, the youth's body contained an astonishingly vast amount of sacred power.
"Experimental Subject No. 02. One of our two most perfect creations so far. Using you devils to test his strength couldn't be more fitting. Hehehe… I can hardly wait to see his performance. After all, he is a god we created."
Ryuya curled his lips, genuinely amused by the human scientist's limited worldview.
So this was what it meant to be a frog at the bottom of a well—ignorance so narrow it became laughable.
"With something like this, you dare call it a god?" Ryuya said with a calm smile. "You're seriously underestimating what a god truly is."
His tone was mild, almost casual—but to Ituso's ears, it dripped with undisguised mockery.
"Hmph! Devils really are just as arrogant and conceited as ever!" Ituso sneered. "Weren't the ones who sneaked in before exactly the same? And didn't they end up getting captured alive anyway? Hahaha! Very good, very good—this time, I'll capture you all as well!"
He rubbed his hands together excitedly, his gaze sweeping over Ryuya, Rias, and the others. He then stuck out his tongue and licked his lips in a thoroughly repulsive manner.
"After all… you'll make such excellent experimental subjects."
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