Deep in the night, silence reigned.
The damaged lab equipment had all been cleared out, and the newly replaced one-way glass once again shielded the laboratory from view.
Having finally managed to isolate the so-called "Dimensional Fusion Wonder" for the time being, Luca and the others had all retired to their rooms to rest.
However, in a corner of the hastily tidied laboratory...
A hideous crimson finger suddenly appeared out of thin air.
Even though it was severed from its main body, the finger seemed to possess a life of its own. It flexed its "waist" with surprising agility, then stood straight up.
After "peering" around to check the surroundings, the finger hopped step-by-step toward the semi-transparent stasis pod containing Justine Hammer's corpse.
Then, as if it lacked physical form, the finger phased straight through the casing of the pod and burrowed into Justine Hammer's body.
The next moment.
POOF.
Justine Hammer's corpse exploded into a cloud of red smoke, floating outside the stasis pod.
From within this crimson mist, a middle-aged man in an elegant red-and-black suit walked out with a measured pace.
As his figure fully materialized, the surrounding smoke seemed to be drawn in by an invisible current, condensing onto his chest.
Finally, it formed a vibrant crimson rose, adorning the breast pocket of his suit.
"Mmm~ Earth~"
The man stretched his new body briefly, then savored the surrounding air with a look of intoxication. Only then did he begin to examine the laboratory with interest.
Despite the fact that his arrival had caused quite a commotion...
And even though he occasionally picked up small trinkets in the lab to toy with...
The artificial intelligence constantly monitoring the lab showed no reaction whatsoever.
It was as if, in Hajimi's surveillance feed, everything was normal, and this man didn't exist at all.
However, the man's interest in the lab faded as quickly as it had come.
After a few cursory glances, he paid it no more mind.
In the end, his gaze settled on the center of the lab—the red-and-blue rift surrounded by floating fragments of the black monolith.
Although the rift was currently encased in various sealing runes and technological barriers...
The man ignored them entirely. He stared with mesmerized eyes at this beautiful scene he had witnessed countless times before.
"Dimensional Fusion... No matter how many times I see it, it remains so beautiful~"
Reaching out to gently stroke the barrier Luca and his team had erected to isolate the rift, a hint of disdain curled the man's lips.
"A pity. I can't contact my main body? That fellow Ancient One has taken the isolation to such an extreme."
"Better reclaim some power first and go check on my Holy Spirit~"
With that, the man reluctantly tore his gaze away from the fusion rift. With light steps, he walked over to the cages holding the captured demons.
Without making any large movements, he simply swiped his hand casually across the barriers of the cages.
The next moment, inside these cages of combined magic and technology, the various demons shattered instantly without warning.
Their dry, cracked skin exploded piece by piece.
These rare demons, which Luca had saved for future research, were instantly incinerated as if blazing magma had suddenly erupted from within their bodies.
Before they could even scream, every demon had turned to ash. The ash flowed like liquid, gathering in the man's hand, and finally condensed into an antique, dark grey gentleman's cane.
After twirling the cane with a flourish, he walked with light steps toward the lower levels of the tower, leaving the laboratory behind.
However...
"NO!!!"
The man, who had taken the elevator down to the temporary infirmary, did not find the perfect masterpiece he had been anticipating for so long.
Yes, this man was none other than an avatar of Mephisto, smuggled over from the Hell Dimension.
His original purpose for coming here was to "retrieve" the body of the Artificial Holy Spirit he had taken the risk to create, using it to truly descend upon Earth.
But now, forget the completed Holy Spirit body—he couldn't even find a shadow of the semi-finished product.
Rage instantly filled his heart.
Mephisto stopped suppressing and conserving his power.
Surging flames mixed with eerie red light exploded around him, utterly destroying the temporary infirmary.
Although he was a Demon Lord, Mephisto wasn't some old fossil who refused to accept new things.
Naturally, he knew how to use magic to evade modern technological surveillance.
But now that his target was gone, there seemed to be no need to keep hiding.
Looking at the destruction caused by the explosive shockwave and hearing the blaring building alarms that were annoying him to no end...
Mephisto forcibly suppressed his anger, rapidly reviewing his previous schemes in his mind.
Although that woman seemed shrewd, using the reunion with her husband as a bargaining chip and her maternal love for her son as a binding tie... she voluntarily completed the contract, splitting her soul in two. I stripped away the desire and evil from her heart to keep in Hell, leaving the remaining pure soul in the human world.
Then, I spent a massive amount of energy projecting the twisted power of a blessing into the apple beside her, giving the desire-less pure soul a drive toward goodness, gradually guiding her down the path of a Holy Spirit.
Finally, I would return the evil within her heart to merge with her, causing the Holy Spirit to fall, becoming the perfect earthly vessel.
Everything had been going so smoothly. Even the portal that accidentally appeared in Hell just happened to connect near the woman's location.
He had thought that this time, he could harvest the fruit early and discover a new dimension ripe for devouring.
It should have been two joys overlapping.
So why?!
"ANCIENT ONE!!!"
His eyes flickering with uncertainty, Mephisto instinctively squeezed that name through his gritted teeth.
Although he didn't yet understand why his carefully prepared vessel had vanished...
Just as everyone immediately thought of Mephisto whenever a demon caused trouble...
If any of his schemes on Earth went awry, it inevitably had something to do with that bastard Ancient One!
Moreover, Mephisto hadn't forgotten that the last time, the Ancient One had blasted him in the face with that same blue dimensional energy!
"You like playing tricks, don't you?! Fine, then I'll play with you!"
THUD.
He slammed his cane hard against the ground.
The surrounding flames instantly flowed backward like a receding tide, merging back into the cane.
Since he planned to use his current power to have a showdown with her, he couldn't waste a single drop of energy.
As the surrounding fire completely dissipated, Mephisto's figure slowly faded into the darkness.
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