Gleipnir (5)

Chapter 40: Gleipnir (5)

Azrail Astaroth Pov:

"So this is the fourth laboratory Great Sage mentioned…" As the [Transportation Magic Circle] disappeared from under our feet, Elmenhilde looked around us, examining her surroundings with a rather curious gaze. "It's a lot different from the other ones…"

Currently, we were inside the 'fake laboratory' I had created around three years ago.

Unlike the other three laboratories, this one had no glass containers with living beings inside them. On the contrary, it looked similar to any advanced research facility.

The only thing that'd be out of place were the several body parts stored inside small containers and neatly placed on a large table. There were limbs, eyeballs, ears, and even internal organs stored within the containers.

Naturally, they were all spare parts I artificially created for my body. The arm I summoned and attached earlier was from here, as well.

"Since we're going to use Hydra for the next project, it'll be best to use this laboratory instead…"

While Hydra was under my control because of our 'Familiar Contract,' I had no intention of letting him go around the other laboratories.

"Elmen, come here..."

"Yes, Master?"

Without any questions, Elmenhilde stopped looking around the laboratory and stood in front of me, and I surged my demonic power before placing my index finger on her chest.

"[Soul Corridor]."

Elmenhilde's eyes widened as a pure white thread came out of her chest and moved towards my chest, binding us.

"Master, this is…"

She gently held the thread between her index finger and thumb, careful not to pressure it too much.

"A connection between our souls."

"Our souls? As in a Familiar Pact?"

Elmenhilde tilted her head, and I smiled at her.

[Soul Corridor.]

[Category: Custom Spell.]

[Usage: Forms a connection between two souls with affinity as long as the other person is subservient to the caster.]

Although the description was lacklustre, [Soul Corridor] was one of the best prototype spells I created inside my consciousness.

I based the spell around my connection with Great Sage, the link between a [King] and their Peerage, the actual Familiar Contract, how devils took hold of human souls in the past, and the time I spent inside [Incinerate Anthem].

"More or less, yeah. I don't have much life force right now, so I linked our souls together to exist without expending any life force from now on…"

In a state like this, even though I only had the life force to live five years, I could exist indefinitely as long as our connection remained intact without depleting my already negligible lifespan.

As long as the spell remained active, I wouldn't age, either. That was more of a byproduct rather than an intended function.

"Our project this time might take a while, so I don't want to deplete my life force any further than necessary…"

「To think Master's life span has depleted to such an extent. The Shadow Fiend must've been a formidable opponent to push him this far, but even such a well-known assassin wasn't able to end him...」

Elmenhilde's voice rang inside my head, which caused my smile to widen ever so slightly.

「As expected of Master...」

As those thoughts passed through her mind, Elmenhilde felt no anguish, regret, or sadness about my survival, but all she had were genuine feelings of awe and worship.

'Even in her mind, she refers to me with the utmost respect…'

The primary purpose of [Soul Corridor] was to stop my life span from decreasing further, but it seemed like the extra features I added were working as expected.

[Soul Corridor grants the caster complete control over the target's soul, allowing them to see their memories, read their thoughts, feel their emotions, and even destroy their soul at any moment. The Soul Corridor can also allow the two parties to exchange information and their senses in real time.]

It was no different from having absolute control over the target.

However, despite the spell's usefulness and other extra features, it was still a prototype.

After all, it couldn't yet link me with someone who didn't have an affinity with my soul. Not to mention, the thread that connected us also had a limit as to how much it could stretch.

"Oh..."

"Until we leave this place, always stay within thirty meters of me."

"As you wish, Master."

Elmenhilde nodded, and we soon walked over to this laboratory's control panel.

For now, the only way to bypass the thread limit was by using [Soul Corriodor] through the connection formed by the Evil Pieces between a [King] and his Peerage.

That way, the spell could avoid physical limitations like distance, barriers, distorted space, domains, different dimensions, and space-time altogether.

My Evil Pieces were independent of the 'Evil Piece System' Ajuka created and could be altered at will, which made something like this possible.

But despite that, I couldn't reincarnate Elmenhilde as a Devil just for [Soul Corriodor] since she'd lose her connections to the Carmilla Faction, something that wasn't worth it for me.

And even if I were to use Evil Pieces to support the spell, the target's soul still needed to have an affinity with darkness similar to mine.

'Maybe it's because I'm a reincarnator, but my soul doesn't have any affinity with those from the Astaroth Clan. Hell, not even my direct relatives come close…'

On the other hand, my affinity with Elmenhilde's soul was more than enough for the spell to work with little to no effort.

'It could also be that the reason I can use [Darkness Magic] so efficiently is because of my soul's base formation being closer to a Vampire than a Devil…'

That'd also explain why Latia couldn't utilise [Darkness Magic] as efficiently despite knowing its spell formation, unlike [Gravity Magic], in which she excelled.

Whatever the case might be, it wasn't important right now.

"But Master, what are we here for?"

As I browsed through the hologram above the table, I replied without turning towards Elmenhilde. "I need Hydra's immortal body..."

At least, that was the first thing we needed to accomplish.

"But Master..." As someone who had already read my rough plans for Hydra, Elmenhilde wasn't surprised by those words, and she replied naturally. "That'll take at least two years of non-stop work. Your sudden disappearance from the public eye might cause some suspicion…"

"We don't have that much time. We'll finish it in under a week."

"A week?"

Elmenhilde seemed confused, which was understandable since my words contradicted what I had said earlier.

"There's somewhere I need to visit in around ten days, so…" The Astaroth Clan's Transportation Magic Circle appeared on the ground, followed by an unconscious pure-blooded devil with greenish blonde hair, along with the sleeping Nine-Headed Hydra in his human form. "I planned on saving this in case of emergencies, but whatever…"

「That is...!」

The moment Elmenhilde's eyes landed on the unconscious devil, they widened in absolute horror as she instinctively took a step back with a pale face.

Her reaction wasn't out of my expectations, though. After all, the pure-blooded devil from the Agares Clan was, in some sense, the cause of her worst nightmares.

「Why? I've been so good that he even praised me. Master wouldn't...」

Elmenhilde's body trembled, and even without needing to sense her emotions, I could feel her PTSD kicking in.

Under normal circumstances, she would've realised why I summoned that devil here, but fear made people extremely irrational. It was similar to how I reacted back at the banquet, unable to comprehend the situation.

Not to mention, even though she might not realise it, Elmenhilde's mental state right now was fragile.

"Elmen…"

However, before her condition could get worse, I walked over to her and placed my hand above her head, blocking her view of the unconscious devil.

"It's alright. You're different from six months ago; no one will hurt you…"

"Master…"

The moment she expected the harshest of treatment was the perfect time for me to show her some kindness instead. It'd let me provide her with a false sense of security, comfort, and validation.

「The look in his eyes is different than before. He isn't looking at me with the same eyes as his test subjects…」

Elmenhilde's eyes slowly widened in realisation as she looked into my eyes.

「Have I become so much better in a mere six months? For him to look at me like that…」

At this moment, she felt a sudden surge of emotions, from happiness, accomplishment, surprise, and confusion.

Her mind was a mess, but one thing was undeniable.

Her dependence on me was increasing. Currently, she was heavily reliant on my blood and orders to keep her body and mind at peace. However, it wouldn't be long before Elmenhilde started carving my approval from the bottom of her heart rather than as a means of survival.

「Master has changed from when we first met, and so have I. He even rewarded me today…」

As a sort of coping mechanism, Elmenhilde subconsciously focused on how my current self started to treat her with some care rather than how my previous self had tormented her to find relief in her heart.

If she continued to develop as I expected, I'd soon become the source of both her trauma and salvation until she started to blame herself for her trauma, telling herself that the reason everything happened was because of her and how the current her was better than before she met me.

「He wouldn't hurt me now, not as long as I behave and have his approval…」

'Mental, physical, and emotional dependence...'

On a different route, she could also wish for me to look at her with the same eyes as those I genuinely cared about. Following that, that wish would fuel her desire to reach her maximum potential, whether by increasing her strength or influence within the Carmilla Faction.

However, that was all my hypothesis for the future. Now was only the starting point of Elmenhilde's gradual change until her sense of identity became intertwined with her loyalty and belonging towards me.

But then again, now wasn't the time to monologue about the future.

"Alright…"

After Elmenhilde had calmed down, I walked over to the unconscious Agares Devil and placed my hand on his chest.

[Life Force Conversion.]

Even though nothing in our field of vision changed, it wasn't difficult to sense the [Time Barrier] that manifested around the entire laboratory.

"With his remaining life force, he can only accelerate the flow of time for seven days…"

For future research purposes, I saved just enough of the devil's life force to keep him alive for a few centuries at best.

"So that means we have around two years and four months to finish this…"

I nodded at Elmenhilde's words. "Yeah."

The Agares Clan's [Time Barrier] could, at its maximum potential, accelerate or decrease the flow of time within it by one hundred and twenty times.

However, even the best devils from the Agares Clan could barely utilise half of that potential.

I could push the Clan Trait past its limits with [Life Force Conversion], but that would've extracted all of the target's life force and killed him.

Following that, I created a [Transportation Magic Circle] and moved the Agares Devil to the [Devil Clan Research Lab] instead.

Now that the [Time Barrier] has taken effect already, staying here would only reduce two more years off from his remaining lifespan.

'Since the preparations finished…'

Four hands extended from my shadow before lifting Hydra's unconscious body from the ground and placing it on a nearby table.

I walked over to the table's edge, followed by Elmenhilde.

"Let's begin…"

And so, a little over nine months passed.

---

Elmenhilde Karnstein Pov:

'After spending so much time here, I still can't believe it hasn't even been three days outside…'

Knowing that we were experiencing time dilation without noticing any visible proof of it felt weird, enough for me to start reminiscing about everything that happened since we came here.

'On the day we came here…'

Master started the process by analysing and studying Hydra's cells to understand their regenerative properties at a cellular level, starting from how they divided, repaired, and replaced the damaged tissues. The next step was genetically mapping Hydra's genome to identify genes responsible for its regeneration and immortality.

He then isolated and edited the genes that granted Hydra its regenerative capabilities.

Since I wasn't actively involved in that part and had something else to do, my knowledge about what Master did was quite abstract.

All I knew was the rough idea he had in mind months ago, along with the slight bits and pieces of information I gathered while staying here.

'If I remember correctly, what followed after was the detoxification process…'

While Master wanted to integrate Hydra's regeneration and immortality into his own body, he didn't wish for his flesh, blood, and bodily fluids to be poisonous, so he had to determine the biochemical pathways that created the poison.

The process included isolating the toxins and learning how they remained synthesised within Hydra's body, only to edit out the genes responsible for producing the poison.

That alone took over three months to accomplish, but as Master had said, it was only the beginning.

The actual challenge was reconstructing his body on a cellular level. The reason Master decided to go through this lengthy process was that he needed to integrate Hydra's immortality into his body rather than change his species to a 'Monster' from a Devil.

If his genetic makeup's base changed too much, there was a chance his soul might not synchronise with his body anymore. Not to mention, losing his already well-established racial abilities would be no different from starting over.

In a sense, he was making himself a sort of mutant among his species.

'For the first step, Master did a detailed cellular analysis of his cellular structure…'

It was an even more in-depth analysis than what happened with Hydra, so much so that Master even ordered my assistance.

We mapped out the types, functions, and states of all his cells, creating a detailed profile of his entire body's cellular structure, only to compare his cells to Hydra's regenerative cells to understand the fundamental differences and similarities.

It was so hard that I had to drink more of his blood regularly for my brain not to short-circuit.

'Thinking about it still makes me feel dizzy…'

We only managed to finish it soon because Master had once done something similar in past, so the data from back then came in handy.

The next step was to modify Hydra's regenerative genes to ensure they became compatible with a devil's physiology before splicing them into Master's genome.

We even ran numerous tests to verify if they function correctly within his cellular environment.

Master was extremely cautious during that process, further refining Hydra's genes to exclude any sequences responsible for poison creation.

However, that also marked the end of our 'research phase' after almost nine months, leaving us with the need for practical implementation of the results we obtained.

And that was what brought us to our current situation.

"So, when will he wake up?"

"If nothing out of the ordinary happens, Master will wake up in around eighteen months."

"Tch…" In response to those words, Hydra clicked his tongue in annoyance. "That wrenched Familiar Contract... If not for it, I'd have torn that devil bastard apart thrice by now…"

'What a foul-mouthed creature…'

I didn't reply to Hydra's curses, quietly writing down what the snake said inside a notebook.

Master would surely appreciate a detailed report on how his familiar talked about him behind his back.

He might even praise me for it.

'But still…'

My eyes soon drifted away towards the cylindrical glass container at the laboratory's centre, with Master's body floating mid-air inside it without any clothes on.

He was in a state of deep slumber, with a total of 1,048,596 nano-machines inside his body, slowly and meticulously reconstructing each one of his twenty-seven trillion cells.

The one in charge of mass-producing the nano-machines, uploading our research data in them, and injecting the batch into Master's unconscious body was me. 15% of Great Sage helped out, too, since it was too much work for a single person.

"I hope something goes wrong and this bastard never wakes up…"

A [Transportation Magic Circle] appeared under Hydra's body, and after giving Master a hateful glare, he disappeared.

Master said there was no point in Hydra staying here because he might lose it thanks to his room temperature IQ, so the snake was allowed to return to the outside world for a few days.

The same was true for me.

I didn't have enough blood to keep my body in shape for even a month, much less one and a half years.

'I always knew Master wanted me to get addicted to his blood, but I never thought it'd happen so fast…'

Even though it had been nine months for me, the distressing and uncomfortable feeling of my body carving his blood was still fresh in my mind.

The shivers that ran through me, the feeling of vulnerability, continuous headaches, unimaginable amounts of fatigue despite doing absolutely nothing, high blood pressure, extreme sensitivity to noises, stomach cramps, and numerous instances of seizure.

Just remembering it made me feel cold.

'There's a high chance he mixed something in the blood he gave me to hasten the process…'

I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.

That'd also explain why he allowed me to drink from his body directly recently.

Master already knew that his blood was like a drug that'd bind me to him forever, so there was no need to mix anything into it.

And that was without mentioning how uneasy and anxious his absence made me or how blissfully happy it made me when he didn't look at me like a mere test subject.

'Such deeply rooted dependence. How viciously cunning…'

I had fallen so far without realising it, to the point where I couldn't even live a week without him.

But…

Was this really a terrible fate?

I had no idea.

The past me paled in comparison to the current me, whether it be strength, intelligence, knowledge, wits, or competence. The difference was simply incomparable.

Those abilities were essential for survival in this world, and Master gave them to me, although his methods were a bit… questionable.

'Perhaps this is my destiny…'

Had I not met him, I'd still be the pathetic and haughty princess who thought her existence mattered because of her importance within an insignificant race like Vampires.

Becoming his servant made me the best version of myself.

In a world where the strong dictate the fate of the weak, Master's dominance over me was the only natural outcome.

"Haah…"

A small sigh escaped my lips, and I glanced at the person I feared and reverenced the most in this world.

An innocent and childish face, one that'd make it impossible for someone to guess the horrors and miracles such a child could create. His appearance couldn't be more misleading than this.

Master was an incredible person with the highest potential among any individual I knew, from natural talent and abilities to intellect—he lacked none.

But the quality I thought was the most admirable about him was his dedication and perseverance.

Ever since we came to this place, Master hadn't slept for even a few hours, solely focusing on his research without being distracted by anything.

His dedication to his goals bordered on insanity, so much so that I pitied whoever sent Shadow Fiend after him.

Whether it was the Great King Faction or someone else, their end wouldn't be pretty.

'If only Master looked at me with some care, the same way he looks at his family and subordinates…'

I wouldn't mind willingly dedicating my heart, body, and soul to serving someone as incredible as him—to watch him reach great heights while staying by his side.

However, I doubted he'd ever look at me like that.

And it wasn't like I had a choice but to serve him.

'Or maybe he will…'

How Master looked at me changed after his encounter with the Shadow Fiend, most likely because he knew how dependent I had become on him… Then, would he look at me with care if I exceeded his expectations?

If I became completely and utterly devoted to him with all my heart, maybe he…

'No one knows what the future holds, so the possibilities are infinite…'

Unknowingly, my fists clenched, and a [Transportation Magic Circle] appeared under me.

'What I need to focus on is accomplishing the task Master gave me…'

With those thoughts in mind, I returned to the Carmilla Faction.

.

.

.

[Karnstein Household's Underground Dungeon.]

I crouched down and rested the tip of my index finger on the unconscious vampire's forehead. My magic power surged as a dense layer of aura appeared around me.

"[Melt]."

A small magic circle appeared on my fingertip, and moments later, the unconscious criminal's body melted without leaving behind any recognisable traces of his appearance.

'To think a Vampire's Magic Power can produce Electromagnetic Radiation…'

It'd make some sense for a Devil's Demonic Power to do so since it worked on imagination, but a Vampire's Magic Power wasn't like that, and it followed its own set of rules, restrictions, and magic system.

The same was true for the powers used by various factions and races.

'I thought [Clean] was impressive, but for Master to adjust a spell as complex as [Melt] to suit the Vampire's Magic System…'

Master's knowledge and understanding of various magic systems and powers were beyond impressive. Under normal circumstances, something like this would be nearly impossible.

There was a reason why even those with knowledge rarely developed such complex magic spells that worked based on such concepts.

After one point, it became too difficult to improve such spells compared to someone's inherent and bloodline abilities.

The only one I knew maximised the potential of a custom spell like that was Master's brother with his [Kankara Formula].

'But [Melt] is still unstable… It'll attack the user if they aren't properly protected…'

Not to mention, the user couldn't increase the output beyond what they could defend against, or they'd melt before the target.

Master gave it to me on a whim, so I kept thinking about how to integrate it into my abilities or improve it.

I couldn't possibly create such a complex spell formation alone, but since the base had already been set, improving it was within my capabilities.

'I'll think about it later…'

A [Transportation Magic Circle] appeared under me, and I teleported to the fourth laboratory.

108 hours had passed since we left the fourth laboratory, and it was about time for Hydra and me to return.

If everything went well, Master's cellular reconstruction would finish any minute now.

.

.

.

'What the…'

However, the moment I appeared inside the fourth laboratory, its appearance surprised me a little.

The walls, equipment, and furniture were all embedded with shards of glass. From the pattern, it was clear the shards originated from the centre of the room.

I hurriedly turned around, and upon noticing the cause of those shards—

"Master…!"

My eyes widened.

At the laboratory's centre, Master stood within the now destroyed glass container, quietly looking down at his hands as if analysing his body.

Although his appearance hadn't changed much, his height had increased within the past eighteen months he spent here, along with his hair, which now fell past his tailbone.

After a few minutes of silence, Master slowly opened his mouth. "Great Sage?"

Despite how he hadn't spoken for one and a half years, his voice wasn't sore. Even his body was in peak physical condition.

{Notice. Master's soul and body are in perfect harmony.}

Great Sage's words made Master smile, and he summoned a test tube in his left hand before placing his right index finger on its opening.

'The nano-machines…'

I watched as the over one million nano-machines inside his body transferred into the test tube.

"Only if they didn't require Great Sage to function, I could've made a fortune by selling even a few of these…"

Master closed the test tube's lid and tossed it on the nearby table, and I got on one knee and respectfully lowered my head.

"Congratulations on your awakening, Master."

"We still need to run some tests on me, so come here…"

I followed his orders, only for him to extend his hand towards me as he continued.

"Use [Melt] on my forearm."

'He probably wishes to check his newly obtained regeneration...' Since that was the case, I didn't waste time and placed my fingertip above his hand. "Yes, Master."

I protected myself with my aura before a magic circle appeared at my fingertip.

It only took three seconds for Master's forearm to melt, causing his flesh and bones to turn into a mushy paste and fall to the ground.

"Master, this…" His forearm regenerated in around twenty-four seconds, which made me frown a little. "Why is the regeneration speed so slow?"

We did a detailed analysis of Hydra's regenerative speeds, and even if the snake were to lose his entire arm, it'd only take him 0.27 seconds to regenerate it.

That was how potent Hydra's healing factor was in his human form, as it even surpassed the Phenex Clan's [Immortality].

Master, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised and replied with a casual smile. "Because I modified Hydra's genes to slow down my regeneration. You'll understand it soon…"

With that, I melted his forearm every time it regenerated as per his instructions, repeating the process hundreds of times.

While nothing significant happened, I noticed something strange after some time.

At first, [Melt] affected Master's forearm in three seconds, but now, it took around five seconds for the spell to melt his forearm.

My proficiency in [Melt] definitely increased after using the spell that much, so shouldn't it be the opposite?

"Sure enough…" As if to answer my doubts, Master chuckled. "My body gained a minor resistance against electromagnetic radiations…"

"Resistance?"

"Yes… While my regeneration speed isn't on par with Hydra's, my cells gain small amounts of resistance against whatever damages them."

"Adaptive Regeneration?"

"Kind of, yeah. Since I can't alter my soul and remove a Devil's inherent weakness towards Light and Holy Power, the second best option is to evolve past those limitations…"

"But Master, aren't those weaknesses related to the soul? Even if your body adapts to them, your soul wouldn't..."

Master smiled at me. "What principles are the Evil Pieces based on?"

"Ah…"

The body and soul were linked, and altering one affected the other.

If his body adapted to things such as Light and Holy Power, so would his soul.

Although the adaptation speed wasn't that impressive, it could do wonders over the decades and centuries by letting him surpass his racial limits.

"That also means, unlike Hydra and the Phenex Clan, my regeneration won't be hindered by Light and Holy Powers…"

Both the Devils from the Phenex Clan and Hydra were creatures of darkness, so their abilities could be hindered by powers that opposed them.

"That's truly amazing, Master…"

"I know. It's probably my favourite feature I added to this body, along with the one that grants me some control over my anatomy…"

As he spoke, his body started to change, from his height, facial structure, muscle mass, and the colour of his eyes and hair.

'Shapeshifting…'

Within ten seconds, he transformed into a man with blonde hair and blue eyes in his late teens.

The transformation was different from how Supernaturals changed their appearance with magic, as it couldn't be detected by others because the structure of his body changed.

If he hid his presence well enough, no one would know his real identity as long as he never used a spell or released his Demonic Aura.

"Man…" Master turned towards his reflection on the nearby screen, and his voice also changed as he continued. "I never thought I'd see this face again…"

Strangely enough, his tone was somewhat nostalgic.

'Is this someone he knew?'

I kept that question to myself, quietly watching his appearance change to how he looked before this experiment began.

"Now, for the most important ability..."

Master pulled a single strand of hair from his head and dropped it on the ground.

'There's something more important than infinite regeneration, adaptation, and control over his anatomy?'

The two of us watched as the strand of hair regenerated, much to my surprise.

'Just how many changes did Master make in Hydra's abilities?'

As far as I knew, the body parts detached from Hydra's main body wouldn't regenerate, no matter the circumstances.

But in front of me, Master's hair turned into a full-fledged body with a similar appearance to the original within six minutes.

"A clone?"

"Close, but not exactly… While this body has the same physical attributes and abilities as me, it has no Demonic Power, consciousness, soul, intellect, or memories. You can think of it as an empty vessel that I can telepathically control within a certain range…"

Master pulled out two more strands of his hair and dropped them on the ground, but unlike last time, only one of them started to regenerate.

"Looks like two extra bodies is my limit…" Despite those words, his voice held no disappointment, and he continued while surging some of his demonic power. "[Dress Change]."

Three magic circles appeared above Master and his two extra bodies, moving down as clothes appeared on them.

'A spatial magic spell that erases the tedious tasks of undressing and suiting up…'

That sounded like something Master would create.

"What about the thing I asked for, Elmen?"

"I finished it yesterday, Master."

A [Transportation Magic Circle] appeared above my hands, leaving behind a lab coat. I handed the coat to its rightful owner, who wore it without much consideration.

The lab coat was a magic item Master ordered me to create before his body's reconstruction began. Since it wasn't a complicated item, it only took me around four days to finish.

The extra functions of the coat included self-recovery, size alteration to fit the wearer, and the ability to cast [Clean] every hour to keep it and its user clean.

But the main function was the [Dimensional Storage] enchanted into it. Master could also connect the coat to his own storage, allowing him to access it even in places that disrupted Spatial Magic, like a Vampire's [Shadow Domain].

"Perfect…"

Master looked satisfied with the final product, and I stared at his attire.

'Black pants, a plain white shirt, and a lab coat that reaches down to his knees…'

A rather simple and bland outfit for a Noble from the 72 Pillars, but it felt right at home with Master.

"Damn…" Master turned towards his two clones, and soon, they stood up, seemingly gaining consciousness out of nowhere. "The information collected by my senses tripled almost instantly…"

'So he can not only telepathically control these bodies, but their senses are also linked…'

He made the clones do simple movements to get the hang of controlling them. Writing, drawing, hand-to-hand combat, thumb fighting, wrestling, regenerating, adapting, and whatnot.

He even turned one of the clones into Ajuka Beelzebub and proceeded to beat him up for half an hour under the pretext of 'checking the clone's regenerative abilities.'

There was no doubt Master was enjoying himself.

"For the last part…"

Master placed his index finger against his clone's forehead. His Demonic Power surged as a magic circle appeared on his fingertip, and—

"[Transfer.]"

Moments after the spell activated, his eyes lost focus, and Master's body fell to the ground.

The clone, on the other hand, slowly opened his mouth. "Great Sage?"

{Answer. Master's soul has perfectly synchronised with the new body. He can use all of his abilities in this body without restrictions.}

'A spell that transfers his soul to suitable bodies? So that's why Master called them vessels instead of clones…'

The clone—or Master—looked down at his original body with a small, almost non-existent smile.

I recognised that smile.

He had it every time he was up to something devious.

After a few seconds, Master placed his right hand on his chin and muttered, "Although the preparations are complete, I'll need a 'path' for it to work. It'll be impossible otherwise..."

He then turned towards me with a pondering gaze, almost as if calculating the benefits and drawbacks of a decision, before shaking his head, seemingly giving up on his idea.

After a few minutes of playing around in his new body, Master transferred his soul back to his original body.

Apparently, transferring his soul back was less work than taking his lab coat off the original body and wearing it again.

A few seconds later, a [Transportation Magic Circle] appeared at a distance from us, causing the four of us to turn around simultaneously.

"Did that evil bastard finally die? Let me eat his corp—Huh?"

Hydra was in a good mood when he teleported inside, but when his eyes landed on our Master's three bodies, he paused.

Master and his clones smiled at the snake, only for the latter's eyes to roll back before he collapsed.

"He… He multiplied… The world… is done for…"

I ignored Hydra's unnecessary mutter, and another day passed as we monitored Master's body to check its stability and limits.

---

Azrail Astaroth Pov:

[Rome, Italy.]

"Who would've thought that the infamous Shadow Fiend's hideout is in Rome, fifteen minutes away from the Catholic Church's base of operations?"

Leisurely sitting on a decently comfortable couch, I glanced at the dozens of unconscious humans around the large hall, each with a magic circle levitating above their heads.

"But since Lyra managed to live here for over a century without anyone realising, the barriers around this place must be pretty impressive…."

Since I couldn't detect the underground dungeon below this mansion despite knowing it was there, I had no option but to check the memories of every person who lived there.

All of these humans were thoroughly brainwashed by Lyra to keep up appearances for her and supply her with blood weekly, so one of them was bound to know the passage to the dungeon.

Shadow Fiend's work schedule was taking one or two assassination requests per century, and apart from that, she spent most of her time in her dungeon, sleeping peacefully inside her coffin.

[Notice. Found the dungeon's entrance.]

Great Sage guided me to the dungeon's entrance, and I placed my hand over the enormous door before pouring my Demonic Power into it, replicating the pattern I learned from the memories of Lyra's dead subordinate.

The door soon opened, revealing a path that resembled a luxurious castle's hallway more than a dungeon's entrance.

I walked forward based on the memories I collected from the servant, who only knew a few locations within this dungeon, so if the things I needed weren't there, I'd need to search around the place for hours.

'Let's hope I find those documents quickly...'

The reason I came here despite it being troublesome was simple.

A few days before she came to kidnap me, Lyra received a report about an excavation planned by the Tepes Faction from the spies she had there.

Elmenhilde tried to confirm its authenticity, but even the Carmilla Faction wasn't aware of this excavation, so I had no choice but to come here myself.

The servant also only knew the overview of the reports, but the Tepes Faction's goal was enough to interest me.

Gleipnir.

A legendary grimoire that operated on time and space. From what the legends said, it allowed the user to affect parallel worlds, transcend dimensions, and even control beasts.

However, I didn't know how much of that information was accurate, along with its current location or the excavation date, so I came here to find the reports Lyra received.

'Maybe I should've told Alice about [A Corpse Never Lies] beforehand… She wouldn't have destroyed Lyra's body if she knew…'

It was a shame.

After walking for around half an hour, I arrived at Lyra's bed-chamber, and the moment I opened its door, my movements paused.

'There's no way in hell…'

The room was extremely luxurious, and the reports I wanted were on the study table. However, I ignored that and walked over to the coffin at the room's centre.

Two hands extended from my shadow and opened the coffin's lid.

"You…"

The woman's eyes trembled when she looked up at me from within the coffin.

White hair, blood-red eyes, and an extremely beautiful, almost enchanting face…

"Lyra…"

Even though it had only been a few weeks in the real world, a long time had passed since that incident in my head, but there was no way I'd forget this bitch's face.

'To think she survived without Alice even realising…'

But it didn't seem like she survived with no consequences.

Most of Lyra's body was gone, and the only thing that remained was her head and shoulders. Next to her face was a strangely familiar dried forearm.

'Looks like she drank my blood to barely survive that encounter…'

Even now, Lyra's body was qcontinuously healing, albeit very slowly. With this speed, it'd take her at least three years to regenerate her entire body.

In this state, she couldn't use her Magic Power, either.

After her initial shock subsided, Lyra spoke in a defeated tone. "You know how to extract memories from the dead…"

Hearing those words, I couldn't help but laugh a little.

She was so confident in her abilities that, in her mind, the only way I could've found her hideout was by reading the memories of the corpse I stored during our battle.

Not like she was wrong, though. If it weren't for [A Corpse Never Lies], I'd have no hope of finding this place, as even Alice found zero leads regarding Shadow Fiend.

"I never thought I'd say this, but…" The more I stared at Lyra, the wider my smile became. "I'm glad you survived, Lyra…"

Since it couldn't be Elmenhilde, I was quite perplexed about where to find her replacement, but…

I found my 'path' to resurrection.

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Words: 6,399

A/N:

Hydra's human form.