When Jormungandr, Fafnir, and Ouroboros heard Vlad’s intention regarding the demon’s soul, their eyes widened, and concerned frowns emerged on their faces.
The Sky Seed Depravitas knew Demon Soul Hunter was an extraordinarily powerful Strength System that required sealing a demon’s soul inside a Demon Cage Runic Formation embedded in the user’s chest, right above the heart.
Doing so would enhance the user’s power, energy capacity, and natural talent, using the demon’s soul to constantly nurture body and spirit. Unfortunately, the process was not without a severe drawback. Handling a foreign soul inherently posed the risk of soul backlash; the user’s own soul had to be robust enough to resist the demon’s power.
For example, to seal the soul of a Level 15 High Champion Demon within oneself, the cultivator’s soul force must match that of a High Champion. Under normal circumstances, a cultivator’s soul force rose roughly in tandem with their overall cultivation level. Yet certain prodigies, gifted with exceptional potential and unique constitutions, possessed soul forces surpassing what their cultivation tier might suggest.
The Sky Seed Depravitas were prime examples of these anomalies. Although they were only Guardian Tier in terms of lifeform evolution, their racial aptitudes—bolstered further by their Depravita Seeds—had cultivated their Soul Dimensions to the pinnacle of the Sage Tier.
That enhancement conferred numerous benefits, such as boosted mental processing and energy manipulation. Still, trying to seal a Legendary Demon’s soul was another matter entirely, one that exceeded even Peak Sage capacities.
Vlad recognized the concerns reflected in the expressions of the small yellow cat, the white werewolf, and the ice-fire dragon. He merely smiled and spoke confidently.
"Don’t worry, I am not crazy enough to seal a Legendary Soul inside my body. The centuries spent inside this machine have drastically weakened the demon’s soul force, reducing it to the Peak of the Sage Tier."
Although relief visibly eased the frowns of his three companions, they still looked uneasy. Even if the demon’s soul had been diminished to Peak Sage levels, it originated from a Legendary being.
Achieving Legendary status generally brought about profound changes in a cultivator’s essence and potential hidden abilities. Who knew what terrifying secrets might lie dormant within such a soul?
Nevertheless, witnessing the firm determination in Vlad’s gaze, the trio realized that trying to dissuade him was futile. Exchanging resigned nods, they accepted his decision and refocused their attention on the still-living but inert Legendary Angel bound within the other tube.
Signs of life lingered in the celestial woman, but no instinct of mercy or rescue crossed the minds of the Sky Seed Depravitas. In their worldview, angels were no less evil than devils or demons, especially given the role Heaven had played in invading their home realm, Terra.
"I could consume her," Fafnir suggested after a quiet moment of thought. "By using my Depravita Ability, I might glean an ability from her body and soul. If it suits me, I could swap out my Vorometallicae’s Ice Power for whatever skill or trait I extract. Although it’s a gamble," he added, "it might prove worthwhile."
No one else had a more compelling plan for the angel’s body, and it was true that capturing a brand-new ability from the celestial might provide a significant advantage.
Jormungandr had no interest in the angel at all, and Ouroboros surmised that devouring her shell would yield no special benefits beyond what any Peak Sage body would. With no objections forthcoming, everyone approved Fafnir’s proposal.
With decisions made about the demon and angel, the group set to work. They had to move swiftly. Unlike the egg—safely stored in Jormungandr’s spatial ring—the angel and demon were living and breathing, so they could not be stored in the space ring. And transporting them to the Golden Sky Fortress was also very problematic. The best option was to handle everything here in the lab before continuing onward.
Jormungandr and Ouroboros stood guard, each warrior’s eyes scanning the dark corners of the ancient laboratory for any sign of intrusion or hidden danger. Meanwhile, Vlad and Fafnir carefully removed the angel’s and demon’s bodies from the energy tubes.
Immediately, Vlad produced his legendary runic pen and began sketching a Sage Tier Demon Soul Extraction Runic Formation across the demon’s body. His A.I. Chip had completed the design long ago, but this was his first time attempting the procedure. He pushed his mind and body to their absolute limits, resolute in ensuring no mistakes were made.
Fafnir’s task seemed comparatively more straightforward. The towering ice-fire dragon opened his massive maw and swallowed the angel whole, an action that appeared savage yet was perfectly aligned with his Depravita of Envy traits.
The real process began inside Fafnir’s body, where waves of ethereal energy surged through his stomach, dissolving the angel’s flesh and bones, refining and absorbing her essence into his own being. Fafnir’s expression grew grim with concentration as he simultaneously needed to harness and attempt to replicate any special abilities or powers contained within the angel’s soul.
While Vlad and Fafnir worked with absolute focus, Jormungandr and Ouroboros stood vigilant, every muscle poised for action. If an enemy suddenly attacked during these delicate procedures, they could interfere catastrophically, wasting the unique opportunities presented by these Legendary-tier remains. The building appeared deserted, but no one was complacent enough to trust appearances at such a critical moment.
Time passed slowly, tension thick in the air. Finally, after nearly an hour, a resplendent gold radiance ignited within the lab.
Still on guard, Jormungandr and Ouroboros spun around, only to witness Fafnir’s body undergoing a startling transformation: the once-prominent ice element he had wielded since absorbing the Vorometallicae’s Ice Power was being forcibly expelled from his form. Frost and shards of magical ice were violently ejected from his scales, dissolving into the ambient energy. Replacing the cold aura was an intense, shimmering light—a fluid luminosity merging seamlessly with the dragon’s inherent fiery attributes.
Unlike the lingering clash that had always occurred between his ice element and dragon fire, this new liquid light formed an elegant unity with his flames, creating a single, potent force.