Towards The Laboratory

"Aliken, how dare a dog like you speak that way about Lord Cambela?"The man behind the woman spoke, fury etched across his face.

"Oh? So, that girl told you about me? Interesting…"Aliken smirked.

"Of course. We know plenty about you, Aliken—also known as the traitor, or Ebonveil's mutt."

A chuckle escaped the devil's lips."Simply because I chose to live with dignity instead of under the constant threat of death?Cambela was the one who failed to grasp the situation."

The two sides exchanged words laced with venom, furious glares, and thinly veiled death threats.

Jeremy watched the back-and-forth with growing interest.He loved drama.And he knew they wouldn't start a fight in front of him.

Well—Not because of him personally, but because of Drae'mon, Leo'sol, and SuperCannon, who had joined him shortly after the trio's arrival.

From what Jeremy had gathered, Aliken and Cambela were once part of a group that sought to build a faction of their own.Their abilities meshed perfectly.Together, they had caused chaos wherever they went.

And in a way, they had made a name for themselves across the galaxy.Each member of that group was, in their own way, exceptional.Within their rank, they were unmatched. There were always outliers, sure—but that was the general truth.

Cambela had belonged to the Hexforge Clan.They weren't in the galaxy's top ten, but they ranked among the top fifty.Their strength lay in crafting high-quality tools, and because of that, they were respected by all.

But Cambela's presence—and the discovery of her Class—sparked envy throughout the cosmos.She became a target.

Aliken, always jealous of her power, betrayed her.He sided with the Ebonveil, while Cambela was forced to choose: captivity, or the annihilation of her clan.

The rest was history.Her clan chose to protect her, sacrificing themselves in the process—but they succeeded in getting her to escape.

Until now.She'd been found.

"So that's how it happened…"Jeremy scratched his chin."Interesting."

"That's enough."

Jeremy's voice cut through the tension like a blade.There was no room for disagreement. His tone was absolute.

"It's simple, really. We go find this Cambela and put an end to whatever the hell is going on with this planet, right?"

His gaze shifted toward the trio—landing squarely on the woman.

Her name was Veronika, and the two men behind her were Lucas—the one with the savage look—and Marcelo, the clean-cut one.

"What are you planning to do?"Veronika wasn't afraid of Jeremy or his undead.

Jeremy looked at her with cold indifference.He had no interest in arguing with the weak.His earlier curiosity had already been satisfied.

With a simple flick of his hand—Drae'mon moved.

Then—A clean strike pierced the woman's throat.

Her eyes flew open.Sweat poured from her body.

She was dead.

The two men behind her were frozen in horror at the action of the black skeleton.They hadn't sensed a thing.

Seconds passed in silence.They didn't even move.Fear gripped them.

But as the moments ticked by, they noticed something.

Their leader, Veronika… wasn't dead.Or rather—her head was still attached to her neck.

She herself realized it a second later.

"Don't misunderstand me."

Jeremy's cold, ruthless voice washed over the trio, sending chills down their spines.

"That wasn't a question. It was a statement.Take me to your headquarters, or whatever you call it—Let's finish this."

The three listened in silence.

Veronika didn't answer immediately—She was still shaken.That black skeleton… it was far too strong.

She'd felt it.Total annihilation.

Not even the artifact their master had given them would help against that abomination.And the terrifying part?She felt the same suffocating pressure from the other three monsters standing beside the boy.

"…Fine. I'll take you to our lab. But—"

After regaining her composure, Veronika began to speak—only to stop just a moment later.She could feel a warm liquid trickling down her neck.

"No 'but'. You only have to decide whether you want to take me there alive—"Jeremy pointed to one of the humanoid skeletons in his army."—or undead."

Another shiver ran down her spine.

"O-okay… follow me. I'll take you to our ship."

And so, after storing away his Bone Legion, Jeremy mounted SuperCannon and followed the trio.

Alongside him were Drae'mon, Leo'sol, and Aliken.

The devil was now officially part of the group, though he could still feel the black skeleton's constant attention on him.One wrong move, and he was dead.

And since he had already betrayed Cambela once, he had no qualms about betraying the clan that took him in—the Ebonveil.That was his nature. A traitor.And he had no intention of changing.He wouldn't hesitate to betray Jeremy in the future either.After all, that was part of the plan.

Before leaving with them, Jeremy gave a simple nod to Headmistress Rose Redspine.She didn't respond right away—still dazed from everything that had just happened.She couldn't make sense of the situation at all.

But of all the thoughts swirling in her head, one stood out: the presence of these humanoid figures at the peak of Rank S.How could beings this powerful exist, yet she had never heard of them?Was the world hiding something from her?

Full of unanswered questions, she managed only a small nod in return.

Minutes passed in silence before the group arrived at the ship.

Jeremy didn't show it, but he was impressed.He had memories of such machines—but had never seen one while alive.

The spaceship was metallic gray, with a simple, functional design.

As they approached, Veronika entered a few commands, and the rear hatch opened.

A staircase unfolded, and the group boarded.

The interior was minimalistic.There was a control cabin with various panels, though no one needed to touch them—The onboard AI would handle everything.

"Welcome aboard," Veronika said with a forced smile."Lucas, Marcelo. Show our guests to their rooms."

The ship wasn't large.There were only three rooms—one for each member of Veronika's team.

But now, Lucas and Marcelo would have to give theirs up for Jeremy and Aliken.

"The journey will only take a few minutes anyway," she added.

Jeremy simply nodded and followed the others.

A few minutes later, they arrived.

The group disembarked.Before them stood a dome-shaped building, completely white—almost like polished marble.

They approached a sealed door.There were no guards, only cameras and electronic sensors that scanned a person's aura to grant access.

Some time earlier…Inside a dim room, a hooded figure sat watching dozens of screens—each one showing different scenes of chaos and destruction, where monsters clashed with humans.

These screens displayed footage from other human cities, including the most important: the imperial capital, Velrath.But unlike the others, Velrath showed no signs of ruin.Not even a single Gate.

The figure wasn't surprised.They knew the strength of the capital.But they weren't worried.Reinforcements were coming.More demons under their command, ready to tear everything apart.

"I wonder if those three ran into trouble… they might've encountered him, after all."

Their attention shifted to a screen displaying the North Capital.

"…"

What they saw was beyond their most chaotic expectations.An army of skeletons, grotesque monsters, and a devil kneeling before a human being—

They were speechless.

Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

The devil on-screen was unmistakably Aliken.The traitor.They knew exactly how strong he was.

A moment later, a laugh burst out in the room—sharp and shattering like glass.

"So it's true. Karma does exist."

Then they watched as their team was subdued, and the human and his group were escorted directly to their lab.

Sigh.

A breath escaped the hooded figure's lips.They stood from the chair and walked toward the door.

Two humans in black armor stood guard outside.The moment they saw her, they saluted.

But Cambela didn't respond.

She was heading to the lab's entrance—