Chapter 109: "War"

The concept of day and night had long since vanished from this planet. Everything was steeped in a chaotic, indistinguishable haze, leaving one adrift in time, with no way to measure how much had passed.

Amidst a patch of red vegetation, downy, crimson flora swayed like waves. Countless bizarre organs lay scattered among them, preserved in a thin, yellow gelatinous film. Bloody stalks connected these disparate pieces of flesh, pulsing rhythmically to supply them with ample nutrients. Among them were organ specimens Adonsa had harvested from the native demons, as well as enhanced versions it had cultivated itself after deciphering the demonic genome.

Adonsa toyed with a basketball-sized heart in its hands and asked, "What is a human?"

Roger tried his best to ignore the gruesome scene before him. After a moment of thought, he replied cautiously, "I suppose the race with the highest level of civilization in a given region could be considered the 'humans' of that region."

Adonsa responded, "Then if we have arrived here, can we declare that both humans and demons are mere primitives?"

Roger added, somewhat embarrassed, "Native, native. To be the humans of a region, one must have lived there since the dawn of evolution."

Adonsa began connecting the demon—which had been hollowed out of most of its internal organs—to various re-engineered, reinforced organs, saying, "That answer is barely passable, but it often encounters contradictions in practice."

Roger frowned. "What do you mean? You’ve been busy for so long—what exactly have you discovered?"

Adonsa wore a mysterious smile. "A few interesting things, though I’m afraid they aren't of much direct help to the mission."

Roger paced back and forth, his long ears twitching with agitation. Finally, he couldn't help but say, "You asked us to help you manage these demons, and we’ve done our best. Anglora and Old Iron have even done a perfect job scouting other demon tribes. We are partners now, aren't we? Can’t you tell us your plan?"

Adonsa extended a hand toward the demon, sprouting numerous slender, flexible, and multi-functional tentacles. These connected various nerves and blood vessels, secreting unique growth hormones while providing sufficient nutrients to replenish the once-hollowed creature.

It glanced at Roger, connected the final vessel, and jump-started the demon’s circulatory system, accelerating its metabolic reactions. "Killing or protecting, plundering or giving, completing the mission or sabotaging it—this is the sum total of an Apostle’s life. It varies from person to person, but the essence remains the same. You always forget the things that hold more value. For example, this."

The demon let out a confused roar, and glowing, brilliant purple veins erupted across its entire body. A fist-sized purple crystal was embedded in its heart, emitting terrifying energy radiation.

Roger shrugged indifferently. "Is there a problem with that?"

Adonsa said, "Well, I suppose one shouldn't expect too much from you."

Roger remained open-minded. "It’s not that I don’t understand what you’re saying. The physical laws, species genetics, or cultural and power systems of every world are invaluable treasures. But Apostles simply don't have the time to study these things. It requires a massive, well-organized research chain that a single Apostle cannot manage."

Adonsa asked, "A single Apostle cannot manage? From the sound of it, are there multiple Apostles working together on such things?"

Roger nodded. "'Truth Cage'—the name implies breaking the shackles of truth to find the fallacies of the world. It’s a powerful 'box garden' where knowledge is the only currency. Everyone inside is a madman obsessed with research. They’ve even split into organizations like 'The Blind,' 'The Transcendents,' and 'The Repetitive,' each conducting research in different fields. They despise each other and frequently break out into internal wars."

The awakened demon’s vacant eyes were gradually filled with agony and brutality. It roared, struggling violently with its limbs, but it was pinned to the crude stone altar by countless white, fibrous threads. Its red muscles were slowly covered by a layer of thick, grayish-white crystals, stretching the high-density carbon fiber threads until they were on the verge of snapping.

Before the threads could break, the stone altar beneath it began to crumble. Just as the demon was about to break free, Adonsa casually severed its central nervous system, plunging all its rage and resentment into an endless darkness.

Adonsa said, "Truth Cage? One day, I will go find them. I have cracked the genetic code of this species. I found that their genetic stability is extremely poor, and their mutation rate is incredibly high. Even among the same tribe, the genetic gap can be wider than that between a human and a pig. In other words, whether looking at appearance or genetics, we can’t even distinguish the difference between a carnivorous worm and a demon."

Adonsa extended its right hand, and a small purple crystal manifested in its palm. "This purple crystal is the source of the demons' power. It’s a mineral with alarming radiation levels. Scattered everywhere, it is what triggers the mutations in subterranean creatures and demons. The energy it contains makes all subterranean life both frenzied and powerful. If consumed directly, the effect is even more astounding. The higher up the food chain, the more severe the accumulation; it can even grow directly inside the body. As long as one can withstand the radiation, one can naturally gain immense power. It just tends to lower intelligence and make one’s appearance hideous. Overall, it’s a very cost-effective strengthening energy."

Roger’s ears drooped. "I don't think so..."

This mutation was both physical and spiritual, and Roger felt no one would want to pay such a price for power. But it didn't matter; his opinions were never valued anyway.

Adonsa’s tentacles covered the purple crystal, shifting and deforming to simulate the energy circulation circuits of subterranean creatures, successfully constructing an extra, tumor-like organ on its right hand. It triggered the energy, and countless arcs of electricity pierced the air, striking everything around it.

One bolt hit an unsuspecting Roger, causing his white fur to stand entirely on end. It was only because Adonsa was merely testing the waters that Roger didn't suffer significant damage from the tens of thousands of volts.

Trembling from the shock, Roger stared in disbelief. "Is this the new power you’ve mastered?"

Adonsa tapped its head with a finger. "This is knowledge. Knowledge is power. I have self-taught the basics of magitech. The field of magitech energy studies emphasizes how to use various exotic energies that are neither chemical nor mass-based, rather than just relying on specific magical energy."

To all this, Roger could only sigh in frustration. "Is this the power of a Cyberman? Research, then utilize—it’s truly terrifying."

"Wait," Roger suddenly remembered something. "What about humans? I don't believe you haven't intercepted human genes for study."

Adonsa did not answer. Roger continued, "You said you discovered something interesting. But these findings regarding the demons hardly qualify as interesting. So, what exactly did you find when it comes to humans?"

Adonsa said, "It is not enough."

"Hm?"

Adonsa walked into another newly excavated, massive cavern. It was the result of a half-day's work by dozens of tunneling earthworms Adonsa had captured and controlled. These behemoths, which Adonsa had studied first, occupied the upper rungs of the subterranean food chain. They could easily secrete a fluid that softened and solidified rock, creating tunnels—the construction workers of the demonic assault on the surface.

In the nearly spherical space, a downy, blood-colored vegetation crawled over the ground, walls, and ceiling. Dozens of things resembling giant fruits were placed on the floor or suspended from the walls, within which the grotesque shapes of demons were faintly visible.

Following behind Adonsa, watching all this come into being, Roger felt a complex mix of emotions. Though Adonsa could no longer shapeshift itself, that did not stop it from modifying other creatures to serve its purpose.

The prototype for this "fungal carpet" was a fungal organism that emitted psychedelic scents to lure prey, then anesthetized and dissolved their proteins. After Adonsa’s modifications, it had become the perfect culture dish. It could digest food at lightning speed; whether flesh, bone, or mineralized exoskeletons, they were no different from water-soaked flour when faced with its enhanced digestive fluids, which then supplied nutrients to various biological tissues.

The rest was simple: decomposition, comparison, analysis, enhancement, replication, and combination. Through these mechanical and tedious processes that allowed for no shortcuts, Adonsa, with its superhuman computational power, rapidly mastered the planet’s biological genetic code and understood the functions of each gene and the laws governing the purple crystal’s energy.

As fellow carbon-based life forms, even with different structural foundations, there were still traces to follow. If it were entirely different silicon-based life, the difficulty would have increased by at least ten orders of magnitude.

Of the original three hundred-plus demons, plus the thousands of others from various tribes that followed, Adonsa’s destructive experiments had ultimately produced only these few dozen powerful demons—who were either lucky or miserable, depending on one's perspective.

Roger looked at them sleeping from a distance, and he could almost feel a suffocating aura.

Adonsa extended a tentacle, connected it to the fungal carpet, and input a command. "The relationship between humans and dragons seems even more peculiar than I imagined. But the sample size is too small. I cannot confirm my hypothesis."

Roger had a bad premonition. "And so?"

Adonsa looked at Roger with an expressionless face, seemingly not even deigning to answer. Roger turned his gaze away, feeling humiliated.

He looked heavily at the dozens of fruits, which were automatically withering and splitting open, revealing the confused demons that had been modified by Adonsa.

These killing machines, whose very nerves had been altered, only responded to Adonsa’s dual control of electromagnetic waves and pheromones. It could be said that forcing them to commit suicide was but a single thought away for Adonsa.

Adonsa licked its lips, a look of excitement flickering across its face. "End these weak, pathetic games of house. Now, it is time for my war game."