'This level should be enough.'
Although the amplification of desire could continue, it came at the cost of the soul being utterly corrupted.
'Corruption on the level of the soul—this is even worse than the defilement of a Corrupted Spirit's Fetus.'
'Tsk tsk~ beyond reincarnation, completely consumed by desire.'
The price was indeed steep.
Bell hadn't expected that once someone was devoured by desire, their soul would completely sink into it, becoming one of those drowned within their own lust.
'If that's the case, it's no wonder Hephaestus couldn't find a way to strip the jealousy from her face. This kind of corruption simply can't be cleansed.'
If even the gods of Tenkai couldn't do it, then the deities of Genkai certainly wouldn't stand a chance.
But as soon as he thought of the gods, another idea came to Bell's mind.
'If desire could be linked with the concept of Godslayer, I wonder if it might also inherit that trait—enough to inflict irreversible harm upon a god's soul.'
Empowered by the Godslayer Development Ability, Bell already possessed the means to cause irreversible damage to a god's body. However, the soul, divinity, and Authority were still beyond his reach.
If a god's soul could also be corrupted, then stripping away its divinity and Authority would become possible. He wouldn't even need the world's intervention—Bell could do it himself.
The method was corruption.
If he could drive a god's soul to fall into corruption, then its inherently pure essence would become tainted. A thoroughly polluted soul could no longer retain divinity or Authority; otherwise, that contamination would spread to the powers themselves, throwing the world into chaos.
So once a god fell into corruption under the influence of desire, Bell could justifiably strip away its divinity and Authority.
'Alright, record that. Let's see if I can find a chance to test it later.'
If the opportunity arose, he might as well try it out in practice. That, of course, depended on whether the deities of Evilus would cooperate.
If they made a move soon, he could catch one or two to serve as test subjects.
When it came to proper deities, Bell couldn't bring himself to kill them. After all, that was not a path one should casually open.
It was Pandora's box—once opened, it could never be closed again.
So Bell believed he needed to hold his line.
Of course, when it came to the gods of Evilus, there was no need for restraint. They were courting death anyway—he might as well make their end a little more meaningful.
Pulling himself back from his scattered thoughts, Bell turned his gaze toward the mutated dwarf.
'Like a starving fly.'
His eyes swept over the gambler lying motionless on the floor. Bell decided to give the man a chance to prove himself.
Why... why... why!?
The old noble with beast ears was on the brink of madness.
Watching the operator he'd worked with for years turn into a man-eating monster, seeing his former partners swallowed one by one, his sanity completely collapsed.
"Why! It was just a normal baptism for some clueless kid—why did this happen!?"
At this moment, regret was all he had left.
But it wasn't regret for conspiring with the operator to deceive others—it was the bitter regret of realizing he should never have come to the Grand Casino today.
If he hadn't been there, this whole disaster wouldn't have fallen right into his lap.
"Why! Why didn't the Ganesha Familia guards outside notice such a commotion?"
The old noble's mind was still seething with resentment.
He was already ancient, his body long past its prime. Now, faced with such a horrifying sight, his legs had turned to jelly from sheer terror. Running was completely out of the question. All he could do was curse his misfortune in his heart.
But suddenly, the old noble felt his trembling limbs stop shaking—and then, unbelievably, strength returned to them.
"I can move!?"
The realization nearly made him shout aloud.
Gathering what little courage he had left, he glanced toward the Operator, who was still devouring his victims. That single look almost made him vomit.
Yet it was precisely that glimpse that gave this old man—who already had one foot in the grave—the desperate courage he needed.
He didn't want to die. He especially didn't want to be eaten alive.
Bracing himself with both hands, he pushed off the ground, sprang to his feet, and bolted toward the main entrance.
"BAM!"
The door burst open, startling the two Ganesha Familia guards stationed outside.
Seeing the light beyond, the old noble immediately screamed at the top of his lungs:
"Help me!!"
But before his cry could even fade, a massive shadow loomed over him.
"Boom!!!!"
Blood splattered everywhere.
A living man was smashed into a bloody pulp with a single punch.
The gruesome sight threw the once-noisy Grand Casino into a brief, stunned silence.
"Aah!!!!!"
Moments later, panicked screams erupted all around.
'Hmm, with this, the Grand Casino is completely finished.'
Once Evilus was involved, ruin was inevitable.
But if the Corrupted Spirit's Fetus was also entangled in this, then there would be no chance of survival—no grave deep enough to hide the aftermath.
Bell had already provided enough information. He was certain that with such a spectacle, both the gods of Orario and the nobles beyond its borders would have seen everything clearly.
After finishing his work, Bell ignored the chaos around him and stepped directly into the barrier.
Just as he entered, Loki approached with a grin.
"You really are ruthless, kid."
"Not only did you frame Evilus, but you even created the illusion that the Spirits were involved."
Loki spoke with a bright, mischievous smile, clearly satisfied with how perfectly everything had played out.
Bell shared the sentiment.
"While I can't be certain this will divide Evilus and the Spirits, after this incident, Evilus will likely lose all trust in them."
"Are you really sure those bastards will believe the Spirits were behind it?"
"Naturally. I've made preparations."
Bell hadn't wasted the opportunity or his time.
This experiment wasn't originally scheduled for this moment, but the timing was perfect—and the spectacle too grand—to let it go to waste.
"Besides saturating that Dwarf with desire, I also implanted a Level 4 Enhanced Magic Stone into his body."
"The Dwarf himself didn't have the potential to reach Level 5, but that Magic Stone did. By forcing the two together—just like the case with the Spirit—the Dwarf was able to evolve into what he is now."