The massive iron door creaked open with a long metallic groan. A single figure emerged.
The creature had the upper body of a human, but from the waist down it was an enormous spider. Its upper body belonged to a thin, bald man with wisps of white hair along the sides of his head. He wore a long white coat resembling a laboratory uniform.
"Grrr... What?! Who are you?! How did you get in here?!" The spider creature stared at the three girls in shock. "Dalmina! Dalmini! Capture them! I'll use them as my next test subjects! Grrr!" He barked an order.
Two monstrous beasts stepped out from behind him. They were dog-headed humanoids with gorilla-like bodies, covered in white fur spotted with black patches like Dalmatian dogs. Each carried a heavy iron club tipped with a massive spiked ball. Without hesitation, they charged at the intruders.
Akane suddenly had a short spear about one meter long in her hand. She rushed forward to meet them. "You evil monsters! The experiments you've been performing on those creatures are beyond inhuman!"
A fierce battle erupted.
The two Dalmatian monsters attacked Akane with savage brutality. She nimbly dodged, blocked, and countered their relentless blows, her spear flashing through the air with remarkable speed.
"Grr... Hurry up and catch them! Why is this taking so long?! You useless dogs! Grrr!" The spider monster shouted impatiently.
Hearing their master's anger, the dog monsters became even more vicious. Several bottles containing experimental chemicals were smashed during the fight. Glass shattered across the laboratory floor.
"Grr... You miserable pests! When I catch you, I'll turn all of you into experimental materials! I'll cut you into pieces just like those humans we captured yesterday! Grrr!"
The spider monster continued ranting furiously.
Fatheema, who had been quietly observing both the battle and the laboratory, suddenly froze after hearing those words. "What?! You devil!" In the next instant, she exploded into motion. She sprinted forward at incredible speed. Leaping into the air, she stepped on top of the Dalmatian monsters' heads, using them as footholds to propel herself toward the spider creature.
Within a heartbeat—She was already beside its head.
Her body twisted in midair. A devastating flying side kick slammed into the monster's head.
BAM!
The kick struck its head with tremendous force. The spider creature was sent tumbling violently across the floor.
Ever since mastering the Nirvanic Wind Technique and cultivating her inner force, Fatheema had become astonishingly fast.
Although she had trained for only a short time, her physical abilities had increased dramatically.
The spider monster groaned in agony. It slowly struggled to lift its head—
Only to find a blade pressed firmly against its forehead. "Grr... Mercy!"
"Please forgive me!"
"I'm not a fighter!"
"I'm only a researcher!"
"Please don't hurt me!"
"Have mercy!" The monster pleaded pitifully.
Apparently, despite its frightening appearance, the spider creature was an absolute coward. After suffering only a single strike from Fatheema, it had completely surrendered.
"You devil! You were acting so arrogant just a moment ago. But you're nothing more than a coward. What did you do to the humans you captured?!" Fatheema shouted.
"Forgive me!"
"I lied!"
"Queen Hanako transferred all of them to the Dead Star Tower."
"She didn't leave even one human for my experiments."
"I begged her to let me keep just one..."
"Grrr..."
"Then make yourself useful. Otherwise...I'll cut off every one of your spider legs." Fatheema pressed the tip of her kusarigama blade harder against its forehead.
"Y-Yes! I understand!"
"Please don't kill me!"
"Where's the map to the Dead Star Tower? Hand it over. Now!"
"Grr... Right away. Dalmina! Bring them the map they want!"
The two monsters, who had been frozen in place after watching their master surrender so easily, hurried through the iron door.
Moments later they returned carrying a silver cylinder no longer than a short pipe.
Fatheema couldn't help thinking,
Seriously ?It's that tiny, and both of you had to go together just to fetch it? She accepted the map. "Akane. What else do you need ? There might be something useful in this laboratory."
She gestured toward the shelves, "Hmm... Give me a minute.I want to collect a few tools" Akane searched through the cabinets. She took several bottles filled with various chemicals and stuffed them into her bag. "Ugly spider! Where's the rest of your equipment? Surely this isn't all you have!" Akane barked.
Still trembling in fear, the spider monster pointed toward another iron door.
"That makes sense. Come on. Let's check the next room." Akane quickly headed through the doorway. The others followed.
Fatheema walked behind the spider monster and the two Dalmatian creatures, prodding them forward with the blade of her kusarigama.
The next laboratory was just as enormous as the first. It contained shelves filled with every imaginable tool and instrument. In one corner stood a large bookcase. Massive cylindrical tanks connected to thick cables occupied another section of the room. The cables led toward a large control panel positioned against the far wall.
So this is what a Demonic laboratory looks like... Fatheema quietly observed the room.
There are so many tools I don't recognize. Their power is controlled from that panel over there. It must be connected to some kind of energy source. But what powers all of this?
Electricity? If so... where's the generator?
And what fuel does it use?
Fossil fuel? Something else? Ugh... my head hurts. She couldn't stop wondering. Even supernatural beings studied, invented, and developed technology just like humans.
Fine. Advance all you want. Just don't use humans as your experimental subjects. Thinking of her missing classmates only made her angrier.
"Hey, Fatty! Aren't you taking anything from the lab?" Akane's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"I... I honestly don't know what any of this stuff is." Fatheema shook her head.
"You don't recognize these tools? That's strange. Oh... Maybe they don't exist where you come from. You said you're a human. So... what's a human?" Akane asked curiously.
"Wait... Aren't you human? Then what exactly are you? Are you a spirit too... like Hanako? Are you evil?" Fatheema couldn't help feeling uneasy. Especially after remembering how Akane had transformed into Bruggman.
"I'm just me. I don't know what a human is. This is actually my first time meeting one. You! I'm an Etherial. But don't worry, Fatty. I'm not evil. You've seen that yourself. Hee hee hee." Akane giggled after noticing Fatheema's worried expression.
"Hmm... A human is a rational-thinking animal... No... I guess 'a rational-thinking being' sounds more polite." Fatheema corrected herself.
"Then that makes me human too! I can think rationally!" Skane grinned from ear to ear.
"That's not what I meant. Humans are physical beings. They live on the planet Earth. They're descendants of the first human, the Prophet Adam. They live in societies and build civilizations." Fatheema explained while moving her open hand up and down to emphasize each point.
"Hahaha!" All right, Fatty. Forget about that. Go find anything useful. Let's loot this bald spider and his stupid dogs." Akane laughed as she pointed at the bald spider monster.
"Hmm...I don't think so.It'd be too much trouble carrying everything.My backpack's too small." Fatheema turned slightly to show her backpack.
"You mean that bag? Hmm...Here.I'll give you a Dimensional Bracelet. It's a storage bracelet. It can hold a huge amount of items. Much more convenient." Akane pulled out a green bracelet and held it out to Fatheema.
***