Rosa materialized in the dark safe house, where Carn, Gawain, and Merlin had been patiently waiting for her return. Her stone face was expressionless as usual, so the two men did not suspect her for messing up the task.
"It’s done, Master. The hero-grade android has been dealt with."
Carn raised an eyebrow, interested in the term. "Android?"
Rosa clarified, "The target was an augmented human… if you can even call him human anymore. His entire body and even his brain had been replaced with synthetic components. There wasn’t much left of him that could be considered biological."
"An augmented human, huh? Did you encounter any issues during the kill?"
Rosa recalled the grotesque struggle in the shower and the resilience of Oiler’s augmented body. "His artificial components made him resistant to my petrification curse. Only his synthetic skin was affected, and I had to take more direct measures to eliminate him. He was... durable."
Gawain, who had experience dealing with androids, added to the conversation, "Did you remove his core? Without extracting the core, he won’t die. Most augmented humans store their consciousness in the core instead of the brain."
Rosa showed them the so-called core that she had extracted from Oiler. She handed it to Carn.
"I dismantled his power core. It’s right here."
Carn received the power core and inspected it. At a glance, it resembled something from a superhero movie that a hero used to sustain his life. He then recalled the power suits in a military warehouse, where Carn had his first mana scan.
Upon closer inspection of the dismantled core, Carn’s eyes lit up with recognition. What initially seemed like ordinary synthetic components was none other than Aetherium, a crystalized core of a dead demon lord.
"Aetherium? How many demon lords have Earthlings managed to kill to get their hands on this?"
Merlin explained, "They haven’t killed any demon lords themselves. They obtain Aetherium through a farm... from Ohio."
"Ohio? Farm?"
"There’s a heavily fortified military base there, built around a massive rift. That rift connects Earth to the Aether World, and it’s the primary source of Aetherium and other resources from your realm."
"But how are they mass-producing Aetherium? That doesn’t add up."
Merlin revealed a grim truth that he had gathered from the record, "They’ve established something called a Mana Farm. It’s an artificial breeding ground where they produce demon lords. Once the demon lords are mature, they slaughter them to harvest Aetherium."
"What?" Gawain recoiled in shock.
Carn’s face darkened as understanding dawned. "Of course. I see now. When my creator, Overlord Impermanence, reigned, he cast a grand protective spell over his descendants and loyal subordinates. That spell ensured there would always be seventy-two demon lords in the Aether World. Each time one dies, a new demon is chosen to inherit the title, along with the previous demon lord’s power and experience."
Gawain was surprised once more as he hadn’t heard of this information. "Wait, are you saying that’s how the system works? I had no idea."
Carn nodded, "Always has been. That’s why you can’t get rid of any demon faction."
Merlin interjected, clarifying further. "The Earthlings found a way to exploit this system. By breeding weak demons in controlled conditions, they’ve created a pipeline to identify and harvest new demon lords the moment they’re chosen. It’s efficient, cruel, and highly lucrative."
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Gawain looked between Carn and Merlin. "But… you’re not one of the seventy-two demon lords, right? How does that fit in?"
Carn shrugged, "I didn’t inherit my title through the grand spell. My power is self-made. I fought, clawed my way to the top, and earned the title of demon lord from my enemies."
"…Wow. I didn’t know that." Gawain let out a low whistle. His respect toward Carn grew.
Merlin, however, wasn’t finished. "The Earthlings are more cunning than the humans in your world for sure. They don’t end with the farms. Some of the doppelgangers were actually weakened demons from the farm, and they intentionally let loose and terrify the masses. Then, the government established the ECD and played heroes."
"They gain the mass approval after that."
"Yes. They also gain funds and backing from scared elites. With a little push, they can even use the monsters to harass and weaken other countries, forcing them to bend to the ECD and the shadow government."
Carn shrugged, not surprised anymore. At this point, he wondered if he should fully support Kaim Ariel and destroy the entire country. Still, he would rather live in a peaceful environment than survive in a civilization full of smelly zombies.
"We should let them kill each other at this point," Carn sighed. "Should we allow the undead to murder everybody?"
Rosa finally added, "You’re taking your anger on the innocent, master. The culprits are the ones in power here. Also, I heard they will be packing up and migrating to a bunker. I think they knew about the undead invasion."
Merlin confirmed, "Yes. They already knew. In Georgia, there’s a functioning fallout shelter."
"You know the location?"
"All in the book."
"Good. It seems we have just acquired a new HOBBY to kill time."
The three demons and one book in the house all came to an agreement that they got another place to plunder Aether. Relying on Merlin’s data, they formed a plan and a schedule.
.
In the vast expanse of sky, a man with red skin glided effortlessly on a flying energy sword, slicing through the clouds. This was Han, who had recently awakened the memories of his previous life.
Trailing behind him was an angelic knight clad in golden armor. The celestial being, serving as Han’s mentor, guided him in mastering the nuances of holy power and Aether.
As they journeyed toward Georgia, Han practiced chanting basic holy spells, preparing himself for a potential confrontation with the undead army. After an hour of steady flight, Han reached the Georgia fallout shelter, where his former colleagues and the governing elite would take refuge. Yet, he refrained from launching an immediate attack, opting for a more strategic approach.
Continuing his flight, Han descended into Atlanta. Once within the city, he dismissed his transformation and his energy sword, assuming the guise of an ordinary civilian. He then cleansed his clothes and body with his holy spell that he had just learned.
The wrinkles in his shirt disappeared, leaving it impeccably smooth, as though it had been freshly ironed. A faint scent of sunlight lingered on the fabric, completing his unassuming appearance.