— — — — — —
If there was a way to pull this off without relying on Carl or any underhanded schemes, Morgana wouldn't mind rewriting her plans entirely.
And now that this guy had appeared, she had the creeping feeling that her partnership with Carl might not even work anymore.
In fact… she was starting to think Carl himself might be in danger.
After all, the one who actually wanted to stir up chaos and death on Earth was Carl, not her.
"If that's how you see it, sure. Close enough."
Renzo didn't deny it.
"Your Majesty! The technique works! It's incredible—just by running through it once, I can feel myself getting stronger!"
The test subject demon reported back with barely contained excitement.
"Oh? It really works?"
"Then what are we waiting for? Black Wind, work with me and analyze this thing properly. We need to see if there are any hidden issues."
Inside, Morgana was thrilled, but she kept her expression cool and detached.
A queen had to keep up appearances. She couldn't just go squealing with excitement like some rookie grunt.
She was no bumpkin.
So she started researching the technique herself.
Half a day later, after multiple tests, Morgana was convinced it was safe. She immediately tried it personally.
And the moment she ran it through a single cycle—
She felt it. She really could absorb dark energy and use it to strengthen herself, even down to the genetic level.
"This is… unbelievable."
Her expression was equal parts awe and disbelief.
"There's nothing unbelievable about it," Renzo replied with a grin. "It's just a different path to the same goal. Honestly, your fourth-gen god-body tech and demon gene research are pretty fascinating too—they've given me a lot of ideas."
"As for the celestial computer, I haven't completely cracked it yet, but from what I've seen so far? Very impressive work."
"You…" Morgana's expression stiffened. "You're not seriously telling me you just quietly finished analyzing my systems, are you?"
"You even cracked the deepest layers of demon gene code? That's way beyond what any Insight Eye can do! Can you teach me how to do that?"
Suddenly, she felt like she'd been completely ripped off.
This pretty-boy wasn't just strong—he was loaded with skills. That method and those tech gifts? Probably the lowest-tier stuff in his collection.
Renzo just laughed and shook his head. "Don't be greedy. Just mastering that technique will make your future limitless. As for my analysis ability? Sorry, that can't be taught. Not possible."
He wasn't kidding. His Omniscience Eye had been upgraded and perfected by countless versions of himself across worlds until it had transcended into a rule-level ability.
No way he was just handing that over.
Sure, he could create a watered-down version of it… but not for Morgana.
"Ugh, stingy."
Morgana pouted.
"By the way," Renzo said casually, "don't you think your makeup and outfit are hideous?"
"…What?"
Morgana's temper flared. "My sense of style is called mystique and dominance, thank you very much! You're the ugly one! Your whole family is ugly!"
"Tsk, tsk…" Renzo shook his head. "People really do hate facing the truth."
"I'm not 'people!' I'm a demon!" Morgana snapped.
"Fine, fine. You're not human."
"…Something about that still feels insulting."
Morgana clicked her tongue, then quickly changed tactics. "You know, all this analyzing must be a hassle. What if I just copy all my tech for you—demon gene research, celestial computer schematics, everything—and you teach me your analysis method in exchange?"
If she couldn't stop him from taking what he wanted, she might as well try to get something useful out of it.
Morgana knew when to compromise.
"No need. Give me another day or two and I'll be done anyway."
Renzo didn't even hesitate before turning her down.
"…You've got some nerve."
Her eye twitched.
This guy was freeloading off her hard work and acting like it was the most natural thing in the world.
If she could actually beat him, she'd already be tearing him apart with Demon Claw.
...
Over the next day and a half, Renzo finished fully cracking the celestial computer and extracting every bit of tech he wanted.
When he was finally satisfied, he stood and said, "All done. I'm heading out. Remember what I said—stay out of Earth's business and don't mess with our ecosystem or safety. Other than that, do whatever you like."
Without waiting for a reply, he vanished from Demon One.
"Ugh! He even has to piss me off on his way out!"
Morgana growled and turned to Black Wind. "Did you see how he left?"
"Uh…"
Black Wind wiped the sweat from his brow. "N-no, Your Majesty. It was strange—like he just… stopped existing. Honestly, I think it's some kind of mystical spatial ability. Totally different from anything tech-based."
"I thought as much."
Morgana tapped her chin thoughtfully."From everything I've gathered, that's what he calls 'the power of laws.'"
"Laws… the rules that make up the universe itself, huh? No wonder it's so insane. Looks like this world is about to change—big time."
Whether it was angels, Carl, or even Kieran the Time God, every major power was about to be thrown into chaos.
And Morgana was sure of one thing: the man who'd trigger it all would be Renzo.
"Well, at least I've gotten a head start on everyone else. That's something."
"No attacking humans, no wrecking Earth's ecology, huh? Guess that really does mean you're from there."
"Fine. Then I know what I need to do next."
She wasn't about to stop milking this for all it was worth. There was still so much to learn—more techniques, more secrets about this "mystical side" of reality.
"Kesha, you bitch…" Morgana grinned wickedly. "This time I'm ahead of you all. Just wait—when I've mastered this new power, it'll be the end of you. Ha! Hahahaha!"
...
On the other side, Renzo returned straight home.
Two spatial portals opened almost immediately—his two clones stepped through and dissolved into streams of light, merging back into his body.
Suddenly, a flood of data poured into his mind: information about the Great Worm Bridge, the Power of the Galaxy, the technology of Norstar War Gods, even the secrets of the Sunlight civilization.
He digested it all at lightning speed.
"So that's how it works… Anti-Void technology, huh? Pretty interesting. But it's still not perfect. If I want a flawless version, I might have to grab the angel's Void Engine tech and merge it in."
Renzo's lips curled into a faint smile at the thought.
.
.
.