Chapter 1179: Version 0.1 Artificial Angel
The figure was as swift as a meteor, leaving only brief traces in the air as supersonic sonic booms erupted like strings of firecrackers, surrounded by faint ring-shaped clouds formed by displaced dust!
A triumphant smile spread across Beatrice's face.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't light at all.
But rather a human figure.
A figure resembling a girl of about fourteen or fifteen, her body wrapped entirely in bandages.
Her face was covered by a bizarrely shaped mask, with blood vessels extending from her back to form ferocious wings—a vicious and ugly appearance reminiscent of a demon!
To enemies, she appeared as a demon, but to allies, she was an angel.
"Though control is still lacking, the power of the artificial angel is undeniable. Just her flight speed alone surpasses the speed of sound! With such power, not only can she rival the Old Generation, but she might even stand against a True Ancestor!"
Seeing that the armored figure showed no reaction to the streaking light, as if completely caught off guard, Beatrice's confidence grew even stronger.
After all, the True Ancestors' strength lay solely in their familiars; their physical bodies weren't particularly powerful. Among the Demon Clan, they couldn't even compare to giants, oni, or beastmen.
Bypassing the familiars to deliver a decisive blow against a True Ancestor was common knowledge in this world.
And supersonic movement speed, at close range, made it difficult even for a True Ancestor to react in time, allowing victory before they could summon their familiars—this was Beatrice's confidence!
However.
This common sense was shattered by the Fourth True Ancestor.
Facing the phantom-like strike, the armored figure silently raised a hand.
"Has he given up?"
A scornful thought flashed through Beatrice's mind.
What could a physically frail vampire do with one hand against a supersonic charge?
But in the next moment, the scene before her eyes stunned her.
The instant the streaking light reached him.
The armored figure shifted his stance, moving slightly to narrowly evade the powerful charge.
As they passed each other, he opened his palm.
With precise accuracy, he grabbed the artificial angel's mask!
"Boom!"
Then, leaning forward, he exerted force.
Like a sponge, the artificial angel, caught off guard, was powerless to resist as she was slammed into the ground!
"Crack!"
The mask, made of unknown material, shattered like glass.
Revealing a face frozen in shock, eyes already closed.
It was unmistakably a young girl.
But the blood vessels on her face bulged grotesquely, giving her an intensely ugly and ferocious appearance.
"You call this an angel?"
The armored figure sneered.
He released his grip, stepped over the unconscious girl, and walked toward Beatrice.
"H-how? This shouldn't be..."
Beatrice stared in stunned disbelief.
She couldn't comprehend the situation before her.
The supersonic artificial angel, defeated in a single blow?
The artificial angel she had placed such high hopes in, believing it would become a top-tier weapon to sweep across the international stage and bring her immeasurable wealth—defeated so easily?
It was like still playing with intercontinental missiles when the enemy suddenly pulled out orbital weapons.
Are you kidding me?!
"I don't believe it!"
Beatrice nearly ground her silver teeth to dust.
"Pierce him, Snake Red Silk!"
Crimson magical energy surged from her body, coalescing into a two-meter-long red spear, its tip gleaming with fragmented cold light like a serpent's flickering tongue.
Summoning her familiar, Beatrice thrust the spear forward.
Her attacks were vicious, each strike aimed at fatal weak points like the head and heart.
But.
"Clang! Clang! Clang—!"
The spear tips struck the golden armor without leaving even a scratch.
"A living weapon-type familiar. You're a T-type vampire under Giada's command."
The armored figure understood immediately.
Among the three internationally recognized True Ancestors, vampires created through the Blood of the Forgotten War King were closest to traditional vampires, fearing silver, running water, garlic, etc. Meanwhile, vampires under the Extinction Pupil had largely overcome these weaknesses.
Those serving the Chaos Princess were the most unique.
Not only were all vampires in her territory female, but these female vampires could also shape their familiars into forms like spears or whips, using them as living weapons, making them particularly skilled in close combat.
Beatrice appeared to be one of Giada's subordinates.
"Thud!"
The armored figure struck with a hammer-like fist.
Beatrice's head was instantly driven into her chest cavity, her consciousness cutting out immediately.
As the spear familiar dissipated, her delicate body swayed and collapsed to the ground.
"I won't go easy on you just because you're under Giada."
Even for a vampire, such an injury would take half a day to recover from.
Leaving these icy words behind, the armored figure stepped over Beatrice's body.
Ahead lay the deepest part of the research institute at last.
...
Pain spread across her body like continuous speckles, densely covering every part of her.
The girl lay on a smooth marble bed.
The agony throughout her body left her unable to utter a single word, while the glaring white light before her eyes gradually clouded her consciousness.
This was a ward resembling a sanctuary, engraved everywhere with ancient sacred texts, as if it were a stage for communion with the divine, built from the very beginning to transform humans into gods.
A single tear slowly trickled from the corner of the girl's eye.
A stern-faced middle-aged man stood before the glass, his impassive gaze fixed on the girl.
She had sacred silver hair cut at shoulder length, wearing only a bodysuit, her skin etched with countless peculiar patterns that, upon closer inspection, seemed to share the same essence as the sacred texts surrounding her.
"This is the beginning of the experiment."
The middle-aged man watched the girl gasping in pain.
"This is for you, and for the world."
He murmured these words.
As if to steel his own heart.
"Boom!"
Immediately after, the laboratory door was violently kicked open.
The middle-aged man wasn't startled by the loud noise but instead frowned in the direction of the door.
"An intruder? What is Beatrice doing?"
"She's sleeping."
The armored figure strode into the laboratory.
"I gently put her to sleep. She shouldn't be feeling any pain right now."
"You mean she was taken out?"
The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise appearing on his face for the first time.
"That can't be. I gave her the XDA-1 to use. Even though it's only version 0.1, there's no reason she should have been defeated this quickly."
For the purpose of testing data, he had records of all the angels' sorties. The first unit's deployment couldn't escape his notice.
It was just moments ago—how could she have been defeated so quickly?
"That level of toy isn't even qualified to serve as my warm-up."
The armored figure let out a mocking chuckle.
"Kensei Togawa, do you truly believe your actions have been worthy of Kanon's mother?"