Chapter 566 - 565: The Mad Scientist

Chapter 566: Chapter 565: The Mad Scientist

"Keith, we’ve heard stories of people who rose from this world and, during their era, actually changed it," Kiro said as he rubbed his chin.

"But as you can see, it always comes back to the same thing."

"You can dream. You can pursue whatever you want."

"But that idealistic world you’re imagining isn’t possible."

"This is the result of years and years and years of evolution."

"It can’t simply be changed by a single person."

"Besides, this world is built on the principle that the strong prey on the weak."

"So no, children won’t be safe no matter how hard you try," Kiro said.

Keith closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"But I won’t say it’s impossible."

"After all, if we can go against the Heavens themselves and defy our fate to become stronger, then I suppose making the world safer for children might also be possible," Kiro said as he patted Keith on the shoulder.

Keith nodded.

However, Kiro failed to notice the new look in Keith’s eyes as they continued their day.

They tried food from different stalls, played games to win toys, gave gifts to children, and spent the rest of the day wandering around the city.

By the time the sun set, the little money Devon had given them had already been spent.

The two returned to the Molak Family and eventually retired to their respective rooms.

Back in his room, Keith’s mind was elsewhere as he lay on the bed.

So, from what Kiro had said, it wasn’t that people had never tried to change the world before.

Others had attempted it.

Yet, despite everything, the world remained the same.

What exactly had they done?

And where had they gone wrong?

If Keith was going to change it, then he would have to do better than everyone who came before him.

As midnight approached, Keith tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Eventually, he stood up and walked over to the bookshelf in his room.

He pulled out every book he could find.

The collection possessed by a thousand-year-old family like the Molak Family was far beyond anything those small forces could compare to.

Without hesitation, Keith buried himself in the books.

---

Meanwhile, in the Upper Realm...

Within the Number One Forbidden Region of the Upper Realm—the headquarters of the Demon Race.

Deep within its territory.

At that moment, Void sat inside his enormous castle, watching as his subordinates brought captured creatures before him one after another.

Some were used as experimental subjects as Void continued researching ways to elevate his Law of Torture to the Origin Level.

The rest were assigned various roles throughout the Demon Realm.

Some became laborers.

Others were used however the demons saw fit.

Void paid no attention to any of it.

His sole focus was increasing his mastery.

The locals called this Demon Realm "Purgatory," and Void found the name quite fitting.

"Please... I’ll do anything..."

At that moment, Void had shrunk down to the size of a normal human.

Wearing an oversized lab coat and a pair of glasses, he turned toward the woman lying on the operating table.

She was still alive.

Her limbs had been cleanly severed from her body.

The bleeding had long since been stopped, and the wounds had been neatly stitched together.

She had been captured and brought here.

Countless times, she had begged the demons to kill her.

Each time, they had only laughed.

Everyone in the Upper Realm knew it was better to die fighting demons than to be captured by them.

Most people chose to self-destruct once defeat became inevitable.

Of course, there were always those who believed they could survive captivity.

Others were simply too heavily injured to self-destruct.

She belonged to the latter group.

Fear gripped her heart.

It was one thing to enter Purgatory and witness humans mining the ground, moving boulders as massive as stars, and women being treated like livestock.

But she had nearly stopped breathing when she realized she wasn’t being sent there.

Instead, she had been brought to a gigantic castle.

And inside that castle...

She saw a human.

The difference was that those terrifying demons actually bowed to him.

At that moment, she realized she had stumbled into the hornet’s nest.

Far from being relieved to see another human, she felt even greater despair.

After all...

What kind of human would demons bow to?

The same demons who dared wage war against races like the Dragons and Phoenixes?

"Look, I understand..." Void adjusted his glasses as he picked up a sharp blade nearly ten inches long.

"But it hurts me more than it hurts you."

"I really don’t want to do this, but I have no choice," Void said, his eyes filled with apparent sympathy.

To an outsider, it would seem as though Void were a kind-hearted man forced into doing something against his will.

The woman might have believed him...

If she hadn’t watched him torture the fifty people before her.

She still remembered their horrified screams...

And Void’s joyful laughter.

Liar.

"Please... p-please..."

"I’ll give you anything..."

She pleaded desperately.

Anything...

Just to escape.

Hearing those words, Void’s eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"You’ll give me anything?" Void asked.

For a moment, the woman stopped crying and looked at him.

Her arms and legs had been severed and laid out separately.

She was strapped to a large metal slab nearly four meters by four meters in size.

The bright lights overhead illuminated the room, revealing the thick pools of blood that still stained the floor, along with scattered pieces of flesh.

Looking at Void’s face...

Did he have some kind of fetish?

Even in her current state, he looked excited.

Did he want to...?

The thought alone filled her with terror.

But after thinking it through, she gritted her teeth.

She was a Rank 2 being.

Her limbs had only been severed by an ordinary weapon.

She hadn’t sensed any special energy attached to the blade.

As long as she survived, she could return to her family.

Her arms and legs would eventually regenerate as though nothing had happened.

The real question was...

Could she endure being violated by this perverted monster if it meant buying her freedom?

"...Yes," she struggled to say as she closed her eyes in humiliation.

Hearing her answer, Void burst into loud laughter.

"Good."

"Good!"

"Just make sure you scream your lungs out..."

"Because you’re actually going to lose your lungs."

Void laughed.

"W-Wait—"

But it was already too late.

Void grabbed her face.

She struggled desperately, but her head was completely pinned in place.

At first, she had assumed Void was, at most, a Rank 1 being.

After all, they had all been severely injured and couldn’t use their strength.

Even a Rank 0 being could have overpowered them in their current condition.

But the moment Void grabbed her...

She realized he wasn’t Rank 1.

Nor was he Rank 2.

He was far...

Far beyond that.

No wonder the Rank 3 demons—the absolute ceiling of power in the Upper Realm—bowed before him.

With her head firmly pinned to the table...

Her pupils shrank in horror as the blade descended toward her mouth.

Her lips were sliced apart, forcing her mouth open.

Her screams echoed throughout the castle, so shrill that the remaining humans locked away in the cells trembled in terror.

Only when her mouth filled with blood did the screams finally stop.

At that moment, Void suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"Sword Demon is back?"

Void muttered, a hint of amusement appearing on his face.