When Kuzeha stepped into the research facility, the floor was littered with the corpses of Dr. Genus' clones. Of course, he hadn't killed them himself. The ones he did kill had long since been reduced to dust. These corpses were the handiwork of the lab's ultimate weapon—Asura Kabuto!
It had no concept of morality to begin with. Locked away for years by Dr. Genus in the deepest part of the facility, it had built up an immense resentment. Still, even with dozens or hundreds of his clones dead, it meant little. Dr. Genus had created them in droves.
As Kuzeha walked further in, he suddenly noticed a spiritual body floating mid-air, slowly dissipating. "Huh?" he uttered in surprise. It was the soul of Dr. Genus!
Looking around at the numerous clone corpses, Kuzeha realized this was the only soul present. That meant the clones had no souls. Which also meant this was the real Dr. Genus' actual soul.
"Interesting…"
Originally, Kuzeha had no intention of leaving any survivors. Admittedly, Dr. Genus' scientific genius was remarkable. But he was a slave to his own desires and obsessions—always chasing after his own ambitions. People like that were difficult to put to use. However, a soul was a different matter.
"Spirit Command!"
While the soul of Dr. Genus hadn't fully dissipated, Kuzeha immediately captured it.
"Dr. Genus, even after death, your talents will still shine," Kuzeha chuckled.
"Are the lab's core data files still intact?" he asked.
"Yes. I backed up the most crucial biotechnology data across several labs. Even if a few were destroyed, some remain," replied the soul of Dr. Genus numbly. Freshly bound, he hadn't yet regained his full cognitive abilities—only able to answer simple questions based on residual memory.
Guided by the soul, Kuzeha unlocked the data chamber where the backups were stored.
"How did you get in here?!" shouted two of Dr. Genus' clone guards upon seeing Kuzeha.
Kuzeha ignored them and summoned the Imaginary Space. As they gasped in disbelief, a black curtain engulfed the entire room—and in the next instant, everything vanished.
"This is... Imaginary Space?!" one of the clones exclaimed, eyes wide in shock. "You can control the legendary Imaginary Space? How?! What's in there? What form does it take?!"
Driven by scientific curiosity, the two clones were desperate to know the answers. Kuzeha's voice echoed back.
"Relax. You'll get your chance to study it."
Their eyes lit up in excitement.
"No need to wait, just let us—"
Before they could finish, a flash of cold light sliced through the air. Their heads fell to the ground.
"I wasn't talking about you," Kuzeha said coolly.
Meanwhile, the arrogant voice of the Asura Kabuto rang throughout the facility. The House of Evolution had met a powerful enemy, forcing Dr. Genus to release it—something the creature was thrilled about.
"A new era!"
"The new era that belongs to me, the Asura Kabuto, has finally arrived!"
"You old humans, all you need to do now is obediently listen to me!"
Holding Dr. Genus in one hand, the creature strode through the research center looking for the intruder. Soon, it spotted Kuzeha.
"This guy? He's the one who did all this?"
It leaned down, squinting at Kuzeha.
"Hah, just this little thing?"
The Asura Kabuto sneered, its grotesque face twisting in contempt.
Dr. Genus, lying on the ground, adjusted his broken glasses and said coldly, "He's strong. If you underestimate him, even you will suffer greatly."
But the creature couldn't bear such remarks. "I am the House of Evolution's perfect creation! An unprecedented new human! No matter how strong he is, he's just an old human. He can't beat me!"
Grinning wickedly, it clenched its massive fists. "Tell me, human. How do you want to die?"
Kuzeha calmly lifted his head and met the creature's gaze. The constant use of the word "human" reminded him of a certain skill—a power unique to the War God Artosh. Perhaps, since he possessed divine essence, he could manifest it too.
A mysterious multicolored light flashed in Kuzeha's pupils. In that instant, the Asura Kabuto's hair stood on end.
Its sixth sense flared wildly. A nameless terror surged up from deep within.
Swoosh!
Without hesitation, its wings fluttered reflexively and it retreated over a hundred meters.
Dr. Genus stared in disbelief.
The Asura Kabuto... was scared off by a glance?
Now the creature's back was pressed tightly against the wall, as if it was the only thing that could bring safety. Beads of sweat poured from its body.
Thump thump thump!
Its heart pounded rapidly. It was like the aftermath of a narrow escape from death.
"You... you're not human!" it screamed at Kuzeha in fear. From this young man, it sensed something that shouldn't exist. It couldn't describe it in words. But instinct told it—this wasn't a matter of strength. It was a matter of rank. Of dimensional difference.
And in the face of that difference, fear was the only possible response.
"Not human?" Dr. Genus was completely confused by what he heard. He stared at Kuzeha's face. No matter how he looked, he couldn't sense anything strange. But one thing was clear: the Asura Kabuto—utterly devoid of morals and driven by destruction—was afraid of this boy.
"Asura Kabuto, are you backing down now?"
"Aren't you the strongest new human?"
"Activate Asura Mode! With it, you have a great chance of winning!" Dr. Genus shouted desperately.
If even the Asura Kabuto failed, his century-long efforts—the House of Evolution—would be completely ruined. He couldn't afford to lose his research.
"Yes, I still have Asura Mode…"
The creature's face hardened with determination. In Asura Mode, its physical abilities would greatly increase—at the cost of losing its rationality for a week. But maybe only by losing its mind could it win...
It looked up. The moment its eyes met Kuzeha's, its body trembled violently.
"Asura Mode... can't activate."
It was as if it had seen the ultimate predator. Its entire body froze on the spot. Not a single movement was possible.
Kuzeha exhaled slowly.
"Done..."
"Let's test this abyss, just a little."
As the two watched in stunned silence, Kuzeha began floating upward. At the same time, the winds above his head started swirling violently. Centered on him, a terrifying gravitational force pulled the surrounding air into a massive vortex high in the sky.
From above, Kuzeha looked down on the abyss he had carved into the earth. He calculated, measured, prepared.
"New humans, old humans—in the end, you're all just ants on this land."
"Let the House of Evolution welcome its god."
Above Kuzeha's head, a massive circular halo appeared. From his back, eighteen wings unfurled into radiant white light, nearly blotting out the sky.
Down in the abyss, Dr. Genus and his remaining clones stood frozen. A crushing sense of helplessness overwhelmed them.
He could see a colossal force gathering in the skies. The abilities Kuzeha displayed were already beyond his comprehension.
Looking back, the Asura Kabuto was still trembling, too afraid to even lift its head.
"Asura Kabuto... truly the most failed creation," Dr. Genus muttered bitterly.
The next instant, a solemn voice echoed from above.
"Divine Strike!"
Read advance chapters on: patre on.com/Bored_Mortal