— — — — — —
Ryo grumbled inwardly, but he didn't reject Indra's proposal outright. Instead, he made a request.
"I need all available information on the dragon species, including the resurrection data. If possible, I'd also like control over some of the resurrected dragons."
No matter the world, dragons were synonymous with power. Whether in Eastern or Western mythology, powerful dragon species were anything but rare.
The thought of gathering and controlling such creatures was impossible for Ryo to resist. Many dragon species had already vanished from Little Garden. If he could bring them back there, there was a good chance he could gain some incredibly powerful allies.
This might become a very useful trump card in Ryo's hands. There was no reason for him to refuse.
Hearing that, Indra gave him a long look. He could guess what Ryo was thinking, but chose not to expose it. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "Fine. Once we've resurrected some dragons, I'll let you control them."
He didn't specify which dragons or how many, making it obvious that he intended to keep things vague. At most, he would probably throw a few weaklings Ryo's way.
But Ryo didn't care.
Once he obtained the method for controlling dragons, couldn't he simply steal the dragons Indra had later?
If he couldn't do it as Loki, then he could do it as Ryo.
Both hero and villain were him. Why would he worry about Indra playing tricks?
At worst, Loki could simply "turn over a new leaf" and defect while carrying away all of Indra's precious trump cards.
"Then... happy cooperation."
"Happy cooperation."
Each believed they were outsmarting the other. They exchanged smiles, both harboring their own schemes.
After ending the communication, Ryo rubbed his forehead, his expression turning strange.
"Rizevim obtained high-quality dragon power in Kyoto? In other words, that lunatic hijacked the Kyoto barrier system I modified and turned it into his own trump card?"
Using something Ryo had created as a secret weapon... the thought nearly made him laugh in front of Indra.
"Those two idiots really don't know that anything created with a Saint's Cosmo isn't something you can casually use." Ryo sneered.
Of course he knew Indra would tamper with the dragon-control method. But he wasn't worried in the slightest.
As long as those dragons were resurrected using the dragon power he had created, they would essentially be extensions of his own Cosmo.
Did they seriously think a mere spell could block a Saint's control over his own Cosmo?
"Hopefully Indra doesn't cry after spending all that effort resurrecting dragons." Chuckling, Ryo rose to his feet and left the room.
A moment later, he entered an underground prison.
There he found Hanezu Himejima, shackled in restraints, along with Suzaku Himejima, who was responsible for watching him.
"How's the restoration program coming along?"
The moment he entered, Ryo looked toward the three experimental capsules in the room.
The capsules were life-support devices hurriedly delivered by the Fallen Angels. Inside them were the shadow creatures Ryo had previously captured.
These shadows had been created using Algol's Progenitor Power. In essence, they were manifestations of a portion of Algol's own spirit rank, imperfect simulations of her divine essence.
Normally in Little Garden, creating a subordinate race required granting a Spirit Rank. Whether one was a low-ranking or high-ranking being, the principle was the same. The Spirit Rank could even be stolen from others or just split from one's own.
The three shadow creatures inside the capsules were similar to lifeforms created from Algol, though not quite complete. Normally, newly created life wouldn't be covered head to toe in a substance resembling black mud. The fact that these shadows appeared this way indicated that Algol's spirit rank was unstable.
What Ryo intended to do was restore these three shadow creatures to a normal state and provide the resulting data to Algol. Then, using that information as a reference, she could adjust and stabilize her own Spirit Rank.
In a way, this data was extremely important. Once Algol's Spirit Rank stabilized, it would greatly increase the probability of advancement. At that point, if they converted the gods of this world into demons, she could use that achievement as a stepping stone, consolidate her authorities, and make her final leap forward.
This was the foundation that would allow both her and Ryo to firmly establish themselves in Little Garden and no longer fear future reckoning.
There was no way Ryo could take it lightly.
"The restoration process is extremely difficult. We still don't have a clear direction." Hanezu Himejima looked as though he was on the verge of losing his mind.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to kill the version of himself that had created those shadow creatures.
If he had known he'd eventually be tasked with restoring them, why had he used so many stimulants to force the test subjects to fuse with Progenitor Power and become these shadow monsters?
Now he had to painstakingly analyze every experimental drug he had used and figure out how to stabilize the process.
The workload had skyrocketed. He genuinely felt like crying.
Hearing there was still no progress, Ryo frowned and immediately transformed into a merciless CEO. "I don't have much time. I'm giving you twelve hours. If you still can't provide a concrete procedure by then, you know what happens."
Hanezu felt even more miserable.
Twelve hours to unravel all those experimental drugs? Ryo might as well kill him outright.
At that moment, Ryo glanced at him and said casually, "Come to think of it, I've been researching soul-related techniques lately. Care to guess how I'm conducting that research?"
Hanezu's heart instantly sank.
So even death wouldn't free him? Was Ryo telling him that he could still toy with his soul afterward?
The thought made him swallow hard.
Gritting his teeth, he finally said, "How about... we try restoring them without reversing the drugs?"
"Hm? Explain." Ryo immediately turned toward him.
"Progenitor Power is extremely difficult to accommodate. The test subjects needed exceptional compatibility. Most of the drugs I used were designed to stimulate the body and increase the chances of successful fusion."
"In that sense, restoring them isn't actually that difficult. The real problem is that once they're reverted, the side effects of the drugs could kick in and kill them immediately."
Under the threat of a fate worse than death, Hanezu's brain was working at record speed.
"So maybe we should approach it from another angle. Instead of removing the drugs, we directly restore the three subjects while ensuring their survival. Of course, it's risky. I'd recommend testing it on only one subject first. We'll also need a massive amount of life force during the process to keep the subject alive."
He paused and nervously looked at Ryo. "As for that support... I suggest using that Sacred Gear."
"The Twilight Healing?" Ryo immediately understood.
"Yes." Hanezu nodded. "I've heard the current wielder is under the Governor's control."
"I understand."
Ryo said nothing more.
He simply turned and left the underground prison.
The moment he disappeared from sight, Hanezu's legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor.
"Congratulations, Uncle." Suzaku's tone was as flat as ever.
Hearing that, Hanezu could only force a bitter smile, "Yeah... congratulations to me for keeping my life."
No matter what happened next, at least they had a plan now. Ryo probably wouldn't be experimenting on his soul anymore.
As for whether the plan would succeed... that was a problem for later.
For now, at least, he'd managed to keep his life.
.
.
.