Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Within a sprawling underground laboratory, meticulously fortified with space-element magic, an environment of secrecy prevailed.

Numerous high-level Array Formations shielded the lab, preventing intrusion from prying Spiritual Senses or Mana Senses.

Illumination filled the underground chamber, courtesy of mana-driven light sources and gems strategically placed throughout the facility. The interior boasted an organized arrangement of diverse magical equipment.

A section resembling a miniature library housed various books and ancient tomes. Adjacent to it stood a large desk strewn with half-open scrolls and incomplete Array Formation layouts etched onto different metal sheets.

Another corner featured several suspended Spectral Screens presenting a plethora of information, including Stats, lab results of previous experiments, ongoing experiment statuses, charts, real-time biofeedback statuses of various entities, and more.

The underground facility also had spectral renditions of various regions displayed in great detail. There were some markers placed at some places on the spectral renditions of the regions by someone. These markers were color-coded with green, yellow, and red to show the level of attention one needed to pay to the regions.

Within the depths of the underground facility, a dedicated smithy section awaited those seeking to craft Hex Artifacts. The area was equipped with runic furnaces, an array of weapon-centric formations, and straightforward Magi Circles designed to enhance the stability of the artifact creation process.

Diverse runic and mana-influenced anvils and hammers, ranging from sizable to compact, filled the space. A mesmerizing display of motionless Hex Artifacts levitated in the air, attesting to the extraordinary talent, diligence, and expertise of their creator.

Adjacent to this, the clandestine chamber beneath Siren's Sanctuary housed a premium-grade potion lab, affording its owner a serene environment for concocting a myriad of potions.

The lab featured all essential apparatus, an extensive inventory of top-tier raw ingredients, and racks of potion vials prominently displayed potion recipes, pill formulae, and versatile balms synthesized for a range of purposes. Its meticulous design and brewing-type Formations allowed the owner to brew even the premium-grade S-Ranked potions if the need arose.

The underground facility featured an exclusive section devoted to Tantra Practice.

Encased within its own isolation mana barrier, the ground was adorned with various elemental Formations spanning a radius of 20 meters. Meticulously constructed with mana-enriched ingredients, rare herbs, elemental gems, and precious ores and minerals, these overlapping Formations provided a tailored environment for Tantra Practice.

This section of the facility was created keeping the requirements of the Rootless Tantra in mind. Practitioners could simulate diverse terrains, from lava-prone landscapes to ice-covered realms, facilitating accelerated progress in their respective Paths.

Certainly, sustaining this specialized Tantra-specific environment posed significant challenges.

It demanded a substantial investment in terms of Menaka's Runes, rare mana-enriched resources, potions, and mana stones. The reason behind this expense lay in the fact that the materials incorporated within the Array Formations and Magic circles would gradually diminish with each usage of the isolated environment for Tantra practice.

As such, crafting and maintaining such an environment wasn't within the reach of an ordinary Practitioner. Even the most skilled and formidable Practitioners of their generations would need to align themselves with either divine or demonic factions, serving in temples or cults, to gain access to such a lavish form of Tantra practices.

Even then, they would find themselves competing with their peers within the same organizations before securing the privilege of owning a secluded environment of this caliber. Even if they could use the facilities provided by their respective organizations through sheer luck and hard work, their allotted time would come with an expiry date.

In essence, the proprietor of the subterranean facility spared no effort to bolster his Ranking Journey toward the next major Ranking breakthrough. Effectively operating as a self-

contained entity, he had established, sustained, and tailored an organization to exclusively serve his own objectives.

It was as if a solitary individual was expending resources on himself as if he were cultivating a multitude of followers.

***

At the heart of the underground sanctuary lay a particularly significant area, fortified by layers of mana barriers and diverse Array Formations. This central section, spanning over 500 meters in radius and 200 meters in width, granted the facility's owner precise control over its environment.

Here, dozens of test subjects lay in dormant states within slime-like capsules. Arranged with precision in rows and columns, these subjects were kept at fixed distances from each other, constituting a distinctive and expansive part of the laboratory.

The subjects were encased within specialized Magic Circles, functioning as the Array Eyes of an expansive Formation. Suspended effortlessly a few inches above the ground, their faces were the only visible part, concealed within the slime-like capsules that restricted any movement of their bodies.

The cocoon-like slimy substance enveloping the test subjects was known as Echidna's Placenta, resembling the flies ensnared by a formidable spider in its web-like capsules. However, unlike its usual operation, Echidna's Placenta wasn't used to create monsters.

Real-time bio-feedback from the subjects was meticulously monitored and displayed through Spectral Screens hovering above their respective capsules. Observing the reports and statistics on the screens revealed a mix of slumbering and suspended death states among the subjects, showcasing a complex range of conditions.

Among these subjects were notorious demonic entities, individuals akin to Kilawan AKA unfortunate pirates, and various rogues and powerful Practitioners who had unwittingly become subjects for clandestine experiments conducted by the owner of Siren's Sanctuary.

One could say that the butcher was impartial in choosing his targets. Among the test subjects, some belonged to divine factions as well but had tarnished their reputations with nefarious deeds.

Alongside them were kidnappers, murderers, and ruthless mafias from mortal realms, all serving as subjects in the underground facility under the owner's authority.

Over the past five years, the underground facility beneath Siren's Sanctuary had been a site of various experiments, resulting in the agonizing deaths of numerous test subjects. Once formidable Practitioners and feared rulers of their domains, they had cried out, cursed, and ultimately resigned themselves to their fates.

Hundreds of test subjects had met their demise within the facility for the owner of Siren's Sanctuary to witness any semblance of progress. Yet, he remained grounded, continuing his research despite early signs of success.

Fortunately, Labh Salem teemed with unsavory characters, and Eren, a legitimate Demon Slayer, capitalized on this.

Leveraging the Corps' resources and intelligence, he procured high-quality test subjects to further his endeavors.

===

AN: Echidna's Placenta was mentioned in chapter 1509.