"Number 1, you have entered the laboratory with others twice in succession. You have violated the rules and must come with us to meet the Master, or face the consequences." It was X9 speaking, his pupils were white, and a faint chill seemed to seep from his mouth as he spoke.
X5 and X2 did not speak, but from their indifferent and disgusted expressions, it was clear they sided with X9 as well.
Clearly, though they were like Reynaud, also experimental specimens, they completely lacked Reynaud’s free thinking; they had been thoroughly brainwashed.
Under the gaze of the three, Reynaud lowered his head and was silent for a long time.
After a while, he finally spoke, "Rin, I told you before, I am not Number 1, I am Reynaud."
X9, the man whom Reynaud called ’Rin’, showed a slight fluctuation in his eyes after hearing Reynaud’s words, but ultimately returned to his indifferent demeanor: "It seems you’re still stubbornly resisting, so don’t blame us."
As soon as X9 finished speaking, he didn’t negotiate further with Reynaud and directly adopted an attack stance with X5 and X2.
However, just when Reynaud thought they would attack, he saw them abruptly turn their heads, immediately turning to flee, the momentum built up earlier vanishing instantly without a trace.
Reynaud was momentarily stunned but quickly realized what was happening.
Reynaud believed that the three of them, much like the Shadow Phantom on the second level, were there to ambush him.
But unlike the Shadow Phantom, the three of them had the sense to see what was happening, and they had independent judgment.
These surviving experimental subjects usually spent most of their time gathering intelligence. With their insight, how could they not recognize Nis and Kanter?
One is a renowned Soul Wizard, and the other is the leader of a secret clan. Even facing only one would make victory unlikely, let alone confronting both at the same time.
In such a situation, it was impossible to ambush Reynaud effectively, so the best solution was certainly to flee and seek help.
However, escaping from the presence of official wizards was quite unlikely.
Neither Nis nor Kanter even had to make a move themselves; they just let the armored Knight come forward, who single-handedly blocked the three of them.
Perhaps because they were only facing the armored Knight, they did not completely despair. They all brought out their strongest abilities, trying to defeat the armored Knight to escape.
Unfortunately, the controller of the armored Knight was Nis, who, with absolute power, took less than two minutes to subdue the three of them onto the ground.
However, this does not mean they were not strong. If they were placed in the Supernova competition, they would certainly have the qualifications to compete for a supernova. Moreover, their combat exhibited some highlights, such as — Soul Arms.
Their Soul Arms were all different. X9, called ’Rin’ by Reynaud, could control a vast amount of cold air with his Soul Arms, able to serve as a controller during battle.
X5, also known as ’Tooth’, materialized his Soul Arms as a ghostly green dagger that could slice through souls and poison them. In battle, he could weaken his opponents.
As for X2, whom Reynaud called ’Scythe’, he was the strongest among the three. He directly drew a pitch-black, long-handled scythe from the Land of the Soul, and while engaging in an open and aggressive fight, he fiercely confronted the armored Knight. In the beginning, he even chopped off the head of the armored Knight, showing just how violent his attack was... only, the inside of the armored Knight was a soul, so what was cut off was actually the helmet, causing no harm.
The three possessed abilities to weaken, control, and assault, forming an already perfected team. Facing any strong apprentice would grant them a battle-worthy challenge. Even the champions of the Supernova competition, Onassis and Trom, might struggle against such a combination.
Their collaboration in capturing Reynaud should have been easily executed. Unfortunately, Reynaud returned with two exceptional powerhouses by his side...
After capturing the three, Nis immediately sealed their souls, immobilizing them from inside out. Reynaud had mentioned a suicide switch hidden within them that would activate directly upon mission failure. Sealing them was a precaution.
After sealing their souls, Nis proceeded with interrogation through their souls, attempting to glean more intelligence.
However, the information they provided was no more than what Reynaud already knew. It was normal, given that Reynaud’s rank was higher, and he was privy to more information than they were.
The only intelligence obtained was that they were indeed here to ambush Reynaud. Moreover, they had been stationed there since three days prior, to capture Reynaud at the earliest opportunity.
Notably, those who assigned them to capture were from Number 03, and they were unaware of the Shadow Phantom’s presence on the second floor.
Of course, this didn’t imply that the Shadow Phantom was not also there to ambush Reynaud. Various signs suggested that the Shadow Phantom was orchestrated by Number 02, that skilled Shadow Wizard adept in concealment and ambushing.
Number 03’s men knew nothing of the ambush set by Number 02, perhaps because Number 03 hadn’t informed them, or possibly because... Number 03 was also ignorant of Number 02’s arrangement.
If it were the latter, it would indeed be intriguing.
Number 03 wanted to capture Reynaud, and so did Number 02, but they were acting independently and secretively.
If this was truly the case, it indicated that Reynaud possessed something of great interest to them, perhaps... a Luck Talent?
Of course, this remained mere speculation and determining its authenticity was challenging.
Yet, if it were true, perhaps Number 01 also harbored designs on Reynaud and had set an ambush somewhere?
That’s all the intelligence the three knew. They had remained concealed nearby for the past few days, disinterested in other matters, even unaware that all the combat personnel had been sent out.
Nis also inquired about the whereabouts of the researchers from these few levels, to which they had no answer.
To avoid wasting time, Nis ceased his questioning, though Reynaud, pondering over something, inquired, "Do you know where ’Song’ is?"
The three were silent for a moment before X9 finally replied, "Don’t know. You should know better than us; she rarely appears in the laboratory. Perhaps she’s outside on a mission."
Reynaud nodded and fell silent.
With the interrogation over, it was time to decide what to do with the three of them.
Reynaud pleaded with Nis on their behalf, as incompatible as their personalities were, he couldn’t bear to see his former companions perish before him.
After pondering for two seconds, Nis decided not to kill them but confined the three in his Exile Space.
It wasn’t Reynaud’s plea that worked; rather, it was Nis’s intense interest in Soul Arms. Given that the three were the carefully selected and ultimately successful experiments from the laboratory, they might aid in his future research on Soul Arms, thus sparing their lives.
Next, they did not encounter any other dangers and followed Angel’s guidance to search for the third layer’s control nodes.
On their journey, Nis curiously asked Reynaud, "Who is the ’Song’ you mentioned earlier?"
"She is... Number X3." Reynaud’s voice was slightly low, and his mood inexplicably downcast.
"The one you said could control sea beasts?" Nis remembered that not long ago, Reynaud introduced his fellow experiment partners and specifically mentioned X3, saying her soul arms could control large sea beasts to some extent, making her the most unique among the test subjects.
"Yes." Reynaud said, "Her ability is very dangerous, being able to control sea beasts, which is why most of her tasks involve patrolling the nearby sea area. Half of the ships that intrude into the Mist Belt get swallowed by the harsh sea conditions, while the other half are generally sunk by the sea beasts she’s controlling... If you encounter her, you need to be very cautious."