The Glorious Evolution

”The same goes for you...” Levi replied indifferently, ”You have used your dominion, which means your energy level is below 10% or even less... You are far from any source of sunlight to restore it, and I doubt growth totems will be much of a help considering the size of your energy pool.”

Hearing this, Azhukar chuckled as he reached out to his dimensional wallet. Just the wallet itself was a work of art, resembling a small, handheld purse in the shape of a decorated pyramid.

Then, he pulled out close to five growth totems... but once Levi saw them, his brow knitted in confusion.

He could tell that they were growth totems as they shared a similar shape, size, and appearance to the ones he was using. However, the material itself wasn’t the same.

The growth totems sold in markets were crafted out of dull beige wood, but the ones around Azhukar were milky white with a tint of divinity to them... A single look was enough for anyone to claim them to be of the highest possible quality.

Ash’Kral confirmed it right away.

’Boy... don’t place your faith on outlasting him...’ Ash’Kral uttered solemnly, ’Those are SS Grade Growth Totems... which used to be called Divine Growth Totems. They are crafted from the healthiest part of the Primordial Tree of Life’s bark and can store enough sunlight to fully recharge half of a Tier 7 Powerhouse’s energy tank.’

’...’

Levi was left silenced at such damning news... without needing to ask Ash’Kral, he could tell that such Growth Totems must have either gone extinct or were reserved solely for Radians, Oblivars, or other Ancient races. He was certain about it because the rarest grade of Growth Totem was S grade, and it wasn’t available for purchase in the network.

This realization made Levi glance at Azhukar’s dimensional wallet. He could tell it was filled with treasures far greater than anything left in the royal treasury... if Azhukar hadn’t already stripped it of its best relics when he chose to pursue the Glorious Evolution. That would also explain why N’ibby never suggested using the treasures Jasmine found there... they simply weren’t good enough to save her.

”Ohoho, I can smell your greed.” Azhukar smirked while lifting the dimensional wallet in front of his face, moving it left and right, ”You want it? Come get it.”

Levi didn’t get enticed at all; his emotions were beyond in check due to the void... at the moment, the only thought going through his mind was fulfilling his suicidal strategy... especially when he realized that Azhukar could do this all day. This made him understand that he needed to bait him with the chance to finish him off.

In an instant, Levi blinked next to Azhukar while mid-swing of his voided staff, but Azhukar blocked his attack with his twin blades.

Without hesitation, Levi slipped into his ghostly form, causing the twin blades to go through him and Azhukar to lose his balance slightly from the momentum of his swing.

The moment Levi’s staff drove through the Emperor’s chest, Levi switched to his solid form, causing his staff and arm to harden within him!

”Devour him,” Levi uttered expressionlessly as he released the true horror of his void form... the ability to devour anything and everything until nothingness remained!

And yet, Azhukar showed a mere cruel smile.

”So predictable,” he said again.

A layer of plasma wrapped around Levi’s arm and his staff, locking it in place and feeding the void with so much concentrated plasma energy, it simply couldn’t devour it in time and move to Azhukar’s flesh!

With that brief moment earned, the Emperor merely uttered coldly, ”Helio Fusion Ray... end this vermin!”

The cannon behind them pointed at the Emperor’s back... and then, it fired a bright, blinding ray of concentrated plasma in their direction, hitting them both in a flash!

The ray wasn’t like the ones used before... it was concentrated, but at the same time so wide, it covered kilometers in radius with Levi and Azhukar in the center of it!

Jasmine and N’ibby were left silenced at the sight... watching as the fusion ray blasted thousands of kilometers in length and was still going, harvesting the river of rubble nonstop!

The level of destruction was so potent, none of them doubted that it was an artifact above an S grade... and this kind of destruction was born from Azhukar in his worst possible environment with no laws in his favor at all!

They knew that if he was in his dominion or just around the sun, the attack might have doubled in potency if not more.

But it didn’t last more than two seconds... fading gradually until it vanished completely, leaving behind nothing but a beating red heart, the dimensional wallet, and fragments of the emperor drifting through kilometers of empty void, shrouded in red clouds of burning plasma.

As for Levi? They were stunned to see him floating in the same place... missing only an arm!

’Levi...’ Jasmine whispered in a daze, having no idea how he survived this.

She could tell that Azhukar was no idiot... if he was going to blast both of them, he would ensure that he would be revived, and that his attack would get rid of Levi once and for all.

But, for all his intelligence and battle experience, he did one thing wrong... he started underestimating Levi the moment he realized that he was part of the Daywalkers invading his empire!

Instead of treating him with the same kind of respect and fear he had given him when he assumed he was a true Oblivar, he thought lowly of him and planned to erase him the instant Levi got close to him again.

That’s why he allowed him to pierce his torso with his voided arm... it was the only way for him to catch and keep him in place until he finished him off.

But what he didn’t bother to assume was that Levi predicted his prediction... it wasn’t that he failed, but he didn’t think for a moment that a mere mortal like him could think that far ahead, knowing that he would be putting his life on the line to pull it off.

’Your suicidal plan has worked... but now what? Even broken apart, his body and soul are going to rejuvenate faster than your void can consume him.’ The Titan warned sternly, ’Do not underestimate the Phoenix Race’s rejuvenation prowess... it is one of the highest in the universe.’

He knew that Levi had planned to have himself ’killed’ by Azhukar, understanding that the moment Levi tried to pierce his body with the void, Azhukar would already be prepared to stop it.

Levi didn’t know exactly how he was going to achieve it, but he could tell that it was going to be powerful enough to erase him... The Cannon was the only thing capable of amplifying his powers to such insane levels within the void, which made him predict that he was going to use it.

Thus, Levi kept his focus on the Cannon more than Azhukar once he caught him... the instant he noticed the concentrated plasma getting fired, he willingly exposed his caught arm to the insane plasma!!

No void, no protection, nothing... he wanted it gone in an instant.

He received his wish... his arm was burned in less than a millisecond from the insane heat within Azhukar.

This freed him to switch back to his ghostly form in just enough time to survive the rest of the beam, unlike Azhukar!! A mere miscalculated millisecond was enough for Levi to be a goner!

Azhukar might have insanely high resistance to plasma, fire, and such... but it wasn’t a perfect immunity. Against that ludicrous beam that was powerful enough to pierce through a planet, there was no way he was surviving it in one piece.

Right now... he was proving the Titan correct as his heart started absorbing the clouds of burning plasma around it. The faster it beat, the more plasma clouds were absorbed!

’He can rejuvenate faster than the void can erase him... but, I don’t need to erase him personally.’

Seeing this, Levi extended his shadowy palm above the beating heart and then uttered emotionlessly, ”Darkness Coating... enslave him.”

As new muscles were forming around it, Levi’s palm was flooding the heart and the newly constructed body with pitch-black darkness.

He knew that Darkness Coating was a perfect ultimate ability created by the Void Seed as a reward for Ellina... Usually, it shouldn’t be possible for it to work on powerful beings like Azhukar.

However, in Levi’s current form, all of his void-based abilities were amplified to match his level... when added to the fact that Darkness Coating worked best if the target wasn’t resisting, Azhukar had handed himself on a silver plate to Levi!

His bones reassembled, organs regrown, and even the thrown crystallized Shadowlife seed was called back in by the heart, returning to his abdomen and starting to decrystallize and grow at an insane speed.

From a crystallized miniature tree... it returned to its normal size, its roots and branches spreading across his body akin to a nervous system... the only difference was that they became black, just like the rest of his body that was literally reborn with darkness coating as the main ingredient!

His regeneration wasn’t clean... it was as violent as it could be... however, because his failed evolution had twisted his DNA beyond repair, the result was the same abomination.

The only difference was that his new appearance was now covered in a permanent, shadowy veil with a single crimson eye.

Since Darkness Coating was affected negatively only by sunlight, not flames, plasma, or regular light, his powers weren’t going to remove the darkness coating unless he wielded Sunflames.

And yet still... Azhukar didn’t seem to have been fully enslaved. Usually, Umbral Servants would kneel the moment their transformation was complete, but Azhukar? His crimson eye kept flickering nonstop... expressing intense emotions without saying a word.

’Levi, you’re playing with fire.’ Ash’Kral warned solemnly, ’His will and soul aren’t easily enslaved even if he was reborn with Darkness in his heart.’

’He is right, he can break off your ability’s chains through pure will.’ The Titan supported sternly.

’I can see that...’

Levi nodded in understanding as he watched Azhukar’s soul cleansing itself rapidly of the darkness... he could tell it was nothing but a matter of time before he got rid of the darkness within him.

’Don’t worry... I have him enslaved for a single reason.’

Levi pulled the resisting Azhukar with him in the direction of the Hungering Dark... When Azhukar saw this, he felt a sudden chill course down his spine.

”S..t..op... y..o...u... b..as...tar..d...”

He stuttered with great difficulty, feeling like he was fighting against his own mouth to speak up.

When Levi heard him speak, he knew that he didn’t have much time... all he could do was keep reinstating the Darkness Coating over and over again to delay his escape.

However, like his tenants said... his will was too powerful to be enslaved by him. For such beings, only Radians and these kinds of races had the will necessary to enslave others and keep them in line for eternity.

Thus, he swiftly flew through the river as fast as he could... but since he couldn’t switch to his ghostly form without leaving Azhukar behind, he could only evade the rubble as he got closer and closer to the Hungering Dark.

Whoosh!

In no time, he passed by Jasmine’s Erasure Barrier and glanced in her direction briefly while pulling Azhukar from his leg.

’You can do it...’

She prayed for him softly, knowing that he planned on throwing Azhukar near the Hungering Dark’s event horizon... It was the only way to ensure his death, as not even Jasmine’s erasure barrier could kill him faster than his insane rejuvenation. Especially, not when she was in this weakened state.

It didn’t matter how powerful an Aspect was... its true potency depended on its user’s level. As much as Levi’s prowess was enhanced by the Void Form, it was just enough to be on soemwhat equal grounds to Azhukar, but enough to overwhelm him. The same applied to Jasmine.

Meanwhile, Levi didn’t look back once... if it was up to him, he would have used Azhukar’s lifeforce to help out Jasmine, but it was too much of a risk.

Levi could tell that the moment Azhukar broke free of his ability, he wouldn’t hesitate to use his Dominion at the first opportunity, even if it meant burning through his lifeforce.

While he couldn’t really use it on Levi as long as he remained in his ghostly form, it would kill any chance Levi had of finishing him off.

In other words, this was it... Either now, or never.

’This is not how I go... Never!’

As Levi was getting pulled faster towards the Hungering Dark, the closer he had gotten to it, Azhukar was fighting against the darkness, taining his soul and body nonstop!

They might have been taken by it, but his consciousness and will belonged to that of an Emperor...

He gritted his teeth, fueled by pure hatred... and then, his fingers moved! It wasn’t much, but this signified regaining control!

’THIS IS NOT HOW I F*CKING DIE! NOT TO A CHEAP OBLIVAR COPY! ARGHHHHHH!!’

As he roared on top of his voice inwardly, Levi was left with a deep frown, sensing that his darkness was getting cleansed faster than he had anticipated.

He lifted his head and gazed at the infinite darkness, but he could tell that the Hungering Dark was still too far off... this left him two options.

He could either give up on killing Azhukar and return to escape with Jasmine, or risk another battle near the Hungering Dark to finish him off.

’What do I do...’