The Glorious Evolution

He was the captain of the Black Crow Legion... as a Plague Crow, his appearance matched the name to perfection.

He resembled an oversized crow with a hunched, skeletal build... his feathers were patchy, colored in dirty black and sickly green... he had bald spots that exposed cracked, gray flesh beneath. A constant haze of spores and foul mist leaked from between his feathers with each move.

His beak was no better. It was long and cracked in the middle, stained on the sides as if rotted by disease. His eyes showed a dull yellow-green with a faint, muddled mist beneath the cornea.

Besides the sole Shadow mercenary in his squad, the other four nightcrawlers shared the same appearance with slight changes.

”He is a Psych Anomaly-Class talent... their talents can’t be explained within reason,” Nyr’Kalloth replied calmly. ”He is our greatest threat in this game, and if we eliminate him, the Great Campaign is a guaranteed win.”

Most nightcrawlers nodded in support at the words of the Basilisk Order’s captain... as the strongest Abyssal Basilisk in the game, he was chosen as the Conquerors’ Faction’s Captain.

Just his appearance alone was enough to strike terror into the hearts of his enemies... Standing as a four-meter-tall giant, his lower torso was humanoid while the upper half was serpentine.

His body was covered in obsidian-black and dark violet scales... his head was that of an armored serpent, but it leaned more toward dragon features. He had curved horns and glowing ember-like eyes... his mouth was partially open, showing no teeth... yet, he didn’t need them, as his long tongue was covered with tiny sharp shards. His scaled tail alone was bigger than the tallest Daywalker on the other side.

Fortunately, the rest of the nightcrawlers of the same species as him weren’t as big as he was... although they shared the same appearance mostly, Nyr’Kalloth seemed to have evolved to a higher form.

This meant he might have gone through perfect evolution more than once, putting him in a different league than his people.

After scanning each other from a distance for a little while, the howling wind suddenly halted... everyone’s attention was pulled into the abyss, sharing a look of confusion.

Then, a green-furred Sciurani pulled up from the depths of the abyss... he wore a dark green formal suit and small circular black sunglasses without ear support. He rested his arms on a sheathed sword that had a microphone as a hilt.

His appearance was a mixture of serious and casual, making it hard for one to figure out how to interact with him... the moment he opened his mouth, everyone figured it out.

”I am Gamemaster Envy... I have been chosen to officiate this event. I will explain the rules in five minutes, and then the watchers will be allowed in... Don’t waste my time with needless questions, I don’t do Q&A,” Gamemaster Envy uttered, his gaze as icy as the chilling wind assaulting them.

’The news on the network was telling the truth... he really hates us,’ Arthur thought inwardly, refusing to meet his gaze, like the majority of the Rifters.

As a green-tailed Sciurani, his rank was only lower than blue-tailed Sciuranis... this meant he had plenty of games under his belt.

However, what everyone found during their research wasn’t any good news... Gamemaster Envy called himself as such proudly because he had no intention of hiding his envy of other races, which were capable of leaving the Boundless Expanse, unlike the Murinori Race.

The Murinori Race might possess immense authority within the Boundless Expanse... but their existence and omnipotence were linked directly to the realm, which meant it was impossible for them to leave the Boundless Expanse unless they wished to disappear.

Rumors spread that the Murinori Race was unnaturally created by Nocturn himself... and this theory was supported by the fact that Murinori had never been seen outside the Boundless Expanse before.

’He is notorious for putting death-like traps in his games that ensure the elimination of most Rifters... any game he has officiated always had around an 80% elimination rate.’ Levi knitted his brows. ’I doubt this game will be any different.’

This thought coursed through the minds of everyone... including the nightcrawlers, who dreaded the notion of getting killed by a trap mechanism while they were winning the event.

”Giants... get in your positions.”

Following Gamemaster Envy’s indifferent call, two massive dimensional gates opened on opposite sides of the chasm, warping the surrounding air... From each gate, a giant stepped out, towering tens of meters high!

Their bodies were covered in thick hair, and their long beards sprawled across their chests like vast red forests... their hair was braided and allowed to run free, reaching near their tailbones.

They looked like twins but simultaneously carried a distinct presence of their own.

Rumble! Rumble!!

Every step they took shook the ground, sending rocks tumbling into the chasm below and blasting shockwaves into both factions’ faces.

At first sight, Levi’s heartbeat increased wildly... mostly in dread.

It was for a good reason.

’They are so strong my spiritual vision can’t even give me a functional reading... and yet, the platform enslaved them.’

Levi showed a solemn expression at the sight of the divine golden collars, carved with IIthorien inscriptions, affixed to their necks... they might have tried to hide them under heavy leather and fur clothing, probably crafted from World-Ender Class Beasts, but they couldn’t hide them from Levi.

Worse... the divine collars resembled the same ones used on Nightmounts. This indicated that the CRS Platform owners had the power to enslave anyone they desired across the universe, as long as they weren’t Gloriously Ascendant.

Ka-thumd!! Ka-thumd!!

The two giants stopped moving like robots after taking their positions... they faced each other across the immense chasm with their arms resting straight.

”Rope!”

With a resounding finger snap, a gigantic silver rope manifested out of thin air... its tips hovered in front of the giants’ hands, awaiting Gamemaster Envy’s order to hold it.

For two beings with such immense size and strength to be this well-behaved before a squirrel no bigger than their fingernails painted an ironic image.

Yet, no one dared to laugh or crack jokes... not even Arthur.

They could see the deadpan expressions on the giants, as if they had already given up on life and were just going through the motions as slaves.

Meanwhile, two entities felt differently... Ash’Kral and the Titan.

”Balmyr, Tharokh... I thought they died an honorable death during the Great Separation War,” the Titan covered his face in shame, incapable of looking at them.

”A lot has happened after you fell down, Old Bark... none of it was good for our side,” Ash’Kral shook his head. ”Balmyr and Tharokh are two of thousands of enslaved rebels used in the games to garner attention... having real giants as props is different from having fake ones, entertainment-wise.”

”Most importantly... after wiping their race out, they keep some on display like this to remind everyone of the fate awaiting them if they dare rebel against the system.”

”I guess they have been marked with the Curse of Death,” the Titan sighed. ”They can’t seek death even if they chase after it... I know those two, they would have committed suicide instantly.”

”You guessed right.”

”Ahhh... a lot has changed since I woke up, but only one thing remained consistent...” the Titan uttered hatefully. ”Their wickedness and desperation to do whatever it takes to achieve the Glorious Evolution.”