The Glorious Evolution

”Both Faction Captains have been chosen at the same time! I know what goes on in everyone’s minds, but I swear I have nothing to do with the chosen Rifters!”

Gamemaster Envy defended against the allegations before anyone could accuse him of anything, the moment he saw Levi’s and Nyr’Kalloth’s names highlighted on the screen.

The viewers didn’t care if Gamemaster interfered or not. They cheered at the top of their voices as they watched Levi and Nyr’Kalloth walking toward the spinning rope... both shared similar icy visages.

They completely ignored the other two chosen Rifters, even when one of them was Evangeline, a captain in her own right, and the other was an infamous Shadow mercenary.

”Thank God... It’s Levi.”

Dominic sighed in relief... his reaction was shared by High Chancellor and the rest of the supporters. After witnessing Fang’s immense, horrific strength, he knew that only Levi had a decent chance of defeating him.

”As long as Levi can hold down Orry’Xel, the others can handle the rest of the nightcrawlers,”

Jojo remarked solemnly, her fingers twitching nonstop... she was getting impatient, watching her friends struggle and almost die without being able to offer any support.

Meanwhile, Levi and Evangeline had swiftly ascended the rope without much struggle. They flew to the surface in less than two seconds under Levi’s spiritual prowess.

The moment Levi stepped on the rope’s surface, he was surrounded by his teammates... none of their expressions were good.

”Sorry, big bro... he made a fool of me.”

Arthur tightened his grip until his knuckles cracked. He entered the game with immense confidence in his strength after awakening Vaelith’s Gemheart. With four Gemhearts, he felt like he was already at the peak of Warden rank. But now... he discerned that his understanding of strength shouldn’t be applied universally.

There was always a bigger fish.

”All of us.” Nurah shook her head, ”I don’t like making excuses, but his strength... It’s just too much.”

”I can’t believe he is a Tier 4...” Tyrese gritted his teeth hatefully, ”I used everything on him, and I barely harmed him.”

Seeing this, Evangeline quickly intervened to uplift their morale... she could see that Fang had done serious damage to their confidence after killing three of their own, even when he was solo against eight of them.

While she was trying her best to put them back in the game, Levi remained silent... their agitated hearts were on full display thanks to the Harmonic Spine. Yet, he blamed none of them.

He was just glad that most of them made it out alive against Fang... especially now that he knew his true identity to be that of a Tier 5 nightcrawler or higher. Yet, what bothered Levi the most was his partner, who had yet to ascend the rope.

’If these two were of similar strength or experience to the monsters I fought in the Joker game, it’s not going to be easy taking them down alone... not without exposing some of my secrets.’ Levi frowned deeply.

Levi barely won the Joker game after he went all out... and now, he was forced to fight two clones of elites similar to the Hound while relying solely on Nine Senses’ powers. This, without mentioning the rest of the nightcrawlers, who weren’t to be underestimated either.

Tough... too tough.

Levi switched his focus to Gamemaster Envy and wondered inwardly, ’Is there a possibility of ratting them out to the Gamemaster?’

Levi couldn’t care less whether it was a bitch move to snitch... this was a life-or-death situation, and he had no clue how many would survive this game if these two went all out. He watched Fang fight and understood that he was still not going all out.

He had yet to even use a single ultimate ability!

If it were the real world, he wouldn’t bat an eye and use whatever was necessary to kill them... even if it meant using Void and Sun powers.

But not here... it was a deadly mistake to expose himself right now when the Celestial was being witch-hunted by both Oblivar’s and Radian’s servants.

’You need proof... unfortunately, Gamemasters aren’t allowed to pry into the Rifters’ memories willy-nilly.’ Ash’Kral shot down his idea.

Levi nodded in acceptance, even though he wasn’t satisfied with the situation... he knew that it was impossible to get legit proof when these two’s memories were the sole link.

’So be it... I was bound to leave Earth after this game.’

Levi’s expression turned cold as he faced Fang, who had already joined the undead army with Xorr’Vaedryn and his teammates.

As for the Conquerors’ captain, Nyr’Kalloth? The moment he stepped inside the Toxic Kingdom, its expansion sped up threefold!

Although his species was called Abyssal Basilisk, his main Aspect was related to Poison, like the rest... in fact, the plan to contaminate the whole rope surface was his.

”It’s not looking good for the Raiders... They have lost three teammates, most of their horns, and worse, the Conquerors are using the undead army to slowly push the territorial line while they are continuously farming spawned horns.”

Gamemaster Envy shared while manifesting a dimensional replica of the rope, showing that the Conquerors had secured more than 30% of the surface rope with their Toxic Kingdom... meanwhile, the undead army had separated another 30%.

This left only about 40% of the rope’s territory somewhat free for the Raiders to farm the horns.

Strategy-wise... the Conquerors had the upper hand. Worse, after Fang eliminated Blake and stole half of his stash, the Raiders barely had any farmed horns under their belt.

Everyone thought the same after taking a quick look at the factions’ score on the screen.

-Conquerors: 65 Horns / Raiders: 8 Horns-

Even most of the Daywalkers started to show a hint of panic in the depths of their eyes... they were getting their asses beat in every department, and none of them could figure out a way out.

Not when Fang’s existence was still in play.

Sensing doubts creeping into his allies’ hearts, Levi couldn’t stay silent any longer... he faced them with his usual serene smile and said, ”Relax, I am here now.”

If it were someone else saying these words, they would have jumped him for being overly cocky... especially after they got their asses beat by a single Nightcrawler.

However... not Levi.

His soft, confident words rolled down their tensed shoulders, akin to the hands of a professional masseuse... they relieved most of their anxiety and even restored their faded confidence.

Seeing their changed expressions, Evangeline’s eyelids twitched briefly... she had spent a while trying to comfort them and restore their confidence, just to have Levi do it in four words.

But soon, she smiled as she gazed at his wide back after he summoned the Judgement Chainstaff.

’It’s not the words... It’s his absolute strength that they trust.’

Levi soon showed her... no, everyone, why his friends trusted him completely.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Levi tapped the staff on the rope’s surface... the staff’s top crown illuminated with a soft green light for a moment before it turned into a ghostly, mysterious lantern.

Uncaring anymore about keeping his aetheric powers a secret, Levi lifted the Lantern of the Lost Keeper to the sky, catching everyone’s attention... even the two Bishops narrowed their gazes at the lantern, focusing on the soft greenish wisps swimming within its ethereal, foggy glass.

Suddenly, Levi’s cold command brought everyone to reality.

”Reclaim these lost souls.”

The lantern brightened at once and opened its window... then, the fog within it started spinning slowly like a small vortex, using Levi’s spiritual energy as fuel.

Arthur, Nurah, and even the nightcrawlers felt nothing change... like they were watching a failed magician’s show.

However, the real targets were none of them in the first place... it was the undead army!

The first corpse twitched as its greenish eyes flickered nonstop... then another, and another, and another. Before long, from their eye sockets, cracks in their bones, and even their open mouths... thin green wisps began to drift out against the will of their masters!

They looked like smoke, but lighter... faint streams of glowing aether slipped from their bodies and rushed in the direction of the Lantern!

Thud! Thud! Thud!...

”Huh? What’s going on with them?!”

Xorr’Vaedryn remarked with a look of disbelief at the sight of hundreds of undead staggering for a moment as if something inside them was being ripped away.

”What the hell! I can’t control them... they aren’t listening to my commands!” Sael’Drakk’s expression turned ugly.

Without the aetheric lost souls holding them together, the undead collapsed... bones fell apart, and bodies dropped to the ground like empty shells.

In less than five seconds, the entire terrifying undead army was down... even the winged undead suffered the same fate.

Only scattered corpses remained, eyes hollow and bodies void of any tint of spirit... as for their souls? They had already turned into a greenish river of wisps, flowing inside the Lantern continuously until the last wisp was pulled inside.

Levi stood still, staff in hand... behind him, no one spoke. In front of him, only disbelieving looks met his soulless gaze.

The undead army that instilled terror in the hearts of viewers and Daywalkers was ended in moments by a single command from Levi.

With a wave of his hand, the Lantern faded into a greenish mist, as if it never existed.

The same fate befell the undead army, claimed by the abyss and wiped from existence, leaving Fang, Xorr’Vaedryn, and the other two summoners standing before Levi with nothing left between them.

”I dare you to summon more,” Levi said, his voice calm and devoid of emotion, as if he were inviting them to repeat a mistake he was eager to erase again.