The Glorious Evolution

The revelation put a mute on everyone... the girls’ shock was evident as they stared at Levi, while Arthur’s lowered gaze and lack of surprise made it clear that he had known the truth all along.

Levi had already told him in private after what went down in the faction event... The Bishop had sent his elites after his brother and friends.

Levi knew that it was only right for them to know the truth about this as well, so they could have a full picture of what had nearly caused their deaths.

Levi’s hand rose slowly toward the black bandana covering his eyes before anyone could interrupt.

”And these?” His fingers touched the scorched marks. ”He stole them...”

The girls were stunned, not expecting in the slightest that a Bishop... a believed Tier 8 powerhouse, was responsible for the theft of Levi’s eyes.

”Why?” Nurah whispered.

”I don’t know.”

That answer somehow made it worse.

”I don’t know why he wanted them. I don’t know what they truly were. I don’t know what connection they have to my bloodline, my compatibility with the Origin Seeds, or whatever my parents were hiding.”

Levi adjusted the bandana again.

”That’s the mystery I’ve been trying to solve... and I know the only way to learn the truth is to get it from his lips.” Levi’s tone turned bone-chilling. ”He is after me... and I am after him. What happened in the faction event against those two mercenaries was nothing but the appetizer.”

Hearing this, chills coursed down the girls’ spines... They already knew something was off about Fang and Rain, given that their strength was well beyond the norm for their rank.

Only now did it make sense... they were Bishop Na’thir’s subordinates, sent to finish off Levi inside the Death Game!

If only they knew the full truth, they would have been even more horrified... but Levi kept those details to himself.

He had already given them enough to digest for one night, and he saw no reason to burden them with every detail surrounding Fang, Rain, or the deeper implications behind Bishop Na’thir’s interest in him when even he didn’t possess all the answers yet.

For a few moments, no one said anything... not even the nightcrawlers. Each seemed lost in their own thoughts as everything Levi had revealed rearranged what they thought they knew about him, his parents, and the enemy that had been lurking behind so many of their recent troubles.

Yet, strangely enough, once the initial shock began to settle, Levi didn’t see fear taking its place, nor did he notice any hesitation suggesting that they were reconsidering their decision to stand beside him.

”So... that’s it?” Nurah tilted her head slightly.

”That’s it?” Levi looked confused.

”You made it sound like you were about to tell us you’re secretly working for the Duskbound Order or something sinister.” Nurah folded her arms, still visibly bothered by everything she had heard, but not for the reason Levi expected. ”It’s Bishop Na’thir... we were already going to kill him eventually.”

Shia nodded beside her, her expression far more serious. ”She’s right. Maybe this makes things more personal for you, and maybe he’s more interested in you than we realized, but what exactly does it change for us?”

”The Seven Bishops and their Eternal Empires were always our destined enemies,” Jojo added. ”As long as they’re alive, our planet will never truly be free... Namaste.”

That was the simple truth of their existence, something drilled into every Raider long before they were strong enough to step outside the sanctuaries on their own.

The Seven Eternal Empires weren’t distant threats they could simply avoid forever; they were the pillars holding up the nightmare that had consumed their world and was still consuming it nonstop.

Regardless of whether Levi possessed those strange eyes or whether Na’thir had ever taken an interest in him, the path they had chosen would have eventually brought them against those monsters and their followers anyway.

Still, Levi’s lips curled into a soft smile.

He hadn’t realized until that moment how much he had been preparing himself for a different response... maybe not outright rejection, since he knew them better than that, but perhaps hesitation, uncertainty, or at least some concern over how deeply his personal circumstances had dragged them into something far more dangerous than they had originally signed up for.

Yet, none of them showed much of a reaction.

”You’re all taking this surprisingly well,” Levi admitted.

”To be honest, the truth about your divine bloodline and the three Origin Seeds is still causing havoc within me.” Nurah sighed. ”Even Nyx is struggling to accept this reality.”

Hearing this, Levi switched to the spiritual bridge of darkness and immediately found their contracted nightcrawlers staring at him like he was a walking disaster they had somehow been dragged into by association.

They knew far better than the girls just how ludicrous Levi’s existence was, and they didn’t believe for a second that he truly possessed human genes, no matter how human he appeared to be.

But they kept those thoughts to themselves.

”Truly...” Shia’s ears soon perked up. ”By the way, is there any possibility of us switching to Origin Seeds too?”

Shia understood that if they continued using Shadowlife Seeds, Levi, Jasmine, and Arthur were bound to leave them behind sooner rather than later.

If they couldn’t obtain access to an Ancient Bloodline, then maybe an Origin Seed? Unknown to her, obtaining Ancient Bloodlines was far simpler than acquiring an Origin Seed.

Seeing their sparkling eyes, Levi had no intention of robbing them of hope... Arthur was the perfect example that reaching beyond the limits they once knew was more than possible.

”To be honest... it’s possible, but it relies heavily on luck and compatibility,” Levi shared calmly. ”If you’re fated to become an Origin Seed holder, then the universe will make it happen... and the only way to increase those odds is by continuing down your evolutionary path. That way, when the opportunity arrives, you’ll be ready for it.”

Hearing this, the girls felt motivated even though they knew Levi’s words weren’t guaranteeing that they would ever get their hands on one.

But still... as long as there was hope, anything was possible.

When Jasmine, Ash’Kral, the Titan, and N’ibby saw their reactions, each showed a similar emotion.

They reacted with varying degrees of skepticism, clearly not sharing the girls’ sudden enthusiasm in the slightest.

Unlike them, they understood enough about Origin Seeds to know that simply finding one was already an absurd stroke of fortune, but actually being accepted by it was an entirely different beast... one that couldn’t be forced through effort, desire, or even overwhelming strength.

After all... there were only Sixteen Origin Seeds across the entire universe... Levi alone owned three while Jasmine owned one, and so did Arthur.

Five Origin Seeds in one squad of children was already a mathematical impossibility, which no one would believe if they were to hear about it.

Ash’Kral, in particular, looked almost amused by their optimism, as though he were watching a group of children discussing what they would do after stumbling upon a treasure that countless powerful beings could spend entire lifetimes searching for without ever seeing it even once.

’Yet, despite your complete lack of faith in them, you still recommended bloodlines related to our perished peers.’ The Titan chuckled at Ash’Kral’s amused expression.