The Glorious Evolution

A moment later, countless crimson windows and tabs appeared across the dark screen, filling it from edge to edge.

This was the Duskbound Private Network... accessed only by signed members.

Mission boards crowded one side, listing infiltration contracts, compromised settlements, newly discovered worlds, and Hollow Races awaiting possession.

Beside them were encrypted discussion forums where thousands of masked identities traded information, favors, warnings, and opportunities... everything was sold, traded, or signed as a favor.

Not an ounce of assistance was given out of the goodness of their hearts.

Plus, no one shared their real Nightcrawler names or faces... they used only codenames and ranks attached beside them, shown as symbols somewhat resembling chess pieces.

The most recurring ranks were symbols of either Black or White Tiles... then came the Pawn symbols.

As for Rooks and Bishops? Their comments rarely showed up on forums. Instead, most of the missions on the boards were posted by them.

From the symbols, the current Duskbound Order’s hierarchy was quite clear... Pawns were considered Low Official members, while Bishops and Rooks were High Official Members.

As for the Tiles’ rank? They were the lesser soldiers. Merely squares on the board, something pieces stood upon and walked all over without an ounce of consideration for their existence in the organization.

And yet... most of the Nightcrawlers at this rank accepted the humiliation as a normal occurrence and refused to leave the Organization.

It was for a simple reason.

[NEW WORLD DEATH-TOUCHED... Two Hollow Races at Global War. Dimensional Access opens in three days. Conquerors, register for the First Wave of Corruption.]

Many such notifications popped up once in a while at the topmost part of the network... the Nightcrawlers pressed them, studied the details, and decided whether to make the newly targeted planet their next long-term home or not.

For this recent one... many Nightcrawlers chose to get involved since having two Hollow Races at war made it much easier to manipulate their citizens into signing a Sleepwalker Contract.

This kind of access was the Duskbound Order’s greatest benefit to any member, regardless of rank.

That’s because whether they were Bishops, Pawns, or Tiles... everyone gained something from a corrupted planet... either directly from the Duskbound Order or from the CRS Platform after creating Nightcrawler Nests and actively participating in the Conflict.

Rooks were the only rank with little interaction with the Chained Universe Corruption or the Conquest system... as every Rook in the organization was chosen from Nocturnal Rifters who held territories in the Boundless Expanse, or from Pawns promoted to Rooks after securing territories of their own.

Hence, the reason a respected Count in public with his own nation was also a Duskbound Order member in the shadows... an identity so closely guarded that only his family members and his loyal contracted Patronage knew about it.

Silas Targon included!

Levi thought that Silas was threatening him using the County as his backing... but only Silas knew the real identity of Count Wick’Ral and the level of access he had when it came to hunting someone.

After a short while, Count Wick’Ral posted the bounty on the network and paid for extra visibility... beneath the endless stream of contracts, a new crimson posting surfaced at the top of the Duskbound Hunt Board.

[Private Hunt... Priority Target]

Target: Mr. Problem

Posted by: Rook Candle

Bounty: Three million credits (alive) + one Rook favor.

Known clues:

-Operates within the Eight Sky Province.

-Recently contracted by House Zen.

-Responsible for the destruction of House Targon’s estate.

-Identity, race, appearance, and spiritual signature unknown.

-A recording of his known powers is attached below.

Objective: Identify. Locate. Capture alive.

[First confirmed lead receives 10% of the bounty.]

As the Count and his family watched the bounty rack up upvotes... heated discussions about forming hunting parties already flooded beneath it... their black flames burned brighter, sending streams of molten wax down their faces and across their bone-chilling gazes.

”It’s only a matter of time before we receive an update on whether he accepted another commissioned job.” Lady Ny’Vela sneered. ”Anywhere he goes, he will find our hunters.”

Three million credits was no small amount, as it was high enough to even move Bishops to accept the bounty... of course, they wouldn’t exactly work the bounty themselves, but they could always put their elites on it.

***

Earth... Africa’s Eternal Empire.

From the upper atmosphere, the heart of Africa appeared trapped beneath a never-ending thunderstorm... massive black clouds covered the continent’s center, with hundreds of black lightning bolts flashing through them without pause.

The storm never weakened nor gave a single opening to the blue sky above or the ever-scorching rays of sunlight for an entire century.

As the protective barrier of the biggest Nightcrawler Nest, it had to be perfect... otherwise, the Empire’s capital and the countless Nightcrawler settlements would be erased in a single morning.

Within this endless reign of darkness and gloom, the capital’s black towers, crowded districts, suspended bridges, and ancient structures stretched for hundreds of kilometers.

Nightcrawlers filled every street... walking, trading, feeding, arguing, and conducting business beneath bluish lamps as though eternal night were the most natural thing in existence.

Even the non-intelligent, low-tier Nightcrawlers kept their heads lowered in fear... no one dared to lose control of their hunger and cause a scene.

Bishop Na’thir’s aura blanketed the entire city, making everyone understand fully well... any slight disrespect would be met with death.

Speaking of the devil, Bishop Na’thir currently resided within the palace at the heart of the city... an enormous black fortress built in the likeness of a resting four-headed hound.

Each head served as one of the palace’s main gates, rows of pale fangs framing the massive entrances and forcing every visitor to enter through the open jaws of the beast.

Gargantuan statues of chained hounds guarded its courtyards, while countless black chains descended from the palace walls like leashes.

At the very heart of the Palace, Bishop Na’thir sat silently upon his throne, reading through updates from the territories of the other Bishops while absentmindedly stroking a gigantic, white-skinned hound with long, slender legs and three watchful heads.

Suddenly, the hound growled in the direction of the throne chamber’s closed gate... with a single tap on its head, it went silent.

”Come in.”

A well-built human with bronze-toned muscles stepped inside and knelt five meters away from the throne, not daring to get any closer.

”What brought you all the way here, Mar’kil?”

Bishop Na’thir asked while his attention remained fixed on the reports of his rivals.

”There is a posting on the Board... Rook Candle from the Eighth Sky Province. He has put a bounty on a man alive, or on any information anyone has about him.” Mar’kil lifted the dimensional screen and showed it to him. ”The man... he seems to share traits with the target you ordered us to keep an eye o...”

Before he could finish his sentence, Bishop Na’thir had already come face-to-face with the dimensional screen, his expression solemn as he read through the bounty’s details.

”Mr. Problem?”

The Bishop murmured the alias under his breath while watching the recording of him lifting an entire mountain with a gigantic aetheric hand.

The Bishop watched eleven seconds of it... and yet, it was enough. The height, the body type, the mannerisms, and most importantly, the extraordinary affinity for aether energy.

That was all Bishop Na’thir ever needed to be certain that it was none other than... Levi Larson, the unkillable tick.

”Good job... You may leave.”

The Bishop sent Mar’kil away and returned to the throne... the moment he sat down, his expression turned utterly livid.

”You little shit... now most of the Duskbound Order will try to catch you... alive, no less!”

As much as Bishop Na’thir wanted Levi dead, he also wanted him killed by his own hands to avoid Levi’s secrets being linked back to him.

After all... Bishop Na’thir had something the Black Veil Queen had been searching for for a very, very long time... and he hadn’t bothered to hand it over for more than a decade.

If she were to find out... it wouldn’t end well for him.

Bishop Na’thir was certain that if Levi was caught by his peers, he would try to bring him down with him, even if it was the last thing he did before getting killed!

’Hound, Rain, Fang... I need you back,’ Bishop Na’thir disclosed coldly. ’The brat has resurfaced yet again, and he’s causing a big mess... I need him dead, now!’