The Glorious Evolution

Under the thunderous cheers, the Prison Tile descended toward the board while its bars retracted, allowing the remaining Rifters to see Levi’s battered condition clearly.

The constant bombardment and the final explosions had left Levi quite hurt, even if he tried his best to keep his composure.

Then, golden particles rose from the Borrower’s ashes and flowed toward him, increasing the balance above his head.

[FORTUNE POINTS: 38]

Levi glanced at the notification and let out a short sigh... He had finally earned something from this damned game, but celebration could wait, as it was only the beginning.

”Thirty-eight Fortune Points and one less competitor!” Gamemaster Gamble announced excitedly. ”Our Celestial has finally discovered that killing someone is more profitable than rolling dice!”

Most of the viewers laughed while several screens replayed the moment both explosions swallowed the prison.

”The Borrower reproduced the attack almost perfectly... Unfortunately, that was his downfall!” Gamble pointed toward the collapsing imitation in the replay. ”Whatever survived their collision remained inside the prison, striking his defenses again and again until they couldn’t hold!”

The replay shifted toward Levi’s dark dome.

”Meanwhile, Celestial had prepared a concentrated Void defense to devour enough of the destruction to survive... He wasn’t trying to stop the Borrower from copying him... the cunning bastard was counting on his defenses being better equipped to handle the explosions than the Borrower’s copies!”

Hearing this, many viewers finally understood why Levi had continued increasing his output despite watching the manifestation reproduce everything.

-He baited the Borrower into copying his own death?!-

-Smart... but fucking insane... no wonder his fanbase never lost hope!-

-His answer to Perfect Imitation was to nuke them both?! Dear lord... this is the good stuff I paid for a ticket to see!-

While the viewers were relishing the replays, Levi’s brother and friends didn’t look too kindly on his seemingly suicidal attempt.

”He could have burned himself alive...”

Arthur muttered, finally releasing his grip on the ruined armrests... he might trust his brother’s strategies blindly, but that didn’t mean he was comfortable watching him nuke himself.

”He nearly did...”

Worried, Nurah stared at Levi’s scorched clothes while rubbing her forehead... even Shia and Jojo shared the same sentiment.

They had expected watching Levi’s Nocturnal Battles to be quite stressful, but not like this...

’It’s a calculated risk...’

Jasmine was the only one who supported Levi’s drastic approach... after studying the Borrower, she knew that Levi had no chance of defeating him without exhausting most of his energy tank or exposing some hidden cards.

The only way to erase him from existence while avoiding a Dominion battle was to go this far... she hadn’t forgotten in the slightest that Levi had no Dominion in hand, even if the leaked image suggested otherwise.

Meanwhile, in the silver cafe... the Dealer leaned back in his chair with a relieved smirk.

”Thirty-eight points, a victory, and he’s finally off the board... Things are moving in the direction of my readings, as expected.”

Madam Future spared him an irked look.

”You waited until the explosion ended to say that.”

”Cough... I didn’t want to interrupt.”

”...”

Back on the board, Akira’s mouth twitched as her cold gaze moved from the ruined prison to Levi... she recognized Stellar Fission right away, as it was one of her Lineage’s Sacred Techniques, bestowed by an actual Radian!

Her entire Lineage had made its name, earned its glory, and climbed the ladder of the Radians’ Followers because of that single technique, which was the heart of their Battle Arts.

Now... she watched Levi use it as a mere backup dancer to his own technique, like it meant nothing to him.

’Filth... how can such a filthy creature wield the Radians’ noble powers while carrying Oblivar’s bloodline?’ Akira Sol frowned deeply. ’How does this make any sense... who created such an abomination?’

While Akira was more bothered by Levi’s blasphemous existence, the rest of the Rifters shared wry expressions.

They had researched his weapons, studied his techniques, and considered how to respond to his supposed Dominion... Yet, none had prepared for the possibility that, if nothing else worked, the prick could nuke the entire battlefield and hide inside his dark dome, leaving his opponent to figure out how to survive.

Still, they were at least glad to have the Borrower expose such a nasty trump card.

Ding!

[FREEDOM ROUND CONCLUDED]

[THIRD DICE ROUND]

Levi was barely given any time to breathe before the announcement appeared above the board, making him lift his head with a slightly irritated expression.

’Not even a few minutes...’

Fortunately, his turn wasn’t first... he remained focused on healing his wounds while the two gigantic dice manifested above the board.

[AKIRA SOL]

[IMPRISONED — TURN SKIPPED]

”Our leading lady will be enjoying the hospitality of her cell a little longer!” Gamemaster Gamble announced. ”Let’s see whether anyone can make her regret taking that shortcut!”

The Taxman’s name appeared next... he stepped forward while holding his briefcase beside him, his eyes moving toward the top of his forehead to inspect the dice.

Then, without bothering with a comment, he rolled... the dice collided once before settling side by side.

[FORTUNE: 6]

[CALAMITY: 6]

[TOTAL: 12]

The audience erupted in cheers while Akira’s expression turned less composed.

”Another double six!” Gamble spread his arms excitedly. ”Twelve tiles and an additional roll! Someone’s determined to collect more than Fortune Points today!”

The Taxman disappeared from his position and reappeared much closer to Akira, having crossed a considerable portion of the distance she had paid to establish... yet he wasn’t done. He rolled the dice again, and they landed on a total of five, with the Calamity Die showing the higher number.

Still, the Rifters’ expressions remained nasty as the tile he landed on shone in gold!

[FORTUNE TILE]

’Of course...’ Levi’s mouth twitched.

Uncaring about their reactions, the Taxman focused on the Fortune Wheel and the interface offering him the opportunity to improve its rewards.

He inspected the available tools for a few moments before his mouth shifted back to its proper position.

”Twenty Fortune Points.”

The nearby Rifters turned toward him... even Levi straightened his posture, his expression turning solemn.

”Twenty?!” Gamble exclaimed delightedly. ”Half his balance! Finally, someone who understands that points are meant to be spent!”

The Taxman ignored him as golden light flooded the wheel, erasing the entire catalogue of tools and replacing it with newer ones that made the Rifters flinch at their brazen names.

Fate Reversal... Perfect Shield... Fortune Scissors... Position Exchange.

Despite the tools having no descriptions of their effects, the names alone made them understand that anything he obtained was going to be an Ace Card.

It was to be expected after spending a whole twenty Fortune Points... more than any of them currently possessed.

The Taxman spun the wheel and took a single step back.

Ting! Ting! Ting!...

’He still has twenty points left for emergencies,’ Levi thought as he watched the spinning wheel. ’Even if he doesn’t get what he wants, almost anything there could justify the expense.’

The needle passed one valuable tool after another while the spectators shouted their favorites, with several betting windows updating rapidly as the wheel began losing speed. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

A few moments later, the needle landed on:

[POSITION EXCHANGE TOOL]

A small tool manifested above the Taxman’s palm; it was shaped like a compass with two opposing arrows, one red and one blue... as he read the private description, his mouth curled into a faint smile.

Meanwhile, the reactions across the board varied widely... Akira’s reaction was the most severe, as she realized that the distance she had gained suddenly meant nothing!

It didn’t matter how many good rolls she obtained or how many Fortune Points she spent advancing... as long as the Taxman kept that tool, he could let her overcome the board’s obstacles before exchanging positions with her!

She would inherit whatever position he happened to occupy, while he would take the position she had worked to reach.

Such a Tool was too powerful; it forced everyone to reconsider their strategies... the only clear way to avoid falling victim to it was to obtain a Safety Shield or a similar protective tool.

Unfortunately, recognizing the answer and getting their hands on the tool were two entirely different matters.

”Why the expression, Lady Sol?” Gamemaster Gamble teased her innocently. ”He hasn’t used it yet.”

Akira gave him a cold glance before returning her attention to the Taxman... He had already put the tool away, and yet, that made it more bothersome.

He didn’t need to threaten her or activate it... Its existence alone forced her to reconsider how aggressively she intended to continue her advancement.

’The game’s pace is about to slow down.’ Levi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Levi understood that reaching favorable tiles and moving ahead had been everyone’s main concern... Tools were useful advantages they collected along the way.

Now, it was a must to obtain a single protective tool or something to challenge the Taxman and get rid of him and his tool threat once and for all.

They still had to roll, but the decisions made between those rolls had become much more complicated.

”One tool, and nobody looks quite as eager to reach the throne anymore!” Gamble laughed as he watched their expressions. ”Don’t worry... I’m sure the Taxman will thank whoever prepares his route.”

The Taxman merely adjusted his cuff and then responded with a polite smile.

”I always acknowledge a useful contribution.”

Several viewers burst into laughter as his turn came to a conclusion on a high note.

The following Rifters approached their rolls with more attention directed toward the tools in circulation... those reaching Fortune Tiles examined their options carefully, while anyone passing one couldn’t help glancing back at it.

The game hadn’t stopped moving... but racing ahead no longer looked like the obvious way to win as many Rifters chose to take different roads away from the main one.

Because of this, the chances of landing on the same tile lessened, which meant mandatory duels were a thing of the past.

Gamemaster Gamble clearly had designed the board in this manner to avoid the ten Rifters killing each other at the very start of the game, turning such a fun concept into a standard fighting game.

Before long, the dice appeared before Levi...