Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 836: They Meet Again

Duke Evermoon could not help but mentally shake his head at the strained, oddly stiff air surrounding his daughter and Michael.

It had not always been like this.

Before the revelation of Michael’s possible background... before it was revealed that he had a Great Being–level bodyguard... before it became apparent that he himself was already touching that same realm...

The two of them had actually shared a good relationship.

They spoke naturally.

Even laughed a few times.

There had been mutual respect then. A comfortable distance, but not an awkward one.

But suddenly...

Everything had changed a week ago.

And Duke Evermoon knew exactly why.

His daughter did not feel herself worthy anymore.

Not even worthy, in her own mind, to call herself his friend.

It was not something she voiced aloud.

But a father did not need words to see what weighed on his child’s heart.

And if he was being honest...

Even he, her father, felt something similar.

At this point, Duke Evermoon had already given up on pushing anything further between them.

Relationships could not be forced.

If it was meant to be...

It would be.

If not...

Then forcing proximity would only create resentment or discomfort.

So he let it be.

He allowed the silence to hang for a heartbeat longer before deciding he had said everything that mattered.

”You two should start heading out. Do not be late.”

Arianne’s Flame Lion rumbled low, its paws scraping against the stone as it shifted.

Michael gave the Duke a short nod.

Arianne did the same, her posture stiff with restrained excitement.

Then they left.

There was no escort.

None was needed.

Only the participants mattered.

Arianne rode forward first, her Flame Lion stepping into motion with a controlled, heavy rhythm. Its mane trailed fire behind it like a banner, and the moment she entered the open streets, heads turned.

Michael followed behind her.

He rose into the air in smooth silence, black armor cutting through the morning light like a shadow.

They moved through the city toward the palace.

And of course...

They caused commotion.

People pulled aside.

Guards stiffened.

Some citizens stared openly at Arianne’s beasts, at the Flame Lion’s disciplined ferocity.

Others stared at Michael.

At the black armor.

At the fact that a young man was flying.

Whispers spread in their wake. Speculation. Awe. Fear.

But it was not anything major.

The guards on the main streets did not stop them. They only watched.

Soon enough, the palace walls rose into view.

Arianne slowed her Flame Lion as they approached the main gate.

Michael descended slightly behind her, hovering just above the ground now, his boots never touching the stone.

The palace guards recognized them immediately.

The gates opened without delay.

A steward soon met them and led them toward a gathering area where other young participants had already assembled.

And there...

Michael saw two figures he had both expected and not expected to see again so soon after the banquet weeks ago.

”Mic, my friend!”

”Pretty boy!”

Two distinct voices called out at the same time.

A faint smile appeared on Michael’s face as he recognized them instantly.

Renn.

And Uga.

One a freakishly talented swordsman.

The other a beast in human flesh, or at least what Michael suspected was close to it.

Compared to the feeling they had given him months ago...

Both had grown considerably stronger.

Michael’s gaze first settled on Renn.

The young swordsman stood straighter than before. His presence felt sharper. More condensed.

Michael did not sense threat from him.

The gap between them was far too vast for that.

But the fact that he could sense anything at all...

Said a lot.

Months ago, Renn had already been capable of using Sword Qi. A rare feat for someone at his stage.

Michael wondered what level he had reached now.

Whether his Sword Qi had deepened...

Or if he had begun touching something even closer to Sword Intent.

His gaze lingered on him a moment longer before shifting.

Then it landed on Uga.

The bronze-skinned youth looked exactly as Michael remembered...

And yet completely different.

His build had grown even more monstrous.

Muscle layered over muscle, thick and dense like carved stone. His shoulders were broader, his arms heavier, veins faintly visible beneath sun-toned skin that looked closer to tempered bronze than flesh.

Yet his face...

Still carried that same baby-like innocence.

The contrast remained jarring.

A bear’s body.

A child’s face.

His presence felt heavier than Renn’s.

More primal.

More oppressive in raw physicality.

But not necessarily stronger.

Renn’s presence cut.

Uga’s presence crushed.

Two different paths of strength.

Their appearances had changed as much as their auras.

Uga especially.

Months ago, he had looked almost feral, walking around in little more than an animal hide skirt, completely unbothered by exposure or decorum. He had looked like a wild man dragged into civilization by accident rather than choice.

Now...

He looked far more civilized.

He still wore minimal armor, but it was tailored. Reinforced leather wrapped around his waist and thighs, layered with processed beast hide. Metal bracers encased his forearms, and a heavy mantle of fur draped across one shoulder like a warrior’s cloak.

It did little to hide his overwhelming physique.

If anything, it framed it better.

But the difference lay in presentation.

He looked less like a forest brute...

And more like a tribal champion.

There was awareness in his posture now.

Growth not just of body...

But of self.

Michael noticed it immediately.

Then his gaze returned to Renn.

If Uga’s change was refinement...

Renn’s was elevation.

He looked like a true noble now.

Not just by birth.

By presence.

He wore a fitted dark-blue combat coat lined with silver threading. A high-collared mantle rested over his shoulders, bearing his house insignia.

His sword hung at his waist.

Everything about him spoke of restraint and discipline.

From the way his hair was tied neatly behind his head...

To the calm steadiness in his eyes.

He no longer looked like a talented young swordsman trying to prove himself.

He looked like one who had already begun walking the path of mastery.

Standing there beside Uga’s overwhelming physique...

Renn did not look overshadowed.

Michael evaluated them both in a single glance.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Just enough to break the usual flat calm of his face.