Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1964: King Armor [Bonus]

[Fuck you Eeshoo]

77%.

BANG.

83%.

BANG.

94%.

BANG.

99%.

BANG.

99.7%.

BANG.

Sylasʼ eyes flashed, slitting and then dilating. A range of colors flashed back one after another, his canines lengthening as his sideburns became more wild. It was like his body itself was reacting to the fierce Will changes, forcefully trying to corral so many Wills and powers into a single cohesive stream until it all flourished into a roar that left his own lips.

Space shattered, mountains quaked and crumbled. Then, one after another, the 713th big cat Emperors located their Spirits being shredded to pieces.

They coughed up mouthfuls of blood only to be sent flying in their own battles. The fact that none of them outright died seemed to be a mystery in itself. Or, maybe... it was the result of a subtle stream of power that zipped around with untold levels of speed.

100%

Violet lightning flashed, the world peeling back and overturning as Sylas shredded it all to pieces.

100% simply wasnʼt good enough.

He stripped the Lion King Armor down to the E-tier, and then the F-tier beyond that.

His pupils continued to dart around but he could feel the pushback.

Regardless of what Sylas believed, the Lion truly did represent Pride. It was a different sort of Pride than what he liked, but it was Pride nonetheless. The more he tried to restrain it, the more it fought back. In fact, the only one of the large cat Spirits that didnʼt shatter just now was the Lion Spirit itself.

However, Sylas didnʼt care.

”Kneel.”

His Madness Key danced in the winds, his hair whipping about as though a mane of its own.

”You are not good enough.”

BANG.

The Pride of the Lion shattered and the 713th Lion Emperor coughed up a mouthful of blood. He took a heavy step back in the air.

Cracks and fissures began to appear in the Lion Emperor Mountain even as the other big cat Mountains crumbled to ash before their eyes.

But that was when Sylas began to reform them.

The other 713th Cycle Emperors couldnʼt help but frown.

”SYLAS GRIMBLADE!” the roar of the Lion Emperor pealed across the skies.

Much like every other time...

Sylas directly ignored him, a suffocating Will rushing out from him.

He would save the Emperor Sanctum.

But he would do it his way.

And one day, they would thank him for it.

And if they didnʼt...

They could die just like all his other enemies would.

Chi. Chi. Chi.

Sparks flew as Sylasʼ Rune Armor threatened to break apart at the seams rather than come together smoothly. The various Wills he tried to force into one pushed and reflected off of one another, each one wanting to maintain their own dignity.

The Lion wanted to be the leader, not an amalgamation of what it saw as inferior versions of itself.

The other big cats were all solitary. Ironically enough, they were lone wolves. Not a single one of them wanted to be fused into the other.

BANG.

The Armor shattered apart and Sylas took a step back, coughing up a mouthful of blood himself. His cheeks went pale, his body swaying for a moment before he caught himself.

It was the first time Sylas had reflected anything close to failure. Yet, his gaze didnʼt seem to falter in the slightest.

The only thing that could make an armor like this yield was Pride. If he allowed the Lion to maintain its Pride and suppress the other Wills, it would work seamlessly. It could be said that his own stubbornness was what was keeping the Armor from coming together properly.

He knew this. He could deduce it with ease.

And yet he had no desire to do that.

There was a better way.

The Lion did not deserve to represent Pride. In fact, neither did the Monkey King for that matter.

He wouldnʼt use Pride to bring this Armor together. He would use something else.

His Reaper Sealwright Profession thrummed with life, the Death Seal rising up into the air. Sylas pressed his palms together so fiercely the space around them solidified and quaked as though they might split at the seams any moment now.

Since all of these big cats had the same origin...

He would just return them to it.

BOOM.

The layered roars filled the surroundings.

The Wills fused into one, rising into the skies. A pair of teeth lengthened, a body filled with brimming power and overwhelming might seamlessly combining them all.

It was no Lion, it was no tiger, it was no cheetah, nor was it a leopard. But it seemed to have aspects of them all.

SHILING. SHILING. SHIIING.

The sound of sharpening blades filled the skies as the creature raised its head. Flashes of one Will after another layered continuously until they seamlessly flowed into a single one.

Sylas pulled its Genes from the stream of time with the Death Seal, ripping it back until every big cat was forced to acknowledge its Ancestor and lower its head.

BANG.

The F-tier Rune Armor took shape again, a roaring Legendary Gene descended.

Sylas shattered it to pieces, forming the E-tier Rune Armor right after it without missing a single beat. Somehow, this one formed even faster than the F-tier one, but it shattered even faster just as a Legendary E-tier Gene

descended.

And then came the D-tier one. It swarmed above the skies and a pillar of light descended as the Legendary D-tier Gene did as well. It was like the clouds and stars themselves were singing in acknowledgement of its arrival.

In that moment, every descendant of the big cats felt an overwhelming might fill their bodies.

It wasnʼt just speed, not just strength, not just constitution, not just dexterity. Their muscles weaved together like steel cords, their hearts beating like meteors falling from the skies, their blood running as hot as lava.

They roared beside themselves, their Rune Armor forming spontaneously as their Genes were forcefully changed.

This was no Lion King Armor any longer.

It was the Saber King Armor.

The roar of an ancient legend filled the skies.