Evolution: From Little Devil to Devil Empress

Chapter 504: Multiple ”Rank 4s” & Turning Into the Origin Sea

Talents were mostly regarded as hidden genes existing deep in humans’ bodies.

As Liora concentrated on Elemental Affinity, she quickly understood why. Yet, she also noticed some subtle differences between the two.

The structure of the talent and real genes appeared the same on the surface, but was actually massively different.

As Liora’s consciousness descended upon Elemental Affinity, she discovered a tiny illusory space hidden within it.

The size of this space was not big—barely the size of a human fingernail.

Yet such a size was already shocking. At least, it was millions of times larger than the gene seemed from the outside.

Despite this, Liora displayed no surprise.

Having comprehended the Elemental World technique, she already expected such a sight.

”Humans in this world do not know how talent genes came to be. All they know is that the first Awakener discovered their existence by accident, thus embarking on an extraordinary journey.”

”After awakening their talent, they discovered they could use it to absorb outside energy to strengthen themselves. Still, after a certain point, they hit a ’bottleneck’.”

That bottleneck was Rank 4.

After an Awakener reached Rank 4, it seemed impossible for them to make any further progress, as if they had reached the peak of the power system.

And so, humans sought another path.

”Realizing that human strength is ultimately limited, the Awakeners of that time chose to observe their surroundings through their own talents. Or rather, they comprehended the world itself.”

”This is how Domains came to be.”, Liora whispered, and the Four Elements Domain descended in the Star Chamber.

It quickly spread throughout the room, threatening to wipe out everything.

Fortunately, Liora had superb control over her own strength.

Not only did she minimize its power and prevent it from destroying anything, but she also began to shrink it down.

Originally the size of a small city, the Domain soon shrank to the size of a table, and then the size of a human fist.

It gently landed atop Liora’s palm, flickering with extraordinary brilliance that brushed against her face like a veil.

”However, the human ancestors believed that using external means is also limited. Only by improving one’s essence can an Awakener be called a true powerhouse. As such, they didn’t become immersed in the comprehension of the world and relied on it to survive.”

”Instead, they found a way to fuse its power with their physical bodies.”

As soon as that thought surfaced, the Four Elements Domain left Liora’s palm on its own.

It moved toward the center of her body, growing closer to the Elemental Affinity talent gene.

Ten inches. Five inches. Two inches.

Shortly after, the two extraordinary forces overlapped in their entirety.

A violent reaction followed.

As though fire had met water or a chemical reaction had occurred, the Domain and the talent gene began to riot.

It seemed as if they wished to explode, unwilling to fuse with each other and lose their true nature.

Thankfully, Liora’s will and the power of her consciousness were extraordinary. She forcefully suppressed them both, controlling the Four Elements Domain to fuse with the gene.

The two tried to resist, but their struggle proved futile.

Only seconds later, the Domain had vanished. Or more specifically, it had disappeared from the real world.

In Liora’s field of view, it had entered the illusory space within the talent gene, and the two became one.

Instantly, she received feedback.

The Cosmic Energy coursing through her body appeared to have finally received a signal, drilling into the talent gene.

The space within began to expand.

From the size of a human fingernail, it quickly grew to the size of a room.

However, the progress soon halted. As if an invisible wall was preventing its membrane from spreading any further, the space was squeezed together.

Only the faint tremors revealed that it was still trying to expand.

Liora understood what was happening.

Rank 4 required the Awakener to fuse their Domain with their talent gene, achieving a resonance between them.

To go any further, an advancement to Rank 5 was required.

Using the Contribution Points she had gained from becoming the new Guardian, Liora had already purchased the subsequent levels of the Elemental World technique. She already knew how to achieve an advancement.

However, she did not rush to do so just yet.

Rather, she deactivated the Elemental Affinity talent and activated another one.

It was golden.

Significantly smaller than SS-Rank Elemental Affinity, much less Predation, it was the C-Rank Light Control.

Unlike elemental demons, which were almost everywhere, those related to Light were quite rare and powerful.

Therefore, Liora had not managed to upgrade this talent any further.

”Thankfully, this is enough.”, she thought.

The next moment, her mind moved once again.

The countless insights she had had over the years emerged, while her battle with the previous Guardian constantly replayed in her mind.

The next instant... Bang!

Another Domain descended upon her. Golden in color and radiant like the sun, it brushed against her face and made Liora look particularly holy.

She paid no attention.

Shrinking down the awakened Light Domain, she brought it closer to Light Control and forcibly fused them together.

Cosmic Energy poured into the gene once again, supplied by the ever-running Cosmic Devouring Technique.

The world hidden within the talent gene expanded, though it was significantly smaller than that of the Elemental Affinity.

”This is the difference in the level of the two talents. Fortunately, I can always make up for this deficiency at a later time.”, Liora deduced, watching as her strength soared.

Shortly after, she deactivated Light Control.

A new talent lit up on the surface of her body.

White and covered in cracks, it brought a crackling noise with its emergence.

The next instant, the Lightning Domain descended and merged with it.

One after another. The talents Liora had accumulated were activated and integrated with their respective Domains.

Even if other people possessed the Predation talent and could awaken several talents at once, they would never be able to achieve this.

After all, an ordinary Awakener couldn’t possibly comprehend so many Domains.

Yet Liora could.

Not only was her comprehension extraordinary, but her many experiences and her identity as an Archdevil gave her a different viewpoint from other people.

For her, comprehending a Domain was simple, only requiring a few seconds.

The result?

Dozens of illusory worlds were born within her body, as if her physical vessel had turned into an imitation of the Origin Sea.