The Glorious Evolution

A few minutes later, the five challenger Rifters came out of their rooms and went to the platforms... the screens showed a list of the remaining five Rifters with a single word underneath their names: Challenge?

The Masked Butcher, the Dealer, the Ruiner, the Wanderer of the Seas, and Drayven picked their targets.

”Targets have been picked! Look at that, no one decided to skip!” Gamemaster Gamble called out while pointing his mic towards the chosen names.

Levi had two marks on his name, and the rest chose different Rifters. When the Masked Butcher saw who challenged Levi, he couldn’t help but frown coldly.

’Drayven... he also wants a piece of him. But... I can’t trust him to finish the job. It needs to be me.’ He thought.

”Rifters... let the dice decide priority!” Gamemaster Gamble said.

Masked Butcher and Drayven pulled out their dices and threw them on the ground simultaneously.... the moment the dices stopped, Gamemaster Gamble announced the results, ”Masked Butcher rolled a six! He wins the priority pick!”

”I am sticking to my choice.” The Masked Butcher uttered, his voice rough and deep.

It matched his rugged, forceful appearance... he was a three-meter giant with an insanely muscular frame that was decorated with thick brown fur on the chest, shoulders, and back. He had the head of a bull and the face of a shadow creature from the depths.

He wore a dark bull’s mask and a white Butcher’s apron that was splashed in black.

He looked more demonic than demons... his red, thin, leathery tail ended with a bloody sun symbol.

”Very well! Challengers... let the universe witness the results of your choices! Did you take an unnecessary risk by saving the strong cards, or did you go all out?”

Hearing Gamemaster Gamble’s passionate shout, the challengers walked in the direction of their targets’ doors.

The moment the Masked Butcher arrived at Levi’s door, it opened up on its own for him. He stepped inside, and the door closed behind him.

Then, he walked in the direction of Levi, who was waiting for him in the center of the room... his expression was nothing but three celestial stars rotating slowly.

”Were you expecting me?” The Masked Butcher said coldly.

”...”

Levi remained silent, merely standing there menacingly, waiting for him to make his move. Seeing that he had no plans to chat with him, the Masked Butcher scoffed and reached into his pants.

He pulled two cards, and Levi did the same... although Levi already saw what he picked the instant he entered his combat room.

”Challengers, reveal your words!”

The Masked Butcher immediately flipped his cards over, showing two cards that made the viewers gasp in anticipation...

-Crazy! A Nine Number offensive card and a King’s card?! He came to absolutely obliterate the Celestial, not giving him a chance of retaliation!-

-Holy! If the Celestial picked an offensive card or used a special card, he is done for!-

-Levi... please tell me you were prepared.- Jasmine’s eyes reflected a tint of worry.

Gamemaster Gamble had taken their omnipotent vision of the cards before they were picked to add to the suspense... what a suspense it built, as no one expected the Masked Butcher to come out swinging with both cards, saving nothing for defense!

”Celestial... I knew you expected my challenge, but I doubt even you anticipated I would be that crazy to enter a combat room against a Half-Radian without any defensive measures.” The Masked Butcher grinned, appearing quite proud of his bold move.

Levi remained silent for a few moments... then, he flipped the first card, and the veil was removed from the viewers’ eyes, showing a Nine-number Defense Card!

The viewers gasped, but they knew this wasn’t enough... he could use it to counter the nine attacks, but the ultimate ability would ruin him without a much stronger defensive ability.

Everyone assumed that the second card would be a Queen card, believing that Levi would take the safer option.

But no...

The moment Levi turned his card over, the Masked Butcher grinned murderously while many of the Celestial’s fans had their faces turn as pale as ghosts.

”He picked an Offensive card!!” Gamemaster Gamble shouted, ”Not just any! It’s the Ace!”

-Ace card?! What the hell is he thinking about?! The Ace is the most useless card in the deck! It shouldn’t make an appearance in a defensive stance!-

-Celestial... does he think those monsters are the same as the weaklings he fought in his first games? He lost the plot!-

-Levi... what are you thinking about?-

Jasmine was also left confused, thinking that Levi was taking the situation too lightly. She had seen most of his abilities and knew that his defensive abilities wouldn’t be enough to block the Masked Butcher’s nine strikes and an ultimate.

”Hehehe... I was scared for a second that you would use the Joker card.”

The Masked Butcher tightened his grip on a giant meat Cleaver and walked in Levi’s direction with a look of pure blood thirst.

He had invested almost everything great in his offensive to get rid of Levi, believing he was his worst counter... he would never waste this opportunity.

Levi ignored his mockery and watched the two cards disintegrate into paper fragments... then, he summoned his Judgment Chainstaff and threw it into the air.

As the Judgment Chainstaff was falling, the chatty and chaotic viewers had their eyes track it down... that’s when their expressions slowly changed from confusion to dumbfoundedness.

Under their silence and the stunned gaze of the Masked Butcher, the Requiem of Hope and Despair fell in Levi’s hands... looking aggressive and classy at the same time.

Then, Levi manifested a chair out of sunflames and sat on it, his body burning up fully, but he didn’t seem to care or feel any pain. He just placed the violin on top of his shoulder, supporting its weight with his extended arm, and leaned his invisible chin on the back.

Then, an aetheric green hand manifested as a third hand and rested itself on the strings on the board...

Levi brought the crimson bow closer to the string and played two faint notes as a warm-up... then, he lifted his head slowly and used the aetheric hand to make an infamous gesture.

-Come get it.-

No words were exchanged... and yet, Levi’s strange appearance and new weapon left everyone gazing at him in silence.

They were still struggling to understand how he was able to wield a staff and a sniper rifle with the same nightcrawler... and now? Their brains were fried.

The Power System Logic was no longer making sense in their minds.

”A violin?” The Masked Butcher scoffed, ”Are you going to play me a lullaby to sleep? Violin, Staff, or a Gun... you can summon them all together, and your fate shall be the same.”

”DEAD!”

As the Masked Butcher’s murderous shout resounded across the combat room, his muscles tightened up, making metallic noises like he was twisting metal bars.

Yet, he wasn’t done... gray bones protruded from his wielding arm, and they hardened his grip on the cleaver, making it go nowhere.

From the wounds caused by the bones, a river of blood flew in the air and covered the Cleaver from handle to tip, and even going beyond it.

The Cleaver seemed to adapt to the increase in size, its metallic body increasing to match the slowly crystallizing blood.

For it to increase in size, it only meant that it was considered a weapon born out of an ability, not an artifact or a signature Shadowseed’s weapon.

After the Cleaver turned into a five-meter gigantic crystallized and reinforced weapon, did the Masked Butcher point it at Levi... its size was six times that of Levi’s!

”You’re dead by the third attack.”

The Masked Butcher announced coldly and then lifted his gigantic Cleaver above his head, placing the center exactly in Levi’s direction.

Levi gazed at the gigantic, menacing Cleaver, and then he lowered his head; the three celestial stars were facing the Masked Butcher.

”No.”