The Glorious Evolution

”They are getting aggressive... Looks like they found out that small doses of their poison ain’t cutting it anymore.”

Tyrese uttered solemnly as he watched the four nightcrawlers pushing out Shia, Nadal, and Michael away from their toxic domain.

”I think it’s time they retreat... they can’t get caught in a serious fight now... the rope is on its eighth spin... two more and they will find themselves outnumbered deep within the enemy’s territory.” Evangeline said as she glanced in Levi’s direction.

”Soon...” Levi replied as he sent an order to Shia’s group, ”If you can get rid of one of them using tactic twelve before the last spin... go for it.”

”Gladly.”

Shia smiled coldly while sharing a knowing glance with Nadal and Michael... even Blake halted his collection of horns and swiftly returned to support them.

”Now, you retreat! Come! Fight!”

Korr’Zhael and his allies chased after Shia’s group with toxic projectiles, putting them in a defensive stance during their retreat... however, Shia ignored him and kept blocking their assault with her crescent glaive.

Her blood-red eyes kept scanning them one by one... awaiting patiently for an opening to take advantage of.

The instant she noticed Korr’Zhael stepping a bit too far from his allies to unleash a greenish plague storm with his shadowy wings, Shia instantly dashed forward!

”The Morningstar girl has gone mad!”

Gamemaster Envy commentated loudly as he streamed the scene of Shia piercing through the thick storm of toxins!

Her supporters held their breath instinctively like they were in her place... they knew that a single deep breath of that toxin would send them to see the gates of hell.

Yet, Shia burst out of the Plague Storm without a change of expression... her entire body was covered in sticky blood coating... even her face and eyes, resembling a bloody demon!

The plague mist was glued to the blood, but it didn’t touch her skin... that’s all Shia wanted.

The instant she was face to face with Korr’Zhael, she split the coating in half and emerged akin to a butterfly, catching him off guard.

No hesitation, Shia swung her glaive as fast as she could... this left a slight room for Korr’Zhael to cover his vitals with his wings.

Slice!!

The cut was not deep, but it was enough... his dark blood spilled out, thick and sickly. One splash of it and Shia would be introduced to a world of agony. Yet, Shia didn’t shy away from it... she let it splash across her own hand without hesitation.

The moment their blood touched, Shia smiled coldly and activated Gorathi’s Blood Pact... in an instant, Shia sliced off the poisoned hand on her own before most of the poison could spread across her body. Without a wince, she pointed her sliced-off arm in Korr’Zhael’s direction and unleashed a fountain of blood, which instantly solidified into a sticky, gooey tentacle, attaching itself to Korr’Zhael’s exposed wound!

”You!”

Korr’Zhael’s eyes widened as he felt the tentacle connected to his bloodstream, taking root deep within his body!

Before his allies could react, Shia yanked him toward her, forcing him off balance... then, she sprinted to the edges of the rope and jumped off into the abyss while winking at Korr’Zhael.

”Join me... the wind feels nice.” She said, her voice devoured by the wind’s howls in an instant.

Korr’Zhael managed to spare a single glance in his allies’ direction before he found himself pulled rapidly in the opposite direction of the rope’s spin!

”Catch him!!”

Deyss’Vael shouted as he fired dark vines in Korr’Zhael’s direction, trying his best to catch him... unfortunately, Nadal and Michael were already prepared for this.

”Not happening!”

Nadal slammed his sword into the rope and raised his other hand... a storm of cold erupted, unleashing sharp winds and frozen mist in the direction of their attempts to save their ally.

The vines were frozen solid instantly before they could catch Korr’Zhael... then, Michael pointed a peculiar cartoonish plant-based gun decorated with sunflowers in their direction and fired a barrage of seeds!

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

Deyss’Vael and his allies were forced to shield themselves under an explosive barrage of seeds, each explosion giving birth to a shadowy sunflower. In no time, the two parties were separated by a garden of shadowy sunflowers that kept attempting to ensnare the nightcrawlers!

”Shit!”

Seeing this, Korr’Zhael scraped his claws against the rope as he tried to resist Shia’s pull... he even tried to slice off the tentacle and poison it... alas, nothing changed, his strength was continuously drained with every step by the Blood Pact.

He had no clue that Gorathi’s Blood Pact could be severed only by distance, death, or if the user decided to cut it off!

And thus... Korr’Zhael could do nothing but accept his fate of falling off the rope... as the wind screamed past his ears, Korr’Zhael looked around and swiftly noticed Shia launching another blood tentacle from the bottom of the rope!

At the last moment, her fall stopped abruptly, jerking her body hard in the direction of the rope’s spinning trajectory... Korr’Zhael dangled below her, still bound by the blood pact. This time, he avoided cutting it off and tried his best to climb up using it, his expression filled with dread each time he glanced below him at the infinite dark abyss.

Alas... Shia had no intentions of keeping the link alive. She raised her glaive and sliced through the blood link cleanly with a cold grin.

The connection snapped and Korr’Zhael free-fell into the abyss... as a last desperate attempt, his wings extended fully, angling himself in the direction of the distant ground far below.

He knew that he had three seconds at most before the abyss pulled him aggressively to his death.

’I can make it!’

As the ground got closer and closer in the reflection of his pupil... suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck him from above! They crawled over the membranes, forcing his muscles to lock and twitch mid-flight!

His controlled descent interrupted... but it wasn’t enough to stop him from seeking his survival. He ate Blake’s assault and fixed his posture again, knowing that time was running out.

Unfortunately... this was a trained tactic that involved not just Shia’s party... but the entire faction.

”Fire!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Levi, Mira, Shia, Michael, and any other Daywalker with ranged abilities, potent aim, or a close distance to Korr’Zhael... unleashed a storm of projectiles in his direction!

Some landed and most didn’t considering the immense distance between them... but it didn’t matter. The purpose wasn’t to kill him, but to keep him above the chasm.

Booom!!

”No, no, no!!!”

With one final aetheric arrow that smashed Korr’Zhael’s battered wing, the grace period ended...

Whooosh!!!

The abyss awakened like a slumbering beast and dragged Korr’Zhael! It seized him like a hand closing around his body and yanked him downward in no time!

He screamed for his allies on the ground to help him as he sunk rapidly, but they could do nothing... they were allowed to assist their allies on top of the rope, but once they were claimed by the abyss, they were on their own.

Shia climbed back onto the rope while glancing downward... Above them, Nadal’s storm and Michael’s sunflower entrapment dissolved or corroded by Deyss’Vael’s group.

The first thing they did was check on Korr’Zhael...

’Korr’Zhael! Did you make it!’

Sadly... only the abyss’s howls responded to his call...