The Glorious Evolution

”First blood has been drawn!! The Conquerors have paid the price of underestimating the Raiders!”

Gamemaster Envy’s voice exploded across the abyss... The viewers’ shouts and cheers arrived an instant later, creating a chaotic symphony that left the Conquerors with gloomy expressions.

Madam Naima showed a faint, proud smile as she gazed at her daughter, who swiftly returned to the surface of the rope.

BWOOOOOM...

Suddenly, the giants blew the horns again the instant the rope completed its tenth circle.

”The second round is here!”

The moment Gamemaster Envy’s announcement faded, the chosen names were displayed on the dimensional screen in the sky.

Nurah, Arthur, Tyrese, and Rakai were picked from the Raiders’ Faction, while on the opposite side, Orry’Xel, Xorr’Vaedryn, Sael’Drakk, and Neth’Korr were selected.

”Haha! Now this is a great group!”

Arthur grinned as he offered a fist bump to Tyrese, who was walking beside him... he smirked in return, showing his agreement.

”Don’t underestimate them,” Levi warned sternly. ”Xorr’Vaedryn is the captain of the Undead Summoners squad, and two of his teammates were chosen... I don’t have much information on the mercenary Orry’Xel, but I believe their strategy will focus on creating undead armies to defend the expansion of their Toxic Kingdom.”

”I think so too.” Nurah nodded.

”Your roles are the same... focus on farming horns for now until they make their move.”

Following Levi’s order, Nurah and the others nodded in understanding and went to ascend the spinning rope.

They placed Nurah in the center of their formation and stuck closely to her... Nurah narrowed her eyes at Shia, who had retreated to their side with her teammates.

She waited until Shia got into the perfect spot to have her shadow reflected on a visible side of the rope before Nurah’s sight... then, Nurah muttered inwardly, ’Blackthorn Shadow Arts: Sentient Shadow Mane.’

Nurah’s long, midnight-black braided hair came loose all at once... the hair moved on its own, growing thicker and longer as it wrapped around her and the others, forming a dome of shadow!

In an instant, the shadowy dome collapsed inward and then emerged from Shia’s shadow... Shia stepped away from the shadowy dome as it bloomed, akin to a lotus flower. The moment Nurah showed up with the boys, her living shadowy hair braided on its own, becoming dormant again.

Cough! Cough...

”Damn... it still doesn’t feel pleasant.”

”Tell me about it...”

Tyrese, Arthur, and Rakai coughed with slightly sickly expressions, like their guts had been rearranged against their will... their reaction was understandable as this ability allowed Nurah to pull herself and anyone she chose across the Shadow Dimension, using connected shadows as pathways to move them from one location to another.

Although the living hair mutation protected them from the dimension’s corruption, it couldn’t do much about the intense discomfort, disorientation, and the feeling of being stretched and crushed from the instantaneous journey... even Nurah went through the discomfort.

”You will get used to it.”

Nurah remarked casually as she gave Shia a high five for her small win in the first round. Then, she glanced in the direction of Deyss’Vael’s group... they were ordered to retreat inside their Toxic Kingdom the moment their teammate was slain and wait for reinforcement.

”That was a disappointing performance,” Xorr’Vaedryn uttered coldly as he gazed at the first Nightcrawlers group.

His body seemed to be formed from solid darkness, as if a piece of the abyss had taken winged form... his scales were black and dull. Thin cracks slithered across them, emitting a faint purplish glow.

His draconic head was dotted with small void-like eyes, resembling tiny empty pits that reflected no light and showed no emotion... when Deyss’Vael and the rest looked at them, they were instinctively forced to lower their gaze.

When Nightcrawlers shared the same tier, the hierarchy shifted to the perfection of their evolution, the rarity, potential, and the prowess of their species... Xorr’Vaedryn was of the Void Wyvern species, which almost always put him near the top of the pyramid within the same tier unless a superior Nightcrawler was involved.

In this faction, he would have been the captain if it weren’t for Nyr’Kalloth... the Abyssal Basilisk.

”Whatever... they can have that little victory.” Xorr’Vaedryn turned to face their enemies and said calmly, ”Now that I am here... their fate has been sealed.”

Hearing this, Sael’Drakk and Neth’Korr stepped forward with cruel grins... as Undead Chimeras, their appearance was as monstrous as it could get. A mixture of many species merged to create nightmarish creatures with their skeletons half-visible underneath their rotted skin... not even their faction’s uniform could cover their hideous appearance.

Without hesitation, they struck their bony palms on the rope’s surface and then uttered coldly, ”Chimera Necrotide Arts: Legion of the Forsaken!”

The surface of the rope was engulfed in a fast-spreading blanket of darkness... it clung to the rope’s surface tightly; not even the spinning momentum could get rid of it.

From the corrupted ground, dozens of undead chimeras clawed their way into existence, their bodies mangled and fused, mouths dripping with toxic filth as they formed a living barrier in front of the Toxic Kingdom!

In no time, close to a hundred undead formed a chaotic army... their eyes glowing with a devious green light. Yet, this was only the start.

”Winged Resurrection Arts: Venom-Bone Wyverns.”

Xorr’Vaedryn murmured under his breath as he faced his palms toward the sky... the viewers’ breaths hitched at the sight of a storm of purplish mist oozing rapidly out of Xorr’Vaedryn’s palms into the sky, forming multiple complex IIthorien hexes.

In no time, the geometric portals released a dozen wyverns like dead weight, dumping the rotting carcasses into freefall... just before impact with the rope, their skeletal frames snapped rigid with a brittle crunch. Then, they drifted alongside the slow-spinning rope, their figures a mixture of pitch-black bones and an amethyst misty aura.

Kreeeeeee!!!

The undead winged battalion screeched in the direction of Nurah and the rest, their hollow, misty eyes displaying nothing but utter coldness.

”Good, good... this is exactly what we needed to protect the Toxic Kingdom.” Deyss’Vael showed a murderous smile as he hid behind the undead army.

Levi, Nurah, Arthur, and the rest of their teammates thought the same... at first glance, they could tell that the army was going to be used to block their attempt at halting the Toxic Kingdom’s expansion.

”The Raiders Faction is in a pickle! What can they do against such an immense army?!” Gamemaster Envy commented. ”To make it worse, they can still summon more if their army is eradicated!”

Dominic, Rayan, Jamal, Sergio, and the rest of their supporters’ expressions turned solemn at the sight... they believed that the summonings would struggle in this game mode due to the rope being in constant spinning motion. Yet, the undead were fixed solid on the surface, while the wyverns were allowed to fly freely since they were considered abilities.

As long as Xorr’Vaedryn didn’t ride one for more than three seconds, he wouldn’t be penalized.

”It’s their nasty gooey juices.” Nurah frowned.

Arthur and the others nodded in support after noticing the undead’s bodies were oozing thick greenish mucus that gathered around their feet... it clung tightly to the rope’s rugged surface.

”It might slow them down, but their existence alone is fulfilling the job,” Tyrese remarked.

”Ignore them... we are ahead at the moment,” Shia uttered. ”All we need to do is keep collecting horns until Levi and the others ascend the rope.”

Arthur and the rest nodded in agreement... although this meant allowing them to expand their Toxic Kingdom freely, it was a small price they were willing to pay.

However... sometimes, life doesn’t follow the script.

”Are you staying or coming with me?” Orry’Xel asked with a faint, cold grin.

He was the hired-blade mercenary... the supposedly weakest Conqueror in this game. Yet, he stepped forward in the direction of the Raiders without awaiting anyone’s permission or approval.

’Fang... I know you joined this game under the Bishop’s orders to torture the Raiders faction’s captain, but...’ Xorr’Vaedryn sent a dimensional message with a deep frown. ’You shouldn’t underestimate them... not when you’re using an unstable clone, acting as a Falseborn. We should stick to the plan.’