The Glorious Evolution

A golden Aspect Fruit condensed within the fading light left by Akira’s defeated Dominion and drifted toward Levi.

He caught it as his feet touched the broken floor, then stored it without examination.

His mind was clear again... without natural sunlight from the Dominion, Levi’s main soul returned to the forefront, his main persona taking the lead before the Sun Form’s persona could make a mess with its unmasked arrogance and pride.

Gamble’s message still lingered in his thoughts, but his Harmonic Spine had already located someone who required most of his attention.

The Taxman stood between him and the throne, his briefcase hanging at his side. Mournful Spirit was nowhere within range, and the Trees that had marked their Dominion battle were gone.

’He won...’

Across from him, the Taxman made no move to interfere.

His suit was torn, his tie hung loose, and the spiritual energy surrounding his briefcase had weakened considerably... Defeating Mournful Spirit had clearly cost him almost everything he had.

”Do you still have enough energy to fight?” the Taxman asked, plain and simple.

Levi answered by forming six spheres above his head.

White-gold sunflames filled the first, while a black core surrounded by amethyst rings formed within the second. Green aetheric fire burned in the third, and condensed sound vibrated through the fourth.

The fifth distorted the chamber visible through its surface. Silver musical lines circled within the last, releasing a quiet sequence of notes.

All six remained suspended in a wide arc, their energies stable.

The Taxman had collected from several of those powers during the duet... he knew what their release could do... Levi had no reason to waste a technique merely to prove a point.

The Taxman let out a deep sigh.

”You’re a monster.”

His gaze moved from Levi’s restored body to the spheres above him.

”Not even Akira’s exploding Dominion left you tired or wounded? What the hell does it take?”

Levi let him finish his examination.

His False Dominion had consumed spiritual energy, but Akira’s sun had supplied the power behind its expansion and the attack that killed her... with those costs coming from her territory, he still had substantial reserves of his own.

She had even provided enough solar energy for Divine Sun Skin to heal him completely!

The Taxman had hoped Akira would leave him an opportunity... instead, she had left him a healthier opponent.

”Mournful Spirit was a difficult opponent,” he admitted.

”Did you kill her?”

”No. She activated her Resignation Token before I could finish the battle.”

Levi stopped searching for traces of her.

His musical companion was alive... and probably already planning how to make him agree to another duet.

”At least the system paid me for the trouble.”

The Taxman continued as he manifested a gray, apple-shaped fruit in his free hand.

Its faintly transparent skin revealed pale spirits drifting through the flesh, with distorted faces occasionally pressing against the inner surface before disappearing among the others.

One of Mournful Spirit’s Aspect Fruits... Haunting Aspect.

The system plucked it when she used her token... her surrender saved her life, but she still accepted defeat.

Levi knew the rules very well.

Every Rifter had agreed to Aspect Fruit forfeiture through the Binding Vow in the Nocturnal Contract they signed upon joining the Ring.

Using a Resignation Token inside a Dominion always counted as conceding that battle. Before releasing the defeated Rifter, the system would pluck a random Aspect Fruit from their Tree and award it to the victor.

The opponent didn’t need to reach the Tree or remove the Fruit personally... the contract already gave the system permission to do it under Nocturn’s omnipotent Authority within his realm.

Levi would have preferred her to win. Still, losing a Fruit was better than dying inside the Taxman’s Dominion.

”And you?” the Taxman asked.

Levi retrieved his reward. A dark line divided the golden fruit’s surface, while the stellar core within split into two smaller lights... they merged before dividing again as the fruit hovered above his palm.

”Stellar Fission...”

The Taxman examined it for a few seconds, then glanced at the six spheres.

”If you’d come out barely able to stand, I might have tried my luck.”

”You still can.”

”I’d rather keep what I’ve earned.”

He put Mournful Spirit’s Fruit away.

”My Dominion took most of what I had left... yours seems to have been considerably more affordable.”

Levi stored his own reward without correcting him.

The Taxman had reached the right decision... There was no need to explain every reason behind it.

”Before I go...”

A contact number arrived through Levi’s system.

”Mournful Spirit asked me to give you that. She said to call her after you win the game.”

”After I win?”

”Her exact words.” The Taxman loosened his tie further as he chuckled. ”I was still planning to fight whoever came out of that Dominion, and yet she was already making arrangements for your victory.”

’What a strange girl...’

Levi saved the number, unsure whether to be impressed by her confidence or amused by her flawed priorities.

She had been about to lose an Aspect Fruit and the access to the Wheel of Fortune and Madness granted by her title... and still found time to make her opponent deliver a message!

The live stream filled with comments.

-He can pull girls even when they’re his enemies... that’s why he’s my idol!-

-She lost an Aspect Fruit and still left her number. I respect a woman who knows what she wants.-

-Am I jealous of Celestial or the girls around him? This is getting embarrassing.-

Unaware of the ongoing shipping in the comments section, the Taxman retrieved his Resignation Token.

Without hesitation, he broke it between his fingers.

[MR. TAXMAN HAS ACTIVATED A RESIGNATION TOKEN.]

Light surrounded him, gradually obscuring his damaged suit and briefcase.

”If you ever need your taxes done, Celestial, come to my family... We’re the best accountants in the Boundless Expanse. I’ll even give you a discount.”

He slipped a business card from his dimensional wallet and flicked it toward Levi, who caught it between two fingers just before the Taxman disappeared.

Levi kept the six spheres in place until his presence vanished from his senses... only then did he let their energy disperse and glance at the card.

’His family’s services might come in handy for my upcoming Leviathan business...’ Levi murmured inwardly as an announcement resounded above his head.

[REMAINING RIFTERS: 2.]

Bad Penny was still in prison.

Levi turned his attention toward the throne, where the golden wall continued blocking his approach. With another Rifter still participating, he expected to wait for the next round before he could claim it.

Instead, a second notification appeared.

[CALCULATING REMAINING ROUND OUTCOMES...]

Nocturn’s system evaluated the actions available to both Rifters in the coming round.

Bad Penny’s imprisonment prevented him from reaching the chamber or challenging Levi. Even with every possible outcome considered, he had no means of interfering before Levi claimed the throne.

Another round would change nothing.

[NEXT ROUND WAIVED.]

[THRONE ACCESS GRANTED.]

The golden wall faded.

At the same time, crimson-gold light awakened along the red carpet, advancing toward the stairs. Each step illuminated in turn until the light reached the throne and filled the symbols carved across its frame.

The path was open.

’Finally...’

Levi stepped onto the carpet as the spectators began calling his name.

Around him, broken pillars, craters, and scorched stone marked what the four Rifters had done for the right to occupy that seat.

His Harmonic Spine followed the cleared path through the destruction, finding nothing left between him and the stairs.

There was no pain in his hip, no pressure against his ribs, and no weakness in the arm Akira had nearly broken.

Divine Sun Skin had restored all of it.

His mind took longer to accept that he could rest.

He continued checking the ruined chamber, following every movement within reach despite knowing that his last opponent was locked in a prison elsewhere on the board.

The Borrower, Burden Collector, Akira... each time he dealt with one problem, another had been waiting.

’It’s over... just sit down.’

Levi released a slow breath and continued toward the stairs.

Gradually, the surrounding cheers became something he could listen to instead of another distraction to filter out.

His supporters called for Celestial.

Others shouted Three-Body Problem, taking up the name Gamble had used in his announcement... forgetting that it was Levi’s original chosen name to begin with.

Levi listened to that chant for a few steps longer.

None of them knew what they were shouting... but Gamble did, and he had announced it with confidence.

’You might have to wait a while to collect on that one...’ He smirked, hands folded behind his back.

For now, Levi intended to collect his own reward.

He climbed the stairs without difficulty, turned toward the venue, and lowered himself into the throne.

The seat was more comfortable than he had expected.

He settled against its high back and rested his head, his three-star mask angled toward the sky while his hands relaxed against the armrests.

A long exhale escaped him as he finally relaxed after such a grueling, unexpected game... Unfortunately, the audience interpreted his posture rather differently.

They had watched him nuke himself and the Borrower, force a twenty-meter Gravari to obey him, turn a Half-Radian’s sun against her, and make an enemy fall in love with him and his music. Even the Taxman had decided to offer him a discount instead of another fight.

Now, he occupied the throne as though the outcome had never been in doubt.

”OH! CELESTIAL! CELESTIAL!”

”STILL UNDEFEATED!”

”FUCK THE DICE!”

”THAT’S OUR CHAMPION!”

The unified chants reached Levi from somewhere among his diehard ultra supporters, drawing a burst of laughter before others joined in.

They had watched those dice send him backward while his opponents advanced, cheering every time he recovered the ground he had lost.

Now that he was on the throne, they were making their opinion of the game’s luck quite clear!

FUCK THE DICE! FUCK THE DICE! FUCK THE DICE!...

Soon, Levi could barely hear anything else.

He had no intention of explaining how close he had come to losing, or how much effort that victory had taken.

As for the chant...

His lips curled slightly.

He could agree with that.

As the chants grew louder, the throne glowed around Levi, and three enormous announcements appeared above the Board.

Still trapped in Prison, Bad Penny could only stare at them in defeat.

[THE THRONE HAS BEEN CLAIMED.]

[BOARD OF FORTUNE AND CALAMITY CONCLUDED.]

[WINNER: THREE-BODY PROBLEM!]