The Glorious Evolution Chapter 425: Ablaze.

Coldly, Tyrese asked, ’What about that monster?’

Levi replied, ’He won’t just sit back and let us chase the Winged Horn.’ ’I’ll deal with him and the rest... You all concentrate on grabbing the Winged Horn.’

Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this, despite how mad it seemed for Levi to confront every nightcrawler by himself... yet they wisely chose not to challenge him.

They then began devising a plan to claim the horn while protecting themselves. The tiny Winged Horn darted around ceaselessly, floating hundreds of meters beyond the rope’s secure reach... a single error would spell disaster.

Meanwhile, over with the Conquerors, Captain Korr’Zhael had assembled Fang and the summoners within the Toxic Kingdom to talk about the identical issue.

’Sir Fang, what do you think?’ Korr’Zhael inquired steadily, his eyes locked on Fang.

All four captains were aware of Fang’s and Rain’s circumstances... the Bishop had contacted them directly to urge hiring the pair as mercenaries.

Though a Bishop, he lacked direct control over this event. Thus, he resorted to bribing them to sneak in his followers.

Korr’Zhael and the other captains couldn’t turn him down... why refuse? Fang and Rain guaranteed their triumph in the event, plus they’d forge ties with a Duskbound Order Bishop.

No risks involved, since capturing those two wouldn’t implicate them at all.

’Do whatever... I’ve got just one goal,’ Fang stated.

Noticing Fang’s stare fixed on Levi, Korr’Zhael turned his attention there too... thinking back on Levi’s previous feats, he nodded with a subtle, icy grin.

’Enjoy yourself.’

Shortly after, the rope finished its second loop, but neither Nightcrawlers nor Raiders lunged for the Winged Horn... each side waited for the other to act first, knowing that whoever dove toward the abyss for the Horn would get blasted to oblivion.

It served as ideal bait to exploit.

As Nurah and her team saw the Nightcrawlers staying patient, their faces grew grave.

’Those bastards realize time favors them... if we hold off, they’ll claim victory in the end,’ Shia scowled.

’Plus, they’re steadily growing their Toxic Kingdom,’ Evangeline pointed out. ’Time to activate the strategy.’

All eyes shifted to the quiet Levi, expecting his command... Levi muttered to himself briefly, seeming to crunch numbers in his head.

At last, he gave a nod and declared, ’When the rope hits top speed, we unleash the full plan... prepare yourselves, execute perfectly.’

Arthur and the others nodded grimly and fixed their sights on the rope... it approached the abyss, stirring some excitement among spectators.

Most figured the only shot at seizing the Winged Horn came right as the rope crossed the abyss... offering the best odds to climb back safely.

The Nightcrawlers heightened their vigilance, bracing for the Raiders’ attempt... but spotting Tyrese still hammering Arthur’s shield, they grew uneasy.

’What in the world are they planning?’

Korr’Zhael’s pupils narrowed... unfortunately, the Raiders kept their strategy hidden. The rope finished another turn, leaving viewers disappointed and bored. Some even jeered, demanding action or a proper clash instead of distant glaring.

Levi and his crew brushed off the jeers, staying laser-focused... their pulses raced in unison with tension as they awaited the rope’s cloud touch.

Right when no one anticipated it, Levi unleashed Combustion Leap, hurtling solo toward the Toxic Kingdom!

"The Raiders’ Captain is charging in!!"

Gamemaster Envy quickly fired up the audience, spotlighting Levi on the primary display, airing the wild sight of him bounding along the rope at breakneck pace. In under two seconds, Levi closed to fifty meters from the Toxic Kingdom’s edge.

He raised his staff skyward, summoning a colossal sound construct shaped like a massive sword... next, he poured aetheric energy into it until it blazed brightly everywhere, animating the construct for all commoners to see.

Without pause, Levi advanced and slammed the enormous sword down at the Toxic Kingdom’s boundary.

The blade sliced the air, towing a surge of squeezed force in its wake... the air warped on its path down, as the trapped poisonous fog started shattering even before the strike connected!

However... a shadow stirred. A huge basilisk outline emerged from the venomous fumes at the final instant... Nyr’Kalloth!

Fearlessly, he balled his fist and launched it forth with a ferocious bellow.

His fist smashed into the plummeting aether-charged sound sword, unleashing a shockwave that exploded outward, shredding the poisonous haze and propagating brutal tremors across the rope's full span!

A subtle quiver shook Nyr’Kalloth’s arm as his ebony scales parted to unleash a thick, shadowy vapor... the strange vapor surged rearward, settling onto the fungi along its way. In an instant, the fungi fell under its grip like plague-stricken hosts... blackening swiftly and emitting the identical fog from their forms.

Nyr’Kalloth himself? He simply bared a grin, utterly unmoved.

"You think..." he snarled while popping his knuckles, "...you’re the only monster here?"

His fellow Nightcrawlers sneered with icy contempt, watching Levi remain stock-still and silent, assuming sheer shock had robbed him of words.

"Heh... Captain Nyr’Kalloth commands the rare Zombie Blight Aspect... his form has reached flawless evolution, absorbing nearly every energy type and transmuting it into the universe’s deadliest venom."

"That body of his can’t be shattered, and one mere touch lets him commandeer enemies’ flesh and thoughts."

His comrades scoffed mockingly, sure Levi was finished for daring to close in so near their captain.

"Hey now... don’t claim my prey." Fang lunged ahead abruptly, aiming his finger at Nurah and the rest. "You’ve got your own troubles to face."

At those words, all gazes snapped back to Levi’s allies... upon spotting Rakai sprinting to the rope’s tip as Arthur and others converged on the middle, their faces grew frigid.

Clueless about their scheme with the rope pulled farthest from the Winged Horn, they refused to just spectate.

Too bad...

Just as Nyr’Kalloth and his crew advanced a step, Levi hoisted his staff and released the top crown... inwardly, he beckoned, ’Maw... time to reawaken the universe to your species’ storied past.’

Levi’s palm sprouted the Soulleech Maw, which thrust out its elongated tongue. It coiled along the staff from core to chain, pausing as its end brushed the swaying crown.

Levi slung the staff over his shoulder, speaking coolly toward Fang and the Nightcrawlers.

"Rejoice... you’re about to savor a once-in-a-lifetime thrill."

Fang and his group stood puzzled briefly, at a loss over Levi’s eerie arrogance... yet soon, a subtle murmur drifted into their ears.

"Ablaze."