The Glorious Evolution Chapter 597: March of The Slain.
Previously on The Glorious Evolution...
As he heard Levi’s voice, the Hound’s eyes darted across the green hell and took a small, instinctive step back.
Immediately, the golden light around his throne flickered and dimmed... and the crown on his head lost much of its shine.
Yet, the Hound didn’t seem to realize it; his frozen gaze reflected nothing but the flames.
’I barely got out of that pit...’
He shivered as he still felt the fire eating through his soul while he struggled against the chains, unable to escape no matter how violently he thrashed.
Yet, Levi kept walking toward him, bringing those same flames closer, with a grin as wicked as his master’s.
’How the hell am I supposed to fight him in there?’
The light around his crown weakened further as the memory of those flames pushed his mind and soul close to their breaking point.
’Good, good... it’s working like a charm.’
Levi sensed the weakening golden aura, and his grin widened even more... He knew that borrowing an Ancestral Tree’s limited Dominion didn’t guarantee victory.
The Nine Senses Tree’s Laws touched upon almost everything in the universe.
Such breadth earned it a unique privilege... the universe allowed it to form multiple Dominions and offer him a choice with each battle.
However, each choice expressed only part of its authority and limited him to using only the powers under the chosen laws.
Meanwhile, other Origin Seeds devoted to one or two Primal Laws possessed purer authority within their own fields.
The Nine Senses Tree’s individual Dominions fell short against such specialists... but they did give their owner the ability to choose Dominions that could counter the opposing laws!
In simpler terms, authority-wise... its individual Dominions fell below those of specialized Origin Seeds within their own fields, but its versatility allowed it to create a battlefield that served as a natural counter.
Against a Shadowlife Seed, however, its Origin authority still offered an advantage; make no mistake.
Just like in this Dominion battle, where Levi was using a limited Warden Dominion to face off against a Blazewarden Dominion... a two-tier difference, and still, the territory was split nearly in half when both were using different laws!
Yet, this only evened out the odds for Levi.
That was why he chose the Pyre of Lost Souls specifically for the Hound.
Within the Hound’s territory, the Laws of Pride turned his belief in his own strength into power.
The more certain he felt of his superiority, the more authority supported his body, his attacks, and the territory surrounding his Tree.
Yet, those flames reminded him of the agony he had barely escaped... something his pride couldn’t easily dismiss.
"I’ll feed it your soul... one bite at a time."
Once the Hound heard this, he flinched again... his gaze switched back to the monstrous Soulleech Maw, which was spewing flames nonstop.
’I can’t...’
The moment doubt took hold, before he could even finish his thought, Levi’s tree roots advanced and conquered another section of the blood ocean!
Corpses tumbled along the retreating boundary as another five percent of the Rift fell under Levi’s authority, strengthening the Laws of Aether in his favor!
Unfortunately, the Hound wasn’t alone in this.
Before Levi could continue breaking his beliefs, Na’thir’s bone-chilling voice cut through the Hound’s thoughts.
’What are you doing?’
’Huh?’
Picking up on his icy tone, the Hound shifted his attention toward the advancing flames, noticing how much ground he had surrendered without exchanging a single blow!
’He’s making you doubt your strength,’ Na’thir said coldly. ’Every word, every step... and you’re giving him exactly what he wants.’
The Hound’s fingers dug into his palms.
’This is the Rift of Binding Laws... Authority is king. You command Slaughter and Pride... make him understand that no amount of Aether Flames can burn your convictions!’
The Hound looked toward the burning figure again.
Levi still approached with his staff resting loosely in one hand, showing no concern for the blood ocean or the enormous Tree behind its owner.
That casual posture began to irritate him.
’I got out of the pit...’
Golden light gathered around his crown.
’He couldn’t keep me there.’
The blood at his feet stopped boiling.
’I am stronger than him... my Dominion’s authority is higher than his.’
The golden light spread down his neck and across his chest... the Pride Aspect answered his growing conviction, feeding the belief until the fear of those flames slowly lost its hold.
At once, the advancing aetheric roots stopped.
And then...
"IN MY DOMINION, I AM A KING!"
The Hound launched himself forward, leaving a deep hollow in the blood ocean!
’Fucking Na’thir.’
Levi cursed inwardly, knowing that it must have been the Hound’s master who had awakened his conviction before it died out completely.
No more shameless fronting... Levi tightened his grip on his burning staff and launched himself as well.
They met halfway, at the border between their territories; the Hound drove his shimmering knee forward while Levi swept the staff across its path.
The impact hurled blood and fire across the Rift!
Levi came out as the loser, his arms folding against his chest as he proved incapable of sending the Hound away.
Instead, he was the one launched backward; he struck the burning plain shoulder-first, bounced, then plowed through the ground with his staff cutting a long trench beside him.
Before Levi could come to a halt, the Hound roared.
"Tyrant’s Spears!"
Giant spears decorated with gold manifested around his legs, each reaching three meters in length... then he kicked them one by one, hurling them in Levi’s direction from high above!
Levi evaded them with rapid bursts of green jets from his soles, changing direction with each burst as the spears struck the burning ground around him!
Choosing a Dominion governed solely by the Laws of Aether prevented Levi from using the powers of his other senses... but it also allowed him to manipulate Aether Flames as if they were his own!
A right he didn’t even possess outside!
And thus...
’Aether Inferno Hurricane!’
Levi swung his staff rapidly in response, sweeping the flames around him into a violent spiral!
More flames joined with every swing, rising higher and spinning faster until a gigantic, raging hurricane towered over the burning plain!
Then, Levi swung his staff toward the Hound.
The hurricane rushed forward, pushing through the boundary between their Dominions and tearing into the blood ocean!
Blood evaporated upon contact, releasing thick clouds of crimson steam that vanished into the spinning flames... even the corpses caught in its path burned as the hurricane dragged them out of the ocean!
Aetheric Flames ordinarily burned only souls... but the Pyre’s authority allowed them to burn physical matter too, drawing upon Aether’s physical and spiritual properties!
The Hound watched the raging hurricane advance through his territory, leaving more burning ground wherever the blood disappeared.
And yet... the Hound felt no fear.
"ARISE!"
With a regal command, the Hound forced the blood ocean to rise before him, forming a gigantic tsunami with countless corpses rolling within it!
The wave surged toward the hurricane, crashing against its spinning flames!
Crimson steam erupted from the collision, swallowing both figures as the flames evaporated the blood pressing against them!
But this time... the ocean’s sheer weight and force overwhelmed them.
The hurricane twisted under the pressure, its lower half collapsing as the blood flooded through it.
Then, the rest of the wave crashed over its peak and into Levi’s burning plain, flooding it and swallowing the flames beneath its sheer volume!
Levi launched himself upward with green jets from his soles, avoiding the blood and corpses sweeping below.
Yet, before he could deal with the advancing ocean, the Hound’s voice reached his ears.
"March of the Slain!"
At once, the corpses stopped tumbling with the current... their limbs twitched, their heads turned, and thousands of pale eyes fixed on the Soulleech Maw’s Tree!
"TEAR IT DOWN!"
The dead rose through the blood and rushed toward it, trampling over one another as the ocean carried them across the submerged flames!
Even those missing their legs joined the charge, grabbing onto other corpses and letting them drag their bodies along!
Levi sensed the approaching army and immediately swept his staff toward it.
"Protect Your Queen!"
Following his command, the wandering spirits within his territory awakened and rushed toward the corpses, entering through their mouths, eyes, and exposed wounds!
The leading rows stumbled as the spirits seized control of their bodies... some stopped so abruptly that the corpses behind them crashed into their backs, piling on top of them.
Before they could recover, Levi gave another command.
"Drag them into the flames!"