Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 1209: Demigod Corpse

There was something fundamentally uncomfortable about him.

In that sense, Michael could understand exactly why the Demigod ghost had reacted the way she did.

If someone at her level could examine Jester for only a few seconds and immediately describe him as taboo, then perhaps Michael's instincts back when Jester had first appeared hadn't been exaggerated at all.

However, times had changed. Michael no longer regarded Jester with the same suspicion he once had.

The caution hadn't completely disappeared. But somewhere along the way, Michael had accepted him completely.

Perhaps it was because Jester had never betrayed his trust. Or perhaps it was because he had repeatedly helped him. Or perhaps it was simply because of how deeply Jester had become involved with his family.

He spent more time around Aunt Mia and his sister than even Michael did after his awakening, not only protecting them but filling the void left by his absence.

At some point, Michael had even begun thinking of Jester less like an undead servant and more like a strange member of the family, without consciously realizing it.

Michael activated Detect, his gaze immediately moving toward Jester's level.

"…"

Jester had dropped by four levels.

Michael's expression didn't change much, as he wasn't surprised.

After all, this wasn't the first time. Divination had a cost. Most of the time, ordinary questions or predictions only consumed energy. However, when Jester attempted to look at something significantly beyond his current ability, the price could become considerably heavier.

If the amount of energy required exceeded what he could normally supply, something deeper would be consumed instead, which in Jester's case was his accumulated level.

Michael had seen it before.

The most impressive example remained Shojo. The result had been enormously profitable.

Michael stared at the teenager before him. Jester continued smiling calmly.

Michael didn't ask anything. He didn't need to, as he felt he had already gotten the answer.

There had been far too many strange coincidences throughout his trip into the Netherworld. Isabella alone was already suspicious. Thanks to her, he had been led through one valuable location after another. That alone could still be called luck.

But afterward? Everything was far too convenient.

Michael wasn't arrogant enough to believe the universe simply liked him that much.

Still, Michael had no complaints. The result had worked entirely in his favour.

Michael dismissed the panel. Jester's smile remained unchanged.

Michael finally turned his attention toward the actual reason he had summoned him.

The resurrection ritual.

Over the next several minutes, the quiet region surrounding the Nether Soul Tree gradually transformed. Michael and Jester began working.

Michael first cleared an enormous circular region several hundred metres from the Nether Soul Tree. After filling it with a huge amount of dark crystals and covering it up, the ground flattened beneath his authority over the Mausoleum until not even a single uneven stone remained.

Then Jester began placing materials.

Rich black crystals harvested from the Netherworld were embedded into the ground at carefully measured intervals. Grave Flowers were positioned at several major nodes, crushed into fine powder and used to draw portions of the formation. Michael personally handled the more valuable resources.

Line after line gradually appeared across the ground. Circles overlapped with circles. Runes intersected with geometric patterns. The final structure became increasingly complicated with every passing minute.

Isabella remained at a distance, watching silently.

The Demigod ghost had initially returned to daydreaming beneath the Nether Soul Tree. That lasted until Michael began drawing energy from the tree.

A thin stream of pale-blue soul energy flowed from one of the floating flames around the Nether Soul Tree before entering a channel Michael had prepared.

The ghost appeared beside him almost immediately.

Her complaints began.

Michael acted as though he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

Another stream of energy entered the ritual. The ghost complained again. Michael remained remarkably focused on his work.

By the third time, her expression had become increasingly dissatisfied.

Michael continued pretending not to understand the issue until the timing felt appropriate. Then negotiations began.

The result was surprisingly efficient. One Evolution Essence Crystal for four branches, which the ghost accepted.

Michael suspected the newly awakened hunger for evolutionary essence had temporarily destroyed whatever instinct for bargaining she possessed.

The four branches separated from the Nether Soul Tree one after another. Together with the branch she had given him earlier, Michael now possessed five. That was more than enough.

Michael processed them carefully.

Two were placed directly into four opposing sections of the ritual after being split lengthwise. The remaining three were ground down and mixed with several soul-related materials before being used to reinforce the innermost circle.

The effect was immediate, as pale-blue light began flowing through the formation. The lines previously drawn across the ground brightened one after another.

Dark energy mixed with soul energy. The two did not clash. Instead, the Nether Soul Tree's material acted almost like a bridge between them, allowing the different forms of energy to circulate smoothly through the increasingly complicated structure.

Michael stepped backward and examined everything.

The ritual circle now covered an enormous area.

Three major rings surrounded the center.

The outer ring gathered and stabilized energy. The middle ring handled soul reconstruction and spiritual anchoring. The innermost ring was devoted almost entirely to the corpse itself. Countless smaller formations existed between them.

Jester stood on the opposite side of the ritual, making several final adjustments.

Michael carefully checked every connection again, and only when he found there were no errors he could detect did he relax. Considering Jester had also examined it, Michael was reasonably confident there wasn't some hidden flaw waiting to turn the entire thing into an explosion.

The energy within the formation continued rising.

Michael walked toward the center.

Space distorted beside him, and a corpse appeared. The moment it entered the Mausoleum, the surrounding mana reacted.

The body of the female Demigod descended slowly before settling at the exact center of the innermost circle.

Even dead, she was extraordinary.