Genetic Ascension

Chapter 2075: Another Name [Bonus]

[Bonus thanks to BobtheEngineer. I think that's enough bonuses for now, don't make me take your toys away] Sylas looked at the floating creature for a moment. There was something unreadable in both of their eyes and it made him wonder just how much control the tortoise was exerting right now.

However, there was clearly not going to be a chance to ask the question. The tortoise rose into the skies, leisurely growing until it was simply enormous.

There was a shift and then the stairs before them solidified. The world was peeled back to make way for it.

'The one who defeats the final stair will have an advantage...' Sylas' thoughts drifted as the world shook.

Then a glow wrapped around him. It seemed that he was up first. Was it random?

He hadn't been the first to arrive at the final destination, he had been the second, right behind the Glutton. It was odd that it would select him to go first unless it was random.

Sylas stepped onto the first stair but before it could be triggered, a glow appeared around Alpine.

"I want this challenge." He said coldly.

"Nope." Deuvuo voted.

"No." Juxi voted next.

The Glutton didn't have a chance to make his opinion heard. It wouldn't have mattered one way or another. Between Deuvuo, Juxi, and Sylas, they had the majority so the Royal Blue Troll's challenge fell flat.

Alpine's expression darkened, but he didn't say anything else. Maybe the challenge would kill Sylas for him and things would work out.

His eyes narrowed for a moment and then he looked toward the Glutton. This man had killed his people. But if Deuvuo, Juxi, and Sylas insisted on banding together, then until one of them died, he would have no chance at a majority vote.

If he could get the Glutton on his side now, and then one of them died, he might at least be able to force a split vote. Then everything would come down to a battle, and that... he was far more accepting of.

He didn't believe a single person here could defeat him in single combat. Honestly, he didn't believe that the likes of Juxi had successfully defeated the 22nd either, at least not without tricks.

There were too many variables involved in the first round.

Alpine made a choice.

Sylas didn't know what Alpine was thinking, and at this point, he didn't really care all that much.

In front of him, an enemy was fading into existence, forming the oddest humanoid creature he had ever seen.

Its face was a glass encasing, the inner workings of its skull clear for all to see. Within it, golden and copper gears turned, forming the vague shadows of eyes and a mouth, not to mention a complex mechanism of parts that formed a brain.

The rest of the creature was dressed in a prim and proper suit like had actually come right from a corporate job. Its hands were covered in pristine white gloves.

When it finally formed, it smoothed out its black suit and then adjusted its tie, before its gears turned and curled into the approximation of a smile.

But because everything was behind its glass encased head, everything looked slightly off. And why wouldn't it? Its mouth and eyes were literally in its skull.

After adjusting itself, the creature's arms suddenly snapped outward and to its sides. A trio of throwing daggers appeared in its palm, sliding across the fabric of its gloves before stopping in the grooves of each pair of fingers.

'It has no tier or stats...' Sylas realized the creature had no real Will at all. It was constantly shifting and changing along with its rotating gears.

What Sylas did notice, though, was the fear that instantly gripped Juxi and Alpine's eyes.

"What is it?" Deuvuo asked.

Juxi was far too busy hyperventilating to respond, her face having gone as pale as a sheet of white paper.

"Hey!" Deuvuo grabbed at her wrist from a position he had taken up sitting on the ground, but a barrier reflected his hand away. It seemed they weren't allowed to interfere with one another.

The jolt of electricity seemed to jolt Juxi back awake.

"You... haven't you read any books at all?"

Deuvuo cleared out his ears. "Books? What's the use of that?"

Juxi's jaw set. She wasn't in a joking mood at all.

"We need to find a way out of here. The tortoise is trying to kill us."

Deuvuo frowned. "What's the issue?"

"Those are the puppets of the Zeus Clan."

Deuvuo froze. "What did you say?"

Juxi didn't explain further. She knew the moment she said that, even a blockhead like Deuvuo would understand.

They should have never entered this Dungeon. This was nothing short of a death sentence for all of them.

Sylas heard the words, though. The Zeus Clan?

His eyes narrowed. He had never heard of this Clan before, and the one person who could have explained it to him was the Omnimous that had mentioned it long ago.

However... Sylas didn't need to ask, he didn't even look at his Madness Key. He had never heard the name used so explicitly, but he had heard of it mentioned another way.

But even if he hadn't, the weight of the Will of the word spoken would have told him everything that he needed to know. There was simply no mistaking it at all.

"You mean..." Deuvuo's three eyes all trembled. He suddenly wanted to stand, but he didn't have the focus to do anything but stare at the puppet ahead of him right now. "... The war puppets of choice for the Angels? Dammit, did we just fall into a trap meant to kill Sylas Grimblade."

"No... I don't think so... it would be too random. We're just unlucky. Very unlucky." Juxi said, biting her lower lip.

The Zeus Clan's puppets were known for one thing and one thing alone.

Adaptation.

Any enemy, any scenario, any strength.

And they were a hive mind.

Anything you showed to one, the next you came across would remember and adapt to.

There was simply no way they could climb all these steps against this sort of enemy.

This was a death sentence.

Sylas was thinking of something completely different.

~"Our First Race was separated into the Hell Clan, the Heaven Clan, and the Fathomless Clan. However, when we left Earth, we had to change our names to obscure the Will attached to them. I will not tell you those names, but I'm

sure that you can guess."