The Glorious Evolution

Chapter 607: The Weight of His Absence.

While Nurah showed a deep frown, the rest of the delegates nodded in support... even Lord Severin and the Dean knew that her words had some merit in them.

While the war and skirmishes didn’t go beyond Tier 5 strength-wise on either side, everyone knew that the real players kept to themselves. The Dean kept his Tier 6 instructors on watch and in command, holding them back from the skirmishes.

"We are aware of the danger..." Severin replied, his measured tone allowing no doubt that he spoke for everyone under his protection. "That is why we agreed to this arrangement... your assistance will receive its due acknowledgment, and we will help arrange the promised meeting once the Earthling succeeds in his Spiritual Trial."

’Good response.’

The Dean recognized that the delegates now wanted their own military forces on Cruor, with room to handle the situation as they deemed fit... even if they said that they were willing to accept Levi’s rejection of their recruitment offers, the Dean wasn’t stupid enough to believe it was going to be that easy.

For a mere Earthling to summon the most feared spiritual predator in the ancient and modern universe and remain unaffiliated with any powerful background?

It ain’t happening.

Especially after Levi revealed a Lantern capable of devouring and storing souls and wisps.

The Dean knew their interest went beyond Levi’s potential as a fighter... the Soulleech Maw offered research opportunities that few in their fields would willingly pass up.

That was why Arrayists, Artificers, and Alchemists pushed hardest for his recruitment.

Meanwhile, the Vallow gained little beyond expenses, casualties, and another battlefield demanding their attention.

Yet, abandoning the boy would disgrace the very hospitality that brought so many foreign Raiders to Cruor.

And so... neither Severin nor the Dean entertained their repeated attempts to bargain for Levi, forcing the delegations to keep their dealings respectable and on the table.

The Dean understood that their restraint owed more to the CRS Platform than to goodwill... as long as Cruor remained registered as a contested planet, even these powerful foreign backgrounds needed the natives’ permission to deploy their military forces.

Their authority elsewhere gave them no right to dictate matters here.

"My apologies... but Lord Severin’s decision is final." Nurah shook her head. "We have already drawn his nation into troubles that weren’t theirs to bear... I wouldn’t presume to ask..."

Suddenly, a series of chimes interrupted her.

The Dean glanced at his screen... then noticed the delegates checking theirs, their expressions changing as they received the same warning.

-The Dominion Tree is flickering!-

He switched the image above the table to the live feed.

The Soulleech Maw’s green flames dimmed, and its branches turned translucent... then regained their solidity a heartbeat later.

Everyone knew what this phenomenon implied... either Levi was about to die in the spiritual trial or succeed in it; either way... he was coming out soon!

Seeing the hungry looks on most of the delegates’ faces, Nurah couldn’t help but feel worried deep down.

If this was the reaction of those near her, she couldn’t imagine the ones hiding in the shadows, awaiting this very moment for more than three months.

’I hope your exit plan is solid... Levi,’ Nurah wished inwardly, her mind reflecting the images of her friends. ’We need our captain more than ever...’

After Nurah, Arthur, and the rest left Cruor... Shia and her father returned to Heliodor right away.

After the Hound and Rain’s deaths, Fang was the only surviving member of the three elites... However, Levi’s powerful mercenary squads still maintained their protection of the region, making it safe enough for the wounded to return.

Nurah had coordinated with the High Chancellor to renew their contracts for another month before they expired.

With the region under heavy guard, the Morningstar family reunited... even Shia’s wandering brother returned after hearing the news of what happened to his father and his current horrid condition that put him in a coma.

His injuries were simply too heavy; even the Academy’s medics told them that it was going to take a very, very long time before Idriss regained his peak physicality... and even B- and A-grade totems weren’t enough to do a full reconstruction of his ruined body.

In their minds, the fact that he was still alive was a miracle on its own, as most of his muscles had melted while his organs were barely left on life support.

Even three months later... Idriss was still in a deep coma.

As for Jasmine? She remained in her kingdom with her friends... her father was the one coming to check on her situation, which was quite serious, too.

Unlike Idriss... she could still move, but her life force remained depleted.

Thankfully, her friends and father did everything in their power to secure any available life-force treasure to help her recover her life force slowly throughout Levi’s absence.

Naturally, none were high-grade, as even the low-grade ones were extremely expensive and rare... still, they did their best.

With her life force still depleted... Jasmine spent most of her time in seclusion, studying her Scripture Aspect.

If one were to look at her, they would mistake her for an aged, wise scholar... wearing glasses and all.

Meanwhile, Jojo returned to House Zen’s territory to continue with her meditation and mastery of the Zenith Constellation Aspect... seeking to grow her spiritual prowess at any cost.

Especially when she saw what Arthur went through for his Origin Seed Conversion process... the image never left her mind, and since that day, she never returned to Jasmine’s territory.

Last but not least... Nurah.

Everything fell on her shoulders... representing Levi in those meetings, managing his businesses according to the instructions he entrusted her with before he left for the mission.

Wonderland’s opening and the Dark Sun Convergence were scheduled for the same day... but with Levi trapped in his spiritual trial, Nurah notified the invited guests that both events would be postponed.

She followed the plans he left behind, refusing to let his absence halt the entire project.

She coordinated the work, checked expenses, and dealt with merchants who tried to use his absence to renegotiate their agreements... thinking she could be bullied.

Employees received their wages, construction moved forward, and offers that required Levi’s consent waited for his return... she refused to let anyone mistake her responsibility for permission to decide his future.

Between those duties, Nurah arranged Jasmine’s medical care, checked on Shia, and kept Arthur informed about the meetings’ discussions about his brother so he could focus on his training.

She handled what she could without bothering any of them... this naturally left her own training slowed, but she didn’t voice a single complaint.

With what happened during the rescue mission, no one was the same... especially Shia.

The trauma was so deep that she refused to leave her father’s side until he woke up.

The curse left her afraid of the night and the moon... she kept the windows in her father’s room covered with thick curtains and refused to step outside under a full moon.

Right now... Nurah wished for nothing more than Levi’s safe return, as without him, the squad felt like it had lost its head, its anchor, and most importantly... its life.

****

Meanwhile... inside the crimson forest.

A woman sat within a tent woven from green aetheric energy, her loose brown desert robes concealing her figure and most of her face.

Only her green-gold eyes remained exposed, their vertical pupils narrowing slightly... if Levi were here, he would recognize this woman in a heartbeat.

How could he forget Sandwitch?

The Soul Harvester who had chased him across the desert atop a Sandscale Leviathan during the Sandstorm Surge game!

She had turned a race into a massacre... then had the nerve to ask why he was running when she only wanted a taste of his soul.

She was here for the Soulleech Maw, having no clue that its summoner, Levi, was the same Celestial she had hunted in the game!

She peeked through the transparent green tent that hid its occupants from anyone outside, and once she noticed the Soulleech Maw’s tree flicker again, she called.

"Master..."

"I see it."

The Sandwitch turned toward the woman beside her, then fell silent.

Her master’s eyes remained fixed on the manifestation... their usual indifference gave way to a reverence the Sandwitch had never seen in the organization’s respected Tier 8 Elder Witch.

The woman stood up, and green aether sparks gathered within her translucent figure.

The Sandwitch knew that the Eidren needed no physical body to live... but as her master prepared to leave, her slender limbs became solid, taking on the smooth, pale-green sheen of jade.

Her dark emerald hair floated around her shoulders as though she were underwater... its ends faded into thin wisps of green aether.

A sheer black veil covered the lower half of her face, revealing the soft outline of her lips and high cheekbones through the fabric.

Above it, her green eyes glowed around narrow black pupils.

As her body became solid, her black gown settled against her slender figure, outlining her narrow waist... her skin resembled polished jade, with faint green light pulsing along her throat and wrists.

The Elder Witch pressed her fingers against her chest when another flicker passed through the monstrous Tree.

The Sandwitch recognized the gesture from their prayers... seeing her master perform it before the manifestation left her watching in silence.

"Prepare yourself..." the elder witch whispered, lowering her hand. "We are taking the Summoner."

The Sandwitch followed her.

"Alive," her master emphasized, turning a stern gaze toward her. "Until we understand his relationship with our deity’s reincarnation, his life is not ours to take."

"Understood, Master." Sandwitch bowed her head.

The elder witch swept one hand across the tent’s wall... its green threads loosened and gathered around her fingers, winding into a small knot before disappearing into her sleeve.

The Sandwitch followed her between the trees, keeping her aura restrained as they approached the distant defensive camps.

She noticed that everyone else had made their move as well, following the tree’s flickers.

Still, her master maintained her measured pace.

As she stepped over a fallen trunk, her cloak parted, revealing the emblem stitched inside its lining.

A black loom enclosed in a silver frame... pale spirits hung from its threads like trapped puppets, their arms and legs unraveling into white strands woven into the half-finished shroud below.

The insignia of the Black Loom Organization.

The organization that was filled with some of the most infamous and most dreaded entities in the universe... the Soul-Harvester Witches.