...…
A few seconds passed by in the blink of an eye as two cloaked figures found themselves facing death's door. They gasped for breath as they fended off nearly a dozen blue figures that transitioned between attacking the two of them. Their movements blurred in the misty blue veil that cloaked everything around them.
'It looks like those blue floberries worked wonders in keeping everything nice and separated as I work on taking out each of them using the 'Old Fashioned Way.'
'Otherwise known as 'Two versus One isn't fair,' so why don't we make it Two versus Ten??.'
Azmodeus never felt hesitation when it came to exploiting an advantage, especially when it came to ganging up on enemies that were slightly stronger than himself. According to him, shamelessness was a tactic, and he had no qualms about ganging up on his enemies if it meant that he would come out victorious in the end.
He hadn't always been like this, but ever since acquiring the Mirror Mirage and Super Strength Traits, some renditions of 'Numbers and Strength conquer all' had seeped into his subconscious.
Nevertheless…
Spurt! Spurt!
Bam! Bam!
Two heads were sliced off and fell to the cobblestoned surface of a deserted alleyway in the Outer Grounds of the Yang Sect. Their bodies collapsed beside them.
Usually, such a violent scene would attract a number of people and leave them in a state of disarray in such a busy area. But in this case, a blue mist obscured the entire alleyway from the onlookers. Although this attracted a little suspicion from patrolling guards, it wasn't enough to make them want to go and investigate.
So, in the end, the two strongest Shadows of the Black Tiger Family met their deaths without so much as a burial, while Azmodeus was rewarded with a series of system notifications not long after.
BLING!
[Ding! You have touched the body of the being known as 'Shadow Two']
[Ding! Would you like to roll for one of his abilities?]
[Yes/No]
Without hesitation, Azmodeus clicked "Yes," watching as a similar roulette to the one during the arena appeared before his eyes.
After spinning it a few times and expending a thousand or so Evolution Essence, he was eventually able to obtain the 'Shadow Cleaver' Trait he was hoping for.
However, his system notifications didn't stop with just that as a few more bombarded his vision.
BLING!
[Ding! You have killed two cultivators at the Peak Stages of the 20% Tempering Marrow Realm!]
[Ding! Would you like to Assimilate or roll for the abilities of both cultivators?]
Azmodeus chose the assimilate button after realizing that he had already claimed the only Trait he wanted from the fallen foes.
BLING!
[Ding! You have gained 48 Points in Strength, 49 in Speed, 51 in Defense, 54 in Qi, and 42 in Cultivation Talent.]
[Ding! Your overall combat power has significantly improved!]
[Ding! You have obtained 50,000 Evolution Essence after killing two cultivators in the Peak Stages of the 20% Tempering Marrow Realm!]
After these pop-ups appeared, Azmodeus decided to open up his system interface and see what he should do next in terms of Evolution Essence allotment.
BLING!
__________
{[Infinite Evolution System]}
[Host: Azmodeus]
[Race: Human]
[Lifespan: 12/115]
[Cultivation: Initial Stages of the 20% Tempering Marrow Minor Realm (Body Refinement Major Realm.)]
[Overall combat power: Initial Stages of the 40% Tempering Marrow Minor Realm]
[Level: 31]
[Evolution Essence needed for stepping into the next level: 60,000]
[Evolution Essence Bank: 2,900 → 32,000 → 82,000]
{[Stats:]}
[Strength: 245 + 84 (329)]
[Speed: 243]
[Defense: 240]
[Qi: 260]
[Cultivation Talent: 210]
[Spiritual Roots: Crystallized Embryo] (Rank: ???)
{[Assimilated Evolution Traits/Qualities]}
[Inherited Traits and Active Species Alterations:
[Stealth - Level 4] (J Rank) → [0/100,000]
[Mirror Mirage - Level 3] (I Rank) → [0/100,000]
[Super Strength - Level 3] (I Rank) → [0/100,000]
[Shadow Cleaver - Level 0] (I Rank) → [0/100]
__________
After assessing his strengths and weaknesses, Azmodeus decided to use his remaining Evolution Essence to level up once and then level up his Shadow Cleaver Trait to Level 3.
With a few clicks and a surge in strength, a new system interface was presented before him.
BLING!
__________
{[Infinite Evolution System]}
[Host: Azmodeus]
[Race: Human]
[Lifespan: 12/118]
[Cultivation: Middle Stages of the 20% Tempering Marrow Minor Realm (Body Refinement Major Realm.)]
[Overall combat power: Late Stages of the 40% Tempering Marrow Minor Realm]
[Level: 32]
[Evolution Essence needed for stepping into the next level: 60,000]
[Evolution Essence Bank: 82,000 → 37,000 → 25,890]
{[Stats:]}
[Strength: 267 + 84 (351)]
[Speed: 266]
[Defense: 268]
[Qi: 285]
[Cultivation Talent: 225]
[Spiritual Roots: Crystallized Embryo] (Rank: ???)
{[Assimilated Evolution Traits/Qualities]}
[Inherited Traits and Active Species Alterations:
[Stealth - Level 4] (J Rank) → [0/100,000]
[Mirror Mirage - Level 3] (I Rank) → [0/100,000]
[Super Strength - Level 3] (I Rank) → [0/100,000]
[Shadow Cleaver - Level 3] (I Rank) → [0/100,000]
__________
After using up the majority of his Evolution Essence, a wave of power washed over Azmodeus. Along with it, an esoteric black, murky energy wrapped his body, reshaping his very existence.
'This must be happening because of my Shadow Cleaver Trait…'
As this realization hit him, Azmodeus felt something else subtly change within him — something that had once been a part of him, but not any longer.
'I am gaining more strength… but I feel that I am losing something that was quite important to the old me…'
Azmodeus noted this in the past tense because whatever he had 'lost' no longer held any importance to the person he currently was…
"Just a second ago, I still held some modicum of emotion when looking at the people I had killed. But now… nothing. I feel absolutely nothing when I look at these corpses around me."
His eyes swept over the two headless bodies before him. He felt nothing… as if devoid of any remorse for his act.
He didn't have a single hint of guilt or empathy in his subconscious as he observed what happened after he reaped two lives.
"Remember, my lovely little boy, everything in life has a price, and you will need to pay that price if you wish to achieve your destiny."
"I understand, mother. I will do what I must to move further."
His slightly melancholic words drifted away as the blue mist dispersed into the air, and along with it, the boy who had killed two assassins in cold blood ceased to exist as well.
It didn't take long before a few nearby pedestrians walked by and saw the two corpses, eliciting hoarse screams out of their throats, drawing a crowd.
Eventually, a large group of people gathered around the alleyway, with a few dozen guards inspecting the gruesome scene before them.
.....