Although he could barely move and had difficulties breathing, Arthur raised his head and gazed at the far away Angelina. He stretched he's boosted sense and tried talking to his copy.

'Claud! What's the meaning of this?!'

There is no way Lucy would have instructed him to save her sister. He knew that she didn't love this family of hers and wouldn't forfeit the ARK just so it could save her big sister. The only explanation is that Claud on his own and purposely interfered, saving Angelina at the very last second.

He knew Arthur and his Dark Magic so he surely knew of a way to negate Gutcha's attack and secure her life. Unfortunately, Arthur received no answer so he didn't press any further and focused his attention on the black dome.

Seeing Lucy's anxious gaze, he let out a chuckle and said:

"Don't worry about me, go help Saly."

After hesitating for a split second, Lucy nodded her head and glanced at the large snake flying at the trapped orb, intending to get its hands on it. Even after Saly, Midolf, Astrith, and Curtis joined hands, they still were unable to stop the raging snake, which seemed determined to obtain the ancient artifact.

Emperor G'am Tir, the ruler of the once-prosperous Buria Empire was the one who created the orb of the fallen Overgods. Just after the Void Era, feeling the imminent thread of the arrogant Gods, the weaker races joined hands and eliminated those higher beings, causing them to go extinct.

G'am Tir's influence spread far and wide and he was one of the leaders of the past alliance. Using the remnants of the fallen Gods, he created a powerful artifact that contributed to the rise of his empire. Sadly, the emperor was killed by Zodiak, who, back then, was the Black Seat of Death. No one knew who hired the black seat and the price they had to pay but almost everyone was thankful for the emperor's death and the end of his tyranny.

Right after the fall of the empire, the whereabouts of the orb was unknown but that didn't stop people from searching for it and obtain unimaginable power and fortune. The legends state that without the orb, G'am Tir wouldn't have been able to reach such amazing heights which is why many people are obsessed with the orb.

***

The flying pink snake stopped in its tracks as it was attacked by an incoming petite figure. Though its scales were tough and resistant, they were still affected by Lucy's Yin power, which spread across the whole area. Sadly, the snake vibrated its body and got rid of the ice in an instant, nonetheless, Lucy didn't give up as she unsheathed her thin white saber and charged at the monstrous creature.

Her speed was unparalleled and the metal armor covering her body drastically boosted her physical capabilities. Seven ice lotuses floated around Lucy's head as she brandished her saber and relentlessly attacked the enraged snake, which used its enormous body to retaliate.

Their exchange was brief and ended up with no favorable results for the two parties. Just as Lucy was about to attack again, several whip-like vines sprung from the snake's scales and bound Lucy.

The snake opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful blast that cracked the space around it and pushed away Saly and co, who were trying to free Lucy and support her.

Left alone to block this blast, Lucy made use of seven beautiful lotuses, which fully bloomed and formed a crystalline shield which protected her front.

The snake's blast was destructive and almost unstoppable, it crashed onto the shield like a tsunami and shattered it within a few seconds. Its next target was Lucy, who was sent flying until she heavily crashed onto the ground.

One would expect her to be dead or seriously injured, however, she rose from the shattered earth and charged at the snake.

High up in the red sky, several flaming boulders descended upon the pink snake. Despite its large size, the snake paled in comparison to the incoming boulders, which hammered down on the angry beast, pushing it on the ground and engulfing it in golden flames.

Lucy followed with another powerful attack, she raised both her hands and condensed a miniature golden sun which appeared above the still immobilized snake. Before the enemy could retaliate, the golden sun exploded, ravaging everything in its way.

The explosion spared none in its way, turning both specters and undead into nothing but ash. The golden flames danced in the sky and illuminated the area with its radiant splendor.

It took one glance to recognize these ancient and powerful flames belonging to the Golden Crow. Lucy wasn't done yet, she beckoned for Radolf and Midolf, who answered her call and appeared behind her.

"Supply me with energy."

The two nodded their heads and raised their hand, injecting their unique energy in Lucy, who madly absorbed everything.

In response, the metal armor covering her body changed shape and separated itself from Lucy. It no longer resembled an army as it slowly changed form and transformed into a large jet black cannon.

Lucy gripped the cannon with both her hands and poured all her Mana and energy into it, causing it to lit up with a blinding radiance.

The flashing light was the sign that the cannon was ready to be used, however, Lucy patiently waited for the snake to show itself.

As expected, from within the sea of golden flames down below, a hissing pink snake showed its head and glared at Lucy.

Before it could fight back, Lucy took aim and activated the cannon, resulting in a thick red laser beam to be unleashed by the black cannon. The beam went straight at the pink snake and hit its head, nailing it in the ground then melting many of its scales, causing the beast to shake violently and roar in pain and anger.

The ground heavily shook and the golden flames surrounding it made the situation worse for the wounded snake. The laser beam continued for ten full seconds before it disappeared along with the cannon.

A small, almost unnoticeable black cube appeared before Lucy, it slowly spun in the air, trying to locate its main core.

After several seconds passed by, the black cube flew at Angelina and yet again transformed into a metal armor, protecting her from any harm.

It was at this point in time, when everything was in total chaos, that the black dome started cracking. Arthur, who was leaning on a broken boulder, clutched his chest and rolled on the ground, unable to handle the agonizing pain.

'Ting'

*Your race has devolved into Void Parasite, please wait until the system finishes calculating all the open possibilities…*

Arthur was hanging on his last thread while waiting for the system to provide him with the evolution choices. His body is slowly breaking and half of his soul was eaten by Makaze. If left alone, he'll surely die.

Second after second passed and when the one minute mark was reached, the pleasant sound of the system notification rang in his ears.

*Calculation complete… please choose one of the following possibilities :

Spirit Parasite

Dark Void Parasite

Soul Parasite*

Without any hesitation, Arthur chose the last option and waited for the results. He didn't have time to read the description of each option and the last one seemed the most helpful one in this current situation.

Inside his consciousness, his dim soul suddenly shone with a bright light, illuminating the whole starry night sky and recovering to its previous state almost instantaneously.

Arthur felt a bit numb as the pain disappeared all of a sudden, his buzzing mind remained unclear for a few seconds as he struggled to process what the system was telling him.

*As a soul parasite, your real body is your soul, unless your soul is extinguished, you cannot die.*

*Please choose a host to possess within 5 minutes.*

..

*Please choose a host to possess within 5 minutes.*

..

*Please choose a host to possess within 5 minutes.*

Arthur glanced around him and found out that he had left his body and was floating in the air. Lucy was holding his body while checking his pulse. The soul bound was still present but it didn't point to his body, which frightened her.

After pondering for a few moments, he tried entering his previous body and by the next second, he was able to feel his limbs and feel the passing hot breeze.