Hello, Crow here! So, I've been away for a week and I apologize for that. As I said previously, I had to take care of my father and he's much better now so I'm back! I'll post three chapters a day (or more) for the next few days so stay tuned!

There will be a chapter 1-2 hours later!

****

From start to finish, it fell unrealistic, almost like a dream. Everything was a bit blurry and out of place, even his feelings seemed to have momentarily vanished. The sensation of his usually beating heart and the flow of energy through his Meridians was almost non-existent. Fortunately, he still maintained his sharp senses but it was a bit uncomfortable for Arthur, who evolved into a new type parasite, a creature with a soul and no body.

Possessing his body was an instantaneous action yet it felt like an eternity for Arthur, who was still processing everything that's happening. The good thing is that he avoided a calamity and even strengthened Makaze, which finally broke through from the dark sphere and flew toward its owner and partner.

It didn't experience any changes regarding its appearance, however, Arthur could feel its excitement and eagerness to unleash its new devoured power. Both the dark blade and the parasite evolved, boosting their powers into another level and increasing their probability of winning this power.

His wife, Lucy, was confused as the soul bind between her husband and she was unstable for a second but when she saw him abruptly wake up, she broke into a smile, relieved that he's alright and full of vigor. Just as she was about to hug him, Arthur grabbed her wrist and used [Faster Than Death], teleporting both of them 150m to the East, barely dodging an incoming object.

The object was a very long and thick chain that descended from above, it was the third one and despite the couple's strong defenses, Arthur still felt extreme danger from them. He didn't know what exactly the monks are doing and he very much wanted to stop them but there is an abundance of enemies and he has to take care of them one by one, beginning from Katrina and that devilish pink snake.

The Matriarch crouched next to her unconscious and inspected the metal armor. She tried getting rid of it but no kind of energy seemed to affect it, not even the specter's special flames. In the end, she raised her head and stared at the couple, her eyes filled with anger and sadness.

She did expect things to become worse but Angelina shouldn't have been involved in this gruesome war. In fact, when she saw Gutcha holding her daughter hostage, not only did she become flabbergasted, she acted upon her raging emotions and worsened the situation.

The bloody battle between the undead and the enemy forces was reaching its climax as Aborak started attacking with all the skeletons, trying to end this war as fast as possible. The Lich King was pretty sensitive to all kinds of energy, especially those harmful to him, so, when he took a glance at the terrifying gate above the monks, he grew uneasy and a bit afraid.

Whatever was locked inside, it was more dangerous than anything he had ever seen, even the legendary Void Behemoth wouldn't have such a savage and suffocating aura.

Just as Arthur was about to attack the still living snake, a small figure came flying at him.

"Daddy! Mommy!"

An injured yet happy Saly flew toward them with the thought of fighting alongside of them and finally greeting them. Unfortunately, she didn't get to cross half the distance separating them before a ringing sound reverberated across the area followed by golden specks of lights which surrounded the girl.

Seeing this, Arthur and Lucy frowned, they didn't waste any second and started acting. With Makaze in his hand, he shot out like a star toward the source of the golden specks of light, as for Lucy, she headed toward her daughter.

The golden specks actually seemed harmless but that didn't let the couple drop their guard. In fact, Arthur raised his free hand and pulled the space and causing his daughter's body to be pulled to the left, away from the specks.

Just after that, he held Makaze with both hands and executed a newly acquired attack. By devouring an ancient and powerful artifact, not only did Evil Wind obtain new skills, it was also able to demonstrate one of the proprieties of the Orb of the fallen Overgods.

[Beyond Worlds] is a spiritual sword attack that is not meant to attack but to defend targets. If used at the right time, it'll lock the target in several layers of artificial worlds, rendering them invincible for a couple of seconds and boosting their defense by a whopping 150%.

A purple sword essence was by makaze, it rapidly spiraled in the air and hit the unsuspecting Saly, who still didn't know what's happening. Before the little girl was able to react, she found her surrounded by multi-colored layers, blocking her sight of the outside and protecting her from all exterior dangers.

Lucy followed right after, as she flew toward her daughter, her seven lotuses were a step faster than her, surrounding the white-furred girl and blooming instantaneously, forming an illusory crystalline mountain to envelop the small figure.

…

"Hmpf! Why does he always have to be so reckless and suicidal?"

The Joker crossed his arms and harrumphed, displeased by Arthur's previous actions.

Seeing his brother's behavior, Leiu shrugged his shoulders and explained

"No matter how intelligent and powerful someone is, in the midst of battle, he can't always come up with the perfect and safest choices. From our perspective, his actions may have been out of place but don't forget with just spectators while he's the one fighting and risking his life so it's natural for his mind to be preoccupied with many things."

From the side, Death rubbed his chin and stated:

"I have to say, a Soul parasite is really an outrageous race. He's practically immune to all physicals attacks…"

The black-haired woman standing behind her teacher stared at Arthur and asked

"Isn't it bad for him? In the long term, I mean."

Death nodded his head and replied:

"Yes, though it may be a powerful race, perhaps even the most powerful of all… its drawbacks are obvious and harmful to the person. If he doesn't evolve again, there are only two paths ahead of him and neither is a good one."

Anxious and worried about her friend's safety, Anastassia asked:

"What are the two paths?"

This time, it wasn't Death who answered by the still annoyed Joker.

"Either he follows Moriah's steps and absorbs more power than he could handle or he becomes deprived of all emotions and sensations."

The Trickster turned toward his quiet brother and said:

"Is it even possible to evolve to a higher race now that he's a parasite?"

In response, Leiu only gave a vague answer: "Depends on the circumstances."

*****

"NO NO NO NO!"

While holding his bloody chest and spitting some blood, 'X' yelled hysterically as he sensed the disappearance of the orb, which was devoured by Makaze. He glared at the figure before him and said:

"Damn you! You've ruined everything!"

Arthur, who was in a poorer state than his opponent, grinned and said back:

"Do you really think you can kill 'him' with only the orb? You have to be more creative, 'friend'."

'X's blurry face started distorting and some facial features started appearing, however, it was still difficult to see his real appearance. The space around him started shattering and time was once again reversed, bringing his injured back to its unscathed state. The man raised his cane and held it with both of his hands then pulled its lower part, revealing a thin blade engraved with countless undecipherable runic symbols.

His attention was focused on the far away Makaze, wanting to acquire it and pull the orb from within it.

"It's not over yet, Arthur."

Then, without waiting for a response, 'X' slashed his palm and spat some incomprehensible words. A few seconds flew by and his figure started vanishing, apparently being transported to another place.

Arthur was barely able to move properly so he didn't bother chasing after him. He glanced at the equally wounded Space Dragon and said

"It's all up to you now."

With its deep voice, Yamak responded:

"Fear not, caretaker."

The silver dragon transformed into a silver streak, which flew at the Divine Planet, precisely in the direction of the occurring war.

Having finished his job, Arthur floated toward the mysterious man who fought 'X' earlier, slightly bowed his head and said with a respectful tone:

"Senior G'am Tir, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The man was surprised upon hearing that, he creased his brows and assessed Arthur before letting out a sigh.

"Just call me Tiran, that name has long been forgotten."