Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World

Chapter 858: Fixing the Soul [2]

For a talent like Infinite Evolution, which could alter the essence of existence and even forcefully elevate beings to Rank 3, it was only natural that its manifestation resided within the soul itself.

Seen in that light, this new function was not strange.

Michael had simply never discovered it before.

Bringing anything into his soul space was nearly impossible under normal circumstances. This was the first time something that was not already bound to him had forced its way inside.

And the cauldron had responded accordingly.

Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Veyrion struggle against the invisible restraint. The dark element pressed tighter, like a hand closing around the throat of Veyrion’s will.

"That system notification," Michael said, almost to himself. "So that is why it did not appear."

This was not the first time something had tried to force its way into him.

Jester had done it first.

Even now, with Jester bound as his undead, Michael could still remember that moment with a clarity that made his chest tighten. Jester had not attacked his soul directly. It had gone for the mind. It had tried to erase his consciousness, to wipe him out and sit inside his skull like a parasite wearing his face.

That attempt had triggered the system, or rather the Origin Will. Michael was still confused about what truly governed those responses, but it had issued a warning.

A cold, absolute notification that had advised him to commit suicide or face true death in Origin.

It had been so extreme that Michael had never forgotten it.

Now, Veyrion had invaded him too, yet the system had stayed silent. No warning. No forced prompt. No harsh line telling him to end himself.

At first, Michael had thought it was because he had somehow missed the notification. But standing here, in his own soul space, watching the cauldron pulse behind him, Michael finally understood.

Jester had targeted his mind, which was still considered Michael himself. The system had recognized the threat as an external force attempting to delete the host. It had responded.

Veyrion had targeted the soul.

But the moment Veyrion crossed into this domain, the rules changed.

Because the instant Veyrion entered, the cauldron did not treat him as an enemy invading from outside. It treated him as material inside Michael’s territory.

And because of that classification, the system did not issue a warning.

It did not view it as Michael being overwritten. It viewed it as Michael’s soul handling what had entered it.

Michael’s smile returned, but there was no warmth in it.

Now it had come down to a single question.

What should he do with this soul?

The connection between them was already established.

Because of that connection, Michael knew he had options.

He could evolve it.

He could merge it with something else.

Or even attempt to merge it with himself.

Michael did not even consider the first option seriously. He did not bother to check how many Evolution Points it would take.

A Rank 4 soul was not something to experiment on blindly.

Evolution altered essence. If he made a mistake, the backlash could destroy him from within. Worse, it might refine Veyrion into something even more dangerous.

The second option was even more absurd.

Merge it with himself?

Michael’s expression did not change, but inwardly, he dismissed the thought immediately.

A Rank 4 being was still a Rank 4 being. Trying to fuse with it directly would be like inviting poison into his own veins and hoping for the best.

But there was another option.

Michael’s eyes darkened slightly.

Before, when Veyrion still possessed a body, Michael had hesitated. Devouring a living being had crossed a line he had not been ready to face. The idea of consuming something alive, aware, and resisting had unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

But this...

This was different.

This was only a soul.

Yes, it still had consciousness and could resist, but there was no flesh. No breathing body. No heartbeat.

Only essence.

Michael could feel it clearly now. The density. And the sheer quality contained within Veyrion’s soul. Even weakened, it radiated a depth that surpassed anything he had consumed before.

Curiosity flickered behind his calm expression.

If he devoured this...

How much would his soul recover?

How much closer would he be to advancing?

Veyrion felt it.

A faint feeling of threat.

His will strained violently against the invisible restraints binding him. The dark element pressing against him thickened further, growing heavier, denser, like tar filling every gap.

"What are you doing?" Veyrion demanded, his voice losing its composure for the first time.

Michael did not answer immediately.

Behind him, the cauldron pulsed.

Once.

Twice.

Each pulse sent a ripple across the soul domain, and with it came pressure.

Michael lifted his hand slowly.

There was no dramatic gesture. No spell circle. No chant.

Only intent.

Deep within the darkness, something else responded.

A faint, cold bloom of pale light emerged near Michael’s chest, subtle but unmistakable. It did not burn. It did not radiate heat. Instead, it carried a quiet, devouring stillness.

Lily.

The trait manifested like layered petals made of translucent essence, unfolding silently within the void of his soul.

The moment it appeared, Veyrion’s entire soul shuddered.

He understood immediately.

Absorption.

"No," Veyrion said sharply, his will surging in panic. "You cannot—"

Michael did not hesitate.

The Lily devouring trait activated fully.

The first thread of essence separated from Veyrion’s soul.

It was microscopic. Barely visible. A single strand of refined spiritual substance peeling away like mist.

Yet the reaction was immediate.

Veyrion screamed.

It was not a physical sound. It was a vibration that rippled across the soul domain itself, raw and distorted.

Because even that tiny fragment carried the weight of centuries.

Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly as the fragment drifted toward him.

The moment it touched his soul, it dissolved.

Warmth spread outward.

The crack buried deep within his soul foundation trembled faintly. The unstable edge that had remained stubbornly incomplete for so long shifted, knitting together by a small margin.

Michael exhaled slowly.

Even this little...

It was a lot.

Far more than anything he had ever absorbed before.

The quality was different. Denser.

Veyrion felt it too.

Felt himself becoming smaller.

"You fool!" Veyrion roared. "You do not understand what you are touching!"

Michael met his gaze calmly.

"I understand enough," he replied quietly.

Behind him, the Lily bloomed wider.