A Universe of Bloody Evolution

Display it. Leo ordered.

Acknowledged. Displaying an offer from Naz'Tor. Trade type: Item for Ether. Terms: Unnegotiable.

Offered: Ownership of healing item "Bellatoure" x3 and F-tier Cerevod (System Verified)

Price: 5000 Ether

Do you accept this trade?

His eyebrows shot up a bit. Everything looked good, but he ordered two Bellatoures, not three. To make it more confusing, the price also didn't seem right with the addition. He should be paying six thousand in this case, not five.

"What's up with the bonus mixture?" he decided to ask.

"Think of it as a gift from me for your first bigger order. Don't get used to it, though. I'm not a charity," Naz'Tor answered.

"Got ya," he muttered, accepting the trade.

Ownership transfer completed. Item protections disabled. Goods have been transferred into your Soulscape.

Right away, Leo summoned the Cerevod into his hand, squinting at the small metal box that appeared in a flash. It was a simple thing, almost entirely black, with three buttons at the top and hundreds of tiny white symbols at the bottom.

Cerevod-F (Common):
An item created by a skilled artificer. This tiny box contains the Enchanted Matrix needed to temporarily disable a low-rank Void Gate. Approximate lifespan upon activation: 25 Earth Days. Warning: Attempts at opening the box will result in its self-destruction.

Ah, so there is a protection against someone trying to copy what's inside. Not surprising in the slightest, he commented in his head. "Anything else I should know about this thing?"

"If by this you mean the Cerevod, then yes. See the three buttons?" the merchant asked but didn't wait for an answer. "The red one is for activation, while you use the other two deploy matrixes. Blue is for the main gate—the one on Earth in your case—and the green is for the one on the other side. It's pretty simple."

Leo nodded, carefully storing this knowledge deep in his mind. "So pretty much I deploy the matrixes first and then push the red button."

"Indeed. Like I said, simple."

"Yeah..." he muttered. "Just one more thing. Is it possible to deactivate the matrixes and then activate them again?"

"It is as long as you have the Cerevod on your person," Naz'Tor explained. "Just a fair warning, repetitive reactivation will lower its lifespan—about ten percent of its total, to be precise."

"Good to know. Thanks for the info. I will call you if I need anything else."

"And I will gladly assist you as always," the merchant beamed. "However, it sounds like this is the end of our short talk. Always in a hurry, hmm?"

He shrugged. "Can't help it. There is always something that needs to be done. I would love a day or two off, but well..."

"I know the feeling, kid." Naz'Tor chuckled. "Give it some time. The early stages of the Outbreak are always the busiest. It also doesn't help that this Earth is inside a Dark Zone."

Leo blinked. Hold up...

"Dark Zone? That's the first I hear of it."

"Oh..." Naz'Tor clicked his tongue. "I completely forgot the System never mentions it if your awakening took place inside the zone... Damn... My apologies, young Akirian."

"Whatever," he quickly dismissed the apology. "Just please tell me what is this bloody thing."

"Of course, of course," the merchant muttered. "Dark Zones... They claim small areas—usually a couple of neighboring galaxies—and corrupt them. They speed up the progress of the Void's Curse on the planets under its influence. Voidlings grow stronger faster, and Cataclysms occur more often. Sometimes, they even force the creation of an Ever-Darkness world."

So, if I were on any other planet, the second Cataclysm would come later. Fuck. Leo took a deep, calming breath. "Ever-Darkness? I fear I know the answer, but please humor me..."

"As the name suggests, it's a planet that will never see the light of a star again," Naz'Tor said. "Darkness rules there, and with it, the Nightmares. It's the perfect home for them, and despite very limited prey, they still develop there the fastest."

"Wonderful," he muttered. "Are there many of those? Dark Zones, I mean."

"In this universe? Thankfully no. This is the only one currently. Of course, another might form some time in the future, but that should be it. Rarely more than two appear in any universe."

Leo snorted. "I would say that’s good to hear, but with Earth already claimed by one, it doesn't change much."

"Oh, but it does!" Naz'Tor exclaimed. "You and every other survivor inside the Dark Zone also grow faster than those outside it. Trust me when I say it would be a miracle if anybody from a normal planet could match you. Adapt or die might apply to everyone, but you can only adapt to something you already know."

Huh. I didn't think of that. My bad. He furrowed his brow. Just how easy do people outside the Dark Zone have it? How big is the power gap?

And so, he decided to just ask. "Say, do you have any idea what the current average level of survivors of those normal planets is? Of course I'm talking about those who actively try to get stronger."

Naz'Tor hummed. "I can't give you a precise number, but from my experience, I would say they should still be a few levels away from twenty. There could be some exceptions; just look at yourself if you want proof."

Leo's eyes widened. Not even twenty? Holy shit, there were plenty of people above that in Lily's group, and that was when I first arrived there...

"Makes me wonder if I should curse the Dark Zone or thank it for claiming Earth," he confessed out loud.

"That's up to you, kid. In the end, there are pros and cons to everything," Naz'Tor shot back. "Now, if that's all, I won't hold you up any longer. Do what you must and remember to call if you need anything. Or just message me. I will answer in my free time."

"You got it. Thanks again. Talk to you soon."

With that, the call disconnected, leaving Leo staring at the settling sun from his high perch. He sighed and returned the transmitter and Cerevod to his soul. It was time to go—no more delays.

---

With at least over two hours until the night would come, Leo didn't run as fast as he could. Sure, if he pushed himself, activated Reinforcement, and sprinted on all fours, he could probably reach London in half an hour. Yet, there was no need for that.

As he told Frank and Holden, he focused on taking down as many Voidlings in his path. Hell, sometimes, he even stepped off the road to clear out a particularly large group of monsters in the distance. He thought about taking over a few of them, but with their low levels, they were just to slow to keep up with his pace. Not even a Spitfire could match his speed now.

And so, time flew by as Leo slaughtered his way across the country until he reached London's outskirts. There, he activated Stealth Shroud and pushed onward, already informing Nyx of his arrival.

Nyx, could you please bring Lily to the subway where we spend our first night in the city?

The feline answered right away. 'On it. Are you already there?'

Nah. Need another ten minutes or so.

'Roger that. Meet you there.'

Their link closed again, and Leo sped up, working overtime to keep his Stealth Shroud from failing.

---

"Hello, Lily."

The woman turned around at the sound of his voice. "Leo." She smiled. "You came faster than I expected."

"Someone forced my hand," he said, narrowing his eyes at her. "Thought we should have a nice long talk before tomorrow. Don't you agree?"

Lily winced, her shoulder slumping. "Okay, I deserved that. I... I'm sorry. Malcolm even warned me that you wouldn't be happy, but this is our chance, Leo! We can get my people out and strike back at those fuckers at the same time."

"I know." He sighed. "That's why I'm not shutting this entire operation down. But tell me, when you came up with it, did you think about your alliance with Eden? Do you realize the position you put all of us in? Do you know how many people I will have to kill tomorrow?"

Her eyes hardened as she balled her fists. "They deserve it!"

"It doesn't fucking matter!" Leo roared. "Nyx and I are the ones who will have to do it! Holden is the one who will have to deal with new arrivals without enough preparation! And it's your people at risk in case anything goes wrong tomorrow."

"Nothing will go wrong!" Lily shouted back. "Malcolm has been preparing everyone ever since we left for Wolford. We are ready! My plan is good."

"I never said it isn't. It's just too sudden. Can't you see it?" He shook his head. "Even if everything goes according to the plan, what about the next time you get an idea and push it upon others?"

"I didn't push anything," she quickly denied. "Malcolm agreed. You agreed."

"Did he really?" Leo quirked an eyebrow. "Or did you just force him to agree and refuse to listen to anything he said?" As Lily looked down at her feet, he continued, "And me? I admit the idea is good, but I also know you, sister. If I refused to help, you would do it anyway. I bet you would attack Payne's people yourself."

"You don't understand," she muttered, still not meeting his gaze. "I have seen what they did to dozens of people who just wanted to survive. Payne and his ilk slaughtered them like pigs. I have to take any chance I get to strike back. They have to die."

"And they will," he vowed, stepping forward and bringing her in for a hug. "But please remember, you, Malcolm, Tony, and Frank are supposed to lead together now. Your way of doing things won't work anymore. You have to work with them."

"I was never a good team player," Lily mumbled, returning the awkward embrace.

Leo snorted. "Oh, I'm well aware of that... Just promise me to try this time. This alliance needs to work if everyone is to survive."

"I will do better. I swear."