Achilles did not sit still.
Draconian Pathogenicity V had already spread throughout the entire region below the moment he arrived in the skies, infecting the Beasts beneath as it now began to seep into the Dark Forest—where the Eidolarch sat.
This Ancient One was incredibly dangerous. Unlike Bixi or any others, she could be considered a ruling force from the Ancient Times.
She had entire regions under her dominion, her name feared across years. And at this moment, Achilles was debating what to do with her.
As if she could read his thoughts, she crossed her legs atop the murky black trees and smiled lightly.
"The light in your eyes seems to be deciding whether I live or die. What confidence do you have to look at me with something like that?"
He truly was deciding whether to assimilate or kill the Ancient One before him. The only reason he hesitated was because of what had just occurred with Dr. Shaw.
Someone he hadn't thought much of, but whose efforts had saved Neon from being shut down by the Colony Capital of Virelux Ascendria.
Achilles had realized something vital- to maintain his freedom of movement, he needed capable people to act on his behalf.
He had Dr. Shaw and others on the side of humans.
But on the side of Ancient Ones?
And Seraphelle the Eidolarch, a Clockwork Ancient One, was a major piece—someone who not only held vast knowledge but whose power was… uniquely her own.
Achilles looked at her with a chilling light as he came to a decision.
Instead of immediate destruction or assimilation, he would see if Seraphelle could serve a similar purpose as someone like Dr. Shaw—just on the Ancient side.
If not? He could always devour her later.
He nodded, the air around him pulsing with majesty—the rising grandeur of the Ninth Adrastia Emperor King emanating from him and pressing down as he spoke.
"I have decided whether you live or die. The only question now is whether you'll begin talking before or after. Why is an Ancient One like you acting under the command of a human ruler?"
His words carried the weight of command, as though anyone addressed by them had no choice but to answer.
The murky, wild hair of Seraphelle shimmered as she swung her legs casually from the branch and smiled.
"He entered the tombs of one of my bodies and obtained my heart. He believes it grants him tremendous sway over me, but he doesn't know… this is just a body."
Her smile glowed with eerie power. Achilles nodded, understanding.
Rose, meanwhile, blinked with sharp curiosity, studying the being before them.
Seraphelle's gaze shifted to her, her voice laced with amusement and awe.
"An Ancient Ethereal Physiology by your side… someone who would've been sought after by many Ancient Kings even back then. And you…"—she turned to Achilles—"with both Primordial and Evolutius Energy flowing through your body. What exactly will you do against me? Try to control me like that other human? When humans… can barely control themselves."
The moment she finished—
Above Achilles and Rose, purple light unfurled.
A dazzling, illusory cloak bloomed, tolling like the arrival of the end times.
Purple seas of energy surged down from the cloak to engulf Achilles and Rose—but the white flames of the Nirvanic Sun Moon Phoenix, which had been swirling around them the entire time, roared to life.
They transformed into a stellar sea of flame, rising up against the descending violet energy and turning all they touched into ash.
A pillar of white flame burst upward, slicing through the tolling cloak and dispersing it entirely, as Achilles' figure became wreathed in flames.
"What I will do is simple."
His eyes glowed with terrifying brilliance. Even now, he asked himself.
What did it mean to be a King?
The first quality was that of Leadership.
The second quality…was that of power!
A dominating, undeniable power.
Because even a King born to lead would still be a dead King if he was weak.
So, he expressed his power.
He raised his fist and clenched it, and across the region…
On the earth below, where thousands of Beasts roamed…
The roars surged silently as a terrifying change took place.
Draconic wings burst from their backs. Their bodies subtly transformed.
Scales emerged. Horns grew.
Their eyes turned cold as they ascended into the skies, turning their gazes toward the Ancient One in the forest—cold, focused, and no longer their own.
Affected by Draconian Pathogenicity V, their forms had already been twisted by Achilles. They had become Draconic Beast Hybrids.
And down below? There were thousands.
And Achilles was just getting started!
He asked himself: what was stopping him from spreading his terrifying spores and unleashing the nightmare of the Leucochloridium Worm across the world?
That Leucochloridium Worm was terrifying—but limited.
It couldn't stretch itself across too many powerful Existences without its control weakening.
Achilles, however, was different.
He possessed a combination of Qualities—even those of a Planet and of the Nirvanic Sun Moon Phoenix.
His limits were… unknown.
So he wondered- what if the swarm of hundreds of thousands of nearby Beasts became infected—forming legions of Evolutius Beast Hybrids under his command?
Would Neon… not be secured?
And if he had an Ancient One under his control, leading them, guarding his interests…
"What I will do is entirely change the conception of power between Ancient Ones and Humans. The only question is whether you, the Clockwork Ancient One, choose to do this the easy way… or the hard way."
The number of Evolutius Beast Hybrids rose by the thousands.
They now surrounded the skies and the forest of Seraphelle the Eidolarch like loyal soldiers, doing the bidding of Achilles without so much as a complaint, as if this was their nature all along!
Their strength climbed with their transformation.
All eyes turned toward Seraphelle, filled with deadly light.
And the Ancient One's own gaze widened in astonishment.