Re: Evolution Online

Sitting atop a lustrous mineral mine, an old man sighed tiredly as he took out a crystal like communication device from his robe. He looked at the device as if he was hesitant to use it but he knew that he had no other choice except to do so.

Unfortunately, his time had run out and he had to make contact soon. Otherwise… the old man swallowed. He was genuinely afraid of the consequences.

He tapped the communication crystal gently, imbuing it with a little of mana, and then pressed his dried wrinkled lips on it. "Priestess, I am afraid I am still not able to locate the treasure."

Crawford swallowed again before continuing, "I have searched everywhere, but the stone tablet is nowhere to be found. Is there a chance it could have slipped into some other realm?"

Then feeling as if he was ashamed of his own suggestion, he quickly corrected it. "Perhaps one of the guardians got hold of it and is now hiding it. Give me some more time. I will get to the bottom of this."

There was a brief silence. Crawford's hand trembled slightly as he waited for a response. He wasn't sure if he was going to get one at all.

That damned bastard! Even in his death, he had made his life miserable!

Suddenly, a gentle voice rang out from the communication device, almost scaring him. "Crawford, the Divine Temple has shown patience because we believe in you. But you also know the importance of the stone tablet. How long do you expect us to wait for you?"

"Please forgive me, Priestess. I am lacking my former strength. If not, I-"

"Crawford, do you think that I have the time to listen to your excuses? It is best if you don't make me wait any longer."

"Yes, Priestess." Crawford replied, full of reverence but the communication device had already dimmed implying that the other side had broken the connection.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!" The old man let out a frustrated shout.

Why must his life be so difficult?!! If only he had his former strength! If only he had his tower, then he could have ruled this world and become the overlord that he was supposed to be!

"Curse you, you damned brat! Curse you and your nine generations of ancestors!"

"I am going to hunt down anyone related to you and torture them slowly to death for centuries!"

On the other side, the divine temple high priestess remained indifferent as she tossed the crystal in her hand in a random direction.

"Lady Geneiva…" The paladin knight standing next to her called out in a low voice.

The high priestess looked at him with her piercing golden eyes, her long golden hair cascading down her back. "Speak."

"What if the treasure is still not found because its original owner has not yet perished?"

The high priestess' face instantly fell. She stood up from her throne with a grave expression on her face. "If that is indeed the case, then… there might be a powerful enemy waiting for us in the future."

"Priestess… that is…"

"What? You think that I am overestimating him?" The priestess looked out the window of her airship which floated high above the city, gazing at the intricate tapestry of lights and structures below. "No. I do not overestimate anyone."

"That human is a nettleroach. He has already escaped six times from me. Killing him is proving to be more difficult than managing the entirety of the lower realms. I have even crossed the line several times. If he is still not dead… No. That's not possible. He has to be dead."

"There is no way he could have tempered his body well enough to withstand both nether and mana. Even if everything else had failed, his own constitution should have killed him. He has no way out."

"And if he still did not perish then…"

"I am truly afraid to think of the consequences. Irrespective of whether that fool Crawford finds the treasure that he speaks of, we need to be prepared. In a few years, I am planning to use the heavenly array. That time he will no longer be able to escape."

"Heavenly array?" The knight gasped.

The heavenly array was one of the most expensive array formations they have in their possession. It was an array using which one could locate any treasure they sought or beings they sought after.

In other words, once a heavenly array was used any being in the myriad realm no matter how powerful they were would be found out.

Naturally, those who were beyond a certain power level would also realize that they had been subjected to such an array. So even if they were found out, there would be a price to pay for it.

However, for a nobody like the human being, it was a perfect way to locate without the other person finding out. The only drawback was that it would put a huge dent in their coffers if they actually used it.

But now…

"Yes. Crawford is a mere tool spirit who is not even aware that he is a tool spirit. There is a limit to what that rabid lunatic is capable of. Time has made him a mindless old goat. He might be spewing out nonsense just to win our favor. It is best to be prepared."

"No matter the costs I have to ensure that the human being has truly perished. Once the mana barrier surrounding his world comes down, his world will no longer have any protection."

"Then it would only be a simple matter to decimate the whole damn thing which is already half-dead. Even if he slips out of the dying world, there won't be a single place in this myriad realms that he can hide from me."

The priestess's gaze turned cold as she pictured the human being resolutely fighting, back in the tutorial, and once again, the familiar unsettling feeling in her heart welled up. She did not like it. That human had to die.

Ideally, she would have liked to use the array immediately to ensure that the nettleroach hadn't somehow slipped out of the world but unfortunately, that was an extravagance she couldn't afford at the moment.

She had other matters that needed her attention and her resources. Her moment of ascension was close now. At this time, she would be a fool to focus on something else.

If she succeeds, then perhaps she might not even need to use the heavenly array. She would finally be freely able to crush that insect with her very own hands.