Replicus had made his decision to choose Hybrid evolutions over the pure Penetrator series without much hesitation. As much as he liked the Penetrator series, he had seen that it didn't have much in the way of variety and once the guidance field presented to him that it was rather average when compared to other racial series, he quickly decided to do away with it.
The fact that few Penetrators ever reached the peak of the Null Verse also made his decision much easier.
If there were greener pastures, who was he to stroll past them and choose a more treacherous path instead?
When reading the long list of evolutionary paths, Replicus and his phantoms felt a series of deeply varying emotions.
It seed the Null Verse was a rather ssed up place.
All the species presented to him were either predators or world ending catastrophes. With the current state that Aigas was in right now, Replicus had no doubt that the Astral Draught Kestrel, for instance, could wipe out Feinheath and Opungale before the Heralds could slow it down. Worse yet, they might not even be able to do that as the Kestrel was said to be capable of attacking from a vast distance - a light year away, to be exact. It could attack from the dark void with its feathers.
Speaking of the Kestrel...
"I think this is actually a viable option," Replicus said to himself and Serenity gazed at him curiously, wondering about why he thought this. "I suppose the Kestrel is allowed to live and pillage as it pleases because there aren't any Rules protecting worlds in the Null Verse?"
Serenity let out a sigh.
"Yes. That's right. That is not a common practice in the Null Verse. Most worlds don't have Deities governing them. They form on their own," she said.
Replicus nodded.
He wanted to know more about the chanics of the Null Verse, but he didn't have that luxury. Not yet. He could ask all about that later.
"If it wasn't that hard to invade worlds, I would probably have considered the Kestrel more closely. It should be able to travel outside worlds easily with its bird form. It even has knowledge of runes on top of its affinity to winds and its feathers."
The part about the Kestrel learning about Runes from an Elder Penetration Sage intrigued Replicus. He had once been offered to evolve into sothing similar during his second evolution, but had decided against it because he wouldn't be able to use skills anymore. The Kestrel, on the other hand didn't have such a limitation. If not for its Flaw...
(A/N: Refer to Ch.489).
Replicus clicked his tongue and moved on.
'These collusions between Null Life creatures are interesting.'
The Tiless Adamantine 'Prodigy' Beetle also caught his attention, much more than the Kestrel, in fact.
The fact that each attack it received actually changed its physical form and gave it attributes that countered said attacks, was terrifying. From how it sounded, it imdiately mastered the elents of the attack and the skill of the attacker too!
'I can just imagine being able to master the Herald's powers just by being struck by them once. That dark fire breath, the effects of the Rules... This is similar to what a combination of my [Nullmancer's Royal Raint of Acclimation] and [Epiphany] can accomplish over ti...' the Penetrator thought with sparking sockets.
On top of this, the Beetle had the physical attributes to back its supernatural ability to copy other powers. Apparently, an unlimited amount of bacteria that rapidly grew into miniature versions of the Bettle would be born inside it, and each one produced raised its strength! There was no limit!
'If only these bastards didn't co back to try and kill . Since they take on a new form after every attack, I might not even recognise them when they co for . They could even work together to do this,' Replicus thought, but with the interference of his phantoms he slowly started to consider counterasures to the Adamantine Beetle's Flaw.
"This might not be that bad, actually. Serenity, are the Beetles produced by the original born with the original Bettle's class too?"
Serenity folded her arms.
"I'm not too sure, but I doubt it. A class has to be chosen. That's how it works in the Null Verse," she said.
Replicus nodded. That made sense.
In the back of his mind, he also confird that Serenity really didn't know everything about the Null Verse despite having control over it. Curious.
"I was thinking, if these Beetles don't have a class like mine, I could easily create counterasures. With the Nullmancer Class I could even make so of them my Apostles after they grow. Besides even that, among the Beetle's skills, there's one that allows it to see what they are seeing - [Hive Vision]. With my phantoms I could constantly keep a lookout," Replicus said, but then he sighed, or attempted to, at least. "Living my entire life while constantly looking over my shoulder... That's not ideal. But well, it's better than the Hallowed Marionette."
Replicus absolutely despised this race.
Despite the benefits they got after selling their bodies to Divine bidders, Replicus couldn't imagine becoming such a thing.
Perfection?
Unlimited Strength?
Reincarnation?
These Blessings only ca after wooing Deities and Divining beings and serving up to 30 of them!
"Flesh that," Replicus shook his head and moved on. "Now this..."
The Colossus Warmoth's Progeny had a very mysterious and enticing story behind it. A mythic figure that shook the Null Verse, governed it and then disappeared when he deed himself satisfied. That was fascinating.
Replicus wondered how large the Warmoth was. Its description made it a point to express how massive it had been. Colossus wasn't a tag given to just any regular, fat Joe.
On top of its bones being resistant to all concepts, the Warmoth also created its own version
of Levin called Ju`wtte. In Replicus' opinion, it sounded much stronger and much more
versatile just from the few examples of what it could do.
'It can even passively increase the grade and potency of artefacts... That's ridiculous,' he
thought.
On top of this, there was also the Warmoth's Legacy. Three dinsions that no one in the Null Verse had ever managed to reach.
'Curiously, the guidance field, or rather VOW seems to know what's in each of them. Yet, at so points it seems as though VOW is referencing rumours. What's going on here?'
This was just a passing thought, though.
Replicus focused on the Warmoth's Flaw. No, it was a Flaw given to the Warmoth's Progeny by the Warmoth itself.
"If I can get a Pseudo-Transcendent artefact just by accepting the condition that I must never ever drop it... I'm inclined to consider this," Replicus said, much to Serenity's amusent. Indeed, the Warmoth Progeny would receive a Pseudo-Transcendent Relic, the Warmoth's
Spine!
Replicus had never seen an artefact graded beyond Mythical and so he was very excited.
This was extrely attractive.
However...
"Letting the Spine to leave my hands apparently ans instant death though..." he thought as
a cold chill creeped up his spine. He imagined so vague powerful figure kicking away his weapon... and triumphing against him imdiately.
On top of this, he would also die if he allowed the source of his Ju`wtte to be destroyed, whatever that ant.
All these stipulations brought Replicus to a halt. He moved on.
"Here's another thing I probably don't even want to give a second thought," he said.
The Looming Soft Spawn was not even an option in the eyes of the Penetrator. Between it and
the Marionette, he would rather go with the latter.
Choosing a race that couldn't fight Undeath or Voided Death Essence was the dumbest thing
he could do.
Or was it?
When he thought about it...
'Could my soul getting empowered a thousand fold potentially free from Somanda's grip?
Or if that isn't enough, could devouring millions of other souls make the half soul that I have whole and therefore get rid of the need to acquire the other part? That way, I wouldn't need to
interact with Undead at all,' the Penetrator thought.
But...
'No,' he steeled himself. 'That wouldn't be fulfilling. I want to be whole and I want to do it in the way I've been wanting to do it from the beginning. By fleshing Somanda up.'
Replicus then considered the last option.
"Hey Serenity," he said as he read. "If these... Canon n, were this powerful, who stopped them after they managed to escape the Null Verse? Was it you alone?"
Serenity couldn't show it, but a grimace showed on her face. This was one of the greatest
blemishes to her na, but she was thankful that it hadn't ended up causing too much
trouble.
Right when she set to speak...
'If you so much as ntion HIS na, I swear I will kill you, Serenity!'
A voice blared in Serenity's head.
She shook slightly but remained composed.
'Don't worry, Wyrrim. I'm not stupid, and neither am I that bold. I wouldn't compromise your
safety or mine in such a way,' she reassured.
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