I remained seated on the throne, letting my body stay still while my focus turned inward. At the same time, I extended my control outward, drawing in the loose energies scattered across the battlefield. Essence, deathmist, fragments of broken constructs—everything that had been released in the chaos began flowing toward me, pulled in steadily as I absorbed and refined it.
Xeron glanced at me and let out a quiet sigh.
"You really are like some ravenous void beast," he said. "Devouring everything you can reach."
I chuckled softly.
"The great Dante taught me well," I replied. "Take everything you can. The world belongs to those who can claim more than they need."
Xeron gave me a sideways look, a smirk forming on his face.
"Impossible," he said. "I would never have said something that ridiculous."
We remained quiet for a few moments, both watching the battlefield as the fight continued below.
Then Xeron spoke again.
"Your team is... unusual," he said, his gaze moving between me and the chaos unfolding in the distance. "Each one of them has something distinct, something that doesn’t quite fit any standard pattern. It’s rare to see a group like that come together."
He paused briefly before looking at me again.
"How did you gather them?"
I gave a small shrug.
"I didn’t," I replied. "They just gathered around me."
My attention shifted back to the battlefield.
To Lyrate.
The massive tree she had summoned stood like a pillar in the void, its roots spreading endlessly, crushing and binding anything that came too close. Above it, the flower she had created had grown far more intense than before. The golden orb at its center pulsed rhythmically, releasing wave after wave that continued to drain the life force from the Eternal legion.
Green streams rose constantly from the battlefield, flowing upward like threads of light, feeding into the bloom.
And the flower was changing. One petal had already turned red.
Then another.
Slowly, steadily, the transformation spread as more life force poured into it. The yellow glow dimmed with each passing moment, replaced by a deeper, heavier crimson. The energy within the flower no longer felt gentle or balanced, it had become something far more aggressive, far more consuming.
I narrowed my eyes.
The last of the yellow faded. All five petals turned red. At the center, the golden orb flickered once and turned crimson.
Lyrate moved.
She rose higher, her expression calm, almost focused, as she reached toward the flower. The crimson glow pulsed once more, and then she plucked it off like a fruit and ate it.
The moment the energy entered her body, the change began.
A surge of crimson mist erupted outward from her body, dense and overwhelming, spilling into the surrounding space. It wrapped around her immediately, coiling tighter and tighter until it formed a complete cocoon around her body.
I stood up from the throne instantly, my eyes widening.
Xeron turned sharply toward me.
"What is going on?" he asked.
I didn’t look at him.
"She’s evolving," I said, my voice carrying clear shock.
The battlefield didn’t stop. If anything, the pressure increased as the legion pushed harder, sensing the shift. Without hesitation, I reached out.
"Knight," I said.
He responded instantly.
In the next moment, he vanished and reappeared near the cocoon, positioning himself directly beside it. Shadows spread around him as he began engaging anything that came close, holding that entire section of the battlefield on his own.
Time passed and the battle raged on. Minutes stretched into nearly an hour as the cocoon remained intact, pulsing steadily, the crimson mist thick and unmoving around it.
Then it began cracking. A thin fracture appeared across its surface.
Then another.
The cocoon split open and the mist dispersed outward, revealing the figure within.
Lyrate stepped out slowly.
For a moment, everything around her seemed to pause because of her presence.
And then we all saw it. The Silver glow which surrounded her body completely, steady and unmistakable.
I felt it immediately.
So did Xeron.
Neither of us spoke for a second.
Because what stood before us was no longer the same.
"Are you kidding me?" Xeron muttered his mouth open.
Lyrate stood in the open void, her form newly revealed, and for a brief moment she did not move. Her gaze lowered to her own hands as she observed the silver glow surrounding her body, as if she were feeling it, understanding it, letting it merge into her existence.
The crimson mist that had once encased her had completely dispersed, leaving behind only that steady silver radiance that now clung to her like a second skin.
A soft smile formed on her lips.
Her red hair flowed behind her, not moved by wind or force, but drifting as if it obeyed her will alone. There was a subtle change in her presence that could not be ignored. Her height had increased slightly, her posture more refined, and the natural charm of her elven form had deepened to an almost overwhelming degree.
She did not simply stand on the battlefield anymore, she dominated it. Among all the chaos, destruction, and monstrous forms clashing around her, she appeared untouched, almost unreal, like something that did not belong to war.
She lifted her head slowly. Her eyes found mine across the battlefield.
And then she smiled again. This time, there was a playful edge to it. She gave me a small wink.
Then she turned her attention back to the battlefield and raised both her hands outward, spreading them wide.
Above the massive tree, the fully transformed huge flower pulsed once.
Then it exploded almost beautifully.
Its petals scattered outward, spreading across the battlefield in a wave of deep red. Countless petals, each no longer than a finger, filled the space, drifting slowly as they spread through that entire section of the war.
The battlefield changed.
The Eternals paused.
The scene that formed was surreal. In the middle of destruction and war, there she stood, floating with crimson hair and glowing red eyes, surrounded by drifting petals that painted the void in shades of blood and beauty. It looked less like a battlefield and more like something out of a tragic story, where everything had already been decided.
Then she spoke softly.
"Infinite Bloom."
Her voice carried effortlessly. The petals responded as they began to glow.
One by one, they moved, drifting toward the Eternals, attaching themselves to their bodies. At first, nothing happened. The legion stood there, confused, some trying to brush them away, others simply watching.
Then the screaming began. It spread instantly.
Their bodies twisted as the petals activated, burrowing into them, taking root. Within seconds, cracks appeared across their forms, splitting them apart from the inside. From those cracks, emerged branches and roots.
Entire trees began to sprout from their bodies, tearing through flesh and form alike as they expanded outward. The transformation was violent and absolute, leaving no room for resistance.
Within moments the battlefield changed again. Where there had once been tens of thousands of Eternals, a forest stood.
Massive, dense, and alive. Formed entirely from what had once been a part of the Legion of Iron and Flame.