As soon as Ash touched Eva’s core, he activated the [Evolution] ability.
From the very beginning, he had planned to use it on Eva while she was processing the knowledge of the Runes. He believed that after undergoing Evolution, any flaws that might have remained within her during her formation would disappear completely, allowing her to become even more perfect than before.
And using the Knowledge of Runes itself as a catalyst, he hoped that the results would exceed his expectations.
"Now, all I have to do is wait and see."
With that, Ash left the Soul Space and appeared outside.
Taking a deep breath, he looked down at his hand before morphing his index finger into a sharp knife-like form and drawing a deep cut across his other palm.
Golden-Violet blood immediately welled up from the wound, although to anyone else it would appear crimson due to the passive effects of the Rune of Concealment.
As the blood began to flow, Blood Clones started appearing one after another without pause.
Ten Blood Clones possessing 75% of his total power appeared first, followed by ten possessing 50%, and finally thirty possessing 25% of his total power.
He could only create ten clones with 50% of his power because another ten had already been deployed long ago, even before his abilities had evolved.
Ash looked at the fifty clones standing before him with neutral expressions.
Although they appeared identical to him, every one of them possessed a sliver of his consciousness, and through their connection Ash could see and hear through their senses in real time as though they were extensions of himself.
This will become a headache once the number of clones starts increasing. I might have to keep most of these connections closed and only check on them from time to time. What’s more all their memories will be stored in my Soul Library or rather now Akashic Archive so Eva can review them anytime and tell me if something important is occurring.
That alone greatly reduced the burden on his mind.
Of course, if they discovered something worthy of his attention, the clones themselves could contact him directly.
"You guys already know what to do."
Ash spoke while looking at his clones one by one.
Although their power levels differed, every clone possessed Ash’s abilities, and since the energy sustaining them originated from Ash himself, there were no restrictions regarding where they could or could not travel.
"Spread out evenly throughout Eden. Use Infinite Cloning to create normal clones, change your forms, and infiltrate everywhere, including the organizations of others. Mind control them and gather as much information as possible while creating an information network so vast that no important information escapes our notice."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But above all else, prioritize information related to dangerous Death Zones and hidden treasures, because there is a high possibility that the remaining Runes are hidden among them."
He had already verified that a clone did not need to share the same appearance as himself.
During creation, he simply needed to imagine a different face, and the clone would be born with that appearance.
Thus, his earlier worries that the Infinite Clones lacking abilities would all look exactly like him had proven to be completely unnecessary.
"Now go."
The moment Ash gave the command, all fifty clones vanished within the blink of an eye, immediately setting out to carry out their assigned tasks.
The cave once again became quiet.
Now one task is taken care of, let’s start with the next one.
He vanished from the cave.
****
THE ABYSSAL FOREST
A forest where Abyssal Beasts and Monsters ran wild without restraint, with the entire forest falling under the territory of the Abyssal Faction, or rather, the Church of Darkness to be precise.
The monsters roaming these wild lands were berserk and violent by nature, and their strength was so overwhelming that very few dared to enter the forest, making it one of the most dangerous regions within the Realm of Eden except the Death Zones.
Although only ten years had passed since the birth of the Realm, the dense Abyssal Energy covering this region had already caused noticeable mutations throughout the forest.
The towering trees possessed dark bark streaked with crimson veins, while their leaves had taken on unnatural shades of violet and deep blue, giving the entire forest an eerie appearance.
Even the plants and soil had not escaped the influence of the Abyss, as thorn-covered vines spread wildly across the ground, strange flowers bloomed in unusual colors, and patches of dark earth continuously emitted faint traces of Abyssal Energy into the surroundings.
And in one part of that eerie forest, a person suddenly appeared.
It was Ash.
He took a deep breath as he felt the dense Abyssal Energy permeating throughout the entire Abyssal Forest, with every breath carrying a faint sense of heaviness that was completely different from ordinary energy.
There was a reason why Ash had chosen to come here.
Experimentation.
Long ago, when Ash had first obtained the ability of [Synthesis], he had tried fusing monsters together.
The fused monsters had indeed become more powerful than before, but they had also become more violent and uncontrollable, and more importantly, they did not listen to his commands because Ash was not their master.
When he tried the same experiment using dead monsters, they too fused successfully and became much stronger, but they possessed neither consciousness nor will of their own.
Meaning, they were dead.
No matter how powerful their bodies became, without consciousness they were nothing more than lifeless shells.
All those novels he had read where the main character used [Synthesis] abilities to create entirely new life had gradually begun to feel like a lie to Ash.
After all, creating life was far more complicated than merely combining flesh, blood, and power together.
Thus, he was here to try one more time.
After all, his ability has Evolved.
If he was successful, he would have a personal army of powerful living abominations.
But, if it still would not work even now, then Ash would simply give up on this until the day he learned more about the Soul itself.
Having made up his mind, Ash slowly began walking deeper into the Abyssal Forest while spreading out his perception in search of a suitable target.
There was no shortage of monsters in this place.
After all, the Abyssal Forest was one of the few regions in the Realm where monsters bred and slaughtered one another endlessly without the interference of any outside force.
One could encounter a monster almost anywhere.
Especially when someone has no intention of hiding their aura.
The dense aura surrounding his body spread outward naturally, causing the nearby weak monsters hidden within the forest to either flee in terror or become restless.
Yet before Ash could even search for a suitable monster himself, his expression changed slightly.
He had sensed something.
Or rather...
Something had sensed him.
-BOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!
The ground trembled violently.
Ancient black trees hundreds of meters tall were uprooted from the earth as a massive figure burst through the forest like an unstoppable avalanche, crushing everything in its path.
The creature was enormous.
Its body alone exceeded 100 meters in height, towering above the surrounding forest like a walking mountain of flesh.
At first glance, it resembled a wolf, but it was anything but one, because its body had long since twisted beyond recognition under the influence of Abyssal Energy.
Six massive legs supported its grotesquely swollen body, while countless bone spikes protruded from its back like jagged mountains, their sharp tips glistening under the dim light of the forest.
Its flesh continuously shifted and squirmed as though alive, occasionally splitting apart into horrifying mouths lined with uneven teeth before sealing shut once again.
Several crimson eyes were embedded throughout its body, with some located on its neck, some on its shoulders, and others staring directly from beneath its rib cage, all moving independently of one another.
Dark Abyssal Energy leaked endlessly from every pore of its body like black mist and spread through the surroundings.
Its head was perhaps the most horrifying part, because the creature possessed three wolf-like heads fused unnaturally together, with twisted flesh and exposed bones connecting them into a single monstrous whole.
Long strands of dark saliva dripped from its mouths and hissed upon touching the ground, slowly corroding the earth beneath it.
This was not a natural monster.
This was an abomination born from Abyssal mutation.
-ROOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!!
The roar shook the forest.
Countless weaker monsters immediately fled in terror.
The creature’s dozens of eyes soon locked onto Ash.
After all, Ash had made no attempt to conceal himself.
To such monsters, his existence was no different from a blazing sun appearing within endless darkness.
Ash calmly looked at the gigantic creature standing before him.
Then, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Well... saved me the trouble of searching. Let’s try something that I was not able to try against those Celestials."
Ash slowly raised his right hand to eye level and assumed a shooting posture, using his fingers as though they were a gun pointed directly at the gigantic monster.
Almost immediately, countless streams of energy surged out from Ash’s heart and gathered at his fingertips as different forms of energy began merging with one another without showing even the slightest sign of destabilization.
Fire, Lightning, Water, Earth, Darkness, Light, Space, Void, Blood, and countless other elemental affinities that Ash possessed all began flowing and mixing together.
At the same time, as Ash infused his Will power into the process, the various energies seemed to come alive, their rate of fusion increasing dramatically as they merged seamlessly with one another.
His new ability of [Universal Element Control] granted him precise control and complete freedom over every element he possessed, and now that the Rune of Harmony itself had become the concept connected to his Immortal Seal, his control over the fusion of energies had reached an entirely different level.
His Will acted as the perfect catalyst, allowing all forms of energy to merge together seamlessly without conflict, something that would have been impossible for him in the past.
The Abomination standing before Ash seemed to instinctively sense the danger gathering at the tip of his fingers, because although its intelligence had long since been consumed by Abyssal corruption, the instincts engraved into its very flesh remained sharper than those of ordinary creatures.
-ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!!!
A deafening roar erupted from its three wolf-like heads as the countless mouths spread across its body opened simultaneously, releasing waves of dark Abyssal Energy that swept through the forest like a storm.
The massive creature moved.
Despite its enormous size, its speed was terrifyingly fast.
Its six gigantic legs shattered the earth beneath them as its mountain-like body lunged toward Ash, crushing ancient trees into splinters and leaving behind deep craters with every step it took.
The distance between them disappeared in an instant.
One of its massive claws covered with tangible energy descended from above, carrying enough force to flatten a mountain.
Yet Ash did not move.
His expression remained calm as countless energies continued to gather and fuse at the tip of his fingers, while the tiny sphere of ever-changing colors grew increasingly stable under the guidance of his Will.
The descending claw had already reached above his head.
The violent winds generated by the attack tore through the surrounding forest and sent debris flying in every direction.
And then, at that very moment, the sphere finally reached a state of perfection.
All colors vanished.
The chaotic radiance disappeared completely.
What remained behind was nothing more than a tiny marble-sized sphere, pure white in color, so ordinary in appearance that one would never believe it contained the fusion of countless energies within it.
Only then did Ash finally move.
Or more precisely.
He pulled the trigger.
Bang.
****