After choosing Death Ruler's Imprint (9-star) as his third card of the Death Reaper Deck, Aeron checked the Epiphany he got for Death Undone (7-star).
——
Epiphany 1.
[Death Undone (Infinitum One)]
—> You can only have one servant, but this servant can infinitely evolve by devouring other creatures and resources until it dies.
——
Epiphany 2.
[Death Undone (Legion)]
—> You can have as many servants as you want, but they cannot be upgraded or evolved by any means.
——
Epiphany 3.
[Death Undone (Order)]
—> You can have one additional servant per Tier of your lifeform. These servants can transform into exotic gears for you to wield based on their comprehensive power and kits, and these servants can be upgraded with resources.
——
Aeron fell into thought. The options were equally powerful in a sense.
The first would allow a single servant that could devour others and grow infinitely until it died.
The second would allow him to build an army of thousands and millions, as long as he killed that number of beings.
And the third was limited servants that could not grow infinitely, but could be upgraded and could transform into gears.
After thinking for a few seconds, Aeron made his choice.
[Death Undone (Order)]
Card Quality: 7-star
—> If you have killed a being of Tier-7 and below, you can reanimate them as your servant.
—> These servants can transform into gears.
Servants: [1/5].
Apostle-one (Tier-3 peak)
He summoned the Apostle-one, as named by him, and transformed him into a gear.
In the next second, it turned into a sleek and long katana with crimson and black check patterns on its blade, glimmering dangerously.
[Apostle-one | Crimson Ruin Katana]
Rank: Tier-4
Power Level: 32,930
- Attack Power: 1.2-star
Slash Mania: Slash attacks deal extra damage and absorb blood, increasing Attack Power based on absorbed blood by up to 50%.
Aeron grabbed the katana and swung, easily slicing through the smaller branches of the tree and its leaves.
'This is good.' Aeron's eyes glinted. 'I'd better start learning how to swing a sword. It will be good.'
He had also always wanted to use cold weapons, such as swords and spears one day at some dojo to see how it felt, but now that his life had changed, it was time to wield them earnestly.
Aeron willed it, and the katana vanished. To summon it again, he did not need to spend any Prana, and it appeared in his hand the moment he thought about it, as he decided to keep this servant in its gear form.
Next, it was time to create his legion.
Hiveborn Creation was a 6-star card, and this deck cost 15 Prana per star of the card, so to summon a single creature, it cost him 90 Prana.
But he had 10,000 Prana, so Aeron summoned 100 Hiveborn Creatures at first, 20 for each classification.
They were all in card form for now, but could manifest at his will.
But he did not manifest them right away.
First, he wanted to evolve them, so he made piles according to their classifications.
Sniper Shardeye (Tier-1) (Ranger) x 20
Vanguard Carapax (Tier-1) (Warrior) x 20
Shadow Nightgraft (Tier-1) (Assassin) x 20
Arcanist Cerebux (Tier-1) (Mage) x 20
Warden Ironhusk (Tier-1) (Tank) x 20
'Let's start evolving them.'
The formula of evolution was simple.
[ (Same Tier | Same Class) + (Same Tier | Same Class) = +1 Tier | Same Class ]
He soon finished the batches of evolution.
1. Hunter Skyrift (Tier-4) (Ranger) x 3
2. Reaver Graveclaw (Tier-4) (Warrior) x 3
3. Reaper Umbrisk (Tier-4) (Assassin) x 3
4. Hexer Elemancer (Tier-4) (Mage) x 3
5. Colossus Anchorbux (Tier-4) (Tank) x 3
He could not go beyond Tier-4 because it did not work, and he found out that the maximum evolution rank was tied to his own rank. Since he was a Tier-4 lifeform, he could only evolve Hiveborn Creatures up to Tier-4.
'Let's see what they can do.'
Aeron first summoned the three Hunter Skyrifts.
A tall, thin creature with a sharp, insect-like body and narrow wings folded along its back appeared. Its hard outer shell was dark and marked with faint blue cracks like broken sky, and a long, living spine grew from its shoulder, reshaping itself into a bow-like weapon.
[Hunter Skyrift]
Lifeform Rank: Tier-4
Power Level: 70,000
- Physique: 1.9 star
- Stamina: 20,000/20,000
- Spirit: 1.8 star
- Prana: 20,000/20,000
—> Flight, Arrow Bombardment, Death Piercer, Death Trap, Camouflage, Hunter's Eyes.
—> —
'Wow…' Aeron was amazed at their appearance and status. 'Wait, 1.9 star is still Tier-4? Hmm, then a 2.1 star must be the start of a Tier-5 lifeform. That is a difference of a thousand points from Tier-4.'
'The skills of Hunter Skyrift sound good as well. And they can have ultimate skills, but it seems none of them have any.'
Aeron blinked. He remembered that these Hiveborn Creatures could absorb resources to acquire upgrades. That could be how they gain their ultimate skills.
'I will have to try when I get my hands on some resources.' Aeron's eyes glinted.
For now, Aeron commanded the Hunter Skyrifts to spread out and look around for any incoming presence.
He could share their senses in the back of his mind, and when any presence was detected by the hive, he would instantly know due to the signals.
Next, Aeron summoned the Tier-4 Warrior-class Reaver Graveclaws.
They were large, broad Hiveborn with thick black armor covering their entire bodies. They had massive clawed arms and a deep split in their chests that glowed red, pulsing like a buried heart.
[Reaver Graveclaw]
Lifeform Rank: Tier-4
Power Level: 70,000
- Physique: 2.0 star
- Stamina: 20,000/20,000
- Spirit: 1.7 star
- Prana: 20,000/20,000
—> Rampage Claws, Rolling Drive, Hyper Regeneration, Berserk, Thundering Heart.
—> —
'Cool. They look strong and destructive in a straightforward manner.'
Aeron commanded them to surround the tree and stay on lookout.
Next, Aeron summoned the Tier-4 Assassin-class Reaper Umbrisks.
Thin, spider-like Hiveborn emerged silently, their bodies stretched and sharp, built for killing rather than strength. Their dark outer shells swallowed light, and only a single vertical glowing eye was visible on their smooth faces. Even while standing still, their shadows shifted slightly out of sync with their bodies.
[Reaper Umbrisk]
Lifeform Rank: Tier-4
Power Level: 70,000
- Physique: 1.8 star
- Stamina: 20,000/20,000
- Spirit: 1.9 star
- Prana: 20,000/20,000
-> Shadow Slip, Silent Kill, Death Mark, Phase Strike, Umbral Cloak.
-> —
Aeron narrowed his eyes. 'These are dangerous. And that Shadow Slip…'
He read that skill's details, and as expected, it allowed them to move through shadows.
'Perfect assassins.'
He could feel their killing intent even without them moving. If sent ahead, they could probably wipe out entire patrols of the nearby kingdom without raising alarms.
Next, Aeron summoned the Tier-4 Mage-class Hexer Elemancers.
The air shimmered as the creatures appeared, floating slightly above the ground. Their bodies were insect-like but uneven, with a rounded core covered by pale armor. Thin feelers twitched constantly, and faint elemental lights flickered beneath their shells, shifting between fire, frost, wind, and more.
[Hexer Elemancer]
Lifeform Rank: Tier-4
Power Level: 70,000
- Physique: 1.6 star
- Stamina: 20,000/20,000
- Spirit: 2.0 star
- Prana: 20,000/20,000
-> Elemental Burst, Prana Drain, Arc Surge, Spell Weaving, Element Shift.
-> —
Aeron narrowed his eyes as he read their skills. 'So they can change elements between fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, and ice, and weave spells accordingly.'
He was impressed. They were clearly built for sustained casting and area control rather than direct combat.
Finally, Aeron summoned the Tier-4 Tank-class Colossus Anchorbuxes.
The ground trembled as the massive Hiveborn manifested. Their bodies were enormous, reaching five meters tall, layered with thick, stone-like armor plates that looked more like a fortress than a creature. Each step they took cracked the earth, and anchor-shaped growths protruded from their backs and limbs, digging into the ground instinctively.
[Colossus Anchorbux]
Lifeform Rank: Tier-4
Power Level: 75,000
- Physique: 2.0 star
- Stamina: 20,000/20,000
- Spirit: 1.7 star
- Prana: 20,000/20,000
-> Fortress Body, Ground Lock, Barrier Builder, Damage Absorption, Taunt Roar, Iron Stand.
-> —
Aeron let out a slow breath. 'These things are monsters.'
And he could feel their toughness through the air just by looking at their appearance.
Truly representative of the tank class.
'Those skills… holy.' Aeron's eyes glimmered. 'This deck is amazing. A group of these five creatures, and I can rule a battlefield.'
Looking at his Hiveborn Legion, Aeron felt a calm confidence settle in his chest.
Scouts in the sky.
Assassins in the shadows.
Mages shaping the battlefield.
Warriors charging forward.
Colossi holding the line.
'More.'
Aeron closed his eyes and began meditating to recover his Prana faster.
Because he was not done yet.
He only had 15 Tier-4 Hiveborn Creatures for now, while still having room for 85 more.
Unless someone came here to attack him, he was going to keep summoning and combining until he got 100 Tier-4 Hiveborn Creatures, 20 of each class.