Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 179

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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179
I resented being forced into the position of protecting Brixel, but I couldn’t allow Morax to drag him away like this.
I intercepted the demon’s fist as it came hurtling toward me.
My keen senses had not deceived me. The shockwave from the demon’s punch didn’t dissipate outward—it concentrated entirely upon me, obliterating my right half and shattering a portion of my spiritual form.
“Kugh….”
I regenerated immediately, but the unexpected impact caused my movements to freeze momentarily.
[A human who doesn’t die from this Morax’s fist? You’re an amusing one.]
Morax swung his fist again.
Empowered by Earth’s vitality, my regenerative capacity had multiplied several times over, but I couldn’t endure this state for long.
[Brixel! Die!]
Ricaros, having absorbed the other half of Brixel’s flesh, came flying to annihilate what remained of Brixel’s nearly depleted soul.
Though considerable energy had already been expended, his form was still dozens of times larger than the demon Morax.
[Uuuarrgh!]
Morax unleashed a cry that blended the bellows of cattle and bears, and instead of a shockwave, demonic energy rippled outward.
The demonic aura—feeling like Bae Na-young’s Corruption amplified a hundredfold—transformed most of my body into dust, and Ricaros’s colossal form likewise crumbled to dust in an instant, scattering into the void.
[Brix…. el….]
Ricaros, stripped even of the mechanical body Jae-in had crafted for him, attempted to approach Brixel in his spiritual form.
Ricaros’s spiritual body, patched together like rags since the battle’s beginning, was dispersing further rather than drawing closer to Brixel.
I positioned myself once more before Morax, blocking his attempt to retrieve Brixel.
[You treasure what little life remains, yet you hasten your own death.]
I was crushed by Morax’s fist and regenerated repeatedly. I didn’t know how long I could endure, but until I could devise some strategy, I had no choice but to obstinately shield with my body.
[Earthling…. That demon has unified his spiritual and physical forms…. You cannot prevail using your powers separately like you do….]
Ricaros spoke to me.
[If the spiritual form alone were sufficient, why would a physical body exist? True power emerges only through the unification of body and spirit.]
I had no time to respond, but I received his message.
Rather than enhancing only the physical or only the spiritual, I would maximize the physical form and layer the spiritual upon it.
Boom!
My attempt yielded no results, and half my body was torn away once more.
To make matters worse, the life force being channeled directly from Earth was diminishing.
[Layering isn’t what I meant…. Merge them, I said….]
Concentrating on Ricaros’s guidance, I focused on merging my spiritual form with my physical body.
[Spirit and body are not separate things…. Merge them perfectly….]
Or die.
As my entire form shattered and regenerated dozens of times in a state of maximum concentration, I finally felt the spiritual form that had seemed distinct become one with my physical body.
[Your Dragon-Human Body (S) skill has evolved into Divine Body (EX).]
Until now, my spiritual and physical forms had appeared layered upon my body, but now they had unified into a single entity.
My unified form did not shatter beneath Morax’s fist.
Even with my newly unified body, blocking the demon Morax’s fist consumed considerable life force, but as long as I didn’t break apart, I could counterattack.
I blocked Morax’s fist and drove my own punch toward his face, but his visage barely crumpled at all.
[I had hoped to avoid using my full strength near Earth, but this will never end otherwise. Now I shall truly face you, human.]
“What?”
Morax’s fists came at me in a relentless barrage, faster and more vicious than before.
I concentrated all my strength on defense, but my life force drained away steadily, and even my unified body couldn’t withstand the onslaught.
I was barely taking my first steps, yet this demon’s form—both spirit and flesh—surpassed me in power, and his own unification was far more complete.
My body was riddled with holes like cheese gnawed by rats, making it nearly impossible to counterattack or even regenerate.
[That was entertaining, Earthling. When you die, I’ll consume your soul.]
Morax raised his fist for a final, devastating blow against my tattered form.
[A profession has been created.]
[Profession: Guardian of Earth.]
[All stats increase while on Earth.]
My damaged body healed instantly. Beyond merely recovering my life force, both my physical and spiritual strength doubled.
[Tch… Even in the vacuum of space, you’re treating it as Earth?]
I poured my overwhelming power into densifying my domain, its color deepening until the surrounding landscape blurred. It transformed into something resembling the space Luna had created.
[You dare confine Lord Morax within your domain?! How absurd!]
Demonic energy erupted from Morax’s body, fracturing my domain, but the space repaired itself instantly.
Within this realm, my body grew stronger continuously, while Morax’s power and regeneration weakened with each passing moment.
“Looks like the tables have turned.”
[So you’ve learned to manipulate your domain and already grown arrogant, human?]
“Let’s see where this goes.”
Though perhaps not quite Gaff’s equal, this foolish demon possessed enough strength to claim the title of Demon King, so victory still seemed distant. Yet now, defeat no longer felt inevitable.
[Tch… This task is far greater than the souls promised to me.]
Morax glanced back and forth between me and Earth.
[Since this wasn’t written in our contract, I’ll withdraw for now.]
He retreated from my domain. I had intended to seal it like Luna did, but Morax shattered my domain effortlessly and escaped.
Morax dissolved into the cosmic darkness like a shadow and vanished.
“Phew…”
Bae Na-young and Jae-in approached.
“Oppa, what is this? I feel so energized.”
Bae Na-young and Jae-in, having entered my domain, received strength—perhaps because I considered them allies. It was the opposite of what Morax had done, draining power.
“It’s something like Luna’s domain. I’ll need to study it more later, but first…”
I turned my gaze toward the shattered spirits of Brixel and Ricaros.
Their spiritual forms were gradually fading away.
“Come here.”
Jae-in collected Ricaros’s spirit with her black core.
“Jae-in, that one too.”
I pointed toward Brixel.
“Will that be alright?”
“We need information to survive. Brixel will have it.”
I sealed Brixel’s shattered spirit into the core and headed toward the Lunar Base.
Upon arriving at the base, I shared with Jae-in and Bae Na-young the memories I had witnessed while nearly being consumed by Brixel.
“There might be information about the Manager’s location or weaknesses hidden within Brixel’s memories.”
“I’ll look into it.”
I entrusted the investigation of Brixel’s memories to Bae Na-young.
“Jae-in, what’s happening with the Ark Residents?”
“The upper-tier ones are locked away in prison.”
They were the ones who had followed Brixel’s orders. Since Jae-in possessed the Infinite Box, confining those inside it was not difficult. Among them were members of the Giant Race who had betrayed Ricaros.
“The middle-tier residents are hoping to settle on Earth.”
“How many are we talking about?”
“Over 100 million.”
“…We can’t suddenly accept 100 million people…”
“That’s why I’ve been thinking—we use the Ark’s magic powered by moonstone to terraform the Moon.”
“How would that work?”
“Using the Infinite Box, we transfer the land, water, and air from inside it to the lunar surface, and simultaneously cast gravity magic to create an environment similar to the interior of the Ark.”
“Is moonstone sufficient for that?”
“Once the atmosphere stabilizes, we only need to maintain the gravity magic, so we won’t need that much. Even in the worst case, it can operate for hundreds of years.”
If Jae-in says it’s possible, then it’s possible.
“Let’s do it. Please gather the middle-tier residents.”
I assembled representatives from all the races that had been living in the middle tier of the Ark to present Jae-in’s proposal.
“I understand that those of you in the middle tier were unaware of the Ark’s true nature until now. However, by now you must all understand Brixel’s reality and how the Ark operates.”
“Thank you. If we had remained on the Ark as things were, only a handful of Elves would have survived—the rest would have perished.”
The Elf representative bowed slightly to me in gratitude. Unlike the Telus Elves, these Elves harbored no ideology of racial supremacy.
The Ark Residents, perceptive like Elves, had grown increasingly anxious as they noticed their kin disappearing somewhere.
Brixel had discarded individuals deemed unnecessary due to their abundance in numbers, so this phenomenon was most pronounced among the more populous races.
“From now on, the choice is yours. If you go to Earth, you will be accepted as refugees. You may also choose to remain on the Moon.”
“…Would it not be possible to depart again aboard the Ark?”
A representative of a race that appeared stretched vertically, as if pulled up and down, made the suggestion hesitantly.
“The Ark’s resource is souls. Is there anyone willing to sacrifice themselves?”
“…”
“We will remain on the Moon.”
The Elf representative spoke first, and the representatives of each race subsequently agreed, resulting in unanimous consent for all Ark Residents to remain on the Moon. It seemed preferable to living as refugees on Earth and enduring the scrutiny of Earthlings.
“You must be the one to lead us.”
A female Snake Humanoid with her eyes covered spoke.
“Why don’t you all do it yourselves?”
“With so many different races, if any one of us seized power, it would inevitably lead to great conflict.”
“It feels unsettling, like I’m succeeding Brixel…”
My responsibilities had multiplied once again.
The first thing I did was liberate the Golems.
The Golems capable of independent movement had their movement restrictions lifted and were treated as equals to people. From now on, they would need to consume mana rather than sustenance, but the Moon was abundant with mana.
Unfortunately, the souls within many of the Golems had already been depleted as a power source, leaving them damaged and incapable of independent thought.
I liberated the souls of those Golems and the souls that had dissolved into the Soul Urn.
Watching the light of souls scatter from the Ark into the cosmos, many of the Ark Residents wept.
“I know not what life awaits beyond this one, but I pray it brings greater peace than this existence has known.”
Many offered prayers in their own ways, witnessing the liberation of their kin.
After concluding the soul liberation ceremony, Jae-in manipulated the Infinite Box to extract the middle stratum of the Ark’s foundation and transfer it outward.
At last, the Ark’s interior lay empty, and the Moon was blanketed with soil and air suitable for cultivation.
Though Jae-in exercised utmost care, the sheer mass of the displacement inevitably damaged the structures that had rested upon it.
The Ark Residents found themselves without respite—repairing buildings, tending crops, raising livestock—each race undertaking the tasks they knew best.
While it would take considerable time for the Moon to flourish properly, the Ark’s remaining food reserves ensured there were no immediate concerns.
“I have a hundred new friends!”
Luna delighted in her newfound companions.
So many species had settled on the Moon that it could be called a living exhibition of all races, and among them were formidable tribes and countless children eager to play with her.
I entrusted the Moon’s settlement to the delegations of each race, instructing them to seek me out only when grave matters arose.
Yet Earth held its own grave trials awaiting resolution.
The fate of those who had been taken captive to the Ark.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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