Evolution of the Ruined Heir - Chapter 174

Chapter 174: Another Node [GT Bonus Chapter]
Renlo couldn’t believe his eyes.

“There’re no more darkness creatures left to kill,” Malakai said calmly. “Unless you want to fight other youths, you should come join me.”

“W-what are you saying? What if the other youths decide to attack…?”

Not a second passed before Malakai’s killing intent suddenly detonated, erupting around him and engulfing the surrounding area.

The veins and youths closest to him instantly froze, their eyes widening in disbelief.

‘It’s even stronger now…’ Octavia thought, her heart pounding in dread. His killing intent had intensified, no, it had evolved. After wiping out an entire army, the weight of it was suffocating.

No one could move. Not even the veins. And then, Malakai’s voice cut through the silence.

“Let them.”

Just two words. But those two words caused hearts to race like drums. Many gulped.

Every thought of ganging up on him was wiped clean. He had just defeated an army of darkness creatures, and he didn’t even look remotely tired.

If he had to defeat another army… he would. And everyone knew it.

After that, Renlo saw the trembling gazes of the youths and eventually convinced himself to join Malakai by the tree.

The forest fell silent afterwards. Many of the youths glanced at each other, unsure of what to do.

Across the forest, the majority of the youths had been taken out of the competition because of the darkness creatures’ march, and the youths here were more or less what was remaining.

There were no more darkness creatures. Should they continue the hunt and fight amongst themselves? Many weren’t satisfied with their points.

Still, they all knew that Malakai was off the plate. They didn’t want to risk even so much as disturbing the monster.

A few seconds passed, and the youths started descending from the trees and moving away from the area. Some had decided to battle, while others had decided to hide out until the hunt was over.

Octavia landed on the floor gently, her gaze fixed on Malakai. ‘There’s no point.’ She was currently 10th in the rankings, which was high considering it was her first time and she had just evolved a year ago.

She found a tree and sat in silence. Maximus did the same thing. He was currently 2nd and saw no reason to continue fighting again. He rested his back against one wall, eyes fixed silently on Malakai.

Renlo was tense, feeling the gazes of the two veins on them. Turning and seeing Malakai closing his eyes didn’t make things better.

‘Is he training?’ Renlo thought, bewildered. He had a training maniac as a friend. To think he would train in this situation…

‘Stop thinking like that.’ Renlo suddenly clenched his fist. ‘It’s because he’s like this that he’s so strong.’ He realized. If a training maniac was what he needed to become to be strong, then he’d become it!

He closed his eyes and started drawing in Vita.

Meanwhile, while Renlo had been busy feeling shocked, Malakai had indeed been training.

‘I can form it now.’

Malakai’s gains from the massacre he enacted weren’t only the points. He had also gained something even more remarkable. Vita. A huge amount of it.

During the fight, his body had been drenched in Vita and had constantly overflowed. He had tried his best to absorb as much as he could, and luckily, Malakai had managed to gather enough Vita to form another node!

It was a pivotal moment for him, and after careful consideration and planning, he had decided to form his second node in his heart.

He didn’t waste time and started forming his second node.

He manipulated the Vita, and it surged across his body, converging all on one point.

Time passed, and as the minutes stretched, the gazes of the veins narrowed, the Vita in the air had shifted. They turned sharply towards Malakai, who was now glowing with a radiant green light.

Their gazes widened.

‘Is he…?’

They each had the same thought.

They could feel the Vita on their skin being siphoned away, and with the literal glowing light bulb in front of them, there was no doubt where it was going.

“N-Ninth Vein!” Renlo shot to his feet, staring at Malakai with a bewildered expression. He was so shocked he forgot he wasn’t supposed to call Malakai that anymore.

He had been training and absorbing Vita when he noticed that everything around him was being drawn elsewhere. But once he figured out what was happening, a grin formed on his face.

‘He’s forming another node!’

There was no doubt about it. Renlo instantly understood the significance of the moment. His expression turned serious as he threw a cautious glance toward the veins.

‘I have to protect him!’

The veins could choose to strike while Malakai was vulnerable mid breakthrough. He had to stop them, no matter how hard it was.

But in truth, Renlo had nothing to worry about. There was no way someone as cautious as Malakai would ever let his guard down. If the veins made any move, he was ready to put them down instantly.

Still, no one moved.

Minutes passed, and eventually, the glowing light radiating from Malakai began to dim. Then his eyes opened.

His gaze landed on Octavia and Maximus. Their bodies flinched, the former taking an involuntary step back, the latter struggling to stay still.

Malakai’s eyes had changed. They didn’t just carry the gaze of someone who could see through you. Now, layered beneath it, was the gaze of a slumbering beast, ready to awaken at any moment.

“You did it!”

Malakai turned toward Renlo, who was beaming with a huge grin. Once more, Malakai found himself baffled that someone was actually happy about his growth.

“Thanks.”

Ignoring Renlo’s bouncing figure and the stunned stares from the veins, Malakai focused inward.

‘I successfully created the node near my heart.’

Now, alongside the blood node at the back of his heart, another radiant node had formed nearby. He could already feel the changes throughout his body.

The flow of Vita through his bloodstream had improved drastically. His blood felt denser, stronger. Even his control over it had risen noticeably.