Villain: Ultimate Mutation System in the Alternate World - Chapter 573

Chapter 573: Turning an Army
Reign stretched out his hand, and dark tendrils extended from all over his body, sliding across the battlefield toward the scattered corpses.

As soon as the tendrils touched the bodies, they crumbled into ash. Streams of dark energy flowed back to him, draining the vitality from the dead.

The tendrils moved quickly and smoothly, going from one body to the next, leaving only dust floating in the air.

Once a gruesome field of fallen devils, the battlefield quickly turned into an empty wasteland.

Quill watched in silence, his glowing eyes fixed on Reign.

He chose not to question the act, deciding it wasn’t worth prying into the secrets of a primordial demon.

‘Not enough,’ Reign muttered, exhaling deeply. The effort hadn’t pushed him to a breakthrough, but he was sure the next city would be the final pushed he needed.

His gaze shifted to Quill, observing the hunter from head to toe, evaluating every detail about him.

Quill felt the weight of the scrutiny, but he did not lashed out .

The carefree attitude the hunter used to have was gone. He had grown, not just in strength, but in how he thought and acted.

“Thank you for saving…” Quill’s words trailed off as he glanced at the ruined city, its streets filled with rubble and smoke.

The hunter hesitated but felt he needed to say something. “Thank you for saving us,”

“Why can’t you move?” Reign asked, skipping any small talk.

He wasn’t interested in pleasantries; his curiosity about the hunter’s limitation took priority.

Quill hesitated for a moment, feeling uneasy about sharing something so personal with a stranger he had just met.

Without waiting for an answer, Reign extended a tendril toward the hunter, forcing him to react.

He swung his blade instinctively, lightning crackling as he severed the first tendril. But more tendrils quickly started lashing out, wrapping around him with terrifying speed.

“Stop!” Quill shouted, his voice filled urgency. “I can’t move in this state, because my body would explode if I do so!”

The words hung in the air while the sharp tendrils paused, hovering in the space between them.

“Explain,” Reign demanded.

The hunter clenched his jaw, knowing this was the only way to make the primordial demon understand.

“The energy in my body is too strong. If I moved too much, the pressure will tear me apart. Every moment is a fight to keep it under control.”

Reign didn’t respond right away, his tendrils slowly retracting. He considered the explanation before speaking again, his voice low.

“So, you’re basically useless.”

Quill’s expression hardened, but he reminded himself that losing his composure wouldn’t solve anything.

Instead, he stood his ground, his grip tightening on his katana.

“I’m not useless,” he said calmly. “I still have my lightning slash, my strategy. I just need the right moment to act.”

Reign’s lips curled into a slight smirk, very unimpressed.

“A moment, huh? Well, we don’t have time for ‘moments.’ You’ll need more than that if you want to keep up with the devils,”

Quill knew all too well that this limitation had a huge effect on his combat abilities. If not for this burden, he could have easily taken down his opponent with his overwhelming speed and precision.

Reign studied him for a moment. Killing him felt wasteful, especially now that he had a steady supply of experience points from Hell’s army.

“What if I turn you into a demon?”

The hunter’s eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering across his face. He hadn’t expected such offer.

“What do you mean, turn me into a demon?” he asked cautiously.

Reign’s thoughts drifted to the system’s item that could change someone’s DNA. He had always thought it was useless for him.

But now, seeing Quill—a human who had a lot of potential—he wondered what would happen.

This was a tempting idea, especially now that Reign was in the process of building his massive army.

At the same time, he realized he could use the hunter as a test subject. He had been putting off his plan to evolve Wick into something more powerful because he didn’t really need a companion anymore.

But, now that he thought about it, making his pet stronger wouldn’t hurt.

He had always kept Wick sticked with George, and maybe it was time to give his pet some real power, just for the sake of it.

Reign didn’t wait for Quill to respond. Instead, he silently shifted his focus and started communicating with his system.

‘System, I need the materials to synthesize a DNA.’

The familiar mechanical voice responded immediately.

[Materials required for synthesis are available. Processing…]

Reign focused. He had killed enough organism now for the system to offer him new options, and he knew exactly what he was looking for.

He scanned through the available DNA samples, his eyes flashing as he found what he needed.

This was no ordinary demon. The sample was from a rare type known as the Storm Demon.

They were a unique breed, born from the chaotic forces of both lightning, Wind and dark element.

Their electrical manipulation wasn’t limited to just elemental blasts—they could channel the energy within themselves, making them capable of quick, almost imperceptible movements, like flashes of lightning.

Quill’s already powerful runes, coupled with the Demon’s lightning affinity, would propel him to a level that few could ever dream of.

[Demon DNA detected. Compatible with lightning attributes runes. Proceeding with synthesis?]

“Yes,” Reign confirmed. “But also, I want to add something else. Something to ensure his loyalty. Can we make him… a slave”

[Modification to increase control over subject. This can be achieved by integrating host virus skill. Parasite strain can be engineered to target the brain, altering behavioral responses.]

Reign’s eyes glinted with satisfaction.

“Perfect. Make sure the parasite is ingrained deeply enough that it can’t be removed easily. I want him loyal, but I don’t want him aware of it.”

Reign’s reasoning for wanting to control the hunter this way was very straightforward.

No matter how strong a puppet was, its combat ability would be drastically reduced if its intelligence was low or tightly controlled.

He knew this after testing the devil generals he had turned into puppets. They were still strong, but they lacked the refinement of the real deal.