Just as Lucius received a system notification, the dark-haired man got one of his own:
[The '100% Capture System' has reached total system breach. System failure imminent.]
[The '100% Capture System' has collapsed. Automatic unbinding from host complete.]
[System unbound. Destruction protocol initiated.]
[5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Termination.]
"No... no, this can't be happening! I'm the protagonist! I carry this world's destiny, I can't die!" the man screamed, his expression twisted in disbelief. But a flame, one capable of unraveling reality's very laws, ignited from within him, reducing him to ash in an instant.
"Sorry," a voice rang out. "I just severed your fate."
Leviathan emerged where the man had stood. This was Lucius's true form. Though not actively enlarged at the moment, even in his base state he now stretched over two meters long.
All right, let's see what we gained this time.
"System," Lucius said. "Give me a breakdown. What permissions have I just unlocked?"
[Higher-tier access to the Virus Evolution System granted. The Virus Evolution Tree is now active. Host may deploy any unlocked virus strains within the tree. Host is now authorized to make limited modifications to viral capabilities.]
Lucius stroked his chin, processing the upgrade.
There were two major improvements.
First, until now, whenever he evolved into a specific virus strain, that was the only one he could use at a time. But now? He could use all of them simultaneously, tailoring different viruses to different targets.
Second, virus parameters had previously been pre-set by the system. For example, if a strain boosted physical strength by 50%, that was fixed. The Emperor Strain allowed him to suppress or unleash that boost, but not alter the magnitude. If he chose "boost," it was always 50%, no more, no less.
Now, however, Lucius could edit those stats himself. Two individuals infected by the same virus could experience vastly different effects, he could enhance one by 50% and weaken another by 80%, at will.
The second improvement was subtle, comparable to what Heart of the Emperor could already do. But the first change? Game-changing. Having access to every virus meant the entire world had just become his personal lab, and every living thing in it, his test subject.
After all, in the Resident Evil universe, there were viruses that could even infect plants. With enough control, an entire planet could be transformed into a lush, chaotic playground of viral diversity...
Contrast that with having only a single virus strain. Even if you infected every person and Pokémon, they'd all end up the same—monoculture. Boring.
"System," Lucius continued. "Explain 'World Base.'"
[World Base is a permission tier unlocked once the host has achieved over 90% global occupation. At 100%, the host may ascend to become that world's Planetary Will, or even its World Will, and claim the world as their exclusive domain.]
"What's my occupation rate of my original world?"
[1 to 2 percent.]
"..." Lucius was genuinely taken aback. He'd infected millions, tens of millions, of people. Countless Pokémon. He'd even subdued multiple mythical Pokémon. And that amounted to this little?
"Then who holds the highest occupation rate?"
[Arceus, the World Will of your native world, occupies 40%. The combined will of Ho-Oh, Lugia, Giratina, Mew, and all other mythical Pokémon and lifeforms accounts for 58%.]
I see.
Lucius paused to think. Combining the earlier information, he quickly grasped what the system meant.
A world's occupation rate must depend on the total life force of all living beings on the planet.
Take this dark Ultra World, for instance, most of its biosphere had been wiped out. The ancient mythic Pokémon? Extinct. Their divine wills had long faded. The remaining ambient energy had been depleted across eons.
Now, the planet was dying. The skies dim, the earth barren. Even plant life was nearly gone. The sacred tree, once the embodiment of the god of life, was on the brink of withering.
So, the last dregs of humanity and Pokémon here were all that remained of the planet's life force.
Lucius had infected the last remaining mythical Pokémon, Black Rayquaza, along with most humans and Pokémon. He'd just slain the "Chosen One," the world's supposed vessel of renewal. As such, he now held the highest occupation share.
By contrast, his original world wasn't just home to an active Arceus and a pantheon of thriving legends, it also hosted flourishing civilizations, ecosystems, and untold trillions of animals and plants.
Compared to that collective life force, the million or so humans he'd infected, and even the countless, but proportionally tiny, number of Pokémon, barely registered.
Still, with his new access, Lucius could now deploy tailored viruses to suit each species. The infection rate would accelerate exponentially.
"How does the Spacetime Key work?" he asked.
[The Spacetime Key is a system tool. It allows the host to open portals to any world previously visited, anchoring to the current point in time. Note: each use requires a sacrifice.]
"Any world I've set foot in?"
[Only worlds visited after system binding.]
"..." Lucius fell silent for a moment before continuing. "What sort of sacrifice?"
"Life force, both from the world you stand in and the world you seek to reach."
Lucius nodded. So, without Necrozma, traveling to this Ultra World would have required sacrificing life forms from both worlds.
Sounded a bit... cultish, really.
He grimaced. For now, the only worlds he could travel between were this Ultra World and his original one. Fortunately, with Necrozma in his possession, he didn't need to burn any life to activate the Spacetime Key.
Having digested the gains, Lucius didn't rush to return. Instead, he got to work increasing his occupation rate of this world.
Right beside him stood the tree the dark-haired man had reincarnated through.
It was small, under ten meters tall, with a pale, straight trunk and a massive, branching canopy devoid of a single leaf.
This was what remained of Xerneas in this world.
Lucius infected the tree with his virus, plunging straight into its mental realm.
Like the land itself, Xerneas's inner world was desolate. At its center stood a massive tree, so vast it seemed to support the heavens. Everything else was void.
But even that great tree was dying. Most of its branches were brittle and bare, with only a few patches of leaves remaining. And those few leaves were withered and yellow, their vitality nearly gone.
Lucius understood, once those final leaves fell, Xerneas's incarnated form would perish.
He summoned his will.
The virus slithered up the colossal trunk like a serpent, winding upward, splitting into dozens of tendrils, and burrowing into the remaining leaves.
There was no resistance. Xerneas had already relinquished its will.
The yellowed leaves swiftly turned blood-red.
And as they did, the great tree itself began to twist.
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