Infinite Evolution: My Idle Evolution System-Chapter 282: Soul Eater Ranks

"Did you honestly believe that I'd shown you my maximum speed earlier?" Cassius asked condescendingly, once again materializing next to William. "For something presumably centuries old, you sure are naive."

"YOU—!"

Before the Soul Eater's actual physical form could leave William's destroyed body, Lilith's cold edges penetrated it and appeared out the other side. Somehow, the Soul Eater's massive presence had also been pierced straight through!

"My Lilith here is more special than most weapons, you see," Cassius said. He nonchalantly positioned himself beside the shocked Soul Eater's illusory blue form—one that was halfway outside William's body. "She's not only proficient at dealing physical damage," he continued, shoving Lilith even deeper into the scary-looking Soul Eater, "soul damage is also possible. And you, the purest kind of soul, are especially susceptible to the danger she presents to everything in existence."

"HUMAN…" the Soul Eater growled, glowing blue blood trickling down its lips. "I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

[Creymon (Young Soul Eater)]

[Cultivation: Middle 4th Rank Nightmare]

[Battle Power: Half-step SSS-Rank (Peak)]

[Age: 412]

"You really might've killed me," Cassius mused. "With your strength being around that of a weak Demon King, you surely could've. It's unfortunate, though…"

"!?!?"

The Soul Eater's savage eyes widened as the bloody edge of a scythe reflected in its pupils.

SPURT!

"It's unfortunate that you had your strength limited because you were dealing with that idiot," Cassius said with a sigh of disappointment as he sauntered through a fountain of blood geysering from where the Soul Eater's head was sliced in half. "Unfortunate indeed…"

*Ding~!*

[You have slain William Chamberlain, a 3rd Stage 2nd Class Slayer!]

[Acquired a large amount of Nightmare Essence!]

[Your Slayer Cultivation has progressed — 13.5% → 16% (2nd Class 3rd Stage)]

"So, me finishing off whatever had already been done counted towards my kill sheet."

Cassius kept that to the back of his mind as he flipped through the rest of the System notifications.

[You have slain a Young Soul Eater of the Mid 4th Nightmare Rank!]

[Acquired an enormous amount of Nightmare Essence!]

[You received the Soul Eater's memories and a unique acquired Bloodline called 'Soul Eater (EX- Rank)']

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

[Your Slayer Cultivation has progressed — 16% → 97% (2nd Class 3rd Stage)]

"On the verge of another rank-up already?" Cassius said with a bit of awe. "Furthermore, I obtained a high-rank Bloodline—" Just then, the Soul Eater's memories were transferred to his mind. His eyebrows raised as he filtered through them.

"Ahh, so Soul Eaters are not capable of reproduction," he continued thoughtfully. "A Soul Eater is born when a human or other intelligent species commits enough heinous acts. The person who committed those acts eventually dies, but rather than directly enter this world's Hell, they get dragged down to the Netherworld, where they are transformed into a Soul Eater. New Soul Eaters can also come to be when a non-Soul Eater kills and devours one—which, by the way, is normally impossible."

But thanks to the Idle Evolution System, Cassius was able to effortlessly obtain a full Soul Eater Bloodline—and one quite full of malice at that—which appropriately improved its rank.

"But there is something that irks me about a Soul Eater being on this plane of existence," Cassius said, stroking his chin. "This something had somehow been blocked in the Soul Eater's memories. How odd…"

Soul Eaters had long been barred from both the Nightmarescape and the Land of Beginnings—ancient laws ensuring their exile from those sacred realms. Yet, against all odds, one managed to defy this cosmic prohibition. Stranger still, the memories tied to how and why this was possible seemed conveniently sealed away. Something was undeniably amiss.

"Another ploy?" Cassius asked in exasperation, expecting no answer. "Well, whatever the truth may be, I'm about to become a Soul Eater, which means that whatever's occurring behind the scenes will certainly find trouble with me."

Speaking of the devil, a brilliant blue light erupted from around him, representing the transfusion of the Soul Eater Bloodline. His physical features underwent several drastic changes; his skin turned a see-through shade of blue; his facial characteristics became sharper. Furthermore, his eyes morphed into something more magical, with blue, black, and gold hues swirling around in perfect harmony. Blue flames then bubbled up all over him and violently fluctuated, making him appear more fire god than human.

*Ding!*

[You have successfully assimilated with the EX- Rank Bloodline 'Soul Eater' and become a 'Young Soul Eater']

[Your Battle Power has tremendously improved!]

[P.S. Soul Eaters have their own development ranking system on top of the Nightmare ranking system used by unruly Soul Eaters.]

[From lowest to highest:]

1. Infant Soul Eater

2. Young Soul Eater

3. Adult Soul Eater

4. Elder Soul Eater

5. Lord Soul Eater

6. King Soul Eater

7. Emperor Soul Eater

8. God Soul Eater

"And to further progress my Soul Eater Rank, I just have to somehow locate and devour other Soul Eaters," he said sarcastically, knowing full well that the Netherworld was not such an easy place to access. "Just a Young Soul Eater being equivalent to a Half-step SSS-Rank organism should be more than enough for one to understand that the Netherworld is no starter location. It's highly possible that the Netherworld is of a higher level than both the Land of Beginnings and the Nightmarescape, but it's hard to say for certain…"

If the Soul Eater's memories weren't so jumbled—from how it was born to how it entered the Nightmarescape—Cassius would know more. But unfortunately, that was not the case. For the most part, the Soul Eater's memories only pertained to the last few hundred years, where it had mostly been camping in the teleporting Black Temple called 'Soul's Sacrifice.'

"However," Cassius said with a faint smile, "considering that the Soul Eater had any amount of progress in its Soul Eater cultivation meant that it found other Soul Eaters and devoured them. And although it was a pure-born Soul Eater, it never once killed another of its kind in the Netherworld. After all, it first stepped foot onto the Soul Eater path very close to here—in the Shallow Crater."