103 Chapter 103 - Evolution

Asmodeus opened his eyes and glanced at the clock. The time seemed unchanged since Primis had pulled him into their conversation. He still felt the lingering vibrations from the absorption of the world. Dismissing the sensation beneath his feet, Asmodeus took his paired swords, hanging them at his waist, and left the room.

Exiting the tower, Asmodeus headed straight to the teleportation hall in the academy. All council members were required to arrive at the Hogs Head Inn within half an hour after the initial signal. It was an agreement. Choosing the correct destination, Asmodeus entered the portal.

In a matter of seconds, he stood in the reception hall of the Hogs Head Inn's teleportation hub. Surveying the arch before him and spotting the clear number on it, Asmodeus made his way towards the designated meeting hall for council gatherings.

You might think it's absurd. Does the most powerful organization in the world lack the funds to build a proper structure for itself? Of course not. The question is, where to build it? Currently, the council convenes in various places, depending on the nature of the discussion.

As for regional matters, they don't reach the upper chamber. Everything can be resolved in the local branches of the council, occupying spaces once held by the Ministry of Magic.

In reality, the council resembles the former federation of wizards but with genuine global managerial authority. While the Ministries of Magic worldwide used to elect members to the federation, now council members choose magic ministers and other high-ranking officials in council branches.

As for why extraordinary sessions of the upper chamber take place at the Hogs Head Inn, it happens to be the most popular destination in the world. All former nations converge here. Asmodeus decided that until necessity arises, there's no need to change this.

Lost in such contemplations, Asmodeus arrived at the meeting hall where Rovena, Salazar, and Enty were already present. "When will the others arrive?" he inquired as he noticed not everyone had gathered yet.

"Should be within ten minutes. Odd that Nicholas and Gellert haven't arrived yet; they contacted me five minutes ago, saying they'd Apparate directly to us."

"Alright..." The sound of Apparition interrupted Asmodeus. Nicholas appeared to his right, and on his left, Grindelwald. "You..." Asmodeus paused, noticing their soaked appearance. "Did you decide to take a swim before our meeting? I understand you're old, and memory isn't what it used to be, but clothing needs to come off."

Nicholas and Grindelwald looked at Asmodeus with clear offense in their gaze. "Gellert, did you Apparate too?" Nicholas was the first to speak. "Yes, but what the hell!?"

"Spacial coordinates shifted..." Grindelwald began explaining. "Guys, maybe enlighten us on your conversation first?" Asmodeus interjected.

"One moment." Nicholas pulled out his wand and dried his clothes. Grindelwald did the same. "Okay. Asmodeus, did Primis mention anything to you? Like where the newly arrived continents will be relocated?"

"Well, she said she'd scatter them here and there..."

"...," Nicholas fell silent, and Gellert continued. "Asmodeus, do you know how Apparition magic works?"

"Nope, I prefer using public gates or ancient gate magic... Sometimes Athena gives me a ride. In extreme cases, I'd rather fly myself. The sensations from Apparition are just disgusting. Plus, I only learn spells I like."

"How can you conduct research on new forms of gates teleportation without a deep understanding of Apparition?!"

"Huh? Different principles. Besides, to comprehend Apparition, you can use an analogy with other teleportation magic. A portal isn't tied to coordinates; it's essentially linked to the object you visualize. So, even if its physical location changes, as long as you're thinking about that destination, you'll end up there. As for Apparition... it relies on spatial coordinates directly, meaning if..."

"...," everyone in the room fell silent, realizing why Gellert and Nicholas were wet.

"AHAHAHA!!!" Someone couldn't hold back.

Asmodeus, too, struggled to contain his smile. "Ahem, ahem. Guys, did you... fall into the ocean?"

"..."

Nicholas and Grindelwald didn't respond. They just glared discontentedly at Asmodeus.

"Why so displeased? I'm curious how it happened. Did you just appear somewhere in the sky above water and didn't react in time, so you were already swimming? Or did someone end up right in the water?"

"..."

Gellert and Nicholas were reaching for their wands.

"Oh, come on. We're just kidding."

Asmodeus attempted to look serious. Rovena glanced at this group of fools and said, "Alright, take your seats. The others should be arriving shortly."

At that moment, a man burst into the meeting hall looking visibly concerned. Rovena was annoyed at being interrupted but still asked, "What is it, Mr. Walker?"

Rubén Walker, one of the employees of the Elysium Academy, responsible for the internal affairs of the academy and in charge of the dragon enclosure, looked troubled as he spoke.

The man didn't stop but ran towards Asmodeus. "Master Morningstar! Athena, something's wrong with her!"

Asmodeus abruptly stood up. Athena was his beloved pet, a mischievous cat/dragon hybrid. "What's going on?"

"Master, I fed Unbroken and saw Athena lying nearby. At first, I thought everything was fine, just sleeping. But then, I heard her moaning in pain. She's also occasionally flipping onto her back, as if something itches or hurts."

"When did this start!? Why wasn't I notified sooner!?"

"Ten minutes ago. When the earthquake began. I couldn't arrive any faster... I'm sorry; I failed my task."

The man was nearly in tears. He wasn't afraid of punishment or anything like that. He was deeply disappointed in himself. He was a squib whom Asmodeus helped, one of the first. He genuinely respects the person who gave him a new life but felt he let him down.

Asmodeus patted the man on the shoulder and said, "It's okay; it's not your fault. I know you did everything you could."

Quickly calming the man, Asmodeus turned to the others present and said, "Sorry, but I have urgent matters. Start without me, and if everything is fine, I'll be back, but..."

"Go! No need to explain to us; I love that dragon too," Rovena was the first to tell Asmodeus to go. The others nodded as well.

Seeing this, Asmodeus swiftly formed a portal similar to the ancient one and entered it.

Watching the dark red portal closing, Rovena clicked her tongue. "So much fire element that even the portal turned red."

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Asmodeus appeared right in front of Athena, who was currently writhing and painfully wheezing. Seeing him, Athena softly meowed, as if telling him not to worry.

Asmodeus looked at the distressed dragon and immediately addressed the system, "System, what the hell! What's happening to Athena!?"

"Ding, the object Athena is currently undergoing the evolution process. The host has no need to worry."

"Evolution? What triggered it?"

"Ding, due to the absorption of one of the original parts of the world, the energy and overall level of the world are increasing. Additionally, this new part of the world has a certain affinity for dragons... Infusing additional energy of a new type has allowed certain dragon individuals to initiate the evolution process."

"Certain individuals? So, it's not just Athena affected?"

"Ding, no. The strongest individuals among the dragon race are undergoing evolution."

Asmodeus fell silent, watching Athena. He asked, "Is there any way to accelerate the evolution process or at least ease the pain?"

"Ding, Adaptation Acceleration Elixir - 35,000 points. Facilitates the process of accepting changes in any biological organism."

"Buy it right away!"

"Ding, deducted 35,000. Balance - 487,000 points. Thank you for your purchase."

A vial appeared in Asmodeus's hands. He uncorked it and poured it into Athena's mouth. "Roar!"

Athena growled as if she momentarily felt worse, but then abruptly fell silent. She calmed down and flipped back onto her paws.

Asmodeus observed the changes in his pet. Firstly, Athena grew rapidly. From the previous 25 meters from head to tail, she reached a colossal 70 meters. At such sizes, she could now compete with her dragon relatives from the native world. Although it was doubtful that Athena could match individuals like Fatalis or Xeno'jiiva in strength, she was comparable in size.

When Asmodeus thought the evolution process was complete, he noticed Athena starting to straighten her back, extending her little paws upward. Upon closer inspection of Athena's back and seeing further changes, Asmodeus understood why she did it.

Bones gradually emerged from Athena's back, quickly forming another pair of wings! After the evolution is complete, Athena will officially become a dragon, not a wyvern. The old wings attached to her paws can serve as an additional flight stabilizer, as well as simplify the acceleration process. In short, four is always better than two.

Asmodeus watched as the newly grown wings gradually covered themselves with skin as dark as night. When the process was complete, a roar echoed throughout the academy.

"Roar!"

At that moment, all living beings felt a certain fear embedded in their genes. It was a deafening roar that declared the birth of the true dragon queen in this world!

Athena now looked like a perfect killing machine, with two pairs of wings, sharp claws on her paws, a tail so thick it could demolish buildings with a simple sweep. Another row of teeth appeared in her mouth, shaped like the hooked teeth of a moray eel.

Satisfied, Asmodeus approached Athena. She lowered her head, which was already bigger than Asmodeus himself, and now seemed colossal. If Athena opened her mouth now, Asmodeus could enter without stooping.

Despite all her grandeur and changes, Athena remained the playful cat. As Asmodeus approached, she dropped to her belly, sticking out her tongue to lick him.

"Eh?! No, no, no!!! Ew..."

Asmodeus wiped Athena's saliva off himself. "You know your saliva smell doesn't come off!"

"Giggle!"

Athena made a strange sound, as if laughing, looking at Asmodeus covered in slime from head to toe.

After somewhat cleaning his clothes with a spell, Asmodeus sighed. Even though the clothes looked clean, if he went to the meeting hall now, Rovena would be the first to kick him out.

"Okay, how do you feel?"

"Meow!" - Better than ever!

"Haha, alright, want to show yourself to our friends?"

"Purr!" - Definitely!

"Okay, just let me change first."

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Give me stones ! More stones, I want to die covered in stones !!!

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