Soizar hadn’t been idling by all this while. When Savast became a great, invisible sentient cloud and struck all the enemies with a jolt of Charged Stroke, one much stronger than the one he had used on the Arch-Lich before, Soizar had stumbled and fumbled.

...But only for a few moments. The crippling intensity took him by surprise, but his mind had already adapted to the fact that there were opponents capable of dealing him mental damage. Manipulating his soul to further adapt to the raised output of Savast’s powers, he grinned. The pain died out at once.

"Keep it up, peon! You’re just making me even stronger!" he cried jubilantly.

Ah, and the struggling of the peons was much more enjoyable now. Below him, he could see that they were all rallying towards Rias, invigorated, but it wouldn’t last. If Rias began losing to them, he would intervene and save him.

...Or so he had thought.

It wasn’t going to be that easy. There was another enemy here, one he had dismissed because he was currently immobilized.

Rias’ slash had severed all of Sila’s movements, freezing him midflight. He was suspended in the air, unable to join the others in the battle against the ghost of Actuass. Savast still channeled a chord of mental energy through him, connecting him to the minds of the other Unlimited Stars, but he (Sila) was unable to exploit the benefits. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

It was frustrating to the former Tower General. He was itching to fight with his newfound body, itching to go beyond and clash against even the heights of what Deadmanland had to offer. Why was this enough to stop him in his tracks? Sila seethed, and even attempted to appeal to Pherdanta to free him.

...But then he stopped.

...!

That’s right. Why was he fretting? Didn’t he have a trump card of his own? Had he already forgotten?

It might have been Direction that placed him in this very position, close to Soizar, instead of Rias.

After all...

’It’s finally here...’ he thought.

Deep within his body, he felt it. The Adamantine Prodigy Beetle was seldom a lonely existence – tragic, yes, but not lonely. The species, no matter which variation of sub-genes it took on, would always be plagued by itself. It possessed the ability to generate vast numbers of creatures with similar abilities and similar psyches; quite different from simply giving birth. It was like unleashing a series of alternate versions of yourself.

While battling the Death Knight earlier, Sila had felt the process quickening within himself and now...

(A/N: Refer to Ch.1607.)

A surge of Null Life Essence spiked from inside him, surprising even him with its sheer volume. As it happened, Soizar sensed it too and turned to him, dropping his spectacles.

He’d just begun wondering what that was all about when Sila’s abdomen suddenly burst open... and released almost six thousand miniature creatures that resembled his earlier form before he adopted characteristics that countered Undeath!

They had onion-green chitinous bodies, wide torsos, and eight dark eyes. Immediately, they expelled flexible wings from the shells on their backs and began buzzing around at great speeds, reinforcing themselves with Null Life Essence and vermillion quality mana. They also began growing at an alarming pace.

"What’s this now?" Soizar carefully appraised the creatures, noting their similarities to Sila. But as it happened, Sila himself was doing the same thing, gaping at the same thing, but for a completely different reason.

’They are just like me, but also... not!’ Sila thought, realizing that he’d underestimated what that meant.

The swarm of Beetles only spent a couple of seconds flying around him and Soizar. About half of them eyed him and the Arch-Lich before zipping upwards, heading for the Egg’s gaping chasm, which was yet to close up. They were escaping, and some of them had the gall to grin mockingly at Sila and cry:

"So long, sockethole!"

Soizar was confused. The fleeing critters confused him, but those that chose to stay, studying him, confounded him even more.

Sila was incensed, but...

’The ones that are leaving know that if they stay close to this damned Lich, they will be forced to adapt a body like mine – one that counters Undeath. If they become like me, they feel like they’ll have no choice but to join me in Skullius’ cause,’ he thought. ’The ones that have remained are fine with that. They recognize the kind of advantage to be obtained by adopting bodies hewn from the powers of a Lich. They just don’t want the same exact body as me.’

Crafty. Crafty, the lot of them.

Unfortunately, they were only imitations in the end, and Sila had power over them.

While Soizar was still pondering what to do with the growing Silas that remained, the former Tower General activated a skill he’d received upon becoming the Careless Junior Adamantine Beetle.

[You are using ’Hive Possession’!]

[You are extracting 5% of the physical prowess from each of your alternates!]

And indeed, this was one characteristic of the Adamantine Beetle, and why it normally had a bothersome Flaw that forced its alternates to seek it out and attempt to kill it. None of them particularly liked the idea of having their powers – innate or hard-earned – stripped from them by the original.

Many of them eyed Sila dangerously. Soizar turned to the former Tower General as well, following their gaze and bloodlust.

With sheer overwhelming strength, Serenity’s Free Marauder broke through the powers keeping him painted over the sky. His wings whipped about, as free as he was. He flashed out of sight, stunning Soizar, who instantly went on guard.

The Arch-Lich sensed the sharp rise in his physical attributes at once. The Marauder was his match now, and he readied his Immors Soul Arts.

...But then, his instincts drew taut.

’And all of them, huh?’ he thought.

Many of the miniature Silas were eyeing him as well. Their objective had changed as soon as they were relieved of 5% of their strength. They needed upgrades to their abilities immediately, and they would exploit Sila’s battle with Soizar to obtain those upgrades.

As it happened, however, many of them also streaked towards Rias and the Unlimited Stars for the same cause.

...Sila had seen that coming, though. Before engaging with Soizar, he dispatched them all in a second, crushing them in his palms.

’That won’t do,’ he said, grinning, and then he streaked for Arch-Lich.