Chapter 558: Path of Evolution!

After losing almost half a million soldiers over seven days, the Council of Xylon was forced to change their tactic. They had been so busy with their internal strifes and establishing political connections with the Lords from other regions that they'd forgotten about the Trilance. In their opinion, the Trilance was as good as destroyed and no more a headache for them. However, the arrival of no more than 100 people changed everything. The Trilance's reinforcement arrived. At first, the reinforcement didn't seem like a big problem, but underestimating Michael and his subordinates was a grave mistake. Five armies had been bulldozed and only a few thousand soldiers of two more armies managed to retreat. Those who managed to survive weren't in good mental condition anymore, either.

On the other hand, the Trilance's reinforcement didn't even lose 10 members. None of the casualties was an Awakened either.

Since the Council of Xylon couldn't afford to lose more soldiers needlessly, they stopped dividing their armies into smaller units. Small settlements were under construction near the border to the Trilance's territory, and it didn't take long before news reached them. The Council of Xylon changed to a passive tactic and created small skirmishes to keep the tension within the Trilance at an all-time high. The Trilance wanted to retaliate and counterattack but their forces were worn out as well. Their equipment wasn't well-maintained and sustained considerable damage over the last few weeks. Overall, the Trilance's morale was low despite Michael's intervention, and the Awakened working for the Trilance's Lords considered leaving the Origin Expanse. They would break their contract, but it could be solved by paying an exorbitant fee. Surviving was more important than wealth. Michael's Soul Pacts couldn't be broken that easily. Everyone who'd been willing to become Michael's subordinate knew that it would be difficult to leave him. The Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs were still allowed to leave, but the price to leave him was not only wealth. The memories of their time in the Untamed Jungle would be wiped away and everything they'd procured from the Jungle Shop would be taken away.

The terms of the contract would become even more binding once they fused their first Soultrait from Michael's Jungle Shop. Nobody would be allowed to leave anymore, not without paying an even heavier price. Michael was not willing to nurture anyone just to see them leave after they got their fill of his powers. It was only obvious, but he came up with a tight-locked Soul Pact to ensure that he couldn't be betrayed easily.

After the Council of Xylon changed their tactic, Michael decided to return to the Untamed Jungle with his subordinates. Everyone was tired, and it was easier to rest in Michael's territory. The Untamed Jungle's ambient energy, the effect of the Nature Spirit, and the Forest Pixies' presence made it easier to calm down, release the tension within the body, and rest.

But what Michael didn't expect to see once he returned was Sun Demos and an envoy of his subordinates. Sun Demos and his Blood Oath Demon Monkeys didn't reside in the settlement. They had a habitat in Michael's territory but it was not right next to the settlement. Sun Demos and his subordinates wanted a bit of solitude and were not keen to mingle with the rest of his subordinates. They were a close-knit group that way and didn't allow strangers in their army.

["Did you abandon us?"] Sun Demos asked the moment he saw Michael. The Demon Monkey King's eyes landed on the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs, their fresh wounds speaking volumes about the happenings over the last few days.

[Abandon you? Why would I do that?] Michael responded through Whispering Energy.

["If you didn't abandon us why did you not take us to the battlefield alongside them?"] Sun Demos didn't have to point at the Berserkers to make Michael understand who he meant by 'them'.

Michael smiled sensing the Demon Monkey King's jealousy. Or was he just worried that he and his subordinates would be abandoned and thrown aside?

["We want to join the battle as well!"] Sun Demos declared, but Michael shook his head almost instantaneously.

[I never forbid you to come with us to the Savannah, but I don't think that's a good idea. You and your kind have a great advantage in the Untamed Jungle. Your movements in the Untamed Jungle are extremely fast, and deadly silent. You can move smoothly and change your trajectory at any moment by using the dense forest to your advantage. But the Savannah is not like that. You and your little friends will be exposed at all times. There are little to no hiding spots, and you cannot get close to the enemies easily.]

Michael didn't want to say this aloud, but the Blood Oath Demon Monkeys weren't organized enough to be useful in a large-scale battle outside the Untamed Jungle. Inside the Untamed Jungle, the Blood Oath Demon Monkeys and their King were extraordinary, but outside they were just like any other Superior Monster at the early ranks of the 2nd Tier.

["I don't want to be useless. The monsters in the surroundings are getting stronger, yet our strength doesn't increase. We're stagnating. We will die, or be forced to rely on our Master, aka you, to protect us. We don't want that. We need to grow stronger. We want to evolve!"]

Michael had noticed a while ago that Sun Demos was quite intelligent. His intelligence seemed to have improved quite a bit over the last few months as well. Was that because of the taming bond? The taming bond grew firmer, yet Michael was not sure if Sun Demos' increasing intelligence was related to that. It would be interesting to find out.

Putting aside that thought, Michael focused on Sun Demos' issue. The Blood Oath Demon Monkey King and his kind desired to grow stronger. Their personality and attitude wouldn't allow them to depend on the protection of others to survive, but that was exactly what might happen if the dangers in the Untamed Jungle increased while their strength remained the same.

Michael understood why Sun Demos wanted to evolve. He had to exceed his racial limitations to grow stronger and evolving was the easiest way to do so, for a monster that is. Initiating a mutation was also possible, but that was rather problematic since it was not easy to determine the direction of a mutation. Certain items could stimulate mutations but it was uncertain how the mutation would affect other beings. That was also why Michael didn't touch these items until now. He didn't want to give Sun Demos hope just to stimulate a mutation that weakened him instead of breaking his racial limit. Therefore, evolution was the only way to ensure a positive outcome. The problem with that was on a whole different level.

First of all, it was important to know that every monster could evolve. Their inborn talent determined how many times a monster could evolve, but it was proven that all monsters could evolve. It was just that some monsters had an simpler time while others were faced with more difficulties along the path of ascension.

It was important to know that Monsters had to unlock a Path of Evolution before they could evolve.

[Did you already unlock a Path of Evolution?] Michael asked, his curiosity ignited, [If you did, can you feel what grade the unlocked Path of Evolution is?]

Even after unlocking a Path of Evolution, it wouldn't be easy to evolve. Unlocking a Path of Evolution merely meant that the Will of the Origin Expanse acknowledged your achievements and that you met the requirements to evolve into that particular monster.

The Path of Evolution was more like a feeling. A monster that unlocked a Path of Evolution could sense that they unlocked 'some' evolution path. However, they were unable to tell the exact details of their evolution path. It was not like a Soultrait that provided an influx of information upon fusing, after all.

["I unlocked three Paths of Evolution. One should permit me to achieve the same state of existence as the flaming bit-... witch."] Sun Demos said, pointing at Zeroa.

'A path that increases his Superior form into a Pseudo Mythical Existence. That's pretty nasty!'

Most monsters would want to choose the Path of Evolution with the greatest benefits. However, it was not easy to comprehend the information hidden within the Paths of Evolution. The better the path, the higher the difficulty to procure pieces of information.

Sun Demos would have to learn more about himself, his accomplishments, and his state of being to find out what items he would have to procure to initiate the evolution. He would be able to find out more details about the extent of his evolution as well. But that was incredibly difficult for most monsters. It was also the reason why most monsters would never evolve. Many strong monsters met the requirements for a Common Path of Evolution, but only a few learned what they needed to evolve. Interestingly enough, it was more likely that a monster would evolve by chance after stumbling upon rare ingredients and energy-dense regions. They would evolve before they realized that they had already met the evolution requirements. [I can research a bit about your kind and read through reports related to monster evolutions. Since you are a demonic beast, I can procure some objects for you to inspect. If they're suitable for one of your evolutions, you will be able to sense it.] Michael told Sun Demos before he added.

[Either way. I want you to solve the problem of overpopulation in the Untamed Jungle. Since you want to join me in the Savannah region because you want to be of help, help me with the Untamed Jungle instead. That's your turf, so make use of it. Become the Guardians of my region and get rid of the ever increasing number of monsters!]

It was only a matter of time before more powerful monsters would roam around his territory. His region was too attractive and it would grow even more attractive to High Beasts once the Domain of Natura was installed. Sun Demos and his little fellas could solve that problem and possibly break their racial limit naturally by fighting slightly above their weight class.

Michael believed that they could achieve it. Even if they did not, he was more than willing to give them a light push in the right direction.

He hoped that Sun Demos and his kind could evolve soon. Michael felt like he needed as much strength as possible.

The next few weeks were bound to be tiresome.

**