"Cough…"
Dr. Genus in the black suit felt like his body was about to collapse into powder. He knew the only reason he wasn't dead was because the huge monster in front of him wanted to savor the torment. If it actually applied force, he'd have been turned into mush already.
"Listen, Carnage Kabuto! You can kill me whenever you want, but… deal with the enemy outside first! That thing's strength might even surpass yours."
Dr. Genus spoke in broken, strained bursts. He wanted to live—at least long enough to witness his creation defeat the intruder. He needed to see, with his own eyes, that his work was the most perfect thing in existence.
"Surpass me?!"
"Hahahaha…"
Carnage Kabuto roared with laughter.
Whoosh—
In the next second, he casually tossed Dr. Genus onto the floor like a discarded rag.
"Trying to bait me?"
"Congratulations. It worked!"
"I'll kill the intruder right in front of you, then grind you into crumbs… and after that, I'll go outside and wipe out an entire city full of weaklings!"
Carnage Kabuto folded his arms, smugness dripping off his face.
"Dr. Genus, I really do have to thank you. You're a genius. You created the strongest me in the world!"
Carnage Kabuto actually did respect Genus. This unbeatable, lonely strength—he owed it to Genus. And precisely because he was such a "grateful" beetle, he intended to be the one who killed his creator in the end.
"Cough, cough…"
To keep his mind sharp for research, Genus had modified his own body too. So even after being brutalized and thrown down from above, he still hadn't died.
"Now tell me—where is this enemy?!"
Carnage Kabuto demanded.
"The enemy is right—"
Genus brushed his hair back, trying to look a little more dignified, and pushed himself upright to explain where the white-clad demon was.
Boom!
The instant Genus was about to speak, the wall above their heads thundered. A heartbeat later, a perfectly human-shaped hole appeared directly overhead.
"What just happened?!"
Genus looked up at the opening, eyes wide.
"Something just fell through," Carnage Kabuto muttered, frowning as he stared at the hole.
The moment it formed, his insect senses started screaming. A powerful enemy was nearby.
"A meteor?" Genus asked, squinting up through the straight shaft that now opened directly to the sky.
"Could be," Carnage Kabuto said, stroking his chin as he followed Genus's gaze upward.
"Hey. You two done staring?"
A low, raspy voice—heavy with authority—suddenly rang out beside them.
"Hm?!"
Carnage Kabuto's expression changed instantly. His wings snapped into motion and he shot away in a blur, clinging to a wall a hundred yards from the source of the sound.
Genus, startled by the sudden voice, collapsed onto the floor.
"You're Dr. Genus, right?"
Jovian—dressed in white—looked at Genus and, for the first time since arriving in this world, showed the greatest kindness he'd shown anyone. He grabbed Genus by the arm, hauled him up with ease, and brushed the dust off Genus's shoulder.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not your enemy."
Jovian said it softly, facing Genus.
"Not my enemy?"
Genus felt a surge of anger.
This guy had killed three Demon-level subjects, plus several Tiger-level test bodies—and now he wanted to say he wasn't an enemy? What kind of joke was that?
"Of course not. If anything, we're on the same side."
Jovian smiled at Genus's obvious fury.
"Your goal is to carry the banner of human evolution. And by coincidence, that's my goal too. Human evolution is the mainstream path on countless Earths across the multiverse."
"So work with me. You and I together will create a brand-new age of evolution."
Jovian extended his hand.
"This…"
Genus's face darkened, uncertainty flickering. He hesitated, unable to tell whether partnering with this man would be a good thing—or a disaster.
Sure, the intruder had slaughtered his experiments, but that also proved his strength. If Genus cooperated with him, it would be far safer than trying to do everything alone.
"I can give you time to think. I'll give you—"
Jovian started to consider how long he should allow. Five seconds felt too generous. One second felt too short.
"Alright. I'll give you thre—"
He smiled, deciding to split the difference and offer Genus three seconds.
"Hey! Asshole!"
A furious roar cut him off.
A massive, oppressive shadow surged forward and dropped between Jovian and Genus, swallowing them both beneath its towering silhouette.
"Hm?"
Jovian, irritated at being interrupted, lifted his head.
"How long are you two going to keep talking, asshole?!"
Carnage Kabuto's muscles flexed as rage spilled out of him. It was the first time he'd ever felt ignored. Usually, people either trembled or begged when they saw him. This—this casual conversation like he wasn't even there—made his blood boil.
"Move."
Jovian couldn't be bothered to waste words on the oversized beetle. He clenched his fist, ready to end it instantly.
"Wait. You want to work with me, right?"
Genus—still thinking—spoke up.
"Oh? So you agree?"
Jovian turned toward Genus. If Genus agreed here, perfect. Genus's rejuvenation drug and genetic tech were both valuable. Talent like that was something Jovian genuinely didn't want to smash into a puddle if he didn't have to.
"It's not about agreeing or not. The real issue is him."
Genus raised his head and looked at Carnage Kabuto.
"If we both die here, everything ends. Right?"
"So any cooperation only matters if you can defeat Carnage Kabuto first."
Genus asked Jovian plainly.
"Got it."
"Then think it over while I deal with him. I want a real answer from you at the moment Carnage Kabuto dies."
Jovian lifted a finger and tapped it lightly toward Genus's face.
"Fine."
Genus nodded faintly. Deep down, he didn't believe Jovian could beat Carnage Kabuto. Carnage Kabuto was Genus's so-called "final form of artificial evolution"—a perfect specimen, aside from a fatal flaw in personality.
Boom!
The instant Genus finished speaking, Jovian threw a punch backward at Carnage Kabuto.
A terrifying impact detonated—
and half of Carnage Kabuto's body shattered on the spot.
"Now tell me," Jovian asked Genus without even looking back, "do you agree to work with me?"
"Huh?!"
"Huh???"
Genus's glasses slid down his nose as his mind blanked.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
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