A pulse of energy turned all of Sila's severed bits shiny before sending all the Mirrors munching on him flying.

Serenity's Free Marauder was changing, and it was a rapid process. His separated parts gathered were corded and bonded together by tough, pink and white sinew. What counted for blood with what Sila was turning into ran through the stretches of flesh, winding around emerging bones and the long limbs that were inevitably formed.

Sila became bulky and slightly wide, but not in an obese sense. The logic of overweight didn't work when describing bugs – powerful bugs.

A thick, onion green exoskeleton with marvellous grooves connecting into a chilling design layered over him, sealing every possible orifice save for the ones on his face. The new Null Lifeform's head was a marvel. It only slightly resembled a bug's, with human-like features that also spotted traits of a feline. A great mane danced around Sila's face, every strand as tenebrous as his eight eyes.

On his back, where a lustreless shell could be seen, two large compartments opened up with metal-like clanks to reveal long, whipping wings that immediately began whipping up and down faster than light.

Serenity's Free Marauder could fly indeed, but that was the least of what he was capable of.

The Careless Junior Adamantine 'Prodigy' Beetle was the first step in a line of a very powerful reality-ending species. It was a species of creature well-known in the Null Verse particularly because one of its greater evolutions, the Timeless Adamantine 'Prodigy' Beetle, once conquered a fifth of the entire Null Verse; it overtook one of the Four Authorities and usurped their territory to accomplish this feat.

The 'Prodigy' Beetle's ability to change forms according to attacks it received so as to adapt to all kinds of harmful influences, coupled with its uncanny quirk to almost limitlessly brew miniature versions of itself within its body that would grow rapidly and scatter across the Null Verse, had awarded it a spot on the Universal Purge Banner.

Such a creature was what Sila had chosen to become.

After receiving the guidance field from Skullius, his ability to browse through his racial options from the Null Verse had only gotten easier, and soon, he had fallen upon this particular species.

The variant that Sila was taking on wasn't nearly as powerful as its Timeless iteration, however.

The Careless Junior Adamantine 'Prodigy' couldn't change its body shape and anatomy limitlessly with every attack it received. It could only change its shape once, and adapt to a single specific attack. In essence, Sila had to be careful with the first hit he took and from which enemy he took it from.

But beyond this, he couldn't produce a terribly enormous number of micro-Silas. He could only produce roughly a thousand.

Sila could already feel the bubbling, frothing matter inside him generating tonnes of DNA and stealing energy from him to create his duplicates. They would blossom out of him in a mere three minutes.

'I wonder how strong they'll be…' Sila thought.

There was indeed a risk to having these duplicates, In the Null Verse, the 'Prodigy' Beetle was fated to be hunted down by its duplicates because it could siphon off their power to increase its own; indeed, the Beetle farmed itself for strength.

While Sila was immune to the Flaws of species he picked to transform into, there were some that were deeply rooted in the nature of sentient creatures. In this case, no matter what, his duplicates wouldn't be his friends once they realised he could use them as he pleased whether they were a billion light years away or merely an inch from him.

"Hooo. Is this your expression of freedom, Null Life creature?" the Death Knight said from the distance.

It grew excited upon seeing Sila's new form. It streaked down towards him, its glaive whirling around it like a ceiling fan before striking at Sila from the left flank.

The 'Prodigy' Beetle didn't move… until the enemy's blade was only a millimetre from his exoskeleton.

It didn't show, though.

Even the Death Knight, its sockets flaring with flames, was convinced that it had cut through Sila once its glaive swiped right across him.

…!

But wait.

It wasn't Sila who was cut. No.

It was afterimage.

Silently, as his wings so splendidly allowed, Sila had zipped out of the way astonishingly quickly. Even now, as he spun above the Death Knight while gathering strength in his fist, the creature didn't detect him until it was too late. Null Life Essence raced around Sila's figure – over his exoskeleton – spinning chaotically.

Indeed, this was the Death Knight's technique.

When Sila smashed his fist down into the creature's head with all the might of a powerful Fiend, the Death Knight's head scrolled around like a top over its neck, burst aflame from the friction, and then cracked. The monstrous Undead unit streaked down because of the blow, flabbergasted.

"Oh!"

Conjuring a wall of tightly packed Mirrors behind it, however, it quickly stifled its falling momentum.

…Yet Sila was standing on the wall of Mirrors in the next nano-instant, next to the creature. The Death Knight noticed, rose to its feet, and shot towards him. It threw its glaive at the foe, but the former Tower General dodged easily. The Death Knight had only expected that. It had followed up its glaive-throw by flinging a great Undeath Rune meant to flush out of the energy in Sila's body. Since his Null Life essence was undoubtedly weaker than the Death Knight's Undeath, this would be a cinch.

Unbeknownst to the Death Knight, though… this was exactly what Sila wanted.

When the great Rune stormed towards him, he rushed into it and took on all its malevolent intent!

Immediately, the 'Prodigy' Beetle's green form was dyed red by Undeath. The effect of the Rune kicked in at once… only to be immediately dispelled.

…!!

"Hmm?" The Death Knight was confused.

Undeath energy lingered across Sila's exoskeleton, but he wasn't being assaulted by the debilitating effects the Death Knight had expected.

As a matter of fact, Sila seemed to be growing… stronger. His dark eyes flared red and his exoskeleton was quickly dyed in an obnoxious reddish-black coat that released smoke-like tendrils.

The Careless Junior Adamantine 'Prodigy' Beetle had taken his first hit, and what would come of this would mark a very significant advantage for not only him, but also Skullius in the future endgame in Deadmanland!

…But for now, the grandeur of this event was interrupted by a loud noise from far away.

…!

The Death Knight and Sila had travelled a great distance from Pherdanta's Territory, but when it suddenly burst apart with all the grace of a water balloon, they couldn't help but spare a moment's worth of attention towards it.