The Evolution Compendium

As he watched the Beast Tamers in the Desperate Realm try to resist and seize a sliver of life, the clown gentleman became even more delighted. Defying the rules would only accelerate the banquet's Erosion Power, causing them to fall into the Abyss and become mindless Demons, entirely at his mercy!

He savored the disgraceful displays of the guests as if enjoying a spectacle.

The first trial of the banquet was simply impossible to overcome. It didn't matter whether one wore formal attire or not; the ultimate fate was merely to please the Mother of Desire and become nourishment for the banquet's core.

He glanced at the Moon Princess and couldn't help but lick his lips. The true target of this banquet was precisely the authority she held: the Moon Authority!

At that very moment, a black-robed figure appeared out of thin air, startling the clown gentleman.

This familiar figure... could it be that agent of chaos!? The King of Black Robes!

Chu Yi had just emerged from the Moon Cage when he saw a short goblin walking straight towards him.

Damn, this thing looks so shabby, like a goblin straight out of Goblin Slayer World. It makes me want to kill it.

"It's your turn, dear guest. Which formal attire would be most suitable for you?"

The goblin tailor rubbed his hands, unleashing his sinister malice without reservation.

Tentacles picked up a lady's dress and, under the tailor's leering gaze, placed it before Chu Yi.

However, Chu Yi did not take it. He activated the Prophecy of Time and, after confirming the outcome, raised a hand as flawless as Mutton Fat Jade from beneath his wide black robe.

The Divine Hand, enveloped in a splendid silver radiance that swirled like a vortex of flowing colors, formed an exquisite glove and pressed down sharply on the tailor's head.

Special Technique: String of Destiny!

Damn it, you're really pushing your luck, aren't you?

His palm, sharp as a blade, pulsed with a slowly writhing silver light that pierced through the tailor's head as if it were soft tofu.

Strangely, there was no blood or gore. Instead, his hand touched what felt like lines, like countless tiny strings.

"AHHH—"

At this, the tailor, an eerie existence, let out a pained shriek.

This strike had hit the very source of its Soul!

"What happened!? What's going on!?"

"Oh gods, who is this ruthless person, daring to strike at an eerie existence!"

"He's fighting back! He's really fighting back!"

The crowd was in shock. In their utter desperation, someone had actually struck out and inflicted effective damage.

The tailor's body twisted, and an endless stream of Fireflies erupted from the hole pierced by the Divine Hand, their brilliance dazzling.

It reminded Chu Yi of tearing the lines of a paper cutout on a two-dimensional sheet, causing the colors within to spill out.

Instinctively, Chu Yi grabbed and pulled sharply.

SCREECH...

The strings were yanked, emitting a piercing sound as a blinding white light erupted. The tailor exploded!

The strings constructed its Life Chart. By tearing them, Chu Yi erased the tailor's very existence, causing the Mysterious Power within to surge out, only to be voraciously devoured by the Divine Hand.

It tastes like soy milk!?

Chu Yi was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up. He allowed the Divine Hand to devour the tailor's Life Chart, thus reducing its feeding pressure.

With the eerie presence gone, the tentacles hanging from the ceiling turned to ash.

The girl wearing the princess dress also returned to normal, only her dress had transformed into a freshly peeled human skin, terrifying her so much that her face turned deathly pale.

This scene, moreover, filled the crowd with ecstatic joy.

Under immense pressure and despair, witnessing the tailor's death brought them the elation of survival in a Desperate Realm, and they felt immense gratitude towards this black-robed figure.

After a brief silence, a cacophony erupted, the voices rising and falling!

"What!"

"He killed the tailor? Did I see that right?"

"How... how is this possible!"

"..."

The crowd speculated about his identity. The familiar black robe, emblazoned with a sun insignia, made them recall something.

A flash of realization struck their minds.

The King of Black Robes!

A taboo figure from ancient times!

A great being who had plotted against two Evil Gods, an existence even more terrifying than the master of the Feast of Joy!

Instinctively, the crowd avoided him like the plague, moving far away from Chu Yi.

This guy is far more dangerous than this trashy banquet! Damn it, are we being used?

"He... he's here!"

Lu Qi's face stiffened, and he fell silent with fear, instinctively hiding behind a few of his subordinates.

He had, after all, spoken ill of the King of Black Robes. If the King heard him, he could be snuffed out as easily as crushing a grasshopper.

What was the purpose of this taboo figure's presence? Was he here to negotiate with the master of this feast? It didn't seem like it.

"Ignoring the rules?"

The Moon Princess remained silent, her usually calm, cold eyes revealing a hint of surprise.

Within the rules of the banquet, the King of Black Robes had managed to strike freely, instantly killing an eerie being with a single blow!

How did he do that!?

Originally, she had planned to activate a specific form to slay the creatures spawned by the banquet.

But it seemed unnecessary now.

The King of Black Robes was clearly interested in this banquet, or rather, in the God of Joy.

Thinking deeper... he orchestrated plots against two great Evil Gods, and now this is the third one... Unfathomable! That was the Moon Princess's assessment of him.

The reactions of everyone varied: shock, curiosity, apprehension, reverence, gratitude, terror... their responses were varied and complex.

In contrast, the clown-masked figures stood frozen, as if struck by a Petrification Technique, staring in disbelief at the slain tailor.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

The clown gentleman's eyes turned red; he had lost his connection to the tailor.

What he found even harder to believe was that the tailor, an embodiment of some of the banquet's rules, had been so casually obliterated with a single strike!

The rules were interconnected; attacking the tailor should have triggered a counterattack from the entire banquet. How could nothing have happened?

Or could it be... that the taboo Life Chart of the King of Black Robes had already reached the same level as the Mother of Desire?

But strangely, the banquet hadn't ended. His method was akin to severing the tailor from the banquet's rules before killing it.

Consequently, the clown gentleman nearly ground his teeth to dust. After secretly instructing the Bartender, he announced, "The banquet isn't that particular. Whether you wear formal attire or not, please, everyone, come in."

Without the curse of the first stage, we'll just proceed to the second. There'll always be a chance to kill you. The same trick won't work twice.

As his words fell, the crowd was puzzled and wary, their gazes instinctively turning towards the King of Black Robes, with a smaller number looking towards the Moon Princess.

Compared to the latter, the former had accomplished astonishing feats less than a day ago. He was the truly ruthless one!

「The next moment.」

The scene shifted. Before the crowd could react, they found themselves seated in an orderly fashion at a dining table made of bones.

The clown gentleman sat in the host's seat, a smile playing on his lips. "You are all my guests. Welcome to the banquet. I hereby propose a toast to everyone."

As he spoke, the Bartender set out a row of goblets filled with a clear liquid. The goblets themselves were sculpted from skulls.

What kind of rule is this now?

The crowd looked at each other, afraid to be the first to speak, only casting their helpless gazes towards the King of Black Robes.

Given the cautionary example of the first trial, and now facing a life-or-death crisis, they were desperate enough to practically beg him for protection as if he were their father.

Father, Black-Robed Father, save us!