Oblivion's Throne-Chapter 97: Agony’s Embrace

The corpse of the Xenocrux Lurker lay motionless at the edge of the gorge. Thick ichor pooled beneath its body as life fully faded.

Orion stepped back, gripping his Wraith tight. He didn't trust stillness—not here.

He exhaled sharply, wiping blood off his cheek with the back of his wrist. His arms burned from the fight, his body still humming from the sheer exertion. But now wasn't the time to relax.

R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freewebnovёl.ƈom Only.

This place wasn't safe.

Even if his scouting had shown no apex creatures in the immediate vicinity, that could change at any moment.

This place had night predators. He needed to get back to the shelter.

With each passing minute, the night predators would begin their hunt.

He secured his Wraith to the clasp on his back as he crouched, gripping the Lurker's armored hide before hauling its corpse onto his shoulder. The creature was heavy, but his enhanced musculature allowed him to carry it without faltering. For now.

He needed to move.

By the time Orion reached his shelter, the suns had fully set, and the distant howls of the wild signaled that he had made the right decision.

The cavern he found earlier was still secure, its narrow entrance concealed by twisting roots. He dropped the Lurker's corpse just outside, crouching low to inspect the area.

No fresh tracks. No disturbances. No signs of anything having wandered too close.

Still, he wasn't about to let his guard down.

He dragged the Lurker's body inside, using jagged stones to seal part of the entrance. It wouldn't stop predators—fresh blood would draw them regardless—but the barrier would at least give him a warning. If anything disturbed the stones, he'd hear it. The natural overhang would keep the cavern hidden, but just in case—he placed his Wraith within arm's reach.

Only then did he allow himself to kneel beside the corpse.

Now for the real risk.

Orion wiped the sweat from his brow, staring down at the Xenocrux Lurker's corpse.

He had no idea what he was looking for.

The Evolutionary Trait Tree wasn't a simple path to strength—it was a branching system, each extracted trait following a distinct biological specialization.

Some traits synergized, leading to higher-tier enhancements, while others clashed, destabilizing the body and forcing painful rejections. The deeper one progressed down a branch, the harder it became to reverse the changes.

Traits fell into three primary categories:

Structural, which altered the body's physical makeup—bone density, muscle fibers, and sensory organs;

Metabolic, which enhanced internal efficiency, from regeneration to energy conversion and toxin resistance;

Cognitive, which affected neurological function, sharpening perception, reaction speed, and thought processing.

Not all traits could coexist—some required prerequisites before integration, while others were outright incompatible, causing violent biological purges. The Pythia System acted as a guide, assessing potential gains against biological risks, but it did not enforce its recommendations.

Orion had the freedom to override its decisions, taking riskier, custom modifications that could lead to either unprecedented strength or catastrophic failure.

His interface flickered in the corner of his vision, syncing as he placed a hesitant hand on the Lurker's chitinous plating. A cold shiver ran up his arm—like the creature's body was still resisting, even in death.

The moment his fingers pressed against it, the Pythia System reacted.

「Scanning structure...」 

「Potential evolutionary trait present.」 

「Determining optimal extraction point.」 

「Area confirmed. Proceed with extraction.」 

His Wraith slid into the designated point, piercing between hardened chitin and fibrous muscle. A wet hiss escaped from the incision—like something inside was decompressing.

Then it twitched.

Orion flinched back, his grip tightening around his weapon. The Lurker's body had spasmed. A reflex? Or... something else?

His heart pounded as he pressed forward, parting the layers of tissue. His fingers brushed against something different—a knotted mass of semi-transparent filaments, not quite flesh, not quite neural tissue.

The Pythia System pulsed.

「Confirmed: Neuroadaptive Node detected.」 

The Pythia System flared again.

He hovered his fingers over his wrist as the interface of the Pythia System flickered to life.

A red warning flashed.

「WARNING: Genotypical reconfiguration may cause temporary unconsciousness.」 

His grip tightened.

How long would he be out? Minutes? Hours?

He checked his surroundings once more. If something attacked him while he was unconscious, he was dead.

「Do you wish to proceed? 」 

Orion inhaled sharply.

The moment he confirmed, the process began.

A searing heat tore through his palm as the Pythia interface pulsed with energy, extending a thin bio-conductive strand that snaked into the Lurker's exposed core.

The reaction was instantaneous.

The corpse twitched violently, its remaining nerve endings firing off erratic signals as its genetic blueprint was forcefully unraveled.

「Processing viable trait extraction... 」 

Orion's breath caught.

The world blurred at the edges of his vision.

He could feel it—the Lurker's biology being stripped down to its base genetic data, the fragmented pieces laid bare before the system.

Then—

The pain hit.

A full-body shockwave of sensory overload—every nerve, every cell, screaming as the Pythia System forcibly adjusted to integrate the data.

His head snapped back as he gritted his teeth, barely choking down a cry. His arms trembled, veins pulsing with heat.

The cave spun.

The darkness swallowed him whole.

「Extraction successful. 」 

Orion's eyes snapped open. His vision swam, his body still tingling from the lingering aftershocks of the integration process.

For a second, he felt nothing.

Then—his breath hitched. His heart pounded faster than it should.

Something inside him had changed.

The Pythia System's interface hovered before his vision, data cascading in sharp streams.

「Extraction Traits: 」 

1. Trilayered Bursting Musculature

- Effect: Allows for short bursts of explosive speed and power.

- Drawback: Causes rapid muscle fatigue, limiting prolonged use.

2. Bone-Hinged Jaw Reflex 

- Effect: Grants a preternatural reactionary counterattack, activating instinctively.

- Drawback: Alters jaw structure, creating minor strain on vocal functions.

3. Sensory Cilia Proboscis 

- Effect: Enhances vibration-based sensory perception, allowing near-invisible movement tracking.

- Drawback: Alters sensory reception—loud noises and rapid air shifts become disorienting.

「WARNING: Chosen trait will render the rest incompatible. 」 

Orion steadied his breathing.

The traits could not coexist. Choosing one would mean permanently locking out the others.

His fingers hovered over the selection. His mind raced through the possibilities. Each had its strengths. Each had its weaknesses.

He closed his eyes.

It would be a shame to ruin such a handsome face. Orion thought with bitter amusement as his fingers hovered over the selection. Then, without hesitation, he confirmed.

Agony erupted.

A brutal, all-consuming pain tore through his body as if his muscles were being unspooled fiber by fiber, shredded and reknitted into something stronger—something more. His back arched violently, his breath seizing as the transformation rampaged through his flesh.

His nerves burned, every inch of him caught in a relentless vice of pressure and heat. It wasn't just pain—it was dissolution and reconstruction in real-time.

His arms jerked uncontrollably, muscles spasming in erratic pulses, contracting with unnatural force before locking up completely. A strangled groan ripped from his throat as his legs seized, veins bulging against his skin like live wires pulsing with unstable energy. His heart slammed against his ribs, struggling to regulate the surge of power flooding his system. His very bones vibrated, caught between collapse and violent expansion, his sinew coiling tighter than should be possible.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. His breath came in ragged gasps.