Virus Evolution: Pokémon, Marvel & Beyond

At present, he was anchored to two T2-class planets, but thanks to the abilities of the Old One Virus, even if both planets were annihilated, he wouldn't die.

Moreover, the former stats like Level and Vitality had disappeared, replaced now by Titles and Authorities.

"System, what does the title Planetary Ruler do?"

[Planetary Ruler is an upgraded form of the former Dominator title, designated for the World Will of a T2-class planet. Holders can alter the fundamental parameters of their governed world and wield absolute control over it.]

[A being that possesses two Planetary Ruler titles may choose to evolve into a Planetary Overlord. Upon successful ascension, the Planetary Overlord is automatically inducted into the Celestial Council.]

[Note 1: As the individual wills of that world's living beings mature, the Ruler's control will gradually weaken.]

[Note 2: Upon joining the Celestial Council, a Planetary Overlord must abide by Council statutes, and their authority to alter world parameters will be limited accordingly.]

After reading the system's explanation, Lucius asked,

"System, what exactly is the Celestial Council?"

[Host detected to hold two Planetary Ruler titles. Clearance confirmed. Answer permitted.]

[The Celestial Council is a multiversal coalition formed by high-tier worlds. Its members are the creator gods or makers of various universes and dimensions. The Council oversees inter-world trade, warfare, and evolutionary order among its constituents.]

[Its three core headquarters are based on three T6-class planets: Eden, Olympus, and Da Luo.]

[The Council's guiding principles are mutual openness, fairness, and non-aggression across realms, founded to facilitate the joint evolution of all divine beings.]

Lucius fell silent for a moment, then asked,

"System, between you and the Celestial Council, which is more powerful?"

[Host identified as Executor of the Viral Evolution System. Clearance verified. Response authorized.]

[The System is a top-secret experimental project under the jurisdiction of the Celestial Council. Its purpose is to develop gods through system-binding trials. By sending system-binders into lower-tier worlds and collecting their growth data, the Council seeks to determine the most efficient method of artificial deification.]

Lucius said nothing.

To be honest, while the answer was surprising, it didn't come entirely out of left field.

He'd never seriously questioned what the System truly was, until he met the black-haired man and his parallel self. Only then had he begun to suspect.

It was like a caterpillar-breeding experiment, multiple system-binders unleashed to grow independently, then set against each other in brutal selection.

The second layer was big data collection. Even in similar worlds, different systems yielded different evolutionary paths depending on their host.

Just like Lucius, his parallel version, and the black-haired man, each had walked a different path in their respective Pokémon universes.

As these tools, them, advanced step by step, the System harvested the data, feeding it back into the master experiment.

Of course, each one's starting conditions varied in quality.

Lucius himself had been fortunate: a favorable world setting, peaceful and stable, rich in biodiversity, and he was intimately familiar with the storyline.

By contrast, the black-haired man, bound to the "100% Capture Rate System," had been dumped into a grim, desolate world with scarce resources. The difficulty was nightmarish, his growth severely constrained.

And while the System's introduction to the Celestial Council had sounded official and impartial, there were subtle, crucial implications hidden between the lines.

First, the Council's members were not the inhabitants of their worlds, but their gods, their creators. Only those qualified as decision-makers. The people? Irrelevant.

Second, membership came with benefits: inter-realm trade, mutual defense through arbitration, but also obligations.

A Planetary Overlord could no longer freely modify their own world's parameters. Even gods were subject to oversight.

Third, and most telling, was the Council's stated goal:

"To facilitate the joint evolution of all divine beings."

This was the heart of it. Every organization has a doctrine, but regardless of its phrasing, doctrine always serves the ruling class.

Lucius remembered establishing Hive in the early days. He had advocated for domain independence—commerce, government, underground networks—all kept in balance. But the purpose was clear: to serve his authority, to conceal and resist the Old League.

Later, after he seized the entire planet, he immediately overhauled the structure, founding the Holy Leviathan Empire, integrating all sectors into one. Gyms, corporations, clans, and even militant groups were folded into the Elder Council.

A strict pyramid hierarchy, with himself at the peak.

So even before joining, Lucius could already see through the Council's polished words. "Fairness," "non-aggression," they were conditional.

And those conditions? They always served the upper echelons.

The last sentence laid it bare:

"To facilitate the joint evolution of all divine beings."

Not "all living beings." Not "all people."

No, only the gods would ascend.

That, too, was telling.

Even among gods, not all were equal.

Lucius, having just barely qualified by ruling two T2-class planets, likely stood at the bottom of this divine hierarchy.

So being this planet's ruler wasn't an endgame, it was merely the beginning…

Compared to the T6-class planets housing the Council's headquarters, his twin T2s were downright pitiful.

But what truly unsettled Lucius wasn't the Council.

It was the fact that the System, this omnipotent force that once seemed able to bend the laws of the world, even hide him from Arceus, was just a prototype experiment in a higher realm.

That meant his greatest trump card, the System, might be entirely outclassed in higher-tier realities.

Right now, everything still felt manageable. But if a T4 or higher plane decided to invade, he might be in serious danger.

And to conquer a T3-class world, as per his next mission? He was nowhere near ready.

Isolationism was no longer an option. If he wanted to survive, he needed to join the Celestial Council, or die alone in the cosmic cold.

"System, what are the conditions for evolving into the Origin Virus?"

[You must obtain at least one Cosmic Primal Force, and successfully infect and assimilate it.]

"Where can I find a Cosmic Primal Force?"

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