Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 858: The Speed of Battle

Strangely enough, the fight between the K3-Phantoms lasted less than one minute.

Giselle won, very quickly, yet she could not be called significantly stronger than Diron.

This greatly baffled Adam who was watching the battle from afar.

ʼHm? Is that it?ʼ

Adam raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

A strange feeling came over him, for this was unlike any battle in his history.

He was used to the fact that a fight could only end quickly if one of the combatants had superior strength.

If Giselle were a K3-Phantom and Diron was a K2 one, he wouldnʼt even pay attention to the result, preferring to complain that his food hadnʼt arrived yet.

But, Giselle and Diron were equal, practically.

ʼHow unexpected...ʼ he mused, ʼThe fight was short, but even their few attacks were enough to gauge their level. They are fast and strong, skillfully controlling their abilities and reacting quickly to shifting events...ʼ

Before this, every time Adam faced opponents equal to his strength, then basically most of the time the battle went to attrition.

Whether it was his fight against the Plague Reaper, Fromund at the Moon Colosseum, or his latest foe - the Crimson Monarch.

Toward the middle of the fight, both he and his opponent realized that if neither of them was close to victory, then their powers were equal, and new attacks wouldnʼt make a difference.

In such a case the winner was the one who found a way to save his trump card for the final or better used the remnants of his strength when his abilities were almost gone as well as his energy.

Giselle and Diron in turn used only a few abilities and global gene strikes.

This made Adam wonder.

ʼIt seems that the general increase in strength and the presence of the global gene without the new array of abilities as it was at the K1 and K2 levels, has led to a big change in the pace of combat.ʼ

Rubbing his chin, Adam cast a glance at Giselle.

ʼI doubt all fights between K3-Phantoms end so quickly, but it was a rewarding experience. The increased physical abilities and global gene gave a flexibility I didnʼt have earlier.ʼ

With a deep nod, Adam continued.

ʼBefore you used to charge an ability - your opponent did the same, otherwise, he would lose, there was no other choice. But, now any attack you make can be an effect of the global gene, and a simple punch is enough to destroy the energy to end the fight.ʼ

Though Adam wasnʼt interested in their battle initially, he watched Giselleʼs and Dironʼs actions closely, especially Dironʼs. Adam saw how he used his stout body to get through the ice avalanche, even though he and Giselle were roughly equal.

Thump.

At that moment, Diron collapsed to one knee, a grimace of pain covering his face. He tried to hold back, but soon his cheeks puffed up and a torrent of dark blood gushed out.

Four deep cuts covered his torso, not enough to kill or bleed because of the dense ice, but Diron couldnʼt continue the fight. He had no way to heal himself quickly.

With such wounds, he couldnʼt keep up with Giselleʼs pace, thus their fight was over.

”Tsk...”

He grunted, not wanting his next words to ever come out:

”I lost... Take your damn coin.”

However, Giselle was in no hurry to rejoice in her victory or gloat over the wounded Diron. Instead, she brushed the blood off her rapier and approached him.

Raising his head Diron saw Giselle, her hand extended, the seriousness never left her gaze even for a moment.

Diron wasnʼt harmful enough to disrespect her, so he grabbed her hand firmly and stood up. After all, their fight was over.

Saying nothing, Giselleʼs eyes traveled lower, studying Dironʼs wounds.

”Do you need me to take you to the infirmary? I was striking at full power. Your body is surprisingly strong.”

Diron jerked his arm aside, heading forward with a limp gait.

”Iʼll handle this one without you. Congratulations on your victory, one more coin and you can reach your goal. Now Iʼll have to think about where to find two more coins.”

She answered nothing, only staring at his receding for a while. After that, she walked over to the man. Observer No. 8 smiled and bowed low.

”Mr. Diron is right, this belongs to you now.”

He stretched his hand forward, two twilight coins gleaming in his palm.

”I hope your next opponent can give you a longer and truly worthy fight so that your journey here can have a colorful finale.”

”Donʼt say that.”

Giselleʼs harsh voice silenced the man.

”Diron gave an excellent fight. If he had found a way to react quickly to my last attack and find which of the replicas was real, I would have lost.”

An awkward smile showed on the manʼs face, and he shrugged nonchalantly.

”Well, Iʼm sure youʼre much better at this than I am. I just want to see an interesting fight, since this will probably be your last one.”

”Yeah, youʼre probably right about that.”

Giselle picked up the coins before heading the opposite way from Diron. She respected her opponents, but often her pride could border on arrogance.

The duel ended, so spectators one by one went back to their business while discussions filled an Amber Cloud.

The observer took a deep breath, shook his head, and left the restaurant - there was nothing more for him to do here.

Giselle didnʼt turn around or glance at any of the phantoms as she walked outside. It was clear from her determined gaze that she was already contemplating her next fight, though her opponent was not clear yet.

To leave the Twilight Palace she only has to get the last coin. She needed to be the winner of the final battle, so she would have a perfect score - she hadnʼt lost on the hotel grounds yet.

At the same time, a waitress came out of the kitchen, skillfully carrying several trays in her arms, going to let Adam finally get rid of the hunger scratching him from the inside.