Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 946: S4 Monster (Part 1)

Despite the monsters lurking in the shadows, Adam and Risha stayed on the path. As they moved forward, the light became less and less, and the auras became more and more numerous.

But, that didnʼt stop them from reaching the spacious lake. The dark layer of thick magma was barely recognizable, and only the bright lava flowing along the cracks helped them see the boundaries.

Unlike Adam who was staring intently into the middle of the lake, Risha was looking around, still afraid they might be attacked at any moment.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

A slight shiver passed across the surface of the lake as a massive object rose from the thick lava. Two amber eyes with vertical pupils slowly opened, while light ran across the hard scales of the huge serpent.

In a heartbeat, Risha slipped her hand into her pocket, clutching the Revelation Ring tightly. She was ready for battle, all she needed to do was summon her Nexus.

But... before the axe could appear in her hand, Risha froze.

An eerie aura descended upon her, preventing her from even budging.

ʼWhatʼs going on...?ʼ Risha muttered inwardly, goosebumps running in waves through her body.

At the same moment, dozens of red eyes opened along the cave, remaining in the shadows.

Then, Risha glanced to the right as her eyes went wide in disbelief.

Several red threads were tied around her arm, tight enough to cut into pieces at any of her wrong moves.

However, even such a threat could not stop Risha. In her life as a Dark Phantom, she had experienced wounds far worse.

Tap.

Adamʼs hand like a hammer fell on her shoulder, stopping her at the last moment.

”I wouldnʼt do that if I were you. I donʼt know what those threads are, or what kind of monsters are following us, but... I can tell you from experience that you canʼt save your arm.”

Risha gritted her teeth. ”To hell with the arm! This is all your fault! We came right into the trap because of you! Itʼs better to lose an arm than a life!”

Splash.

The serpent raised its head, opening its mouth. A long bifurcated tongue showed, emitting a frightening hiss.

”Hehehe...” the serpent grunted. ”Girl, you have an impressive fighting spirit and attitude, but... You better listen to this young man. As I thought, of the two of you, he is the only one worthy.”

Risha was petrified to hear the monsterʼs voice. Adam was surprised as well, but he was in no hurry to show it.

ʼHmm... If it wasnʼt for the incident with the Crimson Monarch, I would be shocked to the core. But, you should expect more and more monsters that can talk, right?ʼ

Then, Adam was about to contact Silvana, but the serpentʼs piercing gaze stopped him.

”Donʼt be in a hurry to bond with your woman... Not that I forbid you to do so, but... Iʼll tell you what to call me myself.”

Oddly enough, Adam only nodded slightly. ”And? Iʼm ready to hear you out. Are you a fire snake?”

”Hah... You pretty much guessed it. You humans call me the Inferno Serpent. I know about that as well as the fact that youʼre afraid of me,” the monster moved a little more out of the lake, staring intently at Risha as if she were the weak link. ”That girl is shaking like that, not just from my aura, but because she knows Iʼm an S4 monster.”

Risha gulped. She didnʼt have anything to say. The Inferno Serpent was not wrong in his assumptions. It was exactly as the old monster said.

With a shake of his head, Adam placed his hand at his side. ”So, youʼve killed quite a few Phantoms, havenʼt you? Moreover, if I wasnʼt here, you would already killed Risha, wouldnʼt you?”

The Inferno Serpent nodded slightly, lava dripping off its great body.

”Sure... However, maybe we could come to an agreement and she could leave, without one arm. But, thatʼs unlikely. More probably Iʼd have devoured her by now.”

Adam turned to Risha and pointed at the serpent. ”Did you hear that? I just saved your life. Second time in one day!”

”Agh...” he sighed heavily. ”You need to be more careful. How did you even survive to this point?”

With a furious grimace, Risha was about to yell at Adam.

”Hahahahahahahaha!”

Thunderous laughter interrupted her, preventing her from making a critical mistake that could cost her a life.

The Inferno Serpent leaned over, his two large eyes reflecting the silhouette of a small but overly confident human.

”What is your name, young man?”

Adam raised his head, with no fear in his voice saying, ”Adam Vinter.”

”Why did you call us here? That aura was definitely yours. You spotted us from afar and used your aura as an invitation. This is the first time Iʼve encountered such a thing.”

The Inferno Serpent smirked. ”Nevertheless, you came. Whatʼs more, you even got that girl to follow you, even though sheʼs too much of a coward for that.”

Adam shrugged nonchalantly.

Then, his expression changed, becoming deadly serious.

”I want to know why you did it. Is it a trap? An offer to fight?”

”Or...” Adamʼs eyes deepened. ”These are all mistaken assumptions and you chose the two of us for something more important?”

With a brief pause, the Inferno Serpent slowly floated along the shore of the lake without looking at the two Phantoms.

”Well... This is not a trap, I can assure you of that. However, your future depends on whether you are truly strong or whether your auras do not reflect your true strength.”

Adam narrowed his eyes, stealthily his aura growing.

”You know that Risha cannot handle you. Thatʼs why you called me here since I might prove to be a worthy opponent for you, isnʼt it?”

”Hehehe... So much confidence in your voice, human. But, youʼre right about something.”

”Hmm?” Adam raised an eyebrow.

”I know this girl is too weak, but I donʼt know if youʼre strong enough. So, I want to check it out.”

Whoooooosh.

Before Adam could say the next words, shadows fell from above as a multitude of long spider legs headed toward Adam.

At that, none of the monsters saw Risha as a target or a threat.