Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1009: Cruel Sun (Part 1)

The path was Adamʼs unique ability, whose origin was not fully known even to him.

Sure, he realized that it had always been part of his first order. His first and to some extent his primary ability. Its source of power was not at the very center of the Evolution Tree like the Initial Gene, for a long time it had been one of the two branches that had recently become one.

But only the needle had always stayed with him on his journey. Most abilities were gone or changed beyond recognition, but his needle, though it changed shape, always remained a needle.

The path was part of him.

With each of his fights, with each step on the ladder of evolution, Adam understood better and better how to control and summon the path.

Thus, he reached his current peak of power - the Branch Order.

His second needle, lying in his left hand, could summon a smaller and weakened version of the path at will. This power was enough to defeat Heret and the Light Guardians in a single move.

But... the strength of Arnothʼs shield was beyond his wildest assumptions.

ʼFuck... That was a big mistake...ʼ Adam internally muttered as his face smashed into the hard shield.

ʼAdam!ʼ Silvanaʼs voice boomed in his mind, not allowing him to hesitate for even one second.

Who knows what would have happened if not for Silvanaʼs shout?

A bright light fell on Adamʼs face as he opened his eyes wide. His pupils twitched, feeling how much energy was building up in Arnothʼs shield.

ʼNo, I canʼt keep fighting in this position. I have to get out of here at all costs!ʼ

Action had to be taken as fast as possible. Adam didnʼt know how much time was left before the explosion, but he had to make sure the shockwave didnʼt hit him.

Click.

For that reason, he re-created the second needle.

He got his Nexus making him faster, his energy control and the effects of the global gene. All this allowed him to fight at high speed, but nothing could be faster than the path if he needed to cross a certain distance.

Whooooooosh.

Before Arnoth could attack, Adamʼs frame shuddered as he found himself dozens of meters away.

At the same moment, a blast of fiery light destroyed everything around Arnoth, leaving not a single scratch on his heavy armor.

Adam took a few steps back, shielding his arm from the debris flying toward him.

All that remained of the column was the bases as Arnoth stood in the middle of the crater while golden streams of energy thickened.

”Khm... You know...” Arnoth grunted. ”For a moment, I thought this was the end of our fight. I would be sorely disappointed if it turned out that way.”

”Hah, your shield proved too durable.” Adam smiled nervously.

He tried to maintain a confident expression, but it was obvious to both of them that he hadnʼt expected this. Adam wanted to leave Arnoth unprotected and wound him deeply, and in the end, he almost set himself up for a fatal strike.

Arnoth nodded weakly. ”You shouldnʼt try to destroy my shield. You wonʼt be able to do it anyway. Youʼre not strong enough.”

”Arh?” Adam frowned. ”How am I supposed to beat you then? We both decided I had a chance of winning, didnʼt we?”

Silence.

Only ten seconds later, Arnoth took a deep breath.

”Iʼm beginning to doubt that. Anyway... You definitely have enough energy in you for me to evolve, so even if youʼre not as strong as I thought, our fight will be beneficial to me.”

These words could cause Adam nothing but deep irritation.

He gripped the hilt of his first needle tightly, bringing the dark blade down upon Arnoth.

Even Kreyna did not risk blocking this attack directly. She was afraid that the dark blade would injure her and prevent her from winning.

Well, she would have lost anyway.

But Arnoth didnʼt budge. He didnʼt need to. He was neither an assassin nor an archer nor a soldier. He was a crusader, and besides the power of light, he had his shield.

Crackle.

A dark blade shattered against Arnothʼs exposed shield, black clots flying in front of his helmet.

Adam gulped.

ʼShit, I realize that shattering his shield isnʼt the easiest task. But itʼs more than that. He blocked the dark blade and didnʼt even twitch. His hand didnʼt flinch.ʼ

Arnoth was in no hurry to attack. Fast fighting was not something he was used to. This combat style didnʼt suit him, but he could force others to act quickly.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Energy ran down Arnothʼs arm, accumulating at the tip of his sword.

”You see... Adam. Iʼm beginning to think itʼs impossible for you to even break through my armor. After all, you still donʼt realize who your opponent is.”

Before Adam could say anything, all the energy on Arnothʼs sword shuddered, turning into a rapidly spinning sphere like a tiny sun.

”Letʼs see if youʼre qualified to be my opponent and not just another soul Iʼll absorb. Youʼre fast and Iʼm not, so... letʼs see how fast you are.”

Without hesitation, Arnoth raised his sword, forcing the sphere to stop. A multitude of bright spots covered it, and then dozens of rays started flying out in all directions, destroying everything in their path.

The rays had no target, Arnoth wasnʼt aiming specifically at Adam, but the impact zone was too large for him to ignore.

Whoosh.

Adam lunged forward, white energy covering his legs as he struggled to dodge the rays flying towards him.

One ray crashed into a pillar directly above his head, another into the ground just a step away, and a third flew over his shoulder.

ʼShit, this is just the beginning. Heʼs wasting so much energy on this pointless attack, but I canʼt feel his aura getting any weaker, even a little bit!ʼ

Clang.

Adam swung the first needle, reflecting the beam flying straight at him.

Then, darkness swept across his eyes, contrasting with Arnothʼs great light.

ʼAlright. Iʼll be honest with you, Arnoth,ʼ Adam inwardly uttered. ʼNeedles are not my strongest ability.ʼ

At the next reflected ray, Adam tore forward as a black wreath appeared on his head, the thorns quickly charging with the surrounding energy.