Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1392: Road to Izardo

Although Adam lost the battle against the paper maps, thanks to Silvana, he was finally ready to set off for Izardo.

One leap after another, Adam flew over the crimson peaks where he had fought Karso during his training.

The crimson peaks were a vast territory beyond which lay a spacious expanse sloping down like a hillside. Only when Adam crossed this expanse would he reach Izardo.

Sure, there were several rivers, hills, and lakes around Izardo, but they were all quite far away. Right next to Izardo was only a plain with sharp rocks protruding from the ground.

’Adam, although I generally support your idea of going to Izardo, you should be careful and always remember Norax’s advice.’ Silvana’s serious voice rang in his head.

”Yeah, I know.”

He nodded slightly as he moved on.

Before Adam left and everyone said goodbye to him, everyone gave him some advice, because not only Norax, but also Narica, Misty, and Karso had been to Izardo many times. It was the closest city to the Forgotten Mills and one of the largest in all of the Tarnished Lands.

Basically, they all told him not to attract attention and not to pick fights, especially in the city or near the checkpoints.

Izardo didn’t have high walls like the Citadel, but it was still a city with its own guards, gates, and main roads through which most monsters entered the city.

Adam would not be the first Phantom in Izardo. Norax had told him a lot about it, but in reality, Adam had no intention of meeting any of the Phantoms.

”Even if there are other Phantoms in Izardo now, they are unlikely to be able to help me in any way. My goal is Helasa and the Crown Beak!”

Thus, for the next half hour, Adam jumped from one peak to another to finally reach the end of this territory.

From time to time, several red eyes appeared from the darkness below, but Adam was too high up, and even from this distance, they could sense Norax’s aura emanating from his token.

Step.

Adam stopped at the beginning of the descent from the hill as he enjoyed the view that opened up before him.

Now, Izardo did not look as mysterious as it did at night when the lights were on, but this view was unlike anything he had seen before.

A multitude of flying monsters resembling wyverns or gargoyles hovered over the city, their wings spread wide. Figures moved toward each of the four main gates, all of them being the Awakened Monsters and taking the form of humans.

The distance was too great for Adam to understand their true power, but even from here, he could sense that most of them were the Elders, and only a small portion were stronger or weaker.

Smoke rose from several buildings in the city, while the streets were full of people, each with their own goals.

”Damn, I still can’t believe this is real.” Adam took a deep breath. ”They’re monsters, but... they act just like humans.”

Silvana appeared next to him, wanting to enjoy the view for herself.

”Well, because it’s profitable. Sure, monsters like Phantoms will always fight and thus become stronger, but trade, alliances, and information exchange have always been effective methods for achieving their goals.”

”Are you saying that the emergence of such cities was inevitable?” Adam asked.

She nodded affirmatively. ”If humans didn’t have language or even gestures, but only growled and spat, the Citadel would never have appeared. We would have been just beasts incapable of communication.”

”Hah.” Adam smiled bitterly, scratching the back of his head. ”Yeah, I guess so. But...”

”Hm?” Silvana turned around.

”Unlike humans, a monster may not have consciousness and be just a wild beast, yet have enough power to kill many humans.”

”Everyone has their advantages and disadvantages. Humans inherently have consciousness and speech, monsters inherently have energy. Only at the K3-K4 Levels does this difference cease to be so significant.”

After a few seconds, Adam shook his head and prepared to move on.

Whoooooooooosh.

At the same moment, something flew across the sky, causing Adam to look up.

”What the hell...?”

A massive bird tore through the clouds, moving at tremendous speed straight toward the ground. On its neck was a man, clearly a monster, whose long sword was deeply embedded in the bird’s throat.

The bird tried to resist, flapping its wings and growling menacingly through its crooked beak, but the man only pressed down harder on the blade. He knew who the winner was and what would happen next.

TREMBLE!

With a crash, the bird and the man fell to the ground. A pillar of dust rose as rocks scattered in all directions. This happened a few hundred meters from Izardo.

For ordinary humans, this was a great distance, but the guards of Izardo were strong monsters who immediately sprang into action.

Under Adam’s curious gaze, several figures flew out from the gate, arriving at the crash site in just a few seconds.

”Are they going to fight now?” Adam suggested as Silvana frowned. Although they were very far away, she didn’t like that something important was happening right now.

”I think we need to move away and—”

Before she could finish, their faces froze in shock.

”HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

The laughter of the man who had killed the bird reached them on the wind as the guards approached him. One of them nodded approvingly, and the second patted him on the shoulder. The third pointed at the bird and began to ask something and make suggestions, judging by his gestures.

In response, the man answered something, looked at the bird, and pointed at Izardo.

Then, they nodded and two guards returned to the checkpoint, while one helped the man lift the bird as they headed for the gate.

Adam and Silvana exchanged glances several times, trying to understand what had just happened.

”Wait... He was hunting a monster? Monster on monster...?”

Silvana gulped, directing her gaze to Izardo.

”Huh, maybe this city is more like ours than we thought.”

Adam just smiled as a fire lit up in his eyes. Now, he really wanted to know more about Izardo.