Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1873: Unshatterable Ice

Tremble! Tremble! Tremble!

With a violent tremor, the ice altar rose from the middle of the lake, along with the blue fragments of the shattered core.

The pressure was just as intense as last time, but this time, Adam was prepared for it.

Whooooooosh!

A bright, icy flash hurtled toward him with all its might as Adam raised his star shield. It had been crafted by Amelia’s artifact specifically to withstand this attack for a short time.

“Come to think of it, all of this is the power of the destroyed artifact.” Adam narrowed his eyes as the star shield trembled violently under the pressure. “I doubt Lone Blaze could muster even 30% of that power.”

This made Adam wonder just how powerful the Spirit of Eternal Winter had been when Vador was at his peak.

It was on a whole different level, an artifact that, in terms of rarity and capabilities, surpassed even the ancient artifacts.

“Still… I wouldn’t want to have something like that.” Adam gripped the shield tighter as the pressure grew stronger.

Waves of frost swept past him on his right and left, bright and full of energy, but thanks to the shield, they didn’t touch Adam, allowing him to remain in his spot.

“The Legacy Artifacts are rare and possess great power and potential. But… There’s a reason I’ve never heard of them before, isn’t there?”

His gaze grew more intense.

“I doubt that Damien, Frida, Gladius, or anyone else has such artifacts, even though each of them is strong enough to kill the entire Grad Family and take the reborn Spirit of Eternal Winter. I’m sure that, if they wanted to, they could obtain most of the Legacy Artifacts in this world.

“Also, neither I nor any of them would want to become part of a family and be dependent on others and the will of their artifact. That’s not the kind of power that can change the whole world, that’s for sure.”

When Adam first learned about the Legacy Artifacts, he was amazed by the power and potential they held.

But, little by little, he came to understand one important thing, and after speaking with Amelia’s artifact, he became certain of it.

“The Legacy Artifacts are the consequences of events, but not the events themselves, and certainly not those who created those events.”

Suddenly, Adam’s eyes filled with determination.

“If you want to change the world, you must possess enough power so that your actions will one day become the cause of a new Legacy Artifact’s creation, not the other way around. Ha… Now, I know what I have to do.”

At that very moment, the frost flow weakened and eventually ceased. It seemed that Vador’s artifact had finally understood why Adam had come here.

“Now can I get to work?”

Adam tossed the star shield aside as he approached the altar.

Step. Step. Step.

He strode forward confidently as the altar trembled once more.

Adam braced himself for the next attack, but instead, something else happened.

Tremble! Tremble! Tremble!

The core fragments swirled in a ring in the air as a large ice crystal, resembling a mighty pillar, emerged from beneath the altar.

Inside, with his knees pressed to his chest, stood a person. Unlike Amelia’s artifact, which was a young girl, Vador’s artifact was a middle-aged man with a touch of gray at the temples and a thick mustache.

His eyes were closed, and his aura was stable.

“Agh…?”

Adam was confused. The girl had said he would know what to do next, but that didn’t happen. He was confused.

He needed at least some kind of clue.

Whoooooosh!

As soon as the ice pillar was fully visible, the core fragments sprang into action.

One after another, they crashed into the ice pillar in an attempt to destroy it. But the ice was too strong, even for the core fragments.

Slowly, the confusion in Adam’s eyes gave way to a bright light.

“I see.”

The corners of his mouth turned up into a satisfied smirk.

“Amelia said that Vador sustained his injury while trying to become a True Lord. Given his level and the task at hand, the backlash in case of failure must have been enormous. Well, that’s exactly what happened, right?”

Vador’s Evolution Tree had been torn to shreds, and his Legacy Artifact was severely damaged.

Basically, it was a death sentence if no one had helped Vador.

Step.

Adam stepped forward, fearlessly touching the ice pillar. He realized what had happened here.

“This is somewhat similar to the situation with Lakma and Queen Elisa. They, too, had to create a protective crystal to avoid dying.”

For a moment, his gaze darkened.

“Lakma didn’t succeed, but Queen Elisa managed to do it. I don’t know how, but that’s how it was. So… Could it be that Vador’s artifact sensed the impending catastrophe, and his only way to survive was to seal himself inside this crystal?”

He didn’t need answers. He was certain that was exactly what had happened.

“If he hadn’t done that, it’s quite possible that Vador would already be dead. It was a desperate measure, and the only one to save both himself and Vador, right?”

Then, his gaze turned to the core fragments.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

They were still trying to break through the ice crystal, but they couldn’t even scratch it. The fragments wanted to show Adam this so he would understand what needed to be done.

“Got it, you can stop.”

Strangely enough, the fragments obeyed him as they soared into the air.

“I don’t know exactly what’s going on here. Maybe he has the most important part of the core, or maybe he himself is that part, but as long as he’s trapped in this crystal, neither I nor anyone else can do anything.”

Adam stepped back as a broad smile spread across his face, accompanied by excitement in his eyes.

“She was right. I can do this! All I need is my needle! Destroying barriers is what I do best!”

Tap.

The long, white needle appeared in Adam’s grip. It was shaped like a lance, designed for one purpose only – to pierce.

And then… Adam was ready to unleash the most powerful attack possible.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Aura surged from his body in powerful streams, taking the form of the Soul Stance. He channeled the Dark Energy and Ancient Energy into his needle and also drew upon most of his own energy.

The power of this technique would be enough to mortally wound a Baron, or perhaps even a stronger monster.