Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 272: The Beating

Waves of sound seemed to spread slowly and leisurely throughout the room. Silvana and Magnus, standing in the distance, had time to cover their ears and realize what was happening, but not Nessa, whose eyes were focused on Adam.

Before Nessa could realize anything, streams of blood came out of her ears, and her mind filled with a vivid, almost unbearable pain.

”ARGHHHHHH!!!”

Nessa roared in agony like a beast receiving a mortal wound.

Then, Nessa clenched her teeth tightly, gathering her strength and barely lifting her gaze to Adam.

Her head was splitting with pain, but she shouldnʼt forget that she was fighting against one of the strongest K1-Phantoms. After all, few K1s were capable of defeating Thunder Demon.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

The electrical discharges running through Adamʼs body became more active before his silhouette disappeared in a blue flash.

Nessaʼs eyes went wide as she instinctively put up a block against the impending attack.

Bam.

Adamʼs foot slammed into Nessaʼs crossed arms, causing a loud clap and forcing Nessa to advance backwards a bit, leaving a mark on the ground.

”Hah, while using your ability youʼre fast, I wonʼt argue. But... Unlike me, this is the power of your ability, you wonʼt be able to use it forever!” Nessa said confidently, not at all afraid of Adam.

Adamʼs lips came into motion. He was clearly saying something, perhaps serene and arrogant, but Nessa just couldnʼt hear him. Her ears would need quite a bit more time to recover. Right now, she couldnʼt rely on her hearing.

Then, Adam slowly raised his hand, his eyes shining brightly, causing a cascade of silver threads to appear, quickly covering his arm. In the next moment, a long white needle descended upon Nessa, leaving her no choice but to block it.

Adam smirked.

He realized that Nessa had gotten stronger, but even Thunder Demon wasnʼt capable of blocking his needle. Perhaps only someone like Obsidian Armadillo, the monster with the best defense among Purple Threat Level monsters, could do it.

Crackling.

Scarlet sparks like red-hot iron flew off to the sides as Adamʼs needle slammed into Nessaʼs long claws. Oddly enough, the silver needle failed to break them or at least leave a crack, only imperceptible scratches.

”Hah, now do you see the difference between us? Not even your needle is capable of breaking my claws!” Nessa exclaimed confidently before grabbing Adamʼs arm.

Adam didnʼt have time to react and dodge, so soon Nessaʼs hands clenched tightly around his wrist. If she wanted to, Nessa could tear Adamʼs arm apart, just rip chunks of his flesh out, under the superior strength of her grip.

However, though they fought she had no desire to kill Adam or wound him so badly that he would have to go through the long treatment again. She had many other methods to defeat him.

Whooooooooooooosh.

Nessa stepped forward, throwing Adam over herself and bringing him down to the ground with all her strength.

Crackle.

The white floor cracked, crumpling under Adamʼs back from the incredible power of Nessaʼs throw.

”Argh!”

Adamʼs mouth opened wide, clots of blood flying out only to soon be cut open by Nessaʼs claws.

”Letʼs end it there.” Nessa said coldly lifting her foot.

In Adamʼs eyes, it all happened slowly, but to Silvana and Magnus, it was like a flash. In a heartbeat, Nessaʼs foot slammed on Adamʼs face, driving his head even deeper into the floor.

Blood rushed out, making Silvana shudder to imagine the damage Adam had sustained. If K0-Phantom or any monster weaker than a Top-10 had been in his place, Nessaʼs foot would have simply blown his head off.

”I wonʼt hide it. Your gaze actually made me angry. It even made me resentful, so... I even feel a little guilty for what I did.” Nessa said looking at Adamʼs face, his gaze was blank and his lips were struggling to move. His nose was broken, his skull was cracked and his face was covered in blood.

Nessa turned away, stepping slowly to the side.

She clenched her fist, with a serious expression.

”However... I guess I should thank you. Youʼre strong, very strong, but now I surpass you. This form is amazing...” Nessa muttered, looking at her claws, which reflected her like the blade of a sharp sword.

She felt invincible. Her self-confidence grew to an extreme and the realization that she was perfection strengthened even more.

Crackle.

Slowly, emerging from the wreckage, Adam stood up. He looked like a puppet being pulled by someone pulling strings, for the first few seconds his instincts had ruled his body rather than his mind.

”Agh...? Can you still stand on your feet?” Nessa turned around, clearly surprised.

Then, Adamʼs empty eyes became deep again, saturating with light and seriousness.

”Oh... Did I pass out?” Adam muttered puzzled, touching behind his head that hurt like hell, ”Well, it hasnʼt happened to me yet, but now I can do what Alexia once did.”

Nessa turned at an odd angle to hear what Adam was saying, her left ear, had partially recovered.

”Well, I hope I donʼt look ridiculous.” Adam smiled bitterly before covering his face with his hands. Blood enveloped his palms, then, Adam guided his hands up, running his hands through his hair and slicking it back.

His hair was not as long as Louisʼs, even Magnusʼs hair was considerably longer. However, his hair wasnʼt as short as some military recruit who had recently been shaved bald.

Adamʼs black hair was thick, disheveled, and with slightly curled ends, just a little. Now that heʼd slicked it back using his own blood, he looked like a young mob boss from the old movies.

”And...? Whatʼs next? You think your new hairstyle is going to make a difference?” Nessa raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

Adam smirked.

”Something like that. Iʼm not going to lose to you, since youʼre not strong enough. Thunder Demon would tear you apart. Though...” Adam paused for a long moment.

”Though...?” Nessa frowned.

Adam took a deep breath with slight regret.

”Youʼre probably the strongest Crown Monster Iʼve fought before. I donʼt think North Keeper could beat you.”

Nessa frowned heavily.

”Iʼm not a monster!” Nessa waved her hand in a fury.

Adam lifted his chin, smirking caustically.

”Yeah, it would be more correct to say non-human, like me. However, Iʼm not a monster completely, but you are only partially. And, if I were to compare you to monsters, Crown Type would be the closest association.”

Nessa wanted to say something, but Adam beat her to it when his eyes flashed, then energy began to build up at his gloves.

Adam directed the two gloves towards each other, causing hundreds of silver threads to turn into a huge silver sphere.

This was Adamʼs Second Artifact Trait and against such a large sphere one could not simply dodge or block. Nessa would be torn apart if she tried to do that.

”Alright, letʼs see how tough you really are.” Adam uttered before turning into a lightning flash and being in front of Nessa.

Nessaʼs eyes went wide. She urgently needed to make a decision. She could try to dodge, even partially and that would be the right decision.

ʼBut... How can I call myself perfection if I run away?!ʼ Nessa inwardly exclaimed before stepping forward and grabbing the silver sphere with both hands, sinking her sharp claws into the rapidly spinning threads.