Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 553 Raising the Stakes (Part 2)

Step. Step. Step.

Adam was approached by a waiter, a girl with crimson hair and blue eyes similar to Adamʼs.

In the first seconds, Adam didnʼt understand why the waiter decided to approach him now, but soon he realized that this girl looked very familiar.

”Wait... Silvana?” Adamʼs eyes went wide, looking at her from bottom to top, not believing his eyes.

Silvana was slightly embarrassed by such a gaze, she blushed, but quickly returned to normal. Right now they had more important matters to attend to.

”Here.” Silvana held out her phone to Adam, ”You need to see this.”

Adam raised an eyebrow in confusion but didnʼt refuse.

He stared at the phone for a while before realization came to him and his eyes went wide in shock.

”What the hell...?”

Tap.

Suddenly, Gladius appeared next to him, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

”Sorry I didnʼt send you a message, fighters shouldnʼt be allowed to bet on themselves or against themselves, otherwise thereʼs a risk that they could lose on purpose and it would kill all interest!” Gladius said with a wave of his hand.

Adam looked around, he looked at Franz standing off to the side.

”Whatʼs going on here anyway?”

Franz shrugged.

”Raising the stakes. And, in a way it was inevitable, at least after Gladius decided to get involved in this.”

Whooooooooooooosh.

Franz wanted to say something, but suddenly Gladius swept in front of him and found himself facing Nelya. Rosalind standing with her got wary, but she didnʼt try to stop Gladius, she knew that was pointless.

”Young lady, I hope you will watch this fight and place a bet when the opportunity opens up.” Gladius said sweetly, gently taking her hand.

Franz frowned slightly.

”Watching the fight...? Isnʼt it supposed to happen right here?” Nelya asked, slightly stumped.

Gladius shook his head before turning to Zarot.

”The fight will take place in the arena, wonʼt it?” Experience tales with

Zarot gritted his teeth but nodded deeply. However, a sly smirk appeared on his face for a moment before just as quickly disappearing.

”Iʼm sure we can have a suitable arena prepared and picked up in the second or third wings by lunchtime.” Zarot uttered with a serious face, but deep in his eyes lurked a sly glint.

Gladius waved his hand sarcastically with a silly smile.

”Oh, no need to bother, moreover the arena is ready.” Gladius said before his gaze turned cold and his eyes narrowed, ”And... you donʼt want to break The Rule of Power again, do you?”

Zarot gulped.

”What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean the arena is ready...?”

Gladiusʼs corners of his lips went up as he stepped forward.

A glass of champagne appeared in his hand as he stood on the nearest table and raised his hand high, drawing the attention of his guests.

”I think a little explanation is needed here. The Rule of Power, especially one of such great magnitude, can only take place in two arenas - the Sun Colosseum and the Moon Colosseum.”

Zarotʼs eyes went wide, a chill ran down his back. He hadnʼt expected Gladius to know about such intricacies that many nobles werenʼt even aware of.

”Sun Colosseum is in the first wing and Moon Colosseum in the ninth wing.”

Gladius waved his hand and pointed at Adam standing in the center of the banquet hall.

”Because of my knowledge of Adam Vinterʼs intentions, I was able to prepare the Moon Colosseum for his upcoming battle, thanks to working with the main family in the ninth wing.”

Gladius paused, allowing his guests to realize what happened and process the information. Light whispers appeared only to quickly cease.

”Well, you all seem to have understood. Does anyone have any questions?”

Suddenly, the only one who raised a hand was Nelya.

”Oh, young lady, ask away. I will answer any question you have with pleasure.” Gladius leaned forward.

Nelya coughed before asking in an unsure voice:

”When does the fight start? I mean, how much time does the Marzo Family have to find a suitable opponent?”

Then, Gladiusʼs sly, easy smile turned into a creepy grin.

He looked out the window - at the moon hurrying to rise as high above the horizon line as possible. It wasnʼt very late yet as the wedding ceremony started at the final stage of sunset, then the bride - Osana - arrived at the banquet hall.

”Hah, thatʼs great, no, thatʼs the best question one could ask in this situation!” Gladius exclaimed, he cast a quick glance at Zarot, whose eyes filled with fear.

Zarot was well aware of how The Rule of Power worked, especially in the context of a wedding, so... he knew what that meant.

”According to the rules, the family must show their fighter, on the same day. However, thereʼs a catch, if itʼs less than six hours before midnight, the other side, the one looking for a fighter, gets an extra three hours.” Gladius explained, with a satisfied expression.

Then, the guests and nobles began to check their watches, there were less than two hours until midnight.

”Wait... Doesnʼt that mean the Marzo Family has less than five hours to choose their fighter? They only have until 3 A.M.” Someone from the guests muttered in a trembling voice.

Whoooooooosh.

Gladius waved his hand.

”Bingo!”

Then, he took a deep sip and looked at Nelya.

”As for your second question, itʼs just as interesting. The start of the battle of The Rule of Power depends on only one factor - which of the two traditional arenas it takes place in.”

Gladius cast a glance at Adam before gazing upwards, through a hole in the ceiling was a great view of the starry night sky, with a bright blue moon about to appear in the center of it.

”In our case, itʼs the Moon Colosseum, which means the battle will begin exactly when the moon disappears over the horizon line.”

Silence.

No one said anything, it seemed the guests and nobles were trying to figure out what it meant and for which side it was good news.

”Hahahahahahahaha, unbelievable!”

Suddenly, Baren laughed brightly, holding onto his stomach.

”I donʼt know if you were the one who came up with all this, but this is just a diabolical plan!”

Baren exclaimed spreading his arms out to the sides.

”Itʼs less than six hours to midnight, which means the Marzo Family can look for a fighter until 3 A.M. But since itʼs summer, dawn starts early and the moon goes out even earlier. Thus, the fight will start around 4 A.M!”

Everyoneʼs eyes went wide. They realized what this meant - Marzo Familyʼs fighter would have no time to prepare as well as the family members to make any impact. Moreover, the viewers would need to hurry to make their bets in time, as they would only have one hour.

”Yeah, itʼs exactly like that.” Gladius smirked, taking a final sip and emptying his glass before throwing it on the ground, the glass shattering into small pieces.

Tap.

Gladius jumped off the table and walked calmly towards the golden archway.

The woman, the officiant, instinctively stepped aside, allowing him to stand between Nirosh and Osana, that is, between the bride and groom.

”Unfortunately.” Gladius looked at Nirosh, ”Or fortunately.” Gladius showed Osana a smile, ”Until the outcome of the battle of The Rule of Power, this wedding is suspended!”