Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 791 791: The Weak and the Strong

Electric discharges ran among the clouds, filling the sky, becoming more active as the Crimson Monarchʼs energy accumulated.

The orb for the lightning shots was no bigger than a hand, easily fitting in the palm of his hand, but the bright sphere clutched between his hands gradually grew like a dwarf star ready for a glowing explosion.

The Crimson Monarchʼs gaze was devoid of its usual arrogance and pride. He was completely focused on his task—failure was unacceptable, for he risked much.

”Adam Vinter...” The Crimson Monarch wheezed in a low voice, ”The dozen shells that flew into you didnʼt do any serious damage. Thatʼs good, very good...”

His gaze traveled downward, to the flames covering Adam and something else much deeper, just inside his inner space.

ʼWith one attack Iʼll take out most of the Phantoms, Adam will probably survive, heʼs more durable than I expected. Still, this External Artifact and his Operator, his two stars... Theyʼll sacrifice themselves but keep him alive. Itʼs a bad option, but itʼs still within the acceptable range.ʼ

If Adam or Silvana could hear the Crimson Monarchʼs thoughts they would have a lot of questions, but their minds were occupied with other things, they were thinking about how to survive, just like the rest of the Phantoms.

There was little time to come up with a plan, but in this case, deep thought was not necessary, they had to defend the fortress, by any means.

Running away was not an option, even if one was fast enough to get out of range of the Crimson Monarchʼs attack, the fortress would be destroyed in the aftermath. In that case, the Phantoms would lose any chance of survival, the defense of the walls would be lost, and dozens of Phantoms would die.

Gnash was one of the first to act. She wanted to talk to Adam as well, but Katrin beat her to it, they had no more time for that.

Step.

She turned sharply, raising her staff high up. Energy flowed along her body in numerous streams, reaching the staff.

At the same moment, in the sky above the fortress, rising over the towers, appeared a semi-transparent purple barrier, several black spheres releasing gravitational vibrations as well as eight massive crystals emitting an unusual aura.

”Come on! That bastard definitely wonʼt miss. We must defend ourselves at all costs, or his prediction will come true, and this night will be our last.”

Gnash did not stop. Her energy split into streams spinning around her in a multitude of projectiles.

Thump.

She tapped her staff on the ground, causing several stone rings in the sky, transferring her energy to the barrier. At her will, the projectiles flew toward the barrier, forming a protective grid.

Watching her actions, Adam blinked several times, not realizing what was happening. Gnash used one ability after another.

Adam, even with the artifact, nexus, and power gene, had only six abilities, which he already thought was quite a lot. Yet, Gnash already used over ten abilities and seemed to have saved a few trump cards as a last resort.

Silvana sensed his loss, she hastened to explain:

ʼItʼs all about her choosing a different path.ʼ

”Agh? What are you talking about?” Adam muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

ʼIt refers to the transition to K2-Level. I didnʼt have the information I needed then, but now I know all about the Immersion Door and the Imagination Door. Your choice has affected how your abilities will develop, their quality and quantity, as well as your path.ʼ

Time was short, Silvana immediately continued:

ʼTo simplify things to the extreme, Phantoms choosing the Immersion Door get fewer abilities but more powerful ones, they chose quality over quantity. With the Imagination Door, the situation is the opposite, quantity over quality, more abilities and variants, but on average the abilities are not as deep and powerful as yours.ʼ

Adam nodded deeply. He was sure that there were many subtleties in this matter since it affected Phantomʼs path.

”Well, in that case, Iʼm glad I opted for the Immersion Door. Iʼm ashamed to admit that Iʼm not fluent with even my modest arsenal. Hah, whatʼs this girlʼs name? She looks confident, using so many abilities at once without mistakes. Thatʼs impressive.”

His words were sincere, so Adam didnʼt realize that Gnash had heard him. However, even if she was far away, her Operator would make sure to relay Adamʼs words.

For a split second, Gnash gasped, her eyes wide open and her cheeks flushed.

ʼNo! Pull yourself together, this is no time to be distracted! I might fucking die if I donʼt do this perfectly!ʼ

Though these were Gnashʼs thoughts, the rest of the Phantoms understood the risks as well.

Step.

Katrin stepped forward, she swung her hand wide in order, she wasnʼt going to give up her place as a leader to anyone even if it was Adam.

”Why are you standing there like youʼre frozen? Gnash is right, those with defensive abilities use everything, every trump card you have but defend the fortress! The lives of your friends and comrades depend on it, your lives!”

Then, without even taking a breath, Katrin directed her gaze to another part of the crowd.

”Those with powerful long-range abilities, prepare them! Itʼs unlikely that weʼll be able to destroy this mons...” she glanced at Adam, ʼThe Crimson Monarchʼs attack, but weʼll greatly weaken it!ʼ

Dozens of Phantoms nodded, immediately springing into action.

A multitude of bright flashes filled the fortress, the various colors vibrating with each other like constellations in the starry sky.

The Phantoms used everything they had, no one tried to hold their trump cards, everyone realized that if they didnʼt stop the Crimson Monarchʼs strike, they would die.

Only a small portion of the Phantoms were left idle, but they quickly oriented heading to defend the fortress from the monsters. Phantoms without defense and ranged abilities replaced others with the capability to help with survival.

One such Phantom was Katrin, yet she didnʼt leave for the gate, instead, she headed towards Adam as the supports continued to restore his energy.

Meeting her gaze Adam nodded slightly, he glanced at her sword and unique coat.

”Looks like you finally got what you wanted, right? Youʼre no longer a support, youʼre strong and dangerous.”

With a cold expression, Katrin greatly frowned as her left palm came into motion, coming down directly on Adamʼs face.

Without effort, Adam abruptly grabbed her wrist, stopping her hand a centimeter from his cheek.

”Oh, looks like someoneʼs mad at me. Whatʼs got you so upset?”

Katrinʼs grimace grew darker, she couldnʼt believe his insolence.

”What, you donʼt know, or are you just fucking kidding me? You were here first! You could help us defend the fortress, but instead, you ignored all requests from the military and went deep into the fortress for your stupid mission!”

Anger filled her eyes, she could no longer hold back. The fact that the Unknown Phantom turned out to be Adam made the situation even worse. She wanted answers.

”Whatʼs more, you didnʼt just leave us wielding the ultimate power, you brought us a new threat - the Overlord Type monster! Fuck, Adam! Most of the Phantoms here are K2W0-Level, itʼs an invincible opponent for them.”

She clenched her fists tighter, struggling to fight the urge to attack him right now.

”We could all die because of you! Because you didnʼt want to help your own people, us Phantoms! I want to know why!”

Soon, she heard a serene, almost indifferent voice.

”Hmm? K2W0-Level? What level do you think I was at a few hours ago?”

”Argh?”

Katrin raised her head sharply in disbelief.

”Sure, Iʼm no longer K2W0-Phantom now, but I was when I entered the gate. I killed three commanders for you, though one of them turned out to be a special case...”

Then, Adam turned his gaze upward, toward the Crimson Monarch.

”What about him? Well, most likely he would awaken without my intervention. Maybe a little later, but the blood and energy of the monsters would have infused the depths of the fortress, during the Eclipse the progress of the ritual accelerated greatly.”

Were those excuses? It wasnʼt like that. Adam was telling the way things were.

”Fuck no!” Katrin shouted irritably, ”Youʼre just fucking selfish! I donʼt know if you got stronger in the fortress, but you were supposed to help us! You should have protected the fortress from the waves of monsters, from the threats of the Eclipse, and then fulfilled your mission!”

Instead of an apology or response, she received only a deep, weary sigh at her demands:

”Agh... I didnʼt call you here. I went to clear the Red Zone, the fact that you canʼt handle defending the walls is your fault, not mine.”

At the same moment, Katrinʼs eyes filled with blood as she stepped forward, about to smash her fist right into his face.

Yet, even though her body was in action, her arm didnʼt move.

Adamʼs grip only grew tighter, it seemed he could break her wrist if he applied a little more force.

Suddenly, he unclenched his hand and took a step back.

”You want to fight? Right now?”

His blue eyes grew colder, two deep blue abysses consuming Katrin.

”Fine, Iʼm ready. But... before I do, let me tell you something.”

Katrin furrowed her eyebrows, she held the hilt of her sword tightly, actually ready to fight.

Then, Adam spread his arms out to the sides, opening himself up to attack.

”Youʼre angry with me not because I didnʼt help you and ignored requests for aid. Itʼs because you werenʼt strong enough to deal with the threats alone.”

After a moment, he continued, his voice deep:

”Katrin, you stayed the same, youʼre weak.”

For her that was the last straw, her legs twitched ready to rush, but no sooner did she take a step than the sharp tip of the needle was at her neck.

Goosebumps ran down Katrinʼs body as her gaze traveled to the red fire, the heat of the flames felt on her cold skin, threatening imminent burns. Her face turned pale as Adamʼs arms were still open.

”The truth is, now, I donʼt even have to move a finger to defeat you. Katrin... Do you realize that I could kill you right now?”