Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 837: The Queen (Part 2)

Adam took his time, his stride was measured, as if showing respect to the queen, though she hardly knew she had guests.

Seyrina and Douglas watched Adam, they had to make sure he would succeed and become K3-Phantom.

Otherwise, they would need to find a way to save Silvana from overpowering quickly.

Silvana was worried about Adam since Douglasʼs words scared her badly. Not long ago, she was no different from a mere human, only thanks to the Evolution Sprout and the energy flowing through her body she could be near Queen Elisa without risking her life.

Eager for answers Silvana turned to Douglas.

”Mr. Douglas, is this true? What you said about the energy density...”

”Sure. Even K0 or K1 Phantoms would have difficulty breathing or keeping a clear mind. Itʼs deadly dangerous for normal people here.”

Douglas waved his hand with a serious look as he continued his explanation:

”As you realize, it is not the Queenʼs fault. In her condition, she canʼt block the energy output like Damien does, so her energy and aura are constantly going out in passive mode. Itʼs only a small part, but itʼs enough to create an intimidating difference.”

Suddenly, Silvanaʼs eyes went wide, for she hadnʼt expected Douglas to mention Damien.

”Wait... Damien? But, Iʼve met him a few times, me and Adam. Back then, we didnʼt go through the Gene Diffusion yet, I felt fine.”

In confirmation of her words, Douglas nodded deeply, his arms crossed over his chest.

”Itʼs like that. He suppresses his aura and the output of his energy, otherwise, every time he shows up in town people would pass out in seconds. The medics would only have a few minutes to save them from imminent death, their hearts would just explode.”

Silvana didnʼt know what to say. She felt pure terror, for Douglas wasnʼt talking about some scary monster or anomaly, he was talking about the hero of the Citadel and the strongest Phantom of humanity.

Upon seeing her pale face and trembling gaze, Douglas sighed heavily.

”I understand your confusion, but think of it as water.”

”W-water...?” Silvana didnʼt understand what Douglas was getting at.

”Yeah, everyone knows that water is the key to life, its beginning and sustenance. Water is the source of life, but it can also be dangerous. Iʼm not talking about compressed water in factories or people drowning, no, I have a much more natural example.”

Douglas raised his hand, slowly clenching his fist.

”Pressure. If you float on the surface the water will support you without letting you drown even if you canʼt swim. Sure, details like salt level and density are important here, but thatʼs not the point right now.”

Silvana blinked, listening to him intently.

”If you find yourself on the bottom, under dozens or even hundreds of meters of water pressing at one point, all that weight, tons of it, will come crashing down on you. Youʼre not made of steel, though even it wouldnʼt hold up, so all your bones would break in an instant, and the flesh would tear apart.”

A cold gleam swept across Douglasʼs eyes.

”It would be instant death.”

Silvana gulped. She understood what Douglas was talking about. It wasnʼt anything frightening, simple laws of physics and math, but the way he said it made her flinch.

Then, Douglas unclenched his fist approaching the end:

”So, if a powerful creature like Damien with an aura hitting at full force passes near an ordinary person, the person moves from the surface to the very bottom and the water simply collapses him with its power.”

”K0, K2, or even K4 Phantoms arenʼt strong enough to end a creatureʼs life just by being around it. But... the Second Rank Phantoms, thatʼs a whole other level.”

Almost unnoticed, Seyrina bit her lip almost to the point of bleeding. She was a K4-Phantom, her main goal was to reach the level of the strongest.

However, it wasnʼt easy. All the trials, all the levels before were a blank spot compared to how difficult, almost impossible it was to go from K4-Level to the Second Rank.

After listening to Douglas, Silvana nodded a few times, her expression thoughtful.

”I see... I was scared, but now I realize that everything is working as it should. Too bad the queen canʼt suppress her aura like Damien and the other Second Rank Phantoms.”

Silvana smiled weakly, looking at Adam who approached the tree.

”Then not only the K3-Phantoms and above could come here and see the queen, others could too, perhaps even ordinary people.”

She didnʼt notice it, but Seyrinaʼs and Douglasʼs gazes grew darker, filling with darkness.

The reason for the strict pass to Heaven Island and the K3-Level limitations wasnʼt just due to the queenʼs overwhelming energy.

It was a far more brutal, forbidden secret that K2-Phantom and his Operator were too early to know about.

Though... their time was inevitably coming to an end.

Time waited for no one, ever, moving only forward at its own pace, forcing everyone else to follow its endless flow.

Step. Step. Step.

At the same moment, Adam stood before the queen. The crystal and the massive tree towered above him, he looked like an ant trying to see the giant.

Pale blue light fell on his face while his heart beat slower and slower.

Although the pressure from the dense energy was deadly to ordinary people and dangerous even to K1-Phantoms, for those strong enough, for worthy ones, it had the opposite, a calming effect.

Adamʼs eyelids grew heavier, but he didnʼt notice his knees heading for the ground. A strange dream-like state completely consumed him.

Trying to regain control, Adam clenched his fists tightly, wishing he could wake up.

Soon he opened his eyes, to see darkness instead of light.

Strangely enough, Adam found himself in his inner space, the star shape of the Second Key floating in the air as before.

A frown covered his face.

ʼHmm? Why am I here? Maybe I donʼt understand something, but... I can enter my inner space without the queenʼs help.ʼ

He was about to return to reality, but at the last moment, he noticed something strange.

ʼAgh...?ʼ

Adam raised his head, his blue eyes grew lighter as if from the falling rays of the sun.

”What the hell...?”

Even though Adam was in his inner space, he saw the crystal, the tree, and the queen as if he were in two spaces simultaneously.

”Or...”

Adamʼs eyes went wide in the realization of what was happening.

”Queen Elisaʼs inner space just engulfed me...? But...”

A multitude of thoughts filled his mind as he blinked once.

”Whatʼs in it for me?”

After a few minutes, unable to find an answer, Adam looked to the side.

As he expected, he saw Seyrina, Douglas, and Silvana, who were watching him. At this time, Douglas and Silvana were talking about something, this was a clue to Adam.

”Wait...” a shiver ran through his body.

Silvanaʼs and Douglasʼs mouths moved, but slowly, as if it took them ten to twenty seconds to utter a single word. It wasnʼt normal.

Then, a bitter smile covered Adamʼs face as he touched his forehead.

”Hah... I see... So everything here is many times slower? Now I understand why even a thousand years isnʼt that long.”