Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 978: The Fourth Gates

Ten minutes.

That was how long it had been since the battle had ended, yet Adam still hadnʼt gotten up, and his breathing was only getting slower. Such a period in the inner space could last for hours, it all depended on the situation.

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

Vorx scratched the back of his head, the growing excitement evident on his face.

”Khm,” he coughed. ”Maybe we really should listen to Risha. Adam seems to be bearing his wounds worse than we expected.”

With a brief pause, Heret nodded deeply. ”It would seem so. Perhaps he was unlucky, and some of our attacks did more damage to him than intended. Either way, we certainly donʼt need him to bleed out.”

Heret and Vorx exchanged a glance as they were about to head toward Adam.

At the same moment, white streams of energy emerged from Adamʼs body, dense and powerful, shaking the fragile space.

The serpents shuddered, for some reason, they couldnʼt even move, staring forward as if petrified.

Torz, Grita, and Risha found themselves in the same situation.

Adamʼs invisible aura was pressing on all the space around them, not separating friends and foes, wanting only to show its exclusivity.

...

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The Stellar Flow intensified, hitting the fourth lesser gates with renewed vigor. The fourth gates shook vigorously, trying to resist.

Only now did the Stellar Flow move into action, for it realized that it was time to proceed to the next stage. Now, Adam was capable of breaking the gates.

”Hah, now I see how to do it... What was the point of those cracks if I do it all in one motion?” Adam smiled bitterly, stepping forward.

He found himself in front of the gates, yet he had no weapons or energy.

Even if this was his inner space, he needed help to smash through the fourth lesser gate.

”Two-Faced Weaver, right?” he muttered raising his left hand up. ”Iʼll find out the details later, right now I have an important task ahead of me.”

The Branch Crystal shone brightly, following Adamʼs will. The ball of thread spun quickly, and one of its tips shone brightly.

Then, a slight smile covered Adamʼs face as he looked at something familiar in his left hand.

”Well, well... I didnʼt just go back to the beginning, I went to depths previously unreachable. Itʼs intriguing, in a way.”

A needle was clutched firmly between his fingers, in size, it was a very ordinary needle no longer than a human finger. Adamʼs first needle, and even more so the one after his First Order evolved, had been many times larger, one resembling a blade and the other being a sword.

However, this needle was not composed of metal or tightly woven threads, it was pure, indestructible essence embodying Adamʼs most powerful ability that he could only use in exceptional situations.

”So... This is the second tip, isnʼt it?” he muttered, glaring at a simple needle suitable for sewing pieces of cloth.

But... In his hands, it was a formidable weapon.

He was ready to use the second-tip needle right now.

Step. Step. Step.

Adam approached the fourth lesser gate. Energy from the Stellar Flow was trying to break through the barrier, light was coming through the cracks, but not a single bit of energy could get through this part of the Crystal Gates.

”Good, the gates are already at their limit. All I need is one touch, a lightning-fast and precise...” Adam whispered as he leaned forward.

His figure trembled as he, like a shadow, thrust the needle straight into the fourth orb. After all, an orb was the core of any of the gates.

The bright light blinded him, rippling throughout the inner space, trying to frighten the inhabitants of this world. Yet, it only made the Evolution Tree shiver in anticipation.

[This is how it should be...]

The Evolution Tree muttered quietly enough for the focused Adam to hear nothing.

[You made it in ten days... Thatʼs good... Now you have a fighting chance against Arnoth, but... opening the last gates will be much harder...]

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

One shard after another rained down from the remnants of the core, then the Stellar Flow surged forward, engulfing Adam in a river of dense energy that rushed straight towards his Evolution Tree.

In a single sweep, using his needle like a conductorʼs wand, Adam split the flow into many parts so that it would more quickly become part of the Evolution Tree.

There was enough energy this time to make not only Adam and his Evolution Tree grow a little stronger, but also to make all of his genes and an artifact take one small step forward.

Two bright flames, the purple and red ones, ignited from his Initial Gene. Moira and Lone Blaze got their share of energy as well.

[Adam...]

The Evolution Treeʼs voice boomed out, loud enough for Adam to hear clearly.

[Iʼm sure you want to continue the fight against those two serpents...]

”Hmm?” Adam raised an eyebrow, baffled. ”Are you going to try and stop me?”

[Gha... No... Especially, even if I wanted to, you still wouldnʼt listen to me... Our relationship is built on me saying one thing and you doing a completely different one... Every time, we achieve unforeseen results...]

After a few moments, the Evolution Tree continued.

[Vorx and Heret... They are worthy fighters, and they help you become stronger... So... After you get used to your new power, you should think about training them...]

Adamʼs eyes went wide.

He hadnʼt even thought of such a possibility.

Before this, there was always someone training him, whether it was Tron, Damien, or Erik. Even now, the two serpents teamed up to defeat him and teach him a lesson.

”Hah... This is going to be curious,” Adam smiled before closing his eyes.

Risha watched as Heret and Vorx cautiously approached the streams of energy coming out of Adam.

No one knew what to expect.

Then, Risha blinked, and a shadow simultaneously slammed into Heret and Vorx, throwing the two serpents back dozens of meters, predicting them to crash into solid walls.

”What the hell...?” Risha gulped, watching as Adam slowly rose up, holding a weapon in each hand.