Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1426: Wish

Although Adam fought against Anelez and Erada to obtain the Dark Heart, which he ultimately succeeded in doing, that was never the main goal of the Rule of Blood.

The Hybrids used the Rule of Blood to resolve conflicts between themselves. It was the best way to do so because the winner had the right to make one wish for the loser.

Usually, this wish allowed the conflict to be resolved in favor of the winner, but in Adam and Erada’s case, there was no conflict in the first place. They fought each other because they wanted to become stronger, and the Rule of Blood was just a convenient way to do so.

Step. Step. Step.

Footsteps sounded from off to the side as Adam and Erada turned to see Xander, Helasa, and Anelez moving toward them.

“Looks like someone’s ready to claim their prize.” Xander stared at Adam.

Adam nodded slightly as he helped Erada to her feet. She was seriously injured, as was he, but she had enough strength for such a simple action.

“Tsk. Let’s get this over with.” Erada pulled her hand away. “Say what you want, but if you ask for something indecent, rest assured, I’ll sink my fangs into your throat!”

“Hahaha! Don’t worry, my heart is already taken. Although I would never be with someone like you.” Adam laughed.

Erada’s face turned from irritation to confusion and then filled with anger as she grabbed Adam by the collar.

“WHAT? What does that mean? Are you saying that I’m not good enough for you, that you wouldn’t even consider me as an option if you had the chance? You…! You disgusting human being!” Erada exclaimed, clearly not realizing how silly she looked from the outside.

Helasa touched her lips thoughtfully. “Adam, what are you actually planning to ask her for?”

“The Rule of Blood.” Xander’s voice rang out. “There are no restrictions. The energy and ancient voice will allow you to ask Erada for anything. She will not be able to resist, and if she tries, she will face terrible punishment.”

His grim tone made the situation tense as Erada lowered Adam’s collar, slowly looking away.

“Well, maybe someone else would be happy to use the Rule of Blood to its limit, but I don’t see the need for it. However, Erada, you shouldn’t relax. The moment you appeared on the battlefield, I knew immediately what wish I would make.”

Xander said nothing, he just nodded and waited. As the leader of one of the Hybrid Groups, he had seen the Rule of Blood in action many times.

For some, a wish was just a joke and nothing serious, while others used it to destroy the lives of others. Either way, in the Rule of Blood, the winner had every right to do either.

Obviously, Erada was worried. She had been part of the Black Fang Troupe for decades, she understood well what kind of situation she was in, and Adam’s sly grin did not allow her to calm down.

“Come on, just say it already!” she exclaimed inwardly.

“Alright, this will be good for you.” Adam began as he glanced toward Izardo. “Next month, every day, for at least an hour, you must spend time in the library reading something.”

Confusion showed on their faces as Erada was the first to realize how accurate and painful this wish was for her.

“Wait, wait, wait!” She quickly muttered. “Ask for something else. Quick! I’ll do anything, just not this!”

However, it was too late to change anything.

[The winner made his wish.]

The ancient voice echoed through the void.

[The loser will be obligated to fulfill the wish, at any cost.]

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The space shook as dark chains covered in bright red blood appeared out of nowhere. In a heartbeat, the chains pierced Erada’s chest, binding her heart in the blood seal.

[The seal will be removed when the loser fulfills the winner’s wish. If even one day of the month is missed, the loser will face severe punishment.]

“SHIT!” Erada shouted as she slammed her fist into the ground. “You… You bastard! Was that the only thing you could come up with? Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

“Hahahahahah!”

Adam laughed loudly but stopped abruptly because it hurt to laugh due to his wounds.

“Isn’t it fun? I’m sure with your desire to fight, one hour in the library a day won’t hurt you.”

Then, he looked at Xander.

“At Izardo, there are libraries, right?”

Xander nodded deeply.

“Of course. There are several small ones, and one main one. There are enough books there to spend several years without leaving the building. One hour a day for a month? You were too kind to her.”

Erada shook her head. “What?! Whose side are you on? Do you have any idea how bored I’ll be? No… No! I don’t want to do that! Damn it!”

In response, Xander raised his head, giving Erada a threatening look. She flinched in fear.

“If I were you, I would be grateful to Adam. Not only did he not humiliate you, but he also used his one wish to your advantage. Do you think knowledge from books is boring and useless?”

Xander narrowed his eyes.

“Now, you’ll have a whole month to prove me wrong. I advise you not to break the Rule of Blood. You don’t want to face the consequences.”

“Speaking of which…” Adam touched the back of his neck. “What happens if the loser doesn’t grant the winner’s wish?”

Xander touched his chin thoughtfully.

“It depends on the situation. Although the Rule of Blood is a powerful tool, it is not omnipotent. It would not allow you to make a wish that Erada would not be able to fulfill. If she violates the terms of your wish, at best, she will suffer a serious injury and lose some of her powers.”

“I see… Well, it doesn’t matter how you feel about the library.” Adam shrugged. “My wish is definitely not the harshest one that has ever been made.”

Erada puffed out her cheeks and muttered something.

At that moment, Adam and Anelez’s eyes met.

He remembered that they had also made the Rule of Blood.

“Don’t worry about it.” Xander waved his hand. “It’s not the most common situation, but since Anelez lost and you made a new Rule of Blood in the middle of the fight, your previous agreement was nullified.”

Anelez stroked her shoulder shyly.

“I hope we’ll have another chance to fight. I lost, but I learned a lot from our battle.”

She looked away, realizing that Adam probably didn’t feel the same way.

‘He defeated me without any trouble… We’re on different levels. Tsk, I was too arrogant.’

“Me too,” Adam replied and patted himself on the chest. “I ended up being stronger, but in any fight, there has to be a winner and a loser. It shouldn’t break you.”

“But…” Anelez bit her lip as she looked at Adam and Erada. “How do you do it? How can you fight so recklessly? Is that really the best fighting style?”

Strangely enough, Adam and Erada frowned at the same time.

“Nah.” Adam shook his head. “Don’t even think about it. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve gotten into trouble because of my actions.”

Erada nodded several times in agreement.

Tap.

Xander put his hand on Anelez’s shoulder as she turned to him.

“No fighting style is perfect. They’re in the same situation as you. Their fighting style has both strengths and weaknesses. Your weaknesses just happened to be more significant than theirs, that’s all.”

“Also.” Helasa glanced at Adam. “Don’t forget about the baseline. His power level was higher than yours to begin with. You knew little about your opponent, and against the Phantoms, that’s important, because their abilities are a much greater part of their power than your claws and fangs.”

Clap.

Xander clapped his hands.

“Alright, I think that’s enough. Let’s go back to Izardo, who knows who will want to use the silent expanse for their own purposes soon. Then, each of you can decide what to do after that. Well, everyone except Erada, since she’s going to the library.”

“Shut up!” Erada waved her fist. “I’ll do what I want! After… I quickly visit the library!”

“Hahahaha!” Adam laughed, following Xander.

Helasa appeared next to him, throwing her arm around his shoulder to help him.

“That was a great fight, boy. Now I understand why Norax took notice of you.”

Adam smiled bitterly.

“I’m sure he would have liked to watch the fight, although he’ll definitely find out all the details soon. After all, he didn’t send me to Izardo for no reason.”

Step. Step. Step.

With each step, they slowly approached Izardo, while the Path Construct inside Adam’s inner space absorbed the Dark Heart. In a few days, all the energy would be directed to the Second Grand Star, and then Adam would take the next big step on his path.

“That’s already two big stars and a few small ones, right?” Adam thought, looking at the white moon. “So I still have a little way to go before I finally see my Constellation, don’t I?”