Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1882: Devil’s Feast

Most monsters preferred to remain in human form. Even though monsters and humans were enemies, the monsters understood that this was a far more suitable form for combat in most situations.

Those monsters who refused to acknowledge this simply failed to reach high power levels and perished quite early compared to other monsters.

Moreover, monster cities, clans, and other structures or factions would be impossible if every monster were in its true form.

And… there was something else that many monsters didn’t want to admit, but it was definitely true.

Not all true forms were equally strong. Many monsters were much stronger in their human forms, for example, if a monster originally looked like a bull or another similar animal.

Sure, the bull was a strong and fearsome beast, but… that was only true when comparing a bull to an ordinary person. The bull weighed several times more than an ordinary person, and that was the deciding factor, since neither of them possessed energy.

But who would win if a human and a bull possessed equal speed, strength, and endurance?

The answer was obvious. Humans had far better mobility.

If two such monsters of equal power levels were to clash, the one who took on its monster form would lose, since the human would be stronger than the bull when the only difference was in their form.

So, quite often, the monsters did not transform into their true forms even when facing the risk of death, since they knew that if they did, their chances of survival would be even slimmer.

However, as is always the case, there were exceptions.

Flash!

One blue flash after another swept across the snow-covered lands as the Frost Dragons soared above the mountain peaks.

Their bodies were massive, covered in thousands of protective scales, and their wings were large enough to cast a shadow over an entire area.

Each Frost Dragon looked slightly different, but they all had long necks and tails, as well as two straight horns on their heads. Their eyes were blue as ancient ice, brimming with dense energy.

Laerdor stood out in particular as the leader of the Frost Dragons.

He was much older than the others, some of his scales were gray rather than blue, but his horns were longer than the others’, with icy tips at the ends.

Given the right conditions, these dragons were certainly among the monsters capable of putting up a worthy fight in their monster forms.

Sure, it would have worked out much worse if they’d been in a confined space or if it had been a 1-on-1 fight.

But now the situation was different. More than a dozen Frost Dragons were about to use everything they had against a single Phantom.

“Dragons…” Gladius muttered. “There aren’t many of you. You’re among the rarest monsters. I even feel a little sorry about doing this, but you have only yourselves to blame for this.”

Laerdor narrowed his eyes.

“Everyone, listen to my order! We’ll attack simultaneously! Use all the energy you have! Sooner or later, he’ll make a mistake, and that’ll be the end of him!”

Determination filled the eyes of the other dragons as Laerdor opened his mouth wide.

With a bright flash, an energy orb soared up before him and soon crashed down on Gladius in a frost ray that streaked across a hundred meters.

Kea’ra and the other dragons made their moves as well. Some used the same ray as Laerdor. Others summoned ice crystals, firing them at Gladius, or, instead of a single long ray, they fired short bursts full of energy.

Before Gladius could do anything, he found himself under a barrage of attacks, and the Forest Dragons had more than enough energy to keep it up for a long time.

However, Gladius made no move to flee or block their attacks.

He didn’t move from his spot at all.

Instead, he gave Laerdor a long look before reaching out his hand.

Ripple!

The ripple traveled through the air in an instant, spreading over many kilometers and reaching the distant mountains.

The ripple itself posed no threat to the dragons, but what followed caused their hearts to fill with fear.

The purple sphere hovered before Gladius. Inside it, mist drifted slowly like a cosmic nebula, with stars moving through it. Some stars were brighter, others dimmer and smaller.

At that very moment, time slowed down for everyone except Gladius. Now, all that surrounded him was his inner space, not the real world.

In this small area, which might have seemed to exist only for a brief moment, the rules of his small world applied, and nothing else.

“What do you think?” Gladius asked, gazing at the stars.

Xyrea leaned forward, the light from the nebula reflecting in her eyes.

“We must carry out our mission. We must show others that no one dares to attack the Phantoms and make our Queen look bad. Nothing that will have serious consequences on the territory… Just a pure feast…”

Gladius nodded as he reached out, clutching one of the stars.

“I have no objections.”

In the blink of an eye, Gladius’s inner space expanded, momentarily engulfing everyone in his field of vision.

The darkness engulfed the Frost Dragons, leaving them with no choice but to blink.

Their vision returned, but their fear only grew.

Their attacks vanished. They couldn’t reach Gladius, for he was no longer at the top of the tower but was hovering in the air on the same level as the dragons.

“What the…?” Kae’ra’s eyes widened as he looked down.

The massive cauldron was filled with purple liquid that boiled due to the intense fire burning beneath it.

Around the cauldron, the demons danced, holding hands to form a circle.

And… from above came a series of thuds, one after another.

In a panic, Kae’ra raised her head only to see four devils. They held forks and knives in their hands, and their eyes were filled with hunger.

They looked at the frost dragons not as great warriors, but as their long-awaited dinner.