Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1984: Life Negotiation

Thrust!

Breydar’s hands plunged into the young men’s chests.

This was the outcome of their brief, final battle, the last one for the two Barons. They were powerless against Breydar, who had conserved much of his energy and was, at the same time, a whole stage stronger than they were.

This was the expected outcome for them.

“This will be enough, won’t it?” Breydar’s calm voice rang out.

With a sharp movement, he pulled his bloodied hands out of their chests.

Their still-beating hearts remained in his hands, which he crushed the very next moment.

Splash!

Crimson drops fell onto his pale cheeks, but his gaze did not waver.

He knew that these three had merely been a warm-up for the real battle, and unfortunately for him, Raoha and Luaxa had failed to hold Adam off long enough.

“Well, well…” Breydar muttered, looking up.

The three fighters were no longer visible in the dark sky. Raoha and Luaxa were quite possibly already at the bottom of the Gray Sea. Now, only Adam hovered above Island A215, patiently waiting for Breydar to finish with his opponents.

“How about you come down here? I think we have something to talk about.”

Adam gave him a long look but decided to do as he was told.

Slowly, Adam descended to the ground, coming to a stop a few meters from the crater.

“What now? Are you going to blow up all the remaining energy crystals to kill me?” Adam’s voice was low, full of distrust.

Breydar shook his head.

“I’m sure you have a way to protect yourself. Maybe your defenses are even better than mine. I can’t take that risk. If I blow up the whole island, at best we’ll both die, and at worst, only I will.”

“And?”

Adam reached out as the needle emerged from the blue threads.

“What do you want to talk about? Each of us has fulfilled the terms of our deal. The Veiled Souls Clan members who came here are dead.”

Breydar nodded.

“Yes. Things went pretty well for me. If you hadn’t shown up, it would have been hard for me to defeat them all, even though I control this island. But are you sure that’s what you want?”

Adam narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like where this conversation was going.

“What do you mean?”

Breydar looked around.

“This island. Obviously, it’s going to be our battlefield. You won’t be able to force me to fight anywhere else. Here, I have plenty of energy and the ability to use the crystal pillars to attack you.

“Sure, you’ve saved up more energy than I have. It’s obvious from your aura, but even now, as we speak, I’m regenerating energy at a much faster rate than you are.”

Step.

Adam stepped forward. A glint flashed across the blade of his needle.

“Yeah? Doesn’t that mean I shouldn’t waste my time listening to you? The best thing for me to do would be to attack you right now.”

“You can do that, but I’m warning you – I’ll fight for my life, and it’s not a given that you’ll win.”

Tremble.

Breydar’s aura burst outward, gray and dense, causing his long hair to rise slightly in a tremor.

“Sure, I’m not the strongest of the Viscounts, but I don’t need that kind of strength to survive here.”

Adam’s expression changed as the meaning of Breydar’s words finally sank in.

“I see… Unlike me, your main goal isn’t to kill your opponent but to survive yourself. You don’t need to kill me. It’ll be enough to wound or wear me down so you can simply escape from here.”

Breydar nodded.

“Indeed. In fact, I think my chances of killing you are about 2 in 10. That’s not bad, but too low to take the risk. But… what about my chances of wounding you or merely wearing you down?”

His gaze grew deeper, full of confidence in his decision.

“My chances of doing that are much higher. I think that right now, your chances of actually killing me, right here on this island, are no more than 3 out of 10. So, for you, the odds of killing me and dying are in a similar range.”

For some reason, Adam’s face lost some of its wariness and seriousness.

The corners of his mouth turned up, forming a bitter smile.

“Well, if I’m to believe your words. You’re not as strong as Midgar. Damn, even Raoha might have been stronger than you, if you don’t count your tricks.”

Breydar frowned. He hadn’t expected Adam to be so stubborn.

In fact, Breydar wasn’t lying. What he’d said about their chances of victory and escape was close to the truth. Adam was on enemy territory, where Breydar had the advantage even if he was weaker.

Clutch.

Breydar clenched his fist.

“You’ve forgotten one more thing, Adam.”

“Hmm?”

“My Constellation,” Breydar stated confidently. “Like any Lord, I have one, and after I became a Viscount, it grew stronger. I think you noticed that I didn’t use my Constellation against those three. They weren’t worthy of it.”

Adam chuckled.

“Huh. So I’m worthy of seeing your full power? Glad to hear it. You’ll need all your abilities to stand up to me.”

Breydar wasn’t pleased with that response. He realized that right now, he couldn’t guarantee his victory, or even his survival. Whether he’d live to see tomorrow or not depended largely on this fight.

“You still have a chance to change your mind, Adam Vinter. I’m willing to keep talking.”

“Huh, so you can restore even more energy?”

Adam shook his head.

“Nah, I’ve heard enough. I told you this right from the start, I came here to kill you, Breydar, and I’m going to complete my mission.”

Step.

Adam stepped forward as Breydar abruptly assumed a fighting stance.

He was preparing to attack. He knew that if he didn’t give it his all, his head would be on the ground in a moment.

Tremble!

Suddenly, a slight tremor ran through the islands.

Adam and Breydar exchanged glances. They realized they weren’t the cause of it.

Tremble!

A new tremor ran along the island, this time even stronger.

Then, another, and another, as the gusts of wind grew ever stronger.

“Wait…”

Adam’s eyes widened as he realized something.

“This isn’t the aura. It’s just a tiny part of it. Now there will be—”

TREMBLE!

In the next moment, an aura of absurd power crashed down on Island A215, forcing Adam and Breydar to slam their knees into the ground, barely managing to keep from falling face-first into the dirt.