Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1992: Body Under Dark Water

Adam always felt physically exhausted after a long, grueling battle. That was to be expected, but he wasn’t always as emotionally drained as he was now.

He didn’t want anything.

He didn’t want to think, worry, or find out anything. He just wanted to stare at a single point and keep gazing into the void until he felt like getting up.

But… He couldn’t allow himself to do that – not this time.

“Ah… Damn, why did I ask him about that?” Adam sighed heavily as he looked at Breydar, a bitter smile on his face.

For some time now, Breydar’s heart hadn’t been beating, but it was still in his hands.

“Alright, I can’t leave here until I do this. I decided to ask about it myself, so… now it’s my problem.”

With a crunch of bones, Adam got up from the ground.

A few minutes weren’t enough to restore enough energy for a powerful attack, but now he could at least stand steadily on his feet, rather than swaying from side to side with every movement.

“Breydar, you know… I don’t know what I would have said if I were in your shoes.”

He walked over to Breydar and grabbed his ankle. After all, his right arm was still useless in its current state. It would be quite some time before Adam could use it again. He had already forgotten about the burns covering his body and the constant pain, or at least was trying not to pay attention to them.

The journey to the shore of Island A216 was long, but Adam wasn’t in a hurry. He had done everything he was supposed to at the Gray Sea, and perhaps even more.

“Damn, if you think about it from the other side, I was supposed to lose, right?”

Adam stopped to look in the distance – toward Island A215, near the horizon.

“If he hadn’t tried to run away out of fear of that Second Rank Phantom, I probably wouldn’t have been able to win…” Adam’s gaze grew more pensive.

Now that their battle was over, he understood this clearly.

He realized that Breydar could have done exactly the same thing, only a little more effectively.

“He could have blown up Island A215 to injure me, but used some of the crystals to protect himself. After that, he would have immediately continued his attack. In that case, it wouldn’t have been my crystal blades and the explosion that inflicted a serious wound on him and, in essence, forced him to lose his Constellation.”

A few moments later, Adam shrugged.

“Well, it was his choice. I, like him, sensed those two auras. Maybe he was actually afraid that the Second Rank Phantom was nearby, but the same was true for me.”

There was truth in Adam’s words.

It didn’t matter who was stronger, the Second Rank Phantom or the True Lord. In the face of them, Adam and Breydar were equally weak.

The Second Rank Phantom could have killed Breydar with a single attack, but the same was true for Adam against the True Lord.

Step. Step. Step.

After a few steps, Adam stopped at the edge of Island A216.

Now, this island didn’t look the same as it had before their battle, and that was Adam’s fault. After all, it was his crystal blades and the explosion that had changed this island, but the water around it hadn’t changed at all.

“The Gray Sea, the water here is actually special, though I hadn’t noticed it before. It’s calm and frightening at the same time, and…”

Adam looked toward the west, where the more distant islands were supposed to be: A217, A218, and so on – even A1001 wasn’t the limit.

“The farther you go, the colder and darker this water gets, both here and at the Dark Field.”

Sure, Adam hadn’t had enough time to fully understand how the Grand Abyss or the Gray Sea worked, but he sensed there was a connection between them.

“And… this artifact that established the rules at the Light Field. It can’t be just a simple External Artifact. It’s too high-level for that kind of artifact. But… it also can’t be a Legacy Artifact. They work differently…”

A few moments later, Adam shook his head.

“Well, that’s not what I should be thinking about right now. Breydar was right about some things. I have to get out of here. I’ve spent more than enough time at the Gray Sea.”

Adam looked at Breydar one last time before fulfilling his request.

He threw Breydar off the island, straight into the dark waters of the Gray Sea.

After that, Adam leaned on his nearest arm, resting his hand on his knee.

Ripple!

A tremor rippled through the air as soon as it reached Adam, causing the pebbles on the ground to shake.

The gusts of wind ruffled the tips of his hair as his eyes grew heavy.

“I see. So they’re just about to start now? Well… Breydar and I didn’t attack each other at first sight either. I’m sure those two had a lot to discuss.”

Blink.

Adam blinked as Silvana appeared to his right in her spectral form.

Unlike the weary Adam, she was frowning and on guard.

“Is something wrong?” Adam asked.

Silvana bit her lip.

“I think Breydar was right. The distance is greater, but… I sense auras better than you do. One of these auras belongs to a dangerous monster, it’s much stronger than Blafor or Ergander, but the second aura… It’s very strange.”

“Hmm? What does that mean?” Adam was confused.

Silvana narrowed her eyes as if trying to see something in the distance.

“It’s definitely the aura of a Phantom, but at the same time, I feel like it’s also the aura of a monster.”

“Hmm?” Adam tilted his head.

“Do you think it’s a Hybrid?”

Silvana shook her head.

“No. I would never confuse a monster or a Phantom with a Hybrid, they’re each unique in their own way. I think this aura is special because this person is special. Something like that.”

“So…”

Adam paused before continuing.

“Here, at the Gray Sea, is there actually going to be a battle between a Second-Rank Phantom and a True Lord?”

Then, they exchanged glances.

They had only one question:

Was this a coincidence, or was it connected to Adam?