Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 382 Scattered Clouds (Part 4)

There was no telling how much stronger Nessa would be when she finally woke up, but honestly, Adam didnʼt care much about that now.

He made sure that she was okay and that no one realized that Nessa wasnʼt a Phantom, so now it was his turn to get his share of the reward.

”Well... It was a shame to lose my tooth, but at least Iʼll have an excuse to make you tell me everything when you wake up.” Adam smirked wiping the trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

Adam stretched, the effects of Osanaʼs petals were not strong, but tangible.

Then, Adam extended his arm forward and with full determination in his gaze called out to Revolve.

Normally, Phantoms felt a great deal of excitement at this moment, Adam was no exception, but his main feeling was curiosity since this all happened unexpectedly.

He was going to go on the hunt for Midnight Crystal right after helping Katrin get the new Initial Gene, but... fate had very different plans for him.

”Hah, in a way, itʼs a good thing. I didnʼt want to delay this moment any further, Iʼve already stayed on K1 longer than I should have.” Adam smirked taking a step forward.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Midnight Crystal shuddered vigorously, releasing energy for Adamʼs Revolve.

Adam watched curiously at the energy flow that was heading towards his palm. He wasnʼt sure, but it seemed to him that this flow was a little denser and larger than for Katrin.

Soon, the last bits of energy disappeared in a snow-white vortex, then Adamʼs eyes shone brightly, immersing his mind in the inner space.

Out of the darkness emerged a massive snow-white book that preserved all of Adamʼs genes, something he hadnʼt paid attention to for a long time. It was his Vault.

To K1-Phantom, Purple Threat Level genes were valuable, but Adam had plenty of them already.

The energy from Midnight Crystal rushed towards the Vault but did not enter it. The Vault trembled slightly as if trying to determine why the energy was here if it wasnʼt headed for the Evolution Tree.

It wasnʼt long before everything fell into place.

Whoooooooooooooooooooosh.

The Vault stopped shaking and the energy went into motion like a whirlwind, quickly taking shape.

Soon enough, Adam saw Midnight Crystal hovering in the darkness, except it was a smaller copy.

[You have received Midnight Crystal.]

A calm voice echoed in Adamʼs head, simultaneously telling him that his journey to K2 was almost complete.

To create the First Key, there were three main components required:

[1) 10,000 Neutral Genes - for the shape.

2) Ten First-Rarity Level Artefacts - for the key. Your journey continues with empire

3) Midnight Crystal - for a motion]

Now, Adam had everything he needed, but... there was one problem. He couldnʼt create the Key right now, because unlike the genes and Midnight Crystal, his artifacts were in a completely different place - in the Citadel.

Adam nodded, realizing that there was no hurry, and closed his eyes, returning to the real world.

Looking at Midnight Crystal once more, he noticed that its glow was weaker, and dimmer, its flawless snow-white color had changed to a light gray.

Midnight Crystal had a lot of energy, but its amount was not infinite.

Lifting Nessa in his arms and walking over to Katrin and Osana, Adam asked: ”What now? What do we do with Midnight Crystal? We canʼt just leave it here, right? Some monster will come and take the energy for themselves.”

Adam gently placed Nessa on the ground, being careful not to hurt her open wounds.

Osana smiled slightly, stepping forward.

”You donʼt have to worry about that. Midnight Crystal is a majestic object, but... itʼs not stable at all.”

”Hmm? What are you talking about?”

Adam asked, tilting his head in a baffled way.

However, instead of Osana, it was Silvana who answered him.

ʼThereʼs a reason why the Phantoms canʼt just take Midnight Crystal from Dead Lands to the Citadel. Midnight Crystal can keep its energy for a long time, but only until someone or something disturbs it.ʼ Silvana said in a calm voice.

She continued:

ʼYou have already absorbed the energy, so soon, within minutes, Midnight Crystal will collapse and its energy will be absorbed into the ground spreading across the Dead Lands. If Midnight Crystal is damaged or moved in any way, the same thing will happen.ʼ

Adamʼs gaze deepened as he nodded.

”I see... So you can only get energy from Midnight Crystal when itʼs dropped right on the battlefield. Well, it sounds fair but dangerous.”

Silence.

No one said anything, just enjoying this brief moment.

Dead Lands wasnʼt home to the Phantoms, but that didnʼt mean they couldnʼt have important memories with this place.

Black Cinder Forest, Prime Thunder Demon, Essence Scarlet Pyromancer, Spatial Anomaly, Yellow Threat Monsters, Fallen Crypt, Fume Cathedral, Plague Reaper, and Midnight Crystal.

All these events will forever be etched in their minds as an integral part of their Phantom path.

Step. Step. Step.

Adam slowly headed forward, in the opposite direction from Midnight Crystal.

”Agh? Where are you going?” Katrin turned around abruptly, looking at him baffled.

”To pick up the hero and the two victims... Despite what happened, they must return to the Citadel. Not just for their own sakes, but for their families and... Itʼs much better than rotting here.” Adam said coldly, moving towards Fume Cathedral.

Osana and Katrin glanced over, but they didnʼt follow him. They were sure Adam knew what he was doing.

They had another task: to keep an eye on Nessa while quieting their hearts.

Soon, Adam reached Fume Cathedral calmly entering the grounds of that intimidating building.

Midnight Crystal brought with it considerable destruction, but the Fume Statues as well as the Fume Throne remained intact like so much else.

Fume Cathedral was a massive structure and Midnight Crystal alone was not enough to completely destroy it.

Fume Statues glanced at Adam but did not stop him.

Stepping inside, Adam glanced around before heading towards the main gate.

Fume Armors, knights in black armor were still lurking in the shadows. They made no move to stop Adam, much less attack him. He had every right to be here, at least as long as he didnʼt break the rules.

Adam approached a particular knight whose armor was white, with red pieces of cloth flowing like streams in different places. It was the Fume Judge.

Then, Adam looked down at Lero, whose face was hidden by a long slice of the Plague Reaperʼs coat.

After a heavy sigh, Adam bent down, going to pick Lero up.

Whoooooooooooooosh.

Several Fume Armors reacted instantly. They rushed forward, drawing their swords against Adamʼs neck.

Adam wasnʼt startled, he just threw the Fume Judge a bored look.

”Hey, I realize youʼre following your new lordʼs orders, but... Plague Reaper is dead. Whether you like it or not, youʼll have to wait for someone to come and take over Fume Throne again. So stay out of my way.” Adam said calmly.

Fume Armors looked at Fume Judge.

Fume Judge glanced at the confines of the cathedral, realizing that Adam was not lying. Then, Fume Judge waved his hand giving Fume Armors a command.

Tap.

Adam carefully lifted Lero, heading for the exit.

To his surprise, he was followed by two Fume Armors. One of them was holding Erla in his arms, her head resting on her stomach, and the other was carrying Oskar on his back, who still had the muzzle of Erlaʼs sniper rifle in his head.

”Shit... This is all too weird, but Iʼll let myself not think about it too much today...” Adam muttered watching as a blue flash appeared in the sky, quickly approaching them.