Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 866: First Defeat and First Victory (Part 2)

Many nobles in the crowd equalled Giselle, she was the best of the best. She had no disadvantages, not as a noble or Phantom.

Some nobles even from other great families secretly watched footage of her fights, learning from her missions at the Dead Lands.

However, none of them had ever seen Giselle use her defense ability in even one fight.

It just never got to that stage. She had tough challenges but always defeated her opponents with her attacking abilities and proper tactical decisions.

Thus, it was a shock to the nobles to see that all this time, Giselleʼs arsenal had a powerful defensive ability.

But...

Not even ten seconds later, Adam destroyed the ice crystal, plunging Giselle into nothing but a sea of pain.

The barrier protecting the hotel from destruction was too durable for even the strongest nobles at the Twilight Palace to damage it.

For this reason, the barrier was as tough for Phantoms as a steel wall was for ordinary people.

Adamʼs blow was strong enough to knock the crystal away with enough force to shatter it, while the impact fell on Giselle, tearing her back.

If Giselle were a K2-Phantom, all of her bones would be broken and probably cause an instant death.

For a split second, Giselle felt as if she was between a hammer and an anvil - the hammer crashed down on her, forcing her to experience agony.

ʼAgh...!ʼ

Trying to grab air, Giselle leaned her hands on the flat marble.

Under her heavy breathing, drops of blood ran down her shoulders and forearms. Her back looked as if there was an explosion right behind her, torn wounds and bleeding, but it was the result of pure physical power enhanced by energy.

Sure, without the help of the barrier Adam wouldnʼt have been able to achieve such a result - Giselle would have simply smashed through any obstacle.

Well, that was what made actual combat different from mere sparring. On the battlefield, anything could be a weapon, the ground, a wall, or a moving river.

The nobles exchanged glances, their eyes eager to discuss the episode, but neither they nor Giselle had time to take a moment to recover.

A shiver spread across the ground.

Giselle raised her head and saw Adam rushing towards her. His right arm twitched slightly after the powerful punch, yet the coldness remained in his gaze.

In an instant, Giselle remembered Adamʼs pledge and despite the pain rose to her feet.

ʼBastard... Does he want to kill me?ʼ

Giselle realized that this was what she had asked for, somewhere deep inside she regretted it.

ʼFuck, I thought Iʼd make him fight at full strength that way, but not take my life. I shouldnʼt let him anywhere near me. And...ʼ

Then, her gaze dipped a little lower, to the collar of Adamʼs coat.

ʼI hope those eyes never open again. The petrification... It was dangerous, good thing I was able to react in time.ʼ

As soon as Adamʼs foot touched the ground in his next step Giselleʼs eyes shone brightly.

She gripped the hilt of her rapier tightly with both hands like a great sword, waves of energy running along the long blade.

Blue flames engulfed the rapier, unable to melt ice but could easily freeze a great lake.

”Adam Vinter, your tactic of endless attacks like a savage bull wonʼt work against me! I will stop you with one move!”

Under the belligerent cry, Giselle let out a wide swing.

For a moment, a white line was left in the air, turning into a great slash a moment later.

A layer of ice was appearing on the floor following the slash, soon the cruel frost would reach its goal.

Silvana narrowed her eyes as her fists clenched tightly without her knowledge.

Oddly enough, Adam did not attempt to dodge.

He had something to answer with.

Black chains tied around his left arm, but no sooner had they reached his elbow than he drew a vertical line.

Giselleʼs eyes went wide.

”What the...?”

Dark electrical discharges tore through space before transforming into a blade as large as Giselleʼs.

With a bright flash, the two blades collided.

Giselleʼs hopes that her attack would bring her victory over Adam shattered to pieces, watching the black and blue cloud.

Frosty vapor billowed out in all directions, black electrical discharges running across the chunks of ice as if trying to join them into one whole.

Whoooooooosh.

Without slowing his pace, Adam darted forward, leaping over the cloud.

In a few high-speed bursts, Adam found himself in front of Giselle, who didnʼt have time to think about her next move.

Soon, a hoarse voice reached her ears:

”Youʼre right, Iʼm just attacking because you donʼt require much more than that.”

Adam clenched his right fist tightly, there was no need to use gravity.

”You canʼt return the favor, you have to come up with a plan of action for every move I make.”

Frost enveloped Giselleʼs right hand, but before she knew it Adam had grabbed her wrist firmly, clutching it with all his might.

Their eyes met two blue stars and lost gray disks.

”Do you want to know why?”

His gaze grew deeper, and a frightening aura descended upon Giselle, warning her of the inevitable.

”Because youʼre weaker than me.”

Crackle.

In a sudden motion, Adam brought Giselle to the ground, jerking her arm down.

A loud crunch echoed throughout the hallway, the marble unprotected by the barrier on the floor shattering into rubble like brittle stone.

Giselleʼs arm bent at an odd angle, breaking in several places. Cracks ran down the bones of her shoulder while her face plunged into the surface.

The impact tossed her body above the ground like a puppet, a deafening sound in a wave spread around.

Her bloodshot eyes, full of blood, twitched slightly as she stared at Adam through the dark veil.

White energy in dense streams was moving towards his fist, he was already in a fighting stance about to finish the fight with a final blow.

This could not please Giselle.

But, did she have the strength to continue?

It didnʼt matter.

Defeat was unacceptable, which meant she would fight as long as possible.

Before Adamʼs fist could reach its target, a bright flash erupted behind Giselle, engulfing her without a trace - helping her escape death.