Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 926: Hunter and Prey (Part 2)

”The Discord stage is the beginning of the relationship between Phantom and Operator in the vast majority of cases,” Orel proclaimed with a broad sweep of his arm. ”Well, thatʼs how it works for us, at the Lower Ring.”

”The Discord stage...” Adam muttered, glancing at Silvanaʼs neck. ”Thatʼs the stage where the Phantoms put collars on their Operators, right?”

Orel nodded approvingly, popping a handful of peanuts into his mouth.

”Yes, and most of them do it out of choice.”

”Agh...?” Adam was baffled. ”Wait, if the Phantoms are forcing Operators to wear collars, itʼs humiliating and embarrassing. How can you then try to build a strong relationship that should result in an Operator getting the Evolution Seed?”

Orel laughed briefly, throwing one leg over the other.

”Because at first there is no trust or agreement in this alliance. I wonʼt hide it, when I decided to make Misa my Operator, she was against it, wasnʼt it?” he glanced at her.

”Yeah...” Misa purred. ”It didnʼt turn out to be as bad as I thought. If I hadnʼt heard the creepy stories from my friends, Orel and I would have succeeded a lot faster. Some girls and guys, on the other hand, see it as an opportunity.”

”Hm?” Silvana touched her lips, thoughtful. ”The opportunity to walk around in a collar?”

”Hah, the opportunity to become an Operator. And... before he met me, Orel tried three girls like that, didnʼt he?” she pinched him.

Orel flinched slightly but didnʼt make a sound.

”Hah... Well, not many people manage to find the right Operator on the first try.”

Adamʼs eyes went wide, filling with disbelief.

”What, Misa is your fourth Operator?”

Orel shrugged, spreading his arms to the side. ”You might say so, but Iʼd call it failed attempts. I became a member of the Red Bears back when I was a K1-Phantom. I was a capable warrior, fought well, and won many battles, it gave me a worthy reputation.

”Girls and guys that volunteer to become Operators naturally look for Phantoms that can protect them and provide them with a better life. Obviously, these are the K0, K1, and K2 Phantoms of the four main organizations. The other options are not as desirable.”

Adam folded his hands together, nodding thoughtfully.

”I see... That makes sense. So...” he looked up. ”the Red Bears sent three girls, candidates for Operators to you. You tried to make a connection with each of them, but you failed even though they wanted to. Something about this story doesnʼt add up.”

Orel was about to answer first, but Misa interrupted him:

”Because most of them donʼt understand what lies ahead and what the Operators are supposed to do. The candidates just want to find a warm place and be assistants, but thatʼs not really what itʼs all about.”

”Yes, Misa is right, though I think you realize that too. Operators are much more than just ordinary assistants,” Orel nodded with a deep sigh. ”Those three girls were responsive and proactive. One of them even knew about the bond, the Evolution Seed, and other crucial things from somewhere. However, when we got to the point, it all fell apart.”

Click.

Orel snapped his fingers.

”Misa, would you be so kind as to open the puzzle box?”

”Sure,” she carefully did so.

”Adam, at the Lower Ring, the relationship between the Phantoms and the Operators resembles the dynamic between hunter and prey. After failing with three girls, I went to the store to buy cookies, chocolate ones, I like them.”

A slight smile appeared on Adamʼs face. ʼHah, yeah, I noticed that.ʼ

”Thatʼs where I met Misa and at that moment I knew she was going to be mine. I wasnʼt interested in the risks and danger she might face - I saw her and captured her.

”Did I act selfishly? Sure, but at the Lower Ring thatʼs not an insult, itʼs commonplace. Excluding some exceptions, only the Phantoms decide who becomes their Operator. At the Upper Ring, the situation is similar, but itʼs not as rigid and the choice is among Operators working at the Forts who have gone through training, not ordinary people.”

Adam froze for a moment.

”Agh...? Danger? Risks? What do you mean?”

”Well, the point is that of those three girls before Misa, one was badly injured the moment we broke up, the second was fine, we parted like unsuitable lovers, but the third...”

Orelʼs gaze grew darker. It was clear in his eyes that despite the wildness of the Lower Ring, even he wasnʼt satisfied with that option.

”Sheʼs dead. My energy just tore her apart.”

Bam.

Adamʼs fist slammed into the table, a shiver traveled along the surface. His eyes full of fierce flame stared at Orel.

”You dare say you beat up the first girl and killed the third because they couldnʼt become your Operators?” his voice thundered.

A cold dagger stare followed from Misa. ”Adam, sit back down. Youʼre a guest and you dare not behave like this. Listen to Orel for starters.”

”Yeah...” Orel nodded. ”Technically, I caused these events, but it wasnʼt my fists that did it, it was the energy. With the first girl, we stopped everything right after the first try. With the second girl, we didnʼt even get to that stage. We were too different and I didnʼt take any chances, but the third one...”

Suddenly, Silvana entered the conversation. ”That was the girl who knew more about Operators than the others, right?”

Orel smiled bitterly, lighting a new cigarette.

”Yeah. She got a bad burn on her chest after our first failed attempt. I knew it was impossible to go any further - it was almost a guaranteed failure. The best solution in this situation was to split up, her to find another Phantom, me to find another Operator, but... for some reason, she really wanted to become an Operator and as soon as possible.”

Exhaling a puff of smoke, Orel sighed heavily, remembering the events of his not-so-bright past. However, the residents of the Lower Ring had no other.

”After much persuasion, I agreed to try one more time. I thought at worst sheʼd get another burn and I could fix it, but...”

Orel shook his head, flicking the ash onto the table.

”My Evolution Tree didnʼt accept her again. As a result, a powerful pulse of energy ripped her into bloody shards right before my eyes.”