Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1440: Pure Power

Most of Adam’s opponents lost faith in victory when Adam played his trump cards or became stronger in the middle of the battle.

It wasn’t that they weren’t prepared for it. Everyone who had been through many battles understood that this was a natural process, just… by that point, they had already used all their trump cards.

It seemed that Menax found himself in the same situation because he was sure that his last attack would kill Adam.

However, instead of defeat, Adam set the stage for the next phase of their battle.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Two powerful auras collided with each other, but neither could suppress the other.

Ironically, while Adam’s aura became completely dark after using his new ability, Menax’s gold, on the contrary, was filled with bright light, indicating that he would use more powerful attacks in the future.

“What now?” Adam asked with a haughty look. “Will you summon a dozen skeleton arms and try to catch me?”

“Hah, I’m afraid that with your current speed, that will be impossible. This thing…” Menax pointed to the black staff. “It is capable of much more than you have shown before, isn’t it?”

“It depends…” Adam replied distantly. “Who knows if you’ll live long enough?”

Menax didn’t answer, he just nodded deeply with a slight smile. He understood that Adam was now at the peak of his powers, it was evident from his stance, his gaze, and his calm but frighteningly powerful aura.

Was Menax weaker than Adam at that moment?

Sure.

He understood that perfectly well. However, there was no fear in his heart. He would not be here now if he were afraid to fight someone stronger than himself.

In this, they were alike.

“Hah, despite your modest appearance, you have a powerful ability. But…” Menax’s hands moved as he put his palms together. “If you think that’s enough to defeat me, then nothing but death awaits you.”

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

From the bright golden flames, a great figure appeared, trembling in space. The great golden skeleton, the upper part of its body soaring above Menax.

Unlike in the past, Menax did not rush to separate his hands. Adam noticed this immediately.

‘I see. So before, he controlled the golden arms with a wave of his hand or his will. Then, for the more powerful ones, he had to control each one separately with gestures. But, now…’

Adam became alert, staring intently at Menax, whose eyes had been closed for several seconds. The golden skeleton hovering above him had two long arms and a skull that Adam had encountered before.

‘This thing must require something special from him, right? Is he waiting for me to attack, or…?’

With a deep sigh, Menax slowly opened his eyes. Now, his golden eyes shone as brightly as two stars, casting light forward. This created a stark contrast with Adam’s black eyes due to the summoning staff.

“Prepare for my attack, Adam!”

At Menax’s will, the golden skeleton raised its right arm. Adam’s eyes narrowed as he followed the monster’s movement. In a heartbeat, the golden arm crossed dozens of meters, ending up right in front of Adam.

Last time, he would have tried to dodge as quickly as possible so that the palm wouldn’t crush him, but now, he had another way.

Step.

Adam stepped forward as he swung his staff, waving it upward.

The giant golden palm collided with the tip of the black staff.

Tremble.

A shockwave emanated from the impact as the ground beneath Adam cracked. Enormous pressure passed through his body, his bones should have broken, and his veins burst, but none of that happened.

His face remained cold, and his gaze was full of confidence.

Menax narrowed his eyes, directing energy into the golden palm, but no matter how hard the golden skeleton tried, it wasn’t enough. It simply couldn’t crush Adam or even make his knees buckle.

‘Hmm. His new ability, it’s not just this staff, right?’ Menax thought. ‘His gloves and boots give him tremendous strength. Moreover, since he evolved just before his death, he has become stronger overall.’

After a few moments, Menax smiled bitterly. ‘Isn’t this what I wanted? If I hadn’t seen something like this from a stellar phantom, this fight would have been over long ago, wouldn’t it?’

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Menax’s aura grew stronger as the golden skeleton grew four more arms.

Adam’s eyes shifted to the side as five palms headed his way. They were going to crush him to the ground, quickly and efficiently.

“You do realize that’s not going to work, don’t you?”

Step.

Adam stepped forward as his frame trembled. The golden palm crashed into the ground, but he had already disappeared, reappearing in front of the others.

Tap.

He struck one of the palms with his staff when a small black orb appeared at the tip of his weapon.

The orb exploded in a deafening blast, throwing the golden arm aside.

“Ah?” Adam raised an eyebrow, confused. “I didn’t destroy it?”

Before he could take another step, all six golden arms moved, trapping him in a cage of palms.

Menax tried to repeat what he had done during their first clash. Back then, Adam had to use the power of his Dual Demon Sword to break out of the cage.

However, now he no longer had his Artifact or Nexus; they had disappeared to create a new weapon.

‘What are you going to do now, Adam?’ Menax thought. ‘What options do you have? That explosion… it was powerful. If I had used my usual golden arms, they would have shattered like fragile glass. No explosions will help you against these arms!’

Menax was right. No explosion or energy could help Adam destroy the golden palms. If he didn’t find a way to get out of the cage, they would simply crush him from all sides.

But…

Crack.

Adam didn’t need that anymore.

“What the…” Menax’s eyes widened as he watched Adam’s hands push the golden fingers apart, just through pure physical power.