Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1994: She and He

Tap.

Adam climbed onto the shark – the only monster that had agreed to accompany him to the two powerful auras in the distance.

Silvana was certain one of these auras belonged to a Second-Rank Phantom, and Adam had no reason to doubt her.

But to be certain, they had to see it for themselves.

Adam knew it was dangerous, but he had his reasons.

He wasn’t stupid and understood that if the Second-Rank Phantom lost, even if the True Lord were seriously injured, Adam still wouldn’t be able to escape it.

Moreover, Adam was very weak right now, and if the Second-Rank Phantom won, the battlefield would become the safest place for Adam.

The Second-Rank Phantom could help Adam return to the Citadel quickly and without any problems.

Thus, as he headed toward the battlefield, Adam was betting on the Second-Rank Phantom’s victory.

If that happened, he would survive and soon return to the Citadel with a powerful ally. As a bonus, he would get to watch some of the world’s strongest beings fight – an experience and reward in itself.

“What do you think of our temporary guide?” Adam smiled, sitting on the shark. They were moving quite fast, faster than Adam could have gone even when he was at full strength.

Silvana appeared beside him. Unlike him, she didn’t need to sit on the shark’s back. She could simply hover beside him. Wherever he was, there she was.

“Not bad. Though, I won’t lie, I’m surprised this monster agreed to help you. How much energy will you be able to restore by the time we reach the battlefield?”

Adam looked at the shark.

“Well, maybe a little, or maybe more than enough. Either way, I’ll give it all to this guy, just as promised. You’re okay with that, right?”

Unlike the other monsters, this shark was quite silent. They’d been on the move for several minutes already, but it hadn’t said a word.

Even now, the shark just nodded as its eyes were fixed ahead – moving toward their target.

“Good.”

A faint smile played on Adam’s face.

He didn’t hide it. He was curious to see a Second-Rank Phantom that had come to his defense.

Also, Adam wanted an answer to one question.

‘What was this Phantom doing here? Was it just a coincidence, or… does this Phantom live here?’

The first thing Adam thought was that this Phantom might be similar to Goen if that were the case.

Either way, he, Silvana, and the shark needed to be patient. The journey from Island A216 to the source of the two auras was a long one, even at their current speed.

…

Around the same time that Breydar and Adam blew up Islands A215 and A216 with their abilities, two figures met in the far reaches of the Gray Sea.

Just as Breydar had suspected, the True Lord coming from the Befallen Crown was in the area between the Tarnished Lands and the Hollow Lands.

Technically, it was disputed territory claimed by two lands at once, but at the same time, this area was too far away for anyone to care.

Such areas were useful precisely for missions like the one this True Lord was on. It didn’t want to disturb the Renegades or the strongest monsters of the Hollow Lands, so this area became a buffer zone for it.

But… Instead of moving on, finding Adam Vinter, and killing him, thereby carrying out the Befallen Crown’s order, the True Lord had to stop, and there was a compelling reason for that.

Whoooooooosh!

A powerful gust of wind swept through, ruffling the clothes and hair of the two figures.

To the right stood a man in dark armor consisting of numerous sharp iron layers and steel lines running along his waist, shoulders, legs, and arms.

Usually, neither Phantoms nor monsters wore armor. It was always more effective to wear something light and loose, such as a coat, mantle, or cloak.

But those who did wear armor usually had a reason for doing so. Either the armor was special, or it was somehow related to the fighter’s combat style or abilities.

The man had shoulder-length black hair, pale skin, and green, human eyes.

Given how advanced this monster was, it was impossible to tell him apart from a human while he was in human form.

Even the Ascended Lords might retain some monster-like features, tiny details indicating that they weren’t human. These could include vertical pupils, a few scales, an unusual skin color, or something else.

But for the True Lords, different rules applied.

There was only one way to tell that this man was a monster – by his aura. However, even for someone like Silvana, who was hundreds of times weaker than this man, it was a manageable task.

Adam, as a K4-Phantom, would also have been able to tell quite quickly from this man’s aura that he was a monster, not a human, but his appearance was impeccable.

Very little could stop a True Lord from carrying out his mission, especially if he was a True Lord from the Befallen Crown, but… the figure standing opposite him managed to do just that.

To his left hovered a girl of medium height who looked quite young. She had sharp, short black hair sticking out in all directions and large, crystal-clear gray eyes.

Even though they were at the Gray Sea, she was wearing rather modern-style clothes: wide-leg pants, boots, a black top, and a gray jacket with a high collar.

A smug smile played on her face as her arms were crossed over her chest.

She was hovering slightly above the man, and she was doing it on purpose.

“Who are you?” the man asked, narrowing his eyes.

The girl stuck out her tongue, taunting him.

“Do you think I’m going to answer you? You’d better tell me why you want Adam Vinter.”

“Oh…”

The man’s expression changed.

“So that’s what this is all about. Looks like there’s no point in talking.”