Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 304: Midnight Crystal (Part 29)

Volcanoes were dangerous not only because they could spew lava flows at any time, but also for their instability.

Sure, a small tremor or even a bomb blast wouldnʼt be enough to make a huge volcano erupt lava, only to shake the top layer of lava, nothing more.

But... six powerful attacks from K1-Phantoms capable of fighting against Top-20 monsters could bring significant destruction.

Adam, Katrin, Oskar, and the others knew exactly what would happen after they unleashed their attacks deep into the volcano, but they had no other choice.

It was far better to risk getting burned by lava than to fight an evolved Prime Thunder Demon.

Itʼs worth noting that since it was lava in Black Cinder Forest, it was actually dangerous to both monsters and Phantoms.

Ordinary lava or molten metal was not capable of injuring K1-Phantoms or Purple Threat Level monsters, at most leaving a light burn that would go away after a couple of hours. It was all about energy.

Black Cinder Forest had a high energy density, which was why there were only Purple Threat Level monsters and Flame Ones.

Technically, although it rarely made practical sense, anything with energy could be a weapon. A sharp branch from a black tree growing in the Black Cinder Forest could pierce the flesh of a Purple Threat Level monster, but it was primarily a resource.

After all, Phantomsʼ Nexuses were much stronger and more effective, even bare fists were more formidable weapons.

Step. Step. Step.

Adam moved quickly away from the volcano, realizing that the lava was only rising now but soon a massive tsunami would crash down like a rain of flames.

Coming to the nearest black tree, Adam stopped, left Katrin there, and turned sharply heading towards the Golden Light Squad.

Katrin tilted her head in confusion, resting her hand on the tree. The black tree was large enough to be a shield for Katrin, preventing any of the lava clots from reaching her.

Strangely enough, Adam headed towards Osana.

Seeing Adam approaching, Osana smiled slyly and jumped up before he got to her. This allowed Adam to deftly pick her up in two hands and run away.

Osana turned around, watching as Oskar, Lero, and Erla tried to run away.

Blobs of lava slammed into the ground and exploded right behind their backs. But... that was just the beginning, for with each passing second the volcano shook more and more, while the energy from their attacks tore the volcano from the inside out.

”Oh, I didnʼt expect you to decide to help me. Feel free to hold me tighter, the important thing is to get me out of here.” Osanaʼs mouth corners went up.

Adam narrowed his eyes. He ran forward, quickly descending the volcano and leaving deep footprints in the ash layer from his powerful footsteps.

”Thank your abilities for that. If the lava inflicts wounds and burns on the others, you can heal them. Roughly speaking, saving you means saving the others if there is a necessity.” Adam said calmly before jumping forward.

Osana didnʼt answer anything, she just cast a glance to the side looking at Katrin who was standing behind a massive black tree. She was already safe and just watching the developments from the sidelines.

”Then, if Iʼm so important because of my abilities, why did you save her first and not me?” Osana asked. It was obvious what answer she wanted to hear.

Adam frowned.

”Doesnʼt that make sense? Katrin is more important than you, more important than all of you. Weʼre members of different teams and today is the first time Iʼve met you, youʼre practically strangers to me.”

Then, Adam squeezed Osanaʼs shoulder tighter, almost to the point of pain.

”Be quiet and let me do my job. Your mission has gone too far as it is. Although... Katrin and I did the right thing in deciding to help you.” Adam said coldly.

Osana wanted to complain, but she was smart enough not to risk provoking Adam. Discover hidden content at m,v lʼe-

Adam was right because if they refused Golden Light Squadʼs help, it would be a disaster for them.

Golden Light Squad would have a hard time dealing with Igno Knights and they definitely wouldnʼt be able to stop Prime Thunder Demon.

Sure, in that case, they would request help and Citadel would immediately send some squads, but it would take a lot of time.

The evolution of the Prime Thunder Demon definitely jeopardized not only Adamʼs and Katrinʼs hunt for Scarlet Pyromancer but also their lives.

In a way, by deciding to help the Golden Light Squad with their missions, Adam and Katrin had made their lives a lot easier.

Whoooooooooooooosh.

With a powerful rush of wind, Adam stopped next to Katrin, dropping Osana to the ground and turning towards the others.

Adam was about to return, after all, they hadnʼt made it to a safe area yet, but Katrin stopped him.

”Donʼt be in a hurry. This is something I can take care of.” Katrin said confidently as her eyes shone brightly.

She tapped her staff on the ground channeling energy along her Nexus. Then, next to Oskar, Erla, and Lero, the ground shook, quickly becoming covered in cracks.

A multitude of roots burst forth. The thickest and largest of them headed towards the flaming blobs, tearing them apart and becoming a shield for the others.

But... Katrinʼs main goal wasnʼt to protect them. She was going to use her roots for something else.

Whoooooooooooooosh.

The roots quickly wove themselves around their belts, clutching them tightly like they were wooden toys. Then, at Katrinʼs will, the roots threw Oskar, Erla, and Lero straight in their direction.

Sure, a soft landing was out of the question. Katrin didnʼt care about their comfort, her job was to get them out of the danger zone, and that was the end of it.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Oskar, Lero, and Erla with faces filled with surprise collapsed next to the black tree plunging their faces into the thick ash covering the entire Black Cinder Forest.

”Fuck! Couldnʼt that have been done more carefully?” Oskar snorted irritably, removing chunks of ash from his mouth.

Katrin crossed her arms over her chest looking down at him.

”If I were you, Iʼd start by thanking me, because the most important thing is that I got you out of that fucked up place.” Katrin said seriously looking forward.

Oskar frowned but did not say anything. Instead, he turned around and his eyes went wide.

Crack. Crackle. Crack.

Cracks covered the entire volcano, and thick lava came out from under them, gushing out with great power.

Soon, the volcano shook, causing a real earthquake, ready to explode at any moment.

Lero, realizing the seriousness of the situation, stepped forward and extended his arm.

Katrin and Adam looked at him curiously, not understanding what he was going to do.

Then, Leroʼs eyes shone brightly as red particles of energy appeared in front of him, quickly turning into a wide scarlet barrier.

The barrier was in the shape of a large transparent disk, like a very thick and strong glass.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

With the next tremble, the volcano finally exploded, scattering streams of lava and massive shards of rock in all directions.

In any other situation, Adam and the others would have tried to destroy the rocks flying at them or hide behind a black tree, but there was no need for that now.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Clots of lava and sharp rocks rained down Leroʼs barrier with powerful wind currents that only made them stronger and faster.

Each time they hit the barrier, there was a violent shaking with cracks appearing, but, after a few seconds, the cracks disappeared. As long as the barrier wasnʼt completely destroyed and Lero had energy he could rebuild his barrier and protect his mates.

Adam nodded satisfactorily as he watched the rock flying towards him.

The stone, crashing into the barrier simply shattered into many shards, sinking into ash and disappearing forever.

ʼNot bad, not bad at all. Iʼd be able to escape from the danger zone, but if I didnʼt have the ability that gives me speed, his barrier would be a real lifesaver for me.ʼ Adam internally pondered while watching Lero.

A strange, unfamiliar feeling appeared inside him. He felt as if he was looking at himself from the recent past.

Sure, Lero was also a K1-Phantom like him, but it was obvious that there was a significant difference in experience between them, especially in deadly battles.

There was no Steel King or dark Phantoms or Thunder Demon in Leroʼs history, Adam was sure of that.

Adam didnʼt want to feel that way, but... for some reason, he felt pity for Lero. Not because Lero was weak, but because his lack of valuable experience would sooner or later bring him down.

Adam was a fairly young Phantom himself, so these thoughts seemed unnecessarily arrogant to him, but there was nothing he could do about it. The thoughts just came into his mind and stayed there for a long time.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

After a few waves of trembling, Lero was finally able to breathe out a sigh of relief and cancel the barrier.

He had to expend a lot of energy to protect everyone, but the effects of Katrinʼs pollen were doing their job and soon Lero would be much better.

”Good job!” Oskar said energetically, patting Lero on the shoulder with a wide smile.

Erla took a step forward, gazing at the aftermath of the volcanic explosion. There was nothing but lava, ash, and dark rock fragments everywhere.

But... her gaze went to the very center where the core of the volcano was that now looked like a real lava lake.

”Hey... Do you think he managed to survive?” Erla asked with a slight tremor in her voice.

Oskar shook his head.

”No way. Our attacks were enough to tear him apart.”

Adam didnʼt jump to conclusions as he stared at the streams of steam coming from the lava lake and the tall silhouette that was slowly rising behind them.