Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 320: Midnight Crystal (Part 45)

Heading into the Dead Lands, each Phantom was prepared for the dangers of the monsters.

The Phantoms could not rely on any other Phantoms for help, but... unlike the Citadel, which was all about survival and fighting against monsters, the monsters had nothing of the sort.

Dead Lands wasnʼt synonymous with Citadel in the monster world, because the monsters werenʼt some cohesive army or organization. They were disparate, had no common goal, and were willing to fight each other if there was a good reason.

The more experienced Phantoms were well aware of this, and Adam was among them.

He had seen monsters fight many times before, especially in Salt Village, the anomaly cluster. Then, Thunder Demon started a real massacre in which all monsters, anomalies, and Phantoms participated.

But... what Adam had never seen before was some monsters killing other monsters without attacking the Phantoms. As if doing so selectively by some special system.

Crackle.

The spear rained down on the Gray Stalkers, turning them into bloodstains. Next, without moving from its place, the statue swung the spear and tossed the pieces of flesh aside, not wanting the remains of their bodies to defile the entrance to Fume Cathedral.

Adam, Oskar, Katrin, and the others gulped with wide-eyed stares. Adam was the most shocked, for he felt that the statues were alive, but he couldnʼt find enough evidence to prove it.

Moreover, he and Oskar, along with the rest of the Golden Light Squad, managed to enter the Fume Cathedral without any problems, while Scarlet Pyromancer had done it before them.

Thus, Adam had no way of understanding how these statues worked.

”What the hell...?” Adam muttered in disbelief, ”They didnʼt attack us, the Phantoms, they didnʼt attack Scarlet Pyromancer, the monster, but why did they destroy the Gray Stalkers...?”

The answer to that question was something none of them knew.

Osana frowned heavily, which rarely happened on her always-calm face with a cute smile.

”Itʼs not only that which matters. One statue killed a lot of Gray Stalkers with just one swing of a spear. Fuck, if they were to suddenly attack us, the same thing would happen to us.” Osana clenched her fists tightly. Her nails dug into her delicate skin, releasing trickles of blood.

She realized that either luck or the strange rules of the Fume Cathedral had saved them now, but if it hadnʼt been for that, theyʼd be dead by now, and that scared her to the core.

There was less and less time to deal with the situation because in less than a minute the other monsters that were right behind the Gray Stalkers would be arriving at the Fume Cathedral.

”Silvana, speak.” Adam said, gathering his thoughts. He realized that only Silvana could clarify what was going on here.

ʼSure, all of you, listen to me carefully. You are already in Fume Cathedral, so you need to act according to its rules if you want to survive this wave of monsters.ʼ Silvana said sternly, forcing every Phantom to listen to her.

ʼFirst of all, only a fraction of the monsters from the entire wave will be able to enter Fume Cathedral. The reason is simple, the statues at the entrance and around Fume Cathedral simply wonʼt let the unworthy pass in.ʼʼ

ʼʼAgh? The statues wonʼt let the unworthy through? What the hell does that mean?” Oskar frowned, not understanding what she was talking about.

ʼThe statues will only let in beings strong enough. However, they make their judgment based not on your level, but on your pure power, the most obvious indicator of which is your aura.ʼ Silvana explained.

ʼScarlet Pyromancer and all of you are lower in level than Gray Stalkers, but the statues didnʼt touch you, yet they destroyed Gray Stalkers. The same will happen to all monsters they deem unworthy.ʼ

”Hmm?” Osana raised an eyebrow in confusion, ʼʼDoesnʼt that mean theyʼll let anyone even slightly stronger than Gray Stalkers come in here? In that case, itʼs not good news at all, since almost all the monsters in this wave are significantly stronger than those gray pathetic dogs!”

ʼNot really.ʼ Silvana said coldly, ”Just because Weeping Harahas are stronger than Gray Stalkers doesnʼt mean theyʼre worthy of the statues letting them in.ʼ

Leroʼs eyes went wide, shining brightly with a certain delight that was quite difficult to understand.

”Great! That means that only a fraction of the monsters will be able to enter here! The statues wonʼt let the rest through, which means we wonʼt have to fight a wave of hundreds of monsters!” Lero exclaimed, he even exclaimed slightly.

However... no one but him shared the same enthusiasm.

”Agh...? Is something wrong?” Lero asked puzzled feeling their gazes on him.

Erla shook her head, placing a hand on his shoulder.

”Well, itʼs certainly nice that we donʼt have to fight all the monsters in an empty field, thatʼs why we headed here. But... it doesnʼt make the situation any better at all.”

Oskar nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

”Yeah, letʼs say all the weak monsters stay outside, but at best itʼll be a third or half of them, the rest can get in, and the statues will let them through. That means weʼll have to fight the strongest monsters to survive.” Oskar said and drew his sword preparing for battle.

Adam looked around. He was wondering where the one who came here before them was.

ʼWhere is Scarlet Pyromancer?ʼ Adam pondered before directing his gaze upwards - towards the top of the Fume Cathedral that was at the level of the outer sharp peaks.

Just beneath the triangular roof supported by a multitude of stone beams connected to columns descending to the ground was a massive creature with flaming wings.

Right now, however, Scarlet Pyromancer decided not to take any chances and not to make any unnecessary movements. He was in complete control of his flames, not allowing it to come out.

Scarlet Pyromancer was sitting on one of these beams under the roof, almost completely concealing his massive silhouette with shadows.

This situation was as dangerous and stressful for him as it was for the others. He was lucky that the statues had let him inside and now he could hide here and watch the events unfold from above.

Sure, Adam, Katrin, and the others could get to Scarlet Pyromancer if they wanted to, but they had other more important problems - the monsters were getting closer.

Then, Adamʼs gaze traveled lower, inspecting Fume Cathedral from the inside. Deep behind the thick, massive columns, in the darkness, lurked a multitude of armored knights.

Adam narrowed his eyes. He immediately sensed a threatening aura from these armors. They, like the statues, looked like simple decorations for a Gothic structure, but now Adam was sure that they, like the statues, were alive.

However, if the statues were the guards who decided who could enter the Fume Cathedral and who could not, then the purpose of this armor was not clear.

”Hey, Silvana, what the hell is this...?” Adam muttered with a slight shiver passing through his entire body as he thrust his hand forward, pointing into the distance of the long, spacious hall.

At the very end of the Fume Cathedral, as if it were a real throne room, was a massive stone throne.

Half of the throne was illuminated by snow-white crystals protruding from the ground, while the upper half was covered in thick darkness.

Right now, just as Silvana had said earlier, the throne was empty. There was no especially strong monster in Fume Cathedral, but... could someone occupy this throne while it was empty?