Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 994: The First Floor (Part 1)

The Light Guardian was ready to fight, to do whatever it took to defend the road to the castle, but the forces between him and Adam were not equal.

The further the Phantoms and monsters went down the evolutionary path, the more the outcome of the battle was affected by even a small difference in strength.

Adam didnʼt need any of his powerful abilities to deal with such a large, powerful foe. Just like the Light Guardian, he only needed a few swings of his hammer to kill a dozen serpents.

Adam was not yet strong enough to easily fight S5 monsters, but the S4 monsters were no match for him.

Only Arnoth and Kreyna could give him trouble, especially Arnoth.

Tap.

Adam landed, the great guardianʼs body crumbling to the ground behind him with a clatter.

ʼArnoth...ʼ Adam muttered internally, raising his gaze towards the castle. ʼI donʼt know if youʼre looking at me right now, but I can feel your aura. Itʼs quiet, almost nonexistent, but I was able to uncover it.ʼ

Heret touched his shoulder. ”Are you alright?”

”Yeah, letʼs go to the gate, from there to the bridge and straight to the throne room, right?”

”Sure.” Heret nodded. ”We could stay and help Vorx and Risha in the battle against Kreyna, but that is not our task. Kreyna is not a weak fighter. She will make us lose a lot of energy and time. We canʼt let that happen if we want to defeat Arnoth.”

Adam nodded deeply.

It wasnʼt just about following the plan, it was about trust. Heret believed that Vorx could handle Kreyna, and so should Adam towards Risha.

ʼWell, itʼs going to be a 2 vs 1 fight, so everything should be fine. Hmm, Kreyna is weaker than Arnoth, but sheʼs still a frighteningly strong S5 monster, right?ʼ

At the next nod to each other, they ran forward.

A few light soldiers and knights cast glances at them, hiding in the alleyways, but they didnʼt attack - it was too dangerous.

...

At the same time, Vorx and Risha moved on their way. They started from the other side, from the west, and were already approaching the Tail Spire.

As Heret had said, each of the two spires had one Light Guardian.

Risha saw one for the first time as she gulped, preparing for battle.

”No.” Vorx stopped her abruptly, preventing her from swinging her axe. ”Weʼre not fighting that big guy.”

”Hmm?”

Risha was baffled.

”Why?! Just by stopping here, weʼre wasting time! Canʼt we handle some S4 monster?”

A bitter smile played on Vorxʼs face.

”Hah, of course, weʼll have no trouble killing the Light Guardian, itʼs just that weʼll leave that task to Adam and Heret. Iʼm sure Grita and Torz are approaching the main gate right now.”

”Wait...? Adam and Heret are coming this way? I thought they must have another way.”

Vorx was about to reply, but something stopped him.

Suddenly, a flash of green flame exploded right in front of the locks, shaking the main gate.

As soon as the Light Guardian saw it, the great monster immediately grabbed his hammer and ran forward. Every step he took made the ground quake, scaring away the serpents and the Light Legion.

”Get ready,” Vorxʼs voice got lower. ”Weʼll follow the guardian, and the next thing weʼll see is their dead bodies. Then, we will have only one course of action left - a battle against Kreyna. Iʼm sure sheʼs already waiting for us on the first floor of the castle.”

Risha answered nothing, she only gripped the hilt of her axe tighter. This would be her first serious fight in a long time, the one where she might actually die.

Here, at the Fallen Ring Castle there was no one who could save her, she had to rely on her own strength alone.

ʼGood, thatʼs what I needed,ʼ Risha muttered internally. ʼIʼll do the same as Adam - become stronger during the battle. Once I open the fourth lesser gates, Vorx and I will easily defeat Kreyna.ʼ

Then, Vorx gestured a command, and they leaped forward.

In the distance, violent flashes of green fire erupted, each stronger than the other. Among the blaze were several white lines, short but deadly, resembling silver threads.

Adam, Heret, Risha, and Vorx moved towards the main gate along the shortest and most direct route from their starting points.

The resistance forces led by Grita and Torz, as their commanders, had a different task.

The serpents had to deal with every member of the Light Legion, no matter where they were. Thus, the resistance narrowed the ring, hundreds of serpents were approaching the castle forcing the Light Legion ranks to flee in fear.

Sure, by now, many serpents had already died by this point, but these were necessary losses. Each of the serpents, especially those from the resistance, realized that someone would die that day, their friends or even family members.

However, deep down, in their hearts, they knew that it was necessary, that it would be better for their folk.

Whether human or monster, when the strong took over the lands of the weak to extract resources, the outcome was always the same: the death of the weak.

Bam.

Heretʼs fist slammed into the Light Guardianʼs chest, creating a fiery explosion. The green fire tore through the armor in a blast, leaving a wide hole in the guardianʼs chest, large enough for a human to pass through.

No emotion other than cruel certainty was on Heretʼs face.

It took him some time to kill the two Light Guardians, but he did so without taking any wounds.

Adam stood a few meters away, the second needle in his left hand. In a short swing, he broke the needle into shards.

When he used his Branch Order, he could choose which needle to summon, the first, second, or two at once. This gave them versatility and allowed them to conserve quite a bit of energy.

Heret turned around, their gazes meeting.

”Risha and Vorx will be here soon, letʼs wait for them and leave.”

”Sure.” Adam nodded weakly as he looked ahead, an eerie aura lurking behind the massive golden gate left unguarded.