Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1005: Jaw of the Beast (Part 1)

Every strong fighter or monster had trump cards. No one wanted to use their strongest ability before necessary, it was understandable.

Usually, it was impossible to use a trump card more than once per battle, it required too much energy or special conditions.

Moreover, if in a battle between two creatures, one was stronger than the other, there was no need to use a trump card.

Obviously, Kreyna, because of her arrogance, didnʼt expect her fight against Vorx and Risha to come to this.

But any mistakes could be corrected if you were still alive.

Kreyna was well aware of this simple rule, though sometimes it could bring a huge amount of pain.

”Gha!” Risha gasped, blood spurting from her mouth once again.

In the last ten seconds, Risha found herself hurt more than she had in the long fight before that. She simply couldnʼt do anything against Kreyna in the dark sphere.

The problem wasnʼt that she couldnʼt see her.

No.

Risha could feel Kreynaʼs aura and see the glint of her blade and outline. For a Phantom of her level, the lack of light wasnʼt much of a problem.

After all, even normal beasts could navigate in the darkness.

Sure, if Risha stood outside the dark sphere, just one step away, she might not be able to see anything. That was one effect of Kreynaʼs ability.

What about the other effect?

ʼShit...ʼ Risha internally muttered. ʼSheʼs gotten so much faster. Itʼs like this whole sphere is one big purple star. She moves from one point to another almost instantly. If I donʼt find a way to get rid of the sphere, Iʼm finished!ʼ

Radiant Mirage didnʼt say anything. He remained inside Rishaʼs initial gene, hovering amongst the energy with a frown.

He tried to think of a plan of action, but Kreyna had forced him earlier to use his trump card to save Risha.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

At the same moment, something caught Radiant Mirageʼs attention.

”Agh?” he turned around, baffled.

Without Rishaʼs knowledge, he stepped out of her initial gene. Cutting through the darkness on the mirror fragment, Radiant Mirage found himself in front of her Crystal Gates, staring intently at the fourth smaller one.

The first crack appeared.

Soon, the Stellar Flow would do its thing, it needed a little time and help from Risha in creating the right ability.

But... Risha didnʼt have that time.

All her powers were focused on surviving, finding a way out of the dark sphere, and not becoming Kreynaʼs next victim.

”Alright, I chose to partner with this girl myself, so in a way, itʼs my responsibility to help her, right?” Radiant Mirage muttered, his voice trembling slightly.

In fact, he had to do something. Otherwise, death awaited him. Kreyna would simply absorb him after draining all the energy from Risha and Vorx. That might even be enough for her to evolve.

”Well...” Radiant Mirage gulped. ”If itʼs my decision, then I have to give my all. Her gate, itʼs like glass. All it takes is one more crack in the right place, and under pressure, the irreversible process will begin.”

Step.

He stepped forward, unaware of what was happening outside.

With a slight shudder, energy traveled down his arm, turning into a sharp shard. It wasnʼt a weapon or a blade, he had to grip the shard tightly, cutting himself.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Droplets of blood, one by one, disappeared into the darkness, while Radiant Mirageʼs grip only grew stronger.

”Just one crack,” he muttered before making a sharp thrust forward.

Crack.

The shard shattered, whizzing in front of Radiant Mirageʼs exhausted eyes. He spent far more energy than he had bargained for.

”Fuck... I shouldnʼt interfere with whatʼs going on in her inner space at all.”

Radiant Mirage dropped to one knee, his frame trembling. He struggled to maintain his form, or else he would turn into mere blobs of energy and disappear into Rishaʼs initial gene for a long time.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

”But, looks like I did my part, no... Hah.” he smiled bitterly raising his head. ”I did a lot more than that!”

At the same moment, the Stellar Flow, half its power, shattered the fourth lesser gates into myriad fragments.

Radiant Mirage stepped aside, watching as the red, furious stream headed for Rishaʼs Evolution Tree.

”Shit, so this is my new home?” his gaze lifted, looking at the two main branches coming into motion.

The Evolution Tree already knew what Risha needed to win.

What her desires wanted.

It required the energy, the power from the fourth lesser gates, to create the Branch Crystal. That was all that the Evolution Tree lacked.

”Well, itʼs not that bad, is it? At least sheʼll get through this fight.” Radiant Mirage smirked, two intertwining branches reflected in his eyes.

Soon, a bright red star appeared at the tips, illuminating all of Rishaʼs inner space. For a few brief moments, the darkness took on a new, crimson hue.

”Good, now...”

Radiant Mirage nodded deeply as he turned around, staring into the depths of darkness - at Risha, who was trying to find a path to victory.

”Now itʼs our turn to be the hunter. Being the prey is useful, but not for too long.”

Whooooooooooooosh.

At the same moment, Kreyna swept through Risha, leaving another cut on her back.

”Well, well... Just when I was about to use something really powerful, you end up as helpless trash?” Kreyna hissed. ”Thatʼs not surprising. Maybe that guy could have defeated me. After all, he went to fight against Arnoth. But you didnʼt. Youʼre too weak!”

Burst.

The purple glint traveled down her blade as she turned into a shadow, heading straight for the weakened Risha.

Only her eyes shone in the darkness like cruel crystals.

”Die. You, trash!”

Suddenly, Rishaʼs frame shifted as she found herself behind Kreyna, continuing to stride forward.

Slowly, Kreyna lowered her eyes, seeing three wide cuts on her stomach.

Panicked, she turned around, seeing Rishaʼs red eyes glowing in the darkness. The crimson streams of energy condensed around her left arm, transforming it into something new, fit not for a human but for a beast.

A stream of symbols ran deep in her eyes.

She saw her new ability.

Now, she knew who was the hunter and who was the prey.