Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1157: Strawberries in chocolate

Usually, when the Phantoms returned from missions in the spires, they took time to rest and prepare for teleportation. Each spire had everything necessary for this.

No one forbade a Phantom from staying there for even several weeks if he wanted to: food, water, and entertainment were always in abundance at any such base.

But Adam did not become one of those Phantoms and preferred to return to the Citadel almost immediately, although he did take advantage of the cafeteria and ate something.

A large number of Phantoms and Gamma Division personnel protected the spires, but now it was clear to Adam that this was not the main reason why the monsters did not try to attack the spires.

Step. Step. Step.

Adam moved toward the platform, thinking about his previous battle.

“There may not be a single Phantom at a spire, only the Gamma Division people, but I doubt there’s a monster who would risk attacking the spire even in that case.”

The reason for this was quite simple – Frida.

As soon as monsters or some kind of External Artifact tried to get too close to a spire, the Gamma Division would find out and report it to Frida’s Operator.

From that moment on, it wouldn’t be a minute before all threats to the spire were destroyed by the arrival of the azure spear.

Damien may have been the strongest Phantom and defender of the Citadel, but in some things, Frida surpassed him—attack range was one of them.

Damien was not capable of doing Frida’s job, which is why she spent most of her time on Azure Island, occasionally descending to the Citadel.

Was Frida satisfied with this life?

Well, it was a role she had chosen for herself. Douglas couldn’t have forced her to do it if she had been against it, and Damien was too indifferent to bother her about it.

Frida was a global sentry who maintained order throughout the Dead Lands.

In this world, there were always two places on the surface where she couldn’t influence events if she wanted to: the Dark Shore and the inner part of the Tarnished Lands.

Adam fought on the border of the Tarnished Lands; the Corrosive Lakes were too far from the center, and it was one of the weakest areas of the Tarnished Lands.

However, Adam had no reason to go to more dangerous places, at least not yet.

What about the Dark Shore?

Well, there were too many powerful monsters in those lands. Some Lords were strong enough not only to destroy Frida’s spear, but to stop it, turn it around, and throw it back to the Citadel.

Obviously, neither Frida nor anyone else in the Citadel wanted such problems.

Ordinary people did not know that every day, Frida threw dozens of spears to defend the Phantoms. The Azure Island was high above the clouds, but even if there were no clouds, Frida’s spears moved too fast and at night resembled falling stars.

The woman nodded deeply.

“Everything is ready.”

Adam clenched his fist.

“Alright, send me back!”

With a bright flash, Adam’s frame distorted as he disappeared, reappearing right inside the Citadel.

The Gamma Division members exchanged glances. They had much to discuss.

“What do you think?” The woman looked at the man at the terminal.

The man waved his hand. “Well, he did much better than the others. What’s more, nothing can stop this guy. He’s some kind of combination between Kogen Noukx and Mr. Damien.”

“Yeah, something like that. His abilities are dangerous. I wonder what choice he made?”

At that moment, the man’s face darkened as he took a deep breath.

“Agh… The K4-Phantoms and their final path to reach the Second Rank. As much as we don’t want it, almost all of them are failing. I have a feeling that they simply have no right to fail.”

“I think so too. Only the heads know the truth, but it’s obvious. I’ve seen so many powerful K4-Phantoms, and as I read their profiles, I just couldn’t believe how they’ve achieved nothing in all these hundreds of years.”

The Gamma Division was a special part of the government, and although each member had not only power but also influence, there was also a strict hierarchy among them.

Some, like Douglas and Andreas, were aware of much more than other members. As with their power, this mainly depended on the age of the Gamma Division members.

There were practically no members in the upper echelons who had not lived in this world for several hundred years.

Very slowly, their power grew as the world around them changed.

The man stretched, preparing to continue his work.

“I hope this guy will be the exception. If the Citadel gets a Second Rank Phantom like Adam Vinter, we will strengthen our position. I don’t know what the Befallen Crown is planning, our information is limited, but it’s obvious that their patience is running out.”

The woman bit her lip, trying to understand the current power dynamic. At the highest level, it wasn’t simply humans vs. monsters; everything was much more complicated.

The Citadel, the Befallen Crown, the Free End, and the Renegades had different positions on the Last Star and the First Star, as well as different agreements. Not to mention that there were independent forces such as Saegar and some at the Tarnished Lands…

“Yes, his abilities would be perfect in case of war. However, that offers no guarantees. He may never reach the Second Rank or simply die, which is very likely given his fighting style.”

The man just shrugged, ending their conversation with a heavy silence.

No one heard what the two were talking about, but they weren’t the only ones who felt that way about Adam.

Adam didn’t understand this, but now that he had opened the Path Construct, he had become especially valuable not only to the monsters who wanted to kill him, but also to the Citadel, which wanted to protect him: as a talented Phantom, as an experienced fighter, as a weapon, as a tool, or even as a father…?

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

With the space trembling, Adam found himself on the platform as he returned to the Citadel.

The first thing he smelled was the rich aroma of strawberries wafting toward him.

“Agh…?”

Adam blinked several times to see Damien standing in front of him.

In his hands was a box of chocolate-covered strawberries.

Then, Damien grinned and picked up a strawberry.

“Want one?”