Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1167: An Unexpected Offer

In fact, Adam had experienced something similar not only when he was a K0-Phantom and was looking for a monster to open his Lock. He also needed to kill a certain creature to complete the Two Walls, destroy them, and move on to the next stage.

At that time, the Two Walls led him to the Crimson Monarch, one of his main enemies. However, he only learned that the Crimson Monarch was his enemy and what he looked like at the very end, when they met.

All that the Two Walls had shown him before that were fragments of a place, an underground temple submerged in a river of blood, where the Crimson Monarch was located.

Now, Adam found himself in a similar situation.

In addition to the many lines, he also saw fragments from distant lands. There were too many for him to understand anything, so he had to get rid of most of them. He chose the largest cluster of fragments at the Tarnished Lands.

“What is this place?” Adam thought.

Lands covered with gray, featureless grass flashed through his mind. High cliffs of broken hills and tall rocks towered over the ravine, while low, dark clouds descended to the upper level, carefully covering these lands.

But what caught Adam’s attention were the numerous, great mills, located both on the tops of the cliffs beyond the clouds and in the lowlands, on fields covered with white flowers.

At the same moment, Adam’s aura trembled as most of the lines broke into fragments, rushing before his eyes. Only he could see his Connected String, and he made his choice.

A few lines remained, but they all led in one direction—toward the gray lands and the mills shrouded in clouds.

Adam didn’t know why, but he already wanted to be there, and not just to fight and become stronger. No, he had a strange desire to stay there for a while, just to walk around these lands under the gray sky that was the same color as the grass.

Tap.

Damien’s hand fell on Adam’s shoulder, bringing him out of his trance. All the fragments disappeared, and the lines vanished. But Damien knew when it was time to act. From Adam’s gaze, he understood that Adam had made his choice.

“What do you say? Ready to go into battle?”

After a short pause, Adam nodded weakly. “Yeah, I think so. But I didn’t see the monster that will be my opponent.”

“That’s okay.” Damien waved his hand carelessly. “I think you saw many lines after you made your choice, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, when you arrive at the location or get a little closer, just use the Connected String again. Maybe someone will want to fight you because they sense your aura. If not, it won’t be hard to follow the lines and find a monster with the Connected Heart.”

With a deep sigh, Adam leaned against the railing, letting the cold night wind ruffle the ends of his hair.

“Damien, what do you think we should do first? Find the Twilight Crystal or go after the Connected Heart?”

In response, Damien shrugged with a slight smile.

“That’s up to you. In this case, the order doesn’t matter as much as the end result. Like in many things in life, the main thing is not to die and to win, and everything else will fall into place.”

Then, Damien glanced around the Citadel.

“Alright, I think my work here is done. I’m sure Silvana will have no trouble finding the right place when you tell her what you saw in the fragments. Until we meet again!”

Before Adam could say anything, Damien disappeared like a ghost. Adam tried to follow Damien’s movements, but it was impossible.

“Agh…”

Adam shook his head and looked up at the night sky covered with a myriad of stars.

‘I don’t know if it’s true that the Last Star was once the brightest star, but it would have been better if it had stayed in the sky instead of destroying our world every 250 years.’

Silence.

Adam didn’t say anything for a while, and Silvana didn’t rush to disturb him. They could communicate through their shared voice at any moment, but this ability didn’t work all the time. Like all people, they needed moments when they were alone, only with their thoughts.

Scratch.

After a few moments, Adam scratched the back of his head and, with a complicated expression, descended the old iron staircase. The landscape slowly rotated around him, creating a stream of bright lights that would lose most of their brightness in just seven years.

“Hmm, the First Star and the Last Star. Like everyone else, I heard stories about the Last Star when I was a child, but what about the First Star? Has it always been part of our world?”

Adam shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside.

Step. Step. Step.

With his last steps, he descended the stairs and was about to step outside the tower’s fence.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from around the corner as the sound of heels tapping on the asphalt echoed in the quiet place.

The bright light from a distant lamppost hid the figure in shadow, but the graceful curves and the handbag clutched in her hands made it clear that it was a woman.

Then, two red eyes opened, looking at Adam with genuine curiosity.

“M-Monster?” Adam’s first thoughts echoed in his head. “But how? A monster couldn’t have appeared right in the Citadel! Besides, Damien would have noticed!”

Gradually, Adam began to realize what was happening, but it was already too late. The unknown woman wasn’t going to wait that long.

Step.

Like a ghost, she appeared right in front of him, showing with this simple movement that she was faster than he was. However, she was in no hurry to reveal her aura. After all, they were in the city, and her power would scare many ordinary people.

“Hello, Adam Vinter.” Her sweet voice came from her red lips.

Before Adam could comprehend what was happening, her hand moved toward his face, but instead of fingernails, he saw long claws slowly running across his cheek.

“You…” Adam stared at her in disbelief. “You’re a Hybrid?”

The woman blinked several times, seemingly surprised that Adam had understood so quickly.

Then, she licked her lips predatorily.

“Hah, you’re such a smart boy. Now I want it even more…”

Adam gulped.

“What?”

Her second hand dropped lower.

“Kids.”