Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1606 1606: What do you need?

Whooooooosh.

Morok and the others left the border of the Primal Lands. They didnʼt return to the Befallen Crown because they still hoped to find Adam, even though they didnʼt even know where to start.

These were no longer the icy lands where Adam had fought Vaarh and where Goen lived. It was a dense forest with tall cliffs and huge trees with equally large fruits hanging from their branches.

This was the jungle at its wildest, the kind of terrain that filled most of the Primal Lands, not just the frosty lands with fearsome beasts.

Morok looked around one last time before gesturing for them to move to their temporary base.

Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!

An imperceptible rustling sound came from the top of one of the tallest trees, indistinguishable from a random gust of wind.

”What do you think?” Zargos asked.

Adam gulped.

”So... Those bastards were hunting me? Damn, they turned out to be smarter than that team.”

Zargos shrugged.

”That team is from a different squad, and they are at a higher level. Liliane would have captured you and carried out the order, but Morok... Well, he would have carried out the order as well, but he wouldnʼt have batted an eye if it meant cutting off your arms and legs, as long as you were still alive.”

He waved his hand.

”Pretty brutal stuff, you know?”

Only a few seconds after Morok left could Adam breathe a sigh of relief.

”Hey, did you plan all this from the beginning, or did your plans change along the way?”

Zargos turned his hand.

”Meh, Iʼd say a little bit of both. I wanted to see Ramiloʼs combat form, so I decided to attack you. Whatʼs more, Ramilo appeared before Morok with burns, so itʼs more convincing, although it doesnʼt seem like Morok believed it. They stayed at the Primal Lands, I can see that.”

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

Adam scratched his cheek, utterly confused.

When Zargos defeated Ramilo and kidnapped him, Adam and Silvana actually started to panic.

This had never happened before. One way or another, Adam always managed to win, or someone saved him. Otherwise, he would have been dead long ago, like thousands of other Phantoms who were weaker or less fortunate.

But now, Adam was scared for real.

However, as soon as Zargos left the Ice Path and climbed to the top of the tree, he removed the chains and explained everything to Adam.

From that moment on, they watched from the top, waiting for Morok and the others to appear.

”Look, it turns out you saved me, right?”

Zargos nodded.

”Yeah. Donʼt get me wrong. In 9 out of 10 cases, Ramilo wouldnʼt let them lay a finger on you, but... there was still a chance they could kidnap you. I decided not to take any chances.”

He slowly turned as a cunning gleam flashed across his eyes.

”But donʼt think you can get rid of me so easily. My curiosity about you isnʼt the only reason I wanted to meet you.”

Adamʼs expression became more serious. He had expected the conversation to take this turn at some point.

”I see. It couldnʼt be any other way, right?”

Zargos nodded.

”But... Zargos, what could you possibly need from me? Iʼm sure that anything I would have to work hard for, you could get with a snap of your fingers at your level.”

In response, Zargos waved his hand.

”Oh, donʼt worry about that. What I need is already with you. The First Star brought you to the Dark Shore, didnʼt it?”

”Hmm?” Adam didnʼt understand why Zargos decided to bring this up. ”Yeah... But that was several months ago. I successfully left the Dark Shore then. What does that have to do with anything?”

Tap.

Zargos grabbed Adam by the shoulder, greed awakening in his eyes. Now he had heard it directly from Adam that it had happened.

”Great! I need that energy!”

Adamʼs eyes widened.

”Wait, wait, wait!” He crawled back. ”What does that even mean? What energy? What are you talking about?”

”Agh?”

Zargos blinked several times. For some reason, he was more puzzled than Adam.

”Agh? Are you saying that you went through the black flash, which happens quite rarely with the Phantoms, but you still donʼt use its power?”

”W-What? I was supposed to gain some power after the black flash?” Adam couldnʼt understand what Zargos was talking about.

”Of course! Shit! Why didnʼt anyone tell you about this? Usually, you Phantoms gain this power when you approach the limit of the K4-Level, but with you, itʼs a completely different case, isnʼt it?”

He smirked.

”You encountered the energy of the First Star much earlier, at the K3-Level. I know about your escape from the Dark Shore and the massive battle that took place to protect you.”

Then, Zargos grew quiet as he realized something. He rubbed his beard thoughtfully, looking at Adam appraisingly.

”I see, no one interfered with your progress, and thatʼs right. But itʼs curious that your Evolution Tree didnʼt mention this. After all, in some battle, this power could be a decisive factor.”

Adam still had more questions, but now he at least had some partial answers.

”So youʼre saying that all this time I had access to a power thatʼs right there in my Evolution Tree, but I just didnʼt know about it, and no one told me? Itʼs been that way since the moment I returned from the Dark Shore?”

Zargos shrugged carelessly.

”Yeah, pretty much. Like I said, technically, you had access to this power much earlier than most. However... maybe it was the right decision. This power can break you if youʼre not ready. But, come on, youʼre Adam Vinter! I believe in you!”

He picked at his fingernails.

”Besides, whatʼs the point of looking at the risks if youʼre going to win anyway?”

Adam gulped. He didnʼt know why, but coming from Zargos, it sounded scary, he was too reckless.

”And... What is this power?”

Zargos grinned from ear to ear.

”The Dark Energy.”