Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1659: Blade Pillar

For some time, Adam followed Kaerno and Larth as they raced through lands unknown to him. During that time, no one attacked them, which was to be expected given that Kaerno was with them now.

’Hmm, Larth called himself a Fang. He’s clearly proud of that status. In that case, who is Kaerno? Unlike Larth, he’s definitely at the Lord Level, but it seems that doesn’t matter much here, right?’

Besides his two new companions, something else was bothering Adam. Following Kaerno, they had already walked several kilometers without stopping for a moment.

However, the surrounding landscape hadn’t changed at all. He saw the same ground covered in gray sand, dunes, giant bones, and colossal pillars that had always been in their view, as well as the black sky with the eclipsed moon.

’Shit, just how huge is this place? Where did Gladius send me, or rather... How the hell did Xyrea manage to do this?’

Adam didn’t know exactly what they had done to get him here, but he was curious to find out what method they had used.

Moreover, only now did Adam realize that Xyrea had left him at the cave ring on purpose. If it had been a simple teleportation, he would have ended up in the middle of the gray desert, where some random monster would have already devoured him, but at the cave ring, he was completely safe until he woke up.

’Tsk. What a strange feeling. I’m not exactly complaining that Gladius and Xyrea aren’t actually my enemies, but... I’m not sure I can call them allies either. Why did they have to send me here? Even a simple monster was capable of giving me a decent fight.’

Sure, Adam was significantly stronger than the bull, but if any other Black Threat Level monster had been in its place, Adam would have defeated it with a single punch.

Additionally, after what happened, he was no longer sure of Larth’s power level. It all came down to his strange tattoo.

’I wonder if Kaerno has something similar too? But, if that’s the case, why do only they possess such power? I haven’t seen anything like it on other monsters.’

True, tattoos containing energy or serving as part of an ability weren’t unique. Both monsters and Phantoms possessed such power.

But from Larth’s tattoo, he sensed something special, something that made him doubt his chances of victory.

”We’re almost there.”

Kaerno’s deep voice snapped Adam out of his thoughts as the outline of a great pillar appeared in the distance. It differed little from all the others, but it was quite large and had tall spikes at its summit, where a majestic tower rose in the very center. It was one of the two pillar types here.

”Is this the pillar where you live?” Adam asked.

Kaerno nodded. ”As you’ve already noticed, all pillars are divided into two types. The one we’re heading toward is the Blade Pillar. The second type is the Dome Type.”

”I take it they differ in more than just appearance?”

”Sure. Everything here is under the control of two factions, the Blade Eclipse and the Dome Eclipse. Depending on which faction you belong to, you’re in the corresponding pillar.”

Adam raised an eyebrow.

”Only two factions in such a vast territory? Do you often fight each other?”

Strangely enough, a slight smirk appeared on Kaerno’s face.

”Things work a little differently here than in other areas. We’re not enemies, but we’re not allies either. The best way to describe our relationship is ’competition.’ Naturally, casual conflicts are inevitable, but they rarely escalate into anything more than a local skirmish between two monsters.”

Adam blinked several times, not quite believing it. ”Are you saying that in this dreadful place, you all fight to get stronger and teach each other useful tricks?”

Larth turned away with a heavy grimace.

”You have no idea what nonsense you’re spouting! It’s much more serious than that! Your ignorance is staggering!”

However, Kaerno’s reaction was very different from Larth’s grumbling.

”Hahaha! I wouldn’t mind if things were as harmless as you described them, Adam. As I said, deadly battles happen here from time to time, just like anywhere else in our world. But there are specific areas where competition between our factions really heats up.”

Adam narrowed his eyes.

”Are you talking about those strange abyss and cave rings? They’re pretty deep. I didn’t dare go down there and stayed on the surface. Although...” He turned to Larth. ”I didn’t have a choice, they attacked me right away!”

”Yes.” Kaerno nodded. ”But it’s too early for you to know about that. If you go there, nothing but pain and humiliation await you, and that’s the best-case scenario.”

”I see...”

Adam didn’t ask any more questions. He realized he’d learn more once they reached the blade pillar.

Still, as they approached, Adam noticed one thing: the pillar wasn’t empty and perfectly smooth as it had seemed at first.

On the outside, one could see window niches, spiral staircases running along the entire pillar, as well as shallow grooves that divided the pillar into several levels.

Sure, these weren’t modern windows and staircases, but it wasn’t a creepy dungeon either.

”Hmm, so all the powerful monsters are at the pillars?” Adam mused. ”Yeah, that makes sense. After all, there’s nothing else here. Maybe underground, in the cave rings, there are some halls, but these are the only structures here.”

”Adam.” Kaerno’s voice rang out.

”Y-Yes?”

”Normally, a monster without a faction and someone of your level isn’t even allowed to enter the pillar without permission, let alone climb to the top, but you’re a special case. Phantoms rarely come here, the ones as young and talented as you are practically nonexistent.”

Adam nodded deeply. He understood that there would be many restrictions for him here. Any territory other than the Citadel was foreign to him. He didn’t possess the destructive power of a Goen to build himself a hunting lodge anywhere and live in peace.

’Well...’ Adam looked up at the eclipsed moon towering above them. ’It’s time to find out where I’ve ended up. In this pillar, I’m sure to get my answers.’