Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1735 1735: The First Desire to Win (Part 1)

Zin had come to fight at the Grim Court with one specific goal in mind. He hadnʼt even considered the possibility that some Phantom could defeat him. It was simply impossible.

But what was Zin looking at now?

Before his amethyst eyes, a stream of his blood rushed by. The edges of the crimson drops reflected the green light emanating from the emerald clock, indicating that exactly four minutes had passed since the battle began.

ʼHe caught me? How… I did everything silently. He shouldnʼt have heard a thing…ʼ Zin thought as a searing pain spread through his burning chest.

ʼHow did he do that? Whatever… That doesnʼt matter now. I need to wound him as badly as he wounded me if I want to taste the Queenʼs blood now.ʼ

Step.

Zin took a step back as his torso bent toward the ground, but he managed not to fall.

For a moment, he and Adam stood frozen in place as the spectatorsʼ eyes widened in shock. They couldnʼt believe what they were seeing.

The Fang-rank monsters were particularly surprised, they had occasionally thought they might be able to defeat Zin. Each time they had concluded it was impossible, but… what, then, were they seeing now?

Whooooosh!

Adam swung his needle as his eyes grew colder.

”Youʼre fast, very fast, but youʼre not the sound itself. Youʼre a flesh-and-blood creature, Zin.”

Zin slowly leaned forward while blood dripped from his chest onto the ground.

”Shut up. You havenʼt seen even a fraction of it. Havenʼt you been through countless battles? You should know that a single successful attack isnʼt enough to win!”

He began to get nervous. He showed his first emotions since the start of their fight. He wasnʼt prepared for his opponentʼs strength.

These thoughts were on the minds of many spectators. They were still confident that Zin would find a way to victory, but some began to doubt it, and a small number of them decided to take action.

”Iʼm betting one land cube on Adam Vinter!” the young man exclaimed.

The woman in the next row stood up from her seat. ”Iʼm betting two land cubes on Adam Vinter!”

”Iʼm betting three land cubes!”

”F-Four!!!”

Time was running out. In fifty seconds, the emerald clock would reach five minutes, and no one else would be able to place bets. Leerna and her assistants simply wouldnʼt accept them, no matter who wanted to bet.

”Agh…?”

Zin looked around, his eyes growing wider and wider.

He couldnʼt believe it. Many spectators had actually started placing their land cubes on Adam, and this affected Zin far more than he had thought.

”How? How can they be so stupid?” Zin was lost. ”Didnʼt they come here to get more land? If they want to win the bets, how can they bet on your victory?”

”Hmm?”

Adam stared at him.

”Isnʼt it obvious, Zin?”

”What are you talking about...?” Zin muttered.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Adamʼs aura intensified as he prepared for his next move.

”Zin. They actually believe it. They donʼt have much time left to place their bets, so they think youʼre going to lose. It seems you do care about what others think after all.”

Before Zin could answer, a bright light burst from Adam as two black wings with a white base and amber clusters unfolded on his back.

Just as in his battle against the Dark Knight, he chose not to use the End Bliss to unleash a barrage of rays upon his opponent. Adam knew that Zin was too fast and would easily dodge this attack, despite its destructive power.

His wings pressed against his back as a powerful energy current from the amber clusters burst outward, causing the space to tremble.

Everyone braced for Adamʼs attack, but something caused the spectators to turn their heads to the other side of the arena.

”What the hell?” the man muttered in disbelief as Kaerno raised his arm.

The two girls exchanged glances as they nodded. Their decision, and that of many others, would depend on what Kaerno did.

Kaerno glanced at the arena, a slight smile on his face. ”Well, well, looks like there isnʼt much time left to place bets, right? In that case, Iʼd better hurry.”

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

As space trembled, ten white cubes soared above him, plunging the entire arena into shock.

”Iʼm betting ten land cubes on Adam Vinter.”

Even the assistant who had taken his first bet froze for a moment.

”This…” Her voice trembled as she looked at the stone board in her hand. ”That makes a total of 13 land cubes. I havenʼt seen such large bets in a long time.”

Without hesitation, more than a dozen monsters rose from their seats, shouting out their bets with such force as if their lives depended on it.

”One land cube on Adam Vinter!”

”Two! No! Three land cubes on Adam Vinter!”

”F-Four land cubes on the first fighter!”

Each of their shouts, each of their bets, was a new blow to Zin.

It wasnʼt that he needed their approval or faith. It was clear that their intentions were sincere.

If they were betting on Adamʼs victory, that meant they didnʼt believe in him, which meant he was weaker than Adam.

For Zin, this wasnʼt the end of the world. He saw nothing wrong with being weaker than someone else.

But…

ʼIf Iʼm weaker than him, then Iʼll lose.ʼ Zin gulped. ʼIf that happens, then how will I hear the flow of the Queenʼs blood? HOW!?ʼ

Step.

Adam stepped forward as all the clusters trembled, turning the amber light into a real flame that gave him a speed beyond even Zinʼs capabilities.

ʼNO!ʼ Zin cried inwardly, preparing to dodge, but Adam was already right in front of him.

He held his needle with both hands, and the sheer pressure of his aura wouldnʼt let Zin go anywhere.

”I donʼt know what you want, Zin. But, for now, your only future is defeat!”

SLASH!

Adam brought his needle down on Zin as the black blade plunged deep into Zinʼs shoulder, sending a shockwave forward that shattered the arenaʼs sturdy wall.