Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1921: One Faithful Viscount

Adam and Kalyso’s battle continued, or at least, that’s how it was supposed to be.

Kalyso was his opponent, not an enemy, so the least he could do in such a situation was to warn Adam of the danger.

But neither of them expected an unknown monster to appear and decide to intervene in their battle suddenly.

Tremble!

A pillar of dust rose as the gray dragon crashed down on Adam like a bolt of lightning.

Kalyso, who had rushed to his aid, was forced to stop, shielding himself with his arms from the debris flying toward him.

“Damn it!” Kalyso exclaimed with a deep frown.

For the first time during their battle, the joy and excitement faded from his eyes. He was confused and angry at the same time.

Whooooooosh!

Emerging from the pillar of dust, Adam dashed to the side, moving as far away as possible.

“Adam!” Kalyso cried out. A hint of joy appeared on his face, but things weren’t looking good.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Blood was trickling down Adam’s arm as he clutched it. His shoulder was also injured, and nothing remained of his coat’s sleeve.

In fact, if it weren’t for his coat woven from red threads, he would certainly have lost his arm, and Adam might not have been able to get back up. Still, he would definitely have survived, which was exactly what the attacker had counted on.

Tap.

Adam stopped on one of the rocks while Kalyso remained on the ground to the side. Their gazes were fixed high above, watching the man hovering over them.

“Who the hell are you?” Adam frowned, his voice steeped in hatred.

The man’s blue eyes swept across the battlefield as he took a deep breath with a look of disappointment.

“I see. I should have put more power into my attack. I missed my chance to end it all with a single strike.”

Then, he shook his head and turned his attention back to Adam.

“My name is Midgar, and I am a member of the Befallen Crown.”

Before Adam could say anything, Midgar continued:

“Unlike those three fools who died before you even arrived here, I am not a servant, but a full-fledged member.”

“Tsk.” Adam snorted. “It seems you’re very proud of that? I’m not aware of all the details, but I know enough about the Befallen Crown to understand that you’re nobody unless you’re one of the strongest.”

Midgar narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Adam.

“You’re wrong. There is a difference between servants and members, and it’s significant enough that those three risked their lives to come here.”

After that, he looked at Kalyso.

“Even if this problem hadn’t arisen, I think you could have handled those three, though you would have been seriously wounded.”

While Midgar was speaking, Adam tried to gauge just how strong their opponent was, and his initial conclusions weren’t reassuring.

‘He… Fuck, he’s stronger than Kalyso. But I can’t quite gauge his power level. Is he a Viscount or an Earl? Hmm, most likely a Viscount, I doubt I could survive an Earl’s attack. But, considering I’m using my Nexus right now, he’s not just any Viscount.’

“Don’t even try to analyze me.” Midgar waved his hand as he turned to Adam. “I am a Viscount, and once I capture you and prove my worth to the Befallen Crown, I’ll become an Earl very soon!”

“Hmm?” Adam raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

“Oh…”

Midgar sighed as he looked at Adam as if the boy had been born just yesterday. Well, for some monsters in this world, that wasn’t far from the truth.

“It seems you know even less than I thought. That was to be expected. You’re evolving so quickly that you don’t even feel it’s necessary to learn more about the most powerful faction in our world.”

Adam’s jaw clenched.

‘He’s so annoying. He doesn’t seem like a fanatic, but he’s definitely devoted to the Befallen Crown and believes they’ll help him become stronger. And I’m his direct path to the Earl Level, aren’t I?’

He understood that every level beyond the Second Circle was an achievement that made all his past victories pale in comparison.

For some monsters, reaching the Viscount Level was more difficult and more significant than their entire journey up to that point.

However, a significant number of monsters were already born quite strong. Unlike the Phantoms, who always started at the K0 Level, some monsters could be born directly at the Lord Level, though this was extremely rare.

“Hey!” Kalyso exclaimed, drawing attention to himself. “What makes you think you can interfere in our battle? Go away and don’t get in our way!”

Instead of answering, Midgar gave Kalyso a long look.

Then…

Whooooooosh!

Midgar appeared right in front of Kalyso, moving at tremendous speed.

Kalyso’s eyes widened as he barely managed to notice the gray energy flows emanating from Midgar’s body. Only that allowed Kalyso to block the attack in time.

BAM!

The fist full of gray energy slammed into Kalyso, sending him flying dozens of meters to the side.

For a moment, Midgar watched as Kalyso flew off to the side before nodding slightly. He had no intention of using more force than was necessary.

And that was enough for Adam to realize one thing:

“We’re no match for him. If I’d struck with all my strength, even using the Ancient Energy, he would have stayed right where he was. At most, he’d just bounce back, and that’s it.”

However, Adam hadn’t given up hope that he and Kalyso together were strong enough to defeat Midgar.

After all, Kalyso was a Baron who, before their fight, had killed three other Barons, and before Midgar’s arrival, Adam had successfully fought Kalyso on nearly equal terms.

Step. Step. Step.

Midgar strode forward unhurriedly, his gray energy descending toward the ground, sweeping across the surface.

“It seems you’re still ready to fight? I expected nothing less from you, Adam Vinter. But I’m afraid you’re overestimating your abilities.”

Blink.

“Agh?”

No sooner had Adam blinked than Midgar reappeared before him.

Slash!

Midgar swung his palm, and a stream of blood gushed from Adam’s chest, rushing past his trembling eyes.

…