Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1998: Dead Sea

Durand was faced with something he could never have expected.

His ability didn’t work on Kamora. That alone put Durand in a difficult position.

Usually, it was his energy that enabled him to win. It worked on weaker monsters as well as on opponents who were stronger than him.

Sure, his death energy wasn’t enough to win every battle. He wasn’t invulnerable. Other beings of his level might have ways to resist his energy.

But what Kamora did put Durand in a difficult position. He didn’t know how such a thing was possible.

“It’s not even that she regenerated her arm… Why didn’t the dark spots continue to spread further?” Durand wondered to himself.

He had to figure out the nature of Kamora’s powers if he wanted to win, but Kamora wasn’t going to give him the time to do so.

Crackle.

Her mouth opened wide, wider than a human mouth should be capable of, as her sharp teeth gave her a monster-like appearance.

But it wasn’t that which alarmed Durand. It was the darkness gathering inside her.

“Wait… What the…”

In the next moment, the dark ray shot toward Durand, forcing him to fly sharply toward the Gray Sea.

He moved quickly, trusting his instincts completely. He sensed that he must not be hit by this ray, or he would regret it.

Thousands of dark particles, the building blocks of this ray, trembling with power, reflected in his green eyes.

“This… This is my power!” Durand exclaimed inwardly, but continued moving toward the Gray Sea.

Right now, he had no way of knowing whether he was right or not.

SPLASH!

He plunged underwater, disappearing from Kamora’s field of vision. But she wasn’t about to stop there.

As long as she had energy, she could keep attacking.

Whoooooosh!

The dark ray crashed into the Gray Sea, sending up powerful waves. The ripples spread across the sea’s surface, causing a wide area to tremble.

Only after a few seconds did Kamora close her mouth as the last few particles flashed before her eyes.

“Mha…”

Her mouth returned to its normal size, and the black cracks around the edges disappeared, but her teeth were still as sharp as a shark’s.

“Damn, I guess I went a little overboard.” Kamora scratched her cheek, looking down.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

One after another, more than a hundred bodies floated to the surface, all belly-up. The concentration of death energy in her ray wasn’t high enough to make their bodies start to rot, but it was enough to kill every single one of them.

Sure, the stronger monsters had managed to escape or block the shockwave from Kamora’s ray, but among the fallen monsters were quite a few Elders and even a few Barons.

Crunch.

Kamora cracked her wrist.

“Well, this is the first time I’ve used something like this. I think next time I’ll do it better.”

“But…”

Her eyes scanned the water’s surface.

“Where is that bastard?”

Suddenly, a flash appeared from the depths of the sea.

SLASH!

A vertical slash split the water in two, just as it had split the clouds above, where Kamora was hovering.

“Again?” Kamora raised her eyebrow, deciding this time to dodge.

She saw no point in blocking Durand’s slash.

Whooooosh!

Immediately afterward, Durand shot outward. He was unharmed. He knew what he had to do to avoid being affected by his own ability.

In no time, he soared in front of Kamora, who was staring at him with the same haughty look.

“Pffft. Is that all you could manage? How did you even become a True Lord with abilities like that?” Kamora snorted mockingly.

Durand, in turn, looked out at the Gray Sea, at the more than a hundred bodies floating on the surface.

“You copied my attack and killed several Lords with it. Do you think that’s not enough?”

“Agh?”

Kamora tilted her head.

“I copied your attack?”

“Hmm?” Durand held out his hand with a curious look. “Isn’t that your power? Your abilities are strange, but I’ve seen enough to figure them out – at least part of them.”

He pointed at Kamora.

“I don’t know how, but you devoured my death energy. It didn’t spread further through your body, even though it should have. But if you used that energy to attack me with the dark ray, then everything makes sense,” he explained.

“Gha…”

Kamora sighed heavily.

“I see. Do you think I just got rid of your energy that way?”

Durand nodded. He didn’t deny it. In fact, he felt proud that he’d been able to figure out her secret so quickly. It had taken him only a few attacks.

“Indeed. Otherwise, the dark spots that covered your hand would have continued to spread inside your body, to your organs, then to your muscles, bones, and skin. For you, that would have been the end.”

He continued:

“But I must admit that you found a way to use my power against me. Though before, I couldn’t prevent it because I didn’t know what you were capable of. I won’t make that mistake again.”

Durand’s voice was composed and steadfast. From time to time, he, too, could allow himself to relax during battle, but for the most part, he remained stern and serious, especially when facing such a powerful opponent.

Kamora, in turn, scratched her ear with a strange expression, as if she didn’t know how to properly express her thoughts.

“Look. I don’t like explaining things like this, especially to my enemies. But you really are a fool. I haven’t met such idiots in a long time.”

Durand’s eyes widened in indignation. He hadn’t expected praise from her, but at least some acknowledgment of his analytical abilities.

Step.

Kamora stepped forward.

Once again, her form didn’t waver but turned into a blur, and in the next moment she appeared right in front of Durand.

Before he could even realize it, she grabbed his hand, their fingers interlocking as if at the start of a dance.

“Go ahead. Use your death energy on me if you’re not afraid. I’ll show you just how wrong you were, because you still don’t understand a thing.”