Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 2003: Hungry and Graceful

Durand used two of his strongest trump cards at once – the ones he possessed as both a True Lord and a Second Circle Being.

He used his Constellation and activated his True Lord Form. Without any external factors, Durand couldn’t become any stronger.

Kamora’s situation was much better. She still had a few tricks up her sleeve, but for now she had no intention of using her Constellation, she saw no need for it.

After all, there was one significant difference between her and Durand: she was a Phantom while he was a True Lord. A human and a monster.

Up until that point, Kamora had been fighting alone, but there was no longer any need for that.

If Durand’s new form could actually pose any kind of threat to Kamora, her partner simply couldn’t let that happen.

Tremble.

Kamora’s aura intensified as she stared intently at Durand, who hovered calmly in the distance.

“Yeah, now you look more like the messenger of death. But I have no fear of you, and there’s a reason for that.”

She reached out her hand as a tall silhouette appeared behind her.

It was a tall man; he was a head taller than Kamora. He had a muscular build, long blond hair falling from his broad shoulders, and deep blue eyes.

Just like Arika when she appeared behind Goen, this man was actually there. He wasn’t a spectral form, a hologram, an illusion, or anything like that. He was as real as could be.

He was wearing only a white shirt and black pants, along with boots and a silver chain hanging around his neck.

He smiled before wrapping his arms around Kamora from behind.

“Hi, how’s your day going? Looks like you’re up against a serious opponent? Need my help?” the man said in a gentle, slightly teasing tone.

As soon as the man appeared, Kamora’s expression changed immediately.

Just for a moment, her confident smirk gave way to a calm one.

“Yeah, as you can see, the situation isn’t exactly simple.”

She pointed at Adam.

“We can’t let him die. This is Adam Vinter, though I think you know who he is.”

The man’s blue eyes narrowed as he stared intently at Adam.

“I see… Yes, you’re right. I know a lot about this young man. In some ways, you two are even alike. His life is definitely important to all of humanity – I do not doubt that.”

Then, Kamora nodded toward Durand.

“This moron turned out to be not as simple as I thought. He decided to use everything he has against me. But…”

The man continued for her:

“It won’t help him, will it?”

Kamira smirked.

“Yeah, stop reading my mind. It’s time to get down to business! Lamor!”

No sooner had she spoken his name than he smiled, and his form flashed with a bright light.

In the blink of an eye, Lamor vanished, and a great hammer with a large head appeared in Kamira’s grasp. The hammer was made of dark metal, but cracks ran across its head, from which a bright light emanated.

Durand, who was watching from the sidelines, raised an eyebrow.

“Is that all? Aren’t you going to use any of your other tricks against me? I expected more from you, Miss Second Knight.”

There was a hint of arrogance in his voice. Now, he was far more confident of his victory than before, and he had good reason to be.

“Look. I can demonstrate this for you.”

Durand extended his left hand to the side.

Tremble!

The impulse ran through his arm as the pulse of dark energy shot outward. Its target was neither the island nor the water, but a rock protruding from the Gray Sea.

There were quite a few such rocks in the Gray Sea, but they were too small to be islands or to contain anything useful or interesting.

The pulse slammed into the rock, creating an explosion of devastating power that shook the water’s surface.

The dark sphere expanded dozens of meters in all directions, saturating everything in death energy. Any creature within the blast’s radius would be dead, if not immediately, then gradually.

“Are you sure your Operator is all you want to use against me? If you underestimate me, not only will you die, but so will this guy.” Durand’s words carried weight.

It was a meaningful threat, because right now Kamora was fighting not primarily for herself but for Adam’s life.

Sure, in an emergency, she could try to escape and even take Adam with her, but that guaranteed nothing.

She had to kill Durand right here and now so that Adam would be safe and they could return together to the Citadel.

In response, Kamora merely smirked. She didn’t consider Durand a serious threat.

“Hah, did you decide to put on a little show for me?” She glanced at the rock, or, more precisely, at the dark circle in the water. “Well, I’m afraid your darkness and death energy aren’t as dangerous to me now as you’d like them to be.”

Durand tilted his head; he was confused.

He looked at Kamora’s hammer, which was her Manifest Nexus, and then at her.

“You’re lying. You summoned your Operator because you realized I could get to you now. You won’t be able to just devour my darkness anymore.”

Instead of answering, Kamora decided to show him what she meant.

Whooooosh!

She swung her hammer.

Nothing happened, because it wasn’t her turn to act – it was her partner’s.

Tap.

Lamor appeared behind her in his spectral form, his outlines glowing brightly as if he were made of solar energy.

“Good luck. You can tear him to pieces. I know that’s exactly how you always deal with your opponents.”

He touched her shoulder, directing his energy toward her.

At the same moment, streams of amber energy surged upward around Kamora, creating a protective barrier for her, just like the sun.

Durand narrowed his eyes as he realized that the situation had become more complicated again.

Even standing far away, he could feel the heat of the sun.