Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1512: The Ice Worm (Part 1)
Previously on Endless Evolution: Last Star...
Within the borders of the Tarnished Lands, nearly every engagement Adam faced felt more like a formal duel than a chaotic skirmish.
Alexia found herself in an identical predicament.
The pair could always sense whenever an Elder intended to strike. Their killing intent and aura were as glaring as their motives.
Whether it was a sanctioned bout against opponents like Ureyn and Erada, or a sudden ambush by someone like Menax, it always felt like a human facing a monster wearing a human's skin.
However…
The Primal Lands operated under a completely different set of rules.
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
The ground beneath them quaked as a massive ice worm surged upward, leaving Alexia paralyzed with shock.
She stared in pure disbelief.
‘I sensed absolutely nothing! How did a beast of that size manage to sneak up on us? And how can it move so fast?!’
Though she hadn't realized it yet, the sensation washing over Alexia was the same one she had experienced at the dawn of her journey, back when she had first ascended to the rank of Phantom.
The creature before her was a genuine threat—lethal and utterly unpredictable. Furthermore, she was at a loss for how to respond.
Was she supposed to strike the ice worm? Should she attempt to halt the titan's progress? What actions were necessary to pull Adam from the brink?
Crack. Crack. Crack.
A sharp fracturing sound echoed from above as a lengthy white blade, wreathed in shadows, manifested. With a violent, spinning motion, Adam ripped through the worm’s underbelly.
Blood sprayed in every direction as Alexia caught the reflection of Adam’s gaze, which was a turbulent mix of sheer panic and cold cruelty.
One of Adam's eyes shifted to a vibrant green as he pushed the power of the Silver Weaver to its absolute limit.
While Alexia was shaken by what she had witnessed, Adam was seeing a much more harrowing perspective.
Only a moment prior, he had been admiring the majestic Frost Ridge and the blue abyss; then, without warning, he was swallowed by total darkness.
Hundreds of jagged teeth surrounding him began to churn, threatening to grind him into pulp like a colossal industrial crusher.
Adam struggled to recall the last time his mind had raced this fast. Even his clash with Menax—one of his most grueling battles lately—hadn't pushed his nerves to this breaking point.
Whoooosh.
With a final explosion of speed, leaving a crimson arc in the air, Adam touched down on the snow in front of Alexia.
“Agh… Agh… Agh…” His breath came in ragged gasps as he examined his shoulder. A deep, uneven wound marked the spot where several teeth had snagged him, despite his quick reactions.
The two Cultivators traded brief looks before Adam whirled around to face the sky.
He had been certain the ice worm would perish from such a massive injury, but the sight before him caused his expression to harden.
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
The ice worm’s musculature twitched and constricted, forcing the bleeding to stop. Faint ripples of energy surged toward the edges of the gash, knitting the hide and flesh back together.
It was merely a makeshift fix rather than true regeneration, yet it provided more than enough stability to keep the beast in the fight.
“What? It suppressed a wound like that using nothing but raw physical strength and energy?”
“Adam!” Alexia cried out as the ice worm snapped its head in their direction.
A swarm of blue eyes lining its sides locked onto them with intense focus as the monster unhinged its maw.
A brilliant azure light glinted off hundreds of fangs as a sphere of condensed energy formed between its jaws.
Both Adam and Alexia had encountered this type of assault many times during their Cultivation journeys, and they knew exactly what was coming next.
A beam of annihilating energy roared toward them, forcing them to leap in opposite directions simultaneously.
Wheeeeze!
The ray carved through the earth, instantly encasing the mountain peak in a thick sheet of ice from a single glancing blow.
Adam looked toward Alexia, knowing they required a strategy to survive, but Alexia had already come to the same conclusion. She was already in motion.
“Gha…”
She let out a heavy breath as her aura began to vibrate. Her eyes grew luminous and transparent, resembling ancient, primordial ice.
In a flash, a pale mist—composed of countless microscopic ice crystals—swirled around her. It looked less like a simple fog and more like a shimmering celestial nebula.
Adam recognized instantly that this wasn't a manifestation of her raw energy, but rather her specific ability.
Tremble.
Alexia’s body blurred as she vaulted into the sky. She moved with impossible agility, kicking off the very air itself and leaving trails of mist beneath her feet with every step.
Before the ice worm could mount a defense, Alexia had already closed the distance. She pulled back her fist, aiming directly for the monster’s lower jaw.
‘Is she really trying to bring it down with a basic punch?’ Adam wondered, unaware of how much he was underestimating her.
Within Alexia’s eyes, various shadowy silhouettes of weapons flickered. Despite the shadows, their lethal designs were unmistakable.
As Alexia selected a specific form, the surrounding white mist shuddered. Thousands of ice crystals converged instantly, molding themselves into the weapon required to slay the titan.
The moment her fist connected with the worm's jaw, a massive spear of ice tore through the monster's head, its blood-stained tip erupting from the other side.
The spear towered over Alexia in size, yet it was merely one of the many tools her ability could manifest.
Adam swallowed hard as he watched the gargantuan spear kill a beast of equal scale. He was finally witnessing a glimpse of the power the current Alexia held.
The ice worm’s many eyes began to dim and go hollow, until…
“Agh?”
Suddenly, the creature's pupils flickered, darting wildly before snapping back into focus.
Alexia’s color drained from her face. She was stunned that the ice worm remained alive and combative even after sustaining a mortal blow to the head.
“RRRRRRROOOOOOGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!”
A thunderous howl, sounding like the fury of a mountain blizzard, hammered against Alexia as the worm’s body coiled. The beast prepared for another lunge.
Then…
Whoooooosh.
An unseen blade swept through the ice worm’s neck. It severed the head entirely, finally extinguishing the life of the great beast.
Blood saturated the ground as Alexia struggled to process the scene before her.