Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1545 1545: Falling Ice (Part 1)

Even amid the turmoil stirred by the azure tree, the region split naturally into two separate combat zones.

Adam confronted the man directly, as Alexia advanced on the beasts that dreaded her presence far more intensely than she dreaded theirs.

"You know, I'm surprised you didn't argue with him," Louis's voice echoed in her mind. "This Phantom... If I had more details, I could likely pinpoint his identity. He's powerful, powerful enough to pose a real threat."

"Yeah, I'm a bit annoyed that I skipped this battle, but, perhaps I'm mistaken, yet I believe they'll stir up far greater chaos."

She gestured toward the front.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Right from the start of the azure tree's movements, creatures kept emerging from below the earth. Hundreds of them crowded this confined space, untouched by the azure tree's hunger so far.

Maybe it had preserved a horde of undead precisely for moments like this, since this remained the sole method for the azure tree to defend itself.

"Should we handle them?" Louis inquired.

Alexia simply shook her head in reply.

"No, not yet. Without Adam here, we might fail. Plus, you sense it as well, don't you?"

Louis's face grew graver than before while he fixed his gaze on the azure tree.

"Indeed, the Ancient Frost feels nearer than ever. I can't pinpoint its exact spot, but it's surely linked to either this tree or the pond. One or the other."

Bam.

Alexia balled her hands into fists prior to charging into the fray. She stood solo against a swarm of undead beasts.

What else could a relentless fighter like her desire?

Adam found himself in a contrasting predicament.

Neither Adam nor the man had budged an inch. It seemed they both understood that the first to strike would seal their defeat.

Step.

Slowly, the man's tolerance wore thin, prompting him to advance while bending at the waist and clutching his lance firmly.

Adam's eyes sharpened as the man's body quivered, and the earth beneath him shattered from the raw force of his legs.

A single charge and an instant.

That sufficed for the shadowy lance to gleam in his vision.

In the final instant, Adam struck his staff, shifting himself meters away to the side.

Whoooooooosh.

A fierce blast of air surged ahead in the wake of the man's thrust, clearing all obstacles in its way.

Adam evaded the strike just in time, or... at least that's what he believed?

Gush!

Blood erupted from his shoulder, draining the color from his face.

Adam probed the injury to confirm its reality. Crimson stained his fingertips.

'How? Didn't I avoid it? Just how swift is he if even that failed?'

The man whipped his lance around, scattering blood droplets across the icy terrain before resuming his position.

On this occasion, he proceeded with greater assurance.

His posture emitted a lethal menace, as though he and his lance fused into unity, transforming him into a living blade.

Thump.

Adam's heart dropped upon grasping that he couldn't evade or parry this oncoming blow.

'He'll strike even quicker and fiercer? Hold on, that implies—!'

SLASH!

Blood sprayed from Adam's right flank while the man touched down meters away behind him.

Sensing mere chill in place of agony, Adam dropped to a single knee, gripping his flank. The flow of blood halted only after he channeled his energy to the gash.

He performed the action instinctively, even as his thoughts dwelled elsewhere.

This clash resembled less a duel of peers and more a mentor disciplining a pupil.

"Adam..." Silvana whispered. "You might not endure the upcoming strike, and it seems he'll unleash it once more!"

Her words held true; the man adopted his earlier pose anew. This proved his ultimate technique, the one destined to claim victory in this bout.

"Nah, it'll be okay. I've got a plan."

Adam coughed up a lump of blood and rose to his feet.

"I won't pretend otherwise. If he were truly alive with his full awareness instead of mere reflexes, I'd have no hope. This Phantom... What doomed a figure of his caliber?"

He seized the dark staff in both grips as the man tilted forward at the torso.

In a flash, the man bridged half the gap and neared delivering a third injury to Adam, yet Adam harbored different intentions.

He perceived that the man would loop the identical assault endlessly. Therefore, he chose to exploit this pattern.

Crack.

Adam snapped the dark staff apart, with violet fire enveloping the pair of pointed ends. On the following sweep, he tore open a portal before him that hurled him ahead.

Amid a savage wind, the man halted, yet on this turn, he fell short of his aim.

He noticed Adam had eluded his thrust as he whirled about abruptly.

Regrettably for him, he forfeited his vital impetus.

Clasping the duo of ebony poles from his divided staff, Adam leaped onto the man, slamming him down to the dirt.

In a frenzied assault, Adam seized the poles firmly and, akin to a raging creature, unleashed a torrent of hits upon the man.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Adam hammered with utmost speed and force. His blows blended into a violet haze of onslaughts, sustaining his relentless rhythm.

Adam targeted no particular area. He understood the azure tree could resurrect the man regardless of decapitation.

Hence, he battered every reachable point until the man lay reduced to shredded remnants amid a crimson puddle.

"Agh... Agh... Agh..."

Adam panted raggedly while eyeing the gory wreckage he'd wrought in mere moments.

"Did I win...?" His words came out ragged as he stared at his shaking hands.

Rest was essential after unleashing such a barrage, but luxury evaded him as Silvana's cry pierced the air.

'Adam! Alexia needs your help!'

"Gh?"

He twisted back just to witness a horde of beasts encircling Alexia. Past their hulking forms, her weary outline alone peeked through.

"Shit! Silvana, we have to—!"

She prepared to materialize beside Adam, but then they paused when Louis materialized near Alexia in ghostly guise and enveloped her securely from the rear.

The moment had arrived for them to unleash their might.