Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1548: The Dragon and the Egg

Right from the outset, all indications suggested that Alexia would be the initial one to meet her requirement.

In order to grow more powerful and restore a portion of the Third Grand Star, Alexia required the Ancient Frost along with the Winding Fragment, which guided them directly to this Frost Oasis.

Adam realized that this location and the entire expedition were mainly designed for Alexia. Every aspect here favored her over him, including the frost energy, the surrounding conditions, and her innate skills and connection to these territories.

For Adam, that posed no issue at all.

Lately, he had spent time at the Forgotten Mills, a region teeming with creatures whose powers mirrored his own. That had been his personal path, tailored just for him.

So, if heading to the winter realms alongside Alexia was necessary for him to gain strength and secure the Blood of God, with her taking precedence, he found no fault in it.

At this point, they had overcome every challenge, the Ancient Voice had gone quiet, Alexia had claimed the Ancient Frost, and only the Blood of God was left to acquire.

How could Adam possibly get the Blood of God anywhere other than from the dragon’s severed head positioned beside the radiant pond?

It stood as the sole area they hadn’t yet investigated, and it appeared far more probable than any other spot.

Nothing remained of this dragon—whatever being it once was—except its head. There was zero cause for alarm. It had perished ages ago.

But.

"Agh?"

What exactly did Adam witness right in front of him?

Why did that enormous blue eye fix its gaze so sharply upon him?

Could the dragon still be alive?

What in the world was occurring?

Adam’s mind raced with questions, yet answers eluded him entirely. However, one sensation gripped him without doubt—terror.

The dragon’s eye regarded him like prey, acknowledging his presence with a hint of regard, yet dismissing him as no true rival.

"Adam!" Alexia cried out, responding with swift action.

A burst of icy flow carried her to his side, where she grabbed his arm and leaped them both several meters away.

She assumed the dragon’s head would spring into action and strike at them, yet the eye kept its intense focus locked on Adam.

"W-What the hell...?" Alexia swallowed hard. Even with the fresh power she’d just acquired, she couldn’t stop the chill racing down her spine.

Of course, she still needed some moments to completely integrate the Ancient Frost, though its core abilities were now accessible to her as part of her advancing evolution.

"Is it alive, or what...?" Alexia squinted her eyes.

"YOU..."

In that instant, a deep, gravelly tone emanated from the dragon’s head. The head itself stayed motionless, with only its eyes shifting. The sound appeared to arise from the swirling energy currents encircling the head.

"You made it to the conclusion and shattered the barrier... Remarkable... and the tree..." The dragon shifted its gaze to Alexia. "You took it in... right?"

Twitch. Twitch. Twitch.

Alexia’s fingers jerked as she retreated a step.

For reasons she couldn’t pinpoint, ever since the dragon’s eye had revealed itself, she sensed they were ensnared, as though the entire sequence of events had built toward this precise instant.

On top of that, they soon observed something bizarre.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The runes that once adorned the walls, entrances, and formed the core of numerous barriers throughout the Frost Oasis converged into one unified flow and vanished.

Next, Adam and Alexia caught the Ancient Voice one final time during this adventure.

[The contract stands broken. Every barrier encircling these territories has been lifted. The force of energy holds no sway over this area anymore.]

In an instant, Adam grasped the implications.

He recalled the ice worm that had assaulted them right at the start. From that point onward, not a single similar beast had crossed their path.

The explanation might have been a scarcity of ice worms, or more likely, the barriers that had blocked them and other creatures from nearing the Frost Oasis in the first place.

A rumble echoed from afar, though it would require time for the surrounding monsters to notice that entry to the Frost Oasis had at last been granted.

"Who are you?" Adam tightened his fists.

The blue eye fluttered once.

"Isn’t it clear enough?"

The slit-like pupil constricted.

"I rule this domain. I am the one who endured in waiting... I lingered for an eternity and prepared to persist even further... Yet... Your arrival is fortunate; it spares me additional delay..."

With no more words, the dragon shut its eye.

Adam and Alexia shared a quick look. They remained baffled by the turn of events, their pulses still pounding with dread.

They were prepared to battle any foe or endure any ordeal. The unknown shadows and ambiguity terrified them far more.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The Frost Oasis quaked, and the luminous pond brimming with thick energy stirred for the very first time.

Unsure of what might unfold, Adam and Alexia backed away further.

Maybe the pond concealed a snare, or the dragon’s head intended to unleash its raw energy against them.

All that Adam and Alexia managed in that tense moment was to hold their ground and observe.

They had no clue what the ultimate challenge held—not from the Ancient Voice, but from the true master of the Frost Oasis.

Yet...

"Agh?" Alexia let out a sharp breath.

Their darkest suspicions failed to materialize.

The pond’s water started to withdraw, slowly emptying until a shadowy egg with jagged edges lay exposed at the base.

Alexia’s eyes grew wide, her mouth quivering at the ominous vibe radiating from the egg.

"What the hell is that?"

"The egg? But... why?" Adam’s brow furrowed in bewilderment. He truly struggled to make sense of the situation.

After all, his success in claiming the Blood of God hinged greatly on this development.

’My energy,’ he pondered. ’It hasn’t pinpointed the precise spot yet. What the...’

Crack!

A abrupt fracture cut through his musings as an arm burst out from the egg, demolishing the tough exterior.

If the Frost Oasis served as the goal for Adam and Alexia, then they themselves became the objective for another.

There existed a predator forever mightier and more perilous.