Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1591 1591: Repeating the Past

The Old Horn had no desire to take on the assignment of seizing Adam Vinter after learning that a mysterious hunter was guarding him.

This reluctance came from a prior confrontation with Goen, back when Goen showed no effort to hide his true self. During that brutal clash, the Old Horn endured a total rout and even forfeited one of his horns.

Yet, the Old Horn chose not to flee. He stayed put on the chaotic field even after Goen had savagely wiped out every last member of the fifth team.

Why stay?

The explanation was straightforward: he couldn't ignore this prime chance to settle the score for his past shame.

"So, you chose to remain?" Goen inquired with steady composure. "Doesn't the fear grip you that you'll suffer the same fate as the rest?"

The Old Horn rubbed the back of his head.

"Nah. Their leader told me to hold back and not get too involved. She preferred Liliane and her squad to handle the bulk of the effort, while I just ensured they hit their mark."

His eyes dropped to the crimson smears staining the earth.

"Well... Seems I botched the job, but who cares?"

The Old Horn shook his head.

"I bet she'll attempt to pin this mess on me, though nobody else will buy it. Hah, even the five young Lords couldn't touch you."

"Even so," Goen replied. "Here you are."

After a brief silence, the Old Horn drew a fang-like item from his pocket. Pure white with a faint blue hue, its plain look failed to mask the thick power surging within.

"What, did you think I'd bolt the moment you unveiled your full might?"

Goen blinked once.

"You realize this isn't my maximum strength, right?"

The Old Horn gave a wry smile. Naturally, he was aware.

Though Goen had effortlessly demolished the fifth team, he hadn't deployed any skills—not the basic ones, much less his hidden aces, which every Phantom possessed.

"It doesn't change a thing. I just need to find out if I've improved since our previous bout."

Goen squinted his eyes.

"Death awaits you. You're fully aware of that, aren't you?"

Yet, the Old Horn offered no reply.

He seized the white fang and, with no second thoughts, drove it straight into his chest.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heartbeat surged wildly as his presence exploded outward.

"GRRRRHHHH!!!" The Old Horn bellowed in agony while the white fang gradually embedded itself deeper, flooding his form with untainted power.

Indeed, Goen could end the Old Horn in an instant. A single sword stroke would suffice.

But he held back. Unlike with Liliane and her group, he shared a deep-seated grudge with the Old Horn. For that reason, Goen granted him a moment's grace.

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

Ragged breaths escaped the Old Horn as awareness slowly returned to him. The fang had fully merged, imprinting a pale mark on his chest and tracing glowing lines across his body.

Clutch.

The Old Horn clamped down on his axe's grip and faced Goen.

Goen stayed composed: "How much time remains for you?"

The Old Horn hawked up a glob of blood onto the dirt.

"Under 60 seconds."

Goen inclined his head solemnly.

"Understood. Then, let's skip the delays."

In a flash, both the Old Horn and Goen vanished from their positions.

Adam and Alexia, observing the skirmish from a vantage point high above, felt utterly confused.

"Hold on, why's he pulling that stunt?" Alexia stared in shock. "One hit and he's done for!"

But in the instant their axe met great sword, Alexia's face turned rigid.

Crash!

Bursts of sparks erupted before Goen's unflinching gaze as the blast from their weapons rippled away.

Fissures spiderwebbed the terrain, shattering it apart, snow billowed in surges, and fierce winds whipped every which way.

The Old Horn's eyes turned crimson, his boots dug into the soil, yet he held firm against Goen's full-force blow.

"Impressive—last time, that would've cost you a limb. You've truly powered up."

"That's... far from everything!" The Old Horn bellowed with fierce intent as he lunged once more.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Every impact unleashed a blast that ravaged the surroundings, but neither the Old Horn nor Goen strayed far from their starting spots.

The instant one faltered, the duel would conclude.

"What?" Alexia exclaimed. "He's matching Goen blow for blow? Why hold out earlier? If he'd joined the fight with them, they might've taken him down."

Still, Adam saw it differently.

"Nah."

"Huh? What're you saying?"

"Goen's just humoring him. Yeah, he's way tougher than before, especially with that odd fang jammed in his chest. But it's short-lived, and right now, Goen isn't even going full throttle on his swings. It's obvious to me."

Adam's assessment rang true, and the Old Horn recognized it too. He never harbored illusions of victory over Goen from the start.

This Phantom was beyond his reach, and such a powerhouse might not emerge again for millennia.

Nevertheless, the Old Horn pressed the challenge against Goen, and oddly, even Goen couldn't fathom the motivation behind it.

"How much time left?"

"Five seconds," Arika's voice echoed in his thoughts, emanating from his blade.

Goen nodded.

"Then, we'll wrap it up with a proper strike. Since this marks our final showdown."

Goen halted, forgoing his standard swing to seize his sword in a two-handed hold, hoisting it skyward.

The air twisted from the overwhelming force gathered in his blade as the Old Horn's eyes bulged wide.

He recognized this move would seal their fates.

Well, each viewed it from their own angle.

Tap.

The Old Horn fished out a stone eye bearing a vivid vertical slit from his pocket.

"Bye."

Before Goen could respond, the Old Horn crushed the relic and dissolved into swirling white motes.