Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1599: Distance Steps

Although the Ice Path fell under the watchful eye of the Old Light—the dominant force in the Primal Lands apart from the clans—issues still cropped up now and then along its length.

Not even the Befallen Crown managed to oversee every section of the Ice Path. The sprawling tunnel system was simply too vast for complete control.

Consequently, blasts from fights, lingering battle effects, or mere natural upheavals might seal off or outright demolish a passage.

While total catastrophe was rare, Adam and Alexia would have been trapped here for ages if they were navigating solo without Ramilo's help.

"What?" Alexia arched an eyebrow. "Where on earth did this hunk of ice come from?"

Ramilo shrugged.

"Who can say? It’s been ages since I last took this route. If it’s still blocking the way, then it must’ve formed just recently. Otherwise, folks would’ve cleared it out by now."

"Any detour available?" Adam inquired, gesturing behind them. "We went by a couple of side paths a bit back. Should we try one of those?"

Ramilo flashed a grin.

"Hey, didn’t you catch what I said? I’ll handle this mess. Goen tasked me with getting you to the Citadel, so let me deal with the heavy lifting."

Adam and Alexia shared a look. They had no qualms about Ramilo’s power, yet his unassuming look made them skeptical he could shatter the ice barrier with ease.

’This isn’t your average frost—we’re deep in the Primal Lands. Regular folks would require heaps of dynamite to tackle a slab that size.’

Should Adam have to slice through a massive, energy-less chunk, like a slab of titanium, he’d manage it effortlessly, but a single misaimed strike against these walls might snap his arm clean off.

Tap.

Ramilo hopped down from the earthworm, humming a tune as he approached the ice obstruction.

He halted directly before it, bathed in the glow from the worm’s eight beaming eyes, resembling a digger facing a cave-in.

"Alright, this trip won’t be wasted on me."

Step.

Ramilo stepped backward and lifted his hand for the swing.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

His gentle, apparently frail arm—cloaked in blue fur—shook violently and then expanded. The muscles swelled with raw power, and Ramilo’s smile stretched even broader.

"GHAAAA!"

He bellowed, driving his fist straight into the heart of the ice mass.

A shockwave surged along the tunnel’s length, startling the earthworms into a flinch.

Crash. Crash. Crash.

Fissures spiderwebbed over the frozen face, with chunks of ice tumbling down at Ramilo’s feet in quick succession.

"W-Wait...

Are you for real?" Alexia blinked while the enormous ice chunk shattered apart.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

Thunderous booms reverberated through the passage as ice shards dropped one by one until only scattered debris littered the tunnel floor ahead of Ramilo.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

He dusted off his hands and spun back around.

"Job done!"

With a single bound, he vaulted back onto the earthworm.

Adam stared in disbelief.

"You pulled that off in one strike?"

"Naturally! And that’s just scratching the surface of what I can do! Now, let’s get going!"

As though responding to his words, the earthworm quivered and pressed onward, its massive form shrugging off the ice remnants.

"Do these kinds of snags pop up frequently around here?" Adam wondered.

Ramilo nodded.

"Yep, the Primal Lands buzz with activity. Hahaha, count our blessings we haven’t stumbled into a skirmish—that’d be a real hassle."

Alexia blinked. "So you’re telling me we could get caught in a fight instead of heading straight home?"

"Well, should that occur, we’d just hunker down till the clash wraps up or pick a different route. It’s hardly the worst threat."

Adam’s eyes narrowed.

’If clashing monsters aren’t the gravest danger, then what perils lurk here?’ He pondered, scanning the surroundings.

Adam held his tongue on further queries. He placed faith in Ramilo and wished for a smooth arrival at the Citadel.

Nevertheless, he and Alexia felt unease since they hadn’t yet exited the Primal Lands, leaving room for all sorts of surprises.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The earthworm plowed ahead, crunching through yielding stone that scraped its tough segments. The ice blockage lay well behind, and within half an hour, they ought to vacate the Primal Lands.

That’s according to Ramilo, who stayed remarkably composed and at ease throughout the journey.

"You’re in luck. The Primal Lands usually throw curveballs at you, but we’re nearing the edge, and it seems we’ll skate by without hitches!"

Alexia propped her cheek on her palm. "Pffft! Shouldn’t that be the norm?"

"Well, even with the Old Light guarding the Ice Path, we don’t rule every inch. There was this one time a tunnel got wrecked in combat, and nobody bothered fixing it for over a decade!"

"Agh?" Adam looked puzzled. "What went down after that?"

Ramilo flicked his hand dismissively.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Once it started irking people enough, they cleared the obstruction fast. Though it proved way tougher than that earlier ice jam. Took days to patch up that tunnel stretch."

’Hah,’ Adam laughed to himself. ’Feels less like prowling monster-haunted wilds and more like chatting with a transit maintainer. But hey, the core’s the same—we ride steel rails, they crawl on earthworms.’

Ramilo twisted back. He opened his mouth to speak, but his face locked in place.

Step. Step. Step.

Heavy footfalls resounded, growing sharper with proximity.

Adam and Alexia whipped around together to spot a towering figure at the far side of the earthworm.

Unlike Ramilo or the Old Horn, he appeared fully human, mirroring Adam and Alexia’s own build.

His dense black locks cascaded to his shoulders, amber gaze sparked with intensity, and a faint sneer curled his lips, radiating smug certainty in his prowess.

Each stride made his dark red jacket flutter faintly, evoking the garb of some elite figure, matched by his formal pants and sturdy black boots.

"Well..."

Ramilo rubbed the nape of his neck.

"And there’s your trouble showing up."