Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1611 1611: Only Way (Part 1)
Previously on Endless Evolution: Last Star...
Tap.
Zargos carefully laid Adam upon a stone slab in the rear garden of his home before seating himself on a close boulder. He monitored each alteration in Adam's features and reactions, ready to step in if the process faltered.
Indeed, no secret technique Adam might unleash could even graze Zargos, yet it wasn't Adam himself that instilled fear in Zargos, but the potent First Star energy residing within him.
This force threatened both him and Merra alike, forcing him to maintain sharp watchfulness despite how it clashed with his usual bold approach.
"Nothing's occurring," Merra said, placing her hand over her heart. "Is this supposed to be normal?"
"Who can tell? Think I've witnessed plenty of K4-Phantoms at this level carrying Dark Energy? We'll only comprehend the entire event once it concludes."
"Still..."
A shadow draped over his face, veiling his eyes.
"I trust that rascal. From all I've gathered, he's among the leading prospects for the upcoming Second Rank Phantom. You know how rare they are beside us Lords."
His gaze sharpened.
"This unfolds just ahead of the World Wipe, amid the eras of scantest energy, the final calm stretches."
Merra grasped Zargos's meaning, and though she shared his view, uncertainty gripped her regarding Adam's capability. Too many unforeseen factors loomed, unknown to any of them.
All that remained for them was to endure in anticipation, hoping Zargos's bold wager would yield success as it had in times past.
In certain respects, parallels existed between him and Adam, yet this instance, Adam lacked complete awareness of the true dangers involved.
...
Irrespective of Zargos and Merra's emotions, Adam was the one locked in true torment at present.
Dark Silvana held formidable strength independently, yet Adam found all his skills sealed away, with only his energy still yielding to his will.
However, his adversary now encompassed not merely Dark Silvana, but the Silver Weaver too. In reality, it formed a two-on-one confrontation, though the Silver Weaver had shifted to his armament shape, as he customarily did for Adam—save that now he stood opposed.
"Recall the power solely mine? Was that his assertion?" Adam scowled, mulling the Silver Weaver's declaration. "Tch, what rubbish is that? Every ounce of power in here is mine, yet I can't wield any of it!"
Step.
Dark Silvana advanced a step, leaving Adam no further moments for reflection.
She bounded ahead, her swiftness as striking as before, but Adam dreaded not her form, but the tool she brandished. An energy discharge had overcome Dark Silvana in prior clashes, yet the situation had transformed utterly now.
'The dark needle? How come he never revealed that transformation to me?' Adam pondered as Dark Silvana materialized directly before him.
Whooooosh!
The shadowy edge streaked mere inches from his eyes while he vaulted backward. She charged in pursuit, seeking to clasp his throat, but Adam responded promptly.
"Too sluggish!" He deflected her arm with a sweeping strike.
BAM!
Capitalizing on the pivot, Adam's knuckles sank deep into Dark Silvana's midsection. Though it served as a mere duplicate, it mirrored every motion authentically, including the toll of injuries.
As a result, Dark Silvana nearly crumpled under the impact of Adam's punch, but she somehow held her footing.
'Damn! She kept herself steady!'
Adam prepared to retreat, yet a detail seized his focus.
Twitch.
The obsidian needle quivered, and the instant after, a searing warmth flooded his left flank.
Crimson spurted from his shoulder while Adam fought to process the event.
"In a fleeting instant—no, far swifter—did that needle extend?" Adam muttered in shock.
Straining to see, he observed how, following a subtle shake, the dark needle elongated into a shadowy tendril that speared his shoulder like a drawn-out lance.
No such strike could Adam replicate with any of the countless needles along his journey.
Dark Silvana remained mute, but the Silver Weaver differed entirely.
"What occurred, Adam?" His tone emerged from the shuddering needle. "Has this velocity outpaced all your forecasts? That's merely the start! You've scarcely witnessed a fraction of it!"
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
In that very instant, the needle convulsed with heightened fury as ebony flames erupted from its length.
Dark Silvana lifted the needle skyward before slashing it downward toward Adam in a sweeping arc.
A frigid shiver raced along Adam's spine as pale flames cloaked his lower limbs, infusing him with vigor. Rapid movement was crucial if he aimed to endure.
Whooooooooosh.
A murky crescent exploded from the needle, rending all it encountered, even the barren void encircling them.
The devastating surge barreled past Adam, who evaded the strike at the final second.
"Agh... Agh... Agh..."
He gasped for breath, his legs quivering as he gradually elevated his chin.
"What the...?"
His eyes bulged in astonishment while he gaped at the massive fissure rent into the nothingness. Dark Silvana had cleaved through the fabric of space, but what lurked beyond their enclosed realm?
Nothing.
Yet, no inky blackness yawned into infinity; rather, a vivid white radiance expanded outward. It echoed their void, yet from the far side.
Adam's pupils contracted as the Silver Weaver's phrase resounded in his thoughts, again and again.
"Only my power..." He swallowed deeply as comprehension hit him.
Dark Silvana wheeled around, framed by the glowing rift, her needle vibrating anew in preparation for the coming onslaught.
On this occasion, Adam intended no flight. He discerned his necessary course, or at least harbored a single notion.
He adopted a fighter's posture, drawing back one limb and forming his hand into a taut edge designed to impale whatever lay ahead.
'I've never tried this absent a needle, but... who declared this my needle's exclusive gift?'
His stare grew profound and serene, akin to an ancient sea.
'The core essence of my path resides in me alone!'