Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1623 1623: Failed Escape (Part 2)

Morok was fully aware that if the situation turned dire, he would activate the artifact to ensure his own survival. This served as his ultimate fallback strategy.

Of course, Morok aimed to accomplish his objective. Successfully eliminating Adam Vinter for good would greatly enhance his standing and professional prospects. Yet, the reality proved far more intricate than he or his superiors had ever anticipated.

The circumstances had deteriorated to such an extent that Morok could only rely on escaping the Primal Lands with his life intact.

Not even Keranda could halt him. Her artifact failed completely against him, yet… Zargos harbored different intentions.

Whoooooooosh.

With blistering velocity, amid a burst of fire, Zargos materialized in front of Morok. His eyes bulged in shock. He couldn't fathom why Zargos would take this risk, as it seemed like suicide to him.

Once the rift sealed shut, everything would end for Zargos. He would end up at the Befallen Crown right beside Morok. In the best case, he'd face captivity and torment, but more probably, swift execution.

“Doesn’t he grasp this?” Morok wondered, staring at Zargos’s smug grin. “No… He’s plotting something!”

Oddly enough, after Morok triggered the seal, he was forced to simply await the rift’s closure.

This provided ample opportunity for Zargos to formulate and execute a scheme.

“Huh, this artifact truly is a fearsome tool, no doubt about it.” Zargos laughed, sensing the intense pressure crushing him. “My flames are utterly powerless against this shadow.”

A spark ignited in his gaze.

“Fortunately, prior to battling you fools, I gathered sufficient strength for this exact moment!”

The red flames encircling Zargos had nearly dissipated. Beneath the artifact’s shadowy assault, they were devouring at a staggering pace, but… shortly after, dark specks emerged within his blaze.

The entirety of his inferno, the massive expanse under Zargos’s command, transformed into a handful of ebony torrents that cleared his path ahead.

Even so, it was sufficient to etch raw terror across Morok’s features.

“That’s right, you scum!” Zargos shouted while seizing Morok by the shoulder.

To rip apart the rift, to shatter the enveloping darkness, he required no radiant glow or searing blaze.

What he needed was a superior, primordial shadow. The Dark Energy excelled for this purpose above all else.

“NOOOOO!!!” Morok bellowed, comprehending his impending doom.

He called forth his own shadows, but compared to Zargos’s obsidian fire, it amounted to nothing. His darkness failed to even graze Zargos, existing on entirely separate planes.

CLASP!

The rift sealed just as Keranda watched.

“Zargos!”

Yet, barely an instant later, the fabric of space ripped open on the opposite side, unleashing Zargos as he clutched Morok by the neck.

BAM!

Zargos hurled Morok to the earth with maximum force.

“GHA!”

A stream of blood erupted from Morok’s mouth while his vision grew hazy.

In a frantic bid to evade fatality, Morok resolved to persist in combat. He hauled himself upright, gazing upward.

Two figures loomed above him, and the most horrifying wasn’t Zargos, but rather his elder sibling.

“Seems your artifact didn’t prove as effective as you believed, huh?”

She balled her hand into a fist while the surrounding space quivered, distorting near her knuckles with violet ripples.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

In waves, the vibrations propagated across the forest, instilling dread in Morok’s soul. He acknowledged his defeat. Retreat was impossible now.

“Hold on!” Morok pleaded. “We can negotiate this! Damn it! Keranda! I was merely obeying commands!”

Still, no trace of mercy appeared in her expression.

“Hmm? And how does that alter anything? Had you possessed greater might, you wouldn’t merely have seized Adam Vinter—you’d have slain my brother and his attendant! We’re both aware that’s the truth!”

Seeing Keranda’s unyielding stance, Morok shifted his appeal to Zargos, hoping for some compromise there.

“You! You’ve bested me! You ought to determine my fate!”

Curiously, Zargos agreed with a nod.

“Yeah, that’s correct.”

A faint grin crossed Morok’s lips.

Tap.

Zargos rested his palm on Keranda’s shoulder.

“However, I always defer major and tough choices to my big sister. She excels at them.”

He flashed a toothy smile.

“So, Keranda, how shall we handle this jerk?”

Keranda huffed.

“Argh? Isn’t it clear?”

She lifted her fist, blocking the sunlight with it.

“There’s just one possible end—death.”

With no delay, Keranda smashed her fist into Morok, who made no effort to resist. Centuries of his existence concluded in that instant. He felt this certainty as deeply as his inability to prevent it.

BLAST!

A concussive wave ravaged the jungle, kicking up a haze of dirt and hurling stones everywhere.

The ruinous gravitational surge left only a vast pit and a smear of blood where Morok once was.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Deep red droplets trickled from Keranda’s fist. She had dispatched multiple Lords that day, and she’d repeat it without qualms if it safeguarded her little brother.

Zargos eyed the tattered remnants of black fabric, the sole survivor of Morok’s jacket, then pivoted toward a towering tree.

He gestured with his hand, a triumphant smirk lighting his features.

Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.

Within a minute, Adam and Merra stepped out from the foliage.

“Sir, are you okay?” Merra inquired worriedly.

Zargos nodded, extending his arms broadly.

“Naturally. I promised you victory. Those foes outmatched the ones Goen faced, but I’m powerful myself! Ha!”

Merra placed her hand over her heart.

“That’s reassuring. I’m relieved you triumphed.”

Keranda flicked her hand; blood pattered to the soil as she faced Adam, fixing him with her golden gaze.

“The Dark Energy—my brother borrowed your strength, didn’t he?”

Adam rubbed the nape of his neck.

“If I’ve got it right, yes.”

Abruptly, Keranda inclined in a profound bow.

“Thank you. Protecting my brother means everything to me.”

Adam gave a casual shrug.

“No worries. I get it; I’ve got a little sister of my own.”