Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1637: Dark Power (Part 1)

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Adam devoured slice after slice of apple pie, his cheeks bulging like those of an overstuffed hamster. Though his training stint had only lasted a few short hours, fueling his body was vital.

With every swing he took, particularly when channeling the Ancient Energy, massive reserves of power were depleted.

Ultimately, the Ancient Energy was hardly an abundant resource for a Phantom to wield in the heat of battle. It served as a rare and high-value trump card.

While Adam’s physical blows were powerful, he couldn't realistically shatter twenty steel blocks at once without that extra edge, yet the Ancient Energy rendered such a feat simple.

In a standard scenario, Tron would have transitioned into sparring to gauge a Phantom's prowess, but Adam remained a unique outlier.

Beyond mastering the Ancient Energy, he still needed to grasp the nuances of the Dark Energy.

Granted, he had successfully awakened the Dark Energy and harnessed the power that had awaited him following the black flash, but real combat scenarios had not yet provided an opportunity to put it into practice.

"Do you enjoy the pie?" Silvana inquired, fixedly observing Adam. "I can see you possess quite an appetite."

"Yeah! It’s incredible! Thanks!" Adam replied with enthusiasm, washing down his next mouthful with juice.

Riska cast a glance at Silvana and offered a nod. Acting as his mentor, she found the result quite satisfactory.

Admittedly, apple pie lacked the complexity of a signature dish, but even in something as modest as a sandwich, true skill revealed depth and nuance.

"Good, I was hoping you would like it."

Tron offered a nod of his own.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Regardless of how tasty this pie is, our current priorities lie elsewhere."

He turned his gaze toward Adam, his eyes narrowing with intensity.

"Are you prepared to utilize the Dark Energy for the first time?"

Adam paused, a piece of pie still caught in his mouth, eyes widening.

"How can you tell I’ve never used it before?"

"Ha, I can see it in your eyes. The Dark Energy... well, it operates distinctly from the Ancient Energy. You will witness the difference shortly—you can bet on that."

Riska leaned in toward Tron.

"Have you devised a suitable trial for him?"

"That depends entirely on which technique he chooses to deploy."

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm? Is that really necessary? I mean, the Ancient Energy can augment techniques too, but that’s such a waste. I can land a few solid blows and keep fighting, but if I burn it on a single skill, I’ll be slumped over in exhaustion immediately."

Tron responded with a shrug.

"Look, while Ancient Energy and Dark Energy function quite differently, there isn't a massive gap in how they boost a standard punch beyond the raw power increase."

His voice dropped to a lower pitch.

"Well... aside from a few rare exceptions where technique matters most, but that doesn't concern us right now."

Silvana blinked. "Does that mean Dark Energy is superior for specialized skills? Does it modify them in a unique way?"

"Precisely. Ancient Energy provides a blunt, general boost to anything from a jab to your most potent technique. Conversely, Dark Energy follows a different set of rules; wasting it on a simple punch is both inefficient and pointless."

Sip.

Adam set aside his empty glass and fixed his attention on Tron.

"How about you demonstrate? You are right, this will be my first time touching Dark Energy. I’d prefer not to ruin it."

Tron’s mouth curled into a smirk, his expression tightening.

"Fair enough, I believe I have just the method."

Rising to his feet, he strode toward the wooded area. Adam and Silvana swapped glances before trailing behind him, curiosity piqued.

They had only witnessed Tron engage in combat a handful of times, yet those displays were leagues ahead of the norm. Moreover, in his journeys, Adam had rarely encountered anyone wielding powers comparable to Tron’s.

'Glass, right?' Adam mused. 'In some ways, he resembles me. I know the Forgotten Mills are crawling with entities similar to me, but those are genuine monsters. I haven’t encountered other Phantoms who weaponize threads or glass.'

Step.

Tron came to a halt in the open field and gestured with one hand. His energy—gray emanations tinged with violet—rippled around him, poised to coalesce into glass shards.

"First, I shall demonstrate the base iteration of my ability."

Tron snapped his fingers, and his energy solidified into a glass clone hovering a few paces away.

"It isn't the most formidable weapon in my arsenal, but it serves as an excellent utility. This clone mimics my motions, which I often utilize as bait or to bridge gaps in distance."

Whooooosh.

Tron swiped his hand through the air, and the glass replica did the same. Positioned beside a sturdy tree, the clone’s strike connected with the trunk, cleanly severing it in half.

"However, its durability is lacking. Any K4-Phantom could shatter it with ease, and it fails to replicate my true techniques."

Crack.

Fractures spiderwebbed across the glass construct before it disintegrated into dust.

Then, Tron extended his palm, and a veil of dark matter drifted above it, mirroring the essence clinging to Adam’s Evolution Tree.

"But tell me, what happens when I infuse this ability with Dark Energy?" Tron asked, clearly waiting for the revelation.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The dull gray currents shuddered as fragments, dark and translucent as the midnight sky, danced in Adam’s vision.

In a heartbeat, a dark glass clone materialized. Visually, there were few differences, that is, until a smirk crept across Tron’s face.

Tap.

A dark hand suddenly clamped down on Adam’s shoulder. The exact same sensation startled Silvana.

"Agh!" She jumped back, clearly caught off guard.

Adam turned to inspect the glass clone, but... his eyes grew wide.

"What the..."

He stammered, frantically glancing back at Tron, who had reappeared behind him in the blink of an eye.

Riska, who had been observing quietly from the sidelines, folded her arms tightly.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves, boys. You know far too little." She smiled with absolute certainty. "Watch closely—this is the first, and final, demonstration."