Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1656: Thunderous Voice (Part 1)

Clang!

Upon the collision, Adam and Larth were hurled apart in opposite ways. A minor graze lingered on Adam’s wrist, as a thin trail of smoke ascended from Larth’s spear. Unready for a rival boasting such an unbreakable physique, Larth’s thoughts drifted to something completely different in that instant.

“Adam Vinter...?” Larth creased his brow, immersed in reflection.

Silence hung for some time until he shook his head.

“That name’s unfamiliar to me. Your sly grin just before the blow hinted I should recognize it somehow, but clearly not.” Larth’s eyes tightened. “It’s the first I’ve encountered yours, exactly like you’ve never heard mine.”

Oddly, this threw Adam for a loop. Not that it was Larth’s doing, yet in recent months, after gaining considerable might and catching the First Star’s eye, every formidable monster either knew him or his reputation.

Larth lacked the sheer might of beasts such as Morok, far from matching Ramilo or Saegar alongside Kenward, yet he could crush nearly all the Elders Adam had clashed with previously.

“Oh...” Adam stood dumbfounded. “Hard to admit, but this caught me off guard.”

Noticing Adam’s surprise, a thought struck Larth. “One question before we resume. Time’s short, but I must know.”

“Go for it.”

Larth’s face grew grim. Dread filled him at the potential reply, yet curiosity overwhelmed him.

“How long as a Phantom? Years since the Spark ignited?”

Adam rubbed his cheek casually. He didn’t view the query with Larth’s gravity.

“Hmm... Roughly a year and a half, maybe a bit more. Couple months from two years since slaying my initial monster and claiming the first gene.”

A chill raced along Larth’s back, beads of icy sweat forming on his brow.

At last, he grasped that the figure before him belonged to the scarcest Phantom breeds.

‘One of those prodigy Phantoms who surge ahead despite meager energy? Not unique, but... against 200 years back, their numbers have plummeted by dozens.’

Like fellow Phantoms at his tier, Adam understood the present era as the harshest for growth and advancement, with scant world energy ahead of the looming World Wipe.

Yet differing from Larth, Adam missed the spectacles from a century or even two ago. Larth recalled vividly how those eras brimmed with far more clashes and legendary fighters on either side than today.

Still...

‘Back two centuries, in peak active eras, scarce few Phantoms or monsters hit this power in mere year and a half. It happens now too—he and peers prove it—but such anomalies are exceedingly rare.’

“Hey.”

Adam gestured with his hand.

“You with me? Lost in what?”

Larth broke from his trance, offering a subtle smile.

“My apologies. I overthink at times. We’re pressed for time, so let’s dive back in.”

Whooooosh!

Larth charged without pause. One bound placed him squarely before Adam, spear clutched firm in both fists.

With a sweeping arc, he swung the enormous weapon toward Adam, slicing past whipping winds. Larth’s strategy stayed straightforward: dominate via raw speed and power for swift early triumphs.

Yet he failed to notice Adam holding back every ability thus far.

Why?

Straightforward: Adam deemed it unnecessary, and the Blood of God, gripping his Evolution Tree, stayed dormant too.

Clear conclusion: Larth posed no threat to spur his growth.

Clang!

Adam’s hand’s reverse struck the spear’s pole, halting the mighty blow. Larth’s pupils shrank in disbelief.

Moments later, Adam’s palm crashing into his midsection mirrored in Larth’s vision.

BLAST!

Raw force propelled Larth over ten meters sideways.

Despite vast battle wisdom, Larth scarcely stabbed his spear into earth to brake his flight.

Crack!

Bones snapped as his body curved, feet digging in while one hand gripped the spear, spine arched oddly near ground contact.

A single breath sufficed for Larth to regroup and reengage.

“Agh...?”

His pulse faltered as shadow engulfed him. Dim glow from the shadowed moon scarcely outlined Adam towering above amid night.

Nonetheless, Larth distinctly spied Adam’s azure gaze and balled fist pulsing archaic power, violet sparks dancing over knuckles.

Adam lifted his arm for the descent.

“Official duel desired? You’ll get it.”

TREMBLE!

A sand spout surged twenty meters high amid quaking earth. Dune crests shuddered. Frailest ones tumbled, cascades unveiling buried bones nearby.

Seconds later, settling haze exposed Adam and Larth once more.

Larth’s arms quivered, barely propping his spear against Adam’s landed hit. Cloak shredded, back ravaged by blast’s fury.

Terror and caution twisted his face, jaws clenched tight from strain.

Blood pooled under Larth already, trivial versus direct impact’s doom.

Adam held steady, resolute stare unbroken.

“Unclear on your title’s weight, but you’re not my target, correct, Larth of the Fangs?”