Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1660 1660: Pillar's Top

Within the Primal Lands, Adam drew considerable notice. Wherever he ventured alongside Alexia, assailants lunged at them, challengers probed their power, or shadows trailed them, just as Zargos had, with his own solid justifications.

Conditions here diverged sharply, at least up until now.

Each soaring bound brought Adam, Kaerno, and Larth nearer to the blade pillar, inevitably drawing the monsters within its depths to take notice.

Suspicions had stirred when Kaerno departed the blade pillar, and now their queries found resolution.

From the balcony, a girl bearing stark white hair leaned out. Her wide blue eyes observed with intrigue as the unfamiliar Phantom approached their pillar.

"Whoa, do you see that, Valleyn?!" she cried, jabbing a finger toward Adam. "How long since a Phantom last visited us?"

Lounging against the wall nearby stood a towering woman with a piercing stare. Her cropped black hair brushed her chin, while her green eyes fixed sharply on the surprise visitor.

"Sarka, don't squander your time on this. Or mine... Whatever Master Kaerno decides is no concern of ours."

Sarka flashed a broad grin, baring her razor-sharp teeth fully. "Aw, don't you wanna discover who he is? Plus, he seems seriously powerful!"

"Hmm?" Valleyn arched a brow. "What gives you that idea?"

Sarka gestured toward Larth's back in reply.

"Check out those gashes! Kaerno sure didn't inflict them—it was that Phantom!"

Valleyn initially itched to dismiss her as usual nonsense, yet a thorough look at Larth's injuries confirmed Sarka's claim.

"Hmm. You might actually be onto something this time. Yet it's odd. That's no Second Rank Phantom. And his aura… he hasn't hit his evolution's peak. He's merely heading there. How does one like him arrive here?"

Like an excited kid, Sarka let out a giggle.

"Exactly what I wanna uncover! Hehehe, fingers crossed Master Kaerno allows us some fun with him!"

The same spark of interest gleamed in every monster's eyes atop the pillar, perhaps subtler than Sarka's, but undeniably present.

Abruptly, Adam pivoted, his stare locking straight onto Sarka. Their blue gazes clashed, freezing her in stunned silence for an instant.

Then Adam shifted away, resuming his pursuit of Kaerno and Larth.

"Valleyn…" Sarka whispered, gnawing at her nails.

"Hmm?"

"I wanna devour him... Think Master Kaerno will permit it?"

Oddly, Valleyn didn't dismiss the notion outright, wild as Sarka's words rang.

"Hard to say. We grasp so little about this Phantom. But should you best him in combat, perhaps you claim a share. It hinges on him. Is he a true fighter, or merely a gifted youth lost in the wrong realm?"

Sarka tuned her out completely now. She chewed her nails relentlessly as drool trickled from her lips' edges.

Kaerno observed the entire exchange. Nothing escaped his vigilant oversight here.

"Ignore their antics. Such responses are predictable. Phantoms rarely venture into our domain, particularly ones resembling you."

Yet Adam showed no fear—only keen curiosity lit his eyes.

"That girl eyes me like premium steak. What's her name?"

Larth answered instead of Kaerno, his face twisted in a scowl.

"That's Sarka. She holds the same esteemed Fang rank as me. But she lacks any decorum. She ought not act this way before you, Master Kaerno!"

Adam grinned slyly. "Honestly, I prefer this over your dull protocols, Larth. Her ravenous stare promises a far more thrilling clash than facing you."

"W-WHAT?" Larth erupted in fury. "You haven't witnessed my utmost strength! A rematch, and you'd crumble."

"Sure, cling to that if it soothes you."

Larth's fist tightened, neck veins throbbing. Rage boiled within, yet he restrained himself in Kaerno's company.

These might rank among the oddest realms Adam had explored, but the rule of the mightiest reigned supreme, as always.

Tap.

At the pillar's peak edge, Kaerno halted, with Adam and Larth close behind.

No dome capped this pillar; instead, lofty spikes like spires thrust upward, encircling a grand tower crowned by a needle-sharp summit. Unlike the bare stone spires, a twisting staircase coiled around the tower, punctuated by windows akin to those across the blade pillar.

Whoooooooooooosh!

A fierce wind howled past, icy and unbound, tousling Adam's locks.

From this dizzying vantage, a fresh panorama of the environs unfolded. Over a dozen distant pillars came into view—fossilized remains of colossal beasts long fallen—alongside endless dunes.

Even so, the territory's borders eluded sight, and the shadowed moon trailed them loyally through every journey.

"Does dawn ever break here?" Adam inquired abruptly. Strangely, the thought had just struck him.

Kaerno shook his head.

"Not as you know it. Were I in your shoes, I'd pray this moon lingers long, sparing you that blinding glow."

'Does he dread mere light?' Adam pondered. 'Undoubtedly, valid causes exist.'

'Damn… This realm sprawls immensely. Or perhaps its vast emptiness deceives?'

It stood in sharp opposition to the Primal Lands, teeming with jungles, woodlands, towering peaks, and icy expanses everywhere.

'Furthermore, chaos feels muted here. Absent that airborne beast with its massive eye, foes would limit to the bull and Larth. Back in the Primal Lands, trials would have assailed me repeatedly by now.'

Tap.

Kaerno's hand settled on Adam's shoulder, his gaze intensifying.

"Young man, you surely wish to learn your current location, yes?"

Adam nodded, hanging on his forthcoming revelation.

Kaerno's eyes roamed the expansive domain ahead.

"Now, we stand in the Hollow Lands."