Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1663 1663: Hollow Mark

Adam's extended and fruitful chat with Kaerno left him utterly unprepared for the sudden plummet that struck in the very next instant. Kaerno had shoved him straight off the ledge, providing zero explanation.

Whipping winds intensified with every passing second, as the distant earth rushed ever closer.

Over a dozen eyes tracked his descent from atop the pillar, observing the spectacle with keen interest.

Sarka's stare burned with fierce intensity. Given the chance, she'd have vaulted the railing to assault Adam. She recognized he wouldn't shy away from the confrontation. His eyes betrayed that resolve.

Yet she lacked the madness to defy Kaerno's command. He had already selected Adam's adversary.

"Come on, show me what you're capable of, human…" Sarka licked her lips, eyeing Adam like a tempting feast.

Merely seconds ticked by, yet that sufficed for Adam to snap back to awareness and grasp the urgency of halting his drop.

He remained uncertain about the energy levels in the Hollow Lands, but figured they matched or exceeded those of the Primal Lands. Plunging from such heights sans safeguards wouldn't end harmlessly as in the Dead Lands—no, he'd suffer grave wounds.

Tremble.

Energy flooded Adam's legs as he braced to decelerate his descent, but… another sight snagged his attention.

A dazzling burst ignited at the pillar's peak. White-and-blue flames cloaked a silhouette revealed as Larth himself.

His expression had transformed entirely now, the shoulder tattoo pulsing with might. Adam was no longer viewed as prey or outsider, but a worthy rival.

This stemmed not only from Adam's proven strength in their initial skirmish, but also Kaerno's approval.

'If Master Kaerno insists I unleash my mark on him, then sans that strength, victory's impossible!' Larth thought fiercely before summoning an energy explosion behind himself.

With blistering velocity, Larth slammed into Adam amid their mutual hurtle toward the pillar's foundation.

Sarka's eyes bulged, fixed on the towering sand plume erupting from the impact.

SLASH!

A sweeping arc of black gleam cleaved the sand pillar precisely in half. Next, the duo hurtled apart. Larth landed nearer the pillar, while Adam positioned opposite.

Sarka gnawed her lip, fixating on Adam's blade. The slender, ebony, pin-shaped sword rested securely in his hold, his stare now sharp and resolute, devoid of prior ease or bewilderment.

"Have you finally decided to use your weapon?" Larth uttered, his eyes dropping low.

A broad laceration gaped deep across his chest, with rivulets of blood seeping forth.

Adam's eyes tightened.

"Just like you, almost."

His finger jabbed toward Larth's tattoo. Energy pulsed out, washing across Larth's shoulders.

"What is that? Why did Kaerno forbid you from using it during our first battle, but now everything has changed?"

Larth nodded.

"Yes. Master Kaerno understood it at a glance. It took me nearly losing the fight to realize that you possess a dangerous power. But now we are where we need to be."

Larth's aura intensified, sending shivers racing along Adam's spine as his gaze darkened and tattoo quivered.

"Now, I will show you the power of the Hollow Mark. Watch closely, Phantom."

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The air quaked as potent energy erupted from Larth's tattoo. Broad white-and-blue ribbons snaked over his form entirely, with streams channeling to head, limbs, and legs.

From the sidelines, Adam observed his foe's metamorphosis intently. No detail could escape him.

Larth towered unusually high, yet the ribbons compacted his frame now, channeling strength into a denser build. Scalding vapor billowed from his shuddering sinews, eyes sealed shut.

His excessively lengthy locks shortened to shoulder-length. They shone with vivid white radiance, brimming with vigor akin to Lone Blaze's. Her shape echoed this somehow.

Energy-threaded white gloves and boots materialized on Larth's hands and feet. Five luminous white spheres hovered behind, gleaming metallically.

As his arm stretched out, the tattoo flared once more, materializing a lengthy spear in his clutch. It echoed the prior one from their clash, but slimmer, tipped with dual razor edges instead of blunt, and solid matter unlike mere energy before.

Finally, Larth unveiled his eyes. A circular lattice mirrored in his left orb, capturing Adam and their surroundings wholly.

The binding ribbons dissolved from his body, shoulder tattoo fading too. Yet he'd fully invoked his Hollow Mark now.

Adam's brow furrowed, scrutinizing Larth's altered visage.

'How strange... He called it the Hollow Mark? It looks like a combination of the Solar Form, Arc, and Resonance. Tsk, did he really gain all that power just from his tattoo?'

Indeed, Adam noted distinctions. He'd battled Hybrids wielding Solar Form. Larth's shift lacked the extremity of Anelez's or Erada's. All but the spear comprised his energy, denser and more potent than before.

"Before we begin." Adam raised his chin, peering down at Larth. "Let me ask you something. How much stronger have you become with your Hollow Mark?"

Step.

A quake stirred the gray sands as Larth advanced. His spear's subtle track and hair's glow trailed him.

"Now, Adam, you'll have to use everything you've got to stand even the slightest chance of winning."

No trace of hubris colored his tone. Larth spoke utter conviction.

Still, Adam's stare held firm.

"I doubt that."

Larth ground his teeth, fury boiling within.

"You will regret those words, arrogant human!"