Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1692 1692: The Wrong Mark (Part 2)

Against his own desires, Adam was thrust into the Hollow Lands. He had gathered extensive knowledge about this realm, yet countless intricacies and enigmas of the Hollow Lands still eluded his full comprehension or lay completely unknown to him.

The Dark Knight—or rather, his scheme—stood as one such enigma.

"Loargh, what he said… is that even possible?" Adam questioned in astonishment. "Could the Black Threat Monster truly ascend to the Lord Level through that method?"

To their misfortune, Loargh could only affirm with a grim expression.

"Yes. I've heard of this method, but I've never seen a single monster bold and mad enough to use it!"

Vyora gripped her chest tightly.

"When you defeat and absorb a Frenzied Shard, your aura transforms, along with portions of your energy. In a way, you acquire a fragment of the strength your future self could wield. Energy at the Hollow Mark differs from your personal energy, but… it remains exclusively yours."

Sarka nodded. As a Fang, she was familiar with this too, although she would never dare employ such a risky approach.

"If you want to gain this power, you must absorb the Frenzied Shard. However, there is a way in which you can gain the combined power of several Hollow Marks at once, that is, two."

Adam squinted, fixing his gaze on the Dark Knight's sword.

"Is that exactly what he did with his sword?"

Loargh gritted his teeth.

"Y-Yes. SHIT! He's a fucking monster! If your weapon absorbs the Frenzied Shard and gains the Hollow Mark, you'll be under constant pressure from a power that surpasses you! It's like constantly resisting the aura of a more powerful monster!"

He waved his hand.

"You have to do it, use your own strength to support your weapon, otherwise the Hollow Mark will just destroy it, and everything will vanish!"

Suddenly, Loargh's face stiffened as the truth dawned on him.

"Wait…" He muttered. "That's exactly why you became a servant of this Frenzied Shard. Otherwise, you would be severely weakened by the pressure emanating from your sword!"

The Dark Knight gave a faint nod, then shook his head.

"You've practically guessed it, young man. You see…" The Dark Knight waved his hand toward the Frenzied Shard. "The First Shard that I defeated possessed the same power. My sword absorbed not some weak shard the size of a stone, but something truly great."

A sinister grin spread across his face. He took pride in his achievements thus far.

"When you wield a weapon with such a Hollow Mark without possessing one yourself, fatigue and weakness are not your concern; far more serious problems await you."

The Dark Knight nodded toward the Frenzied Shard.

"If it weren't for this big guy behind me, the power emanating from my sword would have shattered all my bones long ago. Hah, eventually, it would have blown my heart apart, and we would never have met. Of course, I couldn't let that happen!"

Adam nodded to himself, processing all the information he'd just received.

'So, besides the usual method where a monster has to defeat and absorb the Frenzied Shard, there's another, more dangerous one? Damn. He not only has to defeat the first shard, but also constantly fight against the pressure coming from his weapon and absorb another Frenzied Shard. That's twice… no… that's at least three times harder!'

Nevertheless, with this fresh knowledge, Adam struggled to accept the Dark Knight's intentions as genuine.

"Hey."

"Hmm?" The Dark Knight turned to Adam.

"How do you plan to do this? How do you plan to reach the Lord Level in a single leap? I don't believe that even with such restrictions, two Hollow Marks are enough to reach that level of power."

Oddly, the Dark Knight just offered a faint smile, reminiscent of a mentor addressing his pupil's query.

"It's very simple, Adam. The Hollow Mark is a glimpse into the future, a glimpse of the power you'll possess when you take a single step forward. But…"

His voice grew deeper, and an amber flame ignited in his eyes.

"What happens if you take a step forward from the very spot where you previously took a step forward? You'll gain power that was previously out of your reach. Instead of approaching the limit of the Black Threat Level, I'll break through that wall and become one of the Lords!"

Adam narrowed his eyes.

He realized the Dark Knight had no motive to deceive him, yet something still nagged at him.

'Is it just me, or is he in a hurry? Does he want to become a Lord as soon as possible? But… Why? He's already strong enough to survive the World Wipe.'

Adam shook his head while pointing at the Frenzied Shard.

"In that case, why haven't you absorbed it yet? This shard grants you the strength to withstand the pressure of your own sword, but what have you been waiting for all this time?"

The question wasn't foolish in itself—it was foolish of Adam to pose it.

With a flick of his hand, the Dark Knight aimed his sword straight at Adam.

"Isn't it obvious?"

A smirk crossed his face.

"I was waiting for you."

Adam's heart turned to ice.

Sighing deeply, the Dark Knight brought his sword down.

"To be honest with you, I expected some talented monster from the blade or dome pillar to show up here. The most I expected was a single monster and its guide at the Pit. But look at the gift fate has brought me!"

Excitement surged through him as he gestured wildly.

"Three Fangs and a Phantom who's just as powerful as them! I'm lucky, and I'm going to take advantage of this chance! I won't get another one!"

Silence.

All at once, a profound silence enveloped the battlefield.

Loargh, Vyora, and Sarka now grasped their utter lack of hope against the Dark Knight, with no path to flee.

They were doomed to linger here and perish amid the black flowers.

"Alright." The Dark Knight's tone turned icy. "Let's get this over with. I really don't have much time left. A great task awaits me."

In that instant, the Hollow Mark on the blade flared with intense light as the sword initiated its transformation, much like Loargh and the other monsters before it.