Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1786: Two Creations (Part 2)

The journey Sano and Natta had taken before meeting Aiden, as well as several years of working under him, made their miraculous progress a reality.

When they joined the army, they already knew how to fight better than most. Working as agents, they honed their skills, and their true nature gradually began to emerge, especially during interrogations involving torture.

Their time working at the Morton Observatory as Aiden’s servants was when they no longer needed to hide their desires, for their master was just as bad as his friend.

Then, when the time came for Aiden to fulfill his part of their deal, Sano and Natta finally became who they were always meant to be: the Phantoms, with devastating power and cold, bloodthirsty auras.

Aiden, Gladius, and Xyrea knew their story inside and out. So it came as no surprise to them that Sano and Natta had managed to reach the K4 Level in just one year.

’It was to be expected,’ Gladius thought, standing off to the side. ’Several years of experience and battles before Aiden, and then a few more years with him and me as their mentor. No matter who you are or what talent you have, if you can endure all these trials and keep the hunger for victory in your eyes, you’ll become strong in record time. But...’

His gaze shifted to Adam, who was standing opposite Sano and Natta.

’Unlike you, Sano and Natta, Adam was never a bloodthirsty, cold-blooded sadist. He never wanted to kill other people or tear monsters to pieces. All he dreamed of two years ago was having enough money so that he and his family could live in a safe neighborhood somewhere in the Third Ring.’

At that moment, a satisfied smile spread across Gladius’s face.

’He had to become who he is now to survive, and he did it alone in the Dead Lands, while you had vast experience, a natural thirst for blood, Aiden’s knowledge, and my help.’

Aiden’s earlier words were true. Progress as rapid as Natta and Sano’s was possible only for them, but they had unique circumstances.

In fact, comparing Natta and Sano to Adam was unfair. Adam’s journey had begun just two years ago when he became a Phantom. Sano and Natta had become Phantoms a year ago, but their journey had started at the military academy more than ten years ago.

That was exactly why Aiden had said that under ideal conditions, Adam could reach his level in just a few months.

Clap.

Aiden clapped his hands.

"Alright, let’s head to the arena."

Adam turned and nodded.

"Sure, I can’t wait to see what your people are capable of, Aiden."

Aiden stepped forward, striding past him with a carefree stride.

"You won’t be disappointed, Adam. You can be sure of that."

Sano and Natta rushed forward after him.

"Yes! It’s our time to show what we’re capable of!" Sano exclaimed joyfully.

Natta smiled calmly. "We must win for Mr. Aiden."

However, behind their compliant expressions lay entirely different feelings.

Aiden had ordered them to meet Adam, but they didn’t know that at the end of the conversation, Aiden would challenge Adam to fight them.

That meant only one thing:

’So this young man is special to Aiden for some reason?’ Sano thought as a sadistic smile spread across her face.

’This is interesting. Apparently, these two have a complicated relationship, and Adam Vinter himself is quite an unusual person. The fact that he became a Phantom is merely a consequence of Aiden’s mistake, and yet, all of this has led to this moment,’ Natta muttered to herself, obediently following Aiden.

Aiden didn’t need to be a telepath to know what they were thinking. All he wanted right now was to see the result. A lot depended on it, and Adam had no idea what was going on in Aiden’s mind.

A creak.

A simple white door at the end of the corridor opened, and they found themselves in a spacious room with high walls made of concrete blocks.

Above, on the second floor, were spectator platforms as well as a room with protective glass from which the arena was clearly visible.

"You’ll be fighting here." Aiden shoved his hands into his pockets.

Adam looked around. He didn’t know this, but in a similar room, Glara had gone through Aiden’s experiment and become a Phantom.

"There’s plenty of room here, but aren’t you afraid we’ll destroy your lab in the middle of the fight?"

Aiden glanced at him as he arched his eyebrow.

"Are you serious? Do you think this is ordinary concrete? All the experiment halls and arenas here are made of the strongest materials in the world, gathered from the farthest reaches of the Primal Lands."

He stepped forward, waving his hand around.

"Even Second Rank Phantoms can fight in this hall. If the Lords were here, especially the Lesser Ones, the most they could do is leave a few scratches on the walls - that’s it."

"Agh..." Gladius sighed deeply. "Yeah, Aiden is telling the truth. You’d know how painstaking it was to get all the necessary materials from such distant places."

Adam narrowed his eyes, recalling his battles in the Hollow Lands.

’Right, in the Dead Lands, any object is no sturdier to me than a cardboard box, but here it’s different. If I punch a wall without energy, it’ll hurt me just as much as it would a regular person.’

Tap.

To test this, Adam placed his palm against a concrete block, sensing its energy.

After a few moments, he nodded deeply, roughly gauging its strength.

"I see. Either way, it won’t stop me. I’m ready to fight."

"Great!" Gladius clapped his hands before slinging his arm over Silvana’s shoulder. "I hope you don’t mind if I keep an eye on your Operator while we’re at it?"

Adam turned to Silvana, who nodded with a slight smile.

"Sure, I don’t want her to get hit by an accidental attack."

Without another word, Gladius’s frame flickered as he and Silvana materialized on the platform above. Soon, Xyrea appeared beside them, while Aiden was on the opposite side.

’Agh? Didn’t he go to the safe room?’ Adam thought.

Aiden folded his arms on the railing before speaking.

"You can start anytime. Don’t hold back and show us everything you’re capable of."

Sano and Natta smiled as their auras burst forth.

"Yes! We got it!"