Endless Evolution: Last Star

During Adam's evolution, his transition to K4-Level, he found himself in a disadvantageous situation, although he did not fully understand it himself.

How?

Well, all new K4-Phantoms were supposed to evolve one ability other than Nexus, while the Operator was supposed to get two abilities.

Obviously, Adam only got his Core Nexus, while his new ability not only failed to appear, but his artifact was also blocked. But now that he has received the energy of the First Star, he has a new artifact, the one he deserved.

However, Adam wasn't the only one affected by the energy from the Midnight Crystal. Silvana was also deprived of one of her two new abilities. All she could do was heal Adam's wound, well, not counting Pain Transition, Stellar Resonance, and Imaginary Cut.

Silvana's eyes lit up as she watched Adam's heart beating, now white, the complete opposite of the crown on his arm.

If the dark crown gave him regeneration through black swords and a crimson field, the white heart had a different purpose—to give Adam as much energy as he wanted.

Sure, nothing in this world was free, and he would have to pay for the energy with his life force, meaning he would exhaust himself much faster, and his body would tire.

But... Although tired muscles were not a direct wound, they were suitable for regeneration by the Crown of the Fallen Prince.

"So..." Adam chuckled maliciously, realizing the situation he was in. "All I need to do is inflict more wounds on you than you do on me!"

Lyrod frowned.

It was hard for him to withstand Adam's attacks when Adam was acting as recklessly and freely as he wanted, and because of the circumstances, there were no risks for him.

No matter what wounds Adam received during his attack, his black sword would heal him. At the same time, his energy reserves simply could not be depleted because of his white heart, and he could not tire because of the regeneration of the black circle.

It was a vicious and dangerous circle that allowed Adam to act according to his deepest nature without worrying about the consequences.

Did Lyrod have any chance of winning?

Sure, his situation was far from hopeless. All he had to do was inflict more wounds on Adam than he did on him. That way, Adam's black sword would be 100% full, and Lyrod would be able to quickly end the battle with his victory.

But... Doing that was not easy.

Whoooooosh.

Without hesitation, Adam swung the second needle several times, ending up right in front of Lyrod, but before he could react, his body was covered in cuts.

Lyrod had to use everything he had to withstand Adam's attacks.

Everything happened too quickly and aggressively for Lyrod to come up with a plan and execute it.

This was not the speed and ferocity Lyrod was used to dealing with. No monster at the Corrosive Lakes or in the surrounding areas could afford to take dozens of wounds in a few seconds and still be able to strike back even harder!

...

Step. Step. Step.

At the same time, somewhere in the Citadel, on the underground level between the Upper Ring and the Lower Ring, a man with black hair and green eyes was walking slowly forward. In his hands was a strawberry ice cream cone that he had bought recently, as it had not lost its shape.

Despite this, he was in an area that was off-limits to almost everyone in the Citadel. Fewer people had access here than at Heaven Island because this was the Zero Day Vault.

Douglas had recently mentioned this place to Adam and Silvana, although he had not used its official name.

As the name suggests, this is where everything that humanity might need immediately after the World Wipe is stored. It contained everything necessary, from seeds and technology to medicines and incubators for the rapid restoration of the population and, therefore, the Citadel.

Basically, it was countless warehouses with the best protection humanity had, but there were also several control centers accessible only to the highest members of the government or the military, who were, of course, part of the Gamma Division.

Crack.

The hydraulic door opened, letting Damien inside. In a large room with wide screens, Douglas sat in a dark chair, slowly drinking black, bitter coffee.

At that moment, he was watching the lands covered with toxic lakes, among which stood an ancient, frightening crypt.

Several screens showed footage from satellites, while he also had access to Adam's NEP, who was fighting Lyrod at breakneck speed.

"Well, well, this is what happens when you get some of your powers from the First Star." Damien chuckled as he approached Douglas.

"Agh?" Douglas glanced over his shoulder. "Hah, you finally showed up. I was wondering when you'd arrive. You're very late."

In response, Damien shrugged and pointed to his ice cream.

"There was a long line, and when it was my turn, they ran out of ice cream, so I had to wait until they restocked the section. You know, I'm not the luckiest person."

"Hah, you're one to talk. Shut up." Damien waved his hand dismissively.

He wasn't about to hear anything about luck from the strongest Phantom in the Citadel. Anyone else had the right to complain, but not Damien.

"So..." Damien leaned forward, watching Adam's battle. "This guy turned out to be one of them? We weren't wrong to put him in the Stellar Phantoms category."

Douglas nodded deeply as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes, he has every chance of becoming a Second Rank Phantom. I don't know when that will happen, but if he doesn't die, it will definitely happen."

Crack.

Interference covered one of the screens. The reason was simple—Adam's NEP had been destroyed, and now all Douglas and Damien could see was a view of the Corrosive Lakes from the satellites.

Before they could say anything, something happened that silenced them.

Slash.

A wide gash ran along the entire crypt, splitting the great building and all the floors above it in two.

"Hah, Adam's still the same. No matter how many battles he goes through, his tactics won't change, right?"