Endless Evolution: Last Star

Lyrod couldn't do anything about his black sword filling up to 100%. Even though he had become a little stronger since the beginning of their battle thanks to the energy of the First Star, it was still not enough to stop Adam's onslaught, which was now unstoppable.

A single trickle of blood came out of Silvana's mouth, dark bags appeared under her eyes, but she was ready to continue maintaining her ability.

She clenched her fists tightly.

'I'm sure I can hold out until the end of the fight. It shouldn't be a problem. But... I'm very concerned about Lyrod's aura, it's changing too quickly. Could he be absorbing the energy of the First Star at an increased rate during the fight?

Silvana's simple theory turned out to be correct.

Not only did people become stronger in critical situations, but it also worked on monsters. Sure, Lyrod had experienced this feeling far fewer times than Adam, who had built his path to power in such situations.

But Lyrod had no choice but to spend every ounce of strength and energy he had to survive.

And... Oddly enough, he still had a chance to win, not only because of the First Star energy, but also because of Adam's ability.

Even though Lyrod's black sword was filled and turned into a seal on Adam's hand, Adam's black sword did not disappear.

'This... If I can hurt him badly enough before he uses that seal, I can turn the tide!

At the same moment, Lyrod jumped back as his feet touched the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

He leaned forward as streams of water covered his white horns pointing forward, their sharp tips staring straight at Adam.

For some reason, Adam was in no hurry to use the seal, his frowning face showing that he was making a difficult decision.

'No, that might not be enough. What if I use the seal and he survives? In that case... I won't be able to do it. Fuck, I have to make sure Lyrod reaches his limit and that the next break is the final one.'

Adam knew well how such battles worked. It wasn't about strength or the number of trump cards, but whether the fighter could continue fighting after the last clash.

To some extent, this was what allowed Adam to defeat Arnoth, because when Silvana appeared in her spectral form and the Imaginary Cut, he knew that Arnoth had neither the strength nor the ability to continue fighting after their joint attack, which was the final point in their battle.

But looking at Lyrod, he didn't have that feeling.

'No, he'll definitely survive. The First Star energy won't let him die, just like it won't let me die. I have to make him use up all his energy.'

Did that mean that Lyrod would become stronger?

Yes, the same thing happened to Adam, because he gained one new ability for himself and one for Silvana.

However, this did not bother Adam. He knew how to use the sword seal to ensure his victory, no matter how strong Lyrod became.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

A bright orb appeared between Lyrod's horns, causing the ground to shake violently and space to warp due to its enormous mass.

Adam frowned as he nodded deeply. It was time to act.

"Silvana, you can do it again, right?"

"Only once," she replied firmly.

"Good, that will be enough. After that, I won't need your help anymore. I can deal with him myself."

Before Lyrod could finish, Silvana appeared behind Adam in her spectral form, along with the outline of the great scissors.

A chill ran down Lyrod's spine. He knew the power of that one ability, and it sent a shiver of fear through his body.

Lyrod hurried as the orb opened, launching a beam of compressed energy at Adam that crossed dozens of meters in seconds.

But the Imaginary Cut was much faster than that long interval.

Click.

As soon as the scissors closed, everything between Adam and Lyrod was cut in two.

The ground, the air, the blue beam of energy, and finally Lyrod himself. A thin red line ran vertically across his body as if he should have been cut in two.

'No! No! No! This can't happen... I still have strength! I must... I must use it to survive!'

At the same moment, Lyrod's body, mind, and all the energy in his body fought to survive, to stop Adam's cut or at least survive its consequences. The power of Adam's artifact continued to work, but Lyrod lost his black sword.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

With a tremor, a dark, thick energy emerged from Lyrod's body, all that remained of the unabsorbed part of the dark dream.

Adam, standing aside, grinned.

He had achieved what he wanted, even though he would not be able to use the Imaginary Cut in this battle. Neither he nor Silvana had the strength left to do so. All Silvana could do now was keep the white heart active.

That was enough for Adam, because right now he was watching Lyrod reach his limit.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Blue energy resembling threads restored Lyrod's torn flesh as exquisite tattoos ran across his shoulder and right arm. His turquoise eyes deepened, filling with meaning, and his aura expanded to a new limit.

Now, neither Dayra nor Kolos could do anything to Lyrod, for he had advanced from the Lesser Elder Level to the Elder Level. It was difficult to determine exactly where Lyrod stood in the Black Threat Level, but he had become a greater threat to Adam than he had been a minute ago.

Adam grinned as he looked at his seal.

However, he did not use any of his abilities, saving all his strength for one thing.

He was going to do what had previously been impossible due to the excessive recoil.

But now was the best moment for it.

A faint light flashed across Lyrod's new tattoos as thin streams of water rose from the ground, slowly moving toward his hand to form a simple-looking spear with enough power to wipe Adam off the face of the earth in the blink of an eye.