Endless Evolution: Last Star

Most Phantoms, as well as many ordinary people, believed that the Phantoms' power was in their abilities, able to create miracles out of nothing.

And... that was one of the biggest misconceptions.

Sure, abilities were important, but only if the opponents were roughly equal in strength. If there were a certain gap in strength between the two Phantoms, then the fight would be rather boring and predictable.

In such a case, the stronger Phantom would easily win simply because his attacks were stronger and he was faster, and this was not because of his abilities, but because of his energy.

Well, all of this only applied if the fight was at K2-Level or higher, when the Phantoms already knew how to use the Energy Control, except for the newbies like Adam.

Blink.

Adam blinked, when he opened his eyes he saw a strange scene. White streams flowed down his arms as if they were veins, he could see them clearly, as if through an x-ray.

Everything else became faded and dark as it had no energy in it, except for the two rough disks, faint energy lurking inside them, after all, they were made of some powerful monster.

'Hah, so that's what it looks like. I feel like I'm invincible, but then what did Damien see in the battle against me? I'm sure his energy was so dense and bright that my blows seemed no stronger than a stream of wind.'

Then, Adam gripped the barbell tightly and raised his arms sharply.

All the while, he was in pain from the barbell pressing down on him, so he didn't hold back his strength.

"Argh!" Adam growled throwing the barbell forward, wanting to get rid of the thing and never return to it again.

He didn't control his strength and movements, so the barbell flew forward at high speed.

Only after a second Adam realized that the barbell was flying straight at Silvana, who was intently watching his progress.

'Fuck!' Adam internally exclaimed, not expecting to be so unlucky.

He was going to use his artifact and rush to her aid.

Tap.

But, before he could even take one step, Tron stood in front of Silvana.

In his right hand was a cup of hot tea, a trickle of steam rising, passing in front of his face and calm gaze.

Then, Tron extended his left arm and effortlessly caught a barbell weighing several tons. His arm didn't even flinch as his expression remained calm.

Slowly, Tron took a sip of tea before turning around and handing the cup to Riska.

"I made a mistake. Not enough sugar, add more."

"Sure." Riska smiled kindly.

Whoooooosh.

Then, Tron waved his hand throwing the barbell right at Adam.

"Catch it."

"Agh?!"

Adam's eyes went wide for a moment as he stared at the barbell approaching him, wanting to pin him to the ground.

He quickly extended his arms and caught it, it took him a few steps to regain his balance and not fall with that weight.

Then, he placed the barbell on the bench and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good, now pick up the barbell with four disks and we'll move on to the next stage of our workout."

Adam's eyes sparkled.

"Really? Yes, I'm getting sick of these weights!"

Tron frowned, causing Adam to stop.

"Don't slack off. You'll start each day with basic physical training, from exercises to working with heavy weights. This is necessary for you to better learn how to handle the Energy Control."

Adam nodded uncertainly.

"S-Sure, I just want to get to something more interesting faster."

Tron waved his hand indicating the barbell.

Adam understood him and after a few minutes, he could lift the barbell with four discs without much trouble.

He did it a few times to solidify the result before Tron finally stopped him.

"That's enough. Take a twenty-minute break, then we'll move on to the next stage."

Adam nodded as a gleam passed over his eyes. He had wanted to fight Tron ever since they arranged to train.

So, he couldn't wait for this moment to come.

Adam walked over to the table in the spectator room where Dahla was staring at him intently.

"Is something wrong...?" Adam felt uncomfortable with her stare.

Dahla frowned.

"You really don't know how to live peacefully, do you?"

Her question made Adam uncomfortable, he felt like a student about to be scolded by a strict teacher.

It wasn't at all what he was used to or wanted to experience.

"Constantly fighting battles on the verge of death, getting caught up in brawls, killing common people at fairs, and knocking out all the guardians in prison after a few days."

Dahla continued:

"Defeated the Plague Reaper and immediately afterward decided to embark on an even more dangerous adventure. The Twelve Branches aren't the kind of people you should be messing around with, much less ruining relationships with."

Dahla waved her hand arrogantly with a disgruntled look.

"If I were you, I would renege on my promise right now. Osana De Rouzet, there's nothing wrong with her if she marries another nobleman. They all go through it, it's their price for the luxury they were given from birth."

Riska, Max, and Tron watched this scene in silence. Their gazes were different, but a fleeting curiosity was visible in all of them.

"How pathetic."

Adam said calmly, looking at Dahla with a detached gaze.

"What? What did you say?!" Dahla got a menacing grimace as she stared at Adam.

Crackle.

Adam stood up abruptly as he slammed his palms against the table without thinking about the force applied.

In a heartbeat, the table collapsed under the superior force, shattering into splinters. Dishes went with it, crashing to the floor mixed with food and drink.

"Aren't you a mature person? Aren't you a K4-Phantom? How can you say things like that?!"

Whooooooosh.

Dahla stood up abruptly with a face full of anger. She wasn't going to let some youngster, a Phantom that hadn't even been on this path for even one full year yet, talk to her like that.

"How dare you! You're going to get in big trouble for this!"

"SHUT UP!"

Adam said menacingly as his voice echoed throughout the room like rolling thunder overshadowing all other sounds.

Strangely enough, Dahla's facial expression instantly changed. The anger was gone, leaving only shock and something else, a satisfyingly strange and unclear feeling that made her slowly return to her seat, not to interrupt Adam.

Tron raised an eyebrow slightly, Max smirked, taking a sip of his already-cooled tea.
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"She saved my life. You weren't there and you don't know what it's like when the Plague Reaper's fist comes right at you. Then, you see a hole the size of a cannonball appears in your mate's body!"

Adam gritted his teeth as he continued:

"And, even if all of that hadn't happened. I made my promise and said I'd fulfill any request she asked of me. So, now I'm here and I have no choice but to win in The Rule of Power."

Dahla gulped as she lowered her head.

Was she ashamed?

Probably, but unlike Adam, Riska saw a lot more emotion on Dahla's face.

'Hah, what a bad girl.' Riska smirked inwardly.