Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1517 1517: Is this the way? (Part 2)

A single strike from the massive stone golem had landed.

That impact was all Adam needed to realize something crucial.

"I didn't receive that blow correctly..." he mused, staring down at his palms. "There was a fleeting moment where I felt it, but then something blocked my progress."

Adam understood exactly what had obstructed his sensation of the ancient energy saturated within the Head Golem’s frame.

The solution was straightforward: the interference was caused by his own internal energy.

He was like a connoisseur attempting to savor the nuances of a rare, exotic ingredient for the first time, yet failing to strip away the heavy sauces and spices before taking a bite.

The quality of the ingredient was irrelevant. To experience its untainted essence, all external distractions had to be removed.

"I understand now," Adam whispered, his gaze shifting toward the frozen crystals. "Silvana, we are dropping down to zero..."

Silvana arched an eyebrow in confusion. Before she could grasp his meaning, a staggering pressure suddenly weighed down upon her.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Adam unleashed the full extent of his aura, tapping into every reservoir of power at his disposal. This surge didn't just affect Adam’s own energy; it rippled through Silvana, the Silver Weaver, Lone Blaze, and even the Evolution Tree itself.

'Dammit! What does he think he's doing?!'

Seized by alarm, Silvana retreated into the inner space to investigate the source of the chaos.

Her eyes stretched wide as she witnessed a sight that defied logic.

The Evolution Tree was radiating light like a celestial star on the verge of a supernova. A torrent of darkness surged from the peak where the Silver Weaver resided, while obsidian flames erupted from the core where Lone Blaze was stationed.

The Evolution Vein, the conduit for Silvana's own essence and abilities, was being drained just as aggressively.

Adam was exhausting every scrap of power he possessed, and the effects in the physical world were even more dramatic.

"What is...?" Alexia’s mouth hung open as she gawked at Adam.

Standing in the middle of the frozen wasteland with a mangled shoulder and arm, the young man became the center of a storm. Streams of energy erupted from his frame like flickering tongues of wild fire.

The intensity reached a breaking point where the flames coalesced into a singular torrent, cascading down his body and sinking into the earth.

The Head Golem and Alexia watched in silence as ripples of black and white energy surged across the ground. The very fabric of space around Adam distorted, trembling under the sheer concentration of power.

Even the protective seal over the abyss vibrated, as if recognizing the impending threat of a Phantom.

'Wait, what if he directs that entire explosion at the seal?' Alexia wondered, glancing back. 'Could he actually shatter the barrier? If he had unleashed this on the worm, he could have decapitated it with his bare hands!'

Alexia was formidable in her own right, yet she doubted her ability to manifest such a terrifying spectacle.

The energy radiating from Adam was chilling, even to an ally of her caliber.

But this display wasn't the goal; it was merely the prologue.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

With another shudder, his aura began to vanish at an incredible speed. He wasn't merely masking his presence; he was purging himself of his energy entirely.

He was suppressing his power far beyond the limits of his usual training or the control he showed at the casino, pushing it to an unprecedented extreme.

Minutes later, Silvana felt a sharp pang of dread as she looked upon the Evolution Tree once more.

It was hollow.

The overflowing reservoirs of white energy that had defined Adam’s power since the beginning were gone. Only a translucent, empty shell remained, filled with nothing but shadows.

Deep within the void, a tiny ember flickered, capable of restarting the fire, but for now, Adam was effectively powerless.

To Silvana, the sensation was like a sickening freefall.

She had been standing on a mountain peak only to find herself at the bottom of the ocean an instant later. The transition was violent and unexpected.

"Adam..." Silvana reached out toward his head. "What are you trying to achieve?"

...

A moment passed, and Adam inhaled deeply, but the world around him was no longer merciful.

Freezing gales lashed against him, and frost began to crawl across his cheeks and fingers.

Without his protective energy, he was as vulnerable as any common human. In this environment, a normal person would have been flash-frozen in under a minute.

Step. Step. Step.

Adam forced himself forward, the biting cold seeping into his very marrow with every stride.

The Head Golem’s expression shifted, losing its trace of amusement.

Though a mere White Threat Monster could now kill Adam, the Golem no longer viewed him with condescension. He felt a genuine sense of danger from this Phantom who would take such a radical gamble after failing only once.

Alexia moved out of the path, watching as the ice thickened over Adam’s wounded shoulder.

With a tranquil expression, Adam looked up, meeting the giant's gaze with absolute serenity.

"Once more. Give me one more punch."

The Head Golem let out a low rumble.

"Young man... this is suicide. You will perish before my knuckles even graze you... The sheer pressure of the strike will shred your physical form..."

Adam offered no argument. His eyes remained as clear as ancient glaciers, and his heartbeat slowed to a rhythmic crawl.

"I see..." The Head Golem nodded solemnly, drawing his arm back. "If this is your resolve, I cannot deny you... I shall honor your request with the full weight of my power!"

The Head Golem tightened his fist, channeling massive amounts of energy before launching a strike. This blow was far more devastating than the first.

Adam didn't move to evade, nor did he prepare a counter-strike.

Instead, he simply lifted his hand, palm facing outward.

He had no other options; his feet were already frozen to the ground, pinning him in place.

'Show me what you are truly made of, ancient energy,' Adam thought, as swirling hues of gray and purple reflected in his pupils.