Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1528 1528: First Problems

Alexia tried to shatter the rune barrier, slamming into the identical point over and over with her full might, yet the shield didn't waver in the slightest.

This outcome wasn't unexpected, considering the barrier's incredible toughness. It had been designed to safeguard the Pale Spider Pearl from their reach until the required conditions were met.

Still, this wasn't some mere game—it was harsh reality. Adam grasped that truth deeply.

'No matter the barrier's strength or the threat posed by the foe ahead, if you're powerful enough, you can clear every hurdle in your way, isn't that so?'

Step. Step. Step.

Adam advanced down the central route as his aura steadily intensified.

'If Damien was present, he wouldn't bother claiming this pearl at all; he'd simply smash the gate with one fist, and that would settle everything.'

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The white needle materialized in Adam's grasp while his aura quivered, prompting Alexia to glance back.

"A-Adam?"

He directed the needle toward the cyan crystal.

"Move out of the way. If there's a method to demolish this barrier, then it falls to me. Plenty of Phantoms at my rank outmatch me in energy or raw strength, but I have no doubt I'm superior to all when it comes to breaking barriers."

Feeling the gravity in his resolve, Alexia held back any teasing remarks or words. She just nodded and shifted position, anticipating what he'd do next.

Adam realized the rune barrier's essence stemmed from the Ancient Voice, rendering it nearly impossible to alter.

'After her loss, Erada was forced to honor my desire. It all tied back to the Ancient Voice. This held true even though our strengths were matched. In that scenario, she still had to comply. So what of this wall? What of these gates and regulations? Who's truly behind it?'

Undoubtedly, it was a being of immense power, far exceeding both him and Alexia in might. That implied he probably couldn't even dent the barrier.

Yet, he refused to brush aside those ideas and surrender. He needed to give it his absolute best shot at minimum.

Alexia swallowed hard while observing the shadows deepening around Adam, and a vivid glow bursting from his needle.

Shadows and radiance wrapped around him in an icy hold, making the surrounding air shudder in eagerness for his impending action, which would serve as both his initial and final effort.

This was his personal ability, forged in the heat of life-or-death clashes. It embodied his core—to dismantle barriers.

Step.

Adam moved ahead as his body shook.

Right then, the surge of light and darkness raced across the stone walkway, directing its full force at the cyan crystal. A mere fissure would suffice for them to seize the Pale Spider Pearl.

Alexia's eyes grew wide as she shielded her face from the fierce winds blasting toward her.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

A shower of sparks streaked by Adam's face, his needle vibrated, his hold on the handle clenched firmer than before, and the pearl mirrored in his gaze—one eye green, the other blue.

Pulse by pulse coursed through the runes, each surge exposing more of the barrier until countless runes loomed before Adam like an immense barrier.

No one knew the amount of force required to uncover every rune or the consequences that might follow.

But...

Crack.

Adam's moment had ended.

The needle shattered, a shard whipping by his face as the force of his momentum hurled him back.

"Adam!" Alexia cried out as she sprang ahead, arriving behind him shortly after.

She seized his shoulders and aided his safe landing.

As Adam regained his senses, Alexia gazed at the lake's glistening surface, where the spiders that had moments earlier eyed them like hunters were now cowering behind boulders and in the cave's fissures. They feared that a sliver of that might would strike them, spelling their doom.

Alexia swallowed nervously, struggling to comprehend how vastly her barrier-breaking try differed from Adam's.

It represented entirely separate tiers.

'Damn... We're not even in the same league,' she mused as her gaze sharpened on the barrier. 'Even so, it fell short. The Ancient Voice—we truly must adhere to its demands, huh?'

"Gha."

Adam breathed out frosty vapor, gradually standing up from the floor.

"How frustrating..." He fixed his stare on the cyan crystal. "Not a single crack shows, not even a mark. That barrier fully took in my strike."

"What more is there to add?" Alexia folded her arms across her chest. "That was truly striking. I'm not kidding. Perhaps give it another go, but incorporate the ancient energy this time?"

Actually, it proved to be a remarkably solid suggestion.

They'd witnessed the feats of ancient energy. It was a force enabling feats once deemed unattainable.

"No." Adam shook his head. "I loathe saying it, but even if my path's power doubled or tripled, I doubt I'd manage to shatter this barrier."

"Unlike the one guarding the abyss, we're powerless against this. Not until the conditions are satisfied, at least."

Alexia resisted agreeing, yet she had to face the reality.

"Pfffft! So what now? Where's that fairy? Hey! We're set! What's our task?"

She yelled, scanning the surroundings.

Precisely then, a brilliant glow descended from overhead, making them tilt their heads up.

Upon the circular platform high above, the sockets ignited sequentially, twisting from the rim inward to the core.

A total of 600 sockets existed, and once all brimmed with light, a robotic voice echoed through the cavern:

[The trial commences. Gather 60 glowing tips to unlock the cyan crystal. You possess 10 minutes for this.]

Before long, the spiders gleamed in their vision, poised for the challenge.