Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1538 1538: Stone Demons

[The trial's conditions were altered by the more dominant side of the agreement.]

[For succeeding in the second trial, you need to... There's absolutely nothing within your power.]

[Your sole option at this point is hoping to stay alive.]

In the gentlest terms, this outcome was far from what Adam and Alexia had anticipated after believing they'd finished the second trial.

The Ancient Voice ought to have proclaimed their victory and handed over the prize, just like it had with the Pale Spider Pearl, yet the ruler of the Frost Oasis obviously intended something entirely different for them.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Alexia burst out in rage.

The illumination from the glass dome vanished, leaving behind just a dim radiance tracing over the mirrors between the pillars. The sole clear sight remained the crimson glow shining from the eyes of a single stone demon.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

From the side, the cracking sounds echoed as the Stone Demon began to stir. His body quivered, fragments of the stone covering shattered, and his wings spread out broadly, rendering him even more terrifying in appearance.

With the ground trembling, he leaped down from the arch, crashing into the center of the hall.

At that instant, the beast—standing taller than six meters, covered in shadowy hide, with quivering sinews, and wings broad enough to eclipse the sunlight—loomed menacingly above them.

The sneer etched on the Stone Demon's visage revealed he viewed them as no real challengers. In his eyes, they amounted to mere starters for his meal.

Adam's gaze sharpened while he observed the blue fairy vanishing into a fissure in the floor.

'I get it. Initially, it concealed the true guidelines from us, but now some entity or force has outright modified them?'

Step.

Adam advanced a pace, fixing his stare on the Stone Demon.

"Hey, Alexia, this came quicker than anticipated, but seems we're reverting to the fundamentals now."

"Agh?"

A white needle materialized in Adam's hold, while a faint grin crept across his features.

"To progress further, we've got to eliminate every foe ahead. Couldn't get any more straightforward, huh?"

No further urging was required for Alexia, who called forth her Nexus and smacked her fists one against the other.

"Hell yeah!"

As she positioned herself beside Adam, sparks danced in front of her vision.

The Stone Demon paid it no heed; instead, his grin stretched broader as he balled his fist hard and drew it rearward for the strike.

At first glance, the Stone Demon appeared to advance sluggishly, his limb shaking with red energy streaks flowing over his strained muscles, yet the scene shifted abruptly.

Whoooooooooosh.

Adam's eyes constricted sharply as, within one frozen instant, the Stone Demon's fist loomed right before his countenance—a colossal danger poised to smash him into a red smear without delay.

Such a bulky and weighty creature's swiftness caught both him and Alexia completely off guard.

Driven by pure reflex, the only action Adam managed was thrusting the needle forward as a shield.

BAM!

The collision hurled Adam away like a fired projectile, crashing his spine against the closest pillar.

"GRHA!" Adam coughed up a gush of blood while surges of agony ripped through his frame.

Step.

Alexia retreated one step. Playtime had ended, a fact she grasped all too well.

"Louis, did you catch that? What the fuck was that?"

Her teeth ground together tightly.

"Is he truly that swift? I hardly glimpsed a thing!"

Regrettably, Louis offered no reply. He regarded the Stone Demon pensively, the creature smirking with arrogance following its effective blow.

"Press on with the battle. Information's too scarce right now. His velocity's uncertain to me, but glance at Adam—this demon packs immense strength for sure."

Alexia gave a nod, and beside her, a frosty vapor laden with minuscule ice shards materialized.

Uncertain which armament might prove optimal versus the Stone Demon, she relied on her all-purpose tactic.

Wheeez!

Breath escaped her lips as she lifted her arms, mimicking the grasp of an object poised overhead.

Simultaneously, the pale vapor molded into a massive axe bearing a broad, curved edge.

"DIE!"

Alexia yelled while swinging the axe toward the Stone Demon. Granted, the Stone Demon qualified as a hulking fiend capable of demolishing an ordinary dwelling in one blow, yet the enormous frozen axe barreling his way demanded attention.

Suddenly, an event unfolded that caused Louis's eyes to bulge.

Step.

The Stone Demon sidestepped nimbly, letting the frozen edge slice past his torso. The axe embedded itself into the floor, carving a profound trench, though the Stone Demon stayed unscathed.

"W-What?" Alexia whispered in shock. "Why'd that jerk dodge like that?"

After witnessing the Stone Demon's earlier punch's raw force and velocity, Alexia had figured the Stone Demon would attempt to parry her axe or shatter it outright.

"Shit, he's sharper than I figured!" Alexia stomped her foot furiously.

Louis gnawed his lower lip. 'No, Alexia, I believe it's—!'

SLASH!

Before Louis could complete his thought, a lengthy slit emerged across the Stone Demon's torso, initially undetectable even by him.

"Gh?" The Stone Demon glanced downward as gore spurted from the severe wound on his chest.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Crimson droplets one by one splattered onto the floor, broadening the grin on Adam's countenance.

Merely his needle rested in his palm, yet a single energized cut sufficed to wreak that havoc upon the Stone Demon.

"I see..." Adam's resonant tone reverberated across the somber chamber. "You're no fearsome, mighty demon—you're merely a frail one, aren't you?"

Adam's words baffled all present, leaving the Stone Demon, Alexia, Louis, and Silvana equally perplexed.

As Adam's dark staff and gauntlets manifested in his possession, every gaze shifted his way.

Tap.

His staff struck the floor with a tap, and instantly thereafter, he perched atop the Stone Demon's skull.

Terror widened the Stone Demon's eyes while Adam's fingers clamped down firmly on his horns.

"You appear massive and mighty, yet truly, you depend on deceptions, don't you?"

Adam murmured while yanking his hands skyward.

Gore erupted from the Stone Demon's cranium as the ripped horns now lay clutched in Adam's hands.