Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1545 1545: Falling Ice (Part 1)

Even with the turmoil stirred up by the azure tree, the space split naturally into two distinct fighting zones.

Adam confronted the man directly, as Alexia advanced on the beasts that dreaded her presence far beyond her own fear of them.

"You know, I'm surprised you didn't argue with him," Louis's voice echoed inside her mind. "This Phantom... With more details, I could likely pinpoint who he is. He's powerful, powerful enough to pose a real threat."

"Yeah, I'm a bit annoyed I skipped out on that battle, but, maybe I'm off base, but I believe those creatures will stir up way more chaos."

She gestured forward.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Right from the start of the azure tree's movements, beasts kept emerging from below the surface. Hundreds of them filled this confined spot, ones the azure tree hadn't devoured yet.

Maybe it had preserved a horde of undead precisely for moments like this, since that was its sole means of self-defense.

"Should we handle them?" Louis inquired.

Alexia shook her head in reply.

"No, not yet. Without Adam here, we might fail. Plus, you're sensing it as well, aren't you?"

Louis's face grew graver than before while he fixed his gaze on the azure tree.

"Yeah, the Ancient Frost feels nearer than ever. I can't say its exact spot, but it's surely linked to either this tree or the pond. One or the other."

Bam.

Alexia balled her hands into fists prior to charging into the fray. She stood solo against a horde of zombie-like monsters.

What else could a relentless fighter like her desire?

Adam found himself in a contrasting predicament.

Both he and the man remained rooted in place without a single movement. It seemed they understood that the first to strike would seal their defeat.

Step.

Slowly, the man's endurance wore thin, prompting him to step ahead while bending at the waist and clutching his lance firmly.

Adam's eyes sharpened as the man's body quivered and the earth behind him shattered under the immense force from his legs.

A single charge and an instant.

That sufficed for the shadowy lance to gleam in his vision.

In the final instant, Adam struck his staff, shifting himself meters away to the side.

Whoooooooosh.

A fierce blast of air surged ahead in the wake of the man's thrust, clearing all obstacles in its way.

Adam evaded the blow right at the brink, or... was that his impression?

Gush!

Blood sprayed from his shoulder, draining the color from his face.

Adam probed the injury to confirm its reality. Crimson stained his fingertips.

'How? Wasn't that a dodge? Just how swift is he if even that fell short?'

The man whirled his lance, scattering blood droplets across the icy terrain before resuming his position.

Now, he moved with greater assurance.

His posture emanated lethal danger, like he had fused with his lance, transforming himself into a living blade.

Thump.

Adam's heart dropped as he grasped that neither evasion nor defense would work against this strike.

'He's about to get even quicker and mightier? Hold on, that implies—!'

SLASH!

Blood erupted from Adam's right flank while the man touched down meters away behind him.

Sensing chill rather than agony, Adam dropped to one knee, gripping his flank. The flow of blood halted only after he channeled his energy to the gash.

He managed it on instinct, even as his thoughts dwelled elsewhere.

This clash resembled less a duel of peers and more a mentor disciplining a pupil.

"Adam..." Silvana whispered. "The next hit might overwhelm you, and it seems he's set to unleash it again!"

Her words held true; the man adopted his prior form once more. This was his ultimate technique, the one meant to claim victory here.

"Nah, it'll work out. I've got a plan."

Adam coughed up a lump of blood and rose to his feet.

"I won't pretend otherwise. If he were fully alive with his intellect intact instead of mere reflexes, I'd have no shot. This Phantom... What doomed a figure like him?"

He seized the black staff in both grips as the man tilted forward at the torso.

Within a flash, the man bridged half the gap and neared delivering a third cut to Adam, yet Adam harbored different intentions.

He saw that the man would loop the identical assault endlessly. Thus, he chose to exploit that pattern.

Crack.

Adam snapped the black staff, with purple flames enveloping the dual pointed ends. On the following sweep, he tore open a portal before him that hurled him ahead.

Amid a savage wind, the man halted, yet this round he missed his mark.

He noted Adam's evasion and pivoted abruptly.

Regrettably for him, that cost him his vital speed.

Clasping the twin black poles from his divided staff, Adam leaped onto the man, slamming him down.

In a frenzied assault, Adam gripped the poles hard and, akin to a raging beast, unleashed a storm of hits upon the man.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Adam hammered with utmost speed and force. His blows blended into a violet haze of fury, sustaining his relentless rhythm.

Adam targeted no precise area. He understood the azure tree could resurrect the man, even sans head.

So, he battered every reachable part until the man lay reduced to shredded meat amid a crimson puddle.

"Agh... Agh... Agh..."

Adam panted roughly while eyeing the gore he'd wrought in mere moments.

"Did I win...?" His words came halting as he stared at his shaking hands.

Rest was essential after unleashing that barrage, but luxury evaded him as Silvana's cry pierced the air.

'Adam! Alexia needs your help!'

"Gh?"

He whirled to behold a swarm of hundreds encircling Alexia. Past their hulking forms, just her weary outline showed.

"Shit! Silvana, we have to—!"

She prepared to materialize beside Adam, but then they paused when Louis materialized near Alexia in ghostly shape and enveloped her from the rear.

The moment had arrived for them to unleash their strength.