Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1554: Blood from the Neck (Part 1)

To gauge the odds against a foe, nothing beat witnessing them in the heat of combat. It revealed a fighter's true prowess far better than any mere aura's strength ever could.

Whether by luck or misfortune, Adam and Alexia now had that very chance, courtesy of the ice worm's ill-timed interference in the fight, which led to it trying—or failing—to swallow Vaarh whole.

Yet no triumphant grins crossed their faces; instead, stunned looks dominated.

The beast they'd jointly slain right at the start wasn't merely slain by Vaarh but utterly obliterated in a single devastating strike.

Adam doubted he could've pulled off the same feat, even throwing every ace up his sleeve at the ice worm. Alexia found herself in the exact same boat.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Chunks of gore plummeted to the earth in a gruesome downpour, leaving just a handful of teeth as remnants of the massive creature.

"Gha..." Vaarh let out a steamy breath, descending gradually back to solid footing. Outwardly it seemed effortless, yet it was clear this blow had drained him considerably.

Step.

Alexia advanced a pace toward Adam, drawing near enough for her words to reach him clearly.

"You want his blood, right?"

Adam gave a nod. "Yeah, the fragment's energy is still hanging in the air. I'm positive that one glimpse of his blood will flip everything. I'll turn into a shark sensing a lone drop amid the vast sea."

"Huh, whatever you say. Then I'll play one of my aces and grind him down. The clash could shift topside, so prepare to trail us. Once my power wraps up, he ought to be wiped out. I'm betting the jerk rebounds right after, but that should give you your shot, yeah?"

Alexia's strategy held real promise and stayed grounded in reality.

She harbored no illusions of toppling Vaarh outright, even with her hidden techniques unleashed. Still, she trusted this approach would empower Adam to grow mightier.

Success here meant the pair could surely overcome Vaarh together.

"Got it. If that's the play, go ahead when you're set. I won't let the moment slip, count on it."

Crack.

Alexia smacked her fists with a wide grin spreading across her face.

"Alright, in that case, let's kick it off now!"

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

A fierce icy surge erupted from Alexia, her locks rising wildly. Louis materialized beside her, yet this round he skipped the rear embrace.

Rather, he positioned himself ahead and pressed his palm to her torso, channeling every bit of power to a focal spot.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Simultaneously, her gauntlets and boots fragmented apart, exposing limbs now sheathed in a slim frost coating that turned them into lethal extensions. Her tresses shimmered with intense light and quivered aloft, while twin stars gleamed in her gaze.

This second combined technique diverged sharply from their initial one. For mowing down crowds or hordes of adversaries, Alexia might summon a storm of ice shards, but facing a titan like Vaarh, this power proved ideal above the rest.

Vaarh tilted his head upward toward Alexia. She stood poised for the fray, marking the dawn of their triumph.

Step.

The instant she lunged ahead, her form quivered, leaving behind only a veil of icy vapor.

In the blink of an eye, Alexia materialized directly before Vaarh. Her punch hurtled forth, slicing the breeze, her stare icier than before.

Vaarh gripped his spear firmly with both hands, refusing to repeat his prior recklessness.

BAM!

Alexia's knuckles crashed against the spear's handle as a glacial burst surged at Vaarh. His parry landed spot-on and swift, letting the chill whoosh by, grazing just his hair's edges.

His eyes flicked leftward, catching sight of Alexia's follow-up assault.

This round, she targeted the spear's tip head-on, suffering no harm herself. The frost armor encasing her arms to the elbows held firm, allowing her bold, unyielding strikes.

'What's more,' Vaarh mused, tracking her motions. 'She's gotten swift, incredibly swift.'

Whoooosh. Whoooosh. Whooooosh.

In swift bounds, Alexia orbited Vaarh, lashing out from fresh vantage points each time. He kept deflecting her onslaughts, denying her any real proximity.

With his fresh form nearly mastered, he unleashed his full might without restraint.

But Alexia's aim wasn't conquest in this instant. Her mission was to sap Vaarh's vigor, opening the door for Adam to claim his blood. That route led straight to their win.

"Stop blocking my blows! Take one like a warrior!" Alexia bellowed, suddenly materializing once more in Vaarh's face.

His focus dropped low, spotting her incoming fist aimed at him.

He barely warded off the punch from his chin, averting potential disaster.

Yet from that stance, he couldn't dodge the shockwave rippling through him with brutal force.

Whoooooooosh!

The force hurled Vaarh skyward, and ere he steadied himself, Alexia vaulted up to unleash the subsequent hit.

Vaarh eyed Alexia intently as their ensuing collision propelled them both topside, shattering snow strata.

True to the scheme, Adam pursued, bounding via energy stepping stones through the sky.

He sensed the chaos erupting above must be total mayhem right then, but nothing would halt his pursuit of the prize.

After several jumps, a biting wind blast greeted him upon emerging into a vast frozen plain.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

At the fray's heart, Alexia hammered Vaarh with a flurry of punches, while he held his guard. He bided his time for her power's fade.

The wait proved brief, as Alexia geared up for her ultimate blow.

"Gha..."

Alexia released a frosty puff, morphing into a azure streak that charged ahead.

She recalled the strategy—Vaarh needed to expose his throat.

Now, she'd force that vulnerability, stripping him of his spear too.

The Blood of God lay within Adam's grasp like never before.