Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1583 1583: A Simple Hunter

Could he merely be a simple hunter?

This doubt lingered in the thoughts of every member in the fifth team.

Clearly, nobody trusted Goen's words. Such immense strength couldn't arise by mere chance. This truth dawned not just on Liliane, the initial one to draw blood, but on all the others too.

Step. Step.

A pair of men advanced, manifesting a blazing hammer and a thunderous axe in their grips. Within their squad, they consistently trailed Liliane, bolstering her assaults on the shared foe.

Her prowess lay in swiftness and precise, penetrating blows, whereas their strikes packed overwhelming force.

The girl with red locks and the one with blue tresses also called forth their Arcs. The red-haired one wielded twin blades crackling with scarlet electric surges, while the blue-haired held a massive bow encircled by gently rotating water currents.

Following them came the ashen-faced man bearing emerald eyes. He stayed mute, a trait mirrored in his powers.

His Arc took the form of a compact sword with an obsidian edge that blended into the darkness, causing parts of his figure to fade into the shadowy pool forming beneath his soles. The instant Goen exposed a vulnerability, this pale man would undoubtedly exploit it.

"Well, well..." Goen rapped his arm lightly. "Three up close, two striking from afar, and one versatile across ranges, biding time for the perfect opening."

He lifted his gaze toward the youth still suspended in the air.

"And you? You don't strike me as worthless like the others, do you?"

The youth merely smirked while eyeing Liliane.

"I'll move only on my captain's explicit command. The rest barely catches my interest."

He casually started cleaning his nails to emphasize the point.

"You see, regardless of your might, escape from us is impossible. If the Befallen Crown decrees Adam Vinter's end, then it shall be so."

Goen merely shrugged, his face conveying utter dismissal of their warnings.

"Well, if that held water, they'd dispatch a True Lord here. You're nothing but kids blind to this world's harsh realities."

From anyone else's lips, such words might ring absurd.

Seven Lords confronted them. Though born to noble lineages, gifted with extraordinary aptitude and boundless assets, each had endured this realm for no less than a century.

That marked the baseline, and probably, all had witnessed multiple World Wipes, just like the majority of this world's Lords.

"T-True Lords?" The blue-haired girl trembled. "Don't make me laugh! You honestly believe you're significant enough to draw their gaze?!"

Like in the Citadel, the mightiest fighters commanded both awe and dread from everyone.

In the Citadel, countless individuals adored and honored Damien yet quaked at his might. Monsters reacted similarly upon hearing his name invoked.

Among Lords, the elite were the True ones. Every faction harbored such powerhouses, but under the Befallen Crown's rigid order, the fifth team recalled those Lords towering over them.

Goen dismissed it with a lazy wave.

"Feel free to strike and test my worth. Yet you could still flee. Depart now, and I'll act as if our paths never crossed."

"Shut it!!!" Liliane's bellow echoed like thunder over the area. "We'll execute the command and seize Adam Vinter! The others, we eradicate!"

Without pause, Liliane channeled a surge of potent energy through her rapier, firing an indigo pulse directly toward Adam and Alexia.

She figured targeting the pair of frail Phantoms would corner Goen effectively.

Her strategy held logic, yet she never foresaw the aftermath.

Click.

Goen clicked his fingers, enveloping Adam and Alexia in a heavy mist of his energy. The shield's outer layer gleamed clear, while an inner band of thick fog rotated lazily around them.

BLAST!

A fierce burst of azure fire erupted, and Liliane's mouth twisted into a smile. She noted how neither Adam nor Alexia could evade it.

'Hah, as if feeble Phantoms could do otherwise?'

She had reined in her force, ensuring Adam's survival, though gravely wounded.

However...

Quickly, her grin faded away.

The haze cleared, exposing Goen's barrier utterly unscathed. The misty dome persisted in its gentle orbit around the untouched Adam and Alexia. Within it, they stood utterly secure.

Adam swallowed hard.

Situations like this felt foreign to him. The prior instance occurred at the Dark Shore, a domain under heavy Befallen Crown sway.

This time, the battle wasn't his; another fought on his behalf. Someone shielded him, leaving him to merely observe and pray his protector proved capable.

'Damn, this feels even grimmer than earlier.' Adam gnawed his lip, plotting a getaway.

Back at the Dark Shore, allies like Kenward, Saegar, and Wilfred had backed him. Plus, Adam hadn't needed to navigate to the Citadel alone—the First Star handled it via a shadowy burst.

Currently, Goen stood as their sole companion.

"Can he pull this off? Hell. Silvana, any details on him yet?"

Silvana denied with a shake of her head.

"Apologies, no Second Rank Phantom named Goen turns up. Checks on looks and skills failed too. A few Phantoms share vague resemblances, but... they're all under K4-Level, none a perfect fit."

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Goen popped his knuckles and rolled his neck before advancing.

"Fine, you grasp the setup. Slay me, and those two are yours to claim. Attempt breaching the barrier if you wish, though I'd conserve my strength in your shoes."

His verdant eyes sharpened as he fixed a piercing stare on the seven Lords.

"So, who's coming at me next?"