Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1631: Sky Cube

Deep beneath the earth, every Sky Cube stood as an enormous edifice. Yet, it didn't resemble a gloomy storage facility; instead, it proved far more intricate and bizarre.

Of course, Adam knew the far-off clouds and rays of sun were fake—being underground made that obvious. Nevertheless, the scene appeared incredibly lifelike, and it had a specific cause:

"The sight before you goes beyond mere engineering, displays, and advanced tech. Each Sky Cube possesses a kind of overseer. That's what we name the Overseer."

"Overseer?" Adam inquired.

Tron gave a nod.

"Essentially, it's merely an artifact—or more precisely, a fragment of one."

Tap.

With a stomp of his boot on the earth, a ring materialized amid the foliage and rocks, opening into emptiness. A luminous ball surfaced, soon shaping into a sphere of fluid glass. The glassy sphere floated in front of Tron, remaining silent.

"Hmm?" Silvana seemed puzzled. "Is that the artifact? For an External Artifact, shouldn't it possess a character and communicate?"

But Tron denied it with a shake of his head while scanning the surroundings.

"It was like that once, ages back, yet nowadays it's merely a piece of the Hollow Artifact known as the Gray Sky. Thanks to it, we're able to alter whatever we desire within the Sky Cubes."

Tap.

Tron laid a hand on the glassy sphere and shut his eyes. He channeled his power into it, causing the orb to quiver.

In that instant, six metallic orbs materialized overhead in the heavens, drifting lazily over the terrain.

"These orbs serve as your initial exercise, Adam." Tron gestured skyward. "Take down every orb using a basic energy blast. It's way too soon to channel your power into Ancient Energy, much less Dark Energy."

"Agh? Doesn't that seem overly simple?" Adam looked baffled. "Those orbs... Just how tough are they?"

Tron grinned slyly, crossing his arms over his torso.

"The sole method to discover that is by trying. Plus, you need to finish this challenge in under a minute. Meaning, the countdown begins right after your initial blast. Though it's just a starter before the actual drills, don't think it'll be a breeze."

After saying that, he moved out of the way while the glassy sphere sank back into the earth. The Gray Sky required no ongoing visibility to operate.

"Fine, time to test this artifact's true power!" Adam shouted, shoving his arm out ahead.

He aimed two bent fingers toward a single orb, with thick energy starting to condense at their end.

Hollow Artifacts remained exceptionally scarce, though only relative to External Artifacts and especially the common varieties spawned from erratic energy surges in anomalies.

The majority of Hollow Artifacts had begun as Ancient Artifacts, until some event led to their downfall. It might have been depletion, a fatal clash, or insanity from endless existence without variation. Countless reasons existed, all dire.

The Gray Sky followed this pattern without deviation. As a Hollow Artifact now, it allowed anyone with enough strength to exploit its abilities for gain.

Indeed, Tron's current actions mirrored closely those of the Silver Beacon, Bertrada, and the White Spire.

Certain restrictions applied, naturally, given that Hollow Artifacts once held vast might; thus, they kept remnants of their intent even in this state.

Therefore, a Hollow Artifact like this one, capable of generating tests, provided ideal practice for the K4-Phantoms.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

A pale sphere shook at Adam's fingertip as he unleashed it.

Without pause, he swung his hand toward the next orb, assuming his blast would obliterate the initial target, yet...

BAM!

A piece of the metal hurtled away as Adam's eyes grew wide. The opening orb suffered heavy harm, yet it endured.

In that split second, Adam comprehended its resilience matched items from the Primal Lands. Destroying a stone there would yield a like outcome.

"Adam!" Silvana cried out. "The clock is ticking fast! Speed up!"

Tron and Riska stayed quiet. They merely observed.

"No," Adam denied with a head shake. "I can't finish on schedule."

He scowled and faced Tron.

"Does that mean my standard energy handling falls short?"

Tron lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

"Since you failed to shatter even one orb with star energy, yes. I'd bet in actual combat, you'd manage fine, but you don't rely on raw energy blasts in fights, do you?"

"What are you getting at?"

To that, Tron indicated Adam's hands.

"You're a skilled brawler. In combat, you naturally wield your power with precision, like when you ball your hand for a strike. However, at the K4 tier, you've skipped dedicated practice on pure energy manipulation."

He stretched his limb outward.

"Which is precisely why pulling off something such as this eludes you—"

A violet energy surge raced through the air, slamming into the primary orb.

The explosion reduced the orb to fragments, which tumbled down and embedded their jagged points into the dirt.

Adam's brow furrowed.

It went beyond Tron's blast merely packing more punch than his own.

"He executed it quicker and with pinpoint aim; for him, it felt effortless... Moreover, his energy output matched mine—he's simply superior."

Next, his eyes settled on the scattered remains.

"They seem authentic, though ultimately, it's all simulated, isn't it?"

Tron dismissed it with a gesture. "Not quite. All of this belongs to the Gray Sky. It's illusory in one sense, but in another, a lance forged from this artifact stabbing you would cause genuine injury. Allow me to reveal the true face of the Sky Cube."

Tap.

The glassy sphere rose anew from nothingness under Tron's touch.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The area quaked as the woodland and skies dissolved instantly. Nothing lingered but lofty gray barriers afar, veiled in shadow.

Adam swallowed hard, grasping the extent of the Gray Sky's potential.