Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 6: Prime

The most terrifying scenario during a hunt was encountering a beast that the hunters were powerless to defeat. Such an occurrence jeopardized the entire operation and the lives of every squad member.

To prevent these disasters, the Phantoms employed hundreds of staff members specialized in monitoring OpenEye and maintaining constant communication.

The Fire Fox Squad only received their orders once every Nest location was confirmed, alongside data on weather patterns, timing, and other vital intelligence required for a successful mission.

By utilizing this system, risks were kept to a minimum, ensuring Phantoms were only deployed for objectives they could achieve without heavy casualties.

In truth, the death of a Harvester was the only thing viewed as acceptable collateral. If even one Phantom perished, the mission was deemed a total failure. Over several years, a single Phantom could clear dozens of Nests; consequently, it was ten times simpler to recruit a new Harvester than to replace a Phantom.

"Fuck! It's a Prime Type!" Lisa yelled, frantically pulling the flare gun from her belt and firing a rocket into the sky.

The dark landscape was suddenly bathed in a bright flash and a red plume, signaling the Citadel. Moments later, the screen on Lisa’s bracelet flickered to life, flashing several urgent notifications.

"Listen up! We just need to survive for five minutes until the extraction arrives!" Lisa shouted, delivering a sharp kick to a lizard that lunged at her.

Simultaneously, both Harvesters and Phantoms scrambled to put distance between themselves and the massive lizard that had already slaughtered part of their group. Adam followed suit, retreating to stand beside Jacob and Lisa.

"What the hell is a Prime Type doing in this area?" Jacob barked, bracing himself with his sword held high.

'Prime Type...?' Adam whispered to himself, watching the colossal lizard systematically crush one transport truck after another.

No one bothered to save the cargo or launch an offensive; they all understood that this creature was far beyond their capabilities.

Lisa tapped her tablet rapidly, searching for the beast in the digital encyclopedia.

"Prime Thick-headed Desert Lizard... Blue Threat Level... Dammit, the appearance rate for a Prime Type is less than 1%! This is the absolute worst day!" Lisa cursed, glancing back toward the distant walls of the Citadel.

"How much longer?" Jacob pressed.

Lisa checked her wrist display. "Three minutes, but... it looks like our days of watching from the sidelines are over..."

The Prime Lizard had finished obliterating the caravan. While losing the gathered resources was a massive setback, survival took precedence.

Resources could be replenished by hunting more monsters, but there was no method to bring the dead back to life.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The ground quaked under the weight of the Prime Lizard’s massive limbs as it advanced. Its gaze shifted between targets before finally locking onto Lisa.

Lisa’s expression froze. "Everyone! Get away from me right now!" she screamed.

Immediately, the crowd scattered away from her as if she carried a plague, leaving only Adam standing by her side. Lacking any real combat experience and having never fought before today, he stood there in a daze.

"What... What the fuck are you doing just standing there?!" Jacob roared, grabbing Adam’s arm and hurling him out of the way.

Adam tumbled down a nearby dune as the Prime Lizard closed in on Lisa.

She held her ground until the final second. Suddenly, her eyes ignited and the veins in her arms bulged.

Blazing fire erupted from her gloves. Pressing her wrists together with her palms open, she unleashed a violent torrent of flame toward the ground, propelling herself high into the air.

The Prime Lizard lunged, snapping at the space she had occupied just a moment before, visibly stunned by her evasion.

"Hah, you might be strong, but you're still a mindless beast!" Lisa shouted with a surge of adrenaline, using another burst of fire to maneuver through the air.

Whoooooooooooooosh.

A whistling sound cut through the wind as a massive tail pierced her midsection. Her eyes bulged and blood sprayed from her lips as agonizing pain radiated through her entire frame.

Bam.

Lisa was slammed into the earth like a fallen shell, sending plumes of sand skyward.

"Lisa!" Jacob screamed. He snatched two grenades from his belt and lobbed them straight at the Prime Lizard.

Inspired by his lead, the rest of the squad opened fire. Harvesters unleashed their firearms while Phantoms activated their specialized gear and Orders.

The onslaught was so intense that the Prime Lizard was temporarily obscured by a chaotic mess of explosions, light, and elemental energy.

Despite the barrage, the monster didn't flinch, continuing its march toward Lisa—its primary target.

"Tsk. Our attacks aren't even scratching that armor... Dammit, we're almost out of time!" Jacob bit his lip and sprinted forward.

It was a suicidal move, but he couldn't abandon Lisa while she was incapacitated.

Jacob remained focused. When the Prime Lizard noticed him and struck, he was prepared, ducking low as he concentrated his power.

Small crystals of ice formed at his fingertips before he hurled them at the beast. Upon impact, the crystals shattered into a freezing frost that encased the monster's legs, pinning it to the ground.

'Yes! Almost there!' Jacob thought, closing the distance to Lisa.

The Prime Lizard began to crack the ice, but Jacob believed he had enough time.

Suddenly, the sand erupted in front of him as two smaller Lizards emerged. In the chaos of the Prime One, he had forgotten that the Nest hadn't been fully cleared; survivors still remained.

The Lizards charged like bulls, their thick skulls slamming into Jacob and tossing him aside, shattering his hopes of reaching Lisa.

"No! No! Someone help her!" Jacob cried out as he hit the sand.

The others were too far away or paralyzed by terror. A Prime Monster was not something a standard Phantom was equipped to handle. Only a high-level combatant like Lisa stood a chance at stalling such a creature.

Whooooooooooosh.

Adam suddenly appeared from behind a ridge, sprinting toward Lisa as the only person left capable of reaching her.

The two smaller Lizards tried to intercept him, but Adam vaulted over them with a clean jump, staying focused on his goal.

"Look out!" Jacob yelled as the Prime Lizard’s lethal tail whipped toward Adam.

Even though his back was turned to the beast, Adam’s instincts took over.

In a sudden, jerky motion—as if his limbs were being pulled by invisible wires—Adam contorted his body at an impossible angle.

The tail whistled inches above his head, and for a split second, he saw his own reflection in the scales.

Moving quickly, Adam scooped Lisa up and scanned the area for an exit.

Escape seemed impossible as a gargantuan shadow suddenly swept over the entire battlefield.

Whoooooooosh.

A barrage of missiles slammed into the Prime Lizard in a series of earth-shaking blasts. While the armor held, the force stunned the beast long enough for massive steel-weighted nets to drop from the sky, pinning it down.

Even a creature as formidable as the Prime Thick-headed Desert Lizard struggled in vain against nets specifically engineered to restrain such titans.

Adam glanced up to see a massive aircraft, resembling a starship more than a traditional plane.

Boarding ramps were lowered, and the survivors rushed toward them while soldiers in black tactical armor provided cover, firing their rifles at the monster's eyes.

"Move! Get inside, now!" Jacob urged, waving the others toward the craft.

Adam was among the last to board, carrying Lisa up the ramp with Jacob’s assistance.

"Is she breathing?!" Jacob asked frantically once they were safe inside.

To his immense relief, Lisa’s heart was still beating. Though her pulse was rapid, she was alive, which was all that mattered.

The commander of the rescue team approached Jacob to begin a debriefing.

Meanwhile, Adam sat by a wide observation window, watching the Prime Lizard shrink in the distance as the plane accelerated back toward the Citadel.

The ordeal seemed to be over, at least for the Fire Fox Squad.

Suddenly, a fighter jet soared past their transport. To Adam’s shock, a man dressed in desert gear and protective goggles leaped out of the jet into the open air.

How could anyone survive a drop from that altitude? Who was this person?

Questions flooded Adam’s mind, but they were quickly silenced by what happened next.

The man’s fists became wreathed in a thick, white Qi that burned with the intensity of a star. Bringing his hands together, he descended like a falling hammer onto the Prime Lizard’s skull.

A blinding flash, as bright as a supernova, vaporized the monster. A massive crater, spanning dozens of meters and overflowing with the beast's blood, was all that remained.

Adam’s eyes widened, shimmering with the pure wonder of a child witnessing a miracle.

That was the true power of a Phantom. That was exactly what he aspired to become!