Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1767: I’ll be home soon (Part 1)

The emergence of a new Lord was a significant event for the entire monster world, regardless of where it occurred.

Even if it were a relatively unknown monster, all the major organizations in this world would take notice. This rarely led to any concrete action, but it was an important source of intelligence.

However, Zin’s case was special. Not only because he was a monster with great potential to become one of the True Lords, of whom there were very few, but because, before this, he had lost in a fair fight to Adam Vinter.

During the time it took Adam and Zin to recover from their battle, news of it spread throughout the entire monster world.

In the Primal Lands, the Tarnished Lands, and the deepest parts of the Dark Shores, they now knew the fate of these two.

On the one hand, this was good news, for a new Lord had emerged among the monsters; but on the other, Adam had reached a new level of threat to them.

If he could defeat one of the strongest Black Threat Level monsters, what would he be capable of once he reached the barrier of the First Circle? What power would he possess if he became a Second Rank Phantom?

Sure, no one would attack Adam right now. Everyone understood that he was under the protection of Kaerno and Es’aha, and once he passed through the barriers, Frida would help him in case of danger, because as soon as he crossed the barrier, he would find himself in the Dead Lands.

But before Adam could return home, he had to pass through the barrier.

Zin’s evolution to the Lord Level had distracted him, but it also served as additional motivation.

Step.

Adam turned, stepping toward the barrier. Daar’ax glanced at the pillars and shifted his gaze to Adam.

"Go ahead, kid. Even though I said it would be easy, this barrier can be stubborn at times. Let’s see how it reacts to you."

Remembering Daar’ax’s words, Adam stood before the barrier and placed his palm against it.

He felt nothing; the barrier emitted neither cold nor heat, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to take a single step forward. Before him stood an immovable mountain, and his strength was nowhere near enough to shift it.

’Alright, I’ve gained energy from the Frenzied Shard; my aura is different now. But... that’s not what matters, right?’

Adam looked up, as if the barrier were a living being he could address.

"I’ve won," Adam declared confidently. "Hundreds of monsters witnessed my battle against Zin. I did what others couldn’t, and now I’m one of the Fangs. I have the right to leave the Hollow Lands and return here whenever I want."

Strangely enough, the barrier didn’t react at all. It stretched for hundreds of kilometers across the entire Hollow Lands.

Soon, Adam’s expression changed, becoming darker and more serious.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

A powerful aura burst from Adam’s body; a black-and-white flame billowed from him, spreading farther and farther.

Daar’ax’s eyes narrowed as he closely studied Adam’s aura.

’Hmm... With difficulty, but I can see it...’ Daar’ax muttered to himself, observing certain energy flows. Unlike the others, smooth and powerful, these were unstable and jagged.

This energy resembled the aura emanating from the Frenzied Shards and the Hollow Marks.

Sure, Adam would never receive his Hollow Mark since he wasn’t a monster and wasn’t born in the Hollow Lands. But he had absorbed the Frenzied Shard, which had forever uniquely altered his aura.

Ripple! Ripple! Ripple!

The waves ran one after another across the barrier, bringing a slight smile to Adam’s face.

Without resistance, the section of the barrier in front of Adam glowed brightly, becoming a clear path for him.

"Great," Adam smirked as he stepped forward.

Daar’ax, who was watching from afar, nodded his head in satisfaction.

’Not bad, not bad at all. I’ve seen the Barons and even stronger Lords take longer to pass through the barrier. Interesting... perhaps Adam Vinter is one of those Phantoms who could defeat a stronger opponent?’

Not all power levels accurately reflected a monster’s or Phantom’s strength, but it was rare for a weaker monster to defeat a stronger one.

Daar’ax looked at the edges of the barrier as they slowly regenerated before moving on, following Adam.

"Kiddo, are you ready to move on?"

Adam looked around. Before them was still soot-covered ground, but he could already feel a significant difference.

’Impressive...’

Adam muttered to himself, looking at his hand. He saw pale-blue energy flows coursing through his fingers.

’I hadn’t noticed it, but there was significantly more energy in the Hollow Lands than in the Dead Lands. No wonder there are so many powerful monsters there. Moreover, the Pit is even more challenging.’

Sure, Adam didn’t know that the Pit was a distant, dark territory, but he guessed that the Frenzied Shard he’d seen wasn’t the strongest.

"Hey, boy, are you ready to move on?" Daar’ax said, looking around. He didn’t often have to venture beyond the Hollow Lands.

Such errands were rare, so he was curious if the Dead Lands had changed in any way over the long years.

Silence.

Adam was silent for a moment before nodding.

"Sure, let’s move on. I don’t know where the nearest Spire is, but very soon I’ll be reconnecting with someone very important to me."

Daar’ax understood everything from Adam’s tone, but didn’t comment on it. He simply nodded and bowed his head.

Tap.

Adam found himself atop the great serpent’s head as his heart began to race.

"Huh, that’s true. With everything going on here, I completely forgot that I’d already returned to the Dead Lands. There’s not much left."

Tremble!

Daar’ax’s body trembled, and a light flashed across his scales as he surged forward at tremendous speed.

The Hollow Lands had one distinctive feature, the sky there was almost always dark, with the white disk, or the moon eclipse, hovering in it.

But the farther Adam and Daar’ax moved away from the Hollow Lands, the lighter the sky became. At first, it was dark blue, the moon eclipse had vanished, then the sky turned gray, and after a few more kilometers, Adam finally saw it:

"Agh..."

Adam gasped as the rays of sunlight fell upon him and Daar’ax. Instead of the moon eclipse, there was now the bright sun, familiar to every human.

"Daar’ax, how do you live in the Hollow Lands?" Adam asked with a slight smile on his face, enjoying the warmth. "It’s always night there when the rest of the world is just waking up!"

"Huh, I’ve lived there my whole life, Adam; you get used to it over time. Especially over hundreds of years. I’m sure you won’t agree with me, but if I had to choose between night and day, even a day as pleasant as this one, I’d always choose the night."

Adam shrugged. "I won’t argue with you, but I’m used to half the day in darkness and half in light. It’s always been normal to me."

For the next few minutes, Adam and Daar’ax moved in silence.

The Hollow Lands lay at the very northern edge of the world. In the Hollow Lands, due to the nature of the terrain, there was neither cold nor ice, but in the Dead Lands, everything was different.

Whoooooooosh!

Very soon, the warmth of the sun’s rays was interrupted by icy gusts of wind, but Adam was only glad of it.

In the Hollow Lands, there was neither cold nor heat. This place was profound in its essence and power system, but on the surface, the Hollow Lands were practically nothing but gray sand and pillars. The only exceptions were the Pit and the Frenzied Shards.

"Hey, Adam." Daar’ax’s deep voice rang out as they moved straight across the icy valley. He didn’t touch the ground, but the pressure from his aura left a mark on the thick layer of snow beneath him.

Adam, keeping his eyes closed, smiled.

"What? Is something wrong?"

Daar’ax shook his head slightly.

"Very soon, we’ll reach the territory where Frida reigns. I’m sure you know who I’m talking about."

"Do you think she’ll decide you’re a threat?"

Daar’ax’s eyes narrowed. "Yes. She could crush us both in a single attack. Sure, she probably knows it’s you, but... I don’t like to take risks."

He needed an answer, but very soon Adam heard the voice he’d been longing for:

’A-Adam?’

A soft, feminine voice, so familiar to Adam, echoed in his mind.

"Yes," Adam replied simultaneously in his mind and in real life. "I can finally hear you, Silvana. We’ve finally managed to reestablish the connection."

The barrier at the Hollow Lands had been blocking the connection between them. If Adam had been at the Second Circle, their auras would have been strong enough to ignore it, but not now.

"Are you here?" Silvana asked in a worried voice.

Adam nodded.

"Yes. Wait for me, I’ll be home very soon, and then... We’ll talk to Gladius and Xyrea."