Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1632: Glass Cube

The ideal training ground would be a place where an instructor could control absolutely everything, create trials at will, change the number and shape of objects, and even manipulate the weather.

This used to be impossible, but with the technology available at the Citadel, it was no problem. In fact, the military trained not only at training grounds and in camps, but also in virtual chambers, where an instructor created the necessary obstacles for them.

Even for Phantoms, this was effective — but only for the weakest ones. When Adam first became a Phantom, he trained in that chamber before heading out on his first real mission.

But now, as a K4-Phantom, it was too dangerous. The virtual chambers were simply high-tech simulations. No energy was involved in the process.

So, the opponents’ strength couldn’t exceed a certain level, and if Adam used his abilities there, at best, he would destroy expensive equipment, and at worst, there would be casualties among the staff or even other Phantoms.

Thus, training for K1-Phantoms and above was limited to sparring against other higher-level Phantoms.

Adam went through this as well, and back then, at the K2 level, Tron helped him too.

Still, no matter how spacious a farm or field might be, if two K4-Phantoms were to fight there and freely use the Ancient Energy, within a couple of minutes, the place would turn into scorched earth.

The Sky Cubes, specifically the parts of the Gray Sky, were the ideal solution for the K4-Phantoms who needed training.

This would have been useful for the weaker Phantoms as well, but they had other alternatives, such as sparring near the Citadel or in the fields, so there was no such need.

The young Phantoms were not supposed to know about the Ancient Energy and Dark Energy. This was to remain a secret until they became strong enough.

Clap.

Tron clapped his hands as the clouds and sky returned, hiding the dull concrete slabs that actually made up the Sky Cube.

"Are you ready to continue?" he asked.

Adam scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I need some advice. How did you compress your energy to that state? I can use more power and destroy the spheres, but that’ll take longer, and that’s not what you’re trying to teach me, is it?"

"Correct. Everyone has their own way, but I think you should try to imagine you’re in a fight. It’s your energy. If you’re still alive after all the battles you’ve been through, then you definitely know how to control it."

Adam nodded and assumed a fighting stance.

"Alright, let’s get started!"

The glass orb trembled as six iron spheres rose above the ground once more.

Adam pointed his hand at the first sphere, but this time he decided to use a single finger, as if his arm were a sniper rifle.

"Maybe I haven’t spent years training in energy control, but I’ve been through plenty of battles. If I need to do this to win, then I’ll do it!"

Tremble.

A tremor rippled through the space as a white flash shot from Adam’s finger, striking the first sphere.

A blast similar to Tron’s but more aggressive echoed around as the iron debris crashed to the ground.

Without losing his rhythm, Adam fired the next shots—the second, third, and fourth. He kept firing until all the spheres were destroyed.

Adam stared intently at the debris and the rising cloud of dust.

He wasn’t out of breath, and his arm didn’t tremble. Just as Tron had said, this was just a warm-up, so it was no surprise that Adam was able to do it on his second try.

Tron glanced at his watch.

"Forty-three seconds. Not bad, not bad at all. What do you say—ready for something more serious?"

His amethyst eyes narrowed.

"Now that we’re sure you know how to use the star energy, it’s time to move on to the Ancient Energy."

A satisfied smirk appeared on Adam’s face.

"Hah! I destroyed those targets with my energy, with the Ancient Energy, nothing can stop me! Go ahead, throw any obstacle my way — I’ll destroy it!"

It was true. With a simple strike, Adam could leave a crack in the rock, but with the Ancient Energy, he would leave a crater from the blast where he struck.

However, Silvana noticed from Tron’s expression that things wouldn’t be as easy for Adam as he wanted them to be.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Instead of iron debris, a large glass cube appeared before Adam, large enough to easily hold several people inside.

"Hmm?" Adam was confused as Tron approached the cube and placed his palm against it.

He focused as a purple energy flow with a slight gray hue entered the cube. It was his Ancient Energy in its pure form.

Tron turned to Adam.

"Your task is simple — without destroying this cube, you must dispel or destroy my Ancient Energy. You will only be able to do this once you achieve sufficient control over your power."

The conditions were straightforward, but Adam didn’t fully understand why this was supposed to be difficult.

’Has he decided to give me another warm-up? Well, then I’ll just breeze through this trial!’

Adam was confident of his imminent victory, but Tron was not, which was evident from the fact that he approached Riska and Silvana.

"It’ll take him a while, so we can talk about something if you want."

Before the girls could answer, Tron waved his hand, and a simple table and chairs appeared before them. He could have created food as well, but they wouldn’t have been able to eat it since it was part of the Gray Sky.

Tap.

At the same time, Adam placed his palm against the glass cube as his Evolution Tree trembled.

The ancient energy flowed through his hand, in as pure a form as possible.

’If I suppress his energy, it will have no choice but to flee or surrender, won’t it?’ he thought before opening his eyes.

The second purple flow crashed into the first one, but before Adam’s energy could do anything, the Tron’s energy trembled and, in an electrical discharge, knocked his energy aside.

Whoooooooosh!

The impact coursed through Adam’s entire body, flinging him several meters into the woods.

Tron, who had been watching, nodded deeply.

"Yeah, he’ll definitely need some time for that. Maybe we should go get something to eat. But he’ll handle it eventually, as always."