Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1704: Gray Stones

The Frenzied Shard had been absorbed. In Adam’s case, this did not happen as it usually did with monsters. Loarh, Vyora, Sarka, and many other monsters of the Hollow Lands went through a different process, but this was not surprising.

They were monsters, and he was a Phantom. In fact, it wasn’t Adam who had absorbed the Frenzied Shard. The Blood of God, more specifically, Queen Elisa’s blood, had done the work for him.

Either way, the job was done, and it was time to move on.

Blink.

Adam blinked as he returned to the real world.

The first thing he saw was a multitude of gray stones, devoid of power and all energy, lying at his feet.

Loargh gulped. "Unbelievable. That was one of the most powerful Frenzied Shards I’ve ever seen. Still, you absorbed it!"

He wasn’t the only one who was surprised, as Vyora bit her lip.

"Damn it. My Frenzied Shard was several times smaller, and it definitely didn’t have such powerful servants. Still... I almost died when I absorbed it!" She muttered with a displeased look.

"Well..." Adam shrugged, picking up a gray shard from the ground. "The only thing that matters is that you handled it and got your Hollow Mark, right?"

"Yes, but..." Vyora awkwardly scratched her cheek, as if she wasn’t sure if she should say it.

"HA!"

Sarka stepped forward confidently, pointing at the two of them.

"My shard was way bigger than theirs. I know it!"

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"So... Are you saying the bigger, the better?"

Sarka nodded smugly with the air of a winner.

"You only get one chance to absorb the Frenzied Shard. Obviously, you should try to find the strongest and most dangerous one, just like you did!"

Vyora frowned as she clenched her fists.

"What the hell does that mean? If you go around advising that to newbies, they’ll all die! Regardless of the situation, absorbing a Frenzied Shard is a great achievement in and of itself!"

However, Sarka didn’t appreciate her response.

"Pffffft! That’s exactly why I’m stronger than you and my Frenzied Shard is cooler!"

Sarka crossed her arms over her chest as a sly gleam flashed in her eyes.

"You should have come with me to the blade pillar when you had the chance." She tossed her head back arrogantly. "Maybe then you wouldn’t be such a weakling!"

Vyora’s patience had run out. She clenched her fists tightly, her teeth grinding with rage.

"You are-!"

With a roar, she lunged at Sarka, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her in all directions.

Adam, who was watching from the sidelines, just whistled.

’Damn, they’re acting like kids in kindergarten. How are they even still alive?’

Step.

Loargh stood beside him as gusts of wind ruffled his long hair. The sounds of the struggle between Sarka and Vyora echoed from behind, but he didn’t react at all. He didn’t have the strength for it.

"That’s it?" Adam asked, showing him the gray stone. "Will there be any problems if we leave it here?"

Loargh shook his head.

"You absorbed the Frenzied Shard, which means it will never regenerate or summon new servants again. That’s the end of the story for this place."

Adam tossed the stone with a slight smile on his face.

"But, very soon, others will take advantage of this, and new shards will appear, won’t they?"

"Hah," Loargh chuckled. "Of course. The Pit is a constant battlefield where the main players aren’t monsters or Phantoms, but the shards."

Adam’s gaze grew deeper, more serious.

"By the way, speaking of that. Now I’ll be able to go to the Hail Passage, right?"

For a moment, Loargh froze, not understanding why Adam had suddenly brought this up.

Then, he realized everything and nodded.

"I see, so that was your goal. Yes, now no one can stop you, but Master Kaerno will tell you more about it."

Loargh was about to stop Sarka and Vyora, they needed to go home, but before he could do so, Adam grabbed his shoulder.

"Hm? Is something wrong?"

"Just curious. Kaerno mentioned an important battle down there. Is there a chance I’ll have to face you or Vyora?"

Loargh shook his head with a knowing smirk.

"In any other scenario, that would be possible, but not in this one. Master Kaerno will tell you more."

Tap. Tap.

Loargh patted Adam on the shoulder.

"That was a great fight, and I’d love to face you someday. It would be a great test of strength before the World Wipe."

"Yeah, me too."

Then, Loargh looked at Sarka and Vyora, who were still fighting, rolled his eyes, and went to break them up.

At the same time, Adam looked into the distance at one of the giant swords with blood on its blade.

’If you were going to run off, you should’ve at least told me your name. Tsk.’ Adam touched his neck. ’That hurt, asshole.’

---

After several minutes of trying, Loargh finally managed to stop Vyora and Sarka. Otherwise, they would have torn each other to pieces.

Then, they left the sword field, leaving only shards and a few bloodstained blades where the great Frenzied Shard had stood.

Sarka and Vyora continued to snap at each other, standing on opposite sides of Loargh, while he and Adam paid them no mind and talked about the Hollow Lands and the Pit.

From this conversation, Adam realized that at the Hail Passage, something more significant than just a monster and a boring fight was surely waiting for him.

However, Adam had been ready for this from the very beginning.

’I don’t know if Gladius and Xyrea had planned this or not, but the Frenzied Shard helped me with the Blood of God. Perhaps the Hail Passage was also part of their plan?’

Step. Step. Step.

Soon enough, the four of them left the Pit and returned to the Hollow Lands.

For some reason, Adam couldn’t help but smile slightly as he looked out at the vast, mostly empty lands covered in gray sand.

"Alright, that’s it." Loargh waved his hand, touching Vyora’s shoulder. "See you later, I’m sure it’ll happen sooner than you think."

"Agh?"

Before Adam could answer, Loargh vanished at high speed, heading toward the pillar with Vyora.

"Huh." Adam scratched the back of his head, puzzled.

He, in turn, turned toward the blade pillar in the distance. This place had become his home for a time.

"Well, let’s head back."

Sarka nodded with a joyful smile.

"Yes! I can’t wait to tell everyone about your battle! Hahaha! Larth will be jealous!"