Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1728 1728: The Second Fighter

Zin was a renowned monster throughout the Hollow Lands, but he held a special place in the eyes of other Black Threat Level monsters, just like himself.

They were all rivals, competing against one another. These were the Elders, the Fangs, and the unranked monsters, who were usually stronger than all the rest.

However… Zin was so far above them all that, gradually, everyone began to think of themselves as unworthy of becoming stronger.

This effect could occur among both humans and monsters. In this, they were alike.

Sarka and the other Fangs didn't have much trouble with the fact that there were monsters in the Hollow Lands stronger than them or that they weren't the most powerful Fangs. That was something they understood and could work on.

But… Whenever Sarka or someone else mentioned Zin, there was always silence.

Everyone knew he was strong, but no one understood exactly how strong. No one dared risk incurring his wrath, but everyone wanted to know if they had a chance to surpass Zin.

Thus, if Zin were to lose at today's Grim Court, it would mark the beginning of a new path for every Black Threat Level monster.

Sarka was no exception.

"Well, well, what dark desires you have." Kaerno chuckled, running his fingers along his jaw. "But you want this to happen for more than just pragmatic reasons, don't you?"

Step.

Sarka rose, stepping out of the water. She wasn't shy about her naked body, for now, all that mattered was her gaze, which was growing increasingly cruel.

"I want to see him fall, because it will be beautiful. It will be better than watching a fallen star, because in this case, the abyss itself will fall."

Kaerno smirked. "It seems you're more confident in Adam than I am. I didn't expect that."

"No." Sarka shook her head. "I certainly can't gauge their strength as accurately as you can, but this is my wish, and I hope it comes true."

Kaerno leaned in until their foreheads were almost touching.

"In that case, Adam will have to become your wish-granter for this to happen."

She shrugged.

"That's possible."

"Good."

Suddenly, Kaerno's mood changed as he turned and slapped Sarka on the butt, not like a lover, but like a father disciplining his disobedient daughter.

Ouch!

"What the hell?!" Sarka spun around, rubbing her butt with a face red with anger and embarrassment.

Kaerno crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're spending too much time on your musings. The fight starts in five minutes. We need to hurry."

"Grh! Fine!"

…

Whoooooosh!

At the same time, Adam and Kaexa were moving through the Hollow Lands. The majestic pillars to their right and left quickly receded into the distance, and smaller objects like rocks and bones turned into a blur.

"We're almost there," Adam thought as he spotted the cave entrance in the distance.

He remembered this place well because it was here that he had fought his first opponent in the Gray Lands, a common bull monster with a bone mask. Then, Larth and the Gray Watcher had arrived, who had been watching him from the very beginning.

'Kaerno said that even if I had gone down after waking up, the guards would have just thrown me out. Well… Maybe that's true for the monsters here, but they would definitely have reacted differently to me.'

"Hey." Kaexa glanced at him. It was the first time she had spoken during their trip.

"Y-Yes?"

"You know who your opponent is, don't you?"

Adam sighed heavily.

"Zin. When Sarka told me about him, her face was as pale as a sheet of paper."

Kaexa nodded in confirmation.

"There are reasons for that. I understand you need this fight, and it's important to Master Kaerno, so I'll give you one piece of advice."

"Hmm?"

Kaexa looked ahead, her eyes cold.

"The longer you fight, the better your chances of winning. No matter how hard it gets, you mustn't give up."

Adam narrowed his eyes. "I never give up. You should know that. I'm sure you've already found all the information there is on me."

"Sure, that's my job, but you don't understand who your opponent is. Sarka told you about Batar, Narha, and Kelya, right?"

"Yes, in her opinion, they're the three strongest unranked monsters here."

Kaexa's voice was sharp and clear.

"Zin faced them about an hour ago. He took care of each of them and didn't sustain a single wound, unlike Batar and Narha, who could barely stand. Use every advantage you have if you need to.

"Only if you shatter Zin's reality into fragments, show him that he isn't invincible, only then will you have a chance. Also, use your weapon. I don't know why you did it before, but you shouldn't hide your Nexus anymore. It's too dangerous."

Adam smiled bitterly.

"Thanks…"

However, his thoughts were far more complex.

'Huh, she thinks I'm hiding my Nexus? Well, I've got bad news for you, Kaexa, I can't use my weapon!!!'

Adam knew this. It was a significant disadvantage in his situation, but there was nothing he could do about it.

If he wanted to absorb the Blood of God and regain access to his Nexus, he would have to fight until his Evolution Tree gathered enough power to do so.

'Either way, I have no other choice. Either I defeat Zin, or Queen Elisa's blood will tear me to pieces.'

Whooooooosh!

Without warning, they spun around sharply as Kaexa gripped Adam's shoulder tightly. At tremendous speed, they moved through stone columns straight into the darkness, beyond which lay a complex network of tunnels leading deep downward.

This wasn't a direct path to the arena, because Kaexa had another goal.

Tap!

They stopped in a large archway, at the entrance to a spacious hall where two girls and one woman were standing.

The girls were wearing white robes, quite expensive ones, but they were nothing compared to the woman's majestic robe with sharp, blue spikes on her shoulders.

Kaexa pushed Adam forward and stood up straight.

"Judge Leerna, I've brought you a second fighter!"

Adam blinked.

'Is that the judge? I see… It's time to start, right?'