Endless Evolution: Last Star

Adam and Fromund completed one part of their plan — they dealt with the volcano beasts, but immediately made a mistake and allowed one obsidian golem to consume the core and evolve.

Did this mean that they would now be unable to find the Twilight Crystals, and their mission would be a failure?

Of course not.

The Kirani Bugs continued to fly in from the sides, growing in number because, unlike the volcano beasts, the Obsidian Guard could not destroy them at a great distance. He had become much stronger, but he was alone.

However, the Kirani Bugs were in no hurry to attack. Most of the core was in the Obsidian Guard's chest. If they killed him soon, they would be able to obtain the core almost in its entirety.

It was a risk the Obsidian Guard had to take to evolve in such a short time.

It would not be wrong to say that, because of this evolution and the absorption of the core, the Obsidian Guard had practically become an Essence Type Monster. It did not absorb the Artifact, but if the core had been more stable and had had more time, it would have become an Artifact.

Perhaps this would have happened during the core explosion. Now, none of that mattered because the obsidian golem had evolved into a monster of a much more dangerous level.

The obsidian golems were considered F2 Black Threat Monsters. Several of them were strong enough to cause problems for the Lesser Elder monster.

However, the Obsidian Guard could reach the strength of an F4 Black Threat Monster at his peak, but given the circumstances, there was an F4 Black Threat Monster in front of them.

The rest of the obsidian golems did not try to take the power of the core for themselves. No, they accepted the fact that one of them had become much stronger and was now their leader.

In the end, that was their original goal, that was why they had come here.

"What do we do?" Adam asked as he nodded toward the Obsidian Guard.

The monster stood motionless, while two red flames swirled in its eyes, shining brightly like ghostly lanterns. Any creature other than its kin that came too close would meet the blade of its axe.

"Hah, it's obvious. We need to deal with the problem. We should destroy this mega golem, and then..." Fromund fell silent as he tried to find the words.

He didn't know what to do next. True, it was better to destroy such a dangerous monster, considering that it was partly their fault. But that wouldn't advance their mission in any way.

"Good."

Adam suddenly said, causing Fromund to turn around.

"These insects want to get this core, so we'll help them. We'll deal with this golem and break the core in its chest. We'll leave the fragments for the bugs, pretending we don't need them. Think of it as luring ants with a few sugar cubes. Nothing complicated."

Fromund blinked several times, processing Adam's words.

"Hah! I get it."

"Alright, let's get to work."

Adam nodded as he was about to rush into battle, but Fromund stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Hmm?" Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Leave it to me. Consider it my apology for breaking your nose. Hahaha, although I would do it again if I had to!"

Tremble.

With a tremor in the space, a dark spear with a wide tip and a heavy rear part of the handle appeared next to Fromund. There was nothing remarkable about the spear except for three faint red circles in the center. They were inactive.

"What's more, it's been too long since I've fought anyone. This big guy looks more than suitable!"

Before Adam could say anything, the red energy turned into flames, enveloping Fromund's legs as he lunged forward in a rapid surge.

A gust of wind blew pieces of ash toward Adam as he covered himself with his arms.

The next moment, when he opened his eyes, Fromund was already at the foot of the hill. He moved in leaps, leaving a trail of smoldering embers behind him.

Strangely, the obsidian golems did not scatter from his path. On the contrary, they headed toward him without fear, wanting to protect their strongest warrior.

Fromund smiled broadly. He couldn't ask for more.

"Alright, show me what you've got! Even if you die in a second, it was the right choice! Fight while you can!"

With these words, his spear pierced the first golem, smashing the monster to pieces.

Adam could have joined the battle, but he had no reason to. He knew that Fromund would definitely be able to handle the obsidian golems and the Obsidian Guard.

Moreover, he wanted to see what Fromund was capable of, namely, his Nexus.

'Hmm, when we fought at the Moon Colosseum, his Nexus was one of the most complex and powerful I had ever encountered. It had three forms: a hammer, a sword, and a spear... He stopped at the last one, or should I wait for some changes now, too?'

Crack. Crack. Crack.

With each swing, Fromund destroyed one golem after another. Obsidian shards flew past his eyes, full of excitement.

In this, he and Adam were alike — they both enjoyed battle.

Well, that was also why they possessed their power and progressed so quickly.

It wasn't a universal remedy. They weren't the only ones who chose this path because of their nature, but it was not only a fast but also an extremely dangerous path.

Hundreds of Phantoms like them had died taking on tasks that were too difficult or risks that were too great. However, Adam and Fromund were living proof that there was meaning in this path.

Besides them, there was another example known to everyone — Damien.

That didn't mean they would ever become as strong as he was. But... in this world, anything was possible, even something as crazy as that.

"That's not enough."

Adam thought as he watched Fromund approach the Obsidian Guard.

"We have to reach Damien's level and try to stop the World Wipe together. Maybe if all the Second Rank Phantoms unite, we can do it!"