Endless Evolution: Last Star

Bam.

Snow Follower's head fell to the ground, with a blank stare that had already lost the light of life. At this time, Nessa, pulled the heart out of Snow Follower's chest, tossing the monster's body aside like unnecessary trash.

Crackle.

Nessa, with a cold stare, crushed the heart in her hand, coating everything around in crimson liquid.

"What's going on...?" Silvana asked with a gulp as she turned to Magnus.

Magnus narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know... Nessa has already exceeded her limits many times, thus she has gotten stronger. However... never before has she made such a major leap, moreover the changes are too drastic. I hate to say it, but I have no idea what will happen next. It all depends on Nessa..."

Silvana nodded.

There was no telling what state Nessa was in or if she could control herself. However, something was very clear - Nessa had become many times stronger, at least for the duration of this transformation.

Before that, using all of her strength and resources, Nessa had struggled to keep up with Snow Follower, even though she had lost in the end. If not for Adam, the katana would have pierced her.

Now, she killed Snow Follower in just two moves, or rather one - a severed head was more than enough.

In a heartbeat, the difference in strength between them became unequal, so... there was no telling where Nessa's boundaries were now.

"Hey! Nessa! That was incredible! The last time I saw something like that was from Alexia during Eclipse! Let's fight!" Adam exclaimed with an excited expression, waving his hand.

A moment ago, Adam had a completely different emotion, in a way his pity-filled gaze was one of the reasons for Nessa's transformation.

Adam didn't want to think about anything else but to satisfy his thirst for battle. He had already forgotten that feeling, for fighting against the Thunder Demon, he was haunted by emotions other than excitement.

Then, it was a battle between two warriors wanting to become stronger and remain the only one on the battlefield. One of them had to die while the other continued on his path.

Adam never forgot Damien's words, for it was he who first showed Adam that it was possible to enjoy battle.

Sure, not always, but enjoying some particular battles was an art not everyone could master.

Step.

Nessa obviously heard Adam, so she slowly turned around, arrogantly lifting her chin. There was no more anxiety or uncertainty in her gaze, she was visibly feeling her new power.

"Why? I didn't like your gaze, but you had your reasons. However, none of this makes sense now. I don't want to hurt you. Considering the wound Snow Follower left on your hand, you can't beat me." Nessa said haughtily, looking Adam up and down.

Silvana's jaw dropped, while Magnus's face revealed a sinister grin.

He saw this as a unique opportunity.

Nessa couldn't show all her abilities against Snow Follower, but Adam was a great option for this.

'Moreover, if there's a conflict between them then it'll be for real!' Magnus chuckled angrily rubbing his palms together, 'You can always make up, but there won't be such an opportunity anymore!'

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"What, the transformation changed your personality too?" Adam was slightly confused. He clearly hadn't expected to receive such a rude and harsh answer.

Nessa looked at her hand covered in blood.

"Does it matter right now? Maybe yes, maybe no. Either way, you better not provoke me while I'm in this form." Nessa muttered, clenching and unclenching her fist.

Magnus bit his lip and grabbed his hair. He couldn't interfere, so he stared intently at Adam, hoping the situation would go the right way.

Adam didn't answer anything.

He only looked at Nessa thoughtfully.

Then, Adam took a deep breath, shaking his head like a man who was ready to accept defeat.

Nessa didn't want to show it, but the corners of her mouth lifted slightly to form a satisfied grin. She was hurt by the way Adam looked at her, so she felt glad that her power managed to stop Adam.

Quickly and almost imperceptibly, Nessa's eyes reflected the white particles that seemed to be coming off the massive flame.

Nessa turned sharply, immediately feeling the most powerful pressure she had ever encountered.

The massive creature, Adam's Spirit, was hovering above him, emitting a mighty aura that most K1-Phantoms could not resist.

His aura, his Spirit having no face and consisting of a million threads, was in some ways similar to his abilities. His aura was piercing and sharp, allowing Nessa to immediately feel the full weight of her mistake and feigned arrogance.

"Oh, is something wrong?" Adam said, nonchalantly keeping his hands in his pockets as if to show that he had nothing to fear.

Nessa gritted her teeth as she looked at her hands which started to cover with goosebumps.

Like any strong enough creature she had an aura, but only at the most basic level. Nessa possessed neither The Will nor Spirit, just pure power emanating from her body.

Nessa seemed confused and didn't know what to do, but she quickly found a solution:

Nessa grinned widely, took a step forward, and spread her arms out to her sides.

"Taking advantage of the fact that I don't have a powerful form of aura like you? Fine. Come on, do it. Attack me. I know you can only damage me once, it won't be much of a loss to me!" Nessa, full of confidence in her abilities exclaimed.

However... Instead of using this opportunity and gaining an advantage, Adam simply removed his aura.

"Agh...?" Nessa's eyes went wide in confusion.

"Nah." Adam waved his hand nonchalantly, "I don't need this. Not against you."

Silvana's mouth opened wide with shock, and Magnus's eyes narrowed with a dangerous glint, for Adam's trivial provocation had proved insanely effective.

"What did you say...?" Nessa muttered in a trembling voice, "You don't want an aura against me...? Bastard... Do you think that if you saved me, you can look down on me? That you're stronger than me? No fucking way!" Nessa roared furiously before lunging forward.

Adam only smirked slightly.

Unlike Nessa, for whom this was something personal and held open her long-standing inner wound, for Adam it was simply a way to quench his desire for battle.

Cynical and even cruel in some ways, but for Nessa it was also helpful.

Perhaps by unleashing all her new power on Adam, she would finally be able to close her wound, or possibly... the wound would turn into a living disaster.

Step. Step. Step.

Nessa ran forward quickly, leaving short claw marks on the ground on her feet. She moved like a shadow, quickly finding herself in front of Adam.

'Wow, not bad, if I wasn't fighting Thunder Demon I wouldn't have been able to react to such speed.' Adam pondered for a moment before putting up a block.

Right now, he wasn't using any abilities. To begin with, he wanted to realize how big the difference between them was now. Last time, Adam had no trouble blocking Nessa's attacks.

Crackle.
Continue your adventure with m|v-l'e m,p| y r

Cutting through the wind currents like a broad blade, Nessa's right foot crashed into Adam's block.

In a heartbeat, the smile vanished from Adam's face, and his eyes went wide.

The impact, with a ring of wind from the shockwave coming from the hit point, threw Adam aside, plunging his back straight into the wall with a clatter.

"Agh..." Nessa took a deep breath, keeping her leg raised as if in the moment of the attack. Hot steam came out passing over her shoulders before she lowered her foot to the ground and burst forward.

Immersed in the debris, Adam saw nothing but a veil of dust. However, soon he heard approaching footsteps and his instincts activated at full force.

Immediately, Adam used his Artifact Trait, as electric shocks went through his entire body and a lightning horn appeared on the left side of his head.

Whooooooooooooosh.

A white gleam like a blade flashed amongst the dust cloud before Nessa's foot tore it apart.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

With a rumble that shook the entire hall, Nessa's foot sliced and crushed the solid white stone, leaving a long trail as if the wall had been attacked by a giant with a huge sword.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

A cascade of electrical discharges appeared a few meters behind, bringing Adam floating slightly above the ground.

'Damn...' Adam narrowed his eyes, looking at the aftermath of Nessa's attack. He realized that if Nessa had hit him, it would have killed him. Simple and quick.

"Using your trump card yet? Though... You're abusing your strongest ability quite a bit." Nessa said confidently, slowly stepping forward.

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Trump? No argument, it's a powerful ability." Adam looked around, raising his hands slightly, electrical discharges emanating from his fingertips.

"However... I wouldn't say it's my trump card. I have many other useful abilities. You know, that's one of the perks of being a Phantom." Adam said serenely.

Hearing his last words, Nessa frowned.

"Tsk. If that ability isn't your trump card then what is? I watched your fight against Thunder Demon as well as some other videos, I know all about you." Nessa said confidently, "Against me, you won't be able to use something unexpected."

"Oh, I see... You've seen a lot of my battles, but you never realized what my main trump card is? Although... I use it in every single one of my fights without exception." Adam said in surprise.

"Agh...? What the hell are you talking about?!" Nessa was bewildered, "I couldn't have missed something that important!"

Whooooooooooooosh.

Adam's hands turned into a blur, quickly disappearing and coming back into place, but they already were in his gloves.

"My greatest trump card - experience."

At the same moment, Adam swiped one glove against the other, causing an eerie sound that quickly reached Nessa's mind.