Endless Evolution: Last Star

The circular creature was quickly approaching the anomalies cluster, about to join the great battle between some of the strongest Purple Threat Level monsters.

It wasn't as fast as Jade Lady, but another half a minute, and the creature would be in place. In fact, it wasn't a disk or even round, it was just a monster that could fold into that shape because it was an Obsidian Armadillo.

However, the differences from a regular armadillo were significant, because Obsidian Armadillo was a Top-5 monster. Yeah, it wasn't impressive compared to Thunder Demon and Jade Lady, but... Obsidian Armadillo could be surprised by its speed, abilities, and especially - its defense.

The outer part of the Obsidian Armadillo's body, including its back, head, tail, and paws, was covered with dark crystals that were sharp and incredibly strong.

The crystals were so tightly packed that even a thin blade couldn't slip between them.

Whoooooooooooooosh.

Obsidian Armadillo bounced high, crashing straight into the dense barrier formed by hundreds of random lightning bolts. Jade Lady had to use her sword to create a gap for a while, but for Obsidian Armadillo, it was much easier.

The lightning bolts came at Obsidian Armadillo with all their might, and all they accomplished was nothing. Just like that, Obsidian Armadillo took zero damage from the attack that Jade Lady was wary of.

It was worth realizing that this one was a Prime Type, otherwise, it wouldn't have been a Top 5 but would have been much, much lower in the rankings.

Obsidian Armadillos were quiet monsters, compared to the others, they rarely fought and chose one partner for life.

Considering these and many other various factors, this meant that Prime Types were rare among Obsidian Armadillos, as almost all of them were roughly equal in strength, and Prime One had to be one of the strongest of its species.

However, when a Prime Type appeared among Obsidian Armadillos, it was so strong that it was rated as a Top-5, but... it wasn't that simple.

In terms of defense, Obsidian Armadillos were probably the best of all Purple Threat Level monsters, moreover, they had a unique ability that allowed them to use difficult situations to their advantage.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The crystals shook as the Obsidian Armadillo stopped, standing up on his massive paws, controlling the balance of his body with his tail.

Unlike normal armadillos, his belly was not a weak point, his stomach was covered in elastic protective plates like any part of his body except for his jaw, nose, and eyes.

The Obsidian Armadillo had two pointed ears, a small but powerful jaw with several rows of teeth, and a long, spiky tongue. All of his instincts were at the highest level, for their survival depended on it.

Obsidian Armadillo looked around, glaring at Thunder Demon and Jade Lady. His pupils narrowed, allowing him to see the fight at close range.

For a while, Obsidian Armadillo watched the two strongest creatures battle, and he seemed ready to do so for a long time, but... soon, the tips of his ears trembled.

In a heartbeat, Obsidian Armadillo curled into a ball, remaining in the same spot.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The sharp blade of the halberd rained down on the dark crystals, causing a shudder throughout the monster's body that quickly traveled to the ground.

Prago frowned. Although he was a K2-Phantom, he wasn't strong enough to kill the most protected monster of the Purple Threat Level with a simple attack of his Nexus.

Obsidian Armadillo trembled, then began to rapidly spin, heading forward, unwilling to fight against someone who was a level higher in strength than him.

"Tsk. Here's the problem..." Prago snorted with a grudging face as he placed the halberd on his shoulder.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Several anomalous monsters emerged from underground, quickly heading towards Prago. If they had a chance to get rid of even one threat to the anomalies, they should do so.

For the monsters, Prago seemed to be the perfect target, for his aura was weak, and he had a strong odor of blood, indicating that he was badly wounded and exhausted.

Prago turned around and looked at the monsters with a confused face. The monsters stopped, they didn't expect Prago to notice them so easily.

"Really?" Prago raised an eyebrow in confusion, "I don't believe you can be so stupid. Unlike humans, you rely more on instincts than intelligence... Then why?"

Prago tilted his head and looked down, seeing his bloody body.

"Agh... I see..." Prago muttered with a deep gaze, "Well, you're lucky I don't have time to fight you."

Prago turned towards the ruins and said with a heavy sigh, "I have to pay someone back. Sometimes, we all fall into the trap we helped others out of... It's all about someone lending a hand in time, that's all it takes to save a man's fate."

Whoooooooooooooosh.

Prago swung his halberd behind him, raising waves of salt that scattered a handful of monsters.

Then, with a confident look, he rushed forward, aiming for the ruins. From time to time, Prago glanced to his left, at Thunder Demon, Jade Lady, and Obsidian Armadillo moving towards them, but he wasn't going to engage in battle just yet.

Prago was a K2-Phantom, but in front of him were three of the five strongest monsters a K1-Phantom could face.

Only if Prago was at the peak of the K2 like Tron and was at his prime, he might not be afraid to attack them.

Yeah, after the incident in the prison, Prago had gotten stronger, regaining his desire to fight and confidence, but he was still at the average level of the K2 and was exhausted after fighting another K2-Phantom earlier.

All in all, Prago couldn't handle Thunder Demon, Jade Lady, and Obsidian Armadillo alone in this state. He would trivially lack both energy and physical stamina, not to mention the more difficult parts of such a battle.

"ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRR!!!"

Thunder Demon roared furiously, shaking the ground again, but not because he wanted to call out new opponents, but because of the Ladies that had already shredded his entire body.

They were strong and fast, having received considerable reinforcement from their leader, yet none of them could wound Thunder Demon really badly. Their swords only left light cuts on his body, but there were so many of them that it began to annoy Thunder Demon.

Then, Thunder Demon began to beat his tail on the ground, and his eyes shone brightly, causing a cascade of lightning to rain down on the surrounding Ladies.

Jade Lady waved her hand as if giving an order, and all the Ladies covered themselves with their wings and put up shields for protection.

However... hardly such weak creatures were able to defend themselves against Thunder Demon's wrath.

The lightning bolts tore the Ladies apart, their protective layer of jade not helping them. They fell to the ground like statues, shattering into several pieces with blank stares.

However... Jade Lady didn't even frown, for she had been prepared for this from the beginning. Her sword shone again as each Lady's eyes opened with a golden light.

Then, parts of their bodies trembled, beginning to fuse and repair.

Thunder Demon narrowed his eyes as his pupils shifted sharply to the side, and a smirk appeared on his face.

Bam.

A black disk came out of nowhere and slammed into Jade Lady, who hadn't even realized what had happened, yet.