Endless Evolution: Last Star

Dahla healed Adam, but it didn't improve his situation in any way. Damien had turned his left arm and leg into a bloody mess in an instant, and Adam didn't know what he had to do to prevent it from happening again.

'Hmm... If I understand correctly, our physical capabilities are now at the same level, so... this difference in strength is only due to the gap in our mastery? Fuck... That's not good at all...' Adam pondered, realizing that he was actually weaker than he thought.

The defeats against Plague Reaper in that strange space were just further proof that 1 vs. 1, he was unable to defeat someone strong.

But... What did Damien think about that?Nôv(el)B\\jnn

He came here because he was curious to watch Adam's development. This young man interested him because he thought that in the future, Adam could become a Second Rank Phantom.

Damien glanced at his hand, clutching the black rod tightly.

'Damn, I knew he was capable and that he just returned from Fallen Crypt, but... why the fuck is he so strong? I thought I'd get his first defeat just by attacking him, overwhelming him with speed and several strikes, but... he managed to block every single one of my attacks. Was he practicing while he was back home?'

A slight confusion came over Damien, even he couldn't guess what had happened on XH-01, and that Adam had fought many times against a ghostly copy of the Plague Reaper.

Damien was surprised not because Adam was faster than he expected, no... his physical output wasn't abnormal considering his history. One should know how to control their physical power, and that required mastery, a level of which Adam was much higher than Damien had expected.

'Well, that just means I need to push him a little harder to use his next ability.' Damien internally said before taking a step.

Whooooooooooooosh.

His silhouette shuddered, he faded away appearing a few steps in front of Adam.

Adam's pupils narrowed as he prepared to block another hail of quick attacks, but this time Damien was going to use a different tactic.

He gripped the rod tightly, swinging his right arm from bottom to top.

Tremble.

Adam quickly swung the needle, blocking the attack. A moment later, his eyes went wide from the enormously intense pulse that traveled through his entire body.

Shocked, he stared at Damien's arm, which was strained to the limit, muscles clenched and veins swollen.

The impact threw Adam aside like a projectile flying out of a cannon at high speed.

Bam.

Adam slammed into the wall, his back breaking through the solid stone slabs, plunging him inside. A cloud of dust rushed outward, hiding his silhouette.

Damien scratched the back of his head.

'Maybe I should become a teacher? I'm pretty good at it, aren't I?'

Crackle.

Adam slammed his fist into the wall, climbing out of the smoke cloud.

His whole body ached, not fatally, nothing was broken or torn, but it showed Adam that he couldn't continue fighting any further with only First Order's use.

'Fuck... If he hit me with such a powerful attack, he would have broken all my ribs without difficulty. Well, let's see if I can knock your hat off if I use this...' Adam internally muttered as energy came out of his body again.

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Energy only came out of his body when he first used his abilities. Evolution Tree wasn't used to it yet, so the energy needed to find its path.

Damien could attack and even win at this very moment, but he didn't come here to win. It was obvious to everyone that Adam was a hundred times weaker.

"Oh, this will be his Second Order?" Douglas raised an eyebrow.

Dahla nodded.

"Yes, it looks like it." Dahla nodded quietly, "He's not bad, only lost once in three minutes." Dahla looked at her NEP, checking the time.

Whooooooooooooosh.

Adam's eyes shone brightly as the streams of energy shuddered quickly taking another form.

He used his Second Order - Fallen Weaver's Gaze.

Clutch. Clutch. Clutch.

Like strong ropes or taut strings, a multitude of threads tied tightly around his body in a specific pattern. They looked like a lightweight exoskeleton or an extra set of tendons, allowing his body to withstand great strain and do previously impossible things.

The threads ran down his arms, legs, and chest, paying attention to every muscle to make his entire body equally stronger.

A large cluster of threads, as if mimicking the structure of the human body ran along his spine creating a solid plexus going up to his neck.

Adam's neck had the greatest number of threads, as threads from all over his body were drawn here, then the threads traveled further along his jaw to his eyes. Here, the development of the threads stopped, but not the effect of his Second Order.

Deep in his right eye, a complex grid of amber threads appeared something resembling the intricate drawing of an antique clock, round, with even lines.

Then, Adam blinked once and his whole view of the world changed. He didn't know how to describe it, but he saw more now as if his vision was honed by decades of hard work with small details.

All Phantoms had excellent eyesight, it was a bonus coming from their powerful genes and strong bodies, but many regular humans didn't have vision problems either, not everyone wore glasses or lenses.

But... vision-enhanced ability was different. Adam could not see any indicators, through walls, the heat trail of other creatures, or anything like that.

His left eye provided him with what he needed most with his ability - precision.

"Wow, you look formidable. I wonder how strong your threads are? And... is it just me, or is there something in your right eye?" Damien tilted his head with a slight smile on his face before appearing in front of Adam.

Damien didn't want to wait, so he attacked as soon as Adam came to his senses.

Bam.

A black rod came down on Adam's shoulder with the same force as Damien's last attack.

Crackle.

Without hesitation, Adam raised his left hand, clenching Damien's fist tightly, stopping his attack right in mid-air.

A menacing pulse traveled down Adam's arm, about to do him serious damage for such brazenness, but the recoil didn't stop at one point, it traveled in threads all over his body, minimizing the damage he received.

"Oh, not bad." Damien's eyes went wide, looking curiously at Adam's Second Order.

Then, Adam swung his needle, aiming straight for Damien's hat. Oddly enough, it easily reached its brim, leaving a shortcut.

Damien grinned, clenching his fist tightly. A dangerous smirk appeared on his face, it seemed he was about to deliver Adam the next defeat for such insolence.

His fingertips trembled as his hand turned into a shadow, closing in on Adam at high speed.

But... at the last moment, Adam ducked, preventing Damien from touching him. He hadn't even seen Damien's attack last time, but now his gaze was able to catch every detail.

"Agh..."

Adam exhaled hot steam before thrusting the needle into the ground and clenching his hand into a fist. In the next heartbeat, his fist crashed into Damien's chest, cutting through the wind streams.