Endless Evolution: Last Star

The stronger the Phantom became, the stronger his bond with the Operator was.

There were no exceptions to this rule, the reasons went deep into the origins of humans, reminding them of the fact that, unlike monsters, they were not perfect beings. At the same time, this also opened up for humans the potential that was beyond most monsters.

From ancient times, the power of humans was in their imperfections, in their flaws, overcoming which they gained power great enough to defend themselves against monsters.

Naturally, Adam, as a Phantom, also had his Operator. Silvana had traveled with him all through his Phantom journey and was the closest person to him. They were bound not only by trust, time, and hearts but also by the energy centered right in Adam's Evolution Tree.

In theory, Phantom could be without an Operator, but that would not allow him to rise higher than K2-Level. Moreover, if the Phantom and Operator weren't capable of reaching the highest point of trust, then the power Gladius used against the two Barons was unattainable.

Well, to be on par with Gladius, having an Operator wasn't enough, one had to possess the strength of the Second Rank Phantom, but that was one of the conditions.

Step. Step. Step.

Silvana hesitantly stepped forward, glancing around. The powerful auras of the monsters behind her pressed down on her. After all, she was only an Operator and not a Phantom, but she knew she had nothing to worry about.

"You're here." Wilfred nodded his head slightly. "Go ahead. He is waiting for you, without you, it will be impossible to finish his evolution. What's more... It's time for not only Adam to evolve, but you as well."

Then, he shook off the ashes, directing his gaze towards the dark sphere as if he could see Adam even through the dense layer of energy.

"The Lock has been opened. How much his tree can grow depends solely on the two of you. You are now at the K4-Level. If by some miracle you can take the next step forward, you will become unbreakable..."

Silvana frowned slightly. She respected Wilfred since he was a Second Rank Phantom, but she had no trust in him. He, like Aiden Henk, hid too many secrets and was more gray than dark or light.

"What do you mean?"

Wilfred jerked his head to the side.

"The beginning of full contact. What you receive after the destruction of the last gate is only a fraction of the power the Phantom and Operator can wield. Oddly enough, you're the one who should feel it better than Adam, since this was your first combat ability."

After a few moments, Silvana nodded weakly.

She remembered every moment of their last attack against Arnoth. The Imaginary Cut was the moment when she experienced real power when she stood up to Adam.

Yet, unlike Adam, whose heart practically trembled with delight, Silvana felt that this was the first step to dive into the deep ocean. She, as Operator, sensed that a power comparable to Gladius's awaited her in the future.

She had not seen what Gladius was capable of, but she knew that what she and Adam had was not their limit.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

A tremble traveled through the dark sphere, releasing ripples through the air.

Silvana put her palm to her chest.

"What am I supposed to do?"

Wilfred shrugged.

"You know. Go and help him get stronger. After all, some of that power belongs to you as well. I'll be waiting for you here. Adam wanted to meet me for quite some time, so... his evolution is the last barrier before we talk."

Silvana nodded weakly. She knew it was time to act, though the energy of the First Star that still overwhelmed Adam's body frightened her.

Step. Step. Step.

Silvana entered the dark sphere as Adam's figure opened before her eyes. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, and his eyes were deeply closed.

Soon, Silvana had a slight smile on her face as she approached Adam from behind and hugged him, copying their pose in their last attack against Arnoth and Lost Light.

Silvana closed her bright eyes as she found herself in Adam's inner space, meeting his expectant gaze.

"Hey, long time no see, right?"

"Yeah, your hunt for the S4 monster dragged on quite a bit. But, you ended up finishing your voyage with another victory in the end."

Adam chuckled with a bitter smile. "A victory? Come on, I had to escape from the Dark Shore. I got lucky this time. First, I met Kenward, then Wilfred saved me."

Step.

Silvana stepped into the ring reserved for her.

Now, they were both ready.

"You decided you needed to move towards the light of the trees. If you hadn't, you would have run out of strength sooner or later. Either way, you've earned this evolution."

Then, they held hands. A soaring stream of energy from the destroyed Lock rushed straight towards them.

First, the energy stopped at Adam as the primary owner of this space, then it flowed smoothly to Silvana only to eventually return to Adam. The process repeated itself, getting faster and faster each time.

What's more, their sensations were different.

Adam felt relieved as if a weight had fallen from his shoulders as his aura grew more powerful. Silvana faced the opposite situation.

A slight pain roamed through her body as energy was channeled to the farthest corners. The moment she could no longer endure the pain, everything suddenly stopped as her green eyes froze.

Darkness, unaccustomed to the Operator, filled her eyes. One part belonged to Adam, but the other was reserved for Silvana.

Whoooooosh.

A blob of darkness slammed into the Evolution Tree right at Adam's Foundation Artifact, the Wreath of Hope.

The second part of the darkness was left for Silvana.

Even though her Evolution Sprout merged with Adam's tree, her path of power continued. It was not a sacrifice, but one of the stages.

Adam was not worried about Silvana. He knew she would be fine.

What he was more interested in was the growth of his Evolution Tree and... the fact that his Nexus and Power Gene were moving towards each other.