Endless Evolution: Last Star

Quite a few monsters were living at the Corrosive Lakes. It wasn't the most densely populated area in the Tarnished Lands, but it wasn't far from being the emptiest either, even though it was one of the weakest.

Now, each of the hundreds of monsters that emerged from the ruins and their caves as Adam and Dayra left felt the earth tremble. With each passing second, the tremors grew stronger and more frequent, occasionally reaching such magnitude that buildings shook.

Dayra and Silvana, who saw everything with their own eyes, observed a completely different picture than the monsters above could have imagined. True, everyone understood that something was happening in the depths of the crypts, something important and dangerous, but they had no idea what awaited them.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

Time after time, Adam and Lyrod collided in the middle of the gorge, clashing above the river and returning to the walls, only to repeat the same thing a second later.

Lyrod remained in his monster form; he was Adam's first opponent who had a title, intelligence, and preferred to fight in this way. Lyrod in his monster form was a great lizard with dark blue scales and sharp stone growths covering his body.

On his head were two white horns extending backward and curving slightly upward at the tips. His long tail carried a dozen crystals full of energy, which pulsed with each collision.

Energy overflowed his body, and even though he was in monster form, he constantly used new abilities, as he, like Kolos with Dayra, was an Awakened Monster.

At the same time, his glowing claws and long fangs were as formidable weapons as those of other monsters, and his body gave him enormous strength. Despite this, he could not overcome Adam, and his speed remained far higher than Dayra's at her peak form.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Two flashes streaked past Dayra's eyes as the clang of metal reached her ears, echoing off the cold walls.

Adam gradually became faster, as did the temperature of his rods. He used throws and threads to catch Lyrod off guard, and from time to time he succeeded.

Lyrod had no way to become faster, except through energy, but that wasn't enough to reach Adam's level, who was using his Initial Gene, Core Nexus, and Stellar Resonance at the same time.

Adam had a few more tricks up his sleeve, but he was approaching the peak of his power, while Lyrod still kept his abilities a secret.

But for Lyrod, this couldn't last too long.

Hundreds of depressions and craters filled the walls, cracks spread across the gorge as the air shimmered, causing mirages due to the high temperature.

Dayra had to narrow her eyes to see everything in detail as the steam rising from the usually cold river interfered with her vision.

Burst!

Red flames covered Adam's rods as a gleam ran through his eyes. His muscles trembled and his body was almost as red as his fire — he had reached his maximum temperature.

Unfortunately for Adam, he had to make a decision.

"You can't keep going at this pace," Lone Blaze's voice rang out.

Adam bit his lip as he watched Lyrod leap off the wall, his bright claws cutting through the darkness as he moved straight toward Adam.

"I know. I have to shed this ability, I need to lower the temperature, but... I can do it by using all my gathered power at the last moment, can't I?"

"Sure. As soon as the rods disappear, the ability will end. Nothing is stopping you from continuing, but it's dangerous. A few more minutes and you'll burn up in your fire."

In response, Adam nodded slightly as his eyes darkened, causing Lyrod to flinch. He was in midair, so he couldn't stop his attack, leaving Adam completely free to act, even if only for a second.

The first thing Adam thought of was to put all his strength into one attack and try to wound Lyrod in a confrontation. But... as soon as he glanced to the side, he had another idea.

"Yeah, that'll work."

Adam grinned slyly.

Whoooooosh.

He threw one rod upward, which pierced the ceiling, and the other downward, straight into the river. The fiery thread connecting the rods reflected in Lyrod's eyes as he tried to understand what Adam was up to.

Then, Adam turned into a shadow in a split second, ending up at the top rod.

Before Lyrod could look up or understand what was happening, Adam made a second leap, crossing the gorge in a vertical flash, moving straight toward the rod below.

Lyrod was right in Adam's path. In this case, his large body made him an easy target. Adam simply couldn't miss.

Splash.

The impact sent Lyrod plunging straight into the river where Adam was with him. Streams of steam filled the gorge from the evaporating water caused by Adam's rods, but he did not use them to harm Lyrod.

He already had the first needle in his hands as he threw the rods aside.

Thrust.

The broad blade pierced Lyrod's back as he tried to get out of the river, the winding banks hindering him in this task.

Thick streams of blood gushed in front of Adam's face, yet there was not a sound from Lyrod. His eyes were wide open and his pupils trembled in bright pain, but he held back his roar.

"Oh... Still silent?" Adam said calmly. "I've heard so many bad things about you from Dayra. I thought I'd be dealing with a chatty whiner, but... You're surprisingly resilient. Don't worry. I'll fix that."

Twist.

Adam twisted the needle, tearing Lyrod's flesh from within. His blood-soaked muscles trembled in spasms, but all Lyrod did was clench his jaws tighter.

"You... Bastard...!"

Those were all the words Lyrod managed to say.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Suddenly, from all sides, roots covered in green flames burst forth. Before Lyrod could even notice, Dayra grabbed his paws and tail, pinning him to the ground while most of the roots gathered to twist around his neck.

Adam was about to continue his attack, pleased with Dayra's support, but... something made him stop.

His eyes filled with fear.

Then, a bright light covered the gorge, causing all the water in the river to glow brightly with raging energy.