Endless Evolution: Last Star

Fall Hill Prison was divided into several zones, much like any prison. However, in Fall Hill Prison it wasn't to keep the prisoners in one place, it was for a different reason.

Everyone who entered Fall Hill Prison went straight to the F-Zone, as did Adam. It was the first zone where the most people stayed.

It wasn't about what kind of crime the Phantom was committing, it was about how far he could get....

The first test for each prisoner was the main gate - which Adam approached, accompanied by Lola.

"Please. Put your hand on the gate and be ready. This may be unexpected, as everyone knows a newcomer is coming soon." Lola smiled sweetly before taking a step back. She had been on the same level with Adam before, but now she decided to make way for him.

Adam paid no mind to such a gesture and simply touched the gate.

With a loud crack, the gate slowly opened, releasing a bright, snow-white light that blinded Adam for a moment.

Then, before the light passed, Adam stepped forward, and crossed the gate line, entering the F-Zone.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

As soon as Adam's foot touched the ground, a tremendous pressure came down on him. He had experienced this before when fighting against Steel Knight or Mirna, but it was different.

The Steel Knight's aura was emanating from him and exerting a general pressure on Adam as well as everything around him, but now dozens of origins were directed solely at Adam.

Various auras, of different powers descended upon Adam, gradually increasing in intensity.

First, a slight shiver went down Adam's body, then a chill down his back, and soon, his fingertips began to tremble. His condition was getting worse with each passing second.

"Well, well, he's doing well. A lot of newbies would have passed out already at this point." A mysterious voice boomed out, spreading throughout the room.

"Hah, that's only part of it. Sooner or later, he won't be able to stand it and will fall, it's inevitable." A caustic voice rang out.

At the same moment, the pressure on Adam increased to the point where he fell to one knee, and everything in front of his eyes went black.

"ARGH!!!!" Adam spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling his skin ready to tear, his bones to break, and his mind to sink into darkness for hours.

Adam hadn't expected such a reception but quickly realized what he needed to do.

If he was being suppressed by other people's auras, then he had to use his own!

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Adam clenched his teeth tightly as his pupils narrowed. His Evolution Tree trembled, and an aura began to emanate from it.

An aura was some sort of indicator of a creature's pure power, be it a Phantom or monster. The aura was the quintessence of all aspects of the Phantom's power: the amount of energy, the energy density, the experience gained in bloody battles, the knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as instincts, potential, and sheer physical strength.

In general, everything that somehow affected the power of the Phantom, except for external factors that were constantly changing, was clearly visible in the aura.

They could not be separated from each other, because without abilities there could not be experienced, and without physical strength, there could not be energy, because the body had to withstand its power. Everything was interconnected and combined in one place - Evolution Tree.

Nevertheless, all of these factors intertwined and came out in the form of an aura when the Phantom activated the Evolution Tree as if using an ability.

The aura itself had no color or physical embodiment, however, that was not the case for the Phantoms, however, sometimes even normal humans could see more than they should.

Adam slowly rose from the ground, clenching his fists tightly while dozens of eyes were directed at him.

At first, no one could see anything, but when Adam's aura became strong enough, most of the Phantoms could see the silhouette of white-hot fire actively spreading in all directions around Adam.

The pressure immediately became much weaker, though the extraneous auras didn't go anywhere, just Adam's aura working as a shield. It occupied the area around him, preventing the other auras from affecting his body.

"Oh, he's still standing on his feet... unbelievable." Someone muttered, genuinely amazed.

"In that case, let him try to endure the last stage! I don't believe he'll be one of the few rookies who can resist!" A stern voice rang out as several streams of auras changed.

Previously, the various auras pressing down on Adam looked like shapeless streams with rounded ends like arcs or invisible falling meteorites. These caused Adam's aura to ripple, or white-hot flames whose tips moved quickly but kept other people's auras from pressing down on Adam.

Now, a few of the streams of auras or invisible meteorites turned into transparent blades.

They effortlessly cut through the outer layer of snow-white fire as they moved toward Adam, passing through his aura that grew denser as they approached their owner.

Adam felt a sharp pain, but it soon stopped, for his aura was able to contain the blades, only a few millimeters from his skin. The blades needed just a single tug to break through Adam's aura and do real damage, but it was not to be.

Lola's eyes went wide, as well as many of the prisoners. They hadn't expected Adam to be able to endure such a thing, for it could only mean one thing - he would soon be leaving the F-Zone! Sooner or later, it would definitely happen, considering his success in the beginning.

The power of the aura was also influenced by another factor that not everyone knew about - the origin of the Phantom. With equal factors, a Naturalborn Phantom would have a stronger aura than an Artificialborn one.

Lola was a member of the Crimson Path, but, she was too low-ranked to know about the existence of Naturalborn Phantoms. Thus, Adam's power seemed even more unusual and terrifying to her and the other Phantoms.

Soon, the strangers' auras weakened and released Adam, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief. He had passed the test that most failed, and that couldn't go unnoticed.

Crackle.

The gate at the very end of the F-Zone opened, revealing a tall figure that stepped confidently forward. His powerful footsteps echoed out, causing every prisoner in the F-Zone to turn around.

"Holy shit... What's that bastard doing here?" The woman frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't know... but considering he showed up so quickly, he was expecting this... Hah, looks like our newcomer has already made some enemies." The man smirked, shaking his head with a bitter smile on his face.

The prisoners turned around, looking at the warden of their prison, Prago Avino, and the only K2-Phantom in this remarkable place.

His gaze and Adam's met, showing only disdain and slight contempt.

"Come to greet me in person?" Adam narrowed his eyes, "What's next? Attacking K1-Phantom? On an F-Zone prisoner?"

Prago smirked.

"Hah, looks like you're starting to understand how this prison works, right? If it were up to me, though, you wouldn't have any special areas or facilities. You're lucky Azure Lotus isn't the main organization in the Citadel, yet..." Prago's voice grew harsher at the last words.

Then, his gaze drifted to the confident Adam.

"I came here to show you that you shouldn't get cocky. You were able to withstand the aura attack of these F-Zone scum, nothing to be proud of. However... most can't even handle that."

Prago took a deep breath.

"Since this is your first time here, let me give you some advice - 'Stay in the F-Zone and spend your six months comfortably, otherwise there's only pain and suffering waiting for you.' Well, to make you believe me, I'll demonstrate." Prago shrugged before his pupils narrowed slightly.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

In a heartbeat, another aura descended upon Adam. This time, there was only one source - it came from Prago, who stood calmly in the distance.

Moreover, Prago's aura had a distinct shape and wasn't something as simple as a stream, sphere, or blade, like the prisoners who had attacked Adam before.

Prago's aura had the silhouette of a monster - with long arms woven from dozens of roots, crooked fingers with dead petals, and a strange head. The monster had no face - just two ghastly flowers instead of eyes and a horrible jaw that struggled to open as if tearing its own flesh - all to sink its fangs into its victim.

Before Adam could realize it, the monster swung its paws upward, tearing Adam's aura apart effortlessly.

Blobs of white-hot flame quickly dissipated while a new layer of aura strived to protect Adam, but it was too late.

The monster thrust its paws into Adam's stomach, opening its mouth wide as if roaring.

At the same moment, Adam fell to the ground, as a stream of blood gushed from his mouth.

It was only Prago's aura and not the real monster, so neither Adam's body nor his clothes were harmed. The monster's claws were only a representation of how Prago's aura crushed Adam, breaking him under tremendous pressure.

Adam's mind quickly clouded over, and only darkness filled his eyes.

Then, the tips of his Evolution Tree trembled, releasing white sparks as if trying to create something above the Evolution Tree in Adam's space, but... he wasn't ready for it, yet.

In Fall Hill Prison, he either had to waste six months of his life or learn what the Phantoms were capable of when there were no monsters around, only humans.