Endless Evolution: Last Star

Like any other Phantom, Adam was able to summon Revolve, the basis that separated Phantoms from mere humans, aside from the Evolution Tree. Without Revolve, it was impossible to collect genes and thus become better.

However, in order to collect a monster's genes, one had to participate in its killing, so that before the monster died, the Evolution Tree could access the genes - like a thief who needed to look closely at a lock to find the right lock picks.

Adam knew this, which was why he was in such a hurry, for if Blizzard Harbinger died, the Steel Knight would be the only one whose Evolution Tree would be in contact with Blizzard Harbinger's.

A white vortex swirled rapidly under Adam's palm as Blizzard Harbinger's body trembled.

Then, a tiny, purple gene flew into Revolve, immediately heading for Adam's Vault.

[Blizzard Harbinger Gene, Purple Threat Level, x1 - has been placed in the Vault!].

Now, Adam has only one target left - three Zero Rarity Level Artefacts.

Normally, to find three artifacts, one would have to spend a lot of time looking for anomalies, but in this case, it was much easier.

When Scarlet River Squad moved towards the cluster center, they passed through several anomalies and collected almost ten artifacts - all of them were stored in the most protected truck that was fourth in the chain - right behind Dargo.

However... although Steel Knight didn't know what Adam's plan was, but he as Crown Monster was smart enough to realize that he must stop Adam.

Whoooooooooosh.

The Steel Knight jumped sharply towards Adam as his swords vibrated. Each sword, shook several hundred times a second, becoming like a plasma cutter that destroyed atoms in its path.

Adam's pupils narrowed as he quickly put up a block.

A cascade of sparks flew off to the sides, but then something made Adam feel real fear - several silver threads were shredded by the Steel Knight's swords.

Never before had such a thing happened, his threads were indestructible, at least until now.

'I see... There's definitely nothing wrong with my threads, it's just that he's putting incredible effort into cutting them one by one!' Adam inwardly exclaimed. Steel Knight's sword slowly passed through his needle.

Adam couldn't counterattack from this position, so he decided to do what he needed now - run!

Whooooooooooooosh.

Electric shocks went through his legs as he abruptly found himself a few meters away from the Steel Knight.

Everything happened so suddenly that the Steel Knight didn't react in time, and his swords collapsed to the ground.

The ice was turned into dust as frosty vapor rose up, whizzing over Steel Knight's shoulders.

Adam cast a glance at the Steel Knight and quickly ran away, moving towards the trucks that were about a kilometer away in the distance.

It would be the longest 1,000 meters of his life.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Steel Knight's legs trembled in the same way as his swords, then he turned into a silver flash - at a tremendous speed approaching Adam.

Even using the Second Trait of his Artifact - Lightning Step, Adam wasn't fast enough to break away from the Steel Knight.

Moreover, unlike Adam, there were no obstacles for the Steel Knight here.

No matter what object was in his path, be it a concrete wall, a piece of metal, or an ice crystal, the Steel Knight did not change his direction.

He simply destroyed each object, heading towards Adam in a straight trajectory - which meant the distance between them was rapidly shortening.

'This isn't good... I'm sure if he gets to me, I won't be able to withstand his onslaught for long, however...' Maybe I'm in too much of a hurry?' Adam pondered as he stared at the Steel Knight, crushing ice blocks with his swords.

Then, Adam stopped, not far from the trucks that were only a hundred meters behind.

Since the trucks were so close, it was natural that the members of the Scarlet River Squad were all around them - trapped in ice crystals. They would soon be released, but that would only happen after their fight.

Steel Knight also ended his run, he didn't understand what Adam was doing, and the first thing he thought was that it was a trap.

Steel Knight doubted, so... he decided to provoke Adam.

Crackle.

Without hesitation, the Steel Knight shattered the ice crystal with one of the Harvesters inside. As a result, the man's body burst into pieces under the pressure.

Adam frowned but didn't give in to his emotions since this was the worst thing he could do in this situation.

"I didn't even know you were going to show up. This can't be a trap! I just want a fair fight!" Adam said sincerely, clearly hiding something.

The Steel Knight stared at him intently, then nodded and quickly rushed forward.

In no time, a silver needle and two vibrating swords collided, then another and another.

Quite expected, Adam began to lose quickly. The Steel Knight was faster and stronger. Soon, Adam's entire body was covered in a multitude of wounds.

'Come on! This has already worked twice! I have to do it if I want to win!' Adam inwardly shouted, clenching his teeth tightly and following every strike of the Steel Knight, who was gradually becoming faster and deadlier.

Adam's goal was simple - he wanted to enter Resonance to take another step forward.

He realized that even if he got the Third Trait of his Artifact, he wouldn't be able to defeat the Steel Knight in one powerful attack. Besides that, he needed something else, and Resonance was the perfect option.

Being under a deadly threat was the best way to increase the chances of that, but for some reason, Adam didn't feel like he could enter Resonance at all.

'No! No! No... I have to do this for my plan to work!'

The Steel Knight swung his swords, leaving long cuts on Adam's chest, plunging him into vivid pain.

Adam started to act reflexively, trying to think of a new plan.

'Idiot...'

Suddenly in his mind rang a voice that had already sounded twice before when he was in Resonance.

'You know it's wrong... Only by focusing on one goal can you do it... don't think about anything but your enemy!'

At the same moment, the Steel Knight made a sharp lunge, about to pierce Adam's heart. The sword cut through the wind currents quickly approaching Adam's chest.

Whoooooooooooosh.

Before the Steel Knight could realize anything, Adam stepped forward, grabbing the Steel Knight's arm and smoothly throwing him over himself.

His movements were precise and focused with perfect accuracy, as the vibrating sword passed right next to his face, leaving a long cut on his cheek. Indeed, now he was focused on only one target, completely immersed in Resonance.

The Steel Knight quickly rose from the ground, getting into a fighting stance, but strangely, Adam did not attack.

Then, Steel Knight turned around and saw Adam kick the door to the truck, pulling out three identical black containers and quickly opening them.

The three artifacts swept in front of Adam's cold gaze that pierced the Steel Knight - as if preparing him for inevitable defeat.

The Steel Knight was about to act, but it was too late, for Adam grabbed the artifacts and held them tightly to his chest.

The artifacts shone brightly just as his eyes, turned into white flashes and entered his chest, plunging his mind into another space.

The Violet Gene and three Zero Rarity Level Artifacts entered the False Orb - causing it to tremble more violently than ever before.

[Third Trait - Thunder Punishment

At first, lightning passively improved your reflexes and body, then you learned to use it partially at will to increase your speed, so now it's time for the next stage - creation.

Use the energy of lightning to destroy any enemy, turning it into nothing more than a handful of ash].

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The air rippled as electric shocks traveled through Adam's fingertips, quickly becoming incredibly dense, like thick plasma.

High in the sky, chaotic random discharges appeared above the Steel Knight. They quickly traveled from one place to another, becoming faster and stronger.

"I hope you don't die after this. I got a really deadly weapon!" Adam exclaimed as he clenched his fist tightly.

At the same moment, a massive thunderbolt, rained down on the Steel Knight with speed beyond sound, unleashing its enormous temperature on the Steel Knight's armor - vulnerable to electricity.