Endless Evolution: Last Star

The fighter slowly descended to the landing site at Fort Calden, the main fort of the Bastion Radon. Several militaries were waiting for them, to register their arrival and make sure everything was in order.

Adam looked around with a sparkling gaze, observing Bastion, the city, and the massive crystal - the center of Bastion. This crystal was the reason why they had come here because Bastion Radon was built on Monster Nest.

Bastion Radon was not the only place where Adam could go through Elemental Circle, however, it was the most convenient option. Relative to the previous generations of Phantoms, he was quite lucky, because they had no such feature.

They had to do it in Dead Lands, however... technically Adam would have to go there as well without leaving Bastion Radon.

A woman with blonde hair and a stern look in her eyes - like most of the military - stepped forward. She was wearing a dark uniform and a beret with a sharp peak.

"Mr. Adam Vinter, K1-Phantom, my name is Clara Aley." Clara rapidly spoke holding her arms crossed behind her back, "It is a pleasure to welcome you to our Bastion. You came here to pass the Elemental Circle, didn't you?"

Adam nodded with a serious look.

Clara sighed heavily.

"Fine, I'm sure you know the risks, but I must warn you that this time things may be even more dangerous."

"Hmm? What are you talking about?" Adam asked in confusion.

Silvana was interested too, for she hadn't been told about this and didn't have any further information.

"Follow me. We haven't accepted any Phantoms wanting to go through the Elemental Circle for a week now. We were going to refuse you as well, but... someone interfered." Clara coughed before turning around and heading for the car.

Adam and Silvana looked at each other. It was obvious who Clara was talking about because only someone influential and interested in Adam's mission could change the decision of the Bastion Radon military.

"Good luck, guys! If I'm free, I'll be sure to pick you up! I hope everything works out for you!" Lang uttered, waving his hand with a bright smile.

"Sure. I'm sure it'll be fine." Adam nodded.

...

Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.

The iron doors opened as they entered the center of the Bastion, descending to the lowest point on the elevator. Through the glass panels, there was a clear view of the crystal towards whose base they were moving.

"Surely you know that it is possible to pass the Elemental Circle in our Bastion since there is a Nest of Prismatic Elementals at the bottom." Clara explained.

Adam raised an eyebrow as his eyes grew slightly wider. No one had ever told him about this, he didn't even know it was possible.

Bastion, the place where millions of people lived was built right above Monster Nest as its base. Not next to it or across from it, but literally in the same place.

But... Why?

"Oh... I guess I should tell you more about that." Clara muttered, seeing Adam's puzzled face.

Adam nodded.

"Well, every Bastion needs a power source to keep the city, the defense guns, and the barrier running. There are many different ways to get energy, but in the case of our Bastion, it's become something special - the Nest center, that crystal that runs through the entire Bastion." Clara said, pointing back with her thumb.

"So... monsters are living at the bottom of Bastion?" Adam asked in disbelief.

He realized that the crystal was an extremely valuable resource if Bastion was built around it, but he wasn't sure it was worth the risks. Either way, living near monsters was dangerous or even deadly.

Clara shook her head.

"We narrowed the size of the Nest as much as possible to leave the crystal and areas for the Elemental Circle. If we shrink the area even more, the crystal will collapse. It will be a true disaster."

Then, Clara smiled bitterly.

"As always, all credit goes to the Phantoms. Over a hundred years ago, a one Second Rank Phantom used all his strength to defeat a Second Circle Prismatic Elemental. It was a great battle, but we received no less reward in return."

Threat Level, Red and White Book as well as Types, were necessary to indicate the approximate might of a particular monster. However, all of these were insignificant compared to Circle.

Once Adam became a Phantom, he reached the First Circle of Evolution. Next was the Second Circle, but getting to that was extremely difficult because it meant he would become a Second Rank Phantom, passing through many obstacles along the way.

Thus, Phantom had to deal with a truly formidable opponent in order for Bastion Radon to possess something unique.

"But... It seems like you're in trouble now, isn't it?" Silvana narrowed her eyes, she was slightly annoyed. Adam had a 10% chance of a lethal outcome during Elemental Circle, so they didn't need the extra complication.

Clara nodded.

"For some reason, the Prismatic Elementals have started showing up again, it hasn't happened in quite some time. We haven't decided what to do about it yet since Nest hasn't expanded, and we can't afford to constrict it any further, like I said."

Clara turned to Adam.

"You don't have to go through Elemental Circle right now. In fact, I would advise you to wait until we get this problem sorted out. Elemental Circle is a difficult trial in itself, and if you are interrupted by Prismatic Elementals your chances of failure increase."

Adam shook his head.

"My job is to strengthen my body, so there's no point in running away from danger when I have to face it head-on. The most important thing is that I can handle the Prismatic Elementals, how strong are they?"

Silvana quickly replied.

"Blue Threat Level, White Book. They shouldn't be a danger to you, however... there are individuals much stronger among their kind. Though, considering this Nest has been cleared many times already, no one too strong will show up. That's for sure."

"Your Operator is correct." Clara nodded as the corners of her mouth lifted upward, forming a slight smile.

Then, they stopped as they reached the lower level of the Bastion - Floor -1.

Unlike the Citadel, there was no division into Lower and Upper Ring, the entire Bastion was under the complete control of the military and government. Well, crime did happen, but not enough to create a separate zone within the Bastion where the military was powerless.

Clara led them to a platform that overlooked the Nest of Prismatic Elementals and the base of the Bastion Radon.

"Damn... So this is where I have to spend the next week, right? Looks like it's going to be tough." Adam muttered, glancing at the various types of elements covering the vast area.

Ice crystals, fiery geysers, bubbling waterfalls, a constantly shaking earth, a hurricane zone, and a field of endless lightning discharges as well as many more.

Each area denoted some element or several at once as well as their altered forms. All in all, it was the perfect place to expose Phantom's body to most of the elements.