Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1613 1613: Return to the Tree

"Huh, looks like we've reached the finish line." Zargos grinned, seeing that Adam's aura had calmed down. The nightmare no longer haunted him, for he had defeated it, just as he always did.

Merra placed her hand on her chest.

"He did it? He got the Dark Energy?"

"Not yet. Apparently, he passed the First Star's trial. Either way, all he has to do now is absorb its energy."

Merra wanted to say something, but Zargos stopped her with his intense gaze.

"If Morok really comes here with his squad, don't interfere in the fight. The five of them will quickly overwhelm you, and I won't be able to help you."

"S-Sure." Her voice trembled. She wasn't used to seeing him so serious. "I'll do as you say, sir. I'm sure you know what you're doing."

Suddenly, Zargos's expression changed from serious to a silly smile.

"Of course. Anyone would say I'm a fool for telling K4-Phantom about the Dark Energy so early, but look at this!" He waved his hand toward Adam. "He did it and—!"

Before Zargos could finish his sentence, a powerful stream of darkness burst out of Adam in a majestic pillar that immediately headed for the red dome.

As Zargos had expected, the barrier would not be able to contain the power coming from the First Star, even if it was only a tiny part of it.

Very soon, when the barrier fell, everyone else would notice. Many would be afraid to come here because they didn't know why this was happening and what to expect.

Others would realize that Zargos's cottage was located in this area, so for them it would be a losing battle anyway.

But... What about Morok and his team, who came here specifically to get rid of Adam Vinter?

The fact that just a few hours after being rescued from Liliane's team, he will receive the Dark Energy will only be further proof of how great a threat he poses. Not now, but in the future.

...

Step. Step. Step.

Adam knew nothing about this. All he had been focused on lately was defeating Dark Silvana and gaining the power that had long been a part of him, but over which he had no control.

It was quite ironic.

"Anything to say?" Adam stopped, staring at the dark needle. He had never seen his weapon in this form before.

Tremble.

"Just grab me by the handle and shut up. You won, as always. There's nothing impressive about that."

"Hah, it's really you and not the First Star. Good." Adam chuckled before pulling the dark needle out of the ground.

In its place remained a white void, reflecting nothing but endless space.

Adam looked at the dark needle, at its long, wide blade like a great sword. Unlike the white variant, its blades did not widen as much, resembling the spear's tip, but ran smoothly from the hilt to the tip, like a single, monolithic sword.

"Still no guard?" Adam raised an eyebrow, watching as the blades transitioned directly into the hilt.

The Silver Weaver grinned.

"Do you think I have any influence over that? This is the form that your and my energy took. That's it. Now, absorb the energy, and we can move on. This place makes me uncomfortable."

Adam looked around. Now, he understood better where he was.

"It wasn't the Evolution Tree, right? It was just a shell to make this place seem familiar to me..."

He turned, looking at the light through the cuts in the darkness.

"Is all of this the Dark Energy?"

The Silver Weaver nodded.

"More like the aftermath of the black flash. In reality, there's no more than a single drop of pure, dense energy here. Although if there were two drops, you wouldn't stand a chance. This energy is too dangerous."

"I see."

Adam glanced at the blade and pointed his needle forward.

"In that case, it's time to go back. Now, the story of the black flash has finally come to an end. Nothing connects me to the Two Stars anymore."

The tip of the needle pierced the darkness as Adam moved the blade upward, around himself, slowly lowering it until a round, white cut remained in the darkness.

With his next breath, the darkness disappeared like an exploding balloon full of water, leaving only an endless bright light in its place.

Adam took a deep breath with his eyes closed.

The next moment, he opened his eyes, and he found himself in a place he knew well.

"Here we are."

Adam smiled as he looked at the great tree in front of him. It was not empty, but full of energy and power, as it should be.

Tremble.

The dark needle trembled as it flew out of Adam's grasp and headed forward, toward the top of the Evolution Tree, where the Silver Weaver's altar was located.

Adam had no choice but to follow it.

Step.

He walked between the white branches, where at the very center of the top, above the lake of pure energy, a white orb floated. Before, it had been 100% white, but since then, Adam had grown stronger and gone through several evolutions, so its edges were now black here and there. Still, it was no more than 2-3% overall.

Tap.

The dark needle turned into the Silver Weaver. His long coat was white again, except for his left sleeve, which was now black to the edges.

"Oh, looks like our fight restored your arm?"

"Yeah, something like that. I didn't expect it, but you never know what will happen in the future, right?"

Adam nodded.

"So? What now?"

The Silver Weaver nodded toward the white orb.

"Direct all the Dark Energy here. You can try to do it in another part, but I wouldn't recommend it. It might be too dangerous. After all, I was originally created from the black flash. So, I'm the best candidate."

"Hah, maybe you just want to be the strongest here?"

The Silver Weaver shrugged.

"Does it matter?"

Adam didn't answer as he stretched out his hand.

Space distorted as soon as a black essence appeared above his palm, something he had never seen before.

Unexpectedly, even to himself, he had received his trump card that had been gathering dust on the shelf for a long time.