Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1673 1673: Broken Guide

Sarka was strong. Every monster at Kaerno's Pillar knew this, and Adam was no exception to that rule.

Up until that moment, he hadn't seen her fight, but he could sense everything from her aura, from her attitude toward future battles. Only someone strong enough could behave that way. He knew this because he was the same.

But Sarka had one significant flaw, she flew into a rage too quickly, and it was hard for her to stop until she had torn her enemy's head off.

In fact, that was exactly the fate that awaited the first servant had Adam not been there.

"Enough. If you kill him now, we won't be able to learn anything. That's not part of our plan, is it?" Adam said calmly, looking into her large, hunger-filled eyes.

The first servant had no choice but to await Sarka's decision. He had already lost one of his hands, and her claws were poised right before his throat.

Sarka stared at Adam. Her eyes grew deeper and wilder, until…

Blink. Blink. Blink.

She blinked several times, coming to her senses.

"Right!" she exclaimed eagerly, her gaze showing no trace of her earlier wild state. "Sorry, when I'm in the heat of battle, I forget about everything else!"

Adam was surprised that he'd been able to resolve the issue so easily. He'd expected Sarka to resist.

'Well, sometimes you overestimate how serious the situation really is, right?'

"You said you know how to gather information. How do you plan to do that?"

In response, Sarka shrugged.

"Oh, it's very simple, all you need is-!"

CRACKLE!

Without warning, she slammed her fist right into the first servant's leg.

"RGGGHHH!!!" The monster let out a pained growl, twitching from side to side.

From the distinct crack, it was obvious that with that hit, Sarka had broken its leg.

Adam raised an eyebrow, confused. He had nothing against radical methods, but he didn't see how this was supposed to help them in their search for the Frenzied Shard.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Sarka waved her hand as she abruptly grabbed the first servant by the neck.

She squeezed his throat so hard that the first servant began to choke, but he didn't rush to free himself. He knew resistance was futile.

"Now, you'll lead us to the place where the Frenzied Shard is located. If you don't know where the shard is, then take us to the nearest servant. You must have information on that."

Her gaze shifted downward.

"Sure, you have a broken leg, what a bummer. Well, it's a good thing you're a strong monster and moving on one leg won't be a problem for you, right?"

Adam's pupils dilated as he realized what Sarka had done.

'I see. Damn, that's a pretty simple plan. We don't need to waste time questioning him; he'll show us the way if he wants to live, and because of his broken leg, he won't be able to run away. We'll catch up to him easily.'

The first servant began nodding vigorously, hoping that Sarka would loosen her grip.

That's exactly what happened.

"Now, show us the way. If you don't cause any trouble, then so be it, I'll let you live. You have nothing to lose. After such a disgrace, the Frenzied Shard will terminate your contract."

'Hmm?' Adam pondered. 'What is she talking about?'

When he looked closer, he saw that the amber light in the first servant's eyes had begun to fade slowly. It wasn't an instant process, but very soon, not a shred of the Frenzied Shard's power would remain in his body.

'So if a servant fails its task, the Frenzied Shard knows about it? Tsk. These shards actually act like artifacts.'

The first servant got up from the ground, brushed the dust off himself, and jumped to the side.

He was moving fairly quickly, but he couldn't ignore his broken leg. It was slowing him down considerably.

Sarka shook her head as she and Adam followed their temporary guide.

The first servant met them right at the edge of the Pit. Now, they were moving deeper into this territory, toward the left side of it.

Ruins, forgotten statues, toppled arches, and much more flashed before Adam's eyes. The further they advanced, the more varied the objects in their path became, and their sizes also increased.

Tap.

The first servant jumped onto a large cube before moving on. For a moment, he disappeared from Adam's field of vision, but soon enough, he was on top of the cube as well.

Adam's eyes widened as he froze for a moment.

Ahead, as before, there were various objects and structures, but something stood out from the crowd.

The giant golden clocks, partially buried in the ground, stood amidst the ruins. Every object here was the size of a multi-story building or even larger, but these clocks were of monumental proportions comparable only to a mountain.

"Shit…" Adam stammered. "Now everything else doesn't seem so big anymore."

Sarka slapped him on the back, urging him to take a step forward.

"Hah, what you're about to see is just a small part of the Pit. I've been here several times, and with each visit, I realize more and more just how vast this place is, not in terms of area, but in terms of the sheer number of things here. This is a veritable global junkyard, not the Tarnished Lands."

He had come here for a different purpose, but Adam couldn't help but wonder where all these things had come from.

'Ruins, metal scraps, and other debris might have ended up here thanks to the wind or a shockwave from the World Wipe, but something as massive as these clocks? What the hell…'

"Hey!" Sarka shouted, waving her hand in front of his eyes. "Can you hear me?"

"Agh? Yes, are we there yet?"

The first servant didn't go any further; he stopped at the edge of the cube, pointing ahead.

Adam approached with a frown spread across his face.

"So, not only are the objects here, but the monsters are completely random too?"

Now, he looked at the second servant, which, unlike the first, was a huge, predatory flower. Its vines quivered all around, and its roots filled the base of the clock.

'Either way. This is another step forward toward the Frenzied Shard!'