Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 2038: How many Phantoms are there here?

While Gladius was making coffee for them, Silvana counted how many Second Rank Phantoms she knew of.

’12 from nobles, 3 more from the main factions, 1 from the Queen, 4 from the Lower Ring, and there are also a few more Second Rank Phantoms located at the Bastions.’

Silvana wasn’t sure exactly how many Second Rank Phantoms were directly associated with the Bastions. After all, the Twelve Branches were located at the Citadel, but during the World Wipe, they were dispatched to defend the Bastions.

Therefore, Silvana couldn’t assume that one Bastion equaled one Second Rank Phantom – that would be incorrect.

Thus, excluding the Bastions, a detail she still needed to verify, she counted 20 Second Rank Phantoms, but… right in front of her now was another person who should also be on the list.

‘Gladius… He’s a Second Rank Phantom. No one doubts that. Moreover, he is an Ancient One. Relana doesn’t seem to belong to any faction either. In that respect, she’s similar to Gladius.’ Silvana glanced at him.

Then, she remembered two more Phantoms who hadn’t made it onto her list yet.

‘Kamora and Goen. They are the Knights of the World’s End. I don’t know how many more knights there are, but at least two of them. So… not counting the Bastions, the Citadel has 24 Second Rank Phantoms. Huh… That’s… That’s fewer than I expected.’

It was worth noting that not all of these 24 Second Rank Phantoms were equal to one another, just as not all Lords were equal to one another.

Sure, the differences between the Lords were significantly greater than those between the Second Rank Phantoms, but in some respects their situations were similar.

Someone like Damien, Frida, or the leader of the Crimson Path was, on average, stronger than the head of the Twelve Branches.

Thus, the number of Second Rank Phantoms at Frida’s level was not 24 but significantly fewer, perhaps even fewer than 10, though Silvana wasn’t yet certain of this. She didn’t know enough about the Second Rank Phantoms or what was happening in the Second Circle.

‘When Adam becomes one of them, we’ll find out more. But for now, I know for certain about 24 Second Rank Phantoms, plus a few more from the Bastions, and that their levels vary to some extent.’

Silvana realized that even if she had complete information about the Bastions and their Phantoms, she wouldn’t have a complete list of every Second Rank Phantom.

‘Some Second Rank Phantoms must be in the same situation as Gladius and Relana. They exist and are even active, but few people know about them. Moreover, we don’t know how many other Knights there are besides Kamora and Goen.’

Tap.

Gladius set the coffee cups on the counter while holding a bag of dried apple chips in his hand.

“Is something wrong? After I answered your last question, you became pensive. What are you trying to figure out?”

“Nothing.”

Silvana lied.

“Just… I was thinking about Kamora and Goen. The Knights of the World End. Before meeting Goen, neither Adam nor I knew they existed. I was wondering how many of them there are in total.”

Gladius smirked, though he wasn’t in a hurry to give her answers right away, even if he knew them.

“Well, in time you’ll meet the rest of them. Considering what happened at the Gray Sea, something tells me that very soon Adam might meet another Knight of the World End.”

Silvana smiled bitterly.

“Yeah, I hope so. Apparently, they’re different from other Second Rank Phantoms, as you said, from the regular ones… Each of them can teach Adam a lot, and, oddly enough, Kamora and Goen saved Adam’s life.”

“Well,” Gladius chuckled. “I hope that when Adam meets the next Knight, he won’t find himself in mortal danger again. Sooner or later, his luck will run out.”

Silvana nodded.

“Yes, I understand that.”

“Good.”

Gladius smiled and pushed her cup of coffee toward her.

“Now, how about we have another cup and pick out the right outfit for you? While Adam and Relana are busy, we shouldn’t waste any time either, right?”

He gestured toward the atelier.

“This is Relana’s workshop, but I know a thing or two about style.”

Silvana nodded. She couldn’t deny it, seeing the suits Gladius wore.

“What do you say, Silvana? Will you let me pick out an outfit for you? Who knows, maybe we’ll even finish faster than Adam and Relana.”

Silvana could only sigh and accept his offer.

What other choice did she have?

…

At the same time, in the training hall located deep underground, other things were happening, and Adam was in for more than just a conversation about barriers and Second Rank Phantoms.

Adam gulped as he looked around.

The place he found himself in was a spacious training hall with numerous stands full of weapons.

Step.

Relana walked over to a rack and picked up a large spear with a long tip.

She made a few test swings with it before pointing it at Adam.

It was an ordinary spear, not her Nexus or any kind of artifact. The hilt was wooden, and the tip was iron – that’s it.

The only thing Relana did was channel her energy into the spear to strengthen it. Otherwise, the spear could have broken just from her firm grip and would certainly have shattered into splinters at the very first clash.

“Choose your weapon, Adam Vinter.”

Adam narrowed his eyes.

“It seems you know a little more about me than what Gladius told you.”

Step.

Adam stepped forward.

“And? Why should I choose a weapon? I already have one.”

Adam prepared to summon his needle as he extended his arm to the side.

Ripple!

A tremor rippled through the air as, in the blink of an eye, Relana appeared right in front of him.

The spear tip was pressed against Adam’s neck, causing him to gulp.

“I wouldn’t recommend doing that. If I bring out my Nexus, this fight will be over quickly. Choose a weapon from the available options, just like I did.”

Adam looked at her, meeting her intense gaze.

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got in store.”