Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 2079: Barrier or Stars

Adam, Silvana, and the others had come a long way, and they had grown accustomed to having to uncover the answers to many secrets on their own.

Stronger Phantoms or monsters rarely offered them answers right away, but Karos turned out to be different. He was willing to tell them things they shouldn’t have been told, or things they shouldn’t have known just yet.

After all, they weren’t Second-Rank Phantoms yet, and there were still several years until the Zero War. Though no one knew for sure when the Befallen Crown would decide to make their move.

Karos had just told them what would happen at the Zero War and that death awaited them all, yet his expression remained calm and even carefree.

Alexia gulped.

“W-What? What did you say? What the hell does that mean? I’m not going to die, especially at the hands of those bastards from the Befallen Crown!”

Karos shrugged.

“That’s what happened last time, and the time before that. I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just telling you what’s already happened and what, statistically speaking, is likely to happen again. The Lords are far more powerful than the Second-Rank Phantoms.

“The Befallen Crown will have to sacrifice many of its warriors, but they’re willing to do so to prevent us from becoming even stronger.”

Then, Karos scratched the back of his head with an uncertain expression.

“I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but that’s exactly why various options for how to protect you are being discussed at the highest levels. To be honest, we haven’t yet reached a single, effective solution.”

Alexia was outraged by the state of affairs. Silvana and Arayna exchanged glances. Deep down, they were terrified. Adam and Fromund wore grim expressions, while Louis stared thoughtfully at a single point.

“Hmm…” He hummed. “They’re taking advantage of their numerical superiority and the fact that they don’t need to kill stronger Second-Rank Phantoms to deal with the weaker ones. Damn, that really complicates things.”

Karos nodded but said nothing. He was curious to see if Louis could come up with a solution.

“I take it we can’t hide behind Queen Elisa’s barrier, right?” Louis asked, as that was the only idea that had occurred to him.

Hope flashed in the others’ eyes. They knew how strong Queen Elisa’s barrier was, but when Karos shook his head, they realized it wasn’t meant to be.

“No, well, not exactly. The Befallen Crown won’t be able to break through our Second-Rank Phantoms and Queen Elisa’s barrier. No one has any doubts about that. However, during a prolonged battle between the strongest monsters and the Phantoms, they will damage Queen Elisa’s barrier.”

His gaze grew more intense.

“Even Queen Elisa’s barrier has a breaking point as well as an internal energy reserve. If the full might of the Befallen Crown is unleashed upon her barrier, its strength will drop to a minimum.”

Karos spread his arms wide.

“Sure. In that scenario, you and the other Stars will survive, but at what cost? Who will defend the Citadel without Queen Elisa?”

In an instant, hope vanished from their eyes as their faces grew somber.

They understood what Karos was talking about.

“We cannot sacrifice the Citadel, the Zero Vault, and the Lower Ring just to save a few talented Phantoms. True, each of you is our future, and we’ll do everything we can to help you survive this war – no… this hunt for you, but if the choice is between you and the Citadel, then we have only one option left.”

Adam nodded, his eyes deep.

“Yeah, I get it, we all get it. The stakes are too high. No single Phantom is worth putting all of humanity at risk for, and in this case, that threat is more than real.”

“Indeed.”

Silvana turned to Karos.

“So what are we supposed to do, then? If we can’t even hide at the Citadel, and using Queen Elisa’s barrier isn’t an option, what options do we have left?”

Before Karos could answer, two hands grabbed his cheeks and began pulling them in different directions, first up and down, then left and right.

Blink. Blink. Blink.

All six of them blinked in confusion before looking up.

Behind Karos stood a girl with gray hair that reached only to her chin and equally gray eyes, intense. She smiled like a child, even though she was clearly an adult who had lived a very long time in this world.

The girl wore loose gray clothes that were puffed out like balloons around her wrists and ankles. It was her family’s ceremonial outfit.

“Layra…” Karos muttered as the girl continued to tug at his cheeks. “I was hoping you wouldn’t come this time.”

It was unclear whether he was glad to see her or not, but Layra was clearly pleased that she’d been able to meet Karos here.

“Karos! I’m so glad to see you!” she exclaimed, stretching his cheeks to the limit before letting go.

She poked her fingers at his lips, making him pull faces she thought were funny.

Karos rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah… sure. We’re actually having a serious conversation here, in case you haven’t noticed.”

At that moment, Layra stopped and looked at the others.

“Oh, Adam, Fromund, and Alexia are here, I’ve heard about them. Good job, guys! I made a lot of money betting on you a year ago!”

Silvana was taken aback.

‘What… what a strange woman. Wait, her eyes and hair, and the way she’s interacting with Karos, could she be…?’

Then, Layra rested her head on Karos’s head and smiled broadly.

“Yep, I know what you were talking about, that’s why I came here, but I think I should introduce myself first.”

She pointed at herself with two fingers.

“My name is Layra Hurxo. I’m the head of the Hurxo Family. Nice to meet you!”

Fromund and Arayna exchanged glances.

This was already the second family head they’d met here, and there were a few more in the banquet hall, but even compared to Joarxa, Layra was quite strange.

“So…” Layra poked herself on the cheek. “Looks like you guys haven’t figured out how to survive the Zero War yet? Huh, good thing I have an idea!”