Endless Evolution: Last Star

"GRHH!" Ureyn's painful growl erupted across the wind plain as he rose to his feet despite the intense pain.

Thanks to the energy and strength of his body, he was able to stop the bleeding, allowing him to continue fighting, but this deep wound was not his main problem.

His gaze met Adam's, reminding him once again that he simply had no way to win at this point.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! How can this be?!" Ureyn exclaimed inwardly in anger. "What was that? So the last attack wasn't an imitation of the gray pierce? In fact, it was just a weakened version of his other ability? What the HELL?!"

Although Ureyn didn't say anything out loud, Adam could understand everything from Ureyn's gnashing teeth and the trembling muscles on his face.

For Adam, this was also an important lesson, because Ureyn was himself, the one who had strayed from the path.

'Damn, not only did he decide to give up his goal to pursue it later, but he decided to choose the power of his faction over his own. Throughout our entire fight, he hardly used his wind, only to empower himself. But isn't that his essence? The wind... It's right there in his title. Does it really mean nothing to him anymore?'

Then, Adam shook his head and stepped forward, looking into Ureyn's eyes like a reaper come to destroy all his beliefs with his needle and black and white energy.

"Adam... I understand who you are..." Ureyn brushed the blood from his mouth.

"Hmm?" Adam raised an eyebrow, confused.

Ureyn frowned, pointing his needle directly at Adam.

"You're just a lucky bastard with incredible talent! You achieved this level of power in just one year! It can't be the result of your efforts or decisions! It's just blind luck and divine talent, nothing more!"

He clenched his fist as his aura grew stronger, showing his rage. But who exactly was it directed at? Adam, or...?

"I admit your abilities are powerful, but that doesn't mean you surpass the techniques of a powerful faction whose members have honed their skills for decades and even centuries and passed them on to monsters like me!"

Ureyn took a different stance as he pointed his needle upward, as if wanting to help the tip reach the heavens.

"You were able to surpass the gray pierce thanks to your unimaginable talent, but that won't help you against the gray hail!"

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Streams of energy burst forth from Ureyn, directing almost all of his wind power to execute this technique to its fullest, to show the power of the needle.

Despite the direct insults, Adam showed no reaction. He was not going to prove to Ureyn whether he was right or wrong with words of any kind. There was no point in that.

Instead, he glanced toward where most of the Gray Needle members were standing, as well as the old man with the white beard who had been here from the beginning and had earlier hinted to Ureyn about the gray pierce.

'I see... Not only did Ureyn fail to handle the pressure and his plan, he also made a mistake that I had diligently avoided with all my might.'

His gaze slowly changed, becoming darker and deeper as he moved from one monster to another, spending a few moments on each.

'That's exactly why I didn't want to join any faction in the Citadel. Sure, in that case, you can get help and advice when you need it, but there are other ways to achieve that. On the bad side, you can fall under the influence of those who are sure they only want what's best for you, but don't realize that they are destroying you, your life, and most importantly, your potential.'

In the end, Adam stopped at the old man as their eyes met. Despite the obvious difference in power between them, Adam felt no fear.

Instead, Adam left the old man with a message in his last glance: "You're wrong."

TREMBLE!

For a moment, this caused a vivid reaction in the old man as his aura became several times stronger, frightening all the monsters around him.

"This... little bastard... He's been in this world for less than two decades, he's been on the path of power for just over a year, and yet he dares to show such insolence!" The old man growled in his deep, hoarse voice.

But his aura quickly returned to normal. He understood that now was not the time for this.

On the other side of the arena, Norax laughed, clearly enjoying such a reaction from one of the leaders.

"Hahaha, old man Draug is angry, how scary!" Norax's lips curved into a sly smirk. "That's why the Gray Needle hasn't been able to take control of these lands for hundreds of years. He's too stubborn. Even if the world remains the same, there will always be unique fighters, and... that cannot be ignored."

Nollura was sure that there was some hidden meaning in Norax's words, but she couldn't ask about it directly, it was not her rank. She was lucky to stand here, next to him, and watch the battle from the closest spots in the first place.

Moreover, she knew better than most what Ureyn was like, and she could see from his expression that he was not well.

'Ureyn, you... You don't believe those words, do you? You want it to be true, but can you prove it? To do that, you have to defeat Adam, and...'

Her gaze turned to Adam, who, despite his calm expression, looked menacing, like an invincible warrior ready to destroy all of Ureyn's hopes and goals.

"Will you be able to do it?"

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

At that moment, a powerful stream of energy emanating from Ureyn burst forth in a dense pillar that covered him and Adam like rain with a sphere consisting of a million tiny needles.

Adam looked around, barely able to see the spectators and the wind plain because of how many needles there were and how densely they were packed together.

Now, this was part of the arena, but in order to use this technique, Ureyn had to pay a price.

"GRH!" He spat out a mouthful of blood as all his past wounds reminded him of themselves once again.

Adam jerked his head.

"Was it worth it, Ureyn?"

In response, Ureyn smirked.

"Sure, you just don't realize you've already lost." He chuckled darkly as several needles quivered, ready to descend upon Adam at Ureyn's will.