Endless Evolution: Last Star

The Gray Needle relied on both the techniques that every member of the faction knew and their needles. This was the natural order of things at the Forgotten Mills, and Ureyn was no exception, or... was he?

Ureyn did not always use his needle as his primary weapon, let alone his techniques. On the contrary, before he encountered problems he could not solve, suffered serious defeats, and shut himself away in his mill, his fighting style was quite different.

He did not try to win with techniques; on the contrary, he behaved arrogantly and haughtily towards many in the Gray Needle. Even Draug was no exception to this rule, even though he was one of the strongest monsters at the Forgotten Mills.

Sure, in some other place, disrespect from a weak monster towards a stronger one would have ended in inevitable death for the former, but the Forgotten Mills was a society where such barbarism was not common, although it definitely happened from time to time.

Ureyn was even more daring and insolent than Adam in his best moments. Obviously, there had to be reasons for such self-confidence; something had to support his self-assurance.

For Ureyn, the situation was in many ways similar to Adam's. He won, became stronger, and won again.

He showed and proved that he did not need techniques or even his needle, because his main weapons were his energy and abilities that came from his wind. No one could change his mind.

In the end, Ureyn received his title, and his title was the Grim Wind, associated with the very power he had used before locking himself in his mill.

However, several heavy defeats and, most importantly, the realization that he would not be able to stop the World Wipe, that the First Star and Last Star were too strong not only for him but for any creature, practically broke Ureyn.

He renounced his past beliefs and decided that it was time to finally grow up. He listened to what Draug and the other Gray Needle members had to say, trusting in their far greater experience and extensive knowledge.

It seemed like the right thing to do.

After all, among both humans and monsters, there were countless young men like him and Adam who lost everything, including their lives, because of their arrogance and unwillingness to listen to their elders.

Ironically, it was this seemingly correct and mature decision that was Ureyn's biggest mistake, perhaps of his entire life.

Even if, for 99 out of 100 people, being an arrogant bastard who believed only in his own strength was a mistake, there was always a chance of being that 1 in 100.

Unfortunately for Ureyn, he realized this too late. He didn't realize that he was that 1 in 100.

In his case, the right decision would have been to follow his goal and, as before, use his wind as his main weapon rather than the needle and techniques of his faction.

However... The battle against a worthy opponent was exactly the event that could change everything, including helping Ureyn understand what exactly his mistake was and what it was not.

Whoooooooosh.

As soon as the needle shattered into pieces, great gusts of wind headed towards Ureyn, passing through hills, ravines, and high, ragged peaks. They had been waiting for this moment, long and patiently.

Perhaps if Ureyn had continued to chase them away, focusing only on the useless needle in his hands and his weak techniques, his wind would have completely abandoned him. But his loyal ally was ready to give him one more chance—his last one.

Adam stood aside watching as the wind surrounded Ureyn, carrying with it a dark gray hue that seemed to reflect his mood, what was happening deep inside his soul.

For him, as for Ureyn's opponent, this was bad news, because it was obvious that Ureyn was getting stronger right now.

But instead of frowning, Adam just smiled as his heart began to beat faster in anticipation.

'Hah, I don't know who I fought before, but it definitely wasn't Ureyn, the Grim Wind, but... this young man in front of me.' Adam's eyes flashed as his aura became several times more powerful following his excitement. 'He looks like him!'

Sure, Adam didn't know what Ureyn was like a few years ago when he got his title. At that time, Adam's main concern was to collect scrap metal to get some credits and buy food for dinner.

That wasn't the case for the monsters of the Forgotten Mills, especially from the Gray Needle.

"W-Wait, what did he just do?" The man next to Draug shuddered as he looked at the fragments at Ureyn's feet.

The woman audibly gulped. "He... broke his needle?"

True, it wasn't a problem for Ureyn to create a new needle; the process worked the same way as it did for Adam, and there were no unique features here.

It was a symbolic gesture, because a member of the Gray Needle who destroyed his needle in front of dozens of monsters in the middle of a duel was like a swordsman who renounced his sword.

It was a humiliation, not for Ureyn, but for the Gray Needle.

It clearly showed that a needle and technique were not enough to deal with a K4-Phantom, who had become part of their world just a year ago. It was an unthinkable humiliation.

"You little bastard!" Draug roared, his deep voice shaking the entire wind plain. "Do you even understand what you've done! No matter the outcome of this fight, I promise you won't live to see the next dawn!"

Despite the threat posed by Draug, the head of the Gray Needle and one of the most respected monsters in the Forgotten Mills, there was not a hint of fear in Ureyn's gaze.

He turned toward the cliff, locking eyes with Draug, who was several levels above him in strength.

Ureyn knew that Draug would definitely keep his promise. Well... only if no one interfered.

"Hey." Ureyn turned over his shoulder to Norax, who was standing in the distance. "You've got room for one more arrogant bastard, right?"

Norax's grin was wider than ever.

"Hah, that depends on how you perform in battle, right?"