Endless Evolution: Last Star

If you could control a great many threads and use them to create complex structures and powerful warriors, then your path lay with the White Thread. This was known to every monster at the Forgotten Mills.

Obviously, if a monster's abilities were related to a needle as well as its fighting style, that monster would gladly be accepted into the Gray Needle.

There was no mystery to this, and the conditions were logical.

But what about the Black Cut?

Well, as in any other case, they stood out, and not in the best way.

Sure, in order to become part of their faction, a monster had to possess cutting abilities, as implied by the faction's name. However, that wasn't enough.

The monster had to receive approval from three other monsters from the Black Cut, and if anyone objected, the monster contender was obliged to either convince that monster or defeat it in battle.

This rule only worked if the objecting monster was stronger than those who agreed. Thus, the monster contender had to be strong enough that virtually no one could block its path in the Black Cut.

Obviously, this was quite difficult for the Black Threat Monster, who had a controversial reputation and was widely known in the Forgotten Mills. Unfortunately for Ureyn, he was just such a monster.

Even though most of the Black Cut liked his arrogance and formidable fighting style before he locked himself in his mill, he had done enough different things to ensure that some Lord would be against his entry into the Black Cut.

For Ureyn, this was a closed door to the most unstable and mysterious faction at the Forgotten Mills, but... there was one other way that could work even for him, just one.

Ureyn realized he had to use it because he knew Draug would not tolerate his act of destroying the needle. Doing so in front of the Gray Needle and the White Thread was suicide.

Ureyn was looking at that way right now.

"Hehehe, I didn't expect that, but I love surprises!" Norax chuckled, not hiding his enjoyment of the situation.

If he decided to accept Ureyn in the Black Cut, no one could block that decision. That was obvious, and that was exactly what Ureyn wanted to take advantage of.

It didn't matter if he defeated Adam or lost, without the support of someone like Ureyn, Draug would kill him, and that would be the end of it.

"Go ahead, Ureyn, show us what you and your Grim Wind are capable of. I hope you understand that you must prove yourself worthy of becoming one of us and..." Norax's gaze darkened as the space around him trembled. "It doesn't matter what you show, if you can't cut, then what's the point of talking about it?"

Nollura shuddered with excitement as she watched Ureyn, who was literally saving his life with these negotiations.

However, Norax's ominous warning did not scare Ureyn. He knew that the Black Cut bore its name for a reason.

"Sure, you don't have to worry about that." Ureyn nodded while a dark wind swirled around him. "I no longer have my needle. I don't think I'll ever summon it again. It was all a big mistake from the start."

Then, he turned to Adam and sighed deeply, shaking his head.

"I apologize. I made you wait, even though I'm sure you want to continue the fight more than anyone."

"What are you talking about?"

"Agh?"

Ureyn looked up to meet Adam's broad smile.

"I came here to fight Ureyn, the Grim Wind, and this is the first time I've seen him. Before that, I was just warming up against some loser following in the footsteps of others. At least, I hope so."

"Hah..."

Ureyn grinned until he burst into wild laughter.

"Hahaha, yes, you're right! Forget what you saw before! That was a disgrace that I will get rid of right now! With the help of your blood, Adam!"

The cruel mockery from one provoked a harsh response from the other, and that suited them both.

Everyone was satisfied except for the Gray Needle, because Ureyn had humiliated them with his actions, and the White Thread. The incident with Ureyn, with him wanting to switch to another faction at such a moment, was dangerous for them because they taught their members techniques and thread control as well.

By his example, Ureyn was trying to show not that the cut abilities were better than others, but that none of that mattered in the face of pure power. Of the three factions, only the Black Cut were ready to accept this ideology, because they kept it simple—like all monsters, they believed only in strength.

Whooooosh.

Ureyn waved his hand, causing his wind to rise high into the air. Adam's gaze followed the wind currents as they turned into a massive blade that could easily cut through a hill.

"Adam, your abilities surpass the techniques of the Gray Needle. But, do you have anything to respond to my wind? I doubt it."

Without warning, the wind blade trembled, descending upon Adam, who was unprepared.

Only at the last moment did he wave his hand, summoning a disk, as a silver thread wrapped around a rock in the distance, pulling it toward him.

With wide eyes, Adam watched as the wind blade sliced through the ground in the middle of the arena, creating a rift where half of the Ureyn's destroyed mill fell, as further proof that he wanted to remove this chapter from his life.

The debris flew away with the aggressive gusts of wind, establishing complete silence on the plain.

The Gray Needle was silent, as were the White Thread and even the Black Cut, who refrained from commenting.

Norax's eyes flashed.

"Not bad, that was a precise cut, like our best fighters." He chuckled as his gaze shifted to Adam. "Do you have a response, Phantom?"

Neither Adam nor Ureyn heard Norax, only Nollura.

"Hahahahaha!" Adam's laughter thundered across the arena as he spread his arms wide. "That was incredible, Ureyn! That's it, that's the wind!"

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Streams of white and black energy billowed from Adam like flames as a spectral silhouette appeared beside him.

"In that case, let me show you what my cut is capable of!"