Endless Evolution: Last Star

The wind, like a restless storm, headed toward Ureyn as he prepared to launch his final attack. He knew that Adam's attacks would finish him off in a moment, and he barely had enough strength to gather all his wind in one place.

Ureyn had to attack right now in the hope that he would have enough strength to end the fight with a victory.

It was the right decision, perhaps his only way to become stronger and not lose some of his power because of the Connected Heart.

However, Adam had an answer. He had more than enough energy to continue fighting and suppress his opponent.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Lightning flashed around him, striking the ground as his wings were spread wide.

"Let's see, Ureyn, what are you capable of?" Adam narrowed his eyes as Ureyn put his hands together.

The two powerful streams merged into one great tornado that headed straight for Adam, destroying everything in its path.

Could Adam dodge it? It was hardly possible.

With every meter it traveled, the tornado grew wider, and soon Adam found himself in front of a massive disc of dark wind that was ready to engulf him in the next second.

Adam had only one way out of this difficult situation—to overcome the power of the tornado.

"Alright, I didn't think I'd have to use all my power so soon, but what choice do I have?" Adam took a deep breath as rocks flew past his face.

Without saying a word, sensing his will, Silvana directed all the energy available to her so that Adam could create the most powerful attack in his arsenal at that moment.

He didn't know if it was possible to combine the power of the lightning bolts from the Dual Demon Sword and his path, but he couldn't rely on experiments right now.

"Either way, there can only be one outcome, right?" Adam asked as electrical discharges flashed across his deep eyes.

Silvana nodded deeply.

'Sure, only victory and nothing else. If you want to stop the World Wipe, you can't afford anything but victory, and I'll do everything to make your wish come true.'

Adam took a deep breath, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

"I'm grateful to you for that. Not a step back."

At the same moment, gathering all his and Silvana's energy in one point, Adam took a step forward.

He and his lightning wings turned into a blurry spot that left behind a ring of shock waves, just from his leap.

The earth cracked as, with a thunderous roar, Adam swept through the tornado, filling the dark wind with lightning that proved fatal to it.

It all happened faster than the speed of sound, so in absolute silence for every spectator who only heard the crushing roar a second later.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Cutting through the darkness, Adam soon reached his opponent, Ureyn.

Ureyn's eyes widened in disbelief, not yet realizing that the tornado he had put all his strength into had been destroyed.

Ignoring the random gusts of wind that had separated from the tornado, crashing into the ground and destroying the plain, Adam took a deep breath and thrust his sword forward.

At that moment, he did not think that this fight should not have a deadly outcome.

Adam wanted to win, at any cost, just like now, just like in the battle against the Crimson Monarch, just like always.

Thrust.

The dark blade pierced Ureyn's chest without stopping. The sharp edges cut through his flesh until the tip reached his heart, inflicting a wound that Ureyn could not defend against.

Neither he nor anyone else was prepared for this.

"Y-You..." Ureyn stammered as blood gushed from his mouth in a powerful stream, while crimson drops ran along the cold blade.

Adam was prepared for any phrase. He heard many from his opponents as they died from his final attack.

But Ureyn managed to surprise him.

"You won... this time..."

Then, he slid along the blade as his chest pressed against the guard of Adam's sword.

Exhausted from expending energy, weary from his wounds and the long battle, and elated by his new victory, it took Adam a moment to comprehend what had just happened.

What he had just done.

Slowly, Ureyn's breathing became slower and slower while the light faded from his eyes, bringing him closer to a silent death.

In shock, Adam pulled the sword out of Ureyn's chest, making the situation worse, though that was not his intention.

"Shit! It wasn't supposed to end like this!" Adam exclaimed, trying to help Ureyn with his energy, but given what had happened, it was like trying to fill the ocean with a few drops.

Silence.

A gloomy silence fell among the spectators. Although many of them were significantly stronger than both fighters, they had no way to help Ureyn.

Someone like Gareyn couldn't just heal him with her threads. His wound was severe, he had practically lost his heart, and his body was at its limit due to the great loss of energy.

If their fight had been to the death, Adam would have calmly accepted Ureyn's death, but that was not what they had agreed upon.

Their fight was not supposed to end this way.

Ureyn's eyes no longer responded to light, and his breathing was barely audible. He was dying right in Adam's arms, and it seemed that no one was going to intervene.

Step.

At the same moment, a tremor ran through the ground from a single step by Norax.

"Well, well, Adam, you really don't know when to stop, do you?"

His voice boomed across the wind plain as his figure towered over Adam.

"But you're lucky I was interested in your fight. I knew that a battle between two such talented and arrogant young men couldn't end any other way. Only death is worthy of victory, right?"

Adam looked up at Norax with hope, but... instead, Norax grinned and plunged his hand into Ureyn's chest.

With a sharp movement, Norax ripped out Ureyn's heart, raising it to the dim light.

"Let's see what I can do."