Endless Evolution: Last Star

The battle was over.

The String Duel, its energy didn't understand whether it was over or not because of the state Ureyn was in. In a minute, he received a fatal wound, practically died, and then was able to recover and continue breathing thanks to Norax's help.

Now, everything was clear. It was obvious who was the winner and who was the loser, which meant that Ureyn was facing another test for which he might not be ready.

Norax stepped aside, not wanting to interfere with the golden halo doing its job.

"It was a good fight, Adam Vinter, but I hope you won't be leaving these lands so soon."

"Agh? What are you talking about...?"

A bright flash lit up the wind plain, interrupting Adam as two beams of light headed toward Ureyn, who was still trying to recover from a series of difficult trials.

However, the String Duel was not going to wait or pity him. He had lost, and that meant he had to pay the price.

The two beams struck Ureyn's chest, literally burning through his flesh and blood, all to touch his heart, which had just been healed by Norax.

"AAAAARRRRRHHHHH!!!"

A painful groan escaped from Ureyn's throat, unable to bear the agony filling every cell of his body.

The String Duel would take a significant portion of his power to give it to Adam, for he was the victor. It was a painful and lengthy process that could last several minutes.

How much weaker would Ureyn become after the rays extracted the essence from him?

It depended on many factors, but Adam already knew the answer—he could feel the strength leaving Ureyn's body.

Ureyn's gray eyes glowed with a golden light that revealed only the pain covering his face, and his roar did not stop for a moment.

After a few minutes, Ureyn's torment finally came to an end as he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. He continued to breathe and his heart beat rapidly, but he would not wake up anytime soon.

Covering the wind plain with a bright glow, a golden orb containing a huge amount of energy rose above the ground.

Any monster could have absorbed it if it wanted to, but the String Duel was not over yet.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Under pressure, the golden orb changed, taking on a shape resembling a heart, not human but not a monster's heart either, something between two worlds, wanting to convey the image of what was most important.

Slowly, the Connected Heart descended to Adam, landing in his palm like a heavenly fruit that only he had the right to consume.

Well, the audience also received a reward—they could see it live, with their own eyes.

It is unknown how many years will pass before the next Sting Duel takes place, especially one in which Phantom decides to participate.

"Go ahead, Adam, you deserve this energy. It's yours, isn't it?" Norax asked a question whose answer was clear to everyone.

After a few moments, Adam nodded.

"Indeed, if you are the loser, you must be prepared for the consequences; if you are the winner, then for the reward."

Norax spread his arms wide. "You couldn't have said it better."

Without hesitation, Adam directed the Connected Heart to his chest, where it disappeared inside him like an ordinary cluster of energy with no significance.

Wanting to know what would happen next, Adam closed his eyes and entered his inner space.

A dazzling light shone brightly where there should have been darkness, momentarily becoming much brighter than the Evolution Tree.

The Connected Heart slowly moved to the Path Construct, becoming part of the Second Grand Star.

Then, an ancient voice rang out in Adam's mind, unlike the Evolution Tree or Lone Blaze, again.

[Second Grand Star (Star 7#)

Dark Heart: 0/1

Connected Heart: 1/1

Desire of Beyond: 0/1]

Usually, when fulfilling the conditions for the Grand Star, Adam's powers did not undergo any significant changes, as was the case when he created the First Grand Star.

When he absorbed the Twilight Crystal and Midnight Crystal, he only received a surge of energy that slightly increased his overall power. Only after receiving the Memory Fragment upon defeating Bathild did any changes occur.

However, what was more important was not what stage it was, but how important a resource it was.

Whooooooooosh.

Without Adam's knowledge, a golden flash burst out of the Path Construct, heading for the top of the Evolution Tree, to his Branch Order.

The flash disappeared into the orb, and Adam received no explanation from either the Evolution Tree or the Path Construct.

"Hmm... I see, most likely changes have occurred, but they can't be called global, right?"

He nodded deeply and clenched his fist tightly, feeling the energy running through his body.

"Well, it's better than nothing. I must admit that my needles are no longer capable of causing significant harm to someone like Ureyn, and, judging by all appearances, more difficult opponents await me ahead."

Adam's gaze became deep as he looked at the Second Grand Star, its light becoming brighter, but not enough to become a full-fledged part of his constellations.

"Dark Heart and the Desire of Beyond..." Adam muttered, looking at the two remaining conditions. "I know quite a lot about one of them. Sooner or later, I will have to face the Hybrid Monsters and also take the power of one of them. Just as I did with Ureyn now."

"But."

His gaze became more serious.

"Desire of Beyond? What is that?"

When Adam first revealed his Path Construct, he had the opportunity to talk to Damien and learn more from him. After all, he was one of the strongest warriors in this world and knew much more than Adam.

Now, Adam didn't have that opportunity.

He had to figure it out for himself.

Sure, he could return to the Citadel right now, but it didn't look like it would happen as quickly as he had originally thought.

The Forgotten Mills weren't going to let him go early, because in a way, he was one of them.

Closing his eyes, Adam didn't return to the real world but instead fell into a deep sleep.

Thump.

He collapsed right next to Ureyn, putting an end to their battle.