Endless Evolution: Last Star

[Third Grand Star (Star #5)

Highest Bliss: 0/1

Blood of God: 0/1

Bottomless Void: 0/1]

After a long time, Adam finally saw the conditions for his next Grand Star.

It wasn't written anywhere, but Adam already understood that with each Grand Star, the conditions became more difficult.

For the First Grand Star, two of the three conditions were the Midnight Crystal and Twilight Crystal. At the same time, two of the three conditions for the Second Grand Star were the Connected Heart and Dark Heart. It was a more difficult level, but in essence, all Adam had to do was win two battles.

The Desire of Beyond was different from all the other conditions. It was something Adam had to come up with himself and ultimately get something special for himself and his path.

Now, all three conditions seemed unusual. At least, it didn't seem like any of the conditions were things Adam could obtain somewhere or take from someone else upon victory.

Well, there was one exception, and for Adam, it wasn't good news.

"Blood of God...?" Adam muttered in disbelief. "What the hell is that?!"

As a K4-Phantom who had gone through dozens of battles on his way, he knew a lot about the world, from simple monsters to the main factions and the Lords.

But... the Gods?

"There are gods in this world?" Adam raised an eyebrow.

Then, he shook his head.

"No, Damien or the leaders of the Befallen Crown are definitely the strongest beings. There's no doubt about that. Then, what does the Path Construct want from me? What the hell is Blood of God?"

Unfortunately for Adam, that wasn't the only question on his list.

The Highest Bliss and Bottomless Void were also causing him concern. He doubted that they were objects like the Midnight Crystal and Twilight Crystal. It was something more complicated.

"Damn... Considering all this, I clearly need someone's advice... How am I supposed to figure this out on my own?" Adam frowned.

To a certain extent, there were advantages to being weak. More precisely, not being weak, but not being the strongest.

Many had already walked the same path that Adam was walking. Sure, each Phantom had a unique path, but Adam was in a situation where he could seek advice from the superior Phantoms.

If he were the only one in the world with such problems or the strongest, he would have to act blindly every time. It would be similar to how he received the Desire of Beyond, but much harsher.

Adam glanced at the Third Grand Star once more before nodding deeply.

He had made his choice and was not going to back down from it.

Now, he had a plan of action.

"I need to get information about at least some of the conditions. I need to start with something, as I did with the Connected Heart. Then... Well, I hope I'll gradually figure out what to do next."

Sure, Adam wasn't going to head to the Dead Lands right away; before leaving, he was going to spend some more time at the Citadel and rest completely.

Also, his family was supposed to come to him and Silvana in a few days. He couldn't break those plans.

'Hmm, but who should I go to for help? Maybe Damien? Erik? Well, they're the only incredibly strong people I know. Although... There's also Wilfred, but going down to the Lower Ring isn't the easiest thing to do...'

Douglas was also on the list. Although he wasn't a Phantom, he knew a lot and had lived in this world long enough to be able to give useful advice to others.

Either way, Adam had several connections with powerful people. He hoped that would help him.

But the first person he was going to discuss his new circumstances with wasn't one of them.

...

Silvana sat at the table, staring at her gloomy expression reflected in her coffee cup.

"The Highest Bliss, Bottomless Void, and Blood of God..." Silvana muttered, trying to figure out what was going on here.

Adam, who was sitting across from her and slowly eating chocolate cookies, raised an eyebrow.

"Any guesses? Compared to this, the First Grand Star was nothing. I mean, I don't have a single idea. Each condition is some kind of riddle."

Silvana bit her lip as she stared at the Highest Bliss. She wrote all three conditions on a piece of paper in front of her.

"The Highest Bliss... Maybe it's some kind of special state during battle? Maybe it's a continuation of the Resonance? I mean, the Stellar Resonance is a more advanced version of the Common Resonance, so why can't it be something similar?"

Adam leaned forward.

"Do you think I can achieve the Highest Bliss by fighting someone? I'm not sure if it's a more advanced Resonance or not, but it seems like a description of some kind of state or feeling. I doubt it's something that's just lying around somewhere waiting for me to find and take it."

In response, Silvana nodded deeply.

"It's all just theory, but sometimes when you fight, especially against strong opponents, I see how much you enjoy it. Moreover, after our energy became one, I began to feel it myself. Sure, for me it's not as intense a feeling as it is for you, but still."

She stretched her hand forward, her fingers trembled as if she were trying to grasp something invisible.

"What if the adrenaline, the excitement, the gambling with your life, the risk, and the pure pleasure of combat, as well as the pain, all mixed together and simultaneously reached their peak? Imagine, Adam, how you would feel then."

Silvana slowly turned around.

"Would it be a feeling that could be called the Highest..."

Suddenly, she stopped as she gasped.

Adam froze in place while his eyes became much darker, almost losing their blue color. Two abysses wanted to devour every particle of this incredible feeling that seemed to have come from a dream.