Endless Evolution: Last Star

'What...? He's going to fight an entire squad of military men?' Silvana pondered while looking at the scene developing in front of her.

Then, she glanced at the gate and bit her lip.

'Shit! Even if it's something out of the ordinary, it shouldn't have touched me! I should have been inside like five minutes ago! Tron definitely won't leave it like this...'

Step.

The military commander stepped forward, kneading his right arm covered in massive muscles and swollen veins.

"Fine, in fact, I'm even glad you said that." The commander smirked, approaching the guardian.

"Boss, let us help you!"

"Yes!"

The second and third commanders exclaimed at the same time. They were both tall men with broad shoulders and powerful chests. They knew how to fight and loved to fight, but it wasn't just that.

In front of them was someone who was honored with a special role in the Dark Order. Sure, this guardian wasn't a Phantom, he was an ordinary human, but if he was allowed to guard the passageway, then he was worthy of it.

There was only one way to earn something in the Dark Order - superior strength against other people of the same level.

"Agh, no need to worry lads, I'll manage on my own. After all, what kind of squad leader am I if I can't defeat a single guardian?"

The man shrugged, still not taking his hands out of his pockets.

"If I were you, I'd listen to your subordinates. If you want to win, attacking together you'll have a better chance at it."

The commander smirked, slamming his fists against each other before approaching the guardian.

"Hahaha, don't worry, you may be good at something but you don't look strong. One precise blow will be enough to knock you down!"

The man didn't react to the commander's words in any way, instead, he just stared ahead, his gaze still bored since this was routine for him.

Sure, it wasn't every day he was forced to fight the military, it shouldn't happen at all, but it did, and more often than not it was the Dark Order's fault.

When the only thing that mattered was strength, everything else took a back seat, including discipline. Sure, some had strict discipline, but it was an individual choice, not a rule as it was in the Azure Lotus.

This led to the Dark Order often doing what they wanted and canceling various things or events, especially if it was for something minor.

This military squad was in a similar situation.

Could they be blamed for their reaction and desire to move on with the force? Probably not.

Yeah, they should appeal to their superiors, but they had a commander who had the authority to give orders on the spot. They just decided to settle things with a fight.

However, the man wasn't going to let them pass further since the training hall was busy and it was his job as a guard.

Step.

The commander stepped forward before bringing his massive fist in for a strike. His torso tilted back as he lunged forward sharply, bringing down a blow comparable to a steel hammer on the man.

Silvana flinched slightly as she watched the commander's movements.

'Damn, even though he's tall and clearly a heavyweight, he moves quickly and efficiently. If he were Phantom, he would kill some monster with that strike.'

What did the guardian do?

Well, he just stepped back.

Whoooooooosh.

At the same moment, a fist swept in front of him, smashing into the ground at high speed. Streams of wind moved aside, rippling his black hair, but it couldn't shake his calm gaze.

"Ah? Dodged? Doesn't matter, I can keep going on and on!"

The commander belligerently exclaimed before continuing his attack. He used his powerful arms to strike from different directions, left and right, top and bottom. Occasionally he would try to grapple the man or aim for his legs, but all to no avail.

No matter how hard the commander tried, he just couldn't hit the man, the guardian was too fast and agile. Moreover, he used a minimal amount of movement.

Silvana was not an experienced fighter, but she was an Operator and had seen many times how Phantoms fought against monsters, especially Adam.

And... the movements of the guardian, made her eyes go wide for a moment.

'What the hell...? I could be wrong due to my lack of experience, but why do his movements look so natural and smooth? Compared to him, Adam is inferior...'

Silvana gulped.

Sure, the man wasn't stronger or faster than Adam, he was a simple man and Adam was a K2-Phantom, but that wasn't the point.

In a comparison of pure power, it was obvious who among them was stronger, but mastery was still important.

An experienced military man or assassin might have outstanding combat skills, speed, reaction, and so on, but they would lose to a K0-Phantom who had killed his first monster a few days ago.

Thus, if excluding pure power, and somehow equalizing their power levels, an assassin or a military man would easily defeat a K0-Phantom rookie if there was no gap in pure power between them.

If one could move fast and smash a rock with his fist, it didn't mean that he moved correctly and his punch was on a clear trajectory using all of his body's resources.

To some extent, this was the reason why the Plague Reaper or the Essence Thunder Demon were so strong.

Their pure strength was at or slightly higher than the strongest K1-Phantoms, but their mastery and ability to control their bodies was on a completely different level.

However, it was easier for the monsters to learn this as their instincts were much stronger, guiding them along the right path.

"Argh!" The commander let out an annoyed growl like a beast, "Stop running!"

However... the man wasn't going to do as he said, continuing to dodge.

After a few more attacks, the commander realized that this couldn't go on any longer.

'Fuck, I have to admit that he's agile. This way I'll soon run out of strength. Fine, then I must end everything with one powerful attack!'

With these thoughts, the commander stepped forward and took a deep breath, filling his broad chest with air.

Then, his boot slammed into the ground raising a cloud of dust before he put his hands together, forming one massive fist more like a hammer.

"This is the end for you!"

The commander exclaimed loudly, bringing his fists down directly on the man. Discover hidden tales at empire

There was nowhere to run away this time, as the commander purposely attacked a bit forward so that the guardian wouldn't have time to bounce back.

But... he didn't need to.

Whoosh.

The commander's attack reached its target, sending shivers through the ground along with a high cloud of dust.

With the next wind flow, the smoke screen dissipated allowing everyone to see the result of the commander's attack.

The military men got satisfied smirks, they were sure that an ordinary person couldn't escape or block such a powerful attack.

Well, they were right, the guardian didn't try to get out of range or block such an attack, even if he managed it, he would definitely get seriously injured.

The commander blinked as the satisfied smile quickly disappeared from his face, replaced with bewilderment.

He looked at his hands still folded together. However, instead of the body of the guardian beneath them, he saw only two black boots standing on his fists.

"Well, well, not bad. I'm glad there are such strong men among the military."

The man said nonchalantly before pulling a lighter and a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.

Silvana gulped.

'What...? How?'