Endless Evolution: Last Star

At first, Adam's eyes tried to follow Max's movements, but after only a few seconds, his eyes saw the ceiling before approaching the floor in a pool of blood.

Because this was a virtual space, Adam could see everything even though he was dead.

He could see what the aftermath of Max's attack was, how fast and strong he was.

And... that was only part of the brutality that a man so powerful was capable of.

Smiling bitterly, Adam closed his eyes having control of the head that was a few meters away from his body.

Then, his silhouette trembled, along with the blood turning into light particles before disappearing completely.

Crackle.

At the same moment, Max's real body came into motion as he removed his helmet and for the first time in hours was able to move for real instead of being a digital copy.

Silvana gulped as she turned to Dahla, she realized that her question made sense since she was now completely sure of it.

"Why?"

Dahla slowly looked at Silvana as she raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm? What are you talking about?"

Silvana uttered with wide eyes:

"Why hasn't he become a Phantom yet? It may be an impossible task for most people, but not for him."

Silvana waved her hand:

"If you give him the most powerful weapon created without using genes, something with plasma, some kind of drug that will make him even stronger for a short time, he will definitely win. If it's a 1 on 1 fight, his chances of winning will be 100%, there's no single chance he'll lose!"

Dahla did not immediately reply.

Instead, she turned her head and looked at Max, who was disconnecting the sensors from his body at that time.

Then, Dahla nodded deeply.

"Everything you said is true. If you give him a powerful non-gene weapon and a military amplifier, most White Threat monsters won't be able to do anything to him. Max will just wipe out his enemies."

Silvana wanted to say something but when she glanced at Riska, she realized that Max might have a reason to stay where he was.

"Agh... I see... He doesn't want to become a Phantom."

Silvana decided that Max's situation was the same as Riska's and Narata's, that of Phantoms who didn't choose to live such a life.

But... she left out a few important points when coming to that conclusion.

"No, you're wrong." Dahla said sternly, "Unlike Riska, and others like her, Max knows and loves to fight, bloody battles are his second home. And, he has nothing against becoming the Natural Phantom."

Silvana tilted her head, she was completely baffled.

"Then why hasn't he done it yet? I'm sure the Dark Order would have no problem preparing a special mission for him, giving him a weapon and choosing a monster."

Dahla took a deep breath as if Silvana was saying something stupid. It was unusual for Silvana to find herself in such a position, she was usually the one who let out such sighs.

"Because he's a grown man who has his responsibilities, especially to his niece."

"Niece?" Silvana asked, slightly surprised.

Dahla nodded.

"Lona is an ordinary human and she is studying at an institute to become an actor. When she was 11 years old she lost both her parents in a car accident, out of her relatives she only had Max. However, for Max, she is also the only relative."

Dahla continued:

"Max won't go to the Dead Lands to kill his first monster until Lona finishes her degree. He's confident in his abilities, but realizes that every Phantom has a chance at sudden death."

Then, Dahla's gaze grew heavier, filled with sadness and regret that Max and Lona were in such a situation.

"He doesn't want to take any chances, even if the chances of tragedy are low, he doesn't want her to be left without support until she graduates."

Dahla continued:

"Obviously, Max makes good money from his position, especially for an ordinary person. So when Lona gets her profession a new phase in his life will begin."

Silvana blinked a few times.

"And...? How many years does Lona still have left to study? When will she have her final exam?"

Dahla glanced at Silvana as a sly smile appeared on her face.

"Pretty soon. It's almost summer, the final exam will be in early August."

Silvana's eyes went wide as she realized something.

"Wait... The beginning of August...? Doesn't that coincide with the end of Adam's training?"

Dahla smiled.

"Exactly. This August will be rich in various events. Max will finally breathe a sigh of relief when Lona gets a profession, Adam's training will end, and most importantly..."

Dahla looked intently at Adam who like Max was getting out of his chair.
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"Then there will also be the wedding between Osana De Rouzet and Nirosh Marzo."

"And The Rule of Power..." Silvana muttered with a slight concern in her voice.

With a brief pause, Dahla replied shortly in a low voice: "Yeah. I doubted this venture at first, but I have to admit that Adam has a chance of winning."

Silvana smirked as she arrogantly lifted her chin looking at Dahla from top to bottom. Silvana knew her secret so she felt an advantage in this conversation.

"You realized that after he managed to fight you back? You looked like a student being scolded by the teacher."

Dahla frowned heavily as she glared menacingly at Silvana.

"Watch your language. We may be on the same side and doing the same thing right now, but you're still just an Operator. You have a K4-Phantom in front of you, for fuck's sake!"

The formidable voice of the strong Phantom made Silvana come to her senses. She gulped and nodded guiltily. She understood that her behavior was inappropriate for their statuses.

"But..." Dahla uttered looking at Adam and Max who approached each other and exchanged a handshake, "What he did showed his attitude and character. Furthermore, I think his first day of training was remarkably successful."

Silvana's eyes went wide as she looked at Dahla in disbelief.

"What? I'm glad to hear that, but didn't Adam just keep losing?"

Dahla rested her cheek on her hand, looking at Tron.

"Well... If you knew more about his training plan, you'd know what I'm talking about."