Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 57  The Trap

Most Phantoms carried cases for their Nexuses on missions because only a few Phantoms had a Nexus compact enough to not need a case. Adam was lucky in a way, he just had to put on his gloves, which he was used to, while some had to lug around a giant case.

Crackle.

Zera pulled his briefcase out of the truck and quickly opened it.

A strong odor of blood mixed with metal came out, and Adam could smell it, as he was closer to the others.

Then, Zera picked up a long battle scythe, with a black handle and a slightly curved crimson blade, the outer part had serrated blades to tear flesh.

"Impressed?" Zera smirked, swinging her scythe and placing it on her shoulder.

Adam nodded.

"Yeah... I won't hide it, I haven't seen the scythe yet. It's a complex weapon, that much is obvious to anyone. You must have spent a lot of time training to fight with it, right?"

Zera smiled slightly as she nodded. "After I cut myself for the thousandth time, then I stopped counting, and that was a few years ago... One time I practically cut my arm off because I made the wrong move, then I hated my Nexus." Zera muttered with a calm look, glancing at the cold blade.

Then, Hazel and Dargo walked up to them.

Hazel had a massive crossbow behind her back, but it was half mechanical, made of metal and complex technical parts. Instead of arrows, there was a capsule of acid, brightly glowing and ready to corrode anything it touched.

Dargo's Nexus, on the other hand, looked less spectacular, but no less interesting. With one hand, he held a massive stone circular shield that appeared to be partially broken, as dark cracks ran from its center to its edges.

'I could be wrong, but that shield must weigh a hell of a lot... Looks like, in terms of strength, Dargo is top-1 here.' Adam pondered, grading his allies.

Meanwhile, Silvana was telling him about their abilities, because he had to know what his mates were capable of. "Where do we start?" Hazel asked, looking at the Mechanical Gargoyles.

Zera smirked, "You know. First, we need to get rid of them, and we can start right here, can't we?"

Hazel nodded silently and swung her crossbow, taking aim.

Dargo raised an eyebrow as he took a few steps to the side, getting behind Hazel.

Adam watched the scene curiously. Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The crossbow shuddered as several indicators on it glowed brightly just like the lines next to the capsule. Then, a dense, long projectile of compressed acid flew out of the barrel. The recoil from such a long shot threw Hazel backward, but Dargo caught her carefully. It was obviously not the first time he had seen it.

The projectile was heading toward the Mechanical Gargoyle at breakneck speed. Hazel calculated the trajectory, so her hit was inevitable.

At the same moment, Ice Chaser turned its head and swung its tail, thrusting its sharp blade into the piece of metal. With a swift movement of its tail, Ice Chaser threw the piece of metal into the projectile, knocking it away and causing it to explode. Hundreds of acid droplets headed towards the ground, but they turned into ice before they could touch the surface.

"Shit. Since when did monsters get so smart?" Zera frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and stomping her foot irritably.

Hazel adjusted her glasses.

"Well, looks like they won't let us kill them from afar. It's to be expected, though."

Dargo stepped forward.

"Alright, I'll go first, stay close to me. The rest of the Phantoms will follow us, and when we clear the first area, the Harvesters will join us."

Then, without further ado, Dargo descended the slope, sliding a few meters before stopping and facing the brutal freezing wind that had been crashing into the wall all along.

However, this was no obstacle for Dargo, he didn't need to cover himself with his shield. He simply stepped forward, and soon the others appeared behind him.

'Hmm. Zera wasn't lying, apparently, they've been working with each other for quite some time now, they have a well-coordinated team with lined-up roles.' Adam pondered, assessing their actions.

This was the second time he had found himself in a squad, though the first one hardly counted, given the circumstances. "First center in about three hundred meters. Be ready, I'm sure the Ice Chasers and Frost Archers will attack us as soon as we enter their territory." Zera said confidently, looking around.

Whooooooooooosh.

A few steps later, a whistling sound was heard from outside, as if something was whizzing through the wind at great speed.

Dargo's pupils narrowed as he swung his shield sharply, fending off the ice arrow. It shattered into tiny fragments, turning to dust under the pressure.

However, that was only the beginning, for ahead, behind a fallen pillar, several Frost Archers lurked, ready to fire.

At the same moment, Zera sprang forward, running straight at the icy arrows, but there was no fear in her gaze.

Leaping forward, Zera swung her scythe diagonally, cutting the arrows, then she immediately jumped forward, quickly finding herself among the Frost Archers.

The monsters rapidly tried to shoot again, but before they could pull their arrows out of their quivers, Zera whipped her scythe around her, slicing off their heads.

"Hah, Zera as always, she acts flawless." Hazel, who had criticized Adam, gave Zera the highest praise.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

Metal dust sprinkled from the building to the left, as a Mechanical Gargoyle flew over them, casting a shadow from its broad wings.

Everyone was wary, staring intently at the monster, all but one.

For some reason, Adam ran forward, ignoring the Mechanical Gargoyle, because he realized it was a distraction.

The massive silhouette appeared above Zera, bringing its long paw and sharp claws down on her. Zera's eyes went wide, waves of shivers running through her body, for she noticed too late that the Ice Chaser had approached her.

Tremble.

Three ice claws collided with the silver needle firmly anchored in Adam's arm since he used Second Grip.

The ground beneath him cracked from the powerful pressure as a ring of air spread around due to the impact.

"You're smart, right?" Adam muttered, staring at Ice Chaser, whose long tongues were heading towards his face like a sly snake.

Adam sighed, "Compared to the intelligence of the Crown Monster you're still in the beginning stages."

Ice Chaser tried to attack, but Adam swung his arm sharply, throwing the massive monster aside.

Without difficulty, Ice Chaser did a somersault in the air, landing confidently on the ground. However, instead of continuing to attack, the monster jumped to the side, hiding in one of the buildings.

"Thank you..." Zera muttered, realizing that she had made a mistake. It was unlikely that she would die, but she could be injured, and that would jeopardize their mission.

Adam glanced at her with a calm look, about to say something.

"Look out!"

Dargo's shout spread. However, before they could react, a frost geyser burst out of the ground right next to them, with massive crystals growing rapidly.