Endless Evolution: Last Star

Adam watched as the Light Rain squad fought against the Firebreathing Trinadon, but... could this have been a serious, perhaps even deadly mistake?

Iron Beacon was the highest point in the area and, roughly speaking - the main landmark. Sure, there weren't any tourists or guides in Dead Lands who would be interested, well... there were monsters and Phantoms, which was a more meaningful audience.

Adam took himself to the best spot - the top of the Iron Beacon, from here, one could see everything, not only as a curious onlooker but as a hunter stalking his prey.

For many monsters, the Iron Beacon was a viewing platform or even a kind of arena, because not everyone was able to climb here.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

Scratches on the old iron from three sharp claws, the unusual creature approached Adam, who was casually watching the Light Rain squad.

The monster's silhouette was large, but at the same time, it was not much different from a human. The monster had the same physique, after all, it was a Crown Type.

It had two folded mechanical wings on its back and claws on its hands and feet like a swift eagle.

On its head was a helmet made of bronze, mimicking the head of some predatory bird, with a long, sharp beak.

Strangely enough, Silvana could see nothing, for Adam had put his hand on the railing, covering the NEP with his chest.

Slowly, supremely smoothly, the sharp blade slid into the monster's hand, which had an unusually thick fan of many small knives on its wrist.

The monster acted carefully, slowly, and measuredly. The monster sensed that Adam's aura was strong, so the assassination had to be accomplished in just one precise, confident attack.

Whoooooooosh.

The monster stepped forward, bent its body, and threw its right arm forward, aiming the blade directly at Adam's head.

At the same moment, electric shocks passed through Adam's eyes, and his artifact shuddered, forcing Adam's instincts into action.

His head reflexively jerked to the left, allowing the blade to pass right next to Adam's neck, but not hitting it.

"Oh... That was dangerous." Adam muttered as his eyes shifted to the right - looking at his reflection in the blade, as well as at the monster who didn't seem to have realized what had happened yet.

Whooooooosh.

Without waiting for the monster to make its next attack, Adam turned sharply, whizzing by the blade, and clenched his left hand tightly.

Adam's fist plunged into the monster's chest, crumpling several layers of metal sheets and throwing the monster backwards.

The momentum was so strong that the monster had to open its broad wings consisting of hundreds of blades to slow down.

"Who is it? It looks pretty dangerous, at least it has enough knives to cut me into pieces." Adam asked calmly. The reason was not because of his arrogance or overconfidence, but since after Fall Hill Prison, he had become much better at determining the enemy's strength by its aura.

Adam felt that this was not at all the level of a North Keeper, or even a Steel Knight, however, that didn't mean that the monster couldn't kill him.

'Winged Harpy Assassin, Purple Threat Level, Red Book, Crown Type. I think you've already realized that although it's Purple Threat Level, Assassin Harpies aren't one of the most dangerous monsters.' Silvana explained in detail.

It was worth it to understand that before Adam's battle against the Steel Knight or going through Eclipse, Silvana would never have said such a thing to Adam.

Adam had gotten stronger, which meant Silvana had to talk about the new monsters based on their power levels.

If Adam were to face a Green Threat Level monster right now, Silvana wouldn't be worried about Adam. But... If it happened at the beginning of his journey, then she would do everything to convince him to escape as far away as possible.

"I see... Well, although I didn't come here to fight a weak Crown Monster, this might not be a bad warm-up." Adam shrugged his shoulders before rushing forward. He didn't bother to use any of his abilities.

The metal sheets covering the top of the Iron Beacon crumpled slightly under his powerful strides, emitting a corresponding crackle and screech.

The Harpy Assassin opened his wings wide and drew out two blades, clutching them tightly and preparing for battle. There was no point in hiding anymore, he needed to use his entire arsenal to win.

Whoosh.

The Harpy Assassin's wings came into motion as he appeared directly in front of Adam, swinging his swords from top to bottom, about to sink the blades into Adam's shoulders.

Adam looked at the monster's hands.

'Hmm... They're quite long, perhaps even too long. So he won't have time to react if I do this!' Adam inwardly uttered before abruptly taking a large step forward.

The monster's attack seemed to reach its target, but... the blades only pierced the air as the monster's wrists fell on Adam's shoulders. The pressure was considerable, but Adam could easily withstand it.

Sure, the Harpy Assassin could swing his blades to plunge them into Adam's back, but that would take time, at least a few seconds - a luxury the monster didn't have.

Crackle.

Adam grabbed the monster by the shoulders, plunging his knee sharply into the monster's belly. Then, Adam tensed his arms and threw the Harpy Assassin over himself, dropping it to the hard iron floor with a clatter.

A second passed, and Assassin-Harpy came to his senses, only to see Adam's foot crashing down on his head.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Then, again, and again, causing a rumble that spread dozens of meters around. This drew the attention not only of the monsters but also of the people who were quite close.

"Agh? What's going on over there?" Romeo muttered worriedly. He realized that if there were monsters on Iron Beacon right now, then their squad could be their potential target!

"I don't know, but we mustn't get distracted!" The girl with the staff said confidently, directing streams of healing water towards the axe-wielding young man.

After Firebreathing Trinadon's attack, the young man received serious wounds, but they weren't fatal so much as deep.

"Romeo! Use your Second Order!" Iren shouted, dodging the four rapidly rotating saws. She was having a hard time doing it, but for now, her speed was enough to distract the monster.

"Y-Yes!" Romeo replied as sparks appeared in his gaze. He clearly shouldn't have reacted to her every word like that...

Then, Romeo held out his hand, creating a massive ice crystal over Firebreathing Trinadon. It was clear from the look in his eyes that it took a lot of effort, but it was definitely worth it.

The crystal trembled slightly before tiny pieces began to separate from it, each one transforming into a projectile with high speed and penetrating power.

In this way, Romeo created a hail of ice projectiles, constantly attacking the Firebreathing Trinadon. Well, this would happen until the main crystal completely depleted its energy reserves.

Iren smirked contentedly.

"Alright, great job! We can win this way!"

...

At the same time, two shadows - two more Harpy Assassins - quickly headed towards Adam.

"Oh, it looks like your friends have come here. Damn, you're pretty durable, you know?" Adam muttered before bouncing back, dodging several blades flying out of the monsters' wings like feathers. The daggers stabbed into the floor, forcing Adam to step back a certain distance.

The Harpy Assassins prepared to fight, but... Adam was not at all in the mood for it.

"Take him and leave." Adam said coldly, pointing at the first Harpy Assassin whom he had pounded deep into the ground with his hits.