Endless Evolution: Last Star

Being in the Dead Lands for the first time was a unique experience for anyone, whether they were a mere human or a Phantom.

It had an even greater impact on someone whose life depended on the Dead Lands, even though he knew nothing about these lands other than the fact that it was deadly and dangerous here.

The cold, night wind blew over Kai, who stood at the massive wall looking at the lonely dunes, the peaks of sharp rocks showing from beneath the sand, and the bones of monsters scattered around.

Passing through the crack, they came out to Scorching Desert, they had many other options, but considering where Kai lived, Scorching Desert was the closest one.

"So this is Dead Lands...?" Kai muttered as he gulped, nervous. Read more exciting tales at m-vl-e-mpy-r

Adam nodded.

"Yeah... In case you were wondering, this place was my first as well." Adam uttered with a bitter smile.

This whole situation made him remember the beginning of his path. Sure, he and Kai had different circumstances, but in order to live on, they both needed to do one thing - become Phantoms.

"So... I have to go and kill a monster with my bare hands, and you have no right to help me, do you?" Kai muttered, looking at his fists.

Adam nodded silently.

Then, Kai turned to him, staring intently at Adam.

"Hey, whatever situation I'm in, don't you dare help me. Either I become a Phantom today, or I die. You've been through the same thing, so I should be prepared to do it." Kai said as seriously as possible.

Adam didn't answer anything, that was more than enough for Kai.

"Alright. So I need to find the monster." Kai looked ahead, trying to find his opponent.

"Not so fast." Adam stopped him, "While I can't help you, that doesn't mean you have to fight with your bare hands. Phantom weapons aren't suitable for normal people, but military or Harvester gear wouldn't be out of place."

Kai tilted his head, looking at Adam in confusion.

He didn't understand where they were going to find any equipment in the Dead Lands.

However... Adam had already thought of everything beforehand. He looked at his NEP and headed to the eastern part of the Scorching Desert.

Kai looked around and followed Adam.

After only a kilometer, they found themselves near a crater, in the center of which was a destroyed military helicopter and several overturned trucks with fallen monster parts.

That happened quite recently, which Adam had found out through his NEP. Silvana usually did that, but he could find out where and when the incidents had happened if he wanted to.

It was deep night now, a time when the more dangerous monsters were out hunting, and all scavengers were hiding from their more aggressive and ruthless fellows.

Only at dawn would the military and other Harvesters arrive here to pick up the dead, along with gear and materials.

Sure, some squad might have come here, but only at some Phantom's personal request. The Mission Department didn't set up missions for this kind of thing because it didn't require Phantom powers.

"Take whatever you like." Adam waved his hand, "I don't recommend taking firearms. Only the cannons on the walls of the Citadel, using their enormous energy reserves, can hurt monsters, and those are pretty weak."

Kai nodded. It was hard for him to accept that ammunition and even grenades could not break through the monsters' armor, but he knew that Adam had no reason to fool him.

In a few minutes, Kai would be ready. Strangely enough, he did the most pragmatic thing possible - he didn't take the protective military suits, because he realized that they couldn't protect him, yet they would reduce his mobility.

He had two hard steel daggers in his hands. Sure, they wouldn't break through the monster's armor, but considering that his opponent would be a White Treat Level monster, these daggers could be useful.

It was worth realizing that the monsters were not some magical creatures that were protected by an unknown power.

If bullets couldn't penetrate their thick skin or protective plates, it didn't mean that every weapon that wasn't filled with energy was useless.

For example, if one somehow placed a powerful grenade in a monster's stomach and detonated it, the monster would die, that's it.

The same was true for monsters' eyes and other weak points. Stabbing a knife into a monster's eye would cause serious damage. Otherwise, becoming a Naturalborn Phantom would be simply impossible.

Sure, against someone like Thunder Demon, all these methods wouldn't work, it was only effective against White and, at best, against Green Threat Level Monsters.

That's why the Harvesters had various grenades, and the military constantly visited Dead Lands to help the Phantoms. They couldn't kill the monsters, but distracting or blinding them for a while was possible.

"I'm ready, what's next?" Kai asked, feeling the power rushing inside him. Having a quality weapon gave him a boost of confidence.

Adam glanced to the side.

"Follow me. I have already found a suitable adversary for you. It's one of the weaker White Threat Level monsters, and you have a chance against it, though a slim one."

Kai nodded, following Adam. He wasn't confused by the dead military and Harvesters, though he realized that monsters did it. Kai had one goal, and his determination was enough to concentrate only on it.

Step. Step. Step.

Adam and Kai moved for a while until they stopped about fifty meters from their target, the first monster Kai had ever seen. Given his commitment, it probably shouldn't have been the last.

A creature the size of a wolf, perhaps a little smaller, was trying to dig something out of the ground like a dog that had lost its favorite bone.

The monster had no eyes or ears, only a strong jaw with sharp fangs and a long, elongated nose, eager to smell everything. The body was muscular, but devoid of fur or protective plates, just a tough hide.

The front and back paws had no claws, or rather, the claws were very short, and the paws were thick, they were for surface grip and not for tearing the flesh of the enemy.

"This is a Sand Hound, as you can see, you only have to watch out for its powerful jaws. They have thin skin in the belly area and under their maws. I think, with a few precise attacks, you can get through and pierce the brain or some other organ. They can't hear or see anything, they only feel vibrations and smell." Adam explained.

Kai nodded and, without further ado, stepped forward. He realized that Adam wasn't lying, Sand Hound was one of the weaker monsters.

Adam stood to the side with a calm gaze. There was a strange feeling inside him, in a way, he wanted Kai to win as much as anyone in his position, but he wasn't worried about him.

Well, they only knew each other for a few hours, so it made sense.

"Rgh?!" Sand Hound looked around, smelling an unfamiliar scent.

At the same moment, Kai rushed towards the monster, intending to come up behind it and plunge two daggers into Sand Hound's belly.

However, Sand Hound easily sensed it from the ground vibrations and spun around, bringing its front paws down on Kai's chest.

The short claws left shallow scratches on Kai's chest, blood gushing out, and Kai's eyes went wide with bright pain.

But... he quickly regained his senses, attacking the monster in the shoulder.

"Agh...?" Kai looked puzzled at his daggers that just couldn't pierce into the monster's hide, even though they were exceptionally sharp.

"ROOOAAAAAARRRR!"

Sand Hound roared irritably, lunging forward and ramming Kai, smashing its sturdy forehead into his chest.

The impact threw Kai forward, forcing him to gasp.

"Bastard, I'm not giving up that easily!" Kai exclaimed as he swung his daggers, leaving cuts, more like scratches, on Sand Hound's belly.

Kai smirked, feeling that a few more attacks like this, and he could win. It was a very real possibility.

Crackle.

Sand Hound's front paws fell on Kai's arms, pinning them to the ground. Before Kai could realize anything, the monster's jaws closed, shattering his elbow into small pieces.

With a sharp movement of its head, Sand Hound ripped off half of Kai's arm, tossing it aside.

Kai's eyes went wide as a wave of bright pain consumed his entire body, along with terror and fear.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Kai shouted in pain, while Sand Hound smirked, savoring the pleasant smell of blood. The monster couldn't hear how Kai screamed, unable to endure the agony.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Saliva dripped from Sand Hound's jaw, as if from an intense appetite before a delicious dinner. That silenced Kai, for he realized what Sand Hound was about to do...

'No... It's going to eat me now!' Kai exclaimed inwardly.

Then, he turned to the side with eyes filled with hope and pleading.

"Adam! Please help me! I... I was wrong!" Kai exclaimed, unable to get out from under Sand Hound's clutches. It was only seconds away from the monster devouring him.

"I don't want to be a Phantom! Living one year is better than dying now! Please, Adam!"

"I want to live!" Kai screamed with all his might, the voice coming from the depths of his soul.

Adam slowly turned his head as their gazes met.

At the next wind stream that swept by Adam's side, scattering his coat and hair, massive jaws closed, tearing Kai apart while his despair-filled gaze quickly emptied, losing the flame of life.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

At the same moment, more than ten Sand Hounds emerged from the ground, each of them smelling blood and ready to join the feast.

However... the monsters had to stop, for they sensed a powerful aura from the creature that was approaching them - it was Adam.

He calmly stepped forward, as Sand Hounds froze in place, not knowing what to do. They certainly didn't want to irritate Adam.

Soon, Adam stopped right next to Kai, or rather in front of his upper body. Reaching down, Adam picked up the pendant hanging from Kai's neck, which was once again covered in blood, but no longer his sister's, but his own.

Adam stared at the pendant for a long time, while the Sand Hounds were afraid to make a sound. Adam's gaze gradually grew deeper and even darker....

"You left me no choice and forced me to bring you here under threat of suicide, but... it's all excuses. I could leave at any time, and you wouldn't have caught up with me." Adam muttered, only the fluttering of his cloak could be heard, under the cold wind currents.

"However... I bring you here because your desire to live was genuine and genuine. I believed in you, but... when you screamed now, those words had a very different meaning."

Adam squeezed the pendant a little tighter:

"You weren't prepared for failure. You only hoped for a positive outcome, even though you were warned more than once. You didn't just want to live, you wanted to come back, forgetting it like a bad dream, losing your sincerity, hope, and most importantly - your faith in yourself. The real you died seconds before the monster's jaws tore you apart."

Then, Adam lifted the pendant high up, exposing it to the moonlight.

"I will take this pendant as a reminder that it is not worth taking unknown risks to jeopardize the lives of loved ones... and that the same words coming out of the same mouth can belong to two different people, a dead and a live soul..."

Adam uttered before putting the pendant in his pocket, turning around, and walking away.

The Sound Hounds tilted their heads in his direction, not believing that he was actually leaving.

Then, just as the wind rushed up again, lifting Adam's coat, behind him, a dozen Sand Hounds pounced on Kai's body, with bursts of blood flying upwards.

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I didn't think it would turn out to be such a big chapter, but I just couldn't separate it. F to Kai.