Endless Evolution: Last Star

"Alright, now I need to help Zera." Adam muttered, looking down at his bloody hand.

"Who are you going to help?"

A confident but satisfied voice sounded behind him.

Adam turned around, and his eyes grew wide, Zera stood confidently on her feet, and her opponent had been dead for some time now.

"Oh... I guess that sounded overconfident in this situation, didn't it?" Adam smiled, looking up and down at Zera. She wasn't hurt, but she was also more tired than Adam, since he hadn't used his Nexus.

The Nexus was an extremely powerful but energy-consuming weapon. To some extent, because of this factor, Zera performed worse than Adam, since it took her more resources, even though her opponent was slightly stronger.

Zera shrugged her shoulders.

"Perhaps, although you had to run to your opponent. I'm sure Elusive Frozen Archer dodged your attacks many times."

"Yeah, it wasn't the most enjoyable, but it was also a fairly easy fight. Anyway, we have one last target left, don't we?" Adam said before looking off into the distance.

Amidst the freezing wind and strong mounds, there were clearly visible trails of azure flames that for some reason rose high up as if soaring.

To Adam and Zera, there was nothing strange about this, since they had already seen their opponent.

It was a huge four-winged Mechanical Gargoyle with a massive jaw and large eyes that looked in different directions, observing every living thing underneath it.

Soon, the Mechanical Gargoyle glared at them, and frosty spheres formed under its wings.

Then, dozens of crystals rained down on Adam and Zera like a hail of judgment, bringing only destruction.

Adam and Zera looked at each other, then jumped aside to dodge the attack.

The building floor collapsed due to the amount of damage, becoming another echo of the battles in Rusty Ruins.

The Mechanical Gargoyle was hovering high above the ground, but that didn't mean Adam and Zera were powerless. If Hazel had been with them, things would have been much easier, but they had one option to bring the Mechanical Gargoyle down to the ground.

Adam threw his needle so that the sharp thread tied around the Mechanical Gargoyle's neck like a hook. The thread couldn't cut through the monster's armor, but it wasn't necessary.

"Alright, I might not be able to throw you to the ground, but it should be enough!" Adam exclaimed, pulling with his arm, pushing down with all his might.

"ROOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!!"

The Mechanical Gargoyle let out an eerie, mechanical roar as it tried to resist, but it was unlikely to have any effect on Adam and Zera.

Whoooooooooosh.

Taking advantage of the situation, Zera jumped from the highest point of the building, climbing onto the Mechanical Gargoyle's back.

A few seconds were enough for Zera's scythe to rip through some of the monster's armor, revealing a vulnerable point - the energy core beneath the iron pipes.

Zera gripped the weapon tightly in her hands as a sharp glint passed across her eyes.

"ROOOOAAAAAARRRR!!!"

The Mechanical Gargoyle began to actively wriggle as if sensing its imminent death. This threw Zera's balance off, but she managed to stay on top of the monster by stabbing her scythe into the two mechanical wings.

Because of all the wounds, especially in the wings area, the Mechanical Gargoyle began to descend rapidly, heading towards the ground along with Zera.

"Zera!" Adam exclaimed, removed his needle, and quickly headed downwards, trying to make it before they collapsed.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Adam didn't make it in time, and before he could run to them, the Mechanical Gargoyle reached the ground.

"ROOOAAAARRRR!!!"

The mechanical gargoyle flapped its wings, throwing Zera aside. The monster wanted to fly away, but as soon as its entire wings were in motion, bloody blades slammed into them, stopping them and giving Zera time to turn wings into scrap metal.

She moved as fast as she could to deal with the monster as quickly as possible, for this was their last obstacle to freeing their mates.

'Fine... Just a little more. All that's left is to destroy the core!' Zera inwardly exclaimed, spinning the scythe.

"Zera! Run away!" Adam shouted, but it was too late.

The Mechanical Gargoyle's core glowed brightly as all the energy released out of it in an instant. The monster decided to sacrifice himself but to take at least one of them.

Zera's eyes narrowed as she held the scythe out, however... the inevitable had already happened.

Most of her body was sealed in ice crystal. She couldn't move, only the right side of her head was free, allowing her to see and barely say anything.

"Zera!" Adam exclaimed, hurriedly running up to her and making his way through the icy debris.

Adam immediately used Second Grip and hit the ice crystal with all his might, going to break it.

Tremble.

A small shard, quite tiny, less than a seed, broke off from the huge crystal. However... the consequences for Adam were far more serious, for his veins swelled as he clutched at his arm, trying to take away the intense pain of the recoil.

He felt as if he had hit the steel wall with his bare fist, without thinking of the impact.

"I'm sorry... I rushed and failed you again..." Zera muttered with a sad look.

Adam shook his head.

"You don't have to say it, it's okay. We killed three monsters, so soon, Mirage's curse should break, shouldn't it? Then, you and everyone else will be free."

Zera nodded, or rather she would have wanted to if she wasn't immobilized.

"Yes, soon the crystals will no longer be able to power the disk, and the whole system will collapse."

Adam smiled bitterly.

Cold.

A strange feeling settled inside them when they felt the cold, not from the low temperature but from the presence of death that seemed to be right beside them.

Then, Adam and Zera saw a bright flash of thick frosty vapor a few kilometers in the distance.

"ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!"

The furious roar of the unknown monster quickly reached their ears, instilling nothing but fear.

"Adam... You have to run, right now! You won't be able to deal with this monster alone! It's most likely the last monster of this Mirage, we didn't notice the fourth crystal!" Zera exclaimed.

Adam gulped, his fingertips trembled, but soon he clenched his hands into a fist and approached Zera.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Adam attacked, bringing his needle down on the ice crystal time after time despite the intense pain with each strike.

"No! Stop! You'd sooner break your arm than free me! Adam! You have great genes and potential! You must survive to give life to a stronger generation!

If you die, the future you can create will be lost!" Zera shouted sincerely.

"Shut up. I've already made my decision. We are too close to success to back down." Adam said calmly before delivering the final strike.

Just as Zera said, the moment the crystal cracked, his arm broke, even though he had a second grip and a sheath of threads.

"Argh!" Adam cried out in pain, though he was prepared for it, it was impossible to hold back.

The chunks of ice fell apart, releasing Zera from her ice prison, who was in true shock. Her gaze towards Adam changed, staring at him with respect and recognizing him as a hero.

"Shit, that hurts. Whatever, I can still use my left arm. We're gonna win!" Adam exclaimed.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The ground shook, heralding the imminent appearance of an unknown but powerful monster whose roar could terrify anyone.

Zera looked up shivering, blinked slowly, and smiled bitterly.

Adam couldn't have suspected anything.

"Zera, you'll be able to use your Nexus again, right?" Adam asked, trying to think of a battle plan.

Zera appeared in front of him and silently looked at him with a calm gaze.

"Ah...? Zera, is something wrong? We don't have much time!"

"Thank you... I appreciate what you've done, and I'm willing to give you everything I have... I'm sure you can win no matter how strong the opponent is." Zera muttered.

Then, Zera took a step forward, approaching Adam closely, and smiled.

Whooooooooooooosh.

The crimson blade slid into the flesh, passing through Zera and Adam at the same time.

Streams of blood flowed from the corners of their mouths, Adam's eyes went wide, and their blood fused together, flowing down the scythe blade.

"Crimson Exchange..." Zera muttered, and her eyes shone brightly.