Endless Evolution: Last Star

Step. Step. Step.

Adam and Silvana paced down the hallway, heading for their storage area. Oddly enough, no new items had appeared in this place in quite some time, at least to Adam's senses.

After the events in Fallen Crypt and the evolution to K2-Level, Adam had a new feeling - he didn't want to rush into anything.

In fact, it was a normal experience for many people when they achieved a goal after a long time. Most would just take a break, enjoying a well-deserved rest and recalling the path they passed.

There was nothing wrong with that.

Adam as well as all people in the same situation were not the center of the universe and if they did not act, nothing serious would happen in the world. After all, even Damien could afford to do what he wanted.

The main thing was to return to the battlefield after some time, exactly when new forces were gathered for it.

Moreover, Adam had plenty of things to do inside the Citadel as well. After all, he wasn't a monster and Dead Lands wasn't the only world where he could be.

"Hmm... You've been so quiet, why do I get the feeling you're hiding something?" Adam asked glancing at Silvana.

Sure, Silvana wasn't the most active or talkative person, but Adam knew her well enough to realize that she was acting unusual right now.

She tried to hide it with all her might, but Adam could still see a slight smile appear on her face.

"You'll see it all soon enough. We're almost there. Like I said earlier, you'll like it, I'm sure of it." Silvana uttered, reaching out her hand to their path.

Step.

After one turn, they found themselves in front of a door leading to Adam's storage room.

Without thinking, Adam stepped inside to see what Silvana had done. He had a few guesses, but she rarely kept anything from him so his expectations were high.

"What the hell...?" Adam muttered wide-eyed.

On the right side of the storage area, was a massive pod filled with a blue liquid. Adam had seen pods like this many times before, they were often used by medics to quickly cure Phantoms, but... why had Silvana brought one here in his storage?

Well, the answer was simple, inside the pod was a Plague Reaper!

Strangely enough, parts of his body, especially those that were injured the most, were covered by a white cloth that was almost invisible due to his pale skin.

Moreover, next to the pod was a square iron stand where Plague Reaper's coat and his scythe rested in the state they were in at the time of his death.

Adam just stared at one point for a while, mixed feelings consumed his mind, but he was satisfied.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Then, he slowly turned to Silvana, she watched his reaction curiously.

"It looks a little weird, but I can't say I mind. But... how did you do that? Isn't Plague Reaper supposed to be the most valuable Purple Threat monster?" Adam asked with a slight wave of his hand.

Silvana smiled, glancing at Plague Reaper.

"You're right, the missions department didn't want to give us Plague Reaper, especially his coat and scythe. Unlike most monsters Plague Reaper's body doesn't have anything of value in it, no fangs, no defense plates or glands, but his equipment is unique."

Silvana let out a slight sigh before continuing:

"The only thing I wasn't allowed to keep was his coffin that he pulled his scythe out of, the scientists said that even among the other Plague Reapers, this coffin has more energy. I guess they want to find a use for those dark hands." Silvana suggested.

Adam scratched the back of his head, he hadn't expected the next item in his memory collection to be a monster corpse, but something was appealing and interesting about it, like a special place for a special opponent.

"I see... Well, I guess if there was that creepy coffin in here it would only make things worse. But, what about Katrin? After all, she's the one who made the final attack."

Silvana smiled slyly as if she had been expecting that question.

"Well, she didn't challenge your crucial contribution to defeating Plague Reaper so she only wanted to keep the scythe, we argued for a while but eventually I managed to convince her to give you both the coat and the scythe."

"Hmm?" Adam tilted his head in confusion, "How?"

Silvana's corners of her lips went up.

"I won't retell you our whole long conversation, but the main argument was that she only paid 2,000,000 credits for the Initial Gene of the Plague Reaper. Sure, that was part of your agreement, but she paid two million for Scarlet Pyromancer and ended up with Plague Reaper."

Silvana took a few steps forward, approaching the pod and looking at Plague Reaper with a deep gaze.

"Obviously, this monster is much stronger than Scarlet Pyromancer. Even though Plague Reaper has been dead for two weeks now, standing here I can feel goosebumps running through my body."

Then, Silvana turned to Adam.

"I'm curious, how does it feel to look at someone who almost killed you, but in the end, it was you who survived?"

Adam didn't give an immediate answer, instead, he stepped forward and stood in line with Silvana.

Suddenly, he took Silvana's hand firmly and guided it towards the pod's glass.

Silvana was surprised but didn't resist, soon she felt mixed sensations, cold from the glass and warmth from Adam's palm.

"What do I feel? Nothing yet, only later the void will be filled with a pleasant nostalgia, won't it?"

Silence.

"Plague Reaper was a worthy opponent, but... fuck, he was alone when an entire Phantom squad came out against him. Moreover, even the monsters tried to stop him from getting the Midnight Crystal."

Adam continued, he didn't notice but squeezed Silvana's hand harder. She grimaced slightly but didn't say anything, she didn't want to disturb Adam.

"I wish I was strong enough to give him a decent fight 1 vs. 1, and... to keep him from killing those who were completely unprepared for a battle of this level..." Adam whispered as his gaze grew darker.

He distinctly remembered how Plague Reaper had killed Erla, Oskar, and Lero... who was worthy of respect from a Top-1 monster, but that didn't stop Plague Reaper from taking his life the next moment.

"Agh!"

Silvana cried out in pain, which immediately snapped Adam out of his trance.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..." Adam said guiltily quickly letting go of Silvana's hand.

Silvana rubbed her palm as she smiled weakly.

"That's okay, just don't forget that unlike you I'm an ordinary person. Hah..." Silvana raised her gaze to Plague Reaper, "If I were to face him in person I would die just from his aura... the thought of it makes me both terrified and delighted."

Adam nodded, beginning a brief awkward pause.

Then, looking away, Adam asked with a serious gaze: "You brought what I asked for, didn't you?" Adam asked, remembering the moment when he had walked alone to Fume Cathedral while Katrin and Osana stayed with Nessa.

Silvana nodded.

"Sure, but I don't think it will be easy for you."

Her eyes traveled to the stand in the corner of the room where lay the red book that was Lero's Nexus and for some reason, it was here.