Endless Evolution: Last Star

Adam had ninety-five petals left, which meant he only had ninety-five seconds, which was only a little more than a minute and a half.

For Katrin, the situation was pretty much the same. She had removed her Initial Gene five minutes ago, she had spent her first five minutes of enhanced form, now was the moment that any Phantom in her position would have tried to avoid.

Katrin had become much weaker, she no longer had a near-infinite source of energy, however, despite this, she was not out of Resonance. Her veins were still swollen and her instincts were at the limit.

Whooooooooooooosh.

Before Katrin could regain consciousness, Plague Reaper launched at her.

He used his coat's ability twice in a row, so he couldn't make such powerful attacks anymore, but that didn't stop him from killing Katrin, he felt that she had become much weaker.

Katrin's Evolution Tree was almost empty, it was losing the last bits of its energy that were no longer as powerful and could not give Katrin the same level of strength.

Startled, Katrin quickly raised her head, seeing the tall silhouette in front of her who had already swung his scythe, a dangerous glint running down the black blade, reflecting in Katrin's eyes.

Katrin blinked.

The next thing she saw was Adam's feet crashing into Plague Reaper's back, tossing the monster aside.

"We both have a little over a minute, either we break him now or we die... He won't even have to do anything. Go ahead, it's just you and me now. We have to do this, good?" Adam asked placing a hand on Katrin's shoulder.

Katrin nodded looking at the thin green streams of energy flying in front of their eyes. They seemed to be getting thinner and thinner, pretty soon they would stop at all, and then Katrin's end would come.

"Sure... We have no other choice. Moreover..." Katrin turned sideways looking at Plague Reaper who was slowly getting up from the ground.

His breathing was heavy, his muscles trembled from time to time, and trickles of blood flowed from the corners of his mouth. Find your next read at empire

Confidence and pride still filled his gaze, even in the face of death he would not back down, but he was not omnipotent, he was only a strong being always going to the end, striving to achieve his goals no matter what.

Gritting his teeth, Plague Reaper rose to his feet, gripping his weapon tightly. The bone hilt of his scythe was covered in crimson stains, his palms already beginning to bleed from the countless powerful attacks he had launched in this battle.

"He's already at his limit too..." Katrin gulped, not believing that they were in this situation.

The three of them would have to fight desperately for their lives, like cornered beasts who had no other choice.

"Yeah... Though we actually have a little more time, this is our last minute. Two minutes just won't have time to pass before we finish the fight." Adam said calmly before stepping forward.

His speed increased slightly after Osana's flower appeared, but the bigger effect was that he no longer felt heavy on him.

With every amplification he received, wound and minute of their battle passed, Adam could feel his steps getting heavier as the weight on his shoulders increased, but the energy coming from the flower created a safe zone for him.

Whoooooooooooooosh.

Adam's eyes went wide when his hand moved much faster than he expected.

The silver needle like a white flash swept in front of him, slicing through Plague Reaper's chest with ease. He, like Adam, had not expected Adam's attack to be so fast.

In a way, Plague Reaper was lucky. Only the tip of the needle traveled across his chest, leaving a long but not deep cut.

The next petal turned into red particles flying in front of Adam's eyes, simultaneously his hand came in motion attacking once more.

In a heartbeat, five silver claws ripped through the drops of blood, moving straight towards Plague Reaper's neck.

Plague Reaper took a step back, and the tips of the claws swept across his chest, but no sooner did he take the next step than Katrin appeared behind him.

She couldn't use her abilities relentlessly, but her staff was capable of dealing damage without a hundred roots. She was in Resonance, so she could make an accurate attack.

Plague Reaper slightly turned his head, glancing at Katrin, who was firmly holding her staff with one hand like a spear.

Crackle.

The wooden tip stabbed into Plague Reaper's side, leaving a wide cut and tearing off a piece of his black coat.

Adam's eyes went wide for a moment. He realized that the jaw hadn't appeared to stop Katrin's attack. He didn't know if it was Plague Reaper's mistake or if he didn't have the strength for it, but it didn't matter. Adam had to act.

Whoooooooosh.

Several silver flashes reflected in Adam's eyes, then three even cuts appeared on Plague Reaper's body, one on his shoulder and two on his right leg.

Without hesitation, Adam stepped forward, about to launch his next attack.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Plague Reaper's heart began to beat faster, and the world seemed to slow down for him. He saw Katrin coming at him from the side, about to thrust her bloody staff into his body, he watched Adam's needle that was gradually approaching his head and...

His gaze noticed how the ring of flames was gradually shrinking, the anomalies growing, new artifacts appearing and it was all just another reminder that they were alone in this cage.

Adam's serious gaze, the new strength and speed of his attacks, and Katrin's selflessness despite her desperate situation, awakened a feeling inside Plague Reaper that he had already forgotten.

Death.

Plague Reaper felt that this time he was not the emissary of death, now death was trying to take his life.

No matter how many Phantoms and monsters he had killed before, he was still mortal, he had only one life like everyone else.

There was nothing wrong with the fear of death. On the contrary, realizing it, feeling that the end was near, life became more precious.

In a heartbeat, the world in Plague Reaper's eyes became brighter and more intense. It seemed as if someone renewed all the colors, making life more beautiful than ever before.

Then, Plague Reaper realized that if even the world began to look different, he could no longer stay the same.

There was no point in staying cold and calculating anymore.

All he had to do was hold out for one minute, fight until all the petals on Adam's chest were as empty as Katrin's Evolution Tree.

Plague Reaper's grimace cracked, shattering his former expression into shards, like a mask of a calm warrior that was no longer needed to win.

His goal now was to survive and to do that, he just needed...

"RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Plague Reaper shouted as a fierce warrior who shared the joy of battle and the feeling of approaching death.

Crackle.

Adam's needle stabbed into Plague Reaper's shoulder, a little lower and the needle would pierce his heart. Strangely enough, Plague Reaper didn't even try to dodge, something that previously would be impossible for an experienced monster like him.

His roar quickly plunged into Adam and Katrin's minds, causing them to have opposite reactions.

Katrin shuddered. She had never seen Plague Reaper act like this before. He wasn't paying attention to his wounds, his eyes were burning with battle flames and he had an excited smirk on his face.

The uncertainty frightened her, her face grew pale and her gaze deepened, but it didn't shake her will to fight to the very end.

Adam's corners of his mouth formed an enthusiastic smile that grew wider and wider. He couldn't control it, he felt his blood begin to boil, his heart beat more often, and the desire to compete to the last second like a true warrior completely consumed him.

Clutch.

A pale hand grasped the silver arm that was still embedded in his shoulder, a lone trickle of blood dripping down.

Plague Reaper's body came into motion as he stepped forward, the needle plunged into his flesh a little deeper, but he didn't care, his goal was something else.

Bam.

A bloody fist plunged into Adam's face, who didn't even try to dodge despite the blow, the smile and excited expression remaining.

The impact threw Adam aside, the needle exited Plague Reaper's body and their clutch moved to the side, getting slightly distant from Katrin.

'Adam! He's set himself up for an attack! Try to make some deceptive maneuver and take advantage of his recklessness to deliver a fatal blow!' Silvana quickly exclaimed, realizing that Plague Reaper's fighting style had completely changed.

"Hahaha, that's out of the question!" Adam exclaimed swinging his needle, leaving a deep cut on Plague Reaper's chest, blood rushed out flying in front of Adam's face.

"RRRRARAAAAG!!!"

Plague Reaper opened his mouth wide as if screaming before swinging his scythe, giving Adam a similar wound.

"If I fight against him using tactics or calculation, he'll just tear me to pieces while getting himself killed." Adam said in a loud voice, clutching with silver claws the black blade that stopped right in front of him.

Then, he jerked his head back before bringing his forehead down on the Plague Reaper's with all his might, causing a loud thud and shattering their foreheads into blood.

He was no longer afraid to fight against Plague Reaper in close combat, they both realized that they would tear each other apart as long as they could continue.

"Against a monster like this, you only have to fight until one of us falls, forever!"