Endless Evolution: Last Star - Chapter 1020

Chapter 1020: Imaginary Cut (Part 2)
Operators had always been with the Phantoms. Perhaps not immediately, both at the Upper Ring and at the Lower Ring, the Phantom needed to prove himself in order to gain his loyal partner.

Moreover, this was only the beginning of the journey, as the alliance between the Phantom and the Operator was a strong relationship, often turning into a love affair. The stronger Phantom became, the more he lived in this world, the greater were the chances that his heart belonged only to his Operator.

At one point, it happened to Adam and Silvana. Sure, it took them a long time to build trust with each other and go through hardships, but there were no critical problems on their path together like there were for some other pairs.

There was always one threat that could separate the Phantom and the Operator forever – death.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The fifth orb trembled vigorously like the last seal holding back the aggressive Stellar Flow, a wild beast that wanted to break free but could not shatter the lock of its cage.

Silvana gulped, baffled.

She didn’t understand how she’d ended up in Adam’s inner space, especially when he wasn’t here, and what was going on with the Crystal Gates.

“Why am I here…?” she muttered, glancing around.

[Don’t you get it?]

The Evolution Tree’s voice carried across the vast space.

[Silvana… You realized you had to act before I did… That’s why you gave all of your energy to Adam.]

Before Silvana could respond, rips appeared in the darkness, each showing fragments of Adam’s battle.

The largest one pointed to the current situation, as Adam tried with his last strength to create the path, while Arnoth and Lost Light were finishing preparing their final attack.

No one knew the purpose of the symbols of the golden ring, but it was obvious to everyone that they carried a great, destructive power that the badly wounded Adam could not resist.

As was often the case with Adam’s mind, in the inner space, the flow of time was different. Silvana had plenty of time to make a decision.

“W-What should I do?” Silvana asked as she looked at the fifth orb. “I have to destroy it, don’t I?”

[Sure, but… You have to be prepared for the consequences.]

“Agh? What are you talking about?”

[Silvana, you’re here in your energy form, not your physical one. The Crystal Gates have enough strength and durability that the powerful Stellar Flow and even Adam could not destroy them at will… For that to happen, conditions must be met…]

Silvana nodded. She was well aware of that. She was one of the conditions for the first lesser gates.

[But… You are weak, Silvana. Your Evolution Sprout shows your strength as a creature introduced to energy…]

“Enough!” Silvana waved her hand menacingly. “Now that I’m here, none of that matters. Just tell me what happens to me if I destroy the fifth orb!”

Well, not that she had a choice, for she couldn’t let Adam die. It would happen if he didn’t get a new power right now.

That was Silvana’s nature. Even if the solution was obvious, she had to be aware of all the other options. There was always a hope inside her that she could see another way.

[You will be hurt… Just like Adam…]

Silvana gulped. This was not what she expected.

“Why does this particular thing have to happen…?” Silvana asked, with a slight fear in her voice.

However, she asked the question in large part because this answer seemed strange to her.

[Hmm… Because… The Stellar Flow is powerful and bursting from the fifth orb will injure you… Given the state of Adam’s inner space… it would make sense…]

Never before has the Evolution Tree sounded so insecure. It had always been a sage who left riddles for Adam and Silvana, but not now…

Silvana narrowed her eyes. She didn’t understand what was going on with the Evolution Tree, but she didn’t have too much time for useless musings.

“Alright! If I need to take Adam’s pain upon myself then I’m ready for it!” Silvana said as she rolled up her sleeves, in a confident stride heading towards the fifth orb.

[Go ahead, but… you have to be careful Silvana… Like I said before, you are not as strong as Adam. This will be a long and painful experience for you…]

“Good! We’ve always fought together! All that will change is my influence on the battlefield, and that I will finally feel what Adam goes through every time!”

With a confident look, Silvana stepped forward as she, with all her might, struck directly at the fifth orb.

Crackle.

A tiny crack appeared on the fifth orb, but it easily retained its shape. One weak blow from the Operator was not enough to break the last orb of the Crystal Gates.

But Silvana felt the full force of her punch.

Her eyes went wide, and her face went pale with shock for a moment. A bright pain ran from her fist all over her body as her knuckles shattered into blood.

The steel wall was like wool compared to the durability of the fifth orb, and Silvana needed to keep punching.

“Fuck… Now I think I know what you were talking about, old tree…” Silvana hissed, drops of her blood disappearing into the darkness.

It wasn’t her real body, but that didn’t make the situation any easier. On the contrary, it made the pain brighter.

However, Silvana had no choice but to keep punching.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

With each blow, the skin tore off her knuckles, the blood coating her fist causing more cracks on the fifth orb.

Silvana frowned heavily. Deep inside, she wanted to stop. The pain was getting worse with each blow, but she couldn’t afford it.

“Alright, I’ll do it right now, and no matter what happens later!” Silvana stepped back for a run-up.

Then, she lashed out and delivered the hardest punch to the fifth orb she was capable of.

Crackle.

A wave of unbearable pain swept through her mind as the crack of her broken bones rang out.

Then… the fifth orb finally shattered into many pieces.