Endless Evolution: Last Star - Chapter 708

Chapter 708: Center of Attention

Phantoms reacted differently to emergencies.

If someone like Adam were in Katrin’s place, he wouldn’t have called for a pilot or abandoned his original goal with cold reason, realizing the gravity of the situation.

What would he have done?

Well, it’s pretty obvious – he would rush into battle against the Dormant Lord, and then think about what to do next.

It was hard to know whose decision was right, but to be fair, in most cases, Adam’s choice would be a reckless failure, while Katrin’s was a mature, quick, and measured one.

Retreating and trying to return to the Citadel was the right thing to do, yes it led to the pilot’s death, but the reason for that was the unexpected reaction of the Dormant Lord.

Fighting against such a dangerous enemy during the Eclipse was truly suicidal. Even if Katrin wins, by then, there will be hundreds of monsters around Crystal Gorge – it will be a trap impossible to escape from.

Thus, running away from the Crystal Gorge would not only result in Katrin surviving, which would be very good for the Citadel, but it would also help the other Phantoms as well.

The area around the Fortress of the Lone Serpent was fairly empty, but beyond the distant hills continued the vastness of the Wild Lands.

Now, most of the Phantoms, or rather all those who were very far away from the Bastions, could not return to the Citadel before the Eclipse was over.

Their only chance was to head to the nearest Stronghold. Sure, the Strongholds had powerful monsters, but there were quite a lot of Phantoms as well.

The plan was simple – break into a suitable Stronghold, take up positions there, and defend until dawn.

Standing behind solid, tight walls was a hundred times better than standing in the center of the field surrounded by waves of monsters.

Operators and military personnel worked together and did their best to find a suitable shelter for the Phantoms and divide them into teams.

The Phantoms were quickly getting all the information they needed, about the direction to the Stronghold, the known monsters in that area, the effects of the Irregular Energy, and so on.

Even if the Phantoms were very far away from the Fortress of the Lone Serpent it could be the closest Stronghold since the others were just out of range.

Katrin wasn’t the closest to the Fortress of the Lone Serpent, but her lightning-fast reaction to the Eclipse, quick decision-making, and help from Alan allowed her to see the outline of the majestic fortress in just a few minutes.

Step. Step. Step.

Her confident stride left the marks of her heavy boots on the black sand, her long, dark coat fluttering in the wind, the same as the Plague Reaper, but matching Katrin’s physique.

Unlike Adam, whose clothing, like most Phantoms, was stitched with monster threads, making it very sturdy, Katrin’s coat wasn’t an actual piece of clothing.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

Not far from Katrin, the surface shook as two long claws emerged from beneath the sand.

The creature was like a scorpion without a tail, with purple light-reflecting scales covering its body, allowing it to glide in the sand as if on ice.

Katrin reacted quickly, but the two claws were already on her right, about to close in the next moment.

Katrin might have been able to jump back in time, but she didn’t need to, nor did she need to use her sword.

Clutch.

The claws clamped down hard, trapping Katrin’s right arm, deliberately placed as an exchange coin.

However… the claws, their sharp edges, and powerful grip were unable to tear the coat, its black as-night fabric was only slightly closed but was too strong.

Then, the monster heard calm but frightening words because of their confidence:

“Now, it’s time for a snack.”

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Katrin’s right shoulder trembled, transforming into a wide jaw, with sharp fangs and a bright crimson light emanating from the depths.

Seeing the captured target, the dark jaw smirked before pouncing on the frightened scorpion.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

With a loud crunch, the dark jaw devoured the monster in several large bites.

Then, it licked its teeth with a satisfied grin and disappeared into the coat. The crimson energy wave traveled through the entire coat, heading directly toward Katrin’s Evolution Tree.

The thing was, this coat wasn’t her Nexus or any special equipment, it was her Initial Order.

In a way, it worked just like Shared Sight after Phantom and Operator completed Gene Diffusion.

The dark coat constantly absorbed a small portion of Katrin’s energy, while blocking attacks and during combat, the draw was increased and also minimized to just maintain its form.

It was a rare type of ability that could only be born with a strong Phantom, a gene, and a high energy density. It seemed that Katrin’s Initial Order had a consciousness and desires of its own.

Glancing at the sparse bloodstains on the dark sand, Katrin nodded deeply.

“Good, I don’t know who or what is inside the fortress, but considering how weak the monsters around here are it won’t be a problem.”

Whoooooooosh.

With those words, Katrin tore forward, raising a cloud of dust behind her. She moved like a shadow, quickly approaching the fortress, it wouldn’t be long before she would see the water ring as well as the other Phantoms rushing towards the only hideout.

She escaped from the Dormant Lord, but that didn’t change the fact that she was a K2W1-Phantom, and had gone most of the way to destroying the Second Wall.

Most of the Phantoms arriving at the fortress would be K2W0s, as there were few territories nearby besides Crystal Gorge suitable for strong K2W1-Phantoms.

‘The Eclipse… Surviving it without casualties will be hard, but I’m sure we’ll manage…’

…

At the same moment, a torrent of cold wind swept by Adam’s side, fluttering the tips of his black hair.

He stared at the ice cross for a long moment before shrugging nonchalantly.

‘Adam, you need to leave now or join with the other Phantoms to defend against the monsters in the fortress, this is a request from the military.’

Strangely enough, a reply followed immediately:

“Nah, I have a better idea.”

Without further ado, Adam stretched his shoulder, sprinted, and jumped off the platform about to descend to the very bottom, and the foot of the spire would not be his limit.