Endless Evolution: Last Star - Chapter 964

Chapter 964: The Fallen Ring Castle (Part 2)

Crackle.

No sooner had Adam and Risha enjoyed the view than Vorx came to an abrupt halt. The river ahead ended, falling into a deep waterfall forming a lava ring around the southern part of the castle.

“Shit! I told you to warn me about this sort of thing!” Risha tapped her fists irritably.

“Tshhhh… I’d keep it quiet if I were you,” Vorx said seriously. “Right now, we’re still too far away for Arnoth, Kreyna, or any of the Light Legion to notice us. Take a proper look at the castle, at the towers and spires. Then, as I said we will set off at the scarlet cliff.”

Despite his warning, Risha continued to complain, but Adam wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.

‘I see… Damn, this place is huge.’

His gaze traveled to a tall structure in the shape of a twisted fang running dozens of meters upwards, its tip touching the top level of the cave. It was the Fang Spire on the eastern side of the castle grounds.

On the opposite side was a tall spire gripped by a long tail, that was the Tail Spire.

Each spire had four towers, with rings hovering above. The closer the tower was to the castle, the more rings hovered over it, from one to four. Thus, the one ring towers were at the very edge of the lava circle, not far from the fallen ring.

Within the castle grounds were buildings that looked strange to humans, but these were the homes of the Serpent Folk. The streets, bridges, and even squares, at the Fallen Ring Castle were all the infrastructure essential for life.

Then, Adam’s eyes went wide in confusion.

‘Wait… Houses? Why are there houses here? There are so many of them… I don’t know what I expected to see, the only thing that could be home to Vorx is some large and very deep cave.’

“That’s it, that’s enough,” Vorx said sharply and opened his mouth. “Now, quickly get into my mouth and hide your auras as much as you can. We need to head for the scarlet cliff, closer to the lake.”

“If you’re spotted, we’ll have to engage in a fight, there’s no other choice. But…” his gaze grew darker. “I think you realize that we don’t stand a chance now. We need time, preparation, and allies.”

Risha touched her lips, confused. “Allies?”

Tap.

Before she could ask anything, Adam grabbed her by the collar, disappearing into Vorx’s mouth.

“Shit… That’s gross!” she snorted, glaring at the fangs and long tongue.

Adam leaned forward, looking at the city through the gap that Vorx had left them. Then, Vorx set in motion a slow descent, not down the waterfall but along the steep wall to the right.

In the distance, in one of the squares, Adam noticed lights on. Several silhouettes in white and gold armor stepped forward, patrolling the streets. In their hands were great lances, golden flames burning behind their helmets, and two bright, cruel stars.

‘Is that the Light Legion?’

The question was directed to Silvana.

‘I suppose yes.’

‘Hmm? What does that mean?” he raised an eyebrow, confused.

Silvana coughed. ‘Adam, you haven’t asked me this yet, but… I have no information on Arnoth or Kreyna nor the Light Legion. I’ve tried to find out through their titles, but I’ve had no luck.’

It was unexpected news, but it didn’t frighten Adam. On the contrary, it made him feel more confident that he came here for a reason.

‘Well, after Vorx’s story of their arrival, we should have expected it. Kyros, the Crimson Monarch, he was in the same situation, wasn’t he?’

Silvana’s eyes went wide for a moment. ‘You think the Crimson Monarch appeared the same way as Arnoth and Kreyna?’

‘Not exactly,’ Adam’s eyes grew deeper. ‘Given Vorx’s words it all started after some dark flash. The Crimson Monarch emerged from the lake of blood, but for the first few minutes he looked lost.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I think that because of me the Crimson Monarch’s awakening happened earlier than it should have. Perhaps, he would have awakened on his own in a month or even a year and would be much stronger. After all, I defeated him as a K2-Phantom.’

‘Moreover, not only the time but the place was wrong. He didn’t know why he awakened there, why his temple was under the fortress. Probably it was the same black flash that brought Arnoth and Kreyna to this castle.’

Silvana frowned, tapping the table with a thoughtful expression.

‘Wait… That means there could be dozens or even hundreds of places like the serpent temple and this castle all over the Dead Lands. The Two Walls and Lone Blaze led you to the Crimson Monarch since she sensed that there was something ancient and evil beneath her territory.

‘This time Vorx and Arnoth’s will to find a strong Phantom to evolve has shown you the way. However, both the temple and the Light Legion found themselves connected to the surface, through the fortress or through the Red Zone as in our case.’

Adam nodded. He understood what Silvana was getting at.

‘Yeah, a dark flash could appear somewhere remote and bring with it unusually strong monsters or even an entire location like Kyros’s temple. If there’s no way to the surface it’s almost impossible to know about it.’

After a long pause, Adam added with gloom in his voice.

‘If our theory is correct, then these are just ticking bombs scattered all over the Dead Lands and they could go off at any moment.’

Silvana bit her lip. ‘Do you think anyone knows about this?’

‘Sure. If it’s not our imagination, then the government not only knows about it, but they’re trying to hide it, because even to me, a K3-Phantom, no one told about it.’

Then, Adam’s eyes grew colder, looking at the castle and the outline of the great throne somewhere in the depths, lurking behind the carved columns.

‘Arnoth and Kreyna, it’s good when monsters can talk. It’ll be a lot easier to tell if we’re right or wrong from them than it will be from the government.’