Endless Evolution: Last Star

The Squad had no time to come to Adam's aid because even with all the factors and time that had passed, at best, Adam would have to travel another kilometer to get to the supposed location of his saviors.

However... Who said the Phantom had to be right next to him to help him?

Even ordinary people with guns could shoot at hundreds of meters, if it was a military man with a professional sniper rifle, then even a kilometer wasn't a problem, although there could be a margin of error in accuracy.

In that case, could such a distance be a challenge for K1-Phantom, who was a true master of long-range attacks?

"Yes! Right on target!" Ester energetically exclaimed, with an excited expression clenching her fist.

Ester was the red-headed girl and one of the five captains of the Left North Squad during Bastion Radon's defense against Eclipse. As before, her eyes were aflame, and her trusty weapon was her massive axe.

"Tsk. If we would have gotten here a few seconds earlier, I would have managed to shoot him in the head instead of the shoulder. Was it so hard to be a springboard for me to get in here faster?" A young man with gray hair and cold, azure eyes grumbled displeased.

It was Fred, also one of the captains during Eclipse. Oddly enough, he and Ester were working together now, though, in Bastion Radon, they had argued with each other constantly and looked like water and flame - completely incompatible.

"Pffft. It's not my fault you're so slow. You and I are partners, equal in status! I'm not going to become a stepping stone for you!" Ester said proudly.

Fred narrowed his eyes as he raised his foot and kicked Ester in the back, throwing her off the top of the ruins.

"Agh...?"

Ester got a puzzled look, dropping down.

She was only surprised for a moment, though, as she realized that they didn't have time for idle conversation. Her gaze grew serious as she abruptly turned around and landed confidently on the ground, only to run forward - to Adam's aid.

Ester's steps were strong and confident, but Adam was still surrounded by enemies and it took Ester at least a minute to reach him.

Fred took a deep breath, pulling hard on his bowstring.

"I didn't think we'd meet in such a situation, but since I'm here, I'm obligated to help you..." Fred muttered as his eyes widened, and he fired three shots in a second.

It wasn't some kind of ability, just his supreme, honed-to-the-limit mastery. The few scratches on his fingertips were proof of that.

Whooooooooooosh.

Three arrows flew at breakneck speed, cutting through the wind currents and aiming straight at the man with a lightning bolt.

The man's eyes went wide, then he forgot about the pain and his arm that hadn't even hit the ground yet.

'I have to get out of here! I have to survive!'

That was the only thing the man was thinking about at that point.

His foot touched the ground and a flash of electric shocks carried him away ten meters to the side.

Sure, he had lost an arm, and his weapon was now lying on the ground like his severed limb, but all of that was fixable - the most important thing was not to become the target of the misty arrows.

"Bastard... Who did this...?" The man muttered, breathing heavily. Even if he was able to keep his composure after such a severe wound, he needed time to recover.

"Shit! Look out!"

One of the four Phantoms exclaimed in panic, pointing upwards with a worried face.

Amidst the gray sky that seemed to reflect the vast salt wasteland, a huge arrow flew with a particularly bright tip that glowed more intensely with each passing moment.

Soon, the arrow exploded, covering the entire space with dozens of smaller arrows that, like comets, descended to the ground in an attempt to strike their enemies.

'Adam! Stay where you are! He attacked in such a way as not to hit you! I just received information about it from his Operator!' Silvana exclaimed urgently.

She realized that if Adam took even one step in the wrong direction, he might get attacked.

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.

In a hail of arrows, the white projectiles rained down on the salt lands, turning the dark Phantoms into nothing more than chunks of meat and flesh, with bones shattered and lives ended.

Adam gulped, watching with a slight shudder as several shells fell right in front of his face, but none of them had wounded him yet - as intended. It was precisely for such occasions that quick communication between Operators was necessary.

At the most active moment, Adam saw nothing but white flashes, they engulfed the entire space as if the apocalypse had come.

'Hah... Now I understand how he destroyed so many monsters back then. From a distance, it's not clear how terrifying this ability can be in certain situations...' Adam inwardly mumbled with a bitter smile on his face.

Even though Silvana hadn't told him anything yet, he realized who had come to his rescue. He had seen this attack once before, and that was enough to remember the owner forever.

Only a few seconds later, when all the projectiles reached the ground, this hell was over.

A cloud of dust rose several meters into the air, gradually settling with the salt crystals shattering into powder.

As expected, the dark Phantoms died, but... only two of them - the Phantom who had lost an arm and another one, the one who had screamed.

The others managed to survive, but not through luck - they were helped by something that was somewhat the opposite of Fred's power, at least in appearance: black smoke.

A massive barrier of thick black smoke covered the two Phantoms, created by Olax. Strangely enough, it was durable enough to withstand the many energy-filled arrows.

Fred, who was standing in the distance and watching the situation closely, frowned heavily. He regarded this as a failure, and it was unacceptable to him.

"Tsk. What a bastard." Fred cursed before taking a deep breath and glancing around.

"Whatever. Even though Adam is wounded, our secret weapon hasn't even entered the fight yet."

Fred couldn't contain the smile that appeared on his face for a few seconds before jumping off the ruins, wanting to get closer to the battlefield and get into a better position.

Whoooooooosh.

Olax swung his hand, removing the barrier, it didn't disappear into the void but headed towards his arm, transforming into a huge blade running along his limb, from his wrist, and beyond his shoulder.

"Looks like you won this round, doesn't it? You still managed to hold out until help came to you." Olax said coldly, he was clearly not happy with how the situation unfolded.

Adam smiled ironically. He was badly injured and exhausted, he had already used all his abilities, and at most, he would only be able to do one thing. It was hardly necessary, though, because, with the help of Ester and Fred, he was sure to win.

However... Tirana had other plans for this, for she was pressing something in her NEP like a military officer calling for backup.

...

Neither Adam, Fred, nor Tirana, none of them, had noticed it yet, but then, on the border between Rusty Ruins and Salt Village, high in the sky, a wind began to build up.

It was not someone's ability, but a natural process that could give birth to something valuable and truly powerful...