Endless Evolution: Last Star

"Hmm? He's still not finished?" Beth cast a glance at the screen in the training hall.

Then, she glanced at the timer and the dense energy streams slowly escaping from his body.

"Oh... Looks like his Evolution Tree has a stronger will than I thought. Good, that's very good. It's not just ignoring his requests, it's getting in the way though..."

Beth shifted her gaze to Adam.

"If I were his Evolution Tree and not taking into account what Adam is preparing for in 80 days, I'd do the same thing."

Then, a sly grin appeared on Beth's face.

"Oddly enough, it's his own fault that his Evolution Tree is so smart and strong. It hinders him now, but overall it's a significant advantage over most Phantoms whose Evolution Trees are silent and obedient."

Earlier, Beth just wanted to see how long it would take Adam to reveal his Two Walls, but now a real interest had awakened in her.

Considering who Beth was, this was a rare event indeed, even her eyes grew brighter, filling with sparkle and anticipation.

...

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Adam was busily smashing the wall of ribbons, tearing it apart. Each blow was more painful than the last, but Adam was ready for it.
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The Evolution Tree tried to fight back, but it just couldn't create ribbons at the speed Adam was moving forward.

Step. Step. Step.

Taking a few wide steps, Adam passed through the hole in the ribbon wall, finding himself inside his Evolution Tree.

Feeling his presence, the Two Walls trembled slightly, soon they would be out of here.

Clutch. Clutch. Clutch.

Several ribbons appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Adam's arms and legs, trying to hold him in place. They tied around his limbs tightly and headed for the ground, acting like an anchor, making each of Adam's steps heavier.

"Hah, you're still not giving up? Good, otherwise I'd be disappointed, well, after what you've already done."

Adam only smiled, approaching the Two Walls.

Crackle. Crackle. Crack.

The ribbons pulled hard, gradually they tore in different places until one by one they split into fibers, giving Adam a little more freedom.

"Come on. You lose." Adam waved his hand when only a third of the total number of ribbons remained.

And...

Oddly enough, this was the first time during this situation that the Evolution Tree listened to Adam.

Whooooooooosh.

The ribbons untied, releasing Adam completely before disappearing in streams of energy rushing up the trunk of the tree.

[Stubborn... How stubborn you are...].

With an annoyed wheeze, the Evolution Tree stopped its attempts to block Adam, as it already did everything it could.

Adam smiled kindly, he felt like a young boy beating an old man at his favorite game.

"Alright, I'm sure Silvana will soon have a heart attack from how much energy I've lost. It's time to call it a day and move on."

With those words, Adam stood in front of the first of the Two Walls.

He reached forward, about to touch the wall, but something made him stop, sending a wave of goosebumps throughout his body.

For just a moment, Adam saw something strange in the first wall. It looked like a blurred reflection, slightly distorted, but clear.

Adam saw all the powerful monsters he defeated and... though he wasn't sure, it seemed to him that in the very center stood the Plague Reaper.

"What... What was that...?"

Adam gulped.

He didn't know something like that would happen, so as soon as he blinked, the reflection of the monsters disappeared.

The Two Walls looked the same as before, there was no sign that anything strange happened.

"Fuck... I still need to find out how to get through the Two Walls, but I already feel like it's going to be very difficult, especially in my case. Well, as always though." Adam shook his head before placing his palm against the wall.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The Two Walls shook vigorously before turning into a stream of light that completely engulfed Adam.

Because of the bright light, Adam was forced to close his eyes, he did it intuitively even though it was not his real body.

The next time Adam opened his eyes, the pause lasted only a moment, he saw that his inner space was back to normal.

The hole inside the Evolution Tree that he made with his fists was gone, all the wood and bark were back in place and the flow of energy was stabilized.

Adam was no longer in any danger.

But, there was one change that was going to happen much faster than in Adam's case.

In the middle of his inner space, hovered the Two Walls.

They were not very close to the Evolution Tree, showing that they were a separate part of Adam's path, a trial through which he must pass.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Before Adam could do anything, the Two Walls shuddered, narrowing sharply. They turned into two slabs hovering over each other like an elaborate seal, in this state, they were no larger than the human palm.

Adam could grasp the Two Walls with one hand if he wished.

Then, the Two Walls shuddered, releasing an energy pulse that threw Adam out of his inner space.

Adam opened his eyes to see three girls in front of him, each with a different emotion.

Silvana was very nervous, she couldn't wait for Adam to finally get over this ordeal.

Riska was smiling slightly, if Silvana was the nervous one, then Riska was the one who was trying to help deal with the anxiety.

Dahla was staring intently at Adam with a raised eyebrow.

She didn't understand why this situation was happening to Adam specifically, but it was obvious to her that it was something special.

A slight envy built up inside her, for even though she too was the Natural Phantom, she managed it in less than twenty minutes. Her Evolution Tree obediently complied with her demands, though it resisted a little at first.

Adam scratched his cheek, feeling strange under their different gazes.

"So... What's next? As you can see, I've made it through, though I've had my fair share of problems."

Dahla sighed heavily.

"I think first we should explain to you exactly what happened to you and then you'll make your first attempt at destroying the First Wall."

"The First Wall?" Adam's eyes went wide, remembering the reflection of the monsters.

Dahla nodded.

"Yeah, prepare to fail, but let's talk about everything in order."