Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 297: Midnight Crystal (Part 22)

"Who are those bastards in front of the queen...?" Lero muttered in disbelief. As far as he knew, the strongest monsters in the anthill were the Igno Guards, of course, except the king.

However,... three tall ants that strongly resembled Crown Monsters were emitting powerful auras that made Lero, Osana, and Erla tense up.

Oskar frowned, clenching his fists tightly, he didn’t expect to see these monsters here, after all, it could seriously complicate the success of their mission.

’Damn, good thing I got those two to work with us despite the harsh conditions,’ Oskar pondered, glancing at Adam and Katrin standing off to the side, ’Without them, we would have had a hard time, moreover, if they’re so great that they didn’t waste their abilities then let them take care of those bastards.’

"Silvana, who are these guys?" Adam asked, touching his earbud.

’Igno Knights. Purple Threat Level, Red Book. They don’t have a clear rank since they are extremely rare. In fact, the Igno Knight is most likely the Crown version of the Igno Guards, but that’s just an assumption. Anyway, be careful. They can hurt you.’ Silvana said seriously.

Adam nodded, once again glaring at the Igno Knights that until now had never moved once. There was no need, they would only act when the queen or king was in danger.

The Igno Knights were up to three meters tall, they had two arms and legs, covered in thick brown armor, but not too heavy for them to maintain mobility and freedom of movement.

On their wrists were crystal blades made of the same material as their massive six wings behind their backs.

Unlike all the other Igno Ants and even the Queen, the Igno Knights did not have powerful jaws, their mouths were more like the jaw of a beast with fangs than the jaw of an insect.

Instead of jaws, the Igno Knights had other weapons, huge spears with mirror-like tips that were sharp and strong.

"So, are we going to use abilities this time or what?" Katrin asked with slight uncertainty.

Adam nodded as he cast a glance at Oskar.

"Hey, you can take care of the right one quickly, can’t you? We can take on the other two." Adam suggested.

Oskar frowned, but soon a wide smile appeared on his face.

"Well, if you’re so sure of yourself, then fine, let’s do that. At the very least we’ll have enough forces left to destroy the larva king, from the looks of it it won’t be easy." Oskar muttered looking at the mirrored barrier protecting the huge larva.

Lero gulped. He didn’t want to check what would happen if this larva consumed all the resources and the creature inside it broke free. In that case, some of them would surely die, quite possibly it would be him.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Katrin’s staff shuddered as dense green energy passed through her hands, traveling along her staff.

Soon a large seed filled with energy came out of the tip. Though it was a force of nature, the seed looked a little creepy, with many roots coming out from it like the tentacles of some monster.

Adam smirked, once, Katrin had used this ability on him before, but back then there were a lot more seeds and they weren’t as big and weird.

"Only one? Has anyone gotten weaker since the last time we met? You know, that’s unconventional, because usually Phantoms get stronger over time." Adam said slightly mockingly, but in a joking manner, because they both knew that wasn’t true.

Katrin smirked.

"You better get ready. I know Zera used her enhancement ability on you once, but this is a whole other level, by all accounts..." Katrin’s voice grew quieter at the end.

Tap.

As the seed reached Adam’s chest, its roots sank into his flesh quickly spreading throughout Adam’s body like a parasite from another world.

Adam’s face twisted in pain, for each root had many small spikes that plunged into his body like hundreds of needles. Thus it went on for some time until the roots spread all over Adam’s body.

It wasn’t armor, but rather an exoskeleton. Katrin’s roots offered no protection, for unlike the armor that covered the entire body, her roots ran along important points as if Adam had an extra set of muscles, veins, and tendons.

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Adam clenched his fist tightly with a gritted face. He tried to get used to the pain and accept the feeling, and gradually he succeeded.

"Agh... What the hell...? If some simple K1-Phantom were in my place, he’d pass out from the pain. Your powers are damn dangerous." Adam shook his head with slight annoyance, but it was worth it to wave his hand as his expression changed completely.

"What? So easy?" Adam looked puzzled at his hand, which felt as if it had become several times less in weight.

Even a normal person would have noticed such a change in his body, much less Adam. He had fought in deadly battles many times and was perfectly able to control his body.

Adam could notice any changes, even the smallest ones. Of all the people he had met of his level, only Nessa had much better body control than him, but... Nessa had good reasons for that...

Katrin smirked, she was quite pleased with that reaction from Adam.

"Yeah, now go and kill them. I’ll help you slow them down when needed. I guess I won’t waste my Second Order and Second Nexus Trait on them." Katrin said taking a few steps back.

She glared at the Igno Knights who hadn’t moved from their places yet.

On the one hand, this was good, because it allowed Adam and the others to prepare for battle, but time was playing on the ants’ side. Every second that passed increased the chances of a king being born.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

At the same moment, there was a sound as if someone was actively devouring food - the king larva accelerated, devouring the flame crystals and tree roots faster.

Oskar frowned.

"Tsk, I’m not very good at calculations, but my Operator says that if this larva speeds up again, we have ten to fifteen minutes."

Oskar sighed heavily pulling his huge sword from his back and clutching it tightly with both hands.

"We’ll make it in time, though don’t forget we’ll need time to destroy the mirror barrier. I’m sure it’s very strong." Erla said glaring at the queen and the Igno Knights, "Those bastards are willing to do anything to get their king born."

Erla took a few steps back, about to take a shot.

"Let me get started. If they’re standing in one place, we should take advantage of it." Erla said confidently, aiming for the head of the right Igno Knight.

The others nodded, waiting for Erla to fire a powerful shot that would kill a third of their opponents instantly.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Erla’s sniper rifle shuddered as her eyes shone brightly. Snow-white lines traveled down her massive black weapon, accumulating at the muzzle.

Adam’s eyes grew deeper as he remembered Fred.

’Well, they both have long-range weapons, so in some ways they’re similar, right? Fred’s last shot helped me a lot. Damn, that arrow was so powerful that if Thunder Demon hadn’t ducked, the arrow would have torn him apart, that’s for sure.’ Adam inwardly muttered intently staring at Erla.

Silvana had already told him information about each member of the Golden Light Squad, so he knew roughly about their overall strength, but... since they had been working together for a long time, it was hard to determine the exact strength of each of them.

"Let’s see what you can do. Adam cast a glance at Erla who at the same moment made a shot.

Whoooooooooooooosh.

A massive white-hot shot burst from the sniper rifle, raising dust from the ground and artificially creating powerful currents of wind fluttering Erla’s and Osana’s hair.

In a heartbeat, the projectile approached the right Igno Knight, who didn’t even seem to realize that his life was about to end. Everything was happening too fast.

Crackle.

Igno Knight jerked his head sharply, missing the projectile right next to his neck.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Reaching the wall, the shot sank deep into the ground, causing the entire room to shake and small stones to fall from the ceiling. But... it was a complete failure.

"Pathetic..." Adam barely audibly muttered before lunging forward.

However... his reaction was like flaming blades plunged into Erla’s mind, piercing it time after time, repeating a single word.

Crackling.

The ground beneath Adam’s feet cracked as he turned into a dark flash, quickly finding himself facing the two Igno Knights, left and center, they were his and Katrin’s targets.

The Igno Knights quickly swung their spears, they didn’t risk dodging when Adam was so close.

’Damn, I was able to reach this speed even without the artifact’s power... Katrin’s Nexus Trait is really effective, it’s a shame I’m the last one she uses this ability on.’ Adam pondered before stretching his arms forward.

The Igno Knights stopped in confusion looking at Adam’s hands that firmly gripped their spears and prevented them from moving.

Whooooooooooooosh.

Adam stepped forward, finding himself between the Igno Knights as if their imminent death.

"You know, I recently fought a damn strong Crown Monster, with no amplification... And, compared to her, you seem so weak, like you’re made of paper..." Adam muttered in a serene voice before pointing his hands up and grabbing their wrists.

Without hesitation, Adam jerked his arms sharply, tearing off the Igno Knights’ hands holding the spears. It happened so fast that the monsters didn’t even realize they had lost their weapons.

Crackle.

Adam’s fingers clenched tightly around their heads as he with a heavy sigh slammed his palms down hard.

Igno Knight’s heads collided with each other, exploding due to their own sturdiness and the pressure from Adam’s hands.