Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 353: Midnight Crystal (Part 78)

Nessa usually acted cold and collected, she didn't have a normal childhood, and her adult life was quite unusual, but... now she looked like a kid caught on a horror island.

'Holy shit... Plague Reaper did all this...? And Adam is fighting him right now? This is insane!' Nessa internally exclaimed, looking at the ground far below.

XH-01 flew hundreds of meters in seconds, passing through a genuinely vast area that was covered by black air for a long time.

Angel's Embrace protected her and XH-01, but there was nothing to be seen around, only darkness caused by the thick black air... On the ground, the situation looked even worse.

Dozens, no, more like hundreds of bird-like monsters, all of them had wings, whether they had feathers or webbing, it didn't matter because they were all dead.

They realized too late that the black air was not some strange weather phenomenon or trivial smoke. A few breaths during the fast flight caused many Light Yellow Monsters to collapse to the ground like dead birds.

None of the monsters were injured, they didn't fight, it was just a normal day for them as they spent hours flying through the vast sky to find their prey on the ground.

But... now they were all submerged in the cold ground, and their bodies were partially covered in thick dust.

Nessa gulped.

She didn't know if she could defeat several of these monsters if she had to fight them. She was confident in her strength, anyway, they were Light Yellow monsters.

And... they were all killed by the Top-1 Purple Threat Level.

What scared Nessa more than ever was that the Plague Reaper wasn't even here. It was just a consequence of strategically using one of his main abilities.

Nessa was wary, clenching her fists tightly. She realized that it wasn't the black air that frightened her, but how smart Plague Reaper was.

Not all humans would be able to prepare such a defense if they had the same abilities as Plague Reaper.

'Fine, if Adam had already lost, then I would have known about it. In that case, the father would have canceled the operation immediately, and Refesa would have deployed XH-01. If they haven't done that yet, then Adam is still alive, and fighting against Plague Reaper is possible.'

Nessa had become much stronger amidst the incident at Miracle Observatory. She had no trouble killing Snow Follow, a Top-9 monster, in an instant, but... she was still far inferior to Adam.

'Father said that I became stronger after my mind got used to the new abilities and my body adapted to the changes. But... will it be enough to fight against Plague Reaper? Will it be enough to approach Adam's level? I hope that bastard hasn't gotten any stronger... That couldn't happen, right?'

While Nessa was plagued by doubts, XH-01 continued to move forward while under Refesa's control. A more complicated situation would require an experienced pilot if the landscape and terrain were dangerous, but right now, XH-01 just needed to fly forward.

Such a task Refesa could completely handle sitting in the Citadel and controlling the XH-01 with a wide panel with various sensors and buttons.

"Hey... What the hell is that?" Magnus frowned heavily, pointing at one of the screens.

Refesa tilted her head, looking at the massive silhouette that was gradually approaching the fighter.

Given the speed at which XH-01 was traveling, before Refesa and Magnus could come to any conclusion, the silhouette revealed itself.

"RRRAAARRRRRRGGGGG!!!"

Soon, a medium-sized monster appeared from the black cloud. It was worth realizing that usually, bird-like monsters were quite large, so the size of this particular monster was equal to a third of the XH-01, which was quite compact for a fighter, especially compared to the BH-01.

The monster had long, sharp feathers like blades, broad wings, and gray fur. Its beak was elongated, with a long scarlet tongue lurking inside, and the edges were covered with numerous teeth that no hide could withstand.

Magnus frowned even harder.

"Air Krukko? One of the weakest monsters of the Light Yellow Threat Level, but... in our case, it's a complete disaster." Magnus clenched his fists tightly as he watched Air Krukko approach XH-01.

Unlike the other monsters, Air Krukko was able to avoid death from Plague Reaper's ability thanks to the white wind currents surrounding its entire body.

Air Krukko was a rather weak monster compared to the other flying monsters in Fallen Crypt, but Air Krukkoes rarely died as they almost always escaped successfully.

They were able to do so because of their impressive speed, so if a stronger opponent attacked them, they simply flew away. To their luck, there were no obstacles in the sky like there were on the ground, so it was a great way for them to live as long as possible.

"RAAAARRRRGGGGG!!!"

Air Krukko opened its beak wide, about to slam into XH-01, tearing its metal defense plates apart and attacking Nessa.

If they were in a different situation where there was no black air, Nessa would just take the fight. Even if Air Krukko was an airborne opponent, she had enough strength to deal with this threat.

"Fuck! Hurry up and turn the plane around! I'm not going to risk Nessa's life!" Magnus exclaimed aggressively with a wave of his hand.

However... Refesa did not react in any way. She continued to watch with mild interest in her eyes as the scene in front of her unfolded.

"Hey! Can you hear me?" Magnus shouted, about to walk over to the control panel and take charge of things himself.

Whooooooooooooosh.

Before he could do anything, Refesa's miniature foot crashed right between his legs, completely unrestrained in her strength.

No matter what Magnus was going to do a few seconds ago, the only thing he could think about now was the bright pain going through his entire body in active waves.

"Fuck... Sick bitch, what the hell are you doing?!" Magnus said furiously, gritting his teeth.

His face was red, veins swollen, and eyes wide open, staring at Refesa, who stood arrogantly in front of him.

"Calm down. I know you care about Nessa more than anything and would never put her life in danger, as I know how important she is to you." Refesa said calmly, her face was cold, devoid of any emotion.

Then, she slowly turned her head, looking at the screens.

"You sent Nessa to fight against the Plague Reaper, and I don't doubt your decision, as Nessa is your best work, a unique creature of our world."

Refesa returned to the control panel, sitting down in her chair with a serene look.

"I demand that you treat my designs with the same trust that I do. I am well aware of what the XH-01 is capable of, as I assembled this fighter with my own hands, creating a way to use the artifact to enhance the machinery."

"RAAAAGGGHH!!!"

Magnus wanted to say something, but Air Krukko's roar interrupted him.

At the same moment, Air Krukko crashed into XH-01 at full speed.

And...

As soon as the monster's body made contact with the protective blue barrier around the fighter, Air Krukko's exploded, scattering chunks of flesh and bone attached to the already lifeless feathers.

That scene would forever be etched in Nessa's mind. She had never seen technology capable of such power, it was hard to believe, but it was a reality she was a part of.