Endless Evolution: Last Star

"Hey, you two are alike in some ways, aren't you?" Owen smirked, tossing aside a cigarette only to take the next one.

Bryda asked with a slight frown:

"Who are you talking about?"

"Him." Owen pointed at Fred, who was preparing to attack.

The monsters were running fast, in ten seconds, they would be hundreds of meters away and colliding with the Phantoms. Fred had little time to do what he had in mind.

Bryda shrugged her shoulders.

"He has a long-range weapon like me. That's where the similarities end. We crossed paths a few times, getting into squads for missions. He's a capable guy, but his temper is crap."

Owen chuckled.

"The main thing is that he's good at killing monsters. The rest isn't important."

At the same moment, Fred muttered something, taking aim, as his arrow reached the limit of its power.

However, he wasn't aiming at the monsters, but upwards - into the sky.

"It's a bit more complicated than Golden Mission, but... I'll get a lot of genes for one cleared wave. I'll always find somewhere to spend them." Fred narrowed his eyes before releasing the bowstring.

A snow-white arrow flew out of the bow with the speed of lightning, releasing a ring of wind around it, heading straight for the stars.

The arrow contained a huge amount of energy and was unstable, shaking violently.

Reaching its maximum height, the point where the arrow would begin to descend, its tip shone brightly, exploding along with the entire arrow like a firework, unleashing hundreds of white projectiles.

The projectiles covered the whole battlefield like tiny bombs quickly approaching the ground, right on top of the running monsters.

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.

In a heartbeat, dozens of explosions rained down on the snowy ground, covering it with blood and parts of torn monsters. Even the Worm Crushers couldn't resist the hail of snow-white arrows, as their hides weren't thick enough to save their lives.

A few Snow Imots and Horned Lizards managed to survive, by some miracle, they were just lucky. But, Fred quickly fixed that by firing a few quick, accurate shots. The arrows pierced their heads before dissipating into white vapor.

"That's it, then. I think that's enough for now." Fred said calmly, exhaling the cold vapor and covering his face with the high wool collar of his jacket.

"Tsk. Even though I don't like you, I have to admit it wasn't bad. You can only use it one more time, can't you?" Ester asked with a slight smirk.

Fred threw her a sharp look.

"One more time, or two more times in a couple hours, it's just like with any other Nexus, dumbass."

Ester frowned as her axe erupted in scarlet flames.

"Hey, is it just me, or is your tongue too long? I can shorten it, free of charge."

Fred lifted his chin arrogantly, looking Ester up and down.

"You speak as if I would let a barbarian like you touch me. It wouldn't happen even in your wildest dreams."

Ester's eye began to twitch, and her fingers trembled, passing over the hilt of her axe and clenching tightly.

Owen, watching the scene from afar, smirked.

"Well, well, do they really dislike each other that much, or is it an implicit sympathy? At least one of them has."

Bryda looked at him with a strange face.

"Don't you think that's not what you should be worrying about right now? The next wave will be arriving soon enough!"

Owen waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Come on. We've both defended Bastion or the Citadel more than once during the Eclipse." Owen said with a slight smile, then his face turned cold and his gaze serious.

"You know that close to dawn, a few hours before, there will be a time when we can no longer joke around or relax for a few minutes. Then, it'll be lucky if we have the energy left to exchange a few phrases."

Bryda nodded silently.

The most dangerous monsters came near the end of the Eclipse, as did the massive waves. It was a growing effect as the longer the Eclipse lasted, the more powerful monsters it attracted and took control of.

Even during the war, there were quiet moments. If one was serious even during them, one could go insane. Owen was experienced enough to understand that.

...

The seventh and eighth waves were almost entirely taken by Ester.

She didn't use too many abilities and just chopped her enemies to pieces, however, at the end of the eighth wave she ran into trouble.

"Fuck! Get the fuck off me!" Ester exclaimed as she battled back Snow Imots and Horned Lizards, some she chopped with her axe and tossed aside with a powerful kick. She had a unique solution for each one.

However, soon, there were too many monsters, and no one was in a hurry to help her. It wasn't that the captains wanted to hurt her, no, she just had to use something more than simple attacks and First Order.

"Tsk. I didn't want to waste energy on you, but it looks like I have no other choice!" Ester exclaimed before raising her axe high.

All the flames abruptly disappeared as she plunged the axe deep into the ground.

It seemed like a simple attack that didn't hit the target, but it only took a few seconds for the ground to start shaking and the ice to split.

"Hah, I may not be good at shooting, but I have something more crushing!" Ester exclaimed, pulling her axe out of the ground.

At the same moment, streams of flame rushed upward, burning the monsters in a heartbeat. Everyone near the fiery geyser was turned to ash, no exceptions.

"Alright, this is different!" Ester uttered with an excited smile as she set the axe on the ground, leaning against it.

During the ninth wave, everyone worked together, even Alexia, who was usually inactive or only took on particularly strong monsters.

Adam used his Second Order, with one sweep of his silver claws, cutting several dozen monsters into even pieces. He still hadn't used his Nexus or Artifact's Traits. He could still use them because in less than two hours the dawn should come.

Dawn was the most desired yet dangerous event during the Eclipse. It was the end of this terrible ordeal but also the peak when deadly opponents would enter the battlefield.

"Oh... Looks like it's started, doesn't it?" Adam muttered, staring at the hundreds of shadows in the distance.

This time there were a few new species among the monsters, not really strong but annoying, just like the Artic Colossuses.

However, the monsters didn't run further, they stopped, waiting for someone.

Behind them appeared a numerous pack of wolves with sharp claws and long fangs. They were among the top predators in this region.

Then, four huge wolves came forward with crystal ridges along their spines, their tails slowly swayed from side to side while saliva dripped from their ghastly maws.

Still, though it was enough to scare anyone, Alexia kept her eyes on the center - waiting for the strongest monster of this Eclipse, the one who would become her opponent.

Soon, a massive shadow revealed itself, causing Alexia to grin contentedly.

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