Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 44  Key and the Door

The death of fellow mates could be a traumatizing experience, easily plunging into panic and leading to just one more death. However, it could have had the opposite effect - the realization that it was necessary to give one's best for survival.

Step. Step. Step.

Adam ran forward across the metal platforms, gradually getting faster and faster.

Brass Puppet responded in kind. Steam came out of the tubes on his legs, quickly raising the temperature, the metal plates covering his legs turned red, then Brass Puppet, at great speed, rushed straight at Adam.

They both moved at the same speed, using the full power of their legs and skill.

Clang.

The silver needle collided with the sharp blade of the rusty key, causing chaotic air currents to blow dust off Iron Alley.

Then, they attacked again and again, recognizing each other's strengths and limits, each time unleashing a cascade of red-hot sparks. Brass Puppet became Adam's Beginning Monster for a reason - their opponent had to be similar to them. The resemblance didn't have to be literal, the genes had no eyes or ears, but they could sense something that was much deeper - the origin of power. 'Adam, a prolonged exchange of attacks with him is not to your advantage. Unlike you, Brass Puppet has sharpened gears, and your needle can't break his weapon. Furthermore, your Nexus isn't as effective against a single opponent as it is against a group. I'd say you should aim for clockwork. Surely, if you destroy the engine, Brass Puppet will probably die.' Silvana said calmly, turning her full attention to the battle.

"It's not as easy as it looks!" Adad gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain the pace of the battle.

All he had was his speed, reflexes, and needle, but Brass Puppet's arsenal was no less impressive.

Whoooooooooooooooooosh.

Brass Puppet spun around, kicking Adam sharply in the stomach, throwing him more than ten meters away.

Before Adam's back touched the ground, three new gears appeared on Brass Puppet's left arm, and the monster bent its body forward.

'No!' Adam's pupils narrowed as he swung the needle, deflecting the first gear. He dodged the second with a shake of his head to the side, but the third was already critically close to him.

The gear almost hit his arm, but at the last moment, Adam swung his arm, trying to frame his hand, hoping that his gloves could reduce the damage.

Tremble. The strained threads of the gloves collided with the gear, tossing it aside without any damage to himself.

Adam's eyes went wide as he looked at his Nexus with slight surprise.

"Right...? These threads shouldn't be much different from what my needle is made up of... That changes things, that changes a lot..." Adam muttered before reflexively jumping back from the sharp tip of Brass Puppet's key.

Previously, Adam had used his gloves for protection or recoil containment, but only the material they were made of and not the threads. He had only used the threads to activate Nexus's Trait, but now it was time to learn something new. 'Don't relax. You still haven't dealt Brass Puppet a single attack.' Silvana said seriously.

"I know, but I don't see any gaps in his defenses..." Adam muttered, reflecting on one attack after another.

Gradually, he began to use the threads on his gloves, transferring some of the attacks to them, so he finally had a moment where he could attack without fear of getting hit back.

Whoooooooooooosh.

Adam stepped forward confidently, plunging the needle in. The sharp tip went straight for the clockwork at breakneck speed, aiming for the engine behind the cogs. Brass Puppet arched backward at a strange angle-impossible for the human body since bones would break and muscles would tear. However, for one made of cogs, it was possible.

"Agh...?"

The needle swept along the monster's chest, leaving a long cut that went all the way to the shoulder, but the clockwork remained unharmed, continuing its job of maintaining the death machine.

Then, Brass Puppet stepped close to Adam and grabbed his arm tightly. The monster didn't try to cut Adam, he realized that his key couldn't damage the needle in any way.

Whoooooooosh.

Before Adam could realize anything, the tubes on Brass Puppet's hands let off steam, and the monster, using all his new power, threw Adam away.

If last time it had been a few meters, now Adam felt like he'd been shot out of a cannon like a ball.

With his back, he crashed through several sheets of metal sticking out of the ground before breaking the wall of the building and falling in the middle of the cold, iron floor.

"Fuck..." Adam muttered, looking at the dust particles falling from the upper floors of the building, trickles of blood dripping from the corners of his mouth.

Faint rays of white light streamed through the wide windows, falling solely on Adam, lying on the ground amidst the metal debris.

Step. Step. Another Step.

Brass Puppet approached serenely, sharpening the blade of his weapon against his own hand. A cascade of sparks flew out, making the blade sharper and deadlier.

'Adam! You must rise and prepare to block! Otherwise, you will lose and die!' Silvana exclaimed worriedly.

However, Adam did not reply. He just smiled slightly and thrust the needle into the ground. The needle lost contact with him, so it disintegrated into threads, slowly flying over him.

Silvana saw this through the cameras and began to truly panic. She didn't know what was going on in Adam's mind, because from her perspective, it looked like Adam had given up because of his wounds.

A shadow from Brass Puppet fell over Adam, towering over him. Brass Puppet tilted his head as if in confusion, then he gripped the hilt tightly and raised the weapon high above him.

Without hesitation, Brass Puppet brought the key down on Adam, intending to cut him in two, not noticing how the corners of Adam's mouth lifted up just slightly to form a sly smirk.

At the last moment, Adam slammed the back of his palms against each other, simultaneously clamping the blade of the key between the threads and letting out an eerie scream like that of a dying siren.

Even the creature of metal and gears couldn't resist it and froze in place for a moment.

It was enough for Adam to rise abruptly from the ground, summon a needle, and attack straight into the clockwork, going through all the cogs and piercing the engine.

Black oil trickled outward, traveling along the snow-white needle and reaching Adam's arm, falling to the ground in droplets, one by one. "Hah, you fight like a human and even understand a bit of strategy, but here's the cunning and insight you clearly lack." Adam smirked, pulled out a needle, and launched about ten more attacks.

Cuts covered the entire body of Brass Puppet, who didn't even try to defend himself. He held onto his chest, as if struggling to stop the inevitable - to save his wounded heart.

Then, due to the accumulated wounds, Brass Puppet fell to one knee, resting his hand on the ground.

'Finish him off! Right now!' Silvana shouted.

"Sure!" Adam rushed forward without delay, aiming straight for the monster's head.

Brass Puppet, feeling the tremors from Adam's footsteps, quickly rose up and did the last thing he could - stab a sharp blade right into his engine.

"What...?" Adam stopped from shock, the first thing he thought was that Brass Puppet was going to blow himself up.

Then, Brass Puppet turned the key right into his engine, as if opening a forbidden door, leading to a destructive force.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

All the air around Brass Puppet was instantly incinerated, turned into nothingness. Brutal torrents of wind rushed away as if trying to escape as far away from the hearth of chaos as possible. Streams of scarlet flames surrounded Brass Puppet, heating his body to the limit, the steam constantly emanating, creating the illusion of a mirage.

The Cogs in the clockwork began spinning at their limits, burning the oil and melting the cut edges of the engine, forcing them to recover. "Hey... You said that in Abyss Souls, particularly strong bosses have what's called two stages, right?" Adam muttered, waves of shivers passing through his body, "Looks like you can congratulate me for getting past the first one..."

Whooooooooooooosh.

Brass Puppet swung the key, from bottom to top, sending a flaming blade across the ground.

Adam took a sharp step to the side, dodging the flaming step.

'That was damn fast...'

Crackle. The metal fist collapsed into Adam's jaw, coating it with cracks with a loud crunch and throwing Adam himself aside, causing him to spin in the air due to the insane inertia from the abnormal force of the blow. He fell among the debris, bleeding with blurred vision.

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