Endless Evolution: Last Star
Chapter 1130 - 1130: Great Lake (Part 1)

At the Corrosive Lakes, as the name suggests, there were many lakes filled with acid powerful enough to harm even a Lesser Elder such as Dayra.

She was comparable in strength to the F2 Black Threat Monster, which was practically the highest level for First Circle creatures, beyond which was a realm accessible only to the Lords and Second Rank Phantoms.

However, as with all other elements, acid was not equally harmful to everyone.

The most obvious example was fire, as there were many areas where the temperature was extremely high, and lava flowed in rivers instead of water.

For some creatures, being in the fiery lands was unbearable, while for others, these were the most favorable conditions possible, and these monsters could be of equal strength.

Dayra and Kolos found themselves in the same situation. For one of them, acid was dangerous, while for the other, it was a good way to get away from everyone and immerse themselves in their thoughts.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

A slight tremor ran across the bottom of the great lake in an attempt to reach and disturb the figure at the lowest point in deep meditation.

Bubbles floated past Kolos's closed eyes, while his thick black hair trembled with every slight movement.

Unlike Dayra, who looked almost human, Kolos resembled humans only in his body composition. His skin was black, his skull slightly elongated with a sharp chin, and almost invisible scales covered his elbows, wrists, knees, and other important areas.

But the most important detail was the long tail swinging like a pendulum behind him as he meditated in a cross-legged position.

He could remain in this state for several hours to many days because the acid was not harmful to him. On the contrary, it was here, thanks to the density of energy in the acid, that he could progress faster than in other places.

This was true not only for Kolos because the bottom of the great lake had the highest concentration of energy, but only he could be there in complete safety.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Another tremor passed, causing Kolos to finally open his bright yellow eyes with vertical pupils.

Immediately, he turned toward the shore as his pupils narrowed.

He watched as two powerful auras fought each other, although one of them was clearly inferior in strength and would soon lose.

'Dayra...? Is she fighting someone right here?' Kolos thought as his gaze shifted to the more powerful aura. 'Is that... Is that Phantom? But how did they get here? This is bad... I got too deep into my meditation this time.'

At the same time, Adam, who was standing on the shore, turned to Dayra.

"Hey, are you sure he's even there? I've been releasing my aura for a whole minute now. All the monsters around us scattered like cockroaches in fear, but Kolos hasn't shown himself."

Dayra nodded.

"He's definitely there. Maybe he figured out what we were trying to do, although it's more likely that he just didn't sense our auras right away. When he's deep in meditation, that's possible."

Adam was about to say something, but stopped mid-sentence as a smirk appeared on his face.

The surface of the lake trembled, and a shadow appeared under the layer of acid—at first it was a tiny dot, but it grew larger and larger with each passing moment.

"Here he comes!" Adam exclaimed excitedly.

However, Dayra did not share his joy.

She bit her lip.

Something about the situation alarmed her, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

Splash.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, a shadow emerged from the lake with a splash of acid.

A hand with long fingers and sharp claws dug into Dayra's face, causing streams of blood to flow.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Breaking through one building after another, the rumbling stopped when Adam's eyes widened for a moment. His pupils reflected Dayra's frame flying straight toward him.

Taking a step to the side, Adam caught her and set her on the ground.

He looked up to see three long cuts on Dayra's cheek.

"Hah, I thought you were supposed to be allies. Looks like he's not too happy to see you, huh?"

Instead of responding to Adam's taunt, Dayra turned away as her face paled.

Step. Step. Step.

With audible footsteps, Kolos and his sturdy frame emerged from the rubble. He was quite tall, not overly muscular, but his entire body resembled a weapon forged to fight and win.

Well, that wasn't far from the truth, considering how many battles and victories a monster like him had been through.

"You, human, why are you working with Dayra?" Kolos asked as he pointed at her. "And you... Did you turn out to be a traitor? Lyrod needs a little more time and he'll be close to becoming Lord! How can you go against our territory at a time like this!?"

Dayra grimaced as her energy began to stir.

"Lyrod? Fuck! Stop glorifying him! He's nothing but a lucky bastard! If it weren't for the dark dream, the energy of the First Star, he would have remained at the bottom of the Black Threat Level forever!"

She waved her hand in outrage.

"I understand your desire to follow a strong leader, but Lyrod is clearly not one! He will never become a Lord! Damn! Even if that happens, the most he can hope for is to remain a Lesser Lord Baron forever!"

Kolos said nothing in response, instead turning his gaze to Adam.

"Phantom, why have you come here?"

Adam did not rush to answer. The meeting with Kolos turned out to be not quite what he had imagined. Kolos immediately realized that Dayra was up to something and took action without delay.

If he had had more evidence of her guilt, he would have tried to kill her during his first attack instead of just wounding her.

"Well, I see you're a pretty straightforward person, so I won't try to deceive you or play games."

Adam nodded toward the crypt.

"I came here to kill Lyrod, and I need your seal to open the gate. As you can see, Dayra is willing to help me."

Kolos nodded.

"I see. In that case, I have a request for you."

"Hmm?"

"I want to kill Dayra."