Endless Evolution: Last Star - Chapter 1691 1691: The Wrong Mark (Part 1)

The Dark Knight was a formidable opponent, so neither Adam nor Loargh could be sure which attacks would work against him.

But the barrage of attacks Sarka unleashed on him proved more than effective.

Who knows?

Maybe if Sarka had more stamina and the Dark Knight had been weakened, it all would have ended a few moments ago.

Her claws tore through most of his armor, exposing his bloodied, wound-covered torso, but the most important thing was his helmet.

Strangely enough, behind the Dark Knight’s helmet, there was no monster with a terrifying jaw, but an awakened one, just like Loargh, Vyora, Sarka, and many others.

His face was befitting the warrior he was, with sharp, striking features and a deep, weary gaze, yet full of determination to achieve his goal, wearing a bitter smile.

Crimson blood covered part of his black hair. The sharp strands clung to his forehead while the blood trickled between his black eyes, which now burned with an amber flame.

From the very start of their battle, Loargh was confident they could win.

They went through several difficult moments when the Dark Knight found answers to their strongest abilities, but gradually, they were closing in on victory.

One attack after another, wound after wound, and a series of abilities that drained the Dark Knight.

This was exactly what Loargh had expected from a battle against a powerful opponent who guarded one of the largest Frenzied Shards he had ever seen.

Still, there was no fear in his gaze. He knew that sooner or later, the Dark Knight would fall.

However… a single change caused Loargh’s face to turn as pale as a sheet of paper.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Space trembled, warping around the Dark Knight’s sword. The metal sheath had shattered, revealing its true amber blade.

Moreover, the sword radiated the powerful energy of the Frenzied Shard, as if it had been carved directly from one of the shards.

“N-No… How is this possible?”

Vyora’s voice trembled as her wide eyes stared in disbelief.

Every single one of them stared at the symbol on the blade. Like monsters from the Hollow Lands, they knew what the Hollow Mark looked like.

It took them only a fraction of a second to realize that the Hollow Mark was on this sword.

The only one who still didn’t grasp the full magnitude of the problem was Adam.

True, he saw the Hollow Mark as well, but something puzzled him.

‘Wait… If he already has the Hollow Mark, then why does he need this Frenzied Shard? He could have absorbed it or any other shard long ago instead of working as its servant.’

However, soon, Adam noticed something else, something that made his heart tighten with fear.

‘Wait, wait, wait. Why the hell is his Hollow Mark on his sword and not on his body?’

He looked at Loargh, Vyora, and Sarka, remembering that for every monster with the Hollow Mark, it was on their bodies, whether on a shoulder, chest, back, or any other spot.

That way, he saw their pale faces. Loargh’s expression struck him particularly hard.

Loargh clenched his fists tightly, and the veins on his face bulged as if he were putting all his strength into not panicking.

“Agh, it seems you weren’t expecting this at all?”

The Dark Knight touched his temple, slowly shaking his head.

“Well, I don’t blame you for that. To meet a fool like me in our time, just six years before the World Wipe. Huh, that’s a real rarity.”

Adam felt strange.

On the one hand, the Dark Knight was badly wounded and covered in blood, and on the other, he had revealed his extraordinary power.

The only thing that bothered Adam was the way the Dark Knight spoke.

‘He’s not rushing to attack, and he’s not even angry. I don’t see a hint of defeat in his eyes. At the same time…’ Adam glanced at Loargh, Sarka, and Vyora. ‘Those three are trembling with fear, and I don’t even know why!’

Step.

Adam stepped forward. He realized that something important and very bad had just happened to the four of them, but he didn’t know exactly what.

“Loargh, why are you looking at him like that? What’s wrong with his sword?”

However, instead of answering the question, Loargh said only one thing:

“That doesn’t matter right now. Shit! Adam, we have to run, right now!”

His eyes darted from side to side, hoping to find a random gap or blind spot in the darkness. He needed anything.

‘With my speed, I can get us out of here! I just need to find a way!’

“Well, looks like he’s too busy thinking about escaping.”

The Dark Knight shrugged nonchalantly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell you why they look at me that way. It wouldn’t be right to keep fighting when you don’t even know what’s at stake.”

Whoooosh.

The Dark Knight raised his sword, pointing to the blade.

“As you can see, my sword has the Hollow Mark, but I don’t have one. There isn’t a single trace of the Frenzied Shard’s energy anywhere on my body.”

He ran his hand along the edge of the blade.

“The thing is, Adam, I could have obtained the Hollow Mark long ago and become one of the Fangs. I’m sure you won’t argue that I have enough strength for that, even without my sword.”

Adam nodded. He and the others had felt the full might of the Dark Knight firsthand. Not only the Elders, but most of the Fangs wouldn’t be able to handle him one-on-one.

“Why?” Adam clenched his fists tighter. “Why didn’t you take the Hollow Mark even though you had the chance?”

“It’s very simple.” The Dark Knight’s gaze grew deeper. “I let my sword absorb the previous Frenzied Shard. I can withstand all this power without having the Hollow Mark myself.”

Then, the Dark Knight pointed his sword at Adam.

“My goal is to absorb two Hollow Marks at once and immediately advance to the Thorn Rank. That is my goal.”