Endless Evolution: Last Star-Chapter 1648: Blood Gift (Part 1)

Suddenly, the situation, which had been puzzling and even joyful, took a complete turn for the worse.

When Gladius revealed who he was actually working for, it came as a bolt from the blue for Adam and Silvana.

The person who had once helped him and practically saved his life was working with the very person who had nearly killed him at the very beginning of his journey.

And… it was this very person who possessed what Adam so desperately needed.

Adam needed time to compose himself and piece everything together into a single picture, but he didn't have that time.

Tremble!

A shiver ran down their spines as a sinister aura appeared behind them.

Adam and Silvana simultaneously jumped back and turned to face the unknown threat.

"Agh…?"

To their surprise, standing before them was not an assassin, nor a member of any faction. It was a tall girl with long purple hair and eyes as black as the abyss. The long brown coat covered her body down to her ankles, but that was enough for Adam to realize she was no ordinary person.

'Her shoulders and stance. That calm, menacing aura... Shit, who is she?' Soon, Adam's pupils dilated as he realized something. 'Wait. She's a woman and works with Gladius, could she be...?'

Tap.

Gladius's hand fell on Adam's shoulder, making his heart skip a beat. His broad smirk showed that he knew exactly what Adam was thinking.

"You've decided she's my Operator, haven't you?"

Adam gulped. "Even if that's the case. Every Phantom has an Operator, doesn't he? Even a bastard like you!"

"Yeah, you're right. But, I think I still have something to surprise you with." Gladius waved his hand.

At his gesture, Xyrea shed her coat. Underneath, there was nothing but her naked body, but all her particularly vulnerable parts were covered in flexible scales like those of a dragon or a lizard. The scales covered her forearms, legs, sides, and the lower part of her bosom.

The next thing that caught their attention was the purple tattoos starting on Xyrea's shoulders. They flowed down her arms and back.

Silvana's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Xyrea.

As an Operator, she could do one thing far better than Adam - distinguish a creature's race by its aura.

Now, she could clearly sense it - the girl before them was not a human.

"But, how can that be?" Silvana's voice trembled.

Soon, Adam realized it as well.

"Is your Operator a monster? You… Are you a human after all?"

Gladius blinked a few times. It seemed this question caught him off guard.

"Pffft, of course I'm human." He let go of Adam's shoulder, leaning on the table. "Come on, Adam, haven't you ever wondered what the Operator is? I think you should have figured out by now that it's all about energy, not that during the first part of your journey, Silvana was acting as your eyes and ears, sitting in front of the screens."

Adam froze for a moment. They had discussed this recently with Tron and Riska. Silvana had told him about the conversation she'd had on the first day, and Adam had asked his own questions as well.

Gladius continued:

"What's stopping the monster from becoming your Operator if that monster, for your sake, for the sake of your energy, gives up everything she has?"

Then, his voice grew lower.

"If Riska, the former Phantom, was able to do it, what's stopping the monster?"

Adam's face paled as he turned to Gladius.

"How do you know about this? You… Were you following us?"

Gladius rested his head on his hand. "Hah, isn't it obvious? I planned to do this the moment you returned to the Citadel. But you decided to go train with Tron and Riska. All I had to do was wait. You know, I'm a pretty patient person, so that wasn't a problem for me."

"What about the wedding ceremony? Did you really do that on Aiden's orders, too?"

Gladius shook his head.

"Adam, I work for Aiden, but he's not my master, and I'm not his servant. Our relationship is long-standing and friendly. Everything I did at the wedding ceremony was of my own volition. Moreover, coming here with Queen Elisa's blood was my idea as well. I just needed Aiden's approval, considering how rare Queen Elisa's blood is."

Everything that had happened here suggested that Adam shouldn't trust Gladius. But, for some reason, he didn't sense any lies in Gladius's words.

Silvana was in the same situation, but given her nature as an Operator, she couldn't help but look at Xyrea. She still couldn't believe it.

Step.

She took a step forward, standing before Xyrea. Maybe she was Gladius's Operator, but the fact that she was a monster as well was obvious. She towered over Silvana, overwhelming her just with her presence.

If Adam and Gladius had never existed and Silvana had faced Xyrea on the battlefield, it would have ended quickly. Xyrea would have torn Silvana to pieces in a split second, for she was a powerful monster and Silvana was merely a human being.

But now, they were both Operators of their Phantoms.

"You, how did you become his Operator? Why did a monster as powerful as you become his Operator?"

Silvana was shocked, but she asked the question sincerely. She wanted to better understand Xyrea, given the unique position she was in.

Xyrea didn't ignore Silvana. They hadn't realized it yet, but Gladius and Xyrea hadn't come here as enemies. On the contrary, they had other goals.

"What do you mean?" Xyrea looked down at her. "The answer is pretty obvious, isn't it?"

"Ahg?"

"At first, it was Gladius's wish. Naturally, I was against it, but in the world of monsters, the weak submit to the strong. Although… over the years, I've come to realize that it's exactly the same with humans."

Step.

Xyrea stood before Silvana.

"I went through the same stages as you. We are both Operators, even though the beginnings of our paths were truly different."

Gladius, who was watching from the sidelines, smiled.

'Well, well, Xyrea is rarely this talkative. It looks like this will be more interesting than I thought.'