âWhat...?!â Rosanaâs eyes went wide in disbelief when the young man with a weak-looking aura effortlessly ripped her from her seat, dragging her forward like a puppet.
Her natural abilities and the terrifying scream of her multiple jaws were enough to be the strongest monster at the blood pond, so she didnât expect that some human with a single arm could be a problem for her.
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
Jaws peering out of the blood streams snapped as Rosanaâs eyes lit up with anger.
Adam responded with a simple smirk.
Before Rosana could do anything, Adam simply tossed her aside. A cascade of jaws roared forward at Adam, but he just bounced to the side, several jaws closing right in front of his face.
Thump.
Rosanaâs back smashed into the wall with a clatter, raising a cloud of dust.
"Come on. You should have realized by now that my aura doesnât show my true strength. And... the absence of my left arm..." he glanced at his shoulder. "Well, thatâs the issue Iâm trying to solve, but I keep running into new obstacles!"
There was no response.
At least not in words.
Whooooooooooooosh.
A red spark flew out of the dust cloud, drawing a bloody thread behind it and smashing into Adamâs chest.
At the same moment, the two sparks, white and red, were simultaneously in both Adam and Rosanaâs inner spaces.
[Adam... Rosana has accepted your challenge... Now you have the opportunity to get her the key spark or... the equivalent in energy as an exception.]
Not everything Adam heard was clear to him, but he immediately closed his eyes to plunge into his inner space.
"Oh, I see..."
Adam muttered, looking at the two sparks hovering against each other. The sparks couldnât collide, keeping the same distance and constantly rotating.
"Rosana, it means, right? So she has a name, which is obvious since she can talk, but she doesnât have a title."
Adam hadnât quite figured out how this system worked with the new monsters yet, but gradually his understanding grew.
Before he met the Crimson Monarch, all monsters only had titles to some extent, but that wasnât quite right. These titles were given to them by people, most often the mission department, so it was more correct to say that they were just the kind or the species.
The difference was that the title was given to strong monsters for some kind of merit. They either chose their title or other equally strong monsters rewarded them with a title. Furthermore, to have a title, the monster had to have a name.
At least those were Adamâs conclusions at this point.
âThe Thunder Demon and the Steel Knight, theyâre not the only ones like that, there are quite a few of them scattered throughout the Dead Lands.â
Adam pondered, stepping out of his inner space.
âBut, Kyros, the Crimson Monarch, and Arnoth, Crusader of the Lost Light... They are one of a kind. If that monsterâs name is Rosana, then they got their names first, and therefore their titles for their accomplishments, right?â
Although this had almost nothing to do with his current opponent - Rosana, it made Adam think about the Dark Shore and the Hollow Wave monsters.
They were no longer the monster species and kinds, they were strong, unique individuals, just like the Phantoms.
Kyros, the Crimson Monarch, was the first such monster for Adam and also the first Hollow Wave monster, though he didnât know it at the time. Arnoth and Kreyna were his next challenge, and now Rosana was in front of him.
âCome to think of it, Iâve met a few monsters that can talk but donât have a title. Heret, Vorx, and the others, now Rosana. However, none of them is a Hollow Wave monster, therefore they donât have a title.â
Adam realized that not every Hollow Wave monster had a name and title. He didnât know that for sure, but it was obvious.
âBut, if youâre strong and youâre a Hollow Wave monster, youâre practically guaranteed a title and a name. Both by right of strength and by right of your age, arenât you?â
At that moment, Adamâs thoughts were closed to everyone even to Silvana. He just wanted to sort out his assumptions to see what dangers awaited him.
Rosana was just the right opportunity for that.
Whoooooooosh.
With a wave of her hand, Rosana swept the cloud of dust out of his way. Instead of anger and irritation, her eyes had only seriousness and focus.
She realized that the one-armed young man in front of her was no ordinary Phantom.
Adam also gave her his attention. His eyes narrowed, trying to see in her aura something similar to his, Rishaâs, or Arnothâs, but he saw no trace in Rosana that she was a Hollow Wave monster.
"What?" Rosana frowned, she seemed to realize what Adam wanted to find out. "Now youâre telling me Iâm not ancient or strong enough to fight against you? Youâre younger than me by multiples!"
After a few moments, Adam shook his head, wearing a slight smile.
"No, thatâs not the point. My... key spark wouldnât react to you if you didnât qualify. You said so yourself, didnât you?"
Step.
Dense, white energy traveled toward Adamâs right fist as a crimson wave traveled from his two rings down his body. He had one arm at the moment, but his Nexus could work under these conditions as well.
"Somehow, it reminds me of how hormones cause beasts to mate for procreation. Theyâre looking for a suitable mate, much like humans."
A dark chuckle erupted from Adam as a dangerous gleam ran across his bright blue eyes.
"The energy is not so kind. Instead of love, it offers us to fight to the death and even helps with find the last enemy. Agh... Isnât that romantic?"
In a heartbeat, Adam found himself in front of Rosana, who didnât expect him to be so fast. The energy, compressed to the density of a star, lit up her face.
"In that case, I will give you everything I have. As I do for all worthy enemies!"