Chapter 1424: Dark Heart (Part 2)

Unlike the Connected Heart, which required a duel in which one of the two fighters took part of the other’s power, the Dark Heart worked differently.

No one took anyone’s power, and what’s more, the Dark Heart was not guaranteed even if a Phantom fought the Hybrids for several days in a row.

The Dark Heart was a reward both fighters created through their desire to win, giving their all, but only one could get it.

On the one hand, it was a fairer and gentler outcome than the Connected Heart, because the losing fighter did not lose any of their power, but on the other hand…

Erada had to watch as the dark orb slowly descended, heading towards Adam. She had created half of this orb, her pain, energy, and tears. Now, Adam would receive all of it, and there was nothing left to do but accept it and hope that next time she would be able to win.

The winner took everything — that was the essence of the Dark Heart.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

With an active tremor, the orb shook before turning into a real, purple heart. It was not made of flesh and blood, but of energy, which was perfect for Adam’s purpose.

“Hah… It actually appeared, right?” Adam’s eyes lit up as the Dark Heart settled in his palm.

“Tsk.” Erada snorted. “Rejoice, you… You deserve it.”

“Yes. I am.” Adam nodded. “I won’t be modest. Winning feels good, and I intend to keep doing it!”

Erada didn’t respond, she just turned away and looked ahead with a sad expression.

No matter what Adam said, it wouldn’t help her morale. She had lost, and for the next few weeks, that would be all she could think about. She would analyze their battle in an attempt to understand where she had made a critical mistake.

Well… Maybe she would find the answer and get better, or maybe this was her only chance to fight against such a stellar phantom as Adam, and she couldn’t win in the first place.

Sure, it wasn’t an easy fight for Adam. In a way, it was a unique experience because he started the battle against Anelez, but in the end, his real opponent was Erada. It was thanks to her that he was able to obtain the Dark Heart.

Xander, watching from the sidelines, sighed before stepping forward.

“Well, that’s it. It was a great fight. It’s a shame Erada didn’t win, but it’s still a great result.”

Helasa glanced at Xander as she followed him.

Soon, Xander found himself at the silent expanse. However, he didn’t come here to congratulate Adam on his victory or to support Erada. He had another goal.

“Get up.”

The voice came from above, causing Anelez to look up.

Her sad gaze met Xander’s calm one while his frame partially blocked the moonlight hanging above them.

“Mr. Xander… What are you doing here?”

“Hmm? Isn’t it obvious?” Xander held out his hand. “I came to help one of my kind. You lost today. I know it was especially painful for you, but is this the first time something like this has happened?”

Anelez got up with his help and looked into the distance, where Adam and Erada were. She had seen everything that had happened in their battle, so she knew who the winner was.

“Actually, I haven’t fallen that low yet. I didn’t just lose… Erada, she just destroyed me in one strike, and then she lost. Shit, she didn’t stand a chance either, but because of this whole situation, I feel like I lost twice in one fight.”

“Hah, that’s not far from the truth. If the three of you had participated in the tournament, you would have come in last.”

Anelez frowned. “What? Didn’t you come here to cheer me up? Haven’t you learned how to do that in several hundred years?”

In response, Xander shook his head.

“I came here to tell you that this won’t be your last defeat, it wasn’t your first, and there are many more failures ahead of you.”

She was about to say something, but Xander interrupted her.

“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t think about this one too much. Sure, you and I would have preferred you to beat Adam, but reality turned out to be pretty harsh. All you can do is get back to your peak as quickly as possible and try to break through your barrier again.”

Xander wasn’t lying. He didn’t come here to cheer her up, but his words had a deeper meaning.

Anelez didn’t answer, she just glanced at Adam and Erada in the distance and sighed heavily.

‘He’s right, it’s the best I can do right now. Although I’m not going to leave. I want to see how he does it!’

From the beginning, the Dark Heart had been Adam’s only goal. It was his way of becoming stronger. Erada and Anelez could have achieved the same thing if they had defeated him, but in the end, they both lost.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The Dark Heart trembled as Adam gripped it tightly. Under pressure, the Dark Heart burst into several streams that headed toward Adam, right into his inner space.

Soon, he found himself right in front of the Path Construct.

[Second Grand Star (Star 7#)

Dark Heart: 0/1

Connected Heart: 1/1

Desire of Beyond: 1/1]

“Hmm?” Adam raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “Shouldn’t I have already fulfilled all the conditions?”

“It will take time.”

A voice behind him made Adam turn around.

He met the gaze of the Silver Weaver, who was slowly walking in the darkness.

Tremble!

At the same moment, the Dark Heart appeared in its initial form before the Path Construct. Without delay, energy from the Dark Heart flowed directly to the Second Grand Star, as the Path Construct offered no resistance and even aided the process.

“Am I correct?” The Silver Weaver asked, but he was not speaking to Adam.

[Yes.]

The Evolution Tree replied.

[The Connected Heart did not become part of the Second Grand Star immediately either… Be patient, Adam.]

Adam nodded slightly as he looked at the two bright stars with several smaller ones around them. His desire to know what would happen next grew stronger, as soon the Second Grand Star of his nameless Constellation would be created.