Endless Evolution: Last Star

To a person who first encountered the Golden Light Squad, Osana would seem like the most typical Phantom-support who was always helping her team and cheering up her mates.

She looked like a common sweet girl, and her cute appearance helped her maintain that personality with others.

However, those who had worked with her for a long time would easily recognize that it was all fake, although that wasn't quite the right definition.

Osana wasn't trying to deceive anyone, she just didn't show her true personality, that she was cunning, calculating, and cold, but she wasn't cruel and selfish.

She was willing to sacrifice herself for victory, but for that, she needed to wait for the right moment, when she could make the most of her Second Order.

"Wait... What was that...?" Magnus muttered, glancing at Osana lying on the ground.

She was lying in a pool of her own blood, flowing out from a wide hole in her stomach.

If Plague Reaper's attack had been a bit stronger, it would have torn Osana in two, but... the damage she received was more than enough to make Osana's eyes go blank.

Refesa frowned.

"That's a risk she decided to take, but she overestimated her powers... However, despite her death, her plan worked perfectly." Refesa bit her lip, she was sorry Osana had such an ending, as her ability was curious.

Magnus gave her a questioning look.

Refesa sighed heavily.

"I've seen that girl use her Second Order a few times, it wasn't just in the lines of the Golden Light Squad, she went on missions quite often." Refesa glanced at Osana.

"The essence of her ability is quite simple, yet complex to put to use. She can use the damage she takes to turn it into a flower, making her target stronger. The more damage she receives, the bigger the flower and the longer it will last."

Refesa continued, glancing at Adam's chest.

"However, she doesn't redirect the damage, she receives it completely and has to suffer for her Second Order to work to its maximum in a particular situation. I've seen her use that ability three times."

Magnus raised an eyebrow, with mild curiosity.

"And... Were the flowers this big the previous times?"

Refesa shook her head.

"The first time, it only got a few scratches, so the flower only consisted of thirty petals. The second time, it was fifty petals, and the third time, it was sixty-three."

Refesa narrowed her eyes.

"Now the largest flower has appeared, ninety-nine petals... Considering the cost she used for her Second Order, that's probably the peak."

Magnus tilted his head in confusion.

"Wait... What's the point? Adam's bones are just going to break from the overload right now. In twenty seconds, the Resonance should have completely broken his body, and... with another amplification... how is he even standing on his feet?"

Refesa smirked, leaning on her hand.

"Because technically, it's not an enhancement. Adam doesn't get any amplification from that flower directly, but he's also gotten a lot stronger."

Refesa expected Magnus to ask a question - "How?" but he just stared at her as he continued.

"Damn, even though you're one of the smartest people, sometimes you act like a real fool." Refesa muttered, shaking her head.

Then, she continued:

"This flower is an active energy source that has unique properties because it is Osana's ability. The energy emanating from it makes Adam's body stronger, saturates it with energy, and at the same time heals it, making it stronger and faster."

"Wait... How is that possible? That's exactly the description of some kind of powerful amplification." Magnus pondered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, then his eyes went wide when he realized what was happening here.

"Oh... I see..." Magnus muttered, "It's unexpected that a Phantom of her level possesses such an ability, I must admit that it's a pure rarity, was..."

Refesa nodded.

"The flower constantly emits energy, creating around itself, just for Adam, an artificial area with dense energy, which has Osana's special effects. In other words, the flower doesn't affect Adam directly, this energy can be useful for any target, but since the flower is on Adam's chest, he is the sole beneficiary of this ability."

Magnus scratched the back of his head with a glance at Osana.

"Agh... There's no way we can save her, right?"

Refesa shook her head with a dark look.

"Even if we were there with the necessary equipment, there's nothing we could do. Apparently, from the organs, she has part of her lungs and heart left, everything else in the torso area has been destroyed..."

Refesa didn't want Osana to die, but Osana was a Phantom and had made her choice, she should face the consequences.

Magnus took a deep breath before looking at the Plague Reaper, Adam, and Katrin. Enjoy new tales from empire

...

There were many different places in the Dead Lands, territories were often divided into Threat Levels just because of the energy density in those places. Usually, the energy had no effects, it was as neutral as water.

But, although it was rare, the energy could make creatures faster or slower. Because of the energy's features, the regeneration of monsters could be accelerated, or their wounds could be hard to heal due to the low recovery rate caused by the energy with special effects.

This energy was called Irregular Energy, and the mission department noted all such places in the Dead Lands, as well as the effects of that energy in those areas.

Areas with Irregular Energy were not found in Purple Threat Level areas or below, even in Light Yellow regions, it was very rare.

So, Magnus didn't immediately realize what was wrong because he didn't expect Osana to possess such an ability as a K1-Phantom. It wasn't something unique, he had seen Phantoms with similar abilities, but it was so rare that he forgot about it.

The flower on Adam's chest created a small zone of Irregular Energy, the effects of which Osana had set up, and this zone covered only Adam, but despite its unusual nature, this ability had one critical flaw.

Unlike other amplifications that lasted for quite a long time, this flower would live as long as the energy allowed.

Ninety-nine petals meant not only that Osana's Second Order was in its peak form, the flower was large and majestic, but also that Adam only had ninety-nine seconds.

...

Red particles from the first few petals flew before Adam's eyes and vanished, leaving an empty outline on his chest.

When all the petals were gone, and the flower was nothing more than an empty shell devoid of energy, Osana's ability would dissipate, and the energy that made Adam stronger would no longer be able to help him in battle.

'No... Did she do that...?' Adam internally muttered, staring at Osana lying near his feet.

He knew it was impossible to survive with such a wound, but something was bothering him.

Time after time, Osana's last words flashed through his mind.

What was the point of saying something about three wishes if Osana had died right after those words?

Then, another, fourth petal disappeared, bringing Adam to his senses.

'Right, I can't waste time on this, I have to fight, this is my last time.' Adam decided, guessing the purpose of this flower.

As soon as Osana used her ability, he immediately felt how relieved he was.

Before, his bones were ready to practically break under the pressure, another half a minute, and his muscles would have torn due to a few amplifications and Resonance.

But now, he felt only relief and lightness, as if the heavy chains, resting on his shoulders, trying to nail him to the ground, had simply faded away from Osana's touch.

"Adam! We have to keep going!" Katrin exclaimed.

She rose from the ground, leaning on her staff.

With his attack, Plague Reaper had thrown her quite far away, but he was still trapped between them. Moreover, Plague Reaper needed a small break, at least a few seconds to regain his breath.

He took a chance and used his coat's ability in hopes of killing Adam, then dealing with Katrin would be no problem. Considering that he had unleashed a powerful attack on Nessa not long ago, it put a lot of pressure on him.

"We can win... We still have time left." Katrin uttered through gritted teeth, slowly stepping forward.

Her lips came into motion as she looked at the Plague Reaper.

But, before she could say anything else, a stream of blood rushed from her mouth, and the energy around her became much less.

"Grh!!!!"

A stream of blood rushed from Katrin's mouth as her Evolution Tree shuddered, beginning to release energy from its farthest parts.

Her first five minutes were over.

Now, all Katrin has left is one minute and fifty seconds, after which the last ten seconds of her life will begin.

During these ten seconds, Katrin will be practically no different from any other ordinary human being, as her Evolution Tree will empty and literally drain the life out of her.