Chapter 1195: Knights and Ashes (Part 1)

Unfortunately for Fromund, he couldn’t experience the same thing Adam did when he absorbed the Twilight Crystal at the Dark Shore. His Path Construct had already been opened. It was his path to power, just like any other Phantom.

This didn’t make him weaker or stronger than Adam, but other monsters would be able to sense that Adam had absorbed the Twilight Crystal at the K3-Level, while Fromund had done so for the first star in his constellation.

His conditions weren’t as varied as Adam’s.

However, he also had to obtain the Twilight Crystal to fulfill one of them.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Energy raged through his body as the world around him seemed to freeze.

“How do you feel?”

Arayna’s voice rang out soon after. She also felt a surge of energy, but it was only a tiny fraction of what Fromund was going through.

“Incredible…” He said sincerely as his eyes filled with awe. “I feel so good and calm, but at the same time, I want to act like never before! This… This is a little better than the fierce power of the Midnight Crystal!”

Arayna smiled faintly. She agreed with him.

Each of the star crystals was different. Not only in their origin and properties, but also in how they affected the energies of the beings that absorbed them.

Well, that was not surprising.

The First Star and the Last Star had no enemies or friends. All creatures, monsters, and humans were equal to them. They did not create them, and they did not kill them.

Sure, the World Wipe and energy did both, but those were the consequences of the struggle between the two stars, not direct actions.

“There’s only one condition left, isn’t there?” Arayna asked.

Fromund nodded deeply.

“Yes. That’s why I came here. However, I don’t see a single Elder among them. All these monsters… they’re too weak for the first star to accept them.”

The conditions Adam faced were not unique. Many variations were different for each specific Phantom.

In many ways, Fromund and Adam were similar, both as humans and as Phantoms, but not in everything.

“Alright!”

Fromund banged his fists together.

“It’s time to help my mate! Looks like he’s in trouble!”

Grabbing his spear, Fromund rushed forward without fear in his eyes.

Even though he had just absorbed the Twilight Crystal, he did not become significantly stronger and did not advance to the next stage.

Sure, Fromund was now a much more dangerous Phantom than he had been a minute ago, he had more energy, but it wasn’t enough for any major changes.

This showed how much more difficult the K4 level was than the others. This rule remained the same at every level, but K4 was the end of the road for a Phantom.

Beyond that was only the Second Rank, which very few Phantoms had ever achieved in the long history of humanity.

Was Fromund sure that he could do it and one day become as strong as Damien?

Of course not.

No one could be sure of anything like that. However, he wasn’t going to give up, because this was his only chance to save his sisters and remain himself.

He didn’t want to think about how the death of his sisters would affect him. He knew it would break him, and very badly, there could be no other outcome.

But Fromund acted wisely.

Unlike Adam, he didn’t allow himself to dwell on these thoughts too deeply, as he knew where they would lead. He saw everything in Adam’s eyes, which confirmed his position once again.

Slash. Slash. Slash.

Two special Kirani Bugs attacked Adam from both sides. The chitin covering their bodies resembled a knight’s armor, as did their swords, with their smooth movements.

The Kirani Knights were among the strongest bugs in the Kirani Colony that invaders could encounter.

Sure, they weren’t the most dangerous, as their job was to attack, not defend.

One side of their swords was equipped with spiked growths to tear flesh, while the other was smooth and sharp for clean cuts.

While Fromund absorbed the Twilight Crystal, Adam held off the Kirani Knights.

He managed to do this thanks to his two rods, constantly blocking the countless barrage of attacks coming from their side.

However, when other Kirani Bugs returned to the wall gap, his situation worsened with every breath.

He was acting on instinct, and Silvana had to help him block all enemy attacks.

Sure, Adam was stronger than most of the Kirani Bugs, but if the Kirani Knight’s sword reached his neck, his head would fall to the ground. It was unlikely that Silvana would be able to help him in such a situation.

He had to stay focused, but when flashes of flame appeared behind the Kirani Knights, he was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“I’m here!” Fromund exclaimed, preparing to pierce the chest of one of the monsters.

The Kirani Knight reacted immediately, blocking Fromund’s thrust with his sword.

But Fromund had no intention of stopping there. He threw his spear aside and stepped forward menacingly.

Before the Kirani Knight could react, Fromund grabbed him by the wrist and threw him with all his might straight into a dozen approaching Kirani Bugs.

Click.

With a snap of his fingers, his spear burst into flames, disappeared, and reappeared next to him, ready to throw.

In the next moment, the dark spear, cutting through the wind, reached the Kirani Knight, whose feet had not yet touched the ground.

BLAST!

A fiery explosion spread across the gap, engulfing many bugs and leaving burns on the Kirani Knight who was unlucky enough to be in the epicenter.

“HAHAHA!” Fromund laughed when he saw the burned bodies of the bugs on the ground and the Kirani Knight breathing heavily.

He had survived Fromund’s attack, but if it happened again, the knight would not stand a chance.

“Come on. You just beat up my friend so badly. Now it’s my turn!”

As always, the flame burned in his eyes, and he was ready to fight as he was now and until the last day before the World Wipe.