Endless Evolution: Last Star

However, that wasn't entirely true.

If Phantom behaved well and didn't cause any problems to Guardians or other prisoners, he could appeal for a reduction in his already greatly reduced sentence.

For example - Adam had only 35 days left to go out of the original 180. However, he would have no problem getting out in three weeks, or at most 25 days.

However, this was not the limit.

The A-Zone was the final zone for most Phantoms, but it wasn't actually that.

The final zone was the S-Zone - the black gate Adam was looking at.

"S-Zone... If I get there I get my freedom, right?" Adam asked, with a mesmerized stare.

Edir didn't answer anything, he just looked at Lola. After all, it was her job to explain something.

The A-Zone, unlike the other zones, didn't have its guide, since those who made it here usually already knew everything themselves. Also, some of the twenty Phantoms in the A-Zone had been here before, Edir wasn't the only one who had been to Fall Hill Prison twice.

"Oh, right!" Lola said vigorously.

Then, she coughed and proceeded to explain with an intelligent look:

"S-Zone is the last zone, if you pass it, you can get your freedom immediately."

Adam raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"If I pass it? Shouldn't my sentence be reduced by 100% then? I should have 0 minutes left of my 180 days, shouldn't I?" Adam asked with a wave of his hand.

Lola sighed heavily.

"You probably forgot, but I told you earlier that if you reach the last zone, your sentence is reduced to one week, no matter how long it was originally, a year or ten years."

Adam nodded as his eyes became sharp.

"Who do I have to beat in the S-Zone? Although... no, who do I have to beat in the A-Zone, and how do I get enough points to challenge the Guardian to a fight?"

Lola shook his head.

"Look at your card."

Adam slammed himself in his pockets, fumbled for the card, and pulled it out.

The card was white, but in the center was a thick ring divided into three empty cells. Obviously, the cells needed to be filled in, but how and for what?

"In the A-Zone, prisoners don't have points, as it's just meaningless. Everyone who made it here is definitely in the Top-100 strongest K1-Phantoms, there are usually no exceptions." Lola explained, making Adam's eyes go wide.

This was the first time he'd heard anything about rankings among Phantoms, not just monsters.

Adam nodded understandingly. It made sense that the Phantoms had their rankings, but no one had access to one single ranking. Each organization had its rating, as did the missions department and even the military.

Somewhere they agreed with each other, and somewhere they didn't. This was not surprising, as it was often very hard to determine the pure power of a Phantom.

The Phantoms had different abilities, different roles in the team, as well as different complexity of missions and their amount.

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Moreover, some Phantoms acted only alone and some only in squads, some did both. There were too many factors as well as situations where one Phantom could outperform another.

However, no rankings, no complicated thinking, and a lot of factors were needed to realize that someone like Alexia was much stronger than most Phantoms of the same level.

"So... How do we fill these cells?" Adam asked thoughtfully, rubbing the back of his head.

Lola glanced at the rest of the prisoners.

"You have to challenge three of them and win. Then, you can challenge the Guardian of the A-Zone to a fight and make your way to the S-Zone."

Adam nodded, turned abruptly, and stepped forward, clenching his fists tightly. There was a visible intent from him in his actions.

Tap.

Edir's hand fell on his shoulder, stopping, ready to rush into the fight, Adam.

"Hey, take your time. You just woke up after a pretty serious battle. Not that Krana and Trana were very strong, but you're still feeling the fatigue from The Will's awakening, aren't you?"

Adam narrowed his eyes, and then he nodded.

"Yeah... You probably know more about it than I do. Do you want to tell me how I can get to the same level as Trana and Krana?"

Adam realized that although he was able to summon the ghost needle, it was only the first step of what The Will could do. His Aura Seal would have to become much stronger for his Aura to become some creature, not just a nameless and unstable weapon.

"Hey, didn't you see that I'm at the same level as you?" Edir shook his head with a bitter smile, "All I'm capable of is just summoning a phantom axe... Nothing more..."

Adam rolled his eyes.

"Enough of this spectacle already. You knew someone from F-Zone, couldn't handle your monster aura. Even Lola realizes that you held back and could have defeated Trana and Krana."

Lola quickly turned her head, looking back and forth at Adam and Edir.

'What...? Edir is actually that strong?!' Lola inwardly exclaimed. This was a surprising fact to her.

"Agh... You can't be fooled. Even though you're young, it seems like you've already lost your childish naivety. Many people retain it for decades to come and can't get rid of it. Well, let's do something more important first." Edir uttered, walking past Adam.

"Hmm? What are you talking about?" Adam raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Edir stopped, poking his chest with his thumb.

"Clothes! We're still wearing that tasteless stuff. There are any clothes of your taste here, and even a professional designer to help you with your selection! I already know what I want, though."

Adam nodded, looking at the other Phantoms.

They were all wearing different outfits of different styles, and only the two of them were still in the old outfit.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

At the same moment, Adam's new bracelet vibrated - it was a call from Silvana.

"Hey, you just called me the other day. Did something urgent happen?"

'Recently...? Adam, what are you talking about? It's been thirty hours since my last call...'

Adam's eyes went wide as he looked at Lola.

"How long have I been asleep...?"

Lola turned away, whistling thoughtfully.

"Fifteen hours..."

Adam sighed heavily, shaking his head.

"I see... Anyway, did you want something?"

'I know you said not to worry, but I almost got your case reviewed. Also, I can request a meeting with you in a few days!

Adam scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Forget it."

'Agh... Adam, what are you talking about?' Silvana asked anxiously. She knew nothing about the situation and thought Adam had given up. She had only assumed the worst about prisons.

"At least I'll be out in a week, and now... It's time to update my closet!" Adam said vigorously as he headed for the clothing boutique.