Endless Evolution: Last Star

Each time a prisoner passed into the next zone, their sentence was reduced by 20%. This rule worked without exception until the prisoner reached the S-Zone. Then, the original sentence was reduced to a week, no matter how long the original sentence was.

In fact, to some extent, it was a purely symbolic period, as the conditions of the S-Zone were more like a 5-star resort than a prison.

But, those who managed to get to the S-Zone did not need personal cooks, services like massages, and various entertainments. They could get it all on their own. It didn't matter to them, all they cared about was getting their freedom.

However, to do that, a prisoner had to defeat Prago, and that seemed to be an impossible task.

Prago was a K2-Phantom, regardless of his skills, the simple difference in level was enough for the K1-Phantoms to not stand a chance against him.

"Do we have to fight against Prago only 1 vs. 1?" Adam asked, casting a glance at Lola.

Lola shook her head.

"You can challenge him alone, but if you follow the rules, up to three prisoners can fight Prago at once. Sure, there have been times when more prisoners attacked, but then other Guardians would come to the rescue, and then Prago would personally make life difficult for anyone who broke a rule."

Adam nodded.

"I see... So it's only 3 vs. 1. Well, we already have two, don't we?" Adam glanced at Edir, who looked at Adam with a baffled face and pointed at himself.

"Hey, I already fought against Prago, and it was a damn bad idea. Do you want me to get beaten up again? Come on, we can just wait a week, drinking cocktails and watching movies. Seven days will go by fast, you won't even notice." Edir suggested, he clearly thought that was a bad idea.

Adam smirked.

"Is someone really afraid? You have the advantage. You've fought him before, which means you know what he's capable of."

Edir narrowed his eyes, saying nothing. It seemed he was beginning to think about it, but he wasn't ready to accept Adam's offer yet.

"What's more, you probably should have felt something strange when fighting Prago."

"Hmm?" Edir gave him a questioning look.

Adam sighed, "In some ways, Prago and Narata are similar. Even though Prago only attacked me twice, it was enough to realize that he has a clear lack of combat experience."

Edir's eyes went wide.

Adam continued, "I didn't realize what it was at the time, but after the fight with Narata, it finally came to me. I think if we can find someone of our level in S-Zone, we'll at least have a chance."

Edir was silent for a while, then corners of his mouth went up, and a sly smirk formed on his face.

"Alright, but, we'll only get one shot at this. If we fail, we'll just wait until the end of the week before we get out of here."

Adam smiled contentedly.

Lola looked back and forth between Adam and Edir. She couldn't believe they were serious.

However, their task wasn't impossible. Sure, K2-Phantom was much stronger than K1-Phantom, but the difference wasn't infinite.

If their target was a Second Rank Phantom, it wouldn't matter how many allies they had. Even a thousand K1-Phantoms wouldn't be able to do anything against Second Rank Phantom.

It would be like trying to defeat North Keeper with the strength of ordinary people without weapons. Even ten thousand wouldn't be enough.

But, Adam and Edir although they were K1-Phantoms, were on the border and were about to become K2-Phantoms soon. Each of them only had a few steps to take, most of the way was already behind them.

Moreover, their combat experience and skills were superior, and if they had the same ally, against the relatively weak K2-Phantom, they stood a chance.

Adam had no doubt that Prago's strength was below average compared to the other K2 Phantoms. He was sure of it when he met Tron at the police station.

The difference in their auras was too obvious, even in a calm state.

Step. Step. Step.

They reached the entrance gate, entering the S-Zone.

Unlike the A-Zone, there were only six prisoners here, considering Adam and Edir, there were now eight. Most of them would be out in a few days or even tomorrow, so... the atmosphere was calm, even too much so.

Boredom literally floated in the air.

The S-Zone had even more service and entertainment than the A-Zone, but the Phantoms hardly used it. Most just lounged on the plush couches, watching or reading.

"Well. If we lose, we'll spend the rest of the week like this. Not so bad, but no luxury is more valuable than freedom, is it?" Edir sighed, looking at the simple door at the end of the S-Zone.

It looked like the other staff doors since if one went through it, one could go outside. As soon as a prisoner left the prison, he was free, and it didn't matter if it was after the end of his sentence or before.

"So... Do you know any of them?" Adam asked, pointing to the six prisoners.

Edir shook his head.

"Nah. This is the first time I've seen them all, but... I know who we need." Edir said confidently, raising a finger.

Adam cast him a questioning look.

"Support." Edir smirked, "Look, I take it we both don't have defense or healing skills, do we?"

Adam nodded. His abilities were completely focused on attack, only with his Nexus could he defend himself to some extent, but Soul Cry was more of a disable, for stopping opponents than some sort of shield or barrier.

"Well, now you know what I'm talking about. We need someone to make us stronger to bring us even closer to K2-level. Furthermore, if our future ally has some healing, that's a real jackpot!" Edir exclaimed with an excited expression.

...

Adam and Edir spent the next hour trying to find a suitable ally, but after talking to three of the six, they found only disappointment.

"Agh... That was only half, so... we still have a chance, right?" Edir muttered, not believing what he said.

"Sure. We'll get lucky sooner or later, though... We can't ignore the fact that we have very slim choices." Adam sighed heavily, realizing the complexity of the situation. m|vl|e|mp|y|r article

Bam.

Suddenly, a can of soda flew at Adam. Reflexively, he caught it without spilling a drop on the floor.

"Hey, you two idiots! Stop bothering everyone!" A girl with long, thick green hair exclaimed with a highly irritated face.

Edir frowned.

"Who the hell are you? We haven't gotten to you yet, but it looks like it's time."

The girl smirked, planting her bare feet on the leather couch. Her body was covered by an unusual white outfit, loose and sturdy - not restricting her movements.

"My name is Kayla, and both of you are getting on my nerves. You won't find an idiot here who wants to fight Prago."

Adam stepped forward, staring at her intently.

"But... You could have just waited and said no, but instead, you decided to speak first. Tired of waiting, aren't you?" Adam said calmly.

Kayla bit her lip.

"Oh, what an incredible deduction. Maybe you should have gone to detective work?" Kayla said mockingly.

"Are you going to help us or not?" Edir waved his hand irritably.

Kayla smirked, narrowing her eyes.

"That depends on what you're willing to offer."