Chapter 172: Without a Face
However... even though Prago's Spirit was now weak and feeble, Adam was only a K1-Phantom with a First Stage Spirit, his needle was too weak to handle the Second Stage Spirit of the K2-Phantom.
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
Adam's hand trembled as he tried to hold the needle, but gradually, the roots of the flower monster, like sharp claws tore apart the silver threads. If it continued like this, Adam's Spirit would be defeated in a few seconds, and he would take serious internal damage, after which he would definitely lose.
'Come on... I know my aura can do more than that... This is the deadly situation Edir was talking about, isn't it?' Adam internally muttered with a great frown.
His Aura Seal was shaking violently while sparks began to emerge from the tips of his Evolution Tree, but... it didn't seem to be enough. Adam needed something else to make his Spirit evolve.
'Should I order my Spirit again? But... I don't feel like I should do that at all...' Adam pondered, then his gaze traveled to the flower monster, trying to find the answer to his question in Prago's Spirit, in the seconds he still had.
The flower monster looked fearsome and powerful, yet Adam didn't feel it at all. He saw only hurry in its actions, and seemingly fear.
'Will my Spirit be the same...? No, I can't allow that...' Adam's eyes went wide, 'If the Second Stage of the Spirit is a representation of myself, then it must be real... Prago is a fearful coward, and his Spirit seems dangerous and formidable, but it's all just a fake...'
Instead of Prago's Spirit, Adam decided to focus on his own one. A blurry image appeared in his mind, like a vision out of nowhere, it gradually became more precise until it shone brightly - reaching its final form.
Then, the sparks emanating from the tips of the Evolution Tree became dozens multiplied, turning into plasma and absorbed into the Aura Seal.
The needle mark hovering in the center split into hundreds of threads, transforming into something else - the Second Stage of the Adam's Spirit!
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
At the same moment, the same processes began to take place in the real world. Adam's ghostly needle shattered into clots of aura, it seemed that Prago's Spirit was finally able to break through Adam's defenses, but... it only lasted for a moment, during which it was impossible to do anything.
Adam's aura became much denser and stronger, pushing back the flower monster's claws.
Then, the aura condensed into a single point, transforming into a tall creature consisting of ghostly white threads.
The creature had no legs, only what looked like a transparent veil or the end of a long, tattered coat of silver threads that fluttered in the breeze.
The torso was flat and dense, gathering several layers of threads, followed by the arms, one containing a long needle and the other much larger with long fingers and sharp claws like those of a monster.
The creature had a head, but no face, though... it could hardly be called a head in the usual sense of that word.
From the shoulders, instead of a neck, came dense threads that divided into two parts, like wide petals. In the center, where the brain should have been, there was only a bright white light floating between the threads, protected by them.
"What... He could do that right now... It took me years to do it!" Prago shouted in disbelief, unwilling to accept this reality.
Then, he waved his hand.
"Whatever, it's not enough! You're on your own! Moreover, I've already taken damage from your auras! It's useless!" Prago exclaimed.
In part, he was telling the truth. It was impossible to receive damage from an opponent's aura once more, only after a long time, however... he completely forgot about some details...
"Agh... What... a bliss..." Adam muttered, taking a deep breath, as if heavy shackles had fallen from him.
Then, his gaze traveled towards the flower monster and rested on Prago.
"You're right. In a normal situation, I alone wouldn't be enough, but... just look at you and your Spirit." Adam smirked as his eyes narrowed with a sharp glint, "You're both shaking."
Whoooooooooooooosh.
Adam swung his hand, and at the same time, his Spirit burst forward, tearing Prago's flower monster apart and quickly moving on.
Sure, Prago's Spirit would recover soon, it seemed Prago had nothing to fear and could let Adam's Spirit attack him.
However... Last time, only Edir and Kayla's Spirits had pierced Prago's chest, then Adam's needle didn't participate as it was too weak.
Crackle.
Prago's mouth opened wide, releasing a new stream of blood as Adam's Spirit's left hand pierced his chest.
It broke the final barrier separating Prago from defeat and the end of the fight. Everything in front of his eyes began to blur, slowly sinking into darkness.
With his last strength, he slammed his fist into the ground, trying to stay conscious, but it was as pointless as holding out hope of victory when everything had already come to its logical outcome.
Bam.
Prago fell with a blank stare, bleeding and regrets growing deep inside his soul.
Adam smiled bitterly, fell to his knees without strength, and looked up with a deep gaze that contained a blazing flame.
"We won... It's a victory..." Adam whispered as his Spirit exploded, spreading around hundreds of white bright particles.
Like lonely snowflakes, they slowly descended before dissipating into nothingness.
That day, three prisoners, no... three K1-Phantoms, were able to show that sometimes even the difference in power level didn't matter.
The feared and unworthy K2-Phantom couldn't stop them on their way to freedom and deservedly lost under hundreds of stares.