Chapter 1165: Clash of Two Crystals

Click.

Adam pulled the lid open, revealing the crate.

A bright light burst forth, falling on his face, but it quickly grew weaker, like a wave that had lost its power after washing over the shore.

As Damien had said, inside was a dense fragment of the Midnight Crystal, forcibly placed in a small crate where it could remain in a stable state for several months to several years.

If during that time, a K3-Phantom did not reach the K4-Level, the crystal was either disposed of or used as a powerful source of energy to power the entire Citadel if necessary.

Converting energy into electricity was a complex process, but humans had learned to do it a long time ago, otherwise, life would have been much more difficult. It was necessary to use all available resources efficiently so that the Citadel would continue to stand, no matter how many times the World Wipe occurred.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The space around the Midnight Crystal trembled while white streams of energy gathered around the shard.

Damien pointed to the crate.

“The material of this crate serves a simple function — it prevents the crystal’s energy from escaping too far. You must understand that no material can block the energy of the Midnight Crystal, this crate merely makes the process long enough for the energy to return.”

With a wave of his hand, Damien continued.

“That’s the difference I was telling you about. The Midnight Crystal wants to preserve its energy, returning it to itself over and over again and condensing it in its core. That’s why this crate does its job, because it basically helps the Midnight Crystal achieve its goal.

“However, the Twilight Crystal works differently. You’ve seen one, so I think you understand what I’m talking about.”

Adam nodded weakly, unable to take his eyes off the Midnight Crystal. It was much smaller than the crystal Adam had seen during the battle against the Plague Reaper, but it was obvious that this small shard contained several times more energy due to its enormous density.

“Yeah… The Twilight Crystal, its energy was in no hurry to return to the core; on the contrary, it was spreading its influence.”

Suddenly, Adam fell silent as he realized a simple truth that had been invisible to him until now.

“Right, the Twilight and Midnight Crystals, they are part of the Stars as well as their reflection, aren’t they?”

Damien nodded deeply.

“Sure. Just as the Last Star concentrates all its power to destroy the world, so the First Star spreads its energy throughout the world, saturating it like myriads of invisible threads.”

Adam looked up at Damien.

“So… I just have to absorb it, and part of the conditions will be fulfilled?”

“Hah, do you have any other choice? I don’t know where you’ll find the Twilight Crystal, but as I said earlier, that won’t seem like a problem compared to obtaining the heart.”

Without hesitation, Adam nodded and pulled the Midnight Crystal out of the crate.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

A cruel, overwhelming, and majestic energy burst forth from the Midnight Crystal, unwilling to become part of Adam’s power.

However, even if it was part of the Last Star, an object that had repeatedly nearly destroyed this world, it was still a tiny fragment that didn’t carry even 1/1000 of the Last Star’s true power.

For a weak monster or Phantom, this energy would have been destructive or even fatal, but not for Adam.

Moreover, before he could absorb the Midnight Crystal, something strange happened.

His energy burst out without his knowledge, but it was not white, but black. Like a multitude of warm, embracing arms, it enveloped the Midnight Crystal, trying to calm its rage.

But this only had the opposite effect.

The Midnight Crystal shook in rage, trying to rid itself not only of Adam’s grip but also of the dark arms made of opposing energy.

“Hahaha!” Damien’s laughter echoed through the empty storage room. “Now I think you understand why the World Wipe happens every 250 years. These two, they just can’t work together!”

A chill ran down Adam’s spine as he realized the depth of Damien’s words.

It was a brief, small presentation of what happened during the World Wipe. The power and scale of the destruction were incomparable to the real event, but the essence remained the same.

‘This…’ Adam muttered internally as he watched the two types of energy struggle. ‘Is it possible to stop this even if we get all the power in the world?’

Adam gulped.

A multitude of thoughts were ready to fill his mind, but he decided to shift his focus to the task at hand.

Crack.

Adam clenched his fist tightly, causing the Midnight Crystal to crack. At the same moment, dense streams of energy rushed into his chest, immediately appearing in front of the Path Construct and Adam’s mind.

The first star trembled as a bright flash illuminated the endless darkness, indicating that changes were coming soon, but it wasn’t enough.

[Star 3#

Twilight Crystal: 0/1

Midnight Crystal: 1/1

Dark Heart or Connected Heart: 0/1]

Adam nodded slightly as his gaze deepened.

A small portion of the energy turned into several thin threads that traveled from the star directly to his Evolution Tree.

Now, the Path Construct and the Evolution Tree were connected, albeit only through the transfer of energy. If Adam wanted to go further, he not only had to fulfill all the conditions but also create a Constellation.

Damien grinned. He saw Adam’s aura change slightly. It wasn’t anything major, but Adam had taken his first step toward power as a K4-Phantom with the Path Construct.

“How do you feel?”

With a serious expression, Adam clenched his fist, causing his veins to tremble.

“Not bad. This energy has become more than just a resource, it has actually made me stronger, but… all of this is nothing compared to a Heart, right?”

Damien chuckled.

“Hah, want to rush into battle already? Well, I can’t stop you. I’m sure Silvana has already found a few places where you can get a Twilight Crystal, but only you can find a Connected Heart.”

Damien towered over Adam as a sharp gleam flashed across his predatory green eyes.

“Will that be your choice, or will you go after the Hybrids?”

Adam shook his head.

“Silver Weaver… I want to see what its stronger version is capable of, or else… an Elder with abilities similar to mine.”