Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1790: Returned Monsters

In all the time Adam has been a Phantom, he has encountered quite a few other Phantoms. He hasn’t met thousands, but certainly hundreds, and has seen dozens of different Nexuses.

However, Sano and Natta were the first Phantoms with Monster Nexuses he had met.

It was quite ironic that such rare and practically forgotten Nexuses belonged to two women who had become Phantoms just over a year ago.

Silvana gulped.

"Can the Monster Nexuses devour their owners?"

Aiden nodded.

"Yes. That’s what I said. Sure, the Monster Nexuses have their advantages, but the risks were too great to leave them as an option. Back when many Phantoms had Monster Nexuses, the death rate was around 70%.

"Sooner or later, a Phantom would crack under the pressure, and a Monster Nexus would kill its owner, completely devouring them."

Silvana lowered her gaze, deep in thought.

"And... What happened next?"

Aiden gave her a long look.

Silvana pressed her palm to her chest with an eager expression.

"You said that 70% of Monster Nexus owners were ultimately killed by their own weapon. So, when a Monster Nexus devoured its owner, what happened to that Nexus afterward?"

For a moment, a smirk appeared on Aiden’s emotionless face.

"Good question, but the answer is obvious. In that scenario, a Monster Nexus absorbed enough energy to evolve directly into that state and advance to the next level, while regaining its monster nature."

Silvana was about to say something, but Aiden beat her to it:

"Do you want to know if there are such monsters in the Dead Lands right now? Sure, there aren’t many left since Monster Nexuses haven’t appeared in practically hundreds of years, but such monsters do exist."

Gladius, who was standing next to Silvana, smiled, ready to tell her more.

"As you know, even back then, getting a Monster Nexus wasn’t easy. To do so, you had to meet several conditions that you’re already aware of. So, those Phantoms who possessed Monster Nexuses were usually stronger and more capable than the others."

Silvana bit her lip. "Still, they died from their own weapons in 70% of cases, r-right?"

"Yes." Gladius nodded deeply. "So, if a Monster Nexus managed to do that and survive in the Dead Lands for at least ten years, it gained an advantage over everyone else. Such monsters are stronger, more experienced, and better than others in every way."

Aiden gave Silvana a stern look.

"There are no exact statistics, especially these days, but from what I know, I can say that only about 0.5% of all Monster Nexuses that killed their owners managed to survive the first ten years, fully revert to their monster nature, and continue to progress.

"Still, even that 0.5% didn’t become the strongest or immortal. Battles are constantly happening in the Dead Lands, so with each passing year, there are fewer and fewer such monsters because new Monster Nexuses practically never appear."

At that moment, Aiden looked at Sano and Natta.

"These two were the only ones in the last ten years to receive a Monster Nexus. Sure, there are a few more people in the entire Citadel with such Nexuses, but that’s just a fraction of a percent and practically nothing compared to the numbers from a few hundred, let alone a thousand, years ago."

He leaned on his hand.

"If you try to count them, it amounts to practically nothing. Let’s assume there used to be just 10,000 Monster Nexuses, there were more, but it’s easier to count that way. 70% of them killed their owners, which means 7,000 weapons returned to their monster nature."

Aiden continued while everyone listened intently. Such discussions were hardly possible anywhere else.

"Only 0.5%, that’s 35 of these monsters, were able to fully return to life in the Dead Lands and survive. The last time there were many Monster Nexuses in the world was over a thousand years ago. So, over hundreds and hundreds of years, of these 35 monsters, no more than 1 or 2 would remain, the strongest ones, who are now mighty Lords and possess terrifying power. The remaining 33 will perish in battles against other monsters or Phantoms."

Silvana’s eyes darted from side to side as she checked Aiden’s calculations.

"Incredible... Even if there had been a million Monster Nexuses throughout history, only about 100–200 would remain today."

Aiden nodded. "Correct, but I don’t think there were ever that many Monster Nexuses. That’s too many. And, over thousands of years, the chance of a monster dying is higher than over hundreds of years, as in my previous example. So, realistically, there are only about 10–15 of such monsters in the entire world right now."

Gladius snapped his fingers with an excited smirk on his face.

"These aren’t just monsters. These monsters are called the Returned Monsters! They once died and became someone’s weapon, but not only were they able to kill and devour their owner, but they returned to their past lives and became some of the strongest!"

Adam’s eyes widened.

"Returned Monsters? Only 10–15... in the whole world? Isn’t that significantly rarer than the True Lords?"

"Wait..." Silvana’s face paled. "It’s not just that. If you count them all, then... might there be fewer Returned Monsters than Second Rank Phantoms?"

Aiden shook his head from side to side.

"Something like that. A lot depends on what level we’re talking about."

"And what happens to the remaining 30%?" Adam asked. "Those who were able to control their Monster Nexuses? I see that Natta and Sano are doing well with that."

Aiden turned to Adam.

"There’s no mystery here, Adam. In that case, there are only two scenarios. If a Phantom has fully subjugated its Monster Nexus, the situation remains that way as long as the Phantom is at the First Circle. That Phantom simply has an unusual Nexus, and that’s it."

"But..."

Aiden’s voice deepened as his amber eyes glowed brighter in the darkness.

"If such a Phantom reached the Second Circle and became a Second Rank Phantom, then that Phantom and its Monster Nexus continued their path together. The Monster Nexus gained a full mind and became an ally. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. You can guess."

Before Adam could answer, Aiden waved his hand.

"Either way, that’s enough for now. Keep fighting. What you saw, Adam, isn’t all that Sano and Natta are capable of. You can be sure of that."