Endless Evolution: Last Star

Genes were the basis of every creature, on the most trivial level, cells made up the bodies of both humans and monsters, and to some extent they determined power. Sure, cells were just the foundation, but that was why they were so important.

Essentially anyone living in the Upper Ring knew this, perhaps except for the slums. All it took was a basic education and knowledge of biology - nothing complicated.

So, the girl wanted to alter her genes by eating too much monster meat in a short period. Technically, because of the amount of meat she consumed, her body began to consist of monster meat by a few percent.

Sure, the meat went into her stomach, but the first cells digested and had already reacted with the rest, then attacked the girl's cells.

If Adam had been in her place, he would have felt only a slight pain in the stomach area or no negative effects at all. However, this girl was a mere human.

It should not be forgotten that it was possible to die even if one ate too many apples, or rather their seeds because of the poison contained inside, but the fact remained.

The most familiar fruit had a lethal dose, huge but it was, so for such a dangerous thing as the meat of a powerful monster it was enough of what the girl had already shoved in her mouth.

"Well, it looks like we're in for something curious. It could have been better, but it will be a nice ending to this evening." Magnus smirked as he waved his hand calling Soldier over to him to fill his glass with wine.

Silvana and Nessa watched as the girl gradually transformed. She was in pain, horror literally reflected on her face as it was not what she had hoped for.

"No... How... Why did this happen to me...?" The girl muttered as tears rushed from her eyes.

She wanted to become a Phantom, if only in an extraordinary way, but she was willing to do it. Naturally, she didn't know that there was a real way to become a Phantom without Spark, such knowledge was beyond the reach of the mere human, most of them.

Strangely enough, Adam wasn't looking at the girl at all. It wasn't that he wasn't interested, it was just more important to him to see Magnus's reaction.

Hearing Magnus's last words, Adam's eyes narrowed. It seemed to him that Magnus knew perfectly well what was going to happen to the girl next and he was disappointed that it wasn't going to be something more.

As if he hadn't just seen creepier cases, but was capable of creating one himself, of the right power.

Then, Adam shifted his gaze to the girl, whose hand had already transformed into a ghastly paw of flesh, with three long, sharp claws.

The transformation sped up considerably, and in a few seconds, there was nothing left of the girl. In her place was now a terrifying monster with an extremely strange appearance.

Everything seemed to be normal, the monster's body was covered in flesh, two lower powerful paws and two front paws with claws, as well as a long tail and mighty jaw.

However... constantly new eyes, tongues, and jaws opened at random places. They quickly disappeared as if realizing that there was no room for them here, but the waves of changes continued to create an eerie pattern.

"ROOOAAAARRRR!!!"

The monster roared furiously releasing long pieces of flesh from its body, something like whips, which were like spears headed towards several guests. Oddly enough, among them was Magnus, who was in the distance, drinking wine with a sly grin.

Whooooooooooooosh.

Several Guardians appeared in front of the guests, the very ones who were Phantoms. They effortlessly broke the whips of flesh apart.

Anyway, although the monster looked gruesome, a few chunks of meat from the Thunder Demon and the body of a simple girl weren't enough to make someone stronger than White Threat Level appear.

"Tsk. Now I've gotten bored. Hey, Dark Weaver, do you want to try killing this dangerous monster?" Magnus sarcastically said.

"Nah, I don't see the need for that." Adam waved his hand carelessly.

The Guardians looked at each other, nodded, and simultaneously attacked the monster from different directions. Before the monster could do anything, the sharp blades cut it into several pieces, covering the floor in dark blood, with a stinking odor.

Silence.

No one said anything for a while, an occasional whisper was heard, but it quickly disappeared into the void.

Clap.

Suddenly there was a mighty clap, a single clap, but resonant enough to make everyone turn their heads in the same direction, even Adam. Strangely enough, he did it instinctively, as if he felt it was impossible to ignore the call of someone powerful.

In front of the kitchen, stood a tall man with dark red robes, his hands folded behind his back. He looked just like Soldiers or Guardians, with one exception - he had three dark crystals on his mask.

"Oh, so the Knight has been here the whole time? He's been hiding somewhere... I wonder if they were speculating that there might be some larger incident today?" Magnus bit down on his pinky finger. The Guardians had handled the threat, so in Magnus's mind, the Knight was not needed here.

"Good evening. First, I would like to say that the danger has passed. The Guardians have successfully eliminated the threat." The man said calmly in a measured voice.

"Secondly, I apologize for what happened tonight." The man bowed slightly, genuinely repentant.

The guests looked at each other. The situation was indeed unusual, but they didn't know if it was worth pushing the situation further, or was it better to forget about everything?

However... some were sure that a simple apology wasn't enough.

"What the fuck was that!? Is it so hard to keep track of who you hire?! This is Red Feast, not some fucking roadside diner!" A man, one of the guests whose table the girl had knocked over, exclaimed angrily.

His suit was splashed with wine and he still hadn't gotten a chance to taste Thunder Demon's meat. His anger was more than understandable.

Knight glanced at him, then leaned even lower:

"I understand your frustration and apologize again. It does not excuse us, but no one is immune to error." The man said politely, afraid of pissing off the important guest even more.

The man got a grimace with an annoyed smirk.

"Tsk. Your words are worthless. It's already happened, which means it could happen again. How can I be sure of my safety when a monster can appear because of the actions of some stupid bitch:!" The man waved his hand with such intensity that saliva spurted from his mouth.

Knight without raising his head uttered:

"We'll do our best to make sure this doesn't happen again. Red Feast keeps a close eye on standards and we are constantly working to improve every aspect, from the staff to the ingredients." Knight said respectfully.

Adam watched the situation unfold with interest. He hadn't expected Knight to be so polite, though he realized that it was a major failure.

"Pffft! I don't need your promises and apologies. None of this makes sense anymore!" The man arrogantly waved his hand as he headed for the exit.

People turned their heads in his direction.

"I'm not gonna let this go! "I'm gonna tell everyone I know not to do business with Red Feast! It's a disgrace everyone should know about!"

Whooooooooooooosh.

Before people could realize anything, a shadow swept past them.

The next thing the crowd saw was Knight grabbing the man's head tightly, tearing it away from his body, and releasing a fountain of blood that covered everything around him.

"Oh, didn't you know that everything that happened in Red Feast stays in Red Feast?" Knight said calmly, maintaining his politeness.

He didn't seem to realize that the man was dead and was trying to convey that to him, though... obviously he didn't, because he had killed him himself.