Endless Evolution: Last Star

"You've become a wise man from a pathetic trickster...?" Adam muttered with obvious interest.

"Yeah... It's not a very long story, but it's a cautionary tale. If you want, I can share it with you. I'm in the mood for it today." Louis said quietly, blowing out a club of smoke.

Adam nodded. So far, Alexia was the strongest Phantom he had met, among his level.

Sure, Tron, Prago, Damien, and the others were far more powerful, perhaps dozens of times more dangerous, but that should be expected given the difference in level.

Louis was Alexia's Operator, naturally, he was part of their overall success and had put considerable effort into it. He might not have been able to kill monsters like Alexia, but he could make it easier for Alexia to slay monsters in greater numbers.

"Well... Then let's start from when I first graduated from the Operator Academy." Louis mumbled thoughtfully, "I'm not sure if you know, but Operators can apply themselves to a Phantom they're interested in. I mean, I could pick some Phantom from the list and try my luck to become her Operator."

Adam nodded slightly. He hadn't gone through this, as his situation was different from the others. However, Alexia was supposed to be in the same conditions as him, but it had yet to come to that...

"My original plan was very simple - I wanted to find myself a cold girl who was willing to slice and chop monsters, turn them to ash, and wipe them into powder - all for the sake of killing them."

"I quickly found a suitable Phantom, and she accepted my request. It was supposed to happen - after all, I had some of the best grades in the academy. We even did our first few missions together."

Louis pulled out his next cigarette, a mango-flavored one, lit it with a blue flame, and continued:

"I called myself a pathetic trickster since I was sure I could control my Phantom. I wanted to make it the perfect weapon, a sharp sword that no monster's hide could resist. Nothing horrible, just a simple manipulation that allows me to greatly influence her actions." Louis shrugged with a thoughtful look.

Adam flinched slightly. He didn't think that was a proper strategy for interacting with people, especially between the Operator and the Phantom. Manipulation was never a clean technique.

However... Adam understood what Louis was talking about. Louis was sure he knew how to do it better and how to get a superior result.

"And...? Did you fail? Did something happen to her?" Adam asked in a worried tone.

Louis smiled bitterly.

"Nah. We were doing fine. My plan worked almost perfectly. Her personality matched my tactics, however... that was until I met Alexia." Louis directed the cigarette to his mouth.

Adam gulped, listening to him intently.

"As you know, Alexia is a Naturalborn Phantom like you, so... Douglas immediately offered her several options as Operators for her. You and Silvana had the same thing happen." Louis waved his hand.

"Yeah... That's true, so how did you two meet? How did you become her Operator? Did she see your progress with another Operator and offer to be with her?" Adam suggested.

"Hahahahahahaha." Louis laughed, almost evilly chuckling, "You shouldn't say such stupid things. Alexia is the last person who would choose her Operator based on data, ratings, or any important information."

Adam smiled slightly, "Well, that's probably true, then how did it happen?"

Louis blew out a puff of smoke and said, "I went to the missions department to get some information and do some paperwork, for an Operator, this is a more than trivial task. I was drinking coffee and rereading the paperwork, so I didn't notice her run out of the corner and crash into me."

"Apparently, due to the difference in strength, I was the one who fell to the floor. She threw me back about a meter, though she didn't even flinch." Louis shook his head, remembering the situation.

'What are you looking at, you idiot?! - "That's what she said then." Louis shrugged helplessly, "Instead of apologizing, she also blamed it on me. At first, I thought she was just a common cocky girl, but when she picked up one of the documents, everything changed."

An unusual smile appeared on Louis's face:

"Drips were dripping off the document from spilled coffee. It was ruined, there was basic information about the mission and the monster. Alexia read it and said -'Pfft, what kind of wimp would do such a boring job?'"

Adam tilted his head with a curious look and asked, "Was it some kind of regular monster?"

Louis shook his head.

"Not at all, White Threat Level, Red Book. Considering we had only completed a few missions at that point, it was a truly formidable foe." Louis blew out a puff of smoke, continuing his story and completely absorbing all of Adam's attention.

Adam's mind seemed to be transported back to that time - back in time as a ghostly spectator.

...

"Weak... What are you talking about?" Louis frowned intently, staring at Alexia, who looked like a lost teenager.

"About this!" Alexia poked at the monster's picture, "I just killed a few recently. I didn't think anyone would create a mission for just one. The department needs to do a better job."

Alexia nonchalantly said, crumpled up the document, and threw it straight to the floor, though she could have easily thrown it in the trashcan, with her strength and speed, it would have hit the target. She clearly didn't care that she was littering.

Louis smirked.

"Hah, I don't know what you're trying to prove, but you're a beginner since you're talking such nonsense. You couldn't even kill my Phantom's first monster. My Phantom is about to become one of the best. With my control." Louis said confidently, he evidently believed in his words.

Alexia raised an eyebrow with a strange look as if it was Louis who was talking nonsense and not her.

Then, she turned on her NEP and showed him the picture, making Louis's eyes go wide.

Alexia alone - standing in the middle of the desert, among ten corpses of monsters that looked like a cross between ants and lizards. Their bodies were covered in scales, with a long tail and tongues, but the same jaw and build as an ant.

"Here. Do you believe me now? The mission department told me they were strong monsters, but... as you can see, they lied to me. I don't understand why they couldn't just explain that they were regular monsters." Alexia touched her forehead with her fingertips in a tired way.

Louis gulped, he was silent for a while, letting the information he had received sink in.

Then, Louis flinched, as he realized something.

"Wait... You said you were going to the department for data, right?"

Alexia nodded, "Sure, how else was I supposed to find out? Are you really so stupid?"

Louis ignored her insult since his mind was focused on something else.

"Why didn't you ask your Operator that? If you're so strong and talented, you should have been assigned an Operator by now." Louis asked, puzzled.

Alexia waved her hand.

"I know. I was offered three Operators on the very first day, then another and another. However, none of the ten appealed to me. I don't see the point of them!" Alexia exclaimed menacingly, "I can kill monsters myself. Why do I need someone useless and weak?!"

"Useless and weak...?" Louis muttered, not believing what he was hearing.

His Phantom listened to his commands and did as he said, so they were successful, and everything was going according to his plan. Louis's manipulation tactics were working.

Alexia nodded.

"Yeah. Operators can't kill monsters. Their advice will only hinder me. How can they know what I should do during a fight if they've never fought and don't know what I'm capable of?" Alexia waved her hand arrogantly, "Well, bye. Sorry about the coffee. I think you should get a new one."

Louis, with a confused look, remained lying on the ground for a while longer. He just stared into the void while the spilled coffee soaked into the document, finally making it unusable.

Over the next two days, Louis's life changed completely. All the time, he was gathering information about Alexia, especially about her fights.

He viewed each of her fights from the professional side, thinking over what he would do in her place and what instructions he would give her.

The outcome was devastating -

Louis gripped his head, staring at the ceiling with a detached gaze.

'Out of all the situations in which she should die or be critically wounded, she somehow miraculously came out as a winner... Moreover, if I had been her Operator and she had followed my instructions, she would have definitely died in all those situations... I...' Louis inwardly muttered.

Then, his gaze traveled to Alexia's profile. She still didn't have an Operator.

'I can't wield a sharp sword if I don't have fencing skills... no... not even that... How can I tell someone how to swing a sword if I can't physically lift the weight of the sword...'

At the same moment, Louis took a huge risk - this was unusual for him. Normally, he always remained collected and calm. He had calculated his options and created backup plans. But, then, he felt he had to act now.

Louis abandoned his Operator - which was a disaster for his reputation, then headed towards Alexia.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

After a few minutes, Alexia's apartment door opened - Louis stood in front of her. He bowed low with his arms folded at the hips.

"Agh? Is that you, what do you want?" Alexia asked, holding a packet of chips in her hands.

"Please. Let me be your Phantom. I promise I'll be better than the others!" Louis exclaimed, pressing his palm to his chest.

"No. You're useless." Alexia said sharply, closing the door before his face with a rumble.