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Chapter 105: Wrath of the Tribulation
Chapter 105: Wrath of the Tribulation
Chapter 105: Wrath of the Tribulation
The armor's instinct - or rather some trained tendencies from copied memories - worked against it. Most of its opponents died after losing their hearts. The organ often gained in importance during a Tier-up. Of course, some Tier 2s specialized in survival didn't need their hearts.
However, its opponent was a mere Tier 0; the attack should have killed him instantly. Therefore, the armor's limited intelligence was surprised when the warrior placed his hand on its breastplate. Recognizing a possible danger, it tried to back away.
Its wish was granted.
Lvl Up: [Erosion Resistance] lvl 28,29
META (END) +6
Priam suffered a violent coughing fit as he contemplated the flying armor. Blood covered the sand of the arena. His meridians were on fire - or so he felt. Despite his constitution and resistance, they never seemed able to withstand his techniques. I guess discharging a quarter of my reserves at once doesn't help...
The boss's landing was as swift as it was hard. A fraction of a second after triggering his skill, Priam felt the arena shake. A spray of sand and a terrifying shockwave followed. The cloak of mist covered Priam's face before condensing, protecting its wearer.
A few seconds later, the mist partly dissipated. The [Healing Meridians] were already taking action. Priam looked in the direction of his opponent. The armor would be damaged, but he knew it could still fight.
He gave it time to get up. It was competent, and he wanted to learn. Handling his spear with the strength of a giant and the grace of an undead bored him.
Since he had passed the five-hundred mark in perception, this attribute had evolved. His superhuman ears detected a sound. A tiny metallic creak confirmed that his training partner could still move. Priam positioned himself and triggered [Focus]. Part of his consciousness took advantage of the respite to analyze the start of the fight.
The armor had slightly superior attributes, but Priam hadn't marginally lost out. He had been crushed.
Of course, he could have drowned the arena in mist, summoned gigantic blocks of ice and unleashed a kinetic tornado of cataclysmic proportions. He would have won the fight in the long run. It was not his objective.
This fight could maybe propel him to a higher level of mastery. The armor was well within Micro's Stage 1 - it was the only explanation for why its power had increased when it had cut through his ice spears. Priam wanted it too. He didn't have time to meditate under waterfalls for decades. There had to be a faster way.
Survival.
The sand fell back to the ground as the boss finally rose. Priam turned his attention back to the fight.
A distinct hand mark was visible on the breastplate. Dented in multiple places, the armor was a sight to behold but hadn't let go of its sword. It made a few movements, testing its range of motion. Despite its appearance, the armor still radiated a dangerous aura.
Priam's eyes were focused. A second later, he copied his opponent's movements. He didn't have the same muscles, but he knew there had to be an interest in these exercises. Despite his high level of agility, Priam felt his muscles protest. The pain revealed his weak points.
He was on the right track.
Lvl Up: [Gymnastics] lvl 6
AGI + 1
The boss stopped, and Priam did the same. [Focus] wasrunning at full speed, and his perception tracked the slightest movement of the armor. He didn't seek to understand - that would come later.
Right now, he intended to adapt.
Without fanfare, the boss leaped in his direction. Priam noticed immediately that it was slower than before.
Silently, the sword swung at Priam, who raised Promesse. Like a snake, the sword trembled before bending, passing under Priam's guard, and touching... nothing. Priam had dodged nimbly, shifting his weight at the last moment. He countered with [Spear Strike]. Promesse accelerated towards the armor, which parried the attack.
The boss moved to its right. Like a mirror image, Priam moved symmetrically to his left. The sword moved forward again, and Promesse blocked the strike. The armor attempted a kick, and Priam dodged backward. The armor stepped forward, and the spear's tip appeared in its path. Seeming to wrap itself around the weapon, the sword magically bypassed it and continued.
Priam concentrated as the sword entered his Domain. Within his sphere of authority, the sword's illusions lost their effectiveness. Priam moved forward, sliding Promesse's shaft against the boss's blade. Abruptly raising the end of the shaft, he dragged the sword in a vertical movement.
Lvl Up: [Parry] lvl 2
STR+1
With another step, Priam found himself in hand-to-hand combat and headbutted the armor. The latter stepped back and returned to guard. Priam wiped the blood from his forehead and smiled.
The two adversaries assessed each other before resuming.
Gradually, the fight began to follow the rules of a game. Objectively, the armor was a better fighter. Fortunately, Priam could see further ahead, learn and adapt.
An unknown feint found its way into Priam's guard and nicked his right pectoral. The blade barely had time to sink in before [Kinetic Control] stopped it. Promesse returned to the charge, and the boss had to dodge a swift [Spear Strike].
The dance of death continued. Priam's perception analyzed the armor's every move. His instinct and Vivacity were changing Priam's style in real-time. Every feint, every blow, every dodge was imprinted in his memory.
Lvl Up: [Battle Flow] lvl 6
PERC +1
DEXT +2
The flames enveloping the armor began to grow. Priam stood on guard, watching both the enemy sword and his opponent's shoulders, legs and pelvis movements.
The sword advanced, and Priam blocked. He moved straight back into position to parry another volley of blows. His right leg trembled, weakening under the assault. Concentrating on [Dodge], Priam stepped back and repositioned himself. The armor attacked his legs and met Promesse. Priam had driven his weapon into the ground, like a pillar designed to block the sword's slash.
Priam dropped his weapon as he saw another attack coming. He jumped back, closely followed by the armor. Reinvoking Promesse, he once again blocked a blow from his waist.
Lvl Up: [Parry] lvl 3
STR+1
The assault continued, and Priam winced as he received another wound on his arm. I cant remain passive.
A tentacle of mist shot from his shoulder towards the armor. It was harmless, but his opponent couldn't know that.
The boss raised his sword to parry, and Priam accelerated with [Kinetic Control].[Spear Strike]! Promesse disappeared beneath the speed. Sensing the danger, and with no way of parrying, the specter used his trump cards.
The hoplite spear hit the air, sending a harmless gust of wind toward his opponent. The latter was now more than ten meters away from Priam. His movement had been so swift that he'd thought it was teleportation.
His Domain reassured him by deciphering the movement used by the boss. Its feet had taken up a particular position, creating a kind of aether web beneath them. Like a spring, the web had catapulted the boss backward. No, the web had been there all along...
Priam analyzed the boss's web in an instant. [Eidetic Memory] combined with Vivacity recreated the technique under his own feet. A moment later, Priam was sliding forward, supported by a fine aether structure.
Lvl Up: [Aether Manipulation] lvl 9
META (PERC) +1
META (AFFI) +1
META (FOCUS) +1
A meter away, he bent his knees and leaped forward, saturating the aether wire. The energy broke the wire, creating a force that propelled Priam forward. The next instant, he used [Kinetic Control] to stop himself. In a fraction of a second, he had covered some twenty meters.
[Battle Footwork] - You know how to move in battle. Your feet are your supports, the pillars that connect you to the earth. Your legs are agile, able to move quickly to reposition yourself. Your torso and arms don't stay static.
You begin to incorporate aether into your movements.
Combat is a dance, but don't attempt a moonwalk on the battlefield.
AGI +2
DEXT +1
Priam smiled as he deciphered the final piece of the puzzle. A glance at the armor widened his smile. For the first time in the fight, the boss was in a defensive position. Priam used [Battle Footwork] to close in, then pressed his advantage with [Tribulation Piercing Spear].
Lvl Up: [Tribulation Piercing Spear] lvl 7
STR +1
AGI +1
DEXT +1
The warrior canceled the attack, and Priam smiled. The violent clash of weapons disturbed his mist, but not his Domain. He registered the warrior's technique to strike ten times on the tip of Promesse. Last time, it had taken only eight blows. It's getting tiring.
The technique was exquisite, but needed to be executed without error. Could a haunted armor make a mistake? Let's find out!
[Tribulation Piercing Spear]. The boss's sword changed color. Turning crimson, it succeeded in blocking Promesse.
[Tribulation Piercing Spear]. Glowing runes lit along the enemy's blade. The impact was extremely violent. The swordsman's haunted armor retreated several meters as it parried the spear. The armor went down on one knee, and Priam gathered up his reserves of aether.
Lvl Up: [Tribulation Piercing Spear] lvl 8
STR +1
AGI +1
DEXT +1
[Tribulation Piercing Spear]... The fourth use shattered the armor's guard. The sword was thrown aside violently, and the spear came close to the boss's helmet.
Faced with its demise, the armor transformed. The rust disappeared, and a red cape appeared on its back. The green flames permeating it turned red. The boss stood up. One way or another, the fight was coming to an end.
Accelerating sharply, the swordsman's specter moved its head, dodging Promesse's tip. Priam had no time to react before the boss slipped into his guard. A gauntlet struck him in the stomach, knocking his breath out. Bent in two, Priam saw an iron knee coming to meet him.
Priam's mind was clear as he saw the attack approaching. His draconic instincts told him that the force behind the blow would crack his head open like a walnut. The boss must have triggered a temporary boost skill to increase his strength and speed.
The mist seemed to be disrupted by the boss's Supremacy, making any merger impossible. [Kinetic Control] was ready to stop part of the blow, but would it be enough?
Wrath invaded Priam, as he contemplated the possibility of losing. Instinctively, he used Micro to awaken his draconic heart. A different beat echoed through the arena.
The [Tribulation] was awakening, like a bridge to the Zenith.
It found a way.
Hecate's New Moon awakens.
Fear grips your opponents.
Priam's eyes widened as the knee came within an inch of his face. A tear of blood trickled from his right eye.
Simple shades of black and white now colored his world. In his monochrome Domain, nothing moved. Not even the armor.
Priam tried to move, but his own power seemed to freeze everything. He was as trapped as the armor. Gradually, the grays turned black, and Priam realized he was losing his sight. His New Moon came at a price.
A minute after the first beat, a second [Tribulation] beat shook him. At last, he was free. Taking advantage of the last few seconds of power afforded by his eyes, Promesse reached for the armor's helmet. [Spear Strike]. The attack, simple and pure, whispered of destruction.
The world regained its colors as the spear shredded the boss's head. Priam collapsed to the ground along with the armor.
An intense pain pounded in his skull, and Micro was powerless. What's happening to me?
Breathing heavily, he rolled onto his back and looked at the sky. His vision had changed. With a knot in his heart, Priam raised a trembling hand to touch his face. His left eye was fine, but there was dried blood under his right eye. Gritting his teeth, Priam sought to check whether his eye was really blind. Summoning an ice tablet with his Potential, he used it like a mirror.
His tense face was a sight to behold. His left eye, filled with mist, was milky white. His right eye was as black as the void of space.
Priam threw the tablet away, refusing to see more.
There was a saying that power corrupts men. In this new world, it was literal.
With a sigh, Priam started to massage his temples. Its okay, it will be healed with his next death.
More importantly... His eyes were terrifying but tame.
That wasn't the case with [Tribulation]. The affinity was... indescribable.
"Well, it's a problem for later," he muttered.
Reward: Minor wish.
Make a wish to the Seven Great Concepts. If it is acceptable, it will be granted.
Warning: Three refusals cancel the reward.
The Phoenix's conscience trembled. 'I have a proposition for you.'
Priam shook his head. "Sorry but... I already know what I want."
'...' The Phoenix withdrew, and Priam pretended to think. Inwardly, he was worried. Could the Phoenix read his notifications? What else could he do?
Since Claire, Priam had learned to be suspicious. Maybe the bird was reading his mind right now? I've got to get rid of it... The thought was dangerous, and Priam used [Frozen Meditation] and [Emotional Discipline] to bury it inside him.
A second later, he opened his valid eye and proposed.
"I'd like to see the continuous location of other beings sponsored by my patron."
Refused: Impossible to find all sponsored beings.
"Shit..." Priam was disappointed, but he'd expected this result. He knew his alien Patron had sponsored other chosen ones by separating his power. Killing these other disciples would increase [He Who Eludes Death]'s power. Although Priam was reluctant to proactively assassinate these people, he didn't want to be murdered himself. After all, his resurrection Talent wouldn't work against them...
"I wish to obtain the location of these sponsored beings when they are within ten kilometers of me... in this Universe."
Accepted.
Priam sighed with relief. He didn't know how many other System users his patron had favored. What he did know was that he wouldn't die without a fight.
He also knew that their Patron would reward the winner. Peace was not an option.
The gong sounded once again. It was time to protect his family.
Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 242 (+6)
Constitution 415
Agility 304 (+6)
Vitality 423
Perception 514 (+2)
MENTAL:
Vivacity 280
Dexterity 340 (+5)
Memory 72
Willpower 462
Charisma 375
META:
Meta-affinity 246 (+1)
Meta-focus 179 (+1)
Meta-endurance 131 (+6)
Meta-perception 77 (+1)
Meta-chance 198
Meta-authority 12
Potential: 5953 (+17)
Tier 0
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 18 hours 48 minutes 14 seconds.
[Tribulation]: One Tribulation pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 180 days 19 hours 21 minutes 27 seconds.