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Chapter 148: Dragon’s Law
Chapter 148: Dragon’s Law
Chapter 148: Dragon’s Law
A furious howl shook the forest as Priam vanished into the mist. Sixty meters away, he reappeared at the center of the circle formed by the skulcs. Without hesitation, he tapped into the mist concept. Taking advantage of the discount, he unleashed [Moon Mist] at full power. The air within his Domain transformed into a thick fog that began to spread.
In a heartbeat, Skull spotted him. With a bound, the boss closed the distance. Anchored firmly, Priam intercepted a titanic blow. His shoulders absorbed the impact while his feet sank into the snow. The ground trembled, but not his gaze; fear had no place in his mind.
Before Skull could launch another attack, Priam released some of the kinetic energy he had accumulated. Given the boss's mass, he should have been pushed back about ten meters. Yet, Skull didn't budge an inch. Demonic red eyes gleamed as he struck again. Priam absorbed part of the attack and blocked the rest, the force making him grit his teeth.
Without ceasing to channel [Mist Moon], Priam formed a dome with the expanding mist. He aimed to use its opacity to gain an advantage, but Skull had other plans.
A new kinetic attack slid off the skulc without effect. Swirling a thread of aether into his eyes, Priam swore. A shield conformed to the monster's shape. Whenever Priam attacked, the shield quivered, dissipating the kinetic energy. Skull sneered, launching another assault.
Let's see how long you'll keep laughing.
If strength alone didn't suffice, it meant Priam hadn't used enough.
With meridians ablaze, he released a quarter of his kinetic reserves. The deluge of energy finally shattered the boss's protection. The skulc leader soared, engulfed by the mist. Priam screamed in pain as his meridians crackled.
Micro allowed him to catch his breath. Without delay, Priam focused his aether into [Moon Mist]. The fog grew thicker, soon reaching the ranks of the spectators. The skulks became restless.
Activating his skill, along with others, swiftly depleted his resources. Priam could feel the cost accumulating, unable to precisely gauge how much energy remained. Unaccustomed to the aether, his soul could only provide a rough estimate of reserves and regeneration. If only I could...
[Aether Reserve: 126/191
Aether Regeneration: 35.3/j * 240 (ambient density)]
Nice.[Priams System] was indeed the best skill. The System was stingy with explanations, but his own system would one day uncover all its secrets.
Setting aside his thoughts, Priam focused on his plan. First, he needed to create a cloud. A big one.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. A disturbance in the mist signaled Skull's renewed assault. Enraged but unharmed, the boss stopped after covering a few dozen meters. Turning his head left and right, he sought his opponent amidst the fog's opacity.
Near the center of the forming cloud, Priam observed his opponent closely. To keep Skull occupied, he used his mist to materialize a dozen ice blades that crashed ineffectively against the boss's tough hide. Like a dog chasing a stick, Skull headed toward the source of the attack. Fool.
Without hesitation, Priam continued producing mist. If he couldn't block Skull, at least he could evade him.
[Aether Reserve: 91/191]
The fog now licked at the skulcs' feet. Most looked around, bewildered. Should they retreat to make way for their leader, or stay put?
A terrifying roar echoed through the mist. Skull, losing patience, expressed his anger. Though muffled by the fog, the fearsome cry robbed the skulcs of reason. Remaining in their places, warriors, watchers, and veterans were swallowed one by one. A few seconds later, a monumental mist dome dominated the forest.
Lvl Up: [Moon Mist] lvl 54,55
PERC +8
CHAR +4
META (AFFI) +6
[Aether Reserve: 67/191]
The energy cost was staggering, but Priam smiled. Only five levels remained for his Epic skill to become Legendary.
Closing his eyes, Priam concentrated on his mist. The skulcs stood still, unsuccessfully probing the darkness created by his fog. It obscured light, sound, and aether. Even the vibrations created by the boss were swiftly absorbed by the thick cloud. His opponent nowhere to be found, Skull blindly massacred every tree in his path, sometimes passing just a few meters from Priam.
Finally, it was time. [Focus]. Priam's mind became a blade, wielded for one purpose: victory. [Priams System]. In an instant, his skill calculated hundreds of trajectories before taking control of his kinetic reserves.
Within ten meters of each skulc, the mist began to condense. Two heartbeats later, three hundred ice spheres appeared. [Priams System] propelled them, nearly depleting Priam's kinetic reserves. He fell to his knees as each projectile found its mark.
Three hundred eyeballs pierced, and two hundred ninety-two bodies collapsed. The eight survivors staggered. Some fell to their knees, clutching their eyes and screaming.
[Kinetic Control]. The spheres heated up suddenly, transforming into liquid and then boiling water. The last screams vanished.
Priam no longer cared about them. A surge of power invaded his body and mind. The world slowed down, gaining sharpness. The beats of his hearts were so powerful they made the air tremble. A terrifying energy inhabited every cell.
The Title he received as a reward for his quadruple Tribulation activated. Conquest transformed him into a juggernaut.
[Horseman of the Apocalypse - Legendary] - You're already a legend. Take control of your destiny. Choose one of the proposals and chart your course:
Conquest.
You are an artificial force. As such, you refuse to bow to Fate and Nature.
Conquest is a force that gains in power until it is stopped. Become the unstoppable Juggernaut. In this merciless world, you're charting your course.
Long may it be.
In battle, every enemy you defeat temporarily increases your momentum.
Laughter echoed in the mist. Priam felt powerful. Conquest created a sense of invincibility surpassing [Emotional Disciple]. But how powerful was he?
[Conquest - Temporary Boost:
210 skulc watchers defeated (PHY +105%).
82 skulc warriors defeated (PHY +82%).
8 skulc veterans defeated (PHY +8% META +8%).
Status:
Strength 401 > 1183 (temp)
Constitution 689 > 2033 (temp)
Agility 426 > 1257 (temp)
Vitality 540 > 1593 (temp)
Perception 629 > 1856 (temp)
Aether Reserve: 86/210 (temp)
Conquest Timer: 4 min 57s]
... I am unstoppable.
Priam's draconic heart quickened at the sight of his temporary attributes. That was the power of a Legendary Title.
Coincidentally or not, Skull chose this moment to shatter a tree trunk less than three meters away. The wood exploded towards Priam but hung suspended in the air. Skull turned his head, suspicious.
Priam leaped first. His powerful muscles created a crater in the ground as he reappeared in front of the boss. [Spear Slash]. Promesse described an elegant arc before striking the Tier 1's temple.
Lvl Up: [Spear Slash] lvl 12
STR +1
The impact's violence created an energized shockwave that pierced the mist. Skull's catapulted body finished its course after obliterating four spruces.
Without hesitation, Priam lunged. His power was such that he seemed to teleport. His perception, agility, and strength far exceeded his dexterity. Without Micro, Priam would have been unable to control his own body.
Laughing, he reappeared above the boss. Terrifying power filled his legs and arms. With a sharp motion, he brought down Promesse like a meteor. Skull barely had time to cross his arms. [Unrelenting Thrust]. Promesse's tip penetrated the boss's hide to the bone. Despite Priam's immense strength, Skull's constitution allowed him to defend himself. Conquest had closed the gap but did not enable Priam to dominate completely.
Annoyed, Priam withdrew his spear before the monster could seize it. A kick forced him to step back briefly. With a hip twist, Skull stood up. Priam winked at him before disappearing into his mist, avoiding a deadly punch.
Skull looked around before starting to sprint. Merged with his mist, Priam took a moment to understand. The boss was running toward the village. He's trying to leave the fog!
In Priam's mist domain, Skull's chances of victory were slim, and he knew it. Outside it, the outcome was less certain. After all, Conquest was a limited-time boost.
Priam rode the mist, reappearing in front of his enemy. With a kinetically enhanced low strike, he swept the legs out from under his opponent. Skull fell heavily, and Priam seized the opportunity to control his mist. The fog dome began to move, centering on them. A second mental command instructed his mist to spin around them so as to disorient the skulc leader.
Skull rose, roaring. A shockwave swept the surroundings before reaching Priam. His eardrums trembled but didn't burst. Surprised, he decided to block a new punch. The boss's attack didn't even make him grimace. My constitution is over two thousand, Priam recalled. The colossus's blows were no longer as deadly.
The boss must have read his thoughts, for he roared in rage. His red eyes shone brightly, and his muscles contracted. The green of his skin turned red, and his fangs lengthened. The colossus grew another half meter in height, and his aura became oppressive. According to [Diagnostic], he had just activated a berserk skill. He didn't even wait to be seriously injured before entering phase two.
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Priam went on guard. Obviously, his opponent had activated his draconic power. Priam himself possessed a lesser version of Dragons' breath and instinct. He knew how terrifying these gifts could be. Skull's physical transformation could only signal the second part of the battle. If he wanted to win, he had to be serious.
Despite his reluctance, Priam asked the System to display his Merits.
Trees of Merit
[Horseman of the Apocalypse - Legendary] - Tier 0: Your aura is tinged with Conquest's spirit.
12 Unused Merit Points.
Priam didn't even bother to survey the rest of the Trees. None other could grant him victory. [Sixth Sense] urged him to acquire it.
Priam confirmed.
Lvl Up: [Sixth Sense] lvl 2
META(AFFI) +3
META(PERC) +3
META(CHANCE) +3
[Horseman of the Apocalypse - Legendary] - Tier 0: Your aura is tinged with Conquest's spirit. ACQUIRED.
[Horseman of the Apocalypse - Legendary] - Tier 1: Eye of the Conqueror. It's hard to run away from a Conqueror.
11 Unused Merit Points.
Priam probed his body. Something had changed. His aura, the manifestation of his Charisma, seemed different. Previously capable of pressuring his opponents, it now seemed capable of more.
The Conqueror's aura was heavy and sharp.
Priam raised Promesse, and his aura enveloped it. Skull bared his teeth. The two adversaries leaped at each other.
Promesse traced an arc in the air before meeting the boss's fist. Priam suspected a formidable force hid behind the monster's attack. Yet, his spear easily stopped it. In return, his temporary attributes decreased slightly.
"Is that all you've got?" he taunted. Skull roared in rage.
Priam smiled before attacking again. Blow after blow, slash after slash, Priam and Skull unleashed a torrent of attacks. Around them, the storm raged. The fog cloud had transformed into a tornado.
Skull's fist struck the ground, creating a crater and shaking the forest. Priam's mist-filled eyes gleamed as his conquest aura surged. Within a fifteen-meter radius, spruces turned to sawdust. Skull's tough skin was torn, giving the monster a reason to howl. He raised his fist and struck. Priam tried to dodge on his right, but the skulc had feigned. A terrifying kick ripped Priam's left arm off.
A kinetic charge cauterized his wound, and the battle resumed.
Every second, Priam dodged, blocked, parried, and attacked. The speed and intensity of the combat were like a crucible. As his attributes decreased, Priam had only two choices: die or progress.
Death's approach gave him wings.
Skull dodged an attack from Priam, slashing through a spruce as if the hardwood were air. Priam evaded a monster attack that reduced a stone boulder to dust.
The skulc leader was a genius pugilist, and Priam's hearts beat rapidly. Unconsciously, he smiled. Skull was the strongest opponent he had ever faced. Despite his formidable attributes, the Tier 1 remained a terrifying threat. Every second, Priams instinct screamed.
Every beat of his hearts was a victory, one more moment where Priam lived. This battle was a dance with Death. Whirling around his opponent, attacking with all the fervor at his disposal, Priam felt alive. He loved that.
The boss's techniques were exquisite, his decisions quick and error-free. As durable as he was dangerous, Skull was an excellent training partner. In the adrenaline of battle, in the despair born of the gap between him and the skulc, Priam's hearts beat with excitement.
Lvl Up: [Parry] lvl 15,16
STR+2
Lvl Up: [Battle Flow] lvl 11,12
PERC +2
DEXT +4
Lvl Up : [Dodge] lvl 20
AGI +1
Lvl Up: [Focus] lvl 38
PERC +1
VIVA +1
DEXT +1
Lvl Up : [Unrelenting Thrust] lvl 10,11
STR +6
Lvl Up: [Spear Slash] lvl 13,14
STR +2
[Priams System] sent a warning. As Priam's skills sharpened, the energy of Conquest decreased. His attributes dropped, and death approached. Each of the boss's attacks was powerful enough to kill him, and the combat seemed to energize his opponent. Priam wasn't the only one progressing, but he was the only one with a timer. Time to end this.
A formidable punch created a tunnel in the air, passing a hair's breadth from Priam's ear. Imprinting a twisting motion, the Champion guided Promesse against the boss's chest. The blade's tip penetrated the skulc's right pectoral before stopping between two ribs. [Kinetic Control] boosted the attack, perforating the monster's lung.
Skull roared, and Priam saw a flame coloring the back of his throat. He merged with his mist before a torrent of fire destroyed the forest. The burning trees and the smoke added to the mist to conceal his reappearance.
The mist shook. Now standing a few meters behind Skull, Priam raised Promesse. Now![Tribulation Piercing Spear].
Using [Aether Manipulation], he directed his aether, following his skill's instructions. Skull turned slowly and watched. The boss understood that the battle was coming to an end. He probably suspected that if he didn't kill Priam now, the young man would escape. Maybe he was too proud to turn tail. In any case, the skulc roared, then coiled into himself.
[Battle Flow] activated a fraction of a second before the boss leaped. Using Micro, Priam overclocked the muscles he had used tens of thousands of times. Neither too early nor too late, Promesse's tip hit the boss's chest.
The aether drill attacked the monster's skin. More!
[Kinetic Control]. The cloud around the combatants froze. Risking bursting his meridians, Priam redirected all that kinetic energy into his spear. Promesse, a white aura around its tip, penetrated Skull's body.
Lvl Up: [Erosion Resistance] lvl 33,34,35
META (END) +9
Lvl Up: [Tribulation Piercing Spear] lvl 10
STR +1
AGI +1
DEXT +1
The spear pierced Skull and emerged on the other side. The momentum of the two adversaries brought them closer.
A titanic fist struck Priams hip.
Under the impact, his fingers released Promesse. The shockwave uprooted nearby spruces. His dislocated body was catapulted through the forest. Bouncing off the snow, rocks, and stumps, Priam disappeared into the mist.
Over a hundred meters away, another unfortunate tree halted his course. A trench several dozen meters long indicated the direction of the battle.
The fog slowly began to dissipate.
Lvl Up: [Star Iron Body] lvl 38,39
CONST +6
Snowflakes fell on the desolate fir forest. One of them landed on Priam's cheek. On the brink of death, he regained consciousness. His aether-starved mind hadn't managed to take control of his body.
He didn't need his add-on to understand that he was in a sorry state. His spine had shattered at his pelvis. He no longer felt his legs. His human heart had stopped beating, and his draconic heart struggled to beat. With a thought, Priam regenerated his second heart through one of his Merits. The specter of death receded slightly.
Gathering his will and pushing aside his fear, Priam tried to regain control of his body. Micro seemed to ignore his calls. That was not the case with his pain. Each movement was torture. Should he continue? Why not give up? He had a bonus life, after all.
His instinct whispered to him to continue, for his reward awaited him. Priam clung to life.
It took him several minutes to move his fingers. Persisting in his efforts despite his suffering, he managed to regain control of his arms. His skills remained out of reach, and Priam had to resign himself to crawling.
Tears rolled down his cheeks as he braved the cold, fatigue, and pain. Leaving a trail of blood in the snow, he headed towards the origin of the battle.
He didn't stop once. If he had, he knew he wouldn't leave again.
Half-mad with pain, Priam would have been unable to say how long he crawled. Snow under his fingernails and fir needles in his wounds, his mind could only think of moving forward. When he looked up at Skull, fatigue didn't even allow him to be happy.
The boss was on his knees, a vacant look on his face. One of his hands tried to stem the flow of blood escaping from his body. His skin had lost its red hue to regain a pale green color.
Skull slowly turned his head toward Priam. His hand fell to the ground, revealing a massive hole in his chest. Half of his heart was missing, and his lungs were gone. His vitality was trying to heal him, but a white aura prevented the organs from regenerating. Conquest's aura had properties similar to a Mastery. Was there a link between the two?
Priam felt he could dispel this aura. Skull looked him in the eyes before sighing. His heart beat a final time before the monster slumped.
Behind him, a path had appeared in the skulc forest. Priam's attack had decimated the trees over more than a hundred meters. The aether drill, reinforced by Conquest, had created a half-cylinder in the ground. The snow had covered it in white.
The attack could have wiped out ten wyverns.
Priam's vacant eyes rested on Skull.
His draconic instinct and body trembled, eliciting a painful groan. A primal power slumbered in the corpse, and Priam's cells longed for it. His reward demanded to be harvested.
Thus is the tradition of the Dragons.
Priam trembled at the alien decree. A Dragon had uttered these words once, and they had become law.
Dragging his body, Priam approached the corpse.
Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 419 (+18)
Constitution 696 (+7)
Agility 429 (+3)
Vitality 540
Perception 632 (+13)
MENTAL:
Vivacity 341 (+1)
Dexterity 443 (+6)
Memory 140
Willpower 657
Charisma 446 (+6)
META:
Meta-affinity 364 (+11)
Meta-focus 261
Meta-endurance 200 (+9)
Meta-perception 131 (+3)
Meta-chance 219 (+3)
Meta-authority 15
Potential: 654 (+37)
Tier 0
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.
[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 175 days 20 hours 24 minutes 51 seconds.