Chapter 214 + 215 (Patreon)

Chapter 214 is still a few hours late... But I'm ahead of schedule for chapter 215! A bonus chapter to make up for the delay of the last few days - it wasn't easy, but by writing all day and part of the night, I managed it!

Enjoy!

Next chapter: 13/04 in the morning.

*

Chapter 214: Tower Defense - Second Wave

Event: Necromoon

Second wave:

A horde masses near Log-a-rhythm, commanded by the body of a former friend.

Defend your territory.

Reward:
400 Sun points

“Mirscella…”

Priam shot up from his seat before turning to Louis. “If you want to resurrect the real Mirscella, don't die now!”

Letting Jasmine convince the old man, he used [Kinetic Control] to dash towards the Forum. The wind whistled in his ears as his body pushed the air. He arrived at Ymir's pavilion just as the tribal members emerged. The event had not spared them.

“It's only the second wave, it should be relatively tame,” Vysharratjekto reassured Viktol. “Easy points for you to grab.”

“I'm afraid not,” Priam countered. “The opposing commander is a Necro Envoy who has possessed the soulless body of one of our friends.”

Instantly, the attention of both Tier 3s was captured.

“Danger level?” Laepa inquired.

“Tier 3 Marquess,” Priam released. Seeing the tribal members' eyes widen, he quickly added, “She's weakened for now, we drove her off a few days ago.” He didn't want the Tier 3s to flee.

While Laepa frowned, Vysharratjekto grinned. “I'll be there to defend Oasis, as per our agreement.”

A forked tongue darted out of his slightly open mouth, tasting the air. His draconic bloodline sensed an opportunity.

“Vysharratjekto, it's too dangerous,” Laepa admonished. “Only the Aelbes stand a chance against a Tier 3 Marquess.”

“You heard Priam, she's weakened,” Snahert retorted. “Don't worry, I can handle it alone.”

“You want both the Title and the Achievement,” Laepa realized. “Greedy.”

“Ambitious,” Vysharratjekto corrected, shrugging. “I've made up my mind. Viktol, you'll attack from the fortifications.”

“At your command.”

Priam nodded before turning to Laepa. “Will you help?”

Laepa massaged her temples for a moment, clearly torn between indecision. Priam knew her priority was to save her clan. If he was wrong, she and Gabrielle would die in vain, dooming the sick members who relied on them. If he was right, they could flee, breaking the trust between Gaeserts and Oasis, or stay and have a chance to unlock a new Achievement.

Priam read the conflict on the warrior's face before she gritted her teeth. Her decision was made.

“I want the same deal for my clan as Vysharratjekto’s,” she declared.

“You don't even know what I've negotiated,” Snahert remarked.

“I trust a snake like you not to have been swindled.”

The barrier of Oasis trembled, and Priam nodded. Another Ideal Epic skill for me. 

“Deal,” he quickly replied. There was no time to waste. “Follow me.” The next moment, he dashed towards the rampart. With a leap, he arrived on the battlement. On his left and right, hoplites took their positions on the rampart, leaving behind the bio-traps laid out in the forest. Hyshana thinks the barrier won't hold, Priam understood.

A sound of shattering glass echoed in the clearing as a crack appeared in the barrier.

“According to Elaine, the majority of the wave consists of Tier 0s.”

Priam turned to Hyshana, who was approaching. She was alone, Kazuki unable to fight or even stand up.

“Elaine is a hoplite sniper,” Priam explained to his new allies. “She can see far and uses drones for reconnaissance.”

The two Tier 3s nodded, attentive. Even for them, a necro event was dangerous.

“She saw a veritable ocean of monsters,” Hyshana informed. “The Necro Envoy seeks to drown us in low-level battles, exhausting our resources and aether.”

Neither hoplite ammunition nor the defenders' energy were infinite.

A second crack appeared in the barrier, and Laepa frowned. “Should we decimate the Tier 0s or focus on killing the Necro Envoy?”

“The Necro Envoy can see through the eyes of all nearby corrupted,” Vysharratjekto interjected. “If we help you repel the corrupted cannon fodder, she'll likely flee before revealing herself.”

Priam shook his head. “Out of the question. If she flees now, she'll only come back when she thinks she can defeat Tier 3s. I refuse to live with another sword of Damocles hanging over my head. We deal with the Tier 0s, and you with the Necro Envoy.”

A third crack appeared, and Laepa grimaced. “The rampart is too small; you'll be overwhelmed.”

“No, I'm rich.” Seeing Laepa's confusion, Priam smiled. “We humans have developed a technique as unfair as it is powerful: the Pay to Win. Behold.”

Summoning the Sun Shop, Priam scrolled through the list of fortifications that could aid him before stopping at an interesting choice.

Rampart IV (50 000 points) - A protective wall capable of stopping the incessant assault of a Tier 0 Elysian weak Marquess.
Current fortification dimensions: 104 meters long; 5 meters high; 3 meters wide. The building's dimensions can be increased up to 125% of its current volume.
Enchantments: Resilience (Tier 0 - IV), Solidity (Tier 0 - IV), Boundary (Tier 0 - IV), Relay - Barrier (Tier 0 - IV).

More than the width, it was the height of the wall that posed a problem. With his vivacity, Priam instantly calculated the new height of the wall if he increased the volume by twenty-five percent. About six and a quarter meters.

How many waves of corrupted would crash against a wall that high? I bet on a lot.

Rampart IV (50,000 points) - ACQUIRED.

Sun points: 105,036

The system modified the rampart in a flash of light. The ground shook under the defenders' feet, but none fell. With enough points in agility and dexterity, maintaining balance during an earthquake was quite simple.

“Not bad, but some of the necro Tier 1s might leap—”

Without waiting for Laepa's sentence to finish, Priam validated the next upgrade.

Rampart V (100 000 points) - A protective wall capable of stopping the incessant assault of a Tier 0 Elysian strong Marquess.
Current fortification dimensions: 104 meters long; 6.25 meters high; 3 meters wide. The building's dimensions can be increased up to 125% of its current volume.
Enchantments: Resilience (Tier 0 - V), Solidity (Tier 0 - V), Boundary (Tier 0 - V), Relay - Barrier (Tier 0 - V). ACQUIRED.

Sun points: 5,036

Rampart VI (250 000 points) - A protective wall capable of stopping the incessant assault of a Tier 0 Elysian weak Duke.
Current fortification dimensions: 104 meters long; 7.81 meters high; 3 meters wide. The building's dimensions can be increased up to 125% of its current volume.
Enchantments: Resilience (Tier 0 - VI), Solidity (Tier 0 - VI), Boundary (Tier 0 - VI), Relay - Barrier (Tier 0 - VI).

In a new flash of light, the rampart gained just under one and a half meters. Priam leaned over the battlements and looked at the bottom of the moat almost eight meters below. If one ignored the two-meter-deep ditch, the rampart towered over the ground by almost six meters—the height of a one-story house.

“Will it do?”

“...I suppose so,” Laepa smiled. “Can't you also upgrade the barrier and double the number of traps?”

“I'm a bit short on Sun points, but not for long,” Priam replied, pointing at the masses of monsters gathering against the protective dome.

Secretly, he lamented his newfound poverty. The next rampart upgrade cost a quarter of a million points, and he was hesitant to spend that much on a rampart. Either way, an opponent capable of destroying the current rampart would be clever enough to circumvent it via the river.

“...I'm starting to regret being a Tier 3,” Vysharratjekto sighed, touching the upgraded rampart. Made of some kind of white wood, it seemed almost indestructible.

“Could you destroy it?” Priam asked.

Vysharratjekto hesitated for a moment before frowning. “If my Concept had several days to act, yes. But in a few hours? I'd be lucky to make a dent. It's solid.” His statement reassured the defenders.

With a crack of world-ending finality, a last crack appeared. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. As if a frozen bubble burst, the protective dome scattered into a billion aether crystals. The Necromoon illuminated the domain of Log-a-rhythm, and Priam grimaced as corrupted light licked his skin. At the same moment, the simultaneous roar of thousands of corrupted resounded. The sound wave reverberated in Priam's chest.

Laepa and Vysharratjekto vanished, leaving only Viktol, who grimaced under the clamor. Priam turned to the teenager and indicated his right. “Don't stray too far,” he shouted to drown out the din. “Otherwise, I won't be able to save you.”

“I…” Viktol started a sentence before changing his mind. He moved a few meters away and began pulling vials from his pockets. Further away, Louis took position, followed by the hoplites, Hyshana, Jasmine, and Blueberry. Each wore a determined expression: their base was under attack, and they would defend it to the death.

Priam nodded to them before focusing on the forest. The green trees bound to Log-a-rhythm trembled as vociferous corrupted advanced among them. Was it animal instinct or an intimidation attempt? Priam summoned his mist as he pondered the question.

For a few minutes, the sound of bio-traps shredding flesh and bone rang out. The defenses purchased by the hoplites and Rose's turrets wrought havoc, but the horde seemed endless. Priam ignored the notifications recording the thousands of Sun points earned. The battle approached, tension mounted, and he wanted to fight.

When the first ranks of corrupted skeletons and cursed undead emerged from the forest, Priam smiled. Neither the foul smell of rotting corpses, nor the nightmarish vision, nor the intense clamor shook his mettle. 

His mist trembled before drowning out the attackers' screams.

*

Gallad raised his saber upon sighting the first creatures entering the clearing. Or was it his mech, Graalseeker, that raised the saber? The difference was thin. Following General Kazuki's example, the hoplites had spent thousands of Potential points to bind themselves to their mechs. The advantage of bound equipment was evident: whether equipped with armor or not, they leveled up just as easily. Better still, they could more easily develop skills based on their mecha.

This Talent was more or less potent, and only General Kazuki possessed a mythic connection with his mech. It was a reward from the System for surviving a week in Elysium. These quests were the privileges of those who had accessed Elysium by completing the Tutorial—the general's rivals. 

Gallad burned to improve his Talent so he could store Graalseeker in a spatial pocket, repair it using his aether, or simply enhance it with his Potential.

The screams forced the Titan Hoplite to focus on the fight. His training took over, and he activated [In the Zone - Epic]. The world slowed down, and Gallad's soul connected to his Concept.

The world became tricolored as Devotion activated. The forest, the ground, and the sky were pristine white. Nature was pure in the warrior's eyes. If Gallad had looked away from the attackers, he would have seen his allies colored in certain shades of blue. Hyshana, his commander, shone with a beautiful azure, while a deep blue characterized Clark, one of Ishaka's men.

Even the general's allies, Priam Azura first among them, had lighter tones. Nevertheless, it was possible that Gallad's disdain for his comrade tinted his feelings... Literally.

However, these light or dark blues were nothing compared to the red and black that tinged the corrupted. Gallad knew his enemies, and his Concept gave him the power to destroy them.

When the first undead approached within ten meters of him, Gallad reached for his SaberMastery. His Concept and Supremacy merged, catalyzed by [Out of sight, Near my blade - Epic]. At the end of a slash that cleaved the air, a white blade left his saber and reached the enemy's front line. A dozen corrupted collapsed, and Gallad smiled.

Event: Necromoon.

Banishment of a corrupted (Tier 0 - common) - Sun point +1

Banishment of a corrupted (Tier 0 - common) - Sun point +1
…

There was no way a single one of these creatures would overrun his portion of the rampart.

*

Status: 

PHYSICAL:
Strength 582
Constitution 979
Agility 561
Vitality 860
Perception 719 

MENTAL:
Vivacity (D) 516
Dexterity 593
Memory 471
Willpower 1 036
Charisma 631 

META:
Meta-affinity 563
Meta-focus 372
Meta-endurance 391
Meta-perception 260
Meta-chance 230
Meta-authority 66

Potential: 9 890
Tier 0

Sun points: 13 562 (-141 474)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 3 hours 43 minutes 29 seconds.

[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 162 days 4 hours 16 minutes 42 seconds.
Next thresholds: 6 attributes > 600 / 3 attributes > 900

*

Chapter 215: Second Wave - Carnage

[Temporary Boost:
1 509 Corrupted (T0 - common) defeated.
71 Corrupted (T0 - Baron) defeated.
4 Corrupted (T0 - Viscount) defeated.
260 Corrupted (T1 - common) defeated.
13 Corrupted (T1 - Baron) defeated.

(PHY +500%; MENT+250%)
Temporary maximum attributes reached.

Conquest Timer: 4 min 59s
Aether Reserve: 391/391]

Wielding his Conquest Mist, Priam decimated the soldiers of Necromoon. The fusion of his Concept and Aura was so terrifying that no corrupted creature had yet breached his section of the rampart. The bones and decaying bodies piled up, forming a gruesome barrier several meters high that impeded the advance of the undead. Yet, despite the carnage, the reserves of the Necromoon seemed limitless. In less than an hour, the corrupted would reach the top of the rampart by climbing over the corpses...

Minutes into the battle, adrenaline surged and Priam took stock of the situation. Sun Points accumulated rapidly but his mental endurance was put to the test. This couldn't continue.

Charisma enabled Priam to strengthen and control his Conquest Aura. The qualitative transformation brought about by the attribute's first threshold had allowed him to link his Aura and Concepts, infusing his mist with a destructive quality. His Conquest Mist didn't directly destroy the corrupted but corroded the aethereal skeleton that allowed them to move. Moreover, it dissipated the Necro Concept that animated these creatures.

Priam only needed to project a thick fog to harvest the unlife from the attackers.

Given the number of corpses on the ground and his Sun Points, the technique was effective. However, a slight headache indicated its cost. Each time his Aura triumphed over corruption, his mental stamina was depleted. At this rate, I'll be exhausted in less than twenty minutes.

A glance toward the horizon told Priam that it wouldn't suffice. The verdant and brown canopy stretched for kilometers before hills obscured the view. As far as his enhanced eyes could see, nightmarish shapes were converging on Oasis. The battle was far from over.

"The Necro Envoy isn't planning to give us a chance," he said into his microphone. The one who had stolen Mirscella's body had planned to raze Oasis to the ground without giving them the slightest hope.

"Don't you want to send Jasmine to find her? It won't end until the Tier 3s destroy her," Hyshana replied.

Priam grimaced, looking to his right. Between Louis and Blueberry, Jasmine was wreaking havoc among the corrupted ranks. She used her Shadow Concept to drown the creatures in their own shadows and hurled solid shadow projectiles at the assailants. Occasionally, the young woman teleported behind a minor necro Noble to swiftly decapitate it. Against her, the Necromoon’s puppets seemed powerless.

Jasmine danced a ballet as beautiful as it was deadly. You go, girl! Priam smiled.

The presence of his subordinate allowed Louis and Blueberry, two close combat specialists, to hold their portion of the rampart. Priam had seen the old man kill enemies by spitting, but there were more enemies present than drops of water in the martial artist's body.

"Impossible. Without Jasmine, a section of the rampart will collapse," he reluctantly replied.

"That leaves only one possibility. The protective dome will reform in about twenty minutes. The Necro Envoy will reveal herself to destroy it, and our new friends will have a window of opportunity," Hyshana replied. A loud bang and a flash of light indicated that the hoplite was doing more than her part.

"Let’s do that."

To avoid disturbing his ally, Priam cut the communication. He felt capable of holding out for twenty minutes. With the attribute boost granted by [Horseman of the Apocalypse - Legendary], he even felt capable of dispatching each corrupted creature with his spear. Of course, it was a terrible idea, but the Legendary Title transformed Priam into a true Raid Boss.

The gap between him and the necro soldiers was so vast that Priam didn't receive any level-up notifications. I'm not learning anything new here...

As the bright, noisy, and foul-smelling environment overwhelmed his senses, Priam recalled Jasmine's techniques. His rival was honing her skills in battle, and he decided to follow suit.

Using his draconic vivacity, Priam created two parallel streams of thought. One took control of his Conquest Mist, annihilating enemies while delving into the Mist Concept. With his perfect affinity and the tension created by the conflict, Unity was within reach. Briefly spending his Potential, Priam realized he could progress rapidly by using [Moon Mist] to control his Concept.

Another part of his attention focused on other avenues of improvement. His recent duel with Eleha had proven that he was far from invincible. His offensive capabilities had been disappointing, as had his mobility. Priam briefly considered working on Micro and Spear Mastery before dismissing those options. Kazuki possessed Micro II and was half-step into Spear Mastery II, yet Eleha had still bested him.

What I need is raw power.

Formulating this thought, an obvious solution presented itself: he needed a Legendary skill.

Now that his meridians were solid, Priam could focus on [Kinetic Control]. When he had immobilized Eleha, a Tier 3, the absorbed energy had ruptured his meridians. At the same time, the feat had updated his available upgrades.

[Kinetic Control] has reached level 60, its maximum level as an Epic skill. Natural evolution to the Legendary Tier requires a connection with a Concept or Supremacy. Three upgrades are available:

[Kinetic Domination - Legendary] - Prerequisites: Domain, [Physique - Forces], [Physique - Energies], [Adaptive Golden Meridians].
You know about subtle kinetic applications but prefer power. Shock and velocity become your main weapons. You sow great destruction on the battlefield. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 360. 

Priam had finally unlocked a high upgrade and felt close to the ideal upgrade. His body was ready to unleash the power of an ideal Legendary skill. Upon rereading the description, Priam understood that he still lacked two things: a complete understanding of [Kinetic Control] and better mastery of kinetic energy on a microscopic scale—in other words, thermal energy.

The best way to achieve this was to access Unity with Pyro... and become a Sage. Casting a glance at the sea of corrupted creatures, Priam grimaced. My flames will make the undead even more berserk...

Priam could withstand a more brutal assault, but his comrades couldn't. Could he practice with his Concept without creating flames? It seemed ridiculous at first glance, but his instinct whispered that a different kind of training would yield new answers.

Summoning Promesse, Priam observed its nearly white metal tip before activating his kinetic skill. The particles comprising the alloy resisted before beginning to move, commanded by Domain, Pyro, and [Kinetic Control].

Soon, Promesse's tip began to heat up. Microscopic kinetic activity meant thermal agitation and thus heat.

Through conduction, the metal warmed the gas upon contact. The ambient temperature rose through convection, and soon the hot air shimmered, creating a visual distortion that inspired Priam.

The silence that fell over the battlefield broke his concentration. Though not a flame, Promesse's overheated and bright tip seemed to stoke the hatred of the corrupted creatures. Heat and light were eternally beyond the reach of Necromoon's servants, and they detested them.

A true wave of enraged monsters rushed into his mist, and Priam decided to test Promesse's piercing ability.

Raising his arm, he hurled his spear and accelerated it with his kinetic skill. Like a cannonball, the weapon broke the sound barrier and exploded a dozen enemies before impaling the claws of a necromantic fox. Before the creature could even dodge, Promesse vaporized its flesh, pierced its bones, and shattered its skull.

Event: Necromoon.

Banishment of a corrupted (Tier 1 - Baron) - Sun point +100

Lvl Up: [Spear Throw] lvl 26, 27
DEXT +6

Concealed by the animal's decomposed guts, Promesse ceased to incite the hatred of the corrupted. With a gesture of his hand, Priam retrieved his bound weapon. As the weapon emerged from the mist beside him, he pondered.

What is Pyro? A superior, magical, inherited fire. Let's start with the basics:  what is fire?

A flame was characterized by the release of heat and light during an exothermic reaction. Flexing Pyro, Priam heated Promesse again, provoking the corrupted creatures. If my enemies can't tell the difference between this and a flame, why should I?

Promesse's tip heated the air and illuminated the world. When he connected this phenomenon to Pyro, Priam's soul trembled. A new facet of the Concept revealed itself to him.

Sensing the epiphany approaching, Priam decided to make the most of it. He opened his Potential and leaped from the rampart.

For a moment, the screams of the corrupted ceased. Even in death, their instincts whispered to fear. Fire was dangerous.

And Priam was fire incarnate.

*

POT -739

[Pyro - Concept] - The fragment of a shattered Concept from an Eighth Throne Candidate. Let the failure of its creator be your stepping stone.
You still master the Fire Concept.
Affinity - Your connection now lets you grasp certain truths about Pyro and manipulate it.
Harmony - Allows you to infuse your aether into your flames to increase their tenacity. Nothing can withstand your flames. NEW.

Twenty minutes later, Priam smiled. He had left the rampart long ago, drawing the corrupted creatures to him and alleviating the pressure on the defenders. Boosted by [Horseman of the Apocalypse - Conquest], the young warrior marched along Oasis’ border, repelling a large part of the necromantic wave single-handedly.

Like a maestro, Priam guided the mist with his left hand and Promesse with his right. The spear of light twirled around him, slicing, piercing, perforating, cutting, and decapitating his enemies. In his wake, the Champion of Humanity left carnage.

Suddenly, a deceased wildcat leaped toward him. His add-on had spotted the Tier 2 long ago. For a few minutes, the Necro Envoy had been sending more powerful creatures to test Priam.

The undead cat dodged Promesse with a skill and entered Priam's Domain, claws bared. This sealed its fate. The sphere of authority fought against the creature's natural defense for a fraction of a second. Without Supremacies to protect it and facing Priam's boosted will—the attribute exceeded three thousand five hundred—the Tier 2's resistance was overwhelmed.

The corrupted feline’s body began to lose speed, as if sinking into quicksand. [Kinetic Control] absorbed the target’s kinetic energy, immobilizing it before stealing its heat. The body temperature plummeted until all its fluids turned solid. Floating a few centimeters from Priam, the corrupted cat was powerless.

With a thought, Priam returned the borrowed kinetic energy. His skill wrung the dead body of every liquid it contained, shattering each bone, twisting every tendon, tearing through even its necrotic skin.

Event: Necromoon.

Banishment of a corrupted (Tier 2 - common) - Sun point +100

Despite the graphic horror of the action, Priam was delighted with his progress. Pyro had reached Harmony, and Mist was close to Unity. By the time the tournament arrived, he would be a Pyro Sage. From there, the ideal Legendary upgrade was almost within reach. I can't wait to ignite myself!

A piece of good news never comes alone, and Priam froze as he felt a colossal amount of aether manifesting. The protective dome was reforming.

"It's now," Hyshana warned.

Within seconds, the barrier materialized, separating the army of the dead from the living. Priam watched as the enraged corrupted creatures pounded against the barrier with all their might, to no avail.

Only the Necro Envoy, possessing Mirscella's body, could destroy the protection. 

At least, that's what Priam thought. Sensing the ground trembling beneath his feet, he leaped into the air to perch on the top of a tree.

A hundred meters away, a titan approached. With a glance, Priam recognized the creature he had faced with Dishnu. Two glowing eyes of cruelty locked onto Priam, and he understood he wasn't the only one to remember his adversary.

[Identification]
[Necro Giant - Tier 3 - Corrupted - Viscount] - A corrupted giant native to Necro-verse. Even as a simple legionnaire of the Necro army, this soldier is dangerous. 
Corruption: Stage 3 - Necro Court Viscount (weakened).
Beware of contamination. 

The barrier stopped a powerful roar, and Priam smiled. He was backed into a corner. His loved ones fought behind him, and his new allies awaited the Necro Envoy's arrival to act. Oasis's survival depended on his ability to hold the weakened Tier 3. 

Using his mastery of kinetic energy, Priam levitated toward his adversary. Passing through the dome, he felt the weight of a million corrupted creatures' attention on him. Instead of weakening, his smile widened.

Transforming his mist cloak into a mantle of flames, Priam boldly embraced the hostility of Necromoon's servants.

His right hand gripped Promesse, and all of Priam's attention focused on the cursed giant skeleton. His resentment finally had a target.

"So, did you get [Dickless]?" taunted Priam, looking at his opponent's fleshless pelvis.

The necro giant responded with a dreadful roar.

*

Status: 

PHYSICAL:
Strength 582
Constitution 979
Agility 561
Vitality 860
Perception 719 

MENTAL:
Vivacity (D) 516
Dexterity 599 (+6)
Memory 471
Willpower 1 036
Charisma 631 

META:
Meta-affinity 563
Meta-focus 372
Meta-endurance 391
Meta-perception 260
Meta-chance 230
Meta-authority 66

Potential: 8 737 (-733)
Tier 0

Sun points: 37 180 (+16 248)
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 3 hours 14 minutes 36 seconds.

[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 162 days 3 hours 47 minutes 49 seconds.
Next thresholds: 6 attributes > 600 / 3 attributes > 900

*

PS: For those wondering, there are about a million drops of water in the body of someone weighing 75 kilograms ( just under 50 liters of water).