As Seth blinked, Kazuki felt the urge to chuckle. His rival must have hailed from a world that favored magic over technology. Clearly, the sight of a mechanized suit of armor left him bewildered. Kazuki couldn't blame him as Knightmare - the name of the mecha - was quite the sight to behold. It was, after all, the culmination of years of effort and the pinnacle of hoplite science.
The mecha stood nearly three and a half meters tall, weighing over a ton. Its violet paint concealed an ultra-resilient alloy and a plethora of different sensors. Originally, hydraulic actuators and an atomic engine provided additional support to the natural strength of its wearer. The System had further enhanced this model.
One of the challenges the System had set for the rivals was a survival quest. Kazuki's first reward had been won by Priam - a temperance die. The second, obtained after a week of survival, was a Talent.
[Symbiosis - Knightmare] had bound Kazuki to his mecha. He could store it in a personal dimension, temporarily enhance his mental capabilities through its AI, and fight in perfect harmony with it. As a bonus, the stored mecha repaired itself over time.
Seth eventually shrugged. "Aren't you going to attack me?"
Kazuki maintained his silence, a wooden spear in hand. The barrier was sturdy, capable of holding for several minutes. Why attack when he could wait for his opponent to tire?
Shrugging off Kazuki's silence, Seth muttered a word, summoning a black ink shadow that coiled around his fist. Knightmare's sensors went haywire.
[Correspondence detected: 13% of the ethereal structure resembles that of the NecroMoon].
His corrupted wound began to sear, causing Kazuki to grimace.
Growing impatient, Seth struck his fist against the barrier. It trembled while micro-cracks appeared. The summoned shadow seeped through these weaknesses. A second attack followed the first, then a third under the hoplite watch.Like a feline, Kazuki bided his time. Each of the stranger's attacks provided new insights and wore down his adversary.
Four minutes later, the durability of the barrier seemed exhausted. Cracks, eroded by the shadows, were visible to the naked eye. It couldn't have more than thirty seconds left. Kazuki sprang into action in an instant.
[Micro I] , [Mastery I - Spear ], [Acceleration] . Kazuki dashed toward Seth, causing the earth to explode beneath his armored feet. A twentieth of a second later, his spear pierced Seth's right eye.
His opponent's body exploded into a cloud of black ash. A clone. The dark particles froze momentarily before attempting to engulf the mecha. [Energetic Shield] . A force field materialized on the armor's surface, blocking the attack.
Shrouded in a veil of darkness, Kazuki's vision was obscured. His sensors warned him of an attack from his right. The hoplite gathered his Mastery and struck blindly. An intense explosion sent him hurtling backward.
His mecha collided with a tree, shattering the trunk and sending debris flying in all directions. In symbiosis with his armor, Kazuki rose with the help of Micro.
"GRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A terrifying howl echoed through the forest.
"Meet your new friend," Seth's voice sneered.
The ashes dispersed, revealing the necromancer's gift: a golem rising from the earth. A conglomerate of corpses, rusted weapons, and rotted wood, the colossus stood around five meters tall. Its malevolent red eyes and the decay of its various parts made it far from huggable.
The necromantic beast howled once more before lunging at Kazuki. The hoplite blocked the first blow with his armored forearm. In one swift motion, he impaled the monster's head with his spear. The colossus didn't even flinch, preferring to bring down a second fist on the hoplite. Insulting opponents who lacked the decency to die when their skulls were pierced, Kazuki countered.
The two fists clashed. The golem's gave way in a gory explosion.
The monster was thrown back as Kazuki retracted his spear. Seth had disappeared, but his armor detected a change in pressure behind a nearby tree. Instead of dealing with the golem, the hoplite decided to attack the controller. He pointed his left hand toward the suspect tree. [Railgun - MK Javelin] .
The projectile stored by his mecha’s arm sliced through the air at nearly ten times the speed of sound. The next moment, it exploded the tree.
Without hesitation, Kazuki leaped to finish the job. Skirting around the remnants of the tree, he spotted his impaled rival. [Glorious Thrust] . The epic attack, backed by Micro and a Mastery, packed enough power to pierce through fifty centimeters of steel.
It took two fingers for Seth to stop it.
"I feel like I'm going to have to pull you out of your tin can to kill you," sighed the necromancer, a javelin protruding from his chest cavity.
Kazuki threw himself backward, abandoning his spear. How?! His railgun had enough energy to destroy any Tier 0's body. Similarly, only a legendary skill assisted by one or two Supremacies could stop his thrust.
A gust pushed back Seth's torn tunic, revealing the left side of his body. His ribcage was half-empty, and his arm was devoid of muscles. Seth wasn't just skeletal; he was partly a skeleton.
"You've absorbed powerful bones," Kazuki pointed out. It was the only plausible explanation.
"I had to rebuild my body. In this world, you just have to dig a bit to find Tier 2 and 3 bones," Seth replied with a smile. He inspected Kazuki's wooden spear briefly before snapping it in two. "Oops. I hope you have a spare."
Without the hoplite's Mastery, the wooden spear was relatively fragile.
A roar echoed.
"GHWAR!"
The abomination returned to the fray, and Kazuki retreated. Dodging an attack, he took the opportunity to target the colossus's joints. Two punches shattered the monster's right knee. Off-balance, it collapsed to the ground.
Boom!
Kazuki turned his head toward the barrier. It trembled, covered in cracks. While the golem occupied Kazuki, Seth had decided to see what it protected. Shit!
Without wasting time, Kazuki reached behind his back. Attached to the armor was a metal tube. The hoplite grabbed it.
[Dóry] . The tube extended to four meters. At its end, a willow leaf-shaped tip appeared. Sixty centimeters long and bronze in color, its metallic reflections were positively sharp.
[Dóry] was a spear too long for a hoplite but perfect for a mecha. Kazuki was proud to say that none of his enemies had the chance to appreciate the beauty of this weapon for more than a few minutes.
[Mastery I - Spear] , [Odyssey - Legendary] . Kazuki's gaze shifted as he declared this battle a part of his Odyssey. Now, History was watching.
Activating Micro's overclock, he decapitated the abomination with a graceful motion. Dóry sliced through the titan's bones, wood, and iron like a sword through water.
Another blow struck the barrier; one attack too many. A fissure formed in the protection. Still too narrow to allow Seth through, it was a troubling start. Before Seth could widen it, Kazuki appeared behind him. His arrival was silent until the supersonic boom caught up with him.
[Odyssey - Opening] . His spear struck Seth's chin with the flat of the blade. The undead rival vanished, catapulted into the air. Kazuki leaped and used his jet pack to catch up with his opponent.
Three hundred meters high, Seth looked down at him with boredom.
"The only thing you're going to damage is your spear," he yawned.
Rather than respond, Kazuki gathered all his power. Micro, his Mastery, the energy from his armor, and the momentum provided by [Odyssey] ; he placed all his hopes in this attack.
Gravity finally took hold, initiating the fall of both adversaries. Now!
[Odyssey - Death Sentence] . Kazuki's spear gleamed for a moment, recognizing Seth's vulnerability. The next moment, the pile of bones hurtled toward the ground like a comet. For the second time that day, the forest shook.
Kazuki landed a few seconds later. Seth's impact had created a crater several meters in radius. Trees had been blown away, and dust obscured his vision.
Is it over?
In answer to his question, the wind rose. Despite his armor, Kazuki shivered.
The dust formed a whirlwind. Gradually, the particles changed color. Brown turned to black.
"You're strong, but I'm not a good match for you."
The black shroud collapsed in on itself before revealing a specter. Beneath the apparition stood Seth. His upper body and hat had vanished, and his neck bore a clean, deep gash. Kazuki's eagle eyes could discern the bone, but it failed to bring him any joy. Clearly, Seth wasn't particularly attached to his flesh.
Kazuki had failed.
There was only one solution left, but the hoplite hesitated to use it. Seth hadn't revealed all his cards yet, and Kazuki didn't want to be the first to show his hand. But how to overcome the necromancer's physical resistance otherwise?
His rival was right, Kazuki relied too much on his physical attacks.
Above Seth, the specter howled. The horrifying apparition was a living shadow. Several meters tall, its texture and form changed every second. The necromancer snapped his fingers, and the creature hurtled toward Kazuki.
Dóri sliced. [Mastery - Spear] scarred the horror but failed to stop it. The creature collided with Knightmare. The armor's supposed impenetrable force field crackled.
[Danger! Unknown entity breaching energy defenses. Contamination of the bearer imminent!].
The hoplite threw himself backward, cursing. Hoplite technology wasn't yet capable of stopping ectoplasms.
[Attention: Knightmare structure corroded at 17%].
Seth took advantage, sprinting toward the cracked barrier. Kazuki tried to intercept him, but the specter stood between him and his master.
' I'll hold the pile of bones, swing as soon as you can. '
Kazuki's eyes widened, recognizing Sphinx's voice.
' You shouldn’t be here. Run to safety! '
' I'll stay behind the barrier and use my gravitational powers from a distance, ' Sphinx pleaded.
Kazuki hesitated. Clearly, he had no way of stopping Seth alone without resorting to drastic measures. His only advantage was that the necromancer's attacks were relatively weak.
' Okay, but be careful! '
Seth was less than two meters from the barrier when Sphinx activated her power. The gravitational force acting on the undead rival increased suddenly. Taking a step forward, Seth's leg sank nearly fifty centimeters into the ground.
"Two against one? You have no shame," Seth growled, struggling to free himself from the soil.
"You have already summoned two monsters," Kazuki pointed out.
"I'm a necromancer!" yelled Seth, trapped in the earth.
' More like a dead weight, ' Sphinx chuckled. Kazuki smiled, dodging the specter. He sliced through the ectoplasm as he passed, causing it to scream in pain. Kazuki's attacks weren't very effective individually, but their sheer number eventually seriously wounded the summon.
' Go Kazuki! Turn it into surimi! '
Encouraged by Sphinx, the hoplite finished off the specter, which dissipated. He then turned to Seth and raised an eyebrow. The necromancer had a fantastic constitution, but not the strength to extricate himself from the ground. His thin bones sank deep, like he was stuck in quicksand. Unless his bones are extremely heavy?
Seeing Seth curse and struggle, Kazuki had an idea.
' I'm going to pull him out of the ground. Can you cancel his gravity once he's in the air? ' he asked.
' Oh, clever! Yes, I can. '
Kazuki swiftly approached his adversary. He stopped less than three meters away and prepared himself. As Seth turned toward him, Kazuki swung with medium force. The blade of his spear struck the necromancer under the chin, instantly pulling him from the ground. Kazuki's right arm then grabbed his head, holding him about a meter above the ground.
Suddenly, he felt the weight of his enemy disappear. Kazuki backed away by ten meters to admire his work.
Seth floated about a meter above the ground, completely weightless. With no strength to propel himself and no lungs to expel air, he was trapped.
"What the—"
"I can't kill you," Kazuki interrupted. "But I can immobilize you. So what do we do?"
' Do you have a solution? If he fails your riddles, do you think you can kill him? ' he asked Sphinx in parallel.
' ... I'm not sure. His bones are too solid and protect his mind .'
Kazuki grimaced. In his current state, Seth was not an enemy they could defeat.
"Do you think you can immobilize me?" Seth growled. "Let's see if you can hold round two."
Raising his hands, the necromancer began an incantation.
"May your glory be restored—"
Kazuki hadn't waited for the second word to charge at his rival. There was no world where letting his enemy finish a chant was a good idea.
His hand closed around the revenant's skull and began to squeeze.
"... May your prison be shattered..."
Seth's bones were too tough. Kazuki threw the skeleton to the ground and began to rain blows upon it, hoping to disrupt the airflow.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"May the Seven pay for their sins!" Seth finished quickly. The necromancer's tongue required no air or lungs. Kazuki's sixth sense, honed over decades of combat, went haywire.
Half-buried in the ground, the corpse was suddenly seized by spasms. The movements were so powerful that Kazuki had to retreat. From the skeleton's mouth emerged a blood-red sphere. The Necromoon?
Setting his eyes on the bloody moon, Kazuki shuddered.
Event: Necromoon
The Necromoon returns for vengeance.
Competing with one of the Seven Great Concepts for dominion over 'Soul', their clash promises collateral damage.
The dead awaken.
The night stretches on.
Terror has a name.
Will you be there to witness the dawn over Elysium?
The event will start in: 6 days, 12 hours, and 38 minutes.
Seth let out a howl, wild and unhinged, as the surrounding shadows began to stir. Dozens of dark eyes blinked into existence beneath the forest canopy.
Kazuki felt a primal terror wash over him, causing his limbs to quiver. The moon gleamed in his field of vision like an omen of impending doom. I'm going to die. We're all going to die. And death won't be a release...
Confronted by this overwhelming power, he felt utterly insignificant. He stood no chance, so why fight? Why...
[Attention: Host's mind undergoing suspicious attitude shift. Activating emergency procedure.]
His armor, an object linked to Kazuki by the System, entered total symbiosis. Black steel and red flesh melded to elevate the Champion. The AI and the mind harmonized, revealing the ultimate form of [Symbiosis - Knightmare] . His ultimate form featured harmonious proportions and refined brutality.
A living statue, forged from blood and metal, stared down the shadows. They recoiled.
Kazuki, now composed, gazed steadily at the bloody moon. The true Necromoon might have crushed his spirit, but this insubstantial image lacked the power to confound an AI. With a flick of his wrist, a magnetic field lifted the spear he had dropped in panic. Lowering his eyes, he met Seth's gaze, the necromancer still sprawled beneath the hoplite.
"Oh," the necromancer murmured.
Kazuki's metallic hand closed around Seth's throat. Extracting the skeleton from the ground, Kazuki activated Micro. Supremacy was a multiplier. A regular man became strong wielding it, and a giant became legendary.
Kazuki-Knightmare surpassed myth.
He took the false Necromoon and forced it into the necromancer's throat. Seth choked as Kazuki sent a message.
' Tell Priam I'm coming back. '
Kazuki-Knightmare then raised his enemy to eye level. He met his adversary's incensed gaze before delivering a titanic punch. His fist struck Seth like an asteroid.
The force of the blow sent the body hurtling fifty meters before a sufficiently large tree could halt it. Moments later, Kazuki reappeared before him. [Peerless Cut] . The spear slashed at the shoulder joint. The tendon held, but Seth paled. Or perhaps that was the natural color of his bone.
Nevertheless, the attack had not been in vain. Seth’s bones were invincible, but not the bonds that formed his skeleton.
The spear came again, and Seth vanished into a shadow to escape it. Powered by a Mastery, the weapon followed.
The undead rival reappeared fifteen meters away, clutching his shoulder. With a snap of his fingers, he conjured a colossal shadow that lunged at Kazuki. The Champion dispersed it with a swing of his spear. The power of his Mastery depended on his state of mind, and currently, Kazuki was one with his spear.
"I will return," Seth threatened before vanishing into a shadow.
"I doubt it."
[Odyssey - Acceleration] . A tunnel of air formed under Kazuki's acceleration. He reappeared by Seth's side and grabbed him before he could fully disappear. Like pulling a potato from the ground, the hoplite extracted the necromancer.
Without a moment's hesitation, he began to run. Seth attempted to strike him, but physical attacks were not his forte. It took them only a dozen seconds to reach a carpet of ashes. Kazuki continued on until he reached a hole and leaped in.
Ignoring Seth's continued struggles, Kazuki spotted a patch of ash-free ground and approached.
A thin spatial rift, deceptively inconspicuous, lay a few centimeters above the ground. Priam hadn't lied.
"Let's see how resilient you really are."
Kazuki Status: (Average value for a Hoplite male before integration: PHY 23 / MEN 18 / META 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 578
Constitution 547
Agility 586
Vitality 554
Perception 581
MENTAL:
Vivacity 398
Dexterity 396
Memory 367
Willpower 386
Charisma 184
META:
Meta-affinity 134
Meta-focus 112
Meta-endurance 62
Meta-perception 157
Potential: 1253
Tier 0
Race: Titan Hoplite (Tier 1)
[Symbiose - Knightmare] - Active.
[Tribulation] : Tribulations (Three) are coming.
Time: 1 day 9 hours 13 minutes 22 seconds.
Causes: attribute > 400, 3 attributes > 400, 6 attributes > 200
First tribulation: 3 attributes > 200