"Such arrogance," Eleha retorted after finishing her laughter, a cruel smile hanging on her lips. "Very well, I think a duel is an excellent idea. Once your dreams are shattered, you'll surely be ready to obey."
Kazuki glanced at the other two Tier 3s. The woman grimaced, and the man crossed his arms with a sigh. Neither seemed inclined to intervene. These tribes are only united by circumstance.
Summoning his spear into his hand, Kazuki gestured to Eleha towards the Forum.
"If we steer clear of Ymir's pavilion, the Forum should be able to withstand our clashes."
Priam would surely be displeased if Log-a-rhythm's clearing ended up resembling a battlefield.
"Presumptuous of you to assume there will be clashes, but sure," mocked Eleha, leaving the table. Kazuki briefly wondered if the Tier 3's provocative attitude was natural or simply a means to stoke his anger.
It didn't matter.
" Multiple H-bombs are primed to detonate ," Kazuki's ocular implant relayed his wife's voice. " The ephemeral barriers and Concept suppression rituals around the Forum can be activated at any moment. Eleha is a code RED. "
A code RED meant any defense was futile, but a nuke would suffice to eliminate the threat. In short, Eleha was a glass cannon. The only issue was that if the Tier 3 had unlocked the Unity with an energy Concept, she could evade the blast—hence the Concept suppression rituals.
As Kazuki walked towards the Forum, he replied." Wait for my signal. If it escalates, Jasmine will take their Tier 0s hostage. Are Priam's loved ones safe? "
" Except for Blueberry and Louis, all are in Log-a-rhythm. "
" Perfect. I'll make her spit out apologies. "
" Better make her spit out her teeth, " Hyshana responded.
Kazuki concealed a smile. He was so proud to be Hyshana’s husband.
Arriving at the Forum, Kazuki saw Ymir stepping out of his pavilion. The merchant surveyed the two combatants before sighing. He made a hand gesture, and his bison bellowed before opening its mouth. The pavilion vanished, sucked into the animal's maw.
"I have an hour to put it back. After that, our current auctioned items will be canceled and we’ll pay a heavy fine," Ymir warned.
"You'll put it back in less than a minute," Eleha smirked.
Shrugging, Ymir mounted his bison before leaving the Forum. The Menhir of Secrets remained, but both Kazuki and Eleha knew the monument was indestructible at their level.
Eleha conjured two daggers as Kazuki took a defensive stance. He didn't wear his mecha: his instinct told him Knightmare would be useless against the Tier 3.
"Ready?" Eleha asked, stifling a yawn.
Kazuki nodded before widening his eyes. His Wind Concept indicated a powerful wind was heading towards him. Eleha's dash displaced a colossal volume of air. How can she move so fast with such low gravity?!
Faced with the attribute difference, Kazuki laid all his cards on the table. Micro II, Wind Concept, [Mastery I - Spear] , [Odyssey - Legendary] , [Odyssey - Celerity] , [Odyssey - Hoplite Defense] .
A windy halo enveloped his spear just before it clashed with Eleha's daggers. Despite the overclock of his physical attributes and his Titan bloodline, blocking the attack pushed Kazuki back several meters.
"Oh?"
Instead of pressing the attack, Eleha observed for a few seconds before displaying a radiant smile. "Looks like I found a good punching bag."
A blink from Kazuki made his opponent vanish again.
His instinct allowed him to block a second attack he didn't even see. The third attack breached his guard, leaving a shallow gash on his biceps. Gritting his teeth, Kazuki counterattacked with a roundhouse kick that missed its mark. 𝑅Â𝐍ỔβÈṤ
Eleha reappeared in the center of the Forum. "Hope you can do better; I haven't even used a skill..."
Instead of responding, Kazuki closed his eyes. A part of his consciousness used Micro to boost his vitality, swiftly healing the micro-fractures littering his bones. His constitution wasn't enough to withstand Eleha's attacks or support the overclock of his muscles.
Another part of his consciousness focused on his Wind Concept and his new Supremacy. If his perception wasn't enough to detect Eleha, the fusion of Domain and his Wind Concept should succeed.
"You're not much of a talker," Eleha sighed. "Alright, let's see how long you can hold out."
The wind created by her movements warned Kazuki. The warrior raised his weapon, focusing on [Spear Virtuoso] . One of Ace's Merits had allowed him to upgrade one of his personal Talents, [Spear Prodigy] . Its effect was simple: to aid Kazuki in honing his spear skills.
Trusting his inhuman instinct, Kazuki blocked a first blow from above. The force of the attack pressed him against the ground as if he had absorbed the impact of a meteorite. An unknown Concept allowed Eleha to not be repelled by the formidable backlash of her own attack. Instead, she changed angles, striking from below. Kazuki deflected the attack to avoid being launched into the air.
For the next few seconds, Kazuki endured the assaults of the Tier 3. Neither Wind Concept nor Domain could keep up with her speed, but the little information they provided allowed him to understand his opponent's intentions. Using his instinct and martial genius, Kazuki anticipated Eleha's attack trajectories.
Blocking and parrying at the last moment, he withstood the violent onslaught, allowing his talent to analyze his opponent's style. He was completely outmatched, but the intensity of the battle allowed him to glimpse the next evolution of his style. Mastery - Spear II was close. Very close.
Eight seconds after the start of the fight, his right clavicle fractured. If Micro temporarily boosted his strength and agility, the Supremacy couldn't do anything to bolster his constitution. Eleha might have been toying with him, but her attributes were so high that Kazuki’s body was giving out.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
The hoplite warrior summoned a gust of wind to try to gain some time. Eleha dodged by passing behind him. Using the shaft of his spear, Kazuki tried to trip her. With a laugh, Eleha immobilized the weapon with her left hand. With her other hand, she plunged a dagger into the hoplite's shoulder.
"Feels like fighting a child," she taunted as she backed away to dodge a counterattack.
Growling in pain, Kazuki invoked his Titan bloodline. His right lung was punctured, and he couldn't continue the fight like this. His body gained a metallic consistency, creaking as Micro II pushed it to its limits.
Activating his spear Mastery, Kazuki cloaked his spear in a windy halo. [Odyssey - Glorious Thrust] , [Odyssey - Celerity] .
Boosted by his Legendary skill, the weapon accelerated, slicing through the air. Even with her attributes, Eleha didn't have time to dodge. She decided to block with a dagger. Kazuki's Mastery flickered before disappearing.
Eleha winked at him before retaliating. A second phantom arm sprouted from his right shoulder, and two daggers simultaneously aimed for both his legs. Instead of defending, Kazuki threw a powerful punch. His strength multiplied by Micro, the blow could have gone through a reinforced door.
Eleha's double attack proved real when two twenty-centimeter blades pierced the hoplite's thighs. His titanic constitution didn't even slow down the blow, which penetrated through muscles and bones like butter.
In a cry of rage and pain, Kazuki's punch connected with Eleha's face. She was propelled backward several meters before stabilizing. Her slightly swollen lower lip testified to the violence of the blow. Stretching out his fingers, Kazuki gritted his teeth. He had just fractured several phalanges on his opponent's teeth. Her constitution is so high that I'm the one taking damage when attacking...
The two fighters sized each other up before Eleha smiled. "Becoming an Ace in less than two months… My tribe might consider adopting you if you surrender. With the necro event ongoing, it would be a shame to suffer critical injuries for nothing."
"For nothing?" Kazuki repeated as silvery blood flowed down his thighs. In his active form, his Titan bloodline transformed his entire body.
Eleha shrugged. "My tribe wants to use the Auctions. Might as well accept while you still can."
"I know people like you. If we start bending over, you'll always ask for more."
The Tier 3 smiled. "And as we've just seen, you can't do anything to stop me."
"Really?" Kazuki asked, summoning an H-bomb into his hand. The bomb was linked to his bound mecha, allowing him to summon it at will. The explosive was the size of his head but could create an explosion of almost a hundred terajoules—enough to glass the area in a radius of two kilometers.
Eleha must have identified the bomb because her expression turned gray. "Give me that."
Despite his legs covered in blood and his right lung pierced, Kazuki stood tall. "No," he responded proudly.
Laepa watched the duel unfold, drumming her fingers on the table. She was both eager for it to end and apprehensive. Eager because the Auctions were a priority: some members of her clan lay comatose, awaiting a remedy for advanced necro corruption. After a certain stage, even [Necro Resistance] was futile against the overpowering Concept.
She was also worried because the Champion hoplite—Kazuki—was too proud. Eleha “Smiling Blades” was adored by the youth for her camaraderie and cultivated the image of a noble, smiling warrior.
But that was a façade. Laepa was of her generation and had seen that smiling mask crack many times over fifty years. Eleha was a sociopath craving adulation. If she couldn't have it, she settled for fear.
It was clear that Kazuki would feel neither, and this would enrage Tier 3. Laepa hoped Eleha wouldn't let her madness destroy any chance of dialogue between tribes and hoplites.
Personally, Laepa hoped the warrior would survive. In a few years, the lance prodigy would be a formidable ally. She knew better fighters, some even having unlocked Spear Mastery III, but they were Tier 3s. Kazuki was a mere Tier 0, his soul not yet baptized, yet so close to Spear Mastery II. His raw talent for the lance was terrifying. For now, he was weak—Eleha toyed with him, using neither skill nor Concepts nor Supremacies—but that would change if he lived.
That didn't mean he was the best Tier 0 Laepa knew. The young Chief of the Aelbes was more powerful, but he hadn't trained for two months. The Aelbe had chosen to ignore [Ace] 's improvement to spend two decades at Tier 0 and attempt mythical Achievements. It was dangerous, but all paths led to the Zenith.
You just had to stay alive.
Laepa wondered if she should intervene to end the fight. It would offend Kazuki and Eleha's honor, but she could certainly use the Auctions, which was most important. In the long run, the consequences would be dire: Kazuki and the hoplites would have a poor opinion of Aelbes and Gaeserts. Vysharratjekto—the snake!—had understood this before her, and his friendly façade would undoubtedly grant him privileged access to the Auctions. It was bad news because the Snaherts were enemies of the Gaeserts.
Was it an arbitrary decision or did the Snaherts plan to court the Champions?
The thought made Laepa grimace. It would be terrible if the other Champions heard about this and allied with the Snaherts. Not immediately, as they were still very weak, but they had potential. A lot of potential. The Aelbes would certainly seek to eliminate the future threat, but that was not the Gaeserts' way.
Why is it up to me to play politics? I'm mainly good at cutting monsters , the huntress sighed mentally.
"Your husband fights well," she declared in a pathetic attempt to bury the hatchet.
Hyshana turned to her, a proud gleam in her eye. "He always has. Brave in the face of death, refusing to bend to tyranny."
Laepa hid a grimace. This was not going well.
"I could heal him after the fight," Gabrielle offered. "I'm sorry the discussion has degenerated like this. We Gaeserts try to be fair in our actions, but our brothers and sisters are in mortal danger here."
Laepa smiled upon hearing Gabrielle and decided to entrust her with the diplomatic side of the mission.
"... That's something I can understand," Hyshana responded after a few seconds of pause. "But the Auctions don't depend on us."
"Then we'll wait for Priam as long as possible," placated Gabrielle.
Laepa glanced at Hyshana. The Tier 0 was just as proud as her husband. If he died, she would fight in turn—even facing certain death. The Hoplites seemed to possess advanced technology, and even though the tribes were now deprived of it, some texts described the miracles of a technological civilization.
Explosives were surely ready to destroy the area, and while Laepa was fairly certain she could survive, Gabrielle would die. Moreover, atomic explosions were famous for attracting powerful monsters as they emitted some sort of interesting pollution. Which would be a disaster...
Suddenly, Kazuki and Eleha parted ways. A few seconds later, the hoplite pulled out a sphere, and Laepa swore as she identified it.
“Fuck!”
Eleha flashed, reappearing centimeters from him. Neither his Wind Concept nor his Domain reacted. Only instinct allowed Kazuki to pivot. A blade pierced his body, missing his heart by a hair. Realizing she had tried to kill him, Kazuki's heart raced. The first beat resonated loudly in his ears, but didn't drown out a distant cry. Hyshana.
Thinking of his wife eclipsed the pain, and Kazuki decided to fight. Drawing inspiration from Louis, he spat blood into his opponent's face. Mastery - Spear I . The projectile didn't have the shape of a spear, but Kazuki's intent was enough. He refused to give up. He refused to die.
The attack struck Eleha's eye. Regardless of her constitution, the globe should have melted, but it did nothing. Kazuki grimaced as he felt his will crushed by the Tier 3's. The attribute difference was so immense that his Supremacy vanished.
Not the silvery blood.
Eleha screamed as heavy metals poisoned her eye. With a wave of her hand, she swept away the H-bomb and slid a dagger under his throat. "You'll pay for what you just did!"
"I wouldn’t be so sure."
In a whirl of mist, Priam appeared next to Kazuki. His hand closed around Eleha's wrist, and he opened his mouth. A laser beam shot out.