Chapter 309: The Perfect Gift
Maxime Lóthandorim listened to his generals' reports with a distracted air, most of his focus locked on the hologram hovering at the center of the war chamber. A lifelike projection of the supercontinent sprawled across the display, updated in real-time by hundreds of scryers. Every soldier, resource, and structure, whether ally or enemy, was marked with precision. To the King of the Empyreans, this was his faction’s true strength: mastery over information.
“Prometheus has recalled his main army, Your Majesty,” repeated a tall man with platinum-white hair and a sharp, aquiline nose—features that betrayed his kinship to the king. “The Arkanians aren’t pursuing; they can afford to play the long game. The emerging stalemate poses a dangerous threat to us.”
“What do you recommend?” asked a minister.
“I suggest assassinating some of humanity’s elites and framing the Arkanians. If the humans demand vengeance, their king will have no choice but to heed them and resume the attacks. Then, we need only wait for the two beasts to weaken each other before we strike!”
Two ministers nodded in approval, supporting the plan of the fool. Were his cousin not marginally useful, Maxime would have executed him long ago. As it stood, Alexandre served as the perfect bait to entrap those plotting a coup—powerful enough to be a pretender to the throne, but too stupid to have a real chance.
“An original plan, General Alexandre. I’m sure Prometheus would never see that coming,” mocked a man of slight stature, the only one in the room who didn’t look like a sculpted demigod.
“Care to share some constructive criticism, jester?” retorted the ridiculed general.
“On the strategy, perhaps. On the strategist? I fear that’s a lost cause.”
Alexandre took a menacing step forward. “The law forbids me from killing you, not from emasculating you. One day, you’ll dine with the women and the livestock.”
“Then I’ll break bread with your mother and father.”The unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn rang out. Before the jester’s blood could stain the floor, the king intervened.
“Enough.”
With a single word, a heavy silence descended over the room. Maxime’s piercing gaze swept over the military council before he spoke again.
“Prometheus has used his Talent on all key members of his government. Even if an assassination succeeded—which I doubt, given his fortress-like palace—he would recognize our signature. As for his people’s opinion... While he has shown reluctance to manipulate it, his ministers are less scrupulous.”
“Though young, humanity has a startling mastery of propaganda,” a sycophant chimed in.
“So, what do we do?” demanded Alexandre. “If we wait for the second Reunion to play out, the Arkanians will become unstoppable with their Tier 3s.”
Maxime dismissed the argument. “Tier 3s who have spent most of their lives without the System should not concern us. With the ambient aether density, it will take them years to develop a Mythical skill—if they even survive their Tribulations. Their Concepts and Supremacies make them dangerous, but most are not warriors. We will focus on what we do best: guerrilla warfare. With our information, surgical strikes are possible,” the king declared, pointing to the map at the center of the room.
“Speaking of surgical strikes, the Arkanians seem to be on the operating table,” quipped the jester.
Maxime followed his gaze to a beach on the southern edge of the continent. Far from the Empyrean capital, deep within Arkanian territory, a group of warriors was being annihilated. Every second, several red dots disappeared, each marking a life extinguished.
“Strange, no paladin of Prometheus is supposed to be in this region,” observed a general.
With a wave of his hand, Maxime displayed a detailed list of the combatants. The main contributor to the slaughter appeared at the top.
[The Juggernaut - ?].
“Unless his mother named him ‘The,’ this is rather enigmatic,” the jester remarked.
Maxime frowned. Following a direct order, a dozen scryers were likely working to identify the enemy. Each was a distant member of the royal family, second- or third-degree cousins, trained and bioengineered for divination affinity. The individual’s name, rank, status, and even favorite color should have been displayed. Instead, all they had was a title.
“Has Prometheus managed to counter our intelligence network?”
A general’s murmured question reached the king’s ears, and he stood abruptly.
“Impossible!” Anger, astonishment, and concern roiled within him. If it were true, the war was lost.
Striding to the table beneath the map, Maxime placed a hand on its surface. The empire’s foremost scryer opened his personal grimoire and activated [Imperial Order: Revelation]. The Legendary skill connected to the map, then to the ritual prepared by the scryers. It traced the karmic threads back to the anonymous warrior who had single handedly obliterated an Arkanian company.
A terrifying resistance, beyond Legendary but shy of Mythical, pushed back against the probe. Maxime bore down, sharpening his will. Decades of experience, his Concept, the ritual, and the rank of his skill finally found a weak point. Exploiting the breach, he began siphoning information.
A figure appeared above the central hologram. The shadow of a muscular young man was discernible, but the resistance prevented a clear image… save for one notable detail: a pair of red boxers adorned with a die.
The generals exchanged puzzled glances. Why fixate on the enemy’s underwear instead of his physique? A vein pulsed on Maxime’s forehead. Did he really have to lower himself to dispel this misunderstanding?
After a few seconds, one of his divination probes reported an attempted countermeasure; the enemy had detected the scry and was retaliating. Maxime dismissed [Imperial Order: Revelation]. He hadn’t gleaned the full status he had hoped for, but what he had was enough.
“Priam Azura is here… I’m declaring a state of emergency,” he announced to his council. “Activate all defensive protocols at maximum level. He can’t stay here for long.”
Priam had not yet shown any hostility towards the Empyreans, but it could change.
“Your Majesty, must we truly cower here? This is an unprecedented chance to bring humanity to its knees in one strike!” protested Alexandre, greed glinting in his eyes.
“I won’t attack a target without understanding its capabilities,” the king rebuffed. “Let the Arkanians reveal them for us.”
“But… what if they kill him?”
“Then one of them will gain his racial Talents and a Title. It’s irrelevant.”
If the Empyreans were to take down Priam, it would be with a long-range cannon. The king wasn’t foolish enough to come within ten kilometers of that calamity. If he couldn’t claim the rewards, better they fall to his enemies. He didn’t need a hero in his army; he would end up eyeing his throne.
With a gesture, Maxime displayed the full portion of the status he had acquired:
[Priam Azura - Tier 0 - Duke] - Champion of Humanity, Duke of Elysium’s Court, Duke of Valaryth, Lord of Oasis, Primogenitor of the Homo Elysian, Face of 2 Die 4, Death’s Obsession. A Juggernaut who has defied the impossible time and time again to rise.
[Ciphered]
Physique ~1,100, Mental ~750, Meta ~650.
Most of the information was unreadable, but the essentials were clear.
“Focusing on our defenses mustn’t stop us from preparing countermeasures for a possible attack. If anyone has relevant remarks based on this information, speak now.”
Silence was short-lived, broken by the jester’s laughter.
“I just counted: this Priam guy has more titles than Your Majesty.”
Perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean, a human with fiery hair meditated, striving to quell the violent emotions that had seized him earlier. The sadism of certain enemy soldiers and his helplessness in saving an innocent had filled him with rage.
Lvl Up: [Frozen Meditation] lvl 39
PERC +1
WILL +2
As his anger began to ebb, he turned his focus to his recent notifications.
Lvl Up: [Ciphered Record] lvl 2
MEM +6
META (Affinity) +6
META (Authority) +15
Lvl Up: [Divination Interception] lvl 30
META (Affinity) +2
META (Perception) +1
Lvl Up: [Shear Resistance] lvl 5
CONST +7
META (Endurance) +2
Lvl Up: [Intimidation] lvl 13, 14, 15
CHAR +9
META (Affinity) exceeds 1 000 points. Second milestone reached. Congratulations!
“I just gained three levels in [Intimidation],” Priam muttered, his gaze shifting to the beach below. Survivors were busy tending to their wounded comrades, while a few gathered futuristic weapons left behind by the Arkanians.
“Figures. That kid pissed himself,” his shadow quipped with a grimace. “Wonder if that counts as an ideal prerequisite...”
Priam growled. Leopol was their age but seemed utterly detached from reality.
“He acted like his life was more valuable than everyone else’s.”
“You know I love you, but you’re really not the best person to say that.”
Priam smirked. “I value my life more because it’s mine. Him… Did you see the way he looked at the carnage? He thought himself superior—not just to humans but to his own soldiers.”
“Ah.” Jasmine fell silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. “Classic Arkanian noble. I’m honestly surprised he didn’t complain about breathing the same air as the plebs.”
Her disdain for her world’s ruling class was palpable. Priam wondered how much of it was justified hatred and how much was personal bias. He shrugged, deciding the truth would surface soon enough.
“This isn’t as interesting as the fight. You wrapped that up quick.”
Priam winced. “It wasn’t that easy. His stats were slightly better than mine. I baited him by opening my guard—a shot to the neck in exchange for a hit to his torso. He fell for it. Without that, it could’ve dragged on.”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“But you would’ve won.”
Priam snorted. “Of course.”
Laughter rang out beside him. “You’re so damn cocky. Oh, by the way, my shadows froze up near Gerald. Did you feel the same?”
“I experienced a similar phenomenon with Pyro,” Priam admitted. “I couldn’t summon my flames in his presence. His Domain was weak, but backed by a strong soul, its sphere of authority prevented me from expressing my Concepts. I suppose a Tier 2 soul should have some advantages over ours.”
“Really? I’ve never felt that against the Necro elites.”
“The System, Elysium’s laws, or the Seven keep them in check—but we both know those shackles weaken every day. That said, I’ve experienced similar soul suppression fighting Sumstreh.”
“And here I thought I could assassinate Tier 2s and 3s with impunity,” Jasmine grumbled. “Guess Tiering up has its perks.”
Priam chuckled, then noticed several fingers pointing his way. “Looks like they’ve spotted us. Let’s go say hi.”
With that, he leapt.
The continent was so vast it took him nearly three hours to reach his destination. One hundred eighty minutes of strategizing for his next Tribulation and honing his aether manipulation.
Lvl Up: [Smooth Scales] lvl 37
AGI +3
Lvl Up: [Phoenix Wings] lvl 39
META(Focus) +2
META(Endurance) +1
Lvl Up: [High Aether Manipulation] lvl 12, 13
META (Affinity) +6
META (Focus) +6
META (Endurance) +6
As the silhouette of a slumbering city came into view, Priam exhaled. “Finally. I need a teleportation skill…”
“That’d be handy. We’re late, though—the gates are closed. I guess we’re not waiting for tomorrow?”
Priam grinned, accelerating further. He flew over the city walls, zigzagged through lit streets at Mach 4, and didn’t slow until he landed in front of the castle’s double doors.
The ground cracked beneath his feet, the shockwave sending the six guards sprawling.
“Sorry. I’m here to see Prometheus.”
“…The king is asleep. State your name!” barked the bravest of the guards, his weapon leveled at a man whose skin was harder than the steel of his spear.
“I’m Priam Azura.”
The reaction was not what he had expected.
“You’re the fourth person today to claim that name,” one guard said.
“To be fair, you’re the most convincing. The others walked here,” added another.
“Either way, the king is asleep,” the first insisted. “Come back tomorrow.”
Considering Elysium’s laws would summon him before dawn, Priam decided to press the matter. His invisible mist had already seeped beneath the castle doors, homing in on a familiar aether signature.
Priam took a step forward and vanished under the guards’ astonished gaze. The alarm blared seconds later as he rounded a corner. Down the hall, two knights stood guard outside a door.
“That’s either the treasure room or the king’s chambers.”
“Hopefully the treasure room,” his shadow replied.
“Feel free to search for it, but don’t steal anything.”
“What’s the point?”
“I want an inventory. It’ll give us insight into Prometheus’s character,” Priam explained.
“... Fine. You’re the boss.”
His shadow vanished as Priam approached the knights. Swords drawn, they seemed ready to give their lives to stop him.
“Stop right here and state your business!”
Priam’s Domain crushed theirs, and [Kinetic Control] froze them like helpless children.
“Sorry guys, I’m in a hurry,” Priam apologized, pushing the door open.
The king turned as he pulled on a pair of pants. Behind him, an Empyrean woman was slipping into a flowing dress. Prometheus, Priam, and Eloïse exchanged a dumbfounded glance before the Champion cleared his throat.
“I’ll wait in the hallway,” Priam said, shutting the door behind him. Outside, he met the furious gaze of one irate knight. Shrugging, he offered a nonchalant smile. “Yeah, I probably should’ve knocked.”
PHYSICAL:
Strength 893
Constitution 1 431 (+9)
Agility 1 178 (+5)
Vitality 1 322
Perception 859 (+1)
MENTAL:
Vivacity (D) 599
Dexterity 752
Memory 902 (+11)
Willpower 1 015 (+3)
Charisma 670 (+17)
META:
Meta-affinity 1 016 (+17)
Meta-focus 568 (+9)
Meta-endurance 929 (+14)
Meta-perception 541 (+2)
Meta-chance 594
Meta-authority 452 (+23)
Potential: 27 648 (+27)
Tier 0
Sun points: 1 143 444
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 5 hours 31 minutes 14 seconds.
Concepts:
- Breath (T0): 100% / Harmony
- Fire (T0): 100% / Unity
- Pyro (T1): 100% / Half-step Unity
- Mist (T1): 100% / Symphony
Bloodlines:
- Phoenix: 3%
- Dragon: 1%
Rewards standing:
- Fusion Token - Skill (Epic)
- Evolution Token - Skill (Legendary)
- Affinity Token - Tier 1 (30%)
- Alien Concept fragment (7th Terror)
- Talent Token - Upgrade (Seraph)
- Revelation Token - Ideal Prerequisites (Epic)
- Colosseum VIP Token
- Reborn Token - Reset biological lifespan (Legendary)
- Minor skill Epiphany
- High Tribulation essence (Soul Tailored - Sumstreh’s half core)
- Seed of Potential
- Trophy Compass
[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 132 days 6 hours 0 minute 27 seconds.
Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 900 / 3 attributes > 1 200 / 1 attribute > 1 500
Next arc already complete on Patreon if you want to find out what happens next!