Chapter 180: The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 180: The End Justifies the Means

"Did you really lose to that?"

The skull remained silent as Priam ascended into the sky. He had hesitated about finishing his opponent, but this one was a native.New novel chapters are published on

[Identification]

[Vyphers - Tier 0 - Baron] - A warrior from the local Snahert tribe. Half humanoid, half serpent, the tribe's elites cultivate a draconic bloodline.

Lvl Up: [Identification] lvl 11

MEM +1

A victory would strengthen his bloodline and increase the compatibility between Priam and his heart. However, Vyphers possessed a draconic bloodline, marking him as an elite of his tribe. He was too weak to have earned that distinction. There was only one explanation: he was someone powerful's son.

Therefore, killing him for immediate gain seemed foolish. Priam had other ways to purify his bloodline. Sighing at the missed opportunity, he began flying toward the island's interior. His primary goal was to return Seth's skull to his brother.

As he left the crater, his draconic instinct roared.

The Dragon faces their enemies.

The high human abruptly stopped. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed Vyphers getting back up. Despite the distance between them, Priam recognized the defiant gaze of the warrior. He refused to admit defeat.

"Damn it," Priam swore, summoning Promesse once again.

"What are you doing?" The gravelly voice in Priam's head could only come from the skull he held.

"You decide to speak now?"

Priam aimed while preparing a terrifying kinetic charge. In his Domain, the air temperature dropped to minus two hundred degrees Celsius. The gazes of the two warriors met as Priam shot Promesse. The sudden acceleration made it invisible.

"That idiot is trying to buy time until an officer arrives!"

The spectral image of a giant serpent appeared around the Tier 0. Promesse shattered the defense before causing a significant explosion. The dust obscured Priam's view, but he grimaced, listening to his instinct. The other dragon candidate was still able to fight.

"What's the power of the one who defeated you?" asked Priam.

The skull began to levitate before attempting to flee. Priam's Domain immobilized it in a fraction of a second.

"Do you want us both to die?!" Seth mentally yelled.

"Youre wasting our time." Priam linked his conquering aura to his Domain, and the light in the skull's eyes began to tremble.

"Stop this!"

Priam canceled his aura before it dissipated the necromancer's spirit. He had made a promise to Osiris and intended to keep it.

"... It was a Tier 3. We need to flee!"

"If I don't beat this kid, my bloodline will regress. That's not happening."

That's what his instinct whispered. In a battle between two dragons, there had to be a winner and a loser.

"... Screw it. Beat him quickly."

Priam didn't bother to reply. Refusing to store Seth in his internal world for obvious reasons, Priam firmly grasped the skull and invoked [Phoenix Wings].

Drawing from his kinetic resources and aether, Priam accelerated. His wings vibrated as the air exploded.

In a second, Priam accelerated to three times the speed of sound. His arrival caused a gust that cleared the dust, revealing a giant serpent. After his metamorphosis, the warrior measured nearly fifteen meters in length. Promesse pinned his tail to the ground.

The enemy was terrifying, but Priam was no longer a mere human. Death had forced him to grow up fast.

The monster's head quickly lunged to bite. Swift as lightning, Priam dodged to the left. With the help of his wings and kinetic skill, he was over ten times faster than his opponent.

A sharp fang cut through the air a few centimeters to his right. Priam seized it before kinetically immobilizing his opponent. His right hand released Seths skull before closing into a tight fist. Micro overclocked his muscles, [Kinetic Control] accelerated his speed, and Priam struck.

The first blow landed on the serpent's snoot, shattering his scales. Priam had released his kinetic domination just before his blow impacted the enemy. A second followed, splashing the ground with cold blood. The third pierced the reptile's right eye.

The serpent trembled in pain and rage. Priam felt his opponent resisting the kinetic freeze. His scaly skin became transparent, as if trying to shed to escape the grip of the epic skill.

A cold smile appeared on Priam's lips as a fourth blow shattered one of the serpent's bones. His Conquest aura merged with [Kinetic Control], strengthening it. Priam's charisma crushed the enemy's resistance as META (focus) tightened the kinetic grip.

Lvl Up: [Kinetic Control] lvl 59

VIVA +2

DEXT +3

META(FOCUS) +4

The fifth blow sent the serpent backward. The fang Priam held burst, releasing a stream of venom. Instead of falling to the ground, the toxin lunged at Priam. His mist coat partially froze, blocking and imprisoning the poison.

Priam collected a few drops of venom and blood, storing them in his internal world before landing next to the wounded serpent.

Promesse appeared in his hand, and Priam plunged it into the salivary glands of his opponent. That's where the venom was produced. The liquid spread rapidly into the Snahert's wounds.

Roaring in pain, the pseudo-serpent turned to look at Priam with his valid eye. It began to glow, and Priam felt his body instantly stiffen. A draconic Talent!

Paralyzed, Priam could distinguish nothing but a golden and inhuman eye. The basilisk's Talent prevented him from moving physically or even using [Kinetic Control]. Fusion with one of his Concepts was impossible, and even summoning a mist wall to block the enemy's vision had no effect. When the basilisk locked its gaze on prey, it didn't let go.

Fuck! Let's see if your Talent bypasses even the laws of physics.

Instead of succumbing to panic, Priam decided to heat the air in front of him. In seconds, the thermal agitation of air molecules in his Domain created a mirage effect. Like in a desert, the rays of light were deflected. The golden eye disappeared from Priam's mind, and he roared in turn.

Eyes closed, the high human struck, knocking the snake to the ground. Unleashing his Fire Concept, Priam set his enemy on fire.

A part of him was horrified by the prospect of burning a humanoid enemy alive. Another part only saw the serpent that had tried to kill him. Blinded by a draconic anger, Priam roared.

Uttering a final cry of pain, the flaming monster transformed back into a humanoid. Curled on the ground, the tribesman trembled. Priam observed the defeated opponent's gaze before summoning a cold mist avalanche. Before long, the tribesman was encased in an ice coffin.

Its over.

Priam's instinct roared as the dragon awoke in him, claiming its due. The veins of the defeated warrior trembled as a drop of golden blood gathered in one of his empty eye sockets. It went through the ice coffin before plunging into Priam's chest.

A warmth enveloped him, starting from his draconic heart before spreading throughout his body.

Consumption of a fragment of draconic bloodline...

Your draconic heart becomes more compatible with your body (+8%).

New compatibility assessed at 100%, congratulations!

Enter sleep for heart integration?

Not now.

... Evolution temporarily postponed.

"Let's go," declared Priam without a last glance at the loser. In his hand lay a skull.

"About time," grumbled Seth.

Eleha sighed upon discovering the block of ice. Vyphers was alive but in a terrible state. His face, half swollen and half burned, revealed deep cuts. His eyes had been gouged out, and his spasms indicated brain damage. Yet, none of this mattered before his lost bloodline. The serpent no longer resembled a dragon.

The young fool had been mentally defeated, and his bloodline had been harvested. It would have been better for him if he were dead.

Seth nodded. "Harvesting souls. For a Tier 3 Envoy, the ritual needs a hundred thousand."

"And for a Tier 4?"

"At least a million."

"You can start preparing the ritual."

Wait for me, Sphinx.

Priam collected hundreds of Sun points again as he returned to his base. The number of buried skeletons should have been limited, yet the forest was teeming with enemies. One million was a ridiculous number, but the supplies were there.

Arriving at his base, Priam noticed the hoplites and their mechas starting to terraform the terrain. Hyshana and Alain stood side by side, overseeing the work. Priam greeted them before reaching the center of the clearing, where Kazuki and Jasmine were training in close combat.

Priam was reassured to see that the young woman had awakened. His add-on explained to him that she had taken time to drown the corrupted spirit of the Banshee in her shadow. The fight had made her stronger, but she wasn't the only one.

For the past week, the hoplite had progressed at a terrifying speed. Micro II granted him absolute control over his body. Meticulously overclocking his muscles and enhancing his instinct and perception, the Supremacy was turning him into a monster. The evolution of his physique allowed him to deepen his martial skills. Watching the hoplite fight was like witnessing an artistic performance.

Against him, Jasmine was technically outclassed, but the assassin used shadows to disrupt her opponent's rhythm. Her own shadow attacked Kazuki's in a surprising two-dimensional battle. Each blow to her shadow unsettled the warrior, preventing him from unleashing all his abilities. The assassin's attacks were precise and decisive.

Where Kazuki fought to win, Jasmine struck to kill. The hoplite had the advantage, but any lapse on his part would be fatal.

A few minutes later, Jasmine disappeared into the shadows before reappearing outside the duel's boundaries.

"Out of aether," she explained, breathless.

Kazuki nodded before furrowing his brows. "When are your Tribulations?"

"... In a week."

"Then go train." The role of martial instructor suited the hoplite.

Jasmine nodded towards Priam before vanishing. Kazuki summoned a mini-tornado to dry the sweat beading on his scales before greeting his rival.

"You seem satisfied," he remarked.

"It's time to enhance my race."

"Are you sure you don't need my blood?"

Priam shook his head. "Despite our physical resemblances, our genetic heritage is quite different. Maybe for Tier 3."

"Hmm. Have you found Seth?"

"And his brother. An incredible little guy. I made a pact with them to summon a Necro Tier 4."

"... Can we trust them?"

"Of course not, but it's one of the only ways to save her."

Kazuki nodded. "We won't abandon her."

The two warriors fell silent, thinking about Sphinx.

"You said one of the only ways?" Kazuki finally asked.

"... There are new players. I met a local."

"Have you established good relations?"

Priam blushed.

"I tried to be friendly!"

Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 449

Constitution 815 (+21)

Agility 455

Vitality 687 (+3)

Perception 667

MENTAL:

Vivacity 392 (+2)

Dexterity 498 (+3)

Memory 230 (+1)

Willpower 836

Charisma 506

META:

Meta-affinity 415

Meta-focus 342 (+4)

Meta-endurance 262 (+2)

Meta-perception 201

Meta-chance 230

Meta-authority 21

Potential: 3324 (+15)

Tier 0

Sun points: 4010 (+317)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.

[Tribulation]: Six Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 169 days 22 hours 25 minutes 34 seconds.

Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 400 / 6 attribute > 600 / 3 attributes > 800