Chapter 184: Requiem for a Life

Chapter 184: Requiem for a Life

Do you wish to unleash Fire?

"Yes!"

Responding to Priam's will, the chain oppressing the egg shattered. The Concept hibernating inside must have eagerly awaited this moment as the shell began to glow. The chrysalis quivered like a Pokball before exploding.

A torrent of flames engulfed Priam's soul space. Full of fury, they crashed against his soul and Sumstrehs divine mark. Fearful that the Concept might destroy the tampered structure, thus alerting the Fallen, Priam attempted to tame itwithout success.

He sighed with relief as the divine threads making up the mark trembled before stabilizing. Despite all its power, this new fire wasn't yet capable of bending the work of an ancient god.

Enraged by its failure, the fiery onslaught continued towards the limits of the soul space. The boundary was materialized by a protective sphere, the spiritual seat of Priam's Domain.

The brutal charge of fire struck the Supremacy from within, causing it to swell. Priam screamed in pain as he felt the orb expand under the pressure. Simultaneously, his new racial Talent reflected the damage to his body; some cells boiled, others exploded. Priam spat blood as [Tenacious Spirit] took over his damaged brain.

A few seconds later, the spiritual flames receded like the tide, leaving the protection of his soul space in a sorry state. Such damage could lead to ego erosion and the onset of madness. [Homo Elysian Obsession] transformed that by linking body and soul. Priam's vitality, boosted by his temporary attributes, surpassed four thousand. In seconds, his physical wounds healed, mending his soul in the process.

Wiping blood from his mouth, Priam was surprised to find that the radius of his Domain had doubled, multiplying its volume by eight. The use of Supremacy had become second nature over time. Thanks to it, Priam perceived every breeze, every temperature gradient, and could use any skill outside his body.

A two-meter radius sphere of authority was nice, but perhaps it was possible to further increase its volume? The expansion of Priam's Domain was directly linked to the growth of his soul space. The explosion of his new Concept had enlarged the authority bubble surrounding his soul. Thanks to [Homo Elysian Obsession], the sphere had adapted to his new volume.

Theoretically, I could increase the size of my soul space without purifying my soul. The last thing Priam needed was for the System to declare his soul apocryphal. He wasn't arrogant enough to think he could survive if the System put a bounty on his head.

Noticing the boost received, Priam decided to convince his friends to change their race. His racial Talents were even more exceptional than he had imagined. The Duatians could also enhance their Domain, but [Soul Duality] offered no specific adaptation. Moreover, soul wounds were harder to heal than physical ones.

Priam could heal his body thanks to his terrifying vitality, but Duatians did not have access to such a capability. If even a scar remained on the body, the soul would be scarred. There came the point where, tired, the soul refused to heal, thus preventing the body from regenerating completely. Duatians had developed biomancy and necromancy to overcome these issues but never managed to eliminate them entirely.

Fortunately for Priam, he had [He Who Eludes Death].

[Timer - completion of the summoning in 1 min 34 s]

Brought back to reality by his system, Priam focused on his new Concept. It had replaced the Fire Concept and orbited around his soul. The spark had such an intense aura that it seemed capable of producing plasma.

Fire evolves into Pyro!

[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.

Natural Affinity: 60%.

Priam remained momentarily bewildered reading the name of his Concept. Pyro meant fire in ancient Greek. It was obviously a translation by the System, but in fantasy culture, pyromancy was the magic of fire. Pyro was a magical fire.

"As for what kind of magic we're talking about..."

Priam surveyed the battlefield. The dark island protecting the Tier 2s and the sigil continued to resist his assault. Outside the sea of flames, the corrupted horde continued to kill each other. A few flying undeads still attacked him, but his add-on had his back.

It was time to test his new Concept. Priam injected Pyro into his flames, which turned pure white. The horde paused momentarily, sensing the belligerent Concept's presence. The waves of fire crashing against the dark dome froze before redoubling in intensity. The impact sent incandescent sprays into the air that never came back down.

Priam widened his eyes at the phenomenon: the air was burning.

Sharing Pyro's perception, Priam noticed that his flames were no longer consuming just flesh, wood, and bones but also the earth and even water. This should have been impossible: fire was rapid oxidation, and the two hydrogens of a water molecule were already bound to the oxygen atom. The hydrogen being oxidized, water had already burned.

Clearly, the laws of chemistry did not stop Pyro. All Tier 1 Concepts have a particularity, Priam recalled. Mist could conceal his presence, and Pyro could burn any material. Understanding how was undoubtedly necessary to advance his mastery of the Concept, but a glance at the timer confirmed that it was not the time.

Priam applied his will to his flames, urging them to quickly devour the Tier 2 fortress. A few seconds later, the dark dome began to crack before collapsing. An infernal sky descended upon the Tier 2s.

Skills were cast, delaying the cataclysm. Recalling the flames that had developed by consuming the horde, Priam threw all his strength into the battle. Pyro, enhanced by a sea of fire and Conquest Aura, crushed the resistance of the Tier 2s. Engulfed by the deluge of flames, chained by their ritual, the corrupted officers succumbed one after another.

Event:Necromoon.

Banishment of a corrupted (Tier 2 - Baron) - Sun points +1 000

Event:Necromoon.

Banishment of a corrupted (Tier 2 - Viscount) - Sun points +10 000

Just as a hint of a smile appeared on Priam's face, he erased it: the sigil was glowing.

"... Fuck."

Like a pierced canvas, a bloody portal pierced reality. A bloody intent descended on the valley, knotting Priam's stomach. From the opening emerged the skull of a giant skeleton. It was difficult to gauge the size of its whole body, but its mouth was huge enough to swallow a human in one bite.

The creature began to contort to step in Elysium, and Priam braced himself. Despite the terrifying presence emanating from the corrupted, he had no intention of backing down.

[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 (currently weakened).

Beware of contamination.

Lvl Up: [Identification] lvl 12

MEM +1

Sorts of purple smoke clung to the skeleton's bones, licking the air. Its orbits were glowing with an unholy gleam. The nightmarish appearance of the Necromoons servant was tainting the world.

Clenching his teeth, Priam summoned back his flames around him, as if to warm himself. A fireball as tall as a twenty-story building condensed around him. The legionnaire's attention was drawn to the light, and a spasm of terror shook Priam.

"... In another life, I was a thief," winked Mirscella.

Amused, Katarina burst into laughter. "Besides stealing Dad's heart, you're more used to giving. Or were you some kind of Robin Hood?"

Mirscella smiled. "I was too afraid to be generous. When all you have is money, it's hard to part with it. Today, with you and your father, I thank life by giving back."

Katarina returned her smile. "You could be super generous by buying me an outfit for the upcoming ball, do you know?"

Amused, Mirscella rolled her eyes.

"I'll go dry off," announced Mirscella as she got out of the water.

The joyful cries of her grandchildren drowned out Andr's response, but her husband's smile told her everything she needed to know: 'Go rest, my dear; I've got the little monsters.'

Wrapping herself in a beach towel, Mirscella smiled, watching her family play in the water. At sixty, life was still gentle with her. She had worked honestly and seized fulfilling professional opportunities. Now, she was surrounded by a happy family that discussed every problem without yelling. Mirscella was proud that her children confided in her willingly and even prouder of her relationship with Andr.

Grabbing a pen, Mirscella smiled. Her body had also escaped the shadow of disease. The former thief didn't possess supernatural powers, but she didn't need them to be happy and fulfilled.

Opening her bag, Mirscella glimpsed the gleaming blade of a dagger. Instinctively, she knew she was presented with a choice. All she had to do was grasp it to exit her Tribulation.

A thin smile on her lips, Mirscella pushed the dagger away to retrieve a diary.

"Sorry. I hope you'll forgive me, but it's my decision."

Mirscella Tsevskaya sat on the pebbles, opened her diary, and began composing a melody.

"Requiem for a Life."

Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 464

Constitution 827

Agility 470

Vitality 749

Perception 683

MENTAL:

Vivacity 416

Dexterity 517

Memory 314 (+1)

Willpower 909 (+26)

Charisma 585 (+15)

META:

Meta-affinity 415

Meta-focus 342

Meta-endurance 262

Meta-perception 201

Meta-chance 230

Meta-authority 24

Potential: 2228 (+5)

Tier 0

Sun points: 112 464 (+15 712)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 15 hours 29 minutes 46 seconds.

[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 166 days 16 hours 2 minutes 39 seconds.

Next thresholds: 6 attributes > 600 / 3 attributes > 900