They searched for their friends on foot. The airspace above the buildings had become a Tier 3 battleground, and while Priam and Kazuki had grown powerful, neither was eager to pick a fight with one of them. Two months ago, it had taken everything they had to fend off Eleha Aelbe, a Tier 3 huntress. Now, they were confident they could hold their own in a two-on-one—or maybe even a two-on-two. Not a two-on-fifty. If they made the mistake of being seen, some clever Aelbe might call in their buddies to eliminate Oasis from the tournament. What better opportunity to play your hand than in the midst of chaos?

So the two Champions stuck to the darkest alleys, avoiding the bloodiest battles. Step by step, they drifted near the Snahert territory. Ophis's final cloud had ravaged his own clan before spilling into others, but it had finally dissipated. In its wake, what remained was silence and corpses. A lot of corpses.

As he stepped over a body, Priam froze. "Wait."

Kazuki stopped too, tilting his head in silent question.

"I hear something," Priam whispered, focusing. He closed his eyes, ignored the Necromoon's stressful light, and pinched his nose to block out the stench already rising from the bodies. Death relaxed certain muscles, sphincters included.

In the eerie quiet, broken only by distant screams, Priam listened.

"That way."

Kazuki turned toward a dead-end alley occupied by children. Makeshift cages, built more with zeal than craftsmanship, lined both sides of the street. In the middle, a few collapsed youths. Not far off, a hand-stitched ball rested beside a trash bin.

Priam swallowed his anger and approached the grim tableau, focusing on one of the goalkeepers. The boy was a little chubby, and his skin was slick and thin, almost scaly.

"A half-blood," Priam assessed, pressing an ear to the boy's nose. "Breathing fainter than a corpse."

"Poisoned into unconsciousness rather than killed," guessed Kazuki, checking the others. "Dead. Maybe this one developed some kind of immunity?"

"Either that, or… help me find another Snahert."

"You really want to take time for this?"

Priam thought of Louis, Blueberry, and Rose waiting for them and nodded. "It's important."

Snaherts in Gaesert territory were rare, but the revelry had caused a few to wander. Eventually, Kazuki and Priam found three. From a distance, they looked just as dead—no visible aether, no rise and fall of the chest. Up close, it was different. Their hearts were beating—albeit at less than one beat per minute—betraying a deep coma.

The poison cloud had spared those who shared its creator's blood.

"Fuck. Ophis screwed us."

"A last hurrah for his clan," said Kazuki, pointing skyward. A moment later, two Tier 3s—one Aelbe, one Gaesert—collided. "The violence is stirring old grudges. The more chaos reigns, the less the Snaherts are singled out. When the dust settles, they'll have fewer elites, but they'll outnumber the other tribes. For Ophis, it was the least worst outcome."

"And it only cost thousands of lives," Priam spat, his gaze sweeping the street. From one end to the other, corpses littered the ground. Hundreds, maybe more.

An explosion thundered above, and Priam looked up just in time to see one of the Tier 3s crash into a nearby building. The structure erupted into flames. If any survivors had managed to barricade themselves against Ophis's poisonous cloud, they were dead now.

The crunch of a boot on dry earth snapped Priam's attention behind him. Less than ten meters away, an old Gaesert with a weathered face had landed silently.

"I guess looters are like rats. Where there's one, there's a hundred," the man sneered.

"Looters?" Priam raised his hands in peace. "We're just looking for our friends. Someone told us a giant bear and two humans were brought to your camp."

"And you're looking for them among dead children?"

A second explosion cut the air, hurling debris toward them. Priam froze the shrapnel mid-flight, eyes narrowing as a woman strode toward them. Her head held high, her haughty expression crumbled when she locked eyes with Priam. The young Aelbe stiffened like a deer caught in a hunter's sights.

"You!"

"Oh. Hi, Eleha."

The Aelbe huntress who had once attacked Kazuki and forced Priam into a suicidal strike had lost weight. Her eyes, hollowed out by fatigue, brimmed with dread. She took a step back, fists clenching.

"I'm not here for you."

"And we're not here for you," Priam replied, exchanging a look with Kazuki. "But we're not letting you loot the dead either."

"What do you care? It's not your clan!"

No, but I need the Gaeserts' goodwill to reduce the risk of complications.

Priam couldn't say that, so he settled for a slightly arrogant smile. "None of your business. Now beat it before we dogpile you."

"I don't fear two Tier 0s."

"Three," said Jasmine, appearing behind Eleha with a dagger at her throat. The young woman reeked of blood, but any spectator would assume it was her enemies'.

"And not just any Tier 0, but three Champions," Priam added.

Eleha trembled at the word, like someone suffering from PTSD. When Jasmine didn't use the opportunity to slit her throat, Priam realized his friend was clearly in bad shape. Pity. That was an easy kill opportunity...

"He—he's with you?"

"He?"

"The forest Guardian," Eleha whispered. That wasn't fear in her voice. It was terror.

Priam stepped into the breach. "Yup. Want us to call him?"

"No!" she cried, her voice cracking. "...I'm leaving."

Lvl Up: [Intimidation] lvl 17

CHAR +3

For a brief second, Priam wondered what Dishnu could have possibly done to terrify a Tier 3 with just a mention of his name. A glance from Kazuki reminded him that now wasn't the time.

"Perfect. Oh, one last thing... Tell your pals to stop attacking the Gaeserts. The only ones benefiting are the Snaherts."

Jasmine vanished into a shadow as Eleha rubbed her throat.

"With only one Transcendent and less than a dozen Tier 4s, the Snaherts are done for," she snapped.

"In his madness, Ophis destroyed his own," added the old Gaesert.

"The snake might've been a manipulative sociopath, but insane? That's wishful thinking." Priam nudged the Snahert corpse at his feet. "They're just taking a nap. Wanna bet the Snahert elites are just waiting for you all to bleed each other dry so they can swoop in and pick the bones clean?"

"Leo—"

"Isn't here. Killing a poison-user has to come with some risks." Priam shrugged. "And when he gets back, I doubt he'll be able to resurrect your dead."

Eleha frowned, then bolted without another word. Priam turned to the Gaesert, who was eyeing him oddly.

"Something wrong?"

"You think like a leader."

Priam raised an eyebrow. "And that's bad?"

"For your enemies."

"Good thing, I'm not your enemy."

"You're not our ally either," the old man pointed out, then sighed. "The bear's in the shaman's tent, and I'm not sure letting you near it is a good idea."

Priam frowned, but before he could respond, a groan rose behind him. He turned to see a child sitting up.

"A Snahert sleepwalker?" asked his Shadow.

No sooner had she spoken than the boy opened crimson eyes and let out a shriek loud enough to wake the dead. Literally.

A second scream answered, then a third, and Priam clenched his jaw.

"... I've changed my mind," growled the wrinkled Tier 3. "Follow me."

They slipped through alleys lit only by the Necromoon's horror, flinching at every scream behind them. Some were so high-pitched they could only have come from children's vocal cords.

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Finding every window barricaded and every door shut tight, Priam was reminded that for most tribespeople, this crisis was a matter of life and death, and one they had no power to influence. A madsnake's vengeance would tear countless families apart tonight…

The Tier 3 led them to a large command tent from which a heated argument spilled into the night air. The Oasis group stepped inside and moved to the side, waiting for their input to be requested… and for the discussion to calm down. Priam had no intention of trying to out-shout the current noise level.

"Ophis dared to disable the defenses against the Necromoon?!" roared Braato. The Gaesert chief was furious. "I'm going to kill him!"

"He's already dead," countered Mama Apo. The shaman frowned. "Well, he was. I guess that changed if Leo didn't finish the job properly."

"Of course he didn't!" the chief spat. "Suits him just fine! A Tier 4 takes longer to rise than a Tier 0. I've still got time to handle it myself."

"Out of the question. Our spies say the Aelbes lost fourteen Tier 3s just entering Snahert territory. That, plus Sna's rigged the place with traps. You're hard to kill, but not immortal."

"Um, excuse me?" Priam smiled as the Transcendents turned toward him. Sitting quietly at the back of the shaman's tent, he had been all but forgotten. "I might be able to go myself. Not saying I could kill a Tier 4, but if he was already dead, I could finish the job…"

Truth be told, he was hoping to earn some points for his draconic bloodline. And even if the dragons didn't acknowledge his efforts, a Transcendent's body was valuable on its own.

Mama Apo gave him a grandmotherly smile. "That's sweet of you, but if you die, the Aelbes will pin it on us. I'd rather not be disqualified from the tournament for nothing."

"A couple of undead won't kill me."

"The undead, maybe not. But the living? This tournament allows two winners, but if the Aelbes see a chance to go uncontested, they'll take it."

"That's disgusting!" shouted Osiris.

The shaman smiled at the boy. "That's the adult world, little one. Best thing to do is wait for the tournament to start. The High Marshal will deal with our little problems then."

Priam groaned, slumping back against Blueberry's warm fur. Outside, a howl rang out. He couldn't tell whether it belonged to the living or the dead.

image [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHe-VDvVNooY-CjCTx95D8D_RUn9rz7oFWsQL4yjepeKtJK3hIxWrXMJJFjsyXIg7k5foKGYLiiBeueoRifa5JCVygDmrczn6BdLDh8qGLFKkcFknHdjXunPVbkXLHP9Xd8BTq30WLyonWE8fPlkW9I=w1181-h295-s-no?authuser=0]"Father!" Rohan burst through the door, striding toward the bedside of the Aelbe leader. Lying there, Léo was pale as death. A nurse at his side was accelerating his recovery with her System skills.

"Son. I heard you spent the last few hours helping at the hospital. Good for your image."

Rohan frowned. "I didn't do it for that."

"Then you have the rare gift of doing the right thing for the right reasons." The Transcendent was seized by a spasm that left him breathless. "Ah… Intent aside, the result stands. After yesterday morning's fiasco, the tribe needs to know they can count on you. Right now, they've likely already forgotten your defeat at the Champion's hands." Léo coughed, lips pale. "That's good. With Griffe and Felix backing you, the people will accept your coronation."

The mention of his father's grand plan unsettled Rohan. "I'm not ready to succeed you."

"And you never truly will be." Leo sighed. "I won't have this conversation again. I can't go to Proxima, and we both know you won't let some fool lead our people. When the time comes for a leader, you'll step up—because no one else can."

"But—"

"But until then, you're just my son. So shut up. Now, the casualties?"

Rohan wanted to push back, but his father's pallor held him back. Later.

"We lost a third of our Tier 3s, a quarter of our Tier 2s, and a fifth of our non-combatants. Several thousand dead. Most fell fighting the Snaherts. The rest, to the undead."

"I see. Are the Corrupted still pouring in from Snahert territory?"

"They're breaking on our barricades. Ophis thought he could save his clan by adding chaos with the Necromoon, but he only doomed them. The dead are harvesting the living, asleep or not."

Despite his words, Rohan couldn't bring himself to feel any schadenfreude. After watching battalions of undead children hurl themselves at warriors' blades, he couldn't take joy in Ophis' mistakes. One madman's blunder had ruined thousands of lives.

Leo waved a hand, and the nurse left. As the door locked behind her, he activated several privacy enchantments and deployed his Domain. No secret would escape that room.

"Ophis had nothing to do with the Necromoon. I disabled the protections."

"What—Father?!" Rohan's eyes couldn't have widened more if someone had told him his dad was a dog.

"The snake put up a good fight—better than I expected—but he only wounded me because I wanted to preserve his body. Puppeteered by the Necromoon, he'll go berserk on his own people before the High Marshal intervenes—or before his mother gets her hands dirty."

If the plan weren't so devilish, Rohan might have applauded. The Snaherts would vanish, and everyone would blame a dead man.

"How could you… We lost fourteen Tier 3s and dozens of Tier 2s to corruption!"

"Lost? They're just hiding in the forest, waiting for the tournament to end."

Rohan should have felt relief. Instead, he felt fury as he had been kept in the dark.

"Even so, all those deaths, it's..."

"Terrible? Horrifying? Unspeakable?" A fit of coughing racked Leo, leaving him breathless for nearly a minute. "Fucking poison... The word you're looking for is necessary. No enemy vanishes without violence. Getting your hands dirty so our clan survives—that's a leader's job."

"With one Transcendent against three, the Snaherts already didn't stand a chance against us!"

"There will be no Transcendents on Proxima," Léo reminded him, letting out a sigh. "I removed a thorn from your side before you even noticed it was there, son. One day, you'll understand."

Rohan hated that sentence.

"You want me to thank you?!"

"No. I want you to obey me." The Transcendent's presence thickened the air like a gathering storm. Even wounded, his father's Aura was heavy. "This conversation is over—and it never happened. Now go find someone to replace White Fangs for tomorrow, reinforce the patrols in case Ophis's corpse comes this way, and summon the prince. Tell him I accept his offer."

"To stab him in the back later?" Rohan asked bitterly.

"No, I'm serious. It was his sister's plan to wipe out the Snaherts tonight. A woman like that… you either marry her or kill her."

image [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ABLVV86ntzoD-HJqDVAP1s444IvMXkepEihhSPuBu0d47WxVUUFRguQ_8nYcMN9aBTM0At6gkJAg08bpBWOOTjFiD2hdRWzDPMxaTJPwXFhhfte2683qZMgu-ZEV_BMGNKexI5K87smBQhRzI3lno1TfgEkn=w1181-h295-s-no?authuser=0]Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 1 253

Constitution 2 083

Agility 1 652

Vitality 2 092

Perception 990

MENTAL:

Vivacity (D) 666

Dexterity 894

Memory 1 152

Willpower 1 298

Charisma 996 (+6)

META:

Meta-affinity (O) 1 398

Meta-focus 886

Meta-endurance 1 584

Meta-perception 842

Meta-chance 1 089

Meta-authority 768

Potential: 33 698 (+2)

Tier 0

Concepts:

Breath (T0): 100% / Symphony (Harmony before timeskip)

Fire (T0): 100% / Unity

Pyro (T1): 100% / Unity

Mist (T1): 100% / Symphony

Bloodlines:

Phoenix: 6%

Dragon: 3%

Tempering - Fundamental Stage - Heavenly Dragon (Seraph rarity):

Order Gate (Brain)

Soul Gate (Right eye)

Inventory:

Primo Dinosaur Fossil - Earth

Hearthstone

Tempering Trophy (7th Terror)

Memory of a Fae

Colosseum VIP Token

2 die 4 (Priam's boxers)

Trophy Compass

Heart of a Draconic Necro Chimera

Rewards standing:

Affinity Token - Tier 1 (30%)

Talent Token - Upgrade (Seraph)

Revelation Token - Ideal Prerequisites (Epic)

Seed of Potential x1 (2 used during timeskip)

Experience Phantom Advisor - Skill (Epic - 1 hour)

Experience Phantom Advisor - Supremacy (Tier I - 1 hour)

[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 2 months 11 days 7 hours 14 minutes 27 seconds.

Next thresholds: 12 attributes 900 / 3 attributes 1 800 / 1 attribute 2 100

Next arc already complete on Patreon (50+ chaps ahead) if you want to find out what happens next!

https://www.patreon.com/ANovelConcept