A Novel Concept - A death a day, MC will live anyway!

"Ready?" Jasmine shouted from the ramparts.

Two towering men stood twenty meters apart, sizing each other up. The younger one had a laid-back vibe. Barefoot, shirtless, and with wild hair, he was facing the world with nothing but a curious gaze and a pair of mist-woven pants. Opposite him stood a colossus with short hair, dressed in the simple but rugged garb of a martial society: plain trousers, a short-sleeved top, and reinforced shoes.

Despite their contrasting appearances, they shared one thing in common: danger radiated from them. Their chiseled muscles and sharp eyes betrayed their warrior nature.

The handful of spectators gathered along the battlements knew full well that brute strength wasn't their only weapon. The merchant had even insisted that the duel not take place in the Forum—a central square of indestructible stone where his shop was located. Thus, the two combatants squared off under the sprawling branches of a Tal Quercus tree.

The wind rustled through the grass, the crimson light bathed the glistening leaves, and the nearby river murmured in its bed; the world seemed as peaceful as the warriors were focused. Nothing would distract them from victory.

"Three... Two—"

"Go!" Sphinx roared, too impatient to wait for the countdown to finish.

Both men launched themselves forward, pushing the air aside in their wake. They closed the gap in a heartbeat, their spears clashing in a shower of sparks. The collision created a void, revealing the result to all: the point of impact was equidistant from their faces. The first exchange had no victor.

There would be many more.

In the blink of an eye, their weapons met ten more times. On the eleventh, the combatants locked in a final confrontation. With their spears pressed against each other, the duel shifted. Instead of trying to strike without being hit, each warrior now poured all their strength into overpowering the other.

Muscles bulged, and their hearts pounded furiously to fuel their efforts. The ground buckled under their feet, torn apart by the force of two titans. Just as they were about to falter, the exposed roots of the magical tree provided them with solid footing. Adjusting to the new terrain, they unleashed the vast reserves of power within them.

Red-faced, veins throbbing, the two warriors growled as they squeezed every ounce of strength from their bodies. The force between them could have torn apart solid steel, but their cells withstood it. These bodies had long surpassed the limits of mere biology.

Then, the balance tipped. In this impromptu tug-of-war, the mist chosen began to give ground. His opponent was stronger and had an overwhelming advantage with Micro II. It was expected from one of the paths leading to the Zenith.

"Fuck," Priam muttered, realizing he was losing ground. If his position became too weak, he would topple backward, and the hoplite would seize the upper hand. That was not an option.

Changing tactics, the Homo Elysian locked his joints, using his unique constitution to resist the enemy's brute strength. His body stopped trembling, becoming as immovable as stone.

The second warrior frowned. His body, taut like a bowstring, couldn't push his opponent any further. Realizing sheer force alone wouldn't cut it, he changed tactics and used his head—literally.

A vicious headbutt slammed into the rising star's nose. As droplets of blood flew, a cry rang out.

The hoplite staggered back, rubbing his forehead. Across from him, his opponent stood unscathed, chuckling softly.

"Did I just fracture my skull on your nose cartilage?" The spearmaster was incredulous, the idea so absurd he needed confirmation.

"I told you, I stood toe-to-toe with a Tier 4. With my constitution and resistances, brute strength alone won't cut it anymore; you'll need to tap into your Spear Mastery."

Channeling his vitality with Micro, the more experienced of the two grimaced. His Tribulations were coming, and he couldn't afford to waste his mental endurance. A ray of light refracted off his legendary spear's blade, and he smirked.

"Let's see about that."

Lvl Up: [Battle Flow] lvl 30, 31
PERC +4
DEXT +2
Lvl Up: [Hoplite Slash] lvl 14, 15
STR +6
Lvl Up: [Unrelenting Thrust] lvl 36, 37
STR +6
Lvl Up: [Spear Grappling] lvl 9, 10
STR +2
AGI +4
Lvl Up: [Battle Footwork] lvl 15, 16
AGI +4
DEXT +2
Lvl Up: [Matrix Dodge] lvl 14, 15
AGI +4
DEXT +2
Lvl Up: [Hoplite Parry] lvl 2
STR +3
Lvl Up: [Atomos] lvl 13
CONST +3
Lvl Up: [Kevlar Tissue] lvl 14
CONST +3

For the hundredth time, Priam dodged a thrust. Like every other time, the enemy's spear accelerated at the last moment, adjusting its course. Even with his instincts and add-ons, he could only avoid injury half the time.

A legendary blade grazed his cheek, ricocheting off the bone. Ignoring the shallow wound, Priam pressed forward, closing in on Kazuki's guard. Promesse swept down to take his opponent's legs, but was pinned to the ground by a foot. Before Priam could free it, an elbow crashed into his temple with enough force to warp titanium.

Priam grinned at Kazuki's grunt. His opponent was suffering more than he was. Constitution is the best stat...

Reaching out, Priam slammed his fist into his opponent's solar plexus. [Kinetic Control] or Pyro could have ended the fight right here, but that wasn't the spirit of the duel. Arching his back, he drove the blow deeper, sending Kazuki flying.

The move freed Promesse, and Priam swung it before his opponent hit the ground. The hoplite blocked, but without proper footing, the counterforce sent him tumbling across the grass. Like a predator, Priam gave chase. Two more attacks were parried by his grounded opponent, but Priam winced when a counterstrike slashed his calf. Even cornered, Kazuki's martial prowess allowed him to retaliate.

Priam decided to flip the script. Grabbing Promesse with both hands, he raised it high. His French side channeled a guillotine finish, but Kazuki valued his head and blocked. Yanking his bound weapon back, Priam slammed the spear's shaft into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt into the hoplite's face. His opponent shut his eyes with a pained howl. Now!

Priam lunged with a thrust as direct as it was powerful. His opponent braced to block, using his Domain to read Promesse's trajectory. Few Tier 0s could awaken this Supremacy, but those who did used it to full effect. That was exactly what Priam counted on. Letting out a roar, he unleashed his own sphere of authority, enveloping his opponent's Domain before crushing it. The hoplite's Domain shattered under the weight of Priam's will.

Eyes shut, with no Domain to guide him, Kazuki was blind for the first time in a long time. Finally, Promesse pierced flesh. A heavy strike and a spray of blood ended the duel.

Priam glanced down, his expression complicated. Ten centimeters of steel had disappeared into his chest; his human heart was no more.

"Damn," Priam muttered, stepping back. The bleeding stopped quickly as the evolution of [Heartless] restored his heart. He extended a hand to Kazuki, who accepted it.

"That was a good duel," the hoplite smiled, inspecting his own wound. Promesse had pierced deep into his abdomen, but the warrior didn't seem concerned.

"You alright?"

"I shifted my organs at the last second with Micro. It's just torn muscle, I'll be fully healed before my Tribulations. Congrats on your win."

"My win?" Priam laughed. "I lost a heart."

"Which you regrew in seconds. Even without that, you still have a second one, and I would have struggled to destroy it. Your bones are too hard to cut through without momentum. On the other hand, you just needed to swing Promesse to cleave me in two."

Priam opened his mouth to argue, but Kazuki cut him off. "Don't downplay it just to spare me before my Tribulations. A victor shouldn't be ashamed of winning."

Seeing his friend take defeat with such honor and dignity, Priam understood how Kazuki had become the leader of the hoplite armies. His wisdom commanded respect.

"I guess I was the better fighter," Priam admitted with a grin.

"You're just ridiculously tough," Kazuki shot back with a smirk. "Your spear skills are... decent. You have improved, but there's more to it, isn't there?"

Priam nodded. "[Hoplite Warpath]. I got your racial Talent when I killed Taishi."

"Oh." Kazuki glanced at the hoplites watching from the rampart. "Keep that to yourself. Only a few hoplites in each generation are born with it."

"My lips are sealed," Priam swore. "The description says it boosts my talent for physical combat. Did you feel it during the duel?"

"Absolutely. [Hoplite Warpath] sharpens your instincts and martial abilities to take down opponents, but the trade-off is you neglect your defense. Without it, I doubt you would have been able to wound me... but you definitely would have been better at blocking."

"For an immortal like me, that's a pretty good trade."

Kazuki chuckled. "Yeah. There's another perk; your martial skills probably leveled up faster, right?"

"Fifteen level-ups in a matter of minutes," Priam grinned, checking his notifications.

"That's a side effect that will fade once you have absorbed all the experience the Talent can offer—which won't take long. The real advantage is that [Hoplite Warpath] often satisfies one of the ideal prerequisites when upgrading a martial skill."

Lesson over, Kazuki headed toward the spectators, with Priam following behind. [Hoplite Warpath] was definitely a Talent he appreciated. And if I can upgrade it... At the Legendary rank, it might help unlock Spear Mastery II.

"How did you break my Domain?" Kazuki asked as they walked. "That caught me off guard."

Priam smiled. "I took a page out of Bastard's book: I compressed my Domain around yours, suffocating your authority."

"Are you telling me you changed the shape and density of your Domain?"

Priam paused and closed his eyes. He had grown accustomed to his Supremacy. Perceiving the world through a sphere that was an extension of his will was as incredible as it sounded. Until now, the only time the sphere had grown was when he expanded his soul space. His Patron had warned against dilating his Domain, citing a harder High Tribulation. However, it had never changed shape. This was a first, his instinct guiding his will.

He spent several seconds trying to replicate the feat but failed.

"I can sense something, but it's just out of reach," Priam growled. "Yet I managed it earlier..."

"Don't be discouraged," Kazuki said, clapping him on the shoulder. "You are starting to push the boundaries of Domain I, that's a good thing."

"I suppose. By the way, how'd you manage to fight back without your Domain?"

Priam had thought blinding the hoplite would secure his victory.

Kazuki grunted. "A mix of instinct and knowing my opponent. You can be clever in a fight, but when it comes to the final blow, you are always direct. That's not necessarily a weakness against an enemy you plan to kill right away, but a long-term rival will catch on to your quirks and use them against you."

Priam frowned, deep in thought. Kazuki was a monster, able to read his opponent in minutes. Few had that kind of talent, but... That's the kind of enemy I'll face. I'll have to be more careful.

"Nice duel," Louis said with a grin, echoed by Rose and Sphinx. Jasmine inspected Priam's open wound, then smiled, seeing that he had already regrown his heart. The gash was still bleeding heavily, but even without burning through his lifespan, his vitality would heal him.

Louis raised an eyebrow at the affectionate interaction, but no one made a comment. Seeing the young woman worried about him, Priam thought back to the erased timeline. Jasmine had sacrificed herself for him, and he hadn't forgotten. I need to talk to her as soon as possible.

"Next time, try moving slower. I couldn't see a damn thing," joked Rose.

"That's because you're too weak," Sphinx teased, yelping as the teenager rubbed her fur the wrong way.

"I gotta get back to work," Rose said, placing the indignant Sphinx back on the ground. "Call me when you start your Tribulations!"

"In a few hours," Kazuki smiled as the girl headed toward Log-a-rhythm.

"What are you gonna do until then?" Louis asked.

"Meditate," Kazuki replied. "But before that, we need to talk about what happened in the other timeline."

The remaining fighters nodded in agreement.

Sphinx rubbed against Priam's leg. "You'll give me a recap, right?"

"Of course. Got something else to do?"

"I want to explore the base! Everything's changed since I left."

When Sphinx had been kidnapped, Oasis hadn't even had a name, and the hoplites had just arrived. The child ran off, eyes wide with curiosity as she examined the new constructions and fresh faces.

Priam smiled and leaned against the rampart. The warriors present settled around him, with Louis even going so far as to unfold a handcrafted garden chair.

"Where to begin... You already know what happened with Kazuki."

The first thing Priam had done after saving Sphinx was share all the information about Kazuki's Tribulations through a mental bridge. The rest could wait, but the hoplite needed time to prepare mentally.

"Then, you all triggered your Tribulations in Valaryth. It was a bloodbath…"

Status:

PHYSICAL:
Strength 807 (+25)
Constitution 1 187 (+8)
Agility 948 (+18)
Vitality 1 130
Perception 828 (+5)

MENTAL:
Vivacity (D) 599
Dexterity 690 (+6)
Memory 859
Willpower 1 172
Charisma 767

META:
Meta-affinity 923
Meta-focus 444
Meta-endurance 804
Meta-perception 443
Meta-chance 379
Meta-authority 258

Potential: 12 327 (+30)
Tier 0

Sun point: 440 (+47)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED

Concepts:

Breath (T0): 100% / Dormant

Fire (T0): 100% / Unity

Pyro (T1): 95% / Symphony

Mist (T1): 100% / Symphony

Bloodlines:

Phoenix: 1%

Dragon: <1%

Rewards standing:

Fusion Token - Epic skill

Evolution Token - Legendary skill

Affinity Token - Tier 1 (30%)

Alien Concept fragment (7th Terror)

Bloodline Purification (+1%)

Talent Token - Seraph Rarity (Upgrade)

[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 152 days 2 hours 5 minutes 6 seconds.

Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 600 / 6 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200