Chapter 222: Seth's Treachery

Pretty proud of this chapter and I'm on time!

Next one: Monday 29/04!

Enjoy!

Discord(with a complete sheet resuming Priam's Titles, skills, Talents, Items, Deaths, ...): https://discord.gg/HQDDnwpFmS

*

The dead leaves crackled under Seth's feet. Passing through the bare branches of nearby trees, the crimson light of the Necromoon tinted the world with a bloody hue. Despite his soul being half-corrupted, this sight only elicited disgust from the necromancer. The putrid smell emanating from the advanced decomposition of nearby corrupted beings further insulted his senses.

He skirted around the reanimated corpse of a giant wolf, continuing his path, indifferent to the motionless necro elites awaiting their orders. The Necromoon's army was highly hierarchical, and even Tier 2s couldn't ignore the commands of a Tier 3. A Tier 3 he had long prepared to meet.

His superior's lair was as terrifying as it was labyrinthine, but the gradual saturation of the ambient aether by the Necro Concept confirmed to Seth that he was on the right track. Finally, he caught sight of a towering Tal Quercus amidst a forest of dead trunks. In an attempt to protect the surrounding forest, the colossus had absorbed much of the Necromoon's curse. A futile and vain decision: its descendants had quickly joined it in death, and the valley had become the base of the corrupted.

Seth slipped into the hollow trunk through a crack and entered a room with gray wooden walls. In the center, a concentrated crimson beam struck an amber tank. The Necro Envoy floated in a bloody liquid, purging her wounds of harmful influences. As long as they were present, the Concepts and Auras of the Tier 3s actively fought against her vitality.

Seeing her head still separated from her body, Seth concealed a smile.

"You claim to have information about your so-called rivals?"

The voice of the Necro Envoy resonated directly in Seth's head, demonstrating exceptional mastery of the aether and keen knowledge of the soul.

"I was able to speak with the First and analyze his behavior," Seth responded aloud. He was perfectly capable of responding mentally but saw no point in arousing his superior's interest.

"And I have the memories of the former owner of this body. I hope for your sake that you are not wasting my time..."

Threats were a tool that had to be wielded carefully. Due to their power, a Tier 3 Marquess was naturally threatening. Seth perceived his superior's words as an admission of weakness.

"I have seen the elites you are gathering here in hopes of wiping Oasis. It's a bad idea."

"You are quite impertinent for a Tier 0. Very well, entertain me: why should I give up on these attacks?"

"You will give Sun Points and experience to the First. If the giant Necro hasn't killed him, nothing will."

"His loved ones will die."

"Which will only strengthen his hatred against you. You would become his main target."

The Necro Envoy raised an eyebrow. "Am I not already?"

"You have seen the mark staining his soul as I have. It is recent and carries a... divine scent."

The servants of the Necromoon all possessed a special Talent: the ability to see souls. Useful for hunting the living, it truly shone in the hands of a necromancer like Seth. The mark covering Priam's soul was clearly visible to him.

"... Does this have anything to do with the Herald's task? Finding the beast preparing for Apotheosis?"

"I believe so. If we let him live, the First will lead us sooner or later to this monster."

"I see." The Necro Envoy remained silent for a few seconds before nodding. "I have just given new orders to my hordes; they will attack the tribes."

Seth noted that the Necro Envoy was decisive.

"And the Var Elegis?"

"The Herald will deal with him."

Seth widened his eyes slightly. If a Tier 3 Marquess refused to take revenge once her convalescence was complete, it meant she thought her chances of winning were uncertain.

"Is the potential of the Var Elegis greater than that of the First?"

"He has multiple bodies, technology superior to that of the hoplites, and leads a galactic empire. If you want to face an AGI enhanced by the System, running on quantum processors, and sponsored by a Tier 9, be my guest."

Seth remained silent. He only had to close his eyes to recall the hands of the Terminator separating his head from his body. Without his sublime mastery of the soul, he would be dead, leaving Osiris behind in this terrible world.

"Dying once was enough for me. But couldn’t you win if your body was restored and... enhanced?"

The Necro Envoy remained silent for a few moments before taking the bait. "My body is ravaged by draconic poison and nanobots. What can you do to change that?"

Seth simply took a seed from his pocket. Devoid of the System, the Necro Envoy analyzed it with her aether before deploying her Domain. The seed left Seth's hand and entered the tank to gather genetic information. A few seconds later, it germinated, absorbing the sap to grow. Taking on the shape of a fetus, it matured to the size of a full-grown woman.

Before the eyes of Seth, a younger and more powerful clone of Mirscella appeared. Inspired by Priam's race change and Jasmine's clone, Osiris had done a fantastic job. Modifying and improving the rituals, he had succeeded in cloning bodies, creating shells perfectly adapted to the soul of the original.

In a few years, his brother had succeeded in accomplishing the dream of the Duatian civilization. It was an Achievement that the System had deemed Mythical.

The head of the Necro Envoy began to sink as her new body opened its eyes.

"Such vitality is amazing," smiled the corrupted after transferring her soul from one body to another.

"My brother is a miracle worker," confirmed Seth.

"Too bad he's not a servant of the Necromoon, but I guess that would diminish his affinity with life. I would like to meet him."

"I fear that may be impossible."

A heavy aura fell upon Seth's shoulders, causing him to grimace. The Tier 3's soul was mighty.

"Your gift does not make you my equal. You will learn that my demands are orders," growled the Necro Envoy as her new body absorbed the vitalizing sap, and thus energy.

Despite the weight on his shoulders, Seth's second personality burst into laughter. The Necro Envoy was surprised by the reaction.

"Had resisting the influence of the Necromoon driven you mad?"

After a few seconds of silence, Seth smiled. "Tell her."

"Not yet," Seth replied to himself.

"Tell me what?" asked the Necro Envoy.

"That you were foolish to transfer your soul into this body," Seth laughed despite himself.

The eyes of the Necro Envoy narrowed dangerously before widening. "I can't change bodies anymore!"

Seth clenched his jaw for a few moments before madness took over.

"I'm afraid [Homo Elysian Obsession] binds body and soul," cackled the necromancer. 

His obvious schizophrenia eventually disturbed the Necro Envoy.

"My analysis found nothing strange about this vessel!" she cried out. For a servant of the Necromoon, a modification of her soul was more terrifying than any physical injury. 

"There's nothing wrong with this body, it even has a significant boost of vitality," said Seth, stalling for time.

"My instinct told me it was safe!"

"A Talent capable of manipulating instinct... The First has truly created something terrifying," Seth acknowledged as the Necro Envoy's body continued to absorb the vitalizing sap of the Tal Quercus. Already, the surplus vitality was surpassing her weak Constitution, causing tumors to appear rapidly. "And my brother turned it into a weapon."

In a scream, the Necro Envoy broke the tank and leaped towards Seth. Summoning a spectral armor, the latter blocked, parried, and dodged physical and spiritual attacks. Faced with a superior opponent, he lost his first arm in less than a minute but did not despair. Cancer would soon take his opponent's body, and thus her soul. Osiris had prepared a trap from which not even a Tier 3 Marquess could escape.

"Your brother is a monster!" the Necro Envoy screamed as her eyes became blind. Even without the potent sap, the vessel's modified vitality was slowly consuming it. Osiris had even found a way to hinder Micro and its control over regeneration.

"He's an angel," Seth smiled before anger distorted his face. "And I am the demon who will dirty my hands in his place!"

His two personalities allied, and the necromancer continued to stall the Tier 3, proving that he deserved to be the First’s rival. 

*

You have gained the skill: [Divination Interception - Rare].

[Divination Interception] - Billions of curious souls have sought every means to gather information about you. Every move leaves traces, and for those who know how to look, the aether reveals much about its owner.
Through resilience and relentless pursuit, you have learned to detect direct divination skills and decrypt the hidden information within. Those who spy on you are no longer anonymous.
“You saw mine; now show me yours.”
META (Affinity) +2
META (Perception) +1

Priam grinned as he reviewed the data from the probe he had dissected.

Kalya Klogash, a twenty-seven-year-old apprentice mage, half Klogash, half elf, possessed [Ripples on the Spirit Sea], a rare and ideal skill capable of perceiving information about beings or actions that caused ripples on the Spirit Sea—a Tier 2 Concept.

More than ripples, Priam's Mythical Achievement had caused waves on the Spirit Sea, making detection easier. That was why all the diviners of the Wandering Islands were currently using him as a training partner.

The other data was incomplete except for coordinates that Priam could exploit with the help of the Guardian of Secrets. Directing his attention to new probes, he used his new skill to analyze them. [Divination Interception] helped him immobilize the aether packets, guided his will blade to dissect them, and then translated the data that his charisma charmed.

For a few minutes, Priam studied different probes of rare rank. Most of their creators were young Tier 0s possessing a compatible Concept. Homo Elysian failed to immobilize the epic-rank probes he encountered, but his rapid progress indicated that it was only a matter of time.

Lvl Up: [Revelation Resilience] lvl 19
MEM +3
META (Affinity) +3
META (Authority) +3
Lvl Up: [Divination Interception] lvl 2, 3, 4
META (Affinity) +6
META (Perception) +3

Priam opened his eyes, satisfied with his new skill. The information he had obtained from the divinatory probe was limited for now, but it would change with levels and upgrades.

More than obtaining data on those who tried to spy on him, he rejoiced in his personal progress. In addition to significantly advancing his mastery of the aether—the high upgrade was close—he had succeeded in creating a skill in a field he did not master.

Creating [Kinetic Control] at the beginning of his progression had been simple for two reasons. First, he had extensive knowledge in the field. Second, due to his education, Priam was a scientist with logical intelligence, which explained his high affinity for the Kinetic Concept.

In contrast, the divinatory arts eluded him. Without affinity or knowledge, creating [Divination Interception] with Potential would have certainly cost him a fortune.

[Average cost of creating a divination skill:

• 1 600 POT for a common rarity.

• 27 000 POT for a rare rarity.

• 421 000 POT for an epic rarity.

Data collected during tests conducted by the Assistant a few hours after its activation.]

“Woah…”

The savings brought by [Aether Manipulation] were enormous, making Priam realize once again that he couldn't ignore this skill. Mentally, he glanced at the list created by his add-on. It had run some tests and established a list of the cheapest skills Priam could aim for.

Unsurprisingly, they were related to Concepts with which he had an excellent affinity or great knowledge. [Fireball] cost only one Potential point and would undoubtedly optimize the creation of a fireball using his Fire Concept. At the rare rank, he was confident that the attacks would become much more powerful and form faster than what he was currently capable of. The epic rarity would add a bonus almost impossible to imitate with his Concept.

However, Priam did not intend to buy it. First, he could easily create the skill, but more importantly, he didn't want it. With the Tribulations approaching, it was time to change his training approach.

“It's time to create a detailed progression plan, min-max my attributes to avoid triggering a sixth Tribulation, and optimize my training to survive those that are coming,” he declared as he stood up. “Time for me to decide what to do in the short, medium, and long term. Moving forward without a plan is not a good thing. Rather than reacting, I must act!”

The shadow of the Tribulations loomed, urging Priam to organize himself to survive and progress even further. He had a multitude of things to do, but if he proceeded step by step, he would arrive at the Second Reunion stronger than ever. “But before that, there's one last thing to settle.”

*

“Priam,” greeted Kazuki.

“Duke First.”

“Kazuki, Duke Arnold,” replied Priam. Seeing the homunculus who had ripped his heart out was a peculiar and rather unpleasant experience. The inorganic aspect of the Var Elegis gave him an insensitive appearance that bothered Priam.

The two rivals stood on the rampart, observing the forest stretching to the horizon. Jasmine was invisible, but Priam felt her nearby, ready to ally with Kazuki to contain the Var Elegis in case of trouble.

“Glad to see you're doing better,” Priam smiled as he jumped. With a leap, he reached the rampart's top and fist-bumped his friend.

“Someone has to make my vitality useful,” the hoplite smiled back, returning the fist bump. Arnold observed the interaction in silence.

“It's rather quiet,” Priam remarked, turning to the forest.

“The System promised a day of rest, but even after that, the corrupted don't seem very interested in Oasis.”

“The calm before the storm?”

Kazuki shrugged. “Not necessarily. The conclusion of the last battle allowed us to massacre tens of thousands, which reduced their numbers in the valley. Since then, we've had to start fires to enrage them and lure them into our traps.”

Lvl Up: [Revelation Resilience] lvl 20
MEM +3
META (Affinity) +3
META (Authority) +3

Priam opened his mouth but thought better of it. Discussing Oasis' defenses and future improvements next to his homunculus rival wasn't an excellent idea. First things first.

Priam turned to Arnold. “With all these events, I've neglected my duties as a host. Welcome to Oasis, Duke Arnold.”

“Thank you, Duke Priam,” replied Arnold in a surprisingly human voice. The contrast between his appearance, facial expressions, and voice unsettled Priam.

“May I know what brings you here?”

“I wish to discuss a... temporary cooperation regarding a personal project.”

Priam raised an eyebrow before nodding. “I also have something to propose to you. If you don't mind, I'd prefer not to waste time and get straight to the point; I need to train for my next quintuple Tribulation.”

His Domain caught Kazuki's twitch, and Priam smiled inwardly. If he was going to risk his life, he might as well flaunt his audacity before his rivals.

Arnold remained still for a moment before responding respectfully. “As expected from the First.”

*

Status: 

PHYSICAL:
Strength 620
Constitution 979
Agility 608
Vitality 916
Perception 760 

MENTAL:
Vivacity (D) 516
Dexterity 622
Memory 630 (+11)
Willpower 1 051
Charisma 631 

META:
Meta-affinity 630 (+15)
Meta-focus 387
Meta-endurance 432
Meta-perception 292 (+4)
Meta-chance 230
Meta-authority 102 (+6)

Potential: 14 141 (+14)
Tier 0

Sun points: 1 182 954 (+619)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.

[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 160 days 14 hours 12 minutes 22 seconds.

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