Priam
patreon
Chapter 259: Kazuki’s Duty
🕑 Added 2024-08-04 00:48:09 +0000 UTCMy 'vacation' ends on August 6, so I’ll start posting regularly again from that point! Enjoy!
*
“A hero is born today,” Taishi said as he approached.
Panting, Kazuki met his ancestor's clear gaze and merely nodded. He had never been an hoplite of many words.
“... May I offer you some advice before our duel?” Taishi asked.
“It would be an honor.” Besides being the first Grandmaster in the history of their civilization, his ancestor had been an exceptional philosopher who created the Hoplite Code.
“A Hoplite always pays his debts… but only a slave pays them twice.”
Kazuki furrowed his brow, confused. Taishi had banned slavery by uniting the nations of the old world.
“I was born a slave and reformed our world to make it just.” Taishi proudly wore the bracelets from the chains he had broken. “You, who ended the Greys, why do you fear your glory? You should be proud to have freed the Name of the Wind.”
Kazuki pondered silently before glancing at the stands filled with hoplites. He had the feeling that everyone could hear their conversation. Whether the living retained their memories after the Tribulation or not, he had to choose his words carefully. Facing Taishi, the warrior-philosopher, Kazuki had no illusions: the duel had already begun. With the seventh Tribulation, words could be as lethal as weapons if he failed to convince his people.
“I’m not ashamed of being born to Grey parents or of using the Name of the Wind... It’s just that I am different from the wind,” Kazuki confided. “You say I freed the Wind, but that’s not true: it has always been free. I was born free… and I chose to bind my fate to the Hoplite honor.”
An appreciative murmur swept through the stands.
“Some might accuse you of not using all means to defeat the enemy,” Taishi pointed out. “There is no greater honor than victory.”
Kazuki grunted. Although less skilled in oratory than his ancestor, he understood he couldn’t let him control the conversation.
“The end doesn’t always justify the means. That’s why a Hoplite prefers death to slavery.”
The hoplites roared as Taishi’s expression darkened.
“That’s the exception that proves the rule, nothing more.”
“Many may not agree with me,” Kazuki conceded. “But a leader can’t be a follower. Listening to the concerns of those who speak without acting is putting a noose around your neck. A hero carves his own path; if he’s inspiring, he will be followed. That’s how I will prove my honor.”
Kazuki’s sincere words resonated with the spectators, who shouted their approval. The Champion felt a great strength fill him, and he puffed out his chest. With his people behind him, he felt ready to carry the sky.
Taishi let the cheers die down after several minutes. “The traditions I established have forged an honorable hero.” With a single phrase, the ancestor claimed a portion of Kazuki’s honor. “Now that you’ve had time to recover from your wounds, one question remains: which of us has what it takes to lead our civilization into this new world?”
Kazuki smiled as he assumed his stance. Words built civilizations; weapons defended them.
Leveraging a beam of light, Taishi sprang forward. In the next instant, his spear materialized before Kazuki’s pupil, eclipsing the sky. The Champion had never seen a thrust so swift, but his talent, enhanced by the System, allowed him to react. His instinct read the attack's trajectory, which he dodged by tilting his head a few degrees to the side. Simultaneously, his own spear darted forward like a predator on its prey.
Taishi used the shaft of his weapon to block and lifted Kazuki’s spear. His guard shattered, the Champion couldn’t evade a second attack that pierced his shoulder.
His metallic flesh, enhanced by his Titanic bloodline, was torn by the aura of Spear Mastery, and Kazuki groaned as he staggered back. Before he could catch his breath, his pupils dilated from a sudden flash of light. The beam transformed into a second spear that shattered against his clavicle. The bone cracked despite his Titanic constitution.
Spear Mastery II… He’s a spear grandmaster.
His instincts screamed again, and Kazuki executed a horizontal attack, forcing his opponent to retreat. Taishi was certainly resilient, but an attack boosted by Micro II, Spear Mastery II, and an ideal offensive spear skill would have easily bisected him.
Floating a kilometer above the sea, the two duelists observed each other. Two heartbeats later, the duel resumed.
*
"Fuck," Priam growled as he saw his friend outclassed in the first exchange. The ancestor resurrected by the Tribulation wasn’t here to play and would have won in the first round if Kazuki hadn’t forced him back.
“Is Kazu gonna win?” Rose asked, her voice tinged with worry.
“The bald guy has Micro II, Spear Mastery II, and something like a Tier 1 Light Concept,” Louis observed. “Kazuki has the advantage of space awareness thanks to Domain, but his Concept is far less offensive. On paper, he has a shot.”
The two duelists clashed again, exchanging a flurry of blows before Kazuki retreated, wounded in the stomach by another lightning-fast attack.
“... He’s in trouble,” Rose murmured.
“His opponent studied his fight with the lion, which gives him an initial edge. I bet our friend will analyze his style soon and turn the tables,” Louis growled.
Priam watched the fight with a grim expression. He had complete faith in his rival’s talent, but his adversary seemed really skilled. The System hadn’t resurrected just anyone.
The sun continued its arc across the sky. As the first waves raised by the battle reached the bay to crash against Priam's runic barriers, worry spread among the spectators. The fight was proving to be difficult.
Kazuki was no longer caught off guard by Taishi’s rapid attacks, but his opponent dodged each of his strikes by transforming into a beam of light. Neither could land a decisive blow, their spear skills nearly equal. This was far from good news because while his ancestor was warming up, Kazuki was losing blood. The wounds he had sustained early in the fight weren’t healing.
Parrying a vertical strike that would have shattered his head, Kazuki countered with a lightning thrust. Once again, Taishi vanished, eluding his opponent.
“Why can’t he hit him?!” Rose exclaimed, tears of frustration and anger glistening in her eyes.
“Taishi mastered his Concept’s Unity,” Priam replied without taking his eyes off the fight. It was his duty to report every detail to the future Kazuki—or rather, the past one. “Spear Mastery could hurt him during his Unity, but Kazuki would have to cut through the light…”
Given that light could travel around the Earth six times in one second, it was easier said than done.
“That’s cheating!”
“How would you counter him?” Louis asked.
Priam shrugged. “My mist would diffuse his light without difficulty. If that’s not enough to kill him, I’d infuse it with Conquest Aura. Alternatively, Domain can disrupt Unity, but Kazuki’s sphere of authority is basic. As long as Taishi stays more than a meter away, he’s safe—which he’s doing.”
“Kazuki can’t do that,” Blueberry grunted.
“He could go underwater; the oceans absorb light at depth.”
“The hoplites are watching,” Hyshana pointed out. She stood tall and proud, but everyone could see her nails digging into her palms.
Priam almost growled. The System had crafted a deadly trap.
“… Then he should summon his bound mecha. Knightmare could create smoke to absorb his opponent's light.” He raised a hand as some started to object. “The Tribulations target his weaknesses; he overpowered the sixth with brute strength, but that’s not possible here. He has to adapt while convincing his people.”
… Or he’ll die.
Priam kept the last part to himself, but everyone understood. In silence, they watched the rest of the fight. Flashing in and out, Taishi harassed his opponent, forcing Kazuki to stay on the defensive and lose blood. The combat was dazzling, the exchanges impressive, and yet, the duel was terribly frustrating for the Champion’s friends.
*
In fifteen years of life, Sanada had rarely been this exhausted. After working all day in his father’s mess, he fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. It wasn’t exactly the career of his dreams, but the nation needed cooks, servers, and dishwashers more than sports commentators. He couldn’t complain when three of his friends had died since the integration, killed in Var Elegis raids. The government regularly announced victories against these homunculi, but the soldiers who ate at the mess told different stories.
The Hoplites were losing the war.
Sanada was sure that only a hero could save them, and General Ishaka wasn’t that figure. General Kazuki, on the other hand...
When his nightmare shifted to his hero battling the father of the nation, Sanada was thrilled. Who could dream of a better duel?
Unlike a typical dream, he was merely a spectator. The only action he could take was to raise a slate to confirm the current Hoplite Champion or to consecrate a new one.
Hoping not to wake up too soon, Sanada watched the duel with delight. General Kazuki began by defeating a terrifying golden lion before facing Taishi, the most renowned Grandmaster in history. It was clear that both Hoplites were monstrous, their blows tearing through the air, causing showers of sparks and raising waves hundreds of meters below them.
A fan of combat sports, Sanada had studied the advancements possible through the System, and these two fighters were far superior to any elite Hoplites known. If his dream hadn’t granted him fantastic perception, the teenager wouldn’t have been able to follow the fight.
Grimacing when the Champion took three successive wounds at the beginning, Sanada applauded when General Kazuki parried a hundred strikes in a row. The current hero was starting to understand his opponent’s rapid style, who was now struggling to breach General Kazuki’s guard. However, the Champion couldn’t find a flaw in his opponent’s style. Taishi’s skin was still pristine.
Sanada was confident General Kazuki still had a trick up his sleeve, but he needed to hurry. The wounds weren’t healing, and it was clear that fatigue was setting in. His pale face and labored breathing were proof that the fight was nearing its end. Blocking was no longer enough to win; he had to attack.
As calm as a misty morning, General Kazuki withstood Taishi’s brutal onslaughts. Sanada already imagined the next part: the duel would culminate in a dramatic exchange, and then the hero would be defeated. After all, no good story ended with the defeat of the father of the Hoplites. The implications would be catastrophic.
Too bad for General Kazuki, Sanada thought, enjoying the duel. He was already prepared to raise his gray slate.
*
From the corner of his eye, Kazuki saw numerous gray slates rising in the stands. Executions were rare in his civilization, but every condemned individual had the right to one last duel. If they fought bravely and demonstrated their skills, they were sometimes allowed to serve in a death squadron. Death was still inevitable, but it was better to die by the sword than by the noose.
The spectators judged the condemned's bravery with slates. A majority of red meant the criminal had a chance to shed blood again—of their enemies. Grey meant immediate and dishonorable death.
Here, the System had recreated a mock execution, and he was the condemned. The meaning of the slates was clear: gray for death, red to live until the next Tribulation. It was a form of psychological torture, but the Champion refused to be intimidated. Still, the vote of his people couldn’t leave him indifferent.
Among the spectators, the specters of the living Hoplites were rather indecisive. The Champion had proven his worth many times, and all understood that the fight wasn’t fair: Taishi had analyzed Kazuki's style during his battle against the lion.
The dead were less forgiving. The current Champion was unknown while Taishi was a monument of their history. Their hero was winning, and that was all that mattered. Many raised their gray slates, confident that their ancestor would save their descendants, preferring the past to the future. It was legitimate, but Kazuki felt his stomach drop with each raised slate. My people are condemning me...
Distracted by this thought, he instinctively blocked a quick slash. It was a feint, and the enemy's spear tip plowed his left arm, reminding him of the reality. The limb fell uselessly against his side. Contrary to his usual habit, Taishi didn’t press his advantage, merely looking around.
“About forty-five percent gray, two percent red. It's time for you to step down as Champion.”
Kazuki remained silent for a moment before responding. “I accepted this duty so long ago that I couldn’t renounce it.”
“Duty is the necessity to act out of respect for the law voted by the Hoplites,” Taishi replied. “They want you gone.”
Kazuki shook his head. “My duty is an act befitting what is instituted by honor. I have a duty to my people.”
“To save them? Your death will be my resurrection, and I swear to do everything to make our race flourish,” promised the father of the Hoplites.
Kazuki gave a thin smile. “If you had a chance, the System would have integrated our civilization in your time. It chose me as Champion, and I won't be cowardly enough to refuse this mantle.”
“Even if your own people reject you?” Taishi asked, indicating the billions of gray slates.
“A question unworthy of someone who established a diarchy.” Kazuki looked around and accepted the judgment of billions of gray slates. “I will save them, regardless of their feelings. These are your own words.”
As he spoke these words to both the living and dead Hoplites, Kazuki felt the embryonic Concept he had possessed since the battle in the ruins of Valaryth develop. This was the moment he had waited for since the beginning of the Tribulations. Priam would have adapted, but that wasn’t Kazuki’s way. The Champion wanted to advance.
A ray of light blinded him for an instant before the enemy's spear grazed one of his ribs. Ignoring it, Kazuki counterattacked. His weapon struck as Taishi transformed into light to evade. The Champion’s soul trembled, a massive amount of willpower vanished, and the light slowed. The tip of his spear tore through the electromagnetic wave, shattering it.
Taishi reappeared, clutching his cheek. A bloody gash marred his face.
“No one escapes their Duty. You shall fight me.”
The ancestor took a defensive stance, and for the first time in the battle, Kazuki went on the offensive. Their weapons clashed once more. Kazuki’s Duty bound Taishi’s light, and soon the two adversaries lacked the willpower to activate their Concepts. The duel became a contest of pure skill, each pushing their Spear Mastery to the limit and overclocking their bodies.
Hundreds of times per second, their weapons clashed, and the two masters advanced, sharpening their proficiencies. A thousand cuts bloomed on Taishi’s body, and he began to retreat before Kazuki’s dominance. The Champion’s talent was too great to be contained by any spearmaster, however legendary.
The Hoplite Storm had elevated his spear to cut through the chains and limits imposed by the Tribulations.
But he had paid the price for it.
The two adversaries separated one last time, catching their breaths and staring each other down. Taishi sighed, seeing the blind gaze of his opponent. The lance virtuoso no longer had enough blood to continue. The next exchange would be the last.
Charging at each other one final time, they roared and struck simultaneously.
“[Odyssey - Coup de Grâce].”
“[A New Dawn].”
Kazuki’s Domain perceived his opponent’s skill, and the prodigy read it. With a flick of his wrist, the Champion coiled his spear around his opponent’s, accepting the strike to land his own.
A rainbow gleamed on the spray of blood and every spectator held their breath.
Taishi looked down at his punctured chest, incredulous. His gaze then rose to Kazuki. The Champion’s upper body had nearly vanished, along with most of his organs. Yet, he still held his spear firmly. His duty unfulfilled, he refused death.
Kazuki was no more, his consciousness erased. Only the Champion remained, driven solely by his Concept, observing his opponent take a final breath.
The next moment, the stands vibrated, the spectators rejecting the death of the father of their civilization. Taishi’s death meant the death of the Hoplites’ way, and none accepted that. Their prayer resonated with the ninth Tribulation.
Taishi took a deep breath, resurrected by his people's will. Summoning his spear to resume the fight, he paused upon seeing the Champion’s corpse fall toward the ocean.
Even a Hero's duty couldn't delay death forever.
*
Kazuki Status: DEAD
Comments
PriÀm
Damn, thanks mate!
Ic3hell
Hey author, in the PDF there's a tiny mistake: “… Then he should summon his bound mecha. Knightmare could create smoke to absorb his opponent's light.” He raised a hand as some started to object. “The Tribulations target his weaknesses; he overpowered the sixth with brute strength, but that’s not possible here. He has to adapt while convincing his people. Knightmare is his " and then it ends. It's written exactly like this as well, copied and pasted. Thought you might want to fix it, since it's not present in the patreon version.
Andrew
Thank you!
Zaim İpek
It's too late to get ideal aether manipulation for tier 1. His high aether manipulation is already advanced enough that leveling it will be quite slow. Direct aether skills are the highest category of skills we have seen with the most extreme requirements to advance them. It's extremely unlikely unless he somehow gets a gift from the Colloseum, or some other system reward to help him that he will achieve ideal aether manipulation. I assume your issue is that things feel unearned?
Scholar of Endless Knowledge
Author level with me please. It’s literally pissing me off more and more each time the mc gets more ideal skills. Does he get aether manipulation ideal before tier 1? It literally has killed the story for me because it was so out of character and made zero sense with the timing and all his actions after.Not asking for major spoilers if you are planning something. But my ocd can’t handle it if not. Lmk so I don’t have to keep wasting time and cfast scrolling through chapters hoping you had a plan. Gimme a bone
Zaim İpek
I didn't see anywhere where it said it was a tier 1 concept, only that he mastered it to Unity level. No guarantee Kazuki's tribulation will be the same as the one we see here, but I do think this is enough for him to learn quite a bit and gain the advantage he needs. I believe he also has a high tribulation after his normal tribulation.
Custus
Thanks for the chapter!
IdolTrust
Damn. I didn’t expect him to die. Maybe his mech would auto summon to revive him from his near death state.
Wanderer of Worlds
I was *not* expecting that. Sure, he was gonna loose, since Priam can turn back time, but like this?
MomoDG
I found it interesting that Tashi has a Tier 1 Light Concept. We know Light is a Tier 0 Concept(one Priam has now 88% affinity for) so I wonder of Tashi evovlved it like Priam evovlved Fire into Pyro. Maybe Priam could Touch onto the light Concept while fighting Taishi. Would be interesting If Priam could creat his First own unique Concept Out of Pyro and this evovlved Light Concept. Would also probably bring even further synergy with Kinetic Control as the forms of Energy he is connected to and can Control would increase.
MomoDG
Well, good that we have the rewind. I doubt Tashi will be as friendly as Kazuki with Priam so he will need to put him down first before anything else. I wonder If this will count towards Tribulation Hunter. Jasmine's clone did so he should too. I have the small hope that Priam can bring Tribulation Hunter to Legendary so that he can use it for the fulcrum of his Tempering. It would fit so well as his fulcrum is the Tribulation Wyvern Heart.
MomoDG
I see it like this: 6. Tribulation The golden Lion 7. Tribulation The Arena, the mental binding to His duty, the rejection from the dead. That will always be the case, no matter how well Kazuki Fights, how dominant he is. Edit: I assume it's about showing His living poeple that he is better than their fonder so that get's as many Red as Gray plates. 8. Tribulation The Fight against Taishi, a Fight He only started to be able to win after his Concept blossomed. 9. Tribulation The resurrection of Tashi. Born from the Hoplites of the past that won't accept that their fonding Hero loses. Kazuki needs to Beat Tashi twice in a row while constantly being rejected by the Hoplites of the past. G
MomoDG
Lets See it from kazuki's perspective: the 9th tribulation has on Side the mental aspect, the ghosts of the past do Not want to see their fonder lose. That will be psychological blow to Kazuki. He is dedicating His everything to his poeple. Physically it's of course brutal to defeat a opponent on your own Level twice in a row and im sure Tashi won't Just be revived but will also be in top condition. It's basically a second Boss Phase. It's Not enough for His poeple to be a little better than their ancestor while fighting in a disadvantged Position, No, he needs to prove that He IS head and shoulder above their fonder, that His Legend, His duty, will be greater than Taishi's legacy.
_mori
“The next moment, the stands vibrated, the spectators rejecting the death of the father of their civilization. Taishi’s death meant the death of the Hoplites’ way, and none accepted that. Their prayer resonated with the ninth Tribulation.” 🤔 Resonated with the ninth tribulations? So it’s a synergy that revived Taishi? What is the 9th though? Or is it that the 8th (arena) is purely a mental tribulation? And the 9th is what insta-death/life based on the outcome of the 8th? Or maybe it’s like Pride’s Shadow isn’t particularly powerful by itself and most serves to bolster and enhance another tribulation, that may be too easily defeated. The Heaven’s Wyvern was technically killed within the first few minutes of Priam’s first tribulations, but Pride shadow allowed it to come back. Is it a similar thing that’s happening here?
_mori
For a second I thought “Priam didn’t do anything this chapter 🤔”
_mori
He didn’t win the third one. He failed to get their recognition and so he was condemned. Hopefully Priam finishes Taishi off for the trib concept fragment though. Lord knows he’ll be needing any power boost he can get.
_mori
I’m asking because I’m not sure if I’ve missed it, but the 4th tribulation didn’t make an appearance right? Is that The Concepts’ way of not letting Kazuki have too easy of a tribulation by virtue of Priam’s reward? The tribulation itself should already be manifest right? I wonder if Priam’s tribulation hunter skill would be able to help him find or even sense it. And if Kazuki’s dead, does that mean that his tribulations are now freebies? If they still have the fragments in them, can Priam extract them before they dissipate? No way Priam hasn’t thought of doing it (like he thought of when Louis went through his own tribulation). If there’s a time for him to ignore the consequences of an action, and/or take advantage of those close to him, it’d be now
_mori
That was an interesting conclusion. Kazuki died, but Taishi also suffered a seemingly fatal wound. Meaning he’d die in short term. Evidently, Kazuki’s third tribulation doesn’t exist only to condemn either duelist. It can seemingly guarantee their survival past the duel? So if Kazuki had earned their recognition, the third tribulation would’ve still revived him? Or at least left him alive? Regardless, Kazuki can likely beat Taishi relatively easily in the next attempt. If Priam shows him a recording of the battle, just that would be enough for Kazuki to not be caught off guard and lose too many votes. That and probably none other than Kazuki would find the battle as meaningful for himself. Maybe if he’s lucky, he can awaken that same concept earlier and not have to suffer as many blows.
Blake Weltner
TFTC. So Kazuki won but the Tribulation kinda cheated by having Taishi come back to life cause Hoplite ‘vibes’
Jared Jobbins
Great chapter, thank you! Better luck next time Kazuki.
James Skinner
TFTC!
Baconwargod
Phenomenal Priam. You’ve out done yourself really.
Lijwent
Hurrah for time travel!
James Faulkner
Goddamn, Tftc!
Gustav Fischer
TFTC
