"I think it's a shame to hide behind such a beautiful Shadow. Champion Priam, I challenge you to a duel!"

The Juggernaut roared.

His draconic pride demanded that he defend what was his—and his Shadow belonged to him. A human might have winced at such a claim, but not a dragon. Jasmine herself had sworn loyalty to him, so what harm was there in accepting her oath?

Thanks to [Chimera], Priam could see beyond the bloated pride enhanced by his bloodline. As his roar was reaching its peak, his Talent filtered out the fake emotions and laid bare a raw rage. Priam's flaws were as vast as his virtues, and foremost among them was his anger.

Right now, fury burned within him. How dare this clansman kill his friend?

Of course, Priam knew Jasmine would be resurrected by the Demiurge—that was the only reason he hadn't stormed into the arena mid-fight. However, the young man wasn't a machine, and his human, flawed heart was wrestling with his reason. How could he remain indifferent while someone he loved was being butchered before his eyes? Life had vanished from Jasmine's beautiful gray eyes, and that absence was unbearable.

Beating Rohan to a pulp wouldn't bring justice to Jasmine… but it would satisfy the Juggernaut.

As his roar was shaking the air, a sliver of clarity tempered Priam's wrath. Like many, he had virtues to balance out his sins. Aided by his add-on, his pragmatic mind kicked in.

Lvl Up: [Emotional discipline] lvl 13 WILL +3

Why did Rohan demand a duel? Perhaps he sought prestige by defeating a second Champion in a row. However, he also risked losing his glory if the outcome turned against him. Was he utterly confident, or was this a calculated provocation?

Priam refused to believe that a young noble raised to lead his clan would be reckless. He wants to force me to reveal my hand.

On one of the arena walls, the match board was already filled. Day three would host the Tier 1 final and the Tier 2 semi-finals. Priam didn't need to check it—his eidetic memory recalled it perfectly:

Tier 2 Semi-Finals: Venom Fanatic (Snahert) vs. Thick Skin (Gaesert). Death's Obsession (Oasis) vs. White Fangs (Aelbe).

Despite the Tier difference, Priam was a Champion—the first to arrive in Elysium, no less—and the Aelbes didn't want any surprises. If he looked toward their booth, he was certain he would spot a woman with long canines as white as snow studying his build.

A lesser man might have had to choose between vengeance or strategy, fury or secrecy.

Priam knew no plan could stop him from winning. The Juggernaut was his archetype because it crushed the competition… and each victory added to his momentum. The Aelbes could dissect this duel down to the last frame to give their fighter the best chance to win.

It would be in vain.

If there are flaws in my build that the Tribulations haven't patched yet, please point them out!

When Priam's vocal cords finally stilled, he jumped down from the platform. The sand cushioned his fall, and he looked up and locked eyes with Jasmine. Freshly resurrected, she looked more annoyed than angry at her loss.

"Are you sure?" her eyes asked.

Priam just smiled.

"Mmh. Then wreck him."

His grin widened as he raised his voice.

"If the High Marshal permits, I accept this challenge."

The murmurs that had accompanied Rohan's demand fell silent as the audience watched with rapt attention. The Colosseum froze under a heavy hush. After a few seconds, Rohan's smirk faltered. Declining to host the duel would humiliate his clan, but the High Marshal was too powerful to fear repercussions. Worse, the Empire's representative would mark the Aelbes with disgrace that way. The other two clans would have an excuse to ostracize them.

"Youthful zeal... Very well, let's consider this an interlude," the High Marshal declared. "Lord Priam, as the challenged, you may choose the terms of the duel."

Though the Champion hadn't expected that, he wasn't surprised. Back in the days when duels were a thing in Europe, it was customary for the defender to choose the weapon—pistols or swords.

Priam toyed with the idea of restricting the fight to aether-shaping only before discarding it. To win without risk is to triumph without glory.

Besides, he had a great idea.

"No rules, except this: since this isn't part of the tournament, I request that the only judge be the people. Let the consequences be real."

As Rohan's face paled, the High Marshal burst out laughing. "So be it."

If the Demiurge's justice no longer applied, then there would be no resurrection. Rohan had been willing to trade one of his lives for Jasmine's because he knew he would get it back moments later.

Against Priam, each death would be final. That seemed to rattle the young lord.

"The Lord of Oasis wants to spice things up!" a voice rang out in the arena. Zulkar was happy. "I don't get paid for bonus matches, but when two gladiators are ready to shed blood, I won't sit on the sidelines… Ladies and gentlemen, keep your eyes wide open—this is a Death Match!"

With a shadowstep, Jasmine teleported back to the Oasis box, and soon, only two Aces remained in the arena.

Like lone wolves, they sized each other up in silence, waiting for—

"It's not an official match, so start whenever," Zulkar reminded them. "Preferably soon, or we'll all fall asleep."

In a swirl of mist, Promesse materialized in Priam's hand. He readied his arm, locking onto a Rohan standing fifty meters away.

Instantly, one of his newest Skills activated. [Spear Launcher - Epic], the high upgrade of [Spear Throw], highlighted the suboptimal positioning of certain muscles and tendons—errors that would have weakened his throw. Using Micro, Priam made microscopic adjustments to his muscle fibers to optimize the attack. Once ready, he filled his lungs and coiled like a spring.

With his head slightly tilted, spine straight, legs apart, and feet rooted to the ground for maximum stability, Priam prepared to unleash the power hidden in his physique.

Though he was more tank than DPS, his Strength had exceeded a thousand and two hundred—an astonishing figure for a Tier 0. Among Homo Elysian, the second threshold of that stat increased the proportion of fast-twitch fibers and inhibited myostatin—a protein that limited muscle growth. The first trait granted gorillas their explosive power; the second allowed muscle to grow unchecked—like in certain breeds of cattle. Without his terrifying Constitution to densify those fibers, Priam's body would resemble a steroid-fueled bodybuilder. Instead, the Juggernaut looked deceptively lean.

"Let's see what you're made of," Priam smiled before loosening his arm like a drawn bowstring. The overclock shredded his deltoid and triceps, but he ignored the pain to watch his throw.

Driven by raw strength alone, the spear swallowed the fifty-meter gap in a blink.

With a gong-like clang, spear met sword. Rohan was hurled backward nearly thirty meters. The laws of motion were clear—even the strongest man alive couldn't stop an object with overwhelming momentum.

When the Aelbe finally landed, he rose and rubbed his right arm. Enveloped in Aura and enhanced by his Cut Concept, his sword had managed to deflect the throw—but the impact had numbed his arm.

"A real brute," Rohan muttered.

Priam merely smiled as he recalled his bound weapon. He had seen Kazuki strike Rohan with all his might without so much as making the clansman stumble. Now he wants me to believe he's reeling? Bullshit.

As expected, brute strength alone wouldn't be enough to take Rohan down. After his last month of training, Priam was sure his physique outclassed the Aelbe's—but not enough to crush him without skill. Looks like I'll have to show a few of my cards to win.

"Is it my turn to attack?" asked Rohan, seeing the Homo Elysian passive.

While studying his opponent, Priam mentally reviewed what the clans knew about him. Thanks to [Ciphered Record], a legendary, tempered resistance, the only way for the Aelbes to study his build was to watch him fight.

Shortly after the start of the Necro Event, the Juggernaut had wrested Seth's skull from the tribes—claiming the draconic bloodline of Ophis' son. During his clash with Eleha, he had displayed exceptional vitality, his phoenix bloodline, and his first two Concepts—Mist and Fire. And at the end of the clash between Rohan and Kazuki, Priam had used [Kinetic Sovereignty] to freeze the clansman.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Thus, the clans had no clue about Hecate's New Moon, his Heroic Aura, or his prodigious aether proficiency. At least not in this timeline. And it's going to stay that way until my first official battle, Priam decided.

Balancing Promesse with two fingers under the shaft of the spear, he nodded. "Whenever you're ready."

"Here I come."

The Aelbe slashed. A shockwave rippled through the air toward Priam, who raised his spear. The attack exploded on contact with the steel in a burst of Aura and Cut Concept. The few sparks that hit Priam would have turned most Tier 0s into Swiss cheese. The Juggernaut simply smiled as his formidable constitution, [Aura Resistance], and [Shear Resistance] negated all damage.

Through the remnants of the attack, he saw Rohan charging at him. The swordsman had used the bright sparks as cover for his approach.

Priam adopted a defensive stance, fully aware he had to crush Rohan without delay—both to avenge his friends and to make a powerful impression. After all, Arnold was watching, and at the slightest hint of weakness, the Tyrant would judge him weak. A threat far more dangerous than all three clans combined.

When Rohan came within three meters—the range of Priam's Domain—everything happened at once.

The Champion kinetically froze a bar of air ahead of Rohan's feet. A fraction of a second later, the Aelbe's eyes widened as a gray halo enveloped his leg. Rather than stumbling, he slashed the trap apart with his shin and kept coming.

Promesse rose in his path, and Rohan knocked it aside with his right blade. The left one shot toward Priam's throat, who smiled.

Channeling kinetic energy stolen from Rohan's first strike into his palm, the Juggernaut caught the incoming blade with his bare hand. Blood spurted as the blade bit into skin and flesh—until the Aelbe's expression froze in disbelief.

Lvl Up: [Aura Resistance] lvl 5 CONST +3 META (Endurance) +3 META (Authority) +3

"H-How?!"

"I'm pretty tough," Priam admitted, glancing at his hand. The blade had stopped dead against his bone. Aura and Cut Concept were terrifying weapons… but only while they lasted. The first had been drained by [Aura Resistance], and the latter worn down by the Juggernaut's meta endurance. Just as Pyro couldn't trigger spontaneous combustion on Rohan without breaking through his defenses, Cut had been eroded by the Champion's attributes. Stripped of its buffs, the bare blade had failed to pierce bone.

In Rohan's eyes, shock gave way to dread. Priam grinned as his opponent realized his standard attacks couldn't even get past the Juggernaut's skeleton. He would have to bring out the big guns—and he wouldn't get the chance.

Priam applied [Kinetic Sovereignty] to the air surrounding his enemy. The equivalent of an invisible straitjacket locked Rohan in place, and he might as well have been sealed in a block of concrete.

To his merit, the Aelbe didn't give up, pouring every ounce of strength into breaking free.

"It's pointless," Priam warned, while his overwhelming Domain and meta authority battered those of his opponent. Like a child arm-wrestling a lumberjack, Rohan's efforts were laughably futile in the face of Priam's stat tyranny. The Champion brought his hand toward his opponent's face, ready to invoke a terrible power. "You shall—"

"My son," boomed a deep voice. "Show them the strength of the Aelbes."

Priam didn't even have time to raise an eyebrow before a blast of aether exploded from Rohan's chest.

Summoning a fog screen, Priam rode the mist to the far end of the arena.

A split second later, the specter of a hundred-meter blade cleaved the arena where he had just been standing.

"Holy—"

Watching a ghostly sword as tall as a third of the Eiffel Tower crash into the ground, Priam realized his opponent had pulled out all the stops.

The mist cleared to reveal Wolverine's cousin. Rohan now resembled a bipedal feline, each forearm ending in a massive sword. As the two Aces locked eyes, Priam felt his instincts stir. Now this was a fight.

They leapt at each other.

Midway, Priam invoked both Mist and [Moon Mist] simultaneously. Injecting his will into the Concept and pouring a quarter of his aether into the skill, he summoned a tide of fog that blanketed the arena. In an instant, visibility dropped to zero.

A heartbeat later, Rohan slashed through Priam. His eyes widened when he met no resistance. It was only an afterimage.

The Champion had already ridden the mist elsewhere. The shockwave from the strike slammed into the stadium wall with enough force to shake the entire Colosseum.

A second of stillness—then the fog quivered behind the Aelbe. Though backed by [Kinetic Sovereignty], Promesse was swatted aside. Priam raised an eyebrow as he vanished back into the fog to dodge a riposte. He cut the momentum of the strike? That's possible?

...I'll ask him after I win.

Flashing behind Rohan, Priam struck again. His agility was his fourth highest attribute, and combined with his kinetic mastery, it allowed him to reach terrifying speeds. With every movement, he encountered air resistance—Priam was constantly nearing the speed of sound.

Blows began to rain down on Rohan as the Juggernaut danced through the fog like a warring ghost. Riding his Concept, Priam teleported to every blind spot, harassing his enemy like a bully.

On the eleventh strike, a spear clashed with Rohan's dual blades—then exploded into ice shards. It wasn't his bound weapon, but a disposable mist spear. Taking advantage of the distraction, Promesse drew first blood, slipping between two of Rohan's ribs.

Priam frowned. The wound wasn't deep.

Inspecting the area, he spotted Cut Concept coating each of Rohan's hairs, forming a true armor. The best defense is a good offense, right?

Summoning a second ice spear behind Rohan, Priam let the Aelbe turn around before lunging from the mist. A flash of pain checked his strike. Looking down, the Homo Elysian's eyes widened as he saw a blade biting into the bone of his hip. Rohan had struck without even turning.

"You won't fool me twice," the tiger-man growled.

Impressed despite himself, Priam found he was smiling as he re-entered his foggy domain. That was more like it.

His competitive spirit stirred. Merging his perception with the mist, Priam began hunting for flaws in his opponent's posture. The trembling in the right arm was surely a feint—but the tension in the left leg was real. It was bearing more weight.

Priam struck left. One blade parried his spear, and a second nearly stole his human heart. Rohan was in the zone.

The Homo Elysian retreated again, circling for a new angle of attack. His add-on whispered caution, suggesting he play it safe by peppering his opponent with projectiles from the safety of his fogbank.

Priam ignored it. That would teach him nothing.

Here, dancing with death in every exchange, he could almost feel runes stirring in his soul. The spear skills he had maxed out during his last training phase were resonating under the pressure of real combat. Maybe he would finally unlock the ideal prerequisites he'd been waiting for.

If not, at least he would have had some fun.

A grin tugging at his lips, Priam burst from the white void, ghosted past a lunging thrust with a spin, and slammed a fist into his opponent's solar plexus. Flesh met fur with a crunch, and blood sprayed from the impact. Priam swore, licking his skinned knuckles.

"Not bad, that transformation," he admitted, reappearing a few meters away. With a thought, he commanded his mist to pull back, clearing enough space for the two Aces to see each other.

His keen perception immediately noted Rohan's labored breathing. His gaze then dropped to the bone and steel twin blades laced with glowing runes. Lastly, his sight tracked the waves of Cut Concept rippling over the tiger-man's entire body. If he were merely at Unity, syncing with the Concept, the pattern would be chaotic, instinctual. Here, Priam's mind and his addon both found a method. Weird… No legendary skill should ignore [Kinetic Sovereignty] so easily… Not unless it was enhanced by some kind of ritual. His weapons, maybe?

Oblivious to Priam's analysis, Rohan opened his eyes and slowly spun in place. "The spectators must be disappointed," he muttered, cocking an ear. No light, no sound escaped the fog.

United with his Concept, Priam could lend the mist some of his own traits, including the anti-surveillance properties of [Ciphered Record]. Of course, that was only possible because he had tempered that resistance.

"They've seen enough. What's left is between you and me."

While half his mind remained locked on the duel, a parallel thought was studying the glowing cube pulsing beneath his opponent's skin, just above the navel.

"A core?" Priam whispered. Could it be that the Aelbe's tempering granted him an active ability on top of nine bonus lives?

"A gift from my shaman," Rohan rasped. "The four soul layers of a Tier 0 can't handle three-dimensional runes, but no rule says you can't etch them elsewhere. My grandfather's core turned out to be the perfect canvas."

Priam held his breath. "So that transformation is a…"

"A mythical skill," Rohan confirmed. Then, his tone took a bitter edge. "Even if it's fake, it lets me sweep away any competition." A tired smile. "Let me show you... the myth of the White Tiger!"

A surge of light burst from the cube, and the image of a mythological beast emerged.

Status:

PHYSICAL: Strength 1 245 Constitution 2 065 Agility 1 631 Vitality 2 092 Perception 988

MENTAL: Vivacity (D) 664 Dexterity 891 Memory 1 150 Willpower 1 298 Charisma 988

META: Meta-affinity (O) 1 394 Meta-focus 880 Meta-endurance 1 568 Meta-perception 842 Meta-chance 1 089 Meta-authority 768

Potential: 33 989 Tier 0

[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending. Future Tribulations delayed until: Time: 2 months 12 days 8 hours 7 minutes 40 seconds.

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

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