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

Chapter 209: Spear Virtuoso

Chapter 209: Spear Virtuoso

"Such arrogance," Eleha retorted after finishing her laughter, a cruel smile hanging on her lips. "Very well, I think a duel is an excellent idea. Once your dreams are shattered, you'll surely be ready to obey."

Kazuki glanced at the other two Tier 3s. The woman grimaced, and the man crossed his arms with a sigh. Neither seemed inclined to intervene. These tribes are only united by circumstance.

Summoning his spear into his hand, Kazuki gestured to Eleha towards the Forum.

"If we steer clear of Ymir's pavilion, the Forum should be able to withstand our clashes."

Priam would surely be displeased if Log-a-rhythm's clearing ended up resembling a battlefield.

"Presumptuous of you to assume there will be clashes, but sure," mocked Eleha, leaving the table. Kazuki briefly wondered if the Tier 3's provocative attitude was natural or simply a means to stoke his anger.

It didn't matter.

"Multiple H-bombs are primed to detonate," Kazuki's ocular implant relayed his wife's voice. "The ephemeral barriers and Concept suppression rituals around the Forum can be activated at any moment. Eleha is a code RED."

A code RED meant any defense was futile, but a nuke would suffice to eliminate the threat. In short, Eleha was a glass cannon. The only issue was that if the Tier 3 had unlocked the Unity with an energy Concept, she could evade the blast—hence the Concept suppression rituals.

As Kazuki walked towards the Forum, he replied.

"Wait for my signal. If it escalates, Jasmine will take their Tier 0s hostage. Are Priam's loved ones safe?"

"Except for Blueberry and Louis, all are in Log-a-rhythm."

"Perfect. I'll make her spit out apologies."

"Better make her spit out her teeth," Hyshana responded.

Kazuki concealed a smile. He was so proud to be Hyshana’s husband.

Arriving at the Forum, Kazuki saw Ymir stepping out of his pavilion. The merchant surveyed the two combatants before sighing. He made a hand gesture, and his bison bellowed before opening its mouth. The pavilion vanished, sucked into the animal's maw.

"I have an hour to put it back. After that, our current auctioned items will be canceled and we’ll pay a heavy fine," Ymir warned.

"You'll put it back in less than a minute," Eleha smirked.

Shrugging, Ymir mounted his bison before leaving the Forum. The Menhir of Secrets remained, but both Kazuki and Eleha knew the monument was indestructible at their level.

Eleha conjured two daggers as Kazuki took a defensive stance. He didn't wear his mecha: his instinct told him Knightmare would be useless against the Tier 3.

"Ready?" Eleha asked, stifling a yawn.

Kazuki nodded before widening his eyes. His Wind Concept indicated a powerful wind was heading towards him. Eleha's dash displaced a colossal volume of air. How can she move so fast with such low gravity?!

Faced with the attribute difference, Kazuki laid all his cards on the table. Micro II, Wind Concept, [Mastery I - Spear], [Odyssey - Legendary], [Odyssey - Celerity], [Odyssey - Hoplite Defense].

A windy halo enveloped his spear just before it clashed with Eleha's daggers. Despite the overclock of his physical attributes and his Titan bloodline, blocking the attack pushed Kazuki back several meters.

"Oh?"

Instead of pressing the attack, Eleha observed for a few seconds before displaying a radiant smile. "Looks like I found a good punching bag."

A blink from Kazuki made his opponent vanish again.

His instinct allowed him to block a second attack he didn't even see. The third attack breached his guard, leaving a shallow gash on his biceps. Gritting his teeth, Kazuki counterattacked with a roundhouse kick that missed its mark.

Eleha reappeared in the center of the Forum. "Hope you can do better; I haven't even used a skill..."

But that was a façade. Laepa was of her generation and had seen that smiling mask crack many times over fifty years. Eleha was a sociopath craving adulation. If she couldn't have it, she settled for fear.

It was clear that Kazuki would feel neither, and this would enrage Tier 3. Laepa hoped Eleha wouldn't let her madness destroy any chance of dialogue between tribes and hoplites.

Personally, Laepa hoped the warrior would survive. In a few years, the lance prodigy would be a formidable ally. She knew better fighters, some even having unlocked Spear Mastery III, but they were Tier 3s. Kazuki was a mere Tier 0, his soul not yet baptized, yet so close to Spear Mastery II. His raw talent for the lance was terrifying. For now, he was weak—Eleha toyed with him, using neither skill nor Concepts nor Supremacies—but that would change if he lived.

That didn't mean he was the best Tier 0 Laepa knew. The young Chief of the Aelbes was more powerful, but he hadn't trained for two months. The Aelbe had chosen to ignore [Ace]'s improvement to spend two decades at Tier 0 and attempt mythical Achievements. It was dangerous, but all paths led to the Zenith.

You just had to stay alive.

Laepa wondered if she should intervene to end the fight. It would offend Kazuki and Eleha's honor, but she could certainly use the Auctions, which was most important. In the long run, the consequences would be dire: Kazuki and the hoplites would have a poor opinion of Aelbes and Gaeserts. Vysharratjekto—the snake!—had understood this before her, and his friendly façade would undoubtedly grant him privileged access to the Auctions. It was bad news because the Snaherts were enemies of the Gaeserts.

Was it an arbitrary decision or did the Snaherts plan to court the Champions?

The thought made Laepa grimace. It would be terrible if the other Champions heard about this and allied with the Snaherts. Not immediately, as they were still very weak, but they had potential. A lot of potential. The Aelbes would certainly seek to eliminate the future threat, but that was not the Gaeserts' way.

Why is it up to me to play politics? I'm mainly good at cutting monsters, the huntress sighed mentally.

"Your husband fights well," she declared in a pathetic attempt to bury the hatchet.

Hyshana turned to her, a proud gleam in her eye. "He always has. Brave in the face of death, refusing to bend to tyranny."

Laepa hid a grimace. This was not going well.

"I could heal him after the fight," Gabrielle offered. "I'm sorry the discussion has degenerated like this. We Gaeserts try to be fair in our actions, but our brothers and sisters are in mortal danger here."

Laepa smiled upon hearing Gabrielle and decided to entrust her with the diplomatic side of the mission.

"... That's something I can understand," Hyshana responded after a few seconds of pause. "But the Auctions don't depend on us."

"Then we'll wait for Priam as long as possible," placated Gabrielle.

Laepa glanced at Hyshana. The Tier 0 was just as proud as her husband. If he died, she would fight in turn—even facing certain death. The Hoplites seemed to possess advanced technology, and even though the tribes were now deprived of it, some texts described the miracles of a technological civilization.

Explosives were surely ready to destroy the area, and while Laepa was fairly certain she could survive, Gabrielle would die. Moreover, atomic explosions were famous for attracting powerful monsters as they emitted some sort of interesting pollution. Which would be a disaster...

Suddenly, Kazuki and Eleha parted ways. A few seconds later, the hoplite pulled out a sphere, and Laepa swore as she identified it.

“Fuck!”

Eleha flashed, reappearing centimeters from him. Neither his Wind Concept nor his Domain reacted. Only instinct allowed Kazuki to pivot. A blade pierced his body, missing his heart by a hair. Realizing she had tried to kill him, Kazuki's heart raced. The first beat resonated loudly in his ears, but didn't drown out a distant cry. Hyshana.

Thinking of his wife eclipsed the pain, and Kazuki decided to fight. Drawing inspiration from Louis, he spat blood into his opponent's face. Mastery - Spear I. The projectile didn't have the shape of a spear, but Kazuki's intent was enough. He refused to give up. He refused to die.

The attack struck Eleha's eye. Regardless of her constitution, the globe should have melted, but it did nothing. Kazuki grimaced as he felt his will crushed by the Tier 3's. The attribute difference was so immense that his Supremacy vanished.

Not the silvery blood.

Eleha screamed as heavy metals poisoned her eye. With a wave of her hand, she swept away the H-bomb and slid a dagger under his throat. "You'll pay for what you just did!"

"I wouldn’t be so sure."

In a whirl of mist, Priam appeared next to Kazuki. His hand closed around Eleha's wrist, and he opened his mouth. A laser beam shot out.