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

Chapter 62: The Apocalypse belongs to the Elders

The fight had started well. [Battle riddle] gave Sphinx an early advantage, and if her prediction came true, the lion would be severely wounded.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Earl was briefly stunned by the skill, Sphinx had drawn first blood by biting the Earl's neck. Unfortunately, this woke him up, and he retaliated violently.

Sphinx then realized she had a problem. For the first time in her short life, she wasn't the one with the most attributes. Worse, while their physiques were roughly equivalent, the Earl had far more experience.

Sphinx had spent the next five minutes absorbing the Earl's techniques like a sponge. She'd managed to hold her own, but the lion was no fool. He had noticed that his opponent was analyzing his fighting style and had stopped holding back. From then on, the fight had taken a wrong turn, and Sphinx had received several serious wounds.

Faced with the lion's rage, she finally decided to use a technique Priam had taught her. The Hit and Run.

Sphinx was now leaping from branch to branch, preparing her riposte. A complex riddle, which Priam had taught her. It was the only way she could gain a decisive advantage. Just as the Earl was about to catch up, she declared.

"What has roots as nobody sees,

Is taller than trees,

Up, up it goes,

And yet never grows?

You have thirty seconds."

Her skills immobilized the lion, and he squinted.

"A good skill. It's time to end this fight. Lie down when you're ready to surrender."

Sphinx didn't reply, and the two adversaries waited for the time to run out. After thirty seconds, the lion's left forepaw trembled and twisted like a wrung-out rag. The muscles must have torn, and the Earl winced in pain.

Sphinx was ready to leap back. It was not yet time to finish the fight. But the Earl took her by surprise by staying put. Rather than pursue her, he muttered an incomprehensible word. Instantly, Sphinx felt the wind pick up. Strong gusts, carrying with them dead leaves, wrapped around the lion. Is he manipulating the wind? The air?

The air currents reached the Earl's ears before swirling around. Sphinx growled. She was pretty sure the lion could no longer hear her. The Earl's domain also prevented her from mentally communicating with him.

"How can I ask him riddles now..." No way was she marrying that big tomcat. She hated bad sport.

Priam's lips stretched into a smile at Blueberry's words. He, too, had a problem with Tribulation. Tribulations.

He turned back to Spring. The description of the System was synthetic - certainly the fault of the common rank of his [Identification] - but the most important thing was noted. The liquid had a regenerative power, potent enough to interest an Earl. Priam looked away quickly, not wishing to alert the bear. He considered the pond his already, but his Tribulations were still hours away. Until then, the lion would be an excellent guardian.

Looking in the direction of the canopy, Priam asked. "Who could give an Earl such a hard time?"

The bear sighed. "A woman. A lioness. Well, a bit of both," Blueberry hesitated.

"What do you mean, a bit of both..." Priam suspended his sentence. [Eidetic Memory] and his Vivacity instantly brought him the answer.

"A sphinx?"

Blueberry looked up, surprised. "Yes. How do you know?"

The sequoia tree trembled again under the intensity of the fight and Priam swallowed. Should I reveal my relationship with Sphinx? She's fighting the lion, which makes us his enemies.

Priam hesitated for half a second before clenching his fist. Sphinx was his friend, there to help him after he'd asked for her help. A friendship was precious, and that was why he had hated Claire's betrayal. Moreover, with Sphinx's help, Priam was confident they could defeat the Earl's court. All he had to do was get Sphinx to deal with the Earl.

With his mind made up, Priam summoned his spear and pointed it at Blueberry. The bear looked at him in silence.

"She's my friend. If any of the Viscounts ever try to attack Sphinx, we'll find out together if there's a [Butchery] skill."

The green roof shook for a few moments before calming down. But Blueberry's laughter continued for a few seconds longer. Priam remained silent, jabbing into the void to increase his kinetic charges.

Blueberry finally calmed down and replied, "Nobody's going to fight the Sphinx but the Earl. She challenged him to a duel, after all. If any of us intervene, it'll be the Earl himself who rips us to shreds. He values his honor," said the bear.

The tree shook again, and a deafening roar sounded. Priam's vision blurred. He regained his senses a few seconds later, out of breath. Another tremor made him open his eyes again, and Priam concentrated on his surroundings. His eardrums were perforated. Again.

Suddenly his mist caught a familiar presence, and Priam looked behind him. Sphinx, both wings torn off, was standing there. Her mouth was full of red blood and mane hair. Priam's stomach knotted as he watched her body lacerated in too many places to count. She's seriously hurt.

Despite everything, the young sphinx had fought back valiantly. She looked behind Priam, and the young Viscount turned.

Behind him stood a majestic lion. Titanic, at least the size of Blueberry, he gave off a terrifying aura. Priam was confident of facing Blueberry or any other Viscount. However, the Earl opposite him was in a different league. Priam's instincts told him he had little chance of escaping the Earl alive, let alone facing him.

Priam noted with relief that, despite his regal posture, the Earl was bleeding too. One of his front paws was in such a sorry state that the lion avoided putting his weight on it. A weakness to capitalize on...

The Earl moved his muzzle, and Priam realized he was speaking. Because of his perforated eardrums, he couldn't hear a thing. Sighing, Priam tightened his grip on his spear and prepared himself. If the lion attacked, he would retaliate by burning his Potential.

Or his life.

But first, let's try to stay alive...

As she entered the fog-shrouded village, the young woman frowned. The dwellings were very rudimentary, simple wooden huts. But finding a hamlet outside the protection of the domes with a dozen or so houses was odd. The Reunion had only been underway for about four days, and it was puzzling that the inhabitants had already managed to build a place to live. They seemed to be getting by in this new world. At least, that's what the wisps of smoke rising from the central building's chimney indicated.

Either their stupidity goes hand in hand with their luck, or they're not afraid of corrupted animals...

Moving towards the largest building, the newcomer hesitated for a moment. Music and the smell of grilled meat wafted from inside. Finally, she raised her hand and knocked on the door. It swiftly opened, revealing a kindly granny who beckoned her in.

"Hello, my little darling. You look so tired! I'll get you something to eat," said the grandmother before trotting away. The young woman couldn't get a word in edgewise. That said, I am hungry...

As she was waiting, an elderly man approached, smiling.

"You remind me of my great-granddaughter... My name is Louis. What are you doing here, little one?" he asked.

"I'm... I'm Claire, looking for a friend's father," Claire explained, smiling innocently. With any luck, the old man wouldn't notice that she'd walked alone through a wood populated by dangerous creatures.

"May I know his name?" inquired Louis.

"Priam's father."

"Oh, I'll get him," smiled the old man before walking away.

Looking around, Claire realized that the building consisted of just one room, built around a fireplace. A cauldron was positioned over the fire, and the kindly granny set about slicing a piece of the stew efficiently.

A dozen seniors, all at least in their eighties, were in the room. They'd probably been decrepit less than two weeks ago, but the arrival of the System had given them a new lease of life. They all looked energetic. Most were chatting as they prepared their equipment. Another little granny was mending some animal-skin armor. Such resourceful little oldsters...

On closer inspection, Claire realized they were all handling at least one weapon. Apparently, the System had rescued them from the clutches of death, and they weren't planning to meet it soon. We're not so different after all. Except, I was well and truly dead...

The little granny approached, brandishing a plate full of victuals. Claire thanked her and began to eat. All she had to do was nod occasionally to answer the steady stream of questions.

Suddenly, the door opened, letting in Louis and a stranger. Claire looked at the newcomer. He looked like Priam, if Priam had aged sixty years. The man stepped closer and held out his hand. "Alain, delighted to meet you. So, young lady, you're a friend of my son's, aren't you?"

"Yes sir, he asked me to..."

"Let me stop you for a second. This new world is a little wild, so we have to take precautions, right? My son told humanity that you knew my age. How old was I when my son was ten?"

Claire reflected that father and son had the same charming smile. The father seemed a little more sure of himself, but the young girl suspected that the son would soon be brimming with confidence. The apple and the tree, right?

"Yes, of course." Claire had led her investigation, spending her Potential and exhausting her contacts to find Priam's father before Mercury's men did. She'd left a trail full of corpses behind her, but now knew who was in front of her. Her bargaining chip for her sister.

"You're eighty-two years old. Your son is twenty-three, so when he was ten, you were sixty-nine. Depending on the day, maybe sixty-eight but..."

Alain's eyes darkened, and Claire felt her mouth go dry. The cozy atmosphere had disappeared, and only the sound of the fire was still audible. Conversations had died down, the dozen or so old people were now staring at her.

Alain had lost his smile. "I suspected that by becoming so well known, my son might make enemies... Sorry young lady, but when my son was ten, I lied to him about my age to not let him worry about my health. He loves telling that story and knowing him, that's why he left that message. Yet you compared us when you saw me come in. You know my son. Who is he to you?"

Without answering, Claire leaped forward, throwing her plate in Louis' direction and grabbing a dagger from her belt.

"[Confusion]!" she cried.

Claire wanted to put her dagger under Alain's neck, deciding to take him hostage.

Her senses screamed for a moment, and Claire's eyes widened. Moving with impossible speed, Alain grabbed her wrist and catapulted her. She crashed hard against the hardwood and slid to the floor. Shaking her head to regain her composure, she tightened her grip on her dagger... which had disappeared.

Claire looked up to see the grandmother stroking her dagger and winking at her.

As Claire prepared to get up, Louis, who had received the plate, threw it. The vessel disappeared in a blur of speed. Claire felt a draft to the right of her face. The ceramic plate had sunk about ten centimeters into the hardwood without breaking. A second draft and her dagger sank so close to the left of her face that a few hair strands fell out.

"[Exhaustion]."

Claire couldn't see who had said these words, but her strength left her. She could no longer move her body; only the fear of death gave her the mental strength to try.

As her eyes closed, Claire realized that none of the old had been disturbed by [Confusion]. Alain moved closer to her.

"Get some sleep, and then we'll talk."

Claire forced herself to speak. She hated to lose.

"Who... Who?"

"Sleep," Alain replied.

A hand rested on his head.

"[K.O]."

A dark veil covered Claire's vision.

Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)

PHYSICAL:

Strength 148

Constitution 258

Agility 158

Vitality 284

Perception 295

MENTAL:

Vivacity 175

Dexterity 178

Memory 40

Willpower 274

Charisma 146

META:

Meta-affinity 141

Meta-focus 98

Meta-endurance 90

Meta-perception 32

Meta-chance 114

Potential: 1343

Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] charge OFF. Reloaded in 13 hours 19 min 12s

[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.

Time: 17 hours 39 minutes 6 seconds.