The wings of the Phoenix subtly covered its beak; an avian equivalent of a grimace.
"I'm an AI based on the echo of a Phoenix Prince created from a diluted tear. As such, I have a limited ego and an impossible goal: to keep you alive until you kill my original. I'm as much on your side as one can be."
Priam relaxed his clenched fist before nodding stiffly. His draconic instinct whispered that the Phoenix was sincere, and this conversation held significance.
"Why are you telling all this?"
"Because what I'm about to tell you might not make you happy. You've lost soone, and that's tragic, but don't react like a child."
Priam couldn't believe his ears.
"I react like a child?" he repeated, bursting into a joyless laugh. "Sphinx trusted so much that she followed into another world. Since then, all I've done is disappoint her. She loved , and I made her unhappy. To save , she threw herself into the clutches of a psychopath. She could be tortured as we speak! Am I childish because I want to rescue her? What's the point of this damn System if I can't even save the ones I love?!"
As Priam finished his tirade, a terrifying fla burned in his eyes. The fiery reflections in his hair revealed the draconic anger simring within him.
Seeing the compassion in the Phoenix's eyes, Priam cald down.
"You're not angry at the System, but at yourself. You're rational enough not to rush into a hopeless rescue but feel like you're betraying her by refusing to sacrifice yourself needlessly."
Priam clenched his fists in silence. When his feelings were summarized like this, they seed pathetic. Sphinx's life was invaluable, and he felt dirty for pondering, for refusing to throw himself into an impossible battle.
Yet, the Phoenix was right. Despite all his love for Sphinx, he was rational by nature.
"If you continue to progress, you will lose people," the Phoenix murmured. "You'll never get used to it, and it will hurt every ti. So steel themselves and silence their emotions. They never go far. The quest for the Zenith requires a rage and a will capable of conquering fate."
"... I will save Sphinx. At least, I'll try," Priam promised.
"Of course, but first, you need to create a plan that gives you a chance, no matter how tiny. Better a pragmatist who saves his friends than a passionate one who commits suicide with them."
"When you say pragmatist, I hear selfish," Priam murmured.
"A selfish person ready to face a Tier 4 to save his friend," the Phoenix pointed out. "Sphinx's trust in you is well-placed. The only selfishness you exhibit is thinking that everything depends on you. Let be clear: you are weak. So weak that a Fallen didn't bother checking under his shoe after crushing you. That's why you're here."
Priam shivered, recalling Sumstreh's divine consciousness that had eclipsed his own. Thanks to exceptional rewards and a bit of luck, he had survived. Yet, he was nothing against a Tier 4.
"There must be a way to save her without necessarily facing Sums"
"Stop!" the Phoenix interrupted. "Your soul is marked; do not speak their na, it would attract their attention."
Priam nodded. Eve had said they should avoid ntioning that na as well.
"There must be a way to save Sphinx without confronting that monster," Priam continued.
The Phoenix nodded.
"Certainly, but let give you so perspective."
Levitating with the help of his kinetic control and wings, Priam listened attentively.
"Sphinx is trapped in their Divine Kingdom. Upon reaching Tier 5, the soul can create a kind of mini-world; like Concepts Archipelago but larger and saturated with Tier 5 Concepts. For those who choose to beco gods, it's called a Divine Kingdom because it can accommodate the souls of their followers. Normally, these worlds have a minimum radius of several kiloters. You tell theirs is about two hundred ters in radius?"
Priam nodded.
"That's the impression I got. Maybe so part was hidden, but"
"No," the Phoenix cut in. "Two hundred ters in radius is certainly the size of their Domain. They must have synchronized their Supremacy and Divine Kingdom to stabilize the latter. That's the only reason they can retain it after losing their Tier. It's great news."
"How so?"
"If they can barely maintain their Divine Kingdom, there's little chance they'll kill your friend," the Phoenix said. "Sphinxes are masters of karma and enjoy certain powerful racial Talents. If they kill her, the backlash will resonate with their negative karma. They won't take that risk when they're in a position of weakness."
Priam's hearts palpitated with relief before a thought worried him.
"So, they'll forcibly convert her?"
"Depending on the purity of Sphinx's bloodline, that could be seen as an insult by her clan. They'd be signing his death warrant. No, I think they'll want to sell her."
The news hit Priam like a bomb.
"Sell her?!"
"Why not? If they can't use or kill her, it seems like the most logical solution."
"... Maybe I can buy her? With the help of a proxy, of course!"
The Phoenix burst into laughter. "Do you have money? Even if you could buy Sphinx back, this Fallen would still be a threat to you because of the soul mark he implanted."
"With ti to analyze it, I'm almost sure I can destroy it," assured Priam.
"It will take them a fraction of a second to dominate your soul. If you succeed, they'll take Sphinx hostage. If you manage to free Sphinx, they'll understand the ruse and kill you."
"... Then they must die," Priam said. Of course, he had always intended to seek revenge, but he didn't think that mont would co so soon. "You say they're weak for a Tier 4?"
The Phoenix shook its head. "No, I said they're in a position of weakness. They can't leave their Divine Kingdom fragnt without destabilizing it. In a few hours, it would be destroyed, and they would lose their divine advantages. Currently, all they need to do is restore their Divine Kingdom to beco a Tier 5 again."
Priam took a few seconds to think. "If I know their objective, I can more easily create a plan to defeat them... How can they restore their Divine Kingdom?"
"Without followers or suitable fragnts of concepts, they will have to rely on rare resources."
"Resources that could be rewards in the upcoming event?"
The Phoenix cackled. "Possible. They will probably contact you at the beginning of the event to give you instructions; we can discuss it then. anwhile, you have a more urgent problem. A sextuple Tribulation, really?"
Priam looked embarrassed. "Do you have any advice for ?"
"I have a warning: a fighter cannot stack more than seven Tribulations. If you try, they will trigger instantly. No one has ever survived it - or at least, no one has boasted about it."
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"Damn..." Priam didn't think he was so close to death. Suddenly, his Tribulations beca a priority. My Tribulations, Sphinx, the Necromoon event... I feel like the next few weeks are going to be complicated.
"No one forced you to accumulate so many Tribulations. Most people quickly move on to Tier 1," the Phoenix remarked.
Priam snorted.
"Would I have earned my title of Fire Sage if I had been Tier 1?"
"Not for a Tier 0 Concept. Solidifying your foundations is good, but only if you're sure you can survive it. Do you have a plan to survive?"
"Well, I thought of reducing the number of Tribulations by increasing the Tier of my race. It would change my Tribulation thresholds and cancel so of them," Priam explained.
"Excellent idea. It's a big project, but at Tier 0, it's your only hope. Have you started looking into it?"
"I found two samples that should help ." Myuri and Jasmine each had a race close to high humans. By combining their three races, he hoped to produce sothing exceptional.
"Then you have everything you need. Don't waste any more ti, and be careful not to trigger a seventh Tribulation," the Phoenix warned.
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