Ophis advanced, his expression nacing. "I can feel he has already endured five Tribulations. Depending on its nature, a quadruple Tribulation could destroy this island. There's no way I'm letting that happen."
Priam turned toward the Snahert Chief, feigning ignorance of the implication of his last sentence. "Kazuki will start his Tribulations in another world. We’ll only bring Tribulations back to Elysium if they’re interesting as distractions. Be sure I wouldn’t put Oasis at risk."
"A new world? How can we be sure that—"
"We trust you," Sna interrupted. "The battle is imminent, and we need to absorb the bloodlines from the rewards," she said to her companion.
"... Fine," Ophis muttered before disappearing. The shaman rolled her eyes and then vanished as well. Priam noted the power dynamics between the two Tier 4s. The shaman calls the shots…
"Let's head to Valaryth without delay," Priam said as Eve’s clone confird the Tier 4s had already returned to their tribe. The bastards were fast.
A few dozen kiloters away, high in the sky, Kazuki slowed down. He turned, and the photographic sensors of his cha allowed him to see the worried faces of his hoplites and friends. Priam hid his concern better than the others, and Hyshana… her confidence in him was unwavering. More than anyone, his wife knew the rit it took for him to stand here. Born not in a grand house like hers, but in poverty, his future had been choked by the dishonor of his parents.
She had chosen him back then, and he had never betrayed her trust or her expectations. I can’t lose if Shana is watching.
With his promise renewed, Kazuki closed his eyes.
[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.
Ti: 12 hours 28 minutes 23 seconds.
Would you like to trigger your Tribulations?
As always when it ca to Tribulations, the blue of the System turned red. Today, Kazuki saw it tinged with blood. The corner of his mouth lifted in a thin smile. He had never let ons and superstitions slow him down.
“Show your worst.”
Without fanfare or second confirmation, the world trembled.
"The History of the Hoplites is written in blood and sweat." A voice with no source thundered in the sky, shaking heaven and earth.
"Each of its chapters is penned by a Hero." The air tore a hundred ters in front of Kazuki, revealing a true colossus. With a shaved head, chiseled muscles, piercing gaze, and dressed in a white pallium, the hoplite looked as much a warrior as a philosopher. Kazuki’s eyes widened, recognizing a face he had seen on a thousand statues.
"The first was Taishi."
The legendary hoplite turned his gray eyes to Kazuki and inclined his head. Manipulating the wind to float beneath the clouds, Kazuki recalled his cha and mirrored the gesture. He would not suffer the sha of ignoring the salute of the father of his civilization.
"Hoplites are a proud race...," continued the unseen announcer. "Yet they need a figure to lead them into battle."
A circular, spectral arena appeared around the heroes. Spanning dozens of kiloters in circumference, its titanic proportions did not hide the most important detail: each seat was occupied by the specter or shade of a hoplite. The forr represented the living, the latter the dead.
Kazuki felt his heart race as the entirety of the hoplite people since the dawn of ti watched him.
"The people will judge: which Hero will lead them?"
Kazuki grimaced, seeing his own people prepare to judge him. Won, children, n, elders, warriors, and crafters—all would judge the upcoming duel. Winning was not enough; his legend had to triumph over the myth of the Father of the Hoplites.
"One way or another, today Kazuki Arashi will immortalize his greatness."
If his civilization deed him unworthy, if he failed to convince, he would beco a martyr.
The wind blew through the ghostly stands. In the silence that followed, Kazuki studied his ancestor before speaking.
"I am Kazuki Arashi."
"Taishi," introduced the one whose na everyone knew. Born a slave, he had no last na. "Arashi... the storm. What have you done to earn this na?"
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A family na was passed from father to son and from mother to daughter. The only way to change it was to earn a new one through a resounding feat. There were no judges: only popular rumors allowed one to earn it.
"I challenged and defeated the Council of the Grays."
A clamor rose from the stands as the dead learned of his feat and the living roared their approval. Taishi inclined his head again.
"A storm of blades, triumphing one against twelve." The hoplite observed him with clear eyes, and Kazuki remained impassive before a gaze that had made kingdoms tremble. "Forgive for asking, things may have changed since my death, but I thought only the Gray warriors knew the na of the Wind. Yet it’s with its help you stand before today."
It was indeed the wind that carried Kazuki, preventing him from falling into the ocean of Valaryth.
"I was born to Gray parents. The only way to wash away that dishonor was to eliminate the very notion of them."
Taishi’s eyes sparkled, understanding that the man before him respected the hoplite code enough to kill his own parents. In doing so, he had also changed hoplite civilization.
"A true Hero then," said Taishi, grasping the air. A spear appeared between his fingers. "You know it, but it is the duty of the dead to judge the actions of the living. Allow to be your judge."
"... And I yours," replied Kazuki, summoning his new spear, Taifu.
He had exchanged it a few hours earlier, spending nearly all his Sun Points at the Auction. The weapon was as deadly as it was long and could be wielded by his cha. Thanks to this, it had replaced Dory and was considered his bound weapon.
"The dead receive praise more easily than the living because no one envies them... yet, you will find my legend is not without foundation," announced Taishi before pointing his spear at the sky.
The clouds rolled back to let sunlight pierce through. The rays, diffused by water droplets, gathered to give birth to a golden fur. The next mont, Kazuki saw the Golden Lion appear, one of the mythical creatures from the tales of his childhood.
"I see you recognize my companion," Taishi smiled, stroking the imnse beast. "I am often credited with the feat of having defeated an invulnerable lion during the first of my ten labors... It’s true. Today, it’s your turn to face him to prove your worth in the eyes of the dead."
The lion’s roar contrasted with the silence that gripped the stands. Kazuki readied himself. "Thank you for this opportunity."
All the mythical beasts had been defeated long before his birth. The surest way to achieve heroic status had thus disappeared, much to the chagrin of modern heroes who had to redouble their courage to convince the crowds.
What better way to confirm his title than to slay the most famous lion in hoplite mythology?
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