As Priam fled in the direction of New Earth, the wave of locusts reached the wyvern's corpse. The hive mind created by the Tribulation was programd to pursue three objectives. To increase the volu of the swarm. To devour everything in its path once it had reached a certain critical mass. To focus on the one who had triggered the Tribulation.
That's why the locusts stopped for a mont, hesitating between pursuing Priam and devouring the wyvern's body. The insects' ability to split was linked to their energy consumption. As a Tribulation, the System allowed them to absorb ambient aether to use their Talent, but this aether was not infinite on the Moon. Although not unlimited, the amount of energy contained in the corpse was colossal. Enough to considerably increase the size of the swarm.
Finally, the hive-mind decided that the current priority was to increase the number of locusts. The insects began their feast, devouring the exposed body parts of the monster.
A second later, most of the grasshoppers exploded. The energy in the wyvern's at was pure enough to kill them in monts. The next second, the locusts swarm doubled in size.
A cycle was created. The swarm proliferated, multiplying its initial numbers a hundred tis over in just a few minutes. Tens of thousands of insects blocked the sun, artificially creating an impenetrable cloud.
While the Sun's rays could pierce the Damocles cloud, they were unable to penetrate the locust's tallic body. The Sun's protege thus lost its regeneration power.
Soon, all that remained on the ground were the wyvern's scales and bones. Defeated by thousands of insects, the mythological animal died for good. The satisfied swarm flew off in Priam's direction, letting the deadly rain wash away the shiny bones. Only one locust remained behind.
Drawn in from the start by a shadow, the insect slowly disappeared, as if consud by a puddle of liquid night. Pride's Shadow, the shadow of one of the seven deadly sins, digested its prisoner, analyzing and blocking its power.
The locusts' power had succeeded in killing its host thanks to their immortal spirit and adaptation. This power interested it. Pride's Shadow, like its origin, had to be the best. Its host had to be at the peak of evolution. If a locust could resurrect and double its power, so could it.
As the cloud of insects disappeared over the horizon, the shadow of the carcass trembled. A second later, two Heaven Wyverns appeared on the desolate plain. Their glare was brighter than before and their power was greater. One of the reptiles pounced on its clone to devour it. Its black shadow seed to be sleeping, exhausted.
Purifying it bloodline by absorbing the others, the Heaven Wyvern roared with rage, then took to the air.
A quarter of an hour later, the silver do of New Earth sparkled before him. Rain fell on it before trickling helplessly to the ground. Priam caressed the protection for a mont. Under his fingers, it seed indestructible.
"I only need half an hour. Just enough ti to evacuate the ducal palace and defeat the Lord," Priam murmured.
Welco, Moon Earl. Would you like to enter New Earth?
Priam turned around briefly. The horizon was black with locusts. The swarm must now number in the millions. The sky was black, too, covered with clouds thick and vast enough to cause an ice age. The rain fell harder and harder, gradually eroding the mist.
The only speck of light was a lightning bolt, steadily breaking through the cloud. Yet Priam heard no thunder. The wyvern was alive.
He couldn't keep running away. The Tribulations were accelerating and would remain for at least another twenty-three hours. Plenty of ti for him to die many tis over.
Decisive, he turned and accepted the proposal.
...
Error.
Tribulations in progress.
Please finish your Tribulations before entering the do protection.
Priam's eyes widened. The world was now invaded by the whirring of the locusts. If he stayed here, he wouldn't survive more than a few minutes. He had to get into the do! There was only one way: find an entrance guarded by a Baron. But how?
The situation called for him to use his penultimate question.
How do I get into the do?
Answer: 8 o'clock, a guardian is waiting two kiloters away; run!
[Kinetic Control]. Priam dashed in the direction given by his clones: 8 o'clock. Without knowing whether there was a north, how to give an indication? With a clock. Noon ant ahead, 6 o'clock behind and 3 or 9 o'clock, the right or left respectively.
The landscape unfolded as Priam's ridians scread. His running was barely controlled, but a few uses of [Kinetic Control] were enough to keep him from falling.
Lvl Up: [Iron Marathon] lvl 2
AGi 3
After a few seconds, Priam saw a promontory of so kind before him. The structure looked strange and he headed towards it. Unfortunately, the swarm of locusts arrived first.
Fifty ters from the cape, Priam was advancing towards a veritable wall of insects. Gritting his teeth, he accelerated, surrounding himself in a cloud. A fraction of a second before contact, his mist detected the entrance.
Pulling the pin out of a grenade, Priam threw it into the mist before teleporting it in front of the cavern entrance. He couldn't teleport in place of the insects, so he had to create a space for himself. The grenade's explosion would do the trick.
Lvl Up : [Moon Mist] lvl 29
PERC 4
CHAR 2
TA (AFFI) 3
The next instant, the cloud of locusts crashed into its cloak of mist. Priam, wielding Prosse, pierced ten of them in less than a second. Twenty more appeared, and he swore. For a second, the insects tried to penetrate his protection, but Priam manipulated the mist to make it swirl around and annihilate their effort. Glancing at his enemies, Priam swallowed. They were more imposing than before.
Suddenly, one of the insects swallowed a tiny part of his mist. Priam wouldn't have noticed if the thousands of other insects circling him hadn't then had the sa idea. They share the sa mind!
Priam turned livid. After just one second, a tenth of his haze had disappeared. If it went on like this...
An explosion sounded, and Priam straddled his mist.
The explosion had released a pocket of air in the middle of the insects. It only took a mont for Priam to teleport again. He arrived in a cavern at the heart of the promontory. The room appeared to be a carbon copy of the one occupied by Anne, Albin and Claire when he had defeated the first two Barons three days before. Only three days...
The main difference with the last ti was that the guardian was present, and a hundred insects had already found the room. The giant pig was being devoured. Priam gave him a quick glance before hurrying towards the sealed door, hoping the locusts would forget about him.
Placing a hand on it, he ordered it to be opened.
...
Error.
Tribulations in progress.
Please finish your Tribulations before entering the do protection.
"FUCK!"
The noise of the locusts beca deafening. The perception that the mist offered him within a sphere of fifty ters radius was terrifying. Millions of insects had gathered. They were following the passage leading to the cavern and would arrive in the room in a few seconds.
Priam knew that staying here ant his death. Then, half an hour later, he would rise and die again. For good this ti.
As panic mounted inside him, Priam forced Micro to calm him down. [Focus]. So clones had made it through the Tribulations. He could do it. Taking a second to observe his surroundings, Priam sprang into action.
Five of his grenades flew toward the entrance to the room. The priority was to keep more insects out.
The giant locusts in the room began to approach Priam. Manipulating his new cloak of mist, Priam protected himself while summoning an inverted steam vortex around him. The reversed tornado repelled the locusts.
Lvl Up : [Moon Mist] lvl 30
PERC 4
CHAR 2
TA (AFFI) 3
Priam then turned to the sealed door and contemplated his new abilities. He could fire spears at almost three kiloters per second. The do was too resistant for him, but a few centiters of rock should no longer impress him.
[Tribulation Piercing Spear].
Prosse reduced the central part of the sealed door to dust. Priam grimaced as he looked at his aether reserves. He couldn't use this skill more than three tis without recovering his strength. Behind him, the locusts were already devouring his mist.
Priam teleported into the dark passage, then began to run through the path leading to New Earth. Behind him, the grenades exploded, partially destroying access to the cavern.
The Locusts Plague could no longer enter the cavern, but a few thousand locusts were still following Priam. The young warrior pulled the pin on his last grenade as he ran. Seconds later, he threw it behind him.
Boom. The explosion triggered another collapse, and Priam stopped to watch. The rockfall stabilized after about ten seconds. By chance or coincidence, several ters of the passageway were now blocked. Priam could no longer hear the insects behind him.
He sighed with relief. His goal was to survive his Tribulations, not to take millions of carnivorous insects into the do. Turning on his heels, he headed for the city. There wasn't a second to lose - after all, the System wouldn't accept Priam unfairly dodging his Tribulations. He didn't think he had more than an hour before the System got angry.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the replica of the underground temple where Claire had betrayed him. Two Barons were waiting - bat-like creatures - and Priam one shot them.
Leaping to the top of the stairs, he opened the temple door.
A market awaited him. The colors of this do were green and silver. Its protective barrier, which illuminated the city, was the color of a leaf. New Earth was covered in trees and greenery. The do was subli, but Priam had no ti for sightseeing. He turned in the direction of the ducal palace. He had to kill the Lord quickly.
A hesitant voice stopped him just as he was about to go for it.
"Lord Priam?"
"I'm in a hurry," Priam replied quickly.
"Please forgive , I'll be brief. My master, rcury, has found your father. He is in this do, and I can take you to him whenever you like."
For a mont, Priam froze. He must have heard wrong. The chances of his father being in that do were minimal. Unless... Dad was looking for ! he realized. That was just like his father.
"I..."
Without warning, the city's light intensity increased tenfold. The do barrier was blinding, and most of the market's shoppers and rchants shielded their eyes.
Priam looked up, his heart beating heavily in his chest. A shadow lood outside the do. The wyvern wouldn't wait for him to kill the Lord. Priam had made a colossal mistake...
"The do has to be evacuated!"
"Where?!" shouted the rcury man. Where indeed? Outside, millions of locusts waited. Every drop of rain would kill any human. Only the barrier protected its inhabitants.
The do lit up again.
A crack appeared.
User Comments
0 comments from readers