Chapter 44: Just One
When Priam moved and attacked, everyone’s impression was that the space in front of him had been torn in two. A pale green light surged alongside his fist, carrying a momentum capable of splitting heaven and earth, shaking the hearts of everyone present.
At that moment, the true form of that unnamed Magic Art was finally felt by the spectators. It made Priam seem like an absolute sovereign.
Even the Elders were stunned.
"COME!"
Priam’s roar was like that of a god as his fist struck toward Hemakra.
She was horrified. She had never imagined Priam possessed such a terrifying offensive ability. She could only use all her strength to block it.
**KBOOOOM!!!**
Rocks exploded as the ground trembled violently. Waves of wind and Ether erupted into the sky before exploding outward.
The Grand Elder’s expression changed.
"Damn it! Protect everyone!"
At his shout, all the other Elders immediately acted, shielding the nearby youngsters.
A storm of sand and wind created a chaotic and bizarre scene, swallowing everyone within it.
Several seconds later, when it finally subsided, both the Elders and the youngsters crawled out from the dirt.
Then they stared, dumbfounded, at the scene before them.
An enormous pit had been carved into the ground. The entire landscape in front of the caves had been completely reshaped.
The uneven terrain and scattered sand had nearly buried everyone alive.
One figure was visible to all.
Standing before that massive pit, Priam was breathing heavily, exuding an extremely weak aura.
No...
The next second, all the Elders turned pale as they noticed something else.
Priam was... completely exhausted, devoid of life force.
He had truly burned away his life!
At the bottom of the pit was what remained of Hemakra.
At that moment, one of her arms and everything below her waist had disappeared. She stood there motionless, like a wooden stake.
"He won?!" Flaris was both delighted and shocked.
Everyone fell silent for several seconds.
Priam’s strength was now something nobody could question.
But the Elders were nearly shedding tears and sighing in regret at the thought that a genius of this caliber was now ruined. With his life force so weak... it would be a miracle if he lived another five years.
Priam took a deep breath.
Everyone thought he had no strength left, but...
He actually jumped into that pit without the slightest hesitation.
At that moment, everyone who was still stunned lost sight of him, and then...
"?"
The Elders felt something strange and abnormal erupt out of nowhere.
But a second later, it disappeared.
Only Hemakra saw it clearly.
When Priam descended, a golden halo briefly appeared around him.
Synthesis had been used.
Priam took advantage of the moment when everyone was stunned, and when he jumped into the deep pit, he used his power without the Elders noticing.
When he landed on the ground, he staggered slightly.
He was less than two meters away from Hemakra.
"Hehe, you want my head? The head of the great Hemakra, in exchange for a reward? Keep dreaming!"
At that moment, the Elders had already reached the edge of the pit, observing the situation.
Then, suddenly, Hemakra raised her head toward the sky and let out a long scream. Uncontrolled spiritual power surged wildly through her body.
Everyone was startled.
Even in this state, she could still resist.
What kind of monster was this figure?!
"Die quietly, bitch."
At that moment, Priam’s indifferent voice rang out.
Everyone saw him extend his hand quickly.
Then a white light shot forth like a bolt of lightning.
It was the power rune he had just created using other crystals from the mountain. He had barely had time to learn its exact effect. He only sensed through his purchased ability that it had offensive power that could help him, so he activated it immediately.
*BANG!*
Another explosion echoed from the bottom of the pit.
It wasn’t even 1% of the power from before, but it still left everyone stunned.
This youngster with no life force left could still fight?
...
When the dust settled, all the Elders saw Priam looking up at them.
Everyone swallowed hard.
In his hand was a head torn from its body.
It was over.
He had won.
"GOOD!" Flaris roared and jumped down into the pit joyfully.
She supported Priam, feeling his weakness and becoming a little worried. But seeing the indifferent look in his eyes, she relaxed. Then she helped him climb out of the pit.
At that moment, all the Elders and the other youngsters stared at him, not knowing what to say.
What was his limit?
Everyone wondered.
Priam turned toward them and snorted.
"I guess this second phase is over, right? How many points did I get?"
At that moment, the Grand Elder finally snapped out of his stupor.
He nodded, took out an emblem, and controlled the area’s inscription. Runes lit up overhead and gathered above everyone, forming words and numbers.
Within seconds, everyone could see the final results:
[1] [Priam] [1007-Year Cave] [Calculated Points: 1960]
[2] [Gangrel] [487-Year Cave] [Calculated Points: 744]
[3] [Flaris] [482-Year Cave] [Calculated Points: 666]
[4] [Shione] [464-Year Cave] [Calculated Points: 650]
[5] [Lumiere] [459-Year Cave] [Calculated Points: 639]
[6] [Aella] [461-Year Cave] [Calculated Points: 598]
"..."
Priam took a deep breath, still having a little difficulty breathing.
No one was surprised, because this result was obvious. There was no way to compare the number of points Priam would earn after defeating that enemy.
But seeing such a colossal gap between him and second place was still shocking.
After several seconds, the Grand Elder took a deep breath and turned toward all the youngsters.
"I will oversee the third and final stage of the clan’s coming-of-age ceremony. This final stage will be quick... unfortunately, according to the rules, I have no choice but to proceed immediately."
Everyone nodded, remembering the explanation of the ceremony’s three phases that they had received at the beginning.
It had already been explained to everyone: the rankings and scores of everyone below second place did not matter much. Likewise, it did not matter how many points the first- and second-place contestants had earned.
Only first and second place would advance to the final, and only one of them would become the clan’s Supreme Genius of this generation.
The decision would, naturally, be made through a direct battle between them.
But...
All the Elders looked at Priam with regret, while Gangrel smiled silently, a malicious gleam in his eyes.
How could this half-dead youngster possibly fight now?
He had shown some hidden cards earlier, but he had only finished off that destroyed puppet without much power. The strength he used in that final moment wasn’t anything impressive.
Priam felt the gazes on him, and his expression changed.
He turned around.
At that moment, everyone could feel the mocking air flowing from Gangrel’s face.
"Don’t worry. If you want to give up, nobody will call you a coward," Gangrel said, trying to hide his joy.
