“A hero is born today,” Taishi said as he approached.
Panting, Kazuki t his ancestor's clear gaze and rely nodded. He had never been a hoplite of many words.
“... May I offer you so advice before our duel?” Taishi asked.
“It would be an honor.” Besides being the first Grandmaster in the history of their civilization, his ancestor had been an exceptional philosopher who created the Hoplite Code.
“A Hoplite always pays his debts… but only a slave pays them twice.”
Kazuki furrowed his brow, confused. Taishi had banned slavery by uniting the nations of the old world.
“I was born a slave and reford our world to make it just.” Taishi proudly wore the bracelets from the chains he had broken. “You, who ended the Greys, why do you fear your glory? You should be proud to have freed the Na of the Wind.”
Kazuki pondered silently before glancing at the stands filled with hoplites. He had the feeling that everyone could hear their conversation. Whether the living retained their mories after the Tribulation or not, he had to choose his words carefully. Facing Taishi, the warrior-philosopher, Kazuki had no illusions: the duel had already begun. With the seventh Tribulation, words could be as lethal as weapons if he failed to convince his people.
“I’m not ashad of being born to Grey parents or of using the Na of the Wind... It’s just that I am different from the wind,” Kazuki confided. “You say I freed the Wind, but that’s not true: it has always been free. I was born free… and I chose to bind my fate to the Hoplite honor.”
An appreciative murmur swept through the stands.
“So might accuse you of not using all ans to defeat the enemy,” Taishi pointed out. “There is no greater honor than victory.”
Kazuki grunted. Although less skilled in oratory than his ancestor, he understood he couldn’t let him control the conversation.
“The end doesn’t always justify the ans. That’s why a Hoplite prefers death to slavery.”
The hoplites roared as Taishi’s expression darkened.
“That’s the exception that proves the rule, nothing more.”
“Many may not agree with ,” Kazuki conceded. “But a leader can’t be a follower. Listening to the concerns of those who speak without acting is putting a noose around your neck. A hero carves his own path; if he’s inspiring, he will be followed. That’s how I will prove my honor.”
Kazuki’s sincere words resonated with the spectators, who shouted their approval. The Champion felt a great strength fill him, and he puffed out his chest. With his people behind him, he felt ready to carry the sky.
Taishi let the cheers die down after several minutes. “The traditions I established have forged an honorable hero.” With a single phrase, the ancestor claid a portion of Kazuki’s honor. “Now that you’ve had ti to recover from your wounds, one question remains: which of us has what it takes to lead our civilization into this new world?”
Kazuki smiled as he assud his stance. Words built civilizations; weapons defended them.
Leveraging a beam of light, Taishi sprang forward. In the next instant, his spear materialized before Kazuki’s pupil, eclipsing the sky. The Champion had never seen a thrust so swift, but his talent, enhanced by the System, allowed him to react. His instinct read the attack's trajectory, which he dodged by tilting his head a few degrees to the side. Simultaneously, his own spear darted forward like a predator on its prey.
Taishi used the shaft of his weapon to block and lifted Kazuki’s spear. His guard shattered, the Champion couldn’t evade a second attack that pierced his shoulder.
His tallic flesh, enhanced by his Titanic bloodline, was torn by the aura of Spear Mastery, and Kazuki groaned as he staggered back. Before he could catch his breath, his pupils dilated from a sudden flash of light. The beam transford into a second spear that shattered against his clavicle. The bone cracked despite his Titanic constitution.
Spear Mastery II… He’s a spear grandmaster.
His instincts scread again, and Kazuki executed a horizontal attack, forcing his opponent to retreat. Taishi was certainly resilient, but an attack boosted by Micro II, Spear Mastery II, and an ideal offensive spear skill would have easily bisected him.
Floating a kiloter above the sea, the two duelists observed each other. Two heartbeats later, the duel resud.
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