15 Astral Plane 2

J'Zaki did not even think about it. He immediately kneeled on the ground and expressed his thanks.

"I would be more than happy to be your champion!"

The gods smiled down on the child beneath them. Although they knew what answer he would give, they were still glad that he quickly accepted the role. He was not just accepting the role as their champion. He was becoming a heretic champion to his people.

"Good, child," Sekhmet smiled at the boy. "Then you shall receive a blessing from each of us and a combined blessing. The combined blessing shall grant you strength similar to the Black Panther."

Each of the deities released a breath of blue air from their mouths. The air slowly fell from the sky and surrounded J'Zaki in a vortex that lifted him in the air before it entered his body. J'Zaki could feel large amounts of power radiating from every cell.

J'Zaki looked at his body and smiled. Even though he knew it wasn't his real body, he could still feel all of the changes. And it felt amazing.

"Now for the personal blessings. We shall each give you a form that shall show others that you are our champion," Hanuman spoke up.

Each of the deities released another breath. This time, they were each a different color. Sekhmet let out a gold breath. Hanuman released a white breath. Sobek let out a green breath. Lastly was Ingcuka who released a bronze breath.

Once again, they formed a vortex around the prince before entering his body. But this time, he felt something different. Each breath went to a different part of his body and settled there.

The Sekhmet's breath went straight to J'Zaki's heart. Once it arrived, it covered his heart in golden runes of an ancient and divine language. Hanuman's breath found itself along J'Zaki's spine and painted runes on it. Sobek's breath entered the lungs before laying claim to them as its domain. Ingcuka's breath entered his skull and settled on his brain.

Even without changing into the forms of their champions, J'Zaki could already feel the change.

'The heart of a lion, spine of an ape, lungs of a crocodile, and senses of a hyena. Even without transforming into their champion forms or using chi, I might be able to battle my brother.'

J'Zaki landed on the stone once again. His body felt better than he had ever felt before. And the best part was that he knew this was not his limit.

"You have been here long enough. Go, child. We will call you when we have specific tasks for you. But for now, just remember to protect Wakanda," Sobek explained that their time was running out. Human souls could only remain in the divine astral realm for so long, even their champions.

J'Zaki wanted to say something but he saw that his body was becoming misty. He was quickly beginning to disappear.

"Kid. I suggest you use my champion form as default. The others are a bit more special so they will reveal your status much faster. Mine can be thought of as something you found in an ancient temple or something," Ingcuka added before J'Zaki finally felt his soul leave the astral realm. The next thing he knew, J'Zaki sat up and headbutt the person checking in on him. The latter had been knocked unconscious.

J'Zaki looked over at them and knew that the strength he felt in the astral plane was real. What he had was no near-death hallucination but he had truly met the gods he had been praying to.

Just as J'Zaki was thinking about what he was going to do next, Elza walked into the room with a predatory smile on his face.

"Good. You're awake. You did better than I thought you would have done. 7 wolves, even with that mystical energy, should have been impossible for someone your age. Unless you used your Khethiwe abilities."

J'Zaki nodded. There was no point hiding it. That was why he was at the fort after all.

"Yes, Fort Chief. I figured that I was going to die either way so I might as well force my body past its limit to make those wolves suffer as well."

The woman laughed when she heard that. At first, she thought her husband had gone soft on her but this sentence changed her mind. J'Zaki was truly worthy of being a Jabari warrior.

"Good! Good! Your mission remains the same. Go and conquer the other tribes. But you are now a Jabari. Which means that whatever work you put in, it is your reward. Conquer them under your name and return to me as their king. Understood?"

"Yes, Fort Chief," J'Zaki was glad that he was now seen as a member of the tribe by her, even if she still gave him a difficult task. It gave the young prince a true sense of belonging among the other half of the Jabari tribe.

J'Zaki stayed in the fort for 3 more days. During this time, he got used to his increased physical abilities and senses. His new base abilities put him on par with how strong he was when he used chi. As for when he activated his chi, Jazaki was sure that his strength had to be on par with his older brother's, completely disregarding the difference in their ages.

After the 3 days of training and rest, J'Zaki walked out of the fort with a spear in one hand and a shield in the other. It was time to subjugate the other tribes.