Xion CH36: The Challenge

4 months after duel.

Fall came quickly, and winter was on its way; the deadline for ministers was coming up, and they seemed happy to sit on their hands and constantly jittery. I couldn't blame them; I would be too if I crippled the leadership of my government with dementia and had a war on the horizon. Young fertile warriors could always be bred to make more Plains Tribesmen, but what about old set in their ways nearly infertile ministers. Especially those known to poison their leaders and make deals with other tribes. Who could trust such women?

Oh, I couldn't fool myself either. The second the Plains Tribe attacked, I had better have my shit together and be ready to wipe out the army of a god. If I wasn't ready, then that would be it for me. To that end, I had a plan in the works to manufacture a lot of anti-unit and avatar ammunition and possibly build a reserve of moose. Unfortunately, it was bound to step on some giant toes, but if everything went well, who knows, it might be just the thing we needed.

I upped my weights against them because they were feeling a little light and began storing whole trees pointed at one end in my inventory. Soon enough, I had a stack of 999 trees with the diameter of a ford truck's length. There were many massive trees in the forest, and with fall coming, the forest was a little slow to react. Even the silver animals couldn't do much, especially with an air-born Lotus hunting them.

On occasion, I heard a squeal and had a phantom taste of blood in my mouth. But, to Lotus, it was delicious, and she enjoyed eating the silver prey the most. They apparently put up the most fight and had the chewiest bones.

There were a few reasons to clear out an area of forest. My first reason was to establish a herd of moose to be broken and eventually turned into mounts for calvary. With a war of the gods on the horizon, I didn't think our forest god would survive, so, fuck the forest. But, I had other thoughts and a few a little more grandiose than herding moose.

My connection with Lotus mana was a resource that could be stored in bones. Necromantic properties, types, and origins were a thing as far as magic was concerned. Lotus had an unnatural advantage where that was concerned. I couldn't afford the books that did anything more than reference what any of that stuff did. But by the reference, Lotus was very good at necromantic magic. Using the mana she funneled into me through our familiar bond was best at summoning undead. Since her mana was all I had to work with, that narrowed down what I could summon.

While that could sound like a disadvantage, it made things easier. I had a near unlimited number of magics, techniques, and perspectives to choose from. Not everyone agreed that elements and origins mattered. Few even persisted those properties mattered in magic. Those who were true mages swore by it, but the older users claimed that everything was merely preference. If I decided that fire was the way to go and focused all my time on fire and fire alone, detectors would eventually determine that my element, origin, and properties were fire or had something to do with fire.

"What are we going to summon today?" Lotus asked.

As a being in my head, she learned my language quickly. "We are going to summon some banshees," I said.

"I didn't think there were any other spellcasters here," Lotus said.

"Should we summon some Grievers, Rottlings, or Poison Fogs instead. It could be a while before anyone invades, and the upkeep of Rottlings or poison fog would be too much for us." I said.

Banshees were used almost exclusively to interrupt a grand summoning or a step in a spellcaster's plan. They are kind of strong against certain enemies, but not really. As spiritual undead, they are weak against sunlight, with binary stars that weakness is even worse. Qi-infused attacks damaged spirits through will, and banshees weren't known for their ability to take punishment.

A poison fog would be devastating against any army that relies on a breathing technique. They also hate the living in any form and would plot to destroy me. On the other hand, Lotus could control them without much effort.

The only actual use for a banshee was their scream. It could rattle the manacules in the air for miles and disrupt summonings for even experienced mages. Almost all mages or magic users had at least one banshee in their back pocket to make the other side wary of going all out on a big summon. Of course, that's assuming the mage doesn't have their familiar in their inventory or redundant summoning areas. If a mage controlled an entire planet, they could attempt a single summon numerous times, banshees or not. I had a few dozen acres to get this right.

I dug my summoning circle in the mud then applied a bone meal mixed with concrete to it. My hope was to synergize it with Lotus to make necromantic summoning easier. But, unfortunately, I wasn't raising any kaiju-sized undead unless I had a lot more time and hundreds of corpses lying around. To do that, I might need a summoning circle the size of a few square acres. So it was better to walk before I ran.

Once I was sure the circle was right, I placed my right hand on it and slowly channeled some mana to it. A blue light lit up the circle, and I could feel the mana move to the summoning circle's predetermined shape. The summoning energy reached out and linked up with another summoning circle on a far-off world. That, too, was normal. Summonings at my level only connected to far greater circles which did the heavy lifting.

Light flashed in the circle, and a see-through black-haired girl wearing a white robe appeared. Out connection formed immediately. The banshee connected to Lotus, and I could control the banshee through Lotus. Words wouldn't be needed; I could give order with my mind and see it carried out. Once I was sure about how that worked, I really didn't have a use for the banshee.

"Can you sing the SpongeBob SquarePants opening song?" Lotus asked.

I blinked and concluded something that Lotus agreed upon wholeheartedly. Our summoned banshee was of Japanese descent, and listening to her sing that sound would be adorable.

The summoned banshee sighed and needed no further prompting. "Ooh!"

6 months after duel.

There was still no challenge, and my body was getting used to my latest ridiculous set of weights. On the bright side, my qi sensing had finally reached the point where I could touch photons. After that, it was days of work meditating in sunlight while I adjusted to absorbing light. While that went on, I couldn't help but find other projects to get into. For one, I needed a better weapon, and to that end, I started diving.

While diving seemed to have nothing to do with getting a weapon, I had a plan. First, beneath the reef where battles between gods had taken place, I searched through the seafloor for a piece of metal. So far, I found a calcified hunk of armor from the forest god, which played into my plan very well. Then, after searching high and low, I found a cave by some rocks inland with some honest to God coal. That was the ticket I needed to really get started.

I started getting into smithing between meditation and diving, and Samael immediately took over. Yea, she saw what I was doing smelting, ore, and my failed attempts to carbonize it to steel and kicked me out. I bought another tablet, and she immediately watched videos on smelting and smithing steel. After seeing Samael take over the task of smithing, Elorael took over taking care of the orchard. That only led to more spending on my SP and buying fertilizer online.

With their help, I offloaded my problems. I started searching for pieces of the metal god's armored hide in earnest and went into enchanting research. Samael had learned enough English to look up what she wanted and use the tablet, and Elorael had begun writing in runes with her free time. That was another thing with my ability to store food in my inventory; they didn't need to hunt or scavenge as often. That gave them more free time.

After giving it some thought, we began researching an enchantment to cool off an area.

My plans for that entity hadn't gotten out yet, but it was only a matter of time. I had a challenge from one of the priestesses of the forest god that I couldn't turn down. From what Samael said, those types had a habit of spamming long-range light attacks.

It had only been a week since I beat Samael, and I spent that time working on my conditioning. After learning the basics of rune craft and watching a few videos on basic enchanting, I upgraded my training weights. After that, I spent a few hours sparing with Mekael or shattering boulders with my fists every day.

My fist collided with the gray stone of a freshly uprooted boulder. I felt a crack, and a piece of the boulder slid off. No matter how bruised my knuckles felt, they only took a few seconds to heal. When the rock cracked and broke apart, I felt stronger. Before I trained my breathing technique to constant, it would have been impossible to pull off such a feat. Now, I could uproot the boulder and toss it dozens of yards. But, it wasn't all fun and games.

I uprooted the boulder for practice and to help clear a field. While it wasn't easy, I knocked over a few trees, uproot them, and harvested a few boulders. After working all day, I cleared around a hundred acres before flattening the ground by filling up holes with hills. Once the area was cleared, I replanted multiple fruit trees and began work on building some fencing materials. It wasn't until the fence was built that the challenge from the priestess was issued.

"Red, you're amazing; I don't have the balls to piss the forest god off like this. But, once you beat the priestess, the forest god might have one of his avatars challenge you." Samael said.

"Darling, don't you think you're going a little overboard with this farming? There are some areas further inland that are already fields. Some of this land falls into the skull tribe's territory." Elorael said.

"When I was a child, this was a pastime of mine. I loved to bend or uproot trees and make things out of them. Once I made a stretcher to help carry someone out of the woods for a survival exercise. Of course, the credit went to someone else for the idea even though I had the idea and supplied the materials. I wanted attention and recognition; it was only after I got older that I hated those things." I said.

"If you don't want attention, what's the point of all this?" Samael asked.

I stared at the field and thought about it.

This place would resemble a giant summoning circle from a bird's eye view. Though it would take several weeks to fully power it. With it, if one of the gods fell in battle, we can summon a powerful spirit to animate the god's body and make it even stronger than before. But there were other reasons.

At first, fell into the familiar, then I thought about something a little more innovative. Moose were valuable for their hide, meat, and bones. From building materials to clothing, that animal was used more than any other. Even the marrow from their bones was used for glue. So, what if I built a place to contain them and guarantee a steady supply without any fear of predators? That wasn't all; I had an idea that wouldn't disappear. What if we could domesticate and ride them?

"Let me show you," I said.

I walked along the fence, little more than massive trees stabbed into the ground. Keeping the line even was easier than removing the limbs from each one. Some of their roots stuck out high overhead. Quite a few had snapped in half from the force of my throw, which made me a little nervous. If they were that fragile, what would happen when a predator wanted in to get at my moose herd?

The massive horns of a moose came into view first. As with most animals in this world, they were both male and female, which made reproduction confusing. When in rut, they pissed in pits, and the other massive moose wallowed in them. The herd devolved into mating, and more moose were born. All it really took to attract more moose was to take one of their numbers and move it into the fenced-in area. From there, others followed.

I approached the moose I wanted, one that I had fed, and formed a friendly relationship with over the week. I tossed a blanket over its back and hopped on without my weights.

At first, the beast didn't do anything; it acted like everything was normal. Then I kicked it slightly, and it went berserk. The moose ran forward and rammed its head into one of the many trees. With a lurch, I rocketed forward and collided with the tree. I barely managed to put a hand in front of my face before hitting.

"Great job, Darling; you managed to subdue a moose for us."

I rolled over on my back. "If we could tame them a little better, we would have something fast and mobile to ride on. A spear would be even deadlier with a charging moose behind it." I said.

"That would piss my mother off. When blowguns were introduced, she threw a fit and nearly dueled their inventor to the death." Samael said.

"We know that isn't a problem. Your mother isn't exactly herself right now. But, darling, the ministers will be even more dangerous if you do this." Elorael said.

"They already want to kill me, and the feeling is mutual. If the forest tribe wants to survive, this is the next logical step in their evolution. Mounted calvary can destroy infantry." I said.

Plans to find the most qi-rich plants to grow came to mind. First, we would have to find the areas where the forest god loved to shit and transport it to my farm. Including them in this would be nothing but helpful. With some fish to help the fertilization process, I could help the herd grow even stronger. Most animals adapted, growing stronger, smarter, and faster to a larger qi supply. The moose was no different. If we artificially hastened the process by introducing higher concentrations of qi in a fenced-in area, it would be even better. Of course, there were other problems with that. A few trees in this forest could move, and they had eyes. I could only surmise that they were a type of sapient plant.

Some parts of the forest we didn't enter because of those plants. Some of them hunted the moose just like we did and wouldn't think twice about taking a bite out of an elf or me. I imagined the insects would also be an issue. All it would take was one carrying the seed of one of those more sapient plants to spread one to my field.

We made our way back to the village soon after that. I had a duel coming up.

…

A massive golden creature approached us on our way back to the village. Samael didn't draw her spear, and Elorael froze. I couldn't feel the creature's strength until it was only a few meters from us, and I knew what it was then. Standing easily 6m tall covered in bark-like living armor was an avatar of the forest god.

"Fleshling, you have taken too greedily from nature's bounty. Your designs for this world can not stand and will be crushed under the great roots. So bow your head and surrender or face my wrath and feed the growth."

I stared at the massive creature, and my mind raced. All the stories I've heard about them made the avatars out to be invincible. No spear could breach its armor, and all techniques were absorbed by its body. Attacking it with light was utterly useless, even if I could use those techniques. My sensing was still too low to grasp the techniques. My weapon on hand was a bow with steel arrowheads. Moving my qi around was a new development and one I hadn't adapted yet.

At the same time, I could outspeed Mekael, Samael, and Elorael with my weights on. I put the last god down from the inside, but I doubted I would need that for the other one. My only real problem with this fight was a lack of DPS (damage per second). In other words, I couldn't inflict any lasting damage on the monster with my current skill set. A punch might not do enough to matter, and I only learned enough about enchanting to raise the weight on my training equipment.

On the other hand, my inventory still had 999 trees sharpened on the ends to make them dig into the ground easier. With my strength increased to its current ludicrous amount, I made trees into practical throwing weapons while using my inventory as a near bottomless clip. It might have cost me 3000SP to increase my inventory size to make it usable, but that was all I needed. Then, of course, there was another option, one that the avatar couldn't predict.

First, I dropped my weights from my arms, and they crumbled hard against the ground. The relief from lightening the load on my arms left me in near ecstasy. My shoulders felt relieved, and the only thing better was the removal of my vest. A small crater expanded where my vest fell. I could feel my back pop, and all the tension within relaxed. After that, I took off my boot and finally my leg weights. With a single jump, it felt like I could fly away.

I abused my body's regeneration and higher strength and speed potential to their fullest the week after I fought Samael. I waited for the final challenge to issue, with the last challenge hanging over my head. Undoubtedly it would be a fight against the avatars and the forest god. My body was ready, and my spirit was willing to begin that fight. I couldn't imagine such a giant entity could catch me.

But the third challenge didn't appear. Instead, I moved and snapped the leg off the avatar's leg. Golden sap gushed from the wound before slowly stopping.

"You used a technique against me, the voice of your tribe's god." The avatar said.

"You're wrong," Samael said.

"Was it you or the other outsider who used a technique? Did my distraction cost me so much? Is your tribe rebelling against me?" The avatar demanded.

"Darling didn't use a technique," Elorael said.

"While island obliterating fist had been integrated into my normal punch. I only pulled your leg off. Let me show you that again." I said.

The avatar roared and thrust out its hand. Golden light suffused the limb, and if it connected, I would take a lot of damage. I had heard a lot about avatars and what they could do. Without the stories and legends from the battles against the skull tribe, I wouldn't know how to respond. But if I avoided the claws, I could touch the rest of the arm without damage. I pulled gently, and the avatar's giant arm came free.

"You're called an avatar, but that isn't true. You're more like a child of the forest god. While that doesn't sound like it is very different, it makes all the difference. You are a seed to the forest god, and trees make many seeds. So one dying won't make much of a difference." I said and gave a normal punch.

The avatar's head exploded like an overripe melon. A smile spread across my face. I had become scary quickly, and I was only going to get scarier. My body felt like it was still growing, and I hadn't even scraped against the ceiling yet. But, with a little more weight and time, I could reach the very heights of the world.

"Darling, what are we going to do about the body?" Elorael said.

Those words sent my ass crashing back down to earth. I tore the avatar apart and placed it in my inventory. Maybe they worked like sweet potato vines. Once I bury the ends of the limbs, new avatars might sprout up. We can farm these godlings endlessly and eat them to increase our cultivation with enough of them.

"We're going to plant it and see what happens," I said.

The main thing I had to worry about was the other avatars and the priestess. Neither of them would be a problem once the invasion began, but they were like the sword of Damocles until then. Winter was over, and spring was here; the wars would start again. This land wasn't safe, and all I could do was prepare and try not to bring that sword down on my neck. Clearing out 100 acres sounded like a lot, but it was on the outskirts of the forest god's territory.

While the forest god rested to adapt to the sea god's power, I had time, and once the war happened, none of this was my concern. So instead, I planned to wait until the forest god was defeated to fight.

7 months after duel.

My preparations hadn't been swift enough. Elves were poor riders, and moose were poorer mounts. Getting a few elven aspirant warriors to try and ride a moose wasn't hard. Breaking the moose into reliable mounts was more difficult. From what I could determine, they couldn't be trained to pull chariots either. A moose's value stopped at their meat and hide. I found a species of pigmy horses, but it would take decades of selective breeding to make one strong enough to bear a rider.

So, I scrapped the mounted elves' plan in favor of archers. Longbows weren't easy to master, but in only a month, most elves could put an arrow where they wanted it at 100yrds. Their keen eyes, qi enhanced bodies, and height gave them an incredible advantage in that regard. In addition, their longbows were made of a glowing yew that didn't mind losing a branch in exchange for a moose.

As it turned out, moose became something of a currency more than a mount. So my plan to herd and breed them wasn't such a bad idea after all.

I walked over to a limb poking out of the and uprooted it. Long silvery roots came up with the limb. It wouldn't be long before it formed a whole avatar by its growth. All it really needed to grow was water and sunlight.

My qi sense felt, tasted, and heard the sunlight stream into the limb, and by some complex process, qi was refined from it. The limb of the avatar did naturally what Zosimael attempted to teach me. No breathing technique was involved; instead, its disembodied will pulled the light into itself, almost like a single constant breath.

Challenge 4 Slay the Gods 3months

Forest God Slain: 10 Red Pills

Skull God Slain: 10 Blue Pills

Plains Pantheon Slain: 15 Green Pills

My fourth challenge was harder than any before it. I hadn't managed to kill a single god, and this one only gave me 3 more months to succeed. Well, it wasn't like I was weak. I had trained myself every day as much as my regeneration would allow. While I could use a little light and move like any warrior with a spear, those weren't my goals. While deadly, a mid-range light technique wouldn't allow me to kill the forest god. I couldn't store as much light as Samael, much less an avatar.

There was only one thing I could focus on to separate me from the others. Qi and qi control used in conjunction with my weights allowed me to increase the strength of my body dozens of times over. First, I made my weights as heavy as possible through runes, and with qi, my body surpassed human limits. Then I made a familiar bond with Lotus and started gathering mana. In short, I worked on the basics as much as possible in preparation for a terrible war.

My training arc had finally ended, and I was ready to fight. Not only were kaiju my opponents, but I had a whole pantheon to destroy. After eating some of their flesh, there was no telling what powers they would give me or how much stronger I would become. I had trees I could use as throwing knives, a dragon in my inventory, and a massive summoning circle in my back pocket.