Skyfire Avenue

“Zeus, what is your current physical state?” Thor’s voice arose anew. Surprisingly, this time the mechanical voice sounded almost concerned.

“I’m fine. The decoction has already catalyzed my abilities. For the time being I’ll have no trouble supporting the power. I’m using it to enhance the potency of my Ascension. For as long as the decoction’s effects remain, there wont be any problems.”

“What about when it’s spent?”

Zeus was silent for a moment.

“I don’t know.”

Honestly, he didn’t know. When he imbibed the decoction he only knew that it would empower his abilities, and the risks that might entail. He feared that, had he not immediately resorted to his Ascension and the power it required, he’d have succumbed to destruction already. But what was to come, he couldn’t say. He only knew the power that was coursing through him in this moment.

“Zeus. I believe I’ve found it. Coordinates.“

A flickering thread of information wormed through his mind. It was somewhere in the sea.

It was unfortunate Hua Li wasn’t here. The thought fought it’s way through the flooding power. The sea, it was Poseidon’s home court. Any watery area promoted his abilities to their strongest levels.

None of the former ‘Poseidons’ were ever Paragons. But on the oceans, cultivated to their higher levels, they were more frightening than many of the lower ranked masters.

Zeus turned midflight, and blazed through the sky to where Thor was headed.

ζ

The blimp-like ship was milky white, and small. It only had room enough to accommodate ten passengers. Next to a battleship it was hardly worth noticing. Next to Zeus-1 no one would pay it any mind at all. It’s only advantage was speed, and that’s what give it it’s nickname; the Cosmic Hummingbird. It’s speed was without equal, and it could reach light speed in no time at all.

Unfortunately distance was not among it’s defining traits. It’s energy reserves were limited.

Zhou Qianlin sat behind the controls of the Cosmis Hummingbird, her hands running over the buttons and levers. The ship was slowly gaining velocity and then, in a flash, was reduced to a beam of light boring in to the darkness of space.

ζ

Skyfire Avenue, Reaper’s Arena.

A hexagonal area spread out in all directions. The ground had been etched with golden lines which splayed in fantastical designs. The central areas of the golden veins were inlaid with countless shimmering gems.

Two figures occupied the central area of the special arena. The first was the Wine Master. He looked as well kept as ever, with his hair combed and wearing gentlemanly suit. Across from his was another man, tall and thin, and quite handsome. He looked to be in his twenties, with long black hair that fell to his shoulders. His expression bore a calm detachment. Unlike his elderly counterpart, he was garbed in a clean doctor’s coat, his hands stuffed in the pockets.

“Wine Master, is it absolutely essential I go? I’ve got quite a lot to do. I’ve got an appointment with the Beautician, and then tomorrow I’ve got to see the Barber about a haircut. The Gourmet said something about a choice bit of mutton as well, a stew we’re to share tomorrow. Just let me off the hook here, it’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed the Gourmet’s fare. Ah, and I have to see the Mechanic about a job for him.”

“Shut up! You’re as despicable as the Accountant!” 1 The Wine Master’s growling voice cut through the Doctor’s complaints.

“’Cuz I don’t wanna go,” the Doctor whined helplessly. “Ever since that guy’s shown up I’ve been getting markedly less attention from our female shop owners as well. Who’d agree to helping such stiff competition!”

The Wine Master’s response was soft and measured. “Doctor, are you aware of the consequences if you keep disturbing me during this transfer?”

“No idea,” the young man said flippantly. “Hey, can you really move this whole planet through space? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Oh it is dangerous.” The Wine Master glared daggers at the man. “Originally there’s about a ninety percent chance it’s fine, though if you keep causing problems we’re looking at fifty percent. I’ll be able to send, oh, about a corner of the planet to where we need to go. As for you, you’ll be sliced to ribbons by interdimensional space, like the result of a hundred thousand swipes of the scalpel. I’m fairly sure your pretty ladies wouldn’t want anything to do with you after that, don’t you?”

“I’m sure!” The Doctor had suddenly decided to be serious. His lazy demeanor had grown sharp and calm. He wasted no more time with pointless drivel.

The Wine Master nodded with a grunt. He motioned in the air with a finger, and almost immediately the world around them began to warp. The countless energy crystals inlaid in the lines at their feet flared to life.

With the money they were spending on this guy, he was sure to come along despite his protests.

ζ

The large oceans of Taihua should have been a sky blue, but the presence of unwanted pollutants had changed it. An enormous vortex swirled within, red as blood and a thousand kilometers across. A pale purple beam launched out from within, hanging in the air for just a moment before vanishing. Were one able to see within the depths of the see, they’d discovered nearly all the sea life devoured by the vicious whirlpool.

In a soundless golden flash Zeus appeared ten thousand meters above it. “Here it is,” he exclaimed. The god-like Adept shut his eyes, focusing on the pulses of energy radiating from the vortex.

In fact the radiating energies were not overtly powerful. Instead there was the sense of... extinction. He could sense countless cells constituting the vortex, each of which were devouring the world around it at an alarming rate. They grew to maturity, were expelled, and spat out over great distances.

It was the hideous monsters’ nest!

Right now it didn’t matter how the nest got here. The primary objective was it’s destruction. It was the only way to stop the endless march of the beasts. If not, the vortex would just continue devouring all life in the oceans, churning out monsters until the entire place was overrun.

But what the hell was it? There were scores of strange things in the universe, but the thing Zeus hovered over known was a complete unknown. He’d neither seen nor heard anything like it before.

Zeus’ eyes flashed, and with a motion of his finger the godly aura around him diffused outward. Once again the skies grew dark and thick with clouds. It was an easy thing to produce clouds over the ocean, with the air so full of moisture.

Flashes of lightning lit the sky. Thunder rolled. And the air was full of an intense electric charge. Gradually it grew dark as pitch, to where only those brief and violent bursts of golden lightning lit the world.

Zeus floated in their midst, his eyes closed. He quietly drank it all in, feeling and knowing everything that occurred around him. He was calm, his mind empty.

Zeus’ Ascension granted him control over the laws of nature. Of course, such ultimate power was temporary. But now, he was as the Paragons. The power he wielded, under the influence of the Fantascia Genetica, was absolute.

But was this indeed bending the rules of nature? Every terrible arc of golden lightning seemed like it was born of his own powers, not a product of the world around him. Every dark cloud was like a part of him.

No wonder it was said that mechas weren’t an important aspect of a Paragon’s life. There were no mechas available with today’s technology that could match their sheer destructive ability.

For a moment it seemed even the vortex had become aware of the mountain pressure in the world around it. The seas rolled and heaved. Flashes of red and purple fluttered in it’s depths, and a roar rose from within like a challenge.

In truth those roiling waters, that tumultuous sea, almost looked like a massive face. It was a face not unlike the behemoth Lan Jue had destroyed in his first moments after drinking the decoction.

Zeus pressed his right hand down towards the water.

Boom...!

A thick, twisting bolt of golden lightning flashed down from on high. It pierced deep in to the belly of the vortex. The heart of the whirlpool glowed gold, and then spat a pillar of water thousands of meters in to the air. Great spurts of violet fluid hung in the sky before being swept away by the wind.

Steam hung low over the water, and the surface roiled as though it were boiling, or quivering with rage. Geysers fired high towards the heavy clouds as that familiar magenta mist began to congeal over the waves.

Zeus lifted his arms high. The clouds brightened overhead in response like heaven was opening at his command. The entire horizon glowed bright gold. Slowly at first, but quicker with time, scores of shimmering lightning orbs fell to earth like roiling golden stars. They struck that towering sprout of living water again and again, a bombardment of heavenly artillery.

Boom, bang, crack, boom! Blast after deafening blast gave sonance to the devastating attacks as they exploded over the ocean. The tornado couldn’t stand the assault for long, and dissipated in to nothing.

Once more Zeus lifted his right hand high over head. In a flash, a crackling spear of writhing lightning appeared where there was nothing. It burned with a golden fire that swirled behind it as it crashed down in to the raging seas. It didn’t stop until it pierced the hidden heart of the vortex.

The crashing waves grew still, as though time had stopped. The surface of the water for a great distance around him shined with light.

Boooommmmm! A thousand meter tall spray of water reached out like the final desperate grasp of a dying man. A tsunami was birthed where the bolt had struck and rippled out in all directions. A golden halo hung over the scene.

“Aaaaagghooooo!” A great and piteous howl was heard, the scream of some enraged creature. From the depths of the ocean arose bubbles of purple fluid that broke the surface and burst, sending spouts of that caustic liquid spewing high in to the air. With them appeared the body of a titanic beast.

1. I love this guy.