Transcendence?

***Norfolk, Northern Ocean***

***Celestial***

“This is so boring. Can't we speed this up?” I watch the enemy fleet while it's bombarded with everything we have. Yet their barriers are surprisingly strong and withstand our continued attacks. Even Jazira went out of steam after frying a few ships.

The problem is that the enemies tightened their formation to a point where they are able to create overlapping barriers. This resulted in a very strong protection. They are like a tank which is moving forward despite the continuous barrage.

“It can't be helped. We have just one hundred and three remaining ships and most of them are damaged. The safest way to wear the sea fleet down is holding them under constant pressure.” Ascathon smirks.

“My fleet will do short work of them once it arrives.” Jazira comments with a happy voice.

I turn my gaze towards Lidith. “What do we have a god for? Wave your almighty hand and it's done. What are you still doing here anyway? Shouldn't you play your stupid tabletop game with the others?”

Lidith tilts her head while watching me. “You are still under the misconception that there is any kind of cooperation between us gods. All of us are working for our own goals. We are just playing the 'stupid game' as you call it to settle our dispute in a manner that doesn't destroy this world. Well. Safe for Charon. He is a crazy bastard. But in that case Wynne and me would suppress him.”

Lidith waves her hand to signal that she isn't pleased either. “I spoke to them and we agreed to lay low for the time being. Nobody is allowed to take an action until Aneth is back.”

“Hasn't he lost the game by dying? How long does it take for a god to reincarnate anyway.” Ascathon asks.

“Not really. We never expected that one of us would die, so there are no rules for it. I also told the others that I wouldn't hold still if they messed with you. I guess they aren't interested in trying something anyway. It was very impressive that you managed to deal with Aneth like that.” Lidith glares at my longsword. “I guess gods aren't safe any more. To think that a weapon like that can easily cut down a god.”

Ascathon nods. “From your description I guessed that a god is nothing but an Immortal who somehow got access to unbelievable amounts of mana. If you have limitless access to mana you may seem like a god, but you aren't the real metaphorical being. So I devised a weapon which is able to attack that mana pool. Though I have to admit that I still don't fully understand the creation process of mana crystals. I can create them, but I don't know how they come to be.”

I interrupt them. “That's not important at the moment. When will Aneth reincarnate? That's important to know.”

Lidith shrugs her shoulders. “I don't have much experience with the death of gods. But from what I heard from gods in other worlds it's faster than the reincarnation of a simple Immortal. Maybe immediately? Maybe a few years? It's hard to tell without an example. Gods don't die often you know? And the ones who do are too embarrassed to talk about it. We generally try to stay away from each other. I am much more concerned with the strange awakening process of you guys. Normally gods awaken all of their powers at once. In contrast to that you seem to get stronger step by step.”

This is frustrating. So it basically means that the idiot god will show up unexpected and try to kill us because we injured his pride. I snort and swing a fist down at the enemy fleet to vent my anger. While I put all my feelings into it, a powerful surge of mana bursts out of my hand and impacts the sea.

An enormous fist shaped indentation appears in the sea. The ships in the centre are flattened outright. Then all the water sloshes together over the depression and a tsunami starts to travel away from the centre of my attack in a circle.

I raise my hand in wonder at what I just did. I trained so long and never got the desired result. Why!? Did I do something else? Or was it... ? Hmmm. Maybe emotions are the key? I jump onto the railing and summon all the feelings I can muster. Then I strike out again and again. Each time more powerful than before.

“~HAHAHAHAHA!~”

Feelings are the key! Maybe it's just about the state of mind. That's the explanation. I stop and watch the roughed up sea under us and the dispersing fleet. They gave up on their formation and are fleeing in all directions.

“What the... How did you do that!?” Ascathon is the first to speak after several seconds.

I wriggle while standing on the railing. “You want to know? Maybe I'll let you in on my little insight if you do something nice to me.”

“That's unfair! I want to know too!” Jazira pulls at my trousers.

I bend down and whisper the answer into her ear. She blinks and steps to the left and points a finger down at the enemy. One of her death rays shoots out and she starts to wave it around, picking off enemy ships like a child who is squashing ants.

“Her too!?” Ascathon gapes at Jazira. He turns his attention back to me. “Tell me!”

“First I want to be carried in a princess carry. Then you have to tell me that you love me. And then you carry me off to our private quarters and do ~this and that~.” I imagine a romantic night with lots of attention from him.

“Tell me or I'll do something completely unromantic to you!” He threatens me.

“Hah!? I am the one who has the upper hand! You can't just...” He pulls a whip out of his pocket and I shut up.

“You know? Lately I thought that we may...” He doesn't get to talk any further because I snatch the whip from his hands and throw it overboard.

“Confiscated!”

“It's connected to emotions! If you feel strongly enough about something you can break the barrier to that huge mana pool and poof!” I spread my arms.

He stares at me for several seconds. “That explanation wasn't very scientific. But it'll suffice.” Ascathon picks the small mana crystal from his chest plate and concentrates on it. It starts to shine in a cool blue light.

Lidith shakes her head. “You guys break one expectation after the other. It's totally unreasonable!”

“Ah, you finally found a sufficient mana supply, master.” A soft female voice comes from Ascathon.

“What was that?” I look up and down on him while searching for the source of the voice.

“I am Warden. Master created me from a part of his soul.” The voice speaks again. This time I realize that it comes from the crystal in Ascathon's hand.

“He created yet another strange thing.” Jazira looks with interest at the crystal.

“I am not a strange thing. I am Warden. The perfect companion. Lifesaver and soothing to the mind.” The crystal answers.

“Why is the voice female?” I growl as I look at the crystal.

“Why should I be male? It would be much more awkward if Master had to deal with a guy. Besides otherwise there couldn't be a deeper relationship than friendship.” The crystal glows up.

I snatch the thing from his hand.

“Hey!”

“That's confiscated!”

“It saved my life. Whatever it is.”

“You don't even know what it is!? Do you create your inventions in some kind of delirium!?”

“Sometimes. No! I meant that this one was an accident! I have to find out what led to its creation.”

“Do that in a safe environment! Preferably behind several layers of barrier spells. You created something strange.”

He keeps looking at the crystal with eyes full of yearning, so I pull at my collar and drop the crystal into my cleavage. “~You'll get it back after I've had a serious word with it.~”

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