In lieu of answering, Shioon cycles ki through his body at a rapid pace. Rather than simple ki flow reversal, Black Origin Threshold in the new stage of Black Heaven and Earth involves creating a vortex of power around the ki center close to his heart. As the flows gain speed, the ki center begins to brighten until Shioon's chest glows with light. A short moment later, his body is wreathed with gold and black ki.
"I see," Igong smiles slightly as he waves his hand, the Fields of Seocheon disappearing from view. Shioon moves forward with a single soft step, then promptly disappears from sight. Brandishing his cane like a sword, Igong spins and deflects the oncoming punch to the side as a blast of ki is released. The explosive force pushes him slightly off balance, enough for Shioon to capitalize on it with a roundhouse kick. Igong attempts to block the blow before throwing himself to the side as a blade of ki hidden in the shadow of the attack nearly takes off his head. He isn't quite fast enough though and takes a small cut to his right arm.
Rolling across the ground, Igong rises and summons a storm of flower petals that obscure him from sight, but Shioon charges forward while filling his lungs with ki and releases Cry of the Phoenix. A concussive wave of sound and fury emanates from his mouth reducing everything in a thirty meter radius into dust; Shioon's new ki purity enhancing his attack far beyond its former levels. The petals are blown away revealing a stunned god, blood trickling from his ears.
Shioon spins eight threads of pure ki and channels them through his right arm, creating fierce winds around his fist and punches forward. Gale Wind Destruction Strike connects with Igong's lower abdomen, the explosive spiral of ki funneled into a concentrated blow that rupture's Igong's internal organs and explodes out his back. The god coughs out blood as his body is launched tumbling backwards.
Shioon leaps into the air to resume his attack, but is intercepted by a white stag. He doesn't even see it approach, the animal seemingly able to charge through the air. Only his enhanced reflexes allowing him to react and catch the stag by the horns. Even then its propulsion ability are vastly superior to his and it brings Shioon crashing down, his feet carving deep furrows into the ground until he is finally able to halt the beast. Before he can strike back at the stag though it once again disappears from his view.
Turning to face Igong, he finds the god completely healed holding a black lotus with dozens of petals that have nearly completely opened. Feeling the build up of a horrendous amount of chaotic energy in the flower, Shioon recognizes he likely does not have enough time to close the distance. Imagining the shield that resonates within his soul, he calls out to his Authority and rushes through its incantation.
"I am the unbreakable, the font of life, the shield of civilization. My world made manifest, my ambitions made real. Akhilleus Kosmos."
The image of the shield spins within Shioon's soul and manifests as a nine layered barrier in front of him, composed of interlocking concentric circles of bronze and azure. Akhilleus Kosmos activates not a moment too soon as the black lotus completely opens. From its center a swirling bulb of power emerges that condenses before exploding in a monolithic beam of light and power. Shioon shields his eyes as the blast washes over his barrier. Even as powerful as his defense is he can feel the heat and pure power behind the attack as it annihilates all in its path.
Once the dust settles and his vision clears, Shioon drops to his knees as Akhilleus Kosmos dissipates. He shivers, as pain wracks his body. Though his ascension to Campione gave him many benefits, his general command and ability to use his Authorities was rather weak. Just that one usage was incredibly draining. Scanning the area around him, he tenses as he does not see Igong within his field of vision. Straining his senses, he pushes ki into his ankles and uses Tweh to try and retreat as he hears the sound of displaced air.
He isn't fast enough, as Igong's stag rams into him and gouges large holes into his chest before launching him away. Shioon reinforces the ki around his fingertips and digs into the ground to arrest his momentum. The moment he stops however, a field of red flowers grows right beneath him. Unable to use Akhilleus Kosmos so soon after its last use, Shioon desperately pushes ki into a shell around his body, a derivative of the Full Body Barrier technique, bracing himself for the oncoming attack.
The red flowers glow with scarlet light and explode in a towering inferno that eats away at the shield. Shioon attempts to push more ki into it, but against a divine attack manifested from the Fields of Seocheon it is a futile endeavor. Full Body Barrier cracks then breaks completely, shattering into motes of light. The fires then engulf Shioon and he screams as his entire body burns, eating away at his skin and flesh as quickly as it regenerates. Black Origin Threshold is able to dull pain, but it seems this attack is more than just physical. It is burning at his soul.
Shioon writhes on the ground as the flames finally dissipate from his body. A part of his consciousness recognizes that Igong is slowly walking towards him. In a colossal effort of will, he forces himself to rise and sink into a basic stance. His breathing is labored, unable to see with his eyelids fused shut, though luckily his other senses are able to fill in somewhat. He takes three rotating steps backwards as Igong draws closer.
"I am amazed at your resilience and tenacity Campione," the god speaks softly and gently. "I will end your pain and usher you into death. There is nothing to fear." Unable to speak with burnt vocal chords that have not fully regenerated, Shioon merely shakes his head.
"You can barely stand! Die in peace, Campione," Igong then moves to within a meter of Shioon. Rather than enter the 12 Red Heavens Path, Shioon condenses all the ki in his body around his ki center which grows chaotic under the pressure. Funneling this unstable power through the 12 Paths of Heaven and Earth, he unleashes Chaotic Heaven's Destruction Strike at a level unrivalled by any practitioner of Black Heaven and Earth.
Igong notices the build up of power and jumps backwards to pull away, but the distance is too short. Shioon leaps forward, form blurring as air distorts and punches Igong in the solar plexus. A hole is blasted straight through the god's body in a shower of blood and viscera before destroying everything in a cone behind him for nearly a kilometer. As Igong's frame flies through the air, Shioon gathers the last of his energy and rasps out an incantation.
"Traverse the skies, spear of the heavens! Renderer of hearts! Penetrator of skulls! Killer of heroes, no obstacles lie before you! Diatrekhon Aster Lonkhe."
A spear as black as the void materializes in Shioon's hands and begins to glow with an ominous red light. Drawing his arm back, he takes a few running steps before releasing the weapon. The moment it exits his hands, it turns into a streak of crimson energy so bright it bathes the skies the color of blood. In the blink of an eye it pierces through Igong's heart and destroys the organ before the god's body can even hit the ground.
Falling to his knees, Shioon is utterly spent. Taking a few deep rasping breathes, he forces himself to rise and approach the fallen god. Ripping off the blackened skin around his eyelids, he gives his body a moment to regenerate them before opening his eyes. Igong's body is slowly dispersing into hundreds of small golden lights.
"Well fought Campione. I did not expect you to be the victor," the Guardian of the Fields of Seocheon smiles painfully.
"It was close in the end," Shioon replies. "Do you wish for me to tell the other Elders anything?"
Igong's lapses into silence for a moment as more of his body dissipates. "Tell Seoyun that she should be more true to herself. Her kindness is not a weakness. The rest of the Elders I have nothing to say to," Shioon nods in acknowledgment.
"I have both a warning and a gift for you Campione. Knowledge is a burden but this is something you must bear. My gift is this, I have come to these mountains in search of the Sun Moon pill. It is well hidden but should be within a hundred kilometers of here. Though I call it a pill, it may be better to call it a core of divine essence. Hwanin used his divine energies to refine it over many millennia and left it behind when he returned to the astral planes. It should serve you well," Igong's has nearly completely disappeared at this point and struggles to remain whole enough to utter his last words. "My warning is this. Something stirs. I know not the true cause or its origin, but something dangerous enough to threaten even the Domain of Immortality is rising. Prepare yourself…"
39 + 22 = 61 v 53 +18 = 71 Minor Damage Taken
77 + 22 = 99 v 47 + 18 = 65 Major Damage Dealt
74 + 22 = 96 v 66 + 30 = 96 No damage
16 + 22 v 80 + 30 Negated (Akhilleus Kosmos)
30 + 22 = 52 v 63 + 30 = 93 Catastrophic Damage Taken
90 + 22 = 112 v 49 + 18 = 67 Catastrophic Damage Dealt
46 + 22 = 68 v 16 + 30 = 46 Kill Shot (Diatrekhon Aster Lonkhe)
Authority Gained: The Fields of Seocheon - The mythical realm of flowers that servers as a border between the mortal realm and the afterlife. It contains the souls of all of humanity within its flowers. Certain mythical flowers exist however and can be used as part of the Authority. + 5 Divinity, + 3 Wisdom, + 1 War
Flowers of Reincarnation - Can bring the dead back to life. They can even revive Shioon but another party will have to use them to bring him back from the dead. Can manifest them approximately once a month.
Black Lotus of Destruction - A black lotus composed of a dozen petals, once it fully opens it unleashes energies from the dawn of creation in a blast of light and power that annihilates all in its path. This is an army killer. Can be used once a day but is very draining.
Scarlet Flame Mugunghwa - A hibiscus flower that gathers scarlet energy and ignites in flames. Can be used relatively freely, but is also draining.
Flowers of the Mind - A set of flowers. Can induce uncontrollable weeping, laughter or force enemies to fight one another. Not very effective versus Campiones or Heretical Gods.
Golden Flower of Affluence (passive) - Steadily increases Shioon's wealth through a combination of luck and random encounters.
Flower of Clarity (passive) - Makes it difficult to influence Shioon mentally.
Oh man that was interesting to write. Igong nearly killed you. As an explanation his full recovery after the Gale Wind Destruction Strike was because he consumed some of the flowers of reincarnation specifically the bone, blood and flesh ones. Any of the rolls you see where he rolled a 30 was his divinity stat coming into play either as part of his spell casting or his resistance. You'll have some time to do stuff before Luo Hao comes knocking including possibly seeking out the Sun Moon pill.
Very Nice! That Authority is great, just the reincarnation aspect is powerful enough that this fight was worth it, but all the other powers as well? Oh that is one hell of a pay off.
That said? Ouch. We REALLY need to practice with our authorities more if a single use of our shield is all we can do. Assuming we have multiple actions for the next few weeks? Find that damn Sun Moon Pill and eat it ASAP as well as practicing with our authorities new and old. I don't even care if we pick up a actual spear style or not, but we have to get used to using our divine powers as quickly as we can.
Authority Gained: The Fields of Seocheon - The mythical realm of flowers that servers as a border between the mortal realm and the afterlife. It contains the souls of all of humanity within its flowers. Certain mythical flowers exist however and can be used as part of the Authority. + 5 Divinity, + 3 Wisdom, + 1 War
Flowers of Reincarnation - Can bring the dead back to life. They can even revive Shioon but another party will have to use them to bring him back from the dead. Can manifest them approximately once a month.
A reincarnation Authority is always useful to have. That we need someone else to use it to revive Shioon is a bit annoying, but he can give it to one of the girls to manage. Could be useful in case Luo Hao kills us.
Black Lotus of Destruction - A black lotus composed of a dozen petals, once it fully opens it unleashes energies from the dawn of creation in a blast of light and power that annihilates all in its path. This is an army killer. Can be used once a day but is very draining.
Well, nice to have an army killer, even if it's draining as hell. We need to get our Divinity up more so we're able to use this kind of stuff without it draining Shioon a lot.
Scarlet Flame Mugunghwa - A hibiscus flower that gathers scarlet energy and ignites in flames. Can be used relatively freely, but is also draining.
Nice, an attack method. Not something we can use constantly, but still useful to have something other than our fists and a spear.
Flowers of the Mind - A set of flowers. Can induce uncontrollable weeping, laughter or force enemies to fight one another. Not very effective versus Campiones or Heretical Gods.
That's very good to have. Mental influence is a real bitch to deal with, and no doubt there are gods out there that have mental influence that is actually effective against Campione and other gods.
Now we need to find that Sun Moon pill - sounds like it'd boost our Divinity stat by a good deal.
Very Nice! That Authority is great, just the reincarnation aspect is powerful enough that this fight was worth it, but all the other powers as well? Oh that is one hell of a pay off.
That said? Ouch. We REALLY need to practice with our authorities more if a single use of our shield is all we can do. Assuming we have multiple actions for the next few weeks? Find that damn Sun Moon Pill and eat it ASAP as well as practicing with our authorities new and old. I don't even care if we pick up a actual spear style or not, but we have to get used to using our divine powers as quickly as we can.
Definitely need to get spear training to have Authority class attacks without exhaustion . We nearly got a new asshole and this guy was relatively weak
Need to train with our Authorities more in general along with finding that pill to no doubt raise our divinity even more.
@Emperor Toast since we can summon the flower field does that mean we can interact with the spirits of all the dead (I always figured that all souls go have a version of themselves go to all afterlifes in this verse) so we can talk to people that died with secrets we can use, knowledge we can learn like fighting styles/magic, let our followers talk to their ancestors so they can learn from them in general, etc?
Oh, and just had what should be an obvious thought - we can have our Oracle help us find the Sun Moon pill with her divination. We know what we're looking for, roughly speaking, and we know an area where it's in.
Definitely need to get spear training to have Authority class attacks without exhaustion . We nearly got a new asshole and this guy was relatively weak
Spear training isn't strictly related to how exhausting the Authority is - Shioon's Divinity stat for this fight was a mere 4. I'm under the impression that most Campione start quite a bit higher than that.
Also, Igong wasn't really that weak. His Divinity stat was 30 and his War stat was 18. Remember that in Campione a Heretic God's strength is at least partially determined by its strength of will, rather than it's relative power in a mythological pantheon.
Oh, and just had what should be an obvious thought - we can have our Oracle help us find the Sun Moon pill with her divination. We know what we're looking for, roughly speaking, and we know an area where it's in.
Well atleast this is the worst we are ever going to be with our Authorities. This is literally the first time we've even summoned them I think so it as well as we could reasonably expect. Thank god our Divinity just jumped by 5 though because that is going to help alot.
Also...I have no idea what the Sun Moon Pill is, but considering: A-that a god was looking for it, B-We already know how bullshit Spirit Medicine is, and C-Hwanin himself made it over several millenia, it's going to be something totally amazing that we CAN NOT let slip through our fingers.
Edit: @Massgamer@Enjou I would like to point out that a legit god was tracking the medicine down and even he could only narrow it down to a hundred kilometers of mountains. Finding it is highly unlike to be as easy as asking our Oracle to find it.
Need to train with our Authorities more in general along with finding that pill to no doubt raise our divinity even more.
@Emperor Toast since we can summon the flower field does that mean we can interact with the spirits of all the dead (I always figured that all souls go have a version of themselves go to all afterlifes in this verse) so we can talk to people that died with secrets we can use, knowledge we can learn like fighting styles/magic, let our followers talk to their ancestors so they can learn from them in general, etc?
You're not really manifesting the whole field so much as particular flowers within it. It doesn't allow you to speak to the dead. You can however decide to revive people from the dead. Nothing binds them to you other than gratefulness.
In order to preserve yourself from "game overs" so to speak you would likely want your first set of flowers to be held in reserve in case you are killed. The subsequent months set of flowers however you could use to revive someone like Kwon Jae Kyu. You could also aim for reach goals, after all you luckily managed to acquire a powerful Oracle. She could perhaps help you divine the location of a deceased legendary hero. Let's say Cu Chulainn.
Again there's nothing binding here, but you can do a LOT with it.
You're not really manifesting the whole field so much as particular flowers within it. It doesn't allow you to speak to the dead. You can however decide to revive people from the dead. Nothing binds them to you other than gratefulness.
In order to preserve yourself from "game overs" so to speak you would likely want your first set of flowers to be held in reserve in case you are killed. The subsequent months set of flowers however you could use to revive someone like Kwon Jae Kyu. You could also aim for reach goals, after all you luckily managed to acquire a powerful Oracle. She could perhaps help you divine the location of a deceased legendary hero. Let's say Cu Chulainn.
Again there's nothing binding here, but you can do a LOT with it.
You're not really manifesting the whole field so much as particular flowers within it. It doesn't allow you to speak to the dead. You can however decide to revive people from the dead. Nothing binds them to you other than gratefulness.
In order to preserve yourself from "game overs" so to speak you would likely want your first set of flowers to be held in reserve in case you are killed. The subsequent months set of flowers however you could use to revive someone like Kwon Jae Kyu. You could also aim for reach goals, after all you luckily managed to acquire a powerful Oracle. She could perhaps help you divine the location of a deceased legendary hero. Let's say Cu Chulainn.
Again there's nothing binding here, but you can do a LOT with it.
I should point out that, in this world, all legendary heroes are gods, unless based around historical figures, and even then, they probably got combined with a god.
Edit: @Massgamer@Enjou I would like to point out that a legit god was tracking the medicine down and even he could only narrow it down to a hundred kilometers of mountains. Finding it is highly unlike to be as easy as asking our Oracle to find it.
I should point out that, in this world, all legendary heroes are gods, unless based around historical figures, and even then, they probably got combined with a god.
I'm treating it a bit like Fate. There's the heroic servant variant (in this case gods) which incorporates their legends to take their strengths to the extreme but there's also the human historical versions.
I'm treating it a bit like Fate. There's the heroic servant variant (in this case gods) which incorporates their legends to take their strengths to the extreme but there's also the human historical versions.
Well kinda yeah. There are some though that are straight up mythological though. Like King Arther. He was made up by Guinevere to help revive the King of The End, but then she died, and when she finally respawned a whole new god was born from the fake myth she created.
So generally it's the more like 'if X amount of people strongly believe in Y' then a god is born. They don't have to actually exist because people thinking they do makes it so.
You're not really manifesting the whole field so much as particular flowers within it. It doesn't allow you to speak to the dead. You can however decide to revive people from the dead. Nothing binds them to you other than gratefulness.
In order to preserve yourself from "game overs" so to speak you would likely want your first set of flowers to be held in reserve in case you are killed. The subsequent months set of flowers however you could use to revive someone like Kwon Jae Kyu. You could also aim for reach goals, after all you luckily managed to acquire a powerful Oracle. She could perhaps help you divine the location of a deceased legendary hero. Let's say Cu Chulainn.
Again there's nothing binding here, but you can do a LOT with it.
Spear training isn't strictly related to how exhausting the Authority is - Shioon's Divinity stat for this fight was a mere 4. I'm under the impression that most Campione start quite a bit higher than that.
The difference is we were mainly using raw ki and unarmed strikes, which took a lot of power to be effective, while the spear could only be used in its most costly mode.
Spear training means we can strike with ki boosted divine weapons in basic mode and weaken them with unhealable damage.
Overall it means we got a greater diversity of options than big draining desperation moves.
Think trying to stab someone with ki edged palms versus ki edged spear.
