Divine Arsenal 2: Dual Weapon Cultivation Read online

  “Fully alert now?” I asked, glancing at the wall of trees fringing the outer edge of the dojo. They were new growth, having been planted and pushed to their full development by cultivation. I’d destroyed this arena and rebuilt it so many times, all in the name of growing stronger.

  “Totally,” Anna growled, her voice demonic and full of lust. “Though I wish you’d woken me up this morning with a good, hard pounding—”

  “Enough of that,” I whispered, dropping into a battle stance. “We’ve got work to do.”

  “Yes, sir,” Anna replied. She knew that word got me all hot and bothered.

  As I swung the scythe, sending the steel whistling through the air, I reached for my cultivation. An array of spells lay open to me, most of which became even powerful when cast through my weapon rather than apart from it. I slashed through a tree with a flurry of rapid-fire strokes, then cast Blossom on the stump left over.

  Eric Casts Blossom!

  Vines covered the stump as it elongated, going through months’ worth of growth in moments. It was a miraculous sight—one that was short-lived, however, as I switched from a one-handed stance to a two-handed one.

  “Let’s combine our powers,” I commanded Anna. “Gust!”

  “Fuck yes!” My girlfriend roared in my head. “Gods, I love it when you put yourself inside me, stud!”

  Grinning, I reached for the magic and sent it out into the world:

  Eric Casts Gust!

  When cast by myself, Gust kicked up a miniature tornado of wind, pushing elemental force at my target. Amplified by Anna’s Wood-aspected scythe, the tornado became a hurricane wall of pure force. The three nearest trees to where I stood simply flew into the air, uprooted in a torrent that ripped from the topsoil. The others shook like tambourines, shocking even the cultivators who’d practiced with me into silence. The sparring stopped as my followers gathered to simply watch me.

  I was an elemental storm—a force of nature. I reached inside for a less familiar power, grabbing the element of Fire from within myself and shunting it through the weapon that was my girlfriend Anna.

  Eric Casts Ember!

  The words flashed in my vision as a wall of flame consumed the stumps of the remaining trees. The mass of plant matter burned like a pile of rags soaked in oil, much faster and with far more fury than was natural. In the sudden storm of light, I saw my followers’ eyes widen. Even after so much time around me, the extent of my cultivation shocked them.

  As the fire died down, I heard the sound of applause. Only one person would dare react to a showing like that in such a cheeky way. A grin tugged at the corners of my mouth as I turned around and did a little twirl with Anna, bowing at the newcomer.

  Lyra stood in the doorway, fringed by two of her barmaids.

  “Good morning, guild,” the redhead said warmly. “I hope you’ve been working up an appetite. I had some of the kitchen girls prepare you all a second breakfast, because I know how cultivation burns the calories…”

  It was astounding how quickly Lyra had become the den mother of my group. Despite being a cultivator in her own right, the owner of the Hungry Herb Tavern provided my group so much support—a place to practice, not least of all—that the rest of the group deferred to her more than they considered her one of their own. That was just fine as far as Lyra was concerned; she’d spent a career serving people and making them happy. The fact that she was the second woman to join my fledgling harem just amplified things.

  Around the dojo, cultivators broke from sparring to chow down. The good mood was only broken by Hazel, who spat on the ground when she heard what Lyra had to say.

  “They’re not a guild,” the former cultivator protested, shaking her long ponytail. “Guilds have traditions. You can’t just gather a group of cultivators together in the same tavern and declare yourself a guild. You have to follow the rules.”

  “Because following the rules have helped us so much thus far,” I shot back. Suddenly, a realization flared through my skull. “Wait, is that why you don’t want to join us, Hazel? Because it would be breaking the so-called rules?”

  Hazel’s face went as hard and cold as a statue’s—which told me I’d hit a bullseye. “It would be cheating,” she said, her hands balled into fists at her sides. “My cultivation was removed from me under the rules of the Guild. To undo that would be to thumb my nose at the natural order—”

  “Natural order!” I couldn’t help but laugh loud and long. “Hazel, you had your powers taken away by a walking pimple named Guildmaster Ji. A man who looks the other way when human beings are sold as slaves and oppresses the peasants he’s supposed to be protecting. If allowing what he did to you is following the rules, then there are no rules in this world I want to follow!”

  Anger flashed in Hazel’s face. Before she could retort, Lyra stepped in.

  “Let’s all calm down,” the redhead said, going full matronly mode in a heartbeat. “Eric is a good leader, Hazel—much better than Guildmaster Ji. He’s not only whipping cultivators into shape instead of beating them down, he’s treating them like people.”

  “Exactly,” I said.

  But then Lyra turned on me.

  “And you,” Lyra said, pointing a finger at my chest, “should realize that tradition does matter to some people. Just because you came from some other world, it doesn’t give you the right to tell people like Hazel how to live. I’ve seen you and Anna pressuring her!”

  Her words drew me up short. “Fine,” I said, letting Hazel’s anger wash off my back. “And for the record? I don’t really care whether this is a ‘Guild’, or a ‘group’, or a ‘concerned citizen’s organization.’ I’m just happy we’re getting more people to join us. Because the Hollow Frog Guild is out there, and they will move against us sooner or later.”

  The words sucked the atmosphere right out of the room. Everyone knew the Hollow Frog Guild was like a sword hanging over our heads. At our current power level, they could steamroll us easily if they chose. After what we did at the Silent Auction, Anna, Lyra, Hazel, and I ought to be public enemies number one through four. The fact that they hadn’t moved against us yet filled me with no end of worry.

  It was as if they were waiting for something. Or someone, I mentally amended, looking around the group.

  Lyra’s nature took over. The older redhead could no more allow the rest of us to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves than she could disrespect a guest in her establishment. With a mischievous smirk, she began unbuttoning her silk robe, allowing more and more of her ample breasts to press against the thin fabric.

  “Uh, Lyra?” I asked, unable to tear my eyes away from her womanly bounty. “What in the world are you doing?”

  “Getting myself ready for practice,” she said with a giggle. “I’m going to get all hot and sweaty in your arms, Eric—I don’t want to ruin my clothes…”

  As she tugged the robe from her buxom frame, the same kaleidoscope of lights that had covered Anna’s body rolled over Lyra’s. Although the crowd stared, they never got a glimpse of her nudity—her form had already begun to alter, going insubstantial as she jumped to me. By the time she reached me, the redhead had transformed into her weapon form—a long spear with a silver serpent wrapped around the hilt, ending in its open mouth caressing the blade.

  The snake spear. A weapon that carried the element of Water, just like Lyra herself.

  With both Anna and Lyra in my arms, I was as close to invincible as I could be. The rush of power ripped away my worries about Hazel, the Hollow Frog Guild and the rest.

  Suddenly, I felt like a mischievous trickster God, sent to this realm to create chaos wherever I went. Before I knew what I was doing, I grabbed for both Wood and Water—casting Gust through Anna’s scythe and Hydro Blast through Lyra.

  Eric Casts Gust!

  Eric Casts Hydro Blast!

  Doing it required me to draw both weapons at once—an action that on the battlefield would leave me open to attack, but in the dojo was mo
re than fine. The cultivators in the garden took one look at what I was about to do and booked it for the door, intent on watching from a safe distance. This was going to be one powerful spell!

  The Gust and the Hydro Blast mixed together to form an even more powerful blast—wind and water mingled like a fucking typhoon in front of my body. Anna and Lyra screamed orgasmically in my head as their power mingled, their ecstatic cries proving the power of my latest spell.

  The massive explosion of magic rippled across the garden, heading for the outer wall of the town. Oh shit, it’s going to tear right through! I thought, the shock dissolving in my glee. I’m going to destroy the whole thing—!

  The spell dissolved.

  In an instant, both Anna and Lyra fell from my arms. The scythe and the spear rippled in mid-air, returning to the forms of my women as they landed in the grass. Both of them looked surprised to find themselves returned to human form, and a little stunned from whatever had drained their spell so quickly. What in the world had that kind of power?

  As it turned out, it was a finger.

  A finger held in the spell’s path by a bored looking old man in long, flowing robes. A mustache drooped past his chins, the bright white of winter frost. His unlined forehead crinkled at the sight of me as he yawned, the act of dispelling so much magic mere child’s play to him.

  I shook off my stupor and bowed. Because the man standing by the outer wall of the town was no ordinary visitor. I wasn’t even sure if he could be called properly human.

  Eliezer, the Peak Supreme God, had returned.

  Chapter 2

  “Eric,” Eliezer said, looking around the half-destroyed garden with a sniff. “Playing at being a leader now, are you?”

  It had been some time since I’d seen the Peak Supreme God. I’d first encountered him at a carnival back on Earth, where Anna and I assumed he was just part of the ‘Ancient Asian Culture’ theme. But his show turned out to be anything but, and I discovered quickly the man had chosen me of all people to become his future successor. He’d given me the gift of cultivation, planting a Black Core inside of my body that vibrated with poorly concealed power.

  Of course, he’d killed me in order to do it, so it wasn’t just gratitude that I felt when I looked at him.

  Eliezer’s gaze gradually traveled past me, to the small group of cultivators crowded around the exit from the garden. Several of them carried now-forgotten treats in their hands.

  “You’ve been in this world for nearly a month, my pupil,” Eleizer said. “And yet this is the best you could do?”

  Something about his words set my teeth on edge. It was alright for Eliezer to needle me—he’d done it plenty of times, starting with the tent where he’d told me about walking the Eternal Dao. I knew his words of criticism were meant to build me up into something better. But the group surrounding me had never met the Peak Supreme God before, and they probably took his every remark at face value.

  “I’ve done a lot since we saw each other last, Eliezer,” I managed, putting my hands on my hips. “A hell of a lot, actually. There were slaves being sold at the Silent Auction—”

  “I have no need of slaves,” Eliezer said, pushing past me. He looked Anna and Lyra up and down, his gaze never wavering for a second at the fact that the latter wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing. “Two weapons,” he said, glancing at me over his shoulder. “One I gave you to start with! This is all you’ve created!?”

  He sounded like a displeased parent whose kid just brought home a report card full of F’s.

  “I was busy,” I said, realizing how plaintive it sounded.

  “Busy!” Eliezer snorted. “One month. Four weeks. Thirty days. All with the Black Core of Dual Weapon Cultivation inside of you. You realize most with your power would already have brought this world to its knees, yes, young man?”

  What did he mean by this world, exactly? Did he have others in store for me?

  “I’m working on it,” I told Eliezer, feeling my brows furrow together. “You didn’t exactly give me an explanation of my powers before sending me to this place. If I’d known conquering this world was my objective, I might have behaved differently from the start.”

  Eliezer put a hand against his forehead. “You have the Black Core,” the Peak Supreme God repeated, as if speaking to a child. “And you’ve created two weapons with it. Two! I’m beginning to think I chose wrongly when I gave you the opportunity to become my successor, Eric.”

  His tone chilled my blood. Eliezer had never really been my friend in the classical sense of the term, but neither had he ever become my enemy. To have one of the most powerful beings in the universe no longer in your corner but actively against you was a frightening proposition, indeed. If Eliezer could stop my strongest spell with a single finger, how much effort would he need to wipe me off the face of the earth?

  “You need to give me another chance,” I told the man, looking around the room. If Eliezer destroyed me, these people would be sitting ducks for the Hollow Frog Guild. “I didn’t realize what you wanted from me, Eliezer. Now that I understand my powers better, I can walk the Eternal Dao with a clear head and a strong heart!”

  I’d just thought that last bit up on the fly—it had the ring of poetry to it. I figured that kind of flowery speech was the key to Eliezer’s heart—and right on cue, I saw his expression soften.

  “Another chance…” the Peak Supreme God mused. He radiated light as he spoke, as if he stood inches away from the sun. I had no doubt he could destroy this building, this town, this province as easily as thinking about it. “Very well, young man. I have just the idea.”

  I relaxed. Relief flooded my veins at the news that my women and I were safe—for now.

  “Thank you,” I said, dropping into a deep bow. “I won’t fail you—”

  In the blink of an eye, Eliezer stood before me. “A test!” the old man cackled, putting a gnarled finger beneath my chin. “To prove you are truly the one who can walk the Eternal Dao to its end!”

  Well, then, bring it on, I thought, steeling myself. Surely Eliezer would want me to fight some kind of monster, or perhaps obtain a treasure hidden in a far-off fortress. Either sounded like the exact kind of adventure I needed.

  “What kind of test?” I asked, keeping my expression neutral.

  The Peak Supreme God rose to his full height, adjusting his robes. “I have come to visit you, young Eric, and I have not liked what I’ve seen,” he said, thrusting a robed arm toward the center of the garden. “Because of this, I will need to check up on you again soon, at a time of my choosing. When I re-emerge, I expect you to have made significant strides toward reaching the apex of cultivation in this world.”

  There he goes with that ‘this world’ thing again, I thought.

  “What do you mean by ‘significant strides’?” I asked. “That’s not exactly a measurable, scientific way of marking progress.”

  “They will be whatever strides I deem significant,” Eliezer said calmly. I got the distinct impression the Peak Supreme God enjoyed toying with me like this. “As long as you have fulfilled my requirements to my satisfaction, when I re-emerge, I shall grant you a boon. If you have not, however, made significant strides toward the objectives I have given you, I will simply destroy you and your women and everything you have created with a snap of the fingers.” Eliezer gave a self-satisfied smile. “I can do that, as I’m sure you know.”

  I did know—but hearing it put that way turned my blood to ice in my veins. Not only would failure mean death for myself, it would also mean the same fate for Anna and Lyra. My women would be destroyed on an atomic level if I didn’t take the reins and push myself up the cultivation ladder in a hurry. I had to make enough progress to please Eliezer, to keep the crazy old man who called himself the Peak Supreme God from utterly annihilating me.

  And if I did, he’d give me a boon. The kind of boon was almost besides the point. Survival was the real prize. Yet the possibilities tickled my brain. What would a
being as powerful as Eliezer consider a suitable reward for progressing down the Eternal Dao?

  “Now, I’m certain you wish to begin shaping up and flying right,” Eliezer said with a wave of the hand. “So I will leave you and your little group for now—”

  Someone stepped up to Eliezer. To my incredible surprise, it was Hazel.

  “You’re a bully,” the braided warrior said, meeting the impossibly powerful God’s eyes. “Eric is a good person, who won’t let himself be pushed around by anyone. Not even you.”

  To hear Hazel come to my defense was so strange it felt as if the sky and the ground had switched places. Hadn’t she just been reading me the riot act a few minutes ago? What a woman.

  For his part, Eliezer took all of this without comment. He looked sideways at Hazel, his brows furrowing as he appeared to stare directly through her, rather than at her. Surprise showed on his ancient face.

  “Why, you have been severed from your cultivation!” the old man pronounced. He glanced back at me, then at Hazel again, his aged features wrinkling in confusion. “Eric, were you aware of this?”

  “I’m not an idiot. Of course I know about it,” I shot back. “I watched it happen.”

  Eliezer jabbed Hazel in the chest, his finger impacting between her breasts. “Why do you not take Eric’s seed within you and regain your former power, you silly cow!? You hold not only yourself but Eric back by refusing his gifts!”

  I’d never seen Hazel turn that particular shade of red before. “That’s none of your business!” she yelled, her jaw trembling with rage.

  “You are completely wrong there, cow girl. My pupil’s growth is my only business. You risk his life and the lives of everyone he knows by refusing to grant him the power he’ll gain by turning you into a weapon!”