Challenging a Paragon

Challenging a Paragon

This was especially true of the Laws of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. If he could reach Paragon, it would likely benefit his plans later on. The Four Divine Beasts' target was probably one of the Chief Sovereigns of these four elements.

But if he wanted to advance further, fighting a Paragon would be the best way to help him understand the Mysteries.

The only Paragon of the Wind Element in the world was Teresia, the Wind Low-Sovereign. Bayer had only just earned the title of Wind-Blood Fiend, and was still a long way from reaching Paragon.

Besides, compared with Palhouse, who could travel throughout the Material Plane, Teresia was easier to find. As a Chief God, he could only stay in a Divine Plane or his home Material Plane.

"Lincoln, what brings you to the Wind Divine Plane?"

Lincoln's Divine Sense spread across the entire Wind Divine Plane as he searched for Teresia. Naturally, the other Chief Gods noticed it too. After all, he couldn't use Fused Sovereign Power, so he couldn't act like someone with special privileges.

The one who asked was Diya.

"Lord Diya, I'd like to spar with Teresia, and I hope the others will bear witness. I want to experience the realm of a Wind Paragon," Lincoln explained earnestly.

Teresia was a Low-Sovereign, but as a Paragon, he was strong enough to match Lincoln, an "ordinary Intermediate Sovereign." Lincoln also had a Sovereign Artifact Body, though, so his actual strength was greater. There was no good reason for them to fight to the death.

If Lincoln and Teresia fought in private, Lincoln might be suspected of plotting to kill a Chief God and coveting his Sovereign Spark. And since Lincoln also had a Wind Divine Clone, it would be even harder to explain away.

"Teresia, are you willing?" Diya asked. The days of a Chief God were long and dull. Though Diya was a little surprised by Lincoln's request, he hoped Teresia would agree so they could watch the spectacle. Still, with so many Chief Gods present, Diya wouldn't force Teresia.

Teresia was somewhat annoyed. He wasn't a whetstone, so why should he be Lincoln's sparring partner? Besides, deep down, he looked down on Chief Gods who weren't Paragons. These Intermediate and High-Level Sovereigns were inferior to him in talent, insight, and effort. They'd only risen above him because they were lucky.

"Mr. Lincoln, I'm glad you've come to visit the Wind Divine Plane. But if you fight me with your Dark Sovereign Clone, I'm afraid you won't be able to experience the mysteries of the Laws of Wind," Teresia said politely.

"No matter," Lincoln replied with a smile. "Since we're exchanging ideas about the Laws of Wind, I'll use my Wind Divine Clone. We can both refrain from using Willpower, which will make our strengths stand out more clearly."

The other Wind Sovereigns nodded, but Teresia's mouth twitched. Exchanging ideas? It was more like stealing his secrets. This was hardly an equal exchange!

"Fighting a Chief God's Divine Clone won't bring shame to your status, Teresia. I think you should give it a try. Perhaps we can learn something from it, too," Diya said with a smile.

As a Chief God himself, Teresia knew all too well how much they enjoyed a bit of entertainment. Besides, this fight wouldn't be dangerous, and there was no shame in it. It wasn't as if a Peak Asura like Lincoln could beat him, a Paragon. And with Diya there, clearly hoping for a little chaos, Teresia couldn't very well offend his superior.

After a brief moment's thought, Teresia agreed.

They chose Vast Peak, on Sky Eagle Continent, as the battleground. It was a remote and rarely visited place where even an Asura could easily meet his end if he let his guard down.

The main reason was that the area was filled with all kinds of gales and storms. Its environment resembled Spatial Turbulence, though it was somewhat less powerful.

High in the sky, Teresia and Lincoln faced each other as the gales whipped their clothes. Not far away, a group of Chief Gods watched the match, unaffected by the raging winds.

"Miror, I remember you once sparred with Teresia. One of you was an Intermediate Sovereign, the other a Paragon Low-Sovereign, and you were evenly matched. In the end, neither of you gained the upper hand," said a burly Chief God.

Miror sighed. "That's right. Becoming a Paragon gives a tremendous boost in strength. To be fair, an extra measure of Willpower makes me ten times stronger in every way. Teresia gains tenfold strength by fusing another Mystery, but not in every aspect. Even so, his extraordinary command of the Laws let him fight me to a draw."

Another Low-Sovereign said nothing. His position was rather awkward. Among the four Low-Sovereigns, one had strength comparable to an Intermediate Sovereign, another belonged to the Chief Sovereign faction, and one had spent years in the Heavenly Realm. He was the only one left in the middle, ignored by everyone.

He resented his lack of strength, but was even less willing to depend on someone else.

"Lincoln, here I come!" As soon as Teresia spoke, a strange force made the space around Lincoln sluggish, weakening even the gales by several times.

Among all the Rules and Laws, the Wind Element was the one most closely connected to space. It excelled at restraint, physical attacks, and speed.

It was good at increasing its own speed, and just as good at restricting its enemies'.

Wind Space? Lincoln realized what it was. It was a Wind Space technique using one fused Mystery, and its restraining force was terrifying. Lincoln acted at once, turning his right hand into a blade and chopping down hard. A long, narrow spatial rift appeared between them. The influence of Spatial Turbulence made the restraining force weaken by nearly half.

The Dimension Mystery was the strongest in attack.

Teresia hadn't expected Lincoln to break Wind Space that way. His expression changed. "Lincoln, if you keep relying on tricks like this, I'm afraid our fight won't help you reach Paragon."

Lincoln thought for a moment, then nodded. After all, this fight wasn't about winning or losing, but about applying the Laws and Mysteries. Relying on outside forces would only make inspiration—already so difficult to find—even more elusive.

"Fine, you're right. Then let's fight at close quarters, with no tricks!"

In the stands, Miror smiled. "It seems Mr. Lincoln is good at using the environment to his advantage. In a fight, strength isn't the only thing that determines the outcome. Many other factors can make a difference."

Diya smiled too. "But the stronger you are, the less outside interference matters. Deities might still need to consider external forces, but Chief Gods can walk through even the most dangerous Spatial Turbulence as if it were level ground. In the end, strength is everything. Lincoln, you haven't quite adjusted your way of thinking yet. You're still fighting like a deity."

Lincoln's Chief God avatar smiled. The Chief Sovereign was starting to throw his weight around, but Lincoln wasn't afraid of an ordinary Chief Sovereign.

"Lord Diya, neither Teresia nor I used Willpower in our fight. By that measure, it can only be considered a deity-level battle, so a deity's approach is better."

Diya's smile faded. "You seem very confident in your strength, Lincoln. Once you're done fighting Teresia, why don't we have a match using our Chief God avatars?"

"If that's what you want, Lord Chief Sovereign, I'd be happy to oblige."