Heavenly Dungeon - Fourth Floor (1)
"Your holiness Parthenos, Primus Roderick is requesting for an audience." the Primus with the letter of challenges walked inside the Audience Hall and started to speak.
His call echoed in the ears of the Marcos and Parthenos. The request was immediately received where the Primus is taken into the god's private estate for the audience he requested.
Kneeling before the four gods, Primus Roderick raised both of his hands holding the envelope.
"Who is it from? Calvaros?" Parthenos opened the envelope to access the letter within. It only took her less than 15 seconds to finish the letter, which in exchange, changing her mood from pleasant to boiling.
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Letter of Challenge
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I, Calvaros, challenged Aiolos, the son of Marcos and Parthenos, to a public duel to test our potential. All requests and handicaps can be made before the date of the match three days later.
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As the senior of Aiolos, I am willing to bring out 10 Low-Heaven Ore as our meeting gift and 100 more as the reward for his victory. As for his defeat, the one named Aiolos shall surrender his method of breaking through the Heilig-Reincar's ability in exchange.
-- -- -- -- --
"Did Calvaros went crazy from that fight? A god no less than 1,500 years old challenging my 2 years old boy!" Parthenos walked towards Primus Roderick, who's ready to face all the consequences of angering her.
"Bring out the parchment. I'm going to bring this matter up to the Ancient Gods so they can teach Calvaros a lesson he won't forget!" Parthenos ordered.
Primus Roderick immediately pulled an empty scroll filled with Parthenos' Godhood Power into everyone's view, along with a brush stained with crimson substance.
"Hold right there, Parthenos," Marcos spoke. He's feeling disturbed by Calvaros' Letter of Challenge as well, but not as offended as his wife does. Something has cropped in his mind after reading the letter, which is why he stops his wife from making things worst.
"Are you telling our boy to go out there?" Parthenos asked.
"Primus Roderick, return to your post and leave the parchment here. We'll call you again when the reply is ready." Marcos swung his hand and sent Primus Roderick away from their place.
"My wife, although Calvaros is reckless, his move this time is not too shabby. Taking out 10 Low-Heaven Ore as a meeting gift and 100 more if our boy won is quite a risk he's taking there." Marcos said. He flipped the letter to Aiolos as he finished his sentence.
Turning over to his wife once again, Marcos continued.
"Think about it. Why would Calvaros do that?" Marcos wants his wife to understands the reason behind this.
"He's worried about my ability to break his defense. He might felt at ease if I'm a Battle God or Wargod like him, but my combination as Craft God terrifies him. Admitting defeat to an individual in public is not shameful, but losing because underestimating your opponent is."
Aiolos caught the meaning behind his father's word.
(As for his defeat, the one named Aiolos shall surrender his method of breaking through the Heilig-Reincar's ability in exchange)
That's what he has written.
Calvaros is giving it all for the sake of not allowing the method that could threaten his Heilig-Reincar to develop. Furthermore, winning the battle equals holding a tactic that is strong enough to even punching through his armor.
That would allow him to control both offensive and defensive traits, making him invincible amongst his peers.
"You're the one that he challenged. It's up to you to take it or leave it." Marcos said. Since the dinner had finished just minutes before Primus Roderick came, there's no reason for him to waste his time sitting there.
Parthenos took a glance between Aiolos and her husband. Since Marcos already said what he deemed necessary, she followed her husband and left the dining table.
Only Aiolos and Tetros remained.
"Husband..." Tetros hugged him from the back. The best thing a wife can do right now is to stands closer until a decision is made.
That night, everyone falls asleep in a worry, except for Marcos, who's feeling confident about what decision his son is going to make tomorrow morning.
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"Report yourselves!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Decanus reporting! - Centurion reporting!"
"Hoo-Ha!" a thousand of soldiers stands before the two Primus, equipped from head to toe. The standard equipment set of a Legionnaire comes with a weapon of their choice, body armor, greaves, and gauntlet. And from there, the equipment will continue to grow until they reach the quality of a Decanus.
They're sorted into five rankings, starting with Legionnaire. Upon reaching level 21, the experience will be sufficient for them to be promoted into a Decanus. From there, Decanus will undergo qualitative changes until they reach level 41.
Above Decanus, the ten legionnaire leader is the Tribunus and Centurion.
Tribunus maintain their responsibility as a leader of ten legionnaires. But their job is mainly related to the safety of Sovereignty. As for a Centurion, their number increases to 100 legionnaires.
One can only become a Primus once they reached level 61. If the Tribunus is Elite Guard, then the Primus would be an Elite Guard's Commander. They may commandeer any number of legionnaires without Parthenos' consent, as long it was deemed necessary.
"Great!" Primus Stolla said as he raised his palm up like how her holiness did. The legionnaires quieted down without the need to shout for their attention. Their focus cannot be doubted as well. Upon their division, the Cohors will only report to two people.
The first would be their appointed Primus. And the God of War herself.
"Two Cohors is ready for order, your holiness." Primus Stolla continued to talk while Primus Corner raised his hand up to silenced the legionnaires behind him.
Primus Stolla's word receives its most distinguished attention the moment Parthenos and family came out of their dwelling chamber. With Aiolos by her side instead of Marcos, Parthenos made her way closer to the two Cohors of legionnaires.
The soldiers on both left and right knelt before her. An expression filled with reverence and worship like a devout devotee is shown on their face as they waited for her grace.
"Your holiness," Primus Roderick came forth politely, knowing that his god will have some errand for him to run on her behalf.
"Son, have you make up your mind about Calvaros' letter of challenge? If you are not confident about the duel, just reject the request." Parthenos said. But from how confidence is Aiolos' expression, none of them present dare to guess what is in his mind.
"I'll accept his request for the duel," Aiolos said. His answer made Parthenos, Tetros, and Primus Roderick felt lost for a moment, except for Marcos.
"That's my son," he whispered and chuckled.
"Tell Calvaros on my behalf that Aiolos, a Lower-Tiered Craft God, is accepting his invitation for a duel 3 days later. We'll compete at the same level of status, without any of us having an unequal advantage against another."
"I hope that the Wargod Calvaros will take me seriously in this match, which we will compete to see who's potential is better. The bet will be 100 Low-Heaven Ore and a blueprint for Armor-Breaker!" Aiolos announced his intention of accepting Calvaros' letter of challenge in front of soldiers.
With every single word of his is recorded onto the Wargod's Parchment, Primus Roderick knelt fully on both leg, with the parchment held firm on both his hands.
Aiolos imprinted his unique Godhood Power onto the parchment. Then, with both his and on Primus Roderick's shoulder, he added.
"Primus Roderick, please repeat every single word I've spoken to Wargod Calvaros. I am expecting an honorable battle three days later."
"Yes, young master! With my life as the Primus of Parthenos, I'll read out each and every word you've said, not more nor less than it should!" Primus Roderick hammered his chest as he promises and left the fortress with the parchment in hand.
"Father, mother, Tetros, trust me. I might lose, but I won't be discouraged. For I am the child of Marcos and Parthenos." Aiolos said. His shoulders seem to be broader than how it used to be.
Parthenos raised her hand up above her head as her grace illuminates the entire fortress sanctuary. Standing behind her, Marcos smiled, feeling proud of his son.
"Assemble!" a word from Parthenos brings their armor shining bright in gold, which in return strengthened their overall ability for 50%.
"Let's go! We'll teleport into the fourth floor, Thousand Tribes Continent!" Parthenos led the two Primus and their Cohors towards the Core Tianyuan Sanctuary's square.
And with her as the proxy of their decision, Parthenos selected the Thousand Tribes Continent as their exploration target.
The moment light returns to their sight, their situation has turned into a violent and tedious one. In front of Aiolos and Tetros' vision is a grass plain so extensive that they couldn't see an edge.
And on the outside of their formation, hundreds of wolves two times of his size is attacking them. The legionnaires led by their Decanus retaliate without a need to wait for the upper command to be delivered down.
The number of monsters is quickly thinned like a roll of salami getting sliced until they're gone. But before they managed to catch their breath, another horde of monsters followed.
It was a horde of four-horned Flame Bulls. Their charging attack is similar to a wall of battery ram punching through their ranks, breaking down layers after layer of their formation.
"Young Master, how are you adapting?" Primus Stolla asked. He had just returned to their elevated command outpost after delivering some messages to Primus Corner.
"Is this how the fourth floor works? Horde after hordes, attack, and attack again?" Aiolos asked. If he were to compare this situation against the 100,000 orcs army, the army looked like a child's play.
"This is just the beginning, young master. When the boss-grade monster comes... Aha, there it goes." Primus Stolla was going to finish his words, but the appearance of a few heavy footsteps stops him from doing so.
Not far from their two Cohors formation, six monsters about twelve meters tall and five meters long beasts are staring at them like a starved beast. Their Ivories are as hard as diamonds, with their nails and teeth comparable to the hardness of quartz.
"FUUUUUUUU-EHHHHH!!!" the land trembled as the six War Mammoths charged at where they stand. Magic Formation Circles appears on the tip of their trunk as if they're going to cast some magic.
"Primus, the War Mammoth..." Aiolos asked.
"Casting Magic? Yes, they can do it at ease." Primus Stolla extends his hand out at where the War Mammoth is. Without any difficulty in incantations, six magic circles appeared by his palm as he shouts...
"Pillar of Fire!"
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"Father," Marcos stands up before a venerable elder. The way he acknowledges his presence inside this room also tells how intimate the relationship between them.
"Did you forget about bringing Aiolos to my place?" the venerable elder took a seat near Marcos as he guides the teacup floating to in between his fingers.
"We'll come three days later. Aiolos unknowingly prepared a big gift as a present to you." Marcos said. The elder removes the disguise he's wearing and revealed his true identity to Marcos.
He's the Southern Ancient God, or also known as Nantian Shangxian. At the same time, he also has a personal identity people hardly know, the grandfather of Aiolos.
"Hahaha, a young brat like him trying to prepare a gift for me, does he thinks his grandfather is that amicable to accept random handicraft?" he said.
"We'll wait until he won the duel," Marcos added.
"What duel?" Nantian Shangxian remembered there's indeed a duel asking for the five ancient gods to be present as the referee.
"The one against Calvaros." Marcos chuckled.