Chapter 177: Caribou Coronos' Interlude.

Elsewhere in the realm of Gods, a short while after Ares' alliances were confirmed first hand...

War. Just as Veteran had predicted back in the pagoda, there was a war in full swing in the realm of the Gods. There were actually multiple ongoing wars but if looking at sheer scale then the one happening on the grassy plain on this abandoned planet was undeniably the most important. On one side, where the plains were flat and there was no protection of any kind, were a mass of soldiers wearing dark purple uniforms. On the side opposite them, with the opening to a canyon directly behind them, were a group of soldiers wearing black and white uniforms. Anyone who was familiar with the various followers of the Gods would be able to tell at a a glance that the space time pillar's 'variables', wearing the purple gear, were going up against the anti-magic God's null legion. Sometimes followers belonged to the pillar, sometimes to the God. Sometimes both had their own followers, it really depended on the ability of each to garner individuals that respected them. Or in the anti-magic God's case, a ton of blackmail and scheming. At least a third of his army really didn't want to be here and the others were only present for selfish reasons.

As for the variables, this wasn't their first rodeo with the null legion. Their hatred for one another ran deep and had been going for millions of years at this point. Astraeus had been gone for a long time and the stupid anti-magic God tried to take over his position. The variables had never forgiven him nor taken their eyes off him to make sure he never attempted to pull that stunt again. This war started off as a scuffle between the followers but dragged on and on for hundreds of years until it fully devolved into this pointless war. Still, neither side backed down and thus, here they were, ready for another battle. The armies here weren't the full extent of the followers, not even close, but there was still a sizable chunk. Enough that either side losing them all would sting a bit. To that end, the variables had whipped out some serious firepower and their generals were all relatively famous cultivators... The null legion hadn't given a damn, however, and had no such co-ordination. Unfortunately for the variables that really didn't matter. There were far more of the null legion than the variables because Astraeus might as well have not existed. The potential to become the next space-time God was basically zero because Astraeus was safe and sound in his own little world so people were hesitant to follow him. Plus Caribou was basically a shoe-in to be next on the off-chance anything did happen. To that end, a lot of people who joined the null legion did so because they were predicting the 'idiot God's' death in the next few years. He actively existed in this dimension and was extremely proficient at pissing people off. The chances of becoming a God were significantly higher in that camp so people without a shred of loyalty tended to gravitate towards it. That was equally true of the stronger cultivators with an affinity for the pillar which explained why they weren't even here. Put simply, they didn't give a damn who died as long as they themself lived. The more of the null legion that died, the less obstacles there were to becoming a fully fledged God.

The null legion had no headquarters or camp because they lacked any commanders or generals but that wasn't true for the variables. On a cliff a few tens of miles away from the plains, a tent had been erected in which the generals were keeping tabs on things from a distance. They could oversee the battle, give orders, and directly intervene if need be. Inside the tent the generals were discussing their odds of a clean victory around a roundtable. 

"Zero percent chance we get a win here without a fair few casualties," a bald man near the entrance said with a heavy voice.

"The problem isn't the quality of our followers, it's the quantity," another man chimed in.

"If our numbers were equivalent, the null legion would be so grossly mismatched we might even be able to win without losing a single life..." a woman spoke softly under her breath.

"We could always get involved ourselves?" a second woman offered a suggestion but she was shot down by the first woman immediately after.

"And what if they have a trick up their sleeve? The null legion are idiots but they're also dirty rats who won't hesitate to pull off some stupid tactic. We need to have a chain of command in case things go wrong. You don't want to be in the thick of things, trying to corral headless chickens without a bird's eye view when the tides change... We could maybe send one or two of us at most but all of us going is a recipe for disaster." This woman was right as she'd actually participated in her fair share of wars by now. The other woman was just a normal cultivator, albeit talented, who had never seen the way wars could suddenly shift in tempo.

An old man who'd been quiet up until now finally gave his two cents, although really his point had little to do with the war. "That old man Caribou would really smoothen out the trajectory of the war if he were to show up here... But stuff like this is probably beneath him. That codger can go shove a stick up his ass! Hiding away in seclusion while the rest of us are fighting never ending grudge matches with the null legion. If I didn't know any better, I would think he was scared of them! How many followers are we going to have to lose because of his selfish absence? I know we're all in deference to him but can somebody give that fool a nudge or two? I would think aiding your fellows in times of need was basic courtesy but apparently not. When was the last time he left that damn tree anyway? Wise sage my ass! He's just a damn hippy!"

"That's rather rude of you."

Without turning around to check which hearty, deep voice just spoke to him, the old man raised his hand like he swatting away a fly. "So what? If he isn't here to defend himself from these accusations then that just means they're correct!"

"I see. Then I can rest easy knowing they're false."

The old man froze on the spot before slowly turning his head backwards. When he finally looked over his shoulder... Who was standing right behind him other than Caribou Coronos himself? The bald man was snickering to himself because he didn't much like the old man and this was poetic justice at its finest.

Caribou wasn't wearing his overseer outfit so his full form and majestic magnificence was visible to all. Though roughly eight feet tall in stature, he hunched low so that his oaken cane could reach the floor. Aged though he was, his brown, furry body was solid and looked unbreakable; partly because certain parts of his flesh had been replaced by wood. Being a 'rangi', a deer kin, meant the antlers on his head were splendid and awe inspiring to say the least and they complimented his wizened face. A grey beard and square jaw hinted at expertise and longevity, both of which he had in spades. A large white, spotless robe loosely dangled off his massive frame and no other clothes were worn. his genitalia were long gone after he removed them himself to distance himself from pleasures so it wasn't inappropriate for his robe to be completely open at the front. Though his appearance leant more towards that of a natural being there were a few oddities that contrasted with that image. He was the sage of time, there was no way his appearance would be so outdated that it would fail to include any modern elements. He was a man of the times. Always had been, always would be. Two neon blue ear pads, the kind you would find on a pair of hi-tech headphones, were attached to his ears and functioned like a temporal hearing aid. Not only did they raise the voice of others but they could also replay sounds that occurred in the area recently, even if he hadn't heard them first hand, and they were a rather handy treasure. The ephemeral neon blue matched the colour of Coronos' eyes too so they were rather trendy. There was more to Coronos but it was impossible to tell right now as it was only ever visible when he started using his magic. His age and form shifted constantly throughout battle so, unless he was going all out, this deer form was the standard. Even his cane was a weapon that changed as he did. The most notable weapon in Coronos' arsenal was actually a neon blue great hammer that he wielded with both hands. He could speed up heavy strikes and repeated them instantly which made him a dreadful foe who could shatter planets with minimal effort. And that was just one form of many. He could reverse age and become a younger version of himself, more nimble and capable of dual wielding daggers. He was a versatile combatant but rarely did it ever matter. His current sage form was all he ever really needed. The power of a time wizard at his calibre was enough to solve most issues.

"C... C... Coronos?"

"Yes?"

"... Sorry..." The old man accepted the fact that he'd been exposed and simply apologised. What else was he supposed to do? Fight Coronos? That would be the height of stupidity. Caribou was stronger than most people knew. He wasn't on the same level as someone like Veteran, not anymore at least, as he'd long since transcended to a higher plane. Again, not many people were aware of this though because he spent all his time cooped up, studying the mysteries of time instead of openly displaying his power. He wasn't as well versed in the spatial side of the pillar but his dedication to time meant he outclassed pretty much everyone else who had an affiliation for the pillar by a country mile. Was he on the same level as someone like Davey Do? Honestly, maybe? It was definitely close. Of course none of that took into account the kangaroo so the answer leaned more towards no but the fact Caribou was even a part of the conversation was impressive as is.

"Apology accepted... I've been dealing with a lot of rude individuals as of late so someone actually taking accountability is rather nice..." Coronos was definitely referring to Ares here... And maybe Bellona too... Asking him what time it was when he couldn't possibly answer was cruel... "Anyway, I'm not sure if you're aware but I've formed an alliance with someone. I won't lie to you all, the only reason I'm here is to fulfil my end of a bargain. Ares, the destruction pillar, seems to have requested the help of various people in keeping the anti-magic God at bay. He didn't get a chance to speak to me about it but if everyone else is assisting him then so shall I. Besides, unlike the rest of us, he has a connection to Astraeus."

""WHAT?!""

"It is precisely as I've explained. I plan on doing whatever I can for the young man, not just for the sake of the world, but also because I have no wish greater than that of meeting our God. The null legion riff raff are easy pickings and, should destroying them mean I enter Ares' good book, then destroy them I shall. You all need not concern yourself with the details or logistics of this war any longer. Once I am done here, I will return and explain the situation to you all in full. After, I shall return to my tree however things will be different this time. If the null legion make any moves whatsoever, I will give you permission to call upon me. I will make it clear to them that I will not remain inactive any longer and that I take my alliances very seriously. I will not dishonour my word now that I have spoken it." Caribou let that be his closing remark as he exited the tent and walked over to the edge of the cliff. He needn't go any further to end this trifling battle. The fight had already started and the loss of life was rising ever higher but Caribou looked entirely unbothered. Wherever he was, as long as he lived, the flow of life was his to control.

The music of time flowed into Caribou's ears and it sounded quite like a violin, building up to a climax as he danced in tune with the mana serenading him at the edge of the cliff. Now that he stood with his back tall his stature was imposing and his limbs could be seen in full as they swiftly darted around, placing various runes throughout the air. As his passionate movements, sudden and sharp, built a sphere of runes around him, he was constantly absorbing all the nearby mana like a siphon. When his figure was barely visible beyond the runic barrier he'd formed his movements came to a halt and he threw his arms out wide, scattering the runes until they surrounded the entirety of the planet. The music of time crescendoed into a pause as Coronos chanted his unique art that was widely considered, conditionally, one of the strongest arts of all time. His voice echoed throughout the plains and everyone on the planet was frozen in place by his one word.

"Superimposition."

ZZT

The entire world faded to black. No light, no vision, no sound, no sense, no movement, no time, no space. Just a black space in which nothing other Caribou existed, not even time itself moved within this blank void of nothing.

Tick

1/12th of the void, a single triangular wedge in the twelve to one position on a clock, was filled in. The canyon was now visible once more although its colour had changed and there was an entirely new entity present within it. Hundreds of millions of years ago soldiers waged war against a rampaging giant within the confines of the reddish canyon and now that scene was replaying in real time where, once, the war of today had been taking place. The null legion soldiers who existed in the space previously were overwritten by the soldiers squaring off against the giant and were being stomped and flattened to death. These deaths were permanent and would not be undone once this art ended.

Tick

Another twelfth of the void was filled in, this time from the one to two position on the face of a standard clock. Part of the sky, which was empty in the modern day, was now filled to the brim with dangerous flying monsters, the sizes of which varied. Tens of millions of years ago, a swarm of pterodactyl like creatures plagued these lands and slaughtered, abducted, and toyed with the living. Humans and farm animals alike were plucked from their homes and villages that once existed on these plains and now the null legion were their new targets.

Tick

Once more the violin that symbolised the essence of time began to play as yet another wedge was filled in, unsurprisingly in the two to three o'clock position. A massive tidal wave from millions of years ago swept over the land, turning it into a wet marsh where those it had drowned turned into undead and roamed. The null legion revived in such a manner turned upon their allies and began a cruel massacre.

Tick

From three to four o'clock the dead variables were replaced by soldiers from a war that took place in these plains a few hundred thousand years ago. These soldiers were more powerful and far more talented than those they had replaced. When this war was over these people would become the variables that had once been deceased but they would be given a new leash on life. Indirectly resurrecting the variables by transforming them into stronger fighters was a simple task for Caribou who was still stood in the blank void. The storied history of the environment was being brought back to life under Coronos' watchful gaze and masterful weaving of time as he summoned layer upon layer of days gone by, overlaying them until he found a desirable result. The art continued to tick away as Caribou kept conducting to the tune of time with a silently burning ferocity in his movements. He directed countless calamities and deadly disasters. Raging storms and a plague of locusts. A wildfire that burnt all life and a healing rain that rejuvenated any who had withered away.

Tick

The final tick filled in the segmented, gestalt reality. All twelve layers were now in play and what was once a plain, grassy area had become a vibrant mixture of colour, desolation, dread, and hope. Countless interwoven time periods, and the events that defined them, merged together into a single scenery, a combination of eras that stood the test of time. The variables were on the receiving end of limitless revivals and the null legion were subjected to horror beyond their understanding. An insurmountable foe awaited them no matter which time or place they fled to as countless warriors of legend tore through their erratic ranks. All the while Caribou silently dictated the direction and flow of the battle via time itself. There was little left for him to do other than to deal a final blow and revert the world back to normal and there were countless options at his disposal. As he searched through the annals of this world he saw meteors, toxic fumes, and so very many options with which to annihilate an army. None in particular struck his fancy so he simply summoned them all in a grand finale as the violin ringing in his ear was playing at tremendous speed. His white robe fluttered as his hands were manoeuvring in the air and summoning one catastrophe after another, vanquishing the legion where they stood, wherever they stood, whenever they stood. If one meteor wasn't enough, he would simply summon it again. If it happened once already, there were no longer any limits to the amount of times it could happen again under Caribou's command. He hijacked the chronology and bent it to his whims, twisting and turning it so that everything he deemed useful would heed his call and arrive in the here and now.

Five minutes after the start of the war, every enemy was dead and every ally was alive. The monsters and demons were fading and the soldiers of the past were becoming the soldiers of the present. The discolouration of the land reverted and the shape of it fixed itself slowly but surely... But truthfully, it hadn't been 'five minutes'. It had been none. It hadn't even been a split second. The variables were all lined up once more, ready for a war they had already won. Caribou had superimposed a future defeat upon his enemies and a victory upon his allies in the present and this was result. Though the memories of this 'war', if it could even really be called as such, remained, the bodies of those who 'participated' no longer remembered the exhaustion of their struggle or the agony of their wounds. All they felt was a pleasant breeze and a slight discomfort at the eery quiet and emptiness opposite them. No dying screams, no putrid corpses. Nothing but the inevitable ticking of time. Perhaps they would one day revisit this place, not willingly but at the behest of Caribou should he ever cast this art here again. They would rise and fight this very same battle before winning it again in an entirely different time period in an entirely different manner. They may have even been dead for hundreds of billions of years but, as long as Caribou remained, so too did their exploits. 

Caribou hunched back down and turned on a swivel as his cane dug out the earth, leaving a mark shaped like the hands of a clock that signified he had in fact been present here all along, even if only for the briefest of seconds. Had he not done this, the soldiers down below may have simply believed they imagined it all, that it was one big hallucination. His own reasoning for the mark was different though, he simply liked to leave his mark across worlds to let any future historians know he was here before them. Countless times had explorers and other such men of action assumed they were the first to discover a foreign land only to find Caribou's mark on a structure he'd yet to even visit. It was a calling card from a man who simultaneously didn't exist yet and had also existed for far longer than them. In a way, it was like personalised graffiti. It was a habit and one he couldn't kick.

Caribou re-entered the tent to the confused faces of his cohorts. Coronos had left the tent a fraction of a second ago and yet here he was, back again... The war had ended too and they were all aware of how it happened, it's just that the timings didn't make sense anymore. Still, this was the power of the greatest time aspect wielder currently in this dimension so unfathomable feats were fathomable in his presence. The fact that Caribou, a man as strong as him, wasn't in contention for the strongest in the world was humbling. Caribou had long since made peace with this fact and wasn't fussed by it. It wasn't his pursuit. He valued the unearthing of solutions to questions people had yet to answer, and sometimes even ask, about the intricacies of time. The tree he eternally studied was his life blood in some ways.

Ignoring the stupefied looks congregating in his direction, Caribou begun speaking... Or he was about to... But an individual with tangerine coloured, spiky hair and blacked-out sunglasses came sliding into the tent on his knees with a massive, shit-eating grin. "It's Davey Do, the daring dude!" Shortly after, an armoured kangaroo, also wearing sunglasses, leapt in behind Davey and took a cool stance. "And I'm Davey Two, the mecha 'roo!"

...

...

...

Caribou sighed to himself, today was going to be a long day, clearly. "... Davey, what do you want?"

"Aw come on! At least give my entrance a rating?! Me and Kanga have been working on it for ages! Ah whatever, you don't look like the kinda guy who appreciates art. I'm here for the lowdown on that Ares kid! He sounds interesting."

"Then why ask me? Surely you're more familiar with Veteran?"

"Yeah but ol' Vetty ain't hangin' around the dumpsters anymore and I got no clue where he is. Makes sense he's runnin around doing stuff now that he can get his affiliations back. You though? I knew you'd be here! Shame I arrived late, woulda like to let loose some of this excess energy I got pent up and take a swing at the null legion." Davey wasn't being modest, it's just that a single swing really would have decimated their entire ranks. Yes his magic was the main reason he was top dog but that didn't mean he was lacking in other areas. Kanga, the mecha 'roo, was nearly equally as strong and he would have chimed in by now but he was busy flirting with one of the women in the tent off to the side. Kanga, when he wasn't developing his exoskeletons or mech suits, was a bit of a playboy.

Caribou sighed again. He really didn't want to deal with these two imbeciles right now but he didn't have a say in the matter. If he tried to run away there was a good chance Davey would bash his knee caps in and force him to spit out the information. No matter how strong Caribou was, it didn't really matter in the face of someone like Davey... Plus that damn kangaroo was here too, worsening the odds. On the bright side, he was just about to explain the Ares situation from his perspective in full anyway so he wouldn't have to repeat himself later at least... Silver linings and what not. Besides, it was just Davey Do. It's not like things could get any worse now that he was already here!... Or so Caribou thought until he realised there was yet another person in the tent. He didn't recognise her but the fact she silently snuck in without anybody noticing was fairly indicative of how powerful she was. Even Davey and Kanga only picked up on her presence a few seconds ago... Davey's jaw dropped as he looked at the new woman and the name that left his mouth made Coronos' semi-wooden body creak in anxiety.

"Ayane Ensemble?"

It seemed Davey wasn't the only person interested in Ares. The mute domains had felt threatened by the ever righteous Fundamental Organisation as is but news of this new champion being more than a handful must have spooked them into action. Reconnaissance was the name of the game and a gathering of the world's strongest was the result. Caribou was doing his all to remain calm but, man, this was an atrocious situation to be in... All he could do was hope a fight didn't break out here... AND WHY WAS THE DAMN KANGAROO TRYING TO FLIRT WITH AYANE?!