Xing Lei glanced around as a new voice echoed around him. Halatrax and Tyrix seemed to fade out of existence, even the godly arena blew away like smoke in the wind. Darkness surrounded the kobold who clutched his side. Turning, Xing Lei searched for the source of the voice. As the darkness receded he found himself in a corridor, soft lamp light illuminated it and a single doorway where a familiar man stood waiting for him.
"King Yama, its been awhile. I did not expect to see you so soon again."
The man gave a mirthless smile, "Nor did I. Would i could be rid of your lecherous existence once and for all but it seems I'm doomed to have dealings with your kind."
Xing Lei tilted his head, "My kind?"
Yama grumbled opening the door and waving the kobold forward, "Come in, this little meeting can't take too long and he wants to see you."
Xing Lei glanced at King Yama before slipping past him into another room, one wall was covered with hazy mirrors much as the one Halatrax had summoned above him during the trial. Various scenes were depicted in each one. Xing Lei versus Halatrax and Tyrix, Lusana and Estrelie against Quellia, Ottar in a rather compromising position with one of his tavern waitresses, Xing Kah and His Only Shadow snuggling back at the tribal cave. The various mirrors showed a multitude of individuals, some in romantic interludes others in heated battle.
As for the watcher, a dragonfolk with gray scales reclined on a couch before the wall of mirrors. Between his legs a silent Destorianaxe was going to town on his genitalia completely oblivious to her surroundings. Xing Lei frowned seeing this reaching for a spear he no longer held, his fingers grasping at air as the dragon man lightly rolled his head looking towards him, "This is my realm Xing Lei, you're a guest here in spirit nothing else."
"Dragon God I presume?" Xing Lei asked icily stepping closer focused on the dragoness who seemed completely to giving this figure, head. Nothing else seemed to matter to her at this moment and he could see why. When her head bobbed up her eyes were open but unseeing, it was like she was here physically but her mind was shut off.
The Dragon God laughed softly, "I'd suggest paying no attention to the man behind the curtain especially if he were currently getting a hummer from a munchkin but much like this situation its a little hard to say to forget seeing what is the truth of the situation."
Xing Lei frowned deeply, he barely understood what the being was saying but what he could understand was... this was Destorianaxe's "reward" for winning the battle trial. His questioning and dark look made the Dragon God chuckle, "I assure you she gave her consent Lei, I can wake her if you want but that will reduce the time I have to tell you what is going on."
Looking to Destorianaxe with a frown he looked to the entity and shook his head, "Better she not wake to this or you might lose something important."
The Dragon God laughed snapping his fingers, the scene of the being being sucked by Destorianaxe was replaced by a version of Xing Lei sat in its place, a female Dragon God replacing Destorianaxe. Smirking from between his legs she shook her head, "I can be male or female, just in case one of those males won. So no, not that important, least to me."
Xing Lei shuddered, the vision dispelling returning to the male Dragon God being serviced by Destorianaxe, "Though I do prefer this existence. Zee is a wonderful consort but I've always been partial to Destorianaxe ever since she gave me you. Though while I enjoy her, she is not of a similar temperament, long standing issues with her family. So while she agreed to a compromise, she in the end, does not care for me in either form. Ah well. Her loss, but we digress."
"I will spell it out frankly, you are losing. If this continues Halatrax and Tyrix will pick you apart in short order. There's also Sandril and Damak to consider. Once the former sees you in dire straights that opportunistic halfling will throw his hand in the ring. As for that pervy old oracle, once he calms down he'll also likely join in. Then there's Quellia, once she finishes being the raving psychotic yandere she is, she too will seek you out. Three major gods, two lesser. And one major is overwhelming you, the current second is throwing light punches hoping you have a trump card to punish his sibling."
"Well if Estrelie and the other goddess can kill Quellia, she won't be a threat..." Xing Lei started.
"Gods don't die Xing Lei." The Dragon God cut him off, "Oh they bleed alot but if you slaughter them until they're a pile of mince meat they'll just resurrect themselves. Simply put I suppose gods CAN die, they just don't stay dead."
Xing Lei felt his jaw drop. How could he win then? Even if he beat them down they wouldn't stay dead? Didn't that mean he had to find a weakness like the phoenix? But even as this thought the Dragon God shook his head grunting out, "They aren't reborn like that fool Stavros. They simply are again from whatever they aren't. In fact, killing Halatrax would return him to the height of his power. So no, Stavros is exactly whom you should not emulate after."
Xing Lei fell silent as he stepped back and forth in thought, the Dragon God didn't disturb his musing again focusing on Destorianaxe doing her business between his legs another while before shoving her back, pushing the dragoness on all fours, lifting her tail he mounted her swiftly, other then his grunts and the sound of two draconic bodies colliding nothing else disturbed the contemplation of the kobold. Glancing over, Xing Lei gave the thrusting Dragon God another dark look, seeing Destorianaxe reduced to a toy for the greater being greatly irked him.
"Ultimately it comes down to having the power to do anything. I need to reach the apex. The half step realm is not enough to have a say in anything. The trouble is even after eating a full bloodline phoenix I've hit a wall, I should be able to breakthrough but for some reason I just can't reach... the... high heavens..." Xing Lei's words trailed off as he spoke, his head snapping up to look over at the Dragon God.
The being gave a smug nod, "Can't reach the high heavens? You're no longer on the elemental plane of ice my friend, you stand in the high heavens themself. If you still can't reach them from where you are, you would never have reached the apex."
Xing Lei blinked as if the sheer obvious logic was a tail slap of Destorianaxe. Since reaching the godly arena he had not bothered trying to cultivate but if the world had pure energy than this higher plane must have... Xing Lei cursed himself for overlooking the obvious. Between the show trial and the battle he'd overlooked exactly where he was, they had invited him into literally the best place to break through! Sighing he shook his head, "Will Osilliaice and Alustriea survive this if I go this route? Having King Yama here makes me think you're going to ask a favor of him."
The Dragon God huffed slamming against Destorianaxe glancing over at the kobold who still nagged about irrelevant matters, "Your wives will be with you if you win. As for Yama, I've asked a task of him but that wasn't it.. well not in part. Other plans. You'll see. Anyways, back you go, give Halatrax a punch for me!"
As Xing Lei faded from the room the door opened to reveal King Yama and a spectral Destorianaxe. Both looking ill at ease as the Dragon God continued his use of her body. "God's damn you DG, couldn't you have waited to start that? What must Xing Lei think of me to look like THAT!"
DG chuckled slapping her scaled posterior, while the body jerked it in no way reacted to it, though the spectral Destorianaxe growled low, "You play a dangerous game DG."
The Dragon God laughed, "You love me and you know it."
"Narcissistic asshole."
The Dragon God laughed, "That's me!"
King Yama face palmed, "Will he really win? The thing you asked for wasn't easy."
The Dragon God nodded finally emptying inside Destorianaxe before standing up and moving before the mirrors. The distracting ones vanished as the one depicting Xing Lei against the godly siblings expanded to fill the wall. Destorianaxe slipped back into her body and shuddered, "Why does it always feel like I've humped a volcano when you do this DG?"
"Potent stuff. Needs to be for the next part of my plan, regardless if our Xing Lei wins, my plan continues."
"Ever the romantic." Destorianaxe quipped looking as the three resumed their fight, "I can't help?"
The Dragon God shook his head, "Better you take care of your children. When the egg is laid I'll come collect it, it needs to be elsewhere for this next bit."
"You won't even let me see this one?!" Destorianaxe growled her eyes flaring in anger.
"You'll see him eventually. When its time."
Destorianaxe lunged at DG, her body expanding into the fearsome black dragon she was but before she could even take a swing at him her form scattered like the early morning must under the rising sun. King Yama shook his head, "Do you delight in being a pompous ass?"
The Dragon God smiled, "All part of my charm."
* * * * *
Xing Lei returned to his body not with a triumphant battle cry but a grunt of pain. He had overlooked his shattered ribs after not feeling them for a stretch, now the pain rushed back into his senses. He almost cursed the Dragon God, almost. Exhaling he looked at the pair of Halatrax and Tyrix who still we casually discussing matters like the kobold before them both was already a corpse. Chuckling he clutched his side and pushed himself up straight, the action bringing a skeptical look from both gods.
Tyrix shook his head, "You are undeniably tenacious Xing Lei but you are mortal, just lay down and die like a good dog should."
Halatrax snarled, "Better he doesn't so we can teach him a proper lesson. The mortals below all know it is foolhardy at best to challenge the gods, yet this mortal dares spit on us with his obscene will. Where does he get the guts?! Right Sandril? Damak? Don't the two of you slowly want a pound of this outsiders flesh?!"
Sandril appeared to Halatrax's right, a pair of fighting claws adorned his thick fists, "Aye for the injury upon my person and the slights of my daughter, he owes me blood for sure!"
Xing Lei blinked. His daughter? The kobold stared at the fat halfling, shifting his gaze as he tried to recall the halflings he had personally interacted with. He'd seen loads of them sure but had issue with one directly? Wait. Wasn't there that Heavenly Rose one that had tried to sell him off? That was his DAUGHTER?! Xing Lei blinked, was the Heavenly Rose a dumping bit for godly whelps? Didn't that mean that the cultivator that forced him to join was also...
Glancing to the old man in ruffled robes covered in feminine foot prints Xing Lei was hard pressed to say that this pathetic geezer ever laid with a woman to produce a girl that strong. Halatrax took one look at Damak and sighed, "You're not even going to change old man?"
Damak smirked sticking his thumbs in his robe lifting the front to show off the dainty foot print of Estrelie, "Hell no, I've been needing this one for my collection."
Halatrax sighed rubbing his face in frustration. Damak sneered and lifted his head, "You infidels simply have not recognized the truth that is women's feet! One day I will enlighten my heathen brothers, mark my words!"
Halatrax, Tyrix and Sandril all face palmed. Damak was a pervert amongst perverts, before his ascension he had tried to collect literal female feet, even getting a serial killer name for his disturbing fetish. His absolute adherence to truth, or at least, the "truth of women's feet" is what lead to him rising to the mortal pantheon. Still everyone knew he was just a geezer pervert, through and through. Damak sighed looking to Xing Lei, "Mortal have you not been enlightened by the truth? Bow down before sister Quellia's adorable toes and perhaps we'll leave your corpse intact... though I'm claiming the feet of your wives. Dragonfolk feet are so hard to come by!"
The other three sighed and stepped further away from the old man, he was a valuable aid when dealing with godly discussions but his perversion made even Tyrix leery of the senile old fart. Four sets of gazes fell upon the kobold, each wanted his life but were they prepared? Xing Lei smiled.