His fellow gods answered his challenge with gusto.

Fire Sultana Alexandrite had Wepwawet stand outside of Salamandra's gates in full view of the city walls. The nearly empty city's inhabitants had all gathered there to see a genuine god in action. They would watch him prevail against all odds, or falter with the unworthy; quite the show, no matter the outcome.

The terms of the contest were simple: each participant god could attempt to topple him with the greatest Miracle display available, and the most impressive performance would earn the winner the right to crown Alexandrite in front of her people, solidifying their hold over Lavaland. The only exception would be Ganesha, whose Miracle display was meant to support Wepwawet and advertise his faith.

"Are you ready?" Wepwawet asked his best friend through their interlocked Influences. Ganesha's followers had brought one of his 'Wealthbringer' mobile Altar Artifacts to Salamandra so he could cast Miracles through them.

"Almost," Ganesha replied. "Also, I've forwarded the happy news about you and Artemis to Idunn. There's no turning back now."

"Good," Wepwawet said. He wasn't too keen on involving Artemis in one of his messes, but the news should preemptively defang the blackmailer's threat should he win the contest. News of his imaginary relationship with Artemis would muddy the waters.

Ganesha's giant priests completed their preparation and let the Wealthbringer at Wepwawet's feet ripple with power.

"Here I come!" Ganesha said.

A gilded cloud appeared above Wepwawet's head, and a coin fell from it.

Wepwawet would have blinked if his Idol had eyelids of flesh rather than stone. A small golden coin hit his forehead, then another and another until a small downpour of money began to rain down from the cloud above. They were normal-sized rather than fit for a giant, but fell in such numbers as to single-handedly drive up a small country's inflation.

"What the…" Wepwawet wondered as the audience on the walls whistled. "What's this?"

"My Golden Shower Miracle!" Ganesha replied. "Open your arms, Wepy! Open your arms and let it flow!"

Wepwawet had no idea what was going on and winced at the Miracle's name, but he indulged his friend. He expanded his arms and let the gold cascade down his chest, navel, and feet.

Ganesha's ambassador grabbed some sort of primitive, arcane speaking trumpet, cleared his throat, and then addressed the crowd. "Witness the generosity of Lord Ganesha, Lord of Fortune!" he shouted with the enthusiasm of a born hustler. "Every faithful worshiper of Lord Ganesha has a chance to win this daily lottery and see their life's toil rewarded with more gold than they know what to do with!"

"Is that true?" Wepwawet asked his friend through telepathy as the ambassador listed all the benefits of joining Ganesha's cult, from health benefits to stronger libido and general wellness in life.

"Technically, I can cast Golden Shower on anyone," Ganesha replied. "And then they'll receive an amount of gold and treasures proportional to their Rank."

Hence why Wepwawet was positively drowning in it. His Divine Avatar counted as a Rank 12 creature, and he thus received the maximum amount. "Won't you drive up inflation if you use it too often?"

"That's the neat thing, it's not random at all!" Ganesha chirped happily. "I tell my worshipers that the kinder they are, the more karma they build up and the higher their chances of winning the lottery become! The uncertainty drives them mad!"

Wepwawet would have chided Ganesha about deceiving his worshipers, but he had unfortunately spent too much time in the company of giants to understand where his friend was coming from. Giants, unfortunately, only understood the language of money, and needed the illusion of monetary compensation to do any good deed.

Still, he would be careful not to let his dragons hear about this Golden Shower Miracle. It would lead to disaster.

A large hoard had formed at Wepwawet's feet by the time his friend's Miracle ran out, which Ganesha's followers immediately moved in to seize. The giant ambassador concluded his pitch by promising every onlooker a coin straight from today's Miracle as a 'free sample' and inviting them to join their religion.

Wepwawet knew such a Miracle wouldn't convince Alexandrite to adopt Ganesha as Lavaland's deity, but his stunt certainly earned him a few new followers from the greedy glints he saw in the audience's eyes.

The next 'candidate' was Ishtar, who—lacking a mobile Altar like Ganesha—had no other choice than to channel her Influence through an unlucky demon Champion. The volunteer, a horned teen with a bored look on his face, proceeded to step between Wepwawet's legs, which immediately connected his influence to Ishtar and allowed her to open communications.

"I see you've accepted my deal," she said through telepathy.

"I've decided to win," Wepwawet corrected her. Whether or not he received the resurrection Miracle would depend on letting Ishtar's army pass through Lavaland on their way to Valentine, and he still remained unsure if that was a good idea. "No more."

"I have no doubt you'll see things my way soon," she replied with some amusement. "Or will Lavaland be Artemis' bride-price? Is it true you've finally started dating?"

Whoa, Ganesha wasn't kidding about half the Nexus learning the news by the afternoon! If Ishtar had already heard the rumor, it was only a matter of time until his father followed suit.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Wepwawet lied through his teeth.

"Of course," Ishtar replied with a knowing tone and deep amusement. "Anyway, this might tickle a bit."

Wepwawet barely had time to blink before a hill with horns sprouted from beneath him.

A massive, mechanical bovine creature with steaming black metal, four curved horns covered in barbed spikes, shoulders thicker than a watchtower, and a mouth breathing out smoke and fire materialized beneath him. The machine was hardly bigger than a pony compared to his Divine Avatar… which meant it was so large as to rival Salamandra's outer walls in height and could carry him on its back if he mounted it. It let out a roar to shake the earth beneath its steaming hooves; alongside the poor demon fodder on which it had been summoned, who had been reduced to a puddle of blood and gore leaking under the giant creature's foot.

"You murdered your own Champion?!" Wepwawet gasped in horror at her callousness.

"He's a professional sacrifice," Ishtar replied dismissively. "I've brought him back before, and I shall do so again."

"Even so…" Her callous willingness to sacrifice her own Champions—even with the power to bring him back from the dead—for a show rattled Wepwawet to his core. He was starting to wonder if allying with someone so ruthless was a good idea…

"Beware Lady Ishtar's Molek!" Ambassador Vidé said with half the hustle and twice the courtesy as the cyclops ambassador. He was completely unbothered by the screams of horror and disgust of those who had seen the demon teen's remains. "A beast so strong it can carry a god on its back and trample cities to dust!"

It was no idle boast. Wepwawet's Providence informed him that the monster bull was a Rank 10 Demon/Artificial creature about as powerful as the hydraslimes Whiro sent against Narc and Citadel Sapphire. Its innards burned with more than coal, its spirit was infused with infernal will, and its roar shook the very earth.

"Quite the impressive beast, won't you agree?" Ishtar boasted. "Isn't he so cute?!"

"Where… where did you find a creature so powerful?!" Wepwawet asked in shock. "Did you smuggle the Bull of Heaven to Elphion while Miss Athena wasn't looking?!"

"A witch does not reveal her secrets, Sweetpup."

I'm missing out on the new kaiju craze, Wepwawet thought. His dragons would start to become yesterday's terrors at this rate. How did Ishtar manage to gain so many powerful Miracles so quickly? It's like she had advanced knowledge of where to find–

The solution came to him in a flash of understanding.

Miss Athena had warned him that Beelzebub had probably reactivated old quests capable of unlocking forbidden Miracles, and he used to be Baal, leader of the Assyrian pantheon… to which Ishtar was associated with.

Wepwawet doubted she was in contact with Beelzebub—Miss Athena would have no doubt kept her under close surveillance and expelled her on the spot otherwise—but some members of her Pantheon might have had some insider knowledge of the System sabotage and informed her of it.

Now was not the time to confront Ishtar about it, but he had to investigate her as soon as possible, especially if they ended up forming an alliance.

In any case, Ishtar's warning at the gym rang true; she didn't shine as brightly as she could. While the Molek was indeed impressive enough to strike fear in onlookers, it failed to topple Wepwawet nor match his power. It tried to buck the god up—thus probably introducing Elphion to its first rodeo show—but gently and without the strength to separate his feet from the ground.

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Wepwawet doubted it would have impressed the magmorians anyway. The death of the demon teen used to summon the monster bull had horrified most onlookers and disturbed even the Sultana herself. No way she would welcome a patron deity so willing to sacrifice her own followers.

The Molek soon disappeared in a puff of smoke and the demons carried the bloody remains of their dead comrade away. The fact that none of them cared about their fellow Champion's sacrifice meant that they either couldn't care less about each other, or that Ishtar had already used her Miracles to bring them from the dead before. Considering the test subject's careless attitude towards his demise, Wepwawet guessed it was probably the latter.

The next candidate to try and knock him down was Epona, with ambassador Melchior taking Duke Vidé's place for the demonstration. A system message showed up out of nowhere right when Wepwawet's Influence connected to that of his fellow deity.

???: This is your last warning. Throw the competition or the photo goes live… and don't think I'm blind about what your Artemis scheme really is.

The blackmailer had made their displeasure known. Wepwawet's answer was short and to the point.

Get bent.

What kind of god failed to hold his ground in his followers' time of need?

Although it was odd that the blackmailer contacted him just before Epona's attempt. Were they in league, or was the third party simply trying to turn her into a scapegoat? The goddess' telepathic contact made Wepwawet wonder.

"Are you set on this course of action?" Epona inquired. "It is not too late to end this folly and become my ally."

"Your friend Pele trusted me to protect Lavaland," Wepwawet replied. "I owe it to her and my followers to try my best."

"I see… I applaud your courage, however shortsighted." Epona marked a short pause, as if reconsidering her next course of action, only to steel her resolve. "My Miracle may very well destroy your Idol. Do not blame me if it does."

Wepwawet shrugged his shoulders. He watched as Melchior grabbed a bottle off his belt, spilled its contents on the ground, and watched goo grow into a blue slime which Wepwawet identified as a Rank 1 summoned creature. He knew from Slimon's origins that Valentinian mages had created the first slimes, so it didn't surprise him all that much to see one under Epona's control.

The way it began to quickly crawl over his leg all the way to his chest clued him on the fact that his classmates had adopted the workaround he used in his battles; that since both summoned creatures and Champions were always within range of a god's Influence, they could serve as relays for Miracles. Epona seemed to care for her followers' well-being more than Ishtar if she would rather send a summoned creature than a Champion to serve as her linchpin.

"Final warning," Epona said.

Wepwawet straightened up, the slime now anchoring itself on the spot above his heart of immortal ice. "Take your best shot."

He heard a crack, and then a watchtower-sized sword found its way towards his chest.

A projectile fell from the heavens above at such speed that even the incredible accuracy and environmental awareness afforded by his Providence barely let him detect its trajectory. Wepwawet immediately summoned his spear to his hand and intercepted the attack with his weapon, the shaft of ice and stone stopping a sharp blade of solid light.

The sheer impact of the clash sent ripples spreading across the air and landscape, blowing away smoke, dust, sand, and even a few unlucky viewers off the walls. Melchior raised an enchanted shield to protect himself and fellow Valentinians from the gust, but other nearby onlookers were unfortunately thrown back.

Wepwawet's enhanced senses let him catch a glimpse of the sword as it tried to force its way to the slime on his chest, acting as a living beacon. While the blade itself was made of solid starlight, the guard represented two horses of alien metal intertwined with a castle tower-shaped grip and pommel radiating magic. The sheer speed and weight of the projectile would have no doubt pulverized castle walls on impact…

However, it was nothing compared to the strength of Whiro's tail and claws. Wepwawet had wrestled with a Titan, and nothing short of a fellow deity's Avatar would make him flinch.

Putting all of his strength behind his spear, Wepwawet repelled the sword and sent it flying back across the countryside. The sword impaled itself five miles or so away from Salamandra, becoming a new landmark among rocky hills and lava rivers.

The crowd remained silent for a few seconds as they processed the spectacle, then exploded into cheers and applause. Melchior stroked his beard in disbelief—having probably witnessed the falling sword easily wipe fortresses off the map—while his mistress conceded her defeat.

"Your Divine Avatar's power is truly awe-inspiring," Epona commented. "The rumors were right, its might is only matched by its cost."

"See?" Wepwawet gloated telepathically before wiping the unharmed slime off his chest. "Your borders are in good hands."

Epona marked a short pause before answering. "I'm not so sure, Wepwawet… but the day is yours."

Her words filled Wepwawet with a terrible and ominous feeling. He had the feeling that he had better strengthen Lavaland's borders should Alexandrite select him to protect her country.

"Keep a close eye on Valentine's ambassadors," Wepwawet warned Victoire and his other Champions the moment Melchior exited his Influence's range and severed his bond to Epona. "My intuition tells me they'll try something before the day's done."

Whatever the case, Epona left to let Wepwawet's final challenger step forward: his cousin Horus, as represented by his angelic representative.

"That sword was a cheap shot," Horus commented the moment their Influences joined up. "Epona packs a mean punch, and Ishtar's beast is quite the impressive weapon too. Neither is to be trifled with."

"At least we'll all walk away knowing what the others can do," Wepwawet replied. He wondered if the true winners were those who had sat the competition out, since they would walk away with valuable information on potential rivals.

"True. Have you found a lead on our blackmailer?"

"Nothing conclusive enough to prevent the photo from going live," Wepwawet replied with a telepathic sigh. From the annoyance on Horus' side of the line, his cousin's investigation hadn't yielded any better results. "Are you going to throw the contest?"

He could hear Horus' snort on his end of the telepathic line. "If you're going to give it your all, then what excuse do I have to slack off? I would make a poor leader for our pantheon if I folded now."

Wepwawet respected the sentiment. He was lucky to have Artemis to help him muddy the waters, but Horus would likely have to shoulder the scandal alone.

"I must say, it was a ballsy move to bring your Avatar all the way here," Horus commented with what could pass for respect among pricks like him. "I would step aside if I were you, though. This might hurt… nay, this will hurt a bit."

Wepwawet scoffed. "Do your worst."

"I could destroy your Idol easily enough… but we have a truce in place, so I'll go lightly on you." Horus chuckled. "Look up."

Wepwawet glanced up to see a shadow obscure the sun above his head.

He briefly expected to see a cloud crossing the sky, or another of Horus' gaudy flying pyramids to descend upon him. Instead, he found himself staring at a ceiling of stone and roots so vast as to blanket most of the landscape in its shadow.

Wepwawet recalled Artemis warning him that Horus' civilization might live on a floating continent since her tutorial Earth had a few of them lying around.

The truth of her statement hit him in the face, in more ways than one.

A colossal floating island attempted to park itself straight on him, forcing Wepwawet to hastily throw his spear aside and catch it with his bare hands. The unfathomable weight of a mountain's worth of stone, trees, and crystals pressed down on him from above, cracking the earth beneath his feet and blowing dust in all directions. He heard screams and shouts as a few onlookers among the audience retreated out of fear, even though a large enough distance separated them from the point of impact that they were hardly at risk.

The landmass falling upon him wasn't exactly as large as Salamandra, but big enough to cover roughly half of it. Wepwawet struggled to hold it back above his shoulders with all of his might, and even then, his feet slowly sank into the earth.

"You don't have to break a leg trying to hold this world's weight," Horus warned Wepwawet. "Just bend the knee."

"I swear to the Overgods…" Wepwawet clenched his teeth as the weight strained his Avatar's muscles enough to leave a few thin cracks. "If you say your civilization lives on a cozy floating continent away from danger–"

"Then I won't say it," Horus replied with petty satisfaction.

The taunt turned out to be a major miscalculation on his cousin's part, because it filled Wepwawet's heart with rage and annoyance. That feathered nepobaby had only earned his civilization because of his mother's sabotage!

Wepwawet let out a snarl as he pushed back with all of his divine might, even as cracks spread across his Avatar's back. His Providence guided his fingers to weak points he could grab, then let him calculate the right angle to shift the weight around.

One, two… Wepwawet grit his fangs and then threw the island away from Salamandra. Three!

The floating island crashed into a river of lava in a cataclysmic crash.

The enormous mass of rock splashed magma for half a mile around its point of impact, which was thankfully far enough away to prevent damage to Salamandra itself. A cloud of ashes vast enough to swallow a city whole expanded around the crash site, and though Horus' island proved solid enough not to shatter at once, a few cliffs of stone split from the rest in a series of small landslides.

When the dust settled, Salamandra's landscape had earned itself a new hill. The grass and plants covering its surface would stand in stark contrast to the rocky wasteland around it, but Wepwawet thought it improved the place. The island had been thankfully uninhabited besides some vegetation, and he sensed no unfortunate casualties in the area.

He did find it telling that Horus arranged his Miracle display to avoid harming anyone, in contrast to Epona and Ishtar.

"Victory for Wepwawet!" Wepwawet boasted to all who would hear him, his fists raised to the sky in triumph, to the applause of most onlookers and the astonishment of Horus' ambassadors.

"Mmm!" Horus grunted through telepathy. "I should have sent a bigger rock. That's what I get for going easy on you."

"I could weightlift with Atlas himself!" Wepwawet replied through telepathy, putting more salt in his cousin's wound. It was a petty shot, but he deserved it. He then turned his gaze to Alexandrite, who had witnessed the entire contest from the walls, and addressed her out loud. "Are you satisfied, Fire Sultana?"

"It was indeed an enlightening display of divine power." The Fire Sultana's mask turned from Wepwawet himself to the remains of his divine competitors: a sword of light across the landscape, a new hill, gold shared among her citizens, and blood left by a dead demon. Her gaze lingered on the last one the longest. "I feel we all have a better understanding of the divine."

She knows about Influence, Wepwawet guessed. It suddenly occurred to him that it couldn't have been a coincidence for her to run this competition outside her capital's walls, far away from any potential Altar. She wished to test the limits of our powers.

Peridot's report had already taught the Fire Sultana that the loss of an Idol could banish a god from Elphion, and she probably guessed that deities needed intermediaries to channel their Miracles through outside their zone of Influence. She had enough information to act against him if he began to act like Pele.

Her loyalty would have to be won every day.

"In any case, no other deity managed to make you budge, Lord Wepwawet," the Fire Sultana said with a bow. "I can think of no surer hands to entrust my country to than you, nor a better patron to crown me."

And like that, Wepwawet had finally secured the allegiance of Lavaland.

It was done. All that he had to do now would be to move his Avatar into Mount Sunfire to align it with the local leyline, which would let him detect all other potential Altar locations and start incorporating Lavaland into his teleportation network. He anticipated a few difficulties considering the magmorians' recent enmity with Verglane, but both his display of power and the Sultana's support ought to at least smooth things over.

However, something bothered Wepwawet.

Even if they had sworn to sit out of the competition, he would have expected the likes of Hel and Anansi to at least interfere with the contest. Yet they shone through their absence. Their own ambassadors hadn't witnessed the contest either, and he couldn't sense them in his miles-wide Influence's range either.

Where did their representatives go?

Somehow, Wepwawet had the feeling that the fireworks were only just about to start…

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