Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 296 FRIENDSHIP

“Fucking hell my nerves are shot,” I said as I read the notification. I had known the challenge was coming, but it always caught me off guard. Happy with my current progress I did what I had been putting off and used my World Choice. 

I had used the last one on the Manhwa door, finding Second Life Ranker. I really wanted to head there next. Most every world in Manga started, I felt I was in a good place to venture out into the other halls. I wanted to make sure I picked the correct world to start with in each hall. Moving through the list since I had 1 picked for Manhwa, I focused on Comics and Books. 

To be honest I had no idea where to start with books. I really could have picked anything. What I guessed past me picked before my memory was wiped could be way off. I just hoped my original self had a plan when he was told to pick worlds. With the World Choice I decided to be safe. Clicking Marvel Universe the light above the door leading to the Junction went from red to blue. The light guided me to the correct door for the World. 

Following it I came to the Comic Hall on the South part of the Junction. 

I clicked yes. As I did my muscles earned in the Manga Hallway deflated. Brought down to the base strength I started at, I was a simple 16 year-old kid with some superpowers. Pouring through my Status Screen I picked and chose what I needed. 

My Pet was already my Challenger Slot. I wasn’t sure how helpful Nibi would be, but the tailed beast had helped me fight now and then. She should be able to assist. 

My Abilities had 2 new Challenger Slots. I knew I wanted my Nen and Tremor Devil Fruit, but I also really wanted my Search Quirk. It had proved invaluable in the Worlds I had been in so far. But it wasn’t exactly for fighting. I chose Nen and my Devil Fruit without too much annoyance. 

I had 4 Bonus Challenger Slots to pick. It was a no brainer to pick Minor Identity Theft Resistance, Minor Mental Resistance, and Body Modification Resistance. But for the 4th I was torn between Drug Resistance and Fertility Control. 

I hadn’t chosen the Chikyugi as a Challenger Slot so if I ventured to new halls my libido wouldn’t be as high, but damn, I really loved sleeping with all these women. My body would still have Lust Chakra so I could use most of my Chikyugi skills, they simply wouldn’t be as strong. 

After some hesitation I ended up picking Fertility Control. I had only made 2 kids so far, and I would prefer to keep it that way. 

Last was my items. I could only pick 1 Challenger Slot for this one. I was really tempted to use it on my Reject Dials. They had helped me with All For One, and were a good trump card. But every challenger seemed to have the same base strength I did. I doubted anyone had the World Lasting Physique. If I planned to venture out to other worlds, nothing I had was overly important to my fighting style. I could use it on my Full Heal, but again, I typically wanted to save that for end game. It had helped me save Reina, and I felt confident enough not to need it. 

I picked Capsule - House instead. This was the Item Choice I had picked in DBZ World. No matter what world I was in I would be able to have a house to live in with running water. A lot of the worlds I assumed I picked were desolate places and having an easily moved and fortified position would help me immensely. 

After picking my Challenger Slots I pulled up my much shorter screen while I put on my Gantz suit. 

Happy with the changes since the last Challenge I headed into the Comics Hallway. Inside the door just to the left of the main door was lit up blue. That was my Marvel Universe Door. It made sense, the harder worlds to beat seemed to be next to the main door. If I pictured the Comic Room as the Manga Room, Marvel would be where One Punch Man was. I guessed DC was on the other side of the hallway door, so where DBZ world was in the Manga room. 

Letting out a sigh I walked back into the main room. Shadowboxing as I got used to the suit and much weaker body I waited until the timer ran out. 

Arriving in the immense room. The gray sky was as massive as before. Nothing all around me I waited patiently as I began to power up. 

“Maximus?” I asked, as I read the notifications. I looked around slowly and noticed him right in front of me. A shorter kid, he had buzzcut brown hair, light blue eyes, and a slightly longer nose. Wearing what looked like shiny stainless steel body armor he appeared rather imposing. I was kind of lost for a moment though, because I recognized him. 

“Weston?” Max said as he stared at me. I could feel that his Spiritual Energy was going through the same turmoil mine was. Disbelief, wonder, confusion, and a little joy. “Holy shit, is that you?!”

“It is. I uh can’t believe it. Maximus, only guy I’ve met with parents stupid enough to try to be unique with a long dead name,” I said. 

“I told you, it’s a family name,” he said. We both smirked at one another, neither moving closer. 

“What’s uh, going on? I didn’t expect anyone I knew to be here,” I said. 

“Me either,” Max said. “How’d you die originally? I don’t remember hearing about it.” 

“Heart attack. Around Christmas time,” I said.

“Damn, I got in a car accident. But that too was around Christmas time,” he admitted. 

“What the fuck, this is crazy,” I said. Flashbacks of me and him going to high school and college together played through my mind. Of all the people I met, Max was one of the few I considered a friend. We went our own separate ways after school, but we would usually call or text now and then. “You uh, want to chat?” I asked. 

“Sure,” he said. Neither of us moved, then in an unspoken agreement we sat down about 50 feet apart. 

“So, Anime Hall I assume?” He asked. 

“Manga,” I corrected. 

“Same thing,” he said, a smile on his lips.

“Honestly anime and manga are probably closer than comics and TV shows are,” I admitted. “You pick movies?” 

“Yeah. I know them best,” he said.

“Terminator? How’d you end that one?” 

“Early,” he admitted. “No giant war, at least not yet. It was pretty fun.” 

“Like the movies?” I asked. 

“Kind of. It threw me in before Terminator 2. I learned a lot in some of the other worlds I’d been in,” he admitted.

“Any cool ones?”

“Avatar of course. Mostly Marvel and DC movies.” 

“Were all the superheroes in one big universe?” 

“Yep,” he said. “What about you?” 

“Stuck around the Manga hall. You ever read any I recommended?” 

“I saw that live-action One Piece show. And god what was it…Cowboy Bebop.” 

“I actually liked Cowboy Bebop,” I admitted. 

“They were both crap to me,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled. “To each their own…” We spoke for a time. Talking about the worlds we had seen. Not discussing our powers, simply cool stuff and experiences. That devolved into talking about families. That led to the important question. 

“Sleep with anyone cool?” Maximus asked. 

“I doubt anyone you would know, you?” I asked. 

“Got an Avatar wife and kid. A few other girlfriends here and there,” he said confidently.

“Cool,” I said with a nod. We smiled at one another but the conversation stalled. “So how should we handle this?”

“Not quite sure,” Max admitted. 

“I’d prefer not to kill you,” I said.

“Same,” he said with a nod.

“Then, make the other forfeit?” I asked. 

“Alright, no lethal fighting,” he said. “Beat one another up until they can’t go anymore. We get healed afterward anyway.” 

“That we do,” I said with a sigh. Nervous as I slowly stood back up. I didn’t call Nibi out for this. I doubted she understood what maim meant. 

Max and I studied one another for a time. Then he began to grow and his skin turned blue. His suit of armor growing around him I was soon looking at a Navi, or whatever hell they were called in Avatar. 10 feet tall, muscular, he was quite the imposing figure. I breathed out slowly, pushing chakra to everywhere in my body. 

Starting slow I jogged toward him. Max did the same and the fight began as we collided. Sticking low I kicked his legs out from under him but he caught himself. Kicking out at me I blocked it and pulled heat from his body. His skin turned more blue as he lost temperature but ignored it as he growled.

Hitting hard he knocked me back this time. I skidded to a halt and absorbed the energy from the air. My hand extending out I sent a beam of heat at him. Narrowly missing him he slid toward me and closed the distance. As he did so I charged my fist with Nen and the other with Haki. Since my body wasn’t as strong it couldn’t handle too much energy. 

Punching down I hit his ankle as he tried to sweep my feet out from under me. Yelling he gritted his teeth but my other fist hit the other ankle. Both breaking from the force of my Gantz suit, Nen and Haki, he began to fly away.

When he said Marvel I had expected some kind of superpower from him. Getting some distance I pooled water under me and gave chase. Pulling out my Seastone Jitte he pulled out a bow and arrow. They weren’t the cheap sticks from Avatar, but a full on 8 foot tall bow that was glowing metal like his suit of armor. 

I moved water-chakra in front of me as he loosed the arrow, deflecting it minorly I felt the spiritual energy of the arrow as it got closer and moved out of it’s way. Pulling some water away I sent them at him like bullets. Max had no such defense. 4 ice bullets bounced off his armor. I made more, puncturing into his hands and feet, causing him to yell out. 

I thought I had him as I got closer but he touched his status screen and his body began to glow white. “A Full Heal? Seriously?” I asked, surprised. 

“Winning is winning,” he said and pulled out a blue glowing light saber. His limbs fixed he flew at me while twirling the light saber.

“Fucking Star Wars bullshit,” I growled as I narrowly dodged the searing hot blade. I began to pull energy from it. The extreme amount was easy to build up in my body. As my Haki warned me where he was attacking as the light saber whirred in his hand I dodged and moved out of the way smoothly. 

When I built up enough power I was done playing. Pushing all the heat energy into my hand I shot it out and arced my arm in a slashing motion. Cutting off his hand and both legs with the extreme heat he was given the Darth Vader treatment. Max screamed and dropped down. 

I followed after him. Jumping off my platform I made the platform into a long spear and hovered it over him. 

“Give up, Max,” I ordered. The blue man sweated and cursed. Staring up at me wide eyed. “Move your hand to your status screen and I end you,” I said. 

“I know you Weston, you wouldn’t do that, even if I was a stranger,” he said. 

“I’ve done a lot worse for a lot less at stake,” I warned him. His hand didn’t move. 

Instead he said, “Summon.” I looked at him confused for a moment but then a white light appeared. A tall 6 foot tall metal skeleton man appeared. It was a Terminator, and he had a rifle pointed right at me. 

Cursing, I stabbed the ice spear into the steel man, but the Terminator pulled the trigger of the rifle and the plasma beam shot went right through my head. Killing me before I knew what happened.