Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

(A/N: Disclaimer: Serious Trigger Warning. This scene is not pleasant to write, and I imagine it will not be pleasant to read as well. However, I'm not fond of shying away from uncomfortable topics since it helps build the character and plot. If you know anything about how cruel people/criminals can be, you'll understand that this situation, though disturbing, it likely how things would have played out given the context.)While Vahn was healing Milan, he was also diverting some of his attention to the other auras within the building while paying the most attention to Tina. Though he wanted to go to her immediately, he couldn't leave behind Milan before she had recovered. Just imagining leaving her in the room alone surrounded by corpses made Vahn uncomfortable. After she had been healed enough to no be in danger of dying, Vahn moved the seven men's bodies to the side of the room and covered them with a large cloth.Vahn then continued healing Milan as he purchased a towel from the system and used his [Decanter of Replenishment] as a water source to wipe away the grime and buildup on Milan's body. Her captors had beaten her to an almost unrecognizable extent and had poured various types of potions and chemicals on her body to prevent her from dying. With his enhanced sense of smell, Vahn had nearly vomited from the smell of ammonia and refuse that they had covered her body with. He couldn't understand how or why they would do such a cruel thing, especially if they intended to use her as leverage against him.After wiping her body clean, Vahn was able to expedite his healing efforts and quickly rid her body of wounds using his [Wound Transfer] and other support items. Since his healing was unable to regrow hair, Milan's ears and tail had grown back and had a light fuzz instead of the chestnut-brown color of the past. Though it was a strange sight, Vahn was just happy they were able to be grown back. It was fortunate that he had tiger-like ears and a tail when he was doing the [Wounds Transfer], or there was a very high probability they'd have been lost forever. The downside to that, of course, was that Vahn had to experience the nerve endings of his own tail being severed which caused his mind to numb from the pain.If not for the fact that he was entirely focused on Milan before him and Tina in his mind, Vahn would have likely collapsed from the pain. Towards the end of the treatment, he had even transitioned from his Báihǔ form into his turtle form. There were even the wisps of tiny vermillion-flames beginning to break through the small cracks in his skin, but Vahn repressed the transformation using his willpower. He didn't dispel it entirely, however, as it may prove useful when dealing with the remainder of the captors.After around fifteen minutes, Milan's body had been returned to her former healthy and lithe looking state. Though Vahn might have admired her form in the past, now he just felt an incredible sadness as he scanned through his system and purchased a cloak for her to wear. Since he could only gift one item a month to each person, Vahn had to make do with something that could cover her entire body at once. With a bit of effort, he managed to slip the cloak around Milan's unconscious body before cradling her gently and using [Hands of Nirvana] to ease her mind and try to awaken her.Not long after, Milan's eyes opened slowly and stared in a daze at the foreign ceiling. She felt like she had been having a terrible dream and had suffered inhumane treatment. She remembered being happy with her daughter and taking care of the customers while they both talked about the young boy that had made his way into their lives. For the first time in a long while, Milan began to feel like things were getting back on track and both she and her daughter would be able to find happiness.**(Trigger Warning Starting Now: You can skip toward the bottom where the warning ends if you are uncomfortable.)**Soon after, while she was cooking in the kitchen, Milan had heard a commotion coming from the front of the Inn. Assuming it was just a rowdy customer, she made her way through the small doors toward the dining room and saw several aggressive men ejecting all of the customers as they began to trash the place. Though she didn't have a weapon on her, Milan was still a Level 3, so she immediately set out to give the men a thrashing.Things weren't going too badly, even though the attackers had two Level 3 of their own, and Milan was hoping to be able to hold out until the authorities arrived. Since her Inn was located near the main branch of the Hephaestus Familia, the security in the area wasn't supposed to be a problem. As long as she held out for just a few minutes, there were bound to be several people that would show up to assist. Unfortunately, one of the scumbags had managed to find her daughter and captured her.Unable to continue fighting after Tina had been captured, Milan surrendered and the two Level 3 men, one scarred-faced man, and an emaciated-looking dark-skinned elf, began to beat her for a short period of time for her earlier resistance. Even though her daughter cried out at the brutality of the sight, Milan continued to bear the heavy blows while trying to protect her vitals. She even hoped that the men would beat her for a longer period of time in order to allow for help to arrive, so she put up a small amount of resistance against them every time they stopped their attack.Eventually, one of the members of the assailants pointed out the issue of time and the two men stopped beating her they tied up her body and carried her and Tina out the back entrance of the Inn. One of the last sights Milan had seen before she passed out was the image of the Inn she had built and operated for the past ten years going up in flames. Though she hadn't cried at all as the men beat her, she couldn't help but shed some tears at the sight before she finally passed out.The next thing she remembered was waking up after being dropped heavily to the floor. Milan could hear Tina's screaming voice and opened her swollen eyes to try and find her daughter so that she could assure her everything would be okay. As she turned her head towards the crying of her daughter, she saw one of the men heavily slap Tina's face and knock her to the ground. She felt her mind buzz as she called upon strength she didn't know she had as Milan launched herself at the man and tried to strangle him.Though she managed to get her hands around his neck, it wasn't long before Milan felt a heavy block to the back of her head that made her vision blacken as a powerful throbbing feeling ran through her mind. She hadn't been knocked out by the blow, but all of the strength she had mustered previously faded from her body as she looked toward her daughter that was laying on the ground sobbing.She tried to crawl toward Tina and comfort her, but two of the men picked her up by her arms and dragged her out of the room. After taking her to another area in the dark building, the men began to tear away at her clothing and her instincts allowed her to resist against them. However, no matter how much she tried, the men only took a sadistic pleasure in her struggles as they knocked her to the ground and began systematically breaking the bones in her body starting from her limbs.They poured buckets full of waste and refuse onto her naked body and called her cruel and derogatory names before some of the men took out their penises and peed on her defenseless body after one of them called her a toilet. Though the smell made her want to vomit, Milan's stomach had long been emptied of its contents and she could only gag and spit up bits of blood tainted with small black particulates.One of the men saw the black clots in the blood and realized that she would probably die soon, so they poured low-grade potions onto her body before trying to force a foul-smelling liquid down her throat. Milan resisted and tried to prevent from being forced to swallow the contents by gritting her teeth, but one of the men used a small leather club to shatter her jaw to prevent her from resisting.As the viscous contents slid down her throat, Milan tried to force herself to vomit it out, but the damage to her body prevented her from having enough energy to do so. She could feel a heat spreading through her body and realized what the men's intentions were. Though there was next to no strength in her body, Milan desperately tried to resist against the men and managed to scratch and blind one of their eyes in the process.The screaming of the man caused others to become alerted to what was going on in the room and several other people entered and began beating her alongside the original two. It got to the point where Milan couldn't move her body at all and she felt like death was close at hand. If not for the fact that her daughter was still held hostage, she likely would have died then and there. Unfortunately, the only reward for her resolve was the man she had blinded using his thumb and blinding her eye.Unable to resist, Milan's body seized up at the pain and she cried out with a croaking voice as she tried to pull her head away. Incited by her reaction, the men began to laugh cruelly as they took a pair sheers and began to clip off pieces of her ears. They didn't cut them off all at once but cut off bits and pieces at a time before the only thing remaining was mangled stubs. It was more painful than anything Milan had ever felt, but it was nothing compared to what came next.The tail of a cat person was one of their most sensitive spots and housed thousands of nerve endings toward the base of the spine. It was a tradition that only the significant other of a cat person was allowed to grab their tail since it would activate their instincts and cause them to bite forward. Since cat people were considered somewhat exotic and were popular in slave-trading circles, the sensitivity of their tail was well-known to most criminal groups. Using that knowledge as a basis, the same man that blinded her eyes gripped Milan's tail firmly.Milan gnashed her teeth because of the disgusting feeling that was welling up in her body, but it didn't last long as a sheer dread took over her mind when she saw the cruel look on the man's face. Unable to form any words, Milan opened her mouth and just released muted whines as the man tightened his grip and twisted powerfully. All of the pain receptors in her body fired at once as her body jerked from the intense pain. Undaunted, the man twisted in the opposite direction and alternated his grip until eventually separating the tail from her body nearly three excruciating minutes later.**(Trigger Warning Has Ceased: Though it still isn't too pleasant, enjoy the story.)**Afterward, Milan had absolutely no strength left in her body and couldn't even form any thoughts. Even when the men started beating her and tormenting her body once again, she didn't even feel any new sensations since her body had gone into a severe state of shock. The only thing she could think of was her daughter Tina who had been left alone in the previous room. Milan remembered how vibrant Tina's smile had been when they were both happy, but now she feared it would be replaced by the fear and anxiety that she had seen earlier. Even if nobody showed up to save her, Milan wanted her daughter to be saved from this nightmare, so she began to utter a silent prayer through her swollen and torn lips...Unaware of how much time had passed, Milan felt a strange sensation spread through the room as a strange golden glow flashed. The impacts that had been forced on her body for so long came to a halt in an instant as complete silence spread through the room. For several minutes, there were no sights or sounds other than a hazy darkness and a throbbing sensation in her mind that had replaced all sounds.Milan thought she might have died but, suddenly, there was a warm sensation pushing away the throbbing sensation in her mind. Though all of her nerves felt like they had fried, she could feel a gentle energy spreading through her body as a heat emanated from areas where she had lost all feelings. Soon after, Milan could feel a numb and tingling sensation spreading over her body and she realized that the incredible pain that had become her existence was slowly fading away.When a moist and warm feeling landed on her face, a sense of relief appeared in her heart as hope began to spread through her anxious mind. Almost as if it were a distant memory that she had suddenly recalled, Milan was able to recognize the energy entering her body and the image of a kind and gentle boy appeared from her memory. Though she still had an incredible anxiety in her heart and a profound concern for her daughter in the focus of her mind, Milan knew that help had finally arrived. Hearing the gentle and comforting words of Vahn, Milan, unable to express her relief in any other way, began to cry as darkness encroached upon her mind.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Cruelty','Within the Depths of Despair','Light in the Darkness')If you'd like to support me on ******* so I can become a full-time writer, please follow this link~!https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $669/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D

After clearing her mind, Milan noticed that Vahn was cradling her gently in his arms as he stared at her face with clear concern in his expression. She smiled briefly, but it faded quickly as she asked, "Did you save Tina?" Even though she was happy and felt a bit of relief, Milan wouldn't be able to relax until her daughter was safe. She sat up from Vahn's arms and looked around and recognized the room as well as the seven bodies covered by the blanket.Vahn put his hand on her head and spoke in a soft tone, "Don't worry, I already have her within the range of my senses. I'll be going to save her now...I just couldn't leave you here alone." Milan heard his words and felt a pang of warmth in her heart, but it didn't do much to suppress her anxiety. She noticed that she had been clothed in a dark blue cloak and removed Vahn's hand from her head before noticing a strange sight. The tail that she had lost had grown back, and even though it was hairless, Milan couldn't help but release a relieved sigh.In her daze, Vahn stood up and embraced her body and stroked her back in a caring manner as he said, "Leave through the window and guide the others here. Hephaestus had been gathering a rescue party and is probably searching for this location. I know you're worried about Tina, but my stealth and skills allow me to move undetected. If you don't want to leave, you'll have to stay in this room for the time being." As he spoke, Vahn pulled out one of the short swords he had forged in the orb.Milan wanted to refute his words, but she couldn't argue against his serious expression. Even though she had recovered her strength, her mind was in an unstable state and she knew she wouldn't be able to help him. Since she didn't want to wait in the room, Milan decided to follow his advice and go get support. However, before she left, she looked at the cold and sad eyes of Vahn that couldn't be concealed even though he was trying to act comforting. She knew he would blame himself for what happened and wanted to assure him but couldn't find the words.Vahn saw her hesitation and just shook his head as he put his hand back on her's and stroked the hairless ears that served as a reminder of his failure. In a tired, yet angry, sounding voice, Vahn said, "I have no regrets...other than the fact that I was too weak to prevent this from happening. I will make them pay dearly to make sure nobody ever tries to harm the people I care about again..." A cold light flashed through his eyes as he stared through the walls and floor toward the aura of Tina.Seeing his expression and hearing his response, Milan furrowed her brows and gave Vahn a strong hug. Though he was a bit confused, Vahn just caressed her back for a bit until she said, "Don't become a monster because of other people...save Tina, that is the most important thing. If you fall down to their level, you will only have regrets in the future. That isn't the way to obtain strength...that is the path towards cruelty...don't lose your kind and gentle self for the sake of evil men."Milan's words made Vahn feel a terrible sensation in his mind and caused the cold feeling that had rooted itself in his consciousness to fluctuate. He could feel his anxiety begin to build but it was soon suppressed as the cold sensation became stronger. Though he knew she was right, he just couldn't let the people that had done this off without releasing his frustrations somehow. Vahn felt like, if he showed mercy now, there would only be more people that would find trouble for him in the future.As she had been paying attention to his expression, Milan had seen the struggle in his eyes as she cupped his face in her hands and whispered, "Let them be judged and suffer in prison for the rest of their lives. You don't have to be the one to pass judgment on them, Vahn. Just find the mastermind and turn them over to the authorities...but, most importantly, you still need to save Tina. She needs a hero, not someone that lacks mercy. Don't let her hold the image of you tormenting others in her mind, even if it is to enact justice for everything that happened."Milan's words caused Vahn to imagine Tina looking at him with fear in the future. Even if it was an unnecessary concern and she didn't fear him, Vahn couldn't tolerate the idea of her being comfortable with him killing people either. Though the cold sensation in his mind didn't leave, it dissipated slightly and Vahn released a sad sigh. He had already killed the men that tormented Milan so, as long as he could save Tina, he didn't have to punish the rest personally. Considering there were people like Loki and Hephaestus that would be involved. Vahn didn't need to be a vigilante that enacted his own brand of justice, he just wanted to protect the people he cared about.Seeing his expression soften a bit, Milan showed him a gentle smile and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Before exiting through the window, she turned back and stared at him for a few seconds before saying, "Go, she is waiting for you...and...thanks for saving me and helping to regrow my tail. Once the hair grows back, I'll let you touch it as a reward..." Though it wasn't the most appropriate situation, Milan wanted to lift Vahn's spirits a little and encourage him.Vahn nodded his head slightly and, with a smile on his face, said, "It's a promise..." He had seen her aura fluctuated slightly and knew that she wasn't actually trying to make a pass at him. Vahn knew she was just trying to help him cheer up, so he reciprocated and gave an adequate response before turning his back as she leaped out the window. Though the future was an interesting thing to consider, Vahn needed to focus on the present and get to the bottom of the current situation.Presently, there were two people guarding Tina's room as well as several other auras spread throughout the safe house. Though not everyone had a black aura, Vahn could see that the majority were filled with negative emotions. This meant that, though they may not be directing their malicious intent toward him presently, they were still inherently predisposed against him.The thing that had caught his eye long ago were the four larger auras that were deep underground, even further down than the room Tina was kept in. Though Vahn couldn't sense the entire layout of the building, he knew it likely had several layers he had yet to explore. His mini-map showed him minor details, but it couldn't let him see through walls unless he used [Eyes of Truth].Since Tina hadn't been kept too far from the room Milan was in, Vahn managed to sneak through the safe house while using his stealth and staying low to the ground. He was still in his turtle form, so he didn't have night vision, but he could still easily see through the low-lighting of the corridors.Coincidentally, his turtle form actually made his skin darken while hardening his forearms and legs, so Vahn was nearly indistinguishable from the background while he was using [Stealth] and his domain to conceal his presence.The moment he got into range of the connecting corridor where Tina was being kept, Vahn stepped into the corridor and immediately used Shundo. Since the two guards were slacking off due to being inside the safe house, they were completely unprepared as Vahn appeared in front of them before using his [Fist strike] to give them both severe concussions. Since he didn't want to make a lot of noise, Vahn had used the benefit of his turtle form to converge the shockwave and localize it to the center of their heads. Even though he didn't put a lot of strength into the strikes, it forcefully rattled the brains of the two. If they were unlucky, they may never fully recover in the future, but it was still considered a small mercy compared to Vahn's original intentions.After setting the two 'unconscious' men on the ground silently, Vahn used fire elemental energy to increase the temperature of his hand as he melted through the locked door. Though he could have searched the men for a key, Vahn didn't plan to waste any more time so he used what he believed to be the most efficient option available. Once it had melted through completely, Vahn entered the small room and saw Tina unconscious on the ground.Though it wasn't a far distance, Vahn immediately appeared next to her body using Shundo before picking her up in his arms. Fortunately, other than some scrapes and a minor swelling on her cheek, Tina was otherwise unharmed. The cold sensation in his mind dissipated by a large amount and Vahn couldn't stop himself from sighing in relief as he stroked the small cat girl's head while using [Hands of Nirvana]. Even though he could heal the swelling quickly, Vahn still used [Wounds Transfer] since he felt it was only right for him to experience the suffering she had gone through.Not long after he healed her body and was inserting his energy into her head, Tina woke up with a start and flinched after realizing she was being held. She immediately tried to escape, but calmed down soon after once she realized it was Vahn holding her body. Though she should have recognized it from the familiar warmth, she was still on edge from everything that had happened. Now that she saw Vahn, Tina hugged his body and started crying loudly.Vahn compressed his domain a bit and used the sound dampening properties of [Stealth] to contain her cries as he consoled the bawling Tina. He continued to stroke the back of her head while softly explaining the situation to her. He told her that Milan had already been saved and was 'unharmed', and now he would be able to take her away from this place as well.Tina, hearing Vahn's soothing words, began to withhold her crying voice as she continued to sob into his chest for several minutes. Even though she felt a great deal of relief after hearing the explanation, she couldn't do much to repress the fear and unease in her heart. Though Vahn's warm embrace helped to calm her mind a bit, she couldn't relax until she was able to reunite with her mother. After seeing her mother carried away earlier in a badly beaten state, she was severely traumatized and had trouble believing that she was okay.Vahn continued to soothe her patiently until he noticed a change in the auras around him. One of the larger auras separated from the other three and began to run through the building while alerting everyone else. The three remaining auras began retreating further into a space Vahn couldn't see and they were quickly moving toward the edge of his detection range. Though he hadn't been detected, Vahn assumed that word had gotten to the mastermind about the situation happening on the surface. Right now, there were several teams from the Hephaestus Familia converging around this area with Milan's guidance. The main team of the Loki Familia had also shown up since around fifty minutes had passed since Vahn parted with Hephaestus.Though Vahn was unaware of what was happening outside, he could intuit a bit based on everything that was happening. Before the men made their way to the room where he and Tina were, Vahn pulled her away slightly and looked into her eyes with a serious expression. Tina, though she was still scared and anxious, immediately ceased her crying as she returned his gaze. She could see the seriousness in his eyes as he explained, "There are bad men coming here right now, so I need to get you out of the building. A lot of our allies, including your mother, are heading this way and they will protect you."Tina nodded her head and asked in a sobbing tone, "What about you...?" In response, Vahn gave her a gentle smile and ruffled her hair as he explained, "I can't let the people that did this get away. Even now, I can sense them running away from this location. I will buy time for the rest of the rescue party to show up, so I need you to be brave and go to them. Don't be afraid, Tina, as I won't leave you on your own..."As Vahn finished his words, he looked toward the ceiling and held Tina close as he said, "Fafnir, open a hole in his damnable place. Let's get some fresh air..." In response to his words, Fafnir slammed up from the shadows on the floor and accelerated toward the roof and tore through it like paper. Though there was a lot of debris raining down, Vahn was able to completely protect Tina in his arms by using his turtle form to dissipate the force of anything that contacted them. Even heavy debris contacted his body and just rolled off without even budging him.Tina was very afraid by the chaotic scene, but she just hugged Vahn's waist with her eyes closed and believed that he would protect her. Even though it seemed like the sky was falling, she noticed that Vahn stood firm against everything without budging as he shielded her body. After a few seconds, Tina could feel the cold night air enter into the stagnant room as Vahn used his domain to generate small bursts of energy to clear the dust that was still around them.Picking her up in his arms, Vahn jumped through the hole that Fanfir had made before vaulting off the higher floors and arriving at the roof. Turning toward the dragon floating in the air, Vahn held out Tina and said, "Fafnir, protect her with everything you have. Take her to the others before returning to the shadows. If anyone tries to harm her or Milan, make sure they pay the price." Fafnir nodded its head before responding in a childish voice, (*Leave it to me, Master~!*). It then bent down and reformed its scales to allow for Tina to fit comfortably on its back.Though she was scared of the giant black dragon, Tina had also heard the cute and childish voice as it responded to Vahn. Even though it looked 'evil', she suddenly felt a lot less intimidated as she allowed Vahn to seat her on its back. Vahn rubbed her head affectionately one last time before giving her a kiss on the forehead and saying, "Milan is waiting for you, go to her..." Tina nodded her head before hugging Vahn's neck for a few seconds. When she finally let go, she had tears in her eyes as she said, "Please don't get hurt..."Vahn took her hand into his as he showed her the most confident smile he could manage and said, "No matter what happens, Tina, I will always come back in one piece. Make sure to prepare some nice food for me when I return; the three of us can eat it together just like before." Then Vahn ruffled her hair a bit before jumping off Fafnir's back and down into the hole.Though several men had shown up at the room where Tina had been kept, the moment they saw the huge hole and Fafnir, they immediately ran away. Vahn was going to follow their trail all the way back to the source since, if you trace the tail of a snake, you will always find its head eventually. From his time back in the forest, Vahn had learned that the best way to kill a snake was to cut off the head and watch the body die...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Author-Style, Triple-Cliff Summoning Jutsu~!','The Hunt Begins','Tiny Tina's Tears')If you'd like to support me on ******* so I can become a full-time writer, please follow this link~!https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $716/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D

Vahn awakened in the orb and Eva tried to land on top of him as she had done many times in the past. The moment she tried kissing him, she realized that something was wrong since Vahn wasn't reciprocating as usual. Sitting on his stomach, she looked down and saw the unveiled hatred in his face. For a brief moment, Eva thought he was angry at her and could feel fear welling up in her heart until Vahn began explaining the situation. After releasing a sigh and deciding to not punish him for being late, Eva offered her advice and it coincided with Vahn's intentions.Even though Vahn wanted to immediately go and save Milan and Tina, spending a few seconds of time to practice Shundo and learn a bit of magic would be the most optimal decision. Whenever he used [Will of the Emperor], even if he was beyond the rational level of anger, his mind was always calm and calculating. The moment he had escaped from the guards Vahn entered the orb to calm his mind and train with Eva.There was also another important thing he had to do while he was in the orb; Vahn wanted to retrieve Fafnir since he would be able to cross the City in a few short minutes instead of running on foot. Since Fafnir could now hide in his shadow, Vahn didn't need to unsummon it to conceal it in the future. No matter what problems he may have to face in the future, Vahn wasn't going to avoid using every trump card he had available just to avoid drawing attention to himself. Things were already to the point where people thought they could use the people he cared about against him, and Vahn had no patience for their games.After allowing Eva to replenish her energy by draining his blood, Vahn began receiving a crash course in Shundo. Though he could try to learn magic, actually obtaining the skill to use it would take months or even years for him to master. Shundo was an incredible technique, but it was also something that Vahn was well suited to learn given his current combat style. Even though two of the assailants had been Level 3, they weren't even able to react to his movements in his Báihǔ form.Though she was typically very affectionate towards Vahn, Eva had grown serious after understanding the severity of the situation Vahn was facing in the real world. For the next three days, she constantly drilled him on the use of Shundo with little rest between training sessions. Vahn supplemented his lack of stamina with senzu beans and meditation. For the entire duration of their training, Vahn hadn't disabled his domain for a single moment, even when Eva was draining his blood. Though he could use the time within the orb to calm his mind, Vahn didn't want to lose the tensions and drive that he had when entering.It wasn't until there were only ten hours left when Vahn finally took a rest to fully recover his mental energy. Unlike their normal baths, where Vahn would pamper Eva, she instead washed his body and allowed him to continue focusing his mind through meditation. Since Vahn could even keep his domain active in his sleep, he laid down in the bed to recover the rest of his energy in preparation for the coming fight. Though Eva often laid on top of his body, she just silently rested against his arm and remained relatively docile for the duration of their rest.Moments before Vahn left the orb, she gave him a passionate kiss before wishing him good fortune in battle. Though he was still focused, Vahn returned her kiss and gave her an affectionate smile as he rubbed her golden hair and willed himself to dissipate faster. Fafnir was already back in his inventory and now he would just have to re-summon it back in the real world. Though she wasn't fond of it, Vahn left behind (Nameless) so Eva wouldn't be lonely while he was away.Vahn awoke in the real world and immediately set out to take actions to track down Milan and Tina. While chugging an [Elixer] 10,000OP, Vahn constantly channeled his energy into the beautiful rainbow crystal in his hand. As Fafnir became stronger, the crystal that contained it became more resplendent and required more energy to awaken. The [Elixer] not only fully restored his health, but it also constantly recovered his energy which allowed him to finally summon Fafnir.The moment the 15m dragon appeared on the top of a roof, several people screamed out and began to run away in a panic. Though it wasn't uncommon for a tamer to have a monster within the City, they were often kept at the Ganesha Familia or within Babel tower in a large kennel operated by the Guild. For a dragon to appear out of thin air in the middle of the City, there was no way for people to not think it was an enemy. Fortunately, there weren't any high-level adventurers in the vicinity that wanted to test their luck against the 'evil' black dragon.After mounting Fafnir, Vahn managed to cover the hour-long trip within four minutes while causing no small amount of chaos for the City below. Since the City streets were wide and everyone had cleared the area since they were running away, Vahn was able to land in the middle of the street right in front of the burnt down Hearths Embrace. Though the fire had been contained early, the Inn was still in a state of severe disrepair and all the investigators and firefighters had fled the moment Vahn arrived.Since there would be trouble later, Vahn had Fafnir dive into the shadow of a nearby building and vanish from the now empty City street. Vahn immediately noticed the presence of familiar people approaching, but he decided to enter the remains of the Inn for the time being. He had a very specific intention for his visit and it would be of paramount importance when it came to finding Milan and Tina. It hadn't been long since he dealt with the assailants, and Vahn suspected they hadn't received notice of the failed ambush considering his speed.After a few seconds, Vahn arrived at his destination and broke down the burnt remains of the door that led to the room where he had slept with Milan and Tina the previous night. Even though there was a powerful burnt smell in the air, Vahn was able to detect the aroma of the two girls that had deeply permeated throughout the room. Since he was in his Báihǔ form, his olfactory senses were several times stronger than most people and he could even enhance them further with increased focus. Grabbing the bedding, Vahn deeply inhaled the fragrance and stored it within the receptors inside his nose as Nanu had taught him in the past.Vahn managed to perfectly memorize the scent and could detect it everywhere even when he left the burning remains and reunited with Hephaestus and a few members of her security team. Since the Hearths Embrace was nearby, she had received word of the fire earlier and had arrived with a team more than half an hour ago before returning to her workshop to relay the information to all the other girls. During the previous meeting, Hephaestus had given communication scrolls to everyone that didn't possess one. By the time Vahn had arrived at the scene, she was already on her way back after informing Loki, Anubis, Tsubaki, and Eina of what had happened.Seeing the fierce and cold look on Vahn's face, Hephaestus couldn't help but feel worried as she gave him a hug and promised, "We'll find them, Vahn." Vahn returned her embrace and said in a low and powerful tone, "I've recognized their scent; I'll track them down now and save them both." Though she wanted to stop him, Hephaestus could see the seriousness and conviction in his eyes so she just bit her lip in frustration before giving him a passionate kiss in front of the onlookers that had been gathering.Vahn wasn't in the mood for kissing, but he still reciprocated Hephaestus's gesture to let her know he was grateful for her concern. When they parted, Vahn brushed her face with his fingers and showed her a 'gentle' smile before disappearing from view. Other than Zaff, nobody had seen Vahn's departure and everyone, including him, were in awe at the display of speed. From their perspective, Vahn turned into a black shadowy blur before he disappeared entirely from their line of sight.Hephaestus stood there in silence and held her hand over her heart as she felt all the emotions that Vahn was experiencing right now. Though she felt pained and saddened by what he was going through, Hephaestus gripped her fists as a fiery and wrathful look appeared on her face. She turned toward Zaff and spoke in a commanding tone, "Gather everyone available, we'll crush whoever dared pulled a stunt like this." Zaff nodded his head in response and immediately began issuing orders as Hephaestus took at the pen and scroll that she had brought with her and sent messages to the other parties involved. It wouldn't be long before several of the major powers within the City were moving in concert to crack down on the mastermind that put this plot into motion.Since Vahn wouldn't be able to follow the trail while on Fafnir's back, he had to maneuver through the City on foot. He would periodically stop for a few seconds to make sure he could track the scent of Milan and Tina properly. Vahn noticed that the scent was tinged with fear, and this realization made the cold sensation in his mind spread further through his body. Imagining the small Tina crying and shivering in fear made Vahn feel like he was going to lose his mind. She was always so cheerful and in high-tensions and now, not more than two days after Vahn promised to protect them, both girls were suffering because of their relationship with him.Though Vahn didn't regret being with the two girls, he still hated himself a bit for his own lack of foresight. He always expected something to happen but never thought the first targets of his enemies would be those close to him. If they had targeted him, Vahn probably would have let them off lightly after breaking through the scheme. Now, however, they had targeted the people he cared about. Vahn swore to himself that he would make the people that caused Tina to feel fear experience the same emotion.As he dashed through the City, the smell of the two girls gradually increased until Vahn had turned through several back-streets where the disreputable types often called home. Since he had been using his stealth, Vahn had remained undetected as he landed on the roof of a relatively non-descript building. Through his domain, Vahn could sense several life-signs coming from the inside of the building, including two purple colored auras that he could recognize as Milan and Tina.Vahn noticed that they had been separated and Tina was by herself with two other life signs nearby, likely locked away in a room. The thing that made Vahn's mind go numb was the fact that Milan was surrounded by several auras that were colored black and red. He also noticed that, as time passed, Milan's aura would fluctuate before growing slightly dimmer. Vahn's rage almost exploded to the point where it pushed back the cold sensation in his mind but the cold sensation just grew more powerful until it became a biting chill that forced him to remain calm.Taking a deep breath, Vahn focused his mind to the absolute limits while closing his eyes. Though he couldn't see their full figures, Vahn could detect the basic outline of the bodies of everyone in the building. He saw that Tina was crouched down on the ground shivering while Milan was currently being beaten by seven other people. She was laying on the ground and Vahn could feel every impact on her body through his senses. The moment he locked on to the seven men, Vahn immediately used [Enkidu] to skewer them all before breaking in through one of the side windows.When he had used [Enkidu], Vahn had aimed for the men's heads and noticed that all of their auras immediately vanished. The rest of the people in the building were completely unaware of what was going on since even the bodies of the men hadn't fallen to the floor yet. After sneaking through the building for a few minutes, Vahn arrived at the room where Milan was currently laying. The moment he saw her, Vahn felt a painful feeling in his chest and nearly fell to the ground in anguish.Milan had been completely stripped naked and most of the bones on her body seemed to be broken with several bruises covering her skin. Perhaps because of her earlier resistance, but the men had been brutally beating her to pass the time. She was covered in various types of fluids other than blood and had a blank look on her battered face. Vahn could even see that she was missing several teeth and it looked like one of her eyes had been crushed. Her ears had been nipped and her tail was missing from her body.Vahn began hyperventilating even with the influence of [Will of the Emperor] as he approached the brutally beaten Milan and began healing her. While using [Hands of Nivana] to alleviate her pain, Vahn began using [Wounds Transfer] to gradually absorb the damage from her body into his own. He even purchased a [Heal] from the system and was simultaneously using it on both of their bodies. Though Vahn could feel his body being wracked with pain, he didn't show it on his face at all as tears silently poured from his eyes. He just continued to pat Milan's head and whispering comforting words to her during the healing process. His tears, unable to be contained by his face, dripped down onto the blank face of Milan who had yet to regain consciousness. The only thing she could feel was the warm energy entering her body as she began to subconsciously emit tears from her eyes.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A Divine Reckoning Approacheth','Fury beyond comprehension','Absolute Dominance, Absolute Anguish','This is a light-hearted slice-of-life novel where the MC was tortured for 14 years in a previous life kappa')If you'd like to support me on ******* so I can become a full-time writer, please follow this link~!https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $669/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D(A/N: I'll be updating the ******* goal soon and, even though I technically haven't reached my goal (since it needs to clear at the end of the month), I'll still be writing 50 chapters a week starting Monday.)

Chapter 191: Despair : Hope