Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

From the moment Vahn transformed into his Xuánwǔ form and began to glow, Tammuz's expression became especially serious. Without waiting any further, he kicked off from the ground to try and subdue Vahn before things got out of hand. Unexpectedly, instead of trying to evade as he had done previously, Vahn stood his ground and struck forward with a precise strike at Tammuz's chest. Since he figured something was abnormal, Tammuz dodged the blow by twisted his body and vaulting toward Vahn's flank. During the motion, he felt an intense heat pass near his torso and looked toward Vahn with a fierce glare.Since he had recently just 'exposed' himself during the fight with Tione, Vahn had purchased a pair of trousers that were incredibly resistant to heat. They weren't fire-proof, but they would be able to last for a while as long as he only heated up certain parts of his body. He was, however, completely topless in the cold air as heat radiated from his body in waves. His muscles were exposed and his healthy tanned skin covered in tattoos was clearly visible to any observers. Because his muscles became slightly larger in his Xuánwǔ form, Vahn currently looked as though he had a tyrannical strength and Tammuz could feel the pressure.Instead of trying to trade blows directly, Tammuz pulled out several nail-like projectiles and threw them fast enough to make popping sounds in the air. They passed through the after-image of Vahn and buried themselves deep into the ground more than 40m away. Tammuz frowned and rolled forward before vaulting off his hand after evading Vahn's kick. He could feel the intense heat from the blows and knew it wouldn't be easy to resist unless he was looking for an internecine outcome. Curiously, Tammuz noticed that Vahn wasn't moving around much compared to his actions when he was a 'weretiger'.Though he couldn't be sure, Tammuz thought that Vahn had given up his mobility in exchange for power and endurance. Since the movement technique he used had the fluctuations of mana, it would be possible to turn the fight into a battle of attrition if he planned things well. The problem was that Vahn was able to use 'storage magic' and Tammuz couldn't even begin to guess how many recovery items he might have within. It might be a difficult fight, but it seemed the only way to progress was to suffer a bit and then get healed later.Vahn noticed that Tammuz had taken on a more defensive stance and didn't seem to be willing to trade blows with him directly. It was a bit annoying since he wasn't able to test his Xuánwǔ form if the opponent wasn't willing to actually fight him. Vahn began to realize that it wasn't always advantageous to use techniques that the opponent didn't expect. When against a veteran fighter, they would evaluate any new changes and try to find a countermeasure instead of tackling the matter head-on. Now Vahn understood why information about people was often highly sought after and could cost an incredible amount of Valis to obtain. If you knew all of your opponent's skills, you could formulate a strategy to deal with them easily. Since Tammus knew next to nothing about his actual abilities, he was playing it safe and being more reactive than proactive.For a brief moment, Vahn humored the idea of removing the fire elements from his body to try and draw in Tammuz, but it didn't seem like a rational idea unless he was able to somehow convince him that he was running low on mana. Since Vahn wasn't the greatest at 'deceiving' others, he didn't have a lot of confidence in pulling it off without actually exposing himself. He had let Tione keep the effigy, and he was now realizing he should have perhaps kept it for himself. Ever since he was 'instantly killed' by Tione's accidental strike, Vahn knew that a fight could change in an instant if he dropped his guard.Thinking Vahn had dropped his guard, Tammuz pulled out a single, long, nail and threw it toward Vahn's leg with an incredible force. Without even putting in much effort to evade, Vahn widened his footing a bit and the nail passed harmlessly in the ground behind him. Even if he didn't 'seem' to be paying attention to Tammuz, his training with Tsubaki was deeply ingrained into his body. Since everything currently was happening within his domain, Vahn was almost untouchable unless the opponent could do something to drastic to distract him. Using the incredible brief window when Tammus had shifted his weight to throw the nail, Vahn stepped forward with Shundo as a green glow emerged from his scales.Tammuz backstepped to evade the blow, but he hadn't expected that Vahn's attack didn't require him to actually make contact. Vahn had converged the shockwave that would have resulted from his attack and compressed it to a point before releasing it in front of his hand. Instead of dissipating into the air, the compressed force shot forward like an air cannon and slammed into Tammuz's body before sending him backward nearly ten meters. Before he had the chance to recover, Vahn had already appeared behind him and sent a powerful side-kick to Tammuz's exposed back.Since he was still receiving the 'air cannon', Tammuz wasn't able to react to the blow from his blindspot and felt his bones creak under the force of Vahn's kick as the back of his tunic and the skin beneath began to burn away. He vaulted through the air once again and tried to recover, but Vahn appeared right in front of him with wide eyes and a somewhat tyrannical expression on his face with an uncharacteristically cruel smile. This was a trait Vahn had developed while soloing in the dungeon back when he was more active. Whenever he got deeply invested in combat, the cold sensation in his mind would continue to grow stronger and he felt compelled to dominate whatever he was fighting. It wasn't a simple rush of adrenaline, but the [Heart of the Eternal Flame] was pumping an incredible amount of oxygen-rich blood through his body and made him feel a little giddy and excitable.Vahn struck forward once again as the tattoo on his back glowed with a golden light before the scales on his forearm expanded slightly with green runes present in the centers of each one. Tammuz gnashed his teeth and tried to protect himself but was unable to resist the force since he had previously been sent flying by Vahn. Without hesitating for a single instant, Vahn brought his arm forward like a guillotine and connected his forearm with the cross-guard of Tammuz as he aimed for the neck. Since he wasn't able to completely defend against the blow, Vahn smashed Tammuz's own limbs into his neck and body before sending him spinning on the spot several times before he collided hard with the ground.Before Tammuz was able to recover from the blow, Vahn used several chains of [Enkidu] to appear near the ground and arch over Tammuz's body before pulling them tight and pinning him to the ground. Most of the chains wrapped around his body, but Vahn had managed to get one around his thighs while another had managed to slip through his guard and was firmly pinning down Tammuz's neck. For a brief instant, Vahn had a strange desire to smash Tammuz's head like a watermelon since he still had a condescending glare in his eyes. Instead, Vahn decided to change his expression a bit and converged a small number of fire elements into the exposed ocular devices of Tammuz. Though it wasn't enough to permanently blind him, it was still an incredibly painful attack and there was nothing he could do to protect himself even by closing his eyes.Tammuz screamed out in pain, but Vahn stopped his cries by tightening the chain around his neck and temporarily stopping the flow of air. When his face began to turn purple and he had 'calmed down', Vahn eased up the chains a bit and said, "Don't move; if you piss me off any further, you won't be able to blame me for what happens." Tammuz tried to refute Vahn's words, but the only thing he got for his troubles was [Enkidu] tightening around his neck and body. There was nothing he could do but stare as Vahn placed his hand upon his head and a powerful energy began to pass through his body.Since he had experience with it, Vahn was able to dispel the charm effect from Tammuz's mind before pressing several points within his chest and abdomen to seal any chance he would have of trying to fight back when Vahn released him. When he was done, Vahn loosened the chains a bit, but didn't release Tammuz as he asked, "Tell me, do you still act in the interests of Ishtar?" Vahn knew that, even if someone was under the effects of charm, it wouldn't change their base personality much. If Tammuz was still hostile toward him, there wasn't any reason to let him continue putting the people he cared about in danger.Without any hesitation, Tammuz tried to spit toward Vahn as he shouted, "You think you can change my loyalty to my Mistress with your paltry tricks!? You overestimate yourself; you and your little Familia will be destroyed for having the audacity to interfere with my goddess's plans!" Vahn nodded his head with an 'approving' smile as he said amicably, "Your loyalty is impressive, commendable even..." Then, without any hesitation, Vahn pulled out a non-descript black blade before driving it straight into Tammuz's heart. Since he was still a Level 4, Tammuz didn't immediately die as he resisted against the chains and tried to pull the sword out of his chest. Vahn bowed his head slightly and continued his words, "I hope she remembers everything you did for her in her final days." His words finished, Vahn twisted the sword and Tammuz instantly died from the severe trauma.Since it had been a 'duel', and he hadn't gone out of his way to excessively hurt Tammuz, Vahn got a surprising amount of good karma from the fight while only accumulating 2 points of negative karma. He suspected it was probably due to the fact that he had 'slightly' burned Tammuz's eyes earlier. As he wasn't able to fight back, it was an unnecessary action while the execution of Tammuz had been because of personal differences and not an actual grudge. Tammuz was genuinely willing to do whatever it took, including harming the people he cared about, all to appease Ishtar. Since he was in direct confrontation to Vahn, there was no negative karma involved in their dispute and Vahn actually got 'rewarded' for all the terrible things Tammuz had done in the name of his loyalty in the past.For a short while, Vahn considered if he should turn Tammuz's corpse over to the authorities, or if he should inform the Alliance through the network so they could take action. Eventually, Vahn decided to not use the corpse of a person to send a message or as a tool to be exploited by others. Though his reasons were misguided, Tammuz was a loyal subordinate and had fought against Vahn in a relatively straightforward manner. Since Vahn had learned much from the fight, he didn't want to desecrate the corpse of his opponent so he performed a short burial rite before cremating the remains.Within Tammuz's belongings, there was a small locket that showed the picture of a relatively beautiful brown-skinned woman with amorous eyes. Vahn assumed the image belonged to Ishtar and he was able to see the initials T.B. underneath the picture. Considering it might be a memento, even though Vahn owed nothing to Ishtar, he decided to return it to her in the future. Even if she didn't personally care for it, it could be used to decorate her altar if she continued trying to pry into the lives of the people he cared about...After spreading Tammuz's ashes in the garden, Vahn informed Aki of everything that happened so she could spread word on the network. Other than Hestia, Aki also had two different scrolls within her room. One of them connected to the network, while the other specifically only transmitted to Loki. She had told Vahn about it, and he knew she was keeping tabs on both himself and Hestia while also regulating things within the Familia on his behalf. Though he realized it could be related to one of Loki's schemes, Vahn was able to tell that Aki had no ill-will towards him and he still informed Hestia about anything that happened so the network would always be aware of what was going on. The only reason he didn't tell her now was that it was very early in the morning and Vahn didn't want to blow the 'relatively minor' event out of proportion.Leaving Aki's room, Vahn made his way to the bath and soaked his body for a short while to remove the layer of sweat that had covered his body. Most of his sweat actually evaporated when he had drawn fire elements into his body, but it didn't mean he had stopped perspiring altogether. Whenever his blood was pumping rapidly, Vahn actually used up a fair amount of energy to maintain his actions. The moment he released his tensions and returned to his human form, Vahn began to sweat profusely even though it was -4 degrees Celcius outside.During his bath, Vahn was able to detect the presence approaching and knew it was most likely Aki since everyone else was currently asleep. As expected, she showed up within the onsen a few minutes later and was completely naked. Vahn gave her a smile and made a bit of room so she could dip into the onsen next to him. Since he was bathing alone, he was using the same small pool that he had shared with Ryuu and Hestia in the past. She told him about the messages she had received from Loki while they cuddled together for a bit in the bath and shared some minor intimacy between each other for around half an hour. To reward her for her 'hard work' so early in the morning, Vahn gave her a minor massage after she sat in his lap once again, this time completely naked...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Learning Through Experience','Tammuz's Loyalty','Aki working overtime')If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149

After carrying Aki to her room, Vahn decided to get some fresh air and sat out on the balcony as he overlooked the property surrounding the Manor. It was already nearing 3 AM, so Vahn didn't see the point in returning to sleep after having been awoken and participating in a duel. Even though he had calmed down, Vahn still felt a bit of excitement that made his blood boil in anticipation. Since he had just recently fought with Tione, Vahn was a bit uncertain about the growth of his own strength. The duel with Tammuz had been a good opportunity for him to develop a bit of awareness for his own growth and he now realized that he was very strong, but could still grow much stronger. Even without delving into the dungeon, Vahn could fight well above his level depending on how he uses his skills in the future.Vahn didn't often have the opportunity to fight against strong opponents, and it was distinctly different from his experience fighting within the dungeon. Monsters were very strong, arguably stronger than most adventurers, but they had a very static way of fighting. As long as you could outmaneuver them and find an opening, it wasn't actually that difficult to defeat most monsters. Even something like the Goliath, a creature much stronger than himself, wasn't too difficult to defeat if he was properly prepared. If he fought it at his current strength, Vahn was confident he would defeat the titanic monster without taking a single hit. The important thing to note was that Vahn's actual strength hadn't grown much since then, yet his combat capabilities had drastically increased through practice and training. Just learning Shundo had pushed his capabilities to a point where most people, even those stronger than himself, weren't his opponents.After he leveled up a few more times, Vahn couldn't imagine another Adventurer being his opponent, even the 'monstrously strong' Ottar that he knew would be supporting Freya. Though Vahn had never met the man, his 'legend' was well known throughout the City and he was inarguably considered the strongest Adventurer because of his alias, The King. Vahn felt that, as long as he reached Level 5, even the 'strongest' Adventurer might not be his opponent if he avoided direct confrontation against him. Since he could freely maneuver within his domain, there weren't many, if any, opponents that would be able to land a hit on him. If he switched to ranged combat, or learned a few magic spells, Vahn felt like he would be unrivaled amongst his peers.Of course, this was assuming he could become strong enough to reach that point and obtain Level 5. Vahn knew it was actually very difficult to increase your parameters unless you were fighting against monsters that allowed you to push beyond your limits. Because he was already capable of fighting things above his level, it meant he would actually struggle to increase his parameters further. It wasn't a simple situation where he could just mindlessly kill monsters and eventually grew strong; Vahn had to genuinely expose himself to threats and overcome intense difficulties if he wanted to reach the point where he was without equal.This was the big reason most people never got beyond Level 3, much less the rare adventurer's that reached Level 5. As your capabilities increased, and you used higher quality equipment, it actually became increasingly difficult to become stronger. This was why the Loki Familia used a rather strenuous method to increase their strength, which was to allow their members to fight against powerful variants and bosses on their own. They would only step in if the person was unable to defeat their opponent, but this didn't remove the threat completely. One accident would result in someone dying, and there was actually a high mortality rate amongst rookie adventurers and supporters that accompanied the expeditions.Vahn began to wonder if there was a more efficient way to increase strength, not only for himself, but for the benefit of his allies and those within his own Familia. He had already observed from watching Ryuu and Fenrir, but they gained almost nothing from killing monsters on the upper floors. Fenrir had probably slain well over ten-thousand monsters and had only marginally increased her status. Since Vahn was somewhat overprotective, he couldn't easily watch those within his charge expose themselves to danger. This might protect their lives, but it also stunted their growth because they had a mental reliance on him and knew he would always step in to save them.Vahn released a sigh that caused a large cloud of condensation to build up before dispersing in the surroundings. Just his normal body temperature was enough to make steam rise from his exposed skin while he was sitting idly on the edge of the balcony. Right now, it was cold enough that ice was building up on the grass within the courtyard yet Vahn was able to sit with his torso exposed without any discomfort whatsoever. He was acclimating himself to being in his Xuánwǔ form and he drew a striking sight for anyone that might be observing from the distance.----Within the highest floor of Babel Tower, a beautiful silver-haired goddess dazedly stared into a giant mirror that glowed with a magical light. Because of the angle, she could see Vahn sitting on the edge of his balcony with the cloudy sky and waning moon was a backdrop. She had a fervent expression on her face as a strange red glow was reflected in her eyes as she marveled at his figure under the influence of his Xuánwǔ transformation. Other than when he was within the protective formations of the Manor, the goddess had been watching his every move after knowing about the movements of Tammuz. Since Ishtar often interfered with her plans, the goddess, Freya, also kept tabs on her and had been observing the progress of events to see if she could find a method to garner Vahn's attention.Even though Hephaestus had restricted her from approaching Vahn, it didn't mean she couldn't find ways to make him want to come to her. Freya might not be able to do things directly, but if his actions overlapped with her own plans there was always a way around the vow that kept her at bay. Now that her enemy, Ishtar, was also the enemy of Vahn, Freya was very tempted to deal with the problematic goddess. Even without approaching Vahn, there was a chance he would come to her after the fact since she knew his character was very 'genuine'. If nothing else, she could use it as leverage against Hephaestus and Loki to ease tensions and potentially have the vow she was under revoked.Though he couldn't feel her touch, Freya stroked Vahn's face through the reflection and had an enamored look in her eyes as she whispered, "Vahn...when will you be mine~? Do you not grow tired of the company of such troublesome girls...should I perhaps rid you of them to make your life easier? Nnnn~" Freya kissed the reflection of Vahn and laid against the reflective surface of the magical tool as if her actions could bring her closer to the boy contained within. As Freya's vow only restricted her from scheming to interfere with Vahn, there was nothing that protected the other girls from her unless she specifically did it to get to Vahn.There were loopholes to everything, and Freya was very experienced with getting her way if it came down to it. She couldn't stand to see someone with so much potential escape her grasp, especially after watching him dominate someone above his own level...his figure when he was fighting was already deeply engraved in her body, especially when he had the tyrannical look on his face when he burned the eyes of his opponent. The moment he had stabbed Tammuz through the heart, Freya felt as if her own heart had been prodded and she couldn't help but climax a little.Freya released a hot sigh that marred the surface a bit as she comforted herself overtop Vahn's reflection. A deep blush began to cover her face as she traced her free hand over the figure of Vahn and imagined what it would be like if they were together. All she needed was a single instance and he would be her's forever...this thought alone, where Vahn serviced her with his stoic and tyrannical expression was enough to bring her to the height of pleasure. She wanted to cultivate his potential and see how far he could grow since even she couldn't see his limits without being able to observe his soul.She knew he was definitely keeping it hidden somewhat because she had been keeping track of the events involving the Anubis and Osiris Familia's in the past. For someone like Anubis to begin following Vahn after their first meeting, Freya knew there was something incredibly unique about Vahn's soul even without seeing it for herself. This was the only reason she could think of for someone like Hephaestus, who typically avoided contact with people, and the trickster goddess Loki to band together and protect him.Freya moaned loudly and collapsed against the reflective surface of the magic tool before removing her hand and blankly staring at the moisture on her fingers. She gingerly extended her tongue to sample her own flavor before a drop of moisture fell onto the image of Vahn below her. She looked down at his face, solemnly staring into the distance while wearing the moon as his silhouette before wiping her own nectar across the reflection of his body. Even though it wasn't really Vahn, Freya felt a possessive desire and called out, "Ottar...gather everyone. Ishtar has interfered with my affairs for far too long as is..." As her words fell, a large silhouette that had been watching the events from start to finish nodded before responding, "As you will."As Ottar exited the room, Freya stood up and the magic tool grew dim as the image of Vahn faded away. She walked into the adjacent room, which was a boudoir that contained an ensemble of outfits. Freya dragged her finger along the incredibly expensive assortment of dresses and mused aloud, "I wonder...what is the most appropriate dress to wear when sending off a dear friend~?" Freya's hand stopped on a beautiful black one-piece dress that had a deep v-cut on the front and completely exposed the back. It was form fitting and made of an incredibly expensive silk that could only be obtained from the Far East. Even though it had no defensive capabilities, the dress cost a total of 20,000,000 Valis and Freya thought it was suitable for the occasion.After removing the dress from the hangar, Freya laid it against the intricately designed chaise lounge as the godly attire she was wearing began to fall as petals to the floor. If Vahn had been present, he would have noticed the dress disassembled in the same way as Hestia's, even though it was predominantly black with red petals instead of the pure white of Hestia's. Though there was no one present to admire her figure, Freya still cut a beautiful image in the low-light of the room as she stood with her body completely exposed to the night air. She traced her hands along her body and mused toward the moon overhead, "I wonder when you'll warm my cold body...Vahn."---Unaware of the death sentence that had been passed on her, a beautiful brown-skinned goddess kicked the relatively handsome messenger that had been kneeling at her feet. She had just learned that Tammuz had not only failed his mission, but he had even died at the hands of the boy she currently set her sights on. She chewed the long fingernail of her thumb and had a vexxed look on her face as she shouted, "Phyrene, isn't there something we can do about this situation? Can't you send Aisha to crush that puny little Familia and get back my slave!?"In response to Ishtar's outburst, a massive lump of flesh in the shape of a woman rolled over to stare at the anxious Ishtar. She was more than 200cm in height and weighed more than 240kg and had the face of a frog with 'healthy' brown skin and somewhat visible muscles. Though there were few people that would agree with the claim, this titanic lump of flesh was the Captain of the Ishtar Familia and considered herself to be the most beautiful woman within the entire group, even compared to the Goddess of Beauty, Ishtar.After tracing her thick tongue across her lips, the Amazon named Phyrene looked at Ishtar through beady eyes and said, "Why are you always so stupid Ishtar-sama? The whole reason you sent that dumbass was because the Alliance would have come to protect the Hestia Familia if we took any major action. All you're doing is making matters more troublesome, and now we even lost a combatant even though there is an upcoming Wargames."Ishtar scowled at Phyrene and shouted, "I don't see you coming up with any ideas! If we can't recover that Renard brat, there would be no way for us to oppose Freya in the future. Damnit, why am I surrounded by lazy incompetents while that bitch gets to surround herself with handsome men all day..." In response to Ishtar, Phyrene spat a large wad of spit onto the ground and remarked, "What an ugly personality...blaming others because of your own ineptitude. Well, whatever, as long as we deal with the Loki Familia in the future we'll be able to recover that brat and then you can do whatever you want with her. I want that boy though, yeah, Vahn Mason was it? I'm certain he'll be able to appreciate my beauty, wahahahahahaha~!" Phyrene, though it had never been proven, had a reputation as a 'man-killer', preferring young boys to actual men. Her alias had even been decided as 'Androctonus', which literally meant 'Man-Killer'. Because of her massive frame and status as a Level 5, Phyrene had killed a total of 103 'boys' after forcibly sleeping with them in the past. To cover her crimes, she would pummel them into an unrecognizable state before disposing of them in the sewers below the City.Hearing Phyrene's desire to obtain Vahn, Ishtar screeched, "No, I won't let you spoil another handsome boy! I need someone to replace Tammuz now, so you'll have to find someone else to sate your ridiculous little fetish!" Phyrene grunted before rolling over and rising to her feet. She towered over Ishtar and stated plainly, "We'll see who gets their hands on him first then. I'd like to see what you can do with him when I'm done with him, wahahahahaha~!" Without paying any respects to her goddess, Phyrene walked out of the large hall and went to look for something to release her own urges on. She proudly claimed herself to be the most beautiful and sought-after prostitute within the entire Familia and actively 'chose' her clients. If they weren't willing to pay up for her 'services', Phyrene had no trouble providing an extra service, which often involved helping them pick out a comfortable place to sleep for the night...and every night thereafter.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'What it takes to become stronger','Freya's Intrigue','Beauty is in the eye of the beholder')If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149

Vahn had been sleeping within his chilled room when he felt a pulse of energy pass through the formation protecting the Manor. It was a small, almost unnoticeable blip, but Vahn had been in an alert state as things grew progressively more peaceful. Expanding his domain, Vahn began to look for the sign of any foreign presences within the 322m area of his perception. Though he couldn't perfectly map everything within his domain, Vahn was vaguely aware of the structure of the Manor and had memorized its layout because of the efforts he had been putting into redesigning it. Using his mini-map in conjunction with his domain, Vahn was able to detect a presence trying to enter through the first floor of the west wing.Almost everyone within the Manor slept in rooms on the 3rd floor, but that wasn't common knowledge and Vahn expected that the intruder was either an assassin or someone sent to scout out the interior of the Manor. The only people on the first floor were the twins, but they were in the central area near the kitchen in one of the smaller rooms. However, Vahn wasn't going to wait around to see what the intruder was up to, so he jumped out of bed and immediately equipped his combat attire before making his way out of the room. He noticed the Fenrir had awoken, but he sent her a signal telling her to protect the third floor.Vahn knocked on the door that was usually Ryuu's room, but she had been sharing it with Aki since she didn't often sleep over. It was one of the larger rooms, so it was able to easily accommodate two beds and both Ryuu and Aki were used to sharing a room with others. Though she had been asleep, Aki quickly awoke even though Vahn only gently rattled on the door. She answered the door in a nightgown and Vahn had a brief thought wondering why cat girls seemed to wear nightgowns to be before briefing Aki on the situation. He had her stay near the stairwell connecting to the third floor while he made his way down to intercept the intruder who was slowly making their way through the rooms in the west wing.Vahn had a cold glint in his eyes as he pushed his stealth capabilities to the max and wore dark-colored clothing that had the properties of absorbing light. He could tell by the aura of the person that they were likely near Level 4, so he was certain they hadn't come with good intentions. There was also the fact that the person had a mute aura mixed with greys and a hint of green which showed that, though they had never met, the person had feelings of envy or resentment toward him.Since the presence was cautiously making its way through each room, Vahn knew they were looking for something or someone. Though Vahn had likely made several enemies after interfering with matters in the red light district, the only person that would be able to mobilize a Level 4 would be the Ishtar Familia. Even if the person was just a hired assassin, there were few people that would take on a request to interfere with the Hestia Familia which was indirectly supported by two of the top three Familia within the City.Vahn really didn't want to destroy parts of his own Manor, so he waiting in the corridor connecting the west wing to the central area and opened up several windows even though it was below freezing outside. He then waited in the shadows and thinned out his presence to the point that most people wouldn't be able to detect him even if they had powerful detection abilities. He had already tested it previously with Mikoto, but he was able to isolate his presence by condensing his domain and imbuing it with [Stealth]. Just like he had done with the Juggernaut, he was able to fool any magical or mental probes unless they came in direct contact with his body.After around twenty minutes, the presence entered the corridor and immediately paused when they saw the open windows and felt the chill on their skin. Surprisingly, Vahn noticed that the person hadn't made any attempt to conceal themselves and could see that it was a relatively handsome brown-skinned man with black hair, placid green eyes, and a noble disposition. He scanned carefully through the area as if he was searching for something before hesitantly making his way forward. Vahn was impressed with the level of caution the man showed, especially considering the current situation. Since he had intruded into several places himself, Vahn knew how disconcerting it could be when you stumbled into an unexpected situation. If not for his ability to scan the area with his domain, Vahn knew he would probably struggle to try and keep himself concealed in most situations.When the man lined up with one of the windows, Vahn moved forward with Shundo and placed his hand on the man's chest before launching them both out through the window and into the cold night air. Since he didn't correctly set the landing point, Vahn and the unknown man carried their momentum before the intruder managed to separate from Vahn and the two opened a distance of around seven meters between each other. Without immediately attacking, the man dusted off his outfit before asking, "You must be Vahn Mason, I've seen your picture. I've come to deliver a message..."Vahn pulled out [Lævateinn] and asked, "Oh? What kind of message needs to be delivered in the dead of the night by an intruder that skulks around my Manor as if they're looking for something?" The ashen blade of [Lævateinn] began to glow with an intimidating red light as if it were about to burst into flames at any moment. The intruder frowned with a look of distaste on his face and stated, "My Mistress wishes to meet with you. Were it up to me, I would much rather see you in a ditch, but I must do as my Mistress commands."Without dropping his guard, Vahn looked over the man with his [Eyes of Truth] and noticed there were both ropes as well as unidentified drugs contained within the pouch at his back. Even if what the man said was true, Vahn could tell there was another purpose of his visit that he was glossing over. If the man had come across Haruhime before 'delivering his message', Vahn had no doubts he would have kidnapped her without a word. Without asking, Vahn knew the 'Mistress' the man was talking about was Ishtar.Vahn brandished [Lævateinn] and drew an arc of flames through the air that caused the surrounding cold to vanish as an intense heat spread through the area. He stated plainly, "You invade my home in the middle of the night after bypassing the defensive formation I set up to simply inform me that your 'Mistress' wishes to meet with me? Curious that you'd need ropes and what I assume to be sleeping drugs to send a simple message." Hearing Vahn's words, the man became tense but didn't lose his condescending glare as he said, "You have no right to steal the property of-" Before he could finish his words, Vahn used [Enkidu] to try and immobilize the unnamed pawn of Ishtar.Surprisingly, the man was able to side-step the super-sonic chain that tried to wrap around him as he rushed toward Vahn with a pair of gloves that seemed to be reinforced with magical runes. Unfortunately, there wasn't a movement skill within the record of Danmachi that could rival Shundo and Vahn disappeared so quickly that the briefest hint of an afterimage was left in his previous location. The man's eyes widened as he reached into a hidden pouch and threw a dagger at Vahn's new location with pin-point precision. Vahn easily deflected the blade with his gauntlets before once again trying to lock down the man's movements with [Enkidu].Since it was dark outside, the man was able to react to [Enkidu] easily because it always created a gentle golden light whenever it exited through the void. Vahn frowned since it wasn't often an opponent was able to react to his [Enkidu] and it took a very large amount of energy to summon the chains. After ingesting a mana regeneration potion, Vahn stopped trying to use [Enkidu] and decided that it was pointless trying to capture the man. If he had come just to deliver a message, Vahn might have humored him since he was interested in dealing with Ishtar himself if possible. However, knowing that the man came with the intention of kidnapping Haruhime, Vahn had already added him to his mental list of enemies.After failing to hit Vahn several times, the man noticed that the annoying chains that appeared out of thin had stopped appearing. He saw Vahn ingest an unknown potion and thought he had overused his mana with a chantless magic. With a gloating expression on his face, the man resumed his 'noble' demeanor and said, "Give up, you're not able to defeat me at your current Level. You might be strong for a Level 3, but your cheap tricks don't work on me. I might not be able to hit you, but you can't hit me either..."Vahn looked at the man like he was saying something ridiculous and noticed the expression of the intruder 'broke' a little after seeing the look Vahn gave him. With a condescending smile of his own, Vahn said, "Tell your 'Mistress' that, if she wants to meet with me, ask for an audience with the Loki and Hephaestus Familia's first. If they agree, I don't mind meeting the owner of such a loyal dog." Hearing Vahn's words, the man had a bulging vein on his handsome face as he glared in Vahn's direction. He drew in several deep breaths through his nose and seemed to be thinking of how he could make Vahn pay for his words.If it were possible to get around Loki and Hephaestus, Ishtar wouldn't have sent him in the middle of the night to try and infiltrate the Hearth Manor. Even if they were a 'criminal Familia', the Isthar Familia still acted above-board on the surface and put in a lot of effort to cover up their crimes. They might have crushed a few minor Familia in the past with sheer might, but there wasn't any opportunity to target the Hestia Familia with the number of hidden forces surrounding their Manor. Not only had Hephaestus and Loki purchased the surrounding properties, but they had stationed a number of personnel to watch the movements of the Ishtar Familia. There was even a team of investigators that belonged to the Guild watching over the movements within the Manor, and fighting in the courtyard would already create problems if they were seen.From the man's perspective, Vahn was using the shield of external forces to get his way and was now 'taunting' the entire Ishtar Familia, his Mistress and himself included. If not for the strange technique Vahn used to evade his every attack, the man would have captured him and beat his face until he had become unrecognizable by even his closest family members. Of course, if he actually did that, Ishtar would probably punish him since she had taken an interest in the boy. This was the reason Vahn was able to see 'envy' within his aura, because he was jealous that the Goddess in his heart had taken an interest in a boy more handsome than himself.After calming down a bit, the man said, "My name is Tammuz Belili, I challenge you, Vahn Mason, to a duel. If I win, you will accompany me to meet my Mistress along with the harlot Sanouno Haruhime." Without saying anything about the conditions of his loss, Tammuz got into a combat stance that looked reminiscent of an out-boxing style of CQC. He had his feet squared up and loosely held both fists up with his left fist forward. Vahn could tell that he would be able to respond to an attack from almost any direction except the blind spots behind him.Vahn squinted his eyes at Tammuz and was considering it if was appropriate to kill the man before him. He could tell that he was under the influence of Ishtar's charm, but it was also a fact that he had invaded his home with the intent to bring harm to those in his charge. It might be true that he had 'stolen' Haruhime from Ishtar, but it didn't make it acceptable to break into the Manor of a Familia and kidnap one of its members. Even if Vahn killed Tammuz, there would be no way for Ishtar to complain about the situation since they had gone about it in secrecy. She might try to pressure Vahn by spreading rumors and accusing him of various crimes, but there was no way she would be able to break through the wall of Hephaestus and Loki while Vahn was also shielded, to a lesser extent, by the Guild.Shaking his head, Vahn decided that it wasn't a kindness to himself or the people he was protecting to arbitrarily spare those actively trying to cause them harm. He wouldn't go out of his way to kill Tammuz, but he wasn't going to hold back if they were dueling seriously. If Tammuz managed to survive the coming onslaught, Vahn would help dispel the effects of Ishtar's charm and then heal his body a bit before turning him over to the authorities. Of course, this was assuming he survived Vahn's expanding wrath. From the moment he referred to Haruhime as a 'harlot', Vahn had already bumped him up on the list several tiers within his mind.Throwing [Lævateinn] into his inventory, Vahn decided to even the playing field a bit and also test his new form in practical combat. The white fur on his arms and legs began to condense into black scales as his skin darkened and the tattoo of a snake coiled around his arms, back, and shoulders. Instead of using his Báihǔ form, Vahn wanted to test his Xuánwǔ form since Tammuz seemed like a brawler. Of course, this didn't mean that Vahn was going to play 'fair' at all, since he compressed his domain and began to condense fire elements into his body until he began to glow red-hot in the cold night air.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Trying to steal the cubs of a tiger while mama is still home','All kinds of flags were raised','Vahn's 'curiosity' isn't always pleasurable for people')If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149

Chapter 293: Showdown