Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn was somewhat disappointed with how things ended but he didn't let it get him down as, in the grand scheme of eternity, more battles would come. For now, coming to an accord with the powerful Vampire Princess before him was more important as, even without Alaya explaining the details, it was obvious she pulled her power directly from the Counter Force.Since it would be problematic to take her to the Hanging Gardens due to the presence of Semiramis, Vahn idled in the air for a moment before asking, "Can you recreate that Marble Phantasm of yours? It will be more convenient to converse in an area where others cannot spy upon us..."As he spoke, Vahn turned his gaze toward nothing in particular but, in response to his actions, a small 'blip' in space-time occurred within his domain. The airspace around the Hanging Garden was closely monitored by various organizations so it was a given that some foolhardy types thought they could get away with listening in on his conversations. Unfortunately for them, the act of observing him directly was enough to trigger a response from CHALDEAS so it wouldn't take long for Sherlock to pinpoint their location and intent.Though she wasn't as sensitive to spatial fluctuations as Vahn, Arcueid had noticed the abnormality due to him bringing attention to it. Thus, with a wave of her hand, the surroundings instantaneously changed to a familiar scene. This time around, Vahn was able to get a look at the scene and, while it was a little strange to see a blood-red sky, the way light refracted in this crimson world was quite the sight to behold. Even the vibrant crimson moon shining above glimmered like a ruby and, if not for the malignant energy that seemed to radiate from its surface, he would have been able to appreciate it quite a bit...Just as Vahn was preparing to whip out a table and some chairs for them, Arcueid beat him to the punch by manifesting an entire castle out of her own shadow. This, too, was quite the sight but, with the castle giving off an eerie and lonesome vibe, Vahn couldn't help but frown slightly. Even without an explanation, he could guess that this was Arcueid's home. To have stayed in such a place, it was obvious something terrible had happened to her in the past...With a sigh escaping his lips, Vahn caught the attention of Arcueid who, curious as to what he was thinking about, asked, "Why are you sighing? Are you disappointed with my castle...or, perhaps, you still wanted to battle...?"As Arcueid asked her question, she lifted her right hand to form a pair of claws, seemingly ready to continue where they had left off. This caused the smile to return to Vahn's face but, considering they had only just stopped fighting, he opted for the route of diplomacy, shaking his head as he said, "I'm certain we can find the time to battle in the future. For now, lets clear up the misunderstanding from earlier. If given the option, I'd rather fight you as equals instead of enemies."Hearing Vahn's response, Arcueid's nails retracted in an instant, her grisly claws resuming the look of dainty and delicate digits. If he hadn't seen Gray do the same in the past, he would have wondered if the ability was related to actual body transformation, rather than a racial trait of all Vampires...---With Arcueid leading the way, Vahn soon found himself in a circular library with bookshelves that seemed to stretch upwards into eternity. Despite this, there were several towers of books littering the area while, at one corner of the room, an old wooden desk, complete with a few spent candles, could be seen amongst the clutter.Seeing the state of her library, Arcueid felt a little embarrassed so, with a wave of her hand, each of the books promptly returned to their shelves. Then, with similar ease to his own actions, she pulled out two ornate chairs, a circular table, and a tea arrangement. Vahn found this even more curious than her transformation ability as, from what he could ascertain, she was literally manipulating the reality around them to her preference. It wasn't simply Creation but the 'actualization of intent', a phenomenon that would undoubtedly drive Da Vinci crazy.After taking his own seat, Vahn watched with intrigue as Arcueid picked up the previously empty kettle and, by the time she was actually pouring it, perfectly heated tea filled its insides. This was about what he expected from a Tier 5 being and, for a brief moment, he actually compared the golden-haired beauty across from him to Eva. They were both True Vampires but, a stark contrast to his beloved neck-biter, Arcueid clearly had very little understanding of proper etiquette. She was a little clumsy and, despite being someone who could, quite literally, manipulate individual atoms, she still made the cup overflow whilst pouring...Using her reality manipulation, Arcueid, with a completely straight face, caused the spilled tea to simply cease existing before filling her own cup immediately thereafter. Throughout this entire process, Vahn had a casual smile on his face, pretending he didn't see the accidental spill. Instead, he took it upon himself to break the silence, remarking, "This is quite the collection of books. Do you enjoy reading...?"For reasons unknown, Arcueid winced in response to the sudden question, her expression turning sullen as she answered, "I wouldn't say I'm fond of reading..." before falling silent again. This caused Vahn to struggle with maintaining his smile but, considering the circumstances, he managed to will himself to do so.Since she would probably need time to collect her thoughts, Vahn waited for nearly two minutes before he returned an understanding nod in response. This seemed to confuse Arcueid a bit but, in much the same way as him, she simply remained silent for several minutes before smiling in turn. In truth, she was an extreme introvert and, while she could get emotional at times, her default state was quiet and, at times, quirky. She enjoyed the silence between them more than actual dialogue so, at least for the time being, she simply sat across from Vahn, refilling her teacup every time it got low...---Unexpectedly, two hours had passed within the Millennium Castle by the time the tenuous silence was broken. This was due to Vahn's own infinite supply of tea, something Arcueid had taken notice of since she had thought to offer him more when he ran out. Still, it took refilling their cups more than fifteen times before her curiosity finally got the better of her. Even then, she simply asked, "You can make tea...?" in an innocent tone.Hearing Arcueid's question, Vahn's smile widened slightly and, though it may not have been the best idea, he extended his cup toward her, asking, "Would you like to try?" This was his bad habit acting up but, against all expectations, Arcueid surprised him by nodding her head and accepted the cup. It didn't seem to bother her at all that it was the same cup he had been drinking from as, without any discernible hesitation whatsoever, she sampled the mint tea within.Vahn already suspected it but, based on her behavior, he could tell that Arcueid was a very innocent and naive woman. He knew she was around eight-hundred years old but, contrasting how fierce she could be in battle, there were massive gaps in her personality. This made him feel a little guilty as it meant she was highly susceptible to being taken advantage of, something that had undoubtedly happened several times in the past. Now, just by conversing with her, Vahn would be the next in a long line of people to exploit Arcueid's naivete...Shaking his head, Vahn convinced himself that it was better for her to fall under the umbrella of the Empire than stay inside this lonely castle. The only time she left was to hunt one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors and, if not for the support of various people, even this would likely prove impossible. Even Merem had assisted her on occasion while Zelretch, having watched over Arcueid from the moment she came into existence, offered aid and advice when the opportunity presented itself.As a Greater Divine Spirit on a similar level to Crimson Moon, Arcueid was sensitive to the subtle changes in a person's aura. Though Vahn's expression rarely changed, she could tell he was thinking about something troubling as, in spite of his smile, he gave off a melancholic aura. Since she didn't really understand what had upset him, she looked between the two cups in her hand and, after a period of silent deliberation, 'realization' hit her.Noticing the curious actions of Arcueid, Vahn was about to ask what she was thinking about but, as if she had discovered some great truth of the universe, the golden-haired Princess turned to him with a happy smile and exclaimed, "The tea was very delicious, thank you~!" Then, creating an exact copy of the type of tea Vahn had used, Arcueid returned his cup before giving herself an approving nod and returning to her own...Vahn was, admittedly, a little at a loss. Everything Arcueid did screamed 'naive' so, while he needed to talk to her about 'Crimson Moon's Curse' for the sake of his World Power Quest, the words never quite reached his lips. He even considered going to retrieve Spenta and someone like Artoria to act as a mediator between them as it wouldn't weigh as heavily on his consciousness if someone else were to convince her. It almost felt like he could spin a grand tale and, without questioning it in the slightest, Arcueid would eat it up.Ultimately, it was exceedingly apparent that Arcueid was starved for meaningful social interactions. If she agreed to become a part of the Empire, he would need to find her a support group so that she could slowly learn how to interact with others. The problem with this was, due to no small fault of his own, most of the pertinent peoples within the Empire were involved with him. He could leave her to the Homunculi but, while she would undoubtedly get along well with them, Vahn wasn't ignorant of the fact that the entire group of white-haired beauties basically viewed him as a God...As that thought crossed his mind, so too did the images of Fenrir, Jeanne, Gray, and Gareth. This made Vahn sweat a little as it was almost guaranteed these four, in particular, would endeavor to 'corrupt' the naive Arcueid. While this wasn't exactly a 'bad' thing, the sheer innocence of Arcueid made Vahn feel guilty since he knew the most likely path she would end up on. He didn't really have it in him to refuse those that were close to him so, depending on how things played out, it was easy to imagine this ethereal beauty ending up in his harem...Realizing his own thoughts, Vahn nearly laughed out loud as, once again, he was essentially worrying over nothing. So long as he treated them well and provided for them, there was nothing intrinsically wrong with being intimate with people who wanted to be with him. She may be innocent now but, if she made use of the Virtual World, it wouldn't take long for Arcueid to mature. It wasn't in his nature to avoid helping people so, knowing Arcueid had a tragic past, one plagued by loneliness, Vahn was compelled to move forward.Having convinced himself, Vahn turned his attention toward Arcueid to find her blood-red eyes staring back at him curiously. She seemed slightly surprised by the fact he looked toward her but, rather than avert her eyes, she just lowered her head slightly. This created a scene where she was looking up at him and, though it obviously wasn't her intention, the low cut of her gown created a tempting sight just outside of a normal person's field of view.With his ability to create near-perfect three-dimensional representations of pretty much everyone he had ever met, Vahn managed to avoid letting his eyes wander from Arcueid's eyes. Instead, he put his teacup down on the nearby saucer, smiling as Arcueid emulated his action. Then, for nearly a full day after the fact, Vahn regaled Arcueid with tales of his past, his aspirations for the present, and his dream for the future. He even used memory orbs to allow her to view some scenes directly, many of which pertained to events that had taken place in the Nasuverse...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'CHALDEAS is literally a cheat...','To an introvert, the best conversations often have little to no actual dialogue o3o...','For some reason, I feel as though Vahn abruptly became more punchable...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though Arcueid didn't like to speak much herself, she still enjoyed listening to people, especially when it didn't require her to contribute to the conversation.Once, in what now felt like the distant past, she had started to open up to others but, just as she found something that made her happy, it was almost immediately taken from her. This was due to her status as a True Ancestor, an entity that required the blood of others to sustain themselves.There had been a time when Arcueid was immune to these Vampiric Impulses but the schemes of Michael Roa Valdamjong brought an end to this. He had taken advantage of her loneliness to trick her into drinking his blood, the first of many tragic events that plagued her life. After that, she had gone berserk and, for several years, ended up as nothing more than a tool to slaughter other True Ancestors.To make matters even worse, Roa stole most of her power and, as a result, became one of the most powerful Dead Apostle Ancestors in existence by the time she regained clarity. It was then that she chained herself inside of the Millennium Castle for the first time and, from that moment onward, her mission in life became the destruction of the Dead Apostle Ancestors, chiefly Michael Roa Valdamjong himself.Unfortunately, by the time she managed to track down and imprison Roa's spirit, the malicious Vampire had worked with his cohorts to either kill or imprison nearly every other True Ancestor. They had even made a game out of it, seeing who could assassinate their creators and steal the most power in the shortest period of time.What the Dead Apostle Ancestors hadn't realized was that, with every True Ancestor they killed, the more powerful Arcueid became. In turn, Roa's own power increased and, by the time anyone even tried to stop him, none were his equal. Only Arcueid herself had the power to kill him as, if he tried to kill her in turn, his own power would be greatly reduced. This led to a cat and mouse game that lasted for decades, one which only came to a stop after the deaths of millions...Despite all of these happenings, Arcueid found it hard to believe Vahn's own tale was true. The things he had experienced in his lifetime sounded like a work of fiction, one so fantastical that she couldn't even imagine how mad the author must have been to write such a thing.Not only were Vahn's origins exceedingly tragic, but his meteoric rise to becoming an Emperor, his pursuits as a Blacksmith, the various trials he had faced, everything was just so 'extreme'. He even recounted some of the information about his various lovers to her, a happy smile on his face as he recalled some of the trials they had faced, the children they had produced, and the lives they had built together...Overall, it was an overwhelming amount of information but, with the way Vahn explained things, combined with the [Memory Orbs], Arcueid found herself enjoying his story. As farfetched as everything sounded, she got the distinct impression he was telling the truth. After all, her own story had a fair number of unbelievable occurrences yet, in spite of that, each event had taken place in reality. She had even experienced several 'end of the world' scenarios so, while it was a little hard to believe, it wasn't impossible...What Arcueid really struggled to understand was Vahn's reasons for taking such drastic action. He had explained his reasoning to her but, no matter how she looked at it, his decision seemed to be a little rushed. He didn't come off as the type that would force suffering onto people so, for things to have developed to this point, 'something' must have been pushing him forward.Ultimately, Arcueid's curiosity got the better of her so, after twenty hours of a largely one-sided conversation, she asked, "Are you going to leave this world soon...?"Since Vahn seemed to have, at the very least, a similar degree of immortality as her, Arcueid knew he should be able to live forever. She couldn't understand why he was putting so much pressure on humanity to change in such a short period of time as he clearly had far more important things on his mind...As Arcueid had said less than a dozen sentences during their entire conversation, Vahn was a little caught off guard by her sudden question. Still, it wasn't really a difficult one to answer so, after a brief pause, he nodded his head and explained, "Remember what I said previously, how I came here from another world? Well, I want to return to my own world someday. Since I can't just leave this world behind and treat it as someone else's problem, I want to do everything I can to make it into a better place before I leave. How long that takes is something I cannot even begin to fathom so, rather than put it off until later, it is better to start now. Besides, the current state of the world is something I simply couldn't agree with."Hearing Vahn's answer, Arcueid couldn't help but frown as he didn't actually seem to put all that much thought into his response. While she could understand what he was trying to convey, her intuition told her that he was still hiding something, something extremely important. At the same time, however, she felt that no amount of questioning would allow him to reveal this hidden truth so, after several moments of silence, she muttered, "Billions of people will die as a result of the choices you have made..."Vahn, obviously, didn't need Arcueid to explain this fact to him but, understanding she was just looking for a way to convince herself, he ultimately sighed before explaining, "Even if I never came to this world, billions of people would die. Eventually, all life on this planet, including the planet itself, would cease to exist. I will not pretend that my choices do not have consequences but, in the end, everything that is happening is the result of human nature. Though I may have crippled their infrastructure, their economy, and other conventional systems, I am not taking any action to persecute or harm them. Instead, we are working hard to provide food, water, and even shelter to those in need. Almost everyone dying right now is a victim, not of the Empire, but of other humans. I even used a wish to decrease the number of innocent lives lost so do not blame me for the actions of others, Arcueid Brunestud."Compared to the jovial, almost easy-going, atmosphere that had surrounded him during the recounting of his life story, Vahn's aura became heavy and solemn when he responded to her question. This caused Arcueid to shrink away instinctually and, after hearing his reasoning, she wondered if her remark was inconsiderate. She, of course, knew how corrupt human society could be so, while she didn't exactly agree with his methods, she couldn't deny the logic behind Vahn's words...Arcueid was the type that needed to mull over things on her own so, after she averted her eyes from him, Vahn released a heavy sigh before slouching in his chair. Truth be told, everything that was happening around the world already weighed heavily on his heart and mind so, hearing her bring it up had ruined his mood. He constantly had to remind himself that his decisions were for the best as, without this, and the support of many others, he would spiral into the self-doubt he was prone to during trying times.More so than his words, Arcueid was convinced more by the changes in Vahn's aura. The moment he slouched into his chair, she snuck a peek at him from the corner of her eye and, while he may be putting on an act, she could practically feel the pressure he was under. This caused her to fall into even deeper thought and, after nearly twenty minutes, she ultimately muttered, "I am sorry...I didn't think about your position properly...it must be hard on you..."Hearing Arcueid's apology, Vahn released another tired sigh as it almost felt wrong to have her, of all people, apologize. She had experienced a lot of tragedy throughout her life and, while her words were indeed a little insensitive, so too was his reaction. Thus, after catching Arcueid staring at him, Vahn offered an apologetic smile and said, "I should be the one apologizing. Had I chosen my words better, this could have been avoided. Please, forgive my thoughtlessness..."In response to Vahn's apology, Arcueid just stared back at him, her blood-red eyes glimmering like rubies in the low-light of the library. Since he wasn't the type to break eye contact with others, this resulted in the two staring at each other for several minutes until, as if the previous tensions had been nothing more than an illusion, Arcueid began to laugh, her voice echoing like a bell in the vast chamber.Vahn was a little surprised by Arcueid's reaction but, rather than allow it to show on his face, he simply smiled in response until she calmed down. This caused Arcueid to act a little embarrassed, her fingers twiddling with her hair as she muttered, "I accept your apology..." in a sheepish voice.This time, Vahn was tempted to burst out laughing but, fearing it would have the opposite of the desired effect, he continued to smile, nodding his head as he said, "Thank you, Arcueid...it means a lot to me." Then, before silence could take hold once again, he closed his eyes, leaning back against his chair as he added, "As much as I enjoy conversing with you like this, I'm afraid my time is rather limited. Now that we have come to understand each other better, I believe it is time for us to discuss our respective intentions."Arcueid was at a loss as to how she should respond to Vahn's prior words so, when she heard his follow-up, her thought process ground to a halt. She only just now remembered the reason they had gathered in the library and, with this realization, Arcueid also realized that Vahn would soon have to leave. For some reason, she had started to believe their conversation would never end so, hearing his reminder, she felt as if the loneliness that had plagued her for centuries was starting to creep back up on her...Understanding Arcueid would take a while to organize her own thoughts, Vahn decided to make his intentions known first. So as not to overwhelm her, he adopted a calm and soothing tone of voice and, speaking at a much slower speed than normal, explained, "My dream is to make the world a happier place. To that end, I wish to help you remove the influence of Crimson Moon and alleviate the symptoms of your Vampiric Impulse. I don't know your full story but, from what I've heard, you are deserving of a chance at happiness. Please, allow me to help you, Arcueid."To further emphasize his words, Vahn lowered his head towards the stunned Vampiric Princess. In truth, his desire to help her wasn't solely the result of his nature. Though this played a large part in his final decision, the fact she appeared within the Optional Objectives of his World Power Quest had a fair amount of influence over his decision. It was a Quest that rewarded 5,000,000,000OP as a base reward so the completion of Optional Objectives all but guaranteed something incredible in turn...Arcueid was obviously unaware of Vahn's Quest but, as a result of his sincere desire to help her, she couldn't help but feel a little flustered. She expected things to reach this point after learning about Vahn's existence from Zelretch but, to be put on the spot like this, her heart felt like it was about to explode. Since she couldn't really voice her own thoughts on the matter, however, the only thing she managed was asking, "Do you...do you like me...?" in a demure tone.Hearing Arcueid's question, Vahn was certain that some kind of misunderstanding had occurred. He looked up to find Arcueid staring at him with an anxious expression on her face and, as soon as their eyes met, she even looked away from him. This made it pretty clear that she already had a few thoughts in mind regarding how he could help her, likely relating to a similar ritual to the one he had carried out with Gray.Since he had already made up his mind previously, Vahn wasn't going to miss the opportunity to leave an impression on Arcueid's heart so, in response to her question, he calmly answered, "I do." in a soft tone. This caused the golden-haired maiden to inhale a deep breath but, rather than say anything in response, she ultimately buried her face into her hands.It was a little awkward seeing Arcueid behave in such a way but, in much the same way as before, Vahn simply waited for her to organize her thoughts. Regardless of what she chose, he would still do his best to help her. He could never ignore women with a tragic past so it didn't really matter if she decided to be with him or not. Rather, it would be more convenient for him if she fell in love with someone else as he wasn't exactly starved for the affections of others. In fact, there was a line of women waiting to be with him as a result of Ilya's incubation, something he would need to deal with in the very near future...As Vahn was mulling over how irresponsible he had been with his relationships, Arcueid's mind was plagued with thoughts of its own. She was actually afraid to be involved with anyone as, the only time she ever fell in love, he ended up falling in love with someone else before ultimately dying years later. This was due to the fact that, as a result of her love, she adamantly refused to drink his blood and turn him into a Vampire.Now, a stark contrast to her past experiences, Arcueid was faced with a decision that may very well decide how she spends the next few centuries, if not longer. Vahn was an immortal existence on a similar level so, no matter how much time passed, there was no chance that he would simply die. At the same time, however, he already had a rather large harem and, while she didn't really mind this all that much, Arcueid had experienced her fair share of drama related to love. At one point, she was even prepared to kill the person her first love had fallen, keeping him for herself by locking him away in the Millennium Castle...Remembering these past experiences, Arcueid was reminded of all the things she regretted the most in her life. She had already worked through most of these things in the past but, now that she had to make a decision, the past suddenly weighed heavily on her heart. Still, it was infinitely better than returning to the Millennium Castle and experiencing an eternity of loneliness so, after the better part of half an hour, Arcueid peeked up through her fingers and said, "I'll be in your care from now on...please treat me well..." in a quivering voice.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Roa is a cunt','"You wanna know how I got these scars...?" -Vahn','I wonder how many relationships are actually the result of a series of misunderstandings...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Taking advantage of the fact that Arcueid had basically sealed them off in her own little world, Vahn didn't hesitate to release the Light-Elemental Star at close range. He wasn't worried about destroying the Hanging Gardens and, even if something unexpected happened, Alaya would ensure the safety of everyone within.Arcueid, sensing the overwhelming energy contained within the golf-ball-sized sphere actually felt a little threatened but, due to Vahn surprising her, she had no choice but to take it head-on. She tried to use her Mystic Eyes of Enchantment to restrict Vahn's movements but this was a futile endeavor as directly influencing his mind was nigh-impossible with the protections of The Path and Sis...With her last-ditch effort having no effect, Arcueid could only watch as time seemed to slow down to a crawl, the white orb in Vahn's hand continuing on its inevitable course toward her abdomen. Even before it made contact, her dress flaked away due to the intense energy, the natural barrier around her body offering no protection whatsoever against the immensely pure force.Though it felt like several seconds from their perspectives, less than a microsecond passed in reality before Vahn and Arcueid were both enveloped in white light. He had, long ago, come up with a way to propel the expansion of the contained energies so, the moment his protective membrane of pure Source Energy vanished, the [Elemental Star] instantly expanded to more than 100m in diameter.Pure Light Elemental energy had the properties of restraining malignant forces and, as a result of True Ancestors being considered a 'foreign element', it was one of the most effective types of energy against vampires. Arcueid was no exception to this while Vahn, due to possessing his Magia Erebea constitution and designation as Type: Omega, literally took four-hundred percent increased damage from his own attack.For a brief moment, Vahn felt like his existence itself had been erased from reality but, having already made preparations prior to releasing the attack, he reformed outside of the destructive perimeter almost immediately after he set it off. Even then, his skin felt like it was on fire and, if not for the protective layer of Source Energy he erected, his body would still be destroyed just by being near the epicenter.It was during the eruption of the Light-Elemental Star that Zelretch, who had been observing since the beginning, decided to chime in, asking, "Do you need my assistance, Your Majesty...?"Hearing the old man's question, Vahn couldn't help but laugh out loud, something he would regret almost immediately since a clawed-hand emerged from the pure-white sphere of light, gripping his face. He felt his head snap back as his teeth bowed inwards, an unpleasant sensation that made his brain buzz in frustration...Instead of being destroyed, Vahn felt foreign mana envelop his entire body, creating an effect similar to spatial anchoring. As a result, he was propelled backward by Arcueid's charge, crashing through what remained of the projected Hanging Gardens. This brought them out of the floating fortress and, as a result, Arcueid's power seemed to rapidly increase without any upper limits while Vahn felt a powerful suppressive force try to invade his body.With Vahn restrained by her mana, Arcueid tightened her grip on his face, a somewhat vicious smile on her face as she mused, "You may be able to emulate the race and appearance of others, but your true nature is that of a Greater Divine Spirit, isn't it? I could feel your existence fading from your own attack..."Without waiting for Vahn's response, Arcueid manipulated her Marble Phantasm, changing the blood-red sky, complete with a crimson moon, into an endless expanse of white light. The only area unaffected was a small zone around Zelretch's body but, with Arcueid's mana making even small movements impossible, Vahn didn't exactly have the opportunity to exploit this. Rather, the moment the light appeared in his surroundings, he began to rapidly dissipate, his resistances providing him no reprieve from the intense pain.Arcueid was also affected by the domain she had created but, compared to Vahn, she got off easy. Her skin appeared to be in a constant state of burning and forced regeneration while he, unable to defend himself, began to rapidly flake away. Despite this, Vahn stared directly back at Arcueid, his previously aquamarine eyes now blazing with a fierce blue light. This obviously had no effect on the resolute woman but, deep inside his chest, something was stirring at Vahn's very core...If the action wouldn't guarantee he vanished even faster, Vahn would have burst out laughing since, for the first time in a long while, his [Chainbreaker] experience was rapidly increasing. He had been able to increase it to A-Rank during his training with Scáthach but, as she never truly intended to kill him, it developed at an extremely slow rate. Now, however, Vahn could see the experience ticking up rapidly and, long before his body dissolved away into nothing, powerful pulses of energy, timed with the beating of his heart, began to crack the shell of mana surrounding his body.Believing he was simply trying to escape, Arcueid kept increasing the amount of mana she used to restrain Vahn. She was condensing a veritable ocean of mana to entrap him but, to her shock and awe, it felt like the pulses of energy he emitted were outpacing her accumulation. Even her hand, which had been suffused with enough mana to make it comparable to an A-Rank Noble Phantasm, began to crack. To further exacerbate matters, these peculiar cracks couldn't be healed by her usual regeneration and, even though she tried to cut off her senses to the limb, the pain seemed didn't diminish in the slightest.Eventually, Arcueid couldn't keep her grip on Vahn's face so, with one final pulse, the mana she had used to restrict him exploded outward with enough force to tear the void. There had been enough mana present to wipe out an entire country so, in the aftermath of Vahn's release, he and Arcueid were, once again, destroyed. This didn't matter to either of them, however, as the destruction of the physical body meant very little to Vahn and Tier 5 existences like Arcueid.By the time the explosion faded, Arcueid had completely regenerated her body, dress included, while Vahn, using the small window of opportunity, finished a quick chant, infusing a light-elemental spell into his Magia Erebea. As the void began to collapse back in on himself, Arcueid could only watch with a cautious glint in her eyes as he smiled confidently and shouted, "Fixate. Seize. Load magic, 'Emperor of Light'!"As Vahn hadn't been replacing his destroyed equipment, the only thing he had been wearing was a pair of custom [Aegis] shorts. Thus, with his activation of 'Emperor of Light', the changes to his body could be seen clearly, stunning both Arcueid and Zelretch alike. This was due to the fact that Vahn's height increased to precisely 200cm and, a stark contrast to his lean and athletic physique, he now had a refined, muscular, appearance. At the same time, his skin had gain a golden luster as what appeared to be tribal tattoos comprised of light covered his arms, legs, and shoulders.While all of these were impressive sights, it was Vahn's blazing golden irises and the massive halo of light floating behind his back that really stood out. The latter was comprised of complex runes and, despite their vast knowledge and incomparable understanding of 'Mystery', neither Zelretch nor Arcueid could make sense of their structure. Then, as if to completely dash any hope they had of understanding the situation, Vahn parted his hands, sending a wave of vermillion flames out from his body as he muttered in a voice that seemed to echo through the area, "Vermillion Bird's Descent..."Understanding that Arcueid wasn't a foe he could deal any meaningful damage to in a base Magia Erebea transformation, Vahn overlapped his Zhuque form with his Emperor of Light. This caused the white tattoos on his body to turn vermillion as massive wings sprouted behind his back, complete with runic patterns of their own.Without being afforded the opportunity to study Vahn's transformation, the latter turned into a literal beam of light, impacting the area where Arcueid had been floating previously. Her body was instantly destroyed and, as a result of his inability to really control the form, Vahn ended up breaking her Marble Phantasm. This was only the beginning of his journey, however, as he was traveling at a speed nearing 300,000km/s. As a result, Vahn ended up far outside of the earth's atmosphere, deep into outer space...Seeing where he ended up, Vahn felt like laughing but, due to the vacuum of space, nothing came out from his mouth. He could see the earth in the distance, a tiny blue marble amidst a vast, endless expanse of stars. It was actually quite beautiful but, due to his leaving the planet, Alaya had basically been ejected from his side. Though she was still attached to his other body, he could feel that she was annoyed with him so, slowing his speed to a manageable level, he quickly returned to the planet to continue the battle...Unfortunately, the only thing waiting for Vahn upon his return was a frowning Arcueid and a slightly pale Zelretch. The latter was also a Dead Apostle Ancestor so he was even weaker to Light-Elemental energy than Arcueid. This, combined with the fact Vahn effectively became a composite bullet of Light and Yang Elemental energy, was enough to make the elderly Magus sweat. He knew that, if he didn't prepare the proper countermeasures, that kind of attack would be able to seriously injure, if not outright kill him.Sensing that Arcueid's desire to battle had faded, Vahn resisted the urge to sigh as he dispelled his transformation and returned to his base state. Truthfully, he could only keep up that form for a few minutes, at best, so it didn't really give him too much of an advantage. This was something neither Arcueid or Zelretch was privy to, however, so Vahn couldn't blame them for gawking at him as if he was some kind of strange and terrifying creature.With silence dominating the atmosphere, Vahn took it upon himself to shatter the tensions so, after making sure the Hanging Gardens was still safe, he tilted his head slightly and asked, "Will you join me for tea? I don't believe there is any actual enmity between us. Once you understand the situation better, I'm certain we will be able to coexist as allies, not enemies. This entire situation is because of that idiot's inability to explain things properly..."Hearing Vahn call him an idiot, Zelretch could only issue an awkward laugh in response. He wanted to say something to defend himself but, considering Vahn's current state, the chances of the latter listening were small. The truth of the matter was that Arcueid, due to her impatience, forced him to release her body so that she could leave the Millennium Castle. Then, upon sensing the current state of the world, she bolted toward the location of the Hanging Garden, the central point where all the world's enmity was gathering.Though the location of Avalon was no longer kept a secret, normal people associated the Hanging Gardens as the symbol of the current change in era. Their anger, hatred, frustrations, and a host of other negative emotions, coalesced to form an overwhelming amount of negative energy. This was something that could be exploited by capable Magi but, with the defenses measures of the Hanging Gardens, it would take more than a simple curse or two to have any real effect on it. After all, the main target of the people's hatred was Vahn himself, not Semiramis' Hanging Gardens.With the battle having come to an end, Zelretch felt his presence was no longer required so, after tapping his cane against the air a few times, he opened a spatial gate and said, "Honestly, I would like to stick around and have a go myself but, after seeing that display, I think I'll go home and relax for a bit. The world is already chaotic enough so try not to fight amongst yourselves if you can help it...Arcueid, my previous words to you were the truth. Listen to Vahn and make your own decision...I would think, after all this time, you would know better than to make assumptions..."Hearing Zelretch's parting words, the frown on Arcueid's face turned into a morose and melancholic expression as she hung her head and released a tired sigh. She didn't really get the impression that Vahn was a bad person so, as Zelretch suggested, she had let her emotions get to her. She had never been that great at socializing so, when she got upset, her instinct was always to act on her emotions rather than talk it over. In this past, this had caused several tragedies and, unable to cope with the emotional burden, she ultimately just ran away from everything...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'That's one hell of a night light...','Even Flex Tape can't seal the Emperor...!','The price of solitude is loneliness, the currency paid in suffering')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1334: Atmosphere