Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Due to her severe concussion, Olivia was in a deep state of unconsciousness, completely unaware of her surroundings. Though a part of her subconscious mind cried out, demanding her to take action, Caenis wasn't just going to wait around for her to recover. Without any hesitation, the white-haired woman hefted her spear and, in a single swift motion, pierced through Olivia's back, stabbing her in the heart.Though she had already been laying on the ground, Olivia's body visibly deflated, quickly losing the last vestiges of its vitality. When Caenis pulled her spear free, her body had become completely limp, the light from her slightly parted eyes nowhere to be seen.Since Olivia had fought honorably, Caenis offered a courtesy bow to the deceased but, just as she was about to issue a few parting words, incredulity marred Caenis' expression as Olivia's body began to flake away.Before she was able to rationalize what had happened, Caenis felt an impact akin to being struck by a meteor. Though her flesh was impenetrable, giving her a considerable amount of durability, she wasn't actually indestructible. Her internal organs could still be damaged and, if the attack was from a B-Rank Noble Phantasm, or higher, her Skills offered little protection. This was the reason why she still carried around a hoplite shield as, despite the advantages provided by her blessing, it had a fair number of weaknesses...With her body being propelled like a high-velocity shell fired from a howitzer, Caenis left behind a channel of destruction more than 300m in length, shattering any obstacles in her path. When the dust cleared, Caenis could be seen struggling to rise to her feet, a considerable amount of blood flowing from her mouth, staining her body and the ground beneath. Even parts of her armor had been lost in the previous impact, leaving her without the pauldron of her now crooked left arm.At the location where Caenis had been standing previously, a man with a spikey black hair and a grim expression could be seen, his leg returning to the ground after having just completed a kick. His blue eyes were blazing like will-o-wisps in the low-light of the courtyard and, with lightning periodically dancing across his body, he appeared much like a vengeful and unforgiving god.Appearing at the same time as the man, more than a dozen figures spontaneously surrounded Musashi and her companion. From behind them, blocking the way out, a young woman with fair skin, gold hair, and stark blue eyes dropped down like a meteor. This was none other than Artoria and, without the need for words, she instantly brandished her [Excalibur], charging at the shorter of the two women with a furious expression on her face.Musashi was a little curious about the method used to spontaneously surround them but, as it didn't really matter all that much, she smiled toward the black-haired man, musing, "So, you're the guy that threw the world into chaos and destroyed the future?" At the same time, her companion pulled out a small handle that, at a glance, seemed eerily similar to the hilt and guard of [Excalibur]. Then, with a momentum that wouldn't lose out to Artoria herself, the woman spun around, a blade of blue light erupting from the handle as she collided with the furious Empress.Though Artoria was usually pretty calm, there were a few things that could easily get a rise out of her, especially in a combat situation. The thing that bothered her the most was the overwhelming number of people that had a similar appearance to her. She no longer believed it was wholly 'her' appearance, as people like Nero were born long before her, but that didn't make it any easier to tolerate. The fact one of their enemies had, not just her face, but a mockery of [Excalibur], was more than enough to set her off...Vahn hadn't actually expected Artoria to suddenly rush her doppelganger but, as their fight quickly moved beyond the walls of the compound, he continued to glare at Musashi, answering, "You know nothing about my goals and motivations. I'm doing everything in my power to create a better future, not destroy it! Have you ever thought about what would happen if you somehow managed to beat me? Do you have the ability to lead the world onto a better path, preventing them from repeating the same mistakes!?"While Vahn had been directing his words toward her, Musashi had been taking in her surroundings, the smile never leaving her face. When he shouted the last few words, she turned to look at him, her peculiar bluish-purple eyes glowing slightly as she answered, "You know, I'm not all that great at the whole arguing semantics thing. All I know is that, as a result of your actions, countless futures have been destroyed. You might very well be doing your best to make the world a better place but, have you thought about all the fates you have severed in the process? The future may seem like a distant and abstract thing to you but, for the people living there, your actions endanger their very existence. Do you know the terror of being displaced from your original world? Can you imagine what it's like to know your entire reality has an expiration date based solely on the actions of a few people in the past, a place most can never hope to reach...?"As if Vahn's response had never mattered, Musashi placed her left hand on the hilt of her wakizashi and, in the next moment, it was already at the completion of its arc. It was only after the completion of the strike that Vahn felt his perception of time come to a crawl, the world around him fading into muted greys, the only exception being Musashi's strangely glowing eyes...Even as he felt his connection with the lower half of his body cut off, Vahn's aura erupted outward with the force of a tsunami. Musashi's eyes widened slightly as, not only was she forced to defend herself, but, despite having bisected Vahn from shoulder to waist, his body seemed to regenerate in an instant. The discarded part dissolved into fine black ash and, as if he was tearing through space and time itself, he appeared next to her, gauntleted hand outstretched toward her face.Just as his hand was about to make contact, Vahn felt his instincts screaming at him and, in less time than it took to form a thought, Musashi had vanished from view. The world was still the same muted grey as before but, by the time his mind began to process Musashi's disappearance, Vahn felt as if his existence had been fragmented into tiny pieces, much like when he split his ego between several vessels. Though his ego was supposed to be indestructible, that didn't seem to matter to Musashi as, while unable to destroy it, she was, apparently, able to split it apart...Vahn struggled with controlling more than three bodies proactively so, to have his Ego cut into more than a hundred pieces in an instant, he was momentarily overwhelmed by the sensory overload, his individual chunks peppering the ground like pieces of shrapnel due to his speed. As for Musashi, she had an incredulous look on her face, her smile nowhere to be seen as, despite cutting Vahn into tiny meat cubes, his aura had been gradually increasing.Fortunately, due to his experience as a Doppelganger, Vahn was able to, quite literally, pull himself back together. Though it was far more disorienting than having his body 'completely' destroyed, his mind was no longer as fragile as it had been back in the Record of Danmachi. He knew that, so long as he refused to accept his destruction, there was nothing that could truly kill him. His Source Energy completely exceeded other energy systems so, no matter how great Musashi's mastery of the Laws, she could never hope to destroy it, only disperse it.Seeing how quickly Vahn reformed his body, Musashi couldn't help but retort, "Seriously, you can heal from a wound like that and you want me to pretend you aren't a monster? What are you, some kind of Divine Spirit of the Earth or something? Don't tell me your life is somehow connected to the planet. Seriously, you Demon King types are always such ridiculous existences. I bet you even have multiple forms or something. Tell me, how many phases am I gonna have to go through before you finally stay down...?"Not expecting Musashi to suddenly make game references, Vahn's own expression became slightly incredulous as, prior to her words, he had been intending to transform into his Qīnglóng form. For a brief moment, it really did seem like she was the Hero facing down the Demon King. Not only was she an inordinately beautiful woman, but, if he got completely serious, his form really did become something quite monstrous...---While Vahn was engaged in his battle against Musashi, all of the forces he had gathered to bait the trap were either watching in the periphery, aiding Artoria, or suppressing Caenis. The latter had her arm completely shattered by Vahn but, after her tattoos glowed, causing a cloud of steam to erupt from her body, she had returned to an undamaged state. It was similar to how Heracles' [Godhand] worked and, considering they were from the same era, there was a very good chance they drew from a similar origin.Facing down the incensed Caenis was none other than Kenshin and, despite the former possessing a considerable amount of speed and power, there was a significant difference in their level of skill. As a result, Caenis was constantly forced on the defensive as, every time she tried to proactively attack Kenshin, the latter would cut, stab, pierce, or even dismember her. It didn't help that, in the distance, a beam of crimson-red energy would strike at her joints, ignoring the impenetrability of her skin and causing a considerable amount of damage.Located atop a 177m tall tower more than eight kilometers away from the ongoing battle, the adult version of Nobunaga, crimson hair dancing in the wind, could be seen standing with a rifle that was longer than she was tall. This was one of the modified armaments she had developed alongside Da Vinci and, while it didn't have the charm of a Tanegashima rifle, it was caple of firing high-density, armor-piercing rounds. Each bullet was hand-made by Vahn himself, engraved with various different runes and infused with enough Magical Energy to rival an A-Rank, Anti-Divine, Noble Phantasm.There was no way Nobunaga could just sit at home like an obedient wife all the time so, during the previous war council, she insisted on participating. Though not nearly to the extent of Vahn, she was more than a little annoyed with how things had developed with Scáthach. Since she also blamed the so-called Heroes for Scáthach's rash decision, Nobunaga wouldn't be able to rest easily if she didn't personally participate in their downfall. Thus, while Okita and Jeanne protected her at the side, she watched the battle through her magically enhanced scope, enchanted to give her a brief glimpse into the future.Every now and then, Caenis would get annoyed by the constant long-range harassment but, with Kenshin blocking her way, there was no way for her to close the distance to the radio tower serving as Nobunaga's perch. As a result, she had tried throwing her spear, its phenomenal momentum far more than what was necessary to cross the distance between them. Unfortunately for her, Jeanne, wielding a massive kite shield, was able to easily deflect her spear toss. Thus, with blood staining her body, Caenis, much like a Berserker, futilely lashed out at Kenshin as the latter continued to pressure her without a single exploitable gap in her movements...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Surprise spear-fucker...!','This isn't even my final form...!','Talk about beating a dead horse...')&lt;--(Caenis' ears, instead of being like a rabbit, are apparently horse ears. She is a very aggressive pony, I guess?)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After a few more one-sided exchanges, where his attacks never found purchase, Vahn came to a stop above a half-destroyed building, staring at Musashi with a deadpan expression as he asked, "What is the deal with your power? I know about the state of 'nothingness' but it's almost like your body isn't even really here..."Hearing Vahn's sudden comment, Musashi's smile returned and, after wiping a bit of sweat from her brow, she answered&lt; 'You tell me your secrets and I'll tell you mine. My sword can even cut through the origin of concepts yet, no matter how much I try to actualize your death, you just keep coming back, stronger than before. I'm actually starting to get a little winded here..."The moment she finished speaking, Musashi cut down with her katana, producing an invisible wave of energy that seemed to move beyond the time axis. As a result, Vahn ended up sliced from crown to groin in an instant, his two halves sloughing grotesquely for a brief moment before he reformed, seemingly without any trouble whatsoever.With an even dourer expression than before, Vahn's right arm transformed into an organic-looking dragon's head, his hand forming a maw that swelled with an immense amount of energy. Though he hadn't made much progress in manifesting his power outside his body, there was little he couldn't achieve internally. There were a vast number of creatures that could fire their energy in the form of beams and breaths, himself included, so Vahn had long-since developed techniques to circumvent his apparent weakness.Musashi showed an expression of mild surprise upon seeing Vahn's right arm transform, but, in the next moment, an amused smile spread across her face as she twisted her body, shouting, "I knew it, you really do have multiple forms...!" while cutting through the beam.Though he wanted to just ignore her words and focus on the fight, Vahn was growing increasingly frustrated with the fact Musashi didn't seem to be taking the fight seriously. He wasn't going all out, as that would completely ruin his plans, but that didn't make it any less annoying to be looked down upon. Thus, while focusing the massive beam of energy into a finer point, he exclaimed, "You cannot even begin to fathom how many forms I can take...!"Following his outburst, Vahn closed his maw-formed hand, causing his arm to swell up to several times the normal size as he used [Shundo] to appear near Musashi's side. His forearm began to crack with the phenomenal amount of energy store within and, before his punch could connect, it ended up exploding with enough force to devastate the surrounding city block...Appearing just outside the blast radius, Musashi had a wry smile on her face as she used wiped a trail of blood away from her mouth. She didn't know how he was able to achieve it but, despite the fact she could enter a state of nothingness, making her virtually immune to damage, his attacks still managed to inflict damage to her. It completely defied her expectations but, rather than feel any fear whatsoever, Musashi was beginning to grow increasingly excited.As she prepared herself for Vahn's inevitable attack, Musashi received her biggest surprise of the night as, from within the explosion, an identical version of herself appeared. For a brief moment, she didn't know what to think but, in spite of this mental gap, her body still moved, cutting the imposter into seventeen pieces in an instant.Further increasing Musashi' incredulity, the insides of her doppelganger were filled with such a heavy volume of Magical Energy that it existed in liquid form. Once exposed to the air, it rapidly expanded, encompassing her body, and several hundred meters of the surroundings, in an instant.Musashi's attack speed defied logic but her actual Agility was limited to the upper stages of B-Rank. Though her figure seemed to disappear at times, this was mainly due to her inability to 'ignore' the flow of time and actualize the result she wanted using her exceptionally rare Mystic Eyes, known to few as 'Empyrean Eyes of the Heavenly Deity'. Using these two unique traits, she could limit the flow of fate itself, constraining it to a singular path in order to guarantee the outcome she desired. This was, ironically, similar to Vahn's ability to act as a singularity, but, as the scale was incomparable, it was hard to make this connection without a comprehensive understanding of the ability...By combining her state of 'nothingness' with her Mystic Eyes, Musashi was able to actualize her ideal path, 'cutting' through the explosion itself. As a result, though her body had been enveloped at close range, she was able to appear outside of the blast radius in an instant. At the same time, the massive explosion itself, like a bubble popping, vanished in its entirety. Only a massive crater, containing her glowering doppelganger, remained in the aftermath.Though her [Battle Continuation: EX] would allow her to fight indefinitely, that didn't mean Musashi had inexhaustible stamina. She would eventually reach a point where her body would begin to fight, even after she had lost consciousness, so, before that could happen, Musashi sheathed her smaller Wakizashi, smiling wryly as she said, "You know, it's kind of creepy stealing my form like that. I can't say I'm fond of cutting apart someone that looks like me, even if I know it's just an imitation..."In response to Musashi's words, her duplicate adopted a similarly wry smile, answering, "You think it's any easier being the one cut apart? Even if I don't cry out in pain, I can still feel every single one of your cuts. Earlier, you talked about being unable to see eye-to-eye but, have you ever had your body cut into hundreds of tiny pieces? You call me a monster but I imagine most of your enemies felt the same way before you ultimately cut them down like wheat..."Hearing rebuking words in her own voice, Musashi couldn't help but wince slightly before releasing a tired sigh and saying, "You world-conquering types always have a way with words, don'tcha? Is that how you're able to convince yourself that what you're doing is right? The ends justify the means and all that, huh...?"Though she was about to point out the devastation Vahn had caused during their fight, Musashi only just now noticed the complete lack of people in the surrounding buildings. In fact, though they had been fighting for nearly twenty minutes, the only other signs of life were Vahn's companions and her own allies. She had been so focused on her duty of keeping Vahn busy that she hadn't noticed all of the signs that something was very wrong...Seeing the 'realization' on Musashi's face, Vahn issued a light chuckle, something the female samurai took exception to as there was nothing quite like hearing yourself laugh at your expense. Her katana moved before she even willed it to, severing Vahn's head at the mouth. This was a very unpleasant sight to behold but, as it put a stop to his laughter, Musashi felt a little bit better as she pointed the tip of her katana at him and demanded, "What have you done!?"Rubbing his jaw to ease some of the numbness, still in Musashi's form, Vahn answered, "What? Did you think we were just going to sit around as your side freely resorts to underhanded tactics? You keep insisting we're the bad guys but, comparing methods, can you really call yourself a Hero? How did you put it...ah, the ends justify the means, right...?"Having her own words thrown back at her, Musashi's smile had completely faded away, a conflicted scowl replacing it. From Vahn's words, it wasn't difficult to understand the Empire had seen through their intentions, to an extent. In truth, she actually hadn't been fond of their plan but, with the fate of all futures on the line, she had repressed her misgivings in order to perform her duty.After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Musashi lowered her sword, saying, "Feel free to call me a hypocrite, if you'd like. We wouldn't have been forced into this situation if you hadn't appeared in the past, destroying everything the future had worked hard to obtain. I may not be smart enough to determine the best course of action, but, no matter how you spin it, what you have done to the world is inexcusable. You took the easy way out, choosing to wield your power as a Conqueror, not a Savior. Even if you had the best of intentions, your methods are beyond redemption..."As Musashi seemed quite fond of attacking immediately after speaking, Vahn preempted her attack by summoning [Enkidu], wrapping it around his forearms and wielding the attached spearheads in his hands. At the same time, he transitioned out of Musashi's form as, with the exception of Boudica, she had some of the largest breasts he had ever seen. This gave him an urge to slouch forward and, though it didn't get in the way too much, Vahn was infinitely more comfortable fighting in his base form.With Vahn discarding her form, Musashi's eyes became intently focused and, with her words finished, a ghostly red flame enveloped the blade of her katana. She knew there was something off about her surroundings but, even with her perception and senses, she was unable to ascertain exactly what had happened. Thus, in order to create a path forward, she abandoned the mission that had been given to her, unleashing her full power for the first time...From Vahn's perspective, it was like the world around him completely disappeared and, other than Musashi and himself, nothing else existed. This was worrying for a number of reasons but, as he had already made ample preparations leading up to the battle, his resolute look didn't diminish. Even as his body refused to move, almost as if he had been stopped in time, his eyes blazed with divine light, their intensity increasing exponentially with each passing moment...With all other concepts temporarily losing their meaning, even time and space themselves, Musashi took a slow and steady breath, her own eyes glowing mesmerizingly. Then, after angling her sword toward Vahn, her voice could be heard echoing throughout the void as she stated, "All me to show you the essence of the Five Rings. Behold what awaits beyond the pinnacle of swordsmanship, the state that transcends all things, returning them to zero. This single stroke encompasses the concept of the void itself, severing all things, even existence...!"As Musashi spoke, a six-armed phantom appeared behind her, it's skin a dull-grey as its eyes flashed with a demonic light. It wielded a resplendent golden sword in each hand while, spinning behind its back, a Wheel of Dharma covered in a myriad of runes could be seen, their meaning, in Vahn's eyes, depicting both the concept of eternity and a finite end. When he saw this, something inside of him seemed to break and, before Musashi could say another word, his hand, covered in golden scales, covered her mouth as he gripped her head.Though Vahn had surprised her several times thus far, Musashi was genuinely terrified when she felt his hand spontaneously sealed off her words. It should have been impossible for him to move within her 'Realm of Nothingness', much less attack her, so her mind drew a complete blank as she stared in abject shock at lean Dragonic figure grasping her face. Though there were exposed sections, each covered in a strange runic pattern, most of his body was covered in golden scales, each radiating a resplendent light that made it difficult to look directly at him...A stark contrast to Musashi, Vahn had a calm and composed expression on his face, the result of a comforting clarity overtaking his mind. At this moment, he felt as if nothing in the world could touch him and, though he could tell it wouldn't last long, even this knowledge was strangely comforting. It was similar to how he would feel after meditating for an extended period of time, but, instead of feeling at one with the Universe around him, it was almost as if the reverse, for a brief moment, had become true.In a voice that caused the 'nothingness' around them to gradually crack, golden light emerging into the previously empty space, Vahn explained, "All things are born from, and return to, Oblivion. While the concept of Zero is powerful, it always gives way to Infinity. The concept of Eternity may have its limitations, but, on the most fundamental level, existence is the preferred state of all things. Beyond all concepts, there is an intrinsic desire to exist that transcends all things...your Zero means nothing in the face of infinite possibilities...!"Following Vahn's outburst, the phantom behind Musashi's body also began to crack, the Wheel of Dharma behind its back shattering into infinitesimally small pieces. In the next moment, the infinite nothingness around them gave away to an even greater amount of golden light but, no matter how bright it became, the scales of Vahn's body and the light within his eyes remained visible, almost as if his figure appeared directly within a person's thoughts...(A/N: Alternate Titles: "What lays beyond the origin of all things, you ask? The intrinsic desire to exist, regardless of form, function, and purpose...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With most power grids being taken down due to their influence on the environment and the waste they produced, the evening brought with it a veil of darkness, illuminated by nothing but the ocean of stars and the brilliance of the moon. As a result, it was a lot harder to get around late at night as, without anything to light your path, finding your way through the darkness was very difficult.As could be expected, there were some who thrived in this new environment as, with police and military forces being stretched thin, public order was at an all-time low. Though some regions had been less affected, such as areas where a large number of Magi congregated, the number of crimes taking place at night had skyrocketed. In some areas, humans, due to the circumstances and an ever-increasing amount of mana in the atmosphere, had even developed night vision as a result. This was just one of many adaptations that had started to proliferate around the world as, following Da Vinci's predictions, humanity was capable of rapid evolution when provided with adequate stimulus.This evening, the night was even darker than usual as, while the endless sea of stars slowly spun overhead, the moon was nowhere to be seen. While moonlight nights weren't particularly rare, as it was simply the phenomenon where the earth casts its shadow over the moon's surface, the fact it had been visible the previous night was a tell-tale sign that something was amiss. Though many overlooked this fact, entirely, there were some who noticed this incongruity almost immediately...Staring up at the endless sea of stars above, a man with pale white hair and tanned skin, attired in a casual outfit consisting of a black hoodie and grey slacks, pulled out a device similar in design and function to a cellphone. The primary difference was, instead of using satellites to transfer the signal, it sent messages through Imaginary Number Space, using a series of small waypoints to establish communication. Though it was several times less effective than the system developed by Da Vinci, it still allowed almost instantaneous communication, regardless of distance.With a deeply fatigued voice, the man held the 'Communicator' up to his ear, saying, "I'm calling off the operation. The enemy seems to have seen through our plan..."Normally, when a Communicator was used, it compiled a message into a single sound bite before sending it through to the receiver on the other side. This was generally denoted by a soft bell-like chime, often immediately after a message was sent. Though it was possible for various factors to delay the process, there were very few that could actually block the signal without cutting off the connection to Imaginary Number Space.For these reasons, the man released a tired sigh as, even after more than thirty seconds had gone by, the expected ping never came. This wasn't the first time he had tried, either, so he was close to pulling his hair out in frustration. With the exception of their so-called leader, his companions weren't exactly the brightest bunch. Some of them were outright idiotic and, rather than run from a fight, they were the types that threw themselves into the unknown with confidence...After running his hand through his hair in an effort to remain calm, the man released a tired sigh before jumping off from his perch, landing on the ground more than eight meters below. Even on contact, his movements didn't make a single sound and, after rising to his feet, his figure seemed to blur into the surroundings before completely disappearing moments later. It was obvious they had already triggered the enemy's trap but, as this was one of the few chances they had to strike a blow against the Emperor so, while his instincts were screaming at him to flee, he could only do so after confirming his allies had already withdrawn...---Without noticing the discrepancy with the moon, a trio of women, each wearing outfits that didn't match the time period, directly approached the front gate of the Edelfelt Mansion. One wore an ornate purple kimono, covered in an artistic pattern consisting of various flowers. As for her other two companions, one wore what could only be described as gladiatorial armor while the other, standing out in more ways than one, wore a skin-tight bodysuit, reminiscent of a scuba suit but covered in pale blue lines that gently pulsed in the darkness.As all three women were armed, the Edelfelt Security Forces immediately alerted the Command Center while simultaneously activating an extremely powerful barrier. This caused the woman at the front of the group, the kimono-clad Musashi, to shoulder her katana with a smile on her face as she mused, "You guys are pretty quick to respond. Nice and decisive. It's a shame you chose to serve an evil tyrant..."Since Musashi had been walking forward casually, the fact she already had her sword drawn and resting on her shoulder caused the scalps of every man and woman manning the gate to tingle. It had happened without a single one of them noticing and, though the barrier seemed to activate without issue, the edges seemed to be flickering unnaturally. Normally, it would cast a visible blue light that pulsed with vitality but, a stark contrast to what they were used to, it now seemed like an old lightbulb on the verge of flickering out the moment something touched it.As if to complete this illusion, the woman standing to Musashi's left, wearing extremely revealing white armor, reminiscent of an ancient gladiator, hefted her spear like a javelin, arching her body like a bow before loosing her spear like a beam of light. The Edelfelt Security Forces didn't even have time to move out of the way before the spear slammed into the barrier, shattering it without any suspense. It then contacted an area behind the gate, erupting into a plume of dust and debris as a shockwave akin to a truck of dynamite exploding shook the air and quaked the ground.Despite having tossed what appeared to be her only weapon, the bronze-skinned woman held out her hand and, after a flash of blue light, her spear returned to her side. Then, with her bunny-like ears flickering agitatedly, she asked, "What are we waiting for? Our enemies are going to run away if we just stand around doing nothing...!"Hearing her companion's shout, Musashi dug into her ear with her pinky, a lazy expression on her face as she answered, "You really need to stop stressing out over every little thing, Caenis. We're supposed to be luring our enemies out, not attacking them directly. There are over a thousand of those magic bastards inside. Do you really think they don't have the ability to defend themselves? Besides, that crazy Emperor went out of his way to personally assault our K2 base. You really think he is the type to just run away when we appear at his doorstep?"In timing with her words, a pillar of reddish-black light emerged from within the Edelfelt Mansion, destroying the front door and carving a channel through the ground. Despite this, Musashi made no effort to dodge as, while the beam of light seemed relatively powerful, most forms of Magic were completely useless against her. The moment the beam of light angled upward, seemingly intent on cutting through them, it split apart into hundreds of smaller destructive rays after hitting the invisible barrier that represented her [Magic Resistance].From within the destroyed section of the mansion, what appeared to be a very young woman emerged, her golden hair set into an ornate hairstyle that caused Musashi's brows to raise as she asked, "Wow, how much time does it take to style your hair like that?"With a smile on her face, the 'young' woman lifted her hand, creating a vortex of reddish-black energy more than a meter across as she answered, "I have a very capable hairdresser who is able to fix it in under two hours with advance notice~"To punctuate her words, the golden-haired woman released a much larger beam of magical energy, this time aiming it at the ground beneath Musashi's feet. Since her [Magic Resistance] had little effect on her surroundings, this forced the pale-haired samurai to release a small sigh, the hand gripping her katana tightening slightly as she prepared to cut it, and the woman, down.Truthfully, Musashi didn't like bullying the weak so, unless the opponent was near her level, it was difficult for her to get serious. Fortunately, she had a hyperaggressive, spartan-like, woman at her side so, without having to raise another finger, Musashi watched with a lazy expression as Caenis jumped in front of her, hoplite shield raised at chest level. Unfortunately, while she was able to easily intercept the beam of light, the golden-haired woman seemed proficient in the use of her Magic, changing the trajectory in an instant to forcibly redirect Caenis' shield.Moving with surprising swiftness, the golden-haired woman neared Caenis while the latter was still off-balance, several smaller orbs of magical energy dancing around her body in controlled orbits. This was enough to genuinely surprise Caenis as, due to her Lancer classification, she had A-Rank Agility. It was a nigh-impossible feat for a normal human to catch her by surprise but, lo and behold, she found herself at the mercy of a small and seemingly fragile maiden without even a shadow of fear visible in her flawless countenance...Despite having been caught completely off guard, Caenis managed to kick off the ground with her right foot, twisting her body in a whip-like fashion without trying to defend herself. This was enough to cause the golden-haired woman to try and open up a distance but, as she had already prepared her magical attack, Caenis found herself being impacted by several beams of reddish-black energy, about a finger's thickness in diameter.Though she was pushed back slightly, causing her kick to miss its mark by a few centimeters, Caenis was completely undamaged by the woman's attack. She also managed to recover almost instantly, jamming the tip of her spear into the ground to control her pivot and find her footing. In the next moment, she charged at the retreating figure of the golden-haired woman, spear angled low as she held her hoplite shield to cover her chest and the lower half of her face.With her attack impacting harmlessly against the bronze-skinned woman's exposed body, the golden-haired woman, Olivia, silently cursed in the back of her mind. She was forced to perform short-range teleportation just to avoid being skewered, a spell that took a considerable amount of her Magical Energy to perform. At most, she could use it up to five times before her reserves were completely drained, but, as it had been a long time since her last real battle, she still had a smile on her face.Tearing away the gown she had been wearing, Olivia revealed a dark-blue leotard that left very little to the imagination. Immediately afterward, a mana shroud covered her body and, while it wasn't too noticeable, all of her muscles became more defined. Then, without any fear at all, she charged toward Caenis, shouting, "Let's see what you're made of, girlie...!"Never expecting her opponent to suddenly charge after fleeing to safety, Caenis showed had a slightly incredulous look before immediately adopting a serious expression as she shouted, "Nice spirit! Come at me...!"At the end of her outburst, Caenis smacked against her shield with the side of her spear, creating a loud 'chnk' and, for a brief moment, drastically increasing her aura. The red tattoos covering her body began to glow and, despite the evening being pretty temperate, steam began to rise from her body as she released a loud war cry and moved to meet Olivia head-on, discarding her spear and shield in the process.As a Greek warrior, Caenis believed wholeheartedly in honor and the sacred rite of dueling. She was well versed in all Grecian combat arts so, seeing Olivia wearing attire befitting a wrestler, she had every intention of demonstrating her own prowess in the ancient art. Wrestling was, after all, the purest form of combat and, in her times, relying on weapons to strike down a much weaker, unarmed opponent, was heavily frowned upon.Though she didn't particularly care why her opponent had discarded her weapons, Olivia wasn't the type to back down from a challenge. Caenis was demonstrably taller than her but, as this was often the case, it ultimately didn't matter. Olivia was well versed in taking advantage of larger and less nimble opponents and, despite her diminutive size, she was supremely confident in her raw power.With neither woman making any effort to dodge, Caenis and Olivia slammed into each other, the latter using her shoulder to strike at the former's diaphragm. This would be a crippling blow for most people but, much like how her [Gandr] had struck harmlessly moments prior, Olivia felt like she impacted a solid wall, her shoulder screaming in protest. At the same time, Caenis attempted to grapple her but, having anticipated her attack doing little to no damage, Olivia headbutted the former's chin while doubling the side of her mana shroud in an instant.Caenis' head was knocked back by the sudden blow but, at the same time, she managed to wrap her arms around Olivia's body. Just as she was about to squeeze, however, Olivia seemed to 'slip' out of her grasp, almost as if she were covered in oil. She even managed to slide between Caenis' legs, striking at the backs of her knees but, in much the same way as her previous attacks, there were no visible indicators of damage.Undaunted by her failures, Olivia attempted to wrap her arms around Caenis' waist, intending to suplex her head into the marble pathway. This was where her luck ran out, unfortunately, as the larger woman leaned forward while striking backward with her butt. While this might have been a rather 'silly' attack, the strength of a Heroic Spirit couldn't be overlooked. Olivia ended up having the wind knocked out of her and, in the next moment, an elbow crashed down from above, hitting the crown of her head with enough force to dissipate her aura and rob away her consciousness in a single blow.Though Caenis hadn't put all of her strength into the attack, it was still enough to send Olivia's body crashing into the ground below, cratering it slightly. Then, after rolling her right shoulder and shaking out her wrist, she remarked, "You were very skilled. This match was determined by an absolute difference in strength and the blessing I received from that fishy bastard. I would have liked to fight you on even footing but, unfortunately, you are my enemy..."With her words trailing off, Caenis opened her right palm, her spear reappearing in a flash of light as she aimed it toward Olivia's back. The duel had already come to an end so Olivia's life or death was her sacred right to decide. Had she not been on the side of an evil tyrant, Caenis would have had no qualms about sparing her but, given the circumstances, she was compelled to eliminate any and all enemies in her path...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Piccollo lost his temper...','Musashi too imba','This was not a fair fight! How can it be an honorable battle when one side is resistant to magic and has impenetrable skin!? I'm calling hax...!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1413: Clash