Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Located more than a hundred-million-kilometers away, far removed from the chaotic tide sweeping across Mundus Magicus, a fashionable young girl in her early teens could be seen walking amongst the crowded streets of Tokyo. Her presence drew a substantial amount of attention, as, despite the rampant growth of Otaku culture in the 1980s, it was still exceptionally rare to see a western beauty walking around with a gothic-style dress and parasol.Feeling emboldened by the fact the young girl was alone, a group of teens, consisting of five older boys in greaser attire and two much younger girls with dyed-blonde hair decided to call out to the girl in their native tongue. They assumed she was either the daughter of a family touring Tokyo, or, based on her choice of garb, the bratty child of some business mogul. Either way, she seemed like an easy target, and, after successfully corrupting a few middle and high school girls using methods such as blackmail and threats of violence, the boys, tentative members of the local Yakuza, had a lot of confidence in themselves.After tossing aside a half-smoked cigarette, the oldest member of the group, a boy with a 'stylish' pompadour that was dyed pitch black adopted a wolfish grin as he called out, "Hey, hey, where is this Ojou-sama off to without an escort? Did you lose your parents or something?"Finding his colleague's words amusing, one of the younger members of the group, his slicked-back hair dyed a sickly shade of blond, snickered before adding, "Maybe we should teach her on behalf of her parents. Who knows, she might even start calling us 'Daddy' if we educate her properly!"Following the duo's words, the other members of the group burst into laughter as the walked over, casually encircling the girl while glowering at anyone nearby. This caused the majority of people to simply look away, as, even if they successfully intervened, they would just end up causing problems for themselves. Nobody wanted to be identified as 'nosy' by prospective members of the Yakuza as it was the same as inviting them to track you down at home or work to make an example of you.Seeing everyone turn their attention away, some even going so far as to cover their faces with their briefcases, the young girl just shook her head, a tired sigh escaping her lips. Despite this, she didn't seem even remotely troubled by the fact there was a group encircling her, a bored look on her face as she stared back at the oldest in the group and asked in fluent Japanese, "Do you know where the Minato Church of Christ is located? If you answer honestly, I will do my best to avoid crippling you completely."Though they were more than a little surprised by the girl's fluent Japanese, it was the context of her words that got the biggest reaction out of the group. It didn't take a genius to understand she was threatening them, so, with a vicious look on his face, the oldest boy in the group attempted to walk within centimeters of the young girl so that he could tower over her. The moment he took a single step forward, however, an excruciating pain radiated from his lower body as the only feeling in his legs was absolute agony.Noticing their 'leader' collapse, his hands covering a bloody groin, the other four boys attempted to charge the girl, two aiming for her wrists, one aiming for her hair, and the last pulling out an ornate switchblade to try and intimidate her. Unfortunately for each of them, their only reward was suffering the same fate as their first comrade, incomprehensible pain radiating through their bodies as they collapsed on the ground, writing about with both hands covering their crotches.Seeing the boys taken down in an instant, one of the girls released a high-pitched scream as she fell onto her butt. The other, seemingly forgetting they were the ones attempting to take advantage of the girl, looked to the surroundings for help only to find the streets had suddenly become empty. It was like the entire city had become a ghost town in an instant, and, by the time she looked back to the golden-haired beauty she had previously pitied and resented, the temperature had dropped to well below freezing.Staring back at the Japanese schoolgirl who, going by appearances, was either in her final year of middle-school or first year of high-school, the golden-haired beauty, Eva, stated, "Even if you were forced into your current position, taking pleasure in the misery of others makes you no better than these mongrels. Though it would have caused you greater pain, it is always better to resist tyranny and die with dignity than it is to abandon your principles and side with the people who used you..."Hearing the foreigner's words, the Japanese schoolgirl felt a considerable amount of resentment swell up inside of her, tears building in her eyes as she replied, "You don't know anything...you are probably just some brat that never had to work a day in her life! What do you know of the misery and pain we had to go through, you, you bitch!?"Immediately following her outburst, the young woman felt a sickly feeling in her stomach as a sharp pain radiated from both her neck and cheek. The world around her spun a few times before she lost her balance, dropping to the ground with a bloodied nose, a blackened eye, and a severely swollen cheek. It felt like all of her thoughts had been slapped out of her, and, for several seconds, the only thing her mind was capable of processing was a dulling pain as her body went into a state of shock.Without sparing the girl another glance, Eva turned her attention to the one who had screamed out like a banshee. She was even worse than the former, as, unlike her, the latter seemed to have some kind of relationship with the oldest boy in the group. Eva was very sensitive to negative energy and was even able to read their minds to an extent so she knew the older of the two girls helped to lure in and blackmail others. She had even been responsible for the bloodied girl falling into the group's hands, inviting her out to karaoke only to have her raped by several men after drugging her drink.Though Eva pitied the victimized girl's situation, she had no compassion for people who used their suffering as an excuse to revel in the misery of others. Trying to make yourself feel better by ruining the lives of others made you no better than the people who had abused you. It didn't matter what your justification was, as, the moment you began proactively contributing to the suffering of others, you were just as guilty.Feeling more than a little disgusted at the current situation, Eva manifested a stake of ice to nail the wailing girl's hand to the ground. This finally caught the girl's attention, an ear-piercing yowl of pain escaping her throat before she looked back at Eva, her eyes filled with fear, panic, and hatred as she shouted, "Why are you doing this to us!? We didn't even do anything to you! We were just messing with you!"Ignoring the girl's words, Eva pulled her up by the hair, earning another pained shriek from the girl who attempted to frantically kick and thrash about. She had become completely delirium from the pain, and, feeling as if her life was on the line, adrenaline began to surge through her body as she attempted to break free from Eva's grasp. Unfortunately, the only thing she got for her troubles was being tossed unceremoniously by the hair, her body landing hard on the asphalt and forcing the air from her lungs.The more Eva learned about the girl, the stronger her desire to kill both her and the group of boys slowly bleeding out. This was one of the reasons she chose to live far away from population zones, as, even without her Magia Erebea, her sensitivity towards negative energy and darkness was simply too high. As for why she didn't just trap them in an illusion, like many others who had attempted to approach her, it was because she sensed a 'familiar' presence within the girl that immediately drew her attention.After remaining motionless on the ground for several seconds, the beaten and bruised girls' body started to swell slightly as palpable darkness began to emanate from her body. Her skin, which had previously been covered in a false tan, began flaking away to reveal an unnatural grey, and, after a few more seconds had passed, even the color of her hair began to fade into sickly white.Seeing the transformation, Eva just snorted through her nose before lifting her left hand and asking, "Tell me, Ghoul. Where is your Master?"Rather than answer the question, the now monstrous-looking schoolgirl raised her head to reveal a pair of blood-red eyes, claws protruding from her fingers as she shouted, "I'm going to devour your flesh you fucking-"Without waiting for the creature's expletives, Eva froze her entire body in an ice pillar before pulling out a compass similar to the one Vahn had gifted the young Naomi. It was able to point toward the direction of whatever its user desired, but, for a variety of reasons, Eva had always struggled to use it properly. In this situation, however, the arrow firmly pointed towards downtown Tokyo for a few seconds before shifting away moments later as Eva muttered, "I don't have the time to go hunting false Vampires..."With most of Japan falling under the jurisdiction of the Kansai Magic Association, a group that had proactively hunted her in the past, Eva didn't really feel like doing their job for them. She also knew it was futile to try and eliminate all evil in the world, so, after briefly considering whether or not she should follow up on her urge to kill the scoundrel converting schoolgirls into Ghouls, Eva eventually just shook her head and walked away. The most she would do is send a tip to the Association, as, in the end, it was their ultimately their responsibility to deal with such things...---Following Eva's departure, the bodies of the six remaining teens seemed to spontaneously manifest in the middle of the heavily populated throughway. This startled a number of people, causing a few other school-age girls to release ear-piercing screams while others began to form a crowd. Notably, none of the pedestrians tried to offer any assistance to the injured teens, many choosing to observe while only a few had the wherewithal to call the police and an ambulance.Due to the garb of the youths, none of the people present wanted to get involved, so, while a few had thought to help the sobbing woman, the fact nobody else tried to help prevented others from stepping in. It wasn't until a group resembling Shinto priests arrived that the group crowd began to disperse, seemingly as if the incident had no impact on their lives. They didn't even question where the group of priests had come from, and, by the time the police actually arrived, there were no on-site witnesses to give an account of what had happened...---Though the compass ended up leading her all over the place, Eva eventually found herself, not at a temple, but outside of a four-story residence. It had a rather spartan exterior, common for buildings within the city, but, even at a glance, it was easy to tell the residence was rather high end. Not only was it built from more expensive materials, but, due to its location on the outskirts of a region that was occupied by literal mansions, the cost of rent had to be around ¥100,000-150,000 per month.After staring up at the building for several minutes, Eva extended her hand towards the entrance as a magical barrier, invisible to most, manifested beneath her palm. Unlike a normal barrier, however, the runes comprising the spell circle were written in ancient Aramaic, and, most notably, the used a symbol resembling a crucifix in lieu of a standard geometric ward. This was generally thought to be impossible, as, for a variety of reasons, magic was simply incompatible with anything even remotely resembling Christian symbology.Seeing the familiar magic circle, a reminiscent smile spread across Eva's face as she pushed through the barrier without any resistance. The owner of the building was currently absent, but, after feeling someone pass through the barrier, they were bound to return posthaste. Until then, Eva decided to make herself comfortable, trespassing the master bedroom without any hesitation before entering the walk-in closet to see what kind of clothing her former companion had become accustomed to...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ah, the 80s...what a time to be alive...','Ain't nobody got time fo dat','"Oh? Is this a Maid outfit I spy~?")https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though she wasn't sure what she expected to find, Eva felt a little sad that, with the exception of a few expensive pieces of casual wear, everything in the wardrobe was exactly the same. There were more than twenty of the same style blouses, skirts, and stockings, almost as if it was intended to be some kind of uniform. As for the drawer containing more 'delicate' clothing, every bra and panty set was identical, the only variation being a very slight color difference.Releasing a sigh, Eva tossed aside the panties she had stretched out before making her way to the back of the closet and placing her hand on a hidden panel. She had noticed the closet wasn't nearly as deep as the apartment was side, and, as expected, the back wall of the closet opened to reveal a rather sizeable armory. There was an entire wall lined with various firearms, and, after pressing a few buttons, Eva wasn't surprised to find a handful of Japanese katanas, an ornate nodachi, and several hundred neatly arranged throwing knives.After running her finger along the spine of the nodachi, Eva turned her attention towards a few sets of peculiar ceramic body armor. They looked rather plain at a glance, but, after spending so much time with Vahn, Eva could tell they were high-quality just from the 'feeling' they gave off. She was even tempted to wear one of the breastplates, but, noticing they were tailored for a very specific build, she couldn't help but stare at her burgeoning assets before releasing a sigh.Though she had developed a lot compared to her past self, Eva still felt like she was lagging behind both Arika and Theo. She appreciated the fact that Vahn didn't seem to mind her appearance in the slightest, but, after hundreds of years of occupying a child's body, Eva was eager to fully mature. As for the reason why, though she would never admit it, Eva was actually more than a little intimidated by Vahn's size. She knew he would be gentle, but, whenever she imagined them having sex, Eva was unable to shake the impression that she was basically going to be impaled until her body matched his shape...Feeling a shudder run through her body, Eva exited the hidden compartment, closing it behind her before entering the Master Bedroom. Then, feeling a little tired, she decided to plop face down on the bed. She immediately recognized a familiar and nostalgic aroma that brought a small smile to her face, but, before she could doze off with a contented look on her face, a sigh escaped Eva's lips as she felt a small trickle gradually dampening her panties.Deciding it would be crossing the line to do something on someone else's bed, Eva lazily rolled to the side of the bed before rising and heading towards the bathroom. Vahn had indulged her to the point that just thinking about him was enough to make her body react. Trying to suppress it didn't seem to work, causing her a considerable amount of frustration, so Eva decided she would 'resolve' the problem before it got out of hand.After locking the bathroom door and erecting several layers of magical protection, Eva stripped out of her clothes before filling the bath using magic. Then, from within one of the interspatial bracelets Vahn had gifted her, Eva pulled out a number of different shampoos and oils, the majority of which matched the kinds used by her idiotic fiance to cleanse her hair and body. Using other types made her feel as though she hadn't cleaned properly, so, prior to her departure, Eva had Vahn stock her accessories with enough supplies to last for well over a year.Once everything was in its place, including a number of fragrant candles, Eva inhaled a deep breath before releasing it as an exasperated sigh. She then submerged herself in the but, enjoying the hot water for a few moments before placing her hand atop her abdomen. In response, a peculiar magic circle spread beneath her navel, it's structure unlike anything that existed in both Mundus Magicus and Mundus Vetus.Though she was certain he knew about it, Eva had kept it a secret that she reverse-engineered the method Vahn had used on her Memory Fragment to emulate having sex. Her original intent was to use it in order to prepare her body for when they finally became one, so, whenever Vahn was busy attending other matters, Eva used a memory manipulation magic based on the Phantasmagoria to replay her memories. At the same time, she activated the magical formation on her abdomen, her body trembling in from a pleasure that made her toes curl...---With a glowering expression on her face, a young woman with short black hair, equally black eyes, and a large suitcase could be seen jumping between the tops of buildings and dashing through the sky as she raced through downtown Tokyo. Her passage was noticed by several people, but, as the first generation cell phone had only hit the market three months prior, looking similar to a brick, the woman wasn't concerned about having her picture taken. Instead, she was focused on returning to her apartment, as, despite none of the items inside being irreplaceable, the idea of someone going through her stuff incensed her greatly.Moments prior, the woman had been preparing to board a plane to northern Iraq. Though it wasn't exactly her profession, many underground communities recognized her as a bounty hunter and an assassin. Her specialization was dealing with monsters and immortal creatures, but, if the client was willing to pay a handsome amount, she wasn't against purging a few corrupt politicians. It was how she supported her current lifestyle, and, ever since Japan joined the stock market in the 1940s, she had been using her earnings to build an expansive stock portfolio that currently accounted for well over a ten-billion Japanese Yen.Since banks couldn't be trusted, especially in her line of work, the woman generally kept upwards of forty-percent of her savings in physical currency and precious metal, dividing them between one of seven safehouses. Most of these were protected by holy barriers and special wards that even skilled Mages would struggle to break, as, due to the nature of her 'magic', conventional spells, regardless of whether or not they were Eastern or Western Magic, simply had no effect. The only practical way to break through her barrier was to use Ki, but, if that were the case, she would have been able to sense the barrier being destroyed.Though she couldn't speak for the residents of Mundus Magicus, the woman knew there were less than ten people in the entire world who should be able to trespass her barrier. Among those ten, a total of seven were her acquaintances, so, while she didn't particularly get along with any of them, she was compelled to see what they were up to. She owed a great debt to some of them, so, if they needed her help, she was honor-bound to lend a hand in their time of need.With this thought in mind, the woman closed the distance between Niigata and Minato in less than ten minutes. She could have covered the 190km distance even faster, but, in order to avoid passing through the territories of various groups and organizations, she needed to take a scenic route. She also wanted to avoid drawing too much attention to herself, so, after approaching within five blocks of her apartment, she chose to walk the remaining distance like a normal pedestrian.Seeing the residence that had served as her 'home' for more than a decade, the Japanese woman inhaled a deep breath to steel herself before approaching the entrance. To her surprise, the barrier was completely undamaged, and, even after spreading her senses through the apartment, she was unable to sense any signs of life. This caused her a great deal of confusion, but, after a minute or so of standing at the entrance of her apartment, the woman noticed there was a peculiar 'nothingness' that was almost impossible to sense unless you were very familiar with the building's layout.Realizing the implications behind the anomaly, a vicious look spread across the woman's face as she activated one of the barrier's functions. This caused the barrier to expand like a bubble, and, though there were a number of people within its area of influence, they all showed confused expressions on their faces before detouring outside and around the barrier. Those closest the apartment even felt a little dizzy, and, as if forgetting what they were doing, they lazily walked away without noticing that the young woman had pulled out a pair of black katanas with peculiar glowing edges...---After tending to her condition, Eva had half her face submerged in the water, a deadpan expression on her face as she absentmindedly blew bubbles. She couldn't help but think about the condition of her body, as, with each passing day, her desire to return to Mundus Magicus only intensified. She felt like a part of herself was missing ever since she departed from Vahn, and, though she could remedy her condition temporarily, it always came back with a vengeance...Deciding she would need to 'punish' her fiance when she returned, Eva languidly extricated herself from the hot water with a sigh. She felt too lazy to wear her clothes immediately, so, after looking around at the rather simple bathroom for a few moments, she made her way over to the mirror to check the medicine cabinet. The only thing inside was a toothbrush, some floss, and a half-empty tube of toothpaste, but, considering the nature of the person that lived inside, this wasn't really a surprise.Eva had hoped that her former colleague would have found a man to settle down with during the 351 years they hadn't seen each other, but, based on the wardrobe and fully stocked armory, it was safe to say she was wholly focused on her work. Her undergarments were a dead giveaway, as, even if the chances of them meeting someone were slim, most women liked to wear stylish panties 'just in case'. Instead of following this logic, the woman in question wore simple cotton panties without any embellishments to speak of...Since she was intending to invite the woman to come with her, Eva couldn't help but release a very long and drawn-out sigh. Given the nature of both the woman and Vahn, it was virtually impossible to prevent 'something' from happening between them. The former was excessively loyal, and, once it was discovered that she and Vahn were going to be married, Eva could see the woman following them around like a servant or attendant. She would undoubtedly loathe Vahn in the beginning, but, after spending enough time with him, it was 'very' easy to imagine the woman pledging herself to his service...Knowing the woman had an even more tragic past than herself, Eva was unable to prevent another sigh from escaping her lips as she bent down to retrieve her panties. At that exact same moment, a crashing sound erupted from behind her, and, though she caught by surprise, Eva still managed to retrieve the lacy fabric as she used Shundo to leap to the further wall, squatting on its surface as if it were flat ground. A layered magical circle squirreled around her forearm like a gauntlet, but, seeing who had entered the bathroom, a slightly incredulous look spread across her face as she dissipated the gathered energy.Matching Eva's expression, the short-haired Japanese woman stared back at the young girl with a considerable amount of confusion visible in her steely black eyes. She felt the young woman was very familiar to her, but, considering that person had been absent for hundreds of years, it took a bit of time for her brain to reconcile the truth. In fact, it wasn't until Eva smiled back at her, a wry smile on her face as she said, "Long time no see, Karin..." that the woman came to her senses.Hearing the familiar voice, a shudder passed through the woman's body as the swords in her hand slipped from her grasp. Tears began to well up in her eyes against her will, morphing her generally expressionless face into one of unspoken grief and considerable relief as she tentatively asked, "Is that really you...Evangeline-sama...?"Before answering, Eva activated her personalized [REquip] system, donning a similar outfit to the one she wore hundreds of years prior. Then, with a wry smile on her face, she attempted to issue an apology to the dark-haired woman, but, before she could form the words, the latter nearly tackled her to the ground, tears streaming down her face as she cried, "Evangeline-sama! Waahhhhh...!!"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'It seems that Eva has been trained well (OwO)...','Ah, the era preceding cell phones and the internet...fun times...','Just give up, Eva. You are well aware of what you've gotten yourself into xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

While her Master was busy being tormented by a young prodigy, Fenrir was busy leaving a trail of proverbial breadcrumbs on the mainland of Tempe Terra. Her Master had prepared an island-wide formation to conceal their base, so, unless they had an extreme level of mastery of Space, locating even a trace of the island was exceptionally difficult.Anticipating the arrival of Ala Rubra, Fenrir had been tasked with killing a few powerful monsters in order to leave traces of her presence. To most, the sites of her battles would just seem like a scuffle between powerful beasts, but, with several members standing near the absolute pinnacle of power within Mundus Magicus, Ala Rubra should be able to ascertain the truth.With this in mind, Fenrir was dashing through the sky in her wolf transformation, her paws leaving visible imprints on Space as she created footholds within the void.Fenrir was actually quite fond of running through the sky, but, with a mission to focus on, her eyes reflected an absolute state of focus as she followed subtle traces of powerful magical auras with her nose. Her nose was so sensitive that she could even detect trace amounts of Arika's and Theo's aura from several thousand kilometers away, so, when it came to tracking down powerful magical beasts, there was no hiding from her senses.Perhaps sensing its approaching doom, a massive chicken with a reptilian tail, dragon-like horns, and peculiar spiral eyes released a thunderous caw in response to Fenrir's approach. It stood more than 20m in height, and, though it looked like an overgrown chicken to most, the true nature of the beast was the offspring between a cockatrice and an earth dragon. This allowed it to run rampant in the region surrounding Tempe, as, due to the presence of the Great Spirit of Earth, there was a vast quantity of earth elemental energy to nourish its growth and empower its attacks.Undaunted by the physical shockwave that passed over her body like a gentle breeze, Fenrir's aura began to erupt from her body with tremendous force. Though she was already a giant wolf, an even larger and more majestic version of her current form manifested behind her, and, before it even had the chance to pop out an egg in surprise, the hybrid creature's eyes widened as it felt a toothy maw close around its neck.With her [Apex Predator], Fenrir was able to drastically reduce the power of other 'monsters', and, if their determination was lacking, she could even cause their minds to collapse, stalling their thought process in its tracks. This was what spelled the end for the hybrid, as, from its perspective, all it saw was a one-hundred-meter tall wolf staring down at it from the Heavens. In reality, Fenrir had used a variation of Shundo to instantly close the distance, her jaws closing around its neck like tofu before she proceeded to take several large chunks out of its head and body.Feeling her power increasing by a marginal amount, a tingling sensation spread through Fenrir's body that caused her to shiver like a dog shaking off water. She didn't like devouring fire and earth elemental energy, as, despite having no real flavor, the moments preceding its conversion into pure magical energy always made her stomach feel weird. As for the blood, bone, and other viscera, she had no reaction at all, and, if it didn't unnerve those close to her Master, Fenrir wouldn't hesitate to devour all her prey.Choosing to leave around seventy percent of the hybrid's body untouched, Fenrir took a few steps back before circling around and releasing a sonorous humming sound from her throat. If there had been any witnesses to the event, they would have been completely shocked, as, rather than a wolf's growl, it sounded like the voice of a woman performing a vocal exercise.After warming up her throat for a few seconds, as she didn't like to strain her voice unless it was for her Master's sake, Fenrir plopped her butt on the ground before raising her head to release a rather sonorous howl. This sound seemed to echo for hundreds of kilometers, but, more notably, the area surrounding Fenrir experienced a rather drastic change. Her howl had released a pale blue pulse of energy, and, as the note was carried by the wind, ice began to build up in the surroundings, glazing several hundred meters in a layer of magical permafrost.In order to conserve her energy, Fenrir elected to manipulate the ice and water elemental energy in the atmosphere instead of using her own. This was another indicator that someone had reached the level of an Archmage, as, rather than squander their own reserves, they relied on the energy within the environment to dominate their foes. This was how someone like Eva, who had the reserves of a talented academy graduate, became known as the 'most powerful mage in the world'. She had such an extreme mastery over her elemental affinities, that, unless she was in a sticky situation, she never had to rely on her own magical energy to cast spells.With her surroundings adequately frozen, a state that would persist upwards of two weeks, Fenrir gave herself a nod of approval before raising her nose slightly and sniffing the air. She had already defeated more than a dozen 'territorial kings', monsters who had established themselves within a known hunting grounds, but, ever the overachiever, Fenrir was determined to continue thinning the native monster population until sunrise...---Unaware of the fact that his most faithful companion was going more than a little overboard, Vahn reclined against the headboard of his bed with a casual smile on his face. Sitting in his lap, or, more accurately, laying against his body, an adorable little girl wearing koala-themed animal pajamas was flipping through the pages of a shoujo battle manga. This was was the compromise she had agreed to in order to be able to continue lying against his body, and, though it was far from the most ideal outcome, Vahn couldn't deny he had a weakness against 'animal jammies'. The fact they were hand made by him, turning them into an A-Rank magical artifact, only exacerbated the matter, as, due to his propensity to overdo things, Vahn had given them a peculiar squishy and soft quality.Fortunately, once she got into a story, Asuna stopped paying attention to virtually everything else. As a result, Vahn was able to relax comfortably, his hands loosely stacked atop her abdomen as the majority of his focus was split between his other vessels. He was trying to see if he could control the Little Garden externally, and, though he was unable to enter it, for the time being, that didn't stop him from testing its capabilities.After spending so much time with Da Vinci, Vahn's natural curiosity had been fully converted into a contemplative nature powered by intrigue. New things always excited him, and, though he relied on Da Vinci to help him figure out various things, he couldn't help but attempt to analyze and reverse engineer everything he got his hands on. This was especially true for anything related to Space and Time, as, despite his status as a God in both categories, Vahn was often left surprised by the myriad number of ways in which the two Laws could manifest.From what he could ascertain, the Little Garden wasn't all that different from a Space-Time Orb, but, rather than transport just the spirit, it readily accommodated physical objects. If not for his ability to manifest solid objects in both spiritual and virtual space, Vahn, like many others, would have argued that this was impossible. The amount of energy it took to transform a spiritual object into a physical one, and vice versa, was truly phenomenal, and, without meeting certain conditions, the stability of such objects was questionable, at best.Vahn was very curious about how the Little Garden was able to freely accommodate this transition, but, compared to the tiny blue sphere's most notable trait, this was negligible. After all, it required a considerable amount of energy, often drawing from the planet itself, to maintain a Sub-Space Orb without compromising its interior structure. Since the Little Garden functioned like a Sub-Space Orb with the properties of a Space-Time Orb, it should take a tremendous amount of energy to sustain itself. Instead, Vahn felt virtually no drain, and, rather than pulling from the environment, the Little Garden seemed to be able to sustain itself using the energy produced within its interior...Creating a Sub-Space Orb that was powered by its own output was the penultimate dream of any Mage dabbling in Spatial Laws, and, even though he was a God, Vahn had no idea how to pull off such a feat. He could probably manage it while he was inside of the orb, but, the moment he came out, it was bound to collapse almost instantaneously. There needed to be an exterior stabilizing element to ensure the integrity of the interior space, or, like a compromised pressure container, it would literally explode or collapse depending on numerous variables.Since it was capable of doing something he, as a God of Space, Time, and Creation was unable to emulate, Vahn was 'very' interested in the Little Garden's structure. If he could understand how it functioned, it would be possible to create copies that could be used for a variety of purposes. He could even create versions with different biomes, as, despite the overwhelming vitality contained within the current garden, it wasn't exactly suitable for cultivating all types of flora and fauna.Unfortunately, at least for the time being, Vahn was unable to influence the Little Garden from the outside, and, after dropping in his Realm to conduct a field test, he was able to confirm that it was 'linked' to the current Record. He was able to manifest it within the Realm, but, the moment he tried to put an object inside, it turned to dust in an instant. The only exceptions to this were objects that had been purchased form the system shop, but, as that had always been the case, Vahn wasn't too surprised.Fortunately, during the brief five days spent within the Realm, Vahn had been able to test a number of things within the Little Garden. The most important discovery was the realization that, while there was no way to move objects from the Realm into the Little Garden, he could still exercise his power as an Overseer within its confines. As a result, he was able to freely modify the interior, and, though his powers as a Creator were limited, he was able to purchase various seeds and plant life to fill the Little Garden to the brim with life. He also adjusted the flow of time to grow more powerful as you moved towards the edges of the garden, making the interior island flow at a rate of ten times while the exterior ring was a whopping 700x.The fact he could freely alter the structure of the Little Garden using his power as an Overseer had practically turned Vahn into a giddy child for the duration of his stay. He had even planted a total of thirty-nine World Trees within, their 'cores' serving as the anchors that supported the drastic change in Space-Time that existed between the interior island and external ring. World Trees were easily the most powerful stabilizer Vahn had ever come across, and, though it was more than a little excessive to use them to power a formation, the fact they only cost him 195 million of his twenty-three billion OP made it seem reasonable.Vahn had stockpiled an extreme amount of OP, and, though he wasn't earning much in the present, he was certain there were be opportunities to stockpile even more in the future. He wanted to have at least thirty-billion by the time he entered the next Record. This might seem a little ridiculous, but, with the next Record potentially serving as the foundation for his own, Vahn wanted to make ensure he was adequately prepared. Even then, he couldn't be sure this was enough, as, if he modified the search parameters, there was literally an infinite number of items that greatly exceeded thirty-billion in cost. Fortunately, having anticipated his Origin Points running out at some point, Vahn had been stockpiling gacha coupons and upgrade stones in preparation. Since the gacha items and rarity was scaled to the level of the Record, there was a chance he would get monstrously powerful items with just a few gacha rolls, so, while he wasn't exactly in a rush, Vahn was already looking forward to his journey through the next Record...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'All are Prey before the Huntress' Mighty Maw','Vahn over here playing Minecraft with creative mode turned on...','The God of Whales')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1658: Search