Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though she had yet to completely master the transformation, Mash was still able to transform into what was affectionately known as the 'puppy' form. This made her appear equal parts adorable and ferocious, contrasting traits that left people feeling incredulous even when she was baring her ivory white fangs.Not expecting his opponent to suddenly transform, Hesse took a moment to look between Mash and the two gigantic wolves towering behind her. Then, with a look of 'realization' on his face, he adopted a severe expression as he asked, "What the fuck? Have I been fighting a brat this entire time...?"With a surprisingly humanoid expression of disdain spreading across her face, Mash manipulated the shields hovering around her to flank her shoulders. Then, like a runaway train derailing into a station, she charged through Hesse at hypersonic speeds, startling the man as everything beneath his chest momentarily fragmented into countless debris. He had mistakenly believed she lacked the power to penetrate his defenses, so, for a brief moment, he was caught completely off guard by the reality of his current situation.Manipulating the soil in an attempt to restructure himself, Hesse was surprised to realize that more than one-third of his total mass had simply 'vanished'. This caused his previously gigantic frame to shrink considerably, concern appearing within his beady red eyes for the first time since the fight had started. He wasn't completely without cards to play, but, with two giant wolves standing behind him, he suddenly felt like a tiny mouse trapped in the corner by a cat...While willfully reducing the firmness of his body, effectively turning it into loose soil, Hesse took a moment to glance over his shoulder and see how things were playing out on the larger battlefield. Unfortunately, his opponent didn't take the bait. Instead, Mash adopted a slight glower on her face as her two shields transforming into two large cannons, each radiating a menacing blue glow from deep within their barrels.Realizing that he had severely underestimated his opponent, a large amount of soil slouched off Hesse's back as he charged forward with a loud roar escaping from his throat. If one were to look closely, they would see the color rapidly draining from his body, the moisture rapidly evaporating as his limbs momentarily became as hard as marble.Completely ignoring the cast-off shell, Mash executed a masterful Shundo to intercept the slime-like ball of soil attempting to skulk away. This left Hesse feeling remarkably indignant, but, rather than continue lashing out, a 'terrified' face formed within the soil, his voice reminiscent of gravel being tumbled as he said, "I surrender...please...spare me..."Since she had no intention of killing the man, Mash just snorted through her snout before stamping her paws on the ground. This caused a magenta-colored magic circle to surround the clump of soil, the edges rising to form a hemispherical barrier that, in reality, extended into the ground to form a perfect sphere. Then, without sparing the sealed figure a second glance, she ran over to where her Master was waiting, eager to take advantage of her current form to receive his affection...---With Fenrir and Ryun taking the stage, it didn't take long to completely suppress the Regulars who had gathered to witness what some referred to as 'baptizing noobies'. This included four of the so-called Ten Bosses, a rather pathetic group that was obviously attempting to emulate the Ten Great Families, effectively playing God among those weaker than themselves.Having resurrected most of the deceased, Vahn gathered together everyone in the plaza, forcing them to kneel with their hands bound behind their backs as he stared down at the group of four forced to dogeza...Restraining a sigh, Vahn listened as the Law of Identity went on to recount the various crimes of the people kneeling before him. A rather substantial number of them had been forced into this lifestyle, but, as could be expected, there were also a disheartening number of individuals who had willingly embraced life within the Name Hunt Station. After all, so long as you could place your palm against a person's back for a mere ten seconds, you could steal their name, and, as a result, gain absolute authority over them...With the exception of the Jahad name, even names belonging to members of the Ten Great Families could be stolen. Those with their names stolen could never leave the Name Hunt Station until they had either regained their name or stolen someone else's. Since names possessed most of a person's unique powers and abilities, people were forced to either live mundane existences where they were easily bullied or accept having their name bestowed by the person that had defeated them. This last part could be forced by the person who had originally captured their name, effectively placing them under the control of whoever had defeated them.Though there were a number of methods to break the contract of the Name Hunt Station, most of these were in possession of the Ten Great Families. As a result, anyone who had their name stolen and returned effectively became the slave of whoever owned their name. Because of this, the names of certain individuals were auctioned off once a year to affluent Rankers, some belonging to the Ten Great Families while others represented the various organizations found throughout the Middle and Outer Towers.Since a single command could turn someone into an obedient slave, preventing them from even taking their own lives, the Name Hunt Station had become a means for the Ten Great Families to deal with troublesome Regulars while bringing others under their control. In particular, the entire station had come under the control of the Lo Po Bia Family nearly a thousand years prior, and, as a result, they had made a fortune off ransoming the names of the Ten Great Families and selling off promising Regulars to various persons of interest.Vahn disdained the very existence of the Name Hunt Station, but, without becoming the 'ruler' of said station, even he couldn't do anything to change the existing system. The rules of the profane Floor were some of the strictest in the entire Tower, and, even if they were among the top 500 High Rankers, anyone foolish enough to violate said rules would have their bodies crushed into pulp by the power of the Guardian.Though he could survive having his body crushed a functionally infinite number of times, Vahn had little interest in antagonizing a Guardian. They were beings of order that acted in accordance with very stringent laws, so, while the existence of the Name Hunt Station could be credited to them, it was the efforts of others that had perverted it to such an extent. Thus, rather than arbitrarily kill the creature upholding the contract, he intended to act within the bounds of the current rules in order to take over and ultimately destroy the entire station.With this in mind, the briefest hint of a smile could be seen on Vahn's face as he said, "Raise your heads and listen closely..."Fearing for their lives, the 107 Regulars who had been gathered in the plaza each raised their heads, palpable dread visible in their manifold eyes as they listened attentively to what their 'captor' had to say.Surprising everyone present, Vahn adopted an unnervingly calm smile as he gazed over the crowd and explained, "Under normal circumstances, more than a third of you would have already been put to death...you see, I have the ability to ascertain a person's true thoughts in any given situation. As a result, I know how terrible some of you truly are..."Passing his gaze over the four 'Bosses', Vahn sent shivers down their spines as a judgmental golden flicker flashed across his eyes. He sincerely believed that each of them deserved to die, but, after his time in the Actualized World of Dog Days, combined with the time he spent in his Realm, his desire to kill had recently begun to fade away. He wanted to set a better example for his children, so, with people like Kenshiro pursuing a path where he refused to kill, he had a lot of things to think about in regard to his own actions...Simply put, Vahn had already spared a considerable number of people, who, from the perspective of some, were beyond salvation. The most common recipients of this mercy were immortals, Gods, and Spirits, but, every now and then, he also made exceptions for beauties and those with resolute hearts that had been swayed to the path of evil by circumstance. This 'favoritism' was something he had often reflected upon, so, while his reason told him that some were simply beyond salvation, a tiny voice in the back of his mind constantly reminded him that 'nothing was impossible'...With this in mind, Vahn maintained his eerily calm smile as he went on to explain, "Fortunately for some...I have grown rather weary of killing. I'm also against things like slavery and imprisonment, so, from this moment onward, you are free to leave the Name Hunt Station. From now on, do your best to hold onto your freedom and live fulfilling lives without suppressing or exploiting others. I'll not afford you a third chance, so, should you fail to heed my advice...well, you only have yourselves to blame..."Similar to how he had dealt with Alosrin long ago, Vahn had left a little surprise in the bodies of each of the people he had deemed 'beyond salvation'. This was in the form of a curse that would actually help to strengthen their bodies if they made an earnest effort to improve and overcome their past selves. Inversely, their body would absorb the negative energy generated as a result of their actions, and, depending on the decisions they made, their energy network would gradually become unstable before ultimately self-destructing if they attempted to force themselves onto another or take advantage of those weaker than themselves.Though his instincts told him that the vast majority of the people he let go would default to their usual habits, Vahn would be content if just a single one of them went on to improve their lives for the better. He only needed a single example of someone proving him wrong to change his entire outlook on things like repentance, and, depending on the situation, it might fundamentally alter how he dealt with future foes. Either way, he had grown tired of killing, so, while he might not be able to avoid doing so in the future, there was nothing barring him from resurrecting his enemies and attempting to set them on a better course...---Viewing the situation from an invisible panel that only she could see, a masked woman with long black hair cascading from her scalp and rolling down her military-style garb like a waterfall began to lightly tap her finger against the armrest of her inordinately large throne. Some might mistake this as frustration regarding the spontaneous departure of several hundred Unnamed Regulars, but, more than anything else, she was feeling anxious due to the existence of the three wolf-like women who had appeared alongside the man she had been tasked with crushing...Noticing the masked woman's distress, a secretarial figure with pale yellow hair and matching eyes adopted a slightly concerned look as she asked, "What are your orders, Lady Kaiser? At this rate, it won't be long before that man makes his way to this chamber..."Though it was impossible to make out her expression due to the eerie silver mask covering her face, a concerned glimmer flashed across Kaiser's pale, Tosca-green, eyes as she contemplated the best course of action. Before she could, however, a pair of resonant giggles could be heard emanating from behind her throne as two girls, each appearing remarkably similar despite the stark contrast of their hair and eye colors, appeared to say, "Your orders remain unchanged. You will capture the man known as the Sage Dragon Emperor and present him to the Lo Po Bia Family. As for the rest, we will help you capture them. Who knows, he might actually have a thing for those dog bitches? If so, you might be able to seduce him if you waggle your tail like an obedient little slut~."Ignoring the words of the yellow-haired woman with glowing cyan eyes, Kaiser gestured at the seemingly empty air, dismissing the invisible panel before rising from her throne and making her way towards the exit. This earned her another round of giggling, but, even after she had completely exited the room, she didn't utter so much as a single syllable...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Mash ain't nobody's fool...!','Vahn be like, "Git..."','Someones, plural, needs a spanking...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After spending a few hours liberating the Unnamed from their curse, Vahn departed from the now-abandoned floating island for the larger residence behind it. This was where all the Named Regulars stayed, and, compared to the slum-like residences reserved for the Unnamed, the accommodations here could even rival those prepared for Rankers.Unsurprisingly, nobody came out to 'greet' Vahn and his party this time around. Instead, the island was eerily silent, as, after the simultaneous defeat of four Bosses, those who remained ordered their subordinates to lay low. They were seized by the mistaken belief that he would 'have' to board the Hell Express before its departure, so, as long as they could remain hidden until then, things would gradually return to 'normal' in his absence.Unfortunately for the opportunistic despots, Ryun was capable of locating virtually every resident of the Name Hunt Station using her abilities as a Guide. Even without this, however, Vahn could always just spread his senses throughout the entirety of the floating island, locking on and teleporting to his quarry regardless of how well they had hidden.Though the various different types of spatial compression interfered with his senses, Vahn could extend his domain upwards of 30km in all directions. This allowed him to sense virtually everything occurring within the isle, a capability that was simultaneously a blessing and a curse considering he could also probe the regions where people were being held captive and exploited against their will.Restraining a sigh, Vahn gestured for the girls' attention, saying, "Give me a few moments...I need to take care of something..."Without taking the time to explain, Vahn's figure disappeared from the empty corridor, his presence disappearing almost instantaneously. In the very next instant, he found himself in a dark, damp, and foul-smelling underground chamber. There, a large octopus-like woman could be seen seated upon a throne, a sadistic expression on her face as she used her tentacles to tease and torment a number of feminine men while dozens of enslaved Regulars engaged in various licentious acts throughout the low-lit, perfume heavy, chamber.With his teleportation being soundless and without any flare, Vahn's presence wasn't immediately noticed until a nude woman nearly twice his size snaked her way over, a predatory smile on her face as she attempted to grab him by the neck, saying, "Are you new here? Come and give mama-"Interrupting the woman's remark, a dark glimmer flashed across Vahn's eyes as he slapped her hand aside, shattering nearly every bone in her hand, wrist, and forearm in an instant. The only thing that prevented the woman from crying out in pain was the excessive amount of narcotics in her system. They allowed her to remain unnaturally calm, and, for a brief moment, she seemed more confused than terrified as she dangled her limp left arm from side-to-side...Resisting the urge to pet himself in an attempt to remain calm, Vahn extended his hand towards the giant octopus-like woman, catching her attention in the process. Then, before her confusion could turn into recognition, he used his Telekinesis to lift her titanic frame by the neck before forcing her tentacles to extend, liberating everything within her grasp.As could be expected, the attention of everyone in the chamber immediately shifted to the floating figure of their boss, the 'Octopus Woman' known as Marte. She was nearly twenty meters in length with her tentacles fully extended, so, even if they were higher than a balloon that had escaped the grasp of a child, they were still able to notice the giant floating figure of the woman who had both tormented and corrupted them.With the rapt attention of everyone present, Vahn was tempted to pull the woman's limbs to their limits before ultimately crushing her into a small ball. Instead, a blue light began to emanate from within his pupils as invisible spheres, visible to him alone, began to expand at the location of the woman's brain and heart. Then, with a quick activation of Oblivion, even the most minute molecule comprising the two vital organs simply ceased to exist, quite literally 'erased' from reality.Though Marte actually had three hearts and nine brains, the vast majority were vestigial organs that relied on the primary brain and heart to function. As a result, the first of the Ten Bosses was killed in an instant, and, though her tentacles would continue to writhe about for upwards of ten hours, this was largely the result of muscle memory and a deeply ingrained self-preservation instinct.Exhaling a sigh, a tiny golden flame began to burn at the tip of Vahn's finger as the scene around him quickly descended into a state of utter bedlam. The death of Marte had effectively liberated them from their standing orders, so, while their fate was ultimately up to her killer to decide, they had a brief window of opportunity to enact things like revenge. As a result, several Regulars began attacking each other like feral animals, some even going out of their way to claw and bite at their former oppressors with tears rolling down their faces.Feeling the waves of resentment and negativity washing over him, Vahn's expression began to dull slightly as he released the tiny golden flame towards the still-floating Marte. Its heat was so intense that it caused even the Shinsu in its path to turn to ash, but, rather than radiate, it actually drew the surrounding heat into itself, drastically chilling the surroundings as the flame burned ever-brighter.After witnessing the 'overflow phenomenon' that occurred when reducing the temperature below absolute zero, Vahn had started to think about various other ways in which temperature could be influenced by the Laws. He knew there were some flames that burned ice-cold, and, though it was a little strange to consider, there were even water-based flames that caused their surroundings to fill with water vapor rather than smoke. Thus, while it 'made sense' for flames to radiate heat outward, Vahn had created a flame that did the opposite, drawing in heat and effectively freezing everything in its surroundings.Though it would quickly become unstable without his Source Energy to maintain it, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the tiny golden flame could effectively cool the entire universe if given enough time. Its interior temperature would gradually increase, and, so long as there was even a moderate temperature differential, it would eventually reduce the surrounding temperature to absolute zero. This was where things got strange, as, the moment the temperature reached such an extreme, the 'overflow phenomenon' would occur, spontaneously increasing the temperature in the surroundings to 1.41×10^32 degrees Kelvin.As could be expected, an incomprehensibly powerful explosion would occur the moment such an overflow phenomenon occurred, the force of which was more than enough to destabilize space-time in the surroundings. At the same time, the increase in heat would further fuel the growth of the golden flame, and, so long as it had a catalyst to maintain its integrity, it could, theoretically, grow to consume the entire Universe in a cosmologically short period of time.Fortunately for the people in the surroundings, Vahn had no intention of completely destroying them. His primary reason for using such a flame was that it was the most powerful expression of Yang that he could currently manage. This allowed him to change the nature of the flames at his leisure, as, on their most fundamental level, Yang flames were closely associated with Creation and Purification.With a small sun spontaneously appearing in their midst, much of the surrounding fighting came to an end in an instant. At the same time, everyone present began to feel as though they were basking in the gentle rays of the morning sun after an exceptionally long, cold, and dark night...---Though they felt a strong compulsion to go to where their Master was, Fenrir, Ryun, Jeanne, and Mash did their best to obediently await his return. Fortunately, this was something Fenrir and Ryun were rather accustomed to, so, shortly after his departure, the former began pulling out things like a table and cushions while the latter began preparing snacks procured from within her interspatial ring. This left Jeanne and Mash feeling taken aback, but, once a deck of cards was brought out, they didn't hesitate to sit down and join the more experienced duo in a game of Old Maid.For a multitude of different reasons, card and board games had always been popular among the residents of Avalon, and, as a result, the Little Garden. This was especially true for those who had spent time in the Menagerie, as, more often than not, such games were what determined the order in which they received their Master's affection.Jeanne had never been an official resident of the Menagerie, but, shortly after her first union with Vahn, she began spending a fair amount of time within its interior. It was the group she felt most comfortable with, as, even during their first time together, she had asked Vahn to change her into several different species just so she could experience being dominated as every conceivable version of herself. She knew this was rather strange, so, while she wasn't afraid of associating with his more 'normal' women, Jeanne had always gotten along better with the girls who were more 'honest' with themselves and their desires.Though she had mellowed out considerably since then, Jeanne was easily one of the most devout women in Vahn's rather extensive entourage. This resulted in her mastering a number of different card and board games, and, though she would struggle against monsters like Okita and Altera, she was able to come out ahead against most of the other girls due to her exceptional luck and ability to see through lies...Using said ability, Jeanne's sapphire-blue eyes were fixed upon Fenrir's scarlet-reds, her expression reminiscent of a warrior ready to face death as her fingers hovered over the hand of the latter. This caused Fenrir to adopt the closest thing to a perfect deadpan she could manage, but, in the depths of her eyes, a tiny light would flicker whenever Jeanne hovered over a specific card.With her exceptional perception, Jeanne was easily able to notice this subtle flickering, but, knowing Fenrir was surprisingly competent when it came to fooling others, she didn't immediately go for the other cards. This was especially true when 'coveted' prizes were on the line, so, with the prize being an extended session of brushing, neither could afford to lose.Though they could be 'very' inconvenient at times, Jeanne had become rather fond of her angelic wings due to her Master's meticulous care and grooming. She also enjoyed being able to envelop him whenever he had forced her onto her back, so, even if it was bound to earn her the ire of her senior, she 'needed' to win this hand. As for Fenrir, there were few things she enjoyed more than having her ears and tail brushed, so, the longer Jeanne stalled, the harder it was for her to remain calm...In an effort to prevent people from stalling, a ten-second time limit had established to prevent the game from lasting more than a few minutes at a time. Unfortunately, their heightened perception made these ten seconds seem like several minutes, and, for a brief moment, it was almost like time had come to a stop when Jeanne's fingers had graced the centermost card.After offering up a silent prayer to her 'God', Jeanne committed to pulling the card that responsible for the flicker in Fenrir's eyes. Under normal circumstances, this would have been the Old Maid, and, as a result, she would be guaranteed to lose the game. Fortunately, Jeanne's instincts had been on point, so, despite Fenrir's best efforts at deceiving her, the end result was her absolute victory.Unable to contain her excitement, Jeanne hopped up to her feet, wings spreading instinctually as a large banner manifested in her left hand. Said banner was then raised triumphantly towards the sky as Fenrir, like a defeated general, slumped forward, head and ears drooping as she silently cursed the winged woman under her breath...Seemingly oblivious to Fenrir's mutterings, Jeanne continued to wave around the banner of the Aldrnari Empire with extreme vigor, laughing all the while. This earned her a pointed look from Ryun and a wry smile from Mash, but, having secured victory, Jeanne didn't particularly mind their gazes as she continued to bask in the reverie of her triumph. It was only when a massive sphere of golden Shinsu began to barrel towards her that the smile on her face faded away, replaced by the resolution of a warrior as she stabbed through the projectile with the speartip located at the end of the banner...(A/N: I'm honestly a little taken aback by some of the comments in the previous chapter. It amazes me how senseless people can be at times; completely ignoring the actual context in the novel just because it contradicts one of their own personal biases. I mean, seriously, Vahn had never enjoyed killing people so why do some of you asshats keep acting like it is the only fucking solution to every goddamn problem in the novel? Even when he literally curses people to become cripples in a world where virtually everyone has superpowers, you act like every enemy he lets walk away is actually the reincarnated MC of a wuxia novel. There are even people making completely arbitrary claims about Vahn being a hypocrite for arbitrary reasons, none of which have anything to do with the context of the actual novel. Seriously, how is Vahn being 'hypocritical' when, from the very start of the fucking novel, he is always shown being depressed or remorseful after killing? It is something he genuinely hates to do, yet, as if he is some Chad Thundercock with a perpetual murder boner, you completely ignore this to say thoughtless remarks that completely ignore more than 1800 chapters of evidence contradicting your claims. Vahn has almost always killed as a mercy or to save the people he wants to protect. Stop pretending like he walks around with rosary beads filled with the eternally suffering souls of his enemies while wearing clothes sewn together from their still-living flesh. Seriously. This is the kind of shit that makes some authors want to drop their novels.)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though she had never been particularly known for her speed, Mash's rebirth as a Vanargandr more than made up for the qualities she had lacked as a human. It gave her an almost profane amount of flexibility, and, thanks to her training against the incomprehensibly fast Richard, her reaction speed and timing were on another level.Mash's only real weakness was that she heavily focused on defense, so much so that she had very few means to deal with 'uncooperative' foes. In other words, she could protect people with extreme ease, but, the moment she overextended and began pursuing her enemies, she lacked the means to react to multiple threats simultaneously.Taking advantage of this 'weakness', the Regulars that had surrounded Vahn's group attempted to charge forward, some brandishing weapons while most were aiming to simply restrain the group of four. The reason for this was relatively simple, and, as could be ascertained from the behavior of the thug-like group, they were extremely proficient at exploiting the tyrannical rules of the Name Hunt Station...Unaware of the danger they had just thrown themselves into, one of the Regulars attempted to approach Fenrir and Ryun with a metallic net in hand, shouting, "I ain't never had a dog bitch as a slave before! I wonder if-"Before the man could finish his words, a spear of ice moving at several times the speed of sound pierced through his head in an instant. This left the man's nearby compatriots at a complete loss, their eyes widening to an almost comical extent. 'Unfortunately', this was their final expression as Fenrir, eyes emanating a violent and disdainful gleam, blew off each of their heads in turn as she muttered, "I am a Vanargandr..." in an icy tone.With Fenrir eliminating the opportunistic enemies attempting to flank from behind, Mash was able to devastate the foes lining the front with surprising ferocity. It was like she was releasing all of the frustrations she had built up over the years, and, now that she had become a Vanargandr, fighting suddenly felt completely 'natural' to her.Using her remarkably oversized gauntlets, Mash was about to bat aside enemies with extreme ease, her expression fixed in a mask of calm as her casual blows generated massive shockwaves. The only thing preventing her foes from being killed in an instant was a unique enchantment that had been placed on both of her shields, a peculiar ability simply known as 'Mercy Strike'.Though the ability could be disabled under certain conditions, Mash's attacks didn't inflict direct physical damage to her opponents. Instead, the shockwaves generated by her fists, despite causing a tremendous amount of collateral damage, siphoned the physical, mental, and spiritual energies of her foes. In other words, her blows left her targets feeling extreme fatigue, and, depending on how serious she was, Mash could even force them into a coma that would require external aid in order to awaken from.Because of the unique nature of her attacks, permeating throughout the entirety of a target's body, Mash could effectively ignore things like Elementalization. This left Hesse of the Ten Bosses feeling extremely frustrated, as, more often than not, even powerhouses from the Ten Great Families were unable to deal with the unique qualities of his body.Under normal circumstances, Hesse could be broken down and destroyed countless times, and, so long as his personal field of Shinsu persisted, he could perpetually reform his soil-comprised body. It was a trait that left even the most skilled of opponents feeling at a complete loss, as, no matter how they cut, blew, or blasted him apart, he would simply reform, time and time again.Hesse's only real weakness, for reasons he didn't fully understand, were attacks infused with lightning, and, very specifically, the flames of the Yeon Family. The former prevented him from restructuring himself in a short period of time. As for the latter, it seemed to dry up the soil comprising his body, slowing or outright stopping his movements depending on the intensity of the heat.Fortunately, so long as they weren't inordinately skilled in the use of said energies, Hesse was able to convince most foes that he was 'immune' to said effects. This was meant to demoralize his foes, and, thanks to the hardening effects of their attacks, he did actually become more durable over the duration of the fight...Completely disregarding all of these factors, Mash continued to hammer on the 5m tall man as if he were a humanoid sandbag. He had attempted to trade blows with her, but, in spite of their massive size and weight difference, her strikes continuously sent him stumbling backward as the force of his blows seemed to dissipate into the ground. This was one of the major weaknesses of being larger than your opponent, as, after a certain point, the force of overhead blows became inconsequential due to things like leverage.Though there were countless ways around it, striking downward with more force than your inertia would simply cause you to propel yourself into the air. This was one of the primary weaknesses of super strength, as, without adequate leverage, it was tricky to apply said strength without grabbing or pushing against your opponent. Even then, you needed to account for things like friction against the ground, and, more often than not, the durability of whatever you were standing on.With durability that would allow her to survive tactical-grade magic at point-blank range, defeating Mash using raw physical power was extremely difficult. She had even mastered Galahad's defensive techniques, effectively allowing her to channel the force of an opponent's strike through the energy channels of her own body, directing it into the ground. This was an extremely dangerous technique to master, but, in exchange, even your organs would become resistant to sudden shocks. It also had an extreme influence on the tension and springiness of a person's muscles, specifically concentrated around the calves, thighs, and glutes...Taking full advantage of her petite yet full figure, Mash, standing at only 162cm in height, continued to hammer away at Hesse with an unchanging expression. She didn't seem troubled by the fact that the latter was able to withstand several of her strikes. Instead, she remained absolutely calm, almost scary so, as she slipped under a haymaker blow before striking his diaphragm with enough force to send him tumbling backward for more than seventy meters.Groaning due to the mind-numbingly frustrating 'tingle' that had spread through his entire body, similar to a limb falling asleep, Hesse raised his giant body with extreme difficulty, serrated teeth glistening with spittle and blood as he shouted, "What the fuck are you bastards waiting for...!?"In response to Hesse's exclamation, the other three groups present, each belonging to a member of the Ten Bosses, began to stir about. Most of them had lost the will to fight after witnessing Fenrir's 'cruelty', and, if not for the contracts forcing them to obey their 'Masters', they would have fled long ago. As for said Masters, two were already considering withdrawing while the third, a 90cm tall cat-like person with black fur and a cross-shaped scar running across their forehead, unsheathed two dagger-like Ninjatō as they remarked, "Pathetic...how did you ever become one of the Ten Bosses? When this is over, I'm going to repurpose you as a litter box you damn dirt-man..."Following this deriding remark, the cat-like man, better known as Nekogahara Katamune of the Ten Bosses, began to release a peculiar black Shinsu from his body as he murmured, "Katamune-Style Control Skill...Waning Moon...!"Seeing the curiously inverted black crescent flying towards them, Vahn couldn't help raise his brows slightly as he questioned how someone far beneath the level of a Master could create such a shape while swinging their sword in a regular arc. It was actually a rather ingenious technique, as, unlike a traditional crescent sword beam, this one surrounded an enemy and cut off their path of escape...While Vahn was reviewing the peculiarities of the technique within his mind, Jeanne had already stepped forward to intercept it, her blade releasing a pure white crescent that perfectly overlapped with the former, dispersing it like an illusion. This caused Katamune to sneer in contempt, his eyes releasing a malicious blue glow as he crossed his dagger-like swords behind his back and muttered, "Katamune-Style Control Skill...Inverse-Cross Slash...!"Confident that he could cut through Jeanne's attack, Katamune made no attempt to dodge it as his Ninjatō converged towards the resplendent sword beam, each releasing a dark light. Unfortunately, he had grossly overestimated himself, and, without any suspense whatsoever, Jeanne's single blade of light cut through his C-Rank blades like a hot knife through butter before bisecting him in two at chest level.Having expected the cat-like man to try and dodge, Jeanne couldn't help but furrow her brows in a fretful manner as she turned back to face her Master. In response, Vahn just gestured for her to stay calm, a relaxed smile on his face as he telepathically reminded her that he could always revive those who had fallen. Rumors regarding his ability to resurrect the dead had already been circulating for several months at this point, so, while he had no intention of going around and playing Saint, Vahn no longer cared about keeping it a secret.Though she was greatly relieved by her Master's words, Jeanne didn't want to make any additional mistakes in the presence of her God. To that end, she promptly sheathed her sword before pointing her index and middle fingers towards the group of cowering Regulars, her tone flat and judgmental as she incanted, "Bakudo Number 1...Sai...!"Following Jeanne's short incantation, several invisible beams of spiritual energy shot forth from her fingers, impacting her targets at near-light speeds. This caused the hands of the affected to open, their weapons clattering to the ground before their wrists were forcefully brought together behind their backs. This included those with more than two arms, and, should they lack the means to reach the small of their backs, those with bulkier figures found their joints painfully dislocated under the influence of the binding spell.Surprised by Jeanne's use of Kido, Vahn raised his brows slightly, an amused smile spreading across his face as he remarked, "I hope Yoruichi isn't teaching you any bad habits..."Hearing her Master's musings, the tips of Jeanne's ears became bright red as she attempted to use her brilliant golden wings to hide her face. This caused the former to issue a lighthearted laugh, but, at the same time, he was a little worried about Yoruichi's ever-increasing influence among the more impressionable women in his harem...Shaking his head, Vahn cleared his mind of wayward thoughts before stepping forward to ruffle the hair of Fenrir and Ryun as he said, "Let's wrap this up..."Though their first reaction was to instinctually press their heads against the palms of his hands, the eyes of Fenrir and Ryun shot open in response to his words. Immediately thereafter, midnight blue and dusk-red fur began to sprout across their rapidly metamorphosing bodies, each expanding to more than 10m in height and approximately 30m from their muzzles to the tips of their tails.As could be expected, the appearance of two giant wolves was enough to shatter the resolutions of virtually everyone still present in the plaza. This was in spite of the fact that they appeared far more majestic than terrifying, each possessing sleek coats of fur and remarkably dignified features. Fenrir, in particular, resembled a literal God of Wolves due to the runic pattern glistening along the surface of her fur and at the center of her forehead. Her previously scarlet eyes had even changed to an icy blue color, a fierce intelligence seen glowing within as she released a naturally suppressive aura.Since it was pretty hard to miss the emergence of two giant wolves, Mash adopted a slight pout as she glowered towards the still-conscious Hesse. This caused the latter to visibly shudder, his beady red eyes snapping from the two giant wolves to observe his former opponent. He abruptly felt as though he was standing on the edge of a blade, and, for a very brief moment, the lavender-haired woman glaring at him seemed like an untamed beast as her pupils suddenly contracted into thin, predatory, lines...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I wonder if there is a Law of Small Fries that compels evil people to say stupid shit prior to their deaths...?','Mash has a very springy butt (O w O)...','I wonder if we'll ever meet the greatest of the Nekomata tribe, the legendary Nyanmoto Musashimi...!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1879: Shift