Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Of all possible reactions, the last thing Vahn expected was for Adori to turn statuesque in response to his words. At the exact same time, the Law of Identity began laughing maniacally, hands holding her stomach as she revealed, "You short-circuited her brain by making her think lewd thoughts. She intends to completely thrash you now~."As if to demonstrate this was the case, a resolute light flickered within Adori's eyes as she said, "You have a glib tongue...it seems you need to be taught how to respect women..."Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Vahn focused on repairing the damage done by the El Robina as Hagipherione and Maschenny gradually liberated themselves from the influence of his domain. This was a testament to their capacities as Top 100 Rankers, but, compared to Adori, they were lacking in a number of ways. Maschenny, in particular, seemed annoyed by the fact she was the last to break free, her expression morphing into a challenging scowl as she brandished her Yellow May, a sun-like spear that caused her characteristically blue Shinsu to resemble bands of golden lightning.Fortunately, with various schemes formulating inside of her head, Maschenny was able to suppress her urge to rush into battle, her scowl relaxing into a mask of amusement as she remarked, "This is quite the scene...three Princesses of Jahad standing around a presumed enemy of the Empire as he resurrects our people and mends the damage caused by Imperial forces...I wonder what our Father would think of this?"Frowning almost imperceptibly in response to Maschenny's words, Adori sent a warning look to the former before shifting her attention back to Vahn and saying, "Though I find her selection of words rather troubling, it would be remiss of me to ignore the unusualnesses of the current situation. Tell me, Vahn Aldrnari Mason, what are your true intentions? Are you truly an enemy of the Empire? Will you not join hands with us to help ensure the peace and prosperity of all the Tower's inhabitants?"With most of the damage undone, Vahn shifted his gaze to match Adori's, an accusatory glimmer in his eyes as he remarked, "An interesting thing to say considering the widespread corruption present within the Empire and abroad. Why is it that the same people who establish systems that suppress and exploit others always mention things like protecting everyone and ensuring peace? Are you just completely ignorant of your own faults and the lack of oversight in your administration? Other than ensuring your personal prosperity and maintaining a system that allows those in power to act with complete impunity, what are you doing to actually make the Tower a better place?"For the first time since the start of their encounter, Adori's expression changed drastically, her calm and unperturbed countenance morphing into a resolute grimace as she said, "I cannot agree with such poorly considered sentiments. Though I can't deny the existence of corruption among Imperial officials and members of the Ten Great Families, your words ignore the larger issues and the tireless efforts we make to weed out such troublesome elements. Have you ever given any consideration as to why the Inner and Middle Towers were established? What about the Ranking Administration that allows even our enemies to be classified in accordance with their power and authority? If you truly possess the power to read people's minds and know their most profound secrets, you would be a fool to question my commitment to the Tower and its inhabitants. I don't pretend to be perfect, but I've dedicated the last five-thousand-years to preserving the peace and bettering the lives of those who respect Imperial rule. What are you doing to make things better other than selectively helping the people you deem worthy whilst destroying systems intended to monitor and regulate people who, by virtue of being chosen as Regulars, have already proven themselves as self-centered and greedy individuals?"Surprised by the fervor of Adori's words, Vahn, Maschenny, and even Hagipherione couldn't help but raise their brows. She was known to be one of the quietest and most cool-headed among the Princesses, someone with very little care for worldly matters. Now, however, she was giving off the impression of someone who had worked hard only to have all their efforts looked down upon by others. For a brief moment, they even thought she might tear up, but, rather than show any signs of weakness, Adori's aura continued to surge outwards like an endlessly gushing geyser...With the platform and all its inhabitants returned to normal, Vahn allowed his influence over the flow of time to slip away as he turned to Adori and said, "I will not deny your perspective and the efforts you have made over the years. The problem is, regardless of the number of people working towards a solution, nothing will change without influencing how things are run at the top. There is also the matter of the Tower's purpose, something that has been profaned and forgotten by all but a few of the most influential people within the Empire. Things cannot continue like this indefinitely. Even the most resolute individuals within the Tower, yourself included, will eventually be consumed and swayed by the passage of time. The only way to prevent the encroachment of stagnation is to continue moving forward...change is necessary in order to ensure true prosperity..."Though Maschenny couldn't help but smile in response to Vahn's words, Adori held firmly to her resolute frown as she asked, "So you would see the Tower thrown into turmoil so that the most powerful among us can move forward? Before my Father became King and paved the way for the Era of Peaceful Coexistence, millions died on a daily basis. There were people running around with no regard for the people beneath them, freely exhibiting their power and behaving like Gods. Now, there are groups in the Outer Tower who have never even heard of the Inner and Middle Towers. It might not be a perfect system, but it is infinitely better than the chaos that came before...!"Restraining a sigh, Vahn shook his head, his expression softening slightly as he calmly explained, "If those were my intentions, I would have joined hands with FUG and flaunted my power long before now. Instead, I limit myself to only taking action when injustices occur right in front of me. The only reason we stand in contention with each other is that I refuse to ignore the injustices committed by the Ten Great Families. I don't care enough about the politics of the Tower to stand in opposition to the Jahad Empire. I merely take action against those who exploit and suppress others for things like entertainment and their own convenience. If there wasn't corruption appearing virtually everywhere, you might not have even heard my name until I reached the top of the Tower. It's as simple as that."Seemingly confused by Vahn's words, Adori tilted her head almost imperceptively to the side as she asked, "What about your actions at the Name Hunt Station? You have been accused of brutalizing a Princess of Jahad and kidnapping a member of the Lo Po Bia Family. There are also reports attesting to the fact you have hijacked the Hell Express in an effort to resurrect the infamous Slayer known as White. Last but not least, you stand accused of killing the Zygaena, mounting an attack on the Yeon Family's Floating Castle, and assailing numerous females on the 21st Floor...do you intend to tell me these accusations are without merit...?"Unable to restrain himself, Vahn issued a light chuckle in response to Adori's interrogation. This earned him a pointed stare, but, having experienced such glares countless times in the past, he ultimately managed a relaxed smile as he explained, "Princess Maschenny here should be able to clear me of any crimes mentioned regarding other Princesses. As for the rest of the matters at the Name Hunt Station, well, they are obviously being embellished by the Lo Po Bia Family. In fact, the person I am being accused of kidnapping chose to follow me of her own accord. All I did was seal off the station until someone worthy enough to rule over it appeared. As for the accusations of me attempting to resurrect White, that should have been cleaned up by my conversation with Princess Hagipherione. Though it is true that I commandeered the Hell Express, this was necessitated by the fact that it was under the control of the organization known as FUG. They were the ones attempting to revive White so I was forced to deal with the Conductor when he attempted to interfere. As for the matters related to the Yeon Family...don't even get me started...if I really wanted to harm them, they would have been killed. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Jahad Army, do you expect me to believe you are unaware of the schemes of Yeon Ilarde?"Though she didn't take Vahn's account at face value, Adori couldn't readily refute his words after seeing Hagipherione and Maschenny nod their heads. She hadn't mentioned it, but there were also reports of him destroying a FUG base, and, though he had been accused of an ever-growing list of crimes, there were very few casualties. In fact, most of the people who had encountered Vahn had come out with relatively light injuries, the only exceptions being a number of unconfirmed deaths connected to the Lo Po Bia Family.Realizing that she might have jumped the gun due to the reported connection between Vahn and Ureko, Adori couldn't help but avert her eyes as she fished for reasons to justify the mobilization of three whole Divisions of the Army. Her Father had tasked her with investigating, and, if necessary, eliminating Vahn before he could become a threat to the Empire. Now, however, it seemed like the Lo Po Bia and Yeon Families were the ones at fault while Vahn was cleaning up a mess that should have been arbitrated by the Administration of Internal Affairs or resolved by the Royal Enforcement Division...With the Law of Identity narrating Adori's thoughts, Vahn couldn't help thinking that the legendary Princess was surprisingly naive. This made her rather scary as there were few things more terrifying than a naive person who was resolute and powerful enough to effectively erase continents from the map. The fact she instantly resorted to using a weapon like the El Robina showed just how detached she was from common sense, so, before she could reach a conclusion on her own, he stepped in to suggest, "Look...why don't we just fight and settle things directly? It will make things a lot easier for me once your side has a better understanding of my power. Truth be told, I wouldn't mind resolving things peacefully. Unfortunately, this requires mutual respect and a willingness to compromise from both parties. Right now, you still think I'm some upstart that might become a threat to your Empire. The truth of the matter is that your Empire would cease to exist if I got serious and truly committed to wiping you out. For now, I'm content with moving at my own pace and affording you the chance to fix things from your end. If things continue like this...it is only a matter of time before your side does something that results in your destruction..."Hearing Vahn reference the destruction of the Empire in such a casual manner, Adori, Hagipherione, and even Maschenny all adopted expression of disbelief and moderate disdain. They knew just how incomprehensible their Father's power was so it was difficult for them to even consider him actually losing to someone. Even the combined efforts of the Ten Great Families and Ureko wouldn't be able to defeat him so the notion of someone else succeeding seemed utterly ridiculous.Feeling the oppressive aura emanating from the trio of inordinately beautiful women, the color of Vahn's eyes immediately shifted to a resplendent gold coloration as he added, "Don't worry...even if I win, you won't have to worry about me spanking your bottoms in front of everyone..."As the unfortunate trio designated by Ureko's 'Optional Objective', Adori, Hagipherione, and Maschenny had all experienced being disrobed, having their bottoms spanked, and their panties stolen by the mischievous Dragoness. Adori, in particular, had never suffered such embarrassment in her life, so, upon hearing Vahn's words, her expression immediately darkened as the crystalline blades behind her began resonating with enough force to cause small cracks to appear in the space around their edge...(A/N: Alternate Titles: '*Maschenny playing the part of Loki...','It's all a matter of perspective...','Vahn over here digging his own grave...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Stepping in before Adori could take action, Hagipherione brandished what appeared to be a set of blood-red shortswords. In actuality, they were a set of bladed Needles, and, similar to the crystalline blades floating behind Adori's back and the sun-like spear clutched in Maschenny's hand, they were yet another one of the 13 Month Series, specifically the Red October.Though the Black March was considered the most powerful Needle among the Thirteen, the Red October was far more famous due to the fact it had been in circulation for a much longer period of time. It was also the only 'Dual Ignition' weapon among the legendary series of weapons, and, if the rumors were to be believed, they were the 'fastest' among the entire series.Before Adori could speak out, Hagipherione adopted a serious expression as she said, "If you dare to interrupt my fight a second time, don't blame me for the consequences. I didn't climb my way to Rank 36 to have other people intervene in my battles. That goes doubly for you Maschenny...if you get in my way..."Rolling her eyes in response to Hagipherione's threat, Maschenny shouldered the Yellow May as she said, "By all means, feel free to go first. I'm rather curious to see how you'll fare after your previous two attacks proved utterly ineffective."Demonstrating greater emotional range than the average member of the Arie Family, Hagipherione adopted a hateful glower in response to Maschenny's taunting. Before she could offer a rebuttal, however, Vahn drew the attention of all three Princesses by clearing his throat and saying, "Can we just start? It doesn't matter whether or not you come individually or together. No matter what you do, the end result will remain the same."Though the remark earned him an amused smile from Maschenny, Hagipherione's response to his seemingly brash words was to appear next to him, stating, "Impudence...!" as she attempted to stab the Red October into his body. Rather than using the State of Nothingness, however, Vahn eyed the two blood-red blades with a thoughtful glimmer as both pierced into his body.While there were a few fundamental differences, the Ignited versions of the 13 Month Series were functionally similar to Zanpakuto. This drastically reduced the effectiveness of a pseudo-spiritual form like the State of Nothingness, but, at the same time, it meant their damage was predominately spiritual in nature. This was what allowed them to 'kill' beings such as Immortals, as, under normal circumstances, protecting and preserving the Ego were inordinately difficult.Unfortunately for Hagipherione, there was an unbridgeable gap between a middling Tier 4 weapon and someone with a Tier 5 Soul. In fact, so long as he linked his external manifestation to his Realm, Vahn could disperse the vast majority of attacks into the infinite space contained within. This might allow a sufficiently powerful entity to invade, but, due to the disparities between the Laws, anything foolish enough to try would experience having their existence effectively erased. Thus, while it was far from absolute, he was effectively immune to any attack lacking a sufficient understanding of the Laws.Demonstrating this was the case, Vahn completely ignored the Red October piercing into his body, his expression largely indifferent as he extended his hand towards Hagipherione's head. This caused her pupils to shrink, as, from her perspective, there was no danger present within his palm. Because of this, she had to force herself to evade, as, at the highest level, instincts and intuition were two of the most important factors that determined a person's competency in battle.With Hagipherione's speed exceeding his own, Vahn could do little more than chuckle as she took nigh-instantaneous evasive maneuvers. Then, with a relaxed smile on his face, he briefly shifted his attention to Adori and Maschenny, saying, "Feel free to step in whenever you think it's necessary..."At nearly the exact same moment as his words had finished, two vibrant blades of blood-red energy cut through Vahn's neck and torso. Unfortunately, much to the chagrin of Hagipherione, there wasn't a single sign of injury in the wake of her attack. Even the turbulent Shinsu accompanying the strike seemed to simply fade away, swallowed by the functionally infinite space constituting Vahn's Realm.Returning his attention to Hagipherione, Vahn's expression became slightly more serious as he said, "Let's see how powerful this technique truly is..."Following his utterance, several golden Baangs of Shinsu began to spontaneously manifest around Vahn's body. Unlike normal Baangs, however, these incorporated the Shinsu Black Hole Sphere and his original Quality before attaining Tier 5, Divine. As a result, they functioned similarly to miniature black holes, far more powerful than conventional Black Hole Spheres due to their ability to suck, not just the Shinsu from the environment, but other people's bodies.'Recognizing' the technique as one functionally identical to their Father's, Hagipherione, Adori, and Maschenny all took evasive action the moment Vahn began forming his Baangs. At the same time, surprising even Vahn, several Suspend Ships in the distance began falling from the sky as the Shinsu supporting them rapidly depleted.Resisting the urge to adopt a wry smile, Vahn was preparing to let his Baangs disperse when several massive explosions occurred around him. A few even sent him stumbling backward as several shells formed from highly condensed Shinsu impacted his body with mountain-destroying force. Almost immediately thereafter, a spear of lightning nearly a kilometer long pierced into his body, half of its length disappearing into his Realm as an intense current spread through his bones and attempted to destroy him from the inside.Gritting his teeth, bands of golden lightning began to dance across Vahn's body as he saturated his cells with elemental energy. This caused his healthy brown skin to become somewhat ashen as the direction of his hair shifted, flowing backward and becoming a vibrant shade of gold as a matching golden tail spontaneously sprouted from his lower back.To the horror of Maschenny, the culprit behind the golden spear, Vahn gripped the energy form of the Yellow May with his bare hands, preventing her from retrieving it. At the same time, the energy emanating from his body seemed to increase by several orders of magnitude, so much so that the Shinsu in the surroundings gained a peculiar golden hue that made it exponentially more difficult to control.Taking charge of the situation, Adori, now flanked by cannon-like mechanisms and a series of wing-like defensive plates, shouted, "Hagipherione! Help Maschenny recover the Yellow May! I will act as the Light Bearer and try to stop his movements! We need to act before he absorbs the Shinsu of the entire Floor...!"Following her exclamation, Adori's Golden November split into a series of smaller blades as several golden Lighthouses deployed from her A-Rank Carrier, one of only ten ever produced. This was a device that allowed a Fisherman to assume the role of virtually every other Position, and, with the exception of a few unique productions of the Workshop, they were easily the most expensive items in the entire Tower. The price of a Carrier was equivalent to the annual budget of the Jahad Army, and, more often than not, they possessed armaments capable of rivaling an entire Fleet of military-grade Suspend Ships.With the Lighthouses emitted by Adori's Carrier breaking down into more than a hundred smaller Lighthouses, Vahn found himself forced into a fetal position as an overwhelming pressure pressed on him from all directions. It was like being crushed by the gravitational force of a star, and, for a brief moment, there was virtually nothing he could do to resist. Fortunately, he had converted his race to a species infamous for its adaptability to high gravitational forces; so, while he was unable to prevent Maschenny from recovering the Yellow May, she wasn't able to retreat very far before he released a pulse of golden energy, impacting both her and Hagipherione as every Lighthouse in the surroundings shattered like glass.Though it made him feel a little like a Malevolent God, Vahn adopted an amused smile in response to the incredulous looks on Adori's and Hagipherione's faces. To his surprise, however, Maschenny had a similar smile on her face, intrigue visible in her gaze as she mouthed, 'That tail reminds me of a certain someone'.Extending his hand toward Maschenny, Vahn 'replied' to her with a beam of golden energy that seemed to divide the sky in two, dimming the surroundings due to its radiance. By the time the beam had faded, Maschenny's smile had disappeared along with it. In its place, a far more serious expression marred her countenance as she unamusedly uttered, "You brute..." as a hazy white mist rose from the various burns across her body.Ignoring Maschenny's remark, Vahn teleported to evade another bombardment from Adori, his figure appearing behind her in an instant. Unfortunately, she was exponentially faster than both Hagipherione and Maschenny. Thus, before he had even fully materialized, the crystalline blades hovering behind her immediately swirled around his emergence point, their edges severing the surrounding space and cutting into his body as she used her personal blade to bifurcate his body from head to crotch.With slightly widened eyes, Vahn did his best to ignore the fact he had been cut in half, hands extending to emit two massive columns of golden energy. These pushed Adori away from him, but, as could be expected from someone capable of pushing back Ureko, even if the latter wasn't being serious, a few simple energy beams weren't enough to deter her. Instead, she skillfully deflected the two beams using her wing-like shields, her speed spontaneously increasing to a near-imperceptible degree as she charged 'through' him, this time separating his two halves into four.Though he could have easily reformed his body, Vahn opted to do the exact opposite. Adori was a lot stronger than he expected, so, rather than fighting her directly, he converted nearly every cell in his body into pure Shinsu before dispersing it into the atmosphere. This left all three Princesses at a loss for words, and, for a brief moment, Hagipherione mistakenly believed he had been defeated.Alerting the white-haired maiden to the truth, Vahn's laughter could be heard from every direction as he mused, "In video game terminology, this would be what some refer to as 'phase two'..."Punctuating his words, Vahn began to manipulate the golden-hued Shinsu in the surroundings to create a massive vortex. The resistances of the three Princesses would have allowed them to ignore such an attack under normal circumstances; but, due to the nature of his Source Energy, they found themselves buffeted by the powerful torrent, grimacing as the undetectable energy infiltrated their bodies.Though it was largely unnecessary, Vahn reappeared near the center of the trio, his expression far more serious than before as he made a grasping gesture with his hand. This caused Hagipherione and Maschenny to slump forward, seemingly tripping in mid-air as Adori, demonstrating just how monstrous she could be, saturated her entire body with Shinsu in an effort to resist his pull. At the same time, the crystalline fragments of the Golden November fused with the cannon attachments of her Carrier, drastically increasing their output as four beams of destructive golden energy tore through the surrounding space with enough force to leave a gravitational void in its wake.Unfortunately for Adori, the manifestation she had destroyed was just a part of the current Vahn. As a result, he was immediately able to reform elsewhere, an impressed glimmer in his eyes as he said, "Truly remarkable..."Despite the refusal of her body to cooperate, Adori managed to turn her head to face Vahn without any discernible difficulty, her expression a mask of calm as she asked, "Are you an Axis User...?"Rather than answering Adori's question directly, Vahn just offered a smile as he forced all the Shinsu in his domain to surge outward until nothing remained. This caused the High Rankers spectating in the distance to fall from the sky, their expressions paling as the power they had become dependent on was suddenly denied to them. Only those fortunate enough to possess an Ignition Weapon were immune to the sudden depletion, as, other than serving as powerful weapons, the primary purpose of such weapons was to act as a reserve power source for their users.Sensing the complete absence of Shinsu in the surroundings, Adori's expression gradually darkened as the Golden November began releasing a truly remarkable amount of energy. At the same time, a near-identical figure appeared behind her, the only noticeable difference between them being their choice of garb. To Vahn's surprise, the Law of Identity revealed that this was actually Adori herself, or, more specifically, her 'Soul'. She had agreed to have her physical and spiritual bodies separated in order to provide her an exceptionally potent form of immortality. This explained why the majority of his attacks had been ineffective, as, rather than be bound to her physical form, Adori treated her body as if it was a marionette...Realizing he still had a lot to learn about the Tower and its inhabitants, Vahn allowed the expelled Shinsu to return as he said, "Relax. If I truly were an Axis User, what would you hope to achieve by resorting to such extreme means? I might be able to revive you if you perform a suicide attack, but I'd rather not have to. Besides, we've only just begun our fight. Leave attacks like that until the very end."Frowning in response to Vahn's words, Adori continued to generate an ever-increasing amount of power from her Golden November. This caused a somewhat guilty smile to spread across Vahn's face as his body, once again, dissolved into the surroundings. At the same time, a far more potent golden hue began to permeate the area affected by his domain as several golden speartips, each attached to resplendent golden chains, began to emerge from the void...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Well then...that's a thing...','Adori doing her best (O ^ O)...!','If Vahn is Source Energy...does that mean he has already 'penetrated' all three Princesses...!?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With the strongest among them being around the level of a C-Rank Regular, it took very little effort for Vahn to defeat the boarding party prepared by the Jahad Army. This caused quite a stir among the encircling party, but, compared to the events that followed, the defeat of a few Regulars wasn't very noteworthy.Though he could have stayed inside the area assigned to Regulars, Vahn was well aware of the fact that, among Jahad's forces, specifically within the 1st Army Corps, there were a number of methods they could use to simply 'ignore' the Tower's laws. This would result in the unnecessary deaths of a substantial number of Regulars, several of which had fled to the 40th Floor in search of a peaceful life. Thus, rather than turtle up and play the part of a coward, he surprised nearly everyone present by slowly rising into the air, emerging from the invisible dome enclosing the platform with a relaxed smile on his face.Demonstrating a remarkable amount of discipline, none of the Rankers present attempted to attack him. Instead, they actually began a gradual retreat as several High Rankers, a surprising number of which were beautiful women, formed a loose encirclement around his aerial position. This included Adori Jahad, and, somewhat surprisingly, two other Princesses...With his smile turning noticeably wrier, Vahn shifted his gaze from a rather heroic-looking woman with white hair, golden eyes, and a cross-shaped scar running across her nose to a striking beauty with an hourglass figure, pale-blue hair, and electric-blue eyes. The former was none other than the culprit behind White's original defeat, the Ranked 36 Arie Hagipherione Jahad. As for the latter, who else could it be if not Khun Maschenny Jahad?Though there were a number of other beauties present, none stood out in the presence of three of the Tower's most famous Princesses. The only exception to this was a woman with a bushy tail and rounded ears reminiscent of a Snow Leopard, but, other than sending a cursory glance her way, the majority of Vahn's attention was on the golden-haired beauty floating at his front. Her beauty was simply on another level compared to everyone else encircling him, but, most importantly, her power made her stand out like a Sun among various lesser Moons.Doing his best to fix his expression, Vahn's wry simper gradually relaxed into an amiable smile as he remarked, "I wonder if I should feel honored or concerned that the Jahad Empire has deemed my existence worthy of three Princesses of Jahad..."Demonstrating the confidence expected of someone who had been chosen as the Commander-in-Chief of the entire armed forces, Adori showed little change in expression as she smoothly asserted, "We might have ignored you if you were an ordinary Irregular. It is your ability to veil yourself from both observation and prophecy that have necessitated such an extreme response. Your existence is an unknown variable, something that cannot be regulated using conventional means. If you do not surrender here and now, we will have no choice but to eliminate you."As he might do the same against perceived threats to his own Empire, Vahn couldn't help but nod his head in response to Adori's explanation. Part of him was even tempted to surrender since it was virtually guaranteed that he would be escorted higher up the Tower in Imperial custody. This would drastically reduce the time taken to reach the top of the Tower, and, depending on how he played things, he might even be able to undermine the Empire from the inside.Unfortunately, Vahn had been looking forward to battling against the Tower's strongest, so, while turning himself in was always an option, it wasn't at the top of his list. Instead, he adopted a teasing smile, eliciting hateful glares from Adori, Maschenny, and even Hagipherione as he asked, "Are you sure this isn't personal? I know you secretly hold me responsible for Ureko's recent actions. Though I won't deny my responsibility in the matter, do you genuinely believe I have the means to control such an unruly woman?"Answering in Adori's stead, Hagipherione manifested an inordinately long claymore in her right hand as she said, "Enough. I only agreed to come here for one reason. Tell me, what do you know of a man called White?"Despite Adori representing the greatest danger among those present, Vahn shifted his attention away from her, directing it to the swordswoman hovering in his blindspot before answering, "You already know the answer to that question. The fact your father sent you to inquire should be proof enough. After all, it was his sensing of Hoaqin's death that brought you here..."Frowning at the mention of Hoaqin's name, a heaven-defying sword intent began to emanate from Hagipherione's body as she muttered, "I see..." in a surprisingly venomous tone. This caused Vahn's brows to rise slightly, as, prior to this moment, he believed that Hoaqin had actually been 'lucky' to escape Hagipherione's pursuit. Now, even without needing the Law of Identity to confirm, he could see there were 'personal' reasons behind his survival...Shaking his head, Vahn's aura began to surge outward as he said, "It seems the time for talking has come and gone. Such a shame..."Punctuating his words, Vahn raised his hand in an attempt to grasp the silvery blade cutting toward him with earth-rending force. To the surprise of many, this actually worked, but, at the same time, a thin line of blood began to flow from a shallow cut across his palm. This caused the smile on Vahn's face to become even more prominent, an appreciative glimmer appearing in his suddenly gold eyes as he said, "Not bad..."Sensing a tremendous threat, Hagipherione instantly darted back at near-light speed, her sword drawing several impeccable sword beams that seemed to blend into the surrounding space before coming at him from various angles. These attacks were exponentially stronger than her initial strike, and, thanks to the infusion of Shinsu and Sword Intent, there were very few things they couldn't cut through.Without altering the flow of time, a difficult feat due to the number of powerful entities within his domain, Vahn couldn't actually dodge Hagipherione's attacks. He could perceive them rather easily, but, due to her mastery of the Arie Family's sword techniques, combined with the fact she was 'very' close to the level of a Grandmaster, each of the sword beams actively responded to his movements. As a result, several ended up passing cleanly through his body, confusing Hagipherione quite a bit due to the expectations she had formed during their initial exchange.Under normal circumstances, Vahn would have gladly explained the State of Nothingness to aid in Hagipherione's understanding of what had happened, but, before either of them could react, the latter found herself teleported away as a spiraling vortex of Shinsu several hundred meters across enveloped the former's body.Realizing what had happened, Hagipherione's expression became unbelievably cold as she shifted her attention from the red Suspend Ship hovering high in the sky to the golden-haired woman at her side, saying, "I did not require nor ask for your assistance. How could you deploy the El Robina for something like this?"With very little change in her own expression, Adori glanced at Hagipherione from the corner of her eyes as she said, "This is not a private matter for you to resolve as a member of the Arie Family. Our mission is to capture or kill the man known as Vahn Aldrnari Mason before he can become a threat to the Empire. I'm not fond of these kinds of measures either, but, for the sake of peace, I am willing to do whatever it takes. If we fail to deal with him here and now, billions could die in the war that is to come..."Though she felt guilty about the Regulars that would inevitably perish due to the El Robina's attack, Adori did her best to harden her heart and remain composed. The fact Vahn could block the attack of a Top 50 Ranker with his bare hands was all the evidence she needed to ascertain he was a threat to the Empire. Dealing with Ureko was already troublesome enough. The last thing they needed was a second monster roaming around the Tower with utter disregard for the Empire and its policies...Clicking her tongue in response to Adori's explanation, Hagipherione shifted her attention back to the peculiar Suspend Ship designed specifically to eliminate High Rankers. There were only ten of the eerie red weapon platform in the entire Tower, and, due to the contract established during their construction, they were one of the few weapons capable of firing upon areas reserved for Regulars. This functionality was originally intended to deal with High Rankers attempting to hide within areas reserved for Regulars. Now, however, its purpose had been profaned in order to eliminate a single Regular, sacrificing countless others in the process...Feeling severely disappointed with the outcome, Hagipherione was preparing to leave the moment El Robina finished firing. She greatly despised this way of doing things, and, though she understood Adori's reasoning, she couldn't help thinking it was a waste of time to congregate three Princess of Jahad and more than a dozen High Rankers if they were just going to let a machine do all the work.For a brief moment, Hagipherione was hoping to see Vahn emerge unscathed from the El Robina's attack. She was confident in her own ability to withstand its might, so, considering he was able to catch her blade, there was a very real chance he would be able to survive. In her mind, this made the firing of the El Robina even more foolish, as, based on Vahn's behavior, he had been more than willing to face them without requiring any sacrifices to be made.With the El Robina's massive beam of Shinsu gradually fading away, Hagipherione couldn't help frowning when she noticed the massive spiraling crater where the train platform once stood. Vahn was nowhere to be seen, and, as could be expected, all of the Regulars they had prepared in order to board the Hell Express had vanished alongside him. The only thing virtually unscathed was the Hell Express itself, but, considering it was one of the greatest masterpieces of the Workshop, that was never really a concern.While everyone else's attention was focused on the devastation caused by the El Robina's attack, Adori took a moment to exhale an inaudible sigh of relief, eyes closed as she quietly remarked, "I pray each of you finds happiness in the next life. May your souls find peace beyond the confines of this nightmarish Tower..."Though she had never seen it for herself, Adori had heard countless tales of the world that existed beyond the Tower. Many of these stories ended in tragedy due to the remarkably short lifespans of those who lived outside, but, after living for more than five-thousand-years, Adori found the idea of a short lifespan rather novel. Immortality was not without its shortcomings, and, were it not for her commitment to preventing war and helping to maintain order within the Tower, she might have lost herself like countless other Rankers...Taking a deep breath to help steady her heart, Adori was preparing to issue the order to withdraw when a peculiar green hue seemed to saturate the surrounding space for several tens of kilometers. This caused her pupils to contract, her aura exploding outward as two blades formed from golden crystal manifested behind her like a pair of wings. This wasn't her first time witnessing an ability that could influence the flow of time, so, even though she felt no particular threat, it didn't stop her from igniting her Golden November, the only S-Rank weapon among the 13 Month Series.Before Adori could do something troublesome, Vahn manifested a few meters behind her, his voice calm yet firm as he said, "I will fight you in a moment. For now, you should behave until I've finished restoring this place to its original form. Unless your remorse exists solely to help justify your actions, you will not intervene. I'm being serious here...you don't want to piss me off..."Though it was like resisting the pressure of a mountain range, Adori turned her head to face Vahn without any discernible difficulties, her expression unchanging as she said, "Very well...once you are finished, we will move this battle elsewhere. I trust you have no problems with that...?"Offering a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Vahn nodded his head in affirmation, saying, "Of course. Would I be able to call myself man if I could refuse the invitation of such a beauty? I'll keep you company for as long as you want...Princess..."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Empire came out to play...','*insert Ea sound effect*','Oh my (O w O)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1891: Civility