Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Seated high atop a spiraling pillar of stone, a man with ashen grey skin, ghastly blue hair, matching eyes, long pointed ears, and small antennae could be seen slouching forward as he watched various news reports regarding the Tower. At his side, a massive stag beetle, approximately twenty meters in height and twice that in length, silently clicked its mandibles in frustration.Much like the giant stag beetle, the grey-skinned man, garbed in a thick hooded parka that was adorned with a thick furred collar, could sense the turmoil occurring outside. His body housed a unique parasitic organism known as the Red Thryssa, the supposed offspring of the Guardian that had been killed by Enryu. As a result, he could sense fluctuations in the surrounding Shinsu, and, when he got serious, even former High Rankers were unable to offer any resistance against him.Long ago, the man, better known as Hell Joe, would have spared no effort in ensuring the people under his charge were well protected. He had been the type to face his enemies directly, and, for a time, no manner of setback could deter him from doing what was best for his people.A stark contrast to his former self, someone even Ureko had taken an interest in, the current Hell Joe was unmoved by the sounds of conflict occurring in his own fortress. He 'knew' everyone was immortal, so, even if he took his time, it wasn't like anyone was going to die. Instead, he continued shoveling handfuls of various different snacks into his mouth as his insect-like wings twitched due to his rising frustration.Though some might mistakenly believe he was frustrated by the outside disturbances, the truth of the matter was that Hell Joe was tired of watching the news. For reasons he couldn't understand, his contacts within FUG had given him an old-school television that only showed various different news stations. It wasn't that these weren't interesting to watch, but, rather than entertain him, the various happenings in the Tower only made him more envious of the fact he was trapped within the Floor of Death.Biting his thumbnail in frustration, Hell Joe murmured, "That damn Karaka. When I get out of here, the first thing I'm going to do is take a can opener to that tin-faced lunatic! Who the fuck gifts out a television that only shows the news!? Are you trying to taunt me!? Huh!?"As if to answer his questions, an explosion, accompanied by a considerable amount of dust and debris, occurred near the entrance of the chamber. This was enough to earn Hell Joe's attention, as, from within the cloud of dust, a petite figure with a bone mask and a pointed hood could be seen reaching out towards him, groaning, "Master Joe...help...us..."Following the cry for help, a strange yellow-orange piece of paper created a tunnel-like vortex within the remaining cloud of dust before impacting the masked figure's forehead. Immediately thereafter, the figure ceased moving in its entirety as the silhouette of a man emerged from the entrance to the chamber, asserting, "You must be Hell Joe..."Other than frowning slightly, Hell Joe didn't seem to care that the central chamber of his fortress had been breached. Instead, he sized up the figure that had invaded, asking, "Who the hell are you supposed to be? I thought for sure you were that blue-haired Bitch Hermit from North City. Don't tell me this is some kind of ploy from those FUG assholes?"Largely ignoring the man, Vahn listened as the Law of Identity revealed the reasons for Hell Joe's tyranny. His connection with FUG wasn't even remotely surprising. What did catch him off guard was the fact that the man seemed to have a mild obsession with Ureko, the source of the strange creature fused with his body.Realizing the man had a connection with Ureko, a frown immediately developed across Vahn's face as he wondered what had occurred to send the man down this dark path. Ureko wasn't the type of person who would empower the wicked and empower them with the ability to oppress others. Her sense of righteousness was even greater than his, and, had she known about the events occurring within this place, he couldn't imagine her staying silent.Clearing up his confusion, the Law of Identity promptly changed into Ureko before explaining, "It seems like she has the Workshop developing some kind of tool to extract a creature known as the Red Thryssa from his body? She also seems to know that you have come to the Floor of Death and is intending to surprise you."Genuinely surprised by the revelation, Vahn ignored the increasingly frustrated Hell Joe, asking, "Is she here?" in a slightly concerned tone.Seemingly amused by his reaction, the Law of Identity began to snicker in an eerily similar way to the actual Ureko before nodding her head and revealing, "Yup~! She is currently meeting with a woman named Garam Jahad."Following the revelation, the Law of Identity transformed into a rather striking beauty with bluish-white hair that became progressively darker towards the ends. She almost looked like a member of the Khun Family, but, based on the aura emanating from her body, it was more likely that she was the daughter of two different Families.Nodding her head in affirmation, the Law of Identity revealed, "Her father was a member of the Tu Perie Family and her mother was an exiled member of the Khun Family. You're in luck. It seems she has taken an interest in you after learning about your existence from Ureko."Raising his brows in response to the Law of Identity's words, Vahn was about to ask for clarification when Hell Joe suddenly leaped from his perch, his expression a caricature of unrestrained anger as he shouted, "Are you seriously ignoring me!? I'll fucking end you, you sorry sack of shit...!!"Shifting his attention back to the man, Vahn watched as the antennae on his head became crimson red horns. At the same time, a carapace-like mask formed from the same crimson material grew to cover the lower half of his face, its final shape resembling a mix between an insectoid maw and the face of a demon. It honestly looked a little cool, especially with his thick-furred parka and the large clawed gauntlet that had grown along his right arm. Unfortunately, Vahn hadn't exactly come here to admire the man; so, before the transformation could complete, his fist had already impacted the mask, shattering both it and Hell Joe's jaw.Demonstrating a remarkable resilience and an even more ludicrous recovery rate, Hell Joe spit a few broken teeth and bone fragments from his mouth before wiping away the blood to reveal his fully healed jaw. The mask, however, didn't immediately grow back as the energy within his system became increasingly tumultuous.Realizing the interloper wasn't someone he could look down upon, Hell Joe's wrathful expression morphed into a mask of calm as he remarked, "You certainly have the strength to back up your arrogance. It's too-"Moving the moment he sensed the man trying to muster his energy, Vahn kicked Hell Joe in the diaphragm with enough force to send him smashing through the walls of the fortress. He wasn't the type to let his enemy monologue while they sneakily prepared an attack. Thus, while he was a little interested in the power of the Red Thryssa, it wasn't like he would never have the chance to face an actual Floor Guardian...Hugging the hole in his chest, Hell Joe rapidly regenerated from his wounds as a bead of sweat rolled from his forehead. He had thought that the Red Thryssa had made him invincible, but, as if he was just an insect waiting to be crushed, his defenses offered no protection against the fists of his assailant. This was something he had never expected, so, for the first time in decades, he began to fully focus on what was happening right in front of him.Unaware of the existential crisis he was forcing Hell Joe to undergo, Vahn emerged from the Red Fortress with a golden aura emanating from his body. He had become rather fond of the Ancient Saiyan transformations, and, though they placed a heavy burden on both his mind and body, the strain on his spirit was surprisingly small. Thus, with functionally unlimited stamina and an Innate that provided him clarity of mind in virtually all circumstances, the Super Saiyan transformations were surprisingly easy to pull off.Surprised by the energy emanating from his opponent, Hell Joe did what he believed to be the most sensible thing, given the circumstances, shouting, "Zero Area...!" as a peculiar white pulse erupted from his body. This caused the Shinsu Density for thousands of kilometers to drop to a near-zero amount, effectively rendering Shinsu Control Skills completely useless.Unaffected by the sudden change in Shinsu Density, Vahn punched the surprised Joe with a fist shrouded in golden ki. Then, before his body could be sent flying backward, a gold energy sphere appeared in his hand, growing at a rate faster than the former's departing velocity. As a result, his half-transformed body was completely shrouded in a sphere of golden ki that promptly turned in a column of light that sent him smashing into the ground several hundred kilometers away in an instant.Though it wasn't exactly necessary, Vahn instinctually shielded his eyes in response to the massive sun-like explosion on the horizon. He was gambling on the fact that even the insects on the Floor of Death possessed a form of immortality, so, while he would generally avoid such catastrophic attacks near population centers, this was one of the few places in the Tower where he didn't have to worry about the sequelae caused by his attacks.As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn was slightly surprised by the emergence of a violent red figure from within the massive explosion. His domain only extended to around 37km by default, so, while he was easily able to react to most attacks, including those that exceeded the speed of light, he was effectively blind to attacks from outside the range of his senses.Raising his arm, Vahn blocked the fierce-looking claws of Hell Joe's right hand with his exposed forearm. To his surprise, four unreasonably sharp blades of energy erupted at the point of contact, instantaneously tracing across his forearm, face, neck, shoulder, and several hundred meters of empty air before promptly slicing through the Red Fortress without slowing in the slightest.Not expecting Hell Joe's attack to be infused with Severing Laws, an amused chuckle escaped from Vahn's throat as the bloody lines across his body instantaneously healed. Then, before the former could recover from his shock, Vahn twisted his hand to snatch Joe's wrist, crushing both it and the clawed gauntlet with an even more unreasonable amount of strength.Executing one of the techniques he rarely had the opportunity to show off, the silhouette of an Azure Dragon manifested around Vahn's body as he performed a spiraling uppercut towards Joe's jaw. Accompanying said manifestation, a majestic roar shook the entirety of the Floor of Death as the azure figure smashed into the fleshy ceiling located several tens of kilometers above.Though an impressive network of tunnels and pipes had been established to control the flow of Shinsu-like blood entering the Floor of Death, a veritable pillar of the crimson liquid emerged from the large hole created by Vahn's attack. This created an eerie sight to behold for the few observers watching the battle in the distance, but, more importantly, the baptism of blood provided Joe with a much-needed respite and a rather drastic increase in his combat capabilities.Emerging from the shower of blood with a muscular figure, massive red horns, a rather stylish noh mask, and a large mane of ashen-white hair, Hell Joe couldn't help but cross his arms tauntingly as he said, "Your efforts are futile. In this place, I am a God. All you've managed to achieve thus far is ensuring your death will not be painless. I will keep you here and torture you until you are nothing but a dried-up husk that knows nothing but pain and suffering. In the end, you will beg for death."Raising his brows in response to the man's words, Vahn adopting a somewhat incredulous look on his face as he remarked, "This is why power should never be given to people. I generally try not to look down on my opponents, but you...you are truly pitiable. It would seem you've been trapped in this place for far too long. Let me show you what a true God looks like..."Taking advantage of the fact that Joe was still attempting to absorb the Shinsu contained within the column of blood, Vahn crossed his arms in front of his body while tucking his legs up to form a ball. Immediately thereafter, brilliant blue lightning began to flicker along the periphery of his aura as the interior transitioned from a vibrant golden luster to an even more radiant bluish-white.Sensing the phenomenal energy surging from Vahn's body, Hell Joe's eyes widened as he moved to instinctually interfere with the transformation. Unfortunately, the moment he saw the blue light, it was already far too late to take action. As a result, he ended up being blasted away as a mighty roar emanated from Vahn's throat, collapsing the surrounding space as his hair shifted from pale-golden to a luminous azure-green...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Law of Identity enjoys ruining surprises xD...','Joe be like, "Behold! My second transformation...!"','Vahn be like, "Hold my Dwarven Stout..."')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Extricating himself from a pile of debris that buried him beneath hundreds of meters of earth, Hell Joe couldn't help feeling a little shaken as he viewed the hemispherical crater formed from Vahn's release of energy. It had completely erased a series of small mountains, and, more surprisingly, an area nearly 80km across had been completely glassed.At the very center of this devastation, reminiscent of an azure star, a figure with luminescent green hair, golden horns, emerald green scales, and a monkey-like tail could be seen standing with their arms crossed. Joe recognized this to be the same posture he had adopted previously, his expression darkening considerably as he took to the sky like a crimson meteor, ascending to shout, "It doesn't matter what you do! So long as you are on the Floor of Death, your defeat is inevitable! Come-"Followed by the sound of a thunderclap, Vahn appeared right in front of Hell Joe, hands clasped around the man's insectoid horns. Then, before the light from the azure lightning could even begin to fade, his forehead impacted Hell Joe's with enough force to break off both horns before sending the man smashing into the glassy pit with catastrophic force. It was like the ground for hundreds of meters had simply collapsed, descending much like a sinkhole to form an abyssal impression in the ground below.Tossing aside Joe's horns, Vahn took a deep breath to steady himself before bringing his palms near each other and adopting a slouched stance with both arms facing backward. He imagined himself hold a ball formed from pure energy, and, in response to the image, a vibrant sphere of azure light collected between his palms. To make things even more problematic for Joe, he used the Shinsu Black Hole Sphere to amplify the ability, completely bypassing the limitations he had placed on the Shinsu Density.With the center of the sphere gaining a perturbing black luster, Vahn waited until Joe erupted from the massive sinkhole to teleport beneath the enraged tyrant. This left the latter at a complete loss, as, due to the power he had been bestowed, his mastery over the innumerable Laws, Space included, was negligible at best. His use of Severing Laws seemed to be an inherent component of the Red Thryssa, so, while he was able to sense the spatial fluctuations, there was little he could do against an opponent who could instantaneously teleport.Gambling on the man's immortality, Vahn couldn't help but crack a smile as he finished the final syllable of the chant spoken within his head, shouting, "Ha...!" as he brought his hands forward and released a catastrophic energy beam that instantly pierced through the ceiling of the Floor of Death. This was only the beginning, however, as, rather than be mitigated by the extremely dense corpse of the Floor Guardian, the Shinsu within served to empower the beam further. As a result, it cut through the entirety of the Floor Guardian's corpse before continuing onward and impacting the ceiling of the 43rd Floor in less than three seconds.Surprised by the output of his own attack, Vahn held his hand before him, azure eyes reflecting the vibrant bands of electricity that still danced across his palms. This was the first time he had used an attack like this outside the Little Garden, and, due to the variations in the Laws and the stability of the surrounding space, its power was far beyond expectation.Shaking his head, Vahn allowed his hands to fall as he spread his senses through the area in search of Hell Joe. He knew it would take more than atomization to put the immortal man down, but, due to the inclusion of the Black Hole Sphere, it was hard to be certain. Fortunately, he had the Law of Identity at his side to confirm the man was both alive and hiding.Infusing the Law of Authority into his voice, allowing it to effectively reach every inhabitant of the Floor of Death, Vahn adopted a stern and slightly mocking tone as he mused, "I'm still waiting for you to show me the futility of confronting a God. Don't tell me...are you the God of Cowards? That would explain a lot..."Sensing the attack long before the flash of light reached him, Vahn held up his hand to intercept Joe's claws with his open palm. Then, using the motion of the man's attack against him, he twisted the former's arm at a painful angle before kicking him in the side with enough force to sever his upper and bottom halves.Despite the loss of his lower body, Hell Joe maintained a surprisingly resolute expression on his face as his insectoid maw opened to reveal a vibrant beam of light. At the same time, his mane-like collar seemed to ignite in a manner similar to Karna's mantle, intense heat radiating from his body as a destructive and highly penetrative beam emanated from his many-toothed mouth.With Joe's clawed hand still in his grasp, Vahn simply jerked the man to the side while twisting his head to evade the lightspeed attack. This was one of the limitations of energy-based attacks, as, despite their incredible power, those with quick enough reaction times could easily evade them. After all, while the attack itself might be lightspeed, the motions and build-up of the energy were, at best, around 30% the speed of light.Using the same motion as his evasive maneuver, Vahn released Joe's quickly regenerating body, twisting around with enough force to create a vacuum to prevent the man's escape before giving him another sharp blow to the bottom jaw. This caused Joe's maw to slam shut, teeth shattering from the force of the blow before the bottom half of his face exploded due to the energy from his own attack.Realizing the man wasn't going to tire out any time soon, irrespective of the number of times he was injured, a resolute sheen flashed across Vahn's eyes as he bent forward, left arm pointing at Joe's chest while his right hand pointed back. Immediately thereafter, an incredibly complex eight trigrams formation appeared beneath him, seemingly embedding itself within the air to create a translucent platform as he began a precision assault on the energy network within both Joe's and the Red Thyrssa's bodies.Feeling his connection with the surrounding Shinsu being severed, Joe's eyes widened as he tried to evade backward. To his surprise, a network of golden chains had appeared to block his retreat, and, for reasons he couldn't understand, simply contacting them was enough to send a numbing sensation throughout his entire body. It was like being electrocuted, and, as a result, he couldn't even raise his arms as Vahn continued to press various pressure points on his body.Wrapping things up, quite literally, Vahn used Enkidu to bind the paralyzed Joe before asking, "Is this the limit of the power you were provided? You thought this was enough to proclaim yourself a God? From my perspective, you are just a frog trapped within a well. Tell me, have you ever trained a day in your life? What have you done to try and master this power that was provided to you...?"With his arms splayed out to the side, almost as if he had been crucified, Joe raised his head to reveal unbridled hatred in his ghostly eyes as he shouted, "You don't know anything! I tried my best to bring positive change to the Floor of Death, but those bastards in the Grand family kept undermining all of my efforts! They even installed a fucking child to be the leader when I tried to handle things diplomatically via a vote! Tell me, what else was I supposed to do when everyone in power did everything possible to fuck me over!?"Though he had been tempted to interrupt the moment Joe mentioned him not knowing anything, Vahn waited until the man was gasping for air before snorting through his nose and giving him a crisp smack across the face. Then, with an uncharacteristically contemptuous look in his eyes, he firmly stated, "You were supposed to keep trying. If you truly believed in your ideals, you wouldn't have abandoned your sincerity in the pursuit of even greater power. You also wouldn't have locked yourself away in a fortress, holing yourself up like a hikikomori who only reads comics and watches the news day in and day out. Most importantly, you would never have resorted to torturing people who were wholly unrelated to your ambitions. You can accuse others all you like, but, the moment you stopped caring about the means to complete your objective, you became nothing more than a self-serving tyrant. Pathetic..."Spitting out a broken tooth, Hell Joe maintained his indignant look even as his mind raced due to the realization that he wasn't healing properly. This earned him a disapproving head shake from Vahn, but, more importantly, a familiar sigh could be heard emanating from beyond the periphery of his vision. This caused an instinctual shudder to pass through his body, followed by a sinking feeling as he averted his eyes from Vahn to find an athletic-looking woman with golden hair and crimson eyes staring at him with a disappointed frown. There was also a striking beauty with pale-blue hair and a winter parka standing next to her, but, compared to the former, she didn't stand out all that much.Preempting any excuses Joe might try and give, Ureko plainly stated, "I lack the words to express how disappointed I am in you. I gave you the Red Thryssa because I believed in your dream and ambitions. How did you go from an idealistic pipe cleaner to a tyrant in just a few short decades? There are people climbing the Tower who dedicate hundreds of years to improve their strength so they can achieve their dreams. What the hell happened to you, Joe?"With Joe unable to utter so much a single syllable in his defense, Vahn made things a little easier for him, explaining, "He got duped by FUG. They lied and told him that he would be able to leave the Floor of Death if he managed to provide them with the final fragment of the Thorn. The most pitiable thing about the situation is that FUG already knew where the final fragment was located. The only reason they associated with Joe was to bide time until they could develop a method to extract and use the Red Thryssa for themselves. Unfortunately, they quickly realized that its power was useless beyond the 43rd Floor, but, rather than informing Joe of the futility of his actions, they allowed him to play God in order to maintain control over the Floor of Death."Hearing Vahn's explanation, Joe's expression resembled the face of an ambitious youth who had just learned of their terminal illness. As for Ureko, her eyes released a subtle glow that sent shivers through everyone present, Vahn included, as she darkly uttered, "I see...once we're finished here, I'll have you reveal the names of everyone involved in this scheme. It seems FUG has forgotten my previous warning about sticking their noses into my business..."Though his power had increased exponentially since their last meeting, Vahn got the impression that Ureko was still far beyond him. Considering she was also a Tier 5 being, however, this wasn't all that surprising. She was likely the most powerful being in the entire Tower, and, were it not for the restrictions she had placed upon herself, the Empire might have already been destroyed.Nodding his head in response to Ureko's words, Vahn was about to say something when a rather dangerous smile spread across the former's face. Then, like a glutton who had just happened upon an expansive buffet, her crimson tongue briefly parted her lips, moisturizing her vermillion border as she remarked, "You've gotten significantly stronger since our last meeting. I never expected you to actually defeat Joe. Handily at that..."Feeling as though Ureko had suddenly become a giant predator gazing down upon him, a natural frown developed across Vahn's face as his draconic aura began to surge in response. This caused the glowing of her eyes to become even more vibrant, but, before things could escalate further, a hammer-like fist smacked into the back of her head, followed by the beauty at her side remarking, "If you don't hurry up and introduce me, don't blame me if I continue ignoring you."Rubbing the back of her head, Ureko adopted a slightly apologetic look that better resembled a mischievous grin as she said, "No need to resort to violence. Besides, didn't I tell you before? Vahn knows everything he wants to know. Based on his reaction when we first arrived, he already knew we were coming. Much less your name, I bet he can accurately tell you all three of your sizes and the age you were when you stopped wetting the bed."Raising her hand, Garam attempted to give Ureko another punch. This time, however, the latter easily evaded her fist, snickering playfully as she instantaneously appeared behind Vahn. This left Garam with an annoyed frown on her face, but, compared to the hatred that had appeared in Joe's eyes the moment he saw Ureko shielding herself behind Vahn, it was a relatively tame response...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Where all the shouting at?','*Casually evades lasers*','No secrets are safe from Loi-chan (O w O)...!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Following Ryun's lead, it wasn't long before Vahn and Co reached the outskirts of a rather pungent region known as Gallstone Village.As the name made readily apparent, Gallstone Village was just that, a village located inside of a large, mountain-sized, gallstone. It was half-embedded in a ceiling formed from the flesh of the Guardian, and, though most of the region had dried up by now, there were still areas of moisture and an incredibly foul-smelling aroma permeating the atmosphere.Pausing at the base of a snaking set of stairs, formed from a series of stones that had been piled up to facilitate access to Gallstone Village, Ryun pressed a small indentation, saying, "Though it should be impossible for an outsider to reach this location without the support of a Guide, we have taken a number of precautions to ensure the secrets of the Red Witches remain as such. If you attempted to ascend the stairs without pressing these indentations in a specific pattern, the entire stairway would collapse. In the worst-case scenario, the village itself can be dropped on foes, crushing them before penultimately exploding."Imagining the massive gallstone dropping on his head, a wry smile spread across Vahn's face as he considered whether or not he would be able to lift the entire thing. He knew it should be possible, but, even to this day, he didn't really have any feats to demonstrate his lifting strength. All he knew for certain was that he could lift several million kilograms even before his ascent to Tier 5. Now, so long as he 'needed' to, he should be able to lift any amount of weight so long as he was given the time to adjust his mental state...Noticing the thoughtful glimmer in her Master's eyes, Ryun fell silent as she stood next to Fenrir at the base of the stairs. They had become accustomed to their Master's introspective nature, so, with 'knowing' smiles on their faces, they patiently awaited his return to reality with their tails wagging rhythmically behind them.Sensing the sudden emergence of an unfamiliar presence, Vahn immediately snapped out of his reverie while performing a grabbing motion at the air. This was followed by a girlish exclamation as a rather petite yet well-endowed redhead, garbed in a black vest, grey undershirt, dark-grey skirt, and black jackboots appeared out of thin air.Recognizing the obvious similarities between the woman and Ryun, Vahn allowed her to stand of her own volition as his own redheaded companion asked, "What are you doing here, Ai? Where is Soo Min?"Hearing the familiar voice, Ai, who had promptly plopped to the ground following Vahn's release, jumped up with a start as she excitedly exclaimed, "Hwa Ryun? Is that really you!?"With the petite Ai approaching like a starstruck fan preparing to tackle their idol, Ryun returned the woman to her senses with a crisp smack to the face, stunning everyone present as she said, "I asked you a question. Explain the situation."Though she had briefly fallen into a stupor, mouth agape with her hand tentatively touching the area where Ryun had smacked her, Ai recovered shortly thereafter, revealing in a melancholic tone, "Soo Min has been killed..."Frowning deeply in response to the sudden revelation, Ryun's ears flattened aggressively atop her head as she grabbed Ai's shoulders and said, "Tell me everything." in a threatening tone.Though she wanted to inquire about the fluffy ears atop her senior's head, Ai nodded furiously in response to Ryun's threatening tone, explaining, "She was caught and tortured to death by a man named Hell Joe. He wanted to use her to locate the fragments of the Thorn. He refused to believe that her powers didn't function on the Floor of Death so she ended up dying before her time..."With each word spoken, Ryun's expression became progressively darker as the atmosphere around her become agitated. The thought of someone torturing her kin to death was already bad enough, but, far worse than that, Soo Min wasn't meant to die on the Floor of Death. This implied that Hell Joe was acting in defiance of fate, and, while this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, the actions he had taken were unacceptable. Most Red Witches lived their entire lives knowing when, where, and how they were going to die so it was impossible to imagine how terrified Soo Min must have been upon realizing that her path had been severed...Liberating Ryun from her downward spiral, Vahn placed his hand atop her head, gently caressing her silky-smooth hair as he promised, "We will make him pay."Following an affirmative nod, Ryun threw her arms around Vahn's body, face buried in his chest as she allowed him to hold and console her. This surprised Ai quite a bit, but, rather than remark on the peculiarities of the situation, she awkwardly inched closer to Fenrir to ask a few questions...---Though he had already made up his mind on the matter, Vahn's anger towards Hell Joe increased to an extreme when he saw the state of Soo Min's body. Ryun had asked him to take a look at the woman, and, if possible, she wanted him to revive her. Unfortunately, Soo Min's spirit had already departed her body. Hell Joe had consumed the energy comprising her Ego, and, to make matters even worse, her vitality had been depleted to the point that her scar-covered body was in a state bordering on mummification, her expression perpetually fixed in a mask of horror...In the end, the most Vahn could do for Ryun and Ai was restore the condition of Soo Min's body so that those performing future pilgrimages wouldn't have to witness the travesty wrought by Hell Joe's depravity. Any further treatment would depend on whether or not they were able to acquire Soo Min's Ego, but, considering the circumstances, the most likely outcome was that Hell Joe had assimilated it into himself in much the same way as White. Still, he wasn't just going to give up, so, following the treatment, Vahn learned more about the situation from Ai before the four of them made their way to a region in the Floor of Death known as South City.Contrary to the name, South City was more of a wasteland than anything else. The few residents that were present resembled emaciated corpses with sunken features, ghostly complexions, and soulless eyes. This wasn't a complete exaggeration either, as, in exchange for eternal life, nearly every resident of the Floor of Death had their 'Souls' removed by an Artifact known as the Soul-Stirring Ladle.As the name implied, the Soul-Stirring Ladle was, quite literally, a spoon with the power to scoop up a person's 'soul'. More specifically, it was enchanted with a powerful spell that allowed it to separate a person's spiritual body from their physical form.Under normal circumstances, the Ego would generally accompany the spiritual body as the two were intrinsically related to each other. Here on the Floor of Death, however, there seemed to be a spell in place that bound the Ego to the physical body, effectively making its residents immortal so long as they never left.Though some might consider eternal life a boon, only an absolute fool would consider separating the spiritual body from the physical form to be a viable solution to finality. The spiritual body was the very foundation upon which the Ego was built. Though it was possible to infuse the energy of a person's Ego into a physical object, it would quickly lose its stability unless the material used was spiritual in nature.Even under the most ideal of circumstances, it was only a matter of time before the Ego began to fracture and dissipate due to the lack of a spiritual body to serve as a proper container. This might not result in death, but, in a way, it was far worse as you would gradually lose all emotions before penultimately losing your sense of self. In the end, the best-case scenario was becoming a husk of your former self that clung to life without a sense of purpose. The more likely outcome, however, was becoming an entity that consumed the vital energies and essence of other living creatures in a vain attempt to compensate for what you had lost...Seemingly understanding this flaw, the rulers of the Floor of Death had implemented policies that prevented residents from leaving. Anyone entering would also be required to give up their 'souls', not just for the sake of leverage, but to prevent the residents within from attacking.Though the average resident of the Floor of Death was rather weak, their immortality made them extremely difficult to deal with. They also possessed a unique sensitivity to any living creature with a spiritual body, so, unless you were outrageously powerful, it was only a matter of time before the residents within swarmed you like an undead horde. This would gradually result in the degradation of their mental states, so, with very few exceptions, nothing with a 'soul' was allowed to enter the Floor of Death.Not caring about this restriction in the slightest, Vahn walked through South City with a bundle of Talismans known as Bujeok in his hand. They were derived from a unique branch of mysticism that allowed monks to seal, and, under certain circumstances, control the dead. Since the residents of South City were effectively 'undead', the peculiar paper talismans could be used to completely seal their movements by simply attaching them to the forehead. Even the most powerful among them were not spared this fate, as, rather than simple ink, each of the Bujeok wielded by Vahn had been inscribed using his blood as a catalyst.Long before he had reached Tier 5, Vahn already had a unique constitution. Even Da Vinci, despite hundreds of years and countless hours of research, had failed to make any substantial progress in understanding the peculiarities of his blood. Instead, it became progressively more mysterious the more she researched it. As a result, even the most simple Talismans inscribed using his blood were graded as B-Rank items, and, depending on the amount of effort put into them, they were capable of reaching much higher ranks.Though it was a little overkill, each of the Bujeok in Vahn's hand were, on average, A-Rank Sealing Talismans. They could, quite literally, be used to seal away lesser Tier 4 beings, so, while there were a number of strong residents among the undead of South City, each was immobilized the moment his Talismans came into contact with their foreheads. To make the situation even more one-sided, Vahn could manipulate said Talismans at relativistic speeds and teleport them directly through his domain. Thus, rather than inviting a horde to pester them, the group of four moved freely through South City until they reached a massive tower known as the Red Fortress...Not expecting Vahn to be so 'tyrannical', Ai found herself at a complete loss as she witnessed him deal with Hell Joe's supposedly powerful guards with a simple flick of his wrist. Earlier on, she had tried to give him advice on avoiding a direct confrontation, as, from her perspective, Hell Joe was not a foe just anyone could defeat. Now, she felt like a fool who had tried to caution a God against stepping on an ant nest. To make matters even worse, Ryun and Fenrir would send overtly teasing and borderline haughty looks her way, neither showing any signs of perturbation as they followed obediently behind the ridiculously 'efficient' Irregular.Fortunately, while his expression remained absolutely calm, Vahn had never been lacking in regard to sensory capabilities. As a result, they stopped just short of entering the Red Fortress, his voice a calm and steady baritone as he said, "This foe is a little on the dangerous side. His aura is the same as the presence lingering within the corpse of the Guardian. For now, it would put my mind at ease if the three of you retired to the Little Garden. Don't worry. I'm not going to kill him before you've had a chance to ask your questions."With the final few words directed toward her, Ryun nodded her head in understanding before planting a surprise kiss on his cheek and whispering, "Thank you..." in a sincere yet slightly heated tone. She was happy just being able to follow the same path as him, so, with Vahn often going out of his way to help resolve personal problems, Ryun couldn't help but grow increasingly infatuated with him. He also treated her with far more care and affection than she ever expected, so, while it earned her an incredulous look from Ai, she wasn't shy when it came to nuzzling against his chest with a smile on her face.Chuckling in response to Ryun's affectionate display, Vahn habitually wrapped his hand around her waist before planting a kiss atop her head and lightly musing, "There is no need to thank me. After all, you've been a very good girl as of late..."Recognizing the familiar term, an amused chuckle emanated from Ryun's throat as Fenrir, keying in on the phrase, nodded her head in affirmation before crossing her arms and saying, "See? What did I tell you? So long as you're a good girl, Master will always treat you well~!"Though it earned them all an increasingly incredulous look from Ai, both Vahn and Ryun couldn't help but laugh in response to Fenrir's proud statement. This was joined by the latter, and, for the better part of a full minute, the three of them laughed heartily in spite of the dismal atmosphere and the presence of several sealed undead twitching about in the surroundings...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ryun can be surprisingly harsh...','Talismans inscribed with the blood of a Tier 5 being are OP (O ^ O)...!','I kind of feel bad for Ai xD...https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1897: Escalation