Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

------------------------------------------------&lt;Fairytale in Perseus&gt;[Win Condition]Defeat the Leader representing the Host Community.[Hidden Conditions]None[Rules]1: The Leader of the Community that Hosts the Game is not allowed to leave the deepest part of the White Palace.2: The Participants from the Community that Hosts the Game are not allowed to enter the deepest part of the White Palace.3: Participants are not to let themselves be seen by members of the Host Community with the sole exception of the Leader.4: Participants that have been spotted will be seen as eliminated, hence losing the right to challenge the Leader.5: Participants who have been eliminated will only lose their right to challenge the Leader but can otherwise continue the Game.[Restrictions]1: Destruction of the Game Board: White Palace, is Prohibited.2: Gifts that overwrite the Divine Protection of the Little Garden are Prohibited.3: Gifts that inflict curses or injuries that persist beyond the duration of the Game are Prohibited.4: The area outside of the White Palace is considered a Forbidden Area.5: Teleportation and other forms of Spatial Movement are Prohibited.[Time Limit]000:000:01:58:54------------------------------------------------"Mmm...they're really pulling out all the stops, aren't they?"Though there were a few obvious loopholes he could exploit, the members of Perseus had come up with a relatively decent set of Rules and Restrictions. It was obvious this wasn't their first rodeo, but, while other people might struggle to infiltrate a Colosseum-like structure guarded by a batallion of highly skilled soldiers, several of which were invisible and capable of flight, Vahn was able to literally walk through the people guarding the premises.Waving his hand in front of a rather serious-looking individual, a smile spread across Vahn's face as he mused, "Guess they've never gone up against someone who is intangible and can shift from the Principle Axis of Reality. Unlucky."On that note, Vahn walked through the literal shield wall blocking the entrance to the Colosseum's depths. He harbored no ill will towards the lesser members of the Perseus Community. His conflict was with Laius, so, while he could have easily knocked each and every one of them unconscious without being spotted, he intended to wrap things up quickly so he wouldn't need to deal with a seventeen-year-old Sarina.With that in mind, Vahn stepped out into the arena located at the center of the Colosseum. There, her found Laius seated atop a golden throne with a lavish, royal purple background. He had a fierce expression on his face, and, based on how he was nervously tapping his armrest, the complete lack of any and all sounds of conflict was beginning to wear on him.Fortunately for Laius, there was something Vahn needed to take care of before teaching the youth a lesson in propriety. Thus, instead of simply walking up and smacking Laius while he was still seated on the throne, he allowed his existence to align with reality, saying, "Yo." the moment he came into view."...!?"Though he had already begun to suspect that Vahn had the means to turn invisible, Laius's eyes still widened when the former appeared at the exact center of the arena."Those useless fools...!"Slamming his fist on the throne's armrest, Laius rose to his feet with a half-crazed expression as he added, "Completely worthless, every single one of them...!"Instead of refuting Laius's claim, Vahn nodded his head in affirmation before adopting a smug grin and asking, "What did you expect when even you, their Leader, is a wastrel?"Glaring with an intensity that made it appear as though he was about to shoot lasers from his eyes, wings of bluish-white light emerged from Laius's ankles as he took to the sky and shouted, "That's it! You can all go to hell...!""Well, that was easy..."Seeing Laius grab the gorgon-like stone charm attached to his choker, Vahn's expression gradually relaxed. He had been worried that Laius might grow a brain and surrender. If that happened, his job would have become marginally more difficult."Awaken, Demon Lord Algol...!"Following his outburst, Laius extended his hand towards the sky as a massive bolt of malicious red lightning erupted from the charm in his hand. When it impacted the clouds above, they promptly turned a dark, bluish-purple as their interior swelled with the same red lightning."This is taking quite a while..."Though it was only a few seconds, even microseconds were a long period of time between beings at the highest level. To make matters even worse, Laius was fully focused on the clouds, completely oblivious to what was happening beneath him. Thus, by the time an even larger bolt of lightning hit the center of the arena, Vahn had already disappeared completely.Fully intending to gloat, Laius's arrogant expression quickly morphed into one of confusion as he looked around and saw no traces of Vahn. Shortly thereafter, his brow began to twitch violently as he shouted, "Do you think you can hide!? Algol, teach this idiot a lesson...!"Responding to Laius's command, a monstrous, purple-skinned humanoid with blood-red eyes, long purple hair, and frayed, angelic black wings released a shrill, high-pitched roar. At the same time, its clearly female frame began to swell in size, its body straining at the thick leather bindings and white padded clothes that gave it the appearance of an escaped mental patient.From within the creature's mouth, a reddish-purple light began to build until Vahn, appearing like a phantom, manifested right underneath her. She had grown to a height of around 2.5 meters at this point so it was pretty easy to look up at her as he asked, "You've suffered quite a bit, haven't you?"Instead of answering his question, the monster, Algol, arched its body forward to fire the beam of light point-blank into Vahn's face. This caused Laius's face to light up like the sky on New Year's, his expression becoming even more crazed as he began cackling like a madman. Algol's beams of light were capable of petrifying entire worlds, and, so long as she was empowered with Divinity, even the Gods would fall prey to her curse."Serves you right, you stupid mother-"Unable to finish his words, Laius's eyes widened as a clawed hand closed around the lower half of his face. At the same time, Algol, still standing in the middle of the arena, collapsed forward like a poorly balanced statue."To be honest, I don't really give a damn about you, your words, or even your actions. If you never appeared before me, you could have lived your entire life without having to fear my wrath. Instead, you keep opening this stupid little mouth of yours without any consideration for the consequences. It's clear to me you've lived a very sheltered life. Allow me to introduce you to the real world."Though he did his best to kick and punch free of Vahn's grasp, Laius couldn't even get the former to flinch as his hand gradually tightened around his face and jaw. He even tried to pull out one of his father's most powerful Gifts, a hooked sword known as the Harpe. In legends, it was the sword that cut off the head of Medusa, and, as a result, it gained the unique ability to cut down Gods and slay Celestial Spirits.Unfortunately, despite mustering every ounce of his strength, Laius barely managed to nick Vahn's neck as the latter mercilessly crushed his lower jaw."Oops. It looks like you won't be able to surrender. Guess that means you're stuck with me until time runs out or you lose the right to participate."On that note, Vahn released Laius from his grasp, a tremendous volume of blood staining his hand as the formerly arrogant man held his jaw and released an excruciatingly pained whimper. It mostly came out as a gargle due to his jaw hanging freely from the tendons, but, compared to the words he had been speaking beforehand, it might as well be music to Vahn's ears."You know, I don't normally do things like this. Even if you were the kind of person who exploited children and performed all manner of profane acts, my normal modus operandi is to simply kill my enemies and return them to the cycle of reincarnation. Since that isn't an option this time around, I have decided to spend the next hour or so teaching you your first lesson in Buddhist Principles...life is suffering..."Without affording Laius the time to process what he had just said, Vahn pointed to the ground, his voice resonating through the void as he stated, "You do not have my permission to fly..."......While Vahn was busy teaching Laius a lesson, a much calmer version of the empathic Emperor was looking down at Algol with a wry smile on his face. He had used his own variation of Severing Laws to sever any fate she had with Laius. This included the contract that had effectively turned her into a monster, so, rather than a malicious-looking demon, Vahn currently found himself looking down on a young girl with pale purple skin and long, dark-purple hair..."I already expected as much, but why are all the Star Class Demon Lords legal lolis or perverted old men? I'm starting to think the creator of the world is a bit of a pervert..."Shaking his head, Vahn dismissed that train of thought as he knelt down and placed the tips of his index and middle fingers against the crown of Algol's head. The moment he did, a frown formed on his face, as, even after removing the contract that bound her, the damage she had sustained to her mind was irreversible. Algol was part of the first generation Problem Children alongside Shiroyasha and a Sadomasochistic woman known as Queen Halloween. She was an extremely prideful person, so, in her attempts to break free from the mental shackles imposed upon her by Athena, Aphrodite, and Artemis, she had basically ruined her mind. He could heal her physical injuries but most of what made Algol the person she was had been destroyed."I'm starting to get a little fed up with how the Olympians of every world are basically monsters..."(*It's because they are the most 'human' amongst the Gods in various pantheons. I can't speak for the people who came up with the originals, but I believe they were intended to represent the most extreme aspects of humanity. Fortunately, this is the Divine Realm. If you can obtain their Fragment of Origin, you can basically recreate the Olympians across all realities. Kind of like what you did with Ishtar back in the Nasuverse.*)Though he was about to argue that it wouldn't be right to just arbitrarily change history, the words got caught in Vahn's throat when he heard Sis's remark about Ishtar. He hadn't really thought about it but there wasn't much of a difference between using a Page of the Akashic Tome and redefining a God's existence by obtaining their Fragment of Origin...Exhaling a sigh, Vahn muttered, "I'll think about it...I mean, it's only a matter of time before I govern over all realities. Fixing a few issues along the way wouldn't hurt..."With that in mind, Vahn sent a surge of energy into Algol's body to rouse the sleeping demon from her slumber. When she opened her eyes, tremendous confusion could be seen within the depths of her ruby-red irises. Vahn was going to ask if she was okay, but, before the words could form on his lips, the petite demoness looked up at him with a pleasantly surprised look on her face as she said, "Wow, you're pretty cute. Mind telling this beautiful Onee-san your name? If you're honest, I might give you a reward~?""..."......(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Nothing to see here~','The Path to Enlightenment is filled with pain and suffering. Humu...','Shiroyasha be rolling on the floor laughing...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Resisting the urge to bonk the purple-skinned loli on the head, Vahn introduced himself before asking if she remembered anything prior to waking up. This caused her to look at him like he was an idiot, but, moments later, her expression morphed into one of stupefaction as she realized the only things she could recall were her name."What did you do to me...!?"Covering her chest as if she were afraid Vahn might assault her, Algol took a few steps back before looking down at her body. Over the course of a single second, her expression morphed from fear to disbelief before finally settling on hostility as she pointed towards him and exclaimed, "You fiend! Is this some kind of sick joke!? What happened to my bodacious, bombshell of a body!? I'm supposed to be the most beautiful and intelligent woman in existence! How dare you reduce me to this...!"Raising his brows, Vahn asked, "If you don't remember anything, how do you know you're supposed to be the most beautiful and intelligent woman in existence...?"Adopting a pitying gaze, Algol crossed her arms beneath her surprisingly well-developed breasts as she answered, "Huuuuuh? Are you an idiot? I don't need to remember anything to know something as simple as that. That's like asking what color the sky is. Unless some asshat goes out of their way to change it, everyone knows it's blue. You'd have to be pretty dumb to argue otherwise.""..."Finding himself at a loss for words, Vahn briefly considered teleporting Algol to Shiroyasha. He got the impression she was even more overbearing than Seraphina, so, while he didn't mind liberating her from Laius and the Olympians, he wasn't particularly enthused by the prospect of sheltering her. There was a reason she was classified as a Problem Child...While Vahn was thinking about pawning her off on Shiroyasha, Algol was giving him a skeptical yet appraising look. She couldn't remember anything about her past. There was a bunch of information in her mind but it felt distant, almost like she was looking at it through a screen.In spite of this, Algol felt a strange familiarity when she was looking at Vahn. Her intuition told her they had never actually met, but, at the same time, she felt as though they had known each other for a very long time. It was a strange, inexplicable feeling that left her feeling both suspicious and fearful that he would abandon her...As that thought crossed her mind, a light shade of purple colored Algol's cheeks as she averted her eyes, fiddled with her hair, and muttered, "Anyways...what now? There is obviously a reason for our meeting like this. What were you intending to do with me...?"Noticing the spontaneous change in Algol's behavior, Vahn found himself restraining a wry smile as he answered, "Right...well, the truth is..."Since he had already made the decision to respect Sarina's and Nono's choices, Vahn spent the next hour or so explaining Algol's past, her present situation, and her options for the future. Most of this information just bounced off of her or went in one ear and out the other. In her mind, the only two things she cared about were getting revenge and having fun. To that end, she waited until Vahn was finished speaking before asking, point blank, "So...wanna fuck?"Raising his brows, Vahn was about to ask what the petite demoness was thinking when Algol made her intentions very clear, "Look at me. I'm dressed like a BDSM fetishist's wet dream. You said I was a slave for some asshat that wanted to turn the members of your Community into slaves, right? I'd rather not think about it, but I'm guessing he had his fun with me before I ended up in this state. It would karmic justice if he were to see someone else fucking me right in front of him.""..."Seemingly upset by Vahn's silence, Algol snorted through her nose before a frustrated pout as she looked down at her figure and said, "Well...can't really say I blame you..."Without minding Vahn's gaze in the slightest, Algol grabbed her breasts before pushing them up and squeezing them together with an even more frustrated look on her face. She didn't have any memories directly related to herself but she 'knew' her body wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be the most beautiful and intelligent woman in existence. There was still a chance that Vahn was just an outlier, but, based on his reaction, she was pretty sure this form wasn't what people across reality preferred...Unable to resist the urge, Vahn placed his hand atop Algol's head, gently caressing her peculiar yet eerily nostalgic hair. It reminded him a lot of Medusa, Euryale, and Stheno, as, despite appearing to be normal at a glance, it had a texture similar to the underside of a snake. It was extremely smooth to the touch, but, at the same time, it was both warm and somewhat oily.Looking up at Vahn with a pout, Algol was about to say something when he beat her to the punch, saying, "I don't mind helping you with your revenge. I'm just not comfortable with such...advanced plays. I've already made my decision regarding Laius's fate. Doing what you've proposed would just be adding insult to his considerable injuries..."Raising her brows, Algol, seemingly having already forgotten who Laius was, asked, "What are you talking about?"Blinking in surprise, Vahn briefly hesitated before repeating what she had asked him to do. When she looked at him with clear confusion in her eyes, a creeping sense of dread well within his heart as he asked, "Do you remember the names of the people who sealed you...?"Appearing even more confused, Algol tilted her head ever so slightly to the side, finger on her chin as she replied, "If I had to guess, it was probably some petty or jealous Goddess? I don't remember any of their names, but I remember that a lot of Goddesses resented me because of my beauty and intelligence. What does that have to do with anything?""..."While listening to Algol's words, Vahn spread innumerable threads of source energy into her mind and body. He didn't find anything wrong with her, but, based on her words, it was pretty obvious she had already forgotten what they were talking about."Do you remember my name...?"With an incredulous look on her face, Algol was tempted to ask if there was something wrong with Vahn's brain when it donned on her that she didn't actually know his name. Thus, in response to his question, her expression became hostile as she asked, "How would I know your name if you haven't introduced yourself? Look, you might be handsome and famous but that doesn't mean everyone is going to know who you are. Don't be conceited."Retracting his hand from Algol's head, Vahn's mind was racing a mile a femtosecond as he worked to process everything that was happening. He didn't want to consider it, but there was a very real chance that Algol's ability to form short-term memories had been destroyed. He had repaired the damage to her brain, but, as a Tier 5 being, the complexity of Algol's existence far transcended the physical...As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn adjusted the color of his eyes while staring directly into Algol's. Then, while counting in his head, he made idle conversation with her while periodically asking if she remembered what his original eye color was. This annoyed her quite a bit the first couple of times he asked, but, if he waited for more than thirty-seven seconds before asking, she would stare at him as if he were an idiot before asking how she was supposed to know if she had never seen the original........."Please...please stop...I'll never-"Without waiting for Laius to continue, Vahn stepped on the man's chest with a cold expression on his face. He knew the man was still thinking about taking revenge in the future, so, after crushing every bone in his sternum, he quickly healed the dying man before calmly asking, "Want to know something curious about time...?"Staring up at Vahn with trembling eyes, a feeling of dread that far transcended the suffering he had already experienced began to swell in Laius's chest. He wanted to swear and curse at the former for looking down on him, but, fearing an even greater punishment, the only thing he could mutter was, "Please...just stop..."Ignoring the man's pleading, Vahn began to increase the pressure on Laius's chest as he said, "Time is relative. Two hours, two days, two years. None of these things truly exist. It is our perception that gives meaning to them. Want to know how much time has passed since we started this little heart-to-heart chat?"With Vahn's foot weighing on him like a mountain, Laius was unable to respond as a peculiar green hue encompassed his body. At the same time, the world around him seemed to distort, almost like it was falling away from him. Colors became progressively more distorted until the only thing that remained was an assortment of reds, magentas, and a color that could only be described as bluish-yellow.As Laius's mind was struggling to comprehend his new superhuman perception of time, Vahn's tone became even colder as he gradually increased the pressure and answered, "None at all..."......Seeing the catatonic body of Laius carried away by the teary-eyed members of his Community, a tired sigh escaped Shiroyasha's mouth. She had never expected that Vahn would increase the man's perception of time to the point that a single second felt like decades. By the time the Gift Game had come to an end, Laius had experienced having every bone in his body shattered over the course of hundreds of years. It was honestly a little terrifying, but, after hearing what had happened to Algol, she couldn't really blame him..."Don't worry...I created a 'snapshot' of his memories before I taught him a lesson. His ego may have been fractured but it hasn't been destroyed. He'll recover. After that, I intend to send him a memory fragment of his original self. I'm curious to see how they interact with one another..."Exhaling an even louder sigh, Shiroyasha sent a stink eye towards Vahn as she said, "I still think you went overboard. Pushing yourself to behave reprehensibly even though you want to show mercy is never a good thing..."Shaking his head, Vahn suppressed a sigh of his own as he muttered, "If this were a Gift Game with normal stakes, I might have gone easier on him. He's the one who accepted outside help and used underhanded tactics to make sure my side didn't gain anything. If he was smarter, he would have at least brought out the Aegis Shield that Athena gave to him. He was just too prideful..."Shrugging with an expression of mock helplessness, Shiroyasha decided she might as well change topics, asking, "What about Algol? She would probably be okay even if you released her but there's a good chance she would rampage the moment someone upset her. I can take her off your hands, but she seems to have grown quite fond of you..."Looking over to where another version of Vahn was standing with two young women and a petite Algol, a teasing smile developed across Shiroyasha's face. This left the former with a helpless look of his own as he said, "I feel obligated to look after her but I fear she would cause a lot of issues in her current state..."Snorting through her nose, Shiroyasha surprised Vahn by saying, "Truth be told, she isn't that much different from her usual self. She likes to call herself the most beautiful and intelligent woman in the world but I'm not even sure if she could perform basic arithmetic without using her Gift."Having butt heads with Algol countless times in the past, Shiroyasha was intimately familiar with her fellow Problem Child. As far as she knew, Algol had never really thought about anything other than her own interests. After all, if she had even an iota of intelligence, she wouldn't have spent a full ten years heckling Athena until the latter eventually snapped.Smiling wryly in response to the petite demoness's words, Vahn decided to guide the conversation back on track, asking, "Mind if I leave her with you for a bit? I have a few ideas in mind to improve her retention ability. Until then, I can't really trust her with being around my kids..."Nodding her head in understanding, Shiroyasha gave Vahn's lower back a pat as she said, "Leave it to me. I was expecting something like this to occur so I've already prepared a room. Just make sure you visit often. There's no way in hell I'm looking after that brat on my own..."Since he was already intending to do just that, Vahn nodded his head without giving it any thought. He knew the mischievous cat was up to something, but, when it came to people like Shiroyasha and Loki, he would honestly be more surprised if they weren't scheming.........(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Hi, my name's Dory...','Vahn be like, "Don't worry, friend. We have all the time in the world..."','(O w O)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With seven days passing in the blink of an eye, Vahn received a message from Shiroyasha detailing which of the Gift Blocks they would be using for the Rite of Challenge.Thanks to spatial compression and all kinds of other neat space-saving tricks, only about 30% of the Little Garden was residential. The remaining 70% was reserved for the various Gift Games that took place as very few Communities actually had the capacity to produce Game Board.Since it was presently impossible for the members of the Sage Dragon's Hearth to enter the 5-Digit Gates, the Perseus Community was forced to temporarily relocate to one of the Game Blocks leased by Thousand Eyes. This ended up costing them quite a bit, but, when it came to matters concerning his pride, there was no price Laius wasn't willing to pay."It's not too late to back out, kid. Don't get me wrong. I'm more than happy to give you a thrashing. I'm just worried people will accuse me of bullying the weak if we continue..."If looks could kill, Laius, wearing a rather stylish hat to cover his bald spot, might have been able to erase Vahn from existence with how hard he was glaring. Unfortunately, he lacked the requisite Gift so the only thing he accomplished was straining the veins in his temples as he said, "Go ahead and keep talking. We'll see how arrogant you are when I'm grinding your banner beneath my heel."Rolling his eyes as theatrically as possible, Vahn shifted his attention from the blithering Laius to Shiroyasha, saying, "You can't say I didn't warn him..."Though she wanted nothing more than to laugh, Shiroyasha maintained a neutral expression as she said, "Indeed. Now then, on behalf of the Thousand Eyes Community, I, Shiroyasha, Floor Master of the East Side, stand witness to the Rite of Challenge between the Perseus Community and the Sage Dragon's Hearth. In accordance with the Laws of the Little Garden, both sides will now attempt to complete each others' Game of Challenge. For the sake of fairness, the Game Board proferred forth by the Sage Dragon's Hearth has been adjusted so that the time spent within does not exceed two hours. If the members of the Sage Dragon's Hearth are unable to complete the Host Community's Game of Challenge within this period of time, they have agreed to forfeit."As this was the first time he was hearing this, a look of suspicion appeared on Laius's face as he asked, "What's this about? You're not trying to play favorites are you?"Snorting through her nose, Shiroyasha was about to explain when Vahn beat her to the punch, stating, "I never expected anyone to be dumb enough to challenge me so my particular Game of Challenge is designed as a training assist. Those who enter within are given six years to complete a set of objectives. Depending on their performance, they will be rewarded with various Gifts or have the ones they already possess strengthened. I've adjusted things so that time flows precisely 4,380 times faster for the people inside. I can normalize it if you insist but I doubt my Community would need six years to complete your joke of a challenge...""You bastard...!"Though he both shocked and secretly relieved to learn a bit about Vahn's Game of Challenge, Laius hated how the former continuously insulted his Community. They weren't just a group of no-name rabble without any merits. They were a legendary organization that had hosted innumerable high-brow Gift Games that shook the very foundation of the Little Garden.Resisting the urge to shave the other side of Laius's head just to balance things out, Vahn rolled his eyes a second time before asking, "Can we get on with this? I have so many better things to do that it would literally take longer to list out than to complete your challenge...""You son of a bitch! Fine! If that's how you want to play, let's fucking-!?"Surprising even Shiroyasha, an unnaturally large smile developed across Vahn's face as he stared at the now statuesque Laius. He didn't really care if people insulted him. That was par for the course in such disputes. Insulting his mother? Even if he wasn't speaking literally, Laius had just crossed a line he never should have approached."Good. Good. Very good. Hahahahahahaha~!"Too angry to continue the conversation, Vahn just turned around and walked away. As for Laius, he literally collapsed onto the ground, his legs giving out due to the pressure that, even now, hadn't let up."For someone with daddy issues, you should have known better than to bring someone's parents into this. I went through a lot of effort to convince Vahn to spare you. Now, you only have yourself to blame if you choose to continue with this farce..."Though Shiroyasha's words implied Laius still had a way out, even she knew it was too late for that. Vahn, undoubtedly as a result of his power, rarely got angry. Sure, there were times when he lashed out at people, but, more often than not, his hostility towards others was driven by disdain for their actions, not hatred. Now that Laius had genuinely offended him, she had no idea what Vahn might do.Coming back to his senses in response to Shiroyasha's words, Laius's expression morphed into a scowl as he leaped to his feet and asked, "You think I'm just going to back down and run away like a dog with his tail tucked between his legs? Both you and your little pet dragon can go straight to hell. In fact, once this is over, I intend to file an official complaint. I know you had something to do with that vampire bitch's escape. It's only a matter of time before she is returned to me and your title as Floor Master is stripped away."Under normal circumstances, Shiroyasha might have reacted hostilely in the face of such slanderous insults. Instead, she just shook her head in exasperation before issuing a tired sigh and saying, "Your father was a good man. He wasn't without his faults but he always did his best to better the lives of his friends, his family, and his people. I pray, for his sake, that you survive this encounter..."Without waiting for Laius to respond, Shiroyasha promptly disappeared with her words still hanging in the air. At the same time, a massive screen appeared high overhead with the numbers 00:15:00 in large digital font. Over that were the words Preparation Phase, an indicator that both Communities had fifteen minutes to prepare their away teams and their respective Game Boards.Clicking his tongue, Laius leaped into the air, wings manifesting from his sandals as he flew toward the veritable army waiting for him in the rear. There were no restrictions on the number of people who could participate so he had prepared a literal batallion to protect his Game Board. He had also recruited a few temporary members from allied Communities since their agreement only stipulated that members of Perseus and the Sage Dragon's Hearth would become forfeit upon their defeat. In other words, even if he lost, the Sage Dragon's Hearth would get nothing."These fucking morons want to mess with me? Let's see how you swagger around after I'm finished plowing the members of your Community right in front of you...!"......Though he was angrier than he had been in a long time, Vahn appeared calm and collected by the time he reached his Community's waiting area. This was Sarina's and Nono's first official Gift Game so he didn't want them to worry by wearing a dour expression on his face. Instead, he caused both girls' hearts to skip a beat as he smiled even more radiantly than usual, his hands gently caressing their heads as he said, "You're up. Remember, you don't actually have to fight them. Just work with the Familias you familiarized yourselves with during your training."As they had already been exhaustively briefed on what they should do, even Sarina appeared a little exasperated by Vahn's reminder. They had also repeated the same thirty-day cycle a total of seven times, as, prior to Vahn's tinkering, the time dilation had only been 150. In other words, every time they went inside for six hours, approximately 37 days would pass.Simply put, the girls were now intimately familiar with what they needed to do to get a jump start in the Game Board templated from the anime version of Danmachi. Thus, in response to Vahn's words, Sarina answered, "Jeez, Vahn, you worry too much..." as a blush slowly developed across her face. As for Nono, she maintained a neutral expression on her face but surprised both of them by asking, "Is it okay to stay inside for the full duration?"Blinking in surprise, a genuinely befuddled, "Huh...?" emanated from Vahn's throat as images of a certain heterochromatic princess spontaneously appeared within his mind. It didn't even take him a microsecond to understand what she was aiming for, his expression hardening ever so slightly as he muttered, "Nono..."As if she understood exactly what Vahn was thinking, Nono shook her head, her blue eyes clear and devoid of even a trace of deceit as she said, "You misunderstand. I simply wish to work with Miach-sama to further my understanding of medicine and healing. Even if it's only for a few weeks longer, I want to try my best."Though he knew she was telling the truth, Vahn couldn't help manifesting Loi-chan to hear what she had to say regarding Nono's decision. To his surprise, the usually gossipy girl appeared with both hands covering her mouth, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she playfully mused, "Nuh-uh, not telling~!" before promptly disappearing with a snicker."..."Since there was little difference between Nono learning from him and learning from a literal God of Medicine, Vahn ultimately just shook his head in mild exasperation before answering, "Very well. As I have said before, everyone is ultimately responsible for the path they choose to walk. I have done my best to guide you till now. If you sincerely believe in this course of action, you have my full and unwavering support..."Smiling more radiantly than Vahn had ever seen, Nono's face visibly lit up as she pressed the tips of her fingers together and replied with a happy, "Thank you, Vahn! I knew you would understand~!"Restraining a dry chuckle, Vahn just continued to caress Nono's head as he shifted his attention to Sarina and asked, "What about you, Sarina? If you want, I can remove the thirty-day fail-safe for you as well. The clock isn't likely to run out but-""I'll do it! Nono already has a head start on me! There's no way I'll let her get even further ahead...!"A stark contrast to Nono, Sarina's intentions were transparently clear. This caused the already wry smile on Vahn's face to grow even more so, as, despite the progress she had made with Jin, Sarina had effectively forgotten about him after seven months in the Game Board. She has also managed to join the Loki Familia in her last three playthroughs, so, as much as he didn't want to admit it, his plan to set her up with Jin was already a lost cause...Suppressing a sigh, Vahn just nodded his head, saying, "Very well, then. If you believe you can hold out for six years, I'm not going to tell you no. Just promise me you won't get upset when everyone you interact with inside the Game Board inevitably resets..."Demonstrating an uncharacteristic amount of awareness, Sarina laughed heartily in response to Vahn's words before pumping her right fist and saying, "It's okay! I'm just treating this as practice for when I meet the real deal! You said they were super important to you so I need to make sure I can get along well with everyone! Ehehehehehe~."Though he got the impression her idea of 'getting along' would change quite a bit when she met the people she currently idolized, Vahn's heart melted when he heard Sarina's words. Unfortunately, the moment was ruined when her nostrils began to flare in a manner reminiscent of Loki when she was trying to grope Ais's breasts.........(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'You dun goofed...','Nono is a very earnest young lady...','Looks like Loki found a new apprentice...')(A/N: Sorry for the late post. Today was my birthday and rest day so I was a little busy xD.)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 2114: An Important Lesson