Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Since Izayoi's only real weaknesses were his aerial and spatial maneuverability, Vahn decided that his Companion would specialize in both. He also wanted to make sure the youth had a place where he could cut loose, so, borrowing inspiration from the Leviathan, Vahn created a Companion whose true form resembled a massive, horned white whale with an underbelly reminiscent of a nebulous expanse of space.Unlike the Companions of Asuka and Yo, Izayoi's wasn't intended to supplement his growth. He was already growing at an extreme rate, so, rather than empower him directly, Izayoi's Seiun specialized in support.Much like the original Leviathan, Vahn's companion back in the Nasuverse, Seiun was able to create a domain that allowed it to observe everything within a given space. Izayoi would be able to link his senses with it in order to get a better grasp of the situation. More importantly, Seiun would be able to teleport him around, and, so long as he could place his hand on their back, Izayoi would be able to absorb foes into the vast expanse that existed within his Companion's belly.While all of the Companions were designed to have boundless potential, Seiun was quite a bit stronger than its kin at creation. Its belly was basically an Internalized Realm whose size directly correlated with the expansion of Izayoi's power. It was a place where he could unleash his power without limit, and, so long as he increased his mastery over the Laws, he would even be able to manipulate the space and time within to create his own universe.Simply put, Seiun was a cheat-like Companion from the very start. It even had a radiant, tri-colored horn whose power and purpose matched that of Rhongomyniad. Izayoi wouldn't be able to access it at first, but, so long as his bond with Seiun exceeded a certain level, he would be able to manifest the horn as a nigh-unstoppable lance...As the most powerful Companion he had ever conceived, excluding Skoll, the literal Goddess of Companions, Vahn would be lying if he said he wasn't greatly satisfied with how Seiun had turned out. It was more than 30km long in its true form, and, once it had matured a bit, its size might even exceed that of a planet.With how great Seiun had turned out, Vahn had to force himself to take a break just so Jin's didn't turn out even more ridiculous. The idea he had in mind for the teal-haired youth's Companion was pretty abstract, so, depending on his mentality during the developmental cycle, it could easily come out slightly askew.While Izayoi's had dominion over space, and, to a lesser extent, time, the Companion Vahn had in mind for Jin would draw its power from Chaos.As a descendent of Solomon, Jin's Gift, Lemegeton Primer, allowed him to forge contracts with Djinn based on the 72 Pillar Demons of the Ars Goetia. These were phenomenally powerful demons, who, under the right conditions, could even slay a God. However, like most demons with magical origins, using their power demanded a heavy price.Fortunately, as the name suggested, Jin's Innate was basically a children's version of the Lemegeton possessed by Solomon. So long as he didn't try to summon one of the Nine Kings of Hell, the only price he had to pay for manifesting the other 63 was raw magical energy. They would place a huge strain on his body, but, so long as he had the requisite amount of mana, Jin could manifest a literal army of demons.The Companion Vahn had in mind for Jin was, for all intents and purposes, a failsafe. It would help Jin increase his mana reserves, but, far more importantly, it would act as a mediator between him and the Nine Kings of Hell.One of the interesting things about Demonic contracts was that the contracts of a lesser demon could never supersede those of their superiors. In other words, forging a contract with a Duke-Class Demon could never supersede a contract with a King-Class Demon. This gave the Nine Kings of Hell a tremendous amount of leverage during the negotiation phase, as, more often than not, people only went to them when they were desperate to escape the consequences of their other contracts.Using the Sacred Tome and the knowledge he had obtained in the Nasu and Akamatsuverses, Vahn inscribed a complex magical formation within the body of Jin's Companion that gave it nearly the exact same magical signature as Goetia, the Demonic God of Chaos. This would invariably earn Jin the attention of the actual Goetia, but, considering this was an identity associated with Solomon, it wasn't too likely to cause problems.Simply put, Jin's Companion was a divergent avatar of Goetia that had no actual relationship to the aforementioned Demon God. Rather, much like the other Companions Vahn had created, it was a bonafide Pure-Blooded Dragon. This further elevated its status, so, even if Jin were to contract with a King of Hell, the presence of his Companion should serve as quite the deterrent. If it didn't? Well, Vahn had never been the type to leave things purely to chance.While its chaotic nature and tremendous magical potential were its selling points, the thing that made Jin's Companion truly powerful was its ability to break contracts. It could only use its power three times before the magic circuits inside its body became inert, but, so long as he didn't try and spam the ability, Jin had three 'get out of hell free' cards that would gradually replenish with time.The only caveat to Companion's, Loptr's ability was that Jin would need to win its trust to make use of the ability. It would literally be sacrificing a part of its magical aptitude to pay for his mistakes, so, unless the bond between them was remarkably powerful, there was no reason for it to take the fall in his stead.Fortunately, like all Companions, Loptr possessed a predisposition to at least try and get along with its partner. Its nature might be chaotic and mischievous, but, much like Loki, the person Vahn had in mind during its creation, it possessed a resolute nature and an overwhelming inclination to protect the people it cared about. So long as Jin didn't treat it poorly, Loptr would likely do everything in its power to protect the teal-haired Magus.Since the Little Garden mandated that beings of a certain nature appear in a form that embodied its innate characteristics, the design Vahn settled upon for Loptr was a serpentine dragon with a black and white theater mask set with large ears resembling the hat of a harlequin. Its inordinately long and slender body was covered in white fur with black diamonds running along its spine while the fur of its underbelly, matching the orbs in its six hands, was a vivacious mixture of greens, reds, and yellows.While it was considerably less grandiose than Seiun, Vahn was quite happy with how Loptr had turned out. He had always felt a certain kinship towards chaotic beings, so, while Loptr's design was all over the place, he found its appearance rather charming. Its inordinately long and thin arms were a little creepy, but, so long as you looked past its skeletal fingers and the remarkably uncanny mask covering its face, it was actually pretty cool.........Since the flow of time within his workshop was entirely separate from the outside world, no time had passed by the time Vahn emerged with a chibi-esque white whale and a six-pawed cat wearing a theater mask sitting on his shoulders. Thus, while his other selves were having fun, he spent close to two hours waiting in the reception room while the No Names enjoyed the feast he had prepared. When they finally appeared, he ignored the visibly conflicted look on Asuka's face as he smiled and asked, "How was it? Did you enjoy the meal...?"Before anyone else could reply, Yo, eyes blazing with a passionate light, made her way closer as she asked, "Are these also Companions? Can I pet them~?"Amused by the excitable brunette's enthusiasm, a light chuckle emanated from Vahn's throat as he replied, "That's up to them. Before that, however, they need to bond with their partners. It would be problematic if you obtained their favor before they had the chance to imprint with the people they were intended for."Though she looked a little remorseful hearing Vahn's words, it didn't take long for the smile to return to Yo's face when he looked towards Izayoi and Jin, stating, "I created this pair with the two you in mind. Note that while I said pair, they are not part of the Dualistic Companions I have been working on. They have been created with your specific capabilities in mind."Crossing his arms, Izayoi adopted his characteristically cheeky smile as he said, "While I -appreciate the sentiment, I'm more than capable of increasing my strength on my own."Resisting the urge to point out that his power was entirely the result of a Poet's machinations, Vahn just rolled his eyes before explaining, "I took that into consideration when I was creating them. This little fella doesn't increase your power...at least not directly. Instead, it provides you with the means to teleport around the battlefield and release your power without causing collateral damage to your environment. In other words, its abilities are centered around support and utility."Before he had finished speaking, Vahn telepathically encouraged Seiun to approach Izayoi's side. It was able to swim through the air as freely as it would in water, and, despite resembling a whale, its personality was similar to that of a cat. Thus, despite the awkward smile on Izayoi's face, it rubbed nuzzled against him like a feline seeking affection.Without waiting for Izayoi's response, Vahn shifted his attention to Jin, added, "And this little fella is for you. It is an enhancer similar to the Companions of Asuka and Yo, so, as long as you treat it well, it will help to increase your power. As for its abilities...you'll need to uncover those on your own. I'm not going to reveal all of its secrets. Just like Asuka and Yo, you'll need to earn its trust if you want to have access to its full capabilities."Though it was unable to fly in its compressed form, Loptr quickly bounded over to the befuddled-looking Jin before leaping onto his shoulder and whispering something into his ear. Most of the Companions were perfectly capable of speech, but, more often than not, they used telepathy to communicate. As for what Loptr had chosen to whisper? Even Vahn didn't know. He just chalked it up to the creature's pseudo-demonic nature and decided not to pry...With that in mind, Vahn shifted his attention to Lily, the only person bereft of a Companion within the core group of No Names. She didn't seem particularly bothered by the arrangement, likely due to the fact he had helped her contract with numerous elemental spirits, but Vahn still took it upon himself to explain, "I already have a Companion in mind for you. However, since you just removed a part of the seal I placed on your body, you need time to adapt to your new power. Once your body and spirit have completely stabilized, I'll be sure to introduce you."Nodding her head in understanding, a marginally more radiant smile developed across Lily's face as she replied, "Thank you, Vahn. I'll be sure to cherish it."Returning a smile of his own, Vahn rose to his feet, stating, "I have absolutely no doubt about that." before stretching his body and adding, "Anyways, I'm beat. Creating those two took a lot out of me so I'm heading off to bed. I encourage the five of you to do the same."Without waiting for their responses, Vahn waved his hand before spontaneously disappearing. This caused the smile on Izayoi's face to become even wrier while Asuka, clearly troubled by what Vahn had said previously, exhaled a tired and exasperated sigh.........(A/N: Alternate Titles: "I can totally see Izayoi just napping atop Seiun's head...','For those who are unaware, Loptr is another name for Loki...','Oof. Asuka couldn't even get in a word xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

"Mmm~?"Feeling a familiar and pleasant warmth, a smile spread across Vahn's face as he opened his eyes to find Fenrir with her nose nestled against his pubes.Hearing her Master's voice, Fenrir slowly retracted her head, but, instead of releasing his member from her voracious gullet, she moved back just far enough that she could turn her eyes up at him. Then, feeling the base of his penis begin to swell, she began to suckle the tip of his glans with the intensity of someone trying to drink a malt shake that had been left in the freezer.Understanding that she was trying to cheer him up, Vahn extended his hands to the sides of Fenrir's head, his thumbs digging into the interior of her large and fluffy ears as he scratched near the base with his middle and ring fingers."Feel like going on a date...?"With a reluctant expression on her face, Fenrir released her Master's penis from her mouth so that she could respond. As a result, a large string of viscous white liquid coated her face, hair, and paws as she attempted to stimy the flow and answer, "I don't really like going out. I'm fine just spending time together..."Finished with her response, Fenrir's crimson eyes shimmered with a hungry light as she began to lap up the stray fluid that had stained her paws. This caused a similar twinkle to appear within Vahn's eyes, as, even after hundreds of years, seeing his most trusted companion lapping up his bodily fluids was indescribably alluring.Sensing the changes in her Master's mood, Fenrir willfully slowed her actions while staring directly at him. She could feel his excitement, and, as a result, her ordinarily icy body was beginning to heat up.........Despite indulging himself for several hours, Vahn was able to start breakfast at the usual time while Fenrir, after a thorough cleaning, enjoyed a nice, long nap alongside Usalia and the kittens. He had promised to spend the rest of the day with her, but, before that, he needed to wrap up his morning routine and meet with Shiroyasha.As thoughts of how he should spend his day played across Vahn's mind, he became vaguely aware of the golden-haired beauty that had appeared from his shadow."I just checked in on Ladies Usalia, Fenrir, and the kittens. It would appear you got off to an early start today, Master..."Without shifted his attention from the stove, a teasing smile developed across Vahn's face as he asked, "Are you jealous~?"Since Vahn had a habit of cooking without a top on, the golden-haired beauty, Leticia, levitated her body before linking her arms around his shoulders and sinking her teeth into his neck. In response, Vahn just issued a light chuckle as he felt the petite woman's body rapidly mature until she was able to stand on the tips of her toes with her modest yet remarkably soft breasts pressing into his back.After getting her fill, Leticia licked the rapidly healing wound on Vahn's neck before softly replying, "It is a Maid's duty to serve her Master. I don't get jealous...I get hungry..."Though it hadn't even been half a day from Leticia's perspective, the time Vahn had spent in his Internalized Realm and Little Garden accounted for more than seven weeks apart. This wasn't a particularly long period of time but it was more than enough to make him unusually receptive to the girls' advances. He had already spent much of the morning making love, so, despite hearing a phantom Benienma harshly rebuking him, a second version of Vahn promptly manifested behind Leticia, whispering, "I suppose that makes it a Master's duty to keeps his Maid's belly adequately filled..."(A/N: Oh my...)Blushing furiously in response to Vahn's words, Leticia found herself at a momentary loss as he reached around her body to cup her breasts. Moments later, her face became a deep shade of crimson as he sat her atop the prep table and ordered her to lay down........."I would like to peruse through your dictionary one day. I'm beginning to think the word restraint has no meaning to you..."Ignoring Shiroyasha's remark, Vahn continued to nibble on her obsidian black horns while his hands kneaded her small yet perfectly graspable breasts. He was in what many of the girls within his Little Garden referred to as an 'active' state, so, the moment Shiroyasha elected to tease him, she became the next victim on his chopping block."Jeez...didn't you...come here...to talk...?"With Vahn's left hand sneaking between the folds of her kimono before she realized it, Shiroyasha's defenses were rapidly crumbling. In response to her question, Vahn discontinued his nibbling long enough to answer, "You're not wrong. However, from the moment you became one of my women, your happiness became a higher priority than the information you can provide. If I visited you just to ask questions, I wouldn't be much of a lover..."Opening her mouth to speak, Shiroyasha was silenced by Vahn's index and middle fingers invading the interior. This gave her a powerful urge to bite down, so, without hesitation, she did exactly that. Then, as Vahn's left middle and ring finger invaded her lower mouth, her pupils contracted into thin slits as she began to suckle the blood flowing from his right index and middle fingers.........With her forearm resting over her eyes, Shiroyasha struggled to regulate her breathing as the low light of the room reflected off her naked body. Seated at her side, staring down at her with a loving yet possessive glimmer in his eyes, Vahn had a libidinous smile on his face as he remarked, "You get more beautiful every time I see you..." in a soft yet resonating tone.Rolling her eyes, Shiroyasha removed her arm from her forehead before retorting, "At this rate, I'm going to need to prepare a body double just to get any work done. It's no wonder you have such a ludicrous harem. You're a complete and utter monster in the bedroom."Resisting the urge to inform her he was actually holding back, the corners of Vahn's smile turned up as he swept his hand across Shiroyasha's body. All the sweat and bodily fluids that had stained her immaculate flesh disappeared in an instant as her legs instinctually but futilely closed.Though he had always known his cleaning magic had a few 'adverse' effects on female recipients, it was only recently that Vahn learned the full extent of its reach. It turned out that his unique variant of cleaning magic also spread to any available orifices, so, if they failed to wipe or clean themselves properly, the spell could be remarkably 'invasive'. There was nothing intrinsically perverted about this but it did give him reason to reconsider using it during the No Names' bi-annual medical checkups.Feeling a pleasant warmth envelop her body immediately following the invasive magic, a contented sigh escaped Shiroyasha's lips before she forced herself to a seated position. Then, as her hair fixed itself, she asked, "So? What did you want to discuss? Seeing as how you've paid in advance, I don't mind divulging a few secrets."Raising his brows, Vahn immediately vetoed Shiroyasha's statement, saying, "That wasn't intended to be a payment. I just wanted to spend time with you.""..."Though she managed to conceal it well, Shiroyasha felt strangely vulnerable when she heard Vahn's words. She could tell he was being serious, so, rather than refute him, she combed back a few stray hairs as she softly replied, "I see...still, you must have come here for another reason. Out with it..."Furrowing his brows ever so slightly, Vahn was tempted to deny her claim. Unfortunately, he wasn't particularly fond of lying, so, after several seconds of silence, he answered, "I wanted to know which of 4-Digit Communities are intending to stand in my way. After that, I want any information you can provide on the Communities that stand in opposition to them. If necessary, I'm even willing to team up with Demon Lords to secure my status as the Leader of a 4-Digit Community."As a Demon God, Shiroyasha wasn't particularly bothered by Vahn's words. She was, after all, the person who had convinced him to summon Seraphina and Usalia. With the inclusion of Leticia, this meant that half of the Sage Dragon's Hearth, excluding Vahn, was comprised of Demons.All according to plan."Well, after that little prank you pulled on Fuujin's whelp, the Kotamatsukami Alliance is looking to teach you a lesson. If you're looking to flip the tables on them, you should extend an olive branch to the Jade Palace. Their Leader, the Jade Emperor, has taken an interest in you after observing your performance against Leviathan's Tail. He seems to believe you're a descendent or offshoot of Meng Zhang, the Azure Dragon. More importantly, the members of the Jade Palace are quite covetous of treasures so you should have an easy time convincing them if you provide sufficient compensation."Though he had been intending to avoid the Immortal Communities, Vahn could understand why Shiroyasha would advise him to befriend them. The Jade Palace was an Alliance comprised of some of the most powerful Communities within the 4-Digit Gates. This included the Seven Great Demon Kings, who, after converting to Buddhism, became known as the Great Sages.With each of the Great Sages possessing power rivaling a 4-Digit Community, it wasn't much of an exaggeration to claim they were beings on the level of a Floor Master. Had they not been located in the East, they very well might have become one. Unfortunately, even the most powerful member of the group, The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, was far from Shiroyasha's match. She was, after all, the former Rank 10 in the entire Divine Realm.Believing he was beginning to see Shiroyasha's end game, the edges of Vahn's smile curled upward as he answered, "Sounds like a plan. I was kind of looking forward to seeing how my version of the Four Symbols would fair against the Divine Realm's but I guess that'll have to wait until the matter with the Northern Floor Master has been settled."Understanding the greater implication behind Vahn's words, Shiroyasha's golden eyes glimmered with expectation. He hadn't told anyone but she had already begun to suspect that he was going to replace quite a number of Gods in the not-too-distant future. This would invariably throw the Little Garden into chaos, but, so long as his intentions remained pure, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was high time some positive change had been introduced to the Little Garden."You're actually in a pretty advantageous position. I might not be able to back you directly but I can lend you the support of the Thousand Eyes Community. It may have slipped your mind, but we are a bonafide 4-Digit Community. If you ally with the Jade Palace, that should give you more than half the Communities you need to initiate a Battle Royale. The hardest part will be convincing one of the Communities to take a fall. After all, even if you host the competition legitimately, it doesn't change the fact that a Community will have to surrender its Gate. There are only 8999 in total and they have been occupied for millennia."Shaking his head, Vahn maintained his smile as he asserted, "That won't be an issue. I can be pretty 'persuasive' when I need to be, so, once I have a better grasp of the situation, I'm sure I can figure something out..."Raising her brows, Shiroyasha was tempted to ask what he had in mind, but, feeling it would be far more interesting to see events play out in real-time, she decided against it. Instead, she steeled her heart and mind before musing, "Well, if there's nothing else, I suppose that just leaves the matter of payment..."Returning a smile of his own, Vahn pulled Shiroyasha's body toward him using his Telekinesis. She could have resisted, but, knowing what he had in mind, an impassioned giggle emanated from her throat as she took the initiative to link her arms around Vahn's neck before biting his bottom lip in a playfully seductive manner.........(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'What a way to wake up...','Vahn go hard...','A never-ending cycle xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After a longer than anticipated stay within his personalized Little Garden, Vahn's consciousness emerged to find a rather peculiar sight waiting for him."Hooo~? Not bad..."Since he hadn't completely severed the flow of time between his Internalized Realm, the Little Garden, and the outside world, Vahn's unconscious body had been left outside without anything to protect it.Fortunately, anticipating that 'something' might happen, Vahn had basically turned himself into an indestructible and immovable statue. What surprised him was the fact that most of his surroundings had been destroyed."It's about time you woke up. You know, it isn't very polite to fall asleep in the middle of a fight..."Shifting his attention to the person that had spoken, an amused smile developed across Vahn's face as he found Asuka, Yo, and Xiao Yun seated within a spherical barrier while Izayoi repelled anything larger than a boulder.Raising his brows, Vahn stared directly at Xiao Yun, musing, "I see you made some new friends..."With an extremely guilty look on her face, Xiao Yun promptly averted her eyes, muttering, "Sorry, Papa...did Xiao Yun do a bad thing?" while pressing the tips of her index fingers together.Shaking his head, Vahn maintained a casual smile as he answered, "Of course not. I only asked you to beat up Izayoi. I didn't say you couldn't make friends. In fact, I'm happy for you."Exhaling a sigh of relief, a radiant smile developed across Xiao Yun's face as she looked towards Yo and Asuka, saying, "Yay~!" while making double peace signs.While Yo was happy for her newfound friend, Asuka's expression became noticeably awkward as she stared at Vahn, asking, "So, what now? We already destroyed the planet. How much longer are you going to keep us cooped up inside this place?"Ignoring Asuka's questions, Vahn spread his senses through the area to find a cracked golden ring floating within the massive sea of debris. This caused his brows to furrow as he had never expected the trio to be able to damage one of his Zanpakuto. They were nigh-indestructible, and, so long as they were allowed to make full use of their power, they were essentially Tier 5 beings without any upper limits to their strength.Peering through time, Vahn discovered that Izayoi had used a mysterious pillar of light in order to defeat Brahm. This wasn't particularly surprising. Rather, he fully expected the young hero to grasp victory from the jaws of defeat. What bothered him was the fact he had used such an unreasonably overpowered Gift to fight and defeat someone using a fraction of their true power...Fortunately, so long as he lived, Vahn's Zanpakuto couldn't be destroyed. They were a fundamental part of him, and, so long as they fell within his domain, he could, quite literally, reach through time to pull them from danger. Thus, moments before Izayoi struck Brahm with the blindingly white pillar of light, Vahn pulled the young shota to his side.Seeing Brahm suddenly appear next to Vahn, Izayoi, Asuka, and Yo all tensed up. The fiery youth had been a nightmare of an opponent, and, were it not for Izayoi's power spontaneously evolving near the end of the fight, they would have been soundly defeated.Ignoring the stunned gazes of the trio, Vahn gently caressed Brahm's head, whispering, "You did well..." before reverting the fiery youth to a Gift Card. Then, with an ostensibly sadistic smile on his face, he stared directly at the now serious Izayoi, adding, "Five hours have passed. It's my turn."Without waiting for the trio to respond, Vahn slowly lowered the hand he had been aiming skyward for the past five hours. From within the spell circle he had constructed, a dragon head larger than a planet slowly emerged, its fiery maw large enough to swallow entire worlds.Feeling an emotion similar to existential dread, Asuka visibly paled as she shouted, "Wait! What are you doing!? We already destroyed the planet! This wasn't part of the agreement...!"While observing his creation with unconcealed fascination in his eyes, Vahn's voice became deep, somber, and resonant as he replied, "You have not destroyed the planet. You have simply changed its form..."With an expression similar to someone that had swallowed a bug, Asuka balled her hands into fists before stepping forward and desperately shouting, "Stop...!" in an authoritative tone.Perking his brows, Vahn shifted his attention to the 21-year-old brunette, asking, "Seriously...?" in a slightly incredulous tone. In spite of this, and the blood that was pouring from her orifices, Asuka's expression became even more resolute as she pointed towards him and shouted, "I...said...stop...!"Were it not for the fact he was willfully reducing the amount of backlash she was receiving, Asuka would have fried her own brain in her attempts to command Vahn. Luckily for her, he was actually impressed by her conviction. The fact he could even feel her words tugging at his mind showed an admittedly startling level of progress.Maintaining his smile, Vahn completely lowered his hand. In response, the massive dragon head began to slowly open its incomprehensibly massive maw. Flames reminiscent of solar flares began to emerge from within, but, before it could unleash them, Vahn decided to clarify things for the trio, explaining, "This was always intended to be your final lesson. You see, one of the things you need to understand about the Gods is that they rarely, if ever, play fair. Just as you had exploited a loophole during your Gift Game against Black Rabbit, there are a functionally infinite number of technicalities we can take advantage of. Keep this in mind when you go picking fights in the future..."Without waiting for the trio to respond, Vahn telepathically commanded the massive dragon head to unleash its fiery wrath. From their perspective, it looked like a star was expanding towards them at an unreasonably fast speed. Izayoi attempted to do something about it, but, without any energy stockpiled, he was only able to produce a pencil-sized version of the pillar he used to defeat Brahm. It grew in size as he attempted to absorb the energy from the massive surge of flames, but, despite his best efforts, he was invariably consumed along with the rest.........Opening her eyes with a start, Asuka nearly fell back in her chair as she spontaneously rose to her feet. Fortunately for her, an invisible force prevented her from falling over as Vahn softly muttered, "Calm down. The battle is over. You're not in any danger."Though she didn't immediately relax her guard, Asuka quickly regained her senses as she saw the spread of food laid out before her. She realized they were back in the dining room, and, other than a slight headache, all the aches and pains in her body were gone.While using his Telekinesis to gently guide the befuddled beauty back to her seat, Vahn maintained a calm and soothing tone as he explained, "To further emphasize how truly ridiculous things can get in the Divine Realm, I created a divergence in the flow of time prior to the start of our game. Simply put, everything you experienced was real. Your consciousness simply looped back to a point in time where the events had yet to take place. If you've ever read a story where the main character is sent back in time to a younger version of themselves, it's kind of like that."Understanding the implication contained within Vahn's words, Asuka was about to ask the all-important question. Unfortunately, Izayoi was rather adept at stealing the spotlight, so, before the words could form on her lips, the blond-haired hero beat her to the punch, asking, "Are you trying to tell us we just died? Seriously, man? Not cool."Shrugging his shoulders, Vahn maintained a casual demeanor as he replied, "Death isn't really that big a deal in the grand scheme of things. In fact, the automatic protections of most Gift Games set the trigger for expulsion at death. In other words, when you're eliminated from a Gift Game, you are basically reborn outside of it. I just emulated the process using a more...direct method..."Though he furrowed his brows, Izayoi didn't say anything in response to Vahn's words. Instead, he directed his gaze to the food displayed on the table before picking up a seasoned chicken wing. He wasn't very happy with how things had turned out, but, understanding there was nothing he could do about it, he decided to simply drop the matter. After all, while his methods were questionable, it couldn't be denied that Vahn had taught them a number of important lessons...Seeing Izayoi fall silent, a vexed expression developed across Asuka's face. She would be lying if she said she wasn't annoyed by the fact he had spoken out before her. At the same time, however, she was also relieved to know they were on the same wavelength. Thus, seeing how quickly Izayoi had dropped the matter, she couldn't help wondering if she should do the same...Looking to Yo for answers, Asuka was unsurprised to find the girl devouring a piece of medium-rare dragon steak. This caused a wry smile to develop across her face until she heard Vahn musing, "You are free to express any concerns you may have. After all, it would be negligent of me to teach you a lesson and then refuse to answer your questions. Our Communities might not be allies in the truest sense, but I'd like to think we're friends."Scoffing in response to Vahn's words, Asuka adopted an incredulous look at she stared back at him and asked, "Are you serious? What kind of 'friend' uses death to teach someone a lesson...?"Caressing his chin, Vahn appeared to seriously consider Asuka's question before answering, "In this instance? A damn good one, I'd wager. After all, you're the one who said you wanted to experience the distance between you and the 'top'. Under normal circumstances, a battle against a being of my level would end with your erasure. Instead, I allowed you to accumulate six years of experience in a relatively safe environment before providing you a platform to grow even stronger. Considering how rude you've been during the majority of our interactions, Ms. Kudou, some would argue that I'm a better friend than you deserve..."Not expecting such a snippy and borderline harsh remark, Asuka found herself at a momentary loss for words. She wanted to rebut, but, before she could think of anything to say, Vahn manifested a handkerchief to wipe his mouth before adding, "Prior to my arrival in the Divine Realm, I was both a God and an Emperor. If you believe your status as the heiress of a major conglomerate makes you special, you're beyond delusional. The only reason you can sit at this table, eat my food, and freely converse with me is because I place little value in matters of etiquette and propriety. If you can't see the irony in behaving arrogantly in front of a God-Emperor who tolerates your presence, you will no longer be welcome in the Sage Dragon's Hearth after today."Finished with his admonishment, Vahn rose to his feet before offering a curt nod towards Yo and Izayoi. Then, without further ado, he disappeared from the dining room. He had much better things to do than entertain an ingrate, so, after briefly checking in on Lily and Jin, Vahn teleported to his workshop to begin working on the next batch of Companions. The presence of adorable creatures had always helped to calm him down, and, now that he had six years' worth of memories related to the time Izayoi and Jin spent in the Game Board, Vahn was eager to finish their Companions.........(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Izayoi's very existence is bullshit...what does that say about Vahn?','Scum Che would like to know your location...','After spending time with his family, friends, and loved ones, it's no surprise that Vahn is tired of Asuka's shit xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 2142: Suitability