Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though her eyes were still closed, Wu managed to track her downed prey using scent alone. When she found Nav lying motionlessly on the ground, a sneer crossed her face as she spat off to the side and remarked, "You're one of those brats that relies entirely on your Gifts, aren't you? Consider this a learning experience."
"..."
Seeing that Nav had decided to play dead, Wu shifted her attention to Sarina, saying, "Go ahead and try to finish her off. Make sure you don't open your eyes. If you do, even Vahn might not be able to save you."
Furrowing her brows, Sarina resisted the urge to ask what Wu had discovered. Instead, she drew her pistol-like Zanpakuto, saying, "Sayonara..." in a somber tone.
Following a remarkably loud cracking sound, a condensed energy projectile escaped the end of Sarina's Zanpakuto before piercing through Nav's body in an instant. Said projectile managed to bore nearly three-hundred meters into the surface of the planet, but, as could be expected, it had no effect on Nav's body.
While Sarina might not be able to sense the subtle changes in Nav's condition, Wu was able to hear the sound of feathers rustling several kilometers away. One of the owls comprising Nav's seemingly endless entourage was punctured from chest to back. The surrounding owls attempted to cover up the noise by ruffling their feathers, but that actually made it easier for Wu to pinpoint their position and ascertain another one of Nav's abilities.
Realizing there was a very real possibility that Nav wasn't injured, Wu promptly smashed toward her with her Ruyi Jingu Bang. This time, however, Nav immediately evaded by turning into ghostly mist and darting back several hundred meters in an instant. What Wu didn't know was that her damage transfer ability was far from perfect. Precision attacks such as Sarina's would only result in the death of a single owl. When Wu sent her flying, dozens of owls ended up losing their life as a result of her carelessness.
"Oh? Do you honestly think you can flee from me, the Great Sun Wu Kong? You're really in the need of a harsh lesson, aren't you?"
"..."
Rather than signifying Wu's words with a verbal response of her own, Nav began to flap the hem of her cloak like someone trying to cool their legs on a hot summer day. Her actions resulted in a large quantity of mist cascading down her legs and spreading through the surrounding forest.
Hearing the sounds from the environment becoming muffled as the mist increased, Wu pounced towards Nav with the intention of putting a stop to her actions. Nav reacted by dispersing into a cloud of mist, but, having already seen through the technique, Wu pointed her Ruyi Jingu Bang in the path of Nav's retreat, shouting, "Monkey Pierces the Viel of Heaven...!"
As if it had a repulsing effect on the mist, the Ruyi Jingu Bang created a cylindrical tunnel through the ghostly substance as it extended more than a kilometer in an instant. Before making contact with Nav, however, it promptly expanded to fill this void. As a result, the aforementioned Queen of Owls could only stare in stupefaction as the skyscraper-sized staff smashed into her entire body.
Carried by a force comparable to a large meteor striking a planet, Nav was sent flying far beyond the bounds of her forest and into a mountain peak. Instead of stopping, however, she ended up smashing through said peak and continuing onward until she had nearly exited the atmosphere. There, she ended up floating aimlessly for a moment, all thoughts erased from her mind until she began a slow and gradual descent towards the planet.
Assured that she had seen through Nav's abilities, Wu turned towards Sarina and said, "Destroy the forest. Without her little pets, the Queen of Owls may as well be powerless. I'll keep her and anyone stupid enough to get in our way distracted."
Without waiting for Sarina's response, Wu bounded into the air before manifesting a fluffy golden cloud beneath her feet. She no longer felt threatened by anything Nav could throw at her, so, while the Sommersault Cloud was actually one of her slowest methods of travel, it was Wu's go-to means of transport whenever she was feeling lazy.
Sensing Wu's departure with her Ki Sense, a frown marred Sarina's expression as she opened her eyes and followed the monkey girl's ascent. She didn't like how Wu kept telling her what to do, but, understanding the futility of trying to reason with one of the most legendary troublemakers in the entire Divine Realm, she ultimately just shook her head before grumbling, "I hope someone appears to teach you a lesson one of these days..."
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Opening his eyes, Vahn directed his gaze towards the ceiling of the control room as he remarked, "Hmmm...? I didn't expect anyone to come looking for trouble after I defeated Amaterasu..."
Shifting his intent to the surface of the planet, Vahn was marginally surprised to find a single, white-haired woman casting an expressionless gaze over her surroundings.
Seemingly sensing his gaze, the white-haired woman shifted her attention to the relative location of Vahn's intent. Her blue eyes immediately lit up, but, even after several seconds had passed, she was unable to pinpoint his exact location.
"It isn't polite to spy on other people. If you're going to go out of your way to observe me, you may as well come out and introduce yourself..."
Though he had been having fun shifting his intent around to evade the woman's attempts to locate him, Vahn didn't hesitate to step out of the void and state, "You willfully came here in search of me. I would like to think my reputation precedes me..."
Instead of responding to Vahn's braggadocious remark, the white-haired woman continued staring at him with an impeccable deadpan. She seemed to be sizing him up, the antennae-like ahoge atop her head bobbing and twitching as nearly indistinguishable points of light appeared in the depths of her pupils.
("She appears to have some kind of system...not that I'm surprised...")
(*Well, she is the Leader of a Community comprised almost entirely of Isekai Protagonists...*)
Taking advantage of the fact that Vahn was just staring at her, the white-haired woman, Shion, Leader of the Akuma Community, kept trying to analyze him using her [God's Eye of Perception]. She had MAXed it out tens of thousands of years ago so it was supposed to be able to give her information on virtually anything. When she analyzed Vahn, however, the only information she was able to ascertain was his name, some miscellaneous information about his time in the Tower, and the various Fragments of Origin in his possession.
"You're a Transmigrator...someone who received a cheat and used it to traverse various worlds. Tell me...what do you seek at the end of your journey...?"
Assuming Vahn had a skill that allowed him to obscure his information, Shion decided to voice the first thoughts that came to her mind. In response, Vahn's expression actually softened, a sad smile developing across his face as he honestly answered, "I seek to one day be reunited with my family. Until then, I will continue doing what I can to make the worlds I inhabit a better place for everyone that dwells within."
Perusing the information related to Vahn's time in the Tower, Shion couldn't deny that he had done a decent job in correcting countless injustices. The thing that reduced her opinion of him was the fact that she could see a list of all the women he had 'collected' along the way. She had always hated how the vast majority of male Transmigrators treated the women they met along the way as prizes to be won...
Exhaling a sigh through her nose, Shion placed her hands into the pockets of her white hoodie as she said, "If you're serious about your desire to be reunited with your family, we should team up. I can promise you that once I become the Ruler of the Little Garden, I will return you to them."
In an effort to demonstrate her sincerity, Shion manifested a peculiar, ruby-red Geass Roll with the intention of sealing their agreement. This particular scroll, known as the Pledge of Eternity, was one of the most powerful binding contracts in the entire Divine Realm. If infringed upon, the offending party would become the other's slave for all eternity. Even if they were reincarnated a trillion times over, they would never be able to break free from the binds of the contract.
Raising his brows, Vahn briefly scanned the contents of the scroll before ultimately shaking his head and saying, "I'm afraid I can't agree to your conditions. Though I have no doubt you believe yourself capable of reaching the top, you are severely overestimating yourself. Those subordinate to systems established within the Order of Creation would never be able to surpass it. When you're able to cast aside your system and oppose the person that created it, I'll reconsider your words."
Though his own system was probably the most heinous cheat across all realities, Vahn actually went out of his way not to rely on The Path's various functions. He did make an earnest effort to try and comprehend Source Energy, but the vast majority of his efforts were focused on mastering himself and ascertaining the true nature of reality.
Exhaling a second sigh, Shion waved away the Pledge of Eternity before saying, "Your words make you appear to be wiser than most...however, the person overestimating themselves isn't me...I know, better than anyone, how weak I am..."
Placing a hand over her heart, Shion's eyes appeared to glaze over for a brief moment as memories from the past surfaced within her mind. Vahn had no doubt she was having some kind of flashback, but, as this wasn't an anime, he could only imagine what she was thinking about. If the depressive aura exuding from her body was any indicator, it wasn't something pleasant.
Coming back to her senses, a glimmer of resolution flashed across Shion's breathtakingly blue eyes as she said, "This world is broken. Even if it takes me tens of billions of years, I will never stop trying to fix it. If you won't join me, you're an obstacle standing in my way..."
Removing her left hand from her hoodie, Shion raised it in the direction of Vahn. Her already pale skin became a translucent shade of silvery-white before exploding outward like a dam that had just ruptured. In the very next moment, a veritable horde of magical creatures, monsters, demons, and even a few humans charged outward like a routing army.
Leading the charge was a handsome-looking youth with wild, windswept hair and a suit of armor that practically screamed, 'I am the Hero'. The sword in his hand was a brilliantly silver blade with a golden crossguard, so, as could be expected, he was able to unleash a massive discharge of Holy Elemental Energy capable of leveling a mountain.
Catching said blade in the palm of his hand, Vahn's expression became marginally more serious as a faint trickle of blood appeared beneath the wound. It healed almost instantaneously but it said a lot that the heroic-looking youth was able to injure him at all.
Meeting said youth's gaze, Vahn noticed there was no 'awareness' in the young man's crystal clear, pale-blue eyes. They glowed like jewels under intense light, but, much like a zombie or some kind of machine, there was absolutely no 'will' contained within the youth's eyes. He was just acting on pure instinct.
As various thoughts crossed his mind, Vahn was forced to take a step back when a scantily clad woman with vibrant pink hair and an outfit resembling an eastern dancer attempted to sever his neck with a pair of oversized chakrams. Immediately thereafter, a burly man that resembled a mix between a human and a lion attempted to tackle him, the spear-like protrusions on his shoulders making his intentions very clear...
Though he could easily dodge all the attacks coming his way, Vahn reacted to the lion-like man's charge by sending a laser-like spear of pure magical energy through his forehead. When the wound immediately closed up, a grim expression marred Vahn's countenance as he muttered, "I don't think I'm going to like where this is going..."
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Within the structure of the lower realms, there existed a system to increase the rank and status of Gods and Goddesses. Those on the side of light/good/righteousness were able to summon heroes from other worlds to save planets on the verge of having their fate severed. In doing so, they were able to prevent the world's destruction, and, in the process, accumulate merits that would empower them to increase their standing among the various godly pantheons.
As the Order of Creation mandated that balance must exist between the forces of good and evil, the Gods representing the more positive aspects of creation weren't the only ones able to choose champions. The Gods representing darkness/evil/chaos were also able to select Heroes, but, unlike their counterparts on the side of light, their choices often reflected their interests. In essence, they selected people that would cause chaos in relatively peaceful worlds or designated relatively good people to be reincarnated into situations where they were forced to endure tremendous suffering.
Put even simpler, the Gods of Chaos often sought out lonely, depraved, or outright unstable people as their champions. They would then provide these individuals with systems, wishes, and cheat-like abilities to virtually guarantee their power would increase at a rate their maturity simply couldn't hope to keep up with. As a result, the people they chose would quickly grow stronger, and, in the process, wreak havoc within the worlds they had been reincarnated.
With each world that was saved from imminent destruction, another, comparatively peaceful world would be brought to ruin as a result of a single individual's selfishness.
Long ago, so long that she could no longer recall the exact passage of time, Shion had been given the chance to transmigrate into a fantasy world of her choosing. Her life prior to her reincarnation had been hell, so, the moment she found herself floating in an empty white space, she didn't even think to question the entity that had declared himself the God of Reincarnation. Instead, she eagerly recounted her wishes with the hope of being able to live free and unbound in one of the worlds she had always imagined herself inhabiting.
Like many in her position, Shion had already decided the types of wishes she would request long before her death. This was one of the criteria the Gods meddling in Reincarnation looked for. If a person's wishes didn't match with their interests, they would simply look for someone else.
Shion had been a relatively successful novelist during her first life, so, even though her worlds had some grim elements, she happily reincarnated into one of the worlds she had spent years crafting. As for her wishes, she picked Immortality, the ability to change her appearance at will, and a system that would allow her to play through life as if it were a video game.
Prior to her reincarnation, Shion had been looking forward to exploring the world she had created, interacting with some of her favorite characters, and increasing her strength at a slow and leisurely pace. She planned to use her knowledge of the plot to guarantee the easiest life possible, but, the moment she reincarnated, she found herself lying in a pool of blood in the middle of a prison cell.
As she had been an orphan in her previous life, another common trait among those chosen to be reincarnated, Shion hadn't particularly cared about the circumstances of her birth. She was looking forward to having kind and caring parents, but, even if her reincarnation followed the template of her being born as a Noble with strict parents, Shion was certain she would grow to love them.
Contrasting every expectation she could have possibly had, Shion's mother ended up being a Slave. To make matters worse, her mother had given birth to her several weeks early after experiencing a brutal assault from her Master and his friends. Thus, rather than finding herself in the embrace of a loving mother or the care of a wet nurse, Shion's only comfort was a cold stone floor and a mother that viewed her as a product of sin.
Though most infants in her situation would have died within hours of being born, Shion's wish for immortality ensured her survival. This was the true start of her suffering, as, shortly after discovering her, the Master of the household, one of the candidates for Shion's father, quickly took note of her abnormal qualities.
Either as a result of her developing mind or the fact she had simply suppressed her trauma, Shion was unable to recall everything that had happened to her during her first four-six years of life. All she knew with absolute certainty was that her life had been a living hell. She had been tormented and experimented on in ways that even the most brutal and imaginative authors couldn't put into words.
In the end, Shion was discovered by the Holy Church, and, shortly thereafter, seized as a candidate to become one of the many Saintesses that represented the Church's power. Unfortunately, as was often the case in both reality and fantasy worlds, the Church within Shion's world was unbelievably corrupt. The Saintesses were effectively human weapons that had been brainwashed from a young age to carry out the Church's will. Her mother and former Master were brutally slaughtered to tie up loose ends. As for Shion, she was forced to endure everything from sexual assault to literal mind control magic until the Church was confident she was a perfectly obedient soldier.
Unlike the suffering she had endured during her formative years, Shion could recall her training to become a Saintess with crystal clarity. She may have played the part of an obedient tool, but, from the moment the Church arrived to seize her, Shion had made an effort to memorize the names and faces of each and every person who harmed her. She didn't know how long it would take, but, due to her foreknowledge of the plot, she was absolutely certain the time for her revenge would come.
Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, approximately ten years after she had been forcibly seized by the Holy Church, Shion was finally given the chance to seek revenge when the Archbishop tasked her with getting close to the newly appointed Hero. This was originally a responsibility given to one of the most tragic heroines of her story, but, upon realizing the course her fate had taken, Shion did everything in her power to ensure she would be the one chosen.
Shion's original task was to make the Hero, a young man named Roland, fall in love with her. The Church had always feared the power of the Hero, as, unlike them, the Hero actually had the support of the Gods. The Holy Church had long since lost the Gods' favor, but, due to them eliminating any and all competing religions, they had managed to stay in power for hundreds of years.
In Shion's original story, the Saintess, a pink-haired woman named Celeste, was able to manipulate the Hero into becoming yet another weapon of the Holy Church. Roland would eventually come to realize the truth, but, due to his earnest nature, he never blamed Celeste for exploiting him. Instead, he directed his anger and resentment towards the Holy Church. He wanted to save her and expose the truth, but, shortly after the death of the Archbishop, Celeste ended up taking her own life once it became known how Saintesses were made.
Unlike Celeste, Shion had no interest in committing suicide. She had tried too many times to count, so, having already given up hope on dying a peaceful death, she intended to take out as many vile and despicable people as possible before building a cottage in the woods or disappearing into the mountains. As strange as it may sound, she actually blamed herself for all the bad things that had happened to her up until that point, so, after 'fixing' things, Shion intended to fade into obscurity or become something like a Hermit.
What Shion hadn't anticipated was the fact that she would genuinely fall in love with Roland. Prior to their first meeting, she had always viewed him as another one of her characters. She knew he was supposed to be handsome and charismatic but she had severely underestimated just how quickly he could peel back the defenses of a person's heart and expose the truth. She ended up confiding in him much sooner than planned, and, as a result, Roland ended up pointing his sword towards the Holy Church long before either of them was ready.
After a civil war that nearly brought their home Kingdom of Roma to ruin, Roland ended up being publically executed for dereliction of his duties as a Hero and conspiring with Demons. Shion had made the mistake of revealing that the Demons weren't nearly as evil as the Holy Church presented them to be, so, during their campaign to depose the Archbishop, Roland joined hands with several of the more prominent characters from the Demon Lord's Army.
Following the execution of Roland and all of the friends Shion had made during their journey, the Holy Church readily labeled her a Witch. They pinned the blame for everything on her while using her inability to die as proof of her conspiring with and selling her soul to the Devil. Very few people genuinely believed this, but, fearing the retaliation of the Holy Church, even children gathered to watch as the pyre that would consume her for thirteen years was lit.
Though she quickly gained an immunity to flames, Shion never attempted to free herself from her bindings or remove the nails that had pinned her to a large stone cross. She blamed herself for the deaths of Roland and their friends, so, for thirteen long years, she allowed the flames to wash over her as people would arrive on a daily basis to pelt her with stones and blame her for every terrible thing that happened to them.
What brought Shion down from her cross was the appearance of a young girl wearing little more than rags. She was clearly a slave, and, like many young girls in the same situation, she was forced to endure unspeakable suffering for no better reason than the fact someone had decided she was merchandise.
On most days, Shion wouldn't have batted an eye even if the girl threw herself into the flames that were perpetually consuming her. It was when the girl brought her hands together in a gesture of prayer, tears dripping down her face that clarity gradually returned to Shion's gaze. She didn't raise her head, but, for the better part of an hour, she listened as the girl recounted her years of suffering in horrifying detail.
Though the girl's suffering couldn't even begin to compare to her own, Shion saw much of herself in the downtrodden slave. The fury that had been slumbering deep inside of her for years began to bubble to the surface. Thus, once the girl's would-be Master appeared, Shion manipulated the pyre below to create tendrils of flame. Before the man even realized what was happening, he was pulled into the deepest parts of the pyre. An excruciating sound emanated from his throat, but, due to the crackling of the flames and the early hours, the only person who heard his final cry was the young slave girl.
Raising her head for the first time in more than a decade, Shion noticed a smile on the young girl's face. A similar smile developed across her own, and, from that moment onward, Shion embraced the title of Witch with every fiber of her being...
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With Amaterasu taken care of, Vahn didn't really have much left to do. He could destroy the other planets with relative ease but that would defeat the purpose of sending Nobu, Tomoe, and Okita to capture the Model Omega. Thus, after repairing the Sun and asking Amaterasu if she was willing to watch over it, Vahn teleported back to the throne/control room where Nobu was waiting.
"Oh~? Are you finished showing off? I expected you to at least wipe out the Akuma Community before returning."
As it had only been a few minutes since Vahn's departure, Nobu was still exhausted. Others couldn't see it but she was currently curled atop the throne in her most petite form, a smoldering, somewhat predatory smile on her face as she observed Vahn's approach with her carmine eyes.
Taking advantage of their relative privacy, Vahn picked Nobu up before placing a kiss atop her head and sitting back down. She responded by biting his nipple through the fabric of his clothes, but, as he was already used to such antics, Vahn just smiled as he drew her closer and answered, "I'll step in if Wu and Mikoto are unable to handle things..."
"Mmm...I see..."
Though she was prepared to defend the throne room with her life, Nobu would be lying if she said she wasn't happy that Vahn had returned. She didn't need to sleep but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy it. Thus, after making herself comfortable, she quickly dozed off in Vahn's embrace. A fatherly smile briefly appeared across the latter's face, but, understanding that Nobu wouldn't appreciate it if she learned he was looking at her with such eyes, Vahn subsequently leaned back, eyes closed as he enjoyed a short nap of his own...
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Even though it had only been a short while since she crashed into the planet, Kefla had managed to lay waste to a large portion of the Rakshasa tribesmen and women. If not for the interference of the Asura Tribe, she may have wiped them out in seconds.
Despite having one of the smallest populations in the Divine Realm, each individual member of the Asura/Asuri Tribe was a powerhouse capable of crushing weaker 4-Digit Communities on their own. They were considered one of the ultimate warrior tribes, so, while Kefla was able to fodder even the strongest Rakshasa, the only injury sustained by the nine members of the Asura Tribe was the loss of a single limb. A limb that almost immediately healed.
Unfortunately, as powerful as the Asura Tribesmen and women were, their only saving grace was the fact that Kefla was fighting with her arms crossed. She didn't want the battle to end too quickly, so, despite being surrounded on all sides by much larger combatants, she maintained a cocky smile as she practically danced around their attacks.
"You bastards ain't half bad. Keep this up and I may break a sweat."
While the other members of the Asura Tribe were offended by Kefla's remark, one of their members, an inordinately tall woman with ashen skin, untamed red hair, and emerald green eyes gestured for them to remain calm as she said, "Calm down. If you get riled up against an opponent like this, you won't be able to lay a hand on her. Maintain the encirclement and try to time your attacks so there are no gaps."
Shifting her attention to the apparent leader of the group, a taunting smile developed across Kefla's face as she raised her brow and asked, "Who the hell are you supposed to be? I'm Kefla, by the way. I guess you can call me the Saiyan Goddess. Nice to beatya."
Returning a smile of her own, the four-armed woman answered, "Pweamma." before manifesting a pair of daggers and two ornate metal clubs known as Gada.
Without waiting for Kefla's response, Pweamma charged forward with a relaxed expression on her face. Her attacks were unable to so much as graze Kefla's body, but, thanks to her large frame and four arms, she was able to gradually push her spiky-haired opponent back.
Dodging each of Pweamma's attacks at a hair's breadth, Kefla was committing each of the woman's moves to memory when the hair at the back of her neck and the tip of her tail stood on end. In the very next moment, a wooden mallet, the type typically used to beat mochi, passed through the area where her head had been.
Though she twisted her body and kicked towards the person that had sneak attacked her, Kefla was surprised when a jolt of pain ran up her leg. She felt as though she had just kicked an indestructible metal plate, yet, in place of such an object, there was a familiar and somewhat feral-looking woman with rabbit ears and a large, bushy tail.
"Usalia!? What the hell do you think you're doing...!?"
As Pweamma and the other Asura Tribe members had tentatively pulled back to observe, Usalia took a moment to massage the spot where Kefla had kicked her, stating, "Vahn never gave us the order to attack. I know you want to have fun, but you're out of line, plip. We may be at odds right now, but these people are supposed to be our allies. What you're doing is generating unnecessary enmity, plip."
Furrowing her brows, Kefla was about to protest when Fenrir and Mikoto popped up. The former didn't really concern her but the latter possessed an almost unreasonable amount of power. Kefla wasn't really afraid of either but she knew it wouldn't be particularly sensible of her to pick a fight with her own side.
Clicking her tongue, Kefla briefly surveyed the destruction she had wrought over the past couple of minutes. She didn't truly regret her actions, but, knowing she had probably caused trouble for Vahn, a mild feeling of discomfort swelled within Kefla's chest. Kale might not really care but Caulifla felt a debt of gratitude towards Vahn after everything he had done for them back in the Actualized World of Dragon Ball. She would never regard him as her Lord, Master, God, or anything else like that, but she respected him enough not to want to cause trouble for him.
"Fine. Just point me in the direction of someone I can fight. It's not like I particularly enjoy beating up weaklings..."
Though Kefla's final remark was directed towards Pweamma, the latter just shrugged her shoulders with a relaxed smile on her face. Mikoto was a bit of a surprise but she had known that Fenrir and Usalia were lurking around since earlier in the day. Her Lord, Indra, had told them not to antagonize the members of the Sage Dragon's Hearth, so, while Kefla's attack was somewhat annoying, she had no intention of pursuing the matter.
Snorting through her nose, Kefla didn't wait for a response before darting off toward the nearest Teleportation Nexus. Mikoto quickly gave chase while Fenrir, acting as a representative of the Sage Dragon's Hearth, stepped forward to cup her hands and say, "You have my apologies...it was never our intention to attack you so soon..."
Taking note of the fact that Fenrir had said 'so soon', a wry smile developed across Pweamma's face as she dispersed her manifested armaments and said, "It's no problem. This is a Gift Game, after all. It would be stranger if we didn't fight it out."
As she wasn't the type to ingratiate herself or be overly polite, Fenrir simply nodded in response to Pweamma's words before shifting her attention to Usalia and saying, "Let's go. We will return once our...my Master has given his orders."
Noticing the slight frown on Usalia's face, Fenrir quickly changed the way in which she referred to her Master. Usalia didn't really view Vahn as someone 'above' her. Fenrir didn't really agree with this, but, so long as her Master regarded his wives and lovers as equals, she would do her best to regard them as such.
Nodding her head in both approval and affirmation, Usalia took a moment to wave towards the members of the Asura Tribe before departing alongside Fenrir. Their departure was met with mixed reactions from the two groups of multi-armed tribesmen and women. Some wanted to give chase while others, seeing the devastation wrought by Kefla's rather casual assault, couldn't help feeling that the members of the Sage Dragon's Hearth were monsters to be avoided at all costs...
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With Amaterasu agreeing to watch over and protect the Sun from further interference, Kenshin and Tamamo decided to venture out of the obscuring mist to explore their surroundings. The planet was largely unprotected now that Amaterasu had been eliminated, so, before another Community could step in to reap their rewards, the duo decided to give invading the planet a go.
"Hurry along, Ken-chan~! I'm certain our Lord and Husband will reward us plentily if we manage to conquer this planet on our own~!"
Excited by the prospect of a reward, Tamamo was practically frolicking as Kenshin followed close behind her with a far more serious expression on her face. They may be able to move freely now that Amaterasu had been eliminated but she didn't believe that a Community as powerful as the Kotoamatsukami would leave their base unprotected. Tamamo's carelessness made her feel as if 'something' was about to happen, but, even after twenty minutes of skulking through a meadow, they had yet to encounter a single enemy.
What Kenshin didn't know was that the vast majority of Kotoamatsukami's members were currently engaged with the Akuma Community. The latter had gone on the offensive the moment Amaterasu had been defeated, so, even though Susano'o wanted to order the retreat, their strongest members were forced to hold the line in order to avoid a complete route.
At the present moment, the only people protecting Kotoamatsukami's planet were a few of their vassal Communities. Tsukuyomi had been sent to invade the planet of Kouryuu, so, while Kenshin was right to be cautious, she had severely underestimated just how lucky she and Tamamo were...
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Following Vahn's one-sided victory against Amaterasu, Wu was feeling excited to the point of fidgeting. She knew he was powerful but his performance against one of the most prominent Sun Deities left her feeling uncharacteristically hot and bothered. A growing part of her wanted nothing more than to use her Monkey Bounds Across the Heavens to return to his planet and immediately pounce on him. Instead, she turned her attention to the rapidly regenerating forest, a vicious smile on her face as she bellowed, "Come out and face me! If you continue with this farce any longer, you only have yourself to blame for what comes next...!"
To Wu's and Sarina's considerable surprise, the former's shout was immediately followed by a hooded figure manifesting from a cloud of mist. Her feet were completely bare, and, due to the charred remains of the forest, covered in ash and soot. In spite of this, she appeared completely calm and unflustered as she took a sip from a steaming cup of tea and remarked, "It's not nice to burn down someone's home..."
Brandishing her Ruyi Jing Bang, Wu was ready to pounce at the girl when a sudden chill passed through her body. Her Fiery Eyes of Truth allowed her to see through lies, deception, and illusion. The moment she peered into the shadowy veil concealing the woman's face, her instincts began sounding alarm bells that simply couldn't be ignored.
Trusting in her instincts, Wu immediately closed her eyes before shouting for Sarina to do the same. At the same time, she swept her Ruyi Jingu Bang towards the hooded woman, who, expecting the attack to simply phase through her, ended up being sent careening through several hundred trees before lying motionless at the end of a long and deep crevasse...
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Chapter 2226: Overreliance