Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After killing hundreds of Azi clones, Kefla attempted to recuperate her spirit and natural energies by meditating high in the sky. However, as if she had been marked by the initial encounter, ever more Azi clones came charging at her, denying her the chance to rest.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck you all....!" shouted Kefla, firing off eerie green spheres that tore through Azi clones as if they were paper mache.
Adding to Kefla's frustration, a two-headed Azi abruptly appeared behind her, emerging from an eerie black fracture in Space-Time before trying to bite her. She responded by spinning around and kicking one of its heads with enough force to make it turn like a twisted rag, but the second head managed to bite down on her shoulder.
Though Azi's teeth failed to pierce her skin, the pressure of the bite dislocated Kefla's shoulder, causing her to exclaim, "You bitch...!" before landing a heavy punch that caused a gaping hole to appear in the clone's stomach.
Undaunted by the severity of its injuries, the Azi clone snickered evilly as the blood from its wounds congealed into thousands of additional clones. Its laughter was cut short when Kefla flared her energy, expelling it as an explosive wave, but it had served its purpose. Kefla's power had waned considerably, so the clone was certain it was only a matter of time before she was overwhelmed.
As if to give credence to the clone's final thoughts, the rosy hue faded from Kefla's hair, tail, and the fur covering her body. Soon after, her fur coat began to recede, leaving her in her Super Saiyan Sage 2 mode with golden hair, green irises, and red markings around her eyes.
Popping her shoulder back into place, Kefla glared hatefully at the Azi's encircling her, asking, "Do you eerie fuckers really believe you can defeat me? You have no fucking clue who you're messing with..."
Providing Kefla a moment to catch her breath, one of the Azi's said, "You must be a descendant of that monster, Sun Wu Kong. But that durability won't save you. Once you've exhausted the remnants of your stamina, we will capture and consume you down to the last hair on your tail."
Snorting through her nose, Kelfa, or, more specifically, the Caulifla part of her personality, responded, "There's only one dragon who's allowed to eat me, and you sure as shit ain't him."
Punctuating her words, Kefla smacked her lower abdomen, manifesting an intricate, tribal-like pattern that rapidly spread across her stomach, back, shoulders, arms, and legs. As it did so, the energy emanating from Kefla's body surged violently, first exploding as a wave of pressure with enough force to disintegrate several clones before congealing into an eerie black and purple aura that caused her spiky hair to gain a violet hue.
Though the Authority of 'Hakai' didn't exist outside the Internalized Realm she originated from, Kefla possessed a remarkable affinity with the Law of Destruction. She had yet to master it, but the pattern that had developed across her body allowed her to fuse the destructive energy with her Sage Made, permitting the use of the 'Sage God of Destruction' transformation.
Spreading her hands and arms wide, Kefla opened her eyes to reveal black sclera and violet irises as she said, "Fuck off..." in an eerie tone that sounded like a call from the void.
Before any of the Azi's could respond, purple 'flames' emerged from the centers of their chests. They resembled tiny embers at first but quickly spread to encompass the entirety of the draconic entities' bodies. Since the flames spread from the very core of their being, it wasn't long before the encirclement became a mass of eerie purple flames that disappeared moments later, leaving no traces.
Wiping away a trickle of blackened blood leaking from her nose, Kefla watched as it dissolved into a fine mist before allowing her transformation to dissipate. Then, even though she really wanted to continue, she turned her gaze skyward and said, "I forfeit..." in a somber tone.
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Though he didn't like following other people's orders, Izayoi decided to seek out World Dragon Kurma after clearing most of the Azi clones in his area. To that end, he darted across the sky like a meteor, headed for the elevated ruins of the Inner Gates.
Contrasting the chaos of the Outer Gates, the Inner Gates were quiet to the point of being eerie. Even with his enhanced, borderline supernatural senses, Izayoi couldn't detect a single sign of life. There weren't even any Azi clones, almost as if they were willfully avoiding the area.
Touching down near a series of destroyed statues, the remnants of which were more than 60m tall, Izayoi scanned the area with creased brows. He might not be able to sense anyone, but he trusted his instincts. They were telling him there was a presence nearby, so he took a moment to consider the best course of action before pretending to drop his guard.
No sooner had Izayoi dropped his guard than a beam of radiant golden light rained down on him from above, its force powerful enough to drill into the nearly indestructible ground beneath him as if it were a pressure cutter slicing through sheet metal.
As the light cleared away, leaving a seemingly bottomless pit that glowed with a faint golden light, a remarkably tall figure with nearly obsidian skin appeared. His body was garbed in white robes, adorned with gold, and a massive gauntlet covered the entirety of his left arm. However, his most prominent features, besides his fiery white beard, were his golden eyes, the glowing rune on his chest, the four-pronged halo atop his head, and the twelve wings flowing from his back, each formed of golden light.
Appearing behind the angelic figure, Izayoi flexed the fingers of his right hand, the sleeve that previously covered his arm now missing as he remarked, "You know, I always thought Angels would be more monstrous in appearance. You actually look pretty badass."
Instead of turning around, the angelic figure teleported behind Izayoi, a cross-shaped sword of light appearing in his right hand as he said, "Burn in the light of Truth."
Swinging his sword in an arc that extended nearly a kilometer, the angelic figure cut through the statues Izayoi had been looking at, along with tens of buildings. Izayoi managed to evade it without issue, but he could feel his body gradually weakening due to the aura exuding from the presumed Archangel's body.
Before the angelic figure could issue a follow-up attack, Izayoi closed the distance between them instantly, burying his fist into the man's abdomen. To his surprise, his blow drilled into the man as if he had punched a block of stone, several cracks radiating from the point of impact.
Looking at Izayoi for the first time, the angelic figure frowned, his voice deep and resonant as he said, "Heresy..." in a condemning tone.
As Izayoi leaped back at a velocity rivaling teleportation, the cracks on the angelic figure's body exuded golden light before a massive eruption spread through the area, leveling an area nearly a hundred kilometers in diameter. Izayoi was almost swept up by the explosion, but he managed to teleport away at the last moment, grinning as he gazed at the epicenter to find a far more 'biblically accurate' representation of an Angel.
In place of the obsidian-skinned man with nearly flawless features, there was now an eldritch abomination with ivory-white, almost marble-like skin covered in innumerable holes. A total of thirteen golden eyes adorned the upper half of its face, while the lower half was a horrendous maw of gold-tipped fingers in place of teeth. Instead of resembling a man, it now had breasts tipped with moving eyeballs. It still possessed twelve wings, but they jutted out at awkward angles and varied in size.
Before Izayoi could issue a quippy one-liner, Seiun appeared before him, creating a barrier as an invisible wave swept through the area. In its wake, the rubble around him began to dissolve away, reduced to ashen piles of salt.
Speaking into Izayoi's mind, Seiun warned, "You must not look directly at it. I detect the presence of an Authority that exists outside the scope and influence of the Central Network. There is a 63.29883% probability it's the result of a Tier 6 entity's influence..."
Having learned of the existence of Soul Tiers from Vahn, Izayoi's usually casual demeanor faded away, replaced by a severe countenance. He had the potential of a pinnacle Tier 5 being, but the difference between Tiers 5 and 6 was so vast that reaching the pinnacle of the former was scarcely any different from being the absolute weakest Tier 1.
In stark defiance of this 'truth,' Izayoi punched his right fist into the palm of his left hand, regaining a battle-hungry grin as he exclaimed, "Now I'm fired up...!"
Kicking off the ground, producing a distinct 'dinging' sound as he did so, Izayoi charged at the biblically accurate angel with his eyes closed. In response, the angel's chest opened up like an abyssal maw, resembling the mouth of a lamprey that exuded golden light, but Izayoi was 'much' faster. Before it could try to swallow him up, Izayoi slammed his fist into the air less than a meter away from the angel, shattering it like the sugar glass used in movies.
Though a fracture in Space-Time ordinarily wouldn't be a threat to the angel, it didn't anticipate Izayoi immediately appearing behind it, landing a heavy kick to the center of its back. It had specifically adopted a form that was immune to physical blows, but, as if to defy the 'Truth,' Izayoi's punch sent it crashing into the vacuous tear in reality, nearly ripping it to pieces before the Central Network intervened, expelling it from the Game.
Expecting more of a fight, Izayoi watched the spatial rend gradually repair itself, remarking, "Is that it...? in a disbelieving tone.
Appearing next to him, Seiun replied, "It may have been borrowing power from a greater Authority, but it was ultimately a fairly ordinary Archangel. If the Central Network hadn't intervened at the last moment, I would have assumed it was the creation of another competitor."
Clicking his tongue, Izayoi groaned, "What a drag..." before slipping his hands into his pockets and resuming his search for World Dragon Kurma. Before he could get even three steps, however, every muscle in his body tensed, preventing him from walking into the scythe that had appeared at his neck...
Emanating from Izayoi's back, the voice of a young boy could be heard remarking, "You should have kept walking. Every route invariably leads to death, but you could have experienced a painless end if your senses were less attuned..."
Instead of stepping away from the scythe and trying to counterattack, a dauntless smile developed across Izayoi's face as he mused, "You know, I was hoping to lure out a big shot, but I never anticipated that Death itself would come for me..."
Narrowing his red and violet eyes, Death, appearing as a young boy with white hair and androgynous features, replied, "You are an ally to the Sage Dragon Emperor and an enemy of Truth. No matter the path you took, you were bound to meet me sooner or later..."
Turning his head, resulting in a thin cut on his neck, Izayoi stared back at Death and asked, "Then what's the holdup? With your power, I'm sure you could have killed me by now if you wanted to."
Furrowing his brows, Death remained silent for several seconds before stating, "I may have a use for you. If you're willing to cooperate with me, I will permit you to-"
Interrupting Death's proposal, Izayoi kicked the prepubescent Aspect in the gut, sending his tiny body flying backward like a bullet. Seiun was able to analyze Death's abilities the moment his scythe cut Izayoi's neck. As a result, Izayoi now knew that Death couldn't activate his powers due to the restrictions of the Pandemonium Gift Game. Thus, while the vast majority of creatures would feel helpless in the face of Death, Izayoi had a massive grin as he approached the extremely pale and heterochromatic youth, musing, "I've always wanted to kick Death's ass..."
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Kefla is surprisingly sensible...','Trypophobians beware...!','Don't Fear The Reaper...')

After retiring from the Pandemonium Gift Game, Kefla was prepared to enter her personalized Hyperbolic Time Chamber for training when a hand grasped her shoulder.
Even without looking behind her, Kefla knew who the hand belonged to, muttering, "I messed up..." in an uncharacteristically dispirited tone. A lot of this mentality came from Kale, but their frequent and prolonged fusions had left both Saiyanesses with characteristics of the other.
Wrapping his arms around Kefla's body, Vahn whispered, "Be happy. Life is more interesting when you still have limits to break and opponents to overcome..."
Leaning her head back, Kefla looked up at Vahn through her spiky bangs, regaining a bit of her edge as she asked, "Does that mean you've grown tired of living? Ever since you defeated that machine-like monster, I can't even fathom the depths of your power..."
Instead of answering Kefla's question, Vahn traced his middle finger around her navel and asked, "Does it frighten you?" in a soft, resonating tone.
Snorting through her nose, Kefla turned around and gave Vahn a push. At his current level, not even someone like Indra would be able to move him, but Kefla's casual nudge knocked him onto his bottom, permitting her to sit atop him, grasping his collar as she replied, "No matter how powerful you become, you're still a push-over..."
Though she could hear Kale sighing in the back of her mind, Kefla, piloted by Caulifla, began to tear away Vahn's clothes. She originally planned to ease her frustrations by destroying a few planet-sized training dummies, but what was the point of that when she had the most durable dummy in the world right in front of her?
Catching Vahn a little off guard, Kefla waited for him to begin slipping off her baggy pants before saying, "I think it's about time I settle down and have a kid. I'm becoming increasingly reliant on outside help to increase my strength, so I think it's about time I pass the buck to someone else..."
Understanding that Caulifla was the one speaking, Vahn asked, "Do both of you feel the same way...?"
Nodding her head, Kefla said, "That's another thing we wanted to discuss. By now, Kale and I have spent more time fused than separated. After a lot of consideration, we've decided to make the fusion permanent..."
Though he had been anticipating such a revelation for quite some time, Vahn was still marginally surprised by Kefla's words. The two spent years at a time fused together, but this was a pretty major step forward for both of them.
Instead of questioning the duo's resolve, Vahn adopted a faint smile and raised Kefla's hips. Her tail curled up as he did so, followed by a powerful shudder as he lowered her onto his waiting erection.
"I said it before, but I don't mind saying it again. No matter what the two of you decide, I will always support you..."
Adopting a somewhat predatory smile, Kelfa began to rock her hips of her own accord as she replied, "Of course, you will. We wouldn't have chosen you if you were weak or inept. Now, you better prepare yourself. I have a lot of pent-up frustrations to alleviate..."
Punctuating her words, Kelfa leaned forward, placing her hands on Vahn's shoulders before raising and lowering her hips like a seismic jackhammer. The ground cracked beneath them, and shockwaves rippled outward, but Vahn just exhaled a light chuckle before grasping Kefla's tail and using his Godhand to feed her excitement...
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In response to Izayoi's arrogant remark, Death, also known as Thanatos, the Pale Rider, rose from a salt pile to reveal a completely different form than the one sent flying. He now resembled a young girl with long white hair, red and purple eyes, and a tattered sundress seemingly formed from pure darkness.
Manifesting a scythe whose handle and blade were several times larger than their body was tall, Thanatos glared back at Izayoi and said, "Death is the final, inescapable truth. You may believe yourself unafraid, but even the most courageous entities can be made to fear..."
Punctuating her words, Death raised her right hand and sent out a wave of black energy that radiated outward at an incomprehensible speed. A sound similar to a banshee's cry pierced Izayoi's ears, causing him to feel as though a blade was piercing the center of his brain, but he managed to shake it off fairly quickly, asking, "What the hell was that?"
Instead of answering Izayoi's question, Death made a gesture over her face, causing a skull-like mask to appear. She then planned to go on the offensive, but the moment the mask formed, Izayoi's kick landed squarely in its center, sending her reeling a second time.
Feeling frustration for the first time in eons, Death's eyes blazed as she swung her scythe, creating a spatial tear more than 300m in length to deter Izayoi from pursuing her. At the same time, an illusory clock face materialized behind her, accompanied by the tolling of a bell.
As her scythe increased in size, becoming larger than even the tallest of skyscrapers, Death's voice echoed from every direction as she said, "Ask not for whom the bell tolls.."
In the midst of her words, Death's eyes ignited, producing red and purple flames as she exclaimed, "It tolls for thee...!"
Slashing her scythe, Death produced a crescent-shaped spatial tear so massive it appeared to divide the former Little Garden in two. The attack lacked the Instant Death property typically afforded by her Authority, but its power was enough to inspire a sense of impending dread in everyone witnessing it. Well, almost everyone...
Catching Death off guard, Izayoi appeared behind her, shouting, "You're not the only one who knows how to teleport...!" before slamming his fist into the back of her head. He liked to joke that his hands were rated E-For Everyone, so he had no qualms about sending a little loli crashing into the ground like a meteor, creating a fountain of debris more than a hundred meters in height.
Erupting from her personalized crater before the dust had a chance to clear, Death, now appearing as none other than Asuka, screamed, "You arrogant mutt! I was going to team up with you so we could defeat that evil lizard, but now you can die...!"
Seeing Death manifest as his girlfriend, a wry smile developed across Izayoi's face. He wasn't the type of person that would generally hesitate in the face of such tricks, but he knew the actual Asuka would be upset if he punched her doppelganger in the face and embarrassed her in front of the entire Little Garden...
Demonstrating she didn't simply look like Asuka, Death manifested the former's Zanpakuto and even summoned a version of Abyssinian. One of Death's principal powers was embodying 'potential ends.' So long as there was even a small possibility of someone's ally betraying and attempting to kill them, Death could assume their form and emulate the abilities they would have used to accomplish the deed.
Swinging her sword long before she reached Izayoi, Death shouted, "Entangle and Dominate, Queen of Roses...!"
In response to Death's cry, her rapier-like Zanpakuto transformed into a rose-themed whip, its thong resembling a flexible stem covered in faintly purple thorns. At the same time, Abyssinian fused with the whip, covering it in ghostly-blue flames as it cracked toward Izayoi at extreme speeds.
Evading the whip's tip with considerable ease, Izayoi decided to play to the audience and, more importantly, Asuka, ridiculing, "Oh, come on. Not only is your appearance a far cry from the real deal, but your attacks are nothing compared to the actual Asuka. If you're going to cosplay, at least put in a bit of effort..."
Hoping his remark was enough to absolve him of a lecture, Izayoi covered his hand in Seiun's energy, grasping the tip of Death's whip before jerking her toward him. He intended to give Death a firm kick in the stomach but quickly changed his mind when the troublesome Aspect transformed mid-flight.
"Now, that's just cheat-"
Before Izayoi could finish his complaint, Death, now resembling Vahn in his partial Dragon Transformation, grasped his head with a scale-covered arm, declaring, "Death comes for everyone, in one form or another..."
As Izayoi couldn't imagine defeating Vahn, especially after the latter's defeat of the Ethereal Queen, Death's attack was able to crush his head with a fairly casual squeeze.
Expecting Izayoi to disperse into motes of light, Death was somewhat confused when the former's body fell from the sky, steam rising from his neck as he crashed, seemingly lifelessly, into the ground.
Blinking several times, Death inspected his current form, muttering, "I see...so this man truly is exempt from the Central Network's restrictions. What a terrifying individual..."
Taking advantage of the situation, Death attempted to peer into what he believed to be Vahn's thoughts. The moment he did so, however, he just froze in place. Even the clothes he was wearing, which were previously being blown by the wind, ceased moving in their entirety. Almost like time had stopped for him and him alone...
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While a version of himself was getting it on with Kefla, another version of Vahn was still observing the Gift Game alongside Sis, Mikoto, and several others. When Death transformed into him, he actually felt a connection of sorts with the opportunistic Aspect, causing his brows to rise as he softly mused, "How curious..."
Giving voice to Vahn's introspection, Sis postulated, "Perhaps when you recreated this Record, your existence became an essential component of its foundation. It's barely a fraction of your power without Source, but it's fairly impressive that he was able to tap into it..."
As he 'knew' Sis's words to be true, Vahn gave a slight nod, a faint smile adorning his face as he remarked, "It appears this little stunt has given a few troublesome individuals the wrong idea. I was originally just going to ignore it, but it seems I must take action to prevent others from following Death's example..."
Linking with Death's mind, Vahn afforded him a fraction of his knowledge and memories, instantaneously overloading his cognitive faculties. Death may have emulated his form and a fraction of his power, but there was no way he could copy his Innates and the functions of The Path. Without the support of Sis, even Vahn would struggle to navigate the labyrinth of his mind and distinguish his memories from reality. As a result, the over-eager Aspect abruptly found himself trapped in the memory of Vahn's encounter with the Demon Lord of Stagnation, the color of his body gradually fading until he had turned completely grey...
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While Death remained motionless in the sky, the steam rising from Izayoi's neck gradually shifted from white to red before the capillaries, veins, muscles, and vertebrae within began to writhe and elongate. A few seconds later, his head had completely regenerated, complete with shiny golden locks.
Rising to a seated position, Izayoi cradled his aching head, smiling wryly as he groaned, "Well, that answers the question of what would happen if I had my head blown off..."
Shifting his gaze skyward, Izayoi's eyes focused on the monochromatic version of Vahn standing motionless in the sky. Even the Central Network could not affect him at the present moment, so unless Vahn afforded him clemency, Death would remain in his current location and pose even after the final stars in the night sky had burned out.
Understanding that various cameras were focused on him, Izayoi's smile became even wrier as he remarked, "Yeah, that's why you don't fuck with the Sage Dragon Emperor. A picture of the Sun can never hope to emulate its brilliance..."
Raising his hand, Izayoi rematerialized his destroyed headphones and put them on. Then, after taking a quick look around, he once again set out in search of World Dragon Kurma...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Things that can't even be fathomed by the current generation will be easily achievable by future generations...','Death be like, up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-b-a-start...','You know what they say, fuck around and you're going to find out...')

While chaos spread through the former Little Garden, Azi continued to stare at the sky as if awaiting an answer to his question. At the same time, he couldn't help feeling like he had fallen or was currently being lured into an inescapable trap...
Interrupting the ancient evil's thoughts, or at least attempting to, a beam of luminous gold enveloped Azi, the energy within so pure it dispersed the miasma that had begun to accumulate in the area. In its place, an area of several kilometers became sanctified ground, glowing with a faint golden light as 'god rays' illuminated the area.
Following the light to its origin, a woman with long golden hair and azure blue eyes could be seen wielding a large, silvery-white claymore with a crimson hilt. Her athletic body was garbed in a black one-piece dress with a short, frilly white skirt and leather leggings. Over that, she wore ornate, silvery-white plate mail that covered her breasts, shoulders, arms, waist, and the lower half of her legs, seemingly comprised of the same material as her sword. More notably, her waist bore a piece of red fabric, bearing a once-famous coat of arms that depicted a lion's head...
Seeing the ephemerally beautiful woman appear on numerous displays, the excitement of the people spectating from the Little Garden reached a crescendo. Not everyone immediately recognized her, but those that did excitedly spread the word. The Community the woman belonged to may have fallen out of favor, but she was still one of the most famous figures in the Little Garden: Artorias Pendragon, the King of Knights and the Ruler of Avalon.
Though she initially took part in the Pandemonium Gift Game to restore the honor of her Community, Artorias couldn't ignore an evil right in front of her. Azi exuded an evil unlike anything she had ever sensed, so taking him out took priority over everything else.
Just as it seemed Artorias's attack may have been effective, the beam of light emanating from her Excalibur shattered like glass. At the same time, the left-most head of Azi shouted, "You bitch! That fucking burns...!"
Seeing Azi shatter her energy-based attack with a backhand, the pupils of Artorias's azure eyes contracted. Her expression remained calm and dignified, but a sense of foreboding took root in her heart as the central head turned toward her, staring at her Excalibur as it said, "The power of hope...one of the few weapons capable of killing me. It's a pity you seem to have lost it..."
Before Artorias could respond, Azi streaked across the sky like a black meteor surrounded by pitch black. His movements tore through Space as he traveled, so a trail of destruction followed in his wake as he attempted to grasp Artorias's neck.
Demonstrating that she wasn't known as the King of Knights for nothing, Artorias evaded Azi's attack at the last moment, darting backward as she swept Excalibur at his wrist. Unfortunately, her attack impacted the stake-bound manacles encompassing Azi's wrist, deflecting off the seemingly indestructible material with more force than her actual swing.
"Hoooo...you're not half bad..." remarked the right-most head. The central head agreed with this sentiment, but it was ruined by the left-most head screaming, "This bitch has a whiff of Dragon's blood flowing through her veins! Let's make her into a seedbed...!"
While slapping the left-most head, Azi used his shadowy wings to try and pierce Artorias. The latter was able to evade and even cut through most of his attacks due to Excalibur's properties as a Holy Sword, but she was slowly pushed back as his regeneration drastically exceeded her damage output.
Voicing their combined thoughts, the right-most head explained, "Your mistake was confronting me with the notion your victory was assured. The moment your initial attack failed, doubt was seeded in your heart. From then onward, your victory became an impossibility..."
Gritting her teeth, Artorias sliced through Azi's wings before darting back to create some distance. Then, while holding Excalibur in front of her face, her azure eyes blazed with conviction as she firmly asserted, "Excalibur is the Sword of Promised Victory. I do not know from whence you came, but I will cut you down and rid the world of your evil..."
Staring at Artorias with his red, seemingly dead eyes, the centermost Azi adopted a 'very' disconcerting smile as he mused, "Hope is a weapon of the weak. The strong may inspire it, but it is not something they wield of their own accord. Your convictions are not your own. Therefore, you can never defeat-"
Interrupting Azi's musings, Artorias charged toward him, the blade of her Excalibur exuding a holy glow that dwarfed the radiance of the Sun as she attempted to bifurcate him. Her attack found purchase, but while she was able to cut halfway through Azi's waist, her attack stopped the moment it came into contact with his spine.
Before Artorias could retract her sword and attempt a second strike, Azi grasped her shoulders, all three of his heads staring down at her as the centermost head declared, "Your sin is that you were born too powerful..."
Without extrapolating on the meaning of his words, Azi stunned the entire Little Garden by abruptly pulling her 'into' him. Excalibur granted her one of the most potent forms of immortality in the Little Garden, but he didn't intend to kill her. Hope and despair were ultimately two sides of the same coin, so he planned to subsume her existence to elevate his own.
Just as Artorias was about to give in to despair, her body dispersed into motes of light. Azi attempted to absorb it, but his efforts were thwarted by an invisible force pressing down on him from above, smashing him into the ground without breaking it.
Despite his unfathomable strength, Azi found himself unable to resist the invisible force pressing down on him. Even stranger, he couldn't break the ground beneath him, almost like it had become indestructible. All he could do, at least for the time being, was watch silently as the motes of the light that used to be Artorias faded, marking her return to the Little Garden...
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Though her body was destroyed and her Ego sustained several cracks, Madara's internal System Template was able to repair the damage as she gradually reformed several hundred kilometers away from the blue-haired woman.
"What a monster..." remarked Madara, who, even after creating a new body, felt as though each of her cells was on the verge of breaking down. Her opponent's final beam attack had the terrifying property of Existence Erasure, so a powerful Authority was currently doing everything in its power to prevent her from existing.
Snorting through her nose, Madara gradually reinforced her existence as she remarked, "What foolishness. Did you seriously think you could erase me, Uchiha Madara...?"
Activating her Rinnesharingan, Madara's existence stabilized enough that she was no longer feeling pain. At the same time, a sound similar to glass being shattered echoed around her as the Authority attempting to impose her erasure experienced a rebound...
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While looking around for traces of Madara, the blue-haired woman's visor abruptly exploded, nearly knocking her out of the sky. She quickly caught herself, but a hint of disbelief marred her usually emotionless face before her visor promptly regenerated, concealing her crimson eyes from view...
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Standing high in the sky and overlooking a terrain filled with massive frozen flowers, Yuri remarked, "You're pretty strong. If we were back in the Tower, you could have easily secured one of the Top 20 &nbsp;positions..."
Glaring up at Yuri, Laulau growled, "You speak as if the match has already been decided..."
Scratching the back of her head, Yuri explained, "I didn't come here to eliminate people from the competition. I just wanted to see how strong you were before moving on to my next target. Do you really want to see things through to the end?"
"..."
Though her pride compelled her to respond in the affirmative, Laulau ultimately remained silent. Her standing as Floor Master depended on her ability to make a good showing, so she couldn't afford to be eliminated this early in the competition...
Sparing Laulau the indignity of having the surrender, a crimson spear tore through the air like a bolt of lightning, albeit much faster. Yuri managed to deflect it with the back of her hand, but she was still knocked by several meters, her arm vibrating from the force of the blow.
Shaking her hand, Yuri looked in the direction the spear had come from to find a tall and slender woman with purple hair and green eyes. Her body was garbed in the attire of a butler, but she exuded an aura only the most powerful of warriors could command.
Despite never having met, Yuri immediately recognized the woman, remarking, "You must be the Divine Realm's Scathach..." before adopting a broad smile.
Placing her hand over her heart, Scathach adopted a smile of her own as she answered, "Indeed. And you must be Ha Yuri, one of the Sage Dragon Emperor's many Concubines..."
Snorting through her nose, Yuri unleashed a massive, emerald-green tidal wave as she replied, "I'll have you know we're properly married...!"
Manifesting another crimson spear, Scatach cut through the seemingly unstoppable wave as if she were swatting away a fly. To Yuri's surprise, this casual act severed her control over the water, causing it to disperse into a steamy haze before disappearing entirely.
Narrowing her eyes in amusement, Scathach remarked, "My spear can cut through all lies and deceit. You may believe yourself to be powerful, but is that truly the case~?"
With her left eye twitching, Yuri manifested her Zanpakuto in the form of a &nbsp;pair of red gauntlets. At the same time, a complex magic circle appeared behind her, its core resembling the head of a seahorse with coral antlers.
"You've got a smart mouth on you," remarked Yuri. "Let's see if your bite is as strong as your bark...!"
Completely ignoring Laulau, Yuri charged toward Scathach like a meteor descending from the heavens. The latter couldn't fly without the aid of a Gift, but it didn't matter too much as she preferred to stay on the ground. In response to Yuri's charge, she simply adopted a faint smile, receiving the former's attack with the cylindrical section of her spear without giving so much as a centimeter of ground.
Feeling as though she had punched a void, Yuri's crimson eyes widened as Scathach mused, "That's quite the weapon you possess. I take it the Sage Dragon Emperor forged it~?"
Instead of answering Scathach's question, Yuri activated the ability of her Zanpakuto, causing an explosion comparable to a nuclear bomb to erupt from her fist. Laulau was forced to flee from the shockwave, but Scathach and her immediate surroundings emerged unscathed.
Retracting her fist and creating a bit of distance, Yuri adopted a defensive posture as she asked, "What's going on? Are you shielded by some kind of barrier...?"
Maintaining her smile, Scathach generously revealed, "It's the effect of my unique Gift, [Geass Spear]. It's weaker but functions similarly to the Authority of a Host Master. Unless you wager something, your attacks will not affect me."
Raising her brows, Yuri parroted, "Wager...?" before asking, "So I need to pay some kind of tribute just to damage you? How is that even remotely fair...?"
Shrugging her shoulders, Scathach replied, "Life isn't fair. Some are born with blessings, while others are fated to die young. My status as the most powerful spear-wielder is constantly in jeopardy, so it's only 'fair' that my challengers wager something in return. Depending on what you offer, the potency of your attacks will vary."
Clicking her tongue, Yuri muttered, "What a load of bullshit..." before half-turning to leave. Opponents like Scathach were a bad matchup for her, so she intended to bail before she was baited into wagering something that might cause Vahn trouble. To her surprise, Scathach didn't try to stop her, so she took one last look at the purple-haired 'demon' before teleporting away to find a less irksome opponent...
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(A/N: From now on, it's MI in the morning and EPIC in the evening. As for the number of chapters, it depends on my health and mood. At the very least, there will be one of each. Additional chapters can be found on my website(Libraryofakasha), but it'll be a while before there is a substantial difference between here and there.)

Chapter 2342: Escalation