Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn felt a heaviness in his body as a deep throbbing pain was emitting from his head. He felt like his skull had been cracked open and his brain had turned to mush. Unable to form any thoughts, he just allowed the pain to encompass his entire being, almost to the point he was unable to distinguish between where the pain began and where it ended. He felt like the pain stretched out endlessly, and it was almost as though his body was infinitely expanding along with it to allow for more pain to fill him.Suddenly, from a place deep within, a cooling sensation began to build from a minuscule point at the very center of the seemingly endless pain. It began to expand, almost as if it was trying to erase the pain from existence, but no matter how quickly it spread out, it was always slower than the pace of the pain itself. Vahn felt like his soul was beginning to tear apart by the duality of the two contrasting feelings. One filled him with energy and life, while the other seemed determined to destroy everything and erase it from existence.Vahn tried focusing on the 'cool' sensation and tried to tear his mind away from the pain that had wracked his body for what felt like an eternity. He could feel his consciousness accelerating toward the center of the sensation, but no matter how fast he thought he was moving, he never seemed to get any closer. A fear began to grip his mind as Vahn felt, if he was unable to reach the center, he would lose himself entirely.Suddenly, along with the cool sensation, Vahn was also able to feel a soft and warm sensation that seemed to surround the entire space. What previously seemed like an infinitely expanding void, now seemed to be much smaller as the warmth quickly spread through his mind and banished the pain. The cooling sensation, no longer suppressed by the pain, now spread out at a speed faster than perception itself. Before an instant had passed, the cooling sensation encompassed Vahn's entirety as he began to feel at ease.No longer wracked by the pain, Vahn began to enjoy the feeling of warmth that was spreading from an unseen area outside of this strange space. It felt gentle, kind, and full of things that Vahn couldn't quite describe. All he knew is, the feeling made him feel very safe an secure, very similar to something he had lost long ago. Slowly, the cooling sensation began to recede, allowing for the warm feelings to replace the emptiness where Vahn currently resided.---Vahn opened his eyes and noticed he had difficulty seeing in the dim light coming from a source outside of his line of sight. Currently, the only thing he could see was the sleeping figure of a woman, resting against the bedside where he was currently located. Vahn's mind froze for a moment because he couldn't understand why the person he saw would be present. The last thing he remembered was staring into the eyes of the Juggernaut before spending what felt like an eternity lost in that painful black space.Feeling his movements, the figure woke up with a start and stared into Vahn's eyes with a surprised expression on her face. The two stared at each other for a few moments before the woman, Hephaestus, threw her arms around Vahn and began to embrace him in a powerful and emotion-filled hug. "Uuuuh, Vahn, you idiot! Don't scare me like that!" Hephaestus cried out in an aggrieved manner, and the pain-filled voice tore away at something in Vahn's heart.Without explanation, tears began falling from Vahn's eyes as he returned the embrace of the crying Hephaestus. Feeling the warmth coming from her body, Vahn realized the thing that had brought him away from that painful darkness had been her embrace. He didn't know how long he was unconscious, but he felt a great deal of time had passed. Without her gentle warmth, Vahn wasn't sure he would have been able to come back from that abyss of pain and despair.For now, Vahn allowed Hephaestus to embrace him while he rubbed her back in an effort to return some of the comforts she had given him. He could hear her mumbling accusations and various curses about him under her breath, but Vahn just allowed her to express her emotions as she pleased. Eventually, just as she started to calm down, Vahn spoke, "Thank you Hephaestus...you saved me. I don't think I could have come back on my own."Hearing Vahn's words, Hephaestus put more strength into her embrace before pressing Vahn's head into her chest. "You stupid..." Hephaestus wanted to curse him again, but seeing the grateful expression and relief in his face, she couldn't find the words to berate him any longer. Instead, Hephaestus spoke gently, "You had me worried...Vahn. I'm glad you came back."Afterward, the two enjoyed each other embrace until one of the doctors had come by with a number of people in tow. "Oh? Finally awake, my goodness, you sure know how to sleep, kid." Vahn turned towards the voice and recognized the familia figure of Granny Marin. She was the same doctor that had treated his injuries when he collapsed outside of the dungeon previously. Behind her, there were five figures that looked toward Vahn with happy expressions after seeing him awake.Before Vahn could greet them, Lili and Naaza both rushed toward his beside while Ais, Tiona, and surprisingly, Lefiya approached in a more moderate manner. The two girls had tears in their eyes as they neared, especially Lili who literally jumped into Vahn's chest and began crying. Hephaestus, who had already had her time with Vahn, made way for the other girls before moving away to speak with Granny Marin.Lili was inconsolable as she cried into Vahn's chest. Even when he tried comforting her, she just nestled her face into his hospital gown and continued crying. Naaza took the seat that Hephaestus had left vacant as she stared at Vahn with a tear-stained face. Unlike Lili, she wasn't crying loudly, but her silent sobs made Vahn feel even worse than the small pallum on his chest.Vahn made eye contact with Tiona, Ais, and Lefiya and noticed they were acting more reserved than he expected. Noticing his confused expression, Tiona opened her mouth and explained. "The moment we brought you out of the dungeon, these two had been in a flurry after seeing your unconscious body. In the entire 9 days you were unconscious, they barely left your side."Hearing that he had been unconscious for nine days, Vahn was very surprised. The last-ditch efforts of the Juggernaut had done more damage than he expected, and it was very likely he had been on the verge of death at that time. Seeing the two crying girls that he had parted ways with previously in a confident manner, Vahn felt a terrible feeling in his heart. Placing his hand on both of their heads, Vahn muttered in a low voice, "I'm sorry...Lili...Naaza. I didn't mean to worry you.""It wasn't just the two of them that were worried, ya know~? Ais and Lefiya have been down in the dumps all weeks after you failed to wake up." Vahn stared toward Ais and Lefiya, and he could see a sad look in Ais's eyes. She looked directly at Vahn and said, "I'm glad you woke up. I was worried." Ais didn't deny Tiona's claim at all, but Lefiya seemed somewhat hesitant as she said, "I'm also glad you are awake..."Vahn felt happy to have the two girls' care, but he was a bit confused by a matter and couldn't help but ask while looking at Tiona,"Were you not worried?" Tiona began to smile with all of her teeth showing as a passionate fervor filled her eyes, "No way~! The entire time you were asleep, I kept telling everyone you would wake up! There is no way a hero would be defeated in such a way, hahahahaha-ack!" Toward the end of her laugh, Tiona choked a bit and Vahn could see that, while she likely believed he would wake up, she was still worried about him.Vahn began to laugh out loud after seeing Tiona's gaffe, and the entire room seemed to go silent as he was unable to repress the emotions that had been building inside of him. Seeing so many people concerned about his well-being, Vahn felt incredibly happy and fulfilled. Tiona's actions had been the last straw and, even though he felt guilty for having worried them, he was unable to repress his happiness any longer.Everyone in the room stared at the boy who was both laughing and crying at the same time. Though he seemed unaware of it himself, Vahn was currently in tears as he widely smiled at everyone in the room. They could all feel the relief and happiness contained within his voice, and everyone present began to feel happy, chasing away all the negative feelings that had been present previously.---After everything had settled down, Vahn was required to give every girl a hug before Granny Marin shooed them all out of the ward. Even Lefiya gave Vahn a short hug before departing with the rest of the girls. Once everyone was gone, the only people left in the room were Granny Marin, Hephaestus, and Vahn. Hephaestus sat next to the bedside and grabbed Vahn's hand while Granny Marin began speaking."Kid, I honestly don't know how you're alive right now. After the Loki Familia brought you to me, I checked your condition and, by all rights, you should be dead. Your brain had suffered severe trauma and the liquid inside had increased to such an extent that, even if it didn't kill you, you should have been in a coma for the rest of your life." Granny Marin looked at Vahn like he was a corpse that had got up off the table and started parading around."For now, you'll need to take time off from adventuring for the foreseeable future. I would suggest you spend time recuperating to see if there are any sequelae that present themselves. If nothing happens within three months, you should be fine to head back into the dungeon. And don't try to sneak in either; I already informed all of the Guild Staff to bar your entrance, and if they catch you there will be consequences." Granny Marin had a firm tone to her voice, and Vahn didn't feel like there was any room for negotiation.From his side, Hephaestus had decided to speak up and piggyback the words of Granny Marins, "Don't worry, until I've confirmed with my own eyes that he is fit and healthy, I won't allow him to enter into the dungeon. Even if I have to lock him away inside my workshop for the entire three months." Hephaestus, much like Granny Marin, also spoke with a firm tone. Her words actually made Vahn a little scared but, seeing the concern in her eyes, he couldn't find it in himself to refute her.Vahn could see from his system that he was in perfect health, but he felt he owed it to everyone that had been concerned about him to rest for a while. He could always spend the time improving his blacksmithing skills and studying medicine with Naaza. Vahn hadn't made much time to explore the City, and this would be a good chance to do so while he was unable to enter the dungeon.Nodding his head, Vahn looked toward the two 'fierce' women and said, "I understand. I will take the next three months off to recover fully. I'm not in any particular rush to go back into the dungeon anyway." Granny Marin nodded at his response, while Hephaestus released a relieved sigh. She knew that, if Vahn wanted to, he would find a way to enter the dungeon somehow. Seeing him so cooperative, a lot of the feelings that had been stressing her out in the two weeks faded away.Hephaestus asked Granny Marin, "When can he go home?" The Doctor shook her head and nearly spat out the words, "Just take him. With my prognosis, he should have been in that bed for the rest of his life. He obviously has something special about him to bring him back from the brink. I'm not going to meddle in your Familia's secrets, just make sure to foot the bill properly." Granny Marin had quickly become paranoid about a patient like Vahn. It seemed like every time she saw him, it lead to a mess and an increase in the pressure she had to deal with.Hearing Granny Marin's 'consent', Hephaestus had a big smile on her face. Looking towards Vahn, she spoke her next words with more affection than she had ever mustered in all her millions of years of existence, "Let's go home, Vahn." Vahn noticed how happy Hephaestus was, and it felt like her mood had seeped into him from the point of contact in his hand. He nodded his head and returned her smile, "Let's go home."Title: Return(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Sleepy Boi','A wild Hephaestus appears!','Surrounded by fire and flowers')

On the morning of Vahn's second day in the dungeon, Hephaestus awoke in a groggy state. She felt uncomfortable, and after looking at her disorderly clothing, she began to recall memories of the previous night. Hephaestus was flustered as she tried to fix her clothing, but noticed there was a discomforting feeling coming from within the fabrics. Sighing, she eventually left the couch and changed her clothes at a wardrobe located on the far side of the officeAfter wearing some fresh clothes, Hephaestus stared at her dirty laundry and powerful embarrassment enveloped her. She couldn't believe she had used Vahn as an accompaniment to her self-pleasuring. Remembering how innocent and naive he was, Hephaestus couldn't help but feel ashamed of her actions. She felt as though, just like the clothing she had soiled, she was a very dirty person...Trying to push the matters aside, Hephaestus tried to get some work done since she had slacked off the day prior. Unfortunately, this was also around the same time Vahn began his escapades on the second floor, and Hephaestus immediately became distracted by his increased heart rate. No matter how much she tried to ignore it, especially after the matters of the previous night, she was unable to do so. Eventually, she gave up trying to work and just put her head down on her desk while using her arms as a pillow.Focusing her mind, she could feel the various moments of excitement Vahn was going through. Hephaestus felt like he must be enjoying himself, and she wondered what kind of monsters he was facing to be having so much fun. After listening to and experiencing the various emotions, Hephaestus was disturbed by a knocking at the door. With a grim face, she left her desk and approached the door to see who had come by.Opening the door, Hephaestus recognized the man as one of her security detail. He was a tall man with lanky arms, black hair, and brown eyes named Jakk. "Yes, what is it Jakk? Why disturb my work...I am busy." Hephaestus asked the question, but she noticed that Jakk just stared at her like he had seen something unbelievable. After a few moments, just as Hephaestus was beginning to get annoyed, the man pointed to her face and said, "Your eyepatch...it's gone?"Seeing his pointing, Hephaestus reached her hand up and touched her face. Just as Jakk had said, ever since Vahn healed her eye, Hephaestus hadn't been wearing her eyepatch. Due to her dazed state, she had completely forgotten about the matter and answered the door out of habit. Hephaestus noticed that, as she was touching her face, the man named Jakk had a change in his expression as he smiled slightly. "I didn't know you were so beautiful under the eyepatch. It's a shame you don't take it off more often."Hearing Jakk's compliment, Hephaestus immediately felt sick in her stomach. In the years he had been working for her, other than a few looks every now and then, most of the security detail didn't have the courage to speak to her, much less try to flirt with her. His words, though the sounded polite, were nothing by a grating noise in Hephaestus's ears. "I asked why you are here," Hephaestus spoke in a cold tone as she stared toward him angrily.Jakk became flustered after seeing Hephaestus get angry; his eyes grew wide as he put his hands up in a defensive posture. He was just trying to give her a compliment, and he didn't think she would take so much offense. "A-ah, there was a customer that wanted to establish a contract with you. They are waiting at the negotiations table..."Hephaestus continued to glare at Jakk, even after he explained the purpose of his visit. In a cold voice, she spoke, "Tell them I am busy working on personal projects right now and am not taking any new clients for the time being. Leave here, and do not disturb me for the rest of the day." Hephaestus disliked how, even though she was obviously annoyed by his 'look', Jakk continued to stare at her face and eye even after she gave him a harsh look.Jakk nodded his head like a chicken before making his way toward his post. However, after he walked a few steps, he couldn't help but turn his head to catch another glance at Hephaestus. Seeing the audaciousness of her employee, Hephaestus felt her anger reach a boiling point in an instant. In a cold voice, she slowly spoke the words, "You are fired. If I see you around my workshop in the future, I'll have the City guards detain you."Hearing her words, Jakk's mind blanked out and he tried to mumble an excuse but, seeing how angry Hephaestus looked, he didn't have the courage to say anything. Bowing as low as he could, Jakk turned around and quickly left the premises without turning back. After a few minutes, the chief security guard Zaff came by and inquired about Jakk's departure. Hephaestus still had her face uncovered, but Zaff had enough tact to keep his comments to himself. After hearing the reason, he apologized to Hephaestus and swore such a thing wouldn't happen in the future.For the next few hours, Hephaestus was in a foul mood. The fact someone thought they could hit on her the moment her face was healing really pissed her off. Even if they had no ill-intent, she wasn't the type to take any flattery others were willing to dish out. Now that her face was no longer disfigured, Hephaestus felt an overwhelming sense of pride and confidence inside of her. She wouldn't defer to anyone that simply saw her looks and planted a target on her without considering their place and capabilities.In her angered state, the vision of a young boy flashed in her mind, and Hephaestus began to calm down. She released a long sigh and decided today would be another day where she was unable to get any work done. Instead, she decided she would visit the Divine Bathhouse and clean her body while relaxing. Even though she changed her clothing earlier, there was still a bit of discomfort which she wanted to wash away...---After her day at the Divine Bathhouse and a peaceful nights sleep, Hephaestus was in a much better mood than the previous day. When she had left yesterday, Hephaestus did so without wearing her eyepatch. She walked around confidently and drew the eyes of many onlookers along the way to her destination. When she finally arrived at the Divine Bathhouse, many of her fellow goddesses were in complete shock at seeing her uncovered face. Hephaestus spent the rest of the evening talking about Vahn and surrounded by people that teased her for doing so. After returning home, she was very tired and immediately fell asleep while listening to Vahn's heartbeat.Hephaestus decided she had to do some work today, or it would begin to pile up and become a problem in the near future. As the most prolific blacksmith in the City, she didn't have much leisure time to sit around idling. No matter how much Vahn's heartbeat distracted her, she still had to do her job, so she resolved herself and entered her workshop.Several hours later, Hephaestus was making good progress on a sword, when she suddenly felt a powerful fear grip her chest. She immediately tossed the sword aside and began to focus on the beating in her soul. She could feel that Vahn wasn't excited, but very, very afraid. The fear continued to build inside, and Hephaestus knew something was wrong, and Vahn had come across something that scared him terribly. The stronger his fear, the more afraid Hephaestus grew as well because there was nothing she was able to do to help.Hephaestus immediately sent an emergency message to Tsubaki, who began gathering members for a rescue party. Those that showed up were predominately the members that had been gathered the previous time, and seeing their goddess without an eyepatch surprised them greatly. However, the most impactful part of the scene was how pale and concerned Hephaestus was acting, and they knew the matter was very serious for her to be in such dire straits.As the members gathered outside of the entrance of the dungeon, similar to the previous incident, Hephaestus's heart began to calm. She could sense that Vahn was no longer afraid, and realizing this, Hephaestus nearly collapsed to the ground in relief. Tsubaki had been nearby, and she caught Hephaestus before she was able to fall. "Is he okay now?" Tsubaki was also very concerned about Vahn, as Hephaestus had informed her about the connection they shared.Hephaestus had a relieved smile on her face as she explained what she was feeling to Tsubaki. After understanding the situation, Tsubaki informed the rescue party and, though some of them were a bit annoyed, most of them were happy things had taken a positive turn. They stayed in the area for a while before agreeing to meet up later and have drinks, courtesy of Tsubaki, as repayment for their troubles.Afterward, Tsubaki informed Hephaestus that there was an expedition heading into the dungeon later that day, so the two met with the representatives and passed Vahn's information to them. Hephaestus made them vow that, if they met Vahn and he was in trouble, they would do whatever they could to assist him. Grant and Meryl agreed without much resistance, as they could see the concern and worry in their goddesses' face. They wondered what kind of boy Vahn was to have made such an impact on their usually 'cool' and 'stoic' goddess.---The next two days passed relatively uneventfully. Hephaestus was still concerned with Vahn, but she could feel his heart beating steadily in her soul, and it brought her some level of comfort. Other than a few instances where he seemed excited, the next few days were much easier to deal with than the previous two. Hephaestus actually managed to get some work done and completed some of her contracts. The 'eternal flame' had become much more powerful recently, and Hephaestus even saw wisps of vermillion in the flame from time to time. With its cooperation, she was able to finish her tasks with incredible efficiency, so much so that it even surprised her.After a relatively peaceful nights sleep, Hephaestus was awoken early the next morning by a knock on her door. As she was much calmer lately, she answered the door without any negative emotions clouding her mind. Instead of Jakk, the man she had fired, the messenger was now a powerful looking female. She was slightly taller than Hephaestus with auburn hair and purple eyes. "Good morning Hephaestus-sama, there is a Goddess named Anubis here who would like to speak with you."The woman was very polite, even though she had the build of a fierce warrior. Hephaestus made a note to commend Zaff for his selection of personnel later as she moved to the private meeting area where Hephaestus dealt with her VIP clientele. Entering the room, Hephaestus saw a very beautiful goddess with olive-brown skin, long black hair, large pointed chienthrope ears, a bushy tail, and a very regal attire. The most notable thing though were the eyes of the goddess, which seemed to contain a gentle golden light similar to the full moon.Noticing Hephaestus's entrance, the goddess put down the tea she was drinking and gave a polite bow toward the crimson-eyed goddess. "Greetings Goddess Hephaestus, I am known as Anubis, Goddess of the Anubis Familia that recently arrived in the City." Hephaestus gave a curt nod before sitting on the opposite sofa. It wasn't uncommon for gods and goddesses that recently arrived in the City to seek her out. Many wanted to form bonds and even establish cooperation with her, as she was the head of the 3rd most powerful Familia and the largest of all the production Familia in the City."What can I do for you, Anubis?" Hephaestus expected the normal courtesies and requests but was surprised when Anubis handed her a letter instead. Holding the envelope in her hands, Hephaestus gave Anubis a questioning look. Anubis said, "I was entrusted this letter by a boy named Vahn. He had given it to my children after they had...a misunderstanding." Anubis frowned after recalling the event as recounted by her children. She felt both angry and thankful to the boy named Vahn, and his action of sparing her children was what led her to Hephaestus.After hearing that it was a letter from Vahn, Hephaestus immediately opened it while asking,"What kind of misunderstanding? Vahn isn't the type to approach people and cause trouble." Hephaestus had noticed the 'discomfort'of Anubis and thought she was concealing something. Before reading the letter, she wanted to confirm her suspicions. Anubis, hearing the question, sighed before explaining the events. As the recounting the second-hand tale, Hephaestus could feel the blood in her body turn cold as she glared at the goddess in front of her. For Vahn to attack people, he must have felt threatened or had a very good reason for doing so.Hephaestus began reading the letter, and the cold blood in her veins seemed to drop an additional twenty degrees as a fierce rage began to spread through her mind. Within the letter, Vahn explained the events that had transpired from his perspective. He spoke of a god named Osiris that had been targeting him, and Hephaestus even believed he may have been the cause for Vahn's fear previously.Anubis, who had been sitting quietly across from Hephaestus, began to feel a cold sweat on her back as she stared toward the angry Goddess. As she was unaware of the contents of the letter, she had hoped it didn't complicate the matters since Vahn seemed to be the rational type from her understanding. Eventually, Hephaestus finished the letter before coldly looking at Anubis. "Why are you and that idiot god after Vahn? Even if Vahn says you aren't a threat if your answer doesn't satisfy me..." As she spoke, Hephaestus's expression grew grim as the stared into the frowning face of Anubis.Anubis wasn't afraid of Hephaestus, but imagining the danger her children would face, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva under the pressure. "Even I am unsure of the reason. I was asked to come to the City by Osiris to help deal with an anomaly. According to him...the boy named Vahn does not have a soul. As both our divinities are related to death, we can see the soul of all living creatures. Osiris seems to have a grudge against Vahn, but I only wanted to confirm if the matter was true..."Hephaestus nodded, but her expression hadn't become any better after hearing Anubis's explanation. She said, "For now, I want to meet this idiot named Osiris. As long as you stay out of my way, I'll arrange for your meeting with Vahn once he returns. I can assure you, this is probably some scheme of that pathetic friend of your's." Hephaestus said the words with such confidence that even Anubis believed she had been tricked by Osiris. She already expected there to be a greater reason behind his hatred for the boy, and seeing the firm manner in which Hephaestus spoke, she felt like she had been used.---Later that day, the Hephaestus Familia had surrounded the location of the Osiris Familia, which happened to be in a disreputable location near Daedelus Street. It was a small, run-down facility that looked like a criminal's hangout. After a brief conflict between the two Familia, Hephaestus ended up confronting Osiris who tried lashing out at her with various accusations and curses. Hephaestus struck the god fiercely across the face before detaining him using a seal specifically created to imprison gods. She would leave him with the Guild as they conduct their investigation, and if it turns out he was plotting against Vahn for personal reasons, she would make sure he received a one-way ticket back to Heaven.Anubis had been present during the raid, and seeing the unquenchable anger of Hephaestus, she felt like she and Osiris had accidentally awakened a fierce beast from its slumber. She suddenly felt very thankful for Vahn having spared her children and writing the letter to redirect Hephaestus's hatred away from her own Familia...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Roller coaster of emotions','Don't mess with bae','RIP Osiris')

Vahn found his footing before he looked at Lefiya, who had still been staring at him with her accusatory look. Seeing her expression, Vahn felt like something in the back of his mind was sinking and he thought anything he might say would just sound like an excuse. "Sorry...I just don't like to see people sad." Lefiya's expression softened a bit at his words, but it wasn't long before her brows furrowed again."So why is it that all the people you try to 'comfort' happen to be girls? I'm sure there are plenty of men and women in the rest of the group that could use your 'support'." Lefiya emphasized the important words as she continued to stare at his flustered appearance. Vahn was actually considering her words, and turning his head, he was able to see a number of people that were also worried or scared.Vahn noticed that Lefiya wasn't entirely wrong in her claim, and he had actually been focusing more on the characters he knew from the story instead of the entire group as a whole. Realizing his 'mistake', Vahn frowned and began channeling his [Hands of Nirvana] into his domain with his maximum effort. A gentle, almost imperceptible white aura began to permeate throughout the corridor. The adventurers behind felt all of their stamina recovering, as the dark shadows that had begun to creep their way into their hearts were diffused by the warm energy.Lefiya noticed Vahn's actions and sighed even deeper than she did previously. In a quiet voice, she muttered in a manner that even Vahn wasn't able to hear. "I see, you're just an idiot..." Lefiya thought Vahn was the type to just mislead and chase after women, but recalling all the experiences she had with him up till this point, she realized he was just ignorant regarding a lot of things. He seemed completely devoid of a lot of the common-sense possessed by normal people. Even she, who had grown up in a somewhat sheltered environment, had more awareness than he did.Lefiya felt like, in a lot of ways, Vahn was just a child. Even when he had entered the bath with them earlier, he seemed to be completely immune to the presence of naked women around him. It wasn't until Tiona kissed him afterward that he began to question his actions. She began to wonder what kind of life a person would have to live to be so devoid of common social skills. In a way, she even began to feel pity for Vahn...she felt like, if someone had tried to take advantage of his apparent kindness, he would have suffered a lot if he hadn't met Tiona and Ais first.Vahn continued channeling his [Hands of Nirvana] until the group arrived at their setup location. They could hear the sounds of fighting nearby, and the reverberations of the powerful attacks were shaking the very dungeon itself. The party split into small groups and began forming a concave formation surrounding the corridor that the 'vanguard' would be pulling the Juggernaut through. Tensions began to rise as everyone prepared various long-range weapons and defensive spells.Vahn was assigned the role of acting as a support unit, so he was at the back of the group with Lefiya and Riveria. Tione and Tiona waited at the flanks near the corridor's entrance and were preparing to blindside the Juggernaut the moment it entered the room. Riveria began chanting a powerful one-way defensive magic that would be able to protect the party while still allowing them to attack. She then began chanting various area-of-effect buffs while targeting the various adventurers in the group.Lefiya, who was also supposed to be using support magic, looked toward Vahn before she performed her duties. "Vahn, no matter what, make sure you survive. Not just here, but no matter what happens in the future." Lefiya, like Tiona, believed that Vahn had the makings of a hero. His naive personality, combined with his desire to grow stronger and protect others, meant that, as long as he was able to survive, he would likely save countless lives in the future. Even if his relationship with Ais bothered her, she didn't want him to die just because he was currently weak.Vahn gave a bright smile toward Lefiya as his form rapidly changed into that of his Báihǔ transformation. "Thank you Lefiya. I promise I will survive." Vahn then pulled out his bow and knocked a mithril arrow onto the string. Lefiya was a bit surprised seeing his transformation up close, even though she had seen it during his previous fight. The transformation seemed to enhance his features a bit and gave him a 'wild' aura and a confident demeanor. It was almost like, with his physical transformation, his mentality also underwent a drastic change."Lefiya, I need your help with the preparations. We are short on time." Riveria was slowly beginning to become annoyed with how Vahn seemed to distract all the girls in the party since his arrival. She agreed that he had some fascinating aspects to him, but she didn't expect him to so drastically influence 'experienced' adventurers. She felt like, if she hadn't said anything, she would have had to buff the entire party on her own while Lefiya just stared toward Vahn.Lefiya jumped after hearing the cold words of Riveria. She began to quickly cast her buff magic on the groups starting from the left, the opposite side of where Riveria had started. Within a few minutes, everyone was ready and the shaking of the dungeon grew in intensity. At this point, the 'ambush' party could feel the individual explosions of the attacks and the powerful impacts that resulted from the collisions.A few moments later, Ais exited from the corridor, and everyone could see she was slightly covered in blood with a few bruises. Vahn, seeing her state, almost ran out to help her, but Riveria shouted, "Wait, Vahn. Stick to the plan or you'll only make things worse!" Riveria's command was sharp, and the words seemed to cut straight into him, making Vahn unable to move forward. Moments after Ais's appearance, Bete and Finn also exited the corridor in a somewhat worse-for-wear state.Finn was marginally less injured, and he immediately shouted out to the 'ambush' party, "Prepare yourselves!" After his shout, Finn spun around and held his spear low to the ground while waiting for the thundering creature to make its appearance. Bete and Ais retreated and began applying potions to their wounds so they could rejoin the fight. After another twenty seconds, a somewhat small figure came launching out of corridor at a fast speed. Sliding about 15m, Vahn recognized the figure as Gareth, who was in a much worse state than everyone that previously appeared.Almost immediately after Gareth was launched into the room, an incredibly fast moving monster emerged from the corridor. Vahn immediately recognized it as the 10m long, skeletal, Juggernaut. Like before, it was missing half of its face, and it now seemed to be covered in a variety of other wounds. The atmosphere in the room became intense in an instant as the two amazon sisters immediately attack from the sides of the creature.Tiona, wielding her massive Urga, landed a powerful blow into the torso of the Juggernaut, while her sister, Tione, tried to sever ones of its seemingly frail-looking limbs. Unfortunately, almost as if to make a mockery of the fierce attacks, Tione's daggers barely left a scratch on the thin arms, while Tiona's Urga only knocked the Juggernaut into the ground while leaving a small crack on its shell.Finn tried to use the moment when it was pressed to the ground to impale its head with his spear, but the blade only penetrated a few inches before the Juggernaut flailed and sent him flying with its spinning motion. Using its incredible speed, the Juggernaut tried to attack toward the nearby Tiona, but it was awarded for its efforts by a powerful body slam by Gareth. Though he hadn't fully recovered yet, Gareth wasn't the type to stand by and watch his companions get injured.The Juggernaut sent Gareth flying as Tiona opened up the distance and tried to lose it's aggro. At this point, there was nobody around the Juggernaut, so a barrage of attacks from the 'ambush' party came raining in on it. Though they were predominately ineffective, there were a few lucky attacks that managed to leave light wounds on the creature. Vahn had also loosed an arrow toward the remaining eye of the Juggernaut, but there seemed to be a strange force preventing it from penetrating the eye-socket.Screaming in rage, the Juggernaut released a powerful aura that knocked many of the projectiles from the sky. Almost as if had realized something in the attack, the Juggernaut turned its gaze before leaning forward in a crouching position. The arrow that had almost penetrated its eye reminded it of a previous encounter, and it turned towards the source and saw the enemy that had escaped it previously. A hazy steam began to build up around the Juggernaut as it began to enter a berserker state.At the end of its vision, Vahn suddenly felt as if he had been gripped by an imaginary force. The moment his arrow had landed, it was almost like the Juggernaut had locked onto him amongst all the adventurers present. He could see a seething hatred in its eye as his instincts began ringing alarms in his head. Vahn's pupils shrunk to the size of pinholes as the figure of the Juggernaut began accelerating toward him in slow motion.Unfortunately, no matter how slow the Juggernaut seemed to be moving, Vahn's body didn't seem to be listening to him. He stood there in the motion of just have loosed an arrow as the Juggernauts figure began to approach. All the sounds in the area seemed to become muted as the colors started fading from the vision he was seeing. The only thought passing through Vahn's mind was that of his impending death.As the enraged Juggernaut lurched forward to attack, it slammed heavily into the shield Riveria had formed to protect the 'ambush' party. She began to frown as she continued channeling her mana to sustain the shield. Finn, who had seen the strange actions of the Juggernaut, was incredibly confused by the turn of events. Though monsters sometimes displayed intelligence, Finn had never seen one completely ignore the people close to it and try to eliminate the weaker opponents first.Jumping to attack the enraged creature, Finn tried to follow its gaze and noticed that it seemed entirely focused on Vahn who was standing behind the rest of the party with Riveria and Lefiya. Finn thought, ("Could the Juggernaut remember Vahn having escaped its grasp previously? But, even if that was the case, there is no reason for it to act in such a ferocious manner..."). Suddenly, Finn remembered the green arrow that had collided against the shadowy substance of the Juggernaut's eye. Seeing the bow in Vahn's hand, Finn realized it must have become enraged after nearly losing its only remaining eye.Seeing the Juggernaut smash into the shield, Vahn was finally broken from the spell he was under. The moment of his demise that he had anticipated never came, and now he was able to see the Juggernaut smashing its claws into the shield in a rage. Finn, Tiona, Tione, Gareth, and Ais all began attacking its exposed back with heavy attacks. However, the Juggernaut just flailed and pushed them away with its arms and legs as it continued trying to destroy the barrier. The only thing on its feeble mind was destroying the accursed boy that had destroyed half of its face.Riveria's shield began showing cracks, but Lefiya began chanting a spell that enforced its structure. Every time new cracks would appear, they would rapidly heal which caused the Juggernaut to rage even more. Vahn, believing the barrier may not hold, repositioned himself behind Lefiya and Riveria and placed his palms on their backs. Though they were curious about his actions, they couldn't interrupt their chanting to question him. However, their concerns were soon blown away when they felt a powerful energy seeping into their bodies. Their diminishing mana reserves were rapidly restoring at a rate faster than they were being consumed.Instead of focusing on inputting the energy into his domain, Vahn imbued the entirety of his energy into his [Hands of Nirvana] with the support of his [Yggdrasil's Blessing]. He was converting his pure 'source' energy into mana, and it was easily able to replenish the mana stores of the two girls. The barrier that had been struggling to maintain itself now became solid and even glowed more brightly than it previously had.Seeing the barrier restored, the tensions in the room exploded as everyone began to shout out with loud war cries. The ambush party began focusing their attacks on the damaged areas of the Juggernaut as the Level 5-6 members continued to land heavy blows on the creatures frame. Slowly but surely, the Juggernauts actions began to slow as blood was dripping from the wounds all over its body. In its last moments of life, just as Finn channeled his strongest attack in a leaping lunge toward its core, the Juggernaut stared at Vahn with a hate-filled expression.Vahn felt a mental attack hit his mind as a powerful and corrosive energy tried to destroy his brain. His [Will of the Emperor] immediately exploded and resisted the attack, but Vahn still took a heavy amount of damage. A nauseous filling immediately overwhelmed him and it seemed like all the energy was draining from his body. Falling between the gap of the two elves, Vahn made contact with the ground at the exact same time as the Juggernaut did.The two stared at each other one last time before both falling into different forms of unconsciousness. Before Vahn completely blacked out, he mouthed the words that he had used to previously part with the Juggernaut. 'Fuck you'

Chapter 106: *Spoilers: Title at End*

Chapter 106: Spoilers: Title at End