Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Unaware that they had been noticed, the presences in the surrounding area remained hidden even after Vahn entered a combat state. Vahn turned his head and saw two men behind him as a group of three appeared at the opposite end of the alley. Seeing their predatory eyes and attempts to appear intimidating, Vahn had no illusions that the men weren't enemies. He transformed into his Báihǔ form and the men started laughing as the largest enemy in front of Vahn crossed his arms with an evil grin on his face.The man was around 180cm tall and looked to weight around 230lbs of pure muscle. He had brown hair and purple eyes and his entire body was covered in battle scars. He looked at Vahn like he was appraising a piece of meat in the market and opened his mouth and said without a humorous tone, "So, this is the famou-" Before the man could finish speaking, Vahn had leaned forward and rapidly closed the distance and tried to sink his claws into the man's stomach.Unprepared for the sudden attack, the man barely managed to cross his arms to receive Vahn's blow. He could feel the bones of his body creak and he was sent back several meters before he was able to regain his footing. He had a grim expression on his face as he prepared to threaten Vahn, but the words got stuck in his throat when he saw the sight in front of him.After failing to incapacitate their leader, Vahn immediately attacked the two men that had been at the scarred man's sides. They were also caught unprepared by his sudden attack as Vahn gripped their wrists and crushed the bones as he twisted his body and slammed them into the walls opposite of where they previously stood. Vahn then crouched low and stared at the man that had blocked his previous blow with a cold and emotionless look on his face.The scarred man immediately realized that Vahn wasn't the easy mark they had thought, but didn't lose his confidence as he unsheathed a knife and got into the stance of a veteran knife-fighter. He held his left hand out and low in a loose position while holding the knife near his hip to allow for an optimal thrusting angle. Staring at the tiger-like boy in front of him, he displayed a somewhat crazy expression as he threatened, "You'll pay for that, kid."At this point, the other two men at the opposite of the alleyway had closed the distance between Vahn with short metal clubs in their hands. Vahn scanned his vision over the two enemies before turning his attention towards the roof where there were three more enemy signatures. He had marked everyone on his map and could easily track their location within 300m from his current position. Satisfied with the result, Vahn smiled at the scarred man before disappearing from the spot when the two men had tried to attack the back of his head.All three men's eyes widened as the entered a cautious state, but they were still unable to respond to Vahn who had appeared from behind them. Even though he hadn't mastered Shundo, his increased agility and perception in his Báihǔ form while having his domain active allowed him to cover short distances in an instant. The moment they tried to attack him, Vahn used Shundo and disappeared through the small gap between their bodies and used his superheated claws to reach forward and stab into the spines of the two assailants. They immediately dropped to the ground paralyzed and unable to even scream out from the intense pain.Having dealt with four of the thirteen enemies, Vahn turned his attention back to the scarred man who had been too afraid to move forward after watching another two of his companions fall in such a cruel manner. Even though he was a Level 3, he had absolutely no confidence in being able to outmaneuver Vahn given the speed he had displayed. As soon as Vahn leaned forward slightly, he shouted out, "Don't fucking move another step unless you want those two cat bitches to suffer!"The moment Vahn heard the man's words, his mind blanked and the cold feeling in his mind reaching an absolute low. Seeing Vahn's 'hesitation', the man showed a cruel smile as his confidence began to return. However, before he could even utter another word he felt Vahn's killing intent lock onto him as the burst of a golden aura spread throughout the area. Without being able to react in the slightest, the man felt a powerful impact through his back as he saw a resplendent golden chain pierce through his body and penetrate into the ground.After being pierced by [Enkidu], the man vomited blood and nearly collapsed forward but his body was being held up by the perfectly rigid chain. He turned his head to find the source of the unexpected attack and saw golden ripples in mid-air less than a meter behind his back. Gritting his teeth, the man took a deep breath and shouted, "Beat this mother fucker to death!!"The scarred man had a crazy look in his eyes as he held onto the chain penetrating through his gut and tried to forcibly remove it. He imaged that, any second now, Vahn would be assailed by the rest of his comrades and they would be able to get their revenge before forcing him to listen to their demands. However, today didn't seem like the scarred man's day, since the chain in his stomach seemed indestructible. He couldn't even make it wiggle a single millimeter and no matter how much time passed, the allies that he had called out for never showed up.Vahn immediately closed the distance to the man and placed his red-hot hand on the man's chest and burned a hole clear through the fabric of his clothes before leaving a burned palm print deep into his flesh. Even though there were pedestrians in the area, most of them had run away while some brave ones had even left to retrieve the guards. Vahn paid them no mind as he stared coldly into the eyes of the man and asked, "What...did...you...do?"Even though he had just screamed out like a pig when Vahn burned him, the man still had a crazy smile on his face as he spat a mouthful of blood toward Vahn which evaporated before it got anywhere near him. He said in a low and cruel voice, "After you pulled this shit...expect them to suffer...I hope you're satisfied!!!"All the man got for his troubles was Vahn reaching forward with his index finger before planting it into the man's deep purple eye. The scarred man squealed in a pig being slaughtered as he began cursing out and yelling, "WHERE THE FUCK IS EVERYONE!?" So much time had passed, but none of his companions had shown up. He was completely unaware that Vahn had detected the men with his domain and had also impaled each of them with one of the chains. Though it took a major tole on his energy usage to summon them, keeping them out cost next to no energy. Because of this, Vahn was able to pin all nine of the remaining men for later questioning.Vahn explained in a cold voice, "Tell me what you wanted to accomplish here unless you want to lose your other eye." Finishing his words, Vahn lifted his index finger that radiated a fierce heat and pointed toward the last eye of the scarred man. As the finger inched ever closer, the man finally couldn't bear the pain and suspense he was experiencing as he groaned through bloodied teeth, "They're our hostages...if you want to see them...you'll do as we say..."Vahn's brows furrowed a bit, but he didn't stop his finger as he asked in a cold tone, "Who sent you? Why?" Since his finger wasn't far from the man's face, he was trying to arch his body back to avoid the approaching finger. Each of his movements made the wound in his stomach worse as the man vomited a second mouthful of blood. He gave Vahn a fierce look and said, "If you don't..fucking RELEASE ME...expect them to die!"Unimpressed by the man's threat, Vahn swiped his hand in a blurred motion that sent the right hand of the man, where he was hiding his knife, flying through the air. The scarred man screamed out again and felt like he was about to pass out from shock and blood loss. Vahn noticed this as well and dispelled the heat from his palm and began closing the man's wounds without removing [Enkidu] from his stomach. It nothing else, it would buy Vahn a few more minutes to get the answers he wanted.Vahn warned in a cold and emotionless manner, "I will ask you one last time before I decide you know nothing and move on to the other nine men that I captured. I'm certain one of them will be willing to answer my questions." He then absorbed fire elements into his hand before preparing to blind the scarred man's second eye.After hearing Vahn claim to have captured the nine hidden people in the surroundings, the man finally became truly afraid of the young boy before him. He was far crueler and resolute than any of them had expected before executing this operation. Given that his mind was also being suppressed by the effects of [Will of the Emperor], he could no longer resist the coercive nature of Vahn's threats.Seeing that the man had broken down into tears and started narrating the events that had transpired, Vahn waited patiently for him to explain the situation. The more he heard, the angrier he got, but Vahn's expression didn't change in the slightest. The only thing he could feel in his mind was a shockingly cold sensation that forcibly kept his mind clear and focused.According to the scarred man, who Vahn learned was called Macker, they had been keeping track of his movements ever since he left his house on Saturday. Since Vahn had dropped Tina off before leaving, they assumed she was someone important and confirmed their assumption when Vahn had returned in the evening. With such an easy mark like a mother and her daughter, the man just had to wait for Vahn to leave again before capturing the two. Even though Milan resisted, since she was a Level 3, they quickly forced her to concede after they captured Tina.From there, they trashed the Hearths Embrace and set fire to it before kidnapping the two girls and keeping them in a safe house nearby. They were planning on moving the two girls in the evening and intended to use them as barter for forcing Vahn to take a vow. Macker claimed to be unaware of the greater plan even after Vahn broke several of his fingers while watching the changes in his aura. After that, Vahn asked for the location of the safe house but Macker refused to tell him unless he made an oath to let him live.In response to his request, Vahn pulled out one of the nondescript black swords that he had forged inside the orb. It had a simple name, [004], and was part of the mass-produced series of blades Vahn had forged recently. At this point, the series had grown to [022] and Vahn decided it was more than the man deserved as he stared in disgust at the head that he had just sent flying through the air. With his black aura and the fact that he had kidnapped Milan and Tina in order to blackmail him, Vahn had little patience for the scumbag's request. Even though he obtained a bit of negative karma for torturing the information out of him, giving him a merciful death had more than made up for it.Vahn simultaneously removed [Enkidu] from the other eight men before retrieving their bodies and healing their wounds to an extent where they would not die from blood loss. It wasn't long before the City guards showed up and tried to surround Vahn, but he revealed his relation to the Hephaestus and Loki Familia and explained the details behind the ambush. Though they wanted to take him in for questioning, Vahn refused and gave them each cold looks before telling them to look for him after contacting Hephaestus. Every minute he wasted dealing with their bullshit would be another minute Milan and Tina weren't safe.The guards wanted to detain him regardless so Vahn just disappeared from the location using Shundo before they could even react. Even if it caused him problems later, Vahn wasn't going to waste time trying to explain the situation even further. He had already informed the guards of the kidnapping and burning of the Hearths Embrace, and they could investigate themselves later. Vahn wasn't going to wait idly by for the results of their investigation and jumped to a nearby roof before finding a safe spot and entering the orb.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Author-Style, Cliff Summoning Jutsu!','Vahn Gives No Fucks','Unstoppable [Enkidu]')(A/N: As a bit of clarification, the $640 is the amount that needs to clear at the end of the month, not the amount that is displayed on the ******* xD. I'll increase the number of chapters I release starting Monday, but I still hope there are more people willing to support me in the future &lt;3)If you'd like to support me on ******* so I can become a full-time writer, please follow this link~!https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $637/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D

Vahn awakened in the orb and Eva tried to land on top of him as she had done many times in the past. The moment she tried kissing him, she realized that something was wrong since Vahn wasn't reciprocating as usual. Sitting on his stomach, she looked down and saw the unveiled hatred in his face. For a brief moment, Eva thought he was angry at her and could feel fear welling up in her heart until Vahn began explaining the situation. After releasing a sigh and deciding to not punish him for being late, Eva offered her advice and it coincided with Vahn's intentions.Even though Vahn wanted to immediately go and save Milan and Tina, spending a few seconds of time to practice Shundo and learn a bit of magic would be the most optimal decision. Whenever he used [Will of the Emperor], even if he was beyond the rational level of anger, his mind was always calm and calculating. The moment he had escaped from the guards Vahn entered the orb to calm his mind and train with Eva.There was also another important thing he had to do while he was in the orb; Vahn wanted to retrieve Fafnir since he would be able to cross the City in a few short minutes instead of running on foot. Since Fafnir could now hide in his shadow, Vahn didn't need to unsummon it to conceal it in the future. No matter what problems he may have to face in the future, Vahn wasn't going to avoid using every trump card he had available just to avoid drawing attention to himself. Things were already to the point where people thought they could use the people he cared about against him, and Vahn had no patience for their games.After allowing Eva to replenish her energy by draining his blood, Vahn began receiving a crash course in Shundo. Though he could try to learn magic, actually obtaining the skill to use it would take months or even years for him to master. Shundo was an incredible technique, but it was also something that Vahn was well suited to learn given his current combat style. Even though two of the assailants had been Level 3, they weren't even able to react to his movements in his Báihǔ form.Though she was typically very affectionate towards Vahn, Eva had grown serious after understanding the severity of the situation Vahn was facing in the real world. For the next three days, she constantly drilled him on the use of Shundo with little rest between training sessions. Vahn supplemented his lack of stamina with senzu beans and meditation. For the entire duration of their training, Vahn hadn't disabled his domain for a single moment, even when Eva was draining his blood. Though he could use the time within the orb to calm his mind, Vahn didn't want to lose the tensions and drive that he had when entering.It wasn't until there were only ten hours left when Vahn finally took a rest to fully recover his mental energy. Unlike their normal baths, where Vahn would pamper Eva, she instead washed his body and allowed him to continue focusing his mind through meditation. Since Vahn could even keep his domain active in his sleep, he laid down in the bed to recover the rest of his energy in preparation for the coming fight. Though Eva often laid on top of his body, she just silently rested against his arm and remained relatively docile for the duration of their rest.Moments before Vahn left the orb, she gave him a passionate kiss before wishing him good fortune in battle. Though he was still focused, Vahn returned her kiss and gave her an affectionate smile as he rubbed her golden hair and willed himself to dissipate faster. Fafnir was already back in his inventory and now he would just have to re-summon it back in the real world. Though she wasn't fond of it, Vahn left behind (Nameless) so Eva wouldn't be lonely while he was away.Vahn awoke in the real world and immediately set out to take actions to track down Milan and Tina. While chugging an [Elixer] 10,000OP, Vahn constantly channeled his energy into the beautiful rainbow crystal in his hand. As Fafnir became stronger, the crystal that contained it became more resplendent and required more energy to awaken. The [Elixer] not only fully restored his health, but it also constantly recovered his energy which allowed him to finally summon Fafnir.The moment the 15m dragon appeared on the top of a roof, several people screamed out and began to run away in a panic. Though it wasn't uncommon for a tamer to have a monster within the City, they were often kept at the Ganesha Familia or within Babel tower in a large kennel operated by the Guild. For a dragon to appear out of thin air in the middle of the City, there was no way for people to not think it was an enemy. Fortunately, there weren't any high-level adventurers in the vicinity that wanted to test their luck against the 'evil' black dragon.After mounting Fafnir, Vahn managed to cover the hour-long trip within four minutes while causing no small amount of chaos for the City below. Since the City streets were wide and everyone had cleared the area since they were running away, Vahn was able to land in the middle of the street right in front of the burnt down Hearths Embrace. Though the fire had been contained early, the Inn was still in a state of severe disrepair and all the investigators and firefighters had fled the moment Vahn arrived.Since there would be trouble later, Vahn had Fafnir dive into the shadow of a nearby building and vanish from the now empty City street. Vahn immediately noticed the presence of familiar people approaching, but he decided to enter the remains of the Inn for the time being. He had a very specific intention for his visit and it would be of paramount importance when it came to finding Milan and Tina. It hadn't been long since he dealt with the assailants, and Vahn suspected they hadn't received notice of the failed ambush considering his speed.After a few seconds, Vahn arrived at his destination and broke down the burnt remains of the door that led to the room where he had slept with Milan and Tina the previous night. Even though there was a powerful burnt smell in the air, Vahn was able to detect the aroma of the two girls that had deeply permeated throughout the room. Since he was in his Báihǔ form, his olfactory senses were several times stronger than most people and he could even enhance them further with increased focus. Grabbing the bedding, Vahn deeply inhaled the fragrance and stored it within the receptors inside his nose as Nanu had taught him in the past.Vahn managed to perfectly memorize the scent and could detect it everywhere even when he left the burning remains and reunited with Hephaestus and a few members of her security team. Since the Hearths Embrace was nearby, she had received word of the fire earlier and had arrived with a team more than half an hour ago before returning to her workshop to relay the information to all the other girls. During the previous meeting, Hephaestus had given communication scrolls to everyone that didn't possess one. By the time Vahn had arrived at the scene, she was already on her way back after informing Loki, Anubis, Tsubaki, and Eina of what had happened.Seeing the fierce and cold look on Vahn's face, Hephaestus couldn't help but feel worried as she gave him a hug and promised, "We'll find them, Vahn." Vahn returned her embrace and said in a low and powerful tone, "I've recognized their scent; I'll track them down now and save them both." Though she wanted to stop him, Hephaestus could see the seriousness and conviction in his eyes so she just bit her lip in frustration before giving him a passionate kiss in front of the onlookers that had been gathering.Vahn wasn't in the mood for kissing, but he still reciprocated Hephaestus's gesture to let her know he was grateful for her concern. When they parted, Vahn brushed her face with his fingers and showed her a 'gentle' smile before disappearing from view. Other than Zaff, nobody had seen Vahn's departure and everyone, including him, were in awe at the display of speed. From their perspective, Vahn turned into a black shadowy blur before he disappeared entirely from their line of sight.Hephaestus stood there in silence and held her hand over her heart as she felt all the emotions that Vahn was experiencing right now. Though she felt pained and saddened by what he was going through, Hephaestus gripped her fists as a fiery and wrathful look appeared on her face. She turned toward Zaff and spoke in a commanding tone, "Gather everyone available, we'll crush whoever dared pulled a stunt like this." Zaff nodded his head in response and immediately began issuing orders as Hephaestus took at the pen and scroll that she had brought with her and sent messages to the other parties involved. It wouldn't be long before several of the major powers within the City were moving in concert to crack down on the mastermind that put this plot into motion.Since Vahn wouldn't be able to follow the trail while on Fafnir's back, he had to maneuver through the City on foot. He would periodically stop for a few seconds to make sure he could track the scent of Milan and Tina properly. Vahn noticed that the scent was tinged with fear, and this realization made the cold sensation in his mind spread further through his body. Imagining the small Tina crying and shivering in fear made Vahn feel like he was going to lose his mind. She was always so cheerful and in high-tensions and now, not more than two days after Vahn promised to protect them, both girls were suffering because of their relationship with him.Though Vahn didn't regret being with the two girls, he still hated himself a bit for his own lack of foresight. He always expected something to happen but never thought the first targets of his enemies would be those close to him. If they had targeted him, Vahn probably would have let them off lightly after breaking through the scheme. Now, however, they had targeted the people he cared about. Vahn swore to himself that he would make the people that caused Tina to feel fear experience the same emotion.As he dashed through the City, the smell of the two girls gradually increased until Vahn had turned through several back-streets where the disreputable types often called home. Since he had been using his stealth, Vahn had remained undetected as he landed on the roof of a relatively non-descript building. Through his domain, Vahn could sense several life-signs coming from the inside of the building, including two purple colored auras that he could recognize as Milan and Tina.Vahn noticed that they had been separated and Tina was by herself with two other life signs nearby, likely locked away in a room. The thing that made Vahn's mind go numb was the fact that Milan was surrounded by several auras that were colored black and red. He also noticed that, as time passed, Milan's aura would fluctuate before growing slightly dimmer. Vahn's rage almost exploded to the point where it pushed back the cold sensation in his mind but the cold sensation just grew more powerful until it became a biting chill that forced him to remain calm.Taking a deep breath, Vahn focused his mind to the absolute limits while closing his eyes. Though he couldn't see their full figures, Vahn could detect the basic outline of the bodies of everyone in the building. He saw that Tina was crouched down on the ground shivering while Milan was currently being beaten by seven other people. She was laying on the ground and Vahn could feel every impact on her body through his senses. The moment he locked on to the seven men, Vahn immediately used [Enkidu] to skewer them all before breaking in through one of the side windows.When he had used [Enkidu], Vahn had aimed for the men's heads and noticed that all of their auras immediately vanished. The rest of the people in the building were completely unaware of what was going on since even the bodies of the men hadn't fallen to the floor yet. After sneaking through the building for a few minutes, Vahn arrived at the room where Milan was currently laying. The moment he saw her, Vahn felt a painful feeling in his chest and nearly fell to the ground in anguish.Milan had been completely stripped naked and most of the bones on her body seemed to be broken with several bruises covering her skin. Perhaps because of her earlier resistance, but the men had been brutally beating her to pass the time. She was covered in various types of fluids other than blood and had a blank look on her battered face. Vahn could even see that she was missing several teeth and it looked like one of her eyes had been crushed. Her ears had been nipped and her tail was missing from her body.Vahn began hyperventilating even with the influence of [Will of the Emperor] as he approached the brutally beaten Milan and began healing her. While using [Hands of Nivana] to alleviate her pain, Vahn began using [Wounds Transfer] to gradually absorb the damage from her body into his own. He even purchased a [Heal] from the system and was simultaneously using it on both of their bodies. Though Vahn could feel his body being wracked with pain, he didn't show it on his face at all as tears silently poured from his eyes. He just continued to pat Milan's head and whispering comforting words to her during the healing process. His tears, unable to be contained by his face, dripped down onto the blank face of Milan who had yet to regain consciousness. The only thing she could feel was the warm energy entering her body as she began to subconsciously emit tears from her eyes.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A Divine Reckoning Approacheth','Fury beyond comprehension','Absolute Dominance, Absolute Anguish','This is a light-hearted slice-of-life novel where the MC was tortured for 14 years in a previous life kappa')If you'd like to support me on ******* so I can become a full-time writer, please follow this link~!https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $669/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D(A/N: I'll be updating the ******* goal soon and, even though I technically haven't reached my goal (since it needs to clear at the end of the month), I'll still be writing 50 chapters a week starting Monday.)

Not long later, Tiona actually came out of the changing room while Ais and Lefiya were still busying themselves with changing into their swimsuits. Since both Ais and Lefiya wore several layers of clothes and had dresses, they took a lot more time than Tiona who just had two pieces of fabric on her body.Vahn raised his brows slightly when Tiona came out of the changing room and showed off her new outfit. Since it was a bikini, the top looked a bit strange on Tiona since her breasts were on the smaller side of an A-Cup. The bottoms, however, were a black fabric held together with a stretchy string-like band and barely covered the fleshy and fit butt of Tiona. Though he had been working on his self-restraint, Vahn couldn't help but swallow his saliva at the sight when she spun around to give him a better look.Tiona had noticed his hardly concealed action and began laughing as she stuck to his arm and pressed her breasts against him. Vahn noticed that the fabric around her chest had risen a bit and he had serious concerns that it would fall off if she got carried away. Using his [Hands of Nirvana], he helped calm her mind a bit and managed to de-escalate the situation before things got out of hand.Tione, who had been observing the scene furrowed her brows a bit more since she felt like Tiona had gotten another win against her. Even though Vahn had complimented her bikini, the one that her sister had selected was even more revealing. She had also seen Vahn swallowing his saliva and she felt envious of her 'little' sister's success. Turning her head away, she began to browse for more swimsuits while the two 'love birds' acted lovey-dovey in their own little world.Though Tiona was still a bit excited, the moment Vahn began channeling the warm energy into her head she just smiled as she nuzzled against him without acting out too much. The calming energy didn't do much to prevent her rising emotions, but it allowed her to maintain her clarity long enough for Ais and Lefiya to finally exit the changing rooms. Seeing the two girls, she let go of Vahn and returned to wear her normal clothing. She had decided to buy both swimsuits since Vahn had complimented her when she wore either.Likely emulating Tiona and Tione, Ais had also worn a black swimsuit that made Vahn have a brief flashback of Eva. Since both girls had beautiful golden hair, seeing Ais in a black getup had reminded him of the over-affectionate vampire princess. Seeing that she was waiting for his compliment, Vahn showed her a happy smile before taking a better look at what she was wearing.Unlike the Amazon sisters, Ais's black swimsuit was a one-piece that covered the majority of the front side of her body while leaving her back mostly uncovered. There were several strings that bit into the skin around her waist before converging back to a point right above her tailbone. Overall, Vahn felt like the swimsuit was a bit too 'mature' for Ais considering she hadn't fully developed into the body of her future self. Even so, Vahn still paid her some heavy compliments which brought a smile to the typically blank expression of Ais. He realized that the longer they interacted with each other, the more expressive she became.Lefiya's swimsuit was the tamest of them all, but she also had the most bashful expression as she hung her crimson-colored face as she seemed to be waiting for Vahn's evaluation as she covered parts of her chest and groin with her hands. Vahn had a few mixed feelings about Lefiya and how she acted around him because he was never sure what to say to her. He knew that she liked Ais and also seemed to have positive feelings for him, but her actions made it very difficult to make conversation with her normally. Vahn didn't want to pressure her and felt like she was just getting caught up in the situation through association with Ais and Tiona.Even still, as long as she was making the effort to participate along with the other girls, Vahn didn't want to leave her out. He noticed that the swimsuit she was wearing was a one-piece that covered the majority of her torso and shoulders without leaving anything exposed. The entire thing was a natural looking white color with red flowers periodically dotting it. Around her waist, there was a red, somewhat transparent, sarong that covered her front and back. However, she didn't seem to have a lot of faith in it since Lefiya was still covering herself with her hands regardless.Overall, Vahn thought it was a very cute swimsuit and suited her young and petite body well. When he gave her compliments, she blushed even deeper and hung her head low before returning to the dressing room after thanking him in a stuttering voice. Ais also followed behind her and even entered into the same changing room. The moment Ais's back disappeared behind the thick black fabric blocking the view from the inside, he could hear Lefiya release a muted 'wawawawa' which made him laugh.Expecting the girls to return in their normal clothing, Vahn was completely unprepared for what happened next. Tione, who had entered the changing rooms earlier, came back out and, for a brief instant, Vahn didn't even think she was wearing clothing. She was wearing what essentially equated to a few strings of brown clothing that closely matched her own skin tone but with a more diffuse coloration.The string holding the incredibly small fabric that hid her delicates rode high into a V-shape on her hips before converging into the shape of a T above her entirely revealed butt. Since she had an almost identical figure to Tiona, she also had a very fit and somewhat fleshy butt that drew the eyes and caused Vahn to instinctively gulp.Since she had been showing it off, Tione had been paying attention to his reaction and smiled after seeing him gulp his saliva. Turning around, Vahn could see that the fabric around her moderately developed breasts created a triangular shape that didn't do much to conceal the contents. Before now, Vahn didn't know that a swimsuit could be so revealing and couldn't help but question the practicality of such a design. It almost seemed like it was designed more to draw attention than for actual swimming, especially with the almost skin-tone coloration.Tione saw where his eyes and wandered and lifted up her breasts with her hands and asking, "Which do you prefer, big ones like mine or small ones like my sister's?" In response to her question, Vahn blanked a bit since it was a question he seemed to be asked often. Shaking his head, he responded in a serious manner, "I think every girl has their own charms, regardless of the size and shape of their breasts. I think your breasts suit you while Tiona's breasts suit her. I feel the same way about other features as well..." Vahn's words trailed off a bit since the image of various butts passed through his mind.Tione didn't seem satisfied by his response much, but also couldn't find a way to refute it since it seemed like an 'honest', albeit non-committal, answer. She wanted to get more of a rise out of Vahn so she could get a little payback against Tiona, but it didn't seem like he was very cooperative. Remembering his gaze from earlier and how he had swallowed his saliva, she seemed to realize something before turning her back to Vahn while watching his face.As one of the butts that had passed through his mind, Vahn looked down to stare at the entirely defenseless flesh of Tione's backside. Other than the T-shaped fabric running down the crevice between her two cheeks, the rest of the skin was entirely revealed and Vahn couldn't help but have his eyes drawn to it. Tione had noticed his expression and a smile grew on her face as she clenched together her butt to emphasize it.Vahn's eyes widened a bit at her action before averting his eyes and staring at her smiling face. He realized that she had been teasing him and felt somewhat ashamed that he had fallen for her ploy. Turning his head away, he heard Tione asked in an amused voice, "Ehh~? Are you sure you don't want to keep staring? I think, just like my breasts, my butt is also bigger than Tiona's~."Before Vahn could respond, a pair of hands reached around from the front of the distracted Tione's body and firmly grabbed the two fleshy butt cheeks. Tione startled from the unexpected contact as Tiona, who had been the person to grab her, began laughing loudly before declaring, "They seem pretty similar, but I think I might have the advantage~?"At this point, Tione noticed that the three other girls were standing in front of her when she had been looking over her shoulder to tease Vahn. Though it wasn't too obvious, she began to blush slightly before shoving away the hands of her younger twin. In order to get a rise out of her, she said in a somewhat haughty voice, "It looks like Vahn had a 'bigger' response to me than he did to you earlier." As she emphasized the word 'bigger', Tione used her arms to press her breasts together with a mocking look on her face.Unexpectedly, though she would have gotten upset in the past, Tiona just laughed loudly as she dashed over to Vahn and pressed her chest to him while hugging his neck. With a big smile on her face, she looked toward Tione and said matter-of-factly, "Vahn likes my breasts just the way they are, isn't that right~?" Vahn nodded his head as he wrapped his hands around Tiona's waist and gave her a short kiss. His response had made the smile on her face widened even more as she laughed in a silly manner.Tione saw their interaction and frowned deeply since it felt like she had once again lost to her younger twin. Turning away from the affectionate display and walking toward the changing rooms, she saw Ais who had looked at her with an almost 'challenging' look in her eyes. Ais held her hands over her breasts and had a small smile on her face as she said, "Vahn likes mine too."Hearing the confident claim of Ais, Tione felt like she had suffered a mental blow as she turned her eyes to the bashful Lefiya, the only person who was her 'ally' at this moment.Lefiya saw her gaze and couldn't help but cover her chest in a similar manner to Ais, though for entirely different reasons. She thought that Tione was about to ask what Vahn thought of her breasts and, the moment she considered the matter, Lefiya's overactive imagination pictured Vahn's warm hands groping her chest while they were entirely nude in the bath together. A blush immediately rose to her face and it almost looked as though steam was about to rise from the delusional elf's head.Tione misconstrued Lefiya's actions to indicate that she was also someone that had received Vahn's 'appreciation'. She suddenly felt like, amongst the four girls present, she had gotten the short stick and suffered several simultaneous defeats. Gritting her hands and teeth, Tione made her way to the changing room to return to her normal clothing. At the same time, she swore to get one over on the three girls in the future regardless of the cost.After everyone had finished changing, they each purchased a variety of swimsuits as well as other outfits that Vahn also had the privilege of evaluating. Everyone seemed to be in higher spirits, even Lefiya who, after bearing the embarrassment of being seen in a swimsuit, didn't mind normal clothing as much. With a smile on her face and a subtle, ever-present blush, she too showed off various outfits and smiled when she received Vahn's unfettered compliments.One noteworthy thing that had happened, other than the swimsuit scene from earlier, was when both Tiona and Tione had tried on maid outfits. Even though Ais and Lefiya had also tried them on, Vahn couldn't help but feel a bit incongruity at the sight of the two Amazon twins wearing matching maid outfits. Since they were nearly identical with the modest clothing, Vahn could hardly tell them apart if not for their expressions and hairstyles. Combined with the fact that Tione was obviously trying to compete with her sister, Vahn ended up sandwiched by the two healthy brown-skinned girls in frilly attire black and white attire.After enjoying the latter half of the date, time was beginning to stretch into the afternoon and it wasn't too long before Vahn would be required to enter the orb. Explaining the situation, without giving away too many details, Vahn managed to convince the girls to call it a day. They had already nearly filled his inventory with their purchases, so everyone was in very high spirits with how the day had gone.Vahn then escorted the four girls back to the Twilight Manor and exchanged embraces with both Tiona and Ais before preparing to head home. Unexpectedly, Tione had tried to tease Vahn into embracing her, but she inevitably stopped after Tiona's teasing regarding Finn. With a frustrated expression on her face, Tione ended up storming off into the Manor, likely in the direction of Finn's quarters yet again. Tiona laughed at the display and even Ais had a slight smile on her face as she watched the scene play out.The only one who didn't seem entertained was Lefiya, who had hung her head slightly with a blush on her cheeks. Vahn somewhat understood what she was thinking, so he reached out his hand and used [Hands of Nirvana] to comfort the bashful elf as he said his goodbyes. Lefiya had a slight frown on her face and didn't stop him from rubbing her head as she nodded slightly with an 'Nn' sound.Having said goodbye to the three girls, Vahn left the Twilight Manor after depositing their purchased items in one of the nearby rooms. Afterward, Vahn was in high spirits as he made his way toward the Hearths Embrace. Though it was slightly different than his expectations, Vahn enjoyed spending time with all the girls on their group date. Even though it felt like he had just accompanied the four girls on a normal outing, he still enjoyed the experience immensely and looked forward to having similar dates in the future.Turning a corner, Vahn had a casual and happy smile on his face which quickly turned into an expression of caution and alert as he immediately expanded his domain. Since he didn't often walk around with his domain spread within the City, Vahn had nearly been caught off guard by the apparent ambush that was about to take place. If not for the fact he was very perceptive to auras after increasing his Soul Tier and awakening his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn may have been caught unawares by the figures encroaching on him. From within the surrounding buildings and roofs, Vahn could sense several black-aura'd figures approaching his position.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tione's Defeat','Vahn is a man of culture','Danger Approaches')If you'd like to support me on ******* so I can become a full-time writer, please follow this link~!https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $581/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D

Chapter 189: Ambush