Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

(A/N: The title will be updated when I finish part 2.)Vahn calmed his mind a bit as he followed the corridors and descended further into the ground. Though his turtle form was both offensively and defensively powerful, he needed to make use of his Báihǔ forms increased agility and senses to track the fleeing enemies. Once his body regressed into his first form, Vahn felt his senses expand and he could now smell the odors of the men who had fled previously. Since there was the stench of fear and sweat, Vahn was able to quickly follow the path they had taken in their escape.Though he could still sense them within the area of his domain, Vahn wasn't in a hurry to capture all of them and only used his [Enkidu] to take care of anyone that tried hiding within some of the rooms along the way. He didn't mortally wound any of them, but he still severely injured the majority by driving the chains through their thighs. Vahn assumed that not everyone was as evil as then men involved in the kidnapping, so he would let those following behind deal with the injured.Eventually, Vahn made his way down to the sixth floor that was deep underground. Though there were still a few rooms, the majority of the floor was one long corridor that opened up to a large room where the four presences had been earlier. Vahn noticed there was a large bed in the area with a variety of tools and restraints as well as something akin to a throne surrounded by a few other gaudy chairs around a long table with various foods and alcohols on it.Behind the throne, there was a false wall that had been concealed, but Vahn quickly destroyed it before making his way into what was likely an escape tunnel. He had already locked on to several scents and was able to evade the traps that lined the corridor as he used Shundo to close the distance faster than most of them could trigger. One of the most useful features of 'instant movement' was that it could link two points and allow Vahn to transition the distance almost instantaneously. If he could master the skill, it really would be considered 'instant movement' since the traps wouldn't even have enough time to register his presence at all.Vahn eventually arrived at a point where the corridor split off into several small paths and noticed that the scents had split. There was even a mechanism to mask the smell, but Vahn could still detect the path taken because of the fluctuations in the air. Anywhere that had been passed recently would still have destabilized air currents, so even if Vahn couldn't 'smell' them, he could still 'see' where they went.Though he would still be gambling to pick the correct corridor, there was one where the elements in the air had been affected to a much greater extent. Vahn assumed this was the correct path since the abnormality was likely the result of a god or goddess passing through ahead of him. Vahn had noticed that one of the four auras earlier was much larger than a normal person which indicated they were likely the mastermind and god of the Familia behind the kidnapping. Not everyone had one, but when Vahn had inspected the body of some of the assailants, he noticed that many of them had the same crest on their back and were likely an organized crime Familia even though Macker hadn't been able to reveal the name.The symbol on the backs of some of the men was that of a featureless mask with two slots for eyes and a pair of daggers crossed behind it. Even though Vahn didn't think it was appropriate to judge things based solely on appearance, he couldn't help but feel that the crest belonged to a malicious god. Since Vahn knew about the influence of Divinity on their actions, he didn't consider the god evil, but that didn't mean he would tolerate their actions either. If he couldn't get the answers he was looking for, Vahn wasn't above escalating matters since they were already in an irreconcilable situation.A few minutes after entering the smaller path, Vahn noticed there were no more traps in the area and he continued increasing his pace until he finally detected the aura of two people around 311m from his position. There was next to no light on the path, but Vahn had night vision in his Báihǔ form and saw two people, one, a burly and powerful looking man, and the other, someone that looked almost like a child given their stature.Even though he was still in stealth, the man turned to look behind him and Vahn could see a yellow glow in his eyes that implied he also had night-vision capabilities. The small figure next to him turned around soon after and Vahn saw a pair of heterochromatic eyes staring back at him. One of the eyes shined like a purple amethyst while the other was a piercing and icy blue, and they both glowed within the dark corridor the same as the man.Vahn got into a low combat stance and approached the duo that continued to stare back at him without appearing to pay him any mind. Once Vahn got within 50m of the pair, the small figure opened their mouth and Vahn heard an almost sing-song-ish and girly voice ask, "You're the Vulcan, Vahn Mason." She seemed almost amused by the fact he had tracked her this far and began to laugh in a cheerful manner as she said, "Kuji, capture him for me~!"The moment her words fell, the man, who Vahn realized was a weretiger named Kuji, charged toward him in a similarly low stance. He was incredibly agile, but Vahn was able to outmaneuver him with Shundo. Kuji seemed surprised by the speed of Vahn's movements and asked with a deep baritone voice, "Is that a skill, or some kind of magic?"Vahn had appeared 20m away from him and didn't respond to his question as he equipped his Xuánwǔ set items and charged toward Kuji with a speed that caused the air to break around him. As a Level 4, Kuji wasn't too afraid of the might behind Vahn's fist after considering his speed. Though he expected him to know a few martial arts, considering his fighting style, Kuji didn't think Vahn would be able to overpower him in a head-on collision.Without shying away, Kuji dashed forward and struck forth with his powerful and sharp claws to receive Vahn's fist. Vahn's expression didn't change in the slightest even after seeing the weretiger receiving his attack. Though he knew the man should be much stronger than him considering their differing racial traits and build, Vahn had an advantage that Kuji couldn't anticipate.The moment his fist collided with the clawed palm strike of Kuji, the protectors on Vahn's forearms glowed with a green light and prevented the shockwave from the collision from dissipating. Instead, Vahn had focused the impact on a single point using his [Fist Strike] and injected it straight into the forearm of Kuji like a miniature explosive. The weretiger's face showed an expression of shock moments before his forearm exploded from the inside and left his hand dangling by the mangled flesh and broken bones. Though his arm hadn't been torn off, there was no way he would be able to use it in the fight from now on.Surprisingly, Kuji didn't even flinch from what should have been an incredibly painful injury as he spun around and kicked Vahn in the abdomen with a tremendous force that caused him to crash into the wall and leave an impact crater. Vahn was stunned by the blow but managed to receive the follow-up strike with his crossed guards and disperse the impact using his protectors. He could see through his defenses that Kuji had a crazed and bloodthirsty look in his eyes and both of his pupils had dilated to an extreme.Vahn quickly realized that he was either using a skill or had been so doped up on some kind of drug that he had lost his mind. Kuji even tried to use his mutilated arm to attack, so Vahn assumed it was the latter as he kicked off from the wall and used Shundo to slip by and approach the goddess that had been watching the fight with an amused expression on her masked face.She noticed what Vahn was trying to do and pouted, "Boo~! You should fight Kuji, not me!" As her words sounded, Vahn saw her eyes glow more fiercely as a light covered her body which caused the surrounding corridor to shake. She was trying to use her Divinity to scare him away, but Vahn just furrowed his brows and continued forward against her expectations.With a sigh, the goddess raised her hand that had an intricate fingerless glove on it and sent a powerful wave of pressure toward Vahn to deter him. She disliked people that ignored her orders more than anything else and wanted to teach him a lesson before she played with him a bit. Unexpectedly, the wave she sent out just passed through Vahn without having any effect and she could feel anxiety immediately spread through her mind.Vahn kicked off the floor again and used Shundo to appear behind her and held his sword, named [007] to her neck and asked, "Why did you target Milan and Tina? Why are you doing all of this?" Even though the Divinity of a god had a powerful suppression effect on most people, it didn't actually mean they were strong combatants. Unless the goddess before him broke the rules and used her Arcanum, there wasn't anything she could do against him unless she had Leveled up like a mortal.Hearing Vahn's questions, the goddess just began to laugh as she shouted out, "Kuji, continue to attack~! This boy seems to be the type that can't hurt girls~." As her words fell, Vahn had to take a step back as a black dagger with a foul-smelling odor pierced the area where his head had been. Though he didn't have any special inhibitions about attacking girls, Vahn still wanted to obtain answers before he did anything to a goddess.Even if a god or goddess had done something evil, it was almost inexcusable for a mortal to actually harm them. Though he might be justified in his actions, there would be a severe backlash from the godly community and he would most likely be imprisoned or exiled once the matter became known. Even if he had no ill will towards another god, they would still feel a bit of fear that Vahn might do something to them in the future since he didn't hesitate when it came to a different god. It was typically gods that dealt with other gods while their children fought amongst themselves.Since she wasn't willing to answer his questions even with a sword to her throat, Vahn needed to deal with the crazed Kuji first. Though the weretiger didn't have a black aura like the rest of the assailants from earlier, Vahn didn't have any inhibitions about killing him if things got out of hand. Unable to maintain his patience, the moment Kuji leaped forward and tried to stab him with the knife, Vahn pulled out [Lævateinn] and stabbed Kuji directly in the abdomen while using the burning effect to immediately create a charred hole in his stomach.Even with [Lævateinn] and a seared wound in his gut, Kuji still threw the dagger forward and it pierced into the right side of Vahn's chest. Both Kuji and the mystery goddess began to laugh at the sight, but Vahn pulled out the dagger with his left hand while supporting the entire body of Kuji with his right. The wound on his body began to regenerate slowly, but at a visible rate as Vahn channeled his energy into [Lævateinn] and caused a muted explosion in the abdomen on the drugged Kuji. He immediately vomited a mouthful of blood before collapsing limply on [Lævateinn] due to the severity of his injuries.Vahn let his body slide off the long blade of [Lævateinn] as the small goddess began to clap her hands in an excited manner, "Bravo~! Well done~!" She then walked forward in a cheery manner but stayed beyond the basic reach of Vahn's weapon as she continued, "It's too bad you couldn't stop the dagger though~! Looks like this will be my win in the end!" She began to laugh excitedly as she kicked the body of Kuji on the ground and said, "Oho, he is still alive~? You're a big softie, aren't you~?"Seeing Vahn's unchanged expression, she thought he was trying to put up a front so she proudly explained, "That dagger was coated in a deadly toxin that only I know the recipe for the antidote. If you want to live, you'll put away your weapons and behave from now on." She then started to laugh as she dangled a small crystalline vial in front of her in a playful manner and asked, "So, what will it be, Mr. Vulcan~?"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Mystery Goddess Appears','[Lævateinn] OP','Don't do drugs kidderino's')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 $716/640 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

As the goddess was dangling the 'antidote' in front of him, Vahn was just staring at her coldly as he got a better look at who he believed to be the mastermind behind the events that had transpired. She was a relatively small goddess, only around 140cm tall, and had a very slim, almost featureless, body. Like her eyes purple and blue eyes, her hair was also two different colors where it was predominantly black with strands of white that was cut short with two spiked pigtails. On her face, she wore a white, featureless, mask that concealed her eyes and curved around her nose.Her attire was a black, sleeveless, hoodie with an almost comically oversized zipper running down the length of the garment. From what Vahn could see, she had next to no breasts since the zipper was partially down and revealed the fair white skin underneath. She wore a pair of black shorts that could barely be seen under her hoodie so, if you weren't paying attention, it would almost look like she was wearing just the hoodie alone. She had long black stockings that ran to the middle of her thighs and a pair of grey-ish black combat boot that extended about halfway up her calves.Noticing that Vahn hadn't started panicking, the goddess tilted her head sideways with a crooked smile and asked, "Do you have the [Abnormal Status Resistance] skill~? Well, it won't matter since you won't be able to last long without the antidote~. I would suggest you give up before things start to get painful~!" She seemed to think that Vahn was just resisting the poison when, the fact was, he was actually entirely resistant due to the unique qualities of his blood. This was the reason Vahn couldn't get drunk and even things like drugs that got within the bloodstream would have no effect on him.Vahn furrowed his brows as he lowered [Lævateinn] and asked in a cold voice, "Who are you? Why did you do all this? I want answers." Vahn was still weighing whether or not to injure the goddess in front of him since she appeared to be a non-combatant. Even her aura was an amiable yellow, but Vahn didn't care about her impression of him in the slightest. After dealing with Loki, Vahn knew that there were gods that could change the aura and, even if she genuinely had some kind of interest toward him, Vahn could never trust her since her interest was likely distorted due to her Divinity.Seeing Vahn lower his weapon, the goddess smiled widely and began to laugh like a child that just got away with a prank. She looked at him with her odd-colored eyes and said, "I'm Laverna~! From now on, you'll be working for me, so let's get along well~!" Vahn shook his head as if to refute her claim and asked, "What is the purpose behind you kidnapping the two girls and torturing Milan? If you were trying to use them as leverage against me, it doesn't make sense for you to harm them."In response to his question, Laverna tilted her head as if she was considering how to respond. After a few seconds, she shrugged her shoulders before giving a dismissal laugh and saying, "I never ordered them to torture, anyone. I only told them to take that little cat person hostage since you seemed to be fond of her. If they captured someone else, it had nothing to do with my orders at all~!"Vahn furrowed his brows deeply and asked in a deathly cold tone, "Aren't they members of your Familia!? How can you let them do such monstrous things!?" Knowing that Milan wasn't even part of the plan, Vahn felt like she had been lucky to survive at all given the circumstances. If he had shown up just a few minutes later, he might have failed to save her life and ended up leaving Tina orphaned.Laverna frowned and said, "Booo~What kind of reasoning is that? As long as they pay my tribute and do what I tell them, why should I stop them from doing other things? The only thing that matters to me is having fun and making money, why should I care about what other people do?" She seemed to be genuinely confused by Vahn's outburst and started 'pouting' as she fiddled with the zipper on her hoodie.The cold sensation in Vahn's mind began to spread and grow deeper as he glared at the irresponsible goddess in front of him. He asked through gritted teeth, "What do you mean by 'having fun and making money'? What part of your sick plan has anything to do with either of those things!?" As he asked the question, Vahn had a sudden realization which made his ferocious eyes widen slightly.Laverna's eyes also widened as she pounded her fist slightly in her palm and exclaimed, "Oh yeah! Thanks for reminding me~! I needed you to make a vow and promise to hand over all the materials that Hephaestus had transported to your workshop~! Though I still need you to do that, I'm more interested in having you work for me from now on so you'll also need to agree to be loyal to me if you want this antidote~!" Once again, Laverna began to dangle the antidote in front of her body with a cheeky smile on her face.Vahn hung his head low and felt the rage in his body continue to expand alongside the cold sensation as he asked in a deeper voice than he typically could manage, "So, just for money...you kidnapped two people I cared about...burned down their house....and even let one of them be tortured and mutilated? You're telling me this entire fiasco...was just because you wanted my materials!?"In response, Laverna shook her head and said very matter-of-factly, "First of all, I didn't know that big cat person was important to you, or I would have told those idiots to capture her as well. It's really hard to find people around you that are easy to target, ya know~? And for the second part, I don't really care about the materials, but I would have been able to make a ton of money if I sold them on the black market! With that much Valis, I could do whatever I wanted for years and never have to worry about anything~!"Vahn smashed his left fist into the wall of the corridor and looked at her as if he had just heard the most revolting thing in the world. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "IF YOU WANT VALIS SO MUCH, WHY THE FUCK DON'T YOU WORK FOR IT YOURSELF!? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO INVOLVE OTHER PEOPLE AND RUIN LIVES!?" Because of his outburst, Vahn started hyperventilating as he used every ounce of willpower in his body to prevent himself from slaughtering the goddess in front of him.Laverna just sighed and raised her hands dismissively as she said, "That is super boring. Why should I have to work when I can get other people to do it for me in exchange for my blessing? I'd rather eat good foods, drink heavy liquor, and mess around with strong men~." As if realizing something from her words, Laverna lipped her lips as she pulled down the remainder of the zipper and revealed her small breasts to Vahn.She took the crystalline vial that contained the antidote and emptied the contents onto her stomach as she looked at Vahn and said in an amorous manner, "Aren't you actually pretty strong yourself~? Since you're going to be my subordinate, I'll also make you one of my toys~! Come on, as long as you're willing to make a vow, I'll let you lick up this antidote~." As she spoke, Laverna traced her fingers along her stomach and began to breath more heavily through her nose.Before she had received news of the change aboveground, Laverna had been spending her time within her private quarters being tended to by her subordinates. She was especially fond of subjugating strong men and teasing them until they begged and asked for permission to please her. Seeing someone with as much willpower as Vahn resisting the poison in his body was beginning to excite her. Just like Kuji, she could get Vahn addicted to drugs and pleasure and force him to live only to fulfill her selfish desires.At this point, the cold sensation in Vahn's mind had reached a critical level and he contracted his domain to only a few meters and began to put his pressure on the sickening goddess that thought she had the advantage. Not only did she scheme against him for personal gain, but she even involved his loved ones and was now trying to seduce him in order to guarantee his own life. Everything about her was disgusting, no matter how innocent she might look with her petite and unique appearance.With the last remnants of his self-control, Vahn asked, "What is your Divinity?" Laverna, who was now covered in a cold sweat while trying to resist Vahn's domain with her own Divinity answered through gnashed teeth, "I am the goddess of thieves, cheats, liars, and fraudsters. Now answer me, Vahn Mason, what the hell are you!?" At this point, Laverna's playful guise had vanished entirely as her two eyes glowed with a vibrant light. She was preparing to use her Arcanum to oppose Vahn, even if it resulted in her having to return to Heaven temporarily.Since he hadn't succumbed to the special poison on the dagger, Laverna realized there was something strange about Vahn's body which was confirmed when he focused his intent on her. As far as she could tell, Vahn had a Divinity of his own and had been concealing it from the public. She cursed the failure of her children for not finding out such important information beforehand. Demigods weren't people that should be confronted, especially one that had the support of two of the three highest ranked Familia's in the City. For the first time in her life since her descent, Laverna regretted not putting in more effort to clarify things.In response to her question, Vahn raised his [Lævateinn] slightly but the expression on his face had turned into an almost sad one. Though she didn't drop her guard, Laverna felt like his reaction was strange and it made her feel very uncomfortable. The pressure on her body began to fade away and she looked at Vahn as if his behavior was inexplicable. In one moment, it looked like he was about to kill her in rage, but now he seemed to pity her after she answered his question.Regardless of the reason, Laverna stopped using her own Divinity as she gave a taunting smile to Vahn who held up his [Lævateinn] and seemed to be hesitating. She asked in a cheeky manner, "What's the matter, don't have the guts to kill a goddess~? You're pretty level-headed aren't you~? I guess, even after all your supposed hatred and anger, you still aren't dumb enough to break that taboo~."Vahn looked into her odd-colored eyes and truly pitied her existence and the type of Divinity she embodied. It seemed almost cruel that fate decreed she would have such a childish and innocent figure yet required her to be involved with such depravity by virtue of her very existence. However, if not for the approaching figure behind her, Vahn would have struck her down regardless of his own feelings. Instead, he just stared at her with a sad expression on his face as he slowly closed his eyes and said, "I'll not be known as someone that killed a Goddess. Even if I struck you down here, I wouldn't be able to stop you from ascending to Heaven and spreading the information. I'll leave you for others to deal with..."Laverna laughed at his response and seemed to enjoy the struggle that he was undergoing. She opened her mouth to goad him on, but the moment she did so Laverna felt two painful impacts in her neck and back. Unable to form words, she tried to move her head and hands to see and feel what had happened, but her muscles weren't responding. Before she blacked out, she stared into the sad eyes of Vahn as a feminine voice sounded in her ear, "Just because Vahn isn't willing to kill you, doesn't mean I'm not, nyahaha~!" Then, as Laverna tried to turn her head to see the speaker, both of the curved daggers in her body were twisted and yanked out. Without ever seeing the person that claimed her life, Laverna fell powerlessly to the floor of the dark corridor.After Laverna fell to the ground, her body began to glow with a white light as she turned into particles that dissipated into the void. In less time than it took to blink, she dissolved from existence in a manner similar to a monster that had its magic core destroyed. Throughout the short process, Vahn looked at the unfortunate goddess with mixed emotions before turning his attention toward the 'mischevious' looking girl wearing a dark blue hood with two pointed protrusions for ears and a cloth covering her mouth and nose. Staring into the familiar green eyes, Vahn showed a sad, but gentle, smile as he muttered, "I'm sorry Chloe..."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Divinity is a Heavy Burden','Money is the root of all evil','Chloe's Resolve')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 $716/640 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

After clearing her mind, Milan noticed that Vahn was cradling her gently in his arms as he stared at her face with clear concern in his expression. She smiled briefly, but it faded quickly as she asked, "Did you save Tina?" Even though she was happy and felt a bit of relief, Milan wouldn't be able to relax until her daughter was safe. She sat up from Vahn's arms and looked around and recognized the room as well as the seven bodies covered by the blanket.Vahn put his hand on her head and spoke in a soft tone, "Don't worry, I already have her within the range of my senses. I'll be going to save her now...I just couldn't leave you here alone." Milan heard his words and felt a pang of warmth in her heart, but it didn't do much to suppress her anxiety. She noticed that she had been clothed in a dark blue cloak and removed Vahn's hand from her head before noticing a strange sight. The tail that she had lost had grown back, and even though it was hairless, Milan couldn't help but release a relieved sigh.In her daze, Vahn stood up and embraced her body and stroked her back in a caring manner as he said, "Leave through the window and guide the others here. Hephaestus had been gathering a rescue party and is probably searching for this location. I know you're worried about Tina, but my stealth and skills allow me to move undetected. If you don't want to leave, you'll have to stay in this room for the time being." As he spoke, Vahn pulled out one of the short swords he had forged in the orb.Milan wanted to refute his words, but she couldn't argue against his serious expression. Even though she had recovered her strength, her mind was in an unstable state and she knew she wouldn't be able to help him. Since she didn't want to wait in the room, Milan decided to follow his advice and go get support. However, before she left, she looked at the cold and sad eyes of Vahn that couldn't be concealed even though he was trying to act comforting. She knew he would blame himself for what happened and wanted to assure him but couldn't find the words.Vahn saw her hesitation and just shook his head as he put his hand back on her's and stroked the hairless ears that served as a reminder of his failure. In a tired, yet angry, sounding voice, Vahn said, "I have no regrets...other than the fact that I was too weak to prevent this from happening. I will make them pay dearly to make sure nobody ever tries to harm the people I care about again..." A cold light flashed through his eyes as he stared through the walls and floor toward the aura of Tina.Seeing his expression and hearing his response, Milan furrowed her brows and gave Vahn a strong hug. Though he was a bit confused, Vahn just caressed her back for a bit until she said, "Don't become a monster because of other people...save Tina, that is the most important thing. If you fall down to their level, you will only have regrets in the future. That isn't the way to obtain strength...that is the path towards cruelty...don't lose your kind and gentle self for the sake of evil men."Milan's words made Vahn feel a terrible sensation in his mind and caused the cold feeling that had rooted itself in his consciousness to fluctuate. He could feel his anxiety begin to build but it was soon suppressed as the cold sensation became stronger. Though he knew she was right, he just couldn't let the people that had done this off without releasing his frustrations somehow. Vahn felt like, if he showed mercy now, there would only be more people that would find trouble for him in the future.As she had been paying attention to his expression, Milan had seen the struggle in his eyes as she cupped his face in her hands and whispered, "Let them be judged and suffer in prison for the rest of their lives. You don't have to be the one to pass judgment on them, Vahn. Just find the mastermind and turn them over to the authorities...but, most importantly, you still need to save Tina. She needs a hero, not someone that lacks mercy. Don't let her hold the image of you tormenting others in her mind, even if it is to enact justice for everything that happened."Milan's words caused Vahn to imagine Tina looking at him with fear in the future. Even if it was an unnecessary concern and she didn't fear him, Vahn couldn't tolerate the idea of her being comfortable with him killing people either. Though the cold sensation in his mind didn't leave, it dissipated slightly and Vahn released a sad sigh. He had already killed the men that tormented Milan so, as long as he could save Tina, he didn't have to punish the rest personally. Considering there were people like Loki and Hephaestus that would be involved. Vahn didn't need to be a vigilante that enacted his own brand of justice, he just wanted to protect the people he cared about.Seeing his expression soften a bit, Milan showed him a gentle smile and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Before exiting through the window, she turned back and stared at him for a few seconds before saying, "Go, she is waiting for you...and...thanks for saving me and helping to regrow my tail. Once the hair grows back, I'll let you touch it as a reward..." Though it wasn't the most appropriate situation, Milan wanted to lift Vahn's spirits a little and encourage him.Vahn nodded his head slightly and, with a smile on his face, said, "It's a promise..." He had seen her aura fluctuated slightly and knew that she wasn't actually trying to make a pass at him. Vahn knew she was just trying to help him cheer up, so he reciprocated and gave an adequate response before turning his back as she leaped out the window. Though the future was an interesting thing to consider, Vahn needed to focus on the present and get to the bottom of the current situation.Presently, there were two people guarding Tina's room as well as several other auras spread throughout the safe house. Though not everyone had a black aura, Vahn could see that the majority were filled with negative emotions. This meant that, though they may not be directing their malicious intent toward him presently, they were still inherently predisposed against him.The thing that had caught his eye long ago were the four larger auras that were deep underground, even further down than the room Tina was kept in. Though Vahn couldn't sense the entire layout of the building, he knew it likely had several layers he had yet to explore. His mini-map showed him minor details, but it couldn't let him see through walls unless he used [Eyes of Truth].Since Tina hadn't been kept too far from the room Milan was in, Vahn managed to sneak through the safe house while using his stealth and staying low to the ground. He was still in his turtle form, so he didn't have night vision, but he could still easily see through the low-lighting of the corridors.Coincidentally, his turtle form actually made his skin darken while hardening his forearms and legs, so Vahn was nearly indistinguishable from the background while he was using [Stealth] and his domain to conceal his presence.The moment he got into range of the connecting corridor where Tina was being kept, Vahn stepped into the corridor and immediately used Shundo. Since the two guards were slacking off due to being inside the safe house, they were completely unprepared as Vahn appeared in front of them before using his [Fist strike] to give them both severe concussions. Since he didn't want to make a lot of noise, Vahn had used the benefit of his turtle form to converge the shockwave and localize it to the center of their heads. Even though he didn't put a lot of strength into the strikes, it forcefully rattled the brains of the two. If they were unlucky, they may never fully recover in the future, but it was still considered a small mercy compared to Vahn's original intentions.After setting the two 'unconscious' men on the ground silently, Vahn used fire elemental energy to increase the temperature of his hand as he melted through the locked door. Though he could have searched the men for a key, Vahn didn't plan to waste any more time so he used what he believed to be the most efficient option available. Once it had melted through completely, Vahn entered the small room and saw Tina unconscious on the ground.Though it wasn't a far distance, Vahn immediately appeared next to her body using Shundo before picking her up in his arms. Fortunately, other than some scrapes and a minor swelling on her cheek, Tina was otherwise unharmed. The cold sensation in his mind dissipated by a large amount and Vahn couldn't stop himself from sighing in relief as he stroked the small cat girl's head while using [Hands of Nirvana]. Even though he could heal the swelling quickly, Vahn still used [Wounds Transfer] since he felt it was only right for him to experience the suffering she had gone through.Not long after he healed her body and was inserting his energy into her head, Tina woke up with a start and flinched after realizing she was being held. She immediately tried to escape, but calmed down soon after once she realized it was Vahn holding her body. Though she should have recognized it from the familiar warmth, she was still on edge from everything that had happened. Now that she saw Vahn, Tina hugged his body and started crying loudly.Vahn compressed his domain a bit and used the sound dampening properties of [Stealth] to contain her cries as he consoled the bawling Tina. He continued to stroke the back of her head while softly explaining the situation to her. He told her that Milan had already been saved and was 'unharmed', and now he would be able to take her away from this place as well.Tina, hearing Vahn's soothing words, began to withhold her crying voice as she continued to sob into his chest for several minutes. Even though she felt a great deal of relief after hearing the explanation, she couldn't do much to repress the fear and unease in her heart. Though Vahn's warm embrace helped to calm her mind a bit, she couldn't relax until she was able to reunite with her mother. After seeing her mother carried away earlier in a badly beaten state, she was severely traumatized and had trouble believing that she was okay.Vahn continued to soothe her patiently until he noticed a change in the auras around him. One of the larger auras separated from the other three and began to run through the building while alerting everyone else. The three remaining auras began retreating further into a space Vahn couldn't see and they were quickly moving toward the edge of his detection range. Though he hadn't been detected, Vahn assumed that word had gotten to the mastermind about the situation happening on the surface. Right now, there were several teams from the Hephaestus Familia converging around this area with Milan's guidance. The main team of the Loki Familia had also shown up since around fifty minutes had passed since Vahn parted with Hephaestus.Though Vahn was unaware of what was happening outside, he could intuit a bit based on everything that was happening. Before the men made their way to the room where he and Tina were, Vahn pulled her away slightly and looked into her eyes with a serious expression. Tina, though she was still scared and anxious, immediately ceased her crying as she returned his gaze. She could see the seriousness in his eyes as he explained, "There are bad men coming here right now, so I need to get you out of the building. A lot of our allies, including your mother, are heading this way and they will protect you."Tina nodded her head and asked in a sobbing tone, "What about you...?" In response, Vahn gave her a gentle smile and ruffled her hair as he explained, "I can't let the people that did this get away. Even now, I can sense them running away from this location. I will buy time for the rest of the rescue party to show up, so I need you to be brave and go to them. Don't be afraid, Tina, as I won't leave you on your own..."As Vahn finished his words, he looked toward the ceiling and held Tina close as he said, "Fafnir, open a hole in his damnable place. Let's get some fresh air..." In response to his words, Fafnir slammed up from the shadows on the floor and accelerated toward the roof and tore through it like paper. Though there was a lot of debris raining down, Vahn was able to completely protect Tina in his arms by using his turtle form to dissipate the force of anything that contacted them. Even heavy debris contacted his body and just rolled off without even budging him.Tina was very afraid by the chaotic scene, but she just hugged Vahn's waist with her eyes closed and believed that he would protect her. Even though it seemed like the sky was falling, she noticed that Vahn stood firm against everything without budging as he shielded her body. After a few seconds, Tina could feel the cold night air enter into the stagnant room as Vahn used his domain to generate small bursts of energy to clear the dust that was still around them.Picking her up in his arms, Vahn jumped through the hole that Fanfir had made before vaulting off the higher floors and arriving at the roof. Turning toward the dragon floating in the air, Vahn held out Tina and said, "Fafnir, protect her with everything you have. Take her to the others before returning to the shadows. If anyone tries to harm her or Milan, make sure they pay the price." Fafnir nodded its head before responding in a childish voice, (*Leave it to me, Master~!*). It then bent down and reformed its scales to allow for Tina to fit comfortably on its back.Though she was scared of the giant black dragon, Tina had also heard the cute and childish voice as it responded to Vahn. Even though it looked 'evil', she suddenly felt a lot less intimidated as she allowed Vahn to seat her on its back. Vahn rubbed her head affectionately one last time before giving her a kiss on the forehead and saying, "Milan is waiting for you, go to her..." Tina nodded her head before hugging Vahn's neck for a few seconds. When she finally let go, she had tears in her eyes as she said, "Please don't get hurt..."Vahn took her hand into his as he showed her the most confident smile he could manage and said, "No matter what happens, Tina, I will always come back in one piece. Make sure to prepare some nice food for me when I return; the three of us can eat it together just like before." Then Vahn ruffled her hair a bit before jumping off Fafnir's back and down into the hole.Though several men had shown up at the room where Tina had been kept, the moment they saw the huge hole and Fafnir, they immediately ran away. Vahn was going to follow their trail all the way back to the source since, if you trace the tail of a snake, you will always find its head eventually. From his time back in the forest, Vahn had learned that the best way to kill a snake was to cut off the head and watch the body die...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Author-Style, Triple-Cliff Summoning Jutsu~!','The Hunt Begins','Tiny Tina's Tears')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 $716/640 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 193: Laverna (1/2)