Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

While Vahn was skulking around in the Dungeon with Haruhime, Hestia had accompanied Anubis to the main location of the Denatus, which was located on the 30th floor of Babel Tower in a large ballroom decorated ceremoniously in the aesthetic of the western gods. There were giant stone pillars spread throughout the area and the entire room looked reminiscent of a giant temple, which was very suitable considering everyone in attendance, excluding some service staff, were all gods. The reason for Hephaestus and Loki's absence at the very beginning was so they were able to make preparations without causing a stir from the onset. It was their intention to arrive when the 'meet-and-greet' phase of the Denatus transitioned into the banquet phase as it would prevent a fiasco where the girls were spontaneously crowded by a large group that would delay progressive discussions.Hestia had worn the beautiful blue dress that Vahn had purchased for her and she struck a striking figure amongst many of the other goddesses present, including the exotic looking Anubis. Anubis had worn a traditional ceremonial white robe that covered the majority of her body and was decorated with various golden ornaments around her upper arms, wrists, and the green sash around her hips. The outfit traditionally required several different necklaces, but Anubis unashamedly wore the collar Vahn had given to her in the past and maintained an elegant disposition as she accompanied Hestia from her left. Though she didn't treat Hestia as her better, she still showed her the deferential respect deserving of the goddess of her Master's Familia.As they were both 'new faces' amongst the Denatus and were quite beautiful, the pair drew the attention of various other gods. Most of them knew of Hestia from their stint in Heaven, so they only gave cursory greetings welcoming her to the mortal plane while the vast majority tried speaking with Anubis. She politely greeted everyone but denied them any attempts to get 'closer' to her, especially the various gods where were spontaneously trying to woo and court her simply to satiate their curiosity and add to their achievements. Gods and goddesses never married, since they were all immortal, but it didn't stop them from having temporary relationships and there were several gods that could count their godly 'conquests' in the hundreds, if not thousands. The biggest turnoff for most goddesses was the fact that most gods knew each other and were braggarts and gossipers. Of course, this went both ways as there were several goddesses with the same traits, Anubis and Hestia were just far more reserved than most, at least in matters concerning men and relationships.After a small window of time passed, the majority of those present lost interest in the new duo and Hestia released a somewhat exasperated sigh as she looked toward Anubis and said, "If I wasn't so happy to be with Vahn, I might have been more annoyed that everyone seems more interested in talking to you rather than myself." Anubis laughed in an elegant manner before saying, "I believe its because they fancy their odds of 'winning' my affections compared to one of the coveted 'virgin goddesses' of the Northern Pantheon." Hearing Anubis's teasing words, Hestia's face blushed a deep shade of red before immediately becoming annoyed when she heard and abrasive laughter that reminded her of nothing but bad memories."Why, if it isn't my dear Hestia~! I had heard you descended from Heaven, haaaaa, it saddens me to know that I wasn't invited to the ceremony. Even when I tried to find out where you had been staying I was unable to dig anything up. I see you're well dressed, tell me, is that friend of your's taking care of you now? You know, I don't mind helping acclimate to the human world and 'teaching' you all sorts of things, Aaaahahahaha!" The voice belonged to a very handsome god with sun-like blond hair, golden eyes, and a golden wreath wrapped around his head. He was attired in ceremonial white robes with red and gold accents, but the most noticeable thing he wore was his arrogant and possessive expression as he unashamedly gawked at Hestia's body.Hestia glared at the unpleasant arrival and practically spat the words, "Apollo, I've refused your advances time and again, yet no matter how many eons pass you still think I'm some prize to be won. Leave me be, I've long grown tired of your games and have begun to find your very presence distasteful~!" Though he grimaced for a moment, Apollo just scoffed and shook his head with an arrogant smile and said, "Things aren't the same as they were in Heaven, why are you so uptight? It's not like accepting my courtship will ruin your real body, you're just in a mortal form right now, so why continue this charade further? Why even come to the mortal world if not to experience everything you can't experience in Heaven~?"It was Hestia's turn to scoff as a snide look appeared in her eyes and she said, "Oh, I intend to experience all kinds of things in my time here, just not with a persistent and egotistical jerk that has no sense of propriety at all~! Begone, Apollo, your presence alone makes the wine taste bland!" Apollo shook his head with a 'wry' smile and commented, "Sooner or later, Hestia, you will be mine..." He then turned to Anubis as if Hestia's matter had been put to the back of his mind and said, "Greetings, you are a very beautiful goddess aren't you? Pay no heed to Hestia's ramblings, she has just been frustrated trying to protect her little title. Given your appearance, you must come from the Souther Pantheon...Ah, forgive my late introduction, I am Apollo, one of the principal gods of the sun, music, poetry, and prophecy. It is an honor to meet such a beautiful goddess..." Apollo performed a polite bow and showed a radiant smile on his face as he completely ignored the fuming and disgusted Hestia standing right next to Anubis.Anubis continued to show her elegance but her eyes twitched slightly as she politely bowed and said in a somewhat cold tone, "I am Anubis, Goddess of the Dead, Life, and Wisdom...it seems our Divinities are in conflict as, like my companion Hestia, I can't help but feel abject disgust at your mere presence." Though she kept a polite smile, Anubis's words were biting and they made the cocky expression of Apollo freeze up for a moment before he began laughing. After a few seconds, Apollo gave Anubis an 'appraising' look and said, "I know of you, Anubis, the dog goddess that serves a human master. How disappointing, to see such a fine specimen wasted on a mortal...well, if you ever want to experience what its like to be with a real man, I don't mind taking you as my pet when your little toy grows inevitably dies. I wonder if you're like a dog in bed as well~? Aaaahahahaha!"Both Hestia's and Anubis's expressions turned foul as they stared at Apollo with eyes filled with hatred. Seeing their expressions, Apollo laughed boisterously until the atmosphere around the three froze after a bell-like laugh sounded. Even though he was a god, Apollo couldn't help but feel a chill run up his spine as he turned around to see the source of the sound and blanked for a short moment as the sheer beauty of the goddess approaching. Freya had been paying attention to Hestia and Anubis ever since they entered the ballroom and had been eavesdropping the earlier conversation out of curiosity. Though she didn't mind Apollo's brash and assertive behavior, the moment she heard him mention Vahn's death she was unable to keep her calm and decided to step in.Apollo tried to recover his bearings to try his luck, once again, at making a pass at the goddess considered the most beautiful in the entire City. However, before he could utter a single word, Freya looked at him with her cold silver eyes and said, "Leave us, mongrel, you've no place here. A single word from your lips and I'll have you pay the price in the arena~." Apollo's face froze and he tried several times to find his words before eventually stepping down due to Freya's intimidation. Though he was proud of his 'collection', his Familia was only D-Rank, a far cry from the S-Rank powerhouse that was the Freya Familia. He didn't understand her anger, but he didn't want to stick around to escalate matters further so he just made a polite bow before walking away with a much faster pace than when he arrived.Freya watched his back for several seconds before turning to the other two goddesses and saying, "It's a pleasure to meet the two of you, Hestia, Anubis...tell me, when are Hephaestus and Loki planning to arrive~?" As they had known each other for quite a long time, Hestia released a sigh since she knew about Freya's interest in Vahn. However, she had also been lectured several times by Hephaestus and Loki to not stir up the currently docile goddess and stir her to action. Since it was their first official meeting in the mortal world, Hestia performed a courteous bow and said, with a smile on her face, "It's good to see you, Freya...the others will arrive just before the banquet begins." Freya showed a thoughtful expression and said in an amused tone, "That must mean Loki got pregnant also...fufufufu, I'm looking forward to the future." Freya began to turn away to mingle with the other gods until the banquet began before turning around and saying, "Ah, Hestia, if people like that bother you, please let me know and I'll deal with them if you'd like~?" Freya began to laugh in a somewhat loud, but very pleasant tone that drew the attention of various gods within the room.As they watched her curvaceous back saunter about elegantly through the room, Hestia heard Anubis say from the side, "She is a very dangerous woman...I don't think I've ever felt an aura quite like Freya's in all my years in both Heaven and the mortal world." Hestia nodded her head with a strangely melancholic expression as she said, "Freya is one of the few survivors from the Age of Myths. Though not one of the oldest, she is very nearly six-hundred-million years old..." Anubis's eyes widened a fair amount before she turned her head toward the petite goddess to her right. There were few gods that have persisted for such a long period of time without breaking, but Anubis could tell that Freya wasn't the only one with a marginally strong aura. Hestia's expression and the way she casually spoke the words made Anubis believe there was much more to the diminutive goddess than she had originally realized.After a few hours of mingling, it was finally time for the banquet to begin as everyone began moving to their seats at the several large rectangular tables that had been brought out. There wasn't any particular seating order, except for the 10 spots that had been reserved at the main table where the avatar of Ouranos sat on his throne-like chair at the head of the table. He had a solemn and observant expression as he watched over the congregation of gods with an unwavering gaze. Moments after everyone had sat down, there was the sound of the large doors at the far end of the ballroom being opened as two red-haired goddesses walked in wearing similar black dresses with red accents. Ouranos saw them from a distance and muttered in a low tone that was still heard by everyone in the room, "So, you've come, Hephaestus, Loki..."The two goddesses had confident expressions, almost like they were walking into a battlefield without a single sign of fear or inhibitions. They began walking forward as a slight stir passed through the various gods and goddesses in the room after seeing the 'unexpected' arrivals. Many had been curious about the two goddesses that were leading the Alliance, and it was strange that they hadn't shown up even though Anubis, Takemikazuchi, and Miach, had all eventually gathered. Presently, they sat near Hestia at the second group of tables closest to the center.After nearing the central table, Demeter looked over at Hephaestus and Loki with her somewhat sleepy looking eyes before an expression of moderate shock appeared in her orange eyes. She was a very beautiful goddess with honey-colored hair, sleepy orange eyes, a large bust that could easily rival Hestia's, and a very womanly figure as a result of her Divinities related to Earth, Agriculture, and perhaps most important for this occasion, Fertility. Her Familia was responsible for the majority of grain production and crop distribution within the City, so she sat amongst the group of ten at the same table as Ouranos. The moment she got a good look at the two late arrivals, Demeter immediately realized the 'peculiarity' in their bodies but kept her silence for the time being.Loki assumed her spot to the right of Ouranos while Hephaestus sat next to her as they briefly made eye contact with Freya across the table who had a radiant smile on her face as she stared at Loki's belly with glowing silver eyes. Seeing her expression, Loki laughed in a somewhat mischevious expression before turning to steadfast Ouranos and saying, "We have a lot of matters to discuss, but I think it should wait until after the banquet has started. We wouldn't want to keep all the other gods and goddesses waiting, now would we~?" She then began to laugh in a manner that focused the attention of everyone present onto her. Not only Demeter and Freya, but there were several goddesses present that had realized the 'abnormality' with Hephaestus and Loki, but none of them were willing to mention it with how tense the atmosphere had become. Since they were seated with Ouranos and three goddesses with Fertility Divinities, it surely had to come up in conversation. After all, if their senses weren't playing tricks on them, the matter of goddesses being pregnant couldn't simply be brushed aside...could it?(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is a Stalker','Apollo is an asshole','Anomalous Arrivals : Tense Situation')If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3. Since it was requested, I also added a Paypal link if that is preferable~!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Almost immediately after he returned to the interior of the Manor, Haruhime was already standing in the foyer with fiery eyes and a large amount of luggage and consumables she had prepared for their descent into the Dungeon. Vahn saw her green eyes glowing with anticipation so he laughed as he reached out and patted her hair as he said, "Looks like you're ready to go..." As he was speaking, Vahn realized something and asked, "Where is your katana?" Hearing his words, the happily smiling face of Haruhime froze before her eyes opened wide and she looked around at all of the items she prepared and realized she had forgotten the most important part.Haruhime made a bashful smile before bowing her head and saying, "Excuse me for a moment, I need to grab something from my room, Vahn." After bowing, Haruhime turned around and walked elegantly up the stairs until she had disappeared from Vahn's sight. He could hear her footsteps hurrying up the stairs the moment she thought he couldn't see her and began laughing as he stowed away all of her luggage into his inventory. A few minutes later, Vahn heard quick footsteps running down the stairs before they came to a stop. There was silence for a short while, likely because she had to catch her breath, before Haruhime walked around the corner of the stairs landing with an 'elegant' smile on her face and her katana fixed in her customized black obi.After everything was prepared, Vahn and Haruhime left the Manor and headed to Babel Tower before descending into the dungeon for their three-day training mission. There were two purposes behind this, the first being to make sure Vahn wasn't able to be 'reached' at the Manor by external forces and gods during the Denatus. The primary reason, however, was to have Haruhime fulfill the conditions to unlock the [Hunter] Development Ability before she hit Level 2. Sharing exilia with another person invalidated the acquisition requirements, and it would also prevent Vahn from using his [Mentor] skill to help support her growth. Just like when he had experienced massive leaps in development in the past, Vahn was preparing to put Haruhime through what Ryuu and Aki had named 'The Crucible'. Fortunately, due to his ability to update status boards without having to return to the surface, Haruhime had a massive advantage compared to other Adventurers.Once they entered the Dungeon, the two made their way down to the 9th floor before stopping just outside the connecting corridor leading towards the floor proper. Vahn turned to Haruhime with a smile and said, "From this point onwards, unless you are in mortal peril, you'll have to pay your way forward on your own Haruhime. Whenever you think you've reached your limits, let me know and I'll update your Status Board before we press onwards. This isn't going to be easy, but I trust you'll be able to become much stronger if you perform well. Though it might be difficult to believe, I reached Level 2 after a single short stint into the Dungeon...you share part of my own potential for growth because of that flame seed in your heart. What an Adventurer needs, more than anything else, is the desire to seek the unknown and the spirit to never give up when facing adversity."Haruhime had an uncharacteristic serious expression on her face as she listened attentively to each and every one of Vahn's words. When he was finished, she bowed in a serious manner reminiscent of Mikoto before saying, "I'll do my best Vahn...!" There was a blaze of confidence in her eyes that would have easily been misunderstood as confidence and resolve if not for the fact that her aura was blazing with a pink hue. Vahn shook his head with a small smile on his face because he knew that she would indeed try very hard, but only because she wanted to be 'rewarded' after the fact. Since it would help drive her to become stronger, Vahn urged her onward without calling her out for her tangential thoughts.Vahn kept a fair distance behind Haruhime and eventually even disappeared from her perception entirely. Her goal was the go as far as she could without his assistance so his presence nearby defeated the purpose of the training entirely. She needed to have the wherewithal of an Adventurer and hone her senses to the limit or it would be too late for regrets if something happened in the future. Of course, it didn't stop Vahn from sneaking an [Effigy of the Hero] into the pouch on her waist before he had given it to her. It put him down to 18,309OP, but it was better than actually risking her life.The reason they had decided upon the 9th floor was due to the fact that the majority of monsters were only Goblins and Kobolds. Though they were much faster than their surface counterparts, it wasn't too difficult for experienced Adventurer to take out a medium sized group without difficulty. Since Haruhime was 'alone', the spawn rate of monsters would be restricted to a maximum of two people unless there was another party in the area. Vahn was confident that, as long as she paced herself properly, Haruhime would be able to slay more than two-hundred monsters before they took their afternoon break. The requirement for the [Hunter] Development Ability was to slay 1,000 monsters within a 72-hour window, so there was a very high chance they reached their mark in time.---Sanjouno Haruhime's PoV---(A/N: Since it's Vol 10, I want to try a few new things to make the story more interesting. Please bear with me and let me know what you think as the Volume progresses further (O,...,O)~!)Though she regretted having to part with Vahn, even though she knew he was still nearby, Haruhime moved forward with conviction while straining her ears. As a Renard, she had powerful hearing and eyesight that allowed her to easily see within the low light of the Dungeon. Every time she picked up a sound, her ears twitched before orienting toward the sound in a manner that Vahn would have found adorable. She knew that this was an important test for her and, if she were unable to overcome this trial, Vahn 'might' lose confidence in entrusting her with important matters in the future. The thing she couldn't tolerate, more than anything else, was the thought of Vahn losing his trust in her. She wanted to stay together with him far into the future, so she couldn't allow herself to falter at one of the first steps...After traveling through a few confusing tunnels, Haruhime heard some guttural sounds that she immediately attributed to Goblins. Her nose twitched slightly as she smelled the air before squinting her eyes and squatting low to the ground. Based on what she could discern from her senses, there should be at least seven goblins nearby and Haruhime also smelled the foul smell of Kobolds in the air. She wasn't sure if they were near the Goblins, but they would likely come running if they heard the sounds of battle. One of the most dangerous threats to any Adventurer was monster reinforcements when parties dropped their guards on the verge of victory. Since the smell was rather pungent, she knew they had passed through the area not long ago and should still be nearby.Following the sound of the Goblins, Haruhime peeked around a corner before sighing silently to herself because there were eleven goblins instead of her presumed seven. She suspected there could be more present, but she was still somewhat disappointed and knew there was a lot of work she had to do before reaching the proficiency of someone like Aki. Haruhime noticed two of the goblins had battered weapons, likely obtained from other Adventurers, while the rest had makeshift clubs using small stalagmites found around the Dungeon. She spent a few seconds determining the best method to defeat them before taking a deep breath and stepping out from the shadows and drawing her katana. Though she could eliminate them from afar with her magic, each cast cost between 30-50 mana and she would deplete most of her personal reserves before the fight came to an end. It was more dangerous to fight up close, but it allowed her to develop her physical parameters and was far more efficient than using a single target magic.When she drew the beautiful katana Vahn had gifted to her, Haruhime saw the small, dark-brown, caricature of Vahn on the back of her had and felt a rush of confidence burst from within her heart. She knew that the flame seed was supposed to be based on her feelings for Vahn, so Haruhime did her best to cultivate her feelings whenever she was alone. Every monster she struck down took her closer to her ultimate goal of standing at his side and she wouldn't let any of them bar her passage toward the future. Without any hesitation, Haruhime's eyes widened in excitement and she shouted, "Dance, fading effervescence. Blossom, petals of spring. ~Blossom!" When she saw a total of seventeen petals dancing around her, Haruhime's face bloomed into a smile because it was two more than her previous limit.The goblins charged at her, but Haruhime was not the rookie Level 1 that could barely keep pace with the diminutive creatures. She leaned forward before kicking off forcefully against the grassy floor and running to the flanks of the group of goblins so they wouldn't be able to surround her. The two nearest her body tried to leap toward and attack her, but Haruhime simply plantest her heel in the ground before spinning elegantly through the air without even swinging her sword through the bodies of the attackers. Stopping meant potentially getting surrounded, so she made use of the fact that the sakura petals followed her movements to send the razor-sharp pink petals through the bodies of the two foolish creatures. Neither of them died, but both were taken out of commission which left only nine left as combatants.Every time she was with Vahn, he always complimented her on her elegance, beauty, and the fact that her movements were like a dance. As the daughter of a noble clan leader, Haruhime had spent years in her childhood practicing etiquette and dance. When she became a 'prostitute-in-training', they had also taught her how to 'dance' for a man, but she had fortunately avoided ever having to perform like that. Since Vahn enjoyed her 'dance', she wanted to dedicate it to him, and no one else. If he saw her fighting style as a dance, she would polish it further and further until the point where not even a single drop of blood could mar the beauty he complimented her for...The only thing missing from her 'performance' was the sound of music, but Haruhime supplemented the lacking instrumentals by dancing to the tune of the Goblins' cries. They weren't pleasant, but it was enough to keep a steady tempo as she traced a complex pattern around their small group and cut them down with beautiful arcs of her katana that passed through flesh, organs, and bone, as if they weren't even there. Three minutes later, Haruhime brandished the katana once before slowly closing her eyes and sheathing it, as if she were drawing the performance to a close. Though it wasn't an impressive feat to slay eleven Goblins, anyone watching would likely have clapped and complimented Haruhime for her efforts.After sheathing her katana, Haruhime's ears twitched as she habitually looked around for Vahn to receive his praise. Realizing her own actions, Haruhime chuckled at herself before walking over and picking up the small magic cores that had been dropped from the monsters. Unlike when Vahn was accompanying her, Haruhime had to pick up the loot on her own unless she decided to leave it behind. Since she was currently trying to save up enough points to be able to sit next to Vahn and have him feed her, Haruhime made sure to pick up every magic core and safely stash them away. As part of their 'incentive' to work harder, Ryuu and Aki had come up with a list of 'rewards' that could be received from Vahn.The top prizes included things like taking a bath together, taking a nap while cuddling, and the ultimate prize of receiving one of Vahn's legendary massages for an entire two hours. There was even a perk that, if you were willing to give up part of the time, Vahn would have to wear nothing but a pair of tight bottoms throughout the session. When Aki had shown off the black pair of underwear that looked like something a woman would wear, every girl present had fiercely blushing faces after imaging the image of Vahn's tanned figure wearing nothing but a pair of small black bottoms.For a brief moment, Haruhime felt a pressure in the bridge of her nose before her ears twitched and she looked toward one of the adjoining corridors and saw a medium sized group of Kobolds charging toward her. Instead of shying away, Haruhime pulled out her katana again with a small smile on her face as she said with a practiced elegance, "Dance, fading effervescence. Blossom, petals of spring. ~Blossom!" Though there were no instruments present, Haruhime's ears twitched and she felt like small bells had sounded and signaled the beginning of her dance. Unlike the guttural sound of Goblins, the tempo of the Kobold's growls and howls were far more pleasant to the ears...(A/N:'Doki Doki Dungeon Date!?','Haruhime's Conviction','Dance, [Sakura Blossom]~!')If you'd like to support me as a writer so I can write even more stories in the future, please follow the ******* link below (O,...,O)~! Stay beautiful &lt;3. Since it was requested, I also added a Paypal link if that is preferable~!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 350: Denatus Begins