Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

---Haruhime PoV---After spending three hours on the tenth floor, Haruhime was very aware that this floor no longer presented the 'challenge' she sought. She didn't understand the changes in her body well, but Haruhime had realized something had changed ever since Vahn updated her status earlier. Though it was an incorrect assumption, Haruhime felt like Vahn had 'changed' something inside of her and she had become much stronger. She accredited her current progress to his support and the thought of him watching over her just made the feelings welling up inside of her even stronger. Her final fight on the tenth floor had been a group of nine Orcs that were surrounded by fourteen Imps. If it were her old self, before Vahn changed her, Haruhime would have certainly died against such great odds. Instead, after a few minutes had passed the only thing that remained of the enemies were several magic cores on four Orc Hides which Haruhime didn't bother to loot.After arriving at the relative safety of the stairwell, Haruhime waited for a minute or two before sitting down after Vahn didn't show up. She felt her tensions ease up slightly and sat down on the cold Dungeon floor to recuperate for a bit. One thing she had noticed was, though her parameters had increased greatly, her 'dance' slowly drained both her stamina and mana at the same time. Since [Sakura Blossom] didn't take too much mana to sustain, Haruhime understood there was something unique occurring in her body that allowed her to break through her normal limits in exchange for a bit of mana. She felt like her emotions had reached a level that broke through common sense and had become her actual power. This thought made the bubbly feeling in her tummy rise even higher as she peacefully sat humming a tune for nearly an hour before continuing into the marginally more dangerous eleventh floor.Though she felt confident, Haruhime knew the eleventh floor was very dangerous for a single person to traverse since it was habitated by Hard Armored, Silverbacks, Orcs, Imps, and very rarely, Infant Dragons. Hard Armored had the highest defense of any monster on the upper floors while Silverbacks had incredible power and decent agility that could overwhelm rookie Adventurers. The Orcs and Imps wouldn't be too problematic but a single Infant Dragon could spell the end of her journey if she weren't careful. Their flame breath was powerful enough to burn large holes without the hard dungeon floor and could melt through steel with relative ease. Her only hope when encountering such a threat was to hit it from a distance with her magic even though its scales were some resilient against low-level spells.As she walked through the mist of the eleventh floor, Haruhime kept her senses trained on her surroundings and noticed there was a strange earthly aroma all around the area she had entered. Her ears bobbed up and down in a steady rhythm as she crouched low to the ground and stifled her own breathing to an inaudible level as she waited. Her senses had warned her of danger and she felt like retreat wasn't the correct course of action since it would expose her to whatever lurked within the mists. Her decision had proved the correct one as a 5m tall monkey-like creature shambled through the mist with glowing green eyes. Unlike a normal Silverback, instead of a single stripe of silver fur, its entire body was covered in silver fur and Haruhime quickly understood she had encountered a variant species. Since variants were typically a level higher than their counterparts, that made the monster before her a Level 2, and one marginally stronger than other Level 2 monsters.The large monkey sniffed the air with loud inhalations before releasing a steady stream of hot condensation that caused the mist around its body to evaporate. Unfortunately, though she had made efforts to conceal herself, a solid red kimono and long blond hair weren't exactly stealthy against the white grass backdrop of the eleventh floor. The 'Silverback Alpha' noticed Haruhime's figure crouching as the fur on its body started to take on a reddish hue and it breathed a long stream of flames toward her. For its troubles, an ice spear crashed into the side of its face and caused a fair amount of damage that made the Silverback Alpha howl loudly as he leaped the full distance between itself and Haruhime.Haruhime's eyes had widened when the flame breath came at her suddenly and she held out both arms to cover her face. Even if she got burned elsewhere, Haruhime didn't want Vahn to see her with burns on her face. She wanted to be able to smile for him always and couldn't forgive the monster for its affront against her on this matter. Strangely, other than a bit of heat, Haruhime didn't feel any painful burning sensation and noticed a bubble of invisible energy coming from the accessories Vahn had lovingly forged for her in the past. Because the Silverback Alpha's flames were magical, the M.Def of the accessories prevented any harm from reaching her as a beautiful smile bloomed on her face and she called out, "Piercing Chill, Icicle Edge~!"Moments after her spear hit the monster, the flames came to a stop and Haruhime heard a loud roar overlapped with the sound of bells as she dodged to the side in a strangely slow spin that still allowed her enough time to evaded the leap of the monster. The moment she did a full turn, Haruhime smiled and whispered in a small voice, "Piercing Chill, Icicle Edge~!" while aiming at the side of her assailant. The meter long spear of ice smashed into the side of the monster but only caused a small abrasion covered in ice to appear on its silvery fur. Less than a second later, the ice melted away and the only signs of her previous magic spell was a patch of mangled flesh that hadn't gone remotely deep enough to do any serious damage. Fortunately, the monster seemed to be slower than expected and most of its attacks missed her by a large margin even though Haruhime felt like it should be faster than she was.Unable to hit the small creature flitting about around its body, the Silverback Alpha began uprooting trees and boulders to try and smash the small figure into a paste. Every time it tried, however, it noticed the weak creature seemed to disappear before popping up in a new location which made it roar in anger as its fur became progressively redder. Its anger exceeded the limits of its tolerance and the Silverback Patriarch began to smash the floor of the Dungeon around it with its heavy fists without even bothering to try and hit the small creature anymore. If it couldn't smash her when trying to, it would just smash everything around it instead.Loud explosions sounded through the room as a cloud of debris was slowly concealing the body of the Silverback Patriarch as large chunks of sharp shrapnel began to fly about in random trajectories. Haruhime's tempo was disrupted by the random attacks and she cried out, "Dance, fading effervescence. Blossom, petals of spring. ~Blossom!" Haruhime began to take small steps as she rotated her body faster and faster in a strange manner as the sakura petals danced about her at a high speed. She tried to trust her instincts to evade the oncoming debris but several pieces still collided with parts of her body before a fragment of a decayed-looking tree lodged itself firmly into her thigh. Haruhime gnashed her teeth and continued her dance as large amount of blood began to trickle down her leg.Though there were tears in her eyes, Haruhime's mind remained clear as she brandished her katana and a blue light began to shine as she began to chant without stopping her dance. She had never tried to chant while moving under duress, but Haruhime's instincts told her that, as long as she followed the tempo of her dance, she should be able to pull it off...she believed this monster's rage would not be the end of her journey. Though it was much stronger than she was, Haruhime refused to back down even though her body was screaming at her to simply 'stop'.After taking a short step and turning, Haruhime muttered in a whisper as a blue light began to shine on her tail, "Kokonoe. Beloved snow. Beloved crimson. Beloved white light..." A large piece of debris came toward her and Haruhime's body leaned on instinct but it still smashed into her shoulder and tore part of her kimono. Though she got knocked back a few steps, Haruhime continued to chant," Please let me be beside you - this love I have found at the end of two thousand nights. My name is Magic Fox. Former destroyer..." The Silverback Patriarch seemed to realize the coming danger and stopped its tirade before running toward Haruhime on all fours with a fierce momentum and death contained deep within its glowing green eyes. Haruhime's dance had never stopped as her body 'vanished' from the spot and reappeared to the left of the monster as she said, "My name is Ancient Song. Former dreamer. For you who beat your wings like a bird, I shall allow the nine spirits to dwell in me. Echo, song of gold, sacred poem of Tamamo. White face, golden fur, king of nine tails..." In its panic, the Silverback Patriarch forgot its earlier failure as it released a long stream of fire towards Haruhime who received the blow head on by positioning her katana in the path. The mystical bubble guided the flames around her body without damaging her in the slightest as she continued, "Oh, tails of the auspicious beast, consume all, grant all wishes, Piercing Chill, Icicle Edge~! - Dance!"Instead of the normal four tails, five tails bloom behind Harhime's back, each with a small blue flame on their tips as five 3m long spears of ice appeared around her body, completely unaffected by the heat. A powerful light glowed in her pale golden eyes as the speared continued to grow in size despite the powerful heat before launching forward with an air-breaking speed and piercing deeply into the body of the Silverback Patriarch. Unlike the meter long quick-cast spears she threw out earlier, the final attack of Haruhime had condensed the magical energy to form five 4m long spears that were far more lethal than the weaker version of the spell. She packed all of her mana into the attack alongside the remaining mana into her accessories and believed in her victory as she sent the spears forward with a loud cry, "I won't stop here, not when my story has just begun!" After her shout, Haruhime saw the spears pierce into the Silverback Patriarch as its body began to swell up before exploding into a large cloud of purple dust. The last thing she remembered before darkness claimed her was a warm feeling embracing her body that prevented her from falling to the ground...---Standard PoV---When Haruhime had entered the 11th floor, Vahn had followed closely behind her and detected the presence of the variant much earlier than she did. Because the mist had nearly no effect on his vision, Vahn had seen the lumbering behemoth walking on all fours through the mist before changing its path toward Haruhime. He nodded his head because she had made the correct decision to hide, but also knew it would be futile since the monster seemed to have a very powerful sense of smell and eyesight that could pierce through the fog. He was tempted to step in and help, but Vahn thought it would be a good experience for Haruhime since there was no guarantee he would always be around to protect her. The [Effigy of the Hero] would allow her to win regardless of how strong the monster ended up being and it would be an 'eye-opener' that would prepare her for the future if she could overcome the trial before her.Of course, though he rationalized it this way, Vahn's body was incredibly tense as his fingers dug deep into the hard dungeon floor. There was a chilling cold in his mind because he had a powerful urge to leap forward and annihilate the monster every time it got close to injuring Haruhime. His [Will of the Emperor] was the only thing keeping him in place as he constantly muttered to himself, "She'll be okay, believe...she'll be okay, believe..." When the Silverback Patriarch began to slam the ground in a rage, Vahn felt like his molars were going to be ground into powder with how hard he clenched his teeth. He saw the ten cm long piece of wood pierce clear through Haruhime's thigh and had almost leaped forward in the very next moment before noticing that Haruhime hadn't given up at all. With a deep breath, Vahn pulled out his bow and nocked an arrow while maintaining his [Stealth] and trained his sights on the Silverback Patriarch so that he could kill it at a moments notice.Though his focus was on the monster, Vahn noticed the mana around Haruhime's body began to fluctuate and he turned his eyes toward her and saw the illusory aura around her body had actually formed a large bluish-white fox with golden eyes sitting behind her. It was more than 3m tall and had two wispy tails behind its body as and followed each of Haruhime's movements like her shadow. Vahn could see the mouth of the fox's mouth moving, almost as if it were whispering into Haruhime's ears and he could also hear Haruhime's chant even though she was still dancing. A peculiar feeling welled up inside of him, almost like a powerful burst of inspiration, as Vahn lowered his bow. He knew that Haruhime was at a pivotal moment in her development and that his interference would be a slap in the face to her convictions. Vahn saw the confident glint in her now pale-golden eyes and knew she wouldn't give up no matter how difficult the fight got.Toward the very end, when Haruhime had faced down the flames of the Silverback Patriarch head-on, Vahn saw the illusory fox behind her step forward before 'diving' into her body. The moment her chant ended, Vahn saw Haruhime's four tails sprout into five as an illusory blue flame appeared on their tips. He felt a powerful convergence of ice elemental energy pulled into the flames at Haruhime's tails before large ice spears, far larger than anything Haruhime had ever used before, began appearing out of thin air. Vahn, with his [Eyes of Truth], saw that there was a line of pure elemental energy contained within each spear, almost like an arrow of unstoppable magical energy. That small line nurtured the entire spear and prevented the flames from having any effect as Haruhime launched them forward with a loud cry. Vahn saw all five spears penetrate through the body of the Silverback Patriarch before using Shundo to step forward and catch Haruhime's collapsing body. She went into a state of 'Mind Down' and had lost consciousness as Vahn held her body tightly in his embrace before vanishing from the eleventh floor and retreating into the safety of the adjoining corridor to tend to her wounds...(A/N: 'The Power of Belief','Never gonna give up~!','-sounds of popcorn being eaten-')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

After the banquet concluded, Hestia managed to escape from the veritable horde of goddesses and made her way over to Hephaestus, Loki, and somewhat annoyingly, Freya. Anubis joined them soon after and the five goddesses parted ways with the larger group and proceeded to the 48th floor of Babel which was designated as Hephaestus's private residence. She rarely ever used it, but it was still large enough to potentially house thousands of people if required. The group made their way inside as several attendants rushed about to prepare food and drink for the 'rare' visitors.Hestia plopped down powerlessly onto a sofa and whined, "Muuuuu, I thought it was fun at first, but those goddesses need to learn some propriety. All they kept asking were things about Vahn and there were even several that want to try and get closer to him~! Grrrrrrr, I'll never let those hussies get their hands on my Vahn!" Hestia had been flailing about with her arms and legs like a child even though she was still wearing the dress Vahn had bought her. Loki, who had been nearby, began laughing and asked, "Ara~? A bold claim to make in front of his legal wife, don't you think?"Hestia looked over at Loki with dead-fish eyes before turning her gaze at the awkward smile of Hephaestus before saying in a lazy tone, "Even if I have to share him with a lot of other girls, Vahn is still mine...we promised to be together forever and I intend to take care of him no matter how much time passes." Hephaestus walked over before scooching Hestia's legs to the side and sitting down on the same sofa. She looked over at Hestia, who let out a sigh and sat up, before saying in a calm tone, "Vahn isn't such a small existence that he can be contained by any single person...even if we all did our best to protect him, I'm certain he'll grow beyond our influence someday. The best we can do is make sure he always has a safe haven to return to...and the only way we can do that is to work together, Hestia."Without waiting for her response, Hephaestus grabbed Hestia and began snuggling with her as they had done in the past. They weren't the most 'popular' goddesses in Heaven, so their relationship as friends was a powerful bond that wasn't easily broken since it had persisted for well over a million years. Hestia 'pouted' a bit before relaxing her face against Hephaestus's breasts and saying in a muffled voice that made the red-headed goddess stifle a laugh, "Muuuu, Hephaestus, thanks for calling me to come down from Heaven. I didn't know it was possible to feel like this..." Before they could fall into their own pace, Loki sat behind Hestia and grabbed around her body and 'accidentally' grabbed the two large breasts of the petite goddess and said in a mischevious tone, "You're lucky Vahn was your first, I've had to go through countless experiences before I finally understood what it meant to be a real woman~"Hestia began to writhe around under Loki's touch and complained, "Graaaah, Loki, you mischevious demon, unhand meeeeeeee~!" Loki began laughing playfully as she drew her face close to Hestia's and made the small girl blush deeply when she said, "Ara, but we got along so well when we were with Vahn...you're going to break my heart, He-sti-a~!" Loki drew her face slightly closer to the flustered Hestia's until an 'elegant' laughter sounded in the room and Freya said, "Oh, I didn't know the two of you had reconciled and now have such a 'personal' relationship. It's good to see friends get along so well~." Loki turned away from Hestia and released her breasts before addressing Freya with a sly grin on her face, "You already have a better understanding than everyone else at the Denatus about what is going on around Vahn. The question is, now that we've made our stance, how far are you willing to go to cooperate with us, Freya~?Freya titled her head slightly as she passed her gaze over the four goddesses, including Anubis who had been sitting at the side sipping on tea with a contented expression. She released a somewhat tired sounding laugh as she shook her head and said, "I've already committed to helping protect Vahn from outside threats and have even taken several vows to not interfere with his lives, and the lives of those around him. I want to have a child of my own one day, so I have no intention of butting heads with the other girls around Vahn...so why do you ask how far I'm willing to cooperate when I've already made far more concessions than any of the other goddesses?" Freya knew that every time Loki opened her mouth these days, it often resulted in her having a powerful headache afterward.Loki stood up from the sofa before standing relatively close to Freya and looking up into her silvery eyes and saying in a serious tone, "How long have we known each other, Freya, around 140 million years? You think I'll believe for a moment you're willing to play second-fiddle to anyone for a long period of time? No, that isn't like you at all, I'd much rather place my bets on the sun failing to rise in the East any day of the week than believe that for an instant." Freya squinted her eyes in a provocative manner and said plainly, "Vahn is too important an existence for every goddess, I'm not going to oppose more than half of the godly community for temporary benefits. Just like Hestia...even if I wanted to keep him to myself, there would be too many factors preventing me from taking action, just like you and Hephaestus have done."Loki's eyes opened slightly as the boldly stated, "I am a dangerous existence to Vahn." Freya's eyes opened slightly as she tilted her head and asked, "Ara~? Are you talking about your Divinity? What are you trying to get at, Loki?" Loki's face turned into a somewhat sad looking smile as she said, "In order to give him more of a reason to give me a child, I swore off every other relationship for as long as Vahn lives. Unless it's with his consent, I don't even play around with my old favorites anymore." Freya's eyes opened a great deal because she knew Loki's 'habits' more than most, as they had often worked together in the past. Because of this, Freya understood what Loki was trying to say and also understood why Loki had asked how far she was willing to go earlier.Freya furrowed her brows as an uncharacteristic frown appeared on her face and she asked, "You can't honestly be asking me to give up on all my other relationships just because I want to have Vahn's child...even if I could somehow tolerate it for a while, you know I can't simply throw away the things I have invested my interest in. My Divinity wouldn't allow me to do such a thing...what you're asking is impossible!" Loki shook her head with a serious expression and said plainly, "I know you can't give up Freya, and I'm not asking you to do so. Even if Vahn knew about your relationships with other men, he probably wouldn't even mind that much since he himself has several ongoing relationships. The problem is how the 'Children' of your Familia will treat him, and how your child would eventually be raised. The current you is simply unqualified to be the mother of one of Vahn's children because there is no way you would be willing to part with it. Vahn would never allow his child to grow up in the type of environment you would provide, so unless you make a firm resolve of your own you would never be able to have one of his children. You'd be better off picking one of your favorites within your Familia and having them sire the child instead."As she listened to Loki's words, Freya's thoughts were racing through her mind and she was trying to come up with a counterargument. However, nothing she could think of would be able to convince the four goddesses in front of her, especially the problematic trickster standing before her. They simply knew each other too well and, as Loki had claimed, there is no way she could part with her own child. If it were a girl, she would raise her daughter as her protege, the same way she had treated Syr. If it were a boy, she would nurture him into a powerful warrior that exceeds all others and, if he possessed a similar spark of Divinity like his father, she would desire to create another child with them. The thought of being able to 'cultivate' a god within the mortal world resonated too strongly with her own desires, her own Divinity. As long as there were a chance, Freya couldn't abandon the thought and would have to pursue it even if it inevitably resulted in her return to Heaven.Loki said in a somewhat cold tone, "All goddesses will be bound by certain vows, but the ones binding the goddesses that wish to birth Vahn's children must follow specific guidelines. There are too many unknown factors for any of the children to be entrusted to anyone else other than Vahn and the Alliance as a whole. You don't know that boy yet, but his capabilities are far greater than you can imagine. Do you think it's an accident he has been able to find solutions, not just regarding the matter of goddesses, but also for Half-Races and even Elves? His perception would put many gods to shame and his innovative ideas are unlike anything that the world has ever seen. There is no one more qualified than he is, especially with our network of support, when it comes to ensuring the children live long and healthy lives. What you would try to do only results in one end, no matter how much you try to force the situation. You will destroy yourself, or you will destroy your own hopes, potentially for the rest of eternity. Even before the Age of Myths, there had never been an anomaly like Vahn in all of history, are you really willing to wait another 600M year in the hopes that a second would appear?"Freya had a very conflicted expression on her face because she couldn't think of any way to poke a hole in Loki's argument. There was simply nothing she could say to call into question the fact that Vahn was 'qualified' on the matters since he was the literal progenitor of the method and was the only person who even had a remote understanding of the process. If what Loki said regarding the other races was true, there was no room for her to argue over the matter at all and it was a very vexing feeling since she was very used to getting her way. Ever since she took an interest in Vahn, it seemed like all of her plans were being undone before she could even execute them and it was baffling considering there were few things standing in her way previously.After a long period of hesitation, Freya bit her bottom lip for a while before looking into the slightly open eyes of Loki and asking, "You wouldn't bring this up if you hadn't thought of something...so what did you have in mind...Loki?" She put extra emphasis on Loki's name, almost as if the word was somewhat distasteful on her tongue. Loki didn't seem to mind at all as her expression turned into a mischevious smile and she said, "It's simple, really, just that from the moment you eventually sleep with Vahn, you won't be able to sleep with anyone else up until the time the baby is born. When you finally give birth, the only way you will be allowed to 'keep' the child would be to continue having a monogamous relationship with Vahn. The vow will lose its effect after the child reaches adulthood, though you can renege on it at any time as long as you're willing to 'give up' your child to be raised by the Hestia Familia. You will still be able to visit, but you won't be able to take the child away for long periods of time without supervision. This is the greatest leniency we can afford you, since you are simply too dangerous otherwise."Freya's frown deepened for a while after listening to Loki's words as several thoughts ran through her mind. Loki's terms weren't actually that bad, and it wasn't as if she were that attached to her current children. If it meant forgoing a relationship for little more than a decade, it wasn't that difficult considering she was several million years old. It was simply a 'blip' in the endless flow of time that defined her existence and it was a small price to pay in order to receive a peerless child of her own. None of her current children would be able to hold a candle to the existence that she would give birth to in the future, and Freya's primary interest was pursuing the idea of a perfect, peerless, warrior.For several minutes, Freya ruminated over the matters until her expression slowly melted into a much softer one and she eventually smiled elegantly as she said, "Very well, Loki, but before I bear Vahn's child, I want him to help me conceive one from someone else. I assume your little 'restrictions' have no sway over my other children, correct?" Loki's expression turned somewhat serious before she nodded her head and said, "Yes, but keep in mind that if Vahn found out you mistreated your other children, it would likely affect his decision to allow you to have any others." Freya began to laugh like a bell before looking around the room at the other goddesses and saying, "That's fine, but I'll have each of you make concessions of your own. Even without confirming anything, I know you've all probably been advocating against me to keep Vahn from approaching me. I want you to stop interfering with 'fate' and allow things to happen as they will...I'm curious what kind of person Vahn is to have brought about so much change in everyone that even Hestia, famous for her purity, would give it up for his benefit."Hearing her name, Hestia startled before shouting, "Someone like you wouldn't be able to understand at all, Freya! All you've ever been concerned with is your own interests, you wouldn't be able to understand someone like Vahn who puts in almost all of his efforts to help other peole. He isn't selfish and distant like any of the gods in Heaven, no, he is living every day to the fullest and that is something that not even I, or any god, would be able to understand! If you hurt Vahn, I don't care what it takes, I will make sure you regret it forever~!" As she spoke, Hestia's Divinity began to activate and it actually put a great deal of pressure on all the goddesses present. Even though they were all goddesses, Hestia's latent power was far greater than even someone like Freya.Freya's smile cracked a bit and her eyes took on a serious glint as she fought to resist against Hestia's pressure using her own Divinity. She was just a third generation goddess, so there was little she could do against the first generation, Hestia. Since they originated from the same area of Heaven, Freya was very aware of some of the secrets related to Hestia's origin. The main reason most gods and goddesses avoided confrontation with the 'lazy' and 'troublesome' little girl was due to the fact that, depending on the circumstances, they wouldn't even be able to defend themselves if she lost her cool. Not everyone was like Loki who didn't mind 'flirting' with death and teasing the diminutive little goddess with big boobs. Freya knew that, if she actually 'hurt' Vahn and triggered Hestia's wrath, she would likely be destroyed in, not just the mortal world, but Heaven as well.With that thought in mind, Freya turned her gaze to the fiery red eyes of Hephaestus and finally understood the forge goddesses scheme. The reason she had called Hestia down to the mortal world to protect Vahn wasn't just because he needed a Familia, but because she wanted to use Hestia's inflexible nature as a deterrent. Now that the small goddess had committed herself to Vahn, he had inadvertently got one of the greatest forms of insurance he could have...Freya released a long sigh before pulling back her own Divinity and saying in a defeated tone, "Don't worry, Hestia, though I may lay more than just my hands on Vahn, I won't do anything to actually bring harm to him..." Under her breath, in words that only Anubis managed to pick up, Freya continued, "...it's not like I've grown tired of living just yet."As someone from a different region of Heaven, Anubis wasn't entirely aware of the origins and powers of the Northern and Western gods, so hearing Freya's words had been 'eye-opening' for the exotic goddess. She turned her moon-like eyes toward the small goddess she hadn't thought much of previously and vowed in her heart to butter up the over-protective Hestia. There were several things she wanted to do with Vahn in the future, so Anubis didn't want to make any enemies, especially with a goddess respected by the hot-headed Hephaestus. Out of habit, as Anubis thought about Vahn, she reached up and stroked the black collar around her neck and it caused a small smile to appear on her face that drew the attention of the other goddesses in the room.Afterward, a strange conversation was spontaneously instigated as the girls began to talk about the various things they had received from him in the past. Though items like Hestia's dress and her [Sapphire Star] were quite impressive, everyone had to bow down in defeat when compared against Hephaestus's [Promise], the crest on her back, and the baby in her belly. Though Loki was a 'close second', she didn't have an item that linked her together with Vahn. Of course, just the memory of that 'fateful' night together was more than enough for her...at least for the time being.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'HephaestusxHestiaxLoki','Loki Vs. Freya','Hestia's 'Victory', Goddesses' Defeat')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

---Haruhime PoV---Haruhime didn't understand it herself, but ever since Vahn had started brushing her hair earlier it felt like her heart was fluttering about in her chest. She hadn't mentioned it to him, but it felt like all of her parameters were increasing and she had a strange urge to 'prance' about the Dungeon and defeat even more monsters. It was like there was an uncontainable jubilation well up inside of her and she needed to 'release' it for, not the world, but just Vahn to see. However, everything she had learned told her to keep her senses about her and never lower her guard regardless of how confident she felt. Though it was important to trust your instincts, you should never neglect your training because, as was often said by both Ryuu and Aki, 'It will save your life.'The tenth floor was typically beyond the limits of most Level 1's unless they were formed up into parties because the rooms were much wider and filled with a fog reminiscent of morning mist. There were a number of small monsters, known as Imps, that were always skulking about behind rocks and trees in order to catch their prey unawares while they were distracted fighting against the various Bad Bats and Orcs that populated the floor. Haruhime, fortunately, had the benefit of her enhanced senses or it would be very difficult to clear the floor since there was a high chance she might get caught off guard. Instead, since she had been to this floor before, Haruhime had memorized the various scents and was able to locate the hiding Imps as long as she paid attention.Haruhime heard a slight rustling of grass that made her ears twitch as she pulled out her katana. She didn't need to use its magic for a single enemy so Haruhime simply charged the diminutive creature and took the initiative to strike it down. It tried to defend with its dagger, but Haruhime's [Sakura Blossom] easily cut through it before bisecting the Imp from head to toe. She brandished the katana to disperse the blood that had marred its beautiful surface before continuing forwards. The lack of enemies actually made it harder to fight since she couldn't get into the correct 'tempo' unless the fight lasted longer. Fortunately, Haruhime caught a rather pungent scent that alerted her to the presence of Orcs hiding within the thick mist. She could easily defeat them using [Icicle Edge], but Haruhime wanted to test her capabilities against the notoriously durable monsters and their rapid regeneration.After following the trail, Haruhime found a group of four Orcs and a gentle smile appeared on her face before her body began to sway and she drew her katana and whispered in a sing-song voice that tickled the hiding Vahn's ears, "Dance, fading effervescence. Blossom, petals of spring. ~Blossom!" A group of sakura petals began to slowly dance around her body as she leaned forward and dashed toward the Orcs with her newly upgraded Agility. After Vahn updated her Status Board, she had more than a 50% increase and Haruhime could feel a lightness in her body that made her feel 'free' and unrestrained. Even though she was only 150cm tall, she wasn't afraid of the 3m tall Orcs at all and actually felt more excited than anything else. When she dodged the overhead strike of the Orc, who had been using a large club, Haruhime placed her weight onto her right foot before doing a backflip to dodge the second swipe and she heard the peculiar sound of bells ring once.When she landed on her feet, Haruhime performed a short instep towards the Orc before performing a graceful, almost slow, strike through the air that cut accurately at the location of its magic core. The sakura petals trailed behind her slash and peppered small holes in the body of the orc before it turned into dust. Haruhime heard the sound of bells again before she took a half step backward and tilted her body to evade the strike that had been aimed at her face. Though there was no music playing, Haruhime felt like she had fallen into the Orcs tempo and all of their movements were the accompanying music for her performance. She knew Vahn was watching and wanted to appear as elegant as possible to please him.Though she hadn't intended to use it, Haruhime found herself raising her left hand as she muttered, "Piercing Chill, Icicle Edge~!" towards the Orc that had just raised both of its clubs at the same time. Since there was a second Orc at her flank, there wasn't any easy way to evade their combined attacks and her instincts naturally guided her actions to use a magic spell to instantly kill the Orc. She then, instead of retreating away, stepped toward the Orc that tired to swipe at her from the side as she ducked under its arm making use of the size difference between them. Without swinging her sword, Haruhime simply walked past the Orc as the sakura petals trailed her movements and cut through its left leg and abdomen before leaving it on the ground screaming.Haruhime felt very strange at the moment, almost as if her mind was becoming increasingly calm even though powerful emotions were coursing through her. She felt compelled to move about, but also restrained herself through instinct and she didn't know what was happening. The only thing she 'knew', even though she couldn't explain why she knew this, was that she had to dance...so she did. Even though there were still two Orcs present, Haruhime began to dance to a melody only she could hear as she effortlessly evaded the attacks of the Orcs who became increasingly violent. Their attacks cut through the air with enough force to disperse large amounts of fog and even a grazing blow would be enough to seriously injure her, yet Haruhime seemed to ignore their presence entirely. The only things their attacks managed to do was cause her long hair to 'dance' in the wind as her body moved fluidly around the area.After around three minutes, the urge Haruhime had begun to fade and she sheathed her sword before kneeling down on the grass in silence. While she had been evading the combined attacks of the Orcs, their battle had caused an additional ten Imps to sneak up and 'contribute' their efforts to the fight. However, the only thing that changed was the 'tempo' Haruhime could feel in her body as she danced around and slew every monster without swinging her sword a single time. Now that her strange state had faded, Haruhime was ruminating over everything that happened and nurturing the pleasant feelings that were welling up inside of her. After sheathing her sword, she held both palms to her chest and felt like she could feel the flame seed in her chest warming her entire body with its comforting, everpresent heat...---Standard PoV---Vahn had been crouching down in the grass around 100m from Haruhime's position and watched the entire fight from start to finish. He was in awe at what he had witnessed because, unlike the dance-like movements Haruhime used in the past, it seemed like she had actually started dancing seriously. The strange thing was, it was almost as though the monsters were moving to her tempo and were always one step behind everything she did. There were even times when she started to move before the monsters even attacked yet they went through the motions almost as if they didn't even realize she had moved in the first place. Since he suspected it was the influence of a skill, Vahn had been watching part of the fight with his [Eyes of Truth] active and noticed a large area around Haruhime appeared to be 'illusory' in nature.Several seconds after he realized this, Vahn's eyes opened wide because he realized he had gotten caught up the illusion for a very brief moment and had been 'mesmerized' by Haruhime's dance. He saw her spin on her feet and, as his eyes traced the tantalizing curve of her tail, Vahn noticed that Haruhime had moved a few meters away before he even realized what happened. Since he was supposed to be 'absolutely immune' to illusions, Vahn had no idea how Haruhime was able to pull off what should have been an impossible feat. The only explanation was that it was the influence of her Innate skill must have some way to bypass his own [Eyes of Truth] and the implication triggered a flag within Vahn's mind. His understanding of his own Innates was shallow at best, and now he realized there were Innates that could exceed any preconceived notions he possessed about his own mental defenses.Though he realized it was 'dangerous', Vahn allowed his mind to focus on Haruhime's movements again and noticed that he didn't seem to be affected at all as long as he retained focus. However, when he saw her hips sway gently like a reed and followed her tails with his eyes, Haruhime was suddenly several meters away once again. Vahn's eyes opened wide and he realized the skill was either activated by Haruhime's tail, or took effect and exploited the gaps in a person's concentration when their thoughts shifted.To test his theory, Vahn focused all of his attention on Haruhime's somewhat pert butt, willowy waist, and elegant tail for nearly a full minute without any effect. This showed that it was likely the case that it exploited the gaps in a person's concentration so Vahn 'uncharacteristically' imagined Haruhime performing her current dance wearing nothing but the lingerie he was designing for her. By the time he returned to his senses, Haruhime was sheathing her sword and Vahn felt a strange sense of shame and lowered his head to stare at the grass for a short while as he calmed his mind. During this moment, Vahn realized he could simply use [Will of the Emperor] and the cool energy would immediately remove the effects.Vahn released a small sigh of relief before turning his attention back to the 'meditating' Haruhime with a small smile on his face. Even if she hadn't awakened her Innate, she had to be very close to it and Vahn realized it would be an incredibly powerful one when she honed her skills further. There was nothing more critical in a fight between two experts than being able to exploit the small openings in your opponent's defenses. Haruhime's 'dance' also seemed to push her senses, at least her hearing, to the absolute limit because Vahn had noticed her ears were twitching about in a steady rhythm and could detect mana accumulating in them.The entire time she was meditating, Vahn used his bow in conjunction with [Call of the Reaper] to silently kill any monsters that approached near her. He understood it was very important to undergo moments of internal reflection to develop a better understanding of things at times. Even if she lost the timing to get the [Hunter] Development Ability, it meant nothing compared to awakening her Innate abilities. Fortunately, Haruhime only spent around forty minutes kneeling down on the grass before rising to her feet and dusting off her kimono and walking deeper into the floor. Though it was almost imperceptible, Vahn could sense a fundamental change in each of Haruhime's movements. Her steps seemed lighter, yet purposeful, while her body swayed about in a natural and elegant manner. The most noticeable thing, however, had been when, for a very brief moment, Haruhime's tail flashed with an illusory blue light reminiscent of her [Kokonoe] magic that made her sprout additional tails.---Haruhime PoV---Haruhime had continued to focus on the 'heat' in her chest and felt like she was stoking the small flame seed with her own emotions, almost like her thoughts and feelings were acting like a billow. She could feel her heart beating in a steady rhythm and slowly spread through her body and made a tingling sensation appear in her arms, legs, and extremities. It was like the feeling of happiness, yet instead of just feeling it in her heart it had spread throughout her entire body. As it reached the limits of her limbs, the feeling stopped spreading and instead began to increase in intensity. Haruhime's desire to dance continued to rise higher and after more than half an hour passed she could no longer resist the urge and had to go find something to fight.The moment she stood up, Haruhime felt like her entire body was light and the tingling sensation sent strange reverberations through her body with every step she took. It was almost as though every step she took towards the path she had decided for herself increased the feelings she felt in her heart, mind, and body. Since she knew Vahn was watching, Haruhime resisted the urge to laugh out from all the emotions building up within her body and instead settled on humming a tune she had never heard before. All she knew was that it made the fluttery feelings in her heart persist for a longer period of time and she felt an eagerness spreading through her body to join the happy feelings as she locked onto a pair of Orcs with her pale-golden eyes that had small slits instead of a normal pupil. There was a strange red coloration around her eyes, almost as if she had applied makeup that made her elegant expression appear far more alluring than normal...---Standard PoV---Vahn had noticed that the moment Haruhime came across a new batch of monsters the air around her body changed once again so he immediately activated his [Eyes of Truth] and saw the illusory aura had activated again. He smiled widely because he was certain Haruhime's Innate must have awakened and he 'confirmed' it by staring at the illusory second tail that was overlapping her real one like a phantom echo. Since he had done a bit of research to try and understand the Innate skills more, Vahn attributed this effect to her Innate called [Inari]. He had learned that it was the name of a nine-tailed fox deity that had a surprising number of myths that he had pulled from various records.Though he had yet to meet her, Vahn also knew there should be a goddess named Inari in the Far East who was considered the principle goddess of the Renard people. The fact that Haruhime had an Innate related to her principle goddess showed that her noble bloodline wasn't just for show. Not only did she have an incredibly rare magic, but her Innate ability was probably the most powerful one that a Renard could possess. If his intuition was correct, Haruhime might very well have nine tails one day and be able to make use of her [Kokonoe] without even having to use the chant...assuming it didn't let her grow an additional nine tails. Vahn had trouble imagining what eighteen tails would even look like, so he believed his deduction to be true.Now that she had a better understanding of her skill, though Vahn wasn't even sure she knew it was active, Haruhime was able to defeat most of the monsters on the 10th floor without any real difficulty. The only thing Vahn felt somewhat unsatisfactory was how 'slow' the battles were, even though it was literally a mesmerizing sight to behold. It was looking more and more like Haruhime wouldn't be able to slay 1000 monsters within the 72-hour window unless he came up with a solution to 'accelerate' the process a bit. Since it might negatively influence her to know about it, Vahn decided to keep the matter to himself and try and probe some information out of Haruhime when they rested in the evening.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Power of Emotions','Jiiiiiiiiiiiii~ -Vahn Mason 'observing' Haruhime','What do we say to the God of Death? Lets dance~!')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 354: Variant