Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

The moment Vahn agreed to the duel, it was almost as though all of the space around them had frozen, with only a slight trembling of the earth around them to mark the passage of time. Siegfried's expression had become very serious, dragon-like eyes narrowed as a result of his heightened tensions. Then, with a strangely appreciative smile on his face, Siegfried inclined his head towards the massive pillars dotting the horizon in the distance, saying, "That shall be our battleground. We shouldn't involve normal people in our affairs..." Without waiting for Vahn's response, Siegfried jumped into the air and, in an instant, sprouted two deep blue dragon-like wings and sped off towards the place he had indicated.Vahn followed Siegfried with his eyes, awed by the man's sheer speed as several loud thunderclaps spread through the area as a result of him tearing through the wind with a fierce momentum. Even so, Vahn wasn't daunted at all as he turned to Hera and Jeanne, addressing the former as he said, "You should be careful in how you choose to scheme against me, Hera...Though I might not seriously regard my own personal endangerment, it is another matter entirely when it comes to the people I care about. If you choose to play this game, be prepared for the consequences of your actions..."Much like Siegfried hadn't waited for him, Vahn didn't wait for Hera's response as he completely vanished from sight. Unlike the proud Dragon Knight, Vahn could also cut through the sky yet, instead of breaking through the wind, his movements were like a phantom, silent, and hard to discern to the naked eye. Jeanne had been completely stunned by this display while Hera, whom he had advised caution, simply smiled as she looked towards the pillars to the north. Turning to Jeanne, she tapped the rather innocent girl's shoulder and asked, "Shall we move to observe? I'm curious to know exactly how strong this Vahn Mason is. To make that bolt-brained doofus impressed, he must be rather impressive..."Jeanne nodded but had a face full of uncertainty as she remembered Vahn's words. It was clear to her that their actions here hadn't been entirely honest, as Siegfried very rarely left the City of Heroes in the last hundred years. The only exception had been when he tried to intercept the One-Eyed Black Dragon before it fled across the ocean, never to be seen again. For him to have accompanied Hera, she must have asked him to do so. This realization gave Jeanne reason to doubt their motives but, being the faithful knight she had always been, she simply nodded before spontaneously sprouting a pair of pristine white wings from beneath her kite shield. As for Hera, much like Zeus, she had a special pair of sandals that assisted her flight, though she couldn't fly nearly as fast as her troublesome companion.---Though he had taken a hard stance against Vahn, Siegfried's impression of the young hero was very positive. When Vahn had stood up to him without backing down, he had to admit, the boy had what it takes to be a true hero. The problem was, the thing Vahn had decided to protect wasn't something he would truly be able to control. There was nothing wrong with believing in the nature of your companions, hoping they would never do anything to harm you and your loved ones, but True Dragons simply couldn't be trusted.It was the 'nature' of True Dragons, their biological drive, to seek power and confront creatures that are stronger than them. When they eventually reached the peak of power within their territory, they would proactively begin to eliminate anything that might threaten them in the future. It didn't matter if it were their former companions, brood from the same hatching, or their 'parents'. In fact, Dragons, in general, would proactively try to kill their own parents, all so that they would be able to absorb the energy contained within their 'Dragon's Heart'. The parents themselves actually encouraged this behavior as any Whelp that was unwilling to contend for the position of Alpha would quickly be eliminated in the resultant struggle.Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Siegfried hardened his heart to teach Vahn a lesson and, even if meant becoming the boy's enemy in the future, relieving him from the burden he had taken upon himself. Better than anyone else in the entire world, Siegfried understood the tragedy that would await Vahn if he continued down his current path. He didn't want to see another young Hero lose their life trying to protect monsters that, on a fundamental level, couldn't truly coexist with other creatures. The only thing they respected was strength and, if Vahn's power ever fell below that of his supposed companions, he and his loved ones would pay the price...After finding an area that would be suitable for the coming fight, Siegfried landed and prepared to wait for Vahn's arrival. Assuming he had a few minutes to wait, Siegfried sat down beneath a tree and began to focus his mind. Zeus had stated that Vahn's power already qualified him for a position in Legend so Siegfried wasn't going to underestimate the boy. Though he didn't intend to go all out, he wanted to avoid a situation where he could avoid serious injury and avoid killing the aspiring hero. After all, he just wanted to teach Vahn a lesson and, if necessary, give him a goal to strive for and overcome...Staring at Siegfried, who had just sat down and closed his eyes, Vahn asked, "Is this your idea of a duel...?" Hearing the unexpected words, Siegfried's eyes snapped open and his pupils dilated into slits that focused directly on Vahn's body. Because he hadn't expected Vahn to appear so quickly, Siegfried had momentarily dropped his guard. Shaking his head and cursing, ("My battle instincts have gone soft...") while rising to his feet. He suspected that Vahn had a rare ability related to speed, then remembering that it was one of the traits that Zeus had praised.Though his body was already tensed to attack, Vahn waited for Siegfried to stand, saying, "In most instances, I would have already attacked you. However, I can tell that you aren't an evil person so I'd like to come to an agreement with you..." Siegfried dusted off his pants before grabbing his massive blue claymore and saying, "I had a few ideas in mind, myself, but I'll let you go first though since I was the one to initiate the duel request..." Vahn returned a firm nod before saying, "First, you're clearly misunderstanding my relationship with the True Dragons within the Hearth Manor. I won't say your way of life is wrong, but it is never safe to assume that your experience is the only one that has any credibility. It is the nature of people to make mistakes and, only by overcoming our own bias, are we able to move forward without regrets..."Siegfried raised his brow, intrigued by Vahn's words but unable to inquire further as the young boy continued, "After I defeat you, you'll have to make a vow swearing to never target the Dragons associated with the Alliance, especially those within the Hearth Manor. I won't make you take a vow that prevents you from seeking vengeance against other Dragons, but its simply foolish of you to believe that all Dragons deserve death, just because you yourself had come to that conclusion..." Vahn spoke each word with a firm conviction and, though he wasn't trying to channel it right now, his [Will of the Emperor] had started to activate naturally.Sensing the oppressive aura that started to emanate from Vahn's body, Siegfried squinted his eyes with suspicion. He could feel his instincts cautioning him about how dangerous the boy in front of him was, as even his soul trembled slightly under a strange suppressive force. Deciding that Vahn must have had a rare ability that could affect not only the mind and body, but the soul, Siegfried began treating this duel even more seriously. Soul attacks were some of the most difficult to deal with and, though he had never suffered too many setbacks from such attacks, this was the first time he had felt a genuine suppression on his 'Dragon's Soul'...Vahn, getting into a combat stance, asked, "Well, do you accept? If not, I'm afraid this battle can only end in one way..." Even if Siegfried wasn't a bad person, Vahn wouldn't allow someone with such at their disposal, especially if they target his loved ones, to roam freely. It would be the hardest fight of his life, but Vahn would kill Siegfried if it meant protecting Terra, Fafnir, Khaos, and, especially, Alexa...The moment Siegfried expressed his intentions, Vahn's parental instincts had been triggered and, if the man wasn't willing to compromise, Vahn would not show him any leniency...Getting into a stance of his own, hefting the large blue claymore as if it was a feather, Siegfried said, "I will swear on my pride, Vahn Mason...should you emerge victoriously, I will never interfere with your affairs. However, should I win, I want you to take a step back on this issue...you may not understand it now, but know that I'm doing this for everyone's best..." If Vahn could truly defeat him, it would have proven that the boy had more than enough strength to control the Dragons beneath him, at least for the time being. He wasn't so obstinate as to insist that something 'had' to be done immediately, or his crusade against the Dragons would have never been put on hold in the first place.Without any hesitation, Vahn nodded his head and, without any further words between them, dashed forward with [Shundo] into Siegfried's blindspot. It didn't matter to him what Siegfried's own terms were since, as long as his body had a single breath within it, Vahn would never give up the fight. He would rather die than stand idly by as the people he cared about faced such a terrifying foe, even if it was likely that Terra would be able to defeat him without any great effort. Thus, resolving himself to do whatever it took to protect his home, his family, and his loved ones, Vahn struck forward with his fist covered in a thin membrane of source energy.For a brief moment, it was like time had stopped and, if not for the fact that his [Eyes of Truth] were already active, Vahn wasn't sure he would be able to track Siegfried's movement. His fist, which had been aimed for the Demigod's left ribs, passed through a phantom image of the massive Dragon Night. Wind beat against his face as a result of the instantaneous movement and, in the very next instant, what seemed to be a mountain-sized fist came hurtling towards his face. The pupils of Vahn's eyes shrunk to the size of pinholes and, even though time already seemed to have come to a crawl, the fist in his vision came to a halt.Unaware of the strange phenomenon, Siegfried continued to strike forward with nearly half his full power, intending to knock Vahn out in one blow. However, much like what Vahn had experienced, Siegfried's hand passed through a semi-solid phantom that had been left behind by Vahn's use of [Shundo]. When pushed to the extremes, it was possible to create several illusory bodies to confuse enemies and, with the enhanced perception he had in that singular instant, Vahn had broken through to a level beyond general mastery. For the first time, other than when he had learned [Magia Erebea], Vahn pushed one of his magic spells to the SS-Rank, exceeding the previous limits of the skill.Siegfried's eyes widened in slow motion before he flexed the muscles in his back, ejecting his wings outward like spears to intercept Vahn, the latter of which had appeared behind him with a fatal glint in his eyes. Thinking the boy would dodge, Siegfried brandished his sword and began the preliminary movements for a sweeping blow with the flat of his blade. There was nothing in his 528 years of experience that could have prepared him for the fact that Vahn didn't even try to dodge his attack at all. Instead, just as the steely blue wings tore into the young hero's flesh, Vahn thrust forward with a blade-like hand, preparing to sever Siegfried's spine...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Hans...are we the baddies...?','One person's experience doesn't shape how the rest of the world experiences reality...','Decisive Strikes, Sage Aldrnari vs. Dragon Knight!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Just as Siegfried had been surprised by the fact that Vahn hadn't dodged, Vahn was experiencing a similar degree of shock when, instead of twisting and moving away, Siegfried instead leaned 'into' the blow. At the same time, Siegfried began to jerk his wings, which had been buried into Vahn's body, 'open', attempting to strain them inside the body of Vahn so that he wouldn't be able to move. Since he was certain Vahn could have dodged, Siegfried knew that Vahn must have had a way to stave off the seemingly fatal blow, especially since the aura radiating off of Vahn's body hadn't diminished at all.Pressing forward with his knife-hand, glowing white hot with the infusion of fire elemental energy, Vahn's fingers touched against Siegfried's back...and broke. As if he had hit an indestructible piece of Adamantine, Vahn's hand buckled under the force of Siegfried's moment as the wings that had pierced through his body, already causing him a great deal of pain, became taught within his flesh. It felt like he was about to be torn apart but, instead of backing away, Vahn infused his source energy into his crushed hand, causing Siegfried to sharply inhale before opening his wings completely, tearing Vahn's body apart in the same movement.Without assuming that Vahn had been defeated, Siegfried opened up a distance of more than 200m in a single movement, observing Vahn while brandishing his sword, eyes staring unblinkingly towards what would have been the corpse of a normal person. As for Vahn himself, he was beginning to realize how difficult it was to fight against someone that had a lot of battle experience, especially if they had fought against others with unique abilities. The words of Eva echoed through his mind as the wounds on his body healed almost completely in just under two seconds.Just as he had risen to his feet, Vahn wasn't surprised by the fact that Siegfried was already in front of him, golden eyes trained with intense focus as he buried the dark blue claymore deep into Vahn's chest. Unable to resist the secondary pulse that spread through his body from the ridiculous force, Vahn coughed up a mouthful of blood onto Siegfried's face before placing his white-hot hands against the blade piercing his body. Having learned his lesson previously, Vahn infused source energy into the flames and attempted to destroy Siegfried's weapon, even if it was an S-Grade piece of equipment.Things didn't go as planned, however, as the blue blade began to change shape, much like Fafnir's scales. In an instant, Vahn felt the blades tear through his body, branching through his organs as Siegfried muttered, "That is quite a fearsome ability, kid...I hope it holds up..." Though he normally wouldn't spare his opponents any words during a fight, Siegfried was impressed by the regenerative ability of Vahn. At this point, he was confident that he had identified all of Vahn's rare skills, being the strange light in his eyes, the speed at which Vahn could move, and his regeneration. It was well documented that people, regardless of how much they trained, could only develop three rare skills. Many battles between people at the peak revolved around identifying your opponent's abilities so, now that he had figured out Vahn's, Siegfried was confident in his victory.Feeling the blades coil around and embed into his flesh, Vahn clenched his teeth to resist the pain while his [Will of the Emperor] went into overdrive. The problem was, even though he wouldn't be defeated by such an attack, Vahn couldn't move anymore. Turning off his [Magia Erebea] would put him in a compromising position, with his body being torn apart and only slowly regenerating, but Vahn was struggling to come up with a solution. He didn't want to reveal the existence of [Enkidu] during a fight against a powerful opponent with close ties to gods, nor did he want to use his true trump cards unless he was pushed into a corner...Fortunately, as he resisted the blades tearing through his body, Vahn felt a powerful energy begin to stir within him, bringing with it memories that had long been buried in his mind. Thus, though it was very painful to do so, Vahn began to laugh in an eerie and uninhibited manner, causing Siegfried to lift his body before pinning it into the ground. Then, doing something beyond the pain threshold of anything Vahn had ever experienced, Siegfried twisted his blade, and all the branching blades attached to it. Vahn felt like his body had been 'blended' in an instant as his head separated from the rest of his body.Siegfried watched as the 'pieces' of Vahn immediately gathered towards him at an incredible speed, moving even faster than he would have been able to manage. He was awed by the existence of an ability that would allow a person to regenerate, even if their body was turned into paste and their head was separated from their body. His assumption was that Vahn's head was the 'key' but, as he didn't truly wish to kill Vahn, Siegried had avoided hitting the head. A part of him was also worried that, even if he smashed Vahn's head, it wouldn't be effective...Though he couldn't keep up with the larger flow of Sage bits, Siegfried grabbed a small part of Vahn as he once again opened up a distance to observe. He could feel the piece wiggling around in his palm, trying to escape his grasp before, to Siegfried's exasperation, it 'dissolved' before completely disappearing. It had been one of Vahn's fingers and, seeing that it had regrown on the boy in question, Siegfried knew this was going to be a troublesome fight. He needed to find out the mechanic behind what made Vahn's regeneration possible, with his first assumptions being that it relied on the boy's internal mana. However, since Vahn had been able to regenerate from having his body annihilated, Seigfried knew it was more complicated than that.Deciding that he needed to test the limits of Vahn's regeneration, Siegfried revealed one of his own trump cards. Blue scales began to sprout from his face, neck, and ears as he leaned forward and released a powerful flame breath that was reminiscent of a welding torch. The blue flame created a conical shape that turned caused all the nearby trees to immediately catch fire as the ground below melted into glass. To his surprise, however, Vahn just jumped towards him with a strange fiery claymore appearing in his right hand. Siegfried's eyes widened when he saw the blade, but not nearly as much as they did when he saw Vahn moved 'through' his flames. It was as if they had no effect on him whatsoever, only burning away the layer of clothes he had been wearing without a single burn anywhere on his body. (A/N: I know some people will recall that Lefiya had managed to 'burn' Vahn with her magic, but you have to remember that was Light-based, not actual Fire.)Swinging his [Laevateinn] forward, Vahn felt a very powerful urge to let Siegfried feel what it was like to have his body cut apart. He didn't consider himself a vengeful person by nature, but Siegfried's attacks had shaken Vahn's heart and mind a little, making him somewhat resentful of the powerful Dragon Knight before him. Unfortunately, Siegfried parried his blow with ease, causing Vahn to feel helpless as the blue claymore bisected his body in two. Before he attached back together, Siegfried grabbed his face and jumped away from the lower half of his body. Vahn felt like he was being pulled like the anchor of a ship before Siegfried tossed him forward like a ragdoll, far away from the other half of his body.After throwing Vahn, Siegfried looked back to watch the naked lower body begin to 'evaporate' into black particles. He wanted to see if there was an effective range to Vahn's regeneration but, after throwing the boy a few kilometers, it didn't seem to be the case. Releasing a sigh, Siegfried tore away his shirt to reveal that his body muscular body had started to sprout dense blue scales. The longer he fought, the more his body would transform into that of a True Dragon, the result of his own rare skill [Tyrant Dragon's Body]. He could also control the transformation himself, which had been what enabled him to produce his wings and block Vahn's attempt to attack his spine. Still, with his body now laid bare, there was a small burn mark on his scales that irritated him even now.Flapping his wings, Siegfried took to the sky to get a better vantage point, only to see several flashes of light as arrows flew towards his position. Normally, Siegfried wouldn't have even bothered dodging such attacks but, with his powerful instincts, he immediately knew these weren't simple arrows. Swiftly evading each of them, Siegfried then swept back with his sword as a trail of blue flames spread through the sky, burning the dangerous projectile.The moment his flames contact them, however, the arrows seemed to 'morph' into black spheres that began to twist and distort space around them. Seeing this, Siegfried felt his scalp tingle, as space magic was one of the most difficult to deal with. No matter how tough his body was, there were some magic attacks that simply couldn't be resisted with physical durability alone. Gravity magic was in that category and, even though it was his first time seeing such a phenomenon, Siegfried understood those small orbs used powerful gravity to tear apart the target.Accompanying the tingling of his scalp, two sapphire-like horns branched out of Siegfried's head and he charged toward the now clothed Vahn. Keeping a distance would potentially disadvantage him and, as he had already identified that Vahn's strength couldn't match his, Siegried intended to use close combat to suppress the boy. He realized he would need to completely seal Vahn's movements if he wanted this fight to end as, even though Vahn had been using his ability for a long time, Siegfried hadn't seen any indicator that it was taxing his energy to do so. In fact, Vahn's energy seemed to replenish almost as quickly as it was used up, something that made Siegfried feel like he was trying to fight against the tides of the ocean. No matter how hard he struck them, the water would eventually beat back against him, to the point where the resultant tidal wave would even devastate the land where he had previously stood...Placing away his bow, Vahn then brought his palms together, mentally chanting, ("Come from the void, oh thunder, cut down my enemy! Axe of God! Fixate. Seize. Load magic, 'Armament'~!"). Just as Siegfried created a 'prison' of swords to try and capture him, Vahn's body became infused with the lightning magic, [Dios Tukos], meaning 'Lightning Axe'. Without the assistance of Fenrir or Terra, this as one of his most powerful [Magia Erebea] forms, which he referred to as 'Lightning Armament'. In the future, he wanted to be able to shift into the form just by calling the spell's name, but that would have to wait until he dealt with the foe in front of him.Using [Koku Shundo], without restraining his momentum, Vahn moved through the blades, allowing his body to split freely before it converged back together behind Siegfried's body. Part of the energy had actually arced into the Dragon Knight's body, as his metallic scales had acted like a lightning rod, allowing Vahn to stun him long enough to strike the same spot as he had burned earlier. This time, however, Vahn was using his [Vis Maxima] to the fullest, further amplifying his speed to the point that Siegfried couldn't keep up with him. Though it could be seen that Siegfried was able to keep track of his movements, there was a big difference between someone that could move several thousand kilometers per hour, and someone that could move hundreds of thousands of kilometers per hour.Though his body resisted the physical blow almost completely, Siegfried felt the lightning elemental energy wreak havoc inside of his body. He couldn't make any move to regain his footing and, as a result of Vahn's lightning-fast blow, Siegfried smashed into the ground with enough force to cause the land to upheave around him. Stones weighted thousands of tonnes were displaced by the force and, instead of making a crater outright, Siegfried's body was buried nearly 300m into the ground, like a stake that had been driven by a hammer. Vahn had infused his source energy into the blow so, regardless of how resistant Siegfried might have been, there was little he could do about the lightning energy until it dissipated naturally into the earth below.Even so, Vahn didn't believe for a moment that Siegfried would have been defeated so easily. When his blow had landed, Vahn's hand had actually shattered into lightning particles. Not only did his scales seem to increase his defensive might, but they apparently had a repelling effect on attacks as well. Vahn's mind started racing for solutions to come out ahead without going all out but, seeing how things were developing, it would turn into a long fight of attrition unless he kicked things up a notch. The only thing that prevented him from doing so was, even though Siegfried's attacks had seemed ruthless, Vahn knew he had still been holding back. Still, there was a limit to his tolerance and Vahn was beginning to get very frustrated with having his body cut into ribbons...Suddenly, the ground in a 3km radius seemed to 'sink' slightly before huge cracks appeared, originating from the hole where Siegfried had been buried. In the next instant, blue flames erupted from those cracks, causing the ground to sink even further into molten stone, dirt, and composite minerals. Vahn didn't have any time to marvel at this scene, however, as a massive pillar of blue flames came straight towards him. Being completely resistant to such attacks, Vahn ignored it completely as his [Eyes of Truth] focused on the figure contained within the flames themselves.Moving forward at nearly 6,000km/h, Siegfried attempted to grab Vahn with his claws, now glimmering with the same sapphire glow as his horns. Instead of a normal human, he now had the appearance of a 280cm tall Dragonic Knight that was completely covered in blue scales. There were almost no human features remaining, other than the fact that Siegfried's anatomy more closely resembled a human's than a Dragon's. Vahn didn't have time to inspect him completely, however, as his evasive maneuvers to avoid being grabbed got rewarded by a sweeping blue tail crashing into his body. It felt like he had been hit by an unstoppable force that caused his abdomen to literally disintegrate.Siegfried moved to grab Vahn's upper body once again but this time he was more than prepared to react, easily moving to avoid the blow and counterattacking. He had only been hit by Siegfried previously because he had been stationary and observing the phenomenon below. In truth, Vahn's reaction timing couldn't actually keep up with his own movements so, with Siegfried's enhanced speed, the Dragon Knight had managed to catch him off guard. Now, however, Vahn went on the full offensive.Ignoring the fact that each of his blows caused his arms to shatter into oblivion, Vahn continued to strike forward in an effort to wear Sigfried down. Siegfried had also noticed that Vahn's speed was impossible to contend with so, instead of defending himself proactively, he tried to use the fact that Vahn was striking him haphazardly to his advantage. Completely forgoing any defensive actions, Siegfried began to rain his own blows forward, each fist carrying enough momentum to turn boulders into powder. Unfortunately, though he managed to 'disperse' Vahn several times, it took less than the blink of an eye for the boy to reform. All the while this was occurring, a larger amount of lightning energy began to flow into his body, causing smoke to begin rising from cracks in the surface of his body.Though he was slowly getting an advantage, Vahn's frustrations had started to peak and, unable to tolerate to internecine blows any further, he transitioned into his Xuánwǔ form. Siegfried immediately tried to open distance between them, something he would soon regret since the difference in their speed meant such actions were pointless. Vahn's onyx-black skin grew black scales that made Siegfried feel as though the boy before him had a similar rare ability as his own. Then, several times faster than he could even blink, Vahn was already burying both of his palms into his lower body. Though such attacks would normally have no effect on him whatsoever, Siegfried paled as he observed Vahn somehow redirect the energy of his natural reflection ability into his own body...along with the terrifying momentum of Vahn's actual blow.In an instant, their roles had been reversed and, instead of having his own body ripped asunder, Siegfried was now falling from the sky, both halves of his body tracing separate arcs since Vahn's attack had parted the once whole body in twain. As a last desperate blow, though he knew it wouldn't have any effect, Siegfried hurled his sword towards Vahn's like a spear. The last thing he saw before darkness claimed his vision was Vahn 'blinking' to the side and catching the hilt of his prized sword with the ease of a cat catching a mouse it had been hunting...(A/N: Let me know if you thought the action was conveyed well. I know I need to improve how I write out 'fast' segments, so feel free to let me know where you thought I could have done better!)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Battle of Innates','Siegfried's Experience Vs. Vahn's Immortality','Fuck Force Lightning, Vahn's over here using SOURCE Lightning &gt;:D')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

By the time Vahn reached the gate, the air felt as though it had become viscous and difficult to move through. Small pebbles that littered the ground began to rise, as if freed from the restraint of gravity before, moments later, being pulverized into powder. Then, without any hesitation, Vahn stepped through the gate before the three strangers and plainly stated, "If you've business with the Alliance, you would have been better served scheduling an appointment. Showing up unannounced doesn't exactly give people the best impression..." While speaking, Vahn had continued to stare towards the tyrannical man, standing nearly 200cm tall, a full head higher than Vahn himself.The goddess, surprisingly, gave a slight bow as she adopted a small smile and calmly stated, "If our arrival has inconvenienced you, we can come back later. It's just that, given our status, it is difficult to stay in the City for a long period of time. Entrusting others to arrange a meeting could lead to further complications and, as the intent of our arrival was to clear up a misunderstanding, it felt necessary to come personally and rectify things in an expedient manner." Vahn turned his eyes away from the massive warrior and made eye contact with the goddess while turning her words over in his mind. He had already connected her with Zeus, as the latter had recently offended him greatly, meaning she was likely Hera.Deciding to test the waters, Vahn returned a casual smile to her and said, "Given the timing of your arrival, you must be the goddess, Hera...?" Without offering a verbal answer, Hera just gave a small nod of affirmation before gesturing to her two companions and explaining, "And these two, for the time being, are my bodyguards for this diplomatic mission. Allow me to introduce the Heroes Siegfried, the Dragon Knight of Alistair, and Jeanne, the Saintess of the now defunct Kingdom of Rabnastré."As Hera was speaking, Vahn's mind referenced the two names among the history books contained within his mind. Both were names that hadn't appeared within the last 300-500 years. He had already deduced they were demigods, but suddenly having two Heroes from history at his doorstep was a rather...peculiar experience. Even so, Vahn looked to the man, Siegfried, and said, "I never expected the Dragon Knight to show up at my gate...I'm rather interested to know what you've been up to for the last 438 years..." Though he said this, Vahn had already reasoned why Siegfried was here. It was obvious that they knew of Terra's existence and he was likely meant to try and deal with Terra if things developed into a skirmish.According to legend, Siegfried had driven out an entire horde of dragons from his homeland after one of them had slain his wife and child. His body had bathed in the blood of so many dragons that his skin had become tempered as a result. It was also stated that, the resentment contained by the thousands he had slaughtered, cursed his soul and made him into the very thing he hated the most...a dragon. His personal creed in life, though now the reports of his death seemed to have been exaggerated, was to annihilate all dragons before offering his own life to the Heavens. It was even stated that he had made an Eternal Vow to hunt down and exterminate every dragon, regardless of how many incarnations it would take...Siegfried had a very serious expression on his face but, against Vahn's expectations, began to stroke his neck as if he felt very awkward, all while saying, "Yeah...it's kind of complicated. It would help me a lot if you didn't try to press me about that matter..." Vahn wasn't sure if Siegfried was just trying to get him to drop his guard, as the aura radiating from the man made him seem proud and ferocious. Even his expression was fierce, causing Vahn to feel like his body had begun to tilt slightly before turning his attention to Jeanne and taking a breath to calm himself.She had a very refreshing appearance and helped calm down the incongruous feelings in Vahn's mind after seeing Siegfried's reaction. With a polite smile on his face, Vahn said, "I have read about you, Saintess Jeanne...probably a little too much, hahaha." Without showing any sign of perturbance on her face, Jeanne returned a polite smile and said, "I'm honored to know that someone so reputed had taken notice of my tales. I only hope they were not exaggerated too much, as I'm afraid your expectations might cause you some degree of disappointment."With Jeanne's words, Vahn realized they most likely weren't here to cause any trouble, especially considering Hera's stated purpose. Still, his smile softened slightly as he said, "Well, it's actually my daughter you'd have to worry about. She is quite fond of heroic stories with female heroes and, as your legend is one of the few popular tales, I've had to read it to her several times." Vahn had to admit that his impression of Jeanne didn't actually match his mental image of the rather tragic heroine from the tales. Though she was as beautiful as the legends stated, her presence wasn't properly conveyed through written words and, if not for the fact he didn't truly trust Zeus and Hera, Vahn would have wanted to introduce her to Vana.Jeanne's eyes glittered slightly when she heard Vahn mentions his daughter, especially since young girls aspiring to be heroes was a very rare thing on the Continent these days. If she had inspired just one person to become a capable Heroine in the future, Jeanne felt like she would be able to raise her head high for the remainder of her days. Her impression of Vahn himself was that he seemed like a kind and sensible boy and, even though he had appraised her previously, she hadn't sensed any of the 'possessive intent' most men had towards her. With the rumors making him out to be a womanizer, she had expected him to be similar in character to some of the other Heroes she associated with, especially those that had been groomed by Zeus.No sooner had the introductions been completed that Hera immediately set about seeing her purpose fulfilled, asking in a curt tone, "Shall we move to someplace more private? I would prefer not to cause a scene by having a discussion among the general populous..." Looking around, Hera eyed the small crowd of onlookers that had gathered to see what was going on. Both Hera and Jeanne were very beautiful women, reason enough to draw a crowd, but Siegfried's uncommon appearance, and the aura radiating from his body, simply couldn't be ignored. He didn't seem to be able to reign it in at all, drawing the attention of everyone on the street, especially when Vahn himself had shown up to 'confront' them.Vahn had long noticed the gathering crowd so he nodded his head but, instead of inviting them into the Manor, asked, "Is there a place you had in mind? Forgive me for being rude, but I can't exactly invite your group onto the premises without making a few preparations..." Then, so as not to cause any misunderstandings, Vahn extrapolated, stating, "It's not that I'm outright treating you as an enemy, but I'm not going to expose my family and children to potential danger just out of courtesy. Since you're likely here as a result of Zeus' recent actions, I'll have to ask for your understanding on the matter..."Before Hera was able to nod in ascent, Siegfried interrupted the conversation by asking, "So, I heard you had a few dragons laying around here...? Rumors even said they were True Dragons...if possible, I'd like to meet them..." Though his words sounded 'warm', in a peculiar way, Vahn could sense the rising tensions in Siegfried's body as he brought up the topic that had likely been at the forefront of his mind. Vahn had started to realize his nature at this point and, much like a male True Dragon, Siegfried seemed to have a natural pride that wanted to compare himself to others of his kind. If he actually called Fafnir or Khaos out, Vahn had no illusions that there wouldn't be some form of confrontation between them. As for Terra, she probably wouldn't care much for him at all...though the same might not hold true for Siegfried in regards to her.Wanting to confirm his suspicions, Vahn asked, "Are you actually a True Dragon yourself...?" while activating his [Eyes of Truth] once again. Siegfried began to awkwardly stroke his neck, seeming extremely hesitant to talk about the matter but still saying, "Well, you can see it that way...it is a little more complicated than that, though..." From what Vahn could tell, Siegfried was obviously just a Demigod born from the union of a god and a human. However, his mana and spirit bodies seemed much closer to Terra's than that of a normal Demigod. It was likely the result of an Innate or, like the stories claimed, Siegfried had been cursed by all the dragons he had killed in the past.As he had been contemplating the matter with his sub-process mind, not much time had passed before Vahn shook his head and said, "I'll have to refuse, as I see no reason to introduce you to them. Given the stories associated with your legend, I'm not going to put my companions at risk just to sate your curiosity." Siegfried raised his brows in reaction, asking with abject surprise, "You truly consider those monsters to be your companions? Listen kid, even if they are Xenos, you shouldn't get involved with Dragons, especially if they are True Dragons. They aren't like us and, no matter how tame they seem, it is only a matter of time before they show their true nature. It isn't really their fault, so don't feel too bad...it's just their 'instincts'."Having experienced more than his fair share of troubles when it came to dealing with the instincts of True Dragons, Vahn knew that Siegfried's advice had a high degree of credibility. Still, his expression hardened as he firmly stated, "Even if you're earnestly offering your advice, you'll have to pardon me for not accepting it. Call me 'kid' all you want, as I won't pretend to have the experience of someone that has lived for more than five hundred years, but I'll never become the type to just hand over his companions because some stranger advises me it's for the best. If you really want to have a go at my companions, you'll find I'm far less tolerant than you might think..."For several long seconds, Vahn and Siegfried continued to hold each other's gaze until the later asked in a deep monotone, "Hera-sama...I know it is not the reason we came here, but I'd like to make a selfish request this time around...please forgive me." Hearing this, Hera released a sigh before turning an apologetic gaze to Vahn and saying, "It's good that you are so bold for one so young, Vahn Mason. The dedication you show towards protecting your companions is truly commendable...but, there are times when such determination will be challenged by those with contradicting convictions. Please do not misunderstand Siegfried's intent as the will of those around him..."At the same time Hera was speaking, Jeanne also showed an apologetic expression, bowing low with a very tired look in her pale blue eyes. She knew first-hand how willful some of the Heroes could be, as she herself also had a few 'quirks' that she couldn't really overcome. Siegfried truly wasn't a bad person but, when it came to anything related to Dragons, he could be 'very' obstinant. She just hoped that Vahn didn't take things hard if he ended up losing the fight that was bound to happen. If possible, she hoped he might even win so as to deter Sigmund from trying to pursue a course of action that she could only see as leading to his demise. After all, though the proud Dragon Knight was likely the greatest Dragonslayer in History, she couldn't even delude herself into thinking he was strong enough to fight against that terrifying presence she had learned about through the 'Voice of the World'...Seeing that Hera and Jeanne weren't going to interfere, Siegfried's expression continued to become more fierce as he slowly enunciated the words, "Vahn Mason, I challenge you to a duel. Will you accept, or will you stand aside and allow me to serve my purpose?" Without a moment's hesitation, and a gaze even more resolute that Siegfried's, Vahn firmly stated, "I accept." Even if he might expose some of his hidden cards to them, Vahn had already intended to expose some of his capabilities during the coming Monster Feria. There was also no way he would be able to win against Siegfried if he held anything back, after all, though he couldn't be entirely sure...Siegfried was most likely a Level 9.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Run away quick, Jeanne! If you lay eyes on Vana, you won't be able to escape anymore~!','Siegfried's Conviction','TFW your comrade challenges the Master of the person you fear as unbeatable...RIP Siegfried-san...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 728: Clash (1/2)