Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Blazing through a brilliantly lit sunless sky, four figures moved at velocities far exceeding the speed of sound while one, decidedly slower than the rest, held a large tulip-shaped staff in her hands. Raise it high into the sky, the young fairy holding the staff shouted in a high pitched voice, full of vitality and excitement, "Gather, 29 spirits of light! Magic Arrows, Series of 29 Light Arrows~!" The moment the chant finished, without forming a magic circle, a ring of 29 spheres of light began to slowly spin behind the lively young fairy before she pushed forward with her left hand, almost as if she were grabbing the void, and sent them forward with an even greater velocity than the four flying figures.Being the closest 'figure', Vahn came to a stop in the air as seven of the bolts created a laser-like line directly towards him. With a smile on his face, Vahn began to use [Koku Shundo], creating footholds in the air as he made small movements within a 3m radius. Each of the beams of light passed through his body, almost like it were an illusion, before immediately careening towards the second target, Tiona. When she saw this, Tiona, wearing her magical girl outfit overlaying her [Pactio] raiment, shouted, "Ah! Vahn, that's sneaky, ahahahahahahaha~!"Obviously undeterred by the now fifteen bolts flying towards her, Tiona released a burst of loud laughter as she nimbly twisted her body in an athletic display, showcasing her incredible flexibility and spatial awareness by dodging 'almost' all of the attacks. One passed right by her face, causing the brown-skinned beauty to sweat a bit as the fringe bang framing the left side of her face was incinerated. Fortunately, as a quirk of her Regina Animalium, the strands started growing back at a visible rate while the rest of her hair transitioned to have a metallic sheen.The next target, now facing twenty of the bolts, was Fenrir who, much like Tiona, simply dodged the magic arrows at a minimum distance. Unlike Tiona, however, Fenrir had easily evaded all of them, not even singing a single hair of her now sleek midnight blue fur. She was getting progressively closer to completing her humanoid transformation, now having ears around the size of a Cat Person and a small tail that jutted outwards slightly, curling upwards because of how short it was. As for the fur covering her paws, it was now thin and sleek whereas, the paws themselves, now formed into fully developed hands and feet. There were still adorable little paw pads on her fingers, palms, toes, and soles, but Vahn knew Fenrir was keeping them there intentionally.Having been easily evaded by Fenrir, the last person to face the barrage was also the fastest, Ais. She had [Ariel] surrounding her body and both of her wings of light poking out of her lower back. When the twenty-nine arrows came towards her, instead of dodging, Ais' eyes shone with a competitive glimmer as she brandished her sword. With a flurry of precise strikes, Ais cut apart each attack while flying backward, and dodging at the last moment. However, she didn't make an effort to break free from the arrows' homing effects and seemed determined to cut them all down.Tiona, having come to his side, whistled in an impressed manner before saying, "Man, Ais is getting way too good at flying. I wish I had her control over wind..." Vahn released a light-hearted laugh, poking Tiona in her exposed side as he said, "And I'm certain she'd like to have your nearly indestructible body and ability to evolve..." Tiona, giggling from the unexpected poke, brought both of her hands up like she was going to attack him before an explosion resounded through the air.Ais had managed to cut down twenty-three of the twenty-nine arrows but, as their speed was comparable to her own, one managed to slip through her attacks and impact the arm she used to hold [Gram]. Following the first impact, the remaining five arrows smashed into her body, causing a magical explosion that sent a ripple through space. However, as scary at the explosion had seemed, nobody present panicked and, as expected, Ais emerged almost completely unscathed moments later. Her [Aeriel] acted as both an offensive and defensive magic, imbuing her attacks with spiritual wind that could cut through almost anything, while simultaneously protecting her from harm.Even so, the first hit had caused a burn on her arm so Vahn had immediately stepped over and began healing her while Ais hung her head slightly, pouting. When he was finished, Vahn brought both of his hands to Ais' face, pressing his index fingers to the sides of her mouth and giving her an artificial smile. Though showing a guilty expression at first, it quickly faded away as Ais began to smile for real. Seeing this, Vahn nodded, patting her head while saying, "It's better when you smile. Don't be upset when you fail, Ais. It is failure that gives us a reason to move forward. Next time, even if you fail, fail better..."An unconstrained laugh sounded out behind him, where Vahn had already noted Tiona had been. She clung to his body, hugging his neck from behind, asking, "What kind of advice is that, Vahn~? Fail better? Ahahahahaha~." Vahn joined her in laughing before all three of them adopted somewhat serious expressions and began dodging again. Lefiya had started her next attack and, though she had a gentle smile on her face, there was a 'scary' aura radiating from her body. Tiona, seemingly unaware of this, continued to laugh as she dodged the numerous arrows targetting him, now consisting of 80% of the total.Free from his own arrows, Vahn vanished from the sky before appearing next to Lefiya, poking her in the cheek when she turned to face him. Vahn knew why she was upset as, after trying to sneakily convince Ais to spend the night with them, Tiona had managed to hear her since she had enhanced hearing at the time. After trying to join in on the fun, Lefiya, somewhat surprisingly, ended up lashing out at Tiona for butting in.It wasn't until Ais convinced her that it would be okay that Lefiya took a step back, though she still didn't agree to have other people participate. As for the reason...it wasn't that Lefiya actually minded Tiona and Tione coming along, but she had wanted to do something with Ais in front of Vahn. After the first time they all 'played' together, Lefiya knew it would be difficult to get away with what she had in mind so, for the time being, she was 'very' adamant about it just being the three of them.This wasn't the full reason why she was upset though, which was actually related to him, even though Lefiya seemed to shift the blame onto Tiona. The latter had come to him, asking if it would be okay if they all spent the night together and, not thinking there was anything wrong with it, Vahn had agreed. Now, Lefiya didn't want to be the one person in the group to object and, though she had originally wanted it to just be the three of them, it had quickly turned into the 'six' of them. At the time Tiona had brought it up, he had been training with Lili and, never shying away from an opportunity to have some 'fun' with Vahn, she immediately volunteered her presence...Lefiya, doing her best to 'ignore' the finger poking into her cheek, eventually gave up and released a small, pouty, sigh. At this moment, Vahn brought his finger from her cheek, lightly pinching her ear and making her startle, moving away from his hand as the two pointy protrusion began wagging up and down. With furrowed brows, it looked like Lefiya wanted to say something until Vahn beat her to the punch, saying, "Don't worry so much, Lefiya...tomorrow, why don't the three of us go on a day trip outside of the City? I know a nice and scenic spot next to a river where we can enjoy the sights and sounds of nature..." Though he explained it that way, Vahn winked at the end of his statement, sealing an unspoken promise.The pout on Lefiya's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a crimson blush that seemed to have hit her a little too hard as the wings on her back spattered before furling back into her body. With spinning eyes, she fell from the sky while Vahn easily caught her in his embrace. Seeing that Lefiya was stuck in a happy delusion, Vahn just shook his head and smiled wryly when he saw that all twenty-nine arrows were chasing after a frantic Tiona. Ais and Fenrir were just standing in the air watching her be chased around, all while shouting, "Aaaaah, Lefiya, I'm soooooorrry~!"---After enjoying a...very difficult to describe night, Vahn was flying through the sky at a leisurely pace while Lefiya and Ais flanked his sides. It was very helpful that both girls were able to fly on their own, even if Lefiya's speed was somewhat lackluster. She could actually run faster than she flew, though her agility in the air was very high since her flight pattern was omnidirectional. There wasn't a big difference between her wanting to move up, down, forward, or backward, all while having an 'absolute awareness' of the space around her. Much like his own, Lefiya's Innate, [Fairy Queen's Domain], gave her a spherical bubble of fourteen meters around her body. Within this zone, Lefiya was instinctually aware of almost everything, especially the flow of mana.At the same time, though it was hard to tell at times, Lefiya's mentality had been subtly changed, now possessing a bit of pride that hadn't been there previously. It could have just been a change brought about by the fact that she was now an adult, but she was very quick to take a stance on things now, instead of just getting caught up in the momentum of others. Also, as she had been somewhat quiet in the past, it was very easy to notice that she had become much more outspoken than before, oftentimes even guiding a conversation topic that she was interested in.None of these changes had been that surprising to Vahn as, according to what Sis was able to explain, the vast majority of people would have an Innate that alters their state of mind once reaching Tier 3. This was to enable them to develop the mentality that would allow them to reach higher Tiers as, for the vast majority of people, it was 'very' difficult to even wrap their heads around concepts like Laws. Yes, they could understand the theory behind them, even exercise some minor control over ones they had an affinity with, but this wasn't 'true comprehension'. Once a person was able to fully understand a Law, which would be impossible under normal circumstances, they could even 'break' it.One of the most extreme examples of this would be if someone had somehow achieved mastery over Space and Time Laws. For the former, they would theoretically be able to move at any point in space, as if there were no distance between the two points at all. Pushing that concept even further, they could even move 'outside' of space, entering into the true void where only pure, formless, energy existed. As for those with mastery over Time, they would be able to move forward, backward, sideways, or even 'parallel' through multiples axes of time. An absolute extreme would be, should they be able to control both Space and Time, they could even create an 'entire universe' within the true void...even though it would 'technically' be empty.While he was thinking these thoughts, Vahn was also talking with Lefiya and Ais, primarily about the upcoming Monster Feria and anything that was troubling them in their magic studies. Lefiya, having always been prodigious at Magic, had been picking it up very quickly. Most of the other girls, however, had only been able to glean some insight into the techniques they liked. They were still several years of study from being able to pass muster as real Mages, though that time was being shortened greatly by the Sub-Space orb. After all, at this point, nearly two and a half years had passed for the girls that spent the most time in the orb.Even though this was the case, as he had already anticipated, most of the girls hadn't changed much, if at all. Ais was now chronologically older than she had been inside the orb, now more than seventeen years old, compared to her sixteen-year-old self from the manga. Still, as if she had almost been frozen in time, Ais' appearance had barely changed from her fourteen-year-old self, at least proportionally. Her actual appearance had become inarguably more beautiful, possessing a vibrant youth that, because of her propensity to smile much more often, gave her the appearance of a doll whose maker had affixed a perpetual smile to her face.Ais wasn't the most extreme case, however, as even Shizune and Tina, who should be in their growth stages, hadn't changed much at all, especially in the case of Shizune. Vahn had already started to search for methods to accelerate their physical growth, without harming their lifespans, as it would likely be necessary for Alexa as well. When she came out of the orb in the future, even though she would be over 100 years old, Alexa would have the appearance of a young girl around 9-10. Afraid of drawing a little too much attention, by having a Manor full of perpetually young girls, Vahn had hit the books hard, all while Fenrir taught the girls her unnamed transformation magic...Seeing that they had nearly arrived, Vahn broke free from his wandering thoughts and gestured to a very discreet clearing that was opposite a rock formation located next to the river. It wasn't that far away from where he had tried to 'stop' the flow of water, so Vahn had made a mental note to stop by the next time he got a chance. He also wanted to use this as an opportunity to see how much he had improved, if any, as his grudge against the river was still going strong. As for Ais and Lefiya, they hadn't noticed the fiery light in Vahn's eyes and just descended into the clearing before looking around with curious expressions. Vahn had landed in between them and, to ensure they would have adequate privacy, pulled an artifact that had been made by Terra in her large amount of free time.It had the appearance of a small and very homely looking cottage, with two bedrooms, a chimney, and a fully stocked kitchen. However, anyone with a discerning eye, would notice this was no simple trinket and, as Vahn set it down on the ground, the complex magical war at its base began to fluctuate. Moments later, the cottage had grown to its actual size, having been made small by spatial magic that reduced the distances between the individual particulates of mana that made up an object. This was Terra's greatest Masterpiece, thus far, and Vahn had been required to 'heavily compensate' her after requesting to use it for his rendezvous with Ais and Lefiya...Remembering how 'scary' Terra could get, Vahn shook his head lightly to clear his thoughts before turning to the two stunned girls and asking, "Well, shall we take a look? All the furniture inside is completely brand new and, I can personally attest that the bed is very comfortable~." Understanding the true meaning behind Vahn's words, Ais and Lefiya both showed excitement on their beautiful faces, accepting his extends hands a little 'too' eagerly before the three of them headed inside to inspect their little home away from home...and its bedroom...maybe both of them...?(A/N: 24,489/30,000...Sorry guys, this is where my journey ends this time. I managed to beat my previous best, but fifteen hours of almost nonstop writing has literally caused my brain to transcend my body. I have become the infinite but, within that vast infinity, there is nothing at all. The number of typos I've had to fix in these last few chapters has drained what little remained of my mental endurance xD. I hope to do something like this again in the future, but it probably won't be for a few months. Also, though I'm ending things here, technically, I may write some Fenrir's Journey after this. They are much 'lighter' and required significantly less effort to complete. I figure I might actually be able to complete the 30k if I do something easier, though, not before I take a long ass nap xD...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Bullet Hell, Queen's Revenge OST','The Godhand is Rumored to Grant Eternal Youth to Those Graced by it's Touch...','So much room for activities...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though it was hard to keep track of on occasion, given how much time he spent in orbs, Vahn had now been in the Danmachi record for around twenty-one months. Within that period of time, he had learned a great many lessons about life, himself, and the people around him. The position he had found himself in, even by the standards of this world. gave him a unique perspective and allowed him to experience many things that were outside the realm of normalcy, mostly as a result of his personal capabilities and the influence of The Path. However, none of his prior experience had quite prepared him for what he was now witnessing and, as he was ought to do, Vahn couldn't help but think about Loki's words of advice when the latter had explained, 'it's the quiet ones you have to look out for...'.Lefiya, prior to the changes she had undergone, had never been the most proactive girl. She was considered more on the quiet and demure side, even though she was also prone to delusions at times. Generally, most of the decisions she made were in response to decisions made by other people, getting caught up in the flow and often letting herself, and others, down. As for Ais, she had also possessed the quality of being 'quiet', though her's was predicated on how her emotions had become repressed as a result of losing her family, being thrown into a new environment, and then training hard to become strong. Even so, she was still a very confident and competitive girl and, though she also got caught up in the momentum of others, it was easily as likely that they would have gotten caught up in her's.Now, Vahn was watching as both quiet girls put on a very riveting display, with Lefiya, surprisingly, being the one to take the lead. Perhaps it was a result of the years of delusions she had harbored but, from the moment their play began, Ais had been on the receiving end of Lefiya's curiosity. Then, as Ais was the more experienced of the two, she would be giving Lefiya advice as the latter did her best to seek personal satisfaction while granting it to Ais as well. Very curiously, which Lefiya seemed to enjoy, Ais would give her compliments and praise Lefiya whenever she did well, turning the rather erotic scene into a strangely heartwarming one. Still, watching Lefiya, who was now slightly taller than Ais, push down the beautiful golden-haired girl, had left quite the impression on Vahn...Fortunately, after nearly an hour in their own little world, Lefiya seemed to recall that he did, in fact, still exist. From that point on, the play between the girls was catered specifically towards him, instead of being a journey of self-discovery, and, after a brief period of time, it became an experience he shared with them. By the time the event had come to an end, the sun had long since fallen from the sky and, though it wasn't the first time he had been in such a situation, Vahn had the experience of having two ethereal beauties sleeping on his chest. Since Lefiya was currently a Spirit, with Ais being a Human of Spirit descent, they both possessed a beauty that simply made them 'beyond' the standards of normal mortals. Having both girls at his side, once again, made Vahn reflect on how fortunate he had been to come to this world first, even if it hadn't always been easy...After a splendid loss against the majestic river the following morning, Vahn swore he would one day get his revenge before flying back to Orario, accompanied by Ais and Lefiya. Unlike before, where they had just flown in a loose formation together, they decided to fly back hand-in-hand, feeling much closer to each other than in the past. This was especially the case for Lefiya as, even after they returned to the Manor, she was a lot more affectionate towards Ais. Previously, Lefiya showed a great deal of propriety and rarely invaded the personal space of others. Now, however, she could sometimes be seen walking around holding Ais' hand, sharing hugs with people, and, whenever she felt she could get away with it, Lefiya would even sneak off to take naps with Ais after their training. The fact that Ais almost always went along with things...well, it was fine, especially since Ais would often try to get him to come along with them...In this way, alongside many other smaller developments, life had continued forward for everyone within the Hearth Manor. The Vanir were growing up, now having appearances between 4-6 years old, with Erika being the tallest among them, while the other children were growing at a relatively normal pace. Vahn made sure to never use his [Hands of Nirvana] on them, as the thought of having one of his children stuck as an infant for a few years seemed almost cruel. As for their mothers, Vahn had become much closer to many of the girls, spending most of his relaxation time at their sides, assuming he wasn't playing with the Vanir.Fortunately, though he lamented it a little, the independent nature of the Vanir had started to shine through. Ina, though still being his clingy little princess, now spent most of her day cooped up in his workshop, or working alongside Hephaestus in the latter's forge. Her propensity for taking things apart had reached a new level but, compared to the past, she had now gotten much better at putting them back together. It would still be a while before she had any great success in her craftsmanship, but the fact that she had been able to reassemble a complex pocket watch showed her patience and skills were developing very quickly.In the case of Vana, the eldest of the three current Vanir, she had always been independent by nature but, now she seemed to have become like the embodiment of freedom. Though she still followed 'most' of the rules laid out for her, Vana had been exploring the many regions within the Hearth Manor in her free time and, even though she wasn't supposed to do so without supervision, she had been training secretly where nobody could see her. Fortunately, Terra had taken a liking to Vana, even though the latter had contradictory affinities with her own, and had been watching over her. As long as Vana was within the range of Terra's territory, which now far exceeded the boundaries of the Manor's property, she was under Terra's protection and supervision...Curiously, though she had always tried to act the most independent of the three, Erika had started to mellow out a little. Ever since the time she had beaten him at chess, which had happened a few times thereafter, Erika seemed to have become more confident. Though she still got embarrassed easily, she seems to have learned that her reaction while embarrassed was one of the reasons people thought she was cute. Now, she put in more effort into controlling her emotions, at least around other people, but had been opening herself up more in private. Vahn could still remember the first time she had tried to 'surprise' him by having Doppel copy her form as they snuck up on him with their tiger pajamas on...it was very adorable...At the same time the Vanir were growing up, so too was Alexa, his little Dragon Princess who lived within the Space-Time orb. Her appearance almost never seemed to change, but she was closing in on 27 years old at this point. Without Fafnir and Khaos in the orb, she had calmed down a great deal and put a lot of effort into her magical studies and trying to cultivate both her mind and body. Currently, though she had the appearance of a four-year-old, Alexa was around the middle of a Level 4 in strength, with her Magic starting to develop very quickly. If not for her poor fuel efficiency, as a result of her slow physical development, she would probably be even stronger...Of course, it wasn't just his daughters that were changing, as most of the girls in the Manor had become inarguably more powerful than even their original counterparts in the Manga. Ais, Tiona, and Tione, even though they only ventured into the Dungeon whenever he went down to drop off supplies, had all managed to reach Level 6. This alone wasn't too surprising, as they would have also been Level 6 through normal training, but they had managed to accomplish it without having to gain much exilia. Instead, it was because of their training within the Sub-Space orb, focusing on conditioning their bodies and learning magic, that had allowed them to Level-Up.If not for the fact that Riveria had already been pretty close to Level 7 previously, she would have been overtaken by the girls. Fortunately, with her own studies progressing steadily, Riveria had now become the second Level 7 within Orario, even though she had yet to report the change in her Status to the Guild. When word got out about how strong the members in the Hearth Familia had become, it would likely cause a monumental shift in the perception of everyone in the City. Vahn wanted to wait until just before the Monster Feria to have the news circulate, further increasing the prestige of the School before it even opens. After all, if they could show that 'literally' everyone within the Hearth Manor was growing at a seemingly impossible rate, people would understand that the methods they use are far more effective than the norm.And it really was the case of 'everyone', as Vahn had been able to 'exploit' the cooldowns on some of his skills, including [Keeper of the Akashic Tomb] and [Prometheus]. The time he spent in each orb worked towards reducing said cooldowns, allowing him to give 'flame seeds' to both Tina and Shizune now. His research into his [Mentor] development ability had already reached a level where he had a fairly decent understanding of the skill, so he wasn't going to restrict the growth of the girls just for his own research. As a result, Tina and Shizune, who had progressed to Level 2 before getting their seeds, had reached Level 3 in less than a month after obtaining them.Even with their increase in Level, however, they were still considered among the weakest in the Manor, excluding non-combat personnel like Preasia. After all, those that were at Level 4 now consisted of Milan, Emiru, Maemi, and Naaza. Chloe, Arnya, Ryuu, and Lunoire had all managed to reach Level 5 relatively quickly and, as a result of their rather ridiculous training regimen, Lili, Haruhime, and Mikoto had all managed to reach Level 5 as well. This left only Tsubaki and Aki in the group of original combatants who hadn't increased their Levels. However, as neither girl spent much time inside the orbs, and were always looking after their daughters, this wasn't too surprising.What was surprising, however, was that there had been someone that had unexpectedly increased their Level, even though he hadn't even seen her training at all. Risna, who spent most of her time cooped up in the Sub-Space orb, now actually looked more mature than her elder sister, Eina. After all, Eina's age had essentially been 'halted' by his influence and, as Risna's time in the orb equated to more than two years of growth, she had become more mature. Apparently, at some point he was unaware of, she had actually joined the Hestia Familia and, after researching magic on her own, reached Level 2 without ever fighting a monster. As for how Vahn eventually found out, it was because Risna had eventually come to him complaining about 'fairness', requesting the same treatment as her elder sister.Though her words could have been easily misunderstood, Vahn knew she was actually talking about 'Nirvana', even though he was also aware that Risna had a 'very' developed crush on him. He also knew she was somewhat afraid of suddenly becoming 'old', as she spent all her time within the orb, and wanted to slow her physical aging, just like the rest of the girls. Thus, after making his preparations, Vahn conducted 'Nirvana' for the third time, allowing Risna to become a 'true Half-Elf'. As a result, he obtained her [Heart's Desire: Risna Tulle], and, surprisingly, another [Grimoire of Guidance], just like he had obtained from Eina.Since the time of her 'Nirvana', Risna would randomly show up whenever they were taking a break within the Sub-Space orb. She would talk about the books she was reading, how her own books were going, and the results of her personal research into magic. On one occasion, she even shoved a book into his chest with a red face and told him to read it when he was alone, without sharing the details with other people. After he threw it into his Inventory and perused the contents, Vahn couldn't stop a small smile from reaching his lips as the novel had been a love story about a handsome heroic boy who had 'stolen' the heart of a Half-Elf Princess who had locked herself away in a tower. Unlike a normal novel, this one only had a few dozen pages filled out, of the more than five hundred total, with the words 'To Be Continued...' on the last line...Other than 'stealing' the hearts of Half-Elf maidens, Vahn had been trying to use his time as productively as possible, especially since things would get busy in the near future. With his 'exploitation' of the orbs, he had been able to name three new pieces of equipment that he had forged. The first two had been rings on a similar level as the [Promise] he had given to Hephaestus, as it felt a little awkward for Eina and Riveria, his two other wives, to not have similar rings on their fingers. They were named [Comfort] and [Future], belonging to Eina and Riveria respectively.----------------------------------------------------------------------[Comfort]Rank: S (Divine)P.Def: 0M.Def: 0Abilities: Indestructible(Divine), Magic Nullification(S), Physical Nullification(S), Abnormal Status Immunity(B), Soulbound(Eina Tulle)Use: 'Divine Intervention': By the will of the user, any target designated become absolutely impervious to all damage, negative influences, and status abnormalities. Duration: 24H (Warning: Item destroyed after use.)----------------------------------------------------------------------[Future]Rank: S (Divine)P.Def: 0M.Def: 0Abilities: Indestructible(Divine), Sage's Blessing(S), Physical Nullification(A), Abnormal Status Immunity(A), Soulbound(Riveria Ljos Alf)Use: 'Inheritance': Allows the user to store a portion of their potential, power, and memories into this ring, bestowing them upon an intended target. Restriction: Direct Descendents of [Riveria Ljos Alf](A/N: Sage's Blessing increases experience gain, enhances comprehension, and improves memory. Expect to see this on a few items in the future (UwU)...)----------------------------------------------------------------------Just as he had come together with Hephaestus through the promise they shared, Vahn had originally bonded with Eina through the comfort and concern she showed to him. As for Riveria, she had originally been drawn to him as a result of her intrigue and a strong sense of duty but, after they had come to know each other better, it was their dream of a better future for all people that had brought them together. Now, each girl had a ring that embodied the very thing that had brought them together and, in the future, Vahn intended to give everyone a ring of similar quality...The third item he made was for himself, as his fight against Siegfried had shown that his skill with the sword was not really up to the standard of people who had mastered the blade. It also had the restriction of being an indiscriminate weapon, meaning it could potentially harm his allies in the future, so Vahn wanted something less 'destructive' that he would be able to use in his strongest [Magia Erebea] forms. As a result, he decided to make a spear similar to the one he had possessed within the Divination, even bestowing upon it the same name out of curiosity...----------------------------------------------------------------------[Longinus]Rank: S (Divine)P.Atk: 1000M.Atk: (-)Abilities: Indestructible(Divine), Anti-Divine(S), Piercing(S), Sealing(A)Though seemingly normal at a glance, this spear had been forged by a capable Master Blacksmith with some of the most valuable materials found in their record. As a result of the forging process, it is nearly indestructible, even by items of a higher rank. Upon completion, it had been bestowed the power of the record 'Longinus', allowing it to become even more powerful when used against entities of Divine origin. Any wound inflicted by this spear causes sealing energy to spread through the wound, draining its target of the ability to muster their full power.----------------------------------------------------------------------When he saw the Abilities and description of [Longinus], Vahn understood why his Emperor self had likely purchased the 'real' [Longinus] from the shop. Since this one was only S-Ranked and was already so powerful, Vahn could hardly even imagine an SSS-Ranked version. That was on the same level as [Enkidu], meaning it must have been a Tier 5 item he had used to fight against gods. It was also useful in that it had an advanced version of Indestructible, as it meant he would be able to use [Longinus] even when he was in his Zhūquè form. After all, even [Laevateinn] wouldn't have been able to resist the flames of the Vermillion Sparrow, which were at the peak of Tier 4 within this world...Naming [Longinus] had put his [Keeper of the Akashic Tome] on a 63 day cooldown but, with the combination of his main body in the real world, his Avatar in the Sub-Space orb, and the 100 hours he would spend within the Spirit-Time orb, each day would reduce the cooldown of the skill by 258 hours, equating to nearly eleven days for every day that had passed. Vahn didn't understand it much at first but, remembering Sis' comments about how Time essentially didn't exist, Vahn was just happy it worked that way. Now, if he wanted to exploit the system even further, though it would also be very taxing on his mind, Vahn could create more Sub-Space and Space-Time orbs to artificially reduce his Cooldowns even further...(A/N: I'm not sure how many chapters I'll write today, at least for EPIC. I had wanted to develop the story of Fenrir's Jounrey yesterday but, after I finally went to sleep, it was 'very' hard to want to get back out of bed. Still, I'll at least try to get 2-3 out before swapping over and writing like ten Fenrir's Journey. We'll see how things go xD...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Run away Ais, don't let the Spirit Queen eat you up~!','Risna's unique way of confessing xD...','Holy [Longinus] Batman, Vahn is learning how to exploit the system!? It's about 'time'...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Unaware of the restructuring of power that was going on throughout the City, not just within the Freya Familia, Vahn had returned to his daily lifestyle. Eirene now came around the Manor far more often, generally just to chat with the other goddesses and interact with the Vanir, while Demeter would sometimes come along with her. She was another goddess Vahn had to take into consideration for the future, though that matter could be delayed for a while, as she was currently more focused on some of the developments in the Plains Region to the west. Thus, with that matter set aside for the future, the only things Vahn really had to worry about was Riveria's impending delivery, which shouldn't be far from the opening of the School.Both of these events were very 'major', so Vahn had been working to smooth things over while also following up with Rufina, who had actually been a little annoyed he hadn't stopped by sooner. It had been nearly eight months since he had left her at the Ganesha Familia, only stopping by twice since then, both times within the first week after he had left her there. Her Affection, which had been hovering in the mid-eighties, had dropped all the way down to 49, even though she strangely still had the (Trust) bracket parameter.This had been the result of Shakti often explaining to her the things that were occurring in the Alliance, with the majority of her news centering around Vahn and the matters within the Hearth Manor. Rufina couldn't truly blame him for wanting to spend time with his newborn children and, considering her situation would inconvenience anyone, she had tried just focusing on her new life without worrying about what Vahn was up to. Her impression of him was that he was an honest boy so she knew, one day, he would eventually come around and make good on her promise.As she had expected, though much later than she would have liked, Vahn did eventually show up, carrying with him several different files. Each contained a woman that loosely resemble Rufina in appearance, all possessing similarly red hair and having disappeared in the Dungeon. The unfortunate thing was, none of them had been reputed for having any rare skills, especially ones related to taming. Also, the strongest among them was only Level 3 and, though Rufina might have become stronger while under Enyo's influence, the woman in the file would have made her a great deal older than she appeared. Thus, though the investigation had gone on for a full eight months, there hadn't been any major breakthroughs in discovering Rufina's original identity.Vahn did, however, impart unto her one of the pieces of information Loki had told him, being that Rufina's disappearance may have been covered up. During the investigation, which had included going through the records maintained by the Guild, and several infamous information brokers, Loki noticed there were a few Adventurers who had gone missing that weren't documented by the Guild, even though they had been properly registered.Though it could just be a clerical error, the number was far too great to be a simple coincidence, especially since every member had belonged to a Familia that had disbanded, with their gods no longer being present to give a proper accounting. This meant that their disappearance had been effectively erased and it had taken Loki a great deal of effort just to send and receive messages from Heaven, trying to verify if her instincts proved accurate. In more than half the cases, she had been able to discover that several Adventurers, generally around Level 3-4, had simply been 'removed' from the Guilds records, dating back nearly a thousand years...When she had heard this, Rufina had very decisively stated, "You should stop trying to investigate my past. I have a bad feeling about this and I've learned to always trust my instincts...I've already started building a new life here, none of that matters anymore. Besides, I wouldn't even know how to deal with people I don't even remember...it would be too awkward..." However, though she had said this, Vahn could clearly see that Rufina wanted to know, even if her fears were also just as visible. There were few people who would simply be okay with not knowing who they were, especially if they might have had some important family members who had been worrying about them. Yes, it would probably be awkward, but that was just how life was at times...Instead of agreeing to drop the matter, Vahn became even more determined to find the truth, smiling to Rufina as he said, "Sorry, Rufina, but I can be pretty obstinate at times. I made you a promise and, even if it ends up leading me into a sticky situation, I'm confident enough to walk out of it just fine. I might not look like it, but I'm pretty strong...after all, I even managed to defeat you, right~?" At the same time that Rufina's Affection jumped back up to 61, her fist also came flying towards his face with a great deal of force behind it. Vahn, transitioning into his Xuánwǔ form in an instant, just caught her fist in his palm, completely negating the attack and 'storing' it in the scales on his forearm.As he had been seriously training his [Rakshasa Body] again, Vahn had slowly been learning some of the secrets he had overlooked in the past, the ability to store kinetic energy being one of them. Though there was a limit to how much he could hold, which constantly drained his energy to keep contained, Vahn found that this particular ability was exceptionally suited for physical fighters. It had become the bane of Tiona's existence, giving Vahn a slight edge of her, even though things usually ended up with him being pummeled, regardless of his efforts.Rufina's eyes widened in shock, both as a result of watching Vahn transform and seeing how easily he dealt with her attack. She had been very annoyed by his words and hadn't held anything back, assuming he would dodge, not take on the attack directly. For a brief moment, when he smiled at her, Rufina felt her heart pulse with a giddy feeling sensation spreading through her stomach. She jerked her fist free of his hand, snorting as she said, "Do whatever the fuck you want. It's not like I can do shit when you leave this place again..." Without another word, Rufina stormed off in a huff, refusing to look back as Vahn watched her with a mild incredulity on his face.Shaking his head, Vahn turned his attention to the other person that had been sitting in on their conversation, Shakti. As the Captain of the Ganesha Familia, she had been given permission to hear about all the details relating to the investigation of Rufina's background. Over the last eight months, she had actually grown very fond of the free-spirited, though admittedly brash, redhead. Since anyone with amnesia had a reason to be high-strung, Shakti had always been very patient with Rufina and, after witnessing the monstrous talent the latter had, it was her hope to one day groom her into the next Captain of the Familia.Producing a wry smile of her own, Shakti rose to her feet and bowed politely before saying, "She means well, that woman...don't let her barbed tongue get to you. And, though she didn't say it, I'm sure she is grateful for everything you're doing, Vahn. The only thing I think would make her happier is if you stopped by more often...after all, she isn't that good at making friends, though a few of us have been able to tolerate her long enough to at least be considered close acquaintances..." Shakti nearly laughed at her own words but managed to cover it up by coughing into her hand.Vahn, however, didn't mind laughing and did so willingly, causing Shaki to frown slightly as the image of a loud-mouthed elephant appeared in her head. Bowing one last time, Shakti said, "If you'll excuse me, I should be going. I need to make sure Rufina didn't run off and start smashing a poor inanimate object out of frustration..." There were more than a few target dummies, stones, and even metal poles that had become victims of Rufina's wrath. Her physical strength was the only thing more monstrous than her talent with taming, making her the one woman that even the bold and unrestrained men in her Familia couldn't easily approach...excluding herself, which her annoying god kept harping over...Understanding that his welcome had run out, Vahn rose to his feet and return a polite bow to Shakti before saying, "I look forward to the exhibition..." Shakti nodded her head in response, saying, "Yes, I'm certain it will be quite the sight. It does annoy me a little, however, knowing that you'll be stealing the spotlight once again...try not to go overboard, Vahn Mason." With her words finished, Shakti made her way out of the room while Vahn rubbed the back of his head. Truthfully, stealing the show from the Ganesha Familia wasn't really his intention, it simply...couldn't be helped?In order to increase the popularity of the School, Vahn had arranged things with Ganesha to do a public display of some of the things they would be teaching, especially magic. They would also have members of the Terpsichore Familia doing performances, mainly focused on music and dance, while the girls would be demonstrating sports like Volleyball and Soccer, two things Vahn expected to be a big hit with the crowds. His memory fragment had been working on uniforms for them to wear, which would be both easy on the eyes, but also enough to protect the girls' dignity. Vahn wasn't really comfortable with other men eyeing the girls but, as they were all fine with putting on the performance, he wasn't going to make a big deal out of it...as long as nobody in the stands took things too far.While making his way back to the Manor, using the direct route by going through the sky, Vahn decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to stop by Maria's Orphanage. Many of the children there had wanted to attend the School and, as he had been very busy, it had been nearly eight months since he last visited. Realizing this, Vahn felt a little sick to his stomach and quickly made his way over without minding the stares and pointing from pedestrians below. It was already known that he could fly through the sky, one of the many things he was famous for, so Vahn didn't bother with trying to keep it concealed. If anything, it would make the popularity of the School skyrocket, especially since only graduates would even have the chance to learn skills like [Shundo] by attending the Academy.After a short flight, Vahn dropped down in front of the Orphanage, startling two children who had been playing with one of the rubber balls he had left them in the past. Though momentarily spooked by his sudden appearance, the two had vibrant smiles on their faces once they realized who had dropped in on them. Without showing any restraint, the two young boys ran over, almost as if they were trying to tackle him to the ground, shouting, "Vahn! It's been so long since you last came by! Everyone, Vahn's back! Heeeeeeeeey~!" Moments later, Vahn found himself hounded by a group of more than twenty children, aging between four and nine years old. The only ten-year-old among them, while also being the eldest, was Rye, standing at the back with his arms crossed and a face full of accusation.Vahn, after pacifying the horde of children with sweets, made his way over to the young boy, showing an apologetic expression as he said, "Sorry for now stopping by. How had everyone been, Rye...?" As he was already aware, based on Rye's body language and the color of his aura, the boy hadn't actually been angry. The moment Vahn apologized, he gave a curt nod before smiling vibrantly and saying, "Everyone has been great! Some people even got lucky enough to get adopted, though most of us still wanted to stick around to attend your School. Isn't it supposed to be opening very soon!? I can't wait to learn how to be an awesome swordsman!"Nodding his head, Vahn smiled, explaining, "Yes, it'll be opening right after the end of the Spring Harvest and the next Monster Feria. I'll talk to Maria about getting all of you tickets, after all, you were a big help last time around." Hearing this, not only Rye, but all the children present began to get very riled up, screaming and squealing happily as they made their way into the interior of the Orphanage. Along the way, though he could sense them, Vahn still turned to Rye and asked, "So, where are Fina and Roux? I don't see them anywhere..."Rye began rubbing his index finger under his nose, smiling in an awkward manner as he said, "Well, that...you shouldn't really ask...yeah." Vahn blinked, slightly surprised by Rye's words and, as the boy had suggested, he decided not to pry any further. He could easily come up with a few different ideas that were likely very close to the truth, many of which weren't really appropriate to talk about. Since he could sense that both girls were safe, even if they were off in one of the side rooms for privacy, Vahn decided to just focus on the children around him. After all, they would eventually show up and, being the sensible Papa he had become, Vahn knew it was important for young girls to have privacy.Unsurprisingly, the two concerned parties showed up a few minutes into one of the stories he had been telling. Vahn had to halt mid-sentence as a cream-colored projectile shot towards his chest, shouting, "Vaaaaaahn~!" before nuzzling against him happily. This was none other than Finna, tail wagging happily while she 'discreetly' tried to sneak a few deep breaths of his aroma. Vahn knew the young Chienthrope had a crush on him and, as his [Grooming] would only exacerbate the situation, he just gave her a normal head pat as she happily giggled under his touch.With decidedly less motivation, Roux also walked over, appearing just as quiet and reserved as normal. One 'massive' change, however, was the fact that, though it wasn't exactly girly, Roux wasn't wearing baggy boy's clothing. Instead, she had on a pair of shorts that had a skirt attachment and, similar to Fina, whom she had likely borrowed the clothes from, Roux was wearing a white sleeveless tunic. It was a bit worn, having a few visible stains, but it was very apparent that Roux had tried to dress up a bit, presumably as a result of his arrival. Vahn didn't miss the few strands of pink that were spreading through her aura, clear evidence that she had also developed a bit of a crush on him.Feeling Rye pinch his side, while Fina gave him a look that said, 'say something nice', Vahn smiled to Roux and said, "You look very cute today, Roux. That kind of clothing suits you very well..." Hearing this, Roux tightly gripped the hem of her skirt, clearly unaccustomed with wearing such clothing as she began to blush a deep red. For several seconds, the entire room became silent, the tension thick enough that it could be cut with a knife. Eventually, however, Roux raised her large eyes, uttering, "Thank you..." in a quiet voice...before running away. Fina hopped up out of his lap immediately after, chasing after the retreating Roux while shouting, "Ah, Roux, now is the moment to strike! Don't run away~!"From the side, Maria watched this entire scene play out, chuckling lightly to herself before returning to the kitchen to prepare lunch. She wasn't even remotely surprised when a stack of fresh ingredients was already waiting for her arrival when she got there...(A/N: 21,622/30,000...my brain is melting xD...oh, and I'm going to straight up clarify that Fina and Roux aren't harem candidates. Vahn's got more than a few things to resolve in this world, ain't nobody got time fo dat~! Also, I've personally been noticing a lot of typos in my writing this time around and, while I'm trying to catch them all, know that I'm very tired right now xD...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tsufina goes doki-doki~?','Deeper Mysteries...','Vahn is good at coaxing young girls...NANI!?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 748: Transition