Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After the success of the opening day of the Monster Feria, a festive mood seemed to have spread through the entire town. In the past, just gathering to watch the demonstration of the Ganesha Familia had been entertaining enough to make it the most popular event in the city. Now, with the inclusion of sports, artistic performances, and other scheduled events, it had become even more popular. It was to the extent that, people who already had tickets, were being pestered by others to try and obtain seating, at least for a day. In the black market, some tickets were being oversold for more than 50x the original amount, and it didn't seem like the price was going to go any lower.The reason for this was simple, other than the fact people were just interested in witnessing the festivities. Everyone wanted to attend the final day of the event as the open challenge from Vahn to 'everyone' was a moment nobody wanted to miss. You also needed to have a ticket to make a challenge and, as challengers would likely be very strong, they had a lot of money to spend to get their hands on the coveted ticket. Even weaker Adventurers fought tooth and nail to obtain one, wondering if they would be able to fish in murky waters to get some advantages when Vahn was running out of stamina. After all, the only rules for the challenge included that Vahn couldn't kill them and, until the eight hour challenge period had ended, ANYONE with a ticket could issue a challenge.Other than those basic rules, people noticed that everything else had been left relatively vague, including the number of people that could challenge him simultaneously. Though some thought this was an oversight, most people realized Vahn was simply that confident, even if it came off as arrogance and hubris. The fact he had 'silenced' the entire Coliseum on the first day showed that, regardless of the number of people, he wasn't going to back down at all. This realization opened up a lot of speculative discussion about just how strong Vahn was and, those at the top, wondered if the King would rise to the challenge. Everyone was curious about who would come out ahead and, as the reward of 1BV was rather enticing, with the rules favoring the challengers, many people wanted to see the clash between Vahn and the various famous Adventurers in the city.As for the man in question, he was currently spending his time within the orb training while his main body was having a tea party with Ina, Erika, and their Guardians, Kuu and Doppel. Ina and Doppel didn't get along that well, as she wasn't too fond of how Doppel 'clung' to him, but they didn't really argue or anything. Doppel herself didn't seem to mind Ina at all, just laughing and making various 'awaa' and 'oooh' sounds while coiling her hair around his arm and leg. Ever since he had become a Progenitor, Doppel's affection toward him had increased greatly, much to the frustration of Erika and Ina. Vahn just laughed, enjoying his time with his daughters and their guardians during the short period of time before bed.In this way, Vahn spent his days, serving as both joint host of the Monster Feria and spending his time freely with the people he cared about. He didn't mind that there was now a massive target on his back right now as that was the entire purpose of setting things up in such a manner. It didn't matter what people tried to scheme in order to try and obtain the prize he had offered, as their efforts would only serve to increase his own fame even further. As for all the other events, all of which had been very well received by the spectators, they increased the intrigue people had towards the School. It was already to the point that people had actually started loitering around the outside of the School, some even pitching up small tents as they waited for the day of enrollment.Enrollment would start the coming weekend, as the Monster Feria would officially conclude on Friday. Thus far, a total of 711 students had already been approved to attend the School, most of them being orphans, the children of staff, and exceptions such as the Elves and the children who had migrated from the Far East. On the day of enrollment, the goal was to increase the number of students to an even one-thousand, split into fifty classes of twenty students each. The age of students wasn't what determined the 'grade' they were in, but Vahn was trying to arrange it so that similarly aged students were in the same class as each other. This would be the same for the dorms as well, making it easier for the children to socialize with similarly aged students without causing too many problems between younger and older children...The day before his open challenge to the public was also when the girls played their Soccer match which, much like Volleyball, had been very well received. Though they were less scantily clad, as a result of wearing protective equipment, the sport itself was much more interesting to watch. Sending a ball up into the air over and over had greater restrictions than running around in an open field. With the athleticism of the girls, this became the far more popular of the two, which made sense considering it was based off two of the more popular sports he had found among the texts he had referenced.When he had been trying to find ways to make the games more interesting, Vahn had compiled a bunch of books together before finding one called 'Magicians and Muggles: A History of Sports'. Within, Vahn found an interesting game called Quidditch and, as it had originally been based on the 'muggle' sport, Soccer, he had adopted a few of the rules. Though he didn't have brooms, as the introduction of technology that allowed flight was too advanced for the current world, it was still possible to make the game interesting. After all, the girls were incredibly athletic and, even without brooms to zip through the sky, their physical feats far exceeded the meager 250km/h speed documented within the compendium...By the time the match has ended, this time in the favor of Ais' team, the tensions within the city had increased to an all-time high. To add to the flair, Vahn had actually purchased a few items from the system called [Projection Spheres] that could record events and then play them back onto a surface. Even after the day had come to an end, the Soccer match could be seen displayed all over town, using large walls as the screen so people could observe the popular topics everyone else was talking about. Some people gathered just to see the girls running around the field, with more than a few rich individuals trying to purchase the [Projection Spheres], but they were the minority...With everything else taken care of, leaving only his open challenge to the public remaining, Vahn woke up early the final day of the Monster Feria and took his time getting prepared. The matches didn't start until 10 AM, so he had plenty of time to just relax at home before he was supposed to head out. This delayed start was necessary since the preparations for the coming battles would take a few hours, at the very least. After all, there would be battles between Level 5, 6, and potentially even Level 7 individuals taking place. Attacks from such powerful fighters, especially if they were Mages, could completely collapse the floor of the arena. There was also a high chance of people in the crowd getting injured, requiring powerful formations to be put in place to prevent stray attacks from affecting the spectators.To prepare himself for the coming fights, Vahn had split his body into two and was currently lounging in a small study with Lili and Haruhime while his other body was snuggled up with Fenrir. Whenever he was going to do something 'troublesome', Vahn always found himself simply relaxing and trying to achieve a 'calm' state before he jumped headlong into the matter. Since Lili had been getting much better at her own transformation ability, Vahn currently had two soft and smooth Renards showing him affection while he absentmindedly stroked their silky soft tails and ears. In the other room, a very similar thing was happening between him and Fenrir, except that he was naked since his clothes would have frozen to the bed otherwise...For the final day, the only girls that would be accompanying him to the Monster Feria were Hestia, Anubis, Ais, Tiona, and Tione. Everyone else would be staying home as, even though it wasn't too likely, there was a chance someone might use the challenge as an opportunity to try and strike at the Manor. It wasn't impossible that, by thinking they could wear him down, it was also possible for his enemies to potentially use the event as an opportunity to kill him. At the same time, they could target the girls or, in the worst case scenario, his children. To prevent anything from happening, all the mothers would stay back within the safety of the Hearth Manor, observing the event from one of the [Projection Spheres]. They could also stream events in real time, so it wasn't as if they would miss out on witnessing his battle against the masses.Though Eva's words about there always being some stronger were undoubtedly true, it would be next to impossible for anyone to actually break through Terra's defenses. After all, her abilities were derived from her Innates and, though she might not have the greatest offensive might, her defensive capabilities were almost insurmountable. The moment anyone tried to fight within her territory, they'd be lucky to even make use of their normal skills and abilities. Magic wouldn't work, their physical capabilities would be restricted, and then they would have to face her 'Forbidden' grade magic, which was fundamentally a stronger ability than anything that should exist in this world. She might be restricted by her Soul Tier, but her existence as a True Dragon made Terra's might unquestionable.After spending some quality time with the three fluffy girls, it was nearing time for Vahn to leave so, after saying goodbye to all his children, sharing a few hugs and kisses with the girls, and double checking to make sure the magical wards in the Manor were functional, Vahn headed towards the Coliseum. Without a large group of people, Vahn was able to fly through the sky very quickly while holding onto Tione and Anubis while Hestia clung tightly to his back. Though he could have levitated them, the girls had wanted him to carry them personally so, with Tiona and Ais flying at his flanks, Vahn drew the ire of many onlookers by flying through the sky with two goddesses, two Amazons, and a beautiful pseudo-spirit girl...Fortunately, the flight didn't take that long and, even though nearly a hundred thousand people were giving him icy stares, Vahn landed within the viewing platform of the gods' and greeted Ganesha and a few of his other acquaintances. Currently, it had just turned 9:57 AM, so he had cut it pretty close, much to the frustration of the crowd, many of which had been sitting in their seats since before the sun crested over the horizon. They had just been sitting in their seats, watching as the Ganesha Familia set up the arena, all while waiting for Vahn's arrival. The fact that he had shown up late, holding beautiful girls in both arms, increased the number of people that had intended to fight him by a fair amount.Precisely at the 10 AM mark, Vahn jumped down into the arena without using any skills, just allowing himself to land heavily on the magically reinforced surface while the tensions in the crowd began to increase at a tangible rate. Ganesha, seizing the initiative, shouted out in a booming voice that could clearly be heard over the chatter of more than one hundred thousand people, "WELCOME, PEOPLE OF ORARIO! I AM GAAAAANESHA~!!!! GRAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Then, spreading both of his arms wide, Ganesha shouted in a less 'excessive' tone, "Everyone knows what today is, so I don't need to explain the details. If you want to try and challenge Vahn for the prize of one-billions Valis, all you have to do is give your ticket to one of the members of my Familia stationed around the arena. If you try to jump in without a ticket, well, you aren't protected by the rules that have been put in place. Keep that in mind and, without further ado, let's get this exciting show on the road!"At first, there weren't too many people moving but, after a few seconds had passed, a tidal wave of people began to queue up for a chance to fight against Vahn. For them, there was no 'danger', other than suffering some light injuries, so a lot of people were willing to have a crack at the boy standing proudly in the center of the arena. Most of them knew they didn't stand a chance again him but, if they banded together with others, there was a slim possibility they could benefit. At the very least, they would be able to brag to their friends and family in the future that they had been able to fight against THE Vahn Mason, even if it was alongside a few hundred other people. That was nothing a healthy amount of embellishment couldn't fix...While all this was going on, Vahn just casually looked around the arena, noticing there were more than a few auras full of negative energy. This event hadn't just been to showcase his prowess, increasing his fame further, but it had been left intentionally vague so it could be easily exploited. There were, admittedly, more than a few people that genuinely hated him, especially among the group of people that had pined after some of the girls he was involved with. This was their chance to get 'revenge' against him while, in the shadows, there were numerous organizations that simply wanted to use this as a chance to assassinate him. Of the more than one hundred thousand people, Vahn had already identified a total of 1,318 people that undoubtedly wanted him dead.Honestly, Vahn was a little disappointed with how few there were, especially since the strongest among them was only a Level 5 woman who looked like a perfectly normal and powerless civilian. He had somewhat expected that the Smiling Reaper would use this as a chance to strike but, with his senses trained to their limit, Vahn hadn't detected any 'real' threats just yet. There was a chance they would appear later, but it was starting to seem as though his bait had only affected 'normal' people thus far. Even the members of the Freya Familia he had expected to show up, as they would undoubtedly be unhappy after he 'stole' Freya from them, weren't anywhere to be seen...Since they hadn't been told otherwise, the members of the Ganesha Familia accepted the tickets of the contenders and allowed them to jump down into the arena immediately thereafter. Some of them 'climbed' down, giving Vahn the urge to laugh, but there were a few that leaped down in a manner similar to his own. Many of them began grouping together in small teams, coordinating a strategy that might give them an edge, while a few bold individuals had almost immediately started attacking. The first among them was actually a red-haired Elven woman who had a large wooden staff that was adorned with a vibrant red sphere, which Vahn recognized as the processed core of a Valgang Dragon. He didn't know what he had done to offend her, as he had never seen her before, but her aura was filled with black and purple as she began chanting a powerful fire elemental magic.Seeing the glowing magic circle that had appeared, many of the contenders began watching with interest to see how Vahn would react. The fact he just stood there with a complacent and calm expression unnerved a few of them, especially since he wore that expression even as a sphere of fire, around 8m in diameter, careened towards his position. It was so hot that the magically reinforced ground had started to melt, even though the red-haired mage was only Level 3. As for why Vahn made no attempt to evade...well, his 'Fire Immunity' wasn't just for show, even though that's exactly what he intended to use it for. When the flame sphere enveloped him, his expression didn't change in the slightest and, even though the shockwave from the sphere's explosion had caused him some internal damage, the flames themselves did absolutely nothing.When the flames and smoke cleared, everyone stared with slack-jawed expressions as, other than some singed spots on his fire-resistant clothing, Vahn was entirely unharmed. Not even the hair on his head had been burned by the powerful ball of flames, stunning those that had expected him to at least suffer some light injuries. As for the Elven mage who had cast the spell, she had spent almost all of her mana in the attack and, seeing Vahn entirely unharmed, fell to her knees with a pale and discontented expression. Vahn produced a wry smile and wanted to say something about how fire magic didn't work on him but, as there was an arrow flying at his back from his blind spot, it didn't seem like the best time.This event was to serve as a 'demonstration' of sorts so, instead of using his words, Vahn used his actions to speak for him. The moment the arrow got within 3m of his body, it immediately ignited into flames and then disappeared moments later. For less than .1 seconds, Vahn had transitioned into his Zhūquè form, causing the arena's temperature to increase while an area of 8m around his body became red hot. As for the space within 3 meters, it had completely turned into molten stone as Vahn stood on its surface with the same complacent expression as before. Unfortunately, all of his clothes, except for an S-Rank pair of fire-resistant shorts, had also burned into ashes. Even so, Vahn stood proud, not shying away from the gaze of everyone, even as several females, goddesses included, looked toward him with fervent and possessive gazes...As for the gaze of the red-haired Elven woman, she just looked up with a mixture of incredulity and fear, understanding that none of her magic would ever be able to harm Vahn. After all, his 'flicker' of flames had completely outclassed her most powerful magic spell...just as she had expected, he was, without a shadow of a doubt, a monster...and there was nothing she could do to him at all...Around the arena, a similar thought was passing through the minds of many of the contenders as none of them wanted to experience the heat of the flames that had appeared around Vahn's body. The bravado that many had possessed from the start began to quickly fade, replaced by an understanding that Vahn hadn't simply come here to embarrass himself. No, this handsome youth standing at the center of the arena, as if he was unaffected by the hundreds of people gathering around him, came here to prove a point. It was to show that, even if he allowed them all to work together, they wouldn't be able to defeat him easily...if at all...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Meager 250km/h...pathetic (UwU)~!','Mofu Mofu heals the heart','Come at me, all of you, together!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

For several seconds, likely waiting for the pool of molten stone to cool, nobody had tried attacking Vahn, still standing silently in the center of the arena. Thus, realizing nobody else was trying to seize the initiative, Vahn decided it was time for him to take action. They might not be able to kill him, but it would become annoying very quickly if he continued to allow the number of people in the arena to build. If he didn't start thinning the herd a bit, it would also make fights against stronger enemies more difficult, as their internecine strikes would do collateral damage to the surroundings. Anyone who had lost consciousness within the bounds of the arena could potentially lose their lives and, though there were likely some that deserved such a fate, Vahn wanted to avoid that kind of outcome.After equipping some new clothing, yet another thing that stunned the onlookers, Vahn stopped restraining his domain and allowed a natural pressure to exude from his body. Though he could have kept it confined inside of the arena, Vahn allowed it to spread out through the entire Coliseum, even extending outside it bounds slightly. This caused some of the people who had been about to jump into the arena to immediately reconsider their options, with some returning to their seats after they saw what was to follow.No longer standing in his place amongst the center, Vahn 'vanished' from the arena before appear next to a group of four people. There was a gentle smile on his face as he used his index and middle fingers to lightly tap the foreheads of each member, none of which were able to react to his presence with their strength at Level 2. Before their bodies even hit the ground, Vahn was already at the next group, this one slightly better prepared than the previous. Their leader, a man with dark-purple hair immediately attacked with a spear, showing no signs of hesitation as the silvery tip drew a lethal arc directly towards Vahn's heart.Vahn issued a small smile, showing no real concern for the deadly weapon as his hand seemed to move in slow motion, diverting the blade to the side before, in the next instant, he was already behind the man. Nobody knew what happened as the purple-haired spearman continued forward for a few steps before releasing a wailing shriek, both arms hanging loosely after Vahn had shattered his collarbones. Though the man had shown killing intent, and had a dark aura, Vahn wasn't going to use this battle as a platform to go on a massacre, especially since his own rules prevented it...Instead, at the moment when he had shattered the man's bones, Vahn had planted a small tracking ward in his body and would be giving the information of who his would-be killers were to Loki after the event had concluded. After all, there was a difference between warriors who had resolved to go all out against an enemy and those that had clearly come with the express purpose to kill. The former were deserving of respect whereas the later, for their intent, would be investigated and, if found guilty of unjust crimes against those weaker than themselves, would pay the price for their transgressions.With unnatural ease, Vahn dealt with the man's companions, treating them less harshly since it looked like they had been roped into things based on their auras and expressions. Then, without giving them a second glance, Vahn moved on to the next group. Now, those that had banded together, realized it hadn't really offered them any advantages. Vahn was simply too fast and, being close together, actually restricted their own attack options instead. However, even dispersing wouldn't help too much as Vahn suddenly become like a phantom that had split into multiple illusory bodies. If used fast enough, [Shundo] could even create false bodies to confuse enemies and, with their semi-impermeable nature, they could even trick skilled warriors into thinking they had attacked the original.With what seemed like a 'gentle' touch, Vahn went around the arena touching the backs of people's necks, causing them to drop to the ground several seconds after he had already moved on. He had sent a small pulse of energy into their bodies, disrupting the nerve impulses that allowed their brain to communicate with their bodies. As most of these individuals were just around Level 2-3, they couldn't even react to his attacks before they had already felt something touching the backs of the necks. Then, a few seconds later, one of the Ganesha Familia members would come and retrieve their body, disqualifying them from the fight.After dashing around the battlefield for a short while, Vahn came across the same red-haired Elven woman who had previously attacked him. It was more than a little rare, seeing a red-haired Elf, especially one that had light freckles on her face. Vahn didn't know her story, or why she seemed to hate him so much but, much like the other people who showed the intent to kill, Vahn placed a marker inside of her body. She hadn't even tried to defend herself, instead, showing a resolute expression like a warrior who was ready to face death. Vahn shook his head slightly and just robbed her consciousness without being too harsh on her, leaving her unconscious body for the Ganesha Family to deal with...For several minutes, Vahn had whittled down the number of people within the area, deterring those that were trying to enter by converging his domain on them when they were preparing to jump down. When people saw that contenders just go 'limp' mid-jump, crashing into the floor of the arena below, those that had been preparing to follow had reconsidered. Those that were more perceptive notice that Vahn hadn't even looked in the direction of those that had fallen, causing them to try and inspect the barriers surrounding the arena for any 'tricks'. As for those with even higher perception, they had already deduced that Vahn was 'aware' of everything going on around him, likely through the tangible aura that was putting pressure on each of their bodies...One such man, having a height of nearly 200cm, snorted through his nose as a pressure emerged from his own body. He leaped down into the arena, hefting a massive cleaver-like sword on his back as he prepared to join the fray. Though his speed wasn't remotely close to Vahn's, the man, a famous Adventurer known as 'The Mountain', believed he wouldn't go down in one hit like everyone else. Unfortunately, even though he was Level 5 and had a 'rare skill' of his own, expectation was very different from reality. The pressure that had erupted from his body was almost immediately repressed and, at the same time as his feet landed in the arena, The Mountain saw Vahn standing in front of him.With widened eyes, the sturdy and muscular man swept his cleaver at an angle while jumping backward without enough force to cause cracks to appear on the arena's floor. At the same time, even surprising Vahn a little, he threw four stun grenades and a smoke bomb against the ground. Vahn couldn't help but admire how quick the man's reaction was, though it wasn't too surprising considering he was around Level 5. Even so, Vahn ducked under the blade, allowing it to pass just two centimeters above his head before landing an open-palm strike on the man's chest. He had already been carrying a lot of backward momentum from his jump but, added to Vahn's strike, this caused him to fly like a cannonball. His massive frame collided with the barrier protecting the periphery of the arena, sending a blue pulse through the previously invisible membrane.Not too unsurprisingly, the man didn't fall to the ground from the first hit and, instead, used his cleaver to support his body. Since he didn't have a dark aura, Vahn just gave him a polite nod, making his respect for the man known before moving on to his next target. Seeing this, The Mountain just released a sigh, shaking his head before making his exit without being obstinate. Vahn's strike had broken several ribs and, though he could continue fighting, he knew it would just lead to his embarrassment. Since Vahn had already given him a bit of respect, the man decided to save face and leave the battle willingly.It was unfortunate that The Mountain was one of the exceptions, as most Adventurers seemed to possess a great deal of pride, even though they had realized the disparity in strength. The majority of those Level 4, or higher, seemed to take offense if Vahn didn't defeat them in a single blow. Instead of backing down, they would press forward and, as a result, end up suffering a far more embarrassing defeat than the sensible few who had excused themselves. There had even been a Level 4 Dark Elf who tried to get 'vengeance' against Vahn by using a purple sphere that caused a cloud of poison to erupt within a 20m radius. Seconds later, the cloud has miraculously been shrunk down by an invisible energy whereas the Dark Elf had been 'planted' like a tree into the arena floor. He was still alive, though only because Vahn had transferred a portion of the man's wounds onto himself the moment he impacted the ground...By the time ten minutes had passed, of the eight hour challenge period, Vahn had already dealt with more than two-hundred contenders, including more than a dozen people ranked higher than Level 4. At this point, those who thought they could get lucky and 'overwhelm' Vahn had started to realize the truth of the matter. Even after moving around like a phantom, defeating people with an ease that rivaled the proficiency of some people breathing, Vahn didn't look tired at all. He hadn't even taken a single attack directly and, it didn't seem like even those at Level 5 could exchange more than a few blows with him. Since the intensity of the battles had started to increase, most of the weaker people decided to stay back and observe for the time being. They determined that it would be better to wait until Vahn had already fought against the stronger enemies, hopefully tiring himself out in the process.Seeing that the number of people within the arena had sharply dropped, Vahn produced a small smile and returned to his spot at the center of the arena. Those remaining in the arena, and those still watching from the stands, entered an alert status as they wondered what action Vahn was going to take. None of them had expected him to pull a bow out of thin air, especially the groups of individuals still within the confines of the arena. Thus far, Vahn had been very 'lenient', only using his hands and feet to deal with people, even if they still ended up with broken bones as a result. Seeing him pull out a weapon had unnerved people, especially since it happened to be a bow, one of the things Vahn was 'famous' for after rumors of his exploits had circulated in the past.Vahn's smile clearly showed that he was somewhat amused, especially after some of the contenders immediately bolted for the exits. Nocking a special arrow onto his bow, Vahn fired it towards one of the people fleeing, as they had a negative aura that showed their intent clearly. The arrow flew much faster than the naked eye could see and, in less time than it took the man's foot to rise and fall, an arrow had buried itself into his side. Having the wind knocked out of his body, the man flew a few meters and began to seize up into a small ball, gasping for breath as he clutched the arrow's shaft. Onlookers were surprised by how ruthless Vahn's attack was but there were a few people that considered the man's actions equally surprising.It was common knowledge that you shouldn't pull an arrow free without a means to treat the wound, as this would only exacerbate the bleeding. Strangely, though most people hadn't noticed just yet, there wasn't even any bleeding to be seen, however, and the man's actions were perfectly understandable. The arrow Vahn had used was known as a [Shock Arrow], a misleading name as its actual effect was to immobilize and cause pain, not injury. It had a semi-immaterial quality that allowed it to pierce through the defenses of a target and embed itself into the body, causing intense pain until it had been removed. Unfortunately, it would 'bind' with the body on contact and, unless you completely stopped resisting, it was impossible to remove without also pulling a large chunk of your own flesh.For those that had negative auras, Vahn didn't show them any leniency and, even though a single [Shock Arrow] cost 800 OP, he wanted the people he targetted to reconsider their lives. Though they would still be investigated later, Vahn knew that not everyone that had bad intentions towards him were genuinely bad people. There were numerous reasons why people might hate him and, it was very possible for some of the people that had targetted him to be 'innocent'. After all, it only took a change in perspective for a person's aura to turn black, at least for a moment. Some of the people he had marked could have just lived normal lives and, as a result of some kind of misunderstanding, had come to harbor ill intent towards him.Thus, like an automated-turret, with nigh-perfect accuracy, Vahn began loosing arrows that would send their victims flying before forcing them to curl up on the ground, screaming in pain. It didn't matter if they were man, woman, young, or old...anyone who had stepped into the arena had to prepare themselves for the consequences. Of course, Vahn wasn't actually that indiscriminate as he allowed those trying to flee, assuming they didn't have negative auras, to reach the exit without harassment. There was no real honor in injuring people that had already given up the fight, especially if they harbored no hatred or ill will...While firing arrows of his own, Vahn detected another arrow entering his blind spot, much like the one from earlier. Without turning his head, Vahn twisted his body, loosing an arrow towards the incoming projectile. As if his hands had created an 'echo', a second arrow shot out after his first, traveling a reverse trajectory towards the woman who had been skulking around the edge of the arena. Vahn had noticed her at the beginning of the match but, after she had fired her first arrow, she actually managed to disappear from his perception. Because she always hid near others, he had been having trouble detecting her, even by sending out pulses that allowed him to detect invisible objects, usually.It was obvious the woman had an Innate related to stealth, or an artifact that allowed her to conceal her presence, so Vahn needed to eliminate her. Both of her attacks had been released with the intent to kill and, even though her aura wasn't really filled with negative emotions, it was very likely that she had been hired to assassinate him. The look on her face when the second arrow had accurately targetted her diaphragm was rather priceless, especially since it had knocked her completely out of her stealth. She had a face full of disbelief and, even though there was intense pain wracking her body, managed to utter, "H-h-how...!?While targetting someone on the periphery, Vahn had looked over at the woman, raising his brow as he said, "You're pretty sneaky, but it isn't like your arrows possess that same trait...well, not really..." It could be said that her arrows were indeed very sneaky, especially since she targetted blind spots, but it simply wasn't effective against people like him. After all, she was only Level 3, likely limited in her growth by her profession, much like Chloe had been. Stealth abilities could be very powerful, especially if you had an Innate like her's. The fact that she had picked up a bow meant she was also rather intelligent but, much like he had experienced as a hunter in the path, your growth would be very limited following that path. She probably relied heavily on her skills to kill monsters and had likely never gone any deeper than the Great Falls area in the Dungeon.Since he hadn't really come here to converse with people, Vahn punctuated his words by deciding to do the woman a favor. His [Yoichi Bow] had the effect of giving his arrows a basic homing function and, as a result of his own skills with the bow, Vahn could push this even further. He nocked five arrows onto his bow simultaneously and fired them towards the sky, immediately replacing them with five more arrows and repeating his action seven times. The arrows flew high into the sky, beyond the perception of most people, before, several seconds later, they began raining down. Each arrow accurately buried itself into the shoulder, back, or leg of one of the remaining contenders, whittling their numbers further. This entire time, Vahn just looked towards the woman with a casual expression on his face before turning away from her shocked expression and continuing his attack.Though he had turned his back to her, Vahn had already 'locked' the woman's position in his domain and was keeping tabs on her. When she stood up and began walking towards the exit, his smile relaxed a little. It was very likely that she was an assassin by trade but, after seeing how calm her aura was, Vahn didn't think she was a bad person. She could be someone like Chloe, who became an assassin at a young age and simply treated it like work, not as something she enjoyed. It was even possible that she wasn't an assassin at all and had just wanted to use her unique skill set to try her luck against him. As for her tendency to shoot towards the head, that could have simply been a result of her 'inexperience' fighting with people, as she lacked true killing intent...By the time his shooting spree had ended, the majority of people in the arena had already been cleared out. The only ones left were a man with a large white shield, defending his two companions, and a 'lazy' looking man with sunken eyes who had dodged all the arrows fired at him. The strength of the trio were all at Level 4 while the rather creepy looking man actually had a 'fluctuating' level of strength. At times, he seemed to be as weak as a Level 2 while, at the moment when he would dodge the arrows fired his way, his aura would sike up towards the peak of Level 6. Vahn wasn't sure if he was intentionally trying to obscure his strength, or if it was just the result of the man's Innate, but it was a little disconcerting being looked at by his dead-fish eyes.Since the man with the shield obviously had a defensive Innate, while the young woman behind him seemed to be able to heal others, Vahn decided to deal with the creepy man first. As if he had realized this, the gaunt man began to smile eerily as he raspily mused, "Oh, are you sure you want to fight against me so soon, Vahn Mason~? You might not be able to put on this farce any longer if I take action, you know~?" While he was speaking, the man lifted both of his arms, almost like he were a marionette with stiff joints. Vahn tensed his body slightly, straining his [Eyes of Truth] to see the flow of strange purple and grey energy in the man's body. Because he had been around Anubis and Freya, Vahn was easily able to understand what this strange energy was...it would seem that his opponent had an Innate related to 'death'...(A/N: Alternate Titles: '*poke* *thud* *poke* *thud*','Arrow Rain~! Do you even archer, scrub!?','Did you know, right now, at this very moment, there is a spooky scary skeleton wearing your flesh like clothing?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

The moment Ais and Tiona took to the skies, Emiru had jumped back and served the ball, sending it high into the sky. It was against the rules to spike on a serve, so it was received by Lili, who reached forward in timing with the ball's fall to 'scoop' it backward towards Arnya. The latter than used her wrists to send the ball careening in a perfect arc, a testament to how much control each of the high-Level girls had over their bodies. Ais swooped in like a phantom while the opposing team's defenses prepared to receive the coming 'attack'.In a soft, yet fiery voice, Ais arched her body in an extreme display of athleticism, saying, "Meteor spike..." before 'snapping' forward in an instant and sending the ball careening towards the ground at nearly 1800km/h. An excited stir passed through the crowd, but not nearly as much as when Tione had lurched forward, absorbing the powerful blow with her hands before diverting it towards Emiru, waiting in the backline. Emiru looked like she was going to send it straight back into the air but, surprising the audience and Ais' team, she struck the ball to make it fly parallel to the ground, sending it towards Maemi on the other end of the court.Tiona began zipping into position, causing Ais' team to form up their defenses as Maemi set up the ball for Tiona to strike. Much like Ais, though she was laughing excitedly the entire time, Tiona shouted out the name of her own self-created technique, "Coiling Dragon Strike~!" When Tiona struck the ball, using her fist instead of her palms, she rotated her wrist in an instant, giving the ball a powerful rotational force as it cut through the air. The most amazing thing was that, instead of careening directly towards the ground below, the ball actually curved through the air and became harder to defend against as a result.This display got the crowd riled up even further, as watching scantily clad women who could perform superhuman feats ought to do, especially when Arnya managed to successfully stop the ball. She had jumped across the field like a phantom, catching the ball out of the air and spinning a few times before nimbly landing on her feet. Without any delay, she sent the ball towards Lefiya, the latter of which sent the ball surprisingly low, but still above the net. When Tiona saw this, she swooped down to help defend while Tione and Chloe moved towards the net as well, jumping into the air to pre-emptively try to block the ball.Unfortunately for the three girls, Ais was much faster in the air than they were on the ground, appearing next to the ball with enough speed that her sudden deceleration caused a shockwave to spread out from her location. Before Tiona, Tione, and Chloe were able to recover, Ais 'slapped' the ball with a loud *pa*, sending it between the three of them and 'burying' it into the ground below. A small explosion of dust erupted from the small crater that ball had formed while the crowd erupted into an excited cheer.Though some people had doubts at first, the sport they were watching was intense and, as a result of how appealing the girls themselves looked, it was very 'exciting' as well. A few of them got a little too riled up, feeling a sudden pressure seize their body, but most people kept in mind Vahn's warning and simply began to enjoy the game. Many of them were just normal citizens and, though there were a fair number of Adventurer's present, there weren't too many people above Level 3 in the entire City. Seeing the girls, who were able to move about at insane speeds as if it required no effort at all, was simply amazing to them.On the gods' viewing platform, Ganesha had also joined the crowd to cheer, standing with one leg on the balcony's guardrail as he shouted, "This is so exciting! Such an incredible display of athleticism! Such a riveting display of the human form! My blood is burning up! Gahahahahaha!" Of course, he wasn't the only god who was getting excited as, within the viewing stand, there were around nine gods present and a large number of goddesses, the latter number having increased after the Vanir made an appearance.Vahn would occasionally send a glare towards one of the gods in the viewing stand, as they were far less inhibited than the 'mortals' in the crowd. Though Takemikazuchi and Miach obviously kept their comments to themselves, some other gods had been 'casually' commenting about what they thought of each of the girls below. Though they didn't speak too loudly, Vahn could hear what they were saying and had sent them warning looks, something they hadn't been fond of at all.However, when they glared back at him, it suddenly became a lot more than just Vahn glaring at them, as many of the goddesses were paying attention to Vahn. When they saw him glare towards the gods, they had also been listening in and, when hearing the content of their conversation, joined Vahn in glaring. Some even openly berated the gods for eyeing women who were already happily in a relationship, saying they lacked the sense of propriety and sensible nature a god ought to have. As Vahn hadn't quite expected this outcome, he couldn't help but smile when he saw the goddesses flock in his defense, an action that seemed to egg them on until the number of gods on the viewing platform decreased from nine, down to six.At this point, Vahn knew that a lot of gods' characters had been built up over a long period of time and, though they weren't beyond redemption, it didn't mean he had to just bear their slights. It still baffled him a little knowing that there were some gods who seemed to outright forget his status and, just because he was a mortal, they seemed to think they were above him. Their pride had been deeply rooted in their character and, as a result of the offense they had felt about his actions, some of them began to develop hostile auras. When he saw gods like this, Vahn couldn't help but shake his head, mentally asking, ("What is the point of being hostile towards me when you were the ones in the wrong from the start? It isn't like you can actually do anything in opposition to the Alliance...seriously...")It wasn't exactly a secret that Loki, while being the spokesperson for the Alliance, also invested much of her efforts towards being it's 'fixer'. She used her own network of contacts and would proactively 'remove' any elements that could harm the interests of the Alliance, both foreign and domestic. At the same time, goddesses like Freya would even go to extremes and, if you managed to offend her or publically opposed the Alliance without justification, it was likely your Familia would be declared war on. In some cases, especially if you were openly hostile or part of a criminal organization, she would outright skip declaring war and simply wipe out the entire Familia overnight...Vahn knew it was a little heavy-handed to take such drastic actions but, considering how most gods and goddesses actually treated the Mortal World like their personal playground, those that were dissident against the Alliance directly opposed progress. They would be the same forces in the future that would bother the children that graduate from the School, doing whatever they could to try and get their hands on the capable young boys and girls that had been groomed by the new education system. Though many of the students would be orphans, there were a number that still had small families, with at least one parent still living. These people would be prime targets to be pressured by external forces, especially those related to errant gods and the various Noble houses...Broken from his internal thoughts by Vana's excited shout, Vahn watched as Lili 'slid' across the arena floor, creating two paths through the dirt with her feet as she received Tiona's momentous strike. Tiona, seeing her attack successfully blocked, released a loud, "Awww man~! Good catch, Lili~!" before zipping around in preparation for Ais' attack. Lili shook out the numbness from her wrist before tossing the ball towards Lunoire to field it up to the waiting Ais.Though Ais had a massive speed advantage, which could be very beneficial during all sports, Tiona's power was far above the norm. As the game generally progressed, it would become progressively harder to defend against her blows and, having to pay special attention to her lower body, Lili knew this would be a hard-fought match if they wanted to claim victory. It was fortunate that, though the clothes they were wearing didn't cover much, and seemed to be simple elastic fabric, they were actually B-Grade equipment that had Stamina Regeneration, Health Regeneration, and, in the case of their bottoms, 'Shaping' functions built in. No matter what, Vahn didn't seem to be able to make bottoms that didn't have that function...it was one of the quirks that had caused him a fair amount of embarrassment as a result of the girls' teasing...With the aid of their equipment, enhancing their already incredible physical capabilities, the match had gone on for nearly three hours before finally coming to an end. Tiona had used her 'secret technique', which somehow made the ball arc downwards very quickly, to land the ball between Lili and Lefiya. The latter hadn't been able to move back in time to receive it and Lefiya, though having high Endurance now, lacked the physical strength to even try and block Tiona's spike at all. This made the final score 10-8, which caused Ais, Lefiya, Lili, Arnya, and Lunoire to all falter a little before they walked over to congratulate Tiona, Tione, Maemi, Emiru, and Chloe. As for why they had been so impacted by the loss, other than simply feeling competitive, it was because it had become a 'tradition' that Vahn rewards the winning team after the fact...The crowd hadn't cared when Vahn gave his original speech but, after witnessing the exciting and hard fought battle between the ten girls, they had been in an uproar by the end of the match. A strange phenomenon had occurred around the end of the first hour, with a clear separation having appeared within the stands. People began cheering for the team they thought was going to win and, even though some of them were skewed by their 'preferences', it got everyone riled up a lot more when they had taken sides. Whenever a member of the crowd was next to a person that wanted their own team to win, they would band together to cheer even louder. In the event that they were near someone cheering for the 'opposing' team, a competitive glint would appear in the spectator's eyes and it seemed like some enmity had formed between them.By the end of the match, Vahn knew it would be almost impossible to control the crowd at present and, as he didn't want to ruin the favorable momentum, he did his best to ignore some of the people that had forgotten his earlier warnings. Fortunately, the girls didn't linger in the arena too long and went to the waiting area so they could change into something more suitable for viewing the next event.Though their new fans had called out to them along the way, expressing their support or simply trying to get their attention, the girls themselves seemed completely immune to it. In truth, even before they became involved with Vahn, most of the girls had already built up a high tolerance against men and were completely used to things like this, even if not quite at this scale. After all, girls like Ais, Tiona, Tione, Arnya, and Chloe, they were all 'prizes' that many men had sought, to the extent that Vahn had garnered a great deal of hatred when he 'stole' them away...Now that the next event was getting set up, Ganesha sat on his high chair and remarked, "These sports of your's seem to be a great hit, Vahn. I think your idea about turning it into a league in the future might actually be a good idea...as long as it will help to provide entertainment to the masses, you will continue to have my support." During their previous discussions, Vahn had pitched the idea about building a second Coliseum on the other side of the City and, in the future, having clearly distinguished teams that would be able to form a league and participate. Teams would be able to compete against each other and, during the bi-annual Monster Feria, the two highest rated teams would compete against each other for the title of champion. As for why multiple Coliseums were necessary, it was because there were a few other sports that might become popular in the future as well.As it stood, Vahn wanted to have up to eight teams, formed from each section of the City, that would compete in a variety of Alliance sponsored events. Right now, they had things like Volleyball and Soccer but, in the future, Vahn had been toying with the idea of combat-based competitions as well. It was possible to create an isolated field within the area of the arena that projected the image of what was going on inside of a Sub-Space, or Space-Time orb. Though they were a very closely kept secret of the Alliance, Vahn had plenty of ideas about how to keep their existence a secret from people.Since Space-Time orbs allowed the user to send their consciousness into the orb, Vahn could explain it away as just part of a simulated projection magic that the Alliance had been researching. If they put strict regulations on the Laws the influenced the Space-Time orb, it would be possible for them to stage battle tournaments where people could fight to their fullest without having to face death. In the future, this may even become how War Games were fought, as the loss of life during such events was generally unnecessary. There were several stronger Familias that would bully smaller Familia and, in some cases, this ended as a tragedy for the weaker party. With this type of magical technology, battles could be fought on a much larger scale than what would have generally taken place in the arena, making them even more exciting without the terrifying consequences associated with such climactic battles.This was the same thing he planned to do for the live duels between students in the School, as there would be a leaderboard for each respective 'grade' in the future. Competition was one way to spur people to continue pursuing further growth so, after the School had been established for a while, there would be Combat, Scholar, and Production leaderboards. Being rated higher on the leaderboards awarded you with additional resources and an increase in the allowance you would be afforded at the end of each month. Though your living conditions would be the same as the other students, as everyone lived in the dorms, it would still make your quality of life higher. This also allowed orphans to start saving up money for their own futures while other students would be able to send money back home to help their families.In the end, the boards also served as a basic qualifier for scholarships for the Academy that would exist on the 50th Floor in the future. Though anyone that graduated from the School would be able to apply to take the entrance test, those that managed to rank high on the differing leaderboards would have a variety of advantages, excluding the ones they had earned for themselves, to begin with. Every team taking the entrance exam would have a Proctor to watch over and protect them, but those that ranked highly would be shown a bit of preference, especially if they were in the Scholar and Production leaderboards. After all, not everyone was suited to a combat role and it would seriously hurt the growth of secondary professions if Scholars and Production specialists weren't able to attend the Academy...The final event of the day was going to be a performance by the Terpsichore Familia, who had come out in full force for today's festivities. Vahn had jumped down to help them set things up and, after creating wards to amplify sound and create a slightly 'illusory' aura for all the girls on the inside of the barrier, he returned to the viewing platform to watch alongside everyone else. Since the crowd had still been riled up from the Volleyball game, the Terpsichore Familia would just be performing a concert this time around. Though they had a few dancers to accompany the music, the main focus had been the songs themselves, with even Terpsichore herself playing a beautiful golden Lyre. It was her Divine Artifact, much like Hephaestus' Eternal Flame, and the sound it produced caused the hundred-thousand spectators to actually enter a slight daze as her music resonated with the fond memories they had of home...Vahn found himself becoming somewhat reminiscent as well, hugging his daughters close as they listened to the lovely melody together. This was exactly the kind of thing Vahn wanted to see more often in the future, as moments like these would become precious memories that people carried with them forever. It wasn't the transient 'bliss' that people got from gambling, drinking, and seeking sexual stimulus, but something that was kept securely within the heart. If people had more memories like this, Vahn believed they would become happier and, with more forms of 'positive' entertainment in the world, it would hopefully decrease the amount of negativity alongside it.In the end, much like he wanted all the people within the Hearth Manor to be happy, Vahn also sought the happiness of others...he didn't want the world to be a dark place full of hatred and suffering...after all, this was his home, the place he would always come back to...the place with his family, and all the people he loved and cared about...such a place should not be filled with suffering and endless tragedies...no, it should be a place where everyone can smile freely, just like they were doing right this instant...(A/N: Thanks for all the input about the potential of FJ going Premium. Honestly, as it was only supposed to be a side-story/omake, I don't think it would be that great an idea to make it Premium. After all, I only wrote the story to make sure I can hit my promised word count and to give readers something easy and fun to read (even though that novel can be a little dark xD...). Since there was never any overarching story planned, as Fenrir is the only central character, I don't see any real reason to make it go Premium, especially since it might ostracize some of the readers. To those that supported the idea of the story going Premium, thank you for your support but, for now, I'll just take the positive vibes to motivate me to write more in the future :P.)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The birth of anime-style sports...Secret Techniques on full display~!','The Alliance is taking over politics, entertainment, and education xD...just imagine how wealthy they will be in the future...!','Home is where the heart is so, take care of the heart and, no matter where you go, home will follow you...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 756: Glimpse