Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though he had been surprised by the system notifications at first, Vahn felt the urge to laugh out when he read the information contained within. He knew The Path would give him a way forward and, as his highest priority right now was 'saving' Artemis, the quests had changed to meet the circumstances. After this event came to an end, Vahn was determined to get a better grasp of his 'Quest' function and see if he couldn't use it to gain more benefits, specifically those that would grant him more Unique items. They often had effects that ran contrary to the restrictions of the record itself and Vahn wanted to get a better understanding of how he may one day make his own Unique items...Artemis was aware of the 'bond' she now shared with Vahn, causing her to tilt her head to the side before a loving smile spread across her face. Vahn felt his heart flutter upon witnessing this, earning him a small laugh from Artemis as she placed her hand above her own heart, saying, "This feeling...is this the power of love...?" Though she was detached from her main body, Artemis could feel a very powerful bond between her and Vahn that had embedded itself within her very soul. It was like a part of him was now inside of her, filling a hole she had never known existed and making her feel more complete in this one moment than the 349 million preceding years...Vahn felt like Artemis' words had hit the nail on the head, nodding as he said, "Love is an amazing thing. Now, let's go save your children..." Artemis' eyes widened slightly when she heard this before the most beautiful smile he had ever seen upon her face revealed itself. Vahn found it hard to look at such a radiant smile but couldn't avert his eyes even a single micrometer as she said, "I believe in you, Vahn...when all of this is over...I..." At this point, Vahn's heart felt like a drum that was being beaten by an entire battalion of Amazonesses as Artemis stepped towards him, hands together as if she were praying. She stopped right outside the minimum range of Lightning Energy shrouding his body, a natural blush on her cheeks as she said, "I want to try and have a real family next time..."Even without willing himself to do so, Vahn found his head nodding in response to Artemis as he uttered an affirmative 'Nn'. Though she didn't actually use any kind of compulsion against him, Vahn found himself fundamentally unable to refuse such words from someone possessing the 'Eternal Love' parameter. Ten thousand years was already a long time but, now that Artemis obtained that particular parameter, Vahn knew their relationship would continue for an incomprehensibly long period of time. Even if he had been a normal mortal that went through the cycle of reincarnation, Artemis would have certainly followed each of his incarnations, no matter how much time passed...Now, fired up even more than he had been previously, Vahn entered into the massive stone chamber where Antares had been sealed. Rethusa's body had been impaled on the other side of the door so Vahn had to make an entrance of his own since he couldn't store their bodies into his Inventory without their soul and ego leaving. The fact that he could still use 'Nirvana Rebirth' on them meant that they actually hadn't been 'dead' for very long. Though he wasn't sure if it was related to the seal, the flow of time in these Ruins was vastly different than the outside world, growing progressively more stagnant as they approached Antares...His guess was that the Disir had incorporated some form of temporal distortion to give themselves more time to come up with solutions to deal with Antares. He even started to suspect that the surrounding structures were built after Antares was 'trapped' within the formation as the seal was part of the architecture itself. There was no way they would have been able to come up with an underground seal that would have allowed them to lure and trap Antares, meaning they must have used a very powerful time magic to buy time before putting the seal into place...it was honestly quite terrifying since his connection with his real body would have been completely severed if not for the fact that he was in a very deep meditation...From the moment they entered into the room, the aura around Antares increased greatly as crystalline black tendrils shot towards them. It wasn't able to move right now but that didn't stop it from using the strange tendrils from its body as a defensive mechanism. Fortunately, unlike its main body, these tendrils didn't possess the indestructible quality so Vahn simply held out his hand and sent Lightning Elemental energy racing through them. They immediately broke down into dust fragments as Vahn inspected Antares more closely with his [Eyes of Truth]. Though the power it possessed was unlike anything he had ever seen, Antares' current state meant it wouldn't even be a threat to a decently strong Level 3...Feeling that he had 'overprepared' for this fight, Vahn sighed within his mind as the surrounding air became suffused with a golden hue. Artemis felt her skin crawl as an instinctual fear welled up inside of her heart but, compared to the trust and faith she had in Vahn, this was nothing. She watched with intrigue as several resplendent gold chains emerged from the void and began entwining around the immobile Antares. For a brief moment, it actually stopped absorbing her Arcanum and tried to resist the chains but it was already far too late. By the moment [Enkidu] had entwined around its body, the oppressive aura in the air had completely vanished, the ambient Arcanum now restrained completely.Vahn released a sigh and allowed his 'Thunder Emperor' to fade away since he needed to keep his focus and conserve his Source Energy reserves. To make sure he wasn't in danger of running low, Vahn ingested a few mana potions before turning to Artemis and saying, "We need to deal with your Familia before trying to recover your main body. Time flows differently within these ruins so the girls aren't beyond hope of a full recovery. I'll heal their bodies and then restart their hearts using one of my unique abilities..." Even as he was speaking, Vahn was sending energy through his domain, revitalizing the damaged tissue of the girls and gingerly moving them over with his telekinesis.Artemis was very confused by the situation but she could feel the confidence coming from Vahn, helping her remain calm as she eyed Antares while asking, "Is there anything I can do...?" Seeing her 'dead' Familia members floating through the air caused Artemis' heart to twinge in pain and regret, at least until Vahn said, "Make sure their 'Falna' is still present and, if it is weakening, strengthen it with your remaining Arcanum." Vahn pulled out the [Arrow of Orion], handing it over to Artemis since it was the source of her power, minus his own Source Energy supplements.Though Artemis was worried that using up the power in the arrow might make this an unwinnable fight, the chains Vahn had brought out gave her the confidence to convert the remnant Arcanum into her own energy. Antares released a shrill growl but it couldn't even move a single millimeter under the influence of [Enkidu]. It couldn't even send any signals out to the monsters it had converted since Vahn had destroyed all of the tendrils it had produced beforehand. Other than screaming while trying to resist against the chains with its physical might, Antares was stuck watching the procedures. Unfortunately for it, as Vahn had created a soundproof barrier around the girls, even this was an ultimately futile action...He had seen them all within Artemis' [Hearts Desire], but Vahn couldn't help but note that she had a knack for finding beautiful women to recruit into her Familia. Though they all had athletic and mature figures, honed over years of hunting and fighting in the wilderness, Vahn found their physical appearances very appealing. Given the circumstances, he was certain many of them would follow after Artemis when they returned to Eden and, unless he actively tried to avoid such a development, it was almost as probable that they would become attached to him...well, having more retainers wasn't exactly a bad thing...After healing their bodies, most of the girls looked like they were simply sleeping, so long as you ignored the tattered clothes, blood, and grime. Vahn turned to Artemis at this point, saying, "I'm going to have to undress them for this next part...don't think less of me, this is purely a..." Artemis had giggled lightly, causing Vahn's words to trail off as she said, "You know, I can sense your thoughts and the stirring of your heart, Vahn...it's fine, I'm certain these girls wouldn't mind at all..." During the moment when Vahn was thinking about 'inevitabilities', Artemis had been able to sense the change in his thought process and joined him in thinking about how the girls might react once they discovered their lives had been saved by such a handsome and capable man...To make sure they wouldn't be disturbed, Vahn began to set up some semi-permanant barriers but was interrupted when Artemis asked, "Vahn...what about Lante...?" There was a tremble in Artemis' voice as she asked this since she could still vividly remember the explosion that had been set off before she had tried to seal her Arcanum. Only nineteen of her Familia were present within the barrier Vahn was setting up and it caused her legs to feel weak as she waited for his answer. When he was quiet for several seconds, Artemis' legs nearly gave out, only to find herself falling into Vahn's arms as he said, "It seems that I almost did things out of order...thank you for speaking out when you did, Artemis..."Artemis was a little confused as Vahn set out a cushion and guided her to sit upon it before brushing her hair with his fingers as he said, "I'm going to separate your main body from Antares. I do not know exactly what will happen, but never stop believing...understand...?" Feeling the soothing energy entering into her mind, Artemis absentmindedly nodded her head and said, "I believe..." in an almost inaudible voice. Moments later, though sleep impossible in this form, Artemis found herself fading into unconsciousness. She knew this would normally be a terrible development but didn't resist at all, placing her full trust in Vahn...The moment Artemis' consciousness faded, Vahn felt the energy in her body try to dissipate but he instantly prevented this by placing her into his Inventory. She had only been able to keep her faux-avatar active by 'willing' herself to exist so, after removing her consciousness, it was impossible to keep her form. Now, the only Artemis remaining was the one sealed away within the massive crystal located within Antares' chest cavity. Vahn could see her eyelids flicker slightly as the bond between them persisted, allowing them to feel the love each had for the other...Deciding Artemis had suffered far too long already, Vahn pulled out the barrier artifact that Terra had given to him. Normally, he would power it on his own but, with so many unknown variables to deal with, Vahn pulled out a blood-red crystal and embedded it into the 'battery' slot. Since his blood was one of the most powerful sources of energy available, Vahn had a few painfully constructed [Source Energy Crystals] that could power formations for up to 24 hours. It was one of the greatest exploits he had discovered, even if they could only remain outside of his Inventory for 24 hours and would shatter after a single use...After the emerald green barrier came into existence, capable of blocking even the Tier 5 Eva's spells for a short while, Vahn popped his neck and stepped outside. Antares couldn't put up any resistance right now but there was also no guarantee it would die after he severed its connection with Artemis. If it was still a Tier 4 entity, he would have to do something about it since it wasn't practical to keep it ensnared with [Enkidu]. He was also hoping to be able to release some of the pent up frustrations he had right now and wanted to 'break' the massive monstrosity with his bare hands if the opportunity presented itself...Without wasting any time, Vahn blinked near Antares' chest and placed his palm against the vibrant blue crystal that encased Artemis. Since he was no longer in the soundproof barrier, Vahn got to hear the incredibly loud and shrill howl of Antares in close proximity. He countered this by creating a thin film of energy around his body, blocking out external sounds as his hand slowly turned a rainbow hue.Though it shouldn't be possible to use the skill like this, Vahn had experienced having his body changes an incalculable number of times and had absolute confidence he could completely ignore common sense in this case. He was using his [Hands of Nirvana] while at the same time allowing the energy to feed back into his body, almost as if he were absorbing it with [Magia Erebea]. Vahn knew it was possible to match the energy wavelength of a person's body to allow him to safely maneuver his hands through physical matter without any obstruction. Since Source Energy comprised up all other forms of energy, Vahn was confident he could match the wavelength of the surrounding crystal and pass through it, indestructible or not...Over the course of twenty minutes, Vahn made absolutely no progress other than having his entire right arm now suffused with a rainbow hue. His hand was now so bright that it was nearly white but he didn't relent for even a single moment. Then, though it was almost indiscernible, Vahn felt his hand 'sink' into the crystal slightly as a system notification sounded in his mind. His [Hands of Nirvana], which had long since reached the peak of mortality, just upgraded to the SSS-Rank. For the first time, Vahn had raised a skill to the very peak of the record through his own effort and perseverance...!As if he had overcome some major threshold, Vahn's hand now sunk into the crystal as if he were submerging into water. When it somewhat amusingly tried to siphon off his Source Energy, just as it had been doing to Artemis' Arcanum, Vahn nearly burst out laughing. It couldn't even drain the Arcanum of a goddess without a serious effort yet it wanted to try and siphon away a form of energy that exceeded, not just the record of Danmachi, but all records. Since this was an energy that belonged solely to him through his union with The Path, Vahn couldn't help but feel a bit of pride for his current accomplishment, accompanied by a great deal of scorn for Antares...Seemingly without any obstruction, Vahn's hand continued forward until it came to rest in the center of Artemis' chest. He could feel her body heat through his palm and noticed her eyelids had twitched slightly as the edges of her mouth curled into a smile. It was impossible to remove her body from the crystal under normal means, as she was still wholly physical, but Vahn didn't care about 'normal' means at all. His hand began to deform like a film that slowly spread across Artemis' body like a thin membrane. It was objectively a little creepy, as he was essentially shaping his own body into a caccoon around Artemis' body, but it was the best method he could think of for the time being...Though it seemed to be trying to break free from [Enkidu], Antares couldn't do anything as Vahn completely surrounded Artemis' body and extracted it from the crystal. As expected, this didn't actually sever the connection between Artemis and Antares, but it allowed her to open her eyes slightly as she weakly clung to his arm and said, "You're...full of surprise...haaa..." Vahn smiled in response, pulling out an ornate knife with his left hand as he said, "This next part is where things get interesting...remember, Artemis, never stop believing in me..." To punctuate his words, Vahn leaned in and gave Artemis a kiss, enjoying the uncommon sweetness of her saliva as he swiped the [Fate Severing Knife] towards Antares...(A/N: Someone pointed this out so, if you're not too busy, feel free to add the 'NoNetorare', 'TrollsMakingTags', and 'NoYaoi' tags. A friend of mine actually had the idea of just flooding the novel with tags so people wouldn't treat them seriously at all. After that, I can just add them to the synopsis until QI learns how to make a functional system o3o...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Path Forward Has Been Set...','I Believe In A Thing Called Love~!','RIP Antares-chan...getting bullied really hard')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

With the swing of the [Fate Severing Knife], similar energy to that which always shrouded Bell launched itself forward and collided with Antares. Vahn had no idea what would happen but he too believed that 'intent', this time in the form of 'love', would tide them through. Even as Artemis' body turned into pale-blue light that began to fracture, Vahn adamantly believed everything would be okay. He sent as much Source Energy into her body as she was able to withstand as Antares' body became ruby-red, pulling against [Enkidu] with enough physical might to shake the indestructible golden chains. Vahn's response to this was tightening them even further, causing similar cracks to those on Artemis to begin appearing on Antares' body.Vahn realized that his [Enkidu] was actually preventing the Arcanum from leaking out of Antares but he was afraid that Artemis' body would fracture completely if he loosened the restraints. He wasn't entirely sure what was happening right now and just continued his loving embrace with Artemis, even as fragments of her body vanished into the void. She didn't seem to notice this at all, eyes closed as she clung to his head and reciprocated the kiss that represented their shared hopes. Parts of her body began to flake away even faster so Vahn compacted his domain as if it would seal her within this place, intertwining with her wavering aura and melding the two energies together...Though they weren't having sex, Vahn could feel himself being overwhelmed by Artemis' unconstrained Divinity. He could also sense the connection she had with Antares, now appearing like a shattered crystalline bridge the connected the three of them. Vahn's rainbow-hued hand, still rich with Source Energy, began to embed itself into Artemis' back as, within the mind space they shared, a massive palm appeared out of the void. Vahn reached forward, smashing the bridge to pieces and causing Antares' to howl with a void-shattering roar. Though this caused the mindscape to begin breaking down, Vahn took what he felt to be the remnants of Artemis' ego into himself and protected them as his mind withstood the brunt of Antares' rage. It was very similar to when he had been attacked by the Juggernaut in the past but Vahn was able to protect them both with his [Will of the Emperor], even though rainbow-colored blood began to leak from the sides of his mouth and into Artemis'...As if her life depended on it, or perhaps she was just unaware of what was going on, Artemis unhesitantly swallowed Vahn's blood. There was already an incredible amount of energy moving through her body but this blood seemed to act like fuel thrown onto a flame. Her body suddenly cracked like a pane of glass but, instead of breaking away, these cracks had wisps of rainbow light emanating from them. Slowly but surely, these cracks began to recede as even the broken fragments of her body were regenerated at a slow but discernable rate. Eventually, Artemis' glowing blue hair started to turn white on the fringes, though there was still a very subtle hue contained to the light emanating from each individual strand...Though it felt like an eternity, this process had only been going on for three minutes by the time Vahn felt as if the majority of his energy was drained. He had actually bitten through part of his tongue and prevented it from healing just to use his blood as a catalyst. Fortunately, the amount of energy contained within his blood was far more than his own reserves seemed to be, even though it was still under his control. He manipulated the source energy to stabilize Artemis' fracturing body until the rate of regeneration finally overtook the rate of destruction. At this time, they both opened their eyes and Vahn could now see a gradient of aquamarine in Artemis' previously pristine green irises...The light that had been illuminating Artemis slowly began to fade away as thin strands of what appeared to be skin began to cover her naked body. This was a similar phenomenon to what he had observed with Freya so Vahn felt a great deal of relief as he rested his forehead against her's, a single tear escaping his eye as he muttered, "I love you, Artemis..." In response to this, Artemis giggled lightly, moving her arms to embrace him as she said very matter-of-factly, "I know, Vahn...I can feel it...I've never felt something so powerful...so warm..." Though the [Fate Severing Knife] had been used in Antares', it still affected Artemis since their Divinities were shared. The bond he had with Artemis, for a brief moment, had also been severed...however, the memories, their shared hopes, all of the things that brought them together, these still remained...Vahn didn't know everything that Artemis had lost after he used the knife but, at the very least, love had kept her from fading away...After a few more minutes, Artemis' body had returned to relative normalcy but, much like Freya, there was now a crescent crest nestled a few centimeters above her breasts. It had a dark blue outline while the interior light emanating from within was pale blue to most, but contained a very slight fragment of rainbow hue from Vahn's perspective. She might not be able to sense it, but Vahn could feel his Source Energy coiling around inside of Artemis' mana circuits, acting as something akin to the 'glue' holding her body together while it healed. Even after its purpose had been fulfilled, the energy still remained, however, nourishing Artemis' body in ways neither of them could imagine...The most notable change to Artemis' appearance was that her pale blue hair now appeared somewhat 'frosted', especially near the tips of her fringe bangs. Her eyes also appeared bluish towards the center now, possessing a similar aquamarine green as his own eyes. Overall, she appeared much the same but, to those that had known her for a long time, the 'feeling' coming from her had fundamentally changed. She would also appear markedly more proactive, seeing as how she began kissing the base of his neck while her fingers slowly began tracing their way around his equally naked back. His clothes had been torn apart by the chaotic energies that resulted from their melding together and it seemed that Artemis had forgotten herself for a brief moment in her confusion...Stopping Artemis' actions by gently pushing against her shoulders, Vahn smiled and said, "You should get dressed and retreat into the barrier. I still have this...thing...to deal with..." Artemis, as if just noticing Antares was still present, looked up at the ruby red creature that still glowed with divine light. A worried frown appeared on her face but she still placed her palm atop Vahn's heart and said, "I believe..." before putting her hands together in prayer. Instead of beams of moonlight casting down upon her, pale pink petals began to bloom over Artemis' body, laying atop each other as they formed a very different raiment than what she had worn previously. This immediately answered one of the pressing questions in Vahn's mind, concerning if Artemis' Divinity had been influenced by what had just happened...Once the first layer of pink petals had formed what appeared to be a dress, moonbeams began to cascade around Artemis, covering the pre-formed dress with a layer of pale-blue that was close to white in color. Seeing this, Vahn had no idea what to make of the phenomenon and just watched as the final form of the raiment came into existence. It took on the appearance of a double-layered backless dress that extended around 2/3rd of Artemis' thighs. Accenting the dress, there was a vibrant blue ribbon that tied itself around her waist and kept the dress from flaring out. Completing the outfit, Artemis had pure white gloves and stockings that extended nearly the full length of her arms and legs, the latter of which continued into a pair of short-heel boots. Similar to Freya and Hestia, the entire outfit appeared to be frayed on the ends with blue and pink accents to the petals that had formed each individual garment...Artemis was equally surprised by the changes in her raiment but ignored it for the time being as she quickly snuck in a small kiss on the somewhat dazed Vahn before running towards the barrier. This had brought him back to his senses so Vahn watched her back as she moved along, feeling as though there were greater changes than just her appearance. He didn't know what Divinity she had now but Vahn suspected it was related to the Moon and, almost assuredly, Love. Ultimately, it wouldn't matter what Divinity she ended up with, as the most important matter was that she was still alive in the first place...With that thought in mind, Vahn turned cold eyes towards Antares and saw that his [Enkidu] had embedded itself into the seemingly indestructible carapace. Since it was a Tier 5 item that could eventually break through the defenses of anything, Vahn wasn't surprised that it had slowly been overwhelming the still Tier-4 Antares. Without its Arcanum dissipating, Antares' body hadn't broken down completely and it was brimming with phenomenal power, even if it couldn't escape the chains. Even so, Vahn suspected it would begin to break down the moment he loosened [Enkidu] and he was wondering what the best course of action to take was. Though part of him wanted to simply brawl against the massive monster, logic and reasoning told him this was a terrible idea since their battle would likely destroy these Ruins. It also put the girls he still needed to save in unnecessary danger so Vahn decided to take a more prudent approach...Using [Shundo], Vahn appeared near the glowing red eye of Antares and placed his palm on the ruby-like carapace, ignoring its screams and struggles. Surprisingly, an Affection notification appeared within his mind that showed Antares' Affection towards him was at -60,508 and steadily dropping. This brought a wry smile to his face as he said, "I cannot say that I do not harbor hatred towards you...what you have done has hurt people I care about, therefore I have been brought to take these actions. I don't know what kind of past you had but your existence has wrought death and destruction to too many people...if there were a way for you to reconcile and live with others in peace, I would try to save you...but, as your nature is drawn to consuming and corrupting others, I have to destroy you...in your next life, I pray you are able to live happily..."While Vahn was speaking, he had started to gently stroke Antares' head while also sending waves of calming energy into its mind. Though it had screamed and tried to resist, having its Divinity and Arcanum sealed by [Enkidu] left it with no means to defend itself. By the time five minutes had passed, while Vahn continued to steadily pat the giant monster's head, Antares had stopped struggling completely. The glowing red panel that represented its eye began to turn dim and, after another three minutes, the eye had turned into what appeared to be an inert black stone. Even so, Vahn continued his efforts, brows raising slightly when he noticed the Affection Antares had actually begun to, very slowly, increase...Though he was momentarily tempted to try and subordinate Antares, Vahn felt it had already lived a long and troubled life. Since its existence would be a great trauma to the members of the Artemis Familia, Vahn decided the creature was better suited to simply reincarnating. Even though its karmic value had been reset to 100, that wouldn't change the millennia of memories it had and, with no discernable brain to erase memories from, Vahn gave up on the idea of subordinating this living calamity. It was also a simple fact that, as a Tier 4 being, Antares posed a very real threat to the world itself and, given his inability to influence higher Tier entities with most system functions, Vahn felt it wouldn't be possible to subordinate it from the start...After a half-hour had passed, Antares' body had completely slouched and Vahn confidently began loosening up [Enkidu]. As expected, its ruby-like body began to crack and fracture as the Arcanum contained within began to dissipate into the atmosphere. Vahn observed it vanishing into the void and, in hopes that a new god might form from the Divinity contained within, he allowed it to go freely. Though he was tempted to try and take it for himself, Vahn knew his body would just process it as Source Energy while the Divinity itself would simply escape him. Without understanding the concepts and laws contained within, there was no way to make use of that power. If he had such understanding, he would be able to awake the Divinity himself, making it fundamentally pointless to try and siphon himself...Without any incident, Antares' body slowly lost all of its Arcanum and began to break away into fragments. Since it still maintained an ego, Vahn couldn't harvest any of the materials and, out of basic respect for sentient life, he allowed it to go without further hardship. Strangely, as the very last fragment began to dissipate into the void, Vahn heard the sound of a very soft voice mutter, ("Thank you...") within his mind. It was indiscernible between a male or a female, sounding like the voice of a very young child carried by the wind...Releasing a sigh, Vahn left behind the now empty seal and made his way into the barrier, finding Artemis sitting patiently on the cushion he had laid out earlier. She had a comforting smile on her face as she said, "You did the right thing, Vahn. Even I don't know the origins of Antares but, if it was truly a sentient creature, sending it back into the cycle of reincarnation peacefully was a just end..." Vahn nodded his head except, unlike Artemis, he had some idea about where Antares may have come from. Though he would have to investigate it further, Vahn noticed this his domain continued well over a kilometer into the ground below and, very similar to the Dungeon, there were tunnels and pathways which had mana infused into their walls...After confirming that his Quest Log now showed he had saved Artemis, Vahn set about the next most important step before it was too late. Turning to Artemis, he asked, "I need your consent-" but was interrupted by Artemis as she smiled radiantly and said, "Anything at all, Vahn...I trust you completely, no matter what happens, nor how much time passes...always, and forever..." Hearing this, Vahn felt his heart begin beating rather quickly but he nodded his head and said, "I won't let you down..."As quickly as he could, Vahn drew at two complex formations on the ground, each a variation of the [Avatar Creation] techniques he had used to create his second body. The difference was, instead of splitting a soul, Vahn was one formation to gather an ego from the surroundings while the other would allow the transplant of that ego into an 'avatar'. When he was finished with the formations, Vahn took a deep breath and pulled out what appeared to be a charred and mangled upper body, any identifying features completely missing. This was the one body he had stored in his Inventory, belonging to none other than the Chienthrope, Lante...Artemis, even in her changed state, felt faint when she saw the remnants of her youngest member. It was fortunate she was already sitting down or she may have collapsed upon witnessing such a gruesome sight. Vahn, however, focused on the activation of the formation and his heart nearly began dancing around in his chest when it almost immediately lit up. Though he couldn't sense the ego directly, the only two possible remnant egos in the area either belonged to Antares or Lente. With the 'farewell' of Antares, Vahn didn't think it would have remained in this area for very long. As for Lante, however, the odds of her sticking around, especially with Artemis nearby, were extremely high...Trusting in his intuition, Vahn activated the second formation and, surprising Artemis for what seemed like the five-hundredth time in the last day, brought out her faux-avatar. Vahn placed his hand on her chest to stabilize the body with his Source Energy as the formation continued to revolve. In some circumstances, there was a chance Lante might try to latch onto his body but The Path wouldn't even allow the attempt. He was completely immune to any form of possession and, unless Lante was somehow a being that transcended Tier 9, the only option available to her was the body of Artemis. Since he had seen Lante from Artemis' perspective, Vahn was absolutely certain she would choose the latter over his...Even so, all of this preparation was just a precaution for a very different plan of action, which involved Vahn pulling out the [Tears of the Moon Goddess] and pouring it into the hole that should have been Lante's mouth. If her body was able to heal completely from the use of the Unique item, Vahn would store Artemis' faux-avatar back into his Inventory and confer with her about what she wanted to be done with it. If the tears was unable to heal Lante's body, Vahn would transfer the rooted ego from the rather tragically mutilated corpse and allow it to reside in Artemis' faux-avatar, at least until he could find a better solution.Almost as soon as the tears entered into Lante's throat, a powerful light enveloped her body and she very quickly began to regenerate. Vahn smiled upon witnessing this and was prepared to store away Artemis' body, only to find that the formation on the ground had been triggered in an instant. However, instead of the light around Lante's body fading away and her ego migrating to Artemis', her entire body itself vanished. Immediately after that, light began to emanate from Artemis' faux-avatar, leaving Vahn to stare blankly as the avatar grew a pair of pointy ears and a bushy tail before lowering to the ground...a happy and contented smile on her face...(A/N: Also, though this wasn't supposed to be the last chapter for the day, my brother called and I'm going to visit my mother's grave with him and my sister. I'll see you all tomorrow.)(A/N: Alternate Titles: '*Loving Intensifies*','I've seen the future...the story ends with Vahn petting the universe into Oblivion~!','Never underestimate the 'intent' of sentient creatures...Lante is quite bold xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

For an additional three hours, Vahn and Artemis sat together as Fafnir continued toward the location of the Elsos ruins. Though she didn't need to eat in her current state, Vahn set out a variety of different foods for Artemis to sample while he sent threads of Source Energy into her body. So long as he was careful with the flow, it was beyond the detection ability of almost any other entity as Source was a concept far beyond their understanding. If he used it normally, people would misunderstand it as the highest form of energy within the record, this case being Divine. Vahn, however, unable to manifest his energy easily in the world, had instead focused on developing subtlety after becoming a little too accustomed to touching the bodies of other people.Ever since he had learned about Petting Laws, Vahn had actually harbored a slight impulse to reach the pinnacle of petting, as the amount of comfort he could bring to others would constantly increase. Since he didn't want to bother people too much, Vahn had endeavored to try and make the influence of his skills almost undetectable. Though it could be misconstrued as trying to manipulate people, Vahn was confident that anyone bearing such thoughts would never be able to develop petting laws to the same extent. His only desire was to help bring comfort to people, even though he was also prone to fusing his Petting Laws with skills like [Hands of Nirvana] to achieve very different effects on occasion...As a result of what could equate to decades of consistent effort, Vahn's ability to manipulate the Source Energy in his body and keep it in a state that others could detect had greatly increased. Now, he was using it to stabilize this faux-avatar of Artemis since it may be necessary when he freed her main body from Antares. Vahn now understood why she and Hermes thought death was the only solution, as Artemis had essentially fused together with Antares. Though her ego was untouched, the Divinity that comprised Artemis was now linked with Antares, giving them a very similar relationship as Hephaestus and the Eternal Flame.Even if Vahn separated Artemis from Antares, it would still be able to use her Arcanum to wreak havoc upon the mortal world, all while Artemis would be sealed away. Antares was currently siphoning as much of her power as possible, making her essentially a battery that would power its rampage indefinitely, all while it was wholly indestructible. Even Artemis' body, after fully manifesting her Arcanum, was impervious to damage so long as the entity trying to harm her didn't exceed Tier 4. Other gods would be able to activate their Arcanum to damage her, but it wouldn't be enough before their body was returned to Heaven, resulting in Artemis healing almost instantly...Under normal circumstances, the only possible solution was to destroy Artemis' body using the [Arrow of the Orion], as her Arcanum had no defense against itself. Vahn, however, was so far removed from normalcy that he actually had several possible solutions. If it truly came down to destroying her body, the number of methods he could make use of were functionally infinite. It was marginally more difficult to save her but, with an item like the [Fate Severing Knife] collecting dust within his Inventory, Vahn had at least one guaranteed method. Though he would look into other solutions, he had resolved himself to using this inarguably 'broken' item to severe the connection between Artemis and Antares...Vahn had no idea what would happen to Artemis when the link between her an Antares was broken so he was strengthening her faux-avatar as much as possible before then. Hopefully, he would be able to recover her main body and fuse the two of them together before severing their fate. At the same time, he hoped that their fate wasn't intrinsically tied to their Divinity, even though logic told him this was undoubtedly the case. Artemis may very well lose her Divinity in the process but, so long as she had an indestructible body and maintained her ego, Vahn was certain everything would resolve in a positive manner...even if things became troublesome within the godly community.As they approached the location of the Elsos Ruins, Vahn understood why Artemis said it would become obvious they were nearing their destination. There was a very oppressive and malevolent aura spreading through the land, even though it also contained the purity and radiance of a god. Though Artemis had sealed as much of her Arcanum as possible, Antares was slowly siphoning more of her power and even the ambient aura was tremendous. The Mortal World simply wasn't suited to withstanding the existence of a Tier 4 entity and Vahn could feel the Elemental Energy in the world breaking down as the void itself became chaotic...Artemis had risen to her feet to look at the landscape below, currently appearing no different than it had in the past, commenting, "It may truly be a blessing that we have arrived much earlier than planned...the number of innocent lives my power would have claimed will be greatly mitigated..." The number of small villages around the Elsos Ruins numbered less than three as the increased mana density caused the strength of monsters to increase exponentially. Though some brave souls would venture into the various ruins and temples located around the Dark Continent, no one was foolish enough to live within close proximity. Since it had been less than three days since the incident, the influence of her Arcanum on the world wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been if they had waited...Vahn walked behind Artemis, wrapping his hands around her waist and kissing the back of her head before saying, "Don't worry about such things...from this point onward, it is not my duty to bring about a happy ending, not just for you, but for everyone affected by this event...in the future, let's send an expedition to the Dark Continent to help build a real community in this inhospitable place. For those that want to return to Eden, we will make a world that is more willing to accept their differences..." When she heard this, Artemis' body tensed up for a moment before she entrusted her back against Vahn's chest and simply intoned a complacent 'Nn'.Once they had picked up the trail, locating the Elsos Ruins had taken less than five minutes, bringing into view a large palatial temple. This was one of the few places in history where a Great Spirit had resided, making it a home for High Spirits and a now extinct species known as the Disir. They were a people that had never numbered more than a thousand, possessing an affinity with time and sealing that earned them the attention of many gods in the Ancient Times. Though they were incapable of reproducing, members of their species would simply 'appear' one day, already possessing great knowledge and wisdom. They were a race of Scholars who, much like the Ancient Elves, created several powerful magic, mostly related to sealing. When Antares had burrowed up from the heart of the Dark Continent, the leader of the Disir, the Great Spirit of Time, Osma, worked alongside his people to perform a powerful sealing art that had held the monstrous entity for more than six-thousand years...Seeing the ancient spires and the timeless city that had withstood the millennia in silence, Vahn couldn't help but admire the now-extinct people for their determination and sacrifice. If not for the oppressive atmosphere that forced him to activate his [Will of the Emperor], he would have liked to explore the Ruins for a bit. Now, however, he had business with the monstrosity beneath the City and intended to bring a proper resolution to these events. He gave Artemis another long embrace, whispering, "Let me show you the result of placing your trust in me, Artemis..."After releasing her body, Vahn levitated away from Fafnir and began chanting, "Come from the void, oh thunder, and cut down my enemy! Axe of God~! Fixate, Seize, Load Magic, Thunder Emperor~!" A massive amount of Lightning Elemental energy had condensed in Vahn's hand before he reabsorbed it into his body with [Magia Erebea]. This was still his most powerful form and, with his main body meditating and feeding his energy reserves, Vahn could maintain it for a few hours if he didn't do anything flashy.Artemis was shocked by Vahn's sudden transformation, feeling the energy radiating from his body as his [Will of the Emperor] began rapidly converging the external energy in the atmosphere toward him. Even the ambient energy of her Arcanum wasn't spared, something that hadn't gone unnoticed by her as she absentmindedly muttered, "How...?" Vahn, unaware of the true question on Artemis' mind, just winked toward her and said, "There is no such thing as 'impossible', especially when concerning love..." This caused her eyes to widen as her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest; she had taken Vahn's words a little too seriously and genuinely believed it was 'love' that gave him the ability to absorb her Arcanum...Since he couldn't exactly hold onto her in this form, Vahn used telekinesis to help Artemis descend to the ground as Fafnir assumed its human form and dove into her shadow. Even before they had reached the entrance to the underground sealing array, Vahn had sensed hundreds of presences skulking about in the ruins that had started to converge toward them. Artemis had detected them as well, pulling out her bow and preparing for battle until Vahn shook his head and said, "That isn't necessary...you entrusted this matter to me so I will deal with them, Artemis..."Shortly after his words fell, a 3m long crystalline black scorpion that was covered in strange red runes broke through the nearby wall, launching towards them with murderous intent. Vahn lifted his index finger, sending an arc of electricity through the air that caused the monster to turn into dust. Lightning was a natural counter to most malevolent energies and had a purification effect on creatures that had been corrupted by Divinity. These monsters were wholly unprepared for an existence like Vahn, unable to even approach within a kilometer of their position after he began infusing Lightning Elemental energy directly into his domain.Artemis, bow in hand, continued to follow behind Vahn was a dull expression that slowly turned into a gratified smile. Things weren't going as she had expected, almost to the point that this 'threat' seemed negligible with Vahn around. This made her feel a great deal of relief, the bonfire in her heart having long become an inferno after being exposed to this peculiar boy for less than a day. Though part of her questioned why she had waited so long to fall in love, another part of Artemis was grateful she had been 'patient' enough to hold out until meeting Vahn...Though he could have reached Antares in an instant, Vahn made slow progress through the catacombs since he didn't want to accidentally destroy the Ruins and potentially harm the bodies of Artemis' Familia. They had plenty of time to deal with Antares and it shouldn't even be able to move while trying to wrest Artemis' Arcanum from her sealed body. Vahn had already peeked at it with his [Eyes of Truth], finding a massive four-armed scorpion-like monster. It was ten meters tall and had a body that was nearly 15m in length that was comprised of six segmented legs and a long tail with a very lethal looking stinger. Its offensive weapons were a pair of six pincers, including two pairs on its four segmented arms that allowed it to have a greater reach.All over its crystalline black body, it had the same red runes as the monsters obstructing their path. However, at the very center of its chest, there was a very different energy that emanated from one of the largest magical cores that Vahn had ever seen. The size of a magic/monster core depending on the amount of mana contained within and, being comprised of the Arcanum of a goddess, this particular core was more than 2m tall, 1.5m in diameter, and comprised of a pure blue that was unlike any core in existence...it was actually very beautiful, though this was largely in part due to the naked Artemis contained within...Antares seemed to be aware of their presence as well, though it wasn't reacting to being peaked at by Vahn's [Eyes of Truth]. Instead, it was sending out tendrils of black crystal from its body that burrowed into the surrounding walls, floor, and ceiling. Vahn could see the tendrils branching out, stabbing into various animals and converting them into the monster scorpions that had been sent to attack them. Fortunately, it wasn't trying to target the bodies of the Artemis Familia members, which were strangely preserved without any signs of rot. When Vahn had seen the state of their bodies, he felt a powerful melancholy for a brief moment but it was quickly replaced by a slight bit of expectation...Though it had been more than three days since they had died, some of the girls still had signs of blood that hadn't even dried yet. It seemed that that same sealing effect that had been preserving the Elsos Ruins themselves was affecting the bodies of the girls as well. Either that, or the flow of time within this place was completely different than the outside world, even though he hadn't noticed it with the influence of Antares' aura. The fact that these stone structures had stood for more than six-thousand years without breaking down, even with the extreme weather of the Dark Continent, showed that there was certainly something going on that he would need to look into after this matter was resolved...He didn't want to get her hopes up, but Vahn's feet slowed to a stop as he explained, "There is a strange phenomenon going on here...it may not be impossible to save some of your children, Artemis..." This caused the smile that Artemis had developed to melt away as an expression of abject shock emerged to replace it, followed by her exclaiming, "Is that true, Vahn!? Please, if it's possible...I...!" Since she had tried to get close to him, Vahn had to side-step to avoid Artemis as he held up his hands and said, "Artemis, you need to remain calm...my body can't be touched in this state without causing harm to others. For now, just listen to me very closely..."Artemis didn't even consider for a moment that Vahn was trying to trick her, relief and excitement welling up inside her as she said, "Please, tell me what I need to do...I will do anything..." Hearing this, Vahn allowed a natural smile to spread across his lips as he said, "It may not make sense right now...but you just need to love me even more..." Vahn was about to explain the effect of the [Tears of the Moon Goddess] but, as soon as Artemis heard the first part of his explanation, a system notification had appeared in his mind that caused him to swallow on instinct...----------------------------------------------------------------------//[Hearts Desire: Artemis] Quest Requirements Have Been Voided////[Artemis] Affection Has Broken Through Restrictions. Extra Parameter 'Love' Unlocked.//[Artemis]: Love: 439,109,779(Eternal Love)//Bond Established with [Artemis]////Optional Quest(s) Triggered////[Hearts Desire: Artemis] Evolved into [Salvation of the Moon Goddess]//[Quest: Salvation of the Moon Goddess]Rank: SSSObjective: Liberate [Artemis] from Antares(0/1), Restore the Bodies of Artemis Familia Members To A Complete State(0/19), Perform 'Nirvana Rebirth' on Artemis Familia Members(0/19)Optional Objectives: Save Lante(0/1)Rewards: 10,000,000OP, 3x[Unique Gacha Coupon]Failure Condition(s): Death, Artemis' Death, Antares' Complete AwakeningPenalty: 30,000 Karma, Curse: [Moon's Mourning] In Effect Until Leaving Record[Moon's Mourning]Effect: So long as the moon is present in the night sky, suffer a status debuff equivalent to the phase of the moon. During a full moon, those under the effect of this curse have their parameters completely sealed.[Quest: Origin of Heroes]Rank: SS-SSSObjective: Impregnate Artemis (0). Ensure a safe deliveryRewards: 1,000,000 OP, 1x [Guardian:(Nameless)], 1x [Heroic Tale]Failure Condition(s): Death, Artemis' Death, (Nameless) Child's DeathPenalty: 439,108,779 Karma (0)----------------------------------------------------------------------(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn wants to become the God of Petting~!','The Emperor Descends...','Is this the power of love!?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 856: Limits