Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

The sudden attack by Tiona against Lili had caught everyone by complete surprise and, until a loud 'snapping' sound broke the silence, nobody had been able to move. However, instead of Lili's neck being broken, Vahn slumped over slightly before using [Shundo] to break into Haruhime's barrier forcefully. She would normally have to 'allow' people to enter but Vahn didn't have time to wait, grabbing the enraged Tiona who was desperately trying to choke the life out of Lili. As if she were being attacked by another enemy, Tiona's eyes became fierce as she swung Lili's body like her own weapon and attempted to hit Vahn.Seeing this, Vahn clenched his teeth and allowed his [Magia Erebea] to fade away while replacing Haruhime's broken barrier with his own. Lili's body hit him with an incredible force but, instead of resisting it at all, Vahn allowed his body to be broken apart before completely regenerating after Lili had passed through him. He used the gap created by Tiona's surprise to cut forward with a blade of Source Energy coating his hand, cutting through Tiona's wrists to free Lili before use [Wounds Transfer] to sever his own. Everyone was greatly confused by what was happening, Tiona included, as Vahn's hand landed on her forehead, inserting enough energy to completely disperse the foreign influence affected Tiona's mind.In total, less than five seconds had passed from start to finish but Vahn felt like a heavy weight was pressed against his mind as he slumped down with Tiona's unconscious body while Haruhime renewed her own barrier to replace his. Lili, no longer looking as 'betrayed' as before, rubbed her already healed neck and asked, "What happened, Vahn...?" She had been good friends with Tiona for 'years' at this point and knew that the latter would never attack her under normal circumstances. Everyone else was equally as curious, though their worries about what had happened outweighed these thoughts by quite a bit...While scanning the girls' minds to make sure they weren't being influenced by Enyo, Vahn explained, "Enyo has a way to alter the minds of other people. She may even have the ability to influence gods, based on how none of them are able to remember her...this is the worst possible outcome..." Even as he was speaking, a realization hit Vahn and he was now able to understand the 'delay' that would sometimes appear when he was sending telepathy in the Dungeon. Enyo had been watching them much closer than he had expected, even repeating some of his own words back to him...words that were spoken in extremely secure and private locations...she had even been able to intercept their telepathy...Vahn swallowed hard since he had actually given all of the girls accessories that should protect against such influence. However, if it was truly an Innate or even a Divinity, there was no way the equipment he had forged would be able to protect them. This was an unprecedented disaster and, if his intuition proved correct, Enyo could, at the very least, temporarily brainwash almost anyone. There had to be a limit to the ability, or she would have been using it far more often, but the fact remained that Enyo had just become far more dangerous than before.Knowing now wasn't the time or place to think about such things, Vahn immediately lifted Tiona's body and said, "We need to return to Haven. At this point, it is actually worse for our powerful members to be within the Dungeon...dammit...!" Now, Vahn was even more determined to deal with Enyo and, even if he had to go alone. Just as he was thinking this, however, Sis interrupted his thoughts, saying, (*Enyo must have been defeated within the restrictions of this record, so her ability can't be as dangerous as it seems. There must be 'requirements' to trigger the effect and it may not necessarily be permanant either. I believe that her influence grows stronger based on proximity and the mental state of the person she is trying to influence...haven't you noticed it, Vahn, the 'acid'...?*)Since Sis could only use his senses to perceive things, Vahn knew exactly what she was talking about, allowing a bit of calm to return to the chaotic ocean in his mind. Not only was the acid now resistant to fire, but burning it away caused a hallucinogen to release into the atmosphere. Enyo very likely needed her target to already be in a compromised state and, based on how she had 'taunted' him by mentioning his loved ones, Vahn knew this was likely the case. As for Tiona, she had a habit of losing her focus after a battle and, witnessing him destroy the Mutant Cadmus, had probably caused her 'instincts' to trigger. There were too many gaps to exploit for someone like Tiona and if she had succeeded in killing Lili, it is very likely she could have exploited the others as well...Realizing there were some 'positives' to gain from this incident, chiefly the new information he had been able to obtain about Enyo's abilities, Vahn began to quickly calm down. Even so, he still followed his original intentions and began breaking through the surrounding walls. The room had been sealed to prevent the 'acid' from flowing outward and, instead of the normal white stone, there was a strange waxy substance coating most surfaces. Vahn took one of the coated stones as a sample and stored it away in his Inventory as they quickly made their way towards the nearest stairs that led to the 50th Floor. The map he had compiled over the last two days was around 60% complete and, though they hadn't investigated every corridor, it was easy to identify stairwells and the like...While he was making his way back with the girls, keeping a close eye on everyone's mental state, Vahn was also exiting the Sub-Space orb back on the surface after calling an emergency meeting. This was a major development and they needed to try and come up with some kind of defense against to prevent Enyo's influence from affecting them. Though he had reason to believe her influence couldn't reach the surface so easily, or she would have probably destroyed the City long ago, it wasn't a 'safe' assumption at all. At least one thing was now clear, which was the reason why the Dungeon was now 'inaccessible' to gods.Ouranos must have known Enyo had this type of ability or at least assumed there were some means by which she could even influence gods...if any god were to enter the Dungeon, the chance of them coming under Enyo's influence likely increased the deeper they went. Since Innates could outright overpower even Divinity in some circumstances, especially if Enyo was a goddess, there were very few gods that would be able to resist her abilities. This could very well be how she had managed to get the gods of the Evil Organization, Evilus on her side. The most terrifying part of this all was that, at least in Heaven, Enyo had very likely used her ability to erase her existence from the memories of almost every god that would have known her...After his emergency summons, Vahn quickly found himself in a room with Loki, Hephaestus, Hestia, Artemis, Syr, Tsubaki, and, as she hadn't yet gone on her patrols, Eirene. Anubis was usually at the dorms around this time so Vahn wasn't surprised that she was missing and intended to go inform her personally about what had happened after the fact. The one person he was worried about, as she would often be away for days at a time, was Demeter. Vahn hadn't suspected her even for a moment in the past, as he had even seen her [Hearts Desire], but this new 'information' he had obtained about Enyo was a game changer. It was very possible that her influence may not even be 'remembered' by people at all, making almost every single suspect they ever had back in the running...Loki, having been up late the previous night, released a loud yawn, asking, "What is this about, Vahn...?" Since she had plopped down next to him for the discussion, Vahn put his hand on Loki's head to help remove her fatigue as he seriously explained, "Enyo has an ability to influence the minds of other people and, based on what I've been able to gather, the chance of her power working against gods is very high..." It didn't take much time at all for Loki to realize the seriousness of Vahn's claim, causing her expression to immediately harden as thoughts raced through her mind. With this new information, hundreds of unanswered questions she had stumbled across during her investigations suddenly made a lot more sense...Biting the nail of her thumb with a vexed expression upon her face, Loki stated, "Damn, we've been played hard this time. Now, all of my investigations need to be organized and reconducted from scratch...!" Previously, there had always been information that had strangely been 'missing' and, even after discussing things with Ouranos several times, Loki had been unable to glean any insights. If Enyo truly had the ability to influence the minds of others, she could very well even get around some basic vows to get people to act as her arms and legs. The information that had 'vanished' from the Guild's records could have been removed by one of her pawns and they may have simply been unaware of their crime from the outset...Vahn felt a little guilty knowing that Loki's workload was going to increase a great deal but he once again emphasized, "The fact she can influence gods is a major factor that can't be overlooked. We have no way of knowing the extent of her control but I've been able to analyze some of the info to get a basic understanding of how the process works. Though these are not 'verified' pieces of information, the chance that she can influence people outside of the Dungeon are slim. That narrows down the number of people under her influence as those who have ventured into the Dungeon, especially into the Middle and Deep Floor. Her influence seemed to get stronger the deeper people delve into the Dungeon, which is why she needs to have people act for her on the Upper Floors..."Hephaestus, understanding the severity of the situation, asked, "Is there any way to tell if someone is under Enyo's control? Did the items you prepared have no effect at all...?" As she often checked the equipment Vahn had forged, both out of curiosity and to appreciate his progress, Hephaestus was very aware of almost everything he had produced. In response to her questions, Vahn answered, "My [Eyes of Truth] are able to discern if someone is under her influence, but only if I'm able to observe them in close proximity. The problem is, my abilities aren't nearly effective against gods and I don't know if I would be able to determine if they are under her influence at all...as for the accessories I made for the girls, they seemingly had no effect whatsoever...haaaaa..."The only way Vahn could determine if a god was being affected by Enyo was to bind them with his [Enkidu] as it was almost impossible to glean any major insights while their body was protected by their Divinity. There were so many strange energies already present within the gods that it would very likely take him several hours just to come to a conclusion. At the very least, he was able to eliminate most of the people who had a close relationship with him. The only point of contention towards this was Demeter, as Vahn had only ever used [Enkidu] on her in one instance. Since then, Demeter was often away and there was a non-negligible chance that she had been affected by Enyo. After all, for the gods to have 'forgotten' about her, it meant they had all been under her influence at some point, at least within the Northern Pantheon...With that thought in mind, Vahn looked to Loki and said, "I can verify if a god is affected by Enyo if I bind them with [Enkidu] and analyze the energy within their minds. We should reach out to those that have the most influence in the Alliance and vet them before she has the chance to get the jump on us. Now that Enyo knows I'm aware of her abilities, she may have already started moving her pawns to take action...we need to act quickly. Once this meeting is over, I will go to Anubis and Demeter personally to make sure they are okay..." Vahn had already checked both goddesses' Status within his logbook, showing that Demeter was supposed to be visiting the Plains while Anubis was located at the School's Dorms.Loki caught on to what he was getting at very quickly, asking, "Do you think Demeter is being influenced by Enyo...?" When asked this directly, Vahn winced slightly before saying, "Enyo shouldn't have the ability to manipulate plants and the like on such a large scale. There may very well be some mortals or Xenos under her control that have such an ability but, with how quickly the creatures have been adapting, their level of skill would have to rival the gods. Demeter is a 'soft' target that has been in the mortal world for a long time and, if something happened to her Familia, or the food production was compromised, there would be widespread famine across the entire continent...I wasn't looking for such things previously so we need to make sure she is free from Enyo's influence before something terrible happens..."Though the Demeter Familia wasn't the only Agriculture Familia, it was easily the largest and, if something were to happen, the food shortages would cause severe problems. If this happened during a time of war and strife, the consequences would be truly disastrous. There was also a chance that, if any of the gods that had access to the Manor were under Enyo's influence, they could pose a very real threat to the Vanir and all the other children. Vahn didn't need to explain this to those who were already gathered and, always taking the lead in such circumstances, Loki boldly stated, "You need to use your [Enkidu] on all of us. Though I'm not from the Northern Pantheon, I operated there for a long time before descending to the Mortal World. I have no memory of Enyo at all and want to make sure that bitch isn't in my head...!"With Loki's words as the catalyst, all of the other goddesses present wanted to be wrapped in [Enkidu] as well, just to be safe. Thus, knowing it was necessary to do so, Vahn produced five links of [Enkidu] and had them coil around the goddesses until their Divinity was completely sealed. Then, starting with Loki, Vahn activated his [Eyes of Truth] and immediately felt his skin become clammy. There, swirling around Loki's mind like a serpent, there was an almost indiscernible purple tendril that was deeply rooted within her brain, inserted between the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex. This meant that, at any point in time, Enyo could potentially exercise her influence over Loki and she wouldn't even be aware of it, as no new memories would form once the energy was active...The most terrifying thing, however, was the fact that Vahn saw the same thing in almost every single goddess, Hestia being the only exception...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Never Underestimate The Enemy...','State of Emergency...','Horrifying Revelation...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

When she saw the look in Vahn's eyes, Loki's face became fierce and, for one of the few times, her eyes were open naturally, albeit with a serious expression. Then, without the need to verify what Vahn had seen, Loki stated, "Get rid of it...!" Vahn returned a nod, placing his palm against her head and sending a 'wave' of source energy through her mind. It wasn't nearly as intense as the 'emergency' treatment Tiona received, but Loki still gritted her teeth as it passed through. Vahn followed up his banishment of the malicious energy by sending calming energy into Loki's mind while explaining, "Other than Hestia, everyone here has been affected by Enyo's ability..."Though Syr and Tsubaki were also exceptions to this, Vahn had been primarily focused on dealing with the influence of Enyo in the goddesses. Of course, when Hephaestus, Artemis, and Eirene heard Vahn's words, their faces had become slightly pale. This was especially true for Artemis, who had nearly had her body destroyed only recently. The fact that she was still under the effect of Enyo's ability was a very worrying thought. As for Hestia, nobody was actually that surprised that she hadn't been affected by Enyo as, other than a few gatherings, most of Hestia's time had been spent in isolation near the Divine Hearth. Though some gods might ridicule her, it was only because they knew Hestia wouldn't truly lash out and harm them. This wouldn't necessarily be the case if you went into her home, however, and it seemed that even Enyo wasn't foolish enough to try her luck against Hestia.While going around and purging Enyo's 'tendril' from the goddesses' minds, Vahn's own was racing as he said, "The fact that Enyo was able to influence so many gods, yet hadn't been using her power for all these years, gives partial credit to the idea that there are requirements for her ability to be activated. There must be several unknown variables but, for the time being, we can assume that her influence cannot reach out of the Dungeon too easily..." At this point, Vahn squinted his own eyes as Loki, having a very similar thought, stated, "This must be why the Guild made it so that gods aren't able to enter the Dungeon...Ouranos must know something...that old bastard...!"Given Ouranos' nature, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that he simply 'allowed' Enyo to act as she pleased, as this had always been how he behaved since time immemorial. Ouranos was always an 'observer' and, if he had revealed the information he knew about Enyo openly, it would have been the same as siding against her. From his perspective, regardless of what happened to the world, it was 'meant' to happen. This was the reason why he allowed the Alliance, and Vahn in particular, to operate as they had. Ouranos had even been one of the few to believe the Xenos could one day coexist with the surface dwellers, even though he took no actions to facilitate this transition...Understanding this, though he was likely overlooking several factors, Vahn explained, "We should treat Ouranos as a non-factor in the coming struggles...though there are likely those beneath him that are under Enyo's influence, it is almost impossible that he would have been affected. Given his nature, Ouranos will probably be a bystander that observes from the side, standing witness without direct interference..." Though he said this, Vahn couldn't help but wonder why Ouranos was serving the role of 'sealing' the Dungeon with his own Divinity. Since Ouranos didn't really do 'anything', the fact that he was proactively sealing the Dungeon was a red flag that couldn't be overlooked...Loki, at least from her own perspective, was angrier in this one moment than she had been throughout her entire long existence. She already hated the fact that she had essentially been a prisoner to her own Divinity so, knowing that another god had affected her mind, Loki's rage had completely broken through previous thresholds. Though she would respect Vahn's decision, for the time being, Loki still said, "Vahn, until we know more about her abilities-" Before Loki could even finish, Vahn's squinted his own eyes and said, "I will kill Enyo. She tried to use Tiona's hand to kill Lili and, once I secure Haven, I will go seek her out on the 60th Floor and annihilate her. If she isn't on the 60th Floor, I will keep destroying the Dungeon until something gives...!"Vahn felt like he had given Enyo too much leeway while he had been focusing on other things and, now that she had shown one of her cards, he decided to flip the table. Though he had used basic hypnosis to gain information from people in the past, the fact that Enyo was able to use what essentially amounted to mind control had completely shattered his own inhibitions. Not only that, but she was able to 'corrupt' the energy in monster cores and slowly exercise her control over them as well, something that seemed to be increasing as the days passed. She could no longer be left to act freely and, even if he had to send a thousand avatars into the Dungeon to break through her schemes, that is what he would do...!As he was leaking out a great deal of pressure subconsciously, it was very difficult not to get caught up in Vahn's momentum. Even Loki, with her rage at the highest point in her existence, simply furrowed her brows and began considering the best plan of action. Since Vahn had a form of immunity against Enyo's influence, and he could send avatars into the Dungeon without any 'real' danger, his plan of action was one of the best available to them. There was a chance that Vahn could get 'sealed' but, when she had talked with him about his avatar in the past, Vahn assured her such things were impossible. She had detected no lie in what he said back then and, now that it had come to this, the faster they dealt with Enyo, the better...there was no way of knowing just how far her influence reached...Hestia, having been silent for a while, asked in a voice filled with concern, "Is there anything we can do to help...?" Hearing her almost heartbroken tone, Vahn's tensions eased slightly as he smiled and said, "I will still be here in the Manor to help with Loki's investigations and vet any of the gods we have concerns about. The best way you can help, Hestia, is to simply...keep being yourself...be the same kind and gentle goddess who brings peace to my mind and heals my heart. Other than that, the only thing I hope for, more than anything else, is that everyone can be safe and happy together...I'm growing weary of all these conflicts and burdens...hahahaha..."Vahn knew he still needed to deal with the Iron Hills, Rakia, Telksyura, and, depending on the circumstances, the Far East. Enyo was undoubtedly the most immediate issue that needed to be dealt with but, considering how much Karma he had now accumulated, the chances of something going wrong had increased greatly. He wouldn't be surprised if the Iron Hills and Rakia ended up trying to start an invasion or, even worse, if there was some kind of 'ancient weapon' that had been slumbering and was now going to awaken because of his own positive Karma. Since there were already Heroes that were several hundred years old, each having 'died' in History, Vahn knew there were things going on behind the scenes that hadn't even been revealed yet...Thinking about Zeus, Hera, Siegfried, and Jeanne, Vahn felt a powerful urge to just sit down and take a nap. Zeus and Hera were from the Northern Pantheon and, with the memories he had from Artemis' [Hearts Desire], it wouldn't be surprising if he discovered they had also been under Enyo's influence. After all, nobody knew what happened on the 59th Floor when they fought against the One-Eyed Black Dragon and were wiped out. Their Familias had been arguably the most powerful in history yet, upon reaching that point in their expedition, they were suddenly bested and, afterward, the Dungeon became 'off limits' to gods...Vahn felt like Enyo had done something to turn the two Familia against each other and, with how things appeared, Zeus and Hera didn't even seem to be aware of it...While he was thinking about all of these troubling things, Vahn suddenly found a weight against his back as a pair of arms wrapped around him in a comforting embrace. He had been so lost in his thoughts while running back to Haven with his main body, that the approach had completely skipped his mind. When he came to his senses, Vahn noticed everyone giving him a concerned look while Tsubaki, who had 'snuck' up on him muttered in a comforting voice, "Vahn, you should rest..." Following her words, Hephaestus added in a calm tone, "Yes, let us deal with retrieving Demeter, Freya, and Eirene...with how things appear, the odds of Enyo being able to directly influence a god on the surface seem extremely slim. Though we can't make you relax much while you're in the Dungeon, you should still relax here so you don't overtax your mind..."Most of the girls knew a bit about how Vahn's avatar worked and, though they could share energy between each other, they also shared the mental strain during tense moments. If he didn't relax, the strain he would experience compared to a normal person was more than just 'double' the amount. Stressing from two different perspectives essentially compounded the mental strain and, if he didn't calm down soon, it wasn't impossible that he would have a mental breakdown. He was already doing everything he could at the moment and, as there were things they could do to help him, nobody wanted to see Vahn suffering so much...With practically everyone present encouraging him to rest, Vahn's tensions eased a little more and, knowing there was only so much he could do right now, he agreed with their consensus. It was currently still early in the morning and, as it would help him replenish his energy more quickly, Vahn said, "I will go into the Sub-Space orb and rest..." Though this would actually put an increased mental strain on him, Vahn could always meditate to mitigate this almost completely. It would also allow him to increase the replenishment of his reserves a great deal, giving him an almost inexhaustible supply of energy to deal with matters in the Dungeon.Instead of agreeing with him, Hestia shook her head while Tsubaki actually put a bit more strength into her embrace. It was Loki, however, who said in a very stern voice, "No, you should call back Fenrir and go take a nap in her room. Either that or you should spend some time in the maternity ward until Anubis arrives...you need to relax for real, Vahn, not in an 'efficient' manner. When the younger children wake up and begin to play around, you should spend time with them without worrying about what is going on in the outside world..." This time, Hestia nodded her head, adding, "This is your home, Vahn, the place where you should be able to relax and ease your mind. If you stress out so much during the times when you are supposed to be happy, then you will begin to feel stressed every time you are happy...you have to separate the two emotions..."With how things were progressing, especially with Vahn having two bodies, it was hard for him to separate matters of the home from external matters. It wasn't impossible for him to be spending time with his children while, at the same time, be embroiled in combat in the Dungeon. This wasn't good for his mentality at all, especially since his mind constantly seemed to be leaning 'outside' of the home, instead of what was inside of it. He was trying so desperately to protect the things he cared about, all while 'neglecting' to care for them in a truly meaningful way. When both of his bodies were in the Manor, Vahn seemed genuinely happy all the time...now, he was always distracted and 'worrying' about how to keep everyone safe...Vahn knew the girls were worried about him and, though he wanted to run over and check on Demeter, Freya, and Anubis himself, there was a lot of truth in what they had said. In fact, Demeters Status showed that she was already on her way back while Freya and Anubis had long been inbound for the Manor. During the earlier discussing, Syr had been relaying all of the information through the network and there were no obvious signs that Enyo was trying to outright manipulate any of them. Though Demeter was still a possibility, the worst thing that Enyo could do at this point is trying to return her to Heaven in order to 'protect' her pawn. That would, however, be Enyo showing her hand once again, this time without any conceivable benefit outside of simply trying to annoy him...Just as Vahn was about to agree to call back Fenrir and just relax for a bit, he had just finished ascending the stairs to the 50th Floor. This was one of the reasons he had been stalling and, upon witnessing the 'normalcy' of the situation, he couldn't help but release a sigh of relief. He looked towards Fenrir and said, "I'm going to call you back to my side, Fenrir...is that okay?" As she had been very aware of the duress her Master was experiencing, Fenrir nodded her head and was gone in the next moment. The girls were somewhat confused by what was happening but Vahn just smiled and explained, "We should check on the others and make sure they aren't being affected by Enyo. This is an emergency situation and I may have the majority of you return to the surface until we have a better understanding of what is going on..."At this point, Tiona had long since awoken and learned of what she had done, showing a face full of remorse as she said, "I think Vahn is right...this isn't an enemy we can fight easily...not like this..." Though she liked fighting, Tiona didn't consider herself a violent person, especially when it came to friends and family. She had been in low spirits ever since waking up and had apologized to Lili several times, even though the latter said not to mind it and forgave her. Since Tiona was usually so vibrant and full of life, seeing her in such a sorry state was affecting everyone quite a bit. Lili had even tried to cheer her up a few times on their way back, disregarding how serious the current situation was...Without much discussion, they quickly arrived at Haven and, while making their way towards where everyone had been asked to gather, Vahn was inspecting every person they passed. There were no obvious signs that Enyo had affected any of them but, based on how quickly she had tried to gain control of him and Tiona, Vahn knew it only took a moment for her to do so. The moment a serious battle began, any of the people guarding the ramparts could become an enemy and, though she shouldn't be able to comprehend them easily, it was even possible Enyo had long since started studying the magical wards he had placed down. Her information network was more expansive than he had anticipated and it wasn't impossible that she had been growing stronger and more capable just by observing them...Vahn now understood fully why so many of the texts he read would have a phrase that equated to 'knowledge is power' when it came to warfare. However, it wasn't just Enyo who was constantly learning and adapting and, now that she had revealed her hand 'early', they had already moved into the endgame. If this were a game of chess, Enyo essentially just sacrificed her Queen to try and put him into check but had ultimately failed to do so. Now, though she could 'cheat' and take over the pieces on his side of the board, Vahn also had a unique indestructible King that she could never truly overcome. Even if he had to wipe out all of her pieces himself, this was now a war of attrition where he would inevitably come out ahead...(A/N: Two-hour chapter delay will be the standard, just like it used to be. Trying to make sure they are released an hour after each other usually requires me to write almost non-stop for upwards of ten hours. I'd rather have a 14 hour work day with plenty of breaks than write non-stop xD...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Flipping the Table','Vahn needs to embrace the 'calm' once again...an Emperor should be more dignified and stoic~!','EPIC: Dungeon War: Endgame')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

With the size of the 51st Floor, a complex labyrinth more than 200km in diameter, Vahn hadn't expected to explore the entire area within a day. Now, they were just entering into the morning of the third day and, though they had the option of returning to Haven to rest, the group had spent most of their time resting in the various 'secret' passages that Vahn had discovered. Since these were also part of the 51st Floor, and there was even a chance of stumbling upon a Xenos Hidden Village, they too were being explored by Vahn's party. As a result, during the second day of their expedition, the group had discovered a small region that, unlike the white stone walls of the surrounding Floor, was full of lush greenery and a small spring.Since the spring ended up having a passage leading into another section of the Dungeon, Vahn had swum through to the other side before moving the girls over by summoning them. The room on the other side of the passage had a variety of different fruit-bearing trees with some tunnels in the walls and ceiling that Vahn knew would lead to other secret passages. He couldn't help wondering why the Dungeon would create so many save havens for the Xenos, even though the monsters birthed within would aggressively try and kill them. It was almost as if the Dungeon had multiple wills and, with Enyo also interfering with things, it was impossible to discern the true 'purpose' behind the Dungeon's existence without further investigation...As a result of finding this small grove, the group had made camp for the night within the relatively peaceful and serene secret area. It even had small crystals in the ceiling the simulated natural light so it was a very relaxing place to rest, even if Tiona and Lili ended up getting a little 'grabby' at one point. Fortunately, other than a little heavy petting, things didn't get too serious as Vahn cautioned them about surprise attacks during such circumstances. They were supposed to be drawing the attention of Enyo and trying to interfere with her plans, meaning there was a non-negligible chance they were being 'watched'. Even though they had a tent that should obstruct such things, Vahn knew there were several means to circumvent physical obstructions and this was a good enough reason to get them to remain 'calm' during their trip.Thus, after enjoying a peaceful evening snuggled up with the six girls, Vahn had proceeded back into the heart of the 51st Floor to continue their investigation. His instincts had been triggering several times while they were exploring, sometimes more than others, so there should be something going on to cause such a reaction. Fortunately, they weren't that far away from Haven and the telepathy from [Pactio] was still active, allowing him to confirm there weren't any attacks taking place. As a result, Vahn believed it had to be something taking place on the lower Floors or, though he hoped this wasn't the case, something taking place within the City...After proceeding forward for quite a while, Ais and Fenrir slowly came to a stop, bringing Vahn's 'awareness' away from the Manor and wholly focused on the Dungeon. He had a habit of going into something like an 'auto-pilot' mode where he was passively focused on detection while his primary focus was on specific tasks. Having the two girls stop suddenly was 'abnormal' so Vahn immediately became more alert, asking, "Is there something wrong, Ais, Fenrir...?" In response, Ais shook her head while Fenrir, showing an expression of suspicion, stated, "It's too quiet...there should have been a lot of monsters by now..."Vahn didn't need to hear any further explanation to know Fenrir was right, especially considering that it had been nearly a half-hour since an enemy appeared. His mind immediately became hyper-aware of everything going on within his domain, specifically the flow of mana within the Dungeon's walls. Everything seemed relatively normal, except for the fact that none of the mana was diverting towards them. In most circumstances, the Dungeon reacted the number of people in an area and would periodically 'divert' some of its mana to intercept people.As a party progressed forward, these incidents would continue as a relatively consistent rhythm until the amount of mana returned to the Dungeon by slain monsters reached a certain point. Then, as if some form of retribution, a Monster Party would form to make use of the consolidated mana. If the party was able to overcome even that, the defensive measures of the Dungeon would recede for a time, diverting the mana to other areas as if recognizing the accomplishment of the party. For the Dungeon to be completely ignoring them like this was simply inconceivable, as their energy signatures were some of the largest in the entire Dungeon. In fact, even though there were only seven of them, the spawn rate had been nearly five times the normal amount thus far...never 'nothing'...The moment Vahn's mind began reaching conclusions, his 'instincts' began to slowly well up as he quickly stated, "We'll be moving straight. Follow my lead. Protect the flanks and the rear...!" When he was finished giving his quick orders, Vahn took a deep breath before shaping a part of his domain into a cylinder and, for a brief moment, transformed into his Zhuque form. The cylindrical area he made was to guide the flow of Fire Elemental energy and, in a manner reminiscent of the Valgang Dragons shooting from the 58th to the 52nd Floor, Vahn made an instantaneous 'pillar' of fire that cut a path through the Dungeon. With this particular group, combined with the confined spaces of the 51st Floor, Vahn wasn't worried about a Juggernaut appearing at all...In the 'void' created by the pillar of flames, there was a powerful vacuum effect caused by the massive temperature differential and the complete lack of oxygen in the space. The girls, however, were fully prepared for this phenomenon as Fenrir had already finished casting a powerful Ice Elemental spell, holding the energy between her paws. Vahn reached out his hand and absorbed the spell with his [Magia Erebea] before moving forward at a pace he knew Lefiya would be able to follow. Though he wanted to hurry, Vahn still continued with caution since he didn't know exactly what was going on with this strange phenomenon at all...With Vahn leading the way, the superheated surfaces were cooled very quickly, turning the once white stone completely black as a thin layer of frost began to cover it. The girls had formed up behind him and managed to keep pace relatively easily, never once dropping their guard whenever they entered adjoining corridors. Eventually, after making several twists and turns, still without encountering any monsters, Vahn made another pathway for them and the process repeated itself. Things continued in this manner until, nearly twenty minutes later, Vahn found the 'convergence' point of almost the entire Floor's mana...It didn't seem like this phenomenon had completed so Vahn felt there was a chance to stop it if they acted quickly. He sent a telepathic message to the girls to fan out upon entering the room and watching each other's backs as he, determined to bring a swift resolution to things, charged toward what appeared to be a Cadmus Dragon. Unlike a normal Cadmus, however, this one was more than twice the size and was currently feeding off both the Dungeon's mana, and thousands of the strange caterpillar-like monsters. They had white tendrils piercing into their bodies and it appeared as though the Cadmus was 'drinking' the acidic blood within, inflating its own body further. Of course, the most notable feature of this particular Cadmus was the existence of a woman's upper body where its neck and head should have been...Similar to how Naho and Rayne used to be, this strange monster had the figure of an inordinately beautiful and mature woman but, as soon as you looked toward her waist, she had the body of a 15m long white dragon that was slowly turning green. It was a very strange sight, almost like looking at a parasitic organism taking over the body of another, especially since her predominant features gave her the appearance of a Dryad, except for her leafy green skin, lime-green hair, and the vicious purple eyes that had locked onto them from the moment the party burst into the room.Vahn could see the malicious aura surrounding this monster and, though there were many questions he wanted to try and ask it, the fact it had an aura near his own meant time wasn't a luxury they had. Without any hesitation, he created another cylindrical channel with his domain and turned into his Zhuque form without breaking changing out of his [Magia Erebea]. Though it was generally impossible for Ice and Fire Elemental Energy to coexist with each other, Vahn's body was entire comprised of Source Energy and his Zhuque form used Yang Fire, not normal Fire Elemental Energy. His 'raiment' had become like that of an Ice Phoenix with a vibrant red core near his heart as a pillar of bluish-white flames barreled towards the monstrosity.Though he was surprised by this unexpected discovery, as he didn't often use his [Rakshasa Body] while in his [Magia Erebea], Vahn didn't have time to think about it. His pillar of flames had completely incinerated the 'female' portion of the Cadmus, annihilating a large group of the caterpillar monsters in the process, but he could still sense powerful vital energy. He quickly called out, "Don't drop your guard, it isn't dead yet...!" while using [Shundo] to approach the creature and try to burn it away completely. The girls had already started battling against the caterpillar monsters, with Ais cutting apart a large number very quickly, but Tiona had looked like she was getting a little complacent after seeing his first burst.The moment he appeared near the body of the creature, Vahn watched as it's flesh and organs began to bubble from the heat, massive amounts of acidic blood pouring from its wounds like a fountain. Then, with an increase in the temperature, at least until his reserves started to get low, Vahn began to burn away the body before transitioning out of his Zhuque form and stabbing forward with his [Longinus]. There was a massive core located in the chest cavity of the monster and Vahn wanted to destroy it to prevent the possibility of the surprisingly fire-resistant 'plant' from regenerating...When his spear pierced into the core, Vahn immediately heard laughter within his mind as the room began to tremble. His eyes widened as he immediately shouted, "Get into Haruhime's barrier...!" Right now the girls were split up all over the room but, with their incredible speed, it wasn't difficult for them to reach Haruhime's side in an instant. Fortunately, Lefiya was already being protected so the only one left outside of the protective membrane just two seconds later was Vahn himself. The voice in his head stopped laughing before saying, ("You're an interesting man, Vahn...so capable...")With these words resounding in his mind, the core he had pierced exploded but, instead of turning to dust, the body of the mutated Cadmus, and the thousands of surrounding caterpillar monsters, all erupted in a wave of acidic blood. Vahn's body was completely covered in it but it had been kept at bay by his magical aura, courtesy of the spell [Vis Maxima]. Then, the surrounding pools of acid began to freeze over as he looked back to see nearly a meter deep pool of acid surrounding the bubble of Haruhime without a single drop being able to get through. Strangely, the acid wasn't eating through the Dungeon and, as if to answer this unasked question, the voice said, ("This was a special place I had prepared just for you...it is quite amazing, really, that you're able to see the flow of mana within the Dungeon...I had wanted it to be a surprise, kukukuku~.")Vahn's brows furrowed slightly, understanding that this was Enyo's way of 'testing' their capabilities and trying to gain more information. Just the fact that the acid now had fire resistant properties, even when he could easily produce temperatures above 20,000°C, showed that she was 'adapting'. They weren't the only ones growing stronger and Enyo had an obvious advantage when it came to gathering information, something Vahn still didn't understand. She had to have someone with an Innate related to information gathering within her pawns and, based on how quickly the monsters under her control were changing, there must be someone with an Innate related to Plants, Botany, or Evolution...so many unanswered questions...While he was scanning the area with his [Eyes of Truth], Enyo's voice once against entered his mind, saying, ("You seem calm on the surface but I can tell, you know~? You are scared, Vahn Mason...not that I will bring harm to you, no, kukuku...you fear what I will do to others. It is amazing how quickly you've grown, trying so desperately to protect the 'happiness' you share with so many people...your weakness has been obvious from the start...kukukuku~.") As these words sounded in his mind, Vahn felt slightly nauseous but it had passed in an instant. This time, though he could sense the 'link' Enyo had established with him, there was a brief period of silence before she once again said, ("You can resist my power directly...very interesting, Vahn Mason! Come, come, come, I really can't wait to meet you, kyahahahahaha~!")With these parting words, the 'link' that Vahn had been trying to backtrace had vanished and his mind had returned to crystal clarity. Enyo had tried to use some kind of technique that could affect the mind, one that was far more powerful than even Haruhime's Innate. Without his [Will of the Emperor], it would have been almost impossible for him to resist it. However, this didn't bring him any comfort at all because now Enyo had revealed one of her own cards, even though he should have been aware of it ever since meeting Rufina...Enyo had an Innate that could alter the mind and cause people to see illusions. Now, instead of the 'enemy within' seeming like a particular person, Vahn realized it could be almost anyone that Enyo set her mind on...As soon as this realization dawned on him, a subtle shift in one of the girls' auras entered Vahn's perception as the light of Haruhime's barrier dimmed. Vahn's heart felt like it stopped as he looked over, seeing a berserk Tiona, already in her [Pactio] transformation, tightly squeezing Lili's neck. The amount of pain and betrayal in her bulging eyes made Vahn feel a level of anguish he had never expected to deal with at this point. She had been completely unable to defend herself against the sudden attack as Tiona, tears in her eyes, screamed, "Where is everyone!? What did you do with my friends!? Where is Vahn...!?" with glowing purple eyes...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Rest...','Anomaly...','Betrayal...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 870: The Enemies Within