Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

As intrigued as he was by how a skeleton was even able to move, or even 'think' for that matter, Vahn put those thoughts to the back of his mind as he asked, "What are you to Enyo? Where is her main body...?" The figure had tried to activate one of the magic items in her left gauntlet so, while he asked his questions, Vahn shaped the shadows around his hand and severed the arm, eliciting a loud, "Gyaaaaaaaaaghk-!" from the skeletal entity. Hearing the synthetic voice cry out with the undertones of a male and a female, Vahn furrowed his brows before using his telekinesis to stretch out the arms and legs of his captive so they couldn't struggle about needlessly.Without answering his questions, the figure began to emit a large volume of wispy black energy from the gaps of the armored plating covering their skeleton. Seeing this, Vahn pulled the entity towards him and placed his palm against the strange mask before sending a torrent of purifying energy into its body, courtesy of his [Yggdrasil's Champion]. This time, the screeching sound of the skeletal figure was indiscernibly shrill as a power aura radiated outward from its body, not because it was trying to power up, but because the purifying energy was dispersing the malicious energy very quickly. Even the 'blackened' bones had started to regain a more healthy white, at least until they were suddenly splayed with blood...Vahn felt a sharp pain through his chest that caused him to cough out a mouthful of blood before dropping the skeletal figure onto the ground. Through his chest, a reddish-black blade that emanated a thick black miasma was trying to wreak havoc through his body. This was a cursed weapon which, under normal circumstances, would have been able to inflict an unhealable wound. For Vahn, however, he clenched his teeth to resist the pain while sending Shadow Lances out of his back, piercing into the entity that had snuck up behind him. For a brief moment, his lances impacted against something and stalled but, after overcoming whatever resistive force had held them at bay, the invisible entity behind him was successfully skewered.Though it seemed his attack had been effective, the next reaction of the invisible entity was to twist the blade in Vahn's chest and pull it at a downward angle, cutting a painful trail through his body as Vahn's eyes widened. This time, he launched himself backward with full-force, smashing the invisible entity into the hard crystalline walls and causing large fractures in the Dungeon's structure. He then kicked away, allowing the blade to tear through him before instantly regenerating as he sent out another pulse of energy through his domain. Vahn identified the outline of not only his invisible assailant but several other figures that charged towards him. Sensing this, Vahn sent out eleven Shadow Lances, one for each of the enemies closing in on him.Surprisingly, though six of his lances struck their targets, three were evaded while the remaining two were actually 'cut' through by the unseen enemy. Vahn quickly transformed into his Zhuque form to deal with the nearest enemy, reaching out with his hand to grab the invisible blade barreling towards his neck. Even before he had stopped the blade, however, the invisible figure immediately burst into flames and began to scream before bursting apart into yellow and purples dust in under a second. Vahn ignored this outcome and instead sent a burst of flames away from his body, shaped like a disc that radiated outwards.This attack had been sent out almost instantaneously, cutting through seven of the assailants, incinerating their upper bodies and destroying the magic cores contained within. From the first enemy he had killed, Vahn knew these were either Creatures or corrupted Xenos but, with the circumstances as they were, he couldn't afford to 'save' them. He instead sent out several pulses of energy, identifying the three remaining enemies, and closing in on them with [Shundo]. His first target was the surviving member who had evaded his Shadow Lance and ducked under the wave of flames.Though they had been relatively silent until now, this invisible figure cried out in the voice of a female, shouting, "You bastard...! I won't let you kill me so easily!" Vahn felt three impacts against his chest as the butt of three daggers protruded out from his body. The invisible figure then, with a speed that could easily rival a Level 6 Adventurer, tried to decapitate him with her blade. Vahn, however, just increased the temperature of the flames around his body, turning the cursed blade into molten slag as he reached forward and struck against the chest of his opponent. They immediately went up into flames but, from the moment his hit had landed, the unseen woman was already dead.Vahn habitually shook his head before turning back to the final two enemies, both of which had been able to deal with his Shadow Lance and flame wave with relative ease. They hadn't moved to attack him, potentially believing their 'invisibility' was still effective, so Vahn stated, "Reveal yourselves and surrender if you want to live. I know you are just being us-" Before he could finish his words, Vahn leaned back to dodge the blade of a spear that had tried to slice through his neck. Vahn was surprised that, even though the spear had passed so close to his body, it just became red hot without melting down. Impressively, he could even see where someone was grabbing it, completely ignoring the heat as their skin sizzled while manipulating the weapon...Twisting his body to evade the incoming thrust, Vahn kicked against the abdomen of his attacker and caused their cloak to go up in flames. The fabric was obviously treated to resist flames, but the corrosive effect of his shadows broke through such defenses while the force behind his strike still carried the Power of someone near Level 7. As a result, the attacker was sent back like a ballista bolt, smashing into the Dungeon's wall and creating spiderweb fractures that extended all the way to the roof, more than 80m overhead. This hadn't been enough to take them out of the fight, however, as they simply tossed away the cloak and ignored the red-hot footprint that was now present on their armor.Vahn was surprised to see that it was a rather humanoid Xenos who had obviously descended from a Silverback. Though there was definitely something 'wrong' with it, being that part of its body had become black and corrupted, Vahn knew this was yet another victim of Enyo's influence. He didn't have time to try and reason with the 'man', however, as the second attacker had tried to sneak in from behind and pierce him with a longsword. As this happened, the Silverback-Xenos shouted, "No, he is too strong, run away...!" while spitting out a mouthful of boiling blood. Instead of heeding the Xenos' call, the invisible figure continued forward with decent speed, only to be intercepted by Vahn's foot and kicked into the ceiling above.Unlike the Silverback-Xenos, this one was much weaker and Vahn knew that his attack had been more than enough to claim the life of the relatively petite attacker. Through the burning fabric, Vahn could see what appeared to be a humanoid Goblin-Xenos, planted into the ceiling of the Dungeon as its body burned to ashes. Though this scene made Vahn feel a pang of guilt, he hardened his heart as the Silverback Xenos charged toward him, madness and grief in his eyes as he shouted, "Vahn Mason, why must you kill my kin!? What have we ever done to deserve this kind of treatment!?"As he shouted, the Silverback Xenos ignored the sizzling of its flesh as it continued to sweep forward with a surprising degree of skill, desperately trying to skewer Vahn with its spear. Vahn, however, was simply too fast and nimble while in his Shadow Emperor form, easily evading the strikes before seizing an opening to grasp the Xenos' wrist. The feeling of his fingers sinking into flesh was never pleasant, especially with the burning odor, but Vahn ignored it as he rammed his shoulder into the Xenos' chest and sent him flying once again, this time without his spear. Vahn looked at the red-hot spear in his hands, marveling at the fact it had been able to resist the temperatures from his body, even though it was currently starting to warp a bit...Being slammed into the wall a second time, the Silverback-Xenos no longer put up any form of resistance and instead showed a face filled with indignation as he muttered, "We Xenos are not monsters...it's bastards like you...who are the real...monsters..." With these words spoken, the Xenos lost consciousness while the armored plating that had preserved its life continued to 'cook' away at its flesh. Vahn threw the spear into his Inventory and, with a look of regret in his eyes, sent a Shadow Lance into the Xenos' core as a small mercy. It was obvious that these Xenos had been corrupted by Enyo and, with their yellow-black cores, it was almost impossible for him to liberate them.Restraining a sigh, Vahn exited his Zhuque form and downed a [Turbo Ether] to replenish his reserves before turning to the two remaining figures. The one he had been 'purifying' was currently splayed out on the ground, unmoving, while the one he had smashed into the wall seemed intent on pretending to be knocked out. As for why Vahn hadn't killed them as well, it was because he 'knew' they would be able to give him answers, especially after identifying who the second figure was. Thus, while slowly making his way over, Vahn asked, "Fels...does Ouranos know you are working with Enyo?"From the moment Vahn had seen the skeletal masked figure, he actually assumed it had been Fels from the very beginning. Now that he saw this second figure, however, Vahn knew the truth of the matter was slightly different. Fels had been recorded as a male and, based on the skeletal figure smashed into the wall, Vahn knew this one was undoubtedly Fels. As for the identity of the 'woman', Vahn wondered if it might have been Fels' sister, whom he had been rumored to have revived, as the existence of two skeletal entities must have some relation to each other. At the very least, Fels should be able to provide some of the answers he was seeking, even if the revelations may cause him to 'war' with Ouranos in the future...Instead of answering, the entity Vahn had identified as Fels, wearing pitch black armor to cover its skeletal figure, continued to play possum. The only part of its body that was revealed was a white skull, visible through the black mask that had covered his face. Similar to the first figure, there were numerous Magic Items covering Fels' body and, once again, Vahn could sense a very powerful vital energy contained within the bones. The difference, however, was that Fels' energy actually seemed very pure, possessing three rare affinities, Pure Water, Pure Light, and Pure Wood. It seemed very strange for a 'skeleton' to have three positive affinities but, based on Fels' accomplishments in the past, Vahn wasn't too surprised...The moment Vahn arrived right before Fels, the body in front of him began to fade away like an illusion. Vahn's expression didn't change in the slightest, however, as he spun around and deflected the blade aimed for his heart and grabbed the scarily thin neck of the invisible Fels and asked, "Even with an abnormal amount of mana, your physical traits are at best those of a Level 4...are you really going to continue this farce...?" Instead of providing an answer, one of the rings on Fels' gauntlet glowed green as a cloud of miasma erupted, surrounding both of them. Vahn could feel the malignant fumes try to invade into his pores but, the moment they attempted to do so, his body naturally expelled the effect.Shaking his head, Vahn began to increase the pressure of his domain on Fels while also using his telekinesis to 'crush' the skeletal figure. Though he tried to resist, while letting out the synthetic voice of a man, Fels was physically too weak and quickly found himself in something akin to a fetal position as a large amount of pressure restrained him. Vahn was actually very surprised by this, as he noticed that Fels' bones themselves possessed an indestructible quality. Even the black armor adorning his body was easily S-Rank while some of the items seemed to be Artifact grade. Two of the rings he had were the same strange gold that Vahn had seen after his melding with Freya, meaning they were a standard that generally only appeared in Heaven.Vahn tried to move some of the items on Fels' body into his Inventory to avoid further trouble but found it was impossible to do so. This meant they were likely Soulbound items or, like Riveria's staff, possessed a small amount of 'intent' that allowed them to resist. Thus, unable to take the items from him, Vahn increased the pressure on Fels even further as he asked, "How long are you going to remain silent? If I have to, I'll drag you out of the Dungeon and seek answers from Ouranos directly." As he spoke, Vahn continued to test the 'resistance' of Fels who, even under heavy pressure, didn't seem truly worse for wear. Vahn wasn't even sure if he could feel any discomfort at all, with a distinct lack of nerves, muscles, and organs in general...Seeing that Fels was still refusing to answer, Vahn lifted his left hand and 'grabbed' the first skeletal figure with his telekinesis and began dragging them over. He noticed a fluctuation in Fels' aura, dropping his Affection from 43 down to 28 in an instant. This was another reason why Vahn wanted answers from Fels, as his Affection had been 'neutral' from the beginning of their fight. Even now, his aura was relatively calm and, other than small fluctuations when he grabbed the first figure, there was no greater response from Fels. Finally, just as Vahn brought the first figure over, Fels stated in a synthetic monotone, "You are not a cruel man, Vahn Mason. I do not believe you will torture another just to gain information...not in these circumstances..."Hearing this, Vahn squinted his eyes slightly, saying, "You are both correct, and incorrect, Fels...you see, I try to avoid the path of cruelty...I do not want to end up achieving my dream through the suffering of others...however, considering what you people have done here, I am willing to bear the burden of acting cruelly if it can end the suffering of others. If you will not tell me what I want to know, then you are forcing my hand..." Towards the end of his words, Vahn began to close his left hand, causing the unconscious skeletal figure to begin shaking under pressure.Fels' response, seemingly without any emotion, was simply, "Nobody can force your hand, Vahn Mason. Any action you take is one you have chosen to take...if you will become a cruel person to achieve your ends, then you are just another tyrant..." As he spoke, the empty socket of Fels' eyes began to shine with a ghostly blue light, staring back at Vahn as if 'judging' his actions. Upon witnessing this, Vahn felt a chill pass through his body that caused a frown to appear on his face. In truth, he was starting to get very annoyed with people saying he will become some vicious tyrant based on their own understanding of the situation. He wouldn't need to act like this if they weren't already doing cruel and inhumane things. How can they continually try to make him out to be the bad guy, all while engaging in activities that perpetuate an endless cycle of suffering!?With Fels' words fresh on his ears, Vahn clenched his teeth and, even though he felt righteous indignation, he still let the unconscious figure drop to the ground. At the same time, he eased a bit of the pressure on Fels and asked, "Will you continue to avoid answering my questions...? I may not torture her after hearing your words, but that doesn't mean I won't kill her swiftly...I imagine, as old as the two of you are, this would be something of a mercy...?" This question caused the 'flame' in Fels' eyes to burn even brighter as, somewhat surprisingly, he said, "If you are truly capable of killing her, that would indeed be a mercy...however, I am still unable to answer your questions..."Hearing this, a realization hit Vahn and he nearly released a loud sigh, understanding that Fels had probably been bound by a vow. Even if Vahn pressed him for questions, it was unlikely he would ever be able to answer. Since Fels didn't seem to be under the same influence as others, though it was very difficult to tell, there had to be other means by which he was controlled. Vahn could only assume it had something to do with the unconscious skeletal woman, deciding to ask, "Tell me, is this woman your sister...?" Fels, however, simply remained silent when asked this question which, in a way, was akin to a confession.Since Fels seemed unable to answer his questions, Vahn turned his attention to the unconscious skeletal woman and wondered if there was even a way to wake her up. Neither of them had organs like a brain and Vahn wasn't even sure how she had passed out in the first place. He didn't know how Enyo had exercised control over them, nor what the black energy within the first figure's body was related to. There were so many unknowns but, at the very least, Vahn was confident he could kill the unconscious skeleton. As indestructible as their bodies may be, Vahn knew there were varying degrees of indestructibility, some of which could be dealt with rather easily.Pulling at the [Sacred Duplex Nail], the S-Rank item that he used to pierce the eye of the Variant Juggernaut, Vahn slammed it down towards the chest of the first figure. It had the effect of not only restricting the regeneration of immortal beings but was also incredibly effective at piercing their defenses in general. The most important aspect of the nail was the fact that it could also kill both holy and demonic being, so long as they weren't actually at Tier 4. Thus, without any major flair, the golden nail pierced through the red and black plating of the entities chest and penetrated the large mass of vital energy contained within. This caused the remaining black miasma to immediately disperse outward while wisps of white and green energy leaked out from the stab wound. Vahn was able to confirm the figure was indeed dead as he was now able to stow it away in his Inventory...All the while this was occurring, Fels remained silent and simply 'witnessed' the event play out from start to finish. Vahn noticed that the Affection of Fels had jumped up to 61(Trust), even though his aura had almost no discernable fluctuations. It was almost as if the last eight-hundred years had drained the once prodigious Alchemist of any emotions. However, even if this was the case, Fels still plainly stated, "Thank you, Vahn Mason..." before hanging his head and falling silent...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ein got wrecked...','RIP Silverspear-sama...Ecks-chan...','Skeletons have no tear ducts...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

With the first skeleton dealt with, Vahn observed Fels for a few seconds before saying, "You are too dangerous to be left unattended. I don't know the conditions of your vows so I'll be taking your magic items before imprisoning you temporarily. If your vows are related to Enyo, I have a lot of questions you for after she is dealt with..." There were several means by which Vahn could kill Fels but, based on the information he had available, it was possible that Fels wasn't genuinely evil. Since he had lived for more than eight hundred years, Fels undoubtedly knew about most of the major events occurring behind the scenes. If he was only being prevented from speaking because of a pact with Ouranos, Vahn could use this event as a justification for having the elderly god nullify the vow and free Fels from his service...Once again, Fels remained quiet and didn't even try to resist as Vahn rather forcefully removed all of the Magic Items in his possession. By the time everything had been stripped away, Fels was left with nothing but his blackened armor as it had been grafted to his skeleton and also possessed the indestructible trait. Even so, Vahn had removed sixteen Magic Items from Fels' body and, unable to store them in his Inventory, Vahn created a sphere of pure Yang flames and destroyed each of the items. Fels' aura trembled slightly, especially when Vahn got to the two 'divine' grade rings, but there wasn't anything he could do to stop Vahn from at least trying to melt them down.At first, Vahn wasn't able to make much progress but, after infusing his Source Energy into the flames, even the divine grade gold was slowly melted down. When he was finished, Vahn had a marble-sized piece of divine gold that he was now able to store into his Inventory without difficulty. He did feel slightly guilty about destroying Fels' items but, considering the latter had tried to kill him, Vahn got over it relatively quickly. If they truly ended up being allies in the future, Vahn could help the errant Alchemist create new items. Besides, if he had been able to create them previously, Fels shouldn't have any difficulty remaking such items in the future...After making Fels effectively powerless, Vahn placed his hand against the strangely warm cranial bones of Fels' head and began to send waves of Source Energy coursing through him. Vahn was 'pushing' Fels' energy out of his body, causing the skeleton to tremble before he inevitably went limp. This was essentially the same as Mind Down for normal people, allowing Vahn to purchase some durable chains that were covered in sealing runes from the system shop. He spent some time wrapping Fels up as firmly as possible before placing a durable lock to keep them in place. Vahn finished up by placing a small barrier ward on the lock itself, hopefully preventing anyone from removing the restraints while he dealt with Enyo.When he had finished binding Fels, Vahn wondered if he should send the skeletal figure back to the surface so that he could temporarily be imprisoned. He was just going to leave him laying on the Dungeon Floor but, considering Enyo could send someone to retrieve him, Vahn decided against it. Thus, back within the Sub-Space orb, Vahn created a few more vials of his blood before calling Terra to his side, apologizing to the rather fatigued True Dragon before asking her to escort Fels to the secure room beneath the Guest Residence. As even his Innates couldn't really peer through the barriers there, Vahn assumed that Enyo wouldn't have any means of trying to recover him either. This was also within Terra's domain and, even if Enyo sent her forces to try and free Fels, Vahn was confident Terra would repel them relatively easily...Though she didn't let it show on her face, Terra was a little annoyed by having to move back and forth between the Dungeon so many times today. It took a great deal of effort for her to make each jump and it was beginning to wear her down. Even so, she kept a calm smile and said, "I hope this will be the last one for today, Master..." with a subtle plea in her tone. Vahn had picked up on this and, even though he had already apologized after calling her, he once again adopted an apologetic expression as he said, "You're the only one I can rely on for things like this, Terra...I'm sorry if it is troubling you..."Hearing her Master's words, Terra's tail flicked happily as she adopted a more natural smile and said, "Ah, if you put it that way, I can't exactly stay unhappy now, can I~? Ufufufufu~." Though she knew he relied on her a great deal, hearing her Master say that he relied on her made Terra feel especially fluttery in her heart. Most of her time these days was spent just watching over Spero, educating Alexa, and researching a few magic topics when she was bored. Her Master was generally very busy lately and, though they had a few intimate moments together, lazing about in her Garden could get rather boring. She used to have Riveria, Ryuu, and Lefiya to keep her company but now they were either busy in the Dungeon or taking care of things in the School...After promising that his schedule would open up a lot after dealing with Enyo, Vahn sent Terra on her way with Fels. She left in a much better mood than she had arrived but Vahn still made a mental note to get check on her when he had the opportunity. He still didn't actually know where Enyo's main body was located but, with the number of important personnel gathered here, Vahn felt she shouldn't be that far. This became especially apparent when, after moving along the natural crystal-laden path for a few minutes, Vahn found a very strange structure. He had already realized that this crystalline section of the Dungeon was one of the 'safe areas' that were naturally produced to serve as a safe haven to the Xenos. Now, in one of the larger chambers he had come across, Vahn found something akin to a throne while one of the adjoining rooms finally answered one of the questions that had always been on his mind...Covering almost every surface of the spherical room he was in, Vahn saw several panels, each showing a different section of the Dungeon. The most incredible discovery, however, was that there was a 'projection' of what Vahn assumed to be the Dungeon itself. It was a ridiculously intricate structure that looked like a series of stars linked together by an infinite number of strings. Upon touching his finger to one of the 'stars', some of the panels on the wall had their images change, showing what Vahn assumed to be the location he had clicked on. This was an amazing discovery and, though it might not be entirely accurate, Vahn committed the 'projection' to memory and compared it with his own map.As expected, many of the areas he had map himself overlapped with the projection, even though some parts had obviously changed. The Dungeon's structure was constantly morphing so it wasn't surprising to see that his map of certain areas was already outdated. This actually made the existence of this room even more amazing to Vahn, as the amount of information a person had access to with these panels and projection was monstrous. He was even able to click on the large 'room' he assumed to be the 50th Floor, finding several long-distance images of Haven. From the image's orientation, Vahn was able to determine that it was the 'lighting' within the Dungeon that was responsible for collecting information. Enyo's forces must have replaced hundreds of thousands of lighting crystals, bioluminescent moss, and other largely ignored components of the Dungeon with observation devices.Now that he understood how they had been spying on him for so long, Vahn couldn't help but release a sigh as his mind raced with possibilities. He had always wondered why Enyo's forces 'ignored' the girls whenever they would enter the Dungeon without him. It wasn't simply that she didn't have enough people to venture into the upper Floors, but there were no 'practical' means to track small groups with the projection. Unless she had someone keeping track of everyone entering and exiting the Dungeon, or the person monitoring this room was watching the entrance at all times, it was simply impossible to track small groups all at once...Vahn assumed they must have had some means of communicating with each other but, for the time being, that remained a mystery to him. He didn't even know how the crystals were connected together in order to feed information into this observation room. For the time being, his assumption was that they were somehow able to use the Dungeon's systems and mana itself...there was even a chance that this observation room had been a product created by the Dungeon, potentially to help the Xenos find their kin. Every thought led to even more questions but, the one thing Vahn knew for sure was that Enyo herself certainly had the means to manipulate some of the Dungeon's processes. He had been 'targetted' by Monster Parties in the past and she had shown, on several instances, the ability to manipulate the Dungeon's mana flow...Deciding he would have to look into things in greater detail later, Vahn clicked on some of the points of interest on the projection to see what the panels reflected. He focused his search on the 60th Floor, trying to identify from the projection the most likely location of Enyo. She would have placed her most trusted aide to monitor things on her behalf so he assumed she had to be relatively close by, even though he couldn't sense her presence at all. Ultimately, Vahn decided to seal off this room with a powerful barrier, in the hope that another one of Enyo's pawns wouldn't come by to sabotage the observation system. When he was finished, Vahn used his updated minimap to get his bearings before heading towards the largest chamber on the 60th Floor. Its appearance on the map was a perfect circle and, being dissimilar from almost every other part of the Dungeon, Vahn felt it was the most suspect location...The thing that drew his attention to this particular location even more, however, was the fact that this current room acted as something of an antechamber for the larger room beyond. What confused Vahnw as that, even as he neared the room, his perception wasn't able to sense anything contained within. This was a relatively big flag, causing his instincts to trigger so strongly that is felt like his skin was crawling with ants. Thus, even though he told himself he wasn't afraid to confront Enyo, Vahn found his feet slowly to a crawl as his [Eyes of Truth] peered through the walls to get a better look. When his vision reached the circular room, however, the only thing Vahn saw...was reflective darkness, almost like an abyss...Even though he wasn't in the room, Vahn could see his reflection against what looked like a liquid hemisphere of pure darkness. It had an appearance similar to oil but was more reflective than a mirror as Vahn felt his consciousness being 'sucked' towards the image of himself. He quickly broke free when his [Will of the Emperor] took effect, allowing him to deactivate his [Eyes of Truth]. Vahn realized he was breathing raggedly and had even ended up on his hands and knees, sweat pouring from his head before evaporating into wisps and returning to his body. In this state, Enyo's laughter reached his mind once again before she mused, ("You really do know how to ruin a girl's fun, Vahn Mason...I wanted you to come to me and see with your own eyes what you're trying to oppose. Now, I wonder if you will flee and continue playing the game like a good little boy~?")Though Enyo could very well be goading him forward into a trap, Vahn found his resolve upon hearing her taunting words. He rose to his feet and pressed forward, even though his instincts screamed at him to turn back. Using his [Will of the Emperor], Vahn buried these feelings away and, after a few minutes had passed, reached a pair of ornate crystalline doors that were more than 50m tall. On the other side of these doors, the black 'liquid' awaited him and, presumably within, Enyo's body should also be present. As if to emphasize this fact, Enyo's voice began to enter his mind but Vahn completely severed the connection with his [Will of the Emperor] while pushing against the massive door with all his Power.Surprisingly, the door opened relatively easily and, as a result of Vahn pushing forward with such force, cracks where present where his hand had impacted. The door itself slammed open before crashing into the adjoining wall with an explosive sound. As this had been rather unexpected, Vahn flinched slightly because of how tense his body had been, especially once the black liquid was within view. This time, however, it wasn't his own reflection that was present within, but the reflection of the Manor's residents. Behind them, there was a tall figure with a scythe and, while staring at it, Vahn found himself 'pulled' into an illusion like when he watched Haruhime. For a brief moment, he saw images of people being slaughtered by figured dressed in black robes. The girls were fighting against these figures but, even after slaying their targets, they ended up being stabbed through by invisible assailants, much as he had been...Vahn shook his head to break free from the image as Enyo's voice stated rather pointedly, ("That is a vision of the very near future, Vahn Mason. Because of your failure here, everyone you care about is doomed to die. Did you know that, even as we speak, my forces have already infiltrated into your little Haven and are simply awaiting my orders to cause chaos? If even your perceptive self can fall victim to my pawns, what chance do you think they have~?") This time, Enyo's voice sounded like it was spoken through amplification magic, resounding inside of his head and echoing loudly. Vahn channeled his [Will of the Emperor] to resist it but Enyo's laughter still reached his mind, causing him to feel nauseous and collapse to the ground.Unaware of what was going on around him, Vahn clutched at his head and attempted to resist the voice and images while an extension of the black liquid slowly made its way toward him. As it snaked along the ground, the bluish-crystalline structure of the floor began to rapidly turn black, spreading out like mold that corroded everything it touched. It continued forward at a slow and leisurely pace and, even upon nearing Vahn, didn't immediately reach out to apply the same corrosive force. Instead, the 'liquid' began to lift itself up like a snake that was about to strike a sleeping target before creating a shape similar to a teardrop. From the bottom end of this teardrop, a face that wasn't quite a reflection came into shape, looking like a white mask that was sculpted to match the expression of a smiling woman...---(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'If Fels had tear ducts, he would definitely be crying now...','Terra's pouting...','If you gaze into an abyss, the abyss gazes back...','Cliff-sama is not gentle o_o...!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

While Vahn was naturally recuperating on the 60th Floor, he had exited the Sub-Space orb on the surface to let the girls know what was going on. They had actually expected it to take several days for him to reach the 60th Floor so, learning that he was already 'saving' some of Enyo's captives, Loki, in particular, was very surprised. None of them were actually surprised by the fact that Enyo was keeping captives, however, even though Vahn only explained the truth of the matter to Loki herself. She quickly set about arranging a place for the majority of the victims to stay while the High Spirit and Demigoddesses would be tended to in a more secure location. Vahn also called Gros to his side, explaining the situation so they could facilitate the addition of seven more Xenos into their community. He actually expected the Xenos to recover much quicker than the other victims, as the Xenos community, in general, had a very therapeutic effect on the heart and mind...Most of these arrangements had been made in only fifteen minutes, as it was something of an emergency situation that needed to be dealt with quickly. Vahn had Emiru and Maemi take some of the other Maids to organize beds using the large training area on the north side of the Manor which, to this day, had gone unused. It had more than enough room for a hundred gurneys to be lined up side-by-side while Naaza and Preasia showed the girls how to prepare an Elixir-drip. After entrusting that matter to the girls, Vahn had ended up in the clearing next to Yggy's tree, learning of the situation on the 50th Floor while also updating Terra on the situation on the 60th.Terra didn't actually have enough mana to break through 60 Floors of the Dungeon with her [Void Movement], as even passing through twenty-four Floors had been very taxing. Vahn, however, had stored over 30 of the [Source Energy Crystals] in his Inventory and, at the very least, she should be able to make 30 jumps with them alone. For the rest, Vahn cut open his palm and filled several potion bottles with his actual blood, giving them to Terra to store in her spatial ring to refill her own mana. The crystals were more practical to use, as she could instantly use the energy contained within to power the teleportation, while the blood would allow her to quickly replenish her reserves while Vahn returned to the Sub-Space orb to act a battery for himself within the Dungeon. If necessary, he would further supplement her energy with his avatar but, for the time being, these steps should suffice for the purpose of transportation...By the time all his preparations had been completed, less than a half-hour had passed when Vahn called Terra to his side with Unit Management. He noticed a 'shift' in the Dungeon's mana flow but it didn't prevent Terra from creating a magic circle with one of the [Source Energy Crystals] in her hand, transporting the High Spirit and the two Demigoddesses back with her. Though Vahn wouldn't devalue the lives of others, the three were inarguably the higher priority targets to evacuate in this circumstance. As if to verify this, Enyo's voice somewhat angrily sounded in his mind, ("Vahn Mason, you are beginning to try my patience. If you're not going to play with me, I'm not going to keep following the rules either, you know...?")Squinting his eyes, Vahn stated in an icy voice, "This isn't a game, Enyo. What you have done here is beyond recompense. When I find you...". In response to this, an eerie laugh sounded in Vahn's mind before Enyo responded, ("You're making such a big deal out of something so small...I had thought you were closer to a god than a mortal but it seems you have disappointed me, Vahn Mason. Can you not see that I gave these people a greater purpose...? Yes, they may have gone through hardship from the perspective of mortals, but it is only a few years of misery before they have the privilege of returning to the cycle of reincarnation. Their imprisonment is nothing compared to what we gods have experienced...no matter how much I make them suffer, it will not even amount to a fraction of what we have experienced...!")While continually calling Terra to his side so that she could move even more people away, Vahn snorted in response to Enyo's words, asking, "Is that what this is about, Enyo? You're envious of mortals and now want to destroy the surface world to vent? If you already understand they will simple reincarnate in the future, why even go through all this trouble? If you're so fed up with the lot you've been given, why don't you just let your existence fade away so that someone else can take up the mantle of Divinity...? You are just a mad and errant god, even if your Divinity had led you down this path..."This time, Enyo's laughter sounded like someone who had completely lost their mind before she loudly exclaimed, ("You know nothing, Vahn Mason! See, that is how mortals view the world, using their own limited understanding of the situation to pass judgment on others! Your mentality is exactly the same as every other tyrant who believes they can shape the world to their liking, only to lead it to ruin and stagnation in the end when your petty greed gets the better of you...! Even if you spent thousands of years trying to understand the greater purpose I aspire towards, you will never be able to see beyond your own limited perspective! What you're doing isn't fixing the world, it's making the world into your own personal playground!")Hearing Enyo's outburst, Vahn furrowed his brows, saying, "I'm trying to make a world where people can be happy. Even if my goals are selfish, I'm doing my best to prevent tragedies like what you've created here. No matter how you try to spin your madness to make it sound like logic, the fact you can't do anything without bringing harm and suffering to others shows how limited your own perspective is..." This time, Enyo's laughter was more moderated as she asked, ("And how is what you're doing any different, Vahn Mason? How many people have you killed? How many have suffered because of your actions, or your inaction? Every 'evil' person you've ever put to the blade was someone that became that way through circumstance and because they opposed the world view you have in mind, you killed them without remorse...tell me, what can YOU do without bringing harm and suffering to others...?")Vahn shook his head, a look of pure condemnation on his face as he retorted, "It is too easy to draw parallels between people, especially when you're acting to justify your monstrous actions. There is no true comparison between someone that takes lives to limit the suffering of others and someone that causes suffering just to take more lives. No matter how you try and spin it, they are fundamentally different things, something your egocentric mentality will never understand. My actions would lead to a world of general prosperity where the path towards greatness is open to everyone...yours would only lead to pain, destruction, and death...the fact you even try to compare us is sickening...!"For several seconds after he had finished speaking, Vahn heard 'nothing' within his mind before Enyo's voice sounded out in an icy monotone, ("You know nothing, Vahn Mason...your mindset is only possible because of your limited lifespan. I have lived for eons, watching the continuous cycle in both Heaven and the Mortal World. The natural state of the world is chaos and, by trying to resist this cycle, you would lead the world to ruin. Your plan sounds fine now, but what will you do when the population explodes? How will you deal with the innate nature of sentient creatures to seek war with each other? How do you prevent greed from running rampant and corrupting society? What will you do when resources run low, or when sickness begins to spread due to overpopulation? Will you slowly expand until the surface is completely covered with people, continuing outwards to conquer the seas, islands, and even other Continents? Your world view is restricted to a few thousand years of time passing, while the three realms will continue to exist for eons further...you call me a mad and errant god, but the number of people that we will have killed in the end will heavily favor you, Vahn Mason...I pray that you live to see the ruin your actions bring upon the world...!")With these parting words, Enyo's 'presence' faded from Vahn's mind, leaving him staring with a hardened expression toward the center of the Floor. He knew there was actually a bit of truth to Enyo's words, as it had actually been a talking point during the Denatus. Loki had also mentioned similar things, talking about things like 'population control', resource management, and land allocation. There was undoubtedly a 'finite' amount of resources that naturally existed in the worlds, as even the power of a god was not truly without limit. If he truly wanted to keep 'order', at least with the record as it was, regulation, laws, and restrictions would have to be imposed. This would undoubtedly make it so that he was 'benefitting' from others, as the chance that these restrictions applied wholly to him, his family, and their future kin, were relatively small. Even if he wanted to avoid corruption from taking root in his bloodline, Vahn knew it was an inevitable fact, as 'karma' itself would always attempt to restore balance to the world...The only thing Vahn could do about the situation was to take a deep breath through his nose, exhale, and then simply 'let it go'. He would undoubtedly make mistakes over the course of 'eternity' but, so long as he always did his best to try and learn, there was time to correct his mistakes. As Enyo said, there were some things that were simply beyond his limited perspective and, only by experiencing these setbacks personally, could Vahn truly learn from them. Since he would continue to live forever, the number of people to die at his hands was functionally infinite, as he may even one day create entire multiverses with Death as a functioning Law. This was something he simply needed to accept; not something he should let Enyo use to sow the seeds of doubt within his mind...After around two hours, Terra had managed to move everyone out of the 60th Floor, leaving Vahn to mull over his thoughts in silence for a few minutes before he rose to his feet and changed back into his Zhuque form. Even as he rested, Vahn never dropped his Shadow Emperor raiment, as it would have unnecessarily dropped his combat potential, so he once again used the combined form to cut through the Dungeon. Vahn, while he had time to think, reasoned that this room was likely not the only one that Enyo had for producing the pseudo-spirit embryo. There were hundreds of doctored files within the Guild's archives and he suspected the number of Xenos she had captured, especially in recent months, had crossed into the triple-digits. Saving them all would be ideal but, with how much time it took just to move 83 people, Vahn wanted to deal with Enyo herself first.So long as he didn't encounter any such rooms along the way, Vahn could fool himself into believing that one room was the only one that existed. Though he empathized with the victims to an extreme, the revelation that Enyo had already begun her siege of Haven meant that the longer he delayed things, the more dangerous it was for the girls. He could tell himself that their defenses 'should' hold out for several weeks but there were never any guarantees in war. Enyo could have any number of means up her sleeves to turn the tides in her favor, especially with her propensity to rely on chemical warfare, mutated monsters, and other cruel means. The only way to stop her was to take decisive action and, now that he knew how 'warped' the errant goddess' mentality was, Vahn knew it was far too dangerous to let her continue acting as she pleased...With the desire to bring things to a swift end, Vahn tore through the walls until he broke into another large room, this one having a distinctly different layout than the rest of the Dungeon. The number of crystals lining the walls made it appear as though the Dungeon's structure itself was one massive geode. Here, the amount of mana was so dense that a mist was present in the air, causing Vahn's pores to open and greedily absorb it to supplement his own reserves. There was a malicious energy contained in the mana but Vahn's body naturally filtered it out, eliciting a synthetic voice to comment, "You truly are an anomaly, Vahn Mason..."Following these words, what appeared to be a Silverback that had been mutated by one of the parasitic plants, followed by a Lizardman with a similar state, jumped towards him with two peculiar golden weapons. They were shaped like a tool used to capture people and, upon entering into the range of Vahn's Zhuque flames, they were completely unaffected as they tore towards him with incredible momentum. Vahn, however, was long gone from the spot as the two continued forward with large holes where their cores used to reside. The same synthetic voice cursed, "Useless, useless, useless...!", the sound emanating from every direction without any apparent source.Using his domain, Vahn was slowly seizing control of the mana in the air and began to send 'pulses' through it, the same radar-like ability he had developed to detect invisible enemies in the past. With just the first pulse, Vahn found an 'outline' within his perception and, using [Shundo], immediately appeared next to the target with his hand reaching out. It tried to move away but was far slower than Vahn, allowing the latter to grab what felt like cloth that easily ripped away. Whatever invisible entity had been present tumbled to the ground rather pathetically, rolling to try and douse the flames that had ignited on the fabric of its clothing. Vahn felt like this person would be a good source of information so, while they were thrashing around, he lifted their body with telekinesis while 'pulling' away the flames that they had been unable to deal with.With the loss of their cloak, what was left floating in the air before him was a skeletal figure that was completely covered in red and black armor, tens of magical artifacts and accessories adorning their body. Other than the extremely emaciated and skeletal figure, with onyx-black bones, the most striking feature of this entity was the peculiar red and black mask the covered their face. Strangely, they also had a shaped breastplate that gave them a more feminine appearance, though Vahn had already identified the figure as a female from the bone structure. It was still very strange, seeing a living skeleton with an incredibly large amount of vitality contained within their bones, even though their mana was malicious to an extreme...(A/N: Alternate Titles: '*Casually traveling in and out of the 60th Floor*','Not even comparable...!','RIP Skeleton-chan...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 881: Encounter