Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Amidst the excitement of the crowd, still high off of the battle between Tiona and Bache, Vahn slowly made his way into the arena. His presence had already been noticed in the waiting area but, now that he had officially stepped into the arena, the atmosphere began to bubble up and was quickly approaching a critical level. Even Kali had fixed her seated position, straightening out her back and leaning forward slightly so she could see the battle more clearly. A lot of the choices she would make in the future would be heavily influenced by the outcome of the coming fight...As if the crowd around them simply didn't exist, Vahn and Tiona had kept their gazes affixed to each other. Tiona's battle-hungry nature seemed to be tempered, at least for the time being, as she happily smiled, saying, "I never really thought the day would come where we would both stand in this arena together...the last few years have really changed the way I view the world..." She didn't think about it as often as some of the other girls, but Tiona knew the life she was living now was far from 'normal'. Vahn had been slowly changing even the common sense of the world and now, even though it should have been impossible, he was now creating a world where she and her sister would be able to have children without worrying about losing them...The corners of Vahn's mouth curled up even more after hearing Tiona's words while his overall facial expression softened, clearly showing the love and affection he had for the generally lively Amazoness. He held up his right hand, clenching it into a fist as he said, "The world has only just begun to change, Tiona. I'm glad to have someone like you at my side. Without the steps you had taken those many years ago, things may have ended up very differently..." Though her actions were certainly troublesome, Tiona had been the catalyst for the rather 'peculiar' situation Vahn had found himself in. Without her and Ais paving the way, and a lot of effort on behalf of girls like Hephaestus, Eina, and Loki, Vahn's family would have been much smaller at this point...In response to Vahn's words, Tiona practically beamed as she held her hand behind her and leaned forward, much like she would when they first met. The difference now was that she had to look up to him quite a bit and, instead of Tiona being his goal, they now tread the same path, side by side. Because of this, Vahn took a deep breath before saying, "We should go all out from the start..." Now, though she still seemed very happy, a small glimmer immediately appeared in Tiona's eyes as she nodded her head with an 'Nn' sound. She opened up a bit of distance with [Shundo], shouting, "Adeat~!" in a voice that showed her escalating excitement.This was Tiona's first time transforming in front of the crowd so it caused a great stir, especially when they saw her appearance. Though she was almost devoid of clothing, only covered in a few small pieces of fur and cloth, the tribal runes and Tiona's long, wild, hair caused her to stand out greatly. At the same time, the instincts of almost every Amazoness present were screaming at them that they would never be able to defeat the animalistic-looking Tiona before them. Even though they didn't harbor much hope of victory before, her current presence was simply beyond their understanding...Vahn always found himself marveling at Tiona's figure whenever she transformed, finding her lithe and flexible body extremely attractive. With the white tiger-like pattern on her body creating a contrast with her healthy brown skin, Vahn couldn't help but showing an appreciative expression before he opened his previously clasped fist and revealed a miniature mountain. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand but, upon closer inspection, had an incredible amount of detail that made it appear 'real'. This was yet another one of Terra's breakthroughs in Magic and was entirely comprised of Earth Elemental energy that had been compressed using Space Magic. As for the name, Terra had been rather whimsical at the time, calling the majestic yet diminutive, mountain as [Mt. Terra].Though it may not have represented 'his' strength, Vahn knew that the power of those who supported him was his greatest asset. Thus, without any hesitation, Vahn began to condense a massive amount of mana as he shouted, "Fixate. Seize. Load magic, 'Terra Ruler'!" With a quick clasp of his fist, Vahn crushed the massive amount of energy contained in the magical artifact, absorbing it into his own body with his [Magia Erebea]. Though the structure of [Mt. Terra] was different from normal Magic, it still had many uses in its seemingly inert state. Vahn wanted to avoid a situation where Tiona kept breaking his body apart so, even though he would have to 'pacify' Terra later, he unhesitantly used her painstakingly created artifact as a consumable item...After a brilliant gold and green light faded away, Vahn's figure had appeared within the arena once again. His tanned skin now appeared darker yet, at the same time, emitted a subtle green glow that seemed to radiate from his body. The sclera of his eyes had turned pitch black while his irises were an emerald green colored with a single golden ring present in each. His hair had grown much longer than before, now extending past his shoulders, and had an earthen brown coloration with moss-like green towards the tips. As for his outfit, he was almost completely bereft of clothing, fully displaying his muscular body, while a green sash was wrapped around his hips. The thing that stood out the most was the large golden disc behind his back while his wrists and ankles both had thick golden cuffs that each had large links of golden chains extending for a full meter from their connecting point...This was Vahn's first time assuming this form and, for a brief moment, he felt as if he had become the earth itself. It felt like he could have just stood there for millennia without taking any action whatsoever, completely content with simply allowing the passage of time to wash over him without regard for the lives living on his surface. Fortunately, he was brought back to his senses very quickly when Tiona had launched herself toward him, a small fist with spines beginning to protrude from her knuckles as her body was already adapting to try and defeat him. The thing that surprised them both, Tiona especially, was the fact that Vahn hadn't actually made a move to counter or evade the attack...Vahn had instinctually transformed into his Xuanwu form while still maintaining his Terra Ruler transformation. As a result, Tiona's momentous attack collided with his chest and sent a powerful shockwave into his body as a result of her [Fist Strike] Development Ability. However, as if his body had the literal depth of the earth, there were only a few small cracks on the very surface of his skin as the shockwave almost immediately dissipated before reaching his 'relatively' soft internal organs. Then, before Tiona could even pull her fist away and attack a second time, the damage she had caused vanished completely, leaving Vahn standing like a veritable mountain as a thunderous shockwave, caused by Tiona's initial movement, resonated throughout the arena...Even as Tiona leaped away from him, Vahn still had the urge to remain stationary and noticed that, where his bare feet contacted the ground, a phenomenal amount of Earth Elemental energy was surging into him. Since he already had experience manipulating the earth, Vahn waved his hand towards Tiona and caused 'ripples' to pass through the arena's floor that attempted to swirl around and engulf the rather surprised Amazoness. Vahn was making sure he wasn't harming the integrity of the Coliseum with his attacks, especially since there were thousands of infants in the underground chambers, but his attack still carried a terrifying momentum.Tiona managed to twist her body agilely, kicking against the encroaching earth to escape the range of Vahn's attack with [Shundo]. She appeared next to him in the next moment, her fist now covered in dense black scales while her knuckles had red gem-like protrusions sticking out. This time, Vahn brought up his left arm to receive the attack and felt a large amount of Fire Elemental energy try to invade his body. Though Tiona couldn't control it well on her own, her body seemed to have tried to adapt to the excess of Earth Elemental energy by countering it with Fire Elemental energy. Unfortunately, Vahn was completely immune to its effects and managed to deflect the shockwave back at Tiona using his Xuanwu's ability.With her own attack feeding back into her arm, Tiona's fist and forearm practically exploded with a wide array of cracks. The dense scales on her arm had prevented the limb from being destroyed but there was still a large amount of strangely purple blood flowing from the rapidly regenerating wound. As for Tiona herself, she completely ignored the pain as she attempted to sweep Vahn's legs with a low kick, relying more on leverage than power to try and destabilize his stance. Vahn, however, remained unmoved as her foot hooked against the back of his ankle before coming to a complete stop. Tiona felt like she was trying to move a literal mountain and, instead of pursuing her futile action, pressed off the ground and leaped backward to avoid Vahn's counter.Both Vahn and Tiona noticed that his speed had been severely reduced after his transformation but, covering up for the lack of mobility, his body was nigh-indestructible. Vahn could feel his defenses continuing to increase as the coloration of his body became a darker shade. Though it felt like his joints and muscles had also turned to stone, making it very difficult to move, the power contained within was something even Lili might not be able to achieve. The downside was that it would be nearly impossible to actually hit Tiona in this state so he could only rely on manipulating the earth around them and simply withstanding each of her attacks, hoping she didn't land a critical...This seemed to be Tiona's intention as her body was changing at a noticeable rate to make herself more agile while adding penetrative force to her attacks. She grew a dense layer of white fur on her arms and legs as a small nub of a tail protruded from her backside. At the same time, her hair became sleek as it compacted itself into a shape that would allow her to cut through wind resistance and maintain her balance without interference. The most notable feature was how her right hand had not only healed but now had a vicious black 'spike' sticking nearly 25cm out of her forearm. It shimmered with a dangerous light while small spatial fluctuations could be seen every time Tiona moved around, even with the slightest bit of motion...Vahn prepared for the attack by channeling a veritable ocean of Earth Elemental energy from the ground and condensing it into his Xuanwu scales. At the same time, he supplemented the runes with his Source Energy, causing them to shimmer with a green light that emanated a rainbow hue. He brought his palms together at around the same time that Tiona had vanished, causing two dense walls of earth to slam towards his position as Tiona reappeared, her spiked forearm tracing a lethal path towards his diaphragm. Her eyes had widened slightly upon sensing the attack coming her way but she didn't try to flee, fearlessly charging forward without caring if she would win or lose...As a result of their actions, Vahn ended up with an exceedingly painful spike in his chest while Tiona, having curled up her body slightly, was being compacted by earthen walls. They hadn't been able to overwhelm her defenses but, at least for a short moment, she had been contained in a defensive posture. Vahn's body was naturally repelling whatever chemical Tiona's spike was trying to insert into his bloodstream so he ignored it for the time being and made use of the opportunity to try and conclude things. If Tiona was left to continue 'adapting', she would eventually get to a point where he would need something like [Enkidu] just to keep her bound...There were a few ways Vahn knew to end the fight quickly but most of them would cause later complications. He decided to use the most direct method available to him, placing his palm against Tiona's almost exposed chest and earning a wry smile from her in response. In the next moment, Vahn flooded her body with his Source Energy, overloading her muscles and nerves with a type of energy that she simply couldn't adapt to. The mana she had been absorbing to maintain her [Pactio] was immediately forced out of her body, reverting Tiona back to her default state as each of her muscles seized up painfully in response. This was a technique derived from Vahn's understanding of the physical structure of his target and his experience using [Hands or Nirvana]. It wasn't an actual extension of the ability, however, allowing him to avoid accruing any kind of negative karma, even if he decided to use it to cause lethal amounts of damage...While Tiona was unable to move, Vahn caused the super dense stone that had been keeping her in place to dissolve away into sand. He then manipulated the fine particulates of Earth Elemental energy to restrain her body completely, only leaving a small cavity so that she would be able to breathe without any obstruction while her head was poking out from the top. It was a rather anti-climactic way to end the fight but Tiona had an excited blush on her face while thousands of Amazonesses in the surrounded released loud war cries. They didn't really care about the means used, only that the battle had been brought to a decisive conclusion.Before things could even begin to get out of hand, Kali had stood atop her platform and allowed her aura to spread out, causing the excitement in the air to transition into confusion as a very tense atmosphere encompassed everyone present. With her blood-red eyes glimmering with a cold light, Kali plainly stated, "From now on, any Amazoness that isn't at Level 5 or higher will not be allowed to challenge Vahn to battle. If he challenges you or decides to help in your training, that is fine. However, I will not tolerate anyone going out of their way to cause trouble when they lack the capabilities to even stand on equal grounds with him. In two day's time, Vahn will be having his official duel against Queen Hippolyta and there will likely be many changes coming in the following months and years. Continue to work hard and temper yourselves further if you want to have any chance at pacifying those lingering desires welling up in your hearts..."With her words finished, Kali plopped down onto her pedestal once again and began to lounge about, even though her aura was still present within the arena. She knew that things could have taken a dangerous turn if she didn't address the crowd before the momentum shifted in a troublesome direction. Her own time with Vahn would be jeopardized if there were suddenly hundreds or even thousands of Amazonesses pestering him for a battle. Many knew they would lose and, much like her own Familia during their sea voyage, the Amazonesses themselves didn't consider this a 'bad' thing. Since their instincts compelled them to try and secure the strongest mate, someone that could easily defeat a Level 7, an existence many of them couldn't truly fathom, was inarguably the best choice...Knowing that she was trying to cover for them, Vahn took the exhausted Tiona in his arms and exited the uncharacteristically quiet arena alongside Tione. Some of the stronger Amazonesses present had followed him with their eyes, many noticing that Vahn didn't even seem remotely affected by the aura of their goddess. He could feel their hungry gazes lingering on his body, still in it's transformed state since he was actually having trouble expelling the excessive quantity of Earth Elemental energy still coursing into his body from the earth below. He had equipped a pair of thick-soled boots with Adamantine in them to stimy the flow, but it was still difficult to return to normal without leaving the ground for a short while.Once Vahn had left the arena, Kali let her aura begin to dissipate and suddenly felt extremely bored, even though another pair of Amazonesses had started a battle below. Since she was present, they were going all out against each other but, contrary to how she would normally behave, Kali's mind was wandering a bit. It was only now that Kali had noticed how much she had been 'fretting' over Vahn as of late and, trying to understand the reasons behind the change, memories of the last few months were playing across her mind. At the very end of this chain of images, Kali was able to recall the warmth and comfort she was able to experience just by being around Vahn, even without doing anything. Then, for the first time in recent memory, Kali felt that watching the battles below was a waste of her time and a small desire to follow after Vahn was seeded in her heart...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Towards the future~!','Vahn is a cheater!!!','Doki-Doki Kali-sama...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Several hours after his battle against Tiona, just as the day had begun to transition into the afternoon, Vahn finally emerged from one of the few actual rooms within the Coliseum after removing the barrier he had erected. He was wearing nothing but a pair of brown shorts and because he had grown a bit weary of wandering eyes, a set of wolf furs around his waist like a pareo. Though he had exerted himself quite a bit over the last few hours, Vahn felt extremely refreshed and had a gratified smile on his face as Tiona and Tione unsteadily made their way out of the room behind him. Both girls affectionately clung to his body and, even though he had already tended to them plentily, it was never that easy to quell the fires within an Amazoness' body.If not for the 'guests' that had been lingering outside of his barrier for quite a while, Vahn would likely have spent the entire day alongside the two passionate Amazonesses, especially since it had been quite a while since they were together. This was a sentiment shared by both Tiona and Tione so, even though they were practically glowing as a result of Vahn's affection, each had a dull and slightly annoyed expression as they looked towards the two who had interrupted their quality time with Vahn.The smaller of the two was, as could be expected, Kali; Her blood-red eyes were equally as dull while staring back at the three people who had decided to have a mid-morning tryst. Standing next to her, with a curious yet fierce expression, was a tall woman with similarly brown skin to most Amazonesses. She was around 171cm tall and, as a result of wearing very little clothing, her mature and shapely figure was on full display. Vahn's eyes had been drawn to her peculiar dark-brown hair since it was allowed to grow wildly, much like Tiona's in her [Pactio] form, and had frosted white tips at the end of individual tufts that clumped together to give it a spikey appearance. Her eyes were a reddish-yellow, similar to a jaguar's, and had an angular curve that gave her a perpetually fierce expression, even when she was relaxed.Seeing herself scrutinized by the interesting boy before her, the woman's smile curled up at the edges of her lips as she straightened out her back and puffed out her rather developed chest. Kali had been 'glaring' at Tiona and Tione but, sensing the movement of her companion, looked to the side before raising up her hand in a swift motion. Immediately thereafter, a very loud and resonating 'smack' was heard as Kali slapped her hand across the nearly exposed bottom of the more mature goddess and exclaimed, "You supposed to be some kind of proud hen!? If you want to play, I'm sure you can find a few men that have been collected by your brats, can't you!? This one is mine...!"Rubbing the quickly swelling handprint on her backside, the mature-looking goddess made a pitiful expression with slight tears in her eyes as she complained, "Kali, you're a big bully...! You always keep the-" Before she was able to finish, the goddess went silent as Kali's expression turned especially fierce, seemingly 'daring' her to finish her sentence. Thus, after swallowing an audible gulp, the goddess immediately backed down before looking towards Vahn, Tiona, and Tione. She chose to focus on the latter two, showing a slightly pained smile as she said, "It's been a long time. The two of you have grown up a great deal in the last...few years...?"With her words trailing off, the goddess eyed Tiona and Tione up and down before giving an awkward smile and falling silent. Kali had noticed this as well, allowing a deep frown to mar her face before she looked toward Tiona and Tione with a scrutinizing gaze. Before things could get any more awkward, Vahn had reached his hands around both girls, holding them closely as he said, "Soon enough, I'll have to make good on my promises in order to facilitate a smooth transition in the future. Tiona and Tione will be the ones to help pave the way forward and I've already made them both wait far longer than they should have..."This time, Kali's frown deepened to the extreme but, after a few seconds had passed, she simply released a heavy sigh and said, "Whatever...anyways, this dairy cow goddess is Banka-Mundi. She was lingering around even after waiting for a few hours so I decided to see what she wanted. Go ahead and say what you need to say and then get the hell out of my Coliseum..." Kali had turned away for the last few words, forming a purple sash with her Divinity that hugged her arms and waist as she made her way towards an adjacent corridor. She was obviously annoyed by how things had turned out and, unable to 'deal' with it directly, decided to just go do something else instead of worrying about the affairs of others...With the departure of Kali, Banka-Mundi visible relaxed before training her jaguar-like eyes on Tiona and Tione, smiling as she said, "Congratulations, you two. I'm certain your daughters will be exceptional Amazonesses..." Having a Divinity related to Fertility, it hadn't taken much time for Banka-Mundi to confirm the swirling mass of vitality within the bodies of both girls. Unless they took medicine to prevent it, the chance of them bearing a child was exceedingly close to 100%...Though Vahn had been intending to wait until they returned to the Manor, he had gotten a bit caught up in the momentum of things after carrying Tiona's quickly recovering body away from the arena. With her energy returning, her body had started to burn up quite severely and, even though she had only watched the fight, it was obvious that Tione was also riled up quite a bit. As a result, Vahn had cordoned off one of the lesser traveled areas of the Coliseum and spent a few hours quenching the fires in both girls' bodies. When they were getting dressed after the fact, Vahn had seen the longing looks in their eyes and mentioned allowing nature to take its course, leading to the scene of both girls practically fawning over him as they clung affectionately to his body...Tiona began to laugh sheepishly while hugging Vahn's arm even tighter as Tione averted her eyes with a light blush on her cheeks. Neither really knew what to feel at this moment other than sheer happiness since, for the first time since they had met Vahn, their instincts had been fully pacified. They both felt a profound feeling of 'completion' that was hard to describe and, at least for the time being, the only thing they really cared about was being around Vahn and protecting the yet-to-exist life within their bodies. It would take several days before anything was confirmed but, unless something unexpected happened, the odds were heavily in their favor...Since he would also rather just spend some time with Tiona and Tione, Vahn gave a polite smile to Banka-Mundi, asking, "Is there something I can help you with...?" This brought the goddess' focus back to him as her gaze lingered over his body for a few moments before she finally responded, saying, "I was simply curious about what kind of man would have been allowed within the heart of Telskyura. Given Kali's behavior, I can tell you aren't simply a prize she had collected for herself...honestly, now I'm feeling a little envious. I've heard the rumors about you from those who pass through the jungle..."Instead of Vahn speaking out, it was Tione who raised her head, a small frown adorning her face as she exclaimed, "Stop having selfish expectations for Vahn! He is already dealing with enough problems without every goddess he meets trying to pester him. If you want a baby so badly, why don't you just go fall in love with a different man and then ask for assistance...!?" Though she didn't care that much previously, now Tione felt extremely annoyed by anyone outside of the Manor trying to approach Vahn. Even Tiona had stopped laughing and was now looking at Banka-Mundi with her brows slightly furrowed.In most cases, Banka-Mundi would have never allowed an Amazoness to talk to her in the way that Tione had just spoken. Since Kali had warned her beforehand, however, she tolerated the slight against herself and simply released a tired sigh before tracing her eyes over Vahn once again. This time, Vahn's expression was the one to turn slightly serious as he said, "Sorry, but if Tiona and Tione aren't okay with it, I'll have to refuse outright. If you do find someone you love in the future, please seek me out in Orario and I will help you find your own happiness..." Though Banka-Mundi was an exceptionally beautiful and shapely goddess, Vahn knew that she wouldn't really be able to leave Telskyura in the future and things were already complicated enough with Kali...With Vahn making his own stance apparent, Banka-Mundi showed an expression of extreme regret as she mumbled, "That damned midget...this is unfair..." Her voice had been very quiet but it was easily picked up by Vahn, Tiona, and Tione, causing the mature goddess to pale slightly as she exclaimed, "Don't tell Kali I said that...!" Then, amidst an extremely awkward atmosphere, Banka-Mundi turned tail and exited the area with surprising agility. Vahn's eyes, for a very brief moment, had wandered towards her nearly exposed rump, earning him a light jab from Tione's elbow as she gave him a blaming look with her dull brown eyes...Vahn produced a wry and apologetic smile and withheld the comment that nearly escaped his mouth before letting his hand trace down the line of Tione's body, resting his palm firmly on her own shapely backside. This caused Tione to raise her chin slightly, an approving smile spreading across her face as she said, "Just you wait, Vahn...one day, I will become a goddess myself. You shouldn't keep looking at other women all the time, even if you are just admiring their beauty. There are a lot of us who rely on you already and, until we're able to stand on the same level as you, please don't run too far ahead..." Since she truly believed in Vahn's words about mortals being able to ascend to godhood, Tione decided to make that her goal so that she could continue to stand at Vahn's side far into the future...From the side, still clinging to Vahn's arm, Tiona began to issue a playful laugh, adding, "I think I'll become a Goddess of the Wild! Maybe I'll be able to transform like Lili and Fenrir in the future, then we can do all kinds of fun things together~." As these words left her lips, Tiona's eyes began to glitter with stars as a curious expression spread across her face. She tilted her head to the side in thought, asking, "I wonder...if I transformed into an animal and gave birth, would the babies be animals as well...?" Though it was a rather 'harmless' question, Tione's expression darkened while Vahn became uncharacteristically pale. If he had to be honest, he had thought about similar things in the past but it was a very different thing hearing someone else talk about it openly...After giving her sister a look as if she had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world, Tione decided to lead the conversation back on track, stating, "I'd like to think I could become a Goddess of War but I don't think things would go well with people like you, Ais, and Haruhime around. Maybe I should focus more on my Innates and [Pactio] so I can become a Goddess of the Sun, Moon, or maybe Beauty...?" The last Divinity Tione had listed caused her to produce a very thoughtful expression on her face before she turned to Vahn and asked, "You'll help me, right...?"Vahn immediately nodded his head, a natural smile on his face as he confidently stated, "I cannot elevate you to godhood through my own but I can still help you reach the peak through your own efforts. Just make sure you're talking with the goddesses in the Manor before you decide that is the type of future you want for yourself. I'll be able to do something about the compulsion of Divinity at some point but eternal life isn't such an easy thing to tolerate with-" Tione had brought her hand up, placing it over Vahn's mouth as she said, "Just say yes, you idiot..."Tione's action had caused a peculiar atmosphere to descend upon the three lovers for a short while before they all began laughing uninhibitedly. Vahn did have a tendency to overthink and overexplain things, even though a simple answer was often best. Thus, after laughing his heart out for a while, Vahn hugged both girls firmly in his embrace before saying, "Yes...I will always be there for both of you. I'll be there for our daughters as well...always and forever..." In response, Tiona and Tione had hugged Vahn with a bit too much strength as the latter said, "That's a little better..." before stealing a kiss. This caused Tiona to produce a pretend pout before immediately stealing one of her own after their lips had separated...---Before things could get too out of hand, Vahn had eventually separated from Tiona and Tione after enjoying a long lunch together. Tiona had wanted to check on the status of Bache and, with nothing better to do, Tione decided to tag along with her. As for Vahn, he had made his way towards Kali's chamber, finding the diminutive goddess laying on her side as she absentmindedly watched two oiled-up younglings wrestle about next to the first. They had stopped their actions when Vahn entered, causing Kali to train her blood-red eyes on him, a small frown on her face as she asked, "Oh, now that you've played around on your own, you've decided to 'grace' this goddess with your presence...?"Kali had waved her hand to dismiss the two younglings, earning worried and distraught looks from the two girls as they quickly scampered out of the chamber. The older of the two girls gave Vahn a resentful look as she ran by him, essentially blaming him for interrupting since she might not be able to get her Status Board updated. There was a long queue to be able to enter Kali's chambers and, unless she had taken an interest in you, it could be months before your turn would come up again. This was why so many of the younglings, other than when they were fighting in the arena, would spend hours practicing their dance moves and flexibility, all so that they could appeal to their goddess and increase their strength faster than their peers...Vahn's expression hadn't changed under the glare of the young girl as he continued to stare into Kali's eyes, confidently stating, "I love them...that is the simple truth of the matter." This caused Kali to snort in response as she waved her hand dismissively once again, obviously intending for Vahn to leave the room. Since he didn't immediately move, Kali's frown deepened before she glared back at him and said, "Just leave, Vahn Mason...this place was never somewhere you should have ventured. Don't worry, I'll keep my promise and work to change things according to my agreement with Loki and Freya. It will take some time and the longer you're here, the more difficult it will be for me to do my own duties...!"Kali wasn't sure of the reason herself, but she felt extremely angry just seeing Vahn right now. Even though she didn't mean what she was saying, Kali still let the words leave her lips as a sour feeling spread through her nose. She closed her eyes and snorted once again before rolling over and showing her back to Vahn, refusing to look at him any longer. There was a small amount of moisture building on her eyes, causing Kali to feel even more frustrated as her breathing began to accelerate. The only thing she truly knew right now was that she wanted Vahn to leave her alone, even though she also wanted him to comfort her again...it was a very confusing feeling and Kali didn't like it one bit...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is a proficient firefighter','Since Vahn's Source Energy essentially enhances the genes of the girls, does that mean it almost guarantees that Tiona and Tione would give birth to twins...?','I can't stop this feeling...deep inside of me...boy you just don't realize what you do to me...')(A/N: Kali doesn't know how to love...)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

From the very moment Tiona and Bache both stepped into the arena, the atmosphere within the viewing stands had greatly increased in momentum. Even more than the duel Vahn had witnessed when first entering Telskyura, every Amazoness present had their auras ignited like flames as they looked forward to the coming fight. Vahn was also affected by the atmosphere a bit, even though his mind was focused on a few other matters. Still, in an effort to support Tiona, Vahn rose to his feet with Tione at his side and leaned against the stone railing so he could get a better view of the battle to come...Tiona had an easygoing and infectious smile on her face as she stretched her body, proudly displaying her flexibility and power by releasing a few quick strikes that caused waves of air pressure to disperse dust towards the periphery of the arena. Bache, standing around twenty meters away, had her veil lifted slightly but, with the small weights on the ends, it prevented anyone from getting a clear view of her rather large scar. She ignored Tiona's display and focused on her own stretching, twisting her body around to the point that she was nearly able to turn 180 degrees, effectively facing backward while her hips were still oriented toward the front.Though it felt like an eternity, the actual warm-up took less than a minute before Tiona began bouncing on her feet, smiling as she said, "I always wanted to be stronger than you when I was younger. Let me show you how far I've come..." Bache already knew the disparity in strength between her and Tiona but still smiled behind her veil before turning her body slightly, extending out her left hand while her left leg was bent at the knee. She made a taunting gesture as a battle-crazed light glimmered across her golden eyes, simply stating, "Come..."Seemingly without any time passing after the utterance of the word, Tiona had already vaulted forward with tremendous momentum, kicking against Bache's guard with the heel of her right leg. The tension in the air felt like it was shattered by the resultant shockwave as, for a brief moment, there was the sound of shattering glass before Tiona had kicked against Bache's guard, vaulting backward more than a hundred meters. To her credit, Bache had withstood the opening blow without any major difficulty but it was clear to those with higher perception that she had lost out in the exchange. Vahn had even seen a 'ripple' pass through her arm, creating a peculiar sight where Bache's arm seemed to lose its solidity...Not willing to let Tiona get enough momentum for another charge, Bache had immediately given chase, ignoring the fact that her left arm was completely numb. Her eyes were already beginning to glimmer red as her medium-length sand-colored hair beat violently as a result of the aura that had begun to emanate from her body. It felt like a powerful bloodlust had descended upon the entire arena, causing the spectating Amazonesses to begin breathing heavily as a fervent light burned in their eyes.Tiona had landed near a massive stone pillar, one of six that were interspaced in a hexagonal pattern. Her feet traced a strange rhythm that made her footwork almost impossible to follow before she eventually turned into a blurred after-image. Bache's right hand had pierced through the area where Tiona had stood, her eyes already darting toward the right as a healthy-brown foot barreled towards her head. Vahn was briefly reminded of the first time he has sparred against Tiona but, unlike how she had stopped to tease him, this time she completely followed through with her attack and sent Bache crashing through the 6m diameter stone pillar before a cloud of dust and shrapnel emerged, pelting the surroundings as Bache's body was sent careening across the arena's floor.The difference between someone around the mid-line of Level 7 and someone who was around the middle of Level 6 was a monstrous and seemingly insurmountable wall. If Tiona had been a normal warrior who reached her Level after several decades of effort, the match could have been a bit closer. The simple truth of the matter was that Tiona was truly prodigious when it came to battling and, even though she had yet to use her [Pactio], the fight was already extremely one-sided. This was something Tione had noticed as well, deciding to lean against Vahn's shoulder with her arms crossed as she muttered, "I give up..."Over the last few days, Tione had started to come to terms with her past in the truest sense and, with more than three months to recover after her fight with Argana, she had already put much of her past behind her. Now, though it was still profoundly frustrating, Tione no longer felt the need to try and compete with her prodigious sister any longer. She had already found the happiness she had been seeking since childhood and, instead of stressing out over things that ultimately had no meaning, Tione decided to start going at her own pace and enjoying the rest of what life had to offer...Vahn habitually placed his hand around Tione's waist, holding her a little closer to him as they both continued to watch the match. Even though Bache had nearly no hope of gaining any real advantages against Tiona, the fire in her eyes hadn't dimmed in the slightest. After climbing out of the rubble, the black veil covering the lower half of her face was noticeably suffused with blood as a line of the crimson red liquid was also running down her body. She didn't seem to notice or simply didn't care as she immediately launched herself with even greater momentum than before.Bache's initial movement caused her body to blur and, at least from the perspective of most Amazonesses, she had completely disappeared from the arena. Tiona, however, wasn't most Amazonesses and, seemingly without any initial movement, her body vanished with an even smoother transition. The after-image she left behind had persisted for nearly a full second, during which time she and Bache had exchanged several heavy blows. Each strike caused a thunderous pulse to pass through the arena, further stimulating the crowd of Amazonesses as their blood boiled in expectation.As the fight progressed, Bache's attacks were becoming faster and heavier, sending out spheres of air pressure that were almost like heavy cannonballs. Everywhere the spheres contacted turned into rubble after a loud explosion resounded out yet, completely unaffected, Tiona simply danced around Bache without any major difficulty. She didn't even turn her head whenever a piece of shrapnel would launch toward her and instead made small movements, completely evading the seemingly unseen projectile. As for Bache, her chest was heaving up and down noticeably as the momentum of her attacks continued to increase, a powerful light of determination burning in her crimson-red eyes...After a series of intense exchanges, Bache managed to close the distance between herself and Tiona but this resulted in her being in a 'bad' range. Her only real choice of attack was using a quick elbow strike or a headbutt unless she wanted to try and grapple, something Bache's instincts warned her wouldn't end well. Tiona had a happy and excited smile on her face as she made the decision for Bache, twisting her waist around quickly while tucking in her leg, fully prepared to release a spring-like whip kick into her former mentor's waist. Bache had no choice but to close the gap even further, grabbing he pareo cloth around Tiona's waist while her left hand snaked towards her former protege's neck...The instant Bache grabbed the cloth around her waist, Tiona had moved both of them forward with [Shundo], causing a momentary gap in the mind of the sandy-haired Amazoness. Her kicking motion turned into her pushing off of the pillar they had appeared next to, allowing her to slam into Bache with her shoulder while moving her hand up and grabbing the extended left hand that had gone for her neck. Bache's body tried to move backward with the momentum of Tiona's blow but, with even greater force, the latter had jerked her arm forward with a slight twist. It felt like her arm was being wrenched out of her shoulder and, even though her muscles strained to resist it, Bache felt a 'pop' before her arm was painfully dislocated.In a normal situation, Bache wouldn't have been caught so easily, even with the difference in stats, but her arm had still been numb since Tiona's very first attack. By the time her mind processed what was happening, it was already too late to do anything about it so Bache chose to sacrifice her arm completely as she tightly gripped her right fist and struck towards the small of Tiona's back. For the first time in the match, her blow landed true but, from the eyes of those with high perception, the only result from this blow was sending a small 'ripple' through Tiona's flesh that was quickly dissipated by her inordinately high Endurance. Had Bache been able to throw a fully extended punch, the outcome might have been different but, with her body experiencing conflicting forces and her proximity to Tiona being too close, the result was lackluster at best...Tiona felt a thump against her backside, causing her brows to perk up slightly in surprise before she quickly twisted her waist once again, this time using her hips as a lever to flip Bache over her. The latter tried to move with the motion, twisting around to land on her feet, but Tiona had long anticipated this, putting strength into her legs and feet as she pushed hard against the ground. Tiona released her grip on Bache's wrist, causing the latter to fly up into the ground well over a hundred meters as a look of acceptance slowly began to extinguish the fire in her eyes. When people were capable of moving at hypersonic speeds, being caught in the air without something to spring off of was a death sentence...Bache had nowhere to run and could only fall as slowly as gravity would allow her, leaving her unable to do anything but shore up her own defenses as Tiona adopted a proper stance on the ground below. She had stepped forward with her left foot slightly, opening up a bit of a gap between her legs as she lifted both hands like a boxer. As Bache was beginning her slow descent, Vahn was able to see the elemental energy in the atmosphere congregating towards Tiona as, even though she wasn't using a magic item, her body was channeling the mana into her physical attacks themselves...From Tiona's right arm, jade-green runes began to spread across her skin starting from the back of her hand and extending up her arm. They were very similar to the markings that Tiona would have whenever she was in her [Pactio] form, indicating that her constant use of the ability had bee 'remembered' by her body. Even without using Vahn's own mana, Tiona was able to use the mana from the atmosphere to power her attack and, to the shock and awe of everyone present, this attack ended up being far outside their expectations...Long before Bache was anywhere near the ground, Tiona had shifted her weight slightly, using her knees, waist, abdomen, shoulders, and even wrist to create a rotational movement as her fist struck out with monumental force. Though it wasn't as extreme as when Lili would attack, Tiona's singular blow had created a green pillar that was a little more than three meters in diameter, instantly rising to meet the falling Bache. She had no choice but to try and defend it from her aerial position but, having no real resistance against magical attacks, even if they seemed purely physical in nature, things quickly took a turn for the worse...Bache's clothing had practically disintegrated from her body, veil included, as parts of her skin and muscles began to crack at a visible rate. Even Tiona realized she had erred greatly as the attack she launched out had been a 'critical' strike, causing it to completely overwhelm what little defense Bache could muster. Fortunately, just as Bache's body seemed like it was going to begin breaking apart, Vahn began using [Wound Transfer] to move most of the damage to his own body. As a result, Bache was able to withstand the blow but her consciousness had been robbed long before her bloody and maimed body was caught by Tiona.The moment Bache had touched down, the arena practically exploded in fervent cheers as each Amazoness in the crowd was extremely riled up by the spectacular display of speed and power. The fact that their Captain had been defeated didn't seem to bother them much and, seemingly without any regards for her well-being, they were more focused on chanting Tiona's name and releasing exciting war cries instead of moving to provide aid. Tiona simply ignored them and instead pulled some master-grade Elixirs out of her storage bracelet, quickly applying the vital liquid to the surface wounds lingering on Bache's body...Tione's perception wasn't nearly as enhanced as anomalies like Vahn and Tiona, but she had still noticed the moment when Bache's body 'stopped' breaking down. She gave Vahn a questioning look that seemed to ask, 'Are you sure...?', earning her a small nod in return. Just as he had been cautioned about several times, there was a great price to pay for interfering with a match. Though it was obviously Bache's loss, the fact the blow very likely would have killed her meant his actions were the same as saying, 'You are mine now'. If Bache understood he was the one that saved her, it would be almost impossible to stop her from trying to pursue him without taking a hard stance. However, since she was supposed to be one of the women who he would have a relationship with in the future, Vahn was willing to accept responsibility for his actions...Eventually, though the excitement hadn't even started to die down, a group of Amazonesses came into the arena to fetch Bache's unconscious body and move her to one of the recovery areas. Her body was already in a stable condition but it would probably take her more than an hour just to regain consciousness after the strenuous battle. As for Tiona, she watched the group carry away her former mentor with an uncharacteristically stoic and measured smile. She then turned toward the direction of Vahn, allowing her smile to soften into something more natural before it practically blossomed on her face. Tiona felt like she had just settled the matters of her past and, though she still cared for her former mentor, now was the time to look toward the future...(A/N: Short chapter today since I worked from 7AM to 11PM yesterday without many breaks in between. I had to wake up at 5AM just to write this before going back to work once again xD.)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tiona Hiryute, the Amazoness vs Bache Kalif, the Veiled Reaper','Tione is moving forward in her own way...','Tiona still takes center stage, however...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 950: Vahn Vs. Tiona