Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

A lot changed after Vahn's return to Orario, even though the Winter season was usually a time where everything would slow to a halt. Contrary to the past, the atmosphere in Orario was extremely lively as the sounds of construction and the perpetually ongoing festivities continued to permeate through society. With Vahn's reforms, the economy was flourishing and the means by which people could entertain themselves had increased greatly. Other than the introduction of sports, there had been a rapidly evolving entertainment culture where music and theater were becoming increasingly popular. At the same time, Vahn had purchased a variety of different board games that had been introduced into the market while several other forms of 'simulated' events were becoming popular in the Coliseums.One thing of note was the fact that many of the leaders he had contacted had already started to arrive in the city, even though there were still several weeks before the meeting was scheduled. They had been showing up at the Hearth Manor to try and have private meetings with Vahn, each trying to build an amicable relationship with him to ensure they would have greater benefits in the future. Most of them were turned away long before they even came to the attention of Vahn but there were a few persons of interest he made an exception to meet with. These were dignitaries from some of the nations that Orario had already established trade relations in the past while a few were leaders that Vahn's information network made out to be capable or wise.Even without making the meeting public, there were already dozens of rumors circulating within Orario about why Vahn had called so many people into the City. People had affectionately referred to him as the Emperor of Orario in the past but now that Vahn was in a position where he directly influenced other world leaders, it no longer sounded like a joke. This was especially true amongst the growing communities of Pallums, Beast Humans, Elves, and anyone who had directly benefitted from Vahn's assistance in the past. He also had an extreme level of influence with the successful merchant Familias and, after providing support to the fringe territories during the harsh winter, his popularity had skyrocketed in a very short period of time.Much of this popularity was the result of the efforts of Loki, Hephaestus, Freya, Fortuna, and many of the other gods that would make up the Divine Council in the future. Loki, in particular, had been using the Hermes Familia to proactively spread rumors that painted Vahn in a positive light while Fortuna had been flexing the financial might of the Alliance to seize control of the entire market, both inside of Orario and outside. It was her efforts, combined with the assistance of the Valkyries, that had caused many of the nation's leaders to arrive early. Since there were few nobles that wouldn't want to have a positive relationship with the person that would control the markets in the future, they were competing with each other behind the scenes to be the first to approach Vahn and the core members of the Alliance...Though not fully aware of what the goddesses had been doing on his behalf, Vahn knew they were taking actions to ensure that his rise had as few hiccups as possible. As a result, after returning from Telskyura with his avatar, Vahn had been spending a fair amount of time with Loki, Fortuna, and Freya every day. They rarely talked about serious issues, unless it was something pressing that Vahn needed to know about, and just spent the time lounging and discussing other matters. Vahn's relationship with Fortuna had been steadily improving as well, to the point that they eventually ended up sleeping with each other a few times. She wasn't ready to have a child just yet but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy a bit of quality time together. It helped that Fortuna had a positive relationship with most of the other goddesses and had even won over some of his children after bringing them a few exotic gifts that her Familia had acquired through trade.As for other goddesses that Vahn had a budding relationship with, Kali had come to reside in Freya's Manor for a short while as the construction of the Amazoness community was still underway. Her Familia had yet to set out on their journey but it didn't stop her from having Vahn escort her over to spend time together beforehand. She wasn't allowed at the Manor just yet so she spent most of her time at the Coliseum with Ganesha, who hailed from the same Pantheon, whenever Vahn was busy. Seeing the various events taking place firsthand had been an eye-opening experience for Kali and, after bringing Hippolyta over to experience one of the major tournaments, both seemed far more accepting of the idea that it would become a national pastime for all Amazonesses in the future.Vahn's main focus during these times, excluding his unavoidable responsibilities, was taking care of his present and future children. Artemis' pregnancy had been relatively short since she had spent a fair amount of time within the Space-Time orb. She ended up giving birth to a healthy baby boy with uniquely pink hair and light-blue eyes. After a bit of discussion, they decided to name him Orion since, much like Vahn, he had become the object of Artemis' love and affection. His Guardian ended up being a creature known as a Wandering Owl who, much like Orion, possessed abilities related to Time. Vahn hadn't made the same mistake as before so he bestowed Orion with his artifact and [Heroic Tale] while his son had been napping in Artemis' embrace.Orion ended up having pseudo-Divinities related to Love, Animals, and, likely as a result of Artemis residing within the Sub-Space orb, Time. His artifact was a bow known as [Oebstus] that, like all artifacts, would grow along with Orion and help him strengthen his soul. It had the effect of completely ignoring all defenses and, according to the description, could even target 'concepts' like emotions. Vahn was curious about the functionality of the bow and wondered how powerful it could become if Orion developed it to an extreme. After all, being able to target concepts was almost like being able to influence the laws themselves. So long as his understanding of the target was high enough, Orion could potentially even use his bow to damage a person's 'ego' in the future...With the birth of another child, combined with his relationship with his other children, Vahn spent most days with a contented smile on his face. Most of Vahn's time with his main body was spent helping his children study, train their bodies, or simply playing around and having fun. This included girls like Yggy and, even though she was far older than he was, Diana. The former was exceptionally intelligent and had been studying with Terra to become an equally exceptional mage. As for Diana, she was given the 'important' task of making sure Vahn's room was cleaned every day since she would often get distracted with more detailed work. She still acted as a Maid, almost as if it were a matter of pride for her, but most of her time was spent just playing with the children who most closely matched her appearance's age.---Vahn was genuinely enjoying his relatively peaceful life at the moment, even though the looming 'threat' of his high Karma constantly lurked in the back of his mind. Fortunately, even without him doing much, Vahn was earning well over a million OP per day while more concerted efforts could net him over ten million. He was growing progressively closer to the requisite amount to purchase a dimensional anchor so the only things he had to genuinely concern himself with was uniting the Continent and conquering the Dungeon. The former was a foregone conclusion while the latter simply depended on when he could allocate the time to probe the Dungeon's depths. It helped that the girls were constantly increasing their strength since Ais, Lili, Haruhime, and Lefiya had already been able to clear down to the 56th Floor through their own efforts. Vahn's personal record was Floor 58 so he knew exactly how capable they had to be to reach that point without relying on his assistance.While thinking of the Dungeon and what awaited him in the deeper floors, Vahn's perception became aware of the presence making its way toward his avatar. His main body was currently enjoying the companionship of the Xenos back at Spero while he had been using his avatar had been meditating while in his Qinglong form. He was currently seated inside an empty stone chamber that had been created by Terra within the Sub-Space orb for his own personal use. Few people would come to disturb him during his training so Vahn's awareness had immediately taken note of the subtle fluctuations in the person's aura. The aura belonged to Mikoto and he could tell she was very apprehensive about interrupting his private training session so he quickly rose to his feet before teleporting behind her.Mikoto jumped nearly a meter off the ground when Vahn appeared right behind her but she quickly calmed down by patting her rather buxom chest and taking a few deep breaths. Vahn's expression was exceptionally gentle as he said, "Good afternoon, Mikoto. I was just about to exit my meditation so you're timing is impeccable..." Since he didn't want her to fret over nothing, Vahn gave an easy excuse that would allow Mikoto to relax a bit. She may not have fully believed him, as Vahn seemed to be unable to genuinely lie to the girls around him, but Mikoto still smiled in return as a loving light flashed across her eyes. Since she was wearing a loose purple kimono, Vahn's heart palpitated a few times when he saw the look in her eyes, causing his own expression to soften greatly.With the atmosphere quickly becoming warm between the two, Mikoto seemed to have calmed down a lot as her expression became more natural. She moved a few strands of stray hair before taking a deep breath and saying, "Vahn...I wanted to talk to you about something very important to me. I..." Vahn shook his head gently in response to Mikoto's words while stepping closer to her body and pulling her into his embrace. He stroked her long and silky black hair as he said, "Don't forget that I've also read the [Flying Heavenly Sword Manual]. I know what you need to do and you have my blessing. If possible, I'd like you to wait for a few months since I intend to go to the Far East myself after Tiona and Tione give birth..."Though Mikoto had been able to duel people within the Coliseum's arena, it was hard to develop real sword intent without actual life and death battles against other capable swordsmen. Her skills had developed to an extreme, to the point that she was already rumored to be the most skilled swordswoman in Orario, but they both knew her development had reached a bottleneck. She could still continue to grow, without any real limits, but Mikoto genuinely wanted to master the [Flying Heavenly Sword Manual] to develop it into a true inheritance. Before her strength increased to the point where skill was nearly meaningless, Mikoto wanted to travel the land on her own and polish her skills against other swordsmen.Upon hearing Vahn's words, Mikoto's smile truly blossomed until it had reached her eyes. Their relationship was at a point where Mikoto genuinely felt anxious just thinking about being away from Vahn for a long period of time. Her journey across the sea, combined with the time she would spend traveling the lands, would likely take several years. With Vahn escorting her over, Mikoto would be able to save a lot of time and there was a good chance she would face many powerful foes since he always seemed to get entangled with the most powerful forces in a region. Though she would eventually journey out on her own, as Vahn's presence could also be like a tree that caused other plants to starve for nutrients, Mikoto knew the first leg of her journey would be far more enjoyable with him accompanying her...For the better part of an hour, Vahn and Mikoto discussed their intentions in going to the Far East, including Vahn's intention to seek out Amaterasu while also escorting Tsubaki, Haruhime, and Shizune to their homelands. Girls like Kaguya obviously had things to take care of back in the Far East but, as their strength was still increasing, Vahn had set their matters aside for the time being. He didn't want to spend too much time in the Far East since his Empire was just about to begin 'real' development, so his first journey to the exotic land of swords and spirits would be relatively short.After their discussion had ended, Vahn and Mikoto spent a few hours just enjoying each others company since Vahn decided to treat his comment about being done with his training as the truth. Since Mikoto had a genuine love for hot springs, they moved to one of the private areas near the third spatial suppression area where a small hot spring was located. This was considered a part of Mikoto's territory so, unless she had invited them, few would ever venture to this location. The few exceptions were girls like Haruhime, who Mikoto would often bathe with, and the other women who had grown close to her over the years. This included Tsubaki, Shizune, Tina, and, on occasion, Artemis.Vahn was enjoying the hot and mineral-rich water while the Mikoto rested her rosy-cheeked face against his shoulder. She enjoyed the moments like this, where it was just the two of them, so Mikoto had been a bit more proactive than normal. Currently, she could feel Vahn's warmth spreading through her lower body as she lightly kissed his neck in response. In this manner, the two reduced the distance between their hearts and bodies even further, to the point where they were almost inseparable from each other...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Divine Council is going to have a lot of bias...','Musashi vs. Mikoto, when!?','Quality Time with a demure swordmaiden...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Deep within the Dungeon, far further than anyone before him had ever tread, Vahn was currently pinned to a wall with a massive black spear in his chest. There was blood pouring out from his mouth as intense pain radiated throughout his body. Even so, his expression remained focused as a powerful aura radiated from his body, all while the 'thing' that had thrown the spear observed him with its head tilted to the side. It was a strange monster that looked like a slime that had been comprised of the fabric of space. There were swirls of magical energy and small star-like lights making up the inside of its vaguely humanoid figure that stood more than eight meters tall. At the center of what could be called it's head, there was a swirling vortex of light that looked like a small galaxy that lobbed to the side as it asked, "Who are you...?"Vahn was trying to remove the spear that was made out of the same material as the humanoid slime's body but it kept clinging to him as it slowly tried to devour his inside. It was, fortunately, making very slow progress since his own body was rejecting the foreign matter while the Source Energy contained within was simply beyond the scope of what the slime could have absorbed. This was the main reason behind why the monster was confused and curious, as it had expected Vahn to die after its first attack. The fact he had persisted was something it couldn't rationalize, causing it to wonder what kind of strange creature the small figure before him was.Hearing the monster speak, Vahn knew it was either a Xenos or something far more unique so, while still trying to wrest the spear from his body, he answered, "I am Vahn Mason...do you mind removing this spear so we can have a proper talk? I won't attack you if you show no animosity towards me but, if you keep trying to devour my body, I will have to destroy you..." As he spoke, Vahn's aura became even denser, causing the humanoid slime to tremble like gelatine before it's arm morphed into another long spear as it said, "I am Umbra, Guardian of the 70th Floor. For trespassing my territory, you must pay with your life..."With a wry smile on his face, Vahn muttered, "This is only the 69th Floor..." as a second spear, this time aimed for his head, tore through the air with a vicious momentum. Vahn shook his head slowly, even though seemingly no time had passed, as his body transformed into his Qinglong form. He had probed into the 69th Floor after performing his daily check on Enyo's seal. Since the girls had been steadily venturing deeper into the Dungeon, Vahn had been entering ahead of them to get a general feel of the area so they wouldn't be caught off guard. It was fortunate he had been the first to enter the 69th Floor as this strange monster was nearly impossible to detect, even with his senses. It had the exact same energy signature as the Dungeon itself and, though it seemed intelligent, it lacked the aura that would have given away most truly sentient life.Now in his Qinglong transformation, Vahn's grip on the black spear tightened, causing stark blue tendrils to snake across its surface. Though they looked like lightning, this energy was actually comprised of Space Elemental energy and couldn't be resisted through normal means. The spear was torn apart in an instant while the second spear collided with a barrier that had emerged in front of Vahn's head. He could tank the spear if he wanted but suffering injuries to the head were always annoying since it would cause him to feel disoriented. As a result, the spear impacted against the barrier before the space around it collapsed, causing a spiral to emerge behind the strange monster as its own spear pierced into its body.Though Vahn tried to respect sentience, it didn't mean he would completely ignore those that were trying to proactively kill him. Just as he would deal with a human that harbored ill will towards him, Vahn turned his cold azure blue eyes on the strange monster as a small light of contempt flashed across his slit-like pupils. As if emulating the monster, Vahn formed a spear of his own but, instead of the space-like ooze that comprised his enemy, it was a vibrant blue that looked like azure lightning. It was extremely taxing on his reserves but Vahn ignored it as he spent the spear towards the concealed core near the base of its body. Whenever it came to Slime-Type monsters, the only practical way to deal with them was by destroying their cores so Vahn wasn't going to beat around the bush and waste his time breaking its malleable body.Having been distracted by its own spear, which dealt practically no damage to its body, the monster was unable to react to the impossibly fast spear of Space Elemental energy. It seemed to move faster than even time itself as an imperceptible amount of time had passed before the core it made sure to keep safe was already destroyed. The monster didn't even have time to issue any death howls as its body exploded into a veritable tidal way of purple and black dust particles. After the dust dissipated into nothingness, the only thing that remained was a large black gemstone that had starlight shining on its inside while tens of thousands of monster core fragments, each decently high quality, littered the surroundings.Vahn looked the unidentified gemstone before selling the monster cores for a startling 3,900,017 OP within his system. He currently had 2,493,551,892 OP making up his reserves, meaning he was already nearly a quarter of the required amount for purchasing a dimensional anchor. With the HDF and Alliance filtering magic cores and rare items into him, Vahn was passively gaining well over a million OP every day so the number had been steadily increasing. If he continued to encounter powerful monsters, which was guaranteed the deeper he went, the amount he could gain with each passing day would continue to increase.Removing his transformation, Vahn released a heavy sigh while stretching his tired muscles and popping his joints. Using the Qinglong transformation without his other body supplementing his reserves was extremely taxing and he could only keep it up for a few minutes before the pain grew too intense for his body and mind to tolerate. Fortunately, few enemies could last against his Qinglong transformation and, even though the strange creature seemed to be around Level 7 in strength, it died like all the rest. Now, Vahn had to decide if he wanted to probe into the 70th Floor, which the creature seemed to be protecting, or if he wanted to return to the surface and call it a day...After thinking for a few minutes, Vahn shook his head before continuing deeper into the Dungeon. It was still early in the day and he had already cleared up his schedule so he would have time to go as far as possible before returning. Though he had grown accustomed to spending quality time with his family, Vahn knew it was 'necessary' for him to conquer the Dungeon and he couldn't put it off indefinitely. Since he was an immortal, he had the responsibility of scouting ahead of those that would follow so that they wouldn't become the victims of monsters and traps that they weren't prepared to deal with. Information, individual combat capabilities, and proper preparation were the keys to venturing beyond the 60th Floor and Vahn intended to reduce the chance of a tragedy occurring.Because the 'Guardian' had been near the entrance to the 70th Floor, it didn't take long for Vahn to find the massive crystalline staircase that spiraled downward well over a kilometer. Unlike the Floors before the 60th, the staircases in the 'Frontier Floors' weren't safe zones where you could easily rest. There were a variety of different traps you would have to deal with, such as stone steps giving way, spikes protruding from the walls, and even poisonous fogs that would linger about like mist. Vahn had been keeping a proper account of everything he encountered along the way and intended to sell the information to prospective Adventurers that wanted to probe into the depths of the Dungeon in the future.During his descent to the 70th Floor, Vahn had to evade several relatively easy to evade traps before one particularly dangerous one finally caught him unprepared. He hadn't dropped his guard but, after evading a series of crystalline arrows that rained down on his position, Vahn felt his body pass through an invisible membrane that caused his skin to tingle. A moment later, a massive magical explosion consumed his body as it spread outward for more than 100m in an instant, collapsing the staircase in the process. Vahn couldn't help but retort that the trap was a bit 'extreme' as he extricated his undamaged body from the resultant rubble. Even his equipment was undamaged since the vast majority was S-Rank at this point, courtesy of Hephaestus, Tsubaki, Nanu, and his own memory fragment.Eventually, Vahn finally reached the 70th Floor, noticing that the crystalline structure was replaced with nigh-absolute darkness. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all pitch black and filled with small porous holes that seemed to be able to absorb light. Vahn created a fireball to try and light the way but, other than the light emitting in his immediate surrounding, it didn't cast its influence upon the structure of the Dungeon at all. Even his night vision capabilities and [Eyes of Truth] didn't allow him to see too far, forcing Vahn to have to rely on the information he was receiving through his domain to know which way to go.Experiencing this 'absolute darkness', Vahn couldn't help but feel more than a little unperturbed as he hesitated to venture forth. This was an environmental hazard that most parties would never be able to deal with since you would need incredible magic perception or a powerful Innate just to cope with the darkness. Vahn couldn't help wondering if this was why the party led by Bell hadn't been able to probe that much deeper into the Dungeon as traversing several hundred kilometers of pure darkness would be extremely taxing on the mind. He didn't sense any monsters just yet but, if there were enemies lurking within, Vahn felt like just the psychological effects of fighting unseen enemies would wear down even the most hardened veterans. At the same time, however, Vahn couldn't help wondering if the Dungeon was trying to hide something on the 70th Floor since this type of layout didn't seem to make much sense otherwise...Overcoming his momentary hesitation, Vahn focused his mind before infusing [Enkidu] into his domain. Since the 'light' from [Enkidu] wasn't part of the electromagnetic spectrum and was closer to a Divine Phenomenon, Vahn could use it to illuminate the way with relative ease. This would also allow him to deal with any particularly tricky enemies as he cataloged the inhabitants and structure of the 70th Floor. At least, that was what Vahn intended when he first allowed [Enkidu]'s golden light to spread nearly 4km outward from his position. He quickly realized things wouldn't be quite that simple as, shortly after leaving the connecting tunnel between the 70th and 69th Floor staircase, Vahn found that the Floor itself was one expansive space. There was nothing at all within the influence of his domain as even the Floor below was almost perfectly flat...Vahn wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation until Sis decided to chime in, explaining, (*There are several powerful illusory wards built into the structure of the Dungeon that would cause people to wander aimlessly until their supplies ran out. If there were walls and landmarks to keep their orientation, it would theoretically be possible for people with high perception and patience to navigate the interior. I believe your intuition about there being something hidden on the 70th Floor is accurate, though I can't say for certain until we reach the 71st...*)With Sis's explanation, Vahn quickly understood why walls were simply unnecessary for the structure of this particular Floor. Now, he just needed to determine if there were any real enemies while trying to come up with methods to ensure safe passage through this incredibly unnerving terrain. Few had the means to pass through such an area on their own so Vahn wanted to test a few methods that could be used to help them navigate. The most obvious method would be to leave a trail of glowstones, using them like breadcrumbs to help keep his orientation. When Vahn tried this, however, he noticed that several other glowstones seemingly appeared out of nowhere. There seemed to be invisible barriers that would reflect and emulate other areas of the Floor to ensure that people using such methods would never be able to progress very far...Shaking his head in vexation, Vahn began to make his way deeper into the Floor to personally experience what other hazards the darkness had to offer. He could easily keep his own orientation with the golden illumination in his domain while his Minimap was constantly updating within his system interface. Sis was marking the borders of each illusory barrier, allowing Vahn to navigate the terrain without any real issues. Though this Floor might have been a nightmare for most, even unnerving him a bit, Vahn was able to make quick progress with The Path and the ever-reliable Sis to help guide him forward.Using the Minimap and Map function, Vahn quickly noticed there was a 'pattern' emerging within the barriers and decided it would be best to check on them periodically over the next few weeks to see if there were any changes in their orientation. Since magic formations weren't easy to move around, there was a good chance that these were semi-permanant, meaning it would actually be much easier than anticipated to pass through the Floor if you had a proper map. Since there had yet to be a single monster showing up, even after more than two hours of walking, Vahn suspected this particular Floor was purely focused on taxing the intruder's psyche...When he eventually reached a wall on the opposite side of the Floor, Vahn felt like that had confirmed things so he took to the sky and began to systematically map the entire area. Many of the illusory formations were shaped like bubbles and, though there were some formations that extended all the way to the roof, it was possible to navigate the area by flying if you had the confidence to do so. After all, it was nearly impossible to keep your orientation when there was literally 'nothing' to see...In this manner, Vahn managed to map out much of the 370km wide Floor, noting that the layout of the illusory wards themselves actually made a much larger magical formation. It covered the entirety of the Floor and was nearly indiscernible from the natural mana that permeated through the air so Vahn hadn't even noticed he was under its influence until he translated the larger formation. His eyes reflected a curious light as he mused, "Thou who seeketh the road to Origin, know that thine path forward is a spiritual journey. You can find the key at the spot where your physical journey ended, marking the transition from mortality to godhood..."Though it would have taken others years to decipher the meaning behind the intricate formation that spanned the entire 70th Floor, Vahn had managed to complete it in a single afternoon. He imagined how many decades Adventurers would have wandered aimlessly on this Floor without understanding that the hazards they sought to desperately avoid were actually just part of a message. As for where the key lay, that was something Vahn could determine with relative ease since the 'core' of the formation actually emulated the structure of mana circuitry in the human body. The reason why he had quickly noticed the 'pattern' when he started mapping the area was the result of his extensive knowledge of the human body and all aspects pertaining to it.Vahn flew to the area on his map that would have represented the location of the 'dantian', or the 'core' where a person's mana emanated from. Before learning how to channel your mana, it wasn't incorrect to say you were extremely limited in your growth and would have to rely wholly on your physical strength to progress. Upon learning how to muster your mana, generally through intense training, focus, or even meditation, you would truly begin to walk an endless path that allowed for unlimited growth. Saying it was the transition from mortality to godhood wasn't incorrect either, as it would truly require intense spiritual development and a distinct change in perception to make true progress on this never-ending path...There was a small formation located at his destination but Vahn entered it without any hesitation since he doubted that whatever entity had developed the formation would have gone through so much effort just to mislead someone. Upon entering the formation, Vahn found himself in an area that, unlike the endless darkness outside, was pure white. At the very center of the area, Vahn saw the statue of a breathtakingly beautiful woman who looked eerily reminiscent of Helen. Though their features were actually very different from each other, they both had indescribable beauty that made Vahn instinctually compare the two while being unable to decide which was truly the more beautiful woman...Shaking his head to clear stray thoughts, Vahn made his way over to the statue and peered into the small oval-shaped mirror held by its two pristine white hands. The surface of the mirror hadn't been reflecting anything and, even after peering into it, Vahn noticed that his own image was distinctly missing from the scene. He didn't know what to make of the mirror so Vahn decided to inspect the rest of the statue to see if there were any clues. Strangely, as he paced around the inordinately beautiful work of art, Vahn felt his heart begin to palpitate and, for a brief moment, he was certain the statue had moved slightly when he saw the rather pert rear sculpted on the backside...Vahn activated his [Eyes of Truth] and noticed that the statue, instead of being a single layer of sculpted stone, was actually comprised of several layers. The clothing and accessories were all unique pieces and, beneath the stony garments, Vahn's eyes were able to discern the statues extremely 'realistic' features. If not for the fact there was no aura at all coming from the statue, regardless of how long he looked at it, Vahn would have thought she was like Gros, an entity that had been comprised of stone. He even suspected that, at one point, the figure holding the mirror had once been a biological entity that had been turned to stone at some point in the distant past...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Surprise...!','You think the darkness is your ally...?','Even statues aren't safe from the piercing gaze of the Godhand...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Several hours after his battle with Hippolyta, Vahn was sitting alongside Tiona and Tione while Myrine looked toward him with a mixture of caution and reverence. Though she could have been misunderstood as looking towards the person sitting in his lap, Vahn was very aware of the red permeating through her aura as she remained near the unconscious Hippolyta. She had been given basic treatment by Vahn and they were currently waiting for her to awaken to settle important matters. Vahn could have forced her awake but the previous situation didn't make it conducive to his intentions since the presence of several thousand fiery-eyed Amazonesses made it difficult to converse.Not really caring about the conversation to come, Kali was wearing the same smock Vahn had gifted her as she snuggled up in Vahn's lap. She might have taken her 'image' into consideration around most Amazonesses but Myrina, Hippolyta, and even Bache were exceptions. Kali wanted them to know exactly what kind of relationship she had with Vahn since it would force them to take measured action instead of just acting as they pleased. As it stood, Myrina couldn't even keep eye contact with her and was instead fully focused on Vahn, just as Kali had intended. Since she also got to receive some of Vahn's pampering, it was an ideal situation from Kali's perspective...Eventually, as a result of her own natural recovery being exceptionally high, Hippolyta began to stir awake. She released a muffled and painful groan as she rolled onto her side before lifting her tired body into a seated position. Though it hadn't been his intention, Vahn had ruptured many of her organs and broken nearly half the bones in her body with his final attack. He had healed all of the life-threatening wounds but, so Hippolyta wouldn't be able to make excuses, he allowed most of the damage to remain. This would force Hippolyta to accept the reality of the situation and make their coming discussion much easier. There were several things Vahn needed her to do and, after a short conversation with Tione, he also had a few things to ask her before preparing to leave Telskyura.Even before opening her eyes, Hippolyta had sensed several presences around her so she wasn't surprised to find Vahn sitting at the side. Though her mind did dull a bit when she saw Kalii sitting in his lap, causing her to rub her head before taking a second look, she didn't make any comment about the arrangement. Instead, Hippolyta gave Tiona and Tione a once-over before training her eyes on Vahn as she said, "You are very powerful, Vahn Mason. I'll admit that I underestimated your strength and made light of a situation that I should have treated with full seriousness. I won't make any excuses though so my life is yours to do with as you please, at least until I manage to defeat you in turn..." Though there was a great deal of resentment in her heart, Hippolyta couldn't ignore the heat rising in her body just from being held under Vahn's gaze so she ended up averting her eyes to try and stay calm...Vahn produced a small smile in response to Hippolyta's words before saying, "I want you to remain as the Queen of the Telskyura and help pave the way towards a better future for all Amazonesses. I've spent more than three months watching how your people live and understand that rapid change could be detrimental. That doesn't mean we can't start laying the foundation-" Before Vahn was able to finish, Hippolyta began to massage her temples as she said, "Just tell me what I need to do, Vahn. You managed to defeat me in battle so I don't really need to hear your reasons and excuses..." Since she hadn't spent that much time around Vahn yet, Hippolyta wasn't accustomed to his habit of trying to explain and justify everything.Ignoring the laughter from Kali, Tiona, and even Myrina, Vahn remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "We will change how Amazonesses are raised, allowing them to balance their training with play. At the same time, I will install all of the necessary barriers, formations, and equipment to make it possible for you to do battle simulations. This will allow Amazonesses to fight to their heart's content without risk of serious injury or death. It doesn't really matter to me how adult Amazonesses settle matters but I don't want to see children losing their lives unnecessarily. In exchange, I will also provide several other benefits that will allow all Amazonesses in the future to become far more powerful than the average member of the warrior tribe..."Hippolyta had a serious expression on her face when she heard all of the things Vahn wanted to change but, after hearing the final part of his statement, she couldn't help raising her brows slightly. This was something noted by Kali who immediately added, "I have seen for myself that he is telling the truth. Vahn has several methods that will allow Amazonesses to prosper without forcing us to change much about the way we live. In the future, we should treat it as a great failure if we allow younglings to lose their lives because of the rules we made. Though we will continue to use the crucible system, we will start to filter Amazonesses from a young age to make sure they don't end up as victims in a system that they are forced to adhere to. You shouldn't treat this as Vahn placing more restrictions on our people and instead look at it as if he were removing the ones we had placed without even noticing."Though it would be nearly impossible for her to outright admit it, Kali had started to notice that things weren't as clear-cut as she had thought. Since even girls like Mars and Khodiva were able to resist their instincts through sheer willpower, Kali knew she couldn't use it as an excuse any longer. She knew the people around Vahn were able to become extremely powerful over a short period of time so it was inarguable that his methods would allow the Amazonesses to prosper. Just the tattoo he had placed on Tione's body was something that would revolutionize the way every Amazoness live in the future since it would allow those with naturally high mana to control themselves and become even stronger...With Kali adding her words into the mix, Hippolyta's breathing became a little hot and ragged while Myrina's fingers were noticeably trembling. There were few things more important to an Amazoness than the promise of greater power and, being near the 'peak' of where even historical Amazonesses would begin to decay, both powerful girls couldn't help but feel enticed by such words. It was at this moment that Vahn decided to explain a few things, but not before asking, "Hippolyta, are you the mother of Tiona and Tione...?" Though he could have easily gotten an answer from Kali, Vahn wanted to hear it from Hippolyta herself. He wanted to know what kind of reaction she would have, especially if she was aware of the relationship between her and two of Vahn's long-time friends and lovers...Hippolyta had already started thinking about how her country would begin to change in the future so she was a little surprised by Vahn's words, causing a frown to adorn her face. She gave Tiona and Tione another glance, her eyes coming to a stop when she met Tione's gaze. Eventually, her frown softened into a tired expression as she released a long sigh and admitted, "They are indeed my children..." There were a lot of emotions contained within Hippolyta's sigh, everything from pain, longing, pride, and, most notably, regret. As for why she felt these emotions, Hippolyta didn't seem keen on explaining since she quickly averted her eyes from Tione and added, "Blood relations have no great significance other than ensuring that future Amazonesses have greater potential. As Queen, I must treat all Amazonesses as if they were my children so do not blame me for treating my own children as something unique and special..."Because of the way their society was structured, Hippolyta was very aware of the fact that any special treatment she would have afforded her daughters would have been detrimental. Other Amazonesses would have treated them harshly if they were given preferencial treatment and, as had happened in the distant past, there was a high chance such actions would sow the seeds of corruption. If they had grown up thinking they were special, especially as the daughters of royalty, their nature could have been warped as they developed a sense of entitlement and self-importance. This was the exact reason why most other civilizations would stagnate, as those with great power and authority would try to pass it on to unworthy heirs for no other reason than they were related...Knowing there was no way to argue against Hippolyta, Vahn simply closed his eyes for a few seconds as he allowed Tiona and Tione to take in their mother's words. Tione had lowered her head slightly after Hippolyta averted her eyes but Tiona showed genuine surprise as she exclaimed, "You're my mom...!?" She was leaning far forward with an excited look on her face as a vibrant and innocent smile blossomed from her lips. Her reaction had caused Hippolyta's frown to deepen but she still nodded her head in response, causing Tiona to begin laughing happily. This made Hippolyta extremely confused, at least until Tione released a heavy sigh and explained, "You may never come to understand it, but we've learned the importance of family. Also, if you had been a better parent, there is a chance we might have never met Vahn..."Though she felt great conflict in her heart, Tione's own words had brought her comfort as she said the last few words while looking at Vahn. There was unconcealed love in her eyes, especially when Vahn turned to match her gaze and returned a loving smile of his own. Tiona also seemed intent on joining in on the emotional moment as she practically tackled Vahn, Kali, and Tione while exclaiming, "That's right, isn't it!? Without having lived through the past, we never would have been able to get to this point! Ehehehehehe~." It hadn't really shown in her actions and responses, but Tiona had been a little hurt but the revelation that Hippolyta was her mother. She had played it off well but hearing her own sister's words had also alleviated the momentary anxiety that she had felt...Seeing this play taking place before her, Hippolyta's eyes became dull since she didn't really know what to make of the situation. The fact her goddess was also 'tolerating' her daughter's actions was something that caused Hippolyta great confusion, enough for her to give Myrina a look that seemed to ask, 'what is going on here...?'. Myrina just shook her head in response, not really knowing what to make of the awkward display since it wasn't really something she had witnessed in the thirty-seven years of her life...After Tiona finally settled down, Vahn decided to advance the conversation forward once again, explaining, "I won't blame you for the decisions you made in the past but you should know that I care deeply for all of my children. Until you can mend your relationship with your own daughters, please don't expect that I would afford you the opportunity to make another mistake. Also, though I don't have much grounds to stand on when saying such things, I wouldn't be comfortable with having a child with you while your daughters are already pregnant with my children. Wait until things settle down and, if you have made-." Vahn's words were left trailing since Hippolyta looked toward him with a dull expression that he wasn't sure how to interpret.Shortly after Vahn's words came to a stop, Hippolyta explained in an equally dull tone as the expression in her eyes, "The biological purpose of all Amazonesses is to ensure that the generation that follows is more powerful than the last. I already have two capable daughters and am already near the age when my final journey would begin. Though I will follow your orders and bring about the changes you desire, my only other focus is training a successor. If you don't want to give me a child, I don't have the room to offer a complaint..." Even with her body burning in Vahn's presence, Hippolyta wasn't a young Amazonesses that couldn't control her urges. Since she had already given birth to two capable daughters, one of which even caused warning signals to trigger in the back of her mind, Hippolyta didn't really care if she couldn't have another child.Vahn was momentarily at a loss since he had never actually thought about a future where Hippolyta wouldn't try to pressure him into having a child together. He also felt a great deal of relief since, as much as he loved and cared for his kids, Vahn knew things were going to grow increasingly complex in the future. Having one fewer child wasn't a bad thing, especially since there was currently no real love between him and Hippolyta. The one thing that weighed most heavily on his heart was the fact that, without any leverage against her, there was a good chance Hippolyta would never reconcile with Tiona and Tione. Vahn knew that the bond between parent and child could be shakey at times but he also felt like it wasn't something so fragile that it couldn't be repaired with concerted effort...As if she could read his mind, Tione leaned into Vahn's arm and whispered, "It's fine, Vahn...we should think about our own future from now on, not the past..." Even before she knew the whole truth, Tione had already decided to put the past behind her after returning to Telskyura. She didn't have any real feelings towards Hippolyta and, even if they didn't fix their relationship in the future, it didn't matter that much. Her biggest concern was the relationship she would have with her own daughter, causing Tione to even make a solemn promise in her heart to be a better mother than her own...Hippolyta watched the interaction between Vahn, Tione, and, refusing to be left out, Tiona with a small glimmer in her eyes. It was almost imperceptible, but the corner of her lips curled up slightly, causing Kali to produce a sly grin that caused Hippolyta to immediately fix her expression. Vahn had also noticed the change in her aura but chose to ignore it since there were no real benefits with putting Hippolyta on the spot. Just knowing she cared about Tiona and Tione, at least a little, was enough for him to accept how things had developed. Things were already a little complicated with Milan and Tina so avoiding a similar situation would make his own life easier...For the better part of three hours, Vahn talked about the future with Kali and Hippolyta, including the fact that Kali would be migrating to Orario to establish a community for the Amazonesses there. Since this would make it practically impossible for her to update Status Boards, Vahn would be establishing a teleportation ward in the Coliseum's underground that would allow Kali to move between Orario and Telskyura with ease. As for Hippolyta, she would remain in Telskyura and begin training her successor while Myrina, having never left the country previously, would become her official Envoy. Unlike Hippolyta, she genuinely desired a child and wanted to challenge Vahn to battle to determine the nature of their future relationship...Ultimately, Vahn would be returning to Orario with Tiona and Tione while Kali would venture out with a large part of her Familia once Spring had come. Vahn would establish the teleportation ward before that, as there was no way Kali would want to spend more than six months apart, but the final journey would be made by her people on foot. She would be bringing with her most of the 'unique' Amazonesses that didn't fit into the current system while the reforms Vahn wanted to introduce would slowly be introduced into Amazoness society. This accounted for more than three-hundred people and they would become the 'core' for the community that would be created within Orario in the future...---Long after the discussion had come to an end, Vahn found himself in Kali's chambers once again, this time with some uncommon additions. Previously, nobody had been allowed to stay overnight in Kali's chambers, Vahn being the only exception, but he currently had Tiona, Tione, and even Bache alongside him as they all shared a large bed that had replaced the fire at the center of the room. The area had been sealed off and, though they hadn't done anything that required greater privacy, the only person wearing anything clothing was Vahn. His body was entwined with the four girls as they all cuddled together, including the now veilless Bache.Vahn had healed the scar on her face since they had already broached the point of no return when he saved Bache during her duel with Tiona. Kali had been aware of this as well and, after dismissing everyone lingering around her chambers, allowed Bache to share a bed with her and Vahn in an obvious attempt to show that she was placing herself near the same level as other girls. If not for the fact that even Tiona and Tione had allowed Kali to 'steal' the spot on Vahn's stomach, something which Kali had gladly taken, it might have been a convincing act. Even so, Vahn knew that Kali was making an effort so he spoiled her for a bit after giving each girl a rather deep full-body massage...Now, Vahn was the only one awake while the four brown-skinned beauties used his body as a pillow. There was a warm and comfortable aura permeating through the room, courtesy of Vahn's domain, and Vahn was enjoying the 'simplicity' of the moment now that things were beginning to transition in the direction he wanted. He had learned a lot during this long excursion and, though it hasn't always been easy, Vahn knew it would make him a more complete and capable person in the future. Since it had already been determined that he would become an Emperor in the near future, Vahn knew that experiences like this would be instrumental in ensuring the success of his reign...---(A/N: I have to push the 3-4 chapter releases to Monday since I'm a lot more fatigued than I expected. Now that I have a long weekend, it seems like my body is allowing all the stress and tensions I have built over the last two weeks out and I'm feeling a bit sick. There will still be 1-2 more chapters today but I got a late start after sleeping for eleven hours and I'm currently writing them in sequence xD. This is the final chapter of this arc though and the next volume will be the last of Vahn's adventures in Danmachi, at least until he returns in the future o3o~!)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn's talks too much xD...','Even if parents are terrible, the bond between mother and child is not so easily broken...(A/N: Damn, typing this out actually made me have to take a moment)','The simple things in life make the more complicated things easier to tolerate')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 959: Laying The Foundation