Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Standing atop a mountain that was nearly 7km tall, Vahn looked out over the vast stretch of land below with a ruminating gaze. It had already been twenty days since his journey into the Dungeon began and, after several small trials, the group had finally arrived on the 90th Floor. Things had developed to the point that, unless he began breaking down walls or played an active role in clearing away the monsters, it now took between 2-3 days to reach the next Floor. The main reason for this was the sheer size of each Floor as, each level descended meant marked an almost exponential increase radius. As Vahn stood atop this mountain, there were still nearly 3km of open space above his head while, looking towards the 'horizon', it seemed to stretch out for more than a thousand kilometers in each direction...With nine Floors left to traverse, Vahn felt as if the last Floor may very well dwarf the size of the Continent. After all, upon clearing the 88th Floor, every successive Floor seemed more than double the size of the previous. If this trend continued, the 99th Floor may very well be more than a hundred-thousand-kilometers across, more than ten times larger than Eden. Though this hadn't come as too much a surprise to Vahn, as he knew that Tartarus was supposed to be the 'bridge' between the realms, it was quite the sight to behold in person. If he wanted to, Vahn felt as if he could create an entire world all his own within the Dungeon. This was especially the case as, after reaching the 90th Floor the previous day, the only 'monsters' the group had encountered were small animals that could be hunted, even by normal people...Sensing a presence exit the cottage behind him, Vahn continued to gaze towards the horizon while muttering, "This place makes Haven seem almost inconsequential in comparison...". In response, the approaching figure came to a stop a few steps behind him as a soft voice reached his ears, saying, "If my Lord wishes it, even this place cannot escape your influence. I would like to see it, you know, a land untouched by war where people could genuinely live without worry..." Having seen what Yggy's influence could do to an area, Jeanne could already imagine the forests below turning into verdant gardens where people, never knowing the cruelty of the world, were able to flourish in isolation. With the mana-rich resources available, a series of unique flora that prevented the 'mist' from consolidating on the 90th Floor, they would likely live exceedingly long lives without having to rely on increasing their Level...Hearing Jeanne's words, Vahn pulled out one of Yggy's remaining seeds as a glint flashed across his eyes. Planting Yggy on the 90th Floor meant he would be able to move between the Dungeon's depths and the surface with impunity. It could serve as a relay point for the future while also giving Jeanne and Helen a means to return to the surface. However, as he held one of Yggy's 'hearts' in his hand, Vahn felt as if this wasn't the correct decision to make. Though it was certainly possible to make a 'paradise' on the 90th Floor, the people that would come to reside here would inevitably begin to stagnate without knowing adversity. There was also the simple fact that, regardless of how fond he was of the races that thrived upon the surface, Vahn felt as though they would 'spoil' this paradise if given enough time. At best, this place could become a true home to the Xenos as, even with the efforts he had been making to ensure they would be able to live in peace, it was almost impossible to determine when 'everyone else' was ready to receive them...Deciding it was best to leave this land untouched, so that future generations may explore it freely, Vahn placed Yggy's seed back into his Inventory before turning to face the smiling Jeanne. She gave a small bow in response before standing to the side, gesturing to the cottage as she said, "My Lord, your meal has been prepared. Please enjoy it before it gets cold..." As of late, Jeanne had been cooking every other meal as, even though Vahn's food miraculously tasted better, her's was far more beneficial to the party. If she used high-quality ingredients, such as the Dragon meat Vahn kept in stock, Jeanne could even make a Dragon Steak that would increase Power by up to 5%. Though this may not seem like much, it was a truly monstrous amount when considering how much Power people had at higher Levels.After making his way into the cottage, Vahn found Fenrir sitting patiently at the dining table while a subtle aroma emanated from the direction of Helen's room. She had been eating all of her meals in private but it was still an improvement compared to how she was acting after experiencing the illusion. It seemed that, given time to think about the events, Helen had been sorting through her emotions in order to reach the stability she had in the past. Though this wasn't necessarily a good thing, as she was likely 'convincing' herself of things that may very well be devoid of truth, it was still a step forward for the taciturn beauty...Choosing not to fret over Helen too much, Vahn sat at the dining table and enjoyed a meal with Fenrir and Jeanne, even if the latter would periodically return to the kitchen to grab more dishes. It was a very pleasant experience as, even though there wasn't much to talk about, just eating good food and enjoying a peaceful atmosphere went a long way towards preparing themselves for the coming days. Vahn was determined to find the entrance to the 91st Floor before sunset on the following day. He had already performed a cursory mapping of the entire Floor by flying around and, after finding no landmarks that would indicate a means of descent, he knew the entrance was likely hidden. His 'instincts' also told him that, other than the entrance to the 91st Floor, there were other secrets hidden away within the expansive forest that surrounded the singular mountain that called the 90th Floor home.By the time night had descended, marked by the massive crystals on the ceiling turning dark, Vahn had already laid in bed with Fenrir cuddled up at his side. While her gentle breaths tickled his bare chest, Vahn held his left hand towards the ceiling of the cottage. The further they delved into the Dungeon, the closer he felt to grasping the final secret of Divinity. At this point, his Quest showed that his Creation Divinity had increased from 92% to 98%. Though he hadn't actually been 'creating' much as of late, at least in regards to forging, Vahn felt like his comprehension of the Laws was somehow influenced by the Dungeon. It wasn't just him, either, as both Jeanne and Fenrir had shown drastic changes over the last few days that couldn't be ignored...After being stuck a bottleneck for nearly twenty years, Jeanne's [Child of Light] had increased from D-Rank, reaching a 'comfortable' C-Rank. The light constructs she could create were far more durable than before and, instead of having to rely on her shield as a medium, Jeanne could now form wings of light through her armor. This marked a qualitative increase in her strength, even if her reserves meant she couldn't maintain prolonged use of the versatile Innate. As for Fenrir, though she still possessed a Tier 1 Soul, there had been signs she would breakthrough any day now. This could be seen in how her body, whose base hadn't changed since the day of her 'evolution', had started to 'soften' in some areas. Though she was still flatter than even Loki, Fenrir had made Vahn 'very' aware that they had increased in size, even if it was only five millimeters...The most notable change in Fenrir's appearance was the fact that her midnight blue hair started to turn a lighter shade on the fringes. Even more apparent was the fact that her eyes had started to transition from their traditional scarlet to a lighter shade of red. At the very center of her iris, surrounding her pupils, there was a very obvious gradient of pink that made Fenrir's eyes appear to shine, even in bright light. This seemed to indicate that her budding Innate was related to her eyes or, at the very least, her body was adapting to the 'image' she had desired for herself. As for why she had only changed in such 'small' amounts, Vahn felt as if it was related to the fact that Fenrir didn't want to change the appearance he had 'given' her...As if she knew he was thinking about her, which was very likely the case, Fenrir wriggled about in Vahn's arms before gently licking his neck a few times. It didn't seem as though she had awoken, at least from what Vahn could tell, so her behavior was driven purely by instinct. Vahn couldn't help but smile at this before pulling her body a little closer to his own and kissing her forehead. With the evolution of her Soul, Fenrir may very well lose her 'Ageless' trait, meaning she may even be able to bear children in the future. Though this would be in the far future, Vahn felt like it wouldn't be all that bad to start a family with the lovable Vanargandr when he reached a different record. As for why he would wait until then, it was the result of Vahn's personal realization that he had let things get out of hand during his time within Danmachi...Though he didn't regret his actions, even if he should, Vahn knew he had gone too far as a result of the lax nature of his relationships with other women. He genuinely loved each of them but, after seeing the 'love' shared by other couples, Vahn felt that he was lacking something that they had found. His relationships were almost always pushed to various extremes while, in most other cases, people made simple compromises and simply enjoyed each others company. At times, they would have disagreements, fight, and even fall out of love with each other. Vahn, however, couldn't imagine 'losing' his emotional attachment to others as, even with his already expansive harem, it never felt like he reached the 'maximum' amount of people he could show affection to. Perhaps it was due to his realization that there were 'no limits' after obtaining The Path, but that excuse wouldn't hold up indefinitely...After delving into the Dungeon this time around, Vahn had a lot of time to think about who he had become and, more importantly, who he 'would' become. It was already too late to take a step back and live a more modest lifestyle but, at the very least, Vahn knew he had full control over how his relationships with others would develop. He didn't want any of the girls he was currently with to have regrets so, with the exception of Fortuna, Kali, and, potentially, Amaterasu, Vahn decided he would temper himself in order to avoid entering into a relationship with other women, especially mortals. Though this would undoubtedly break the hearts of many women that had been eying him, especially girls like Bache and Renka, Vahn had to draw the line somewhere. As much as he wanted to, Vahn understood that he could not be held personally responsible for the happiness of everyone he came across...at least as far as relationships were concerned.While thinking about the peculiar Amazoness with sand-colored hair, Vahn's mind wandered to another mature beauty who, around this time, was well into her pregnancy. He hadn't gone to visit Aisha in the last two weeks so, after morning came, Vahn intended to head over to the expanding Amazoness district with Haruhime to check on her. While he was there, Vahn intended to discuss matters of the future with Kali before having a private discussion with Bache. She was a beautiful woman, especially after he fixed the scar on her face, so it wouldn't be that difficult for her to find a capable suitor in the future. Though she was Level 6, something many could never hope to achieve, Vahn knew this wouldn't be the case in the future. If she were patient, there would be numerous men that would be able to meet her standards...Thinking till here, Vahn's face morphed into a slight frown as, better than most, he knew it wouldn't actually be that easy. After witnessing his power, it would be hard for Bache's body to 'react' to another man. Unless they were able to defeat her in individual combat, something that wasn't likely to happen in a short period of time, Bache would never be able to move beyond comparing every man she met to him. Since he was to blame for this, especially since Bache had every expectation of bearing his child one day, Vahn made a slight change in his future 'plans'. Bache would be the last mortal woman he entered into a relationship with, even if it was merely for the purpose of making good on his promise and pacifying her instincts. Besides, she had a good relationship with Tiona, Tione, and even Aisha, so Vahn expected they would have been upset with him if he had broken his promise in such a selfish fashion...After sorting through the scarily large number of women he associated with, Vahn lightly shook his head as a wry smile naturally spread across his lips. In the future, regardless of the situation, Vahn promised he would never actively seek a relationship. Though this was similar to other promises he had made to himself, Vahn was now intending to keep himself in check by furthering his relationship with Fenrir instead. As 'forgiving' as she was towards the girls within the Manor, Vahn knew that Fenrir was borderline hostile towards other girls, the only exception being children. Since he had no intentions of 'craddle-robbing', as some referred to it, Vahn suspected this wouldn't be an issue when he traversed other records. The fact that many of the people he would interact with would be younger than his actual children, especially in records he was familiar with, went a long way into cementing his resolve...Thinking of children, though she would probably pummel him if she was aware of the connection, Vahn's mind wandered to Eva. Her memory fragment was still safely locked away within the soul space of his main body, waiting for the day when he finally had enough strength to free her from the fate she had been cursed with. Unfortunately, regardless of how he looked at the situation, Vahn knew that his strength wouldn't be enough upon leaving the record of Danmachi. Though he could undoubtedly reach the point where he could contend against foes like the Mage of the Beginning after a bit of training, Vahn didn't want to simply idle about in Eva's world as she continued to suffer. Because of this, Vahn was intending to make a side-trip before attempting to rescue Eva, essentially guaranteeing he would be able to save her without issue...With the Mage of the Beginning being an entity at the absolute peak of Tier 5, Vahn had an approximation of where his own Soul needed to be before contending against the vile Mage. Fortunately, with the aid of The Path, Vahn didn't actually need to be near the peak himself in order to get an advantage against the Mage of the Beginning. He had access to a functionally infinite number of treasures that would aid him while also possessing the purest form of energy in all records, Source. Even if his own magic paled in comparison to the Mage of the Beginning's, Vahn knew the latter wouldn't be able to outright defend against any attacks he managed to land. If he played his cards smartly, Vahn would be able to deal lasting damage to his foe without them even knowing what happened...In order to accomplish this, Vahn was intending to familiarize himself with the most powerful tool he had at his disposal, [Enkidu]. The resplendent golden chains had not only changed the very nature of his existence within the record of Danmachi, but it was also the key to putting down the seemingly unkillable Mage of the Beginning for good. Since it was already an item at the peak of Tier 5, Vahn planned to enter the Record it originated from in order to both test its increased functionality while also tempering his Soul in preparation for Eva's world. Since an item like [Enkidu] could exist there, it meant that the world was undoubtedly a Tier 5 Record where, depending on his luck, Vahn may even be able to obtain other Tier 5 equipment without having to purchase it from the shop.This was, of course, just one of the plans Vahn had come up with as, even without relying on 'luck' to get by, there were several other methods that would almost guarantee victory. Chief amongst these was the fact that, while he couldn't really afford them under normal circumstances, Vahn knew it wasn't impossible for him to purchase equipment and items that were even higher than Tier 5. With his own Soul being restricted to Tier 3, the price for even a single one of these items reached into the trillions but, considering how the price of items seemed to be determined by his Soul Tier, Vahn knew it would become affordable in time. So long as he reached Tier 5, Vahn was confident that almost any offensive or sealing-based Tier 6 item would be able to ruin the Mage of the Beginning's day. Since he would have a whole record to prepare for the battle, Vahn felt as if he was playing a game of chess where he was allowed to make as many moves as he wanted before the other player even knew the game had started...Imagining what kind of face the Mage of the Beginning would make when he struck them down, Vahn allowed a smile to creep on his own as he hugged Fenrir's body a little tighter. Though it was dangerous to underestimate his enemy, Vahn knew he had a 'literal' eternity to prepare for the event. He could even wait until he was near the peak of Tier 5, on the very cusp of reaching Tier 6, before entering into Eva's record and outright destroying the Mage of the Beginning. With Tier 6, or even Tier 7 items, there wouldn't be much the errant Mage could do against him, regardless of how powerful they may be. After all, by pursuing the paths of Creation and Destruction, Vahn knew he was on a path that few would be able to impede once he gained enough momentum...Closing the hand he had extended towards the ceiling, Vahn felt as if everything was in his grasp as he finally allowed his eyelids to veil the subtle light emanating from the depths of his pupils. There, as if awaiting its moment of triumph, the image of an Emperor bided its time as a veritable ocean of followers stood at his back. Though silence dominated the atmosphere, unbeknownst to Vahn, the very edges of his soul had started to tremble at this exact moment...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A Land Untouched By Mortals...','Bache dodged a bullet...or was that Vahn?','At the precipice...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

True to her words, Jeanne was able to systematically eliminate every Hypergoblin that entered within her range with relative ease. As a result of her unstoppable advance, there were a few among the green-skinned variety who abandoned their colony and escaped into various side tunnels. Many who tried to flee were attacked by their own companions but, after a certain point, the tide of retreating Hypergoblins vastly exceeded those that remained to fight on. Among this group, all surviving red-skinned Hypergoblins remained while, after the battle had gone on for nearly twenty minutes, their Chieftain had also taken to the battlefield. It had yet to enter the fray directly, spending most of its efforts tossing large stones to execute deserters, but it was easy to see that the large Hypergoblin was losing its patience.By the time a half-hour had passed, Jeanne had directly entered the encampment after lightly leaping over the tall wall and cutting down what remained of the forward defenders. It was at this point that the Chieftain finally took action against her, lifting up a stone that was around 20cm, the tattoos on its body already emblazoned with a fervent red light. Almost in the exact instant that Jeanne's feet touched down on its soil, it loosed the stone towards her with enough speed to cause a literal tear in the ground after forming a massive sonic boom in its wake. Jeanne's eyes reflected the image of the stone as she dutifully lifted her shield in an attempt to deflect the momentum away from her body. Her attempts proved fruitful, causing the stone to bounce off her shield before annihilating the wall behind her, but she wasn't able to deflect the entirety of its momentum as a result of the stone's slight spin.Though she was forced off balance momentarily, Jeanne caught herself almost immediately by planting her foot on the ground and using her toeas a pivot to spin around several times. At the end of her rather elegant movement, which would have surprised most professional dancers, Jeanne once again adopted her battle stance with natural grace. In response to this, the Hypergoblin Chieftain released a wrath-filled battlecry as the tattoos on its body more than doubled in intensity. The two surviving red-skinned Hypergoblins, the last of their lot, joined the cry alongside their Chieftain as they began to madly pepper Jeanne's location with sections of the Dungeon flooring.Without suffering a second direct blow, Jeanne was able to easily mitigate these attacks by staying relatively low to the ground and allowing the stones the graze off her shield. Impressively, though her kite shield had a high ranked [Durandal] property, there were small pockmarks appearing along its previously unblemished surface. This showed that, even after deflecting the stones, the force they carried couldn't be looked down on. If not for her ridiculously high defensive capabilities, just the secondary shockwaves might have been enough to bruise Jeanne's organs. Fortunately, though she still had to shrug off the forces passing into her body through her shield, Jeanne hardly even flinched in response as she continued her advance undaunted.Seeing that their attacks had little effect, the Chieftain stopped tossing stones as it lifted up a massive tree-sized club that looked like a gnarled piece of wood, even as it shone with a metallic sheen. It leaped forward, closing the 300m distance between itself and Jeanne in a single motion as it attempted to sweep her away with a flanking blow. Her blue eyes, peeking over the side of her shield, squinted slightly as she performed an instep to evade the heaviest part of the club before striking upwards with her sword. As a result of their size disparity, the Hypergoblin Chieftain completely missed its mark while, with the same dauntless momentum as her advance, Jeanne's sword moved forward like a beam of light as it severed the tendons in the monster's wrist.Even with its nigh-instantaneous regeneration, the momentum of its own swing caused the Chieftain to release its grip on the massive club. As a result, several unfortunate green-skinned Hypergoblins were turned into a meaty pulp by the wayward weapon while their Chieftain had its blazing red eyes fully focused on the petite figure of Jeanne. It was at this point that the latter activated her SS-Rank [Shield Slam], converting her monstrous resistances into raw physical power as she struck against the Chieftain's abdomen.A sound reminiscent of metal striking against metal rang through the area as the much larger Chieftain was forced back with even greater velocity than one of the thrown stones. It smashed through the rudimentary buildings of the encampment before coming to a stop nearly a kilometer away from its starting point. Instead of pursuing the Chieftain, which had easily survived the blow, Jeanne turned her attention to the two surviving red-skinned Hypergoblins as, true to her word, she intended to give Fenrir the opportunity to finish it off.Seeing their Chieftain sent flying, the surviving Hypergoblins all paused simultaneously as, for a brief moment, a silent lull had settled on the battlefield. Due to the stun that accompanied Jeanne's [Shield Slam], the Chieftain didn't climb out of the rubble quickly so, even though they had held out until now, the few remaining green-skinned Hypergoblins all began fleeing in mass. Even the two red-skinned brutes had turned statuesque but, seeing their lesser kin fleeing, the tattoos on their body flared up as they began slaughtering any who were foolish enough to get close. Curiously, their path of destruction took them in the same direction as the larger tide of green-skinned Hypergoblins instead of towards the waiting Jeanne...Witnessing the behavior of the shameless brutes, Jeanne's face formed a small frown as she activated her SS-Rank [Chasing Strike]. Though her own Agility allowed her to easily catch up with most enemies, this technique allowed her to even contend against Heroes that were known for their swift nature. As a result, Jeanne moved so quickly that a pseudo-solid afterimage, persisting nearly an entire second, was left in her wake. By the time it had faded away, Jeanne was already pulling her sword free from one of the Hypergoblin's backs before leaping towards the second one like a top loosed from its string. Her swipe cleaved through both of its muscular arms and torso, causing it to drop to the ground in four separate pieces before she deftly pierced the location of its monster core. This finally brought an end to the red-skinned tribe residing within the encampment and, with nothing left to keep them in line, almost every green-skinned Hypergoblin left began running for its life.Around the same time that the mass retreat had started, a pile of rubble in the distance exploded with a large red plume of the same red aura that clung to the bodies of the red-skinned Hypergoblins. This was the same location where the Chieftain had been buried previously so Jeanne wasn't surprised in the least while, even with their leader returning, the fleeing Hypergoblins responded by running away even faster. Replacing them on the battlefield was a figure cloaked in a midnight blue aura that radiated icy white light on the ends as it appeared next to Jeanne like a phantom. As she had already 'sensed' her arrival with the [Voice of the World], Jeanne dropped her battle-ready stance before looking towards the newly arrived Fenrir with a gentle look in her eyes.Allowing a smile to spread across her slightly tired face, Jeanne sheathed her sword within the slot of her kite shield before saying, "I'll leave the rest to you...haahaa..." As a result of fighting to meet her promised deadline, Jeanne was more tired than normal as, even without having sustained any actual injuries, it had been a long time since she went 'all-out' against enemies. There was a reason why her [Child of Light] was only D-Rank as, even though her Magic parameter was quite high, Jeanne was unable to use mana efficiently. Much of her 'talent' in the magical arts was a direct result of Helen's assistance so it wasn't easy for her to maintain her holy shroud for over half an hour.In response to Jeanne's words, Fenrir gave a curt nod as her voice raspily intoned, "You should return to Master..." Though she could temper her emotions easily enough outside of combat, Fenrir's glowing red eyes showed that she was a little too eager to enter into the fray. Jeanne could only smile wryly at this as, instead of returning to Vahn's side, she moved to a nearby wall to observe the battle directly. If things got out of hand, she would step in to protect Fenrir, even if it meant the latter would hold a grudge against her for months to come. With what she knew of her Lord's disposition, the odds of Fenrir being in actual danger were slim but, having sworn to protect everything her Lord held dear, Jeanne couldn't be a simple bystander.Following Jeanne's movements with her eyes, Fenrir adopted a small frown on her face before kicking against the ground and meeting the charge of the much larger Chieftain. It had paused after seeing a second enemy appear but, now that Jeanne had moved off to the side, it's fear had been tempered as it set its sights on the much weaker target that had replaced her. Though its instincts caused its skin to crawl in response to the glimmering red eyes of Fenrir, a primal desire to crush the existence of Fenrir welled up within the heart of the Chieftain. All monsters fought for supremacy over each other so, even though it could sense that Fenrir was a higher-tiered existence, it refused to back down as, if it was able to devour her core, its strength would increase exponentially...Just as she was about to collide with the Chieftain, Fenrir curled her body up into a ball before kicking outward with both feet. She had created a foothold in the air right in front of the Hypergoblins charge, instantly changing the direction of her charge as its large body slammed into the area where they would have previously met. As if it were punching into paste, the Hypergoblin Chieftain's arm sunk into the hard bedrock of the Dungeon as a ripple spread out from the point of contact. In the next instant, an explosion rang through the area at the same time that Fenrir reappeared, claws glimmering with a subtle silver glow.In most circumstances, catching an enemy by surprise would have brought a swift end to the fight but, in a manner similar to the first Hypergoblin the party had encountered, a second explosion began to spread outwards from the Hypergoblin Chieftain's body. Fenrir was in the middle of her attack as the powerful Flame Elemental energy pulse collided with her body, carrying with it the peculiar electrical energy that naturally emanated from the aura of every red-skinned Hypergoblin. As a result, she was flung backward like a ragdoll before spinning through the air several times and kicking off another foothold she had created. By the time Fenrir appeared again, there were burns over each exposed area of her flesh which, considering she didn't like to wear much clothing in combat, meant her entire abdomen, arms, neck, legs, and face were burned.With an even fiercer glint in her eyes than before, Fenrir entered right into the Hypergoblin Chieftain's range before unhinging her jaw and biting down on its neck in a single vicious movement. This caused a massive hole to appear before an almost solid stream of blood began to squirt out from the severed arteries, dousing Fenrir's badly burned body and exacerbating her already serious injuries. The blood of a normal red-skinned Hypergoblin carried a great deal of Flame Elemental energy whenever they were using their unique skill so, with the Chieftain already in an enraged state, its blood at away like an acid wherever it touched the equally enraged Vangargandr...Though he had promised not to intervene, both of Vahn's hands had formed fists as he watched the battle with cold eyes. He managed to prevent himself from stepping, knowing that the [Effigy of the Hero] would protect her, but several regrets ran through Vahn's mind as he watched Fenrir fight against a marginally stronger foe. At the very top of the list were the concessions he had made in the design of Fenrir's combat attire as, if she had been fully covered, she wouldn't have suffered an injury at the very beginning of the fight. Though this was primarily the result of the peculiar energy contained within the Chieftain's 'pulse', seemingly able to ignore the magical aura protecting Fenrir's body, Vahn couldn't help but tightly clench his teeth as he watched their brutal fight continue to play out before him...Even in her enraged state, Fenrir didn't completely forgo thinking how to best her opponent as she began to dance around it using her superior speed to look for an opening. This was to buy her body time to regenerate as she sent spears of ice crashing into the Chieftain's body to slow it down. Fortunately, even though it had a natural Fire Elemental Affinity, her attacks were still having an effect thanks to the presence of Source Energy contained within. As a result, the Chieftain's speed was being drained by each successive spear of ice as parts of its red flesh began to turn dark from frostbite. It's only means to counteract Fenrir's barrage was to adopt a defensive posture while periodically releasing pulses of electrical flames from its body. Unfortunately for the Chieftain, Fenrir wasn't foolish enough to get caught a second time. Using [Shundo], she was able to move outside of the pulse's range in an instant before hitting the Chieftain with a large-scale magic attack. She had noticed that its resilience was weakened after using the pulse, taking advantage of the opportunity to deal lasting damage to spite the Chieftain's attempt to harm her.Realizing it was at a disadvantage, the Chieftain covered its head with both arms before charging into a nearby building to break Fenrir's line of sight. When she saw this, Fenrir snorted through her nose but, instead of pursuing directly, she instead created a foothold in the air before spreading both paws wide. The aura around her body increased in intensity as a series of magical circles began to form a few centimeters away from her fleshy paw pads. Though she wasn't nearly as prolific as Terra, Fenrir shared the same elemental affinities as Eva so, while her magical power was lacking, she wasn't incapable of using the more powerful spells taught by her 'second' Master.With a strangely prideful expression on her face, Fenrir shouted, "Master, give me strength~!" at the top of her lungs. This caused the magic circles around her to nearly double in size before she converged them together and began chanting, "Come, Spirits of Ice and Darkness! Bring Eternal Darkness to those who flee the Snowstorm! Nivis Tempestas Obscurans~!"Even before Fenrir's chant had finished, the surrounding temperature had started to rapidly decrease as the already low-lit Dungeon became progressively darker. The moment the final syllable left her lips, a tempestuous wind began to converge upon the building where the Chieftain had fled. It didn't take long at all for this wind to turn into a literal tornado of ice but, unlike a regular Ice Elemental spell, there were threads of pure black contained within the frosty white of the tornado. As Fenrir also had Affinities with Darkness and Yin Elemental energy, she could infuse it into her attacks, greatly increasing the potency of ice magic as a result.By the time Fenrir's attack had come to an end, the building containing the Chieftain had been reduced to nothingness as peculiar black ice spread out for several hundred meters from the impact point. As for Fenrir herself, she was slowly descending from the sky while taking deep breaths, desperately fighting against unconsciousness after overtaxing her reserves. Fortunately, she had a habit of carrying around magic cores and high-quality potions within her pouch so Fenrir was able to crunch down a few cores to avoid collapsing. She didn't know whether or not the Chieftain had actually been killed by her attack so, until its death could be confirmed, Fenrir remained on full-alert for any sign of movement.Without having to wait long, Vahn appeared in the area with a concerned look in his eyes and a proud smile on his face. With his presence, Fenrir knew she had won the fight so she allowed her wobbling legs to give out, trusting that her Master would catch her. She hadn't even fallen three centimeters before a pair of warm arms embraced her body and a large palm found its way to the back of her head. With her Master's fingers running through her hair, Fenrir allowed herself to fall asleep with a small smile on her quickly healing face. She had already been regenerating quickly so, after eating a few magic cores, her appearance had almost returned to normal by the time her Master had shown up to retrieve her. It was a secret that would be locked away deep within her heart that she had actually drawn out the fight a bit for that express purpose...Holding Fenrir's small figure in his arms, Vahn released a sigh of relief after seeing that she had no serious injuries. Other than overtaxing her mana-circuits, which would heal by the time she awoke, most of Fenrir's other injuries had vanished as a result of her body's ability to always revert back to its default state. Though this had been a big 'problem' in the past, before Lili had bestowed her [Cinder*Ella] upon her, it was at times like this that Vahn was grateful for nature of Fenrir's body. Thus, while cradling her body within his arms, Vahn descended next to Jeanne and Helen before uttering in a gentle tone, "Let's find a place to rest. Jeanne, I'll have you cook this time..."With her A-Rank [Cooking] Development Ability, Jeanne was more than capable of taking up the task so she happily returned a smile before saying, "Leave it to me, my Lord. I'll make something nutritious that will help Lady Fenrir recover even faster...!" As her food literally carried several benefits, the least of which could temporarily boost the parameters of whoever ate it, Jeanne had full confidence that she could make good on her promise. Being fully aware of this, Vahn gave a nod in response before turning his attention towards the 'ground zero' of Fenrir's last attack. There were small fragments of blackened ice that would likely persist for several months, each containing small chunks of what used to be the Level 8 Chieftain...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Indomitable Jeanne','Master, give me strength~!','Ain't no kill quite like over-kill~!')(A/N: I think I figured out why I'm waking up two hours later than normal. It's because I was on the west coast, which means that my body is waking up at the time it 'expects', around 5am, even though it is 7am CST xD. Once my bio-rhythm returns to normal, there shouldn't be any more delays ^_^...)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 1004: Changing Tides