Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Deep beneath the Ivory Castle, Vahn found himself accompanied by Rin, Artoria, Da Vinci, and, even if it might not have been the best idea, Sophia. If she was left with other people, the odds of Sophia running off or playing pranks were close to 100% so, considering her general intrigue in everything, Vahn had allowed her to enter the Welsh Dragon's chamber alongside her mother.While waiting for the summoning system to finish charging, Vahn was standing idle with Rin's hand linked with his as they made small talk. Though it wasn't necessary for her to be present for what he had planned, she had asked to attend. Considering she would be separating from someone that had shared the same body with her for nearly two years at this point, he wasn't surprised by her wanting to witness the event directly.When the massive formation finally activated, Vahn gave a curt nod toward Rin before having her move off to the side. He doubted anything would happen if someone else was inside the circle when he activated it but, as there was no reason to take any risks, Vahn felt more at ease with her standing alongside everyone else.The moment Vahn activated the summoning system, he found himself in the endless black abyss that held the Throne of Heroes. It felt like only a few days had passed since his last visit but, as this was a 'good' thing, Vahn couldn't help but smile as he made his way over to the three stone panels.After confirming that Ereshkigal was one of the options inscribed into the Throne, Vahn did a soft reset before performing an experiment he had already discussed with the others. This involved him searching up the names of various conceptual entities, the first of which being Maxwell's Demon.Vahn wasn't at all surprised by the fact that Maxwell's Demon appeared in the list but, when he saw it's Parameters, Skills, and available Classes, he couldn't help blink in surprise. Even relatively normal people had multiple Classes available so, seeing that Maxwell's Demon only had the Caster Class was a mild surprise. What really caught him off guard, however, was the fact that it had null values for all of its Parameters, the only exception being its Noble Phantasm grade. Stranger still was the fact that it only had a single Skill and, for reasons he couldn't understand, completely lacked the Class Skills that should come with being a Caster Servant.From this simple experiment, Vahn was able to confirm many things. He had the ability to summon conceptual entities, as expected, but he had also learned that there were unexpected 'exceptions' in the Servant-Class System. This was useful information as it implied there was much to learn about the Throne of Heroes, questions that would need answers if he wanted to take full advantage of it in the future.After resisting the temptation to summon Maxwell's Demon, even though it was the most 'rational' choice to make, Vahn looked up names like Laplace's Demon, the Seven Deadly Sins, and the Seven Virtues. All of these searches bore fruit and, if Vahn really wanted to take advantage of the Throne of Heroes, summoning any one of them would be a tremendous boon to the Empire. After all, it was nearly impossible to kill a conceptual entity without either removing its influence from the world or having one of a few phenomenally powerful Divine Constructs.With his second experiment a success, Vahn was in a great mood as he keyed in what could be considered one of the most important conceptual entities, Spenta Mainyu. It was the counterpart to Angra Mainyu within Zoroastrianism, representing 'All good in the World'. Though there were no guarantees they would be able to actually counteract Angra Mainyu's influence, Vahn felt that it wasn't a stretch to consider that Spenta Mainyu would have one of the most powerful forms of purification.To Vahn's surprise, Spenta Mainyu actually had Parameters for itself, unlike the majority of other conceptual entities. Though most of its values were abysmally low, it had EX-Rank Luck and an EX-Ranked Skill called [Guidance of the Wise Lord]. It also had the exceptionally rare Saver-Class, but this wasn't unexpected considering what it represented. According to the description of its Skill, it had the ability to purify the wickedness in all things.Vahn spent a few moments wondering what influence Spenta Mainyu would have on the World but, as he had already come here for a specific purpose, he eventually set the matter aside before calling up Ereshkigal's name once again. He wasn't surprised when the Administrator of the Throne told him that she needed a new vessel to inhabit so, after a few awkward minutes, Vahn had produced a body that looked almost identical to Ereshkigal, albeit with the internal structure of Rin.Since it was possible to even use inanimate objects as a vessel, the body he prepared was obviously accepted by the Throne so, after confirming the selection, Vahn found himself back in reality. The vessel he had created was floating in front of him with its arms spread wide, completely nude for all the world to see. It was for this reason that Merlin had not accompanied them today as, quoting the bashful golden-haired Goddess, she would "Tear his eyes out and burn his soul for a thousand years if he dared look upon her naked form".As a phenomenal amount of mana was flowing into the vessel he had prepared, Vahn noticed a blue vapor, similar to a ghostly flame, flowing from Rin's body. This made her feel a little weakened but, with her strong body and Ishtar's support, she wasn't in any danger. Vahn breathed a sigh of relief after confirming she was okay. At the same time, the light surrounding Ereshkigal's vessel slowly dissipated as her black crown and raiment took form.With the possession complete, Ereshkigal slowly peeled her eyes open as she gently descended to the floor. She seemed a little confused at first but, after a few seconds, a radiant smile spread across her face. Then, with a light blush coloring her cheeks, she looked toward him and said, "I feel...closer to you..." while walking over and giving him a hug.Vahn obviously didn't refuse Ereshkigal's affection but, before they could enjoy the moment, another figure pressed into his back, wrapping its arms around and making its two soft mounds known as Ishtar teased, "Now we can have even more fun together~"Ereshkigal had a slightly annoyed expression on her face in response to her sister's interruption but, rather than argue against her, she ultimately gave a small nod that caused Ishtar to laugh. With this, Vahn knew he was in for a long night as he would now have to contend against two Goddesses at the same time, rather than tending to them one at a time. This was well within his capabilities but, just imagining the two sisters overlapped with each other caused his heart to flutter...Ishtar was 'very' sensitive to such thoughts so she began to playfully nibble on his ear until Vahn ultimately shrugged the two sisters off after mumbling in a stern tone, "Behave in front of Sophia." This caused Ishtar to poke her tongue out at him but she still obeyed by returning control over to Rin. In truth, Ishtar had a long-lasting rivalry with her sister so, now that they could both manifest at the same time, she was really looking forward to how they would compete against each other in the near future.---After discussing the results of his experiment with Da Vinci, Vahn escorted her and Sophia back to the Workshop before regrouping with Rin and Ereshkigal. Artoria had already returned to her own duties so, after dismissing Gareth, Vahn was left alone with the two nearly identical women and his three lovable little children.Ereshkigal was cradling Daiki in her arm while Naavi sat obediently in her lap with an almost identical smile on her face. As for Rin or, more specifically, Ishtar, she was playing with Isanna's hair while the young Vanir was looking around the room with a bored expression. When she noticed his arrival, however, Isanna adopted her usual smile as she hopped out of Ishtar's lap and exclaimed, "Papa~!" in a happy tone.In the next moment, Vahn found himself catching Isanna out of the air after she teleported right in front of him. Though she could have easily just floated on her own, she had triggered his fatherly proximity system, meaning her fate had been sealed. As a result, Isanna was giggling and laughing as he snatched her out of the air and carried her over to the sofa to sit between the two Goddesses.Ishtar had a pretend pout on her face as she complained, "Isanna, you can't just leave Mommy like that. You'll break our heart, you know~?" In response to this, Isanna giggled mischievously before hugging him tightly and replying, "Isanna loves Papa and Daiki the most though~?" before laughing once again as her mother puffed out her cheeks adorably...After a bit of reshuffling, Vahn ended up with Isanna and Naavi seated in his lap while he had Daiki leaning against his chest. His sides were occupied by Rin and Ereshkigal as they all enjoyed some family bonding time. This time around, they weren't watching one of his memories, but a children's movie that was popular in the outside world. Isanna and Naavi had a mental age of 8 and 5 so they could easily follow along with the plot while happily picking away at a plate of mochi he had set out for them.Vahn really enjoyed spending time with his family like this but, as it was already pretty late, it wasn't long before Naavi had joined Daiki, falling asleep while leaning lazily against him. Thus, despite a few complaints from Isanna, Vahn carried all three of them to their bedroom before tucking them into a customized crib. Isanna and Naavi were already too big for a crib and, as Daiki was usually snuggly tucked between them, there wasn't any danger in them sleeping in a 'relatively' normal bed. In the future, this room would be shared by the two sisters while Daiki would eventually have to move into the room on the opposite side. He expected the girls to complain quite a bit but, as he was worried about how Daiki would develop if he was constantly pampered by his sisters, Vahn was building his resolve against their inevitable tears...Once the children were tucked in, Vahn gave a polite greeting to the Governesses assigned to the triplets before retiring to Rin's room. He had already expected Ishtar to pull something but Vahn was still pleasantly surprised upon entering the room. He found the two sister Goddesses wearing their raiments as Ishtar straddled Ereshkigal from above as the two shared a very passionate kiss. It was a sight to behold so Vahn leaned against the threshold of the door for a while, curious to see how long they could keep it up...Ishtar was obviously aware of his presence but, pretending to be ignorant, she continued egging her sister onward until her knee was between the golden-goddess' thighs, This caused Ereshkigal to pull her lips free as she bit on her finger to stifle a moan. It was only after this that Ishtar sat at the side with a flushed face as she wiped away a layer of moisture from her lips and asked, "We don't mind if you want to watch, but our sister may not appreciate it nearly as much~"Ereshkigal weakly raised her body after hearing Isthar's words, causing Vahn to swallow audibly as she looked towards him with a pleading expression and mewled, "Vahnnn..." He obviously couldn't just stand idle after she called out his name so, using [Shundo], Vahn immediately appeared in the bed. After this, Ishtar practically glued herself to him as she leaned against his back and whispered into his ear, "You'll make us jealous if you only pay attention to our sister..."Rather than get flustered, Vahn released a lighthearted laugh in response to Ishtar's words before snaking his body around her and pulling her body to his front. She issued a playful 'kyaa' and was going to tease him more but, before she was able to, Vahn was already leaning over her with a wolfish grin on his face. This caused Ishtar a moment of pause as her eyes widened slightly and a light flush covered her cheeks. Inside of her body, Rin was tomato red as, from her perspective, she could see a rosy color surrounding Vahn's figure as he slowly leaned down and began kissing her counterpart's lips.Despite his 'focus' on Ishtar, Vahn had extended his left hand to Ereshkigal as she sat close at his side. She took the initiative to gingerly kiss and suckle at his fingers before moving on to licking and sucking them. Once her tensions had built up a bit, he removed his hand from her mouth before finally releasing Ishtar from his devilish tongue. Despite being a Goddess of Sex, Ishtar rarely had the advantage against Vahn as, perhaps due to Freya's training, Goddesses of Sex were surprisingly easy for him to handle.After pulling Ishtar to a seated position, Vahn had the two twins leaning against him as he took turns kissing them. At the same time, his hands had snuck around to their backs and, with them leaning forward slightly, he had easy access to their impeccably soft butts and the moist gardens nearby. In this position, he could easily work on both girls in a way that few could match. He could even make his fingers slightly thicker and longer so that all of their weak spots were within reach, causing both Goddesses to shake and tremble as he prevented their escape.Though Ishtar should be able to easily outlast Ereshkigal, Vahn made sure to measure his actions so that the two climaxed at the same time. He knew that Ishtar had a strange complex toward her sister so heh intended to make it as difficult as possible for her to achieve any kind of 'victory' against the comparably innocent Goddess. As for Ereshkigal, she wasn't competitive at all and, unless Ishtar was the one to initiate something, she just went with the flow with an obedient eagerness that was, in more ways than one, very endearing.At this point, Vahn felt it wouldn't be long before even Ereshkigal tried to attack him so, before he lost the initiative, he released the two from his embrace, allowing them to plop onto the bed with flushed faces and glazed eyes. Then, to prevent Ishtar from trying to get any kind of advantage, Vahn put a little bit of strength into his palm as he pushed her down to the bed. This caused Ishtar to lick her lips in expectation, at least until she heard him say, "Ereshkigal, I want you to straddle your sister. Line up your hips as much as possible..."Ishtar began to breathe a little faster but, instead of refusing Vahn's arrangement, she just spread her legs wide since she knew what he had in mind. Whenever he would invite other women to share her bed, she was usually the one on top so, while frustrating, it was actually exciting to be pinned down, at least every now and then. She could see how nervous her sister was so, while their positions were the opposite of expectations, Ishtar still felt like she was in the dominant position as she snaked her arms around Ereshkigal's neck as if ensnaring her.Vahn felt a little helpless seeing how the two sisters interacted but, with one of the most beautiful sights conceivable in front of him, he was easily distracted. There was nothing quite like seeing two women perfectly lined up against each other, especially if they were twins. Thus, without wasting any time, Vahn positioned himself between them, using their plump pelvic mounds like a tunnel as his glans, already suffused with a rainbow hue, poked and prodded their clitorises simultaneously. Then, just as Ereshkigal was nearing a climax, Vahn adjusted his angle enough to give Ishtar quite the surprise when he suddenly knocked against her cervix in the return thrust.In this manner, Vahn took turns pistoning the two Goddesses, chaining together an equal number of climaxes without giving them any time to relax. Though this required him to focus on Ishtar quite a bit more than Ereshkigal, the latter didn't seem to mind it at all as she left several visible hickeys on the former's neck. She actually didn't care about sex all that much, only the emotional connection it allowed her to experience with the people she loved. She would be content just sitting in silence and holding hands so, with Vahn massaging her lower back and butt, she was perfectly content 'helping' conquer her sister completely.As could be expected from Goddesses, Ereshkigal and Ishtar had seemingly limitless stamina so, after five hours and several position changes, Vahn brought things to an end by initiating a very weak version of a meld. This caused Ishtar's eyes to glaze over completely as she had been riding his hips while, at the side, Ereshkigal dug her nails into his arm as his fingers targetted her weak spots with unerring accuracy.By the time the short meld had ended, a section of the bedspread now glimmered like divine silk while the headboard, which was made of a lavish, richly colored wood, now had a slight gold hue to it. Vahn knew that a meld could cause the objects in the surroundings to be refined by the melding Divinities so he wasn't too surprised by this occurrence. Instead, he had a contented smile on his face as the two Goddesses used his chest as a pillow while trying to regulate their breathing. Ishtar could keep going but, as she needed to give Rin a chance to have some fun, she ultimately tapped out after falling silent for several minutes.With Rin back in control of her own body, she curled up into a fetal position with her body trembling madly as a result of the ambient energies in her body. She couldn't help but curse Vahn and Ishtar, causing the latter's laughter to resound in her mind while the former began to stroke her back in a gentle and calming manner. This didn't last too long, however, as Ereshkigal eventually tidied herself up to go tend to the children, leaving Rin at the mercy of a tyrannical wolf and an unyielding dragon that seemed as indomitable as the infinite sky above...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Angra Mainyu's counter!?','Quality time xD','RIP Rin')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

In the weeks following Ereshkigal's summoning, Vahn got to experience just how much she had been holding back out of consideration for Rin.Though most of her time was spent with the children but, Ereshkigal would often appear whenever Vahn had free time in his schedule. She rarely came with the intention to do anything intimate but, if he wasn't busy, she just liked to spend time with him.Vahn couldn't always make time for Ereshkigal but, whenever she appeared, he always spent at least a few minutes with her before escorting her back. Just walking hand-in-hand for a bit seemed to be enough to satisfy her, at least temporarily, so this was the least he could do.Since his own schedule had been opened up quite a bit, Vahn often found himself escorting one or more of his lovers throughout the day. However, with the duel drawing closer with each passing day, this slowly but surely changed. Though he wasn't training much himself, he had been helping guide others in their training after they saw how much progress Gareth had made in such a short period of time.The person to benefit the most from his guidance was none other than Artoria. She was going to be the one participating in the duel and, though her strength was already more than enough to defeat almost any foe, she was never complacent in her training.Though they had to move their training to his personal orb, as it was rather embarrassing, Vahn had been helping Artoria refine her body and the holy energy contained within. Since her current body had been provided by him, she was extremely susceptible to the influence of his Source Energy. This had caused a few 'problems' in the beginning but, once she knew what to expect, Artoria was able to tolerate the procedure with a red face as she did her best to sit straight without fidgeting.Artoria already had a functionally infinite amount of mana and EX-Ranked Magic Circuits so the main focus of her training was increasing her fine control over her mana and her maximum output. Right now, she was like a faucet that had been attached to a large pool. It was possible to force out more mana through the same opening but, as a result, Artoria would seriously damage her own body.Without [Avalon]'s regeneration, Artoria wouldn't be able to make full use of her power, even while it was sealed. With it, so long as she could withstand torturous pain, Artoria was able to wield greater power without having to worry about the consequences. If she activated [Avalon]'s true power, she would temporarily become immortal while her maximum output had no upper limits.While [Avalon] seemed to have no weaknesses, the truth was that it had numerous. Though it was almost impossible to exploit, Artoria couldn't actually attack while [Avalon] was active, meaning she had to use her [Instinct], monstrously high luck, and battle experience to attack in the brief interval when an enemy's attack had failed. This didn't matter against most foes but, if her opponent was clever enough, they could essentially force her to remain on the defensive without ever giving her the chance to attack.The biggest weakness of [Avalon], however, was that it slowly ate away at Artoria's will to even do battle. Since Avalon was supposed to be a peaceful Utopia with various restrictions, Artoria admitted that her mind would begin to wander the longer she was inside. It was just too comfortable to stay inside so, rather than continue fighting hard battles, she would begin to develop the urge to just stop fighting and relax. Though it brought a ruddy blush to her cheeks, she compared it to how he would make her feel after 'tending' to her for a few hours.In order to make her less reliant on [Avalon], Vahn was helping Artoria strengthen her body while she tempered her mind. She was using an A-Rank meditation technique called [Mind of the White Jade Empress] to unilaterally strengthen her soul while simultaneously cultivating a mentality that allowed for absolute focus. It also had the effect of purifying all forms of energy, further strengthening the Holy Elemental energy in her body.Whenever Artoria was meditating, her body would be veiled in a white halo which, combined with her ethereal beauty, created a truly breathtaking sight. Though she was a very petite and delicate-looking woman, a noble and dignified aura would spread through the surroundings, giving her the presence of an inviolable Goddess. Knowing she was his Empress, Vahn was always filled with pride and a peculiar sense of 'awe' whenever he saw her in this state...Curiously, while others would often produce a foul-smelling and murky substance whenever they began cultivating seriously, Artoria hadn't changed in the slightest. Her skin was pearl-white and entirely without blemish while her hair glistened like gold-dust, even in the low light of a candlelit room.The only real change had been her eyes which, in the past, were a clear and pristine green that reflected a serene and confident light. Now, the green of her eyes had started to fade as a sheen of pure silver slowly replaced it. This made Artoria seem even nobler than before, causing anyone who made eye contact with her to feel a strong desire to look away and lower their head.Artoria had been surprised when her eyes began to change colors but, as her strength was steadily increasing, she never once considered learning a new technique. Instead, she embraced the change and was looking forward to future changes as, for the past 37 years, her body had been stuck in the same state. Though she would like to 'grow' a bit more, having her eyes change color was enough to bring a smile to her face whenever she caught her own reflection...---WIth Artoria training hard, it was a given that Gray was putting in a considerable amount of effort herself. She had already returned Rhongomyniad to Artoria but, after a discussion with Vivian, her Mystic Codex, the sentient weapon Add, had been strengthened considerably. Though she had to have several restrictions placed on her, mainly to prevent Vivian from being corrupted if it was used for malicious purposes, Gray had no problem with this at all.The main function of Add, which was its ability to transform into a variety of weapons, hadn't been changed in the slightest. Instead, it had been enchanted with several powerful enchantments, each formed from [Fairy Rune]s. This elevated it to the same level as a Noble Phantasm like Balmung and Excalibur, meaning her power would qualitatively increase, at least when she was wielding Add.In total, Add had three enchantments placed on it, each placing a different restriction on Gray. This included a comparable level of regeneration to Artoria's [Avalon], albeit without the ability to place her body safely on the Reverse Side of the World. So long as her head was not instantaneously destroyed, she was functionally immortal.Gray already had incredible regeneration due to her nature as a Dead Apostle so the main purpose of this enhancement was to conceal her identity. In exchange, the restriction placed on her was that she could only activate the enchantment 'with the intent to protect others'. Since her duty was to serve as Artoria's 'shadow', there would rarely, if ever, come a time when she was unable to make use of this enchantment...The other two enchantments placed on Add were the truly important ones as they gave Gray an incredible amount of power, albeit at the cost of having powerful restrictions placed on her. This included allowing her to drain the power of others, absorbing mana and storing it inside of Add to further enhance her explosive damage potential. As for the final enchantment, it allowed her to 'cut through anything', including the void itself. In exchange, she could only use this ability when fighting against a 'foe that threatens the World' while her final restriction prevented her power from being used against 'an enemy weaker than herself'.If the conditions were met, Gray could even rival A-Rank Heroic Spirits, placing her around the same level as Artoria in her sealed state. Since the only reason the enchantments wouldn't activate was if she were essentially fighting against someone weaker than herself, it was a tremendous boon that allowed her to fight almost indefinitely. After all, she continually siphon the magic power from her opponents and, with her constitution as a Dead Apostle, Gray had functionally infinite stamina.With her increased capabilities, Gray had been taking her training very seriously so as not to be completely useless in her self-assigned task. She refused to be weak and defenseless so, knowing that the Bathomeloi family was targetting her, Gray had an even stronger drive that Artoria to grow stronger. When the duel came to an end, she intended to be one of the people fighting on the frontline, not someone stuck in the back being protected.Vahn could, quite literally, feel Gray's conviction through the bond they shared. Thus, whilst Artoria and Scáthach were changing the lay of the land in their battle, he had the monochromatic girl in his lap as she, quite vigorously, sucked his blood. At the same time, he had his hand oner her back, one near her heart and the other adjacent to where her 'core' was located. He not only helped her refine her Magic Circuits further but also guided the Source Energy contained in his blood so that it had an even greater effect on her body.Though he would never admit it, Vahn was quite fond of his time with Gray as, for obvious reasons, she reminded him a lot of Eva. He still had the latter's memory fragment curled up in a fetal position within his soul, patiently awaiting the day he would awaken her. Vahn knew she would lambast him for having so many women at his side but, with an eternity to share, he hoped she forgave him after a bit of coaxing.Since she could sense his wayward thoughts, Gray began to put more effort into sucking his blood, causing Vahn to chuckle lightly as he stroked her back and whispered, "You're adorable..." This made the flush on her face even more prominent and, due to her face forming a smile, a trickle of blood managed to break free from where her lips were overlapped with his neck. After realizing this, Gray stopped sucking his blood before lowering her head and, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, licking up the trail of blood before it could stray too far.After licking up the wayward blood, Gray licked her lips before looking up at him and opening her mouth, seemingly to show that she had swallowed it properly. This allowed Vahn to see her sharp canines and, feeling a little playful, he began to trace his thumb along her lip before bringing it to test how sharp her fangs were. They were, as expected, very sharp so, despite being immune to any attack beneath B-Rank, Vahn's thumb ended up getting pricked by the ivory white protrusion.In response to her Master's antics, Gray closed her lips around his thumb and began to suckle on it while maintaining eye contact with him. This caused a smile to immediately spread across his face, something that made Gray's heart flutter madly in her chest. She began to breathe a little heavily through her nose but, before they could take things any further, a loud explosion rippled outward from several kilometers away. Immediately after that, a shockwave reached them but, using his domain, Vahn was easily able to dissipate the force contained within.While still sitting in her Master's lap, Gray craned her head to see a large cloud of devastation as blue and scarlet mana fought for supremacy against each other. It looked like something you would only see at the end of the world, almost as if good and evil were fighting one final climactic battle. In this instance, 'evil' seemed to win out as, after several tense moments, the radiant blue energy was overwhelmed by the scarlet tempest.Scáthach lacked the means to contest Artoria's [Avalon] but, in a direct engagement, she was still far more skilled than the golden-haired Knight Empress. With Vahn's 'fragment' inside of her body, she had a functionally infinite amount of mana with far greater mastery than Artoria. Though she might not be able to 'win' against [Avalon], there were several ways in which she could bring the fight to a favorable end.This time around, Scáthach had used reddish-black chains to bind Artoria's body after separating her from [Excalibur]. Vahn could see that much of Artoria's armor had been destroyed, her right hand bound while her left hand was preventing a chain from wrapping around her neck. Unfortunately, she lacked the physical strength to contend against Scáthach and, without activating [Avalon], the chains had started to corrode at her flesh. This forced the overpowered Noble Phantasm to activate without her intent, bringing the fight to an end due to their prior agreement.After the chains released her body, Artoria released a tired sigh as she shook her head and stated, "I still have a long way to go. Thank you for your guidance."Despite being an Empress, Artoria still bowed toward Scáthach as, while the latter had significantly lower status, it was never improper to lower your head to someone willing to teach and help you. If she didn't have this type of personality, Scáthach wouldn't even bother to train her, despite having already acknowledged Artoria's potential.Once Artoria raised her head, Scáthach gave an approving nod before saying, "Acknowledging one's own faults is necessary for growth. You have endless potential and an unwavering nature...I only wish my other student followed your example..."As she spoke, Scáthach turned her eyes briefly toward where Vahn and Gray were waiting, causing Artoria to smile while shaking her head. She knew that Scáthach was being sincere but, while the cold beauty might not have realized it herself, many, included Artoria, had noticed the subtle change in her character. While her reasoning behind having Vahn take a break was sound, they speculated that Scáthach herself had needed a break from relentlessly beating her beloved pupil.Though it would have been more prudent to stay silent, Artoria decided that it was her duty to take her husband's side on this matter. Her smile became slightly more pronounced as she firmly stated, "A time will come when Vahn has no equals in this world. You know better than most how lonely it is to be peerless...it is our duty to make sure he does not break from the burden."While Artoria was speaking Scáthach had been staring directly at her with the same blank expression she was known for. In the end, however, the corner of her lips arced upward ever so slightly as she nodded her head and answered, "I know my duty well, Empress of Knights...so long as the possibility of death is not denied me, I will continue to support that man until he is satisfied..."Artoria could sense the sincerity in Scáthach's words but, perhaps due to the Fate she was purported to have, she knew there was something 'more' behind the peerless warrior's words. This caused her heart to palpitate and, for a brief moment, Artoria felt a powerful urge to unleash her power against Scáthach...Seeing how Artoria had reacted, Scáthach's smile became more prominent as she squinted her eyes and added, "You needn't worry...I am content playing the part I have been given..."By the time Scáthach had finished speaking, her body had already vanished into thin air, making it impossible for even Artoria to sense her. This wasn't the normal way in which a Heroic Spirit would turn into a spirit, as Scáthach still had to wait up to an hour after combat. Instead, she was using a potent form of [Presence Concealment] in conjunction with several other Skills to make her presence within the void.After witnessing this, Artoria felt even greater concern but, considering Scáthach's nature, she felt that her worries were unwarranted. Though she felt a primal sense of urgency, almost as if she was going to lose something intrinsic to her survival, Artoria's rational told her this wasn't the case. If anything, she felt threatened as a 'woman', something she had never experienced in regards to the other women at Vahn's side.Though Vahn had incredible capabilities, to the point of even being able to conquer a Goddess with a Divinity related to Sex, Artoria felt that he would ultimately lose out against Scáthach. She didn't know why, but this actually terrified her quite a bit more than she expected. Something about Vahn being defeated in the bedroom filled her with an instinctual fear as, compared to all the fantastical things surrounding her Master and husband, the one thing she couldn't imagine was him losing at the thing he seemed peerless at...Without her notice, several minutes had passed since Scáthach's departure. Artoria had just been standing in the middle of a devastated landscape with a thoughtful expression on her face. She didn't even notice when Vahn and Gray approaching her until his voiced reached her ears. This caused Artoria to startle before her face developed a deep flush when she saw how the two were looking at her.Vahn was amused by Artoria's reaction and was planning to tease her a bit until, moments later, she shattered the foundation of everything he thought he knew by saying, "From now on, I want you to teach me how to have sex...I want to see the limits of your capabilities. Teach me everything and I'll do my best to improve so that you can polish your skills further..."By the time Artoria finished her request, all three of them had scarlet red faces while Vahn's mind had stopped functioning entirely. He had no idea what brought this on but, seeing how 'serious' she was, Vahn felt like it was impossible to refuse. He was even beginning to feel a little nervous as, in the past, Artoria only ever had this expression when she was preparing for hard training. Though the blush was a new addition, he knew she wouldn't take no for an answer...From that moment onward, Vahn's training with the two girls had an extra, infinitely more intimate component. Things progressed so quickly that, by the time he was preparing to summon Maxwell's Demon, Vahn had even awakened his first Divinity in the Nasuverse...one relating to Sex. At the same time, the girls around him all had glowing skin and happy smiles while Artoria and Gray, in particular, experienced a qualitative change in their strength and disposition...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Everyone is working hard (UwU)','Scátach's true intentions!?','( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)7...'https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

By the time two weeks had passed in the real world, a total of fourteen came to pass within the Projection. In this span of time, Vahn had been spending a lot of time with his family while making the final preparations for the showdown against the Barthomeloi Family. More important than this, however, was the fact he had helped bring two more children into this world, courtesy of Luvia and Circe.Luvia had, surprisingly, gone into labor before Circe, despite having gotten pregnant several days later, at least from the perspective of those within the Projection. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl with the same golden locks that the Edelfelt family was known for. This most important thing, though Vahn didn't particularly care about it, was that his new daughter, Ullagelita, had inherited her mother's [Golden Rule:EX] without issue. Her Guardian even took on the form of a Golden Dragon of Prosperity, a forty-centimeter long western dragon whelp with tiny wings, golden scales, and vibrant, ruby-red eyes.On the day of Ulla's birth, Vahn had invited over Luvia's family to celebrate alongside her before helping them get settled into their Manor. The Dwarves had managed to construct a lavish Manor in less than a week, with the exterior grounds and basic structure having been completed within the span of two days. They were incredibly skilled builders and, though it wasn't as sturdy as the Ivory Castle, anything less than B-Rank, tactical-class Magecraft, would struggle to deal any substantial damage to the core structure.It was during the same seven-day cycle, when everyone was still celebrating the birth of Ulla, that Circe went into labor. Vahn had been in the middle of a discussion with the three generations of Edelfelt's when Alaya informed him of the situation. He had to quickly excuse himself as, with Circe's nature, she wouldn't take kindly to being left waiting. It was fortunate that Medusa has been with her at the time or Vahn imagined she might hold a grudge at being left alone, regardless of whether or not he had a good reason.In hindsight, Vahn should have known Circe would be giving birth during this particular evening as, high in the sky, a full moon was present. Though she had renounced her faith and heritage, Circe was still descendant of Hecate, meaning her daughter would almost certainly be born on the night of a full moon. He could feel an incredible amount of Yin Elemental energy flowing into her body during the delivery, chilling her core temperature to dangerous levels.If not for his presence, there was a good chance that Circe would have lost her life during childbirth, one of the detrimental effects of her cursed Innate. Fortunately, his Source Energy wouldn't so easily lose out to the invasive energy and, with his [Hands of Nirvana], Circe wasn't in any real danger. She was very anxious in the beginning, as she knew the probability of her death was high, but all her fear had faded away by the time she heard the sound of their daughter crying.Circe had given birth to a peculiar little girl with similarly pink hair and sky-blue eyes who they decided to name Penelo. She was a very beautiful infant but, what stood out more than anything else, was the fact she had pointed ears, tiny wings, and a set of three feathered tufts near her scalp. This was proof of Hecate's Blessing which, in spite of the fact it harshly punished the mother, blessed their child with their lost heritage. Vahn now understood why the Innate was called the [Blood Moon's Curse], as it essentially burdened the new child, often motherless, with carrying on the legacy of Hecate's descendants. He even suspected that, if she weren't on the Reverse Side of the World, Hecate would have tried to adopt his daughter after guilt-tripping him over Circe's death.Even with Circe telling him not to blame Hecate, as she knew the risks the moment she gave up her Blessing, Vahn had cemented his ire for the crone-like Goddess. In fact, he was really started to hate most of the Greek and Roman Gods in the Nasuverse as their history and legends painted the vast majority in an extremely negative light. The only exceptions were those like Hestia and Demeter but even their origin wasn't entirely unblemished. If he had the chance, Vahn wanted to meet this world's version of the Gods and Goddesses he knew but, with what he knew of Zeus, Hera, Athena, Hecate, and Aphrodite he wasn't in a particular hurry.Penelo's Guardian was a Spirit known as a Gluttonous Emperor, a type of Divine Spirit that took on the form of a pig with pearl-white skin, sky blue eyes, and runic engravings over much of its body. It had an ability similar to Fenrir, allowing it to eat virtually anything in order to increase its power. The downside to this Innate, known as [Gluttony], was that the stored energy did not provide permanant benefits. It needed to constantly eat to replenish its reserves but, at the same time, it didn't suffer the same detrimental effects of Fenrir's [Insatiable Hunger]. Since it also had the ability to share its energy with Penelo, the Guttuonous Emperor was actually a very powerful Guardian, albeit with very limited combat potential on its own.Overall, Vahn just felt blessed to have two more beautiful daughters in his life, even if the mothers of said daughters would invite him a lot of trouble in the future. This was something he would address when the time came and, if necessary, he didn't mind going to war with the entire Greek Pantheon if it meant protecting his own children and the families of his vassals. After all, there was no way Hera would ignore Heracles so, once the boundary between the Surface and Reverse ceased to exist, she would undoubtedly try to stir up trouble...---With Scáthach giving him a break from training, Vahn felt happier during the last few weeks than the entirety of his time within the Nasuverse. He could always be found with a happy smile as he got to spend every day watching his children grow and spending time with the people he cared about. It was a very fulfilling way to live, even if there were a few awkward moments here and there. Though one of these resulted in him having a fresh bite mark on his shoulder, courtesy of Illya, it was still a pleasant memory that Vahn would cherish.If anything, Vahn was more troubled by his brilliant little daughter, Sophia, as she had a propensity for causing mischief, specifically targetted toward him. The last time he went to pick her up, Vahn was shocked to find that he had stepped on a mine that had stealth capabilities. When it exploded, rainbow-colored powder enveloped his body and spread through much of the Workshop while, at the side, Sophia was seated in a blue 'mech', laughing like a mad scientist. Shortly after, Da Vinci came out from her hidden workshop and, after seeing the mess, simply smiled before activating the automated cleaning system of the workshop.Sophia, despite being twenty days old, had her mental development stop at 16 years old. She was an incredibly brilliant infant and, if not for the limitations of her body, Vahn imagined she would already be building mechs that could rival Ina's. Her current model was produced after she connected to the neural link of the [Gradiation Air Printer], allowing her to template out a design and print it without any help whatsoever. It had the function of hovering around a meter off the ground and, to make up for her own limited mobility, it had several articulated robotic arms. What had come as the biggest surprise, though Vahn wasn't quite sure why he hadn't seen it coming, was that Sophia had a small diode transmitter on her neck that allowed her to speak through the speaker on her mech without having to say a word.Vahn had underestimated how quickly Sophia would develop but, considering she never seemed to sleep, he really should have expected something like this to happen. Da Vinci also allowed her to do whatever she wanted while inside the Workshop, so long as Ark was monitoring her. This gave the young genius free rein to design and invent things and, due to incorporating a 'feeding system' in her mech, she didn't even have to bother her mother when she was hungry. It was a vexing situation but, as Vahn couldn't help but feel proud of his little genius, he could only smile wryly with his face covered in powder he could have easily evaded.Fortunately, despite her advanced mental age, Sophia still enjoyed spending time with her other siblings. Most of her inventions were designed with them in mind, allowing them to play together and have fun, often at their father's expense. This was especially true whenever she teamed up with Isanna as the latter, much like Sophia, could freely float through the air now, just like her mother. In fact, appearance-wise, Isanna and Naavi were almost carbon copies of their mothers, albeit in a chibi form. They had even started to grow crowns on their head and, while Naavi had yet to manifest hers, Isanna could already form her raiment.The first time Vahn saw Isanna's onesie turn into her raiment, his mind had blanked before he sat down with the young Vanir and explained to her why she shouldn't wear such an outfit until she was older. Though she was only around seven weeks old, she had the mental development of an eight-year-old so she wasn't incapable of understanding his words.As for why he wanted her to wear her onesie, at least for the time being, it was because Isanna'a raiment was almost as revealing as her mother's. All she was ended up wearing was a white band embroidered in gold, a garment that was similar to intricate black panties, and a pair of mismatched leggings, one black and the other white. Since she was also adorned with various golden accessories, which just looked strange on an infant, Vahn had to be a little stern with her. Fortunately, since this discussion, Isanna had always worn her onesie properly, perhaps understanding she was causing him the 'bad' kind of stress.Still, when Isanna and Sophia teamed up, Vahn could only do his best to be warry as they seemed to be slowly grasping his capabilities. They were getting better at pushing the boundaries and, during a game of hide and seek, Isanna had been able to completely conceal her presence. If he didn't have the ability to sense spatial fluctuations, it would have been nearly impossible to find her unless she wanted to be found. She could already teleport short distances but, as she never went more than a few meters away from Daiki, it was easy to lure her out just by moving him around.Isanna and Naavi were both very fond of their younger brother who, as time passed, ended up being much smaller than them. After seven weeks inside the Projection, they already looked like two-year-old toddlers while Daiki was still a very small infant. Despite this incongruity, they treated him like he was an integral part of their existence, understanding he was their triplet despite his diminutive size. Naavi was extremely protective of him, to the point that she rarely left his side, while Isanna was the big sister of the trio, often getting them into trouble but never endangering them.Because of his overprotective sisters, Daiki had become quite the crybaby over the last seven weeks and, if he didn't have at least one of them nearby, he would cry 'very' loudly. Vahn had been worried that they had some kind of special link that he couldn't sense, much like Emiru and Maemi, but even Merlin and Alaya hadn't been able to sense anything. He chalked it up to them having grown close to each other while in the womb and, much like how normal twins hated being separated, they were almost always together.---Of Vahn's children, the one he was least concerned about, with the obvious exceptions of Mordred and Sakura, was his eldest son, Kamiya. He was a very quiet child and, though he was developing at a relatively normal rate, it was obvious he would be quite intelligent when he grew up. Nobunaga doted on him quite a bit and, much like how Isanna and Naavi were attached to Daiki, Mordred had grown rather fond of Kamiya. She didn't go out to play as much as she used to and instead spent a lot of her free time in Nobunaga's room helping take care of her younger brother.Though he already understood why Mordred took such great care of Kamiya, he had decided to ask her outright for verification. Her response, as expected, was that Kamiya carried the burden of being the natural-born heir to the Throne. While she would certainly do her best to earn the right to rule herself, Mordred had always been unnaturally adherent to things like social hierarchies. She always sorted people into categories based on their presumed status, showing respect to those who were higher than her and expecting respect from those lower than her.Even though the Empire didn't use the traditional system of inheritance, it was hard to change the minds of people like Gawain, Mordred, Galahad, and even Artoria. Despite Artoria and Mordred both being females, they still inherently supported the ideology that a male heir was necessary in order to inherit status and land. Though the decision was ultimately his to make, they would treat Kamiya as if he was the true heir to the throne until Vahn had officially announced a successor.Fortunately, they didn't insist on raising him with that mentality and, unless Kamiya worked for it, he would just be Vahn's eldest son. Though this didn't stop Mordred from elevating him, it wouldn't be a problem since Nobunaga, Mordred's Aneue, always watched the duo like a hawk. She intended to raise Kamiya her way, as she was a very traditional woman despite her peculiarities, so it wouldn't matter what other people decided. His decisions would be his to make and, unless he was willing to put in the effort, Nobunaga would never allow him to think he had any inherent right to the throne.Vahn always supported the decisions of his children's mothers as, with his own duties often requiring him to split focus, they were the primary caretakers of the children. So long as the seeds of internal conflict were not sewn as a result of their rearing, he didn't mind their methods. His duty was to set the example for his children to follow while also serving as an unshakeable figure that would protect them from harm. He would spoil them a fair amount but, when they made real mistakes, Vahn would not hesitate to discipline them when the situation required him to do so.More than anything else, Vahn had to make sure his children had the chance to find happiness for themselves, preferably without infringing upon the happiness of others. They would learn to work for what they received, just like each of the future residents of the Empire. Though there would be a few situations where they received gifts, such as during birthdays, everything else would be provided to them based on needs, not wants. With the power they wielded, his children had infinite potential for causing harm if they were not taught to be responsible early on.Fortunately, with so many amazing women at his side, Vahn didn't have to worry too much about how his children would develop. With the exception of Circe, who generally cooped herself up in the Menagerie, all of the girls worked together to look after the children. Even Da Vinci helped out in her own way as she provided protective equipment for the children and personally developed advanced Companions for each of them. She even gave Rin, Ereshkigal, and Ishtar a device that allowed her to track down Isanna if the mischievous Vanir decided to teleport away with Daiki and Naavi when they weren't looking.Ishtar's control over Space was far more developed than Isanna's so, with the wave of her hand, she could easily teleport the trio back if they were in danger. The device just helped her locate Isanna as, despite only having a pseudo-Divinity related to the 'Sky', she was already adept at concealing her presence. Since the limited-omniscience of Gods prevented them from obtaining information about each other, she had to sense Isanna through the fluctuations in space or by using the tracker that Da Vinci had developed.Isanna was aware of the tracking device but, as she didn't want to get in too much trouble, she had never tried to remove it. Since her mom's allowed her to play around and explore a bit, so long as she didn't do anything dangerous, she had no reason to be rebellious. Naavi also implored her to stay out of trouble but, as the golden-haired Vanir was considerably more demure, she always got dragged around at Isanna's whims. It helped that Daiki seemed to enjoy the excursions quite a bit, as there were a lot of interesting things to see and curious people to meet while exploring the halls of the castle.Contrary to their younger brother, Isanna and Naavi weren't too fond of the Homunculi that would greet them in the halls as, more often than not, their focus would be on Daiki. Since they were quite protective of their younger brother, the two Vanir adamantly refused to let random Homunculi hold him. The only exceptions they made were the Governesses that had been assigned to them as they had been present since the time of their birth. Since their mothers all shared the same body, Isanna and Naavi knew it wasn't easy on them to take care of three children at once so, despite never truly trusting the pale-haired humanoids, they tolerated their presence for Daiki's sake...(A/N: Phew. This about wraps up the slow-build so the next couple of chapters will involve the final preparations for the duel and other important developments. Though the children will be a mainstay in the story, you won't have to worry about them eating up too many chapters unless I'm in a bad mood and just want to write something light-hearted xD...)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 1251: Twin Goddesses