Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With their penultimate scheme failing, the corrupt Nobles within the Mage's Association began a very rapid dispersion of forces. At this point, they realized contending directly against the Empire was a death wish so, while they couldn't confront Vahn openly, they could still bide time and take by hiding amongst the very same commoners they had always looked down on.While this mass exodus was occurring behind the scenes, the various Lords and family Heads had gathered together their forces within their Manors, some willing to face the consequences of their actions while others intended to go out fighting. Those in the latter category believed that, if they could at least deal a small blow to the Empire, those that remained would be able to band together to usurp the 'tyrannical' Emperor that was systematically seizing power.When it came to dealing with these families, Vahn sent the trio of Kenshin, Jeanne, and Okita to deal with the weaker families. Kenshin had her forces surround the estates while she and Okita ventured inside to issue Vahn's ultimatum, 'accept responsibility or be forced to'. Those that surrendered and were willing to be judged would ultimately receive lighter sentences while those who resisted until the bitter end would have their legacy seized and sealed away to prevent the Demons sealed within the oldest Magic Crests from escaping.Jeanne's purpose in the group was to serve as a guardian protector for the Homunculi while, at the same time, using her [Pure Eyes] to determine whether or not the target was 'evil'. Those that had committed heinous deeds throughout their life would be given no quarter as, in the end, only one member of each family needed to represent them before the Tribunal consisting of Vahn, Scáthach, and Paracelsus. The ultimate decision would always fall to Vahn while Scáthach and Paracelsus were there to provide 'truth' and 'compassion' respectively...While Kenshin, Okita, and Jeanne were executing his will, Vahn was back within the Hanging Gardens except, now, he had Solon, Zelretch, Merlin and, of all people, Aoko Aozaki present. The latter had seen the news feed on television so, believing something serious had happened, she rushed over to provide assistance. It was fortunate that Merlin had intercepted her as Aoko had intended to invade the Hanging Gardens forcibly prior to understanding the situation.Now, Vahn was seated around a circular table with two True Mages, the inheritor of Yggdrasil, and one of the most powerful and infamous Wizards in history. Despite this assortment of living legends, the one with the greatest presence in the room was still Vahn as, while they would normally be kept secret, Alaya, ORT, and Tiamat were all currently manifested in some form around him.Alaya had her usual form, appearing as a diminutive Companion with blue skin, dark blue hair, violet eyes, cat-like ears, and a tail. As for ORT, it took on the form of a tarantula-sized spider while Tiamat, bound to her current form, looked like a tiny doll as she floated silently behind Vahn's right shoulder.A stark contrast to her usual vibrant and confident self, Aoko currently had a complicated expression on her face as she just learned about the current situation. She empathized with Vahn's plight, as any decent parent would be incensed if their children were in danger, but she still felt that he was going too far, too quickly. The world was not ready to know about the existence of Magic and, if he made it public knowledge, absolute chaos would become the norm.Before she was able to spew platitudes to try and convince him of a different course, however, Vahn had preempted her attempt, stating in a firm tone, "I am well aware of the consequences my actions have on the world, Aoko. Measures have already been taken to protect as many people as possible. Also, if not for the complacency and corruption of those in power, my hand would not be forced like this. You can't expect me to sit idle as people continually conspire to break my bottom line, all while the planet continues to suffer at the hands of ignorant and wasteful humans. Tiamat's emergence is the final straw in the matter and, for the survival of all species, not just humans, the Empire will seize control of the entire world."Normally, Aoko would refute such claims on principle alone but, with the presence of Alaya, Tiamat, and ORT, even she was cowed. Vahn's words also contributed to her loss for words as, while extreme, there was an inherent truth and an undeniable logic behind them. The current world wasn't the most pleasant place to live as, if you weren't born into power, you were fated to struggle within a system that, by design, prevented any kind of success without acquiescence to a higher power. She had also seen how wasteful and destructive humanity could be so, while a large part of her wanted to argue against Vahn's words, Aoko ultimately remained silent.With even the hot-blooded red-head given pause, Zelretch and Solon didn't have much room to make any counterarguments of their own. They both understood Vahn's reasoning and, at least in Solon's case, the latter didn't particularly mind a world with a greater influx of mana and a system that promoted the advancement of all species. This wasn't something they would openly admit but, after 'giving up' on trying to resist the Empire, they had a lot of time to think about the future Vahn sought...Seeing that trio remain silent, Vahn gave a small nod before relaxing back into his chair, eyes closed as he began explaining his wish and how the Empire would function in the future. Ultimately, ruling over humanity wasn't even in his top ten list of priorities so it didn't matter if, in the interim, existing governments kept some semblance of power.When everything was said and done, the Empire would have centralized strongholds on all seven continents, each governed by a capable Heroic Spirit that had been summoned through the Throne of Heroes. They would serve as the executors of his will within their respective regions and, while it would take a considerable amount of time to lay the foundation for future infrastructure, such was always the case.In the future, humanity would not be the so-called masters of the planet as, rather than be at the top of the food chain, they weren't even in the middle. Their only advantages were their intelligence and their willingness to go to any extreme to seize what was never theirs, by right, to claim. This type of behavior would spell, not just their end, but the end of all life on the planet, the planet itself, and any world that was unfortunate to be claimed in their pursuit of immortality as a species.Vahn had history books from various timelines and, while there were periods of peace and moments of species-wide reflection, nearly every tale of humanity ended the same way. They would spread out like locusts throughout the galaxy, harvesting planets of their resources while engaging in an endless cycle of war. Then, as their Civilization continued to spread, the systems designed to keep them from spreading throughout the entire Universe would step in, annihilating entire worlds to purge the last remnants of humanity from the galaxy.In order to avoid this outcome, Vahn would change, not just humanity, but every species of Gaia at their very foundation. He would change the perception humans had of other races and, rather than take over planets and continue feeding a self-destructive cycle, he would negotiate with the planets themselves to create environments suitable for life. They were living creatures so they deserved to be treated with due respect. If humanity couldn't sustain itself without the endless slaughter of other sapient species, then they were the problem, not the crises they created for themselves.Famine, disease, water shortages, energy requirements, global warming, pollution, and war, were all constructs created by humans as part of a grand scheme to elevate a few individuals at the expense of everyone else. They were a few egotistical humans vain attempts to play the part of gods among members of their own species as, from the very beginning, the only thing separating them from their kin were the conditions they were born into.Had those in power sought to elevate their entire species, not just themselves, all of the crises that had plagued humanity for millennia would have been dealt with early on. The existence of mana and the knowledge of how to use it made the production of food relatively simple. Clean water was so easily obtained that, merely using the proper sequences of runes, you could enchant virtually any container to produce a functionally infinite supply of the 'precious' resource. As for disease, even the current governments had cures for nearly everything but, for the sake of profit, they pretended the research was ongoing while silencing those like Paracelsus who wanted to treat everyone, not just those who could pay exorbitant fees.In the end, humanity was the root cause for all their problems and, now that Vahn was aware of the greater truths of the world, he would not allow their ignorance to serve as an excuse. Now, humanity as a whole would be held accountable for their own existence and, if they could not survive without harming themselves and other species, they could only resist until the bitter end as, with the Surface and Reverse Side moving ever closer to a transition period, they were all but fated to die.---After hearing Vahn's long diatribe about humanity, Zelretch and Aoko were both a little taken aback but, considering his wish, they knew he wasn't as heartless as his words made him sound. Rather, the biggest weakness of Vahn seemed to be that he cared too much about things, especially if they were an exploited party. What humanity had done to Gaia was a sin all humans had inherited since a time long before recorded history. Until they began making proactive changes to protect the planet and improve their civilization for the better, even a newborn infant carried the sins of the past due to the rampant fundamentalism that restrained their path and kept them obedient to the system.In Vahn's vision of the future, wealth was based entirely on merit and everyone, regardless of where they were born, had the same opportunities for success. So long as you worked hard, becoming the Captain of an interstellar ship was a feat anyone could achieve. The only limiting factor was the effort people wanted to put into their future as, without inherited wealth, status, and authority, rising to the top without being qualified for the position was impossible.The biggest selling point of Vahn's argument was the fact that the Empire would not directly rule over the people. Vahn fundamentally believed that people were incapable of ruling over others so, in order to avoid becoming the very thing he hated, creating the closest thing to an objective system of government was necessary. This was where the trinity of Da Vinci's systems came into play as, with Ark, Mother, and Shadow working in conjunction with each other, they could observe, analyze, and regulate all of humanity simultaneously.Some people would argue that this was an invasion of their privacy but, when broken down at its most basic level, the very concept of privacy was something that had never really existed. It was a notion derived from an instinctual desire to protect secrets and prevent people that coveted what you had from taking advantage of you.Realizing this, those that sought to elevate themselves above others did everything they could to convince 'laymen' that the illusion of privacy was a real thing. They did everything in their power to monitor the people through one form of another. Now, in the modern era, only those born with an extreme amount of wealth and power had any real privacy as, with innovations in telecommunication technology, satellites, the internet, and a comprehensive network of hidden surveillance cameras, it was virtually impossible to avoid detection. It didn't matter if you were a hermit living in the woods or a homeless person living under a bridge as, by the mere act of living, you were under constant surveillance, be it your parent government or Alaya herself.Ultimately, Vahn's vision of the future was simply more transparent as, no matter who was in charge, those in power kept tabs on those they were charged to rule over. If they didn't know what was going on with their people, they wouldn't exactly be capable leaders. Thus, Vahn would introduce an objective system, preventing most crimes from occurring and promoting a social structure with no upper limits to a person's growth. It would even be possible to become immortal, obtain godhood, or, if such pursuits were not to your liking, you could exist within a virtual world as an avatar in any fictional world you found interesting. There were no limits, so long as your aspiration wasn't to be the world's greatest serial murderer or terrorist...(A/N: I managed to write this one without much of a cliff so I'm releasing it early. Also, I know some people don't like hearing these negative sentiments mentioned so much so rest easy knowing that it won't be long before the story shifts to an entirely new focus. I trust that, if you read until this point, you know that Vahn has a preference for non-human/exotic species as, despite having overcome his past trauma, humans were still the ones who contributed to his own suffering. Just remember how he treated the Dwarves and Elves, however, and you'll notice he isn't specifically targetting humans. Rather, he dislikes anyone that tries to exploit others all so that they can elevate themselves for one arbitrary reason or another.)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though their consent was never something he required, Vahn was satisfied by the fact that Zelretch, Solon, and Aoko all agreed to his vision of the future, albeit with varying levels of reluctance. Their only other option was to fight and, considering what they would be fighting for, it was hard to get motivated. After all, putting your life on the line to protect a corrupt system and a society that was, quite literally, killing the planet wasn't something anyone sensible would do.When it came down to it, even Aoko had only ever cared about living freely and protecting the people she felt obligated to protect. She had a 'hero of justice' mentality but, when you looked at the very crux of the current issue, it was inarguable that the justice she sought wasn't that could be obtained by hiding away and ignoring it.Fortunately, Vahn's protection of children and the wish he had made using the [Grace of the Root] both aligned with Aoko's moral compass so, while she felt more than a little helpless, she couldn't deny that he had taken steps to prevent an even greater loss of life. Considering he could have used the wish to give himself and the Empire even more power and control, his current course could be considered relatively selfless when she thought of how others might have used it...Now, after having been 'convinced', Aoko was in a difficult situation as her power wasn't something that could be ignored. She didn't necessarily have to serve the Empire but hiding away in Japan was not something that could be allowed. Inaction at this point would only endanger her family and, in the coming storm, there would be a number of people coveting the Spiritual Lands she protected. It was one of the only places in the world where Magic could be used without restriction so, as people became more sensitive to the existence of mana and other magical phenomena, they would begin to flock to her estate like moths to a flame.No matter what she chose to do, life would be made more complicated as she simply wielded too much power. In the world Vahn wanted to create, the land that had been her family's for generations would no longer be her own. At best, she would be allowed to govern the territory but, considering she would have to begin building a force to police the region and fight off monsters, Aoko wasn't looking forward to having such responsibilities shoved into her lap.Ultimately, the best course of action was to join hands with the Empire and secure a place for her family among the central figures of the burgeoning world power. The matter of governing her old territory, or even Japan itself, could be led to someone with greater ambition and stronger mental fortitude as just the thought of managing a few hundred people was a nightmare. Even if Vahn's words were true, meaning all of the regulations would be implemented by the systems Da Vinci had designed, she would still need to police the area and make sure things didn't get out of hand.Understanding this, Aoko wanted to distance herself from such responsibilities sooner, rather than later. She was better at tackling issues head-on so all of the political stuff could be handled by other people as she focused on what was most important to her. Fortunately, she had more than enough power to throw her weight around so, when Vahn invited them to enjoy a light meal, she decided to accept while Zelretch and Solon returned to their own matters. The former still needed to meet with various people while Solon, in preparation for the inevitable fallout, needed to gather together all of the remaining influencers within the Clock Tower to prevent even greater internal strife.This left Aoko alone with Vahn, something neither of them had expected as the latter had only given the offer as a general courtesy. He didn't actually require sustenance himself and, as far as he knew, Zelretch, Solon, and even Aoko were in the same situation. Still, he wasn't going to commit such a brazen faux pas so, after Aoko accepted, he had no choice but to entertain her. This was primarily due to the fact that he didn't like going back on his words while but, more so than that, he could already guess why she had decided to remain.Now, Aoko sat across from Vahn at a table for two, an awkward atmosphere permeating between them as the former didn't know what to say while the latter had other things on his mind. He could try to guide the situation in a favorable direction but, considering Aoko's personality, it was better to let her broach the subject herself. She lived by the principle of never regretting her decisions so, if she decided on her own volition to throw her lot in with the Empire, convincing her to help out in a more proactive manner would be a lot easier.Aoko had never been known for her patience so she was the first to break the silence, albeit in a rather mundane way as she commented, "This food is delicious..."Though he didn't need to eat, Vahn had always been rather fond of food due to his not so secret love for cooking. In fact, it was one of his true regrets in life that, back when he was just starting out in Danmachi, he didn't pursue it further. He could still remember tasting solid food for the first time and, back before all of his troubles began, his earnest desire to purchase a cooking manual so that he could make the people he cared about smile more often...Vahn had already been smiling but, recalling the now-distant memory, his expression softened as he said, "I'm glad you like it. The ingredients have a marginal amount of mana contained within so their flavor is enhanced. It also had the property of speeding up mana recovery and enhancing the body's natural regeneration."Noticing how Vahn's mood had changed, Aoko was marginally surprised. Her perception of him was that he was the calculating and idealistic type, not someone who would get excited over something as trivial as food. She had only mentioned it in order to ease the tensions but, now that he seemed so happy, Aoko began to feel even more awkward.Understanding what she was thinking, Vahn lightly chuckled before playing his tableware down and explaining, "In the future, I'd like everyone to have the chance to enjoy such delicacies. This type of meal would cost several hundred pounds for a single serving in the current economic climate. It is something only the wealthy, so-called, Elite would ever have the chance to partake of. Now, once the dust settles, everyone that is willing to put in the effort will be able to obtain this kind of food. They will no longer be forced to settle for sub-standard products that are mass-produced to feed an ever-increasing, ever-wasteful society. Famine and disease will no longer exist, mental health will be one of the highest priorities, and illness resulting from ignorance and lack of self-awareness will become a thing of the past..."If she were being honest, everything Vahn said about his vision of the future sounded perfect but, as was the case with all ideologies that sought to better mankind, it came at a heavy cost. She wasn't aware of the numbers like Vahn but she could imagine economies crashing, supplies dwindling, and wide-spread chaos world-wide. People couldn't adapt to such changes quickly and, no matter how powerful the Empire was, providing for so many people would be impossible. Billions would have to be sacrificed for the future of the species and the preservation of the planet, something that couldn't be glossed over with idealistic platitudes.Still, Aoko knew Vahn wasn't entirely responsible for the chaos that would ensue as a result of his takeover. Rather, if those in power had worked to make a society that cared for and respected each other, this entire fiasco could have been avoided. Instead, from the moment the Gods betrayed Gaia and claimed the planet for themselves, humanity had become willing pawns, first to the gods, then to each other. Those with power lorded it over others and, if you didn't step in line, you were either killed, exiled, or enslaved.The entire history of humanity, even extending into the modern era, was an endlessly repeating cycle of exploitation, conquest, and suppression. Even as she sat here in front of Vahn, Aoko knew that her country was experiencing declining birth rates while, just across the sea, millions were trafficked and enslaved by various state-sanctioned organizations. In some regions, child prostitution and arranged marriages, where the only other alternative was death, still existed. For those born into that situation, it was a nightmare that the so-called civilized world readily ignored as it didn't directly impact them...Noticing Aoko's mood diminishing, Vahn released a tired sigh as he looked off into the distance and, against his better judgment, stated, "When you stop thinking about humanity alone, the decision will become a lot easier. Come, I want to show you something..."As forcibly teleporting Aoko was impossible due to her functionally limitless Od, Vahn needed her to willingly accompany him if he wanted to take her anywhere. Fortunately, she had been fishing for an excuse to break away from the awkward dinner so, trusting that Vahn had no reason to try and lure her into a trap, Aoko accepted his hand. In the next moment, she found herself floating in the skies above Avalon, a peaceful and serene atmosphere shrouding the entire island.Vahn had originally intended to let Aoko make her own decision but, after seeing her begin to spiral in a cyclone of negativity, he decided to give her a push. Thus, while his second body teleported to the Hanging Gardens, his main body escorted her around the island. He introduced her to the Fae tribes, each living peaceful lives without any negative influence from humanity. They were happier in their small communities than they had been back in their respective Kingdoms, something they were very vocal about once understand the purpose behind Aoko's visit.Even as early as meeting the Undine, it was very obvious that Aoko had already been convinced but, by the time she met the Dwarves and Vulcanae, all her doubts had been cleared. She could see how happy every resident of the Empire was and, while it was a peculiar sight to behold, how much the flame spirits adored Vahn. Aeterna, in particular, happily circled around him, keeping her subjects at bay to monopolize him for herself. She even playfully singed parts of his clothes but, rather than any sign of annoyance, Vahn had a happy and contented smile as he allowed her antics.Hearing about how good something will be and seeing it for yourself were two entirely different things so, after touring Avalon for the better part of two hours, Aoko joined Vahn in sitting on a small rocky outcrop as they viewed Heracles and his family living quiet lives as fishermen. When she first heard that the legendary Greek hero was present, Aoko's lust for battle had been stirred up a bit but, upon seeing the brutish man sitting on a massive rocking chair, his wife cuddled up in his arms, she couldn't bring herself to request a duel.At this point, the only place Aoko had yet to visit was the castle itself but, considering how happy the residents were, it was easy to imagine that the internal affairs of the Empire were in order. She also knew that, at this point in time, they must be very busy with preparations so, at least for the time being, Aoko was content with what she had seen. There would be plenty of time to explore the castle in the future as, depending on her decision, she may very well become one of its residents in the near future.This thought caused an imperceptible blush to color Aoko's ears but, with her vibrant red hair, which seemed to glow subtly in the moonlight, it was impossible to notice. If not for his Divinity, even Vahn would have missed it as, prior to escorting her around Avalon, he had turned off his View Affection. It could get somewhat unbearable to be around Alaya with the function active so, unless he was in a high stakes situation, he typically left it off out of convenience.Still, Vahn's Divinity gave away the red-haired beauty's wayward thoughts but, as it was only a mild reaction, he knew she didn't actually have any feelings for him. Rather, much like Mash, she just got caught up in the moment and, due to being alone together, it was easy to let your mind wander if you got wrapped up in thinking about the future. After all, his harem was no secret and, while Aoko didn't know the full scale of his accompaniment, nor his Divinity, it wasn't difficult to imagine being a part of the ever-expanding flower garden.Fortunately, Aoko was able to distract herself from her wayward thoughts as, if she kept thinking about it, he would begin to be pulled along by the atmosphere as well. It really would simply a lot of things but, out of respect for Aoko and consideration for his existing harem, Vahn wouldn't just add a new member haphazardly. She would need to find a place for herself in the group's synergy and, ideally, fall for someone like Gawain or Siegfried instead of leaping head-first into something she likely wasn't prepared for...As Vahn's own mind began to wander a bit, Aoko seemed to have made up her's as, after lightly slapping her cheeks with both hands, she turned toward him and said, "I want to join the Empire! There are a lot of things I want to protect and I won't be able to act freely if I don't make a choice now. You won't regret allowing me to join...! I'm super strong, you know...!?"Aoko began to fumble a bit towards the end of her statement as her anxiety in the face of Vahn's casual smile continued to build. She felt like her heart was going to explode for a brief moment but, before it reached a critical level, Vahn gave a curt nod and answered, "I would be honored to have you join us, Aoko. Your power will make the transition a lot smoother so I would be foolish to refuse your intentions. Rather, I should be thanking you for coming to this conclusion. This burden isn't a light one so it helps to have more people to share it with..."Though she didn't really expect Vahn to refuse her, Aoko was at a loss for words after he so readily accepted. Her anxiety now seemed somewhat childish but, as she was never the type to harp over the past, she quickly regained her usual smile before crossing her arms and confidently declaring, "Right, you can rely on me. I'll do what I can to help everyone in the Empire grow stronger so please do everything you can to preserve as many lives as possible. I want to see the world become a place like Avalon so let's do our best...!"Hearing Aoko's spirited response, Vahn's smile curled up at the edges and, despite his body tingling a bit as a result, he gave a small bow and said, "I'll be in your care then...", gratitude discernible in his voice.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I kind of feel bad for Aoko...?','Aeterna is a bully!?','RIP little lamb')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Having existed for upwards of two-thousand years, most of the prominent Magus families had various means to preserve their legacy, even in the fact of imminent destruction. All they really had to do was protect their Magic Crest and any important heritage artifacts, an easy feat considering they could be fused together with the Ego of a person, making them virtually undetectable to even the most powerful Magi.Had they considered for a moment that they would have lost, even the Barthomeloi family would have been able to avoid ultimate destruction at the hands of the Empire by passing on their Legacy to a suitable heir, one which would be groomed in absolute secrecy until the time of their inevitable rise to prominence. After all, a Magic Crest could contain thousands of years of knowledge and, in some extreme cases, fragments of the previous inheritor's will.With so much information existing within their mind from a young age, even a newborn would be able to quickly establish themselves within society. They could simply pretend to be a prodigy or, if the situation makes such a status unviable, lay low in the shadows of society. Having the ability to literally brainwash and mind control people was a powerful tool among normal citizens so, while it was not the most glorious lifestyle, the relative peace of the world made it very easy to survive with just the most diminutive knowledge of Magecraft, much less thousands of years of said knowledge.Unfortunately for the Nobles that had conspired against the Empire, Da Vinci's research of Magic Crests resulted in the development of a device that allows them to be detected with relative ease. Thus, with Scáthach being able to track people using Strings of Fate, courtesy of Vahn and Alaya, it was only a matter of time until their Legacy was exposed, secured, and potentially even destroyed. The only way to circumvent this outcome was to have no fate whatsoever which, generally speaking, meant you were already dead.Using the knowledge provided to her by her [Wisdom of the Haunted Ground], Alaya's Strings of Fate, and the data provided by Sherlock, it only took a few minutes for Scáthach to track down the secret underground shelter where Alexander and Allard were hiding. They were holed up more than 500m beneath the surface of the earth on a small volcanic island in the Pacific Ring of Fire.If Vahn hadn't tasked her with bringing them back to be judged, Scáthach would have sunk the entire island, burying the brothers and their servants alike. Now, she had to use a more roundabout method as, despite the depravity of the two brothers, not everyone in the shelter would be labeled as evil in the eyes of Vahn. This was one of the things that often troubled her as, while it may not be the most humane course of action, Scáthach knew it was better to purge those related to vile and wicked people to avoid future troubles. Her knowledge of the future used to allow her to determine what kind of people such individuals would grow up to be but, ever since Vahn entered the world, it became a lot harder to peer into the fates of others.Releasing a rare sigh, Scáthach muttered, "That man has affected me too much..." before returning to her cold and detached persona. Then, despite the powerful Bounded Field and complex barriers that even prevented satellites from viewing the island, Scáthach tore through the void itself to invade the compound directly. This caused a high-pitched alarm to sound out but, despite their best efforts, the inhabitants of the underground facility quickly discovered there was no way to escape the infamous Executor of the Emperor's Will.Prior to entering the Bounded Field, Scáthach alerted Vahn to its location while creating a massive barrier that surrounded the already existing one. This completely sealed off the surrounding space so, unless they had the Spiritron Transporter Da Vinci was working on, there was little hope they could escape. They would need to have mastery over space comparable to Zelretch as, with her EX-Rank [Primordial Rune]s, there was very little her opponents could do to circumvent them.With Strings of Fate and one of the most powerful forms of Clairvoyance in the world, Scáthach made short work of nearly every combatant within the underground shelter. Most didn't even know what had happened before darkness claimed their vision as, even without the ability to freely move through space, Scáthach's speed alone wasn't something that most people could grasp. She could move several thousand kilometers per hour without even disturbing the surrounding wind or making a single sound so the Magi within could only fire blindly in the hopes of landing a lucky hit on what many believed to be an invisible enemy.The only people to truly grasp her movements were Alexander and Allard but, within the limited confines of the underground bunker, there wasn't much they could do. Scáthach had A-Rank [Magic Resistance], A-Rank [Curse Nullification], and B-Rank [Magic Reflection] active by default whenever she was fighting against a Magi so, unless they intended to bury themselves, the brothers had very limited options as far as spells were concerned. It didn't help that they had expected to be hunted down so, rather than keep their legacy items all in one location, they had already spread them all over the world, hiding them away until their heir could claim them in the distant future.This knowledge made the men bolder than they otherwise would have been so, after Scáthach used her spear to pin Allard to a wall, Alexander used the 'opportunity' to reverse the flow of his mana, feeding it into a gemstone embedded into his heart. He was prepared to take the entire island out with him but, before the spell could fully activate, Scáthach appeared right in front of him, her hand piercing his chest to pull out the still-beating heart within.While this wouldn't have made much of a difference under normal circumstances, Scáthach had considerable mastery over Space and Time Laws which, combined with her connection to the Land of Shadows, meant such tactics were ultimately pointless. She simply tossed Alexander's heart into a void where time itself didn't exist, sealing it in forevermore at the moment prior to its exploding. In the same motion, she jammed an [Effigy of the Hero] into Alexander's chest, coldly stating, "A gift to celebrate our meeting..."A powerful enough Magus could easily survive decapitation or having their heart pierced, at least for a short period of time, so Alexander hadn't immediately died from the intense shock. Rather, he was so determined to see Scáthach's end that he resisted blacking out, only to feel at a complete loss as the woman easily undermined his efforts. Then, just as darkness began to encroach upon him, a fire began to burn in his chest as he was forcibly healed while the [Effigy of the Hero], graciously gifted to him by Scáthach, was still inside his body.Scáthach made sure the burning idol wouldn't kill Alexander while restraining his movement using reddish-black chains that functioned similarly to [Enkidu]. Like this, she managed to capture both brothers before pulling out a communication device that looked like a palm-sized rainbow quartz. This was the physical form of Spiritrons and, while it couldn't do much alone, Scáthach was able to use it as an anchor to communicate with Avalon, even while inside an isolated Bounded Field.After a momentary delay, a projection appeared from within the Spiritron Crystal. It took on the form of the Ark System's Avatar, a small blue figure constructed of light that vaguely resembled a human.Without waiting for its inquiry, Scáthach explained, "Send an extraction and cleanup team to these coordinates. There are twenty-three people requiring extraction and fifty-nine casualties."As this wasn't 'his' first time interacting with Scáthach, Ark gave a polite bow before quickly setting to the task he had been assigned. Then, moments later, a massive gateway was opened within the room as a black metallic box, covered in glimmering golden runes, was transferred from Da Vinci's Fourth Laboratory, a factory set up in coordination with the Atlas Temple. There, weapons systems and golems were researched as, since its founding, the Alchemists of the Atlas Temple had been more focused on the production of Artificial Humans and weapons than anything else.When the black box had fully emerged, the gate behind it collapsed in on itself rather violently as a result of the still-developing tech. This was the main reason behind the massive metallic box as, if it were a normal person, being transferred through Imaginary Number Space using Spiritron Tunneling would rip them apart. You would have to be a Tier 5 entity to have any hopes of surviving since you weren't actually moving through space, but a void of non-existence where the Laws that allowed for the actuality of matter simply didn't exist.This was her first time seeing the prototype in action so Scáthach couldn't help but watch on, her interest piqued, albeit only slightly. Her Caster self had helped conceptualize the prototype so, while minuscule, a small feeling of pride filled Scáthach's chest as the box opened to reveal its contents. It was packed to the brim with a procession of ten Companions, each having a jackal template, and the Artificial Humans that had been assigned to them. This was one of the Cleaning Teams that had been put together, their sole purpose being the actualization of Vahn's will when he was unable to carry it out personally.At the center of the group, a youth with white hair and red eyes stepped forward and gave a small salute as he said, "Captain Vali Argo reporting with Unit Alpha-001. Please advise, Lady Scáthach."With a curt nod, Scáthach created a three-dimensional layout of the compound using her mana while explaining the team's task. They needed to cremate the corpses of the deceased, treat the wounded, and transport those that had been marked as 'innocent' to the mainland once the rest of the team arrived. This advanced group was primarily responsible for securing the facility and making sure nobody escaped, a task Scáthach couldn't be bothered with as she had other places to be and very little time.Their mission assigned, the team led by Captain Argo quickly set out to secure the facility as their Companions analyzed every nook and cranny to make sure there were no hidden dangers. At the same time, Scáthach teleported away with Alexander and Allard after removing the spatial lock she had placed around the island. In the future, the underground facility would be converted into one of the Empire's many outposts as Da Vinci's micrograms would quickly modify and expand the interior to make it suitable for research on geothermal energy and artificial leylines.That, however, was none of Scáthach's concern so, after depositing Alexander within a secure facility, she flew around with the restrained Allard, using his own Strings of Fate to find the location of their heir and other affiliates. The brutish man who had ruined the lives of thousands of people couldn't do anything about the situation at all. Even death was denied him as the chains restraining his body made it impossible to muster up any of his magical power while the mask Scáthach had forced on him robbed all of his senses while preventing him from biting his tongue.Allard had enjoyed playing with and tormenting others his entire life but now, after a single botched assassination attempt, his life had become a waking nightmare with no hope of escape. All he could do was curse Vahn, his family, the Empire, and the demonic woman that had captured him.Unfortunately, despite Allard's best efforts, all of his curses came out as nothing more than muffled grunts and whining as Scáthach dragged him through the air at hypersonic speeds, his cries only reaching the root cause of all his suffering, himself...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'When Shishou's on the prowl, you're already fucked','Leave it to Da Vinci to find a way to transfer matter through a plane where it can't exist xD...','RIP pig-boi, squeal all you like')(A/N: Two-Part chapter coming this afternoon.)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1310: Diatribe : Vision