Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

It quickly became apparent that, while their difference in speed and skill provided Karna with an insurmountable advantage, he couldn't actually disable his opponent. Even cutting off her limbs and disarming her had no lasting effect as, the more damage she sustained, the faster her regeneration. He had even knocked her weapons away several times but, once her arm regenerated, she was able to summon it back to her side in an instant before pressing the attack like a suicidal soldier.At this point, Karna no longer had to move much to evade the blue-haired woman's attacks as he had already completely seen through her movements. He never dropped his guard but, after cutting her in half for the third time, he was beginning to feel a little guilty. It had never been in his nature to torment the weak and, while she was likely very strong among her peers, her best effort was unable to make him feel any pressure at all. If not for her left eye, which glowed with a strange blue light, combined with her seemingly indestructible weapon, he wouldn't even need to take a single step to counter all her attacks...Without minding the fact she was basically only wearing a pair of slowly dissolving panties, the blue-haired woman continued to release furious war cries as she attempted to strike at the small lines that were only visible with her Mystic Eye of Death Perception. If she could strike a single one, the tide of battle would shift in her favor but, as if he was able to understand her intentions before she even set her mind to any given action, Karna was able to deftly parry her otherwise precise blows. This often ended with a large part of her body being destroyed, the pain from the flames causing her to slowly lose her grip on reality as she used them to fuel her continued assault.Eventually, Karna began to feel like this was the worst matchup for him. He actually had the ability to kill her but it would be at the cost of his own invulnerability and his primary weapon. The only thing that kept him in the fight, rather than sending a message back to his Master, was his pride. He knew that Scáthach would be able to deal with the woman with considerable ease and, while it ultimately didn't matter which one of them carried out their Master's will, Karna felt his absence during the previous events needed some form of recompense.With this in mind, Karna sidestepped the precise amount necessary to evade the woman's attack before, once again, severing her arm. This caused the pile bunker to land heavily against the ground, its surface glowing red hot from the long exposure to extreme temperatures.Before the woman could create some distance, heal her wounds, and recover her weapon, Karna stepped forward much faster than she could retreat, his hands now free as he grabbed both of her wrists. This caused the woman to scowl as she said, "Let go of me you piece of shit...!" while trying to drive her knee into the golden codpiece that protected Karna's dignity. Unfortunately for her, he had one of the highest levels of invulnerability so, while others might have tried to protect themselves, Karna didn't even flinch as he said, "Stop this meaningless battle. You have already lost. Continuing like this serves no purpose."Rather than pay Karna's words any mind, the blue-haired woman unhesitantly attempted to slam her forehead against his chin, an ultimately futile act. This didn't stop her, however, as she spontaneously twisted her body around without any regard for her own arms. Her superhuman strength resulted in the arms being ripped from their sockets, leaving Karna slightly stunned. His expression didn't really change but, seeing how far the woman was willing to go, his own conviction began to increase as he retreated back a few steps.What Karna hadn't expected was that, after these few steps, his body was suddenly paralyzed while, near her initial position, the blue-haired woman stared back at him with a sadistic smile, her arm still extended from when she threw a black blade into his shadow. In the next moment, she pulled out a few golden pages, seemingly from the tattoos on her body. These turned into a series of meter-long black blades, similar in structure to the throwing knife that sealed his movements.Using the opportunity she had created, the blue-haired woman attempted to strike at the lines that ran across Karna's body. He may be invulnerable but, from her perception, there were countless ways to end his life. It was this power, given to her by one of the few people she ever cherished, that gave her the conviction to fight against opponents that were otherwise beyond her capabilities.Karna felt the shadow of death cover him but, despite being immobilized, he wasn't concerned. After all, he could produce a virtually infinite amount of flames thus, as his opponent approached, his aura blazed like the sun. This caused his shadow to vanish in its entirety, allowing him to deftly swat away the woman's attack before borrowing her own technique, headbutting her in the head. Since he was invulnerable, this was far more effective when used by him. He didn't even bother to hold back so, for a brief moment, the crown of the woman's head had inverted as the vertebrae in her neck were reduced to powder.During his previous attacks, Karna had avoided striking the woman's face as it was proper etiquette, against both males and females, to only strike the face when absolutely necessary. This was to give the family an opportunity to bury the deceased in a presentable state. Now, however, he realized his opponent never saw him in the same light. To her, he was nothing more than a target for elimination so Karna was beginning to lose his usual stoicism...Before the woman could regenerate, Karna spun her around in one swift motion, pinning both of her arms in a manner where she wouldn't be able to sacrifice them a second time. He knew this wouldn't be enough, however, so he placed his palm on the back of her head before forming a ball of golden flames, perpetually incinerating her brain to disable her motor functions. At the same time, without facing Jeanne, he asked, "Do you have anything like a rope? Without taking this whole facility with me, I'll be unable to defeat this woman."Unlike Karna, Jeanne had absolutely no qualms about contacting her God so, while the fight had been ongoing, she already relayed everything to him. Because of this, the person to answer Karna was not Jeanne herself but, appearing out of thin air, Scáthach. This caused Karna to deadpan but, with the former simply passing over a red-twine rope, seemingly banded together from metallic fibers, he quickly tied the blue-haired woman in such a way that she wouldn't be able to leverage any of her strength. He didn't bother questioning the strength of the rope as, considering who had given it to him, the odds of it failing were slim to none.Knowing she had the ability to discern a person's past, present, and future, Karna allowed the blue-haired woman to regenerate as he turned to Scáthach, asking, "Who is this? She fights like a mad beast and has impossible regeneration. My flames should prevent most forms of regeneration but hers seems more like time-reversal than anything else..."Shaking her head, Scáthach refuted Karna's speculation, explaining, "She is Elesia Roa Valdamjong, the Seventeenth Incarnation of Michael Roa Valdamjong. He is an existence that has touched the Root but, instead of obtaining knowledge, he acquired the ability to reincarnate infinitely. She was able to separate her body and Ego from Roa's influence but, as his existence is something that will persist until the end of time, her immortality is absolute. The weapon she possesses, the Seventh Scripture, would normally be able to sever this cycle but, without using it against the original, she has no choice but to live forever..."Though it didn't show in her expression in the slightest, Scáthach actually empathized with Elesia since her fate was something imposed upon her. She knew that the only reason the woman was a part of the Burial Agency was due to the fact they allowed her to use the Seventh Scripture. If not for her willingness to act as the 'perfect disposable tool', they would have sealed her away long ago.Without explaining her intentions, Scáthach kneeled next to the bound Elesia and, before the latter could even utter a single curse, the former flicked her forehead with a surprising amount of force. This caused Elesia's head to fling backward as the sound of glass breaking could be heard echoing in the surroundings. When Elesia's head returned to its normal position, the light from her eyes had faded and, rather than some mad avenger, she now resembled an extremely fatigued young woman who, immediately after, fell unconscious.Understanding the questions they were going to ask, as she had already foreseen them, Scáthach plainly stated, "She has been using a very powerful form of self-hypnosis for several years. There are two distinct Egos locked away in her mind right now, one belonging to a demure young woman who desires a peaceful life while the other is driven, out of necessity, to serve the Holy Church. Our Lord would be saddened if she lost her life here so we will take her back for treatment..."What Scáthach didn't say was that, after Elesia made a full recovery, she would present the young woman with the option to pursue the death she had desired for a long time. Though she wasn't all that old, being the incarnation of a homicidal vampire, a pawn of the Holy Church, and a maiden who had to watch her own love die, Elesia had gone through a lot. The only thing that propelled her forward was the dream of her beloved, something she was willing to spend her eternity to obtain in his stead.Scáthach wouldn't look down on the woman's conviction so, depending on her decision, she would help Elesia reach her goals. Her innate magical talent was even greater than Magi like Luvia and Rin so, had she not sealed away her own memories related to Magecraft, she would have had been able to fight in a far more versatile manner. This, combined with her status as a Tier 4 entity, meant she had a lot of room for growth. The only thing that held her back was her mentality, her experience, and decades of trauma...As someone with 'absolute immortality', it didn't take long for Elesia to recover her consciousness. She still had the same tired look in her eyes, a stark contrast to the fury she possessed while fighting against Karna. When she heard Scáthach's words, however, the light almost immediately returned to her heterochromatic eyes as the former plainly stated, "The man you desire can be brought back to life, his memories intact. I will take you as my student...do you accept?"Karna and Jeanne were surprised by Scáthach's words but, compared to Elesia herself, they had mild reactions. The latter, however, began to hyperventilate, her eyes wavering in disbelief as she asked, "Is that the truth? Please, do not torment me with hope...I can take pain..."Under normal circumstances, Elesia would never believe her enemy's words but, understanding that Vahn had seemingly unrestricted access to the Throne of Heroes, she couldn't help but cling to the small hope rekindled inside her. Fortunately, Scáthach responded with an affirmative nod while using her left hand to cut through the ropes binding her body. This caused Karna to tense up a bit but, as if the Son of the Sun God was no longer anywhere in her eyes, Elesia bowed low to Scáthach and said, "Please...I will do anything..." in a voice on the verge of sobbing...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Grandmaster vs. Novice','I'm not sure if Karna is really good at using his head or if he is really bad at it...','Scáthach empathizing with others!? Vahn really has done a number on her, hasn't he...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With Merem leading the way, despite it not really being all that necessary, Vahn visited several sealed chambers, each structured like tombs. This was one of the reasons why the Burial Agency was known as such. They scoured the earth for anything detrimental to their religious doctrine and, to ensure it never had the chance to lead their obedient followers astray, the truth was, quite literally, buried.Most of the entities imprisoned by the Holy Church were unique Spirits that produced valuable resources but, located at the deepest levels, behind several layers of protective measures, three distinctly powerful existences were sealed away.The first of these entities was a Dead Apostle known as El Nahat, a peculiar individual who embodied the concept of Refraction. He had the innate ability to turn into a copy of any singular target and, by injuring or destroying himself, he, in turn, assured the destruction of the target. It didn't matter if his opponent was someone with an even higher grade of immortality as El Nahat's ability allowed him to functionally erase his own existence for a short moment, guaranteeing the death of all but a few select individuals.Due to his nature as a Dead Apostle, El Nahat was an obvious target for elimination by the Holy Church but, upon learning of his ability, they instead used the interval when he was incapacitated to seal his Ego and the remnants of his body away. They unabashedly made use of the heretical ability and, despite everything he had experienced, even Vahn was prepared to see the chamber in which El Nahat was sealed...While El Nahat's body would be destroyed upon the activation of his ability, there was always one part of him that remained, at least after the Holy Church's intervention. This was the man's stomach and, for reasons Vahn would never be able to guess, the church had functionally stretched the tissue until it covered every surface of a 5x5m cube, giving it a peculiar fleshy yet reflective appearance...Bound in the center of the horrifying room, a man with hundreds of black rods piercing every joint of his body could be seen. His movements were further restricted by a straight jacket that seemed to be sewn from fabric inscribed with holy text. This meant that, unless he was brought out by another, El Nahat couldn't move a single muscle. Even his eyelids had been surgically removed, forcing him to stare at his own figure reflected in the surface of his own stretched stomach...After a momentary pause, one experienced by all his vessels simultaneously, Vahn blinked back to awareness as he unhesitantly said, "Okita, destroy him completely...he is too far gone...give him the peace he deserves..."Merem seemed somewhat surprised by Vahn's decision but, before he could interject, Okita's sword flashed with an intense red light. The luminance became so powerful that it shifted to pure white in an instant, blinding both Vahn and Merem for a brief moment. Then, when the light faded away, a complete void where even the Laws themselves didn't exist persisted for several long seconds. It was a peculiar sight as, until it collapsed, a black spherical 'gap' existed, one which seemed to possess an indescribably beautiful light at the very center...Okita's Noble Phantasm, [Decisive Blade - Endless Three-Stage] was an Anti-World Noble Phantasm made possible by her unnaturally long odachi, [Rengoku no Ha], meaning Purgatory Blade. Using it, she could even kill things that do not exist and, if the situation called for it, even things that were intrinsic to the structure of the World itself. It was a technique that transcended even True Magics, making it equal to an Administrative Function when used to its fullest potential.As a result of its power, Okita's mental processes operated on fundamentally different wavelengths than normal humans. She was, in essence, an Anti-World Class Divine Spirit given human form as, despite not being a Counter Guardian, her power was directly tied to the Counter Force. If she was to be capable of using it at her leisure, the World itself would reject her existence as she was a force of absolute and inviolable destruction...In spite of her nature, which was virtually incapable of emotion, Okita had learned how to emulate the emotions of others through observation. Thus, after completing her deed, she skipped over to Vahn's side, causing Merem to take a few steps back as his instincts, as could be expected, sent very loud warning bells throughout his mind. Every fiber of his being was warning him to stay away from the taciturn woman and, for a brief moment, he almost activated his final trump card on instinct...Without even acknowledging Merem's existence, Okita stopped right in front of Vahn as she bent forward slightly to make her head more accessible. Vahn, as always, gave her head a gentle pat as, while it sometimes felt like he was training a pet, Okita needed positive feedback to know when she was doing well. Since she only considered his words to have any weight, it fell upon him to guide her, something that weighed on Vahn's heart and mind when she picked up bad habits from the other girls.Deciding not to mind things too much, Vahn gave the now emptied room one last look before making a mental note to destroy the entire thing later on. For now, he turned to Merem and urged the slightly pale youth to lead the way. There were still two other entities of import sealed away by the Holy Church, each possessing even higher designations than El Nahat due to the nature of their existence.Though he hadn't really been harboring thoughts of rebelling against the Empire any time soon, Merem stopped wearing his false smile and, instead, began treating his current guide duty seriously. He was quickly learning that Vahn could be very 'extreme' in his responses and, instead of coveting greater power, the latter wouldn't hesitate to destroy powerful trump cards, seemingly as an act of mercy. This made Merem realize that he had gotten off relatively leniently as, if Vahn had decided to extend his 'mercy' to him, even being a Planet Terminal wouldn't have guaranteed his life...After passing through a series of security measures, and one massive vault, Vahn entered a distinctly less mortifying room, this time appearing as a genuine tomb with a coffin. The top of the coffin had the visage of Virgin Mary carved into it but, after breaking through the various seals and curses that would normally prevent access, he quickly removed the lid to reveal its contents. Inside, an obviously female figure covered from head-to-toe in bandages inscribed with sacred text had been effectively mummified by the Holy Church.Pressing his hand against the woman's abdomen, Vahn confirmed what he already knew as, despite still living, all of her internal organs were missing. The bandages completely shut down her ability to regenerate so she was effectively just an organic container, one pumped full of holy water. As for the location of her organs, Vahn knew they had been used as materials to produce various weapons and holy relics but, once she was unsealed, they would cease to exist as her regeneration functioned in a similar way to his own.Though Merem had already explained who was sealed away, Vahn confirmed with Alaya before he made any attempt to remove the bandages. The last thing the world needed was another powerful force to influence their decisions so he listened patiently as Alaya explained, "Lilith, the Mother of Daemons and the first of the Succubi. She is one of the first humans to earn the favor of the Gods and, as a result, received great power. So long as she is not allowed to roam freely, her existence poses no immediate danger to the Empire."Alaya wasn't the type to mess around when it came to matters related to the preservation of humanity, or any matter, really. Thus, with her assurance that Lilith wouldn't be a problem, at least beyond the scope of his ability to deal with, Vahn began to remove the bandages. He ultimately only had to expose a part of the pale skin below for the rest of the bandages to burst apart in a small explosion of force. As a result, the figure of an inordinately beautiful woman who had a striking resemblance to Semiramis appeared before him...At first, the woman in the coffin had been bald by, after mere seconds had passed, silky black hair pooled around her head and shoulders. What was visible of her pale skin regained a healthy glow and, if not for the intricate runes covering everything but her face, breasts, abdomen, and genitals, Vahn imagined her complexion would even rival Da Vinci's. Instead, she gave off an amorous feeling that simultaneously felt 'wrong' at the same time...As if to emphasize this incongruity further, the runes were quickly covered up by a thin layer of black, snake-like scales. Her previously delicate fingers became a little thicker as the digits formed blackened nails at the end. This same phenomenon happened to her feet but, compared to the more noticeable changes, these were relatively minor...By the time half a minute had passed, the emaciated figure became a voluptuous woman with what could only be described as an 'exotic' appearance. This was complemented by the fact she had a set of curved horns protruding from her scalp, much like a ram. On her back, she had two sets of wings, both pitch black in color but, as if to create even more of an incongruity, one pair was covered in a fleshy membrane, much like a bat, while the second set was comprised of metallic black feathers, each glistening with a dangerous light.Completing Lilith's appearance, a tail with a pronounced ridge protruded from her lower back, it's thickness nearly rivaling that of her rather plump thighs. The underside was pale, like the belly of a snake, while the back was covered in black scales. In a way, she reminded him a lot of Terra and, if not for the fact he knew she was a Succubus, he would have assumed she was a True Dragon based on appearance alone...Further cementing the comparison with Semiramis, Lilith eventually opened her eyes while moving to a seated position within the coffin. She had pale-gold irises with very distinct, cat-like pupils. The only real difference between her eyes and those of Semiramis was the fact that, rather than a gentle curve forming the slit, Lilith's eyes were closer in form to diamonds. This wasn't noticeable when they were contracted but, once they dilated slightly, the angles became very pronounced...After staring back at Vahn for several seconds, Lilith tilted her head to the side and asked, "Are you a God...?" in a curious tone. Vahn, however, noticed the inherent charm contained in her seemingly innocuous question, a testament to the fact she was, indeed, a Succubus. Not just any Succubus, either, but the Queen of the Succubi. This put her on par with peak Tier 4 existences and, under the right conditions, she would even be able to match existences like Merlin in influence. Some mythos even blamed Lilith for the existence of sin itself, a rather ridiculous thought if you considered the fact that sin itself was arbitrarily decided by beings with power.Considering he would be charged with protecting her for the foreseeable future, Vahn answered her question with a curt nod, explaining his status without exposing exactly what his Divinity was. He was pretty sure she had already realized it, as she actually had a fragment of a Sex Divinity herself but, as this was neither the time nor the place to discuss such things, he largely talked around the matter. It was more important that she was aware of her situation.Much like Merem, Vahn gave Lilith the option of living a free and unfettered life. She would have to follow what he was calling the Common Law but, so long as she didn't cause chaos and unnecessary harm, he had no intention of imprisoning and using her. This explanation was ultimately needless, however, as Lilith very plainly stated, "I am a willing servant of the Gods, always and forever. As the one to release me from my bindings, you are now my Lord and Master. Your will is mine to follow, your desires mine to fulfill...in fact, I'm quite looking forward to it~"Toward the end of her words, Lilith seductively licked her lips in an obvious intent to entice him but, as someone who habitually spends time with Da Vinci, Vahn was largely immune to such things. He was very aware of her 'intent', as he couldn't turn off his own Divinity, but there was an order to all things. Thus, for the time being, Vahn handed Lilith a spare [REquip] system, explaining its functions so she could wear proper clothing rather than walk around completely naked...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Could you call this self-reflection...?','Merem be sweatin...','Lilith's face when she realizes how many women are 'ahead' of her in the hierarchy (O ^ O)...','I wonder if anyone can guess the identity of the Holy Church's most important secret~?)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With Okita at his side, it wasn't long before Vahn found himself at the entrance of a palatial church several hundred meters between the earth's surface. The artistry that went into its construction was on the same level as St. Peter's Basilica upon first glance but, if you were to look closer, the figures of angels, saints, and historical religious figures had been replaced with demons, devils, and bloodied human figures experiencing various forms of torture...After 'admiring' the macabre sight for a few moments, Vahn turned his attention to the entrance as he said, "Okita, I'll take point from this moment onward. Make sure to stay on your toes, though."Hearing her Master's command, Okita simply took a few steps back until she was standing behind him, no words necessary. Vahn smiled wryly in response to this before walking up the marble stairs, passing under a group of thirteen demonic figures that seemed to be looking down at him. There was a thin spatial membrane than isolated the interior of the church from the outside but it did little to stop Vahn's progress.Soon enough, Vahn found himself inside the church's nave, the central area that extended from the entrance to the chancel, a massive altar with a ten-meter tall crucifix positioned behind it. There, a young boy with raven black hair, lightless purple eyes, and an emotionless smile was seated with a ragged-looking golden-haired woman in the grip of his left hand. He seemed to be missing the left extremity but, as that wasn't an important factor in the present moment, Vahn's eyes hardened as he stepped unhesitantly toward the peculiar duo.Perhaps due to surprise or amusement, the raven-haired youth raised his brow slightly as he cradled the woman's head in his hand, saying, "I never expected that you would be able to deal such a blow to the Church. You possess a truly inordinate amount of power..tell me, what compelled you to reach such extremes...?"Rather than answer the youth's question, Vahn's eyes began to radiate divine light as he sternly commanded, "Let her go."Blinking in surprise, the youth proceeded to tilt his head to the side, asking, "Did you not come here to kill this woman? Oh, perhaps you wished to make her one of your pets...? I see, I may have acted a little hastily then...how unfortunate."As soon as he finished speaking, the raven-haired youth released the golden-haired woman from his grasp and, before Vahn's eyes, her body rapidly decaying as she convulsed in pain. Before she could die, however, she vanished in motes of white light, surprising the raven-haired youth. He didn't have time to ruminate over what had happened, however, as Vahn appeared right in front of him, the void tearing behind him due to the speed of his movement.For a brief moment, the youth's eyes turned crimson red as he lifted his left hand, the tattoo on the back glowing with a vibrant light before it was snuffed out almost instantly by the force of Vahn's blow. He didn't appreciate people toying with the lives of others and, even without having to discuss the youth's intentions, Vahn knew he had likely tormented the woman in the hopes of getting on his good side. Fortunately, she had a relatively pure aura so, the moment her death had become certain, she was teleported to a world where she would be able to live freely, the Throne of Heroes undoing whatever the youth had done to torment her...By the time the youth realized what was happening, most of the bones and organs in his torso had been completely crushed by Vahn's palm strike. He had been sent crashing into the surprisingly hard crucifix behind the altar, his body leaving a thick trail of blood as he slouched to the ground.Despite the severity of his injuries, the youth never lost the smile on his face. Rather, he seemed even more amused by the development, using his left hand to pick at the bits of gore now marring his formerly white robe. He showed no signs of discomfort whatsoever and, as if he didn't require air to produce sound, the youth looked back at Vahn, musing, "You are quick to anger...though, I suppose that should have been obvious considering your past reactions...?"Once again electing not to humor the youth, Vahn largely ignored his prattling and instead used his [Enkidu] to entangle his rapidly regenerating body. This caused the process to stop, surprising the youth once again as he tried to wriggle his way out for a few moments before ultimately giving up and asking, "Is this really necessary? I'm not even trying to fight back. Rather, I was never a true ally of the church. My only interests are freedom, animals, treasures, and humanity...will you fault me for being a victim of the church's machinations...?"Now that he had bound the raven-haired youth, Vahn finally decided to respond, albeit after picking him up by the collar of his robe and asking, "Who and what are you? You are not human...no, you are something closer to a Counter Guardian...?"Seemingly without minding the fact he was being dangled in the air, the youth responded with a simple shake of the head before explaining, "I am Merem Solomon, a Dead Apostle Ancestor and what some label a Planet Terminal. Most refer to my kind as Daemons, creatures given form by the wishes and desires of humanity, our sole purpose to fulfill the hopes and dreams of others. If not for a chance encounter, I would still be locked away within a room without arms and legs, destined to live my entire life at the whims of humans~."Though he hadn't particularly cared about what response Merem might give, Vahn's brows twitched slightly when he heard the latter half of his statement. He knew better than most just how terrifying such a life was and, based on Merem's aura, he could tell the latter wasn't evil. Rather, it seemed as if he was 'detached' from the world entirely and, much like Jeanne and Okita, a presence similar to the Counter Force flowed through his body.Releasing Merem from his grip, though not releasing him from [Enkidu], Vahn turned to Alaya and asked, "What exactly is this person? Is he truly a Daemon...?"Without any pause for thought, Alaya immediately replied, answering, "He is as he claims to be, a Planet Terminal. His purpose is to give form to beings that have been abandoned by humanity, a natural balancing factor of the World to prevent the loss of Mystery. This one seems to have been corrupted by an Alien Factor, however, so it has obtained a will of its own."Hearing Alaya's response, Vahn felt as if his thought process began to dull slightly as, in many ways, Merem was exactly the type of entity he had sworn to protect. Not only that, Merem's existence was a direct parallel to his own and, much like the raven-haired youth, he would have been powerless if not for the intervention of a far more powerful entity. The only real difference between them was the path they walked after obtaining their freedom. He could tell that Merem had a somewhat sadistic nature and, based on the purity of his aura, it was easy to deduce that he simply didn't comprehend that his actions were 'wrong'...Vahn could only imagine what kind of life Merem must have lived to have developed this kind of personality. For the time being, however, he elected not to kill the raven-haired youth as it would leave a bad taste in his mouth. Rather, the boy seemed to possess a very high degree of immortality so, while he had undoubtedly committed heinous deeds in the past, there was a functionally infinite amount of time to correct his course.After sorting his thoughts, Vahn squat down so that he was eye-level with Merem, asking, "What is it that you desire from life? Why is your reason for existing...?"For several seconds, Merem seemed to contemplate Vahn's words, the smile on his face remaining the same emotionless mask as he finally answered, "My only desire is to live freely, unbound by the expectations and desires of others. As for my reason for existing...I give meaning to my existence by living purposefully. If I were forced to choose something, I would say my purpose is to destroy that foul woman who has tainted the legacy of my idol...that, and perhaps, making sure the Princess is able to live happily...?"With Merem essentially saying his dream is the same as his own, Vahn actually felt a little annoyed. It was painfully obvious that Merem had made a lot of mistakes but, just as he had purported to others time and again, he knew it was only a matter of time before he made his own. However, no matter how things developed, Vahn promised he would never stop trying to make the world a better place, even if he must fail a thousand times in the process.Fearing that he would become a hypocrite if he denied Merem a similar opportunity, Vahn loosened [Enkidu] as he sternly stated, "I will assign something to watch over you. From this moment onward, you can live as you please. However, if you continue to commit acts of cruelty, do not blame me for showing up to eliminate you. This is the last opportunity I will give you...do not make me regret my decision to show you mercy, Merem Solomon..."Without [Enkidu] binding him, Merem's body rapidly recovered until he returned to his pristine and youthful figure. His height was only 143cm tall so, despite being well over a thousand years old, he had the appearance of someone between the ages of ten and thirteen. The only thing that ruined the image was the eerie smile on his face but, seemingly taking Vahn's words to heart, Merem gave a small nod before saying, "I would have hoped to ally with the Empire. It seems you are not in need of my power, however, so I will do as you suggest. Worry not, as I'm actually quite fond of humans. If it displeases you so, I vow to never harm another human unless my own life is endangered by my inaction. This should be acceptable, yes...?"As the terms mentioned by Merem were similar to what he had in mind, Vahn gave a curt nod in response, adding, "Citizens and affiliates of the Empire are assigned Companions. My only mandate is that you take yours around with you, protecting it from harm. Should you conceal yourself inside a Bounded Field or harm the Companion in any way, I will consider it an announcement of malicious intent. Other than that, you are generally free to live as you please...the world is going through great changes at the moment so you'll have to exercise a bit of caution in the interim."Rather than show any signs of frustration, Merem actually seemed pleased by Vahn's words. He was one of the primary members of the Burial Agency, representing the Fifth Seat, so he knew quite a bit about the peculiar creatures seen around those associated with the Empire. Since he was quite fond of animals, especially those with unique appearances, he had no problem with accepting one as his traveling companion. His best friend was actually a giant rat that had the ability to transform into the appearance of any human it had ever seen so having an adorable humanoid Companion was a boon in and of itself...---Though it couldn't exactly be stated that he and Merem were on good terms just yet, the latter went out of his way to expose the secrets of the Holy Church while simultaneously acting as a guide. This made progress through the underground tunnels much faster and, rather than have to figure out the nature of every prisoner he encountered, Vahn could rely on a brief explanation from Merem. The Burial Agency had only existed since the twelfth century so Merem knew virtually everything about it just by virtue of how long he had been a part of it. This would have caused his 'allies' to puke blood but, considering most of them would be dead by the end of the day, it ultimately didn't matter that he had 'betrayed' them...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP unnamed Pontiff-chan...','Seriously, how can Vahn and Merem have so much in common!?','Burying the Burial Agency...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1319: Split