Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

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

Lilith seemed to find the idea of wearing clothes rather novel but, considering it was the will of her Lord, she complied on the premise that Vahn selected her outfit. This proved challenging in its own way as, with her wings, tails, and other features, finding suitable clothing for Lilith was surprisingly difficult. Fortunately, Vahn could purchase items from the system shop to tide her over, at least until Da Vinci could modify the [REquip] system for more exotic physiques.After more deliberation than he would have liked, Vahn ended up choosing a black gown with gold trim for Lilith to wear. It had a deep v-neck that showed off her ample bosom while the bottom half had two slits, giving Lilith a distinctly seductive appeal. This was further emphasized by the fact that the back of the dress extended to beneath her tail, leaving her back largely exposed to make room for her four wings.Even without accessories and other adornments, Lilith was an inordinately beautiful woman. This was nothing new for Vahn but, considering the parallels she had with Semiramis, he could easily imagine the troubles that would arise due to Lilith's presence. If not for the fact that Merlin had shown him just how many people had a similar appearance to Artoria, Vahn would have believed Semiramis was a direct descendant of Lilith. Instead, it seemed like the Root System had a few preferred 'templates' as there were a surprising number of Heroic Spirits with near-identical appearances...As one of the primary Heroines of the Nasuverse, at least from what Vahn could ascertain, Artoria was obviously a 'favorite' of whoever had created the Record. Because of this, there were dozens of people who shared a similar appearance to Artoria. This even included Lakshmibai and Okita, two women who had virtually no European ancestors. Despite this, their facial structure was nearly an exact copy of Artoria's, the only differences being their eye color, hair color, and complexion.If he was 'selective' about who he summoned, Vahn was certain he could find doppelgangers for each and every resident of the Empire. He could even summon alternate versions of the same person from parallel worlds, seemingly without restriction. Thus, while Lilith's similarities to Semiramis were a little strange, it was nothing compared to his mental image of a thousand Scáthach(s) charging an enemy fortress. This was an extremely sobering thought and, while he may summon another copy of her in the future, the circumstances would have to be very compelling...---After making Lilith presentable, Vahn and co entered the most secure region of the Burial Agency, a place where even Merem had never been provided access to. All he knew was that the Holy Church kept a very unique entity sealed away inside, one which either represented an ultimate trump card or a secret so important that it could never be revealed.With his intrigue piqued, Vahn led the way through the security measures, surprising Merem with the fact he was able to 'fool' even the devices that should only react to Nabareck, the leader of the Burial Agency. Even possessing her body would not allow a person to have access to the inner sanctum as the measures in place supposedly looked directly at the soul.As someone who could even wield [Excalibur] and [Rhongomnyiad] with impunity, Vahn wasn't even momentarily delayed by these measures. He could even place his hand against a panel and, as if he was Nabareck herself, secret passages would open up while security measures would deactivate. It was almost too easy, at least until they entered a hemispherical chamber that was divided by a white stone wall at the exact center. The dimensions of the half-hemispherical chamber gave it height and radius of 50m, a surprisingly large amount of space considering the 'blank' in his perception around the size of a normal room.Understanding there was 'something' off about the room, Vahn didn't immediately step forward to probe the void on the opposite side of the wall. Instead, he looked at the mural that was painted on the wall, a massive Sephiroth that was bordered with extremely detailed fresco paintings. These were likely some historical account of the Holy Church's past, alluding to the fact that whatever they had sealed away preceding the Burial Agency, much like Lilith. Considering the organization was around eight-hundred years old, this wasn't all that surprising, however...Merem, though it wasn't really necessary, took it upon himself to try and interpret the fresco, stating, "It seems like an account of the end times, Eschaton, followed by the battle between Christ and the Anti-Christ...how curious..."Deciding to humor the raven-haired youth, Vahn gave a curt nod as he slowly walked toward the mural, his voice echoing through the vast chamber as he added, "Considering the nature of El Nahat and Lilith, this is likely the Holy Church's final trump card. They simply never found the time to use it as, after revealing it, the foundation of their faith would become unstable..."Here, Lilith decided to interject with her own views on the matter, her seductive voice carried on the wind like a whisper as she said, "Forgive my brazenness, My Lord, but I believe the likelihood of an Angel or one of their offspring, a Nephalim. During my time, there were quite a number of Angels in the world causing various amounts of chaos...I wonder how much has changed since then~?"As the oldest person present, sans Alaya and ORT, Lilith's words possessed a certain credibility. This didn't mean she was right, however, so Vahn issued a light hum in response as he placed his palm against the door and said, "I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Okita, stay alert..."With those final words, Vahn deactivated the charms and curses embedded into the door, opening it to reveal a small and surprisingly modern room. It had carpeted floors, painted walls, working light fixtures and, perhaps most surprisingly, windows that seemed to peer out into the outside world. For a brief moment, Vahn felt like he had stepped into a Subtexture of the world, similar to Avalon, albeit on a much smaller scale.Contrary to their speculation, the room's inhabitant had an appearance not all that dissimilar to the Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Church, the woman transmigrated as a result of Merem's 'mistake'. The only difference was, this girl couldn't be older than five or six years old yet, as if she was much older, a peaceful aura filled every corner of the room as she stared back with eyes full of wisdom, despite their apparent blindness.Without panicking in the slightest, the girl tilted her head to the side, her unkempt hair cascading from her shoulders like a pristine, pure white, waterfall. Then, in a voice that barely qualified as a whisper, she asked, "Are you here to kill me...?" in a curious tone.Before anyone answered her question, the girl seemed to realize the truth of the matter, a tiny smile spreading across her face as she added, "I suppose not..."As the girl unsteadily rose to her feet, Vahn cast his gaze over the area, not out of intrigue for the room's contents, but as a result of the girl's aura. It was comparable to that of a God but, with the exception of Hestia and Spenta, Vahn had never seen such a peaceful and pure aura...After waiting for the girl to stand, Vahn spoke in a similarly quiet tone, as if elevating his voice would disturb the purity of the relatively plain room. His first question, as could be expected, was, "Who are you? Why as the Holy Church imprisoned you here...?"Seemingly confused by Vahn's words, the child-like entity blinked a few times before smiling as she answered, "I am no prisoner, Vahn Aldrnari Mason. This place was created to protect me, not to keep me contained. As for my identity, please, call me Aura...as for my purpose here, it would be accurate to call me a Divine Prophet...? Until recently, I could hear the Voice of the World with greater clarity than any other..."As she spoke, Aura turned her blind eyes toward Vahn's shoulder, matching gazes with the Alaya in spite of the latter keeping her presence concealed. This caused Alaya to frown as Aura was not an existence within her memory. Since she had a recollection of everything that had ever existed, even if it was concealed from her, this should be impossible. The only possibilities were, like Vahn, she was an anomalous existence from the Outside. The more likely scenario, however, was that she hailed from a planet other than Gaia.The only thing that called this into question was the girl's claim that she could hear the 'Voice of the World', something that should be impossible for entities using Alien Logic. There was no way anyone would be able to communicate with the planet without Alaya's knowledge as she was a part of the planet's consciousness itself. For her to hear the Voice of the World, Aura would have to be listening to Alaya speaking, something the latter would obviously be aware of...Sensing the rare fluctuation in Alaya's aura, Vahn's own brows furrowed as he asked, "Where did you come from, Aura? You don't seem...human...nor are you a God...what exactly are you?"As if she found Vahn's words amusing, Aura giggled in an innocent manner before answering in the same soft tone as before, "Calling me a Divine Prophet really is the most accurate way to describe me. If it helps, please consider me as an existence in the same light as Schrodinger's Cat or Maxwell's Demon. I am a concept given form but, unlike Merem and high-level Daemons, my existence is tied to something...external. Even I do not know who created me, however, so please forgive my vague answer..."Toward the end of her statement, Aura gave an apologetic bow while, on Vahn's shoulder, Alaya gave a small nod before saying, "Her words are the truth. There is no record of her existence in my memory. This indicates she has either never existed before or, for reasons I cannot ascertain, her existence is usually beyond my ability to perceive..."It didn't take much effort to realize that Aura was placed on Gaia by Akasha and, for reasons that could only be guessed at, she existed as a blind spot that was able to spy on Gaia and Alaya with apparent impunity. Vahn couldn't understand why this was necessary, as Alaya was already under the control of the Root System, so the easiest assumption to make was that she existed as a 'failsafe' of sorts. His understanding of the Root System was still limited so, until she was required to fulfill her purpose, he could only speculate as to the nature of Aura's existence.For now, Vahn had other matters to tend to so, rather than ruminate over Aura's purpose, he simply asked, "Do you wish to leave this place? You are no longer safe here, unfortunately. The world is now experiencing a chaotic shift and, while it may not sound like a strong argument coming from me, I can at least promise you will be kept safe. If you prefer isolation, this too can be arranged..."Without any pause for deliberation, Aura produced another innocent smile as she happily answered, "I may not be able to see the world change but I would like to experience the outside. Now that I can no longer hear the Voice of the World, it has been rather lonely staying here. If possible, I would like to stay with my sisters."Hearing Aura mention her sisters, Vahn was about to ask but, anticipating his question, the blind girl explained, "The Supreme Pontiff, Celestine, is cultivated from my cells as a base. She is only one of a number of similar entities, each given the purpose of serving as my public face. With the collapse of the Holy Church, I fear my sisters will no longer have a purpose. Before they become the victims of a terrible fate, please take them under the umbrella of the Empire. In exchange, I will cooperate with the Empire to the fullest extent of my capabilities..."Toward the end of her words, Aura performed a deep and sincere bow, an awkward sight to behold considering she had the appearance of a child. In response to her request, he had no problems with accepting as, from the very beginning, he never intended to simply abandon anyone that had been kept prisoner by the Holy Church. Since Aura's sisters were similar to the Homunculi of the Einzbern family, Vahn would provide sanctuary for them within the Empire, so long as they did not become an element of chaos...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Semiramis is going to be biting her nails in vexation xD...',Unlimited Saber Face Works...!','As Vahn becomes increasingly more badass, the number of Lolis around him grows exponentially...!?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

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

Chapter 1320: Burial