Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

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

After veritably, and literally, cleaning the coffers of the Holy Church, Vahn ultimately returned to the surface. There, several small scale battles were ongoing but, with the massive difference in skill and base parameters, the Empire hadn't suffered even minor casualties. Instead, the agents of the Church that had been trying to reclaim the Vatican had largely been killed while only a few who surrendered early on had been captured.Vahn didn't actually want to destroy the Vatican City as it had accumulated thousands of years of art, history, and culture. However, when he remembered that the Catholic Church had unabashedly done the same to practically every culture it came into contact with, there was a certain poetic justice to its destruction. They had built up their entire organization on a foundation of lies and, while it wouldn't be that difficult to protect the heritage sites present, Vahn knew the more zealous followers of the church would never stop trying to reclaim it.With this in mind, Vahn moved to the temporary command site that had been established and, after putting Gawain and the rest at ease, he ordered, "Have everyone withdraw within the next twenty-four hours. I'll be sealing off the Bounded Field from the outside world before destroying everything that is left behind. We'll have Da Vinci's micro-golems dismantle the underground structures before converting the materials into a memorial pylon."Hearing Vahn's words, Gawain's smile became somewhat wry as he asked, "Are you certain this is the best course of action, Your Majesty? I fear the destruction of this place will lead to...complications..."Vahn understood Gawain's concerns but, more so than almost anything else, the existence of a belief system based on false pretenses was dangerous. He would have enough problems dealing with real Gods so, showing consideration for an organization that had exploited and persecuted people for literal millennia wasn't really on the top of his list of priorities. Rather, if he wanted to be considerate of people's culture, he would need to look into the past over the next few decades to uncover the truth that the Holy Church had kept concealed for generations.Having already made up his mind, Vahn gave a slight nod before stating, "There is no meaning in a physical legacy. We will preserve this place eternally within the New World System designed by Da Vinci. All of history will slowly be brought to light and, if people are interested in events of the past, they will be able to view them directly when the time comes. Pandering to a group of people whose history includes countless examples of violence will only empower them to commit greater acts in the future. The Common Law of the Empire will prohibit the open practice of Religion as, other than to serve as a moral compass, it has no other purpose in this world..."Vahn didn't particularly care what people wanted to believe but, seeing how much violence had been perpetrated for no better reason than a 'difference' in beliefs, he felt Religion as an institution was a very dangerous thing. From the data that had been collected by Ark, there was enough evidence to paint every existing religion in a highly negative light as, at their highest levels, they were often ruled by the most corrupt. In some situations, they existed solely to keep a group repressed while the vast majority had financial gain as their driving force...---With his Liege having made his decision, Gawain was not in a position to further question the orders he had been given. He knew there were greater powers at play behind the scenes so, while he didn't wholly agree with Vahn's decision, he would dutifully carry out his orders. As for Vahn, he quickly left the command center as his presence was more of a distraction than anything else. He needed to get better at demonstrating his trust for those that had chosen to follow him so, seeing Gawain begin to pass on his orders, Vahn entrusted the matter to him.After a quick teleport, Vahn arrived at the nearby Sistine Chapel where, despite not participating in the combat, Da Vinci was staring up at the various murals and frescos lining the ornate chamber. She wasn't alone, either, as this area had been designated as a rallying point for everyone tasked with the exploration of the subterranean levels. Though some people, such as Karna, had gone to assist in the fighting outside, almost everyone else had returned at this point.As his teleportation wasn't exactly subtle, Vahn's arrival drew the attention of everyone within the Chapel. Okita and Jeanne quickly came to his side, preempting Lilith's attempt to do the same, while Da Vinci remained in her spot with a sad look in her starry eyes. She was already aware of his intent to destroy the Vatican but, considering many of the masterpieces present had been created by one of her few contemporaries, Da Vinci was feeling a little melancholic.Vahn understood what Da Vinci was thinking so, after sharing a few words with Okita and Jeanne, he made his way to her side, saying, "If it bothers you, we can summon Michelangelo in the future. Like any true master, I believe he would revel in the opportunity to create greater masterpieces, not harp over matters of the past..."Hearing Vahn's remark, Da Vinci issued an elegant laugh before turning to face him, explaining, "You know, he actually refused to be paid for his work on this place. It was meant to be his magnum opus, the final piece of artwork he developed prior to his death. Michelangelo was the type that reveled in the arts, considering the opportunity to express himself as the highest form of payment..."From her response, it sounded like Da Vinci was agreeing with him but, before Vahn could offer any other words of consolation, she smiled slyly and added, "One of his favorite past times was hiding as many nude figures as possible within his works, especially if they were for the Church. Those wrinkly old fools were constantly pulling out what remained of their hair in an effort to censor his work~"Realizing she was messing with him, Vahn issued a light chuckle of his own before wrapping his arm around her waist and taking in the sights one last time. Da Vinci leaned against him, the same smile on her face as before, now without the melancholic glint in her eyes. Then, without Vahn giving the order to do so, Da Vinci sent a signal to her micro-golems and, before the eyes of everyone present, the Sistine Chapel slowly broke down into grey particles, effectively turning to dust until the entire building had disappeared a few minutes later...---With nothing left for him to personally deal with, Vahn ultimately ended up returning to London while most every non-combat personnel returned to Avalon. There was a good chance that the remnants of the Holy Church would do something even more drastic than before but that wasn't a matter of importance, at least within Vahn's mind. Instead, his focus was on establishing some basic semblance of order, albeit after spending some time with his children and taking care of a few other pertinent matters...As could be expected, the events that led to what people were tentatively referring to as the Age of Chaos threw a wrench into the daily operations of the Clock Tower. Classes had largely been put on hold as, in many cases, the Professors themselves had either stepped down or lost their lives in the conflict. There were no longer any factions such as the Noble, Democratic, and Neutral, at least on the surface, as the Clock Tower itself was going through a period of internal restructuring.One of the bigger changes was the introduction of the Common Law which, by Imperial Decree, had precedence over all other rules, regulations, and laws. This resulted in the old curriculum being done away with as Vahn had no intention of letting students be led astray and taken advantage of. One of his decrees prohibited the use of any form of unsanctioned mental manipulation as he considered it to be one of the key factors that led so many students astray. At the same time, he made things like the mandated harvesting of 'raw materials' from Magi illegal while simultaneously dissolving even middling contracts related to the acquisition of such materials.While there were no inherently evil practices, Vahn believed there were some that skirt far too close to the border of what any sensible person would practice. This included things like Necromancy and the production of Artificial Humans, Homunculi, and Familiars for the sole purpose of being used as weapons, materials, and an expendable labor force. One of the fundamental principles of the Empire was the observation and appreciation of sapient species and, while there would be exceptions, every race would be treated with dignity by default.With these changes as an example, every existing department within the Clock Tower had to modify its curriculum, the sole exception being the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory. Rather, as the 'more correct' path, parts of Da Vinci's curriculum were being implemented throughout the other departments. This was an expected outcome as, with the shift in the status quo, people were more eager than ever to throw their lot in with the Empire, especially after the recent 'purge'.Unfortunately for aspirant students and opportunists, the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory wasn't exactly taking in new students. This would only cause even greater chaos, especially with the current students only recently finishing their Baseline Training. Since they were essentially the test batch for the curriculum, introducing new elements before the curriculum could be refined was extremely detrimental. This wasn't the main concern, however, as Vahn and Da Vinci ultimately just wanted the existing students to have enough time to adapt to the changes.Even though they had largely cut ties with their families and other parties, nearly every student that was currently a part of the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory had been affected by the recent changes. After all, the entire world was currently in chaos so they had a lot to think about in regards to their own future. It was fortunate that the events took place during their Baseline Training as it gave them something to focus on, something that rewarded them plentily for their efforts...As 'Status' was an actual thing within the Nasuverse, with Parameter Rules and quantifiable Skills and Abilities, each student was able to use their Terminal to keep track of their progress. They could see their Parameters change in real-time and, after obtaining a Familia Crest, they were able to map out their future paths through the Skill Tree.These changes had been groundbreaking for the students so, while there were a few who had dealt with the transition with some difficulty, most of the students were working hard to become stronger. This was both to secure their own future and, as the Department purported, prepare them for any path they may find themselves on in the future.To this end, Mordred, Sakura, Zoë, Astrid, and Mash were setting an example for the rest of the students to follow. They redoubled their efforts and made no attempt to conceal how hard they were working to grow stronger. At the same time, Mordred had secured her position as the top Ranking student, both within the Department and the Virtual Battle Arena. The latter had been made accessible to the students after their Baseline Training and, as could be expected, it had become a very popular recreational tool.With the Virtual Battle Arena, students could fight against doppelgangers of themselves but, each with identical Parameters, Skills, and Magecraft. The difference was, their doppelgangers could be changed to fight at varying degrees of proficiency, including a Master setting that gave each student a hard lesson on exactly how inefficient their combat methods were. Since the Master setting used the battle data from Vahn's [Laplace's Key] as a template, the only person who had been able to last more than a few minutes against their Master Doppelganger was Mordred. Even she, however, was unable to defeat herself as, when all other things were balanced, even the smallest mistake could lead to a quick defeat...The Doppelganger function was the default training method available to new students but, once they were able to defeat an Advanced version of themselves, they gained access to new options. These were far more popular than the Doppelganger function as, when it ultimately came down to it, fighting against and being defeated by yourself wasn't a pleasant experience. Instead, the option to fight against versions of their fellow classmates was the most popular function with monster hunting being a close second.Unfortunately, causing Vahn a fair amount of annoyance, some of the students had immediately tried to exploit this function for 'nefarious' purposes. There was one male student who, after finally defeating an Advanced version of himself, unlocked the function only to immediately match against one of the weaker female students. Since the duplicates were exact copies, combined with the fact that the system replicated senses with 99.4% accuracy, the foolish boy had tried to take 'liberties' with his system-controlled classmate.As it was impossible to hide your intentions from the system while immersed, he was immediately ejected from the simulation and harshly penalized as an example. This caused the other students to ostracize him but, as Vahn was against the idea of social justice when punishment had already been met out, he ended up having to address the matter personally. After all, he couldn't really blame the boy for being curious and, considering the current state of the world, he knew people needed a way to relieve their stress. Thus, after a rather awkward discussion with the class about proper etiquette and sexuality, two surprisingly related topics, the matter was largely settled...(A/N: I'm going to be out today so this will be the only chapter unless I can free up some time later.)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

Chapter 1321: Secret : Anomaly