Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Taking advantage of the fact that Arcueid had basically sealed them off in her own little world, Vahn didn't hesitate to release the Light-Elemental Star at close range. He wasn't worried about destroying the Hanging Gardens and, even if something unexpected happened, Alaya would ensure the safety of everyone within.Arcueid, sensing the overwhelming energy contained within the golf-ball-sized sphere actually felt a little threatened but, due to Vahn surprising her, she had no choice but to take it head-on. She tried to use her Mystic Eyes of Enchantment to restrict Vahn's movements but this was a futile endeavor as directly influencing his mind was nigh-impossible with the protections of The Path and Sis...With her last-ditch effort having no effect, Arcueid could only watch as time seemed to slow down to a crawl, the white orb in Vahn's hand continuing on its inevitable course toward her abdomen. Even before it made contact, her dress flaked away due to the intense energy, the natural barrier around her body offering no protection whatsoever against the immensely pure force.Though it felt like several seconds from their perspectives, less than a microsecond passed in reality before Vahn and Arcueid were both enveloped in white light. He had, long ago, come up with a way to propel the expansion of the contained energies so, the moment his protective membrane of pure Source Energy vanished, the [Elemental Star] instantly expanded to more than 100m in diameter.Pure Light Elemental energy had the properties of restraining malignant forces and, as a result of True Ancestors being considered a 'foreign element', it was one of the most effective types of energy against vampires. Arcueid was no exception to this while Vahn, due to possessing his Magia Erebea constitution and designation as Type: Omega, literally took four-hundred percent increased damage from his own attack.For a brief moment, Vahn felt like his existence itself had been erased from reality but, having already made preparations prior to releasing the attack, he reformed outside of the destructive perimeter almost immediately after he set it off. Even then, his skin felt like it was on fire and, if not for the protective layer of Source Energy he erected, his body would still be destroyed just by being near the epicenter.It was during the eruption of the Light-Elemental Star that Zelretch, who had been observing since the beginning, decided to chime in, asking, "Do you need my assistance, Your Majesty...?"Hearing the old man's question, Vahn couldn't help but laugh out loud, something he would regret almost immediately since a clawed-hand emerged from the pure-white sphere of light, gripping his face. He felt his head snap back as his teeth bowed inwards, an unpleasant sensation that made his brain buzz in frustration...Instead of being destroyed, Vahn felt foreign mana envelop his entire body, creating an effect similar to spatial anchoring. As a result, he was propelled backward by Arcueid's charge, crashing through what remained of the projected Hanging Gardens. This brought them out of the floating fortress and, as a result, Arcueid's power seemed to rapidly increase without any upper limits while Vahn felt a powerful suppressive force try to invade his body.With Vahn restrained by her mana, Arcueid tightened her grip on his face, a somewhat vicious smile on her face as she mused, "You may be able to emulate the race and appearance of others, but your true nature is that of a Greater Divine Spirit, isn't it? I could feel your existence fading from your own attack..."Without waiting for Vahn's response, Arcueid manipulated her Marble Phantasm, changing the blood-red sky, complete with a crimson moon, into an endless expanse of white light. The only area unaffected was a small zone around Zelretch's body but, with Arcueid's mana making even small movements impossible, Vahn didn't exactly have the opportunity to exploit this. Rather, the moment the light appeared in his surroundings, he began to rapidly dissipate, his resistances providing him no reprieve from the intense pain.Arcueid was also affected by the domain she had created but, compared to Vahn, she got off easy. Her skin appeared to be in a constant state of burning and forced regeneration while he, unable to defend himself, began to rapidly flake away. Despite this, Vahn stared directly back at Arcueid, his previously aquamarine eyes now blazing with a fierce blue light. This obviously had no effect on the resolute woman but, deep inside his chest, something was stirring at Vahn's very core...If the action wouldn't guarantee he vanished even faster, Vahn would have burst out laughing since, for the first time in a long while, his [Chainbreaker] experience was rapidly increasing. He had been able to increase it to A-Rank during his training with Scáthach but, as she never truly intended to kill him, it developed at an extremely slow rate. Now, however, Vahn could see the experience ticking up rapidly and, long before his body dissolved away into nothing, powerful pulses of energy, timed with the beating of his heart, began to crack the shell of mana surrounding his body.Believing he was simply trying to escape, Arcueid kept increasing the amount of mana she used to restrain Vahn. She was condensing a veritable ocean of mana to entrap him but, to her shock and awe, it felt like the pulses of energy he emitted were outpacing her accumulation. Even her hand, which had been suffused with enough mana to make it comparable to an A-Rank Noble Phantasm, began to crack. To further exacerbate matters, these peculiar cracks couldn't be healed by her usual regeneration and, even though she tried to cut off her senses to the limb, the pain seemed didn't diminish in the slightest.Eventually, Arcueid couldn't keep her grip on Vahn's face so, with one final pulse, the mana she had used to restrict him exploded outward with enough force to tear the void. There had been enough mana present to wipe out an entire country so, in the aftermath of Vahn's release, he and Arcueid were, once again, destroyed. This didn't matter to either of them, however, as the destruction of the physical body meant very little to Vahn and Tier 5 existences like Arcueid.By the time the explosion faded, Arcueid had completely regenerated her body, dress included, while Vahn, using the small window of opportunity, finished a quick chant, infusing a light-elemental spell into his Magia Erebea. As the void began to collapse back in on himself, Arcueid could only watch with a cautious glint in her eyes as he smiled confidently and shouted, "Fixate. Seize. Load magic, 'Emperor of Light'!"As Vahn hadn't been replacing his destroyed equipment, the only thing he had been wearing was a pair of custom [Aegis] shorts. Thus, with his activation of 'Emperor of Light', the changes to his body could be seen clearly, stunning both Arcueid and Zelretch alike. This was due to the fact that Vahn's height increased to precisely 200cm and, a stark contrast to his lean and athletic physique, he now had a refined, muscular, appearance. At the same time, his skin had gain a golden luster as what appeared to be tribal tattoos comprised of light covered his arms, legs, and shoulders.While all of these were impressive sights, it was Vahn's blazing golden irises and the massive halo of light floating behind his back that really stood out. The latter was comprised of complex runes and, despite their vast knowledge and incomparable understanding of 'Mystery', neither Zelretch nor Arcueid could make sense of their structure. Then, as if to completely dash any hope they had of understanding the situation, Vahn parted his hands, sending a wave of vermillion flames out from his body as he muttered in a voice that seemed to echo through the area, "Vermillion Bird's Descent..."Understanding that Arcueid wasn't a foe he could deal any meaningful damage to in a base Magia Erebea transformation, Vahn overlapped his Zhuque form with his Emperor of Light. This caused the white tattoos on his body to turn vermillion as massive wings sprouted behind his back, complete with runic patterns of their own.Without being afforded the opportunity to study Vahn's transformation, the latter turned into a literal beam of light, impacting the area where Arcueid had been floating previously. Her body was instantly destroyed and, as a result of his inability to really control the form, Vahn ended up breaking her Marble Phantasm. This was only the beginning of his journey, however, as he was traveling at a speed nearing 300,000km/s. As a result, Vahn ended up far outside of the earth's atmosphere, deep into outer space...Seeing where he ended up, Vahn felt like laughing but, due to the vacuum of space, nothing came out from his mouth. He could see the earth in the distance, a tiny blue marble amidst a vast, endless expanse of stars. It was actually quite beautiful but, due to his leaving the planet, Alaya had basically been ejected from his side. Though she was still attached to his other body, he could feel that she was annoyed with him so, slowing his speed to a manageable level, he quickly returned to the planet to continue the battle...Unfortunately, the only thing waiting for Vahn upon his return was a frowning Arcueid and a slightly pale Zelretch. The latter was also a Dead Apostle Ancestor so he was even weaker to Light-Elemental energy than Arcueid. This, combined with the fact Vahn effectively became a composite bullet of Light and Yang Elemental energy, was enough to make the elderly Magus sweat. He knew that, if he didn't prepare the proper countermeasures, that kind of attack would be able to seriously injure, if not outright kill him.Sensing that Arcueid's desire to battle had faded, Vahn resisted the urge to sigh as he dispelled his transformation and returned to his base state. Truthfully, he could only keep up that form for a few minutes, at best, so it didn't really give him too much of an advantage. This was something neither Arcueid or Zelretch was privy to, however, so Vahn couldn't blame them for gawking at him as if he was some kind of strange and terrifying creature.With silence dominating the atmosphere, Vahn took it upon himself to shatter the tensions so, after making sure the Hanging Gardens was still safe, he tilted his head slightly and asked, "Will you join me for tea? I don't believe there is any actual enmity between us. Once you understand the situation better, I'm certain we will be able to coexist as allies, not enemies. This entire situation is because of that idiot's inability to explain things properly..."Hearing Vahn call him an idiot, Zelretch could only issue an awkward laugh in response. He wanted to say something to defend himself but, considering Vahn's current state, the chances of the latter listening were small. The truth of the matter was that Arcueid, due to her impatience, forced him to release her body so that she could leave the Millennium Castle. Then, upon sensing the current state of the world, she bolted toward the location of the Hanging Garden, the central point where all the world's enmity was gathering.Though the location of Avalon was no longer kept a secret, normal people associated the Hanging Gardens as the symbol of the current change in era. Their anger, hatred, frustrations, and a host of other negative emotions, coalesced to form an overwhelming amount of negative energy. This was something that could be exploited by capable Magi but, with the defenses measures of the Hanging Gardens, it would take more than a simple curse or two to have any real effect on it. After all, the main target of the people's hatred was Vahn himself, not Semiramis' Hanging Gardens.With the battle having come to an end, Zelretch felt his presence was no longer required so, after tapping his cane against the air a few times, he opened a spatial gate and said, "Honestly, I would like to stick around and have a go myself but, after seeing that display, I think I'll go home and relax for a bit. The world is already chaotic enough so try not to fight amongst yourselves if you can help it...Arcueid, my previous words to you were the truth. Listen to Vahn and make your own decision...I would think, after all this time, you would know better than to make assumptions..."Hearing Zelretch's parting words, the frown on Arcueid's face turned into a morose and melancholic expression as she hung her head and released a tired sigh. She didn't really get the impression that Vahn was a bad person so, as Zelretch suggested, she had let her emotions get to her. She had never been that great at socializing so, when she got upset, her instinct was always to act on her emotions rather than talk it over. In this past, this had caused several tragedies and, unable to cope with the emotional burden, she ultimately just ran away from everything...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'That's one hell of a night light...','Even Flex Tape can't seal the Emperor...!','The price of solitude is loneliness, the currency paid in suffering')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Vahn was somewhat disappointed with how things ended but he didn't let it get him down as, in the grand scheme of eternity, more battles would come. For now, coming to an accord with the powerful Vampire Princess before him was more important as, even without Alaya explaining the details, it was obvious she pulled her power directly from the Counter Force.Since it would be problematic to take her to the Hanging Gardens due to the presence of Semiramis, Vahn idled in the air for a moment before asking, "Can you recreate that Marble Phantasm of yours? It will be more convenient to converse in an area where others cannot spy upon us..."As he spoke, Vahn turned his gaze toward nothing in particular but, in response to his actions, a small 'blip' in space-time occurred within his domain. The airspace around the Hanging Garden was closely monitored by various organizations so it was a given that some foolhardy types thought they could get away with listening in on his conversations. Unfortunately for them, the act of observing him directly was enough to trigger a response from CHALDEAS so it wouldn't take long for Sherlock to pinpoint their location and intent.Though she wasn't as sensitive to spatial fluctuations as Vahn, Arcueid had noticed the abnormality due to him bringing attention to it. Thus, with a wave of her hand, the surroundings instantaneously changed to a familiar scene. This time around, Vahn was able to get a look at the scene and, while it was a little strange to see a blood-red sky, the way light refracted in this crimson world was quite the sight to behold. Even the vibrant crimson moon shining above glimmered like a ruby and, if not for the malignant energy that seemed to radiate from its surface, he would have been able to appreciate it quite a bit...Just as Vahn was preparing to whip out a table and some chairs for them, Arcueid beat him to the punch by manifesting an entire castle out of her own shadow. This, too, was quite the sight but, with the castle giving off an eerie and lonesome vibe, Vahn couldn't help but frown slightly. Even without an explanation, he could guess that this was Arcueid's home. To have stayed in such a place, it was obvious something terrible had happened to her in the past...With a sigh escaping his lips, Vahn caught the attention of Arcueid who, curious as to what he was thinking about, asked, "Why are you sighing? Are you disappointed with my castle...or, perhaps, you still wanted to battle...?"As Arcueid asked her question, she lifted her right hand to form a pair of claws, seemingly ready to continue where they had left off. This caused the smile to return to Vahn's face but, considering they had only just stopped fighting, he opted for the route of diplomacy, shaking his head as he said, "I'm certain we can find the time to battle in the future. For now, lets clear up the misunderstanding from earlier. If given the option, I'd rather fight you as equals instead of enemies."Hearing Vahn's response, Arcueid's nails retracted in an instant, her grisly claws resuming the look of dainty and delicate digits. If he hadn't seen Gray do the same in the past, he would have wondered if the ability was related to actual body transformation, rather than a racial trait of all Vampires...---With Arcueid leading the way, Vahn soon found himself in a circular library with bookshelves that seemed to stretch upwards into eternity. Despite this, there were several towers of books littering the area while, at one corner of the room, an old wooden desk, complete with a few spent candles, could be seen amongst the clutter.Seeing the state of her library, Arcueid felt a little embarrassed so, with a wave of her hand, each of the books promptly returned to their shelves. Then, with similar ease to his own actions, she pulled out two ornate chairs, a circular table, and a tea arrangement. Vahn found this even more curious than her transformation ability as, from what he could ascertain, she was literally manipulating the reality around them to her preference. It wasn't simply Creation but the 'actualization of intent', a phenomenon that would undoubtedly drive Da Vinci crazy.After taking his own seat, Vahn watched with intrigue as Arcueid picked up the previously empty kettle and, by the time she was actually pouring it, perfectly heated tea filled its insides. This was about what he expected from a Tier 5 being and, for a brief moment, he actually compared the golden-haired beauty across from him to Eva. They were both True Vampires but, a stark contrast to his beloved neck-biter, Arcueid clearly had very little understanding of proper etiquette. She was a little clumsy and, despite being someone who could, quite literally, manipulate individual atoms, she still made the cup overflow whilst pouring...Using her reality manipulation, Arcueid, with a completely straight face, caused the spilled tea to simply cease existing before filling her own cup immediately thereafter. Throughout this entire process, Vahn had a casual smile on his face, pretending he didn't see the accidental spill. Instead, he took it upon himself to break the silence, remarking, "This is quite the collection of books. Do you enjoy reading...?"For reasons unknown, Arcueid winced in response to the sudden question, her expression turning sullen as she answered, "I wouldn't say I'm fond of reading..." before falling silent again. This caused Vahn to struggle with maintaining his smile but, considering the circumstances, he managed to will himself to do so.Since she would probably need time to collect her thoughts, Vahn waited for nearly two minutes before he returned an understanding nod in response. This seemed to confuse Arcueid a bit but, in much the same way as him, she simply remained silent for several minutes before smiling in turn. In truth, she was an extreme introvert and, while she could get emotional at times, her default state was quiet and, at times, quirky. She enjoyed the silence between them more than actual dialogue so, at least for the time being, she simply sat across from Vahn, refilling her teacup every time it got low...---Unexpectedly, two hours had passed within the Millennium Castle by the time the tenuous silence was broken. This was due to Vahn's own infinite supply of tea, something Arcueid had taken notice of since she had thought to offer him more when he ran out. Still, it took refilling their cups more than fifteen times before her curiosity finally got the better of her. Even then, she simply asked, "You can make tea...?" in an innocent tone.Hearing Arcueid's question, Vahn's smile widened slightly and, though it may not have been the best idea, he extended his cup toward her, asking, "Would you like to try?" This was his bad habit acting up but, against all expectations, Arcueid surprised him by nodding her head and accepted the cup. It didn't seem to bother her at all that it was the same cup he had been drinking from as, without any discernible hesitation whatsoever, she sampled the mint tea within.Vahn already suspected it but, based on her behavior, he could tell that Arcueid was a very innocent and naive woman. He knew she was around eight-hundred years old but, contrasting how fierce she could be in battle, there were massive gaps in her personality. This made him feel a little guilty as it meant she was highly susceptible to being taken advantage of, something that had undoubtedly happened several times in the past. Now, just by conversing with her, Vahn would be the next in a long line of people to exploit Arcueid's naivete...Shaking his head, Vahn convinced himself that it was better for her to fall under the umbrella of the Empire than stay inside this lonely castle. The only time she left was to hunt one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors and, if not for the support of various people, even this would likely prove impossible. Even Merem had assisted her on occasion while Zelretch, having watched over Arcueid from the moment she came into existence, offered aid and advice when the opportunity presented itself.As a Greater Divine Spirit on a similar level to Crimson Moon, Arcueid was sensitive to the subtle changes in a person's aura. Though Vahn's expression rarely changed, she could tell he was thinking about something troubling as, in spite of his smile, he gave off a melancholic aura. Since she didn't really understand what had upset him, she looked between the two cups in her hand and, after a period of silent deliberation, 'realization' hit her.Noticing the curious actions of Arcueid, Vahn was about to ask what she was thinking about but, as if she had discovered some great truth of the universe, the golden-haired Princess turned to him with a happy smile and exclaimed, "The tea was very delicious, thank you~!" Then, creating an exact copy of the type of tea Vahn had used, Arcueid returned his cup before giving herself an approving nod and returning to her own...Vahn was, admittedly, a little at a loss. Everything Arcueid did screamed 'naive' so, while he needed to talk to her about 'Crimson Moon's Curse' for the sake of his World Power Quest, the words never quite reached his lips. He even considered going to retrieve Spenta and someone like Artoria to act as a mediator between them as it wouldn't weigh as heavily on his consciousness if someone else were to convince her. It almost felt like he could spin a grand tale and, without questioning it in the slightest, Arcueid would eat it up.Ultimately, it was exceedingly apparent that Arcueid was starved for meaningful social interactions. If she agreed to become a part of the Empire, he would need to find her a support group so that she could slowly learn how to interact with others. The problem with this was, due to no small fault of his own, most of the pertinent peoples within the Empire were involved with him. He could leave her to the Homunculi but, while she would undoubtedly get along well with them, Vahn wasn't ignorant of the fact that the entire group of white-haired beauties basically viewed him as a God...As that thought crossed his mind, so too did the images of Fenrir, Jeanne, Gray, and Gareth. This made Vahn sweat a little as it was almost guaranteed these four, in particular, would endeavor to 'corrupt' the naive Arcueid. While this wasn't exactly a 'bad' thing, the sheer innocence of Arcueid made Vahn feel guilty since he knew the most likely path she would end up on. He didn't really have it in him to refuse those that were close to him so, depending on how things played out, it was easy to imagine this ethereal beauty ending up in his harem...Realizing his own thoughts, Vahn nearly laughed out loud as, once again, he was essentially worrying over nothing. So long as he treated them well and provided for them, there was nothing intrinsically wrong with being intimate with people who wanted to be with him. She may be innocent now but, if she made use of the Virtual World, it wouldn't take long for Arcueid to mature. It wasn't in his nature to avoid helping people so, knowing Arcueid had a tragic past, one plagued by loneliness, Vahn was compelled to move forward.Having convinced himself, Vahn turned his attention toward Arcueid to find her blood-red eyes staring back at him curiously. She seemed slightly surprised by the fact he looked toward her but, rather than avert her eyes, she just lowered her head slightly. This created a scene where she was looking up at him and, though it obviously wasn't her intention, the low cut of her gown created a tempting sight just outside of a normal person's field of view.With his ability to create near-perfect three-dimensional representations of pretty much everyone he had ever met, Vahn managed to avoid letting his eyes wander from Arcueid's eyes. Instead, he put his teacup down on the nearby saucer, smiling as Arcueid emulated his action. Then, for nearly a full day after the fact, Vahn regaled Arcueid with tales of his past, his aspirations for the present, and his dream for the future. He even used memory orbs to allow her to view some scenes directly, many of which pertained to events that had taken place in the Nasuverse...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'CHALDEAS is literally a cheat...','To an introvert, the best conversations often have little to no actual dialogue o3o...','For some reason, I feel as though Vahn abruptly became more punchable...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With the time dilation of the Projection, Vahn was able to enjoy his time in the Menagerie with barely an hour passing in the real world. There, he continued gently stroking the sleeping Semiramis who, after falling asleep, curled up in his arms. He found this vulnerable version of herself adorable but, as all goods things were want to do, it didn't last for very long.Vahn had been picking long strands of raven-black hair from Semiramis' face when what could only be described as a ripple passed through the entirety of the Hanging Gardens. At the same time, the defensive measures of the floating fortress overloaded in an instant before blinking out of existence as the luminescent crystals lighting the interior suddenly dimmed.As could be expected, Semiramis awoke instantly after sensing the danger, her gold eyes turning a subtle shade of silver for a brief moment as she sat up and said, "Someone has intruded...they are very powerful..."Even without Semiramis explaining the situation, Vahn was well aware of what had happened as his domain extended to encompass the entire fortress with ease. He could even pinpoint the location of the interlopers and, sensing a familiar aura, he lightly pat the worried Semiramis' back, kissing the side of her head before saying, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I can tell you're still a little tired so go rest in your bedchamber, okay?"Hearing Vahn's casual tone, Semiramis turned to look at him, her cat-like eyes reflecting a curious light as she tried to ascertain whether or not he was telling the truth. In response to this, Vahn just lightly touched his forehead to hers, saying in a calm tone, "They aren't enemies. Even if something happens, I'll move things away from the Hanging Gardens. Now, go get some rest..."To punctuate his statement, Vahn snuck a kiss from Semiramis' lips, earning a pouting frown from the beautiful woman. Despite this, she still obeyed his words, though not before she used the pale-golden nail piercing through her hand to lightly prick his chest.Vahn followed Semiramis' retreat with his eyes until she had disappeared behind the concealed door at the back of the chamber. Only when her figure disappeared completely did he bother to rise from the throne himself, his aura flowing out like water released from a sluice gate as he teleported to the location where Zelretch and a woman, presumably Arcueid, was located...Immediately after reaching his destination point, Vahn suddenly felt as if he had stepped into a new world. Though he was obviously still within the Hanging Gardens, it felt like he had entered into a projection of sorts, one where reality itself seemed 'off' somehow.As if to encapsulate this idea, Vahn found a woman with blood-red eyes, long golden hair, and facial features that could only be described as ethereal in their beauty. Her height was around 167cm and, even at a glance, he could tell she had a mature figure with an estimated bust, waist, hip ratio of 88, 55, and 85cm. This was emphasized by her choice of clothing, a pristine white dress that showed off her ample cleavage and completely exposed her back. It had a pleated blue skirt underneath layered white folds, each adorned with golden trim, giving her a distinctly 'noble' appearance. She even had long white garments covering her arms, flared at the top with silver bands holding them in place...While Vahn was evaluating her appearance, Arcueid was doing much the same, albeit for completely different reasons. She had seen the state of the outside world and, having felt the pain and suffering of so many people, she wanted to know what kind of man could have perpetuated such a thing. Her initial assumption was that he would be a tyrannical individual with clearly evil features, complete with beady eyes and a malicious aura. Instead, she found a kindly yet confident-looking young man with crystal clear eyes and an exceptionally gentle aura...Feeling confused, Arcueid couldn't help but tentatively ask, "Are you...the Sage Emperor...?" in an uncertain tone. She simply couldn't reconcile the person standing in front of her with the type of person that would have thrown the world into its current state.Hearing the question directed toward him, Vahn offered a casual smile before bowing politely in response and saying, "You must be the White Princess, Arcueid Brunestud. To answer your question, I am indeed the one known as the Sage Emperor, Vahn Aldrnari Mason. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."With Vahn making his identity known, Arcueid felt even more confused but, without any hesitation at all, she extended her hand, shaping the very fabric of reality around them, cutting it off from the rest of the world. From Vahn's perspective, it felt like he had stepped into a sub-texture of the world, one that made his prior 'feelings' a reality. In this place, Arcueid was like an indomitable God and, if not for his energy being almost entirely internal in origin, even he wouldn't be able to do much against her.Without having to be asked, Arcueid took it upon herself to explain her intentions, stating, "Zelretch told me you had the power to liberate me from my curse. Come, I will test you directly. Show me the power of someone that came from Outside..."The moment she finished her words, Arcueid dropped her hand and, with it, the area immediately around Vahn turned into a vacuous void. He could feel his blood boil as large chunks of his flesh, almost as if they were being devoured by an invisible entity, disappeared entirely. This happened in less than a microsecond and, while Vahn could have evaded, part of him was curious about Arcueid's power. She was obviously a Tier 5 entity so, while victory would be nigh-impossible, this was one of the few opportunities he would have to fight seriously...Ultimately, Arcueid's initial attack annihilated Vahn's body until nothing but his ankles remained. This wasn't even remotely enough to actually put him down, however, so his body reformed, not where he had been standing, but behind Arcueid's body. Given the fact she had complete control over the space within her Marble Reality, this came as a surprise to the blood-eyed woman as she didn't even sense the tell-tale ripples of space being warped.Rather than explain his trickery, Vahn had a serious expression on his face and, before Arcueid could react, he pulled out two of his [Lævateinn Proto]s, slicing her body into four pieces with a cross slash.In truth, Arcueid hadn't even bothered to defend herself against Vahn's attack as she didn't feel any real threat from it. While it was able to rend her body and sear her flesh, wounds of this extent were completely negligible to a True Ancestor. Even as the blades cleaved through her body, the wound had closed behind it without any time interval between severance and reattachment.By the time Vahn had completed his strike, Arcueid had turned her body around and, her hands moving with hypersonic speed as they formed fierce claws. These easily tore through Vahn's B-Rank defenses, exploding his head into mincemeat. Unfortunately for Arcueid, Vahn had developed a style of combat that made use of his ability to freely change form so, rather than spatter through the air, the minuscule bits of his body congealed together, reforming at a monstrous rate as he pressed the attack.Having battled against multiple Dead Apostle Ancestors in her time, Arcueid wasn't even surprised by Vahn's capabilities. Rather, it made her assume he was also an entity similar to a True Ancestor as the ability to reform one's body from its constituent molecules was one of their inherent traits. Thus, without any change in her expression, she attempted to sweep her claws across his chest, this time imbuing an immense amount of mana into her sharpened nails...While his regeneration could be compared to a True Ancestor's, the truth of the matter was that Vahn's ability greatly eclipsed the former. As a result, Arcueid's claws easily ripped through his body but, instead of blood and core, hyperdense black matter dulled her strike. She wasn't even able to complete her full attack as, by the time she reached the center of Vahn's body, Arcueid found her hand immobilized. Then, before she could pull away, the area seemed to simultaneously harden as the black matter began to encroach up her arm.At this point, Arcueid realize that Vahn's physique was unique but, as this idea cemented itself in her mind, so too did the latter's fist. Vahn had struck forward with enough momentum that a black trail was left in the wake of his movement, an area that represented an absolute void. Then, rather than pull back his hand for a second strike, he made his fist explode with metallic black tendrils, piercing through Arcueid's reforming head to dull her sense and debilitate her.It was at this moment that Vahn learned that Arcueid's body, while not as unique as his own, had a few tricky elements. In much the same way as he could manipulate his body, her blood seemed to gain sapience while simultaneously becoming the most corrosive substance he had ever seen. His hand, despite being made of a special compound of Adamantine, was instantaneously consumed by her blood. It even managed to extend to his forearm before his body naturally repelled it, causing the first genuine change in Arcueid's expression since the start of their battle.Arcueid was so surprised, in fact, that she broke away from the peculiar exchange to ask, "What are you, exactly? Even if you are from the Outside, you must have a race."Though he was just beginning to get excited for the battle, Vahn didn't immediately pursue Arcueid's retreat. Thus, when he heard her question, he smiled back at her, answering, "I am, at my very core, a human being. At the same time, however, I am everything else. Be it True Ancestor, True Dragon, or even inert stone, there are no limits to what I can become..."To emphasize his statement, Vahn became an almost exact copy of Arcueid, albeit with his own style of clothes and significantly less power. Despite this, she was able to ascertain the truth contained in his words as, from the moment Vahn transformed, control over her Reality Marble nearly slipped to him. This was something completely incomprehensible so, without further question, she vanished like a phantom, her colossal strength destroying what seemed to be her own body...After being stuck, once again, Vahn realized that Arcueid's base speed was definitely higher than his own. Even her raw strength seemed to outright eclipse his, something that was difficult to fathom considering he reached the 50A threshold after completing Scáthach's trial.From what he could tell, Arcueid was using a Skill similar to [Mana Burst] but, instead of manifesting externally, it was all contained within her body. This, combined with her functionally infinite mana, made her maximum damage reach a lesser version of infinity, making it nearly impossible to directly contend against. It was actually a little annoying but, considering he was able to experience a few of the more pertinent Laws at play, Vahn couldn't really complain.Still, being rag-dolled by someone other than Scáthach bothered him more than a little bit so, rather than reform his main body, Vahn used his trick from earlier. Since his form was linked to his Soul, not a physical vessel, he could move his intent away from the location of his decimated body. So long as even the most minuscule amount of Source Energy was present in that location, he could use it as the seedling to reform his body. This was a way to achieve an effect similar to teleportation without having to use Space Laws at all. Rather, as it was based on his usage of Source Energy, his enemies couldn't even hope to sense it.As could be expected, Arcueid was once again caught off by the incomprehensible ability as, until the reformation of his body, Vahn's aura seemed to come from his previous location. This allowed him to, quite literally, blindside an opponent as many times as he wanted. Arcueid was no exception to this so, despite her efforts to react to the sudden attack, her only reward was a golf-ball sized ball of Light-Elemental energy in the form of Vahn's patented [Elemental Star]...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tsundere are cutest when they are asleep~','Difference of perspective','Time to put Shishou's training to the test...!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1333: Shatter