Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though it had little to do with his own training, it was strangely 'refreshing' to see someone other than himself suffering under Scáthach's guidance. It made Vahn feel like a senior disciple watching as his junior did their best to complete their foundation training.Unfortunately, as there were seven Scáthachs now, Vahn only caught very brief glimpses of Richard's training, generally when he was just wrapping up with his own. The rest of his time was spent wholly focused on the challenges he had been assigned as, with each passing day, the pack of purple beasts seemed to grow more restless. It didn't seem to matter how much effort he put into completing the tasks, rather, the harder he tried, the higher his Shishou's expectations of him.If not for his otherwise fulfilling lifestyle, combined with his massive increase in strength, Vahn felt there was a non-negligible chance he would have been broken by Scáthach's training. Since he had been able to persevere, however, the current him couldn't even compare to the version of himself from a few months prior. He always seemed to be making leaps and bounds in his progress, to the point he could now fight against his Shishou for upwards of eight hours without suffering the fate of having his body and mind temporarily broken.Though he couldn't dodge Scáthach's strongest spear attacks, which basically used the power of the Laws to bend causality, he could now avoid a hit to his vitals nearly half the time. This alone was such a drastic improvement that, the first time he pulled it off, Scáthach showed a, very rare, expression of shock. Though he hadn't been able to take advantage of the gap in her mentality, the aftercare that day had been especially relaxing.Vahn still had a long way to go before he was the 'strongest' but, so long as he was serious about it, he could defeat most Heroic Spirits without even having to rely on his [Magia Erebea]. If they didn't have an A-Rank Noble Phantasm or advanced mastery over certain Laws, most Heroic Spirits would be hard-pressed to even damage him. His body tempering and reconstruction had reached such an advanced stage that, using his bare hands and forearms, Vahn was even able to deflect blows from weapons like [Excalibur], a weapon with a powerful holy element, with superficial wounds.By the time he completed all of Scáthach's challenges, Vahn had the distinct impression he would have become a real monster. Since this was only a fraction of the strength he would need to link the Records, however, he knew better than to assume he was truly strong. Rather, even if he was tens of times stronger than his current self, he would still be hard-pressed to deal any meaningful damage to Akasha and her superiors. In a way, he was much like a child playing within a calm bay, aware of the dangers beyond the reef but unable to truly comprehend their terror...Still, at least within the Root System, there was an ever-decreasing number of entities that could hope to even damage him, much less kill him. Even sealing him away was an ultimately futile action as his Source Energy, combined with his [Chainbreaker], allowed him to break through virtually any kind of seal. This even included his own [Enkidu], a Tier 5 artifact that should be able to restrain him with considerable ease due to his Divinity.Due to his training with Scáthach, Vahn could still move around while bound by [Enkidu] and, if he pushed himself, even using his domain was possible. Though manifesting energy externally was still beyond him, he had never been all that good at it, to begin with...If he really wanted to, Vahn could wrap [Enkidu] around his forearms, using the resplendent golden chains as heavy whips that could even lay low the Gods. Though it wasn't his preferred way to attack, it had given him a few advantages against Scáthach as, despite her prowess, she didn't actually have a counter to the higher-tiered artifact. They weren't known as the Heaven-Binding Chains for naught and, if he used them skillfully, even the space around him could be sealed away with ease.When his climactic battle against Scáthach came, Vahn knew [Enkidu] would be his strongest ally as, with her ability to hide clones within the void, sealing off the surrounding space was necessary. After her battle against the unseen swordsman, she now hid dozens of herself within the void so, when it came down to it, Vahn knew he might have to defeat more than a hundred Scáthach, rather than just a single version of herself.In preparation for this, Vahn had been conducting 'secret' training of his own within the Workshop. It wasn't the most realistic method but, using Da Vinci's Virtual World, Vahn could battle against a truly infinite number of Scáthach's.Da Vinci had asked him to help stress test the system in preparation for a large-scale launch so, while the virtual version of Scáthach was considerably weaker than the original, her numbers and the system's ability to learn over time, more than made up for it.Unfortunately, no matter how many updates Da Vinci had made to the Virtual World, it didn't seem to be able to properly account for the existence of Innates. Vahn could still activate his [Will of the Emperor] within the Virtual Space and, due to the peculiarities of Source Energy, his ability to create and manifest items worked flawlessly. This made absolutely no sense to Da Vinci, as physical objects should not be able to exist within virtual space, so Vahn was forced to spend a considerable amount of time helping her test the system's limits.Truthfully, Vahn didn't actually like the Virtual World all that much as, despite how fantastical it was from the inside, his sense couldn't be fooled so easily. He always had the feeling that, regardless of how immersive it was, everything he was witnessing wasn't real. It was strangely annoying so, unless he was training or directly assisting Da Vinci, he tried to avoid using it too often. To him, that 1.73% variation between reality and the virtual world was like being covered in a layer of grease, something palpable and annoying.The Virtual World was, admittedly, one of the most innovative and technologically advanced pieces of technology to ever exist. Vahn's discomfort was primarily the result of his 'awareness' and, to an even greater extent, his affinity with the Space element. It was discovered that the higher a person's affinity with Space, the greater the sense of incongruity they felt within the Virtual World. Ishtar and Aoko had been equally as affected when they gave the system a try and, though you could get used to it after a while, neither woman elected to do so.Fortunately, the Virtual World was merely one of the options Da Vinci had developed when it came to experience an immersive world. To that end, she had also developed the Environmental Projection Medium, basically replicated the methods used in the creation of a Sub-Texture using a combination of Science, Technology, and Magecraft. Though it still had a long way to go, as the projected objects were effectively just solid holograms, it was possible to create very realistic representations of reality.Though it wasn't entirely accurate, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Da Vinci was developing a way to mass-produce Reality Marbles. She had already developed a version of the [Space-Time Orb] that could map the surroundings and make a perfect replica of the environment within. This was very useful for battling against opponents in high population centers but, compared to the final product that Da Vinci envisioned, it was still a nascent technology.Eventually, Da Vinci wanted to merge all of her current technologies together, essentially creating a portable Reality Marble that could be activated by anyone who held the key. In its penultimate form, it would even be able to simulate entire planets, a terrifying thought until you considered that most [Space-Time Orb]s already had functionally infinite space within. So long as they had enough energy, they would continue to expand without limit, emulating real-world Laws and harboring life without issue.The hardest part of the equation was finding a way to actually store physical objects within what was effectively a purely Spiritual world. Vahn could manage this easily due to his Source Energy but, even after countless simulations based on the data she had collected, Da Vinci was no closer to finding a solution to this problem. While she had never believed anything to be impossible, there were some things that simply defied all explanations, both logical and irrational.Vahn's ability to manifest solid matter within a virtual or spiritual environment made absolutely no sense whatsoever, as, even from the perspective of the system itself, it was unable to even analyze these objects due to the fact they lacked the requisite data. The fact these anomalous objects could still interact with physical data constructs was yet another nonsensical development as the coding should be unaffected by anything not defined within the system. Even stranger was the fact that she could program a block to be indestructible but, as if his power overwrote the source coding, Vahn was still able to destroy them.Needless to say, Da Vinci was no closer to understanding the complexities of Vahn's existence, even after observing him for several years. The more she learned about him, the more there was to learn as, despite every theory she came up with, he seemed to be able to completely shatter it with little to no effort. While this excited her to no end, as there was nothing she enjoyed more than trying to comprehend the inexplicable, there were times when she would just lose herself in a fit of laughter after seeing him do something completely outside her expectations...---Hearing Da Vinci laughing in a sonorous yet incredulous manner, Vahn could only smile wryly in response while Sophia, seeing her mother lose it, fretfully observed from the side. This wasn't the first time she had seen her mother 'snap' but, as she was usually very calm and composed, it never got any easier seeing it. Thus, with a worried expression on her face, she looked toward the slightly glowing Vahn and said, "Papa...I wish you wouldn't just casually break mother..."As if he had been dealt critical damage, Vahn visibly tensed in response to Sophia's words, his brows twitching slightly as she smiled and said, "I only did what she asked me to do...you know I can't help but do my best when your mother asks..."Though she nodded her head in understanding, there was still a visible hint of blame in Sophia's eyes as she walked over to where Da Vinci was curled up in a laughing fit. Then, much as she had done in the past, Sophia pinched her mother's side rather forcibly, breaking Da Vinci free from the curse of laughter in an instant.Seeing her lovely daughter's concerned expression, Da Vinci mustered her usual smile as she mused, "Oh, you're so cute when you worry, Sophia-chan~." while extending her hand to muss Sophia's hair. This caused the latter to sigh in relief as, due to her emulation of Vahn, Da Vinci had made quite a bit of progress in her comprehension of Petting Laws. Rather, due to Vahn's influence, quite a number of people had developed a basic mastery of the once-obscure Law...Once Sophia had been pacified, Da Vinci turned her attention back to the waiting Vahn, her smile reaching all the way to her eyes as she mused, "There is never a dull moment when I work together with you...tell me, how do you feel?"In response to Da Vinci's question, Vahn flexed his fingers a couple of times before popping his joints and answering, "It feels a lot different from my normal body but it doesn't feel 'off' like it does within the Virtual World. I'm guessing the presence of defined Spatial Laws has something to do with it."As this matched her own speculation, Da Vinci nodded her head in agreement before pulling Sophia to sit on her lap. Afterward, she pulled up a holographic panel and began typing a list of commands while interrogating Vahn. The fact he had been able to manifest his Virtual Avatar in the real world, all while his actual body continued to rest peacefully at the side, was, once again, completely outside initial projections. Since he could do it, there was a non-negligible chance others would be able to do the same so, in order to prevent Virtual Avatars from wreaking havoc on the real world, Da Vinci had to get a better understanding of both the real and virtual worlds...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Scáthach is the ultimate tiger mom','Vahn's existence defies logic xD...','Stay strong, Da Vinci-chan...!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Ideally, Vahn would be able to increase his strength without limit during the interval where his enemies prepared their own plans. If he really wanted to, it was possible to enter Azathoth's, Tiamat's, Arcueid's, or even Aoko's personal dimensions but, fearing he would become even more detached from the world, Vahn elected to just follow his usual schedule. Though he did, in fact, make use of these 'Realms', it was generally to relax and enjoy a few hours alone with the girls themselves, rarely to increase his strength.Vahn had been hunting within the forests of Avalon alongside Fenrir, Hati, Gareth, and, as could be expected, Atalanta. Since it would be too easy otherwise, Vahn opted not to use his domain and, much like the girls themselves, he wielded an ornate wooden shortbow. It reminded him of his past as a skilled archer so, ever since Atalanta first invited him to go hunting, Vahn had made a sport of things, inviting the more 'feral' women in his entourage as a means of bonding.Unfortunately, this evening proved more eventful than most as, shortly after he had watched the girls sprint off into the forest, Alaya informed him, "There is an attack on the European Supercolony. Knight Tristan sustained critical injuries but was saved by Knight Lancelot. The latter is engaging an enemy Heroic Spirit, the Child of Light, Cú Chulainn."Vahn had turned serious the moment he heard Alaya's words but, upon hearing who Lancelot was fighting, he couldn't help but blank as rare lightheadedness overtook him. He had never met the infamous spearman but, as one of Scáthach's students, Vahn obviously knew his senior disciples well. Cú Chulainn had been the protege Scáthach was most proud of and, due to how famous his legend was, Cú was one of the most commonly summoned Lancer-Class Heroic Spirits...After quickly recovering, Vahn sent a telepathic message to everyone he was connected to, Scáthach included. The latter instantly appeared at his side, even before he had finished the message, asking in a cold tone, "Are you certain...?"Though her expression didn't show it, Vahn had known his Shishou long enough to see how 'excited' she was to encounter her former student. She had been the one to dismiss the idea of summoning Cú to aid the Empire, as he was rather notorious for doing things his own way, but, as could be expected, there was no way she would miss reuniting with her former most promising student, even if it was on the battlefield.While offering up a prayer to his senior disciple, Vahn offered a wry smile in response to Scáthach's words. What he didn't expect was for her to instantly grab him, stating, "This will be your eleventh challenge." before teleporting them both outside of Avalon. It was pretty clear from her reaction that it wasn't up for discussion so, for entirely different reasons, Vahn offered another prayer to the rather unfortunate Hero...---Though the distance between Avalon and the European Supercolonly was just under 2,000km, it took less than twenty seconds to reach their destination with Scáthach literally tearing through the fabric of Space to transfer them. It would have actually been faster to just have Alaya perform the transfer but, perhaps as a result of knowing who was protecting the Supercolony, Scáthach wasn't thinking clearly.Cú Chulainn was undoubtedly a very powerful Heroic Spirit but, with six former Knights of the Round Table, a legendary Queen, and a battalion of Homunculi protecting the construction site, it was only a matter of time until he was defeated. Any of the Knights would be able to match him for a short period of time but, considering his opponent was Lancelot, there was little chance of him lasting for an extended period of time. After all, with Cú already injuring one of his comrades, Lancelot would not give the infamous spearman any quarter...By the time Vahn and Scáthach reached the European Supercolony, Lancelot, Gaheris, and Percival had surrounded a man wearing a form-fitting blue bodysuit trimmed with glistening silver trim. It was easy to see, based on garb alone, that the man was an apprentice of Scáthach as, in the past, she had even tried to get him to wear something similar. The scarlet red spear made this even more apparent as, while less intimidating than those formed by his Shishou, Vahn could sense the Law of Slaughter emanating from Cú Chulainn's [Gae Bolg].Just as Vahn was about to tell the others to back down, as it was pretty obvious Scáthach wanted him to battle against Cú, he found himself at a loss for words as, without any decorum at all, she threw him through the air like a meteor with all her might. Though Vahn was able to right himself before landing, he still left a deep crater between Lancelot and Cú Chulainn, sending both men jumping backward, shouting, "You dare interfere in an honorable duel!?"As the cloud of debris marking his landing cleared away, revealing Vahn lightly patting down his clothes, Lancelot and the other Knights immediately bowed, the former exclaiming, "Forgive me, Your Majesty, I spoke out of turn...!"Hearing Lancelot's remark, Vahn gestured for everyone to rise, stating in a firm tone, "Worry not. It is my mistake for intervening in your battle. However, these are special circumstances so, please, stand aside and protect the Supercolony. Given Cú Chulainn's presence, there is a chance other enemies are skulking about in the shadows."Though their first instinct was to protect their Lord, none of the Imperial Knights dared to disobey a direct order from Vahn. He had proven his skill on several occasions and, even if he somehow fell in battle, even this wasn't enough to actually kill him. Thus, after issuing proper salutes, Lancelot led the others to secure the perimeter and scout for other enemies. The only one to remain behind was Boudica but, from the very beginning, she had been observing the battle from atop the perimeter wall, sword and shield at the ready...Seeing how the other had reacted toward Vahn, Cú Chulainn had a battle-crazed smile on his face as she shouldered his spear and asked, "So, you're the one they call the Sage Emperor, eh? You must be pretty confident in yourself to send your men away like that. Even I would have had trouble with that purple bastard, you know?"Hearing Cú mention the color purple, Vahn's brow nearly twitched as, despite knowing the remark was in regard to Lancelot's armor, the fact Scáthach was watching from the void made him strangely nervous. Fortunately, his training hadn't been for naught so, without letting it show on his face, he kept a calm and composed demeanor as he answered, "You know, I'd really like to know the value of your Luck Parameter...I can't imagine it is higher than E-Rank..."The moment he heard Vahn's remark, Cú's expression darkened slightly as a dry and coarse laugh escaped his lips. As Vahn implied, his Luck was notoriously low and, as a result of the peculiar way he had been summoned, it was even lower than normal. It was so bad that, at times, he would actually trip on flat ground while, during his battle with Lancelot, he had even breathed in a live mosquito, something that should have been destroyed by the clash of their weapons...Feeling as if his pride had been attacked, Cú adopted a fierce expression with his spear pointed toward Vahn, saying, "Draw your weapon, bastard...I'll show you Luck means nothing in the face of true skill..."Since Scáthach would probably lambast him for footing around the issue, Vahn answered Cú by pulling out a scarlet-red spear of his own. This was enough to cause the man's expression to darken even further as he lunged forward with incredible momentum, roaring, "Where did you get that spear from!?"Vahn was slightly surprised by Cú's speed but, considering most Lancer-Class Servants had A-Rank Agility, it wasn't completely outside his expectations. Unfortunately for the blue-haired man, it was very difficult for the current Vahn to hold back against enemies who emitted killing intent so, using his own exceptional Agility, he deflected Cú's onslaught of spear strikes using similar techniques. As could be expected, this incensed the man even further so, after performing an overhead strike and launching himself backward, he shouted, "Try and copy this...!"While sliding backward along the ground, a swirling vortex of red energy had surrounded the tip of Cú's spear. It was a violent and malicious amalgamation of energy, one which threatened anything unfortunate enough to cross its path with death and, once it had reached a critical level, he instantly changed direction, accelerating to several times the speed of sound in as he shouted, "Gae Bolg~!" in a voice that somehow reached Vahn's ears before the attack was fired.Like a snake made of red lightning, Cú's spear covered the relatively short distance between himself and Vahn in an instant. Despite this, Vahn was able to deflect it with his own, diverting the attack to the side with what appeared to be considerable ease. In the next moment, however, the world itself seemed to 'flicker' for a brief moment as time began to stagnate. Then, with the sound of several panes of glass shattering, causality itself was rewritten, this time with the tip of Cú's spear piercing toward his heart.It was here where Cú's bad Luck really shone as, not only did Vahn have a considerable amount of experience dealing with attacks that altered causality but, due to Cú's Noble Phantasm only being at B-Rank, it wouldn't have even been able to pierce him in the first place. Thus, shocking the youthful spearman to the core, Vahn's left hand seemed to move faster than time, appearing in two places at once for a brief moment as he caught the tip of [Gae Bolg] with his bare hand.Before Cú could process what his eyes had just witnessed, he felt a subtle shift in the force acting on his spear. In the next instant, Vahn's figure had vanished from his perception and, though his instinct allowed him to twist his body and strike towards Vahn's new location, this wasn't remotely enough to deter his counterattack. As a result, Vahn stabbed through Cú's leg with his own spear, deflected the latter's with his left hand and, in less time than it took to blink, formed a second spear out of thin air before stabbing the man a second time in the chest.Vahn possessing [Gae Bolg] had been both a surprise and an insult as, with the passage of time, it was always possible to obtain the weapons of former Heroes. However, seeing how Vahn was able to create another [Gae Bolg] from thin air, Cú instantly realized the truth so, even as he was skewered with a third spear, he managed to smile, blood dripping from his lips as he asked, "How is she...?"With two more spears in hand, Vahn pierced through Cú's right wrist while placing the tip of his second spear at the man's throat before answering, "Harsh but fair..."Hearing Vahn's response, Cú began laughing in spite of the pain. Then, without caring whether or not Vahn was evil, he smiled appreciatively as he said, "I'm glad she was able to find someone else to mentor. Maybe you'll be able to succeed where I failed...hey, do me a favor, will ya...? The next time you see that woman...tell her...I died with a smile...so...as a Teacher...she should be able to live with one...hahaha..."Accompanying his final laugh, Cú attempted to use one of the [Gae Bolg]s Vahn had stabbed into his body to perform one last counterattack. At the same moment, a white aura emanated from his body and, though the light had already faded from his ruby-red eyes, he managed to strike nearly as fast as Scáthach's most powerful attack. Even this wasn't enough to take down Vahn, however, as 'close' simply wasn't enough to cut it. Without even moving, he opened up a hole in his body, allowing the spear to pass through harmlessly as Cú, with a smile on his face, died on his feet...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Hunting with the Animal-Eared Entourage','That Luck Parameter...','Can you even call it a Nasuverse fanfic unless there is at least one Cú Chulainn death?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With little else to do, Vahn spent most of his time training, attending meetings, spending time with his children, and tending to his myriad of lovers. This was all he could really do to avoid stressing out over the fact his enemies were still skulking about in the shadows but, fortunately, even half of these things were enough to distract him. He genuinely liked spending time with everyone and, though his training was getting progressively harder, he was only his tenth of twelve challenges.Though he might confide in Siegfried or Karna about how stressful it was tending to the needs of so many people, Vahn, honestly, couldn't complain too much. There was nothing quite like waking up in the early hours of the morning with someone like Nero surprising him with an impromptu lesson for Artoria and Gray about how to properly fellate a well-endowed man. Just seeing the fretful looks on the girls' face as they watched Nero work was a sight to behold and, while not the 'best' way to start the day, it was certainly near the top...Nero, as could be expected, was a very proactive woman and, though there had been an interim period where she was under the guidance of Boudica, it hadn't taken long for her to mingle with the rest of the Inner Sanctum. After all, while she may have a peculiar personality, the fact she could emulate up to EX-Rank [Charisma] wasn't something that could be looked down upon. As a result of her close association with Artoria and others with remarkably high [Charisma], it had only ever been a matter of time until she was accepted.Vahn could still remember the night when Artoria requested his presence in their chambers, only for Nero to burst in wearing nothing but white bridal lingerie moments later. Though he had sensed her coming, the fact Artoria seemed prepared for Nero's arrival indicated they had worked together to basically ensnare him. Thus, without too much unnecessary talk, Vahn ended up facing off against a whole host of women with similar appearances, an event that turned into a competition of stamina and technique against the 'equally' skilled Nero.Fortunately, Vahn's stamina was inexhaustible so, while Nero had lasted a lot longer than expected, his victory had been a foregone conclusion. After all, he hadn't even been going 'all-out' as, unless it was someone like Illya, Aoko, Arcueid, or Ishtar, most women would end up a broken mess for a very long period of time after the fact. His union with the Tier 5 women had enhanced his capabilities far beyond the tolerance of most women so, out of consideration for his harem, Vahn generally paced himself to match their tempo.It was because of this that Nero ended up lasting a considerable amount of time as, going at her pace, her stamina seemed inexhaustible. Rather than sex, it was almost like they were performing an increasingly complex dance, becoming one in a way not all that dissimilar to the process of melding. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that she could rival Ishtar but, considering the latter had an actual Divinity related to Sex, it could be said that Nero was peerless among her peers. This had also taught Vahn just how scary [Imperial Privilege: EX] could be as, midway through their intercourse, she had started to use Petting Laws and other emulated techniques against him.Now, though Nero wasn't actually considered one of his wives or Empresses, she was often allowed to stay within his chambers. This wasn't an expression of favoritism, however, but by request of none other than Artoria herself. The latter could be blamed for Vahn awakening his Sex Divinity and, for reasons he could only guess at, she seemed determined to rival him in the bedroom. Thus, despite Artoria being a modest woman at most times, she had request Nero to be her teacher, specifically with the intent of learning sexual techniques.Needless to say, Artoria was a very determined and dutiful woman so, ever since they had come to an agreement, Vahn had become rather fond of the time he spent in his chambers. Though this had always been the case, it was very different to have the women be both proactive yet submissive. In most situations, he was left to control the pacing so, to be serviced without having to guide them through the process, he was, understandably, pleased...---Though he could almost always be found with a smile on his face, Vahn's change in 'atmosphere' had been noticed by everyone who commonly associated with him. He always seemed to be in a positive mood and, even if something troublesome came up, it didn't seem to phase him nearly as much as they would have expected. This could be seen in moments like the present where, after a particularly fierce bout of training, Mash had most of the bones in her left arm crushed by her own 'Servant', the Heroic Spirit, Richard the Lionheart.Richard was a handsome man with pale-golden hair, set with three crimson streaks, and similarly red eyes. He also had a thin and athletic build, standing at approximately 178cm and weighing roughly 66kg without armor so, with a generally amicable personality, he was very easy to get along with. His only real character flaws were his obsession with Arthurian Legend and his indomitable competitive spirit. The former compelled him to name his personal sword [Excalibur] while the latter meant he was horrendous when it came to holding back.As the Heroic Spirit summoned by Mash, he had been charged with her protection and, as a result of his disagreements with Galahad's training methods, he also become a secondary teacher for her. He wanted Mash to become more skilled in the use of swords and spears as, prior to his insistence, she had spent most of her efforts on learning defensive techniques, healing magic, and various support spells.According to Richard's take on things, Mash's desire to protect people, while noble, was flawed on a conceptual level. After all, if the only thing she could do was protect, her enemies simply needed to learn how to circumvent her shield. If she lacked the ability to incapacitate an enemy in the shortest amount of time, it wouldn't matter how strong her defenses were. There would always be a way for a determined enemy to circumvent her best efforts, rending them ultimately invalid.Richard wasn't known as the 'Wandering King' for naught as, while on a battlefield, he moved about in enemy lines completely unobstructed. He had an Innate named [Godspeed] which, when used to its fullest, allowed his Agility to reach the EX-Rank in an instant. There was no theoretical limit to how fast he could move and, as a result of its influence over various Laws, Richard could, for about three seconds from his perspective, move unobstructed through time.Three seconds was a monstrous amount of time when you reached the apex but, when people like Aoko could emulate the same feat almost indefinitely, it wasn't as powerful as it might seem. In fact, against opponents with considerable fate, massive amounts of Od, or other factors, the skill was all but useless as the amount of Magical Power required to influence such people was truly monstrous. He couldn't even activate it with Vahn's domain as, due to the influence of the latter's Source Energy, manipulating Time was a luxury only Tier 5 existences could afford.Even without his ability to move beyond the flow of time, however, Richard's Agility could allow him to reach near-lightspeed without too much strain on his body. Thus, he was a very proactive man on the battlefield and, as a result of his mentality, he wanted to help Mash grow much stronger. While this wasn't necessarily a problem, in and of itself, Richard was what many of the women referred to as a 'Prodigious Idiot'.Rather than someone who had put in a serious effort into comprehending his Skills and abilities, Richard was the type that had been blessed with unbelievable prowess from birth. The very first time he had held a wooden sword, he managed to defeat every instructor arranged for him within three moves. By the time he was eight, he had already made a name for himself throughout Europe as a peerless swordsman without equal. This had earned him the title of 'Little Brave' and, by the time he became a man, his courage had elevated him to the status of 'Lionheart'.As was often the case among those naturally skilled in martial discipline, Richard had no idea why he was as skilled as he had become. To him, it was the result of his prowess and his sincere desire to be the greatest knight of all time. To others, however, he was an anomalous existence who had gained an inexplicable amount of power with an inordinately small amount of effort. He very rarely trained and, though he had tried to take on many proteges and establish his own version of the Knights of the Round Table, every single candidate had been 'broken' as a result of his guidance.When asked direct questions such as, 'How do you perform that technique?', Richard would always answer with complete nonsense, despite his serious expression and tone. Even Vahn had been taken aback by his inability to convey simple technical information as, after making a direct inquiry from the young Knight, Richard had answered, 'You just go 'whoosh' and then, when you feel a tingle in your wrist, you go 'fwaaaah' as fast as possible.'Despite his failings, however, Mash did her best to follow Richard's training, albeit with a lot of input from people like Kenshin. She could understand his logic and, while she had no intention of harming people, reaching a point where she could disable them without much trouble would be ideal. It was with this conviction that she threw herself into Richard's training and, as a result of trying to follow his inexplicable teachings, she ended up getting her arm crushed after trying to punch 'through' an object.In Richard's mind, the only thing you needed to do in order to overwhelm a target with high defense was 'hit harder and faster'. This was possible for people like him as, with his ability to basically ignore some of the Laws of Physics, he wouldn't break from coming into contact with objects at high speed. If that were the case, even moving about would be impossible as, the moment his foot struck the ground, his limbs would be destroyed. As for Mash, she was still a relatively normal young woman so, despite some serious misgivings in the back of her mind, she put her full power into striking a metallic pillar she had no hopes of breaking.Had it not been for Richard bowing his head low enough to touch the ground, combined with Vahn's positive mood, he would have been a lot harsher on the golden-haired youth. Instead, he punished the man by having him apprentice under Scáthach for a week, allowing him to learn how senseless his own training had been by experiencing something similar. He also lost the privilege to train Mash without someone nearby observing, specifically Kenshin or one of the more level-headed Imperial Knights...Since he was a good-natured man, Richard accepted his punishment with a resolute spirit. He also apologized to Mash, lowering his head despite his former status as a King. He had always held his status as a Knight in higher regard than the weight of his crown so, having brought harm to the girl he was pledged to serve and protect, there was little he wasn't willing to do if it could make amends. Fortunately, Mash was a very kind-hearted young woman so, rather than blame Richard for his poor teaching methods, she simply smiled before softly stating, "Next time, I'll be sure to punch through it properly..."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'TFW you kind of want Scáthach to be even rougher with Vahn...','Richard is basically a 'Hero' from an old JRPG xD...','One day, Mashu will learn to smashu~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1392: Reality