Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Like a dam breaking, unleashing a wave of destruction, Altera swept through the crowd of automatons with unstoppable force. She was like a living tempest as, even without sweeping her sword through enemies, her movements alone were enough to tear them asunder. There was little the unfortunate magical constructs could do, much like sailors swept up in a typhoon or a young child caught in a rip current, swept out into the unforgiving sea without a means to free themselves from the tragedy they had wrought.Vahn couldn't help but stall for a moment as he watched Altera in action, much like a pedestrian who had just witnessed a car crash. Part of him even felt guilty that his enemies sent out automatons in a vain attempt to stall for time as, in more ways than one, it showed a general disregard for their own creations. Since he had always been the type that appreciated everything he created, paving the way forward for it to develop an Ego, Vahn simply couldn't agree with methods like this.In order to bring this battle to an end as soon as possible, Vahn and Arcueid made their way to the mountain peak in an instant. As it had been pulled inside of her Marble Phantasm, Arcueid had near-absolute control over the surrounding space so, even though the entrance had been concealed by several meters of magically reinforced stone, she was able to simply create a new entrance with the sweep of her hand. Reality Manipulation was a very powerful ability and, if she used it maliciously, Arcueid could likely kill everyone hiding inside without getting anywhere near them.With the combination of their abilities, Vahn and Arcueid were able to analyze the structure of the entire mountain in a very short period of time. As a result, they ended up in a vast chamber near the heart of the mountain, home to a large crystalline tree that was more than 50m in height. It glistened with green and gold light and, if not for the various monitors and machines burrowed into its trunk, it would have been quite the sight to behold.Since they had taken a more 'direct' route, Vahn and Arcueid landed silently a few meters away from the tree's base, circumventing all of the security measures that had been put in place. This caused the man standing over the terminals to release a tired sigh as he lazily looked back and stated, "You really do things your own way, don't you? Seriously, no regard for other people's efforts at all..."After nodding in response to the man's complaint, Vahn casually extended his hand, manifesting [Enkidu] in their surroundings to seal off the surrounding space. Though Arcueid could achieve a similar effect using her own power, Vahn didn't want to leave everything to her. He was already here so, if there was something he could do to remove their enemy's advantages, he would do so without hesitation.Seeing the resplendent golden chains now swirling around the room, the man released a tired sigh before plopping down in his chair and saying, "Tell me...what exactly are you? I've spent more than two months trying to understand this world you've created. If I were allowed to be honest, I don't actually disagree with your methods. What I can't understand is what you are, where you came from, and how you came to possess this power..."As he spoke, the man briefly eyed Arcueid, fully aware of her identity and the power she had at her disposal. What didn't make sense was Vahn as, prior to setting his plans in motion, nothing like Vahn had ever existed. This frustrated him to no end as, unless he was able to completely split his timeline from Vahn's, all of time was fated to converge at the point of Vahn's present. This meant all of his efforts and hard work would be for naught as, depending on how things developed, his own timeline would never even be set into motion. In a way, it proved that free will had never existed in the first place as, with a single person's existence, the variability of the future was completely removed...Vahn hadn't arrived with the intent to make casual conversation so, rather than answer the man's question, he vanished from where he had been standing. This caused the man to tense in his seat while simultaneously trigger a device in his left hand. A complex barrier formed from hexagonal panels immediately shielded his body, repelling Vahn's strike with enough force to rupture the sleeve of his right arm. Even his muscle had ruptured slightly but, with his regeneration, he healed almost instantly as he continued pressing his palm against the barrier's surface.With a paling expression on his face, the lazy-looking man on the inside managed a wry smile as he remarked, "This shield can even block a Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasm...man, I really hate your type. I wasn't showing any kind of hostility yet you went out of your way to attack me. I guess this is why you are able to do something as messed up as throwing the entire world into chaos for the sake of your ambitions?"Hearing the man's words, Vahn squinted his eyes slightly, his pupils turning pale-gold as his right hand morphed into a claw covered in azure scales. At the same time, individuals segments of the hexagonal grid began to crack, causing the man inside to pale even more. It was only at this point that Vahn decided to answer, stating in a firm and decisive tone, "You've had more than two months to try and initiate a dialogue. You've injured the people I've cared about, plotted against my Empire, and took proactive measures to undermine the peaceful world I'm trying to create. The time for talk is long behind us..."The moment his words trailed off, Vahn's claw tore through the last vestiges of the barrier, piercing into the man's chest. This wasn't meant to be a lethal blow but, after everything the man had set in motion, Vahn wasn't going to let him off easily. These types always knew a considerable amount of information so, while it would be simple to just finish him off, the absence of other enemies made killing him unwise.Frustratingly, Vahn realized the truth of the matter as soon as his hand entered the man's chest. This caused his eyes to blaze like suns, his claw clenching with tremendous force as he ripped out a flurry of mechanical parts and wires. At the same time, the shaggy-haired man seated within the shattered barrier offered a sly smile before mockingly stating, "Did you really think I would use my real body to send signals into Empire-controlled territory? As I said, Vahn Aldrnari Mason, I've been watching and researching you for a while now. Though the loss of Cú is regrettable, don't think we're going to be defeated so easily...!"Likely emulating Vahn, the man waited until he had finished his exclamation before pressing another device hidden away in his sleeve. Unfortunately, due to the presence of [Enkidu], sending signals was all but impossible so, with an annoyed grimace on his face, the man simply self-destructed instead of collapsing the entire mountain range. His core was nearly as powerful as the one used by the current Rani IV so, while it wasn't enough to kill Vahn or Arcueid, it was more than enough to annihilate the crystalline tree and his duplicate body.Following a pulse of magical energy, a brilliant white light erupted from the shaggy-haired man's body. Immediately afterward, Vahn was propelled backward with tremendous force, slamming into the spatial lock formed by [Enkidu]. It felt like he was being crushed by an entire planet but, just as he was able to teleport out, Arcueid appeared to embrace his body. This caused all the pressure to disappear in an instant, the explosion flowing away from them due to Arcueid's influence. Even the sounds of the explosion were unable to reach him so, with a tired sigh, Vahn pressed his forehead to Arcueid's and complained, "I'm really starting to hate these people..."Though it wasn't all that dissimilar to what he, Da Vinci, or Touko would do, the fact his enemies went to such extreme length to hide was remarkably frustrating. Cú may very well have been his only chance to obtain information about their overarching plans as, with his nature, it probably wouldn't have taken too much effort to convince him they weren't the bad guys. Now, Vahn had to settle for having obtained the identity of the shaggy-haired man and securing the strange black box that had been planted in the Supercolony.There was a chance he had chosen his form to mislead them but, based on the information provided by Alaya, the shaggy-haired automaton had the same presence and appearance as one of history's most famous mathematicians and inventors, Archimedes. This guaranteed the man had either found a way to transmigrate or, much like Cú, he was a Heroic Spirit. As for the black box, his Inventory had yet to identify its function but, with enough time, all of its secrets would become known to him.Since the trip hadn't been a complete waste of time, Vahn enjoyed his embrace with Arcueid for a bit longer than necessary. The explosion had already faded away and, as a result of [Enkidu], most of the chamber had been left undamaged. This allowed a greater volume of mana to flow from the Artificial Leyline below but, given enough time, it would eventually return to normal.Now that things had reached this point, Vahn realized they needed to investigate and, if necessary, destroy all foreign Bounded Fields. They may even need to investigate other Subtextures as Avalon and the Wandering Sea were not the only ones in existence.Given how crafty Archimedes and his allies had proven to be, it wouldn't come as a surprise to learn they had even ventured to the Reverse Side of the World. He would need to confer with Sherlock as, if it turned out they were forging alliances with the very Gods he was making plans again, there was a very real chance a war between the Surface and Reverse Sides would become necessary. He could only hope that, if they truly considered themselves 'heroes' in the battle against evil, they wouldn't resort to such blatantly destructive methods.As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Vahn was overtaken by a powerful compulsion to sigh as, with his Karmic Value, combined with various other factors, there were likely very few lengths his enemies wouldn't go to. They could come up with some contrived logic that it was better to entrust the world to a select group of Gods, rather than leave it in the hands of an 'Evil Emperor'. Heroes weren't exactly known for thinking things through so, as long as they were able to achieve the end they sought, the means used and the repercussions they faced rarely mattered...Though he didn't say it out loud, Vahn internally remarked that being the villain sucked even more than being the 'hero'. Unless he really threw himself into the role that had been assigned him, doing all kinds of terrible acts, he would continue to be pressured from both sides of the spectrum. Ideally, he would be able to reach some kind of compromise with the enemy group but, given their actions thus far, they were wholly dedicated to undermining his efforts...After shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Vahn planted a kiss on the concerned-looking Arcueid, returning the smile to her face. Afterward, they looked around the area for a short while but, due to the powerful explosion, all traces of the system that had existed previously had been erased. This left the larger facility to explore but, as there were no signs of life anywhere within, it was best to leave it to the Atlas Temple's clean-up crew to investigate.Having made up his mind on the matter, Vahn exited the facility alongside Arcueid. There, amidst a sea of automaton corpses, Altera stood atop the shattered torso of a larger specimen, her veil-like hair tossed gently by the frigid mountain wind. Though her figure gave her a somewhat emaciated appearance, she gave off the impression of both a Goddess of War and a flower that only bloomed amidst countless corpses. It was a strangely beautiful yet morbid sight, especially with the terrifying ORT hovering nearby, it's blade-like appendages waiting to slaughter anything still living amongst the tens of thousands of automatons...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Altera, human-shaped natural disaster','Archimedes trying to be sneaky. Guess he didn't account for Alaya being able to identify him in an instant o3o...','There are Heroes on both sides of a conflict')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Even as the battle was ongoing, Vahn had been part of an ongoing war council back at Avalon. He was seated at the head of a massive three-dimensional diorama in his official regalia, Artoria at his side and every ranking military official gathered around them.Though it wasn't nearly as capable as CHALDEAS, the satellites produced by Da Vinci to enhance the SHEBA network allowed them to view a detailed representation of real-world locations. It was still in its nascent state, making it roughly as useful as previous GPS satellites but, soon enough, they would have the means to observe even the density and composition of mana all throughout the world.Currently, Vahn was discussing the feasibility of investigating, securing, and destroying most of the world's Bounded Fields. This would have long-standing effects on the planet as, while most existed solely to benefit the Magus families that had developed them, many prevented excess mana from the Reverse Side from leaking into the world. They also prevented monsters and other Phantasmal Species from freely roaming the countryside so, if they truly destroyed them, the Empire would have yet another problem to deal with.As the ranking military official, behind only Vahn and Artoria, Gawain was the one to offer a solution, saluting as he boldly exclaimed, "Your Majesty, though I am remiss to use them in such a way, would the simplest solution not be to send the Companions to investigate? Splitting our forces any further than we already have will only cause gaps within our existing security network. We cannot abandon our efforts to maintain order around the various food distribution sites so I do not see any solution outside of producing more Companions, Golems, or Homunculi..."Hearing Gawain's suggestion, Vahn had to take a deep breath through his nose to remain calm. He actually hated the idea of mass-producing weapons and, as a result of his views on the responsibility of a creator, Vahn couldn't easily accept Gawain's proposal. While it may, indeed, be one of the 'best' solutions, they would be required to cross a moral boundary he wasn't comfortable even skirting.After ruminating over the matter for nearly a minute, Vahn ultimately shook his head, stating, "I will not pervert the Companions further. I was convinced to allow them to accompany the Empire's and Atlas Temple's Response Forces but only as support units. Changing tune and converting them into weapons, merely for the sake of convenience, isn't something I'm willing to do..."As the words left his lips, Vahn couldn't help but briefly pass his gaze over everyone present within the room, each someone who, from a certain point of view, he had exploited. The primary difference between them and the Companions, however, was that they had at least some choice in the matter. There had yet to be a single Companion to develop a true Ego just yet and, though outlier like Skoll and a few of Astrid's pack were pretty close, they were also fiercely loyal.Every Companion already had the ability to make individual choices but, as a result of how they were programmed, combined with their original function, there was little they wouldn't do to help. If they knew their deaths would benefit those around them, nearly every Companion would willingly march to their demise, most without hesitating in the slightest.Vahn didn't mind being seen as an Evil Tyrant who would do whatever it took, so long as it met his end goal, but that mainly applied to him, not the people around him. If he could, he would take care of everything himself, leaving his loved ones to live peaceful lives without any worries. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he twisted the Companions, creatures who were meant to provide love and support, into weapons of war and slaughter.Though it would put more strain on them in the interim, Vahn formulated a plan within his mind as, rather than simply refute Gawain's words, he needed to come up with a solution. Thus, following his refusal of Gawain's proposal, he added, "What the Empire lacks is personnel. Though it is earlier than our initial projections, we will advance our plans of converting our allies and affiliates into citizens of the Empire. Our partnership with the Atlas Temple has set a precedence so it is time for us to extend an olive branch to those who have been wanting to join us."Hearing Vahn's words, there were mixed reactions amongst his concil but, as it was one of the better alternatives, none argued against it. Luvia, in particular, was in complete agreement so, after gaining permission to speak, she stated, "My family has been making preparations for some time now. After the collapse of the Three Monarchal Lords, our Alliance has become the most powerful faction within the Mage's Association. Various family Heads have been pressuring us to join the Empire so this is a good opportunity to put them to work, ohohohoho~."Vahn nodded his head in agreement but, seeing Aoko smiling wryly at the side, he asked, "Is there something that troubles you, Aoko?"Being put on the spot all of a sudden, Aoko laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head before answering, "It's just that...well, the Mage's Association has always been a pretty messed up place. It hasn't been all that long since they were brought to their knees so I can't help but worry about the future of the Empire if we directly mingle with them. Magi are nothing if not crafty and longsighted."Understanding Aoko's concerns, Vahn gave another curt nod in response but, as it actually invited even more trouble trying to weed out dissidents completely, he allayed her concerns, explaining, "I believe the vast majority here understand the truth behind your words. This is the reason behind the establishment of the Common Law and the proliferation of the Companions. There is nothing we can do to completely root out things like evil and corruption as, given enough time, it will come from within our own ranks. The most we can do is take preventative measures and do our best to unify under a solitary idealogy, one that believes everyone has an inherent right to happiness. We cannot be afraid of dissidence as the desire to break free from the constraints of an established system is an intrinsic part of, not just humans, but the vast majority of sapient species..."Though it wasn't the first time she had heard Vahn say similar words, Aoko offered another wry smile in response before muttering, "I guess this is what makes you an Emperor, huh...?" Then, as if fired up by her own words, she adopted a more confident smile and exclaimed, "Alright! I'm in! That's how it should be, right? Living without any regrets!"As the mood had been growing increasingly tense, Vahn took the opportunity provided by Aoko to laugh in a lighthearted manner. Truthfully, her words struck very close to home and, while it would indeed be stressful, everything they were doing was for a better future. So long as he never made compromises, such as perverting the function of the Companions, the world would, one day, match his vision of the future.Since he had already hogged the glory of taking down an enemy stronghold, Vahn quickly recovered from his bout of laughter, stating, "Luvia, I will leave the matter of gathering prospective allies to the Edelfelt family. I imagine it has been a while since anything festive happened so feel free to organize a ball or something. Even if nothing comes of it, I'm certain the current family heads will jump at the opportunity to mingle with members of the Imperial Family."Though she had intended to hold a private banquet to negotiate with the members of the Alliance, Luvia found Vahn's proposition far more interesting. Truthfully, she had never particularly cared about such things but, as it would be an event hosted by her family, there were ample opportunities to turn the affair into something far more interesting. This event would establish a precedent for how all other social gatherings between profligate families would go as, with the fall of the previous nobility, the Empire was set to redefine even the basics of etiquette.With her mind racing with the possibilities, Luvia had a radiant smile on her face as she confidently exclaimed, "You can rest assured, Your Majesty, I will make this an event to be talked about for years to come! I will need a few days to make the arrangements but I can have the guest list completed by the end of the day. Would you like me to forward it to you~?"Seeing how happy Luvia was, Vahn couldn't help but adopt a gentler expression as he nodded his head and answered, "Yes, I would appreciate it. Please include a copy for Bedivere as well. He will be in charge of preparing the attendees from our side so it is important he knows who you have chosen to attend. This is an opportunity to officially debut Mordred and Sakura as First and Second Imperial Princesses so I would appreciate if you kept that in mind."Hearing her Chichue's words, Mordred, who had been looking pretty bored at the side, suddenly sat up straight, blurting out, "Eh? Do I really have to do..."Before Mordred could even finish her words, both Vahn and Artoria turned their eyes toward her. As a result, her words trailed off, turning into a dry laugh. If possible, she would like to continue keeping her status a secret as, while she was proud to be Vahn's and Artoria's daughter, Mordred didn't want it to be what defined her. The moment it was made public, she would 'always' be treated as the First Imperial Princess, something she would, honestly, rather avoid...Vahn could see the momentary struggle in Mordred's eyes but, before he could say anything to allay her concerns, she recovered with a smile and said, "I'll make you proud, Chichiue, Hahaue. Just leave it to me."Despite her misgivings about bearing the title of Imperial Princess in an official capacity, it wasn't in Mordred's nature to disregard her duties. She respected her parents too much and, though it would place a burden on her, it was nothing compared to what they had to bear on a daily basis. With this in mind, Mordred tried to bury the part of herself that harbored unspeakable delusions, adopting the best smile she could manage to avoid worrying them.Vahn and Artoria could easily tell that Mordred was forcing herself but, knowing she would now insist on attending, it was too late to address it at the table. They would have to discuss the matter in private as now was neither the time or place to have such a conversation. However, as he didn't want her to assume he was shelving the issue, Vahn picked up his seal from the table, saying, "As there is little else to discuss, we will adjourn here and reconvene tomorrow at 10 AM. I will be returning from my excursion shortly so, if there is anything, please wait until then."Though there was actually quite a bit left to discuss, there was no need to have the entire emergency council gathered. Gawain could be trusted to organize everything and, by the time he held Court the following day, most of the less pertinent issues would be resolved.It didn't take a genius to understand that Vahn had brought the meeting to an end on her behalf so, while she did her best to adopt a remorseful expression, Mordred couldn't hide the small twinkle of happiness in her eyes. She felt guilty about worrying him but, knowing he cared for her to such an extent always made her feel happy. He often spoke about being a Father before an Emperor so, at times like this, she always felt gratified to be his daughter, even if it also left a bittersweet taste in her mouth...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Do not corrupt the cute...!','Luvia about to plan a wrestling event instead of a ball...','Sweet Summer child...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

It was only after Cú Chulainn's body began to disappear into particles of light that Scáthach finally appeared from within the void. She manifested herself right in front of her former student, a wistful look in her ruby-like eyes as she muttered, "You always were a foolish boy..." Then, just before Cú's body disappeared, Scáthach gently ran her hand down his face, closing his lightless eyes to give him a more peaceful appearance...When Cú's body finally disappeared completely, Vahn could hear Scáthach audibly inhale before she turned around, her gentle look nowhere to be seen as she stated, "I had not expected something like this to happen. Now that it has, only your final challenge awaits...once you have steeled yourself, find me on the Isle of Skye. I will await you at the place where my legend began..."With her words finished, Scáthach disappeared within the void, leaving Vahn at a loss for words. The last few months had been relatively uneventful so it was rather disorienting to have things progress so quickly. Though he knew Scáthach had been losing her patience as of late, the appearance of Cú Chulainn seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Now, the next time he met the purple-clad beauty, it would undoubtedly be a fight to the death.Feeling more than a little exasperated, Vahn released a tired sigh before looking toward the top of the wall and waving down Boudica. In response, she unhesitantly jumped down and, even without reinforcing her body with mana, her physique alone was enough to withstand the 50m fall, even in full armor. Though she landed rather roughly, without much grace, Vahn dutifully pretended not to notice as he turned his eyes toward where Cú had been standing moments prior...After taking a few deep breaths to collect herself, Boudica approached Vahn's side, a confident and dignified look on her face as she asked, "Is there something you require of me, Master?"Answering Boudica's inquiry with a curt nod, Vahn explained, "Make sure nothing snuck in during the personnel evacuation. Once the Supercolony had been cleared out, we'll be performing a detailed sweep and scan of the entire region. Cú must have been sent here for a reason...we'll not rest until it is found."With her orders received, Boudica performed a knightly salute, striking her breastplate with her gauntleted hand, before shouting, "Ha! I will carry out your orders without fail!" Afterward, she gave a courteous bow and, after being dismissed by Vahn, quickly set out to perform her duties.After watching Boudica's departing figure, cloaked in a thick white cape, Vahn released another sigh before turning his eyes skyward and expanding his senses through the area. Now that he was here, he was compelled to sweep the area a few times. Part of him was tempted to give chase and pursue Scáthach directly to the Isle of Skye but, knowing he wasn't in the proper state of mind to face her in an unrestricted battle, this was the next best thing.Fortunately, or perhaps not, Vahn's senses did, in fact, pick up the presence of an anomalous magical signature. Sensing it, he couldn't help but roll his eyes before muttering, "I suppose we're not at the point where you'll inform me every time something like this happens, huh?"Without replying to his question directly, Alaya made her intentions known by wiggling around and biting him a little harder than before. Truthfully, there were a lot of things she could tell Vahn but, as it would only stress him out even further, she never proactively fed him information. The only reason she had informed him about Tristan being attacked was due to a prior order, not out of her concern for the red-haired Knight's safety. This information had to be paid for with Magical Energy so, unless Vahn fed her a phenomenal amount, there were limits to what she could actually provide him.Vahn, of course, knew that Alaya was still bound by the restrictions placed on her. This was actually a very good thing as, with the recent changes in her behavior, it would cause a lot of problems if she was able to act freely. Thus, while part of him wished she would be more 'proactive' when it came to important matters, it, honestly, wasn't really her job. He already expected quite a bit from her so, as frustrating as her silence was, at times, Vahn couldn't hold her accountable...After teleporting to where the anomalous magical signature was, Vahn found a peculiar metallic box that, from appearances alone, seemed high tech. It had a sleek black surface with a laser-engraved runic pattern embossed onto its surface. This was a technology that Da Vinci had developed around two years ago but, as only Imperial Tech made use of such systems, seeing a foreign device possess a similar level of tech showed just how advanced their enemies were.Since nothing good would come from leaving the device alone, Vahn placed his palm against its surface and, after a brief tug-of-war against whatever was controlling it, he forcibly took control of the object before throwing it into his Inventory. Then, passing his intent through the foreign magical energy, Vahn attempted to trace the energy back to its source. He had been able to send his intent around freely even before entering the Nasuverse and, with his mastery over Space Laws, it would be difficult to avoid his detection.Unfortunately, while Vahn was able to pursue the source for several seconds, whoever had been in control seemed to realize what was happening. In response, they sent an explosive pulse of magical energy through the original signal. This was similar to how Modern Magi used Counter Curses and, if he was a normal person, Vahn could even receive a backlash if he continued his pursuit. Fortunately, he was anything but normal so, despite a small trickle of blood running down his nose, Vahn forced his way through the surge, latching onto the original signal and tracking the source to a mountain range near the border between Pakistan and China.Despite the constant lectures he received about taking action on his own, Vahn wasn't the type to just sit around while his enemy slithered in the shadows like a snake. He was already holding council back in Avalon, the benefit of having two bodies, so he instantly gave out mobilization orders while teleporting to the location, courtesy of Alaya. Moments later, several other ripples appeared in the surrounding space as, from within the void, Arcueid, Okita, and, as he knew she had been longing for battle, Altera appeared.Vahn was tired of just letting his enemies do whatever they wanted so, with a calm and commanding tone, he ordered, "Arcueid, I want you to pull this entire mountain into your Marble Phantasm. Okita, make sure none of the enemies are able to escape. If you have the option between killing or sparing them, lean towards the latter but do not be afraid to strike them down if they are dangerous. Altera, you will stay at my side...if there are any powerful enemies, I will let you take care of them..."Though Arcueid could manifest her Marble Phantasm with ease, pulling things from the real world into it was considerably more difficult. Despite this, she unhesitantly stepped forward and brought her hands together, much like she was praying. In the next moment, her aura seemed to cover the heavens themselves and, after a couple of seconds had passed, the night sky became a bright blue as she forcibly pulled everything in her surroundings into her Marble Phantasm. This left her gasping for breath but, after a minute or so of absorbing energy from the earth, combined with Vahn feeding her a considerable amount of Source Energy, she was back at full capacity.The moment Arcueid's Marble Phantasm manifested, Okita vanished like a phantom from Vahn's side, immediately followed by the latter muttering, "ORT, keep watch from above. If anything tries to fly away or forcibly intervene, feel free to capture or kill them..."With just a few simple commands, Vahn now had three Tier 5 existences acting on his orders while, back in Avalon, Aoko and Maxwell were helping to feed magical energy into his body. It wasn't the most efficient process but, with Maxwell being able to output an infinite amount of energy, Vahn would be able to muster a functionally infinite amount of his own. As a result, his normally green eyes began to blaze with a divine blue light, his momentum seeming to rise even higher than the 8600m mountain before him.---Mountains had always been a source of great mystery and mysticism, even dating back to the Era of the Gods. Most mountains were natural formations that came into being as a result of two tectonic plates moving against each other. As a result, the energies contained within the earth spilled out in these regions and, while not necessarily part of a Leyline, many acted as Artificial Leylines as a result. It was for this reason that so many Magi, Sages, and Spiritual Hermits had made their home atop mountain as, more often than not, many were direct portals to Spiritual Lands.A Spiritual Land was an area on the Surface Texture where the boundaries between the Surface and Reverse Sides, at times, became weakened. This allowed for various mutations in plants and animals, often resulting in the formation of treasure-grade medicinal herbs and powerful monsters. Since the strength of a Magus family was often directly related to the number of Spiritual Lands under their influence, it wasn't uncommon to find powerful Bounded Fields wherever famous mountains existed.Due to lacking the personnel to police them, and generally not caring about the resources inside, the Empire had left most Spiritual Lands to whoever felt like claiming them. Eventually, the entire planet would become a Spiritual Land so, while there were certainly benefits to be had, the Empire would have to invest manpower it didn't have in an effort to claim them. Most of them had been left to the Mage's Association to police and, now, as a result of his half-measures, Vahn bore witness as, from within the subsumed Bounded Field, a veritable army of Golems and Magical Constructs poured out.Despite a seemingly endless sea of enemy forces, neither Vahn nor any of his allies showed any sign of perturbance. They all remained calm and collected as, when it came to true power, numbers rarely made much of a difference. A billion ants might be able to take down an elephant but even a billion times that number could do little against entities on the level of planetary bodies. Vahn himself had yet to reach this level but Arcueid, ORT, and even Altera, easily qualified as Tier 5 existences.As there were some enemies within the air, a brilliant flash of emerald green light caused all other colors to fade into darkness as ORT, appearing much like an angular green spaceship, tore through every aerial enemy in seconds. At the same time, Okita was leaving behind cuts in the air that, even after several seconds passed, continued to sever the void. This caused a powerful and destructive gravitational force to suck in anything foolish enough to near the affected area and, as her attacks continued to build, lightning formed from reddish-black energy began to dance between each of the rifts.Since it was a good opportunity, Vahn gave a small nod towards the patiently waiting Altera, saying, "Take care not to cause collateral damage to the mountain and your allies. You have enough power to wipe these enemies out with devastating your surroundings. Other than that, feel free to cut loose as much as you want."Hearing Vahn's words, Altera simply replied with an, "I see..." before pulling her tri-colored sword out of her chest. In the next moment, she kicked off the ground with enough force to cause Vahn's and Arcueid's clothes to flutter as a shockwave of dust and debris crashed into them. This caused Vahn to issue a small sigh and, though she was slightly annoyed by Altera's actions, Arcueid decided to just laugh it off. Then, entangling her arm with Vahn's, she adorned a radiant smile on her face, asking, "Shall we go~?"https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1395: Overwhelm