Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the incessant sound of clicking echoing through her ears, X's brows lightly furrowed as she slowly peeled open her eyes. For a brief moment, a look of confusion could be seen in her eyes, as, laying next to her, a naked Tamamo was snuggling against, not just her, but the startling warm and comfortable body beneath her.Like someone awakening from a night of heavy alcohol consumption, realization hit X like a freight train as she looked up, finding the familiar face of Vahn staring back at her. The moment their eyes met, a flood of heat and anxiety began to spread through her body, following by a contraction of the muscles in her most sensitive area. This caused her face to rapidly shift to a rather severe shade of red as memories of the previous evening began to replay on her mind.Though she would never admit it, X had been rather curious about the relations between men and women for quite some time. She had been ranked number 7 on the Inter-Galactic Federation's most coveted beauty charts, so, whenever she was conducting missions planetside, a number of men had attempted to solicit her. She turned down every single one of them, but, after the fact, she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she accepted their offer.According to the research she had conducted, a woman's first time was supposed to be a painful and bloody affair, so, after experiencing a night of unimaginable pleasure, X felt she might really be a pervert. She felt as though she had enjoyed herself 'too much' and, at one point, she even allowed Altria to convince her to 'team-up'. They had taken advantage of the moment when Vahn was busy with Tamamo and Tomoe, changing into zip-up hoodies that had cat ears on the top and a dangling tail in the back. This had been the only piece of clothing they were wearing at the time, and, after the fact, X remembered joining Altria in behaving like a cat in heat, complete with a gratuitous amount of licking...Now that her memories were catching up to her, X realized she was still wearing the same exact dark blue hoodie from the previous evening. It was still slightly damp with sweat, suffused with a powerful aroma that possessed bittersweet and strangely pleasant quality. She was even tempted to just bury her face into Vahn's chest for a while longer, pretending to have never met his gaze in order to buy time for her heart to settle.Unfortunately, while it was still an option, X was very aware of the fact that the lower half of her body was completely bereft of clothing. To further exacerbate matters, Vahn wasn't wearing any clothes at all, the heat from a certain part of his body transmitting into her own, spreading like a wildfire. It was a strangely frustrating heat, not solely due to the compromising position she was in, but because of how her body reacted to it. She could feel a small trickle of moisture between her thighs, causing her face to turn a very dangerous shade of red...Just as it felt like she was going to be overwhelmed, X was surprised when Vahn suddenly embraced her warmly, calming energy flowing from his body and suppressing the heat in her own. This caused her to breathe an unintended sigh of relief, but, without taking note of this, she just rested her head against his chest and focused on calming down. Around the same time, Tamamo also stirred awake, but, after quickly realizing what was going on, she pretended not to notice, stretching her still-naked body before donning a loose kimono and joining Altria and Tomoe.With Tamamo 'abandoning' her, X suddenly began to feel very nervous, but, before she could say anything, Vahn's gentle words tickled her ears, softly stating, "Shhh...it's okay. You did nothing you need to be ashamed of. Just relax your body and try to calm down..."Hearing Vahn's soothing words, combined with the calming energy pervading her body, X was able to calm down much faster than she expected. For a brief moment, she even entered a dazed state, her eyes losing their focus as she internally remarked, ("Right...I didn't do anything wrong...I'm not a pervert...")Unaware of X's self-hypnosis, Vahn continued to gently stroke her back, lightly patting it every now and then to stir the calming energy. This was actually an effort to prevent a hypnotic state, but, due to her delusions, Vahn underestimated how weak X was against such things. As a result, he was more than a little surprised when she suddenly began licking his chest. Then, before he could make sense of the sudden change, X surprised him even more by very lightly uttering, "I'm a good kitty, nyaa~."Vahn wasn't sure what had flipped X's switch, but, knowing it would be dangerous to let her get too carried away, he just hugged her a little tighter, answering, "That's right...if you behave properly, I will give you plenty of treats later on, okay...?"As if she had heard the magical words, a radiant smile spread across X's face as she snickered in an admittedly adorable 'nyahaha' manner. This caused Vahn's own smile to turn slightly awry as a slight realization crossed his mind. He had a relatively decent understanding of how the mind worked, and, during times of intense stress, it was often easy for people to 'default' towards the simplest train of thought. X had seemingly interpreted her behavior from the previous night as 'normal', and, perhaps as a result of seeing Altria behave like a spoiled kitten so often, she had defaulted to a mentality thatallowed her to justify her actions.Since there was a fair chance she would have a negative reaction if he were to suddenly tell her that behaving in such a way was wrong, Vahn decided to just let matters take their course. So long as she didn't develop a split personality, it wasn't actually that big a deal. He didn't have a lot of ground to stand on when it came to lecturing people about 'normal' behavior in a relationship, so, as long as she didn't use it as an 'escape' from feelings of shame and guilt, she would eventually reach a kind of equilibrium, much like Lefiya and Illya.Once X's heart had settled at a natural rhythm, Vahn gave her another few pats on the back before saying, "It's time to get up. We can't stay in bed all day."Without arguing, X nodded her head, pressing against his chest until she was straddling his hips with her full weight. This causes a glimmer to flash across X's eyes, and, from his perspective, Vahn had to admit she was an exceptionally beautiful woman. The partially unzipped hoodie basically demanded him to pull it the rest of the way, but, knowing things would only spiral out of control if he gave in to his usual antics, he just smiled before lightly smacking her bottom.For a moment, X had been considering whether or not it would be appropriate to do anything while her privates were in contact with Vahn's. When she felt the light smack, however, wayward thoughts vanished from her mind, resulting in a bashful smile as she muttered, "Sorry..." in a demure tone.Vahn was going to immediately respond by saying she had done nothing wrong, but X had quickly separated from him, tapping the wristband of her left hand and causing a blue screen to project in the air. She quickly sorted through various different lists, selecting an option that caused a pair of white panties to materialized. Immediately afterward, she activated the [REequip] system, wearing a set of [Aegis Mk-U] that took the form of hot pants. This left very little to the imagination, and, due to the stark contrast between the black material and X's fair skin, it was a rather tantalizing sight to behold.Just as Vahn was about to follow up, explaining she had nothing to apologize for, X surprised him a third time, quickly tying her hair into a loose bun before pulling out a version of her blue cap that had ear-like protrusion on the top. It actually suited her a little too well, leaving him at a momentary loss for words as X noticed his stupor and snickered.Realizing his behavior was somewhat enforcing the idea that it was okay to behave like a cat, Vahn began to worry about X's future. As a result, he habitually found himself peering into the Flow of Fate around her body, a simple matter due to the sheer volume of Source Energy currently flowing within her lithe and athletic frame. What he found caused his mind to temporarily blank, as, in his vision, he found Altria and X wearing 'sexy cat' cosplay, seemingly getting along 'very' well with each other...As reading the Flow of Fate around others could accurately predict their future, assuming he didn't try and divert their course, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that X was intending to go 'all-in' when it came to behaving like a cat. Her mechanical suit already had vaguely cat-like features, but, in future iterations, Vahn could even see a tail protruding from her backside. If he peered even further, it was even possible to find a version of X with 'actual' cat ears. This indicated she underwent some kind of procedure, or, infinitely more likely, implied he had used the Modify function of The Path to change her race...While it was tempting to see X slowly transitioned into a Cat Person, Vahn's smile turned wry as he said, "You don't have to push yourself to behave like a cat. You're already an amazing woman. Don't let assumptions and misunderstandings change the person you are. After all, I liked you even before you began acting like this..."Hearing Vahn's words, everyone in the room, not just X, showed expressions of mild surprise. He had spoken in an honest and straightforward manner, rather than whispering, so everyone had been able to hear the concern in his voice. As a result, Altria and Tomoe developed contemplative expressions, while, at the side, Tamamo had a vibrant, somewhat proud, smile on her face.Being the one Vahn's words were directed towards, X suddenly felt incredibly bashful, using the brim of her cap to hide her eyes as she pressed her fingers together and intoned a demure 'Nn...' before answering, "I'll remember it...thank you...I...I like you too..."Following her 'confession', X pulled down the brim of her cap even further, hard enough to pull it off her head. At the same time, her ahoge was waggling violently enough that, if it went any faster, Vahn could imagine it firing off a sword beam as someone shouted, 'Saaaaaibaaaa~' in the background.As the curious image manifested in Vahn's mind, he was broken free from his stupor when Altria, like a bullet, slammed into him. This wasn't a complete surprise, as he sensed her movements before she even left her seat, but her words still managed to catch him off guard, stating in an icy monotone, "No fair. I liked you first. Why did you confess to X before me? Jerk. Stupid. Idiot. Du-"Before Altria could continue to berate him further, Vahn lightly chuckled before tightly wrapping his arms around her petite frame and muttering, "You're right. It is important to say such things clearly, isn't it? Here, let me make it up to you..."Following the trailing of his words, Vahn lifted Altria's chin so that she was facing him, stealing her lips for several seconds. Then, once her body began to relax in his embrace, he separated and said, "I love you, Altria."Having only expected Vahn to say he likes her, Altria's mental faculties seemed to grind to a halt in an instant. She just stared blankly at him for several seconds, her amber-like eyes seeming to stare straight through him, peeling away any falsehoods. Then, contrasting any expression she had ever shown previously, Altria's face became a vibrant shade of red before she spontaneously rested her head his chest and muttered, "Baka..." before following it up with words that were too quiet to hear.---Vahn had been in the middle of an arduous forging process while the events within the Yokai District were taking place. This caused a very small gap in his mentality, resulting in Aeterna shouted, "Vahn, no good...!" in a melodious voice. Then, without sticking around, she quickly flitted several hundred meters away in an instant, leaving Vahn to condense his domain in an attempt to prevent a massive explosion.Unfortunately, as he had been practicing a new forging method, one derived from a manual that had cost nearly half of his reserves, a startling 5,000,000,000OP, Vahn wasn't able to prevent the violent reaction from going critical. As a result, nearly half of hs Workshop was enveloped by crimson-red flames. Fortunately, his ability to control energy within his Domain had reached an almost ridiculous level, allowing Vahn to contain the explosion to around 10m in diameter, albeit at the expense of trapping himself inside.By the time he managed to get the energy under control, Vahn could only sigh in exasperation as he saw the perfectly spherical void that now existed in his Workshop. The repairs wouldn't actually take too long, but, as this had been a very important experiment, he couldn't help but lightly chastise his other self for getting caught up in the moment. Yes, he was in full control of his other bodies, but, as the stimulus they experienced was different, Vahn couldn't always prepare himself for how he would react when one of his women did something especially adorable.Shaking his head, Vahn had an apologetic smile on his face as he looked at the charred-black blade held firmly by his blacksmithing tongs. Its overall shape was evocative of a traditional katana, but, if anyone from his previous world knew what method he was using, their eyes would have widened in both shock and glee. This was because, rather than a normal blade, the now-fragmented piece of metal was the basic structure of an Asauchi, the nascent state of a Zanpakutou.Bleach had been one of the few mangas Vahn had been allowed to read during his captivity so he always had a moderate amount of interest in obtaining his own Zanpakutou. They were weapons that were nourished by the Ego, taking a shape that best suited their wielder's combat style. Vahn had a keen interest in seeing what form his own Zanpakutou would take, so, with a sudden influx in his OP reserves, he decided to invest in the [Asauchi Production Method].Vahn had no intention of abandoning his [Lævateinn] series, but, compared to a weapon that would grow and evolve with his Soul Tier, they would eventually become obsolete. This was a truth he had learned after losing the dozens of different weapons and painstakingly forged armors. There were even times when his own transformations destroyed all of his equipment in an instant, leaving him with a fair amount of regret once things had settled down.It was possible to circumvent the destruction of items by manufacturing them with the [Soulbound] property, but, as these armaments used your own reserves to manifest, more powerful weapons and armor quickly sapped your strength. This often made it easier to simply use your reserves to directly enhance your combat strength or increase your speed. Oftentimes, it was better to 'avoid' damage in its entirety, rather than rely on your equipment to tank it for you. If your opponent was unable to hit you, speed and offense were the most effective forms of defense.Since a Zanpakutou was constantly being nourished by the energy contained within the Ego, Vahn anticipated it wouldn't have the same weaknesses as other soulbound equipment. Rather, awakening a Zanpakutou seemed to provide a qualitative increase in strength, speed, and, at times, even things like spiritual energy and perception. The most important aspect, however, was that the Zanpakutou took on the form most suited for their wielder's combat style, similar to a Pactio. There was even a chance the two techniques could be combined, so, in order to greatly strengthen his allies, Vahn was determined to master the method of producing an Asauchi before leaving the Nasuverse...After placing the destroyed blade into a metallic box, Vahn brought his hands together and offered a prayer. Though it hadn't been fully formed, an Asauchi was similar to a nascent form of life, so, if he didn't properly respect them, forging a complete one would be difficult. Intent was one of the most important aspects of forging, so, if he wanted to create a Masterpiece, Vahn's mind, body, and spirit needed to work in conjunction with each other. Thus, rather than continue forging, he spent two full hours apologizing to the broken blade, promising to reforge it into the masterpiece it deserved to become...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'This is not my bed...','Vahn used 'confession'...IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE!','Standing on the precipice of a phenomenal power')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Deciding it was best to practice when there were fewer distractions, Vahn performed some minor repairs to his Workshop before throwing the entire thing into his Inventory. He could always seek out the assistance of Aoko to finish it up, as, in the past, she had expressed an interest in learning forging and engraving. She was actually pretty talented at it, though, compared to her sister and the Dwarves beneath Avalon, she still had a 'very' long way to go.After emerging from the [Sub-Space Orb] that contained many of his and Da Vinci's production facilities, Vahn expanded his domain to get his bearings before moving down a long corridor that seemed to stretch on forever. Despite this, he appeared at his destination almost immediately, the result of Da Vinci's restructuring most of their Workshop to function similarly to the Yokai District.Whenever he thought about the rapid breakthroughs his inordinately beautiful companion made, Vahn couldn't help but feel both proud and exasperated. Da Vinci was one of the most important allies he had gained in the Nasuverse, and, despite his many failings, it was Merlin's suggestion of summoning her that compelled Vahn to trust him. The flowery magus was always thinking about the future of Avalon, so, even if it felt like he was just 'trolling' at times, Vahn still took his advice to heart...Stepping into a rather messy laboratory, Vahn was stopped near the entrance by a vaguely egg-shaped drone with tiny rabbit ears. It quickly scanned him before the panel on the front, showing a pixelated 'angry' face, changed to show a happy '=^ w ^=' before stating in the familiar voice of Sophia, "Welcome to my Laboratory, Papa! I'm a little busy right now, but, if its an emergency, you can find me in Test Chamber 03~!"Though he had wanted to check in on Sophia and spend some time with her, she had inherited her mother's trait of not liking unexpected interruptions to her work. She preferred to have him arrange a meeting in advance, but, due to his relatively whimsical nature, Vahn usually showed up unannounced. He felt it was somewhat silly to have to schedule a meeting with his own daughter, but, knowing she was always serious whenever she stated she was busy, Vahn decided to give up on this particular visit.After scheduling an appointment with Chii, Sophia's self-modeled Artificial Intelligence, Vahn departed the Workshop, stopping in the adjoining corridor for a brief moment to consider his next actions. He still needed to wrap things up in the Yokai District, so, with a bit of time on his hands, he could either make preparations for the afternoon Raid or meet up with Aoko to request access to her Marble Phantasm.Since it seemed prudent to strike while the iron was hot, Vahn lightly poked Aeterna through her lantern, asking, "Do you want to go on a long trip with me...?"Not expecting such an offer, Aeterna's flames became a vibrant violet hue as she poked her head out and exclaimed, "Yay! Aeterna will go with Vahn! Let's go! Let's go~!"Bolstered by Aeterna's cheering, Vahn handed her a marble-sized crystal formed from his blood before teleporting near the Knight's Training Field. It was still early in the day, so, with his domain not showing Artoria, Vahn correctly assumed she would be inside the Training Orb. She primarily used her Marble Phantasm when she wanted a serious workout, but, in order to build rapport and improve morale, she often filled in for Kenshin when the latter was conducting field operations.Unsurprisingly, Vahn found Artoria wearing what appeared to be a kendo uniform, guiding more than a hundred 'students' through proper sword forms. She was only wearing the hakama and gi, so, whenever she moved, her breasts would shake somewhat violently as her long golden hair gracefully followed her movements. It was almost like finding a resplendent golden dahlia in a grove filled with white roses, her beauty several orders of magnitude above even the inordinately beautiful Homunculi...Sensing Vahn's presence the moment he entered the Training Orb, Artoria completed one final set before firmly stating, "For now, everyone split into groups of four. One person will be on the defense while the other three attack them. If you get hit in one of your vital areas, the person that landed the blow will move into the center. Now, move!"In response to Artoria's order, all one-hundred Homunculi released a synchronous 'Ha!' before immediately splitting into groups of four. As for Artoria, she used [Shundo] to vanish from her previous location, reappearing next to Vahn's side with a smile on her face as she said, "I did not expect you at this time. Did you come to ask permission for something?"Without beating around the bush, Vahn gave a curt nod, explaining, "I want to master this forging technique before the Raid this afternoon. It won't have an immediate effect, but this technique will provide a qualitative increase to our overall strength in the future. If she is willing, I intend to make use of Aoko's Marble Phantasm."As she was already aware of the fact Vahn was working on a new technique, Artoria just nodded her head, stating, "If you're going inside for training, you should take Olga and Lakshmibai with you. It feels like Olga has been pregnant even longer than me at this point so it would be best if you spent some quality time together before helping with the birth. If you're going with five, take Rin and Sakura with you as well. Rin has been holing herself up in her tower lately and I feel like Sakura would benefit from spending time away from Mordred."Though it was a little outside his original intentions, Vahn wasn't going to argue with Artoria, as, for a number of reasons, she generally knew best. Besides, he felt the same way regarding Olga's pregnancy, which, at this point, felt like it had been going on for years. This was primarily due to the fact she rarely stayed inside the projection, splitting the majority of her time between Chaldea and visiting her father in London. Thus, while it had been over a decade from his perspective, it had been little under nine months from Olga's...---Taking Artoria's advice to heart, it wasn't long before Vahn had gathered Aoko, Olga, Lakshmibai, Rin, Sakura, and, due to Olga's insistence, her former Governess, Trisha Fellows. Olga had grown increasingly anxious during her pregnancy, so, about four months into things, Vahn had made a concerted effort to reunite her with the woman who basically served as her surrogate mother. This had greatly alleviated Olga's anxiety, and, ever since then, Trisha had been living alongside her as an attendant and Midwife.Ignoring the perpetually cold gaze of the middle-aged woman, Vahn gave Aoko the go-ahead to pull them into her Marble Phantasm, an endless field of glowing blue flowers beneath a sky that was perpetually filled with an Aurora. It was a breathtaking sight to behold, and, due to this being the Marble Phantasm most commonly used by Nobunaga, Shuten, Kenshin, and other Japanese women, a thirteen-room Japanese villa, complete with an open-air onsen, could be found nearby.As this was the first time many of them had been inside Aoko's Marble Phantasm, Vahn allowed the glowing red-head to enjoy their praises for a brief moment before saying, "I'm going to set up my Workshop a few kilometers from here. Unless it is an absolute emergency, my Workshop is off-limits until specified otherwise. I'll be keeping at least one version of myself inside the villa, but, if I'm performing a task that requires a lot of focus, I may have to seclude myself for a few hours at a time."Everyone was already aware of the purpose behind this particular visit so nobody was surprised by Vahn's words. Immediately afterward, however, Lakshmibai and Sakura simultaneously asked, "Is there anything I can do?"Not expecting someone else to speak out, Lakshmibai and Sakura stared at each other for a brief moment, smiles spreading across their faces. In response to their inquiry, however, Vahn laughed in a light-hearted manner, explaining, "Once I finish cleaning things up, I'll show everyone around my Workshop. As for helping out, that is what I have this little cutie for..."Being complimented always made Aeterna very happy, so, in response to her Master's words, she created a gradient of different colored flames, giggling happily with a haughty smile on her face.Seeing Aeterna trying to show off, Vahn smiled affectionately before lightly stroking under her chin and adding, "One of my main reasons for coming inside is to spend time with all of you. The best thing you can do to help is enjoying our time together. I'll be in my Workshop and here at the same time, so, let's all do our best to make the most of our time. At the very least, we'll be in here for a few weeks so just relax and cut loose."Following up on Vahn's words, Aoko nodded confidently, explaining, "We have all kinds of neat and interesting things inside. There is even a fully stocked kitchen, a game room, and a massive open-air onsen. Come on, I'll show you around!"As Aoko took great pride in the things she had built in her Marble Phantasm, she couldn't help but want to show it off. She also had a way of pulling people along with her momentum, so, with the exception of Olga and Trisha, everyone followed her for a quick tour.Once everyone else had left, Trisha was the one who asked, "Will the baby really be born in this place? Are you not concerned something may go wrong?"Hearing Trisha's words, Olga also showed an expression of uncertainty, her hand instinctually moving to her almost spherical belly as she muttered, "Vahn..." in a demure tone.Gesturing for the two to calm down, Vahn stated without any hesitation, "There are absolutely no problems. Even if you were to travel to a thousand different worlds, there is no guarantee you will find someone with even half the skill and experience I have at delivering children. Just relax and rest your body as much as possible. I'll be here for you every step of the way."Though Trisha wasn't entirely convinced by his words, Olga seemed to relax completely, a loving smile on her face as she moved close enough to give him a small peck on the cheek, following it with a sincere, "Thank you..."---Since he hadn't set a deadline for mastering the [Asauchi Production Method], Vahn decided to forgo immersing himself in the process until Olga successfully gave birth. He would not be able to completely focus on forging while she was still pregnant, so, other than improving the quality of his tools and meditating for a few hours a day, he spent most of his time taking care of what mattered most, his family.Using upwards of five different bodies, Vahn was able to help Rin with her research, spend quality time with Sakura, go drinking with Aoko, idle about with Laskhmibai, and, most importantly, keep Olga from having a mental breakdown. This was one of the greatest benefits of using the Marble Phantasms, as, not only did it allow him to have as much time as he needed, it also allowed him to practice controlling more vessels simultaneously.At this point, Vahn had become adept at using three bodies, relatively decent at using five, and, if he really pushed himself, a total of seven were possible. This had the unfortunate effect of making his actions somewhat robotic, however, so five was his manageable limit, at least for the moment. Still, this was more than enough to spend time with each member of his harem, even without the use of Marble Phantasms. With them, however, Vahn had all the time he would ever need, even if it meant he was aging several times faster than everyone else.Fortunately, no matter how much time passed, Vahn's appearance only changed to reflect how he wished to present himself. He could freely change his shape, size, race, and, during a few unique circumstances, gender. Thus, despite nearing 190 years in age, Vahn wasn't particularly worried. It was nothing compared to the 150 years he had spent rearing Alexa, and, compared to Eternity, it was a completely negligible amount of time. The only 'danger' was that, at some point, he might stop caring about other things. However, based on the fact he only seemed to be 'more' involved with the passage of time, Vahn wasn't concerned. Rather, for a variety of reasons, he was growing more eager with each passing day...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Sophia be like, "Every second I spend idle, humanity is set back by three weeks!','So, Vahn is borderline Omniscient, Omnipotent, and can even 'revive' the dead...I feel like filing a complaint to the Devs xD...','"Age is just a number." -Vahn Mason, shortly before the FBI knocked down his door')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With the children's excursion completing without incident, their long isolation within the Ivory Castle had come to an end. From then on, they were allowed to roam the island, visit the Castle Town, and explore the Yokai District. Though they required at least two escorts, not including Companions and Guardians, it was a considerable amount of freedom compared to before. As for the reasons behind this, it was to ensure they developed independence and knew how to interact with people outside of the Castle. They would be starting school pretty soon, so, to avoid any catastrophic developments, it was best they learned how to interact with other children.While his whelps were beginning to spread their wings for the first time, 'Papa Dragon' was hard at work eliminating future threats. To this end, he met with his War Council and the active combatants within the Inner Sanctum. Their goal was relatively straight forward, involving the formation of Elite Task Forces that had the sole responsibility of tracking down hidden enemies on the Surface. As for enemies 'hidden' in other Textures, Vahn would personally lead their forces. If it was an enemy that could be defeated by others, he would allow them to push their limits.With the exceptions of entities such as the Olympians, there weren't too many enemies that could pose a genuine threat to the most powerful forces within the Empire. Artoria would be able to take on most foes, and, if it came down to it, Illya, Arcuied, Aoki, and even Amaterasu were willing to step in. They were each capable of rivaling some of the most powerful entities in the world on their own, so, with a host of Anti-Divine armaments at their disposal, the majority of errant Gods could only grit their teeth in frustration.Further increasing the incredulity of his foes, Vahn could freely spy on them with his intent, collecting information on their strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. He could even expand his domain in the area for a brief moment, releasing Elemental Stars from within his Inventory to severely injure or even kill them. This had completely incensed some of his opponents, as, due to various restrictions, it was impossible for them to do anything about it.Even if a target had the means to backtrace his intent, they lacked the means to breach through to the Surface. It was possible for them to manifest for short periods of time, but this required a specific set of circumstances, often involving a large scale ritual, to achieve. Even if they still had followers on the Surface, however, CHALDEAS would quickly discover such a large-scale event. Thus, while some had tried, every effort had been quickly undermined by a quick response from the Empire's Special Task Force, often headed by Kenshin.Ultimately, if he really wanted to, Vahn could sit on his Throne and simply 'nuke' his enemies without ever having to lift a finger. He had stockpiled more than a hundred-thousand Elemental Stars over the years, some possessing the destructive potential to completely annihilate small countries. This was more than enough to deal with the vast majority of enemies, but, in the hopes of allowing his companions to grow, Vahn only used this method when he wanted to irritate particularly annoying foes.Though he had a long list of targets to badger, the three at the very top were none other than Zeus, Hera, and, for a variety of different reasons, Aphrodite. He had even invited Heracles to watch as he pestered Zeus for nearly six hours, enraging the unnaturally pale God to the point he began laying waste to his own Temple. This had been quite therapeutic for the normally taciturn Demigod, putting a smile on his face that had lasted for several days following the event.Unfortunately, even if he released the majority of his Elemental Stars simultaneously, the chances of killing Zeus were very slim. He, and the other Olympians, were Tier 5 beings who, according to Gaia, came to her world from beyond the Sol System. They had arrived in the wake of their counterpart's, the Roman Pantheon of Gods', deaths. This was just after Velber 02 wiped out other Gods, allowing the Olympians to rule over a desecrated Surface world. As for why the Roman Gods were credited as being modeled after their Greek counterparts, this was largely a manipulation of the facts due to the vanity of the Olympians. They would never admit to stealing the Divine Authority of others, so, with none to contest the facts, history was altered for no better reason than to pad the Ego of Alien Gods.Vahn wasn't actually surprised to learn that the Olympians were Aliens, as, compared to the majority of other Gods, their 'common sense' was simply nonexistent. With the exception of Hestia, they were some of the most prolific troublemakers in history, constantly interfering in the affairs of mortals just because they were bored. It was impossible to even fathom the number of tragedies their selfishness had wrought. They were also responsible for the majority of Demigods, with Zeus, alone, siring more than a thousand. History only recorded a total of 54, but, with Hera killing the vast majority, it wasn't surprising that the rest faded into obscurity.From what Vahn had seen, Zeus had never learned his lesson, so, even after being forced to the Reverse Side, an advanced Greek civilization formed almost entirely of Demigods now existed. It was a rather startling discovery, but, in the grand scheme of things, it didn't change what had to be done. Zeus, and nearly every other Olympian, would need to be destroyed. Their nature made it impossible for them to coexist with others, so, from the moment of the convergence, they would not hesitate to wreak havoc in order to reclaim the world...---Though the main focus of the Empire had shifted to eliminating its enemies, that didn't mean it was their only focus. Rather, due to Vahn's ability to locate virtually any enemy, there wasn't much suspense when it came to tracking down and eliminating individual targets. Arcueid had quickly dealt with most of the Dead Apostle Ancestors, and, after learning of Vahn's ability, Merlin had teamed up with Vivian to confront Morgan. She had been hiding away in a sub-texture that was actually connected to Avalon, essentially 'hiding in plain sight'.Vahn wasn't privy to how things had gone down, as it was a rather private matter, but he knew Morgan was still alive after the encounter. She seemed to have reached some kind of agreement with Merlin and Vivian, so, for the time being, she, nor anyone for that matter, wasn't much of a concern for the Empire. Instead, Vahn felt like he spent 90% of his time just lounging about inside of Marble Phantasms, improving his relationships and reducing the tensions between each of the 'sub-sections' of his harem.Though his harem was basically self-managing, Vahn knew there were various 'factions' that had come into existence. The most obvious group was the Menagerie, consisting of women with more animalistic traits and rather straightforward desires. The most influential, however, was the group formed around Artoria, including most of what X referred to as 'saber-faces'. This was the faction that basically ran the day-to-day operations of the Empire, elevating their status and giving them a lot of power during court proceedings.Other than the Menagerie and 'Imperial' Factions, the most noteworthy were the Yokai, Japanese, and, due to her individual influence, the Da Vinci Faction. The latter, with the exception of outliers such as Artoria and Fenrir, had the most influence in the entire Empire. Nearly every major project and endeavor was headed by Da Vinci and her expansive network, cementing her position as the most intrinsic existence to the Empire's success. As for the other two factions, the Yokai could be considered an isolated subgroup while the Japanese Faction largely existed as a byproduct of Vahn's fondness for the culture.Though the Empire drew from a significant amount of European influence, Vahn had always felt more comfortable in traditional Japanese architecture. This was due to the fact that his first 'real' home had been Tsubaki's, a traditional Manor that allowed him peace of mind and reminded him of his roots. As a result, Avalon had slowly become a region that blended two distinct cultures into one cohesive structure. The existence of the Yokai District further aided in this cultural blurring, to the point you could sometimes find people, including Vahn and members of the Imperial Family, walking around in traditional yukatas and kimonos.---True to his word, Vahn had kept his promises to people like Shuten, periodically spending months at a time tending to her selfishness. As a result, she had actually started to mellow out a bit, albeit only after a considerable amount of 'coaxing'. The hardest part of the process had been 'taming' Ibaraki, but, after learning about her weakness to sweets, particularly macaroons and mochi, she, too, had mellowed out quite a bit. Now, all he had to do in order to pacify her was produce a bag of macaroons, earning a few remarks about 'offerings' and 'what it means to be an oni' before she ultimately snatched them away.Fortunately, though Shuten had been rather aggressive in her pursuits, Ibaraki showed no interest in the opposite sex whatsoever. She seemed to consider the act a form of submission, so, at least for the time being, only Shuten could push her down. This saved Vahn a lot of stress, as, unlike the lascivious Shuten, Ibaraki was unable to alter her appearance. As a result, her figure was much like Kali's, reminiscent of an emaciated, yet exceptionally powerful, young girl.Not having to worry about Ibaraki had removed a great burden from Vahn's heart, allowing him to more easily tolerate the rather dangerous affection of Shuten and Kiyohime. The former could get out of hand very quickly if you allowed her to. As for the latter, she had little to no control over her draconic heritage, so, when it finally came time for them to have sex, it became another contest to determine dominance. She had even transformed into a half-serpentine dragon, the lower half of her body, starting from the waist, becoming similar to a snake.When Vahn first saw Kiyohime's transformation, it had actually been a little mortifying as her body had extended for nearly twenty-three meters. Fortunately, this state didn't last too long, and, after breaking free from her attempts to bind and ensnare him, her body ultimately returned to normal. Then, in order to ease her heat-like symptoms, he tended to her for nearly three hours before she was, temporarily, satisfied. Afterward, she had become nearly as clingy as Medusa, but, after a few small incidents, she began to calm down, 'begrudgingly' sharing him with the others.Needless to say, Yokai could be moderately terrifying when they were impassioned, but, once you adapted to the intensity, they had their charms. This was especially so for Shuten, as, much like Da Vinci, her ability to alter her appearance, combined with the natural fragrances produced by her body, made her as tantalizing as a forbidden fruit. He even got to sample her 'naturally produced' wakame sake, learning that her love juices put the vast majority of alcohols to shame.In the end, it was his acceptance of Shuten's wakame sake that caused the greatest change in her behavior. From that moment on, she mellowed considerably, and, when asked, it was apparently related to the fact that, under normal circumstances, her 'sake' was basically a death sentence for anyone 'fortunate' enough to savor it. The fact that he had survived was proof, at least for her, that they were 'fated' to be together. Thus, following the penultimate moment where he was lapping sake from between her thighs, she became considerably less aggressive. The following day, she had even started to wear her kimono properly, surprising virtually everyone by how 'demure' she had become...---While the developments with Shuten and Kiyohime were noteworthy, the changes Vahn had least expected came from other sources. This included Musashi officially joining the Empire, apparently after a drunken confrontation with Wukong, and, more surprisingly, a rapid escalation of tensions within Tamamo's palatial shrine. The former had been somewhat expected, as Musashi had been complaining about the Heroes Faction during each of their rendezvous. The latter, however, came as a complete surprise, leaving Vahn completely gobsmacked.During one of his usual visits to Tamamo's shrine, Vahn had immediately noticed a not-so-subtle shift in the atmosphere. When he actually met up with the girls in their room, it had been cleaned from floor to ceiling, and, though they didn't openly make their intentions clear, everyone in the room had done away with their more casual clothing, donning loose-fitting kimonos. This, alone, was enough to indicate something was going on, but, with a fresh scent of citrus and lavender in the air, it didn't take the deductive reasoning of Sherlock to determine they had bathed before his arrival.There was a time in his life when Vahn had been particularly dense, but, ever since arriving in the Nasuverse, he had proactively sought to change that part of his character. As a result, he was able to understand their intentions immediately, but, rather than overtly call them out on it, he decided to play along.In the end, it was brought to Vahn's attention that, ever since Altria had started showing a greater interest in him, she and X had gotten into a number of arguments. It apparently bothered X quite a bit that Altria, someone who basically shared her appearance, behaved like a stray cat whenever she was around him. This led to Altria pointing out the number of saber-faces that already existed in his harem, something that X had been doing her best to simply ignore.Ultimately, after a considerable amount of mediation from Tamamo, things somehow progressed in the direction of using the Virtual World to experience some of Vahn's more popular memories. He had allowed Da Vinci to compile everything he was willing to share, and, though it still had a long way to go, Ark and Mother had been able to construct a detailed simulation of the Danmachi Record. This was currently only accessible to members of the Inner Sanctum, but, in the future, it was scheduled to become the eighth thematic world once balancing had been completed.After spending what amounted to months just sorting through Vahn's most precious memories, X had effectively been 'brainwashed' by Tamamo and Altria. As for Tomoe, her emotions were very complex, but, in the end, she ended up getting pulled along by the momentum of her three best friends. It was hard for her to even imagine life outside of their cozy little bedroom, so, after a very long period of discussion, they had 'unanimously' decided to forgo common sense, going so far as to make a pact of sisterhood and vowing to support each other...Vahn didn't really know what to say in response to the sudden revelations by the shut-in group, but, as Altria's behavior had become increasingly risque, he wasn't too surprised. Rather, if not for the inclusion of Tomoe, he wouldn't have even required an explanation. X had always shown a fair amount of interest in his displays of affection, so, despite her protests, Altria's accusations of her being a closet pervert were spot on. Tomoe, however, was generally a very sensible woman, and, though she would sometimes address herself in the third person when she was flustered, making her seem pretty cute at times, Vahn hadn't expected her to acquiesce so easily.Regardless of their reasons, Vahn could tell the girls were sincere, so, with four beauties wearing nothing but loose kimonos staring expectantly toward him, it was virtually impossible for him to refuse. Thus, much to the chagrin of Suzuka, he spent the evening enjoying the various different ways in which X could express her embarrassment while Tamamo and Tomoe helped assuage the ever-growing curiosity of Altria. This had gone on for nearly half a day, and, by the end of it, Altria wasn't the only one behaving like a spoiled kitten demanding treats...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn, God of Griefing','TFW you learn Shuten's 'sake' can even liquefy the bones of an average human...','Nyaa~')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1511: Confession : Intent