Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

While the Hellas Empire was still confused by the happenings in the center of Lake Argyre, high-ranking officers on the side of Megalomesembria knew exactly what had transpired. They quickly relayed this information back to their superiors, while, high in the sky, the entity they believed to be the Sage Dragon Emperor began his descent.After witnessing the strangely humanoid-looking dragon easily chase away one of the Beasts of Calamity without any discernible difficulty, the reaction of most people would have been to flee, or, at the very least, avoid drawing its attention. The Megalomesembrian Fleet, however, was not deterred in the slightest. Rather, after having one of their most valuable facilities wiped out in an instant, the Magister Militum didn't hesitate to order a counter-offensive.Having received their orders, the Megalomesembrian Fleet did not hesitate to engage the distant Sage Dragon Emperor. They had weapons specially designed to target distant opponents at a high elevation, so, immediately after their orders were received, hundreds of laser-like beams of magical energy ascended into the sky at relativistic speeds.Though Vahn's reaction time could actually eclipse relativistic speeds, responding to attacks from outside his domain was still difficult. Fortunately, before he deigned to appear in the skies, he had actually snuck into both encampments, so, rather than be blindsided by the sudden volley, he was able to bend Space along the periphery of his domain, diverting even the much slower projectiles that had been hidden among the initial volley.As they had been expecting to confront the Sage Dragon Emperor at some point, Megalomesmbria had already developed a number of 'countermeasures'. This included an experimental Anti-Dragon Warhead that had been designed to neutralize Ancient Dragons like Yggdrillia and Vrixho Nagasha, but, before they could test in on the former, Elfenhof had completely disappeared. This was one of the first signs indicating that the Sage Dragon Emperor was directly opposing them, so, unaware of his ability to bend Space, the Svanhvit had been authorized to perform an impromptu field test of the inordinately expensive munition.Vahn was completely unaware of the Anti-Dragon Warhead that had been used against him, but, as if it refused to be ignored, a black void nearly 500m in diameter opened up several kilometers from his position. It was similar to a Yi arrow being activated with five stars, effectively creating a stable black hole, but, unlike the aforementioned arrow, the inky membrane surrounding the destructive sphere was covering in brightly glowing runes.Rather than dissipate, the runic sphere was positionally fixed, anchored to the planet's gravitational well. It seemed to serve the purpose of sealing and dealing constant damage to a target, as, based on what Vahn could deduce, the foreboding black sphere could persist indefinitely by absorbing the elemental energy from the environment. Unless it was destroyed, it might even drain the entirety of Mundus Magicus dry, as, rather than gravity-based magic, it seemed to use the 'Black of Venus' as a catalyst...Though he could understand why they would use such a potent weapon against him, Vahn was still incensed that such a wantonly destructive weapon even existed. It demonstrated a complete lack of regard for the planet and showed just how far Megalomesembria was willing to go in the pursuit of power and wealth. They didn't care about anything but their personal interests, and, though there were bound to be good people among their population, the Demonic influence in the Senate and the machinations of Cosmo Entelecheia ensured only vicious profiteers and opportunists ever rose to a position of real power.Unable to ignore the malevolent black sphere, a terrifying aura was released from Vahn's body as a resplendent golden hue spread nearly 17km from his position. From a distance, it looked like a hazy golden sun had formed around a tiny black dot. Then, much to the stupefaction of the officers who knew the power of the Anti-Dragon Warhead, they watched as several golden chains appeared out of thin air, wrapping around the destructive sphere and gradually compressing it into nothingness...---Exhaling a sigh of relief, Vahn transferred the reserve energy from one of his backup vessels into his own, instantly restoring his reserves. He then turned his blazing golden eyes towards the mobilizing fleet in the distance. It took considerable restraint to resist the urge to wipe them off the face of the planet, but, while this would certainly allow him to achieve his goal, it was also needlessly excessive. There were many people in both the Empire and Confederation who simply wanted to protect their families and defend their homelands, so, while they had a hand in enabling the corrupt powers that ruled over them, Vahn had grown weary of arbitrary killings.After taking action that led to the deaths of billions back in the Nasuverse, Vahn no longer had the heart to resort to 'extreme measures'. He had meditated on his actions for nearly a hundred years, and, though he was able to achieve his goals in a remarkably short period of time, he couldn't help but feel as though he had lost an important part of himself in the process.Though he was aiming for the absolute pinnacle of existence, Vahn wanted to preserve as much of his original self as possible. He didn't want to be the type of person that constantly had to justify his actions along the lines of 'good' and 'evil', as, in the grand scheme of things, there were simply acts of altruism and selfishness. He could have easily achieved the same result in a less destructive way, but, using a variety of different excuses, he carved a path littered in the bodies of billions...Taking a few deep breaths to restrain his fury, Vahn began to gradually descend towards the surface of Lake Argyre. Most of the energy from his previous attack had been comprised of Ice and Water Elemental Energy, so, after contacting the lake, the surface froze so rapidly that even the spouts of water formed by the Levithan had solidified. Though most of these broke instantly from their own weight, one of them continued to tower several hundred meters into the air, an unnerving cracking sound periodically resonating from within the tornado-like sculpture of ice.With both his scales and domain generating a golden light, Vahn's figure was somewhat obscured from afar. As he descended closer to the ground, however, ships from both sides were able to see him with increasing clarity. This was enough to bring silence to many command bridges, as, despite rumors of the Sage Dragon Emperor circulating throughout Mundus Magicus, this was the first time they had seen him appear in his dragon form.Though he was relatively small compared to the true forms of Vrixho and Yggdrillia, standing only 40m in height, Vahn didn't lose out in majesty. His overall physique was vaguely humanoid, which was scary for a variety of reasons, and, though his wings almost seemed comically oversized, they gave off an impression of inviolability. This, combined with a glaive-like tail whose edge gleamed with a dangerous light, caused many to instinctually conclude that Vahn was capable of shrugging off any attack while simultaneously possessing the ability to slice through even the thickest armor.To further reinforce the idea that he wasn't an opponent they could face, Vahn's body was covered in a pattern of runes that simply didn't exist in the Akamatsuverse. There was also an eight-pointed dharmic wheel slowly revolving behind his back, while, framed by the curved horns protruding from his draconic visage, a glimmering golden halo gave off a suppressive force that caused all but the most stalwart of individuals to avert their eyes or instinctually lower their heads, even if they were only seeing it through a display.Vahn had developed a habit of never relying on equipment to enhance his power, excluding a few obvious exceptions. If it was for the purpose of acting as a deterrent, however, he had fewer qualms about using some of the items he had stockpiled over the years. Several had been collecting dust in his inventory for decades, as, after obtaining them as Quest rewards or through Gacha function, he simply had no use for them.A stark contrast to his usual transformations, Vahn currently had rings on each finger, manacle-like accessories on both wrists and ankles, armbands around his biceps, and a massive jeweled pendant around his neck. Even the dharmic wheel rotating behind his back and the golden halo above his head were pieces of equipment, the former rated an S-Rank while the latter was an SS-Rank item from the only Indigo pull he had ever received from his daily Standard Gacha.Though it only had a single effect, the halo, known simply as a [Runed Halo], was one of the more ridiculous items Vahn had ever obtained. Once every ten days, the weilder could designate any conceivable target, and, for a period of twenty-four hours, you would have functional immunity from whatever you had designated. While this didn't seem that ridiculous at first glance, it even allowed the user to designate things like 'Magical Energy' or 'Divinity'. The only thing it didn't seem to work against was the Laws themselves, but, as that was to be expected, Vahn hadn't been too surprised.Exploiting one of the loop-holes formulated by Da Vinci, Vahn had designated 'damage' itself as the thing he was immune to. Thus, for the next twenty-four hours, there was nothing beneath the SS-Rank though would be able to harm so much as a hair on his head. This would then be followed by a ten-day Cooldown period, but, as he merely needed to create the illusion of indestructibility, there were no real downsides. With this in mind, he touched down rather softly on the ground, creating a massive golden spell circle across the surface of the ice...---After failing to strike anywhere near their target, the commanders of the Megalomesembrian Fleet had ordered their ships to conserve energy and spread outward. At the same time, the Svanhvit had received authorization to deploy six of their War God Soldiers, three of which were the black variety that had managed to rout the Empire's Southern Fleet.Though a single War God Soldier might not be a match for an Ancient Dragon, a group of five was generally enough to suppress Vrixho for a short period of time. It was virtually impossible for them to actually win, but, so long as they could distract their target long enough, there were a number of methods to deal with otherwise insurmountable foes. The most common method was to simply seal them away, so, in order to ascertain the vulnerabilities of the mysterious field surrounding the Sage Dragon Emperor's body, Megalomesembria was prepared to expend considerable resources just to find his weakness.Fortunately, rather than remain well outside the range of conventional weapons, the Sage Dragon Emperor had descended low enough that the main batteries of each ship could fire upon him. This also allowed their War God Soldiers to mobilize, and, though it didn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things, the fact the automatons towered over the glistening golden dragon was a considerable relief to some.Unfortunately, long before they could reach the target's location, an incredibly complex magic circle rapidly spread from the center of Lake Argyre. Its sheer size was unlike anything the vast majority of people had ever seen, and, even with systems specifically designed to analyze the structure of even Ancient Magics, the Legatus temporarily assigned to command the Svanhvit felt like smashing his console as a mechanical voice repeated 'inconclusive' over and over within his earpiece.In the hope of stopping whatever the Sage Dragon Emperor had planned, nearly every ship within the Megalomesembrian Fleet began to fire their main batteries without regard. The vast majority of these attacks went well off course, but, by complete happenstance, some managed to penetrate a fair distance into the invisible membrane, halted the expansion of the magic circle. This gave the Legatus the idea of using the onboard computers to calculate the expected angle of deviation to completely stop the spread of the magic circle, but, rather than remain constant, the Space was constantly shifting and distorting at random.Fearing the worst, the Commander of the Svanhvit order all ships to cease firing and spread out at retreat speeds. This ended up being a surprisingly good decision, as, the moment the golden magic circle expanded to cover nearly 10km, a golden sphere of light began to coalesce at the very center, hovering several hundred meters above Vahn's head. Though this seemed like a lackluster result for such a massive magic circle, the fact they could even 'see' the sphere of light meant the attack had already hit them. As for the actual effect of the indescribably beautiful white light, it spread through the area like an electromagnetic pulse, momentarily turning all magical energy inert.With their systems temporarily disabled, the 'fleeing' Megalomesembrian Fleet began to lazily list in the direction of their departure, gradually losing both forward momentum and altitude. At the same time, the barrier protecting the Southern Fleet instantaneously flickered out of existence as all but the Hellas began a slow and gradual descent toward the ground. Even their secondary systems had been temporarily disabled, and, until the light ceased its resplendent glow, using magic anywhere in the vicinity had become virtually impossible...---With the protection of the [Runed Halo], Vahn couldn't even feel the characteristic tingle that would normally come with bathing in purifying light. Instead, he felt a gentle warmth enveloping his body like the most comfortable blanket in the entire world. It reminded him a lot of Gaia, but, considering it was a spell modeled after the invisible field that perpetually surrounded her, that wasn't exactly a surprise. He had even named the spell [Gaia's Light], and, though it had very niche uses, it was very useful in situations where the enemy was almost wholly dependant on technological innovations to express their power.The only downside to [Gaia's Light] was that it had little effect on magical constructs and a person's internal energy, so, after a few minutes had passed, the distant sound of thunderous steps became progressively louder as six figures, three white and three black, came charging at him. Seeing these automatons up close brought an immediate frown to Vahn's face as he could instantly guess how they were produced based on the phenomenal amount of negative energy swirling within them. He was very sensitive to such things, and, though the automatons themselves lack an ego, Vahn could 'feel' thousands of resentful voices crying out for vengeance...Vowing to hold those responsible for creating such monstrosities accountable, Vahn slowly raised his hand toward the nearest Demon Gold Soldier. They were still tens of kilometers away, but, due to their sheer size, it was easy to make out the fine details of their figure as they forcibly tore their way through the distorted Space along the edge of his domain. The black ones even absorbed a bit of the energy contained within, but, regardless of their durability, it wouldn't matter in the end. This was a conviction held firmly in Vahn's heart as brackish flames, starkly contrasting his predominately golden figure, began to form around his extended hand. Then, preceding his instantaneous charge toward the massive automaton, a spiritual tremble that could be felt from hundreds of kilometers away descended upon the world as he uttered, "Set alight the all-consuming flame...Laevateinn...!"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Can't touch this','A hundred years of daily gacha for a single Indigo...','Even under the purifying Light of Gaia, the Emperor's wrath knows no bounds...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though they were more than a thousand kilometers away, neither Asuna nor Fenrir was surprised by the fact they could vaguely sense the draconic version of Vahn's aura. It was like the whole world was responding to his presence, and, if not for the massive storm front that had spread across the sky, they would have even been able to see an aurora-like phenomenon in the upper atmosphere as a phenomenal amount of elemental energy rushed to his location...Seeing the two girls staring toward the horizon with anticipatory gazes, Vahn cracked a wry smile as he said, "The Leviathan will be here shortly. I'll leave it to you to decide whether or not you will fight together or separately."Hearing her Master's words, Fenrir turned her attention to Asuna, scarlet-eyes glittering as she met the gaze of the petite parka-wearing girl. Then, seemingly on the same wavelength, both extended their hands to reveal scissors. This caused Fenrir's ears to twitch slightly, but, rather than display any demonstrative disappointment, she just said, "I'll leave the front to you. If it looks like you are going to have trouble, I'll support with area-of-effect magic."With a smile spreading across her face, Asuna nodded her head, pulling out her pitch-black tanto as she said, "Just leave it to me! I won't let it get by so easily~!"Replying with a curt nod of her own, Fenrir used shundo to create a bit of distance between herself and Asuna before adopting a pouncing pose similar to a cat preparing to pounce as she said, "Bind, Gleipnir...!"Following Fenrir's utterance, icy blue flames erupted across her body before quickly fading to reveal a cloaked mantle that seemed to be formed from a massive, midnight-blue, wolf pelt. At the same, silvery-white chains manifested around her wrists and ankles before pulling together Fenrir's front paws and linking them together with a large, moon-shaped, lock. A similar lock had also appeared on her left ankle but, perhaps understanding the folly of fully binding its master's movements, the chains coiling around Fenrir's ankles were left to coil freely.With a rather dour but focused look on her face, Fenrir lifted her body to a standing position, front paws dangling helplessly as the cloak draped across her shoulders cascaded to conceal most of her upper body. This gave her a wild and untamed appearance, and, even with the bindings restraining her front paws, any enemy unfortunate enough to fall under the fiery Vanargandr's glowering gaze would feel as though they were a tiny mouse trapped in the corner by a giant, hungry, wolf...Though she had felt Fenrir's aura several times in the past, Asuna couldn't help but grip the hilt of her own Zankpakuto a little tighter. She had complete trust in the wolfish-woman, but, regardless of how confident she was, her rational mind feared the power sleeping within Fenrir's body. It was one of the few things her Magic Cancel had absolutely no effect against, and, even if she used the State of Nothingness, Fenrir's Severing Laws compelled her to dodge time and again...After performing a little shimmy to shake away the chill settling across her body, Asuna entrusted her back to the glowering Vanargandr. All the tensions in her body began to rapidly fade away, and, after around ten seconds, a feeling of absolute calm had descended upon her mind as her presence began to rapidly fade away. By the time she opened her eyes, any semblance of fear or trepidation had faded away, her heterochromatic eyes reflecting a calm yet confident glimmer...---Though it had no idea what was waiting for it, the Leviathan felt as though it had crashed head-first into a wall when it felt a sudden, oppressive, and murderous aura. Its instincts told it that death was waiting ahead, but, with no path of retreat, its only option was to either advance or attempt to hide inland. This would greatly decrease its offensive and defensive capabilities, but, due to its small size, less than three meters in length, it could easily hide in a small pond or seek refuge in a well.While measuring its options, the Leviathan poked its head out of the water to get a better grasp of its surroundings. It could see the massive storm front it had created gradually spreading overhead, but, rather than the torrential downpour that generally followed in its wake, the elemental energy in the air was unnaturally calm. This caused a shiver to run down its spine as it resolved to, at the very least, never to return to Lake Argyre.Without flooding to aid in carving a path inland, the Leviathan resolved itself to break through the enemy waiting ahead. It gave off an indescribably murderous aura, but, after just escaping an even more terrifying foe, it was confident in its ability to flee. Thus, after several minutes of mustering its own courage, the Leviathan began to slither through the water, slowly at first but quickly ramping up to supersonic speeds as it sliced through the water faster than any torpedo...---Borrowing awareness from her Master, Fenrir was able to sense the Leviathan the moment it entered into his domain. A wispy, bluish-black, aura began to rise from her body, and, without the slightest embarrassment, she did not hesitate to exclaim, "Master, give me strength!" before chanting, "Lord of the Frozen Temple. Release your icy breath! Nivis Casus!"Before Fenrir had finished her chant, an icy blue magic circle had spread from her feet as several smaller magic circles manifested out of thin air. The larger circle was the structure of the spell itself while the smaller ones allowed her to make minute adjustments to the output in real-time. This was the surest sign that someone was an Archmage, as, without an extraordinary amount of experience, the only practical way to adjust the output of a spell was to use less magical power.With the spell primed, Fenrir leaped high into the sky, paws extended towards the nearby river that separated the Continents of Tempe Terra and Noachis. Immediately afterward, several plumes of ice and snow, many reaching hundreds of meters in height, exploded beneath the surface of the water. Then, like an avalanche cascading down a mountain, several million tons of ice and snow formed a terrifying white wave that spread across the surface of the river, freezing everything in its wake.Though it almost seemed like Fenrir would be able to freeze the entire river, the phenomenal power of mother nature could never be underestimated. The river might not be flowing too quickly but it's current carried more than enough force to nearly shatter the icy blockade before flooding into the surrounding area...Quickly realizing her mistake, Fenrir's ears drooped as she leaped into the air, a subtle shade of red coloring her cheeks as she created a pillar of ice to escape the mounting flood. She didn't have the face to look directly at her Master or Asuna, but, through their shared connection, she was able to feel something similar to nostalgia as her Master mused, "This really takes me back to our walks in the Western Forest..."Hearing her Master's words, Fenrir recalled his attempts to stop the flow of a river using his water elemental manipulation. He was able to stop it for a brief moment, but, immediately thereafter, he would be sent crashing backward before being swept up in the powerful current.Though it did little to erase her embarrassment, Fenrir felt a little better knowing her Master had made similar mistakes in the past. Her ears instantly perked back up, and, though it was very slight, her tail began to gently sway from side-to-side as an even greater volume of magical energy began to swirl around her...Seeing Fenrir growing excited, Vahn and Asuna displayed near-identical expressions, both smiling with equal parts affection and wryness. Fortunately, Fenrir didn't seem to notice this, as, following the massive flooding, an even greater volume of water surged forward as a glowing blue silhouette attempted to bypass them. Before it could, however, Asuna's expression visibly sharpened as she cut down and said, "Kami-no-Setsudan!(Divine Severance)"Consuming nearly half of Asuna's reserves, a biblical gulf appeared within the surging tide, literally dividing it toward the horizon. It was a rather nonsensical display, but, having seen Asuna create a gulf across the surface of Phobos, Vahn wasn't surprised. The Leviathan, however, had a very human expression on its face as it stared wide-eyed at the girl that had nearly bifurcated it.Trusting its instincts, the Leviathan had attempted to evade the moment it sensed Asuna's sword rise. As a result, it managed to get away with the loss of a fin and the tip of its tail. These were injuries it would normally be able to heal easily, but, surprising it even further, a steady trickle of glowing blue blood continued to flow from the wounds as it attempted to flee.In response to the Leviathan's blood, the surrounding waters began to surge rapidly as several large dragon heads, formed entirely of water, erupted from the surface like a hydra. Each was capable of firing a large column of highly pressurized water from their mouths, but, long before they were able to, invisible blades passed through their necks, severing their heads in an instant. At the same time, cutting off the Leviathan's path of escape, two silvery chains sliced through the water, aided by the presence of Severing Laws.Though it was able to coil back in an instant to evade the lethal chains, the Leviathan was awestruck to learn that the water surrounding its body had been frozen solid in an instant. This wouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances, but, rather than normal ice, a potent sealing effect had been infused into brackish waters. To further exacerbate matters, the chains it had barely evaded seemed to be wholly unaffected by this sealing property, moving freely to wrap around its body and cutting through its flesh with considerable ease.The Leviathan wanted to cry out in rage and indignation, but, as soon as that thought crossed its mind, it felt 'something' pass through its body. All pain immediately faded away, and, before it even realized what had happened, a sense of finality had spread through its mind as darkness claimed its vision...---Though he hadn't actually expected it to give them any trouble, Vahn was surprised by how quickly Fenrir and Asuna had been able to overwhelm the Leviathan. It was one of the legendary 'Beasts of Calamity' that had tormented the Magical World since its formation. Despite this, it was completely helpless in front of the combined duo, almost as if it was just a normal magical creature.Restraining a sigh, Vahn adopted an approving smile as Asuna and Fenrir turned their attention to him, clearly seeking validation and praise. In response, his smile became more sincere as he mused, "As expected. The two of you have worked hard and it really shows. As your Master, I can't help but feel extremely proud. Come, let me reward you."Almost immediately after his words had fallen, a smiling Asuna appeared in front of Vahn using a nearly seamless shundo. She was even faster than Fenrir when it came to covering short distances, and, when it came to receiving rewards for her hard work, Asuna had never been shy.Seeing the twin-tailed Princess beat her to the punch, a deadpan expression spread across Fenrir's face as she yanked the silvery chains coiled around her paws. As a result, the corpse of the Leviathan was pulled free from the block of ice she had created, landing heavily despite its diminutive size...While cupping Asuna's face and lightly massaging her scalp with the tips of his fingers, Vahn briefly turned his attention to Fenrir as she dismissed her Zanpakuto and transformed into a massive wolf with a dense coat of midnight blue fur and a fluffy white underbelly. Then, without any hesitation at all, she picked up the Leviathan's remains with her teeth, tossing it into the air before catching it with her mouth and devouring the entire thing in less than ten seconds.Though the Leviathan was much weaker than her, possessing a BP of around 3700, Fenrir was still able to benefit greatly from consuming its body. A mystical blue light glistened across her fur for a brief moment, and, though it was only a marginal increase, she felt as though her internal reserves had grown alongside her understanding of Water Elemental Energy.Putting her new power to the test, Fenrir stamped her massive paw atop the icy pillar, generating a subtle pulse that spread through the surrounding floodwaters. In response, their ferocity decreased noticeably, and, though she wasn't able to stop them, she felt as though it wouldn't take too much effort to guide the flow back to the river...Sensing the strange pulse of energy, Asuna turned her head to face Fenrir, a curious light flickering across her green-blue eyes. Unfortunately, this cost her the rest of her reward, as, equally interested in Fenrir's power, Vahn ruffled Asuna's hair one last time before walking past her and approaching the large wolf who continued stamping the ground with her paws...Seeing Vahn walking away, Asuna felt a brief moment of confusion before puffing out her cheeks in a slight pout. She was tempted to point out that she deserved a much greater reward for defeating a literal Calamity-Class threat. However, this seemed a little petty, so, rather than make a scene, she decided to simply shundo next to Vahn, seamlessly linking her hand with his and walking alongside him the rest of the way...(A/N: Alternate Titles: '(O w O)...','I kind of feel bad for the Leviathan xD...','*Stamping Intensifies*')(A/N: As a general reminder: Fenrir is able to devour virtually anything, but, with the additional perk of her Heaven Devouring Wolf Innate, she benefits greatly from consuming things she already has a decent comprehension of. She isn't able to acquire the abilities of the things she eats, but, if she ate enough of the same monster, her comprehension would gradually reach the point where she could emulate them without much difficulty. Remember, Fenrir has always been 'very' good at mimicry~!)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After missing the opening engagement with the Confederation, Malina eagerly returned to her post as Commander of the Southern Fleet. She had a considerable amount of stress that needed venting, but, rather than arbitrarily order an assault, her first order of business was convening an emergency war council. She gathered together everyone with the rank of Captain and above aboard the Hellas, a massive vessel that resembled a hammerhead shark with a length of 750m.The Hellas had been the Flagship of the Hellas Empire for nearly three hundred years. Despite this, it was still one of the most advanced pieces of Magical Technology that existed outside of Ostia. It was the byproduct of innumerable man-hours and several of the most brilliant minds that had been produced between the Empire and Ariadne. Most importantly, it was constructed around an artifact that resembled a small sun contained within an unidentified bronze-like metal.Though they had never been able to harness the power of the immensely powerful artifact fully, the scholars and engineers of Ariadne had managed to develop a system that provided the Hellas with a functionally infinite supply of magical power. The only limit to its output was the machinery used to siphon the power of the miniature sun, as, after prolonged use, even the most magically resistant materials would begin to melt. If not for this restriction, the Hellas would have been truly invincible, as, with an endless supply of magical power, it's offensive and defensive capabilities greatly dwarfed even Megalomesmbria's most significant innovations.---With many of the most senior officers of the Southern Fleet gathered around a realistic diorama that displayed the conditions of the battlefield in real-time, Malina turned to a wrinkly man, who, despite his advanced age, still radiated an intimidating aura. His named was Andrzej Kościuszko, and, for nearly two hundred years, he had dutifully served the Empire as Admiral of the Southern Fleet.Offering a rare smile, Malina gave a respectful nod toward Andrzej before saying, "I have read the reports. Before I make a decision, however, I would like to hear the opinion of my senior officers. It is no secret that this is my first time participating in a war. Though my power is great, I know there is still much I can learn from the Empire's best and brightest. Now, Admiral Kościuszko, please start us off. What is your opinion regarding the Black Demon-God Soldiers and the recent appointment of Dictator Primulus?"Immediately following Malina's inquiry, Andrzej gave a respectful bow before raising his head, his voice sounding like a rumbling echo from deep within the earth as he said, "Responding to the First Princess' query...I think the fools in the Megalomesembrian Senate have finally lost their minds. It is incomprehensible to me that a man like Legatus Dalmas would rescind his candidacy so easily. He is one of the Confederation's most extreme loyalists, not someone who would step down due to the pressure of a few pencil-pushing politicians. Though this is an opportunity for the Empire, it seems clear to me that there are great changes afoot within the Confederation. As for those Black Demon-God Soldiers...I fear the only effective means to combat them is with overwhelming magical might, high-powered non-magical munitions, or an inverse-sealing formation."Nodding curtly in response, Malina added, "I also feel there is something very strange taking place in Megalomesembria. We will need to capitalize on this opportunity and strike before they manage to reorganize their troops and sort out their internal affairs..."As she was speaking, Malina was also performing a few hand gestures, changing the scene within the diorama to replay the previous battle. It wasn't a perfect representation of everything that had transpired, but, so long as it was picked up by their scanners, they could review previous battles to come up with countermeasures to specific military assets or tactics.After finding one of the Black Demon-God Solider, a relatively simple feat considering their size, Malina brought her index fingers and thumbs together before spreading them apart. This caused the image to zoom in considerably, and, with a simple tap against the air, it allowed everyone in the room to witness the colossal automaton having its arm blown off after a few Anti-Demon Lightning Cannons overlapped fire on a single spot.Though the ability to absorb magical power was troublesome, it wasn't the first time such weapons had appeared on a battlefield. They were never easy to deal with but, time and again, history had shown that even the most powerful defensive artifacts had weaknesses. So long as you understood the mechanism behind something, it was possible to develop numerous countermeasures. Most of the time, however, simply hitting it 'harder' was enough to destroy even 'indestructible' objects...With the scene continually replaying the destruction and subsequent regeneration of the Black Demon-God Soldier's arm, Malina adopted a serious expression as she added, "Though developing countermeasures would be prudent, this scene shows they are not as powerful as they seem. It will be troublesome to focus fire on a single point, but, based on these readings, a Superdreadnaught's main battery should be able to overwhelm their defenses. Our priority should be coming up with a way to restrict their movements. So long as we can pin them down, the Hellas or the Averof should be able to eliminate them."As they had already discussed methods of dealing with the Black Demon-God Soldiers, none of the officers present within the situation room were surprised by the First Princess' words. Despite this, they continued to display deferential respect with one woman, a Vice-Admiral named Maria Wittek, bowing politely as she said, "The First Princess' insight is exceptional. When the opportunity arrives, know the Kadaj is ready and willing to serve as the lure. I have supreme confidence in my crew and my beloved vessel's mobility."Though it was clear that the Vice-Amidral was fishing for military merit, the same could be said for virtually every member of the Imperial Fleet and Army. One of the only ways to increase your social status was through military merit, and, though she had already reached a coveted position, people like Maria were nothing if not ambitious. She had already obtained the title of Baroness, but, as this was only a single-generation classification, she eagerly sought to prove herself in order to become a landed noble.Rather than admonish Maria for being over-eager, Malina gave an approving nod before saying, "It seems the Empire is not wanting for brave and bold individuals. Very well. I will entrust the capable crew of the Kadaj with this task. I look forward to-."Before Malina could finish regurgitating practiced lines, the lighting within the room shifted from a calm and cool blue to a focused and intense red. At the same time, a subtle vibration could be felt by everyone in the room, shaking a nearby porcelain tea set.Without demonstrating even a semblance of panic, Malina adopted an amused smile as she added, "It seems our foes cannot wait. Admiral Kościuszko, you are with me. Everyone else, return to your posts and prepare for battle."Following Malina's words, everyone in the room gave a curt salute before blinking out of existence. With the exception of Admiral Kościuszko, everyone else in the room had been a projection, as, no matter how confident she was in the Hellas' superiority, Malina wasn't foolish enough to gather all of her senior officers in one place. That was the same as inviting the enemy to use the Gate spell to assassinate them, a rather common tactic that was used frequently in virtually every war.Using her own version of the Gate spell, shrouding her body in a pale green light, Malina teleported directly to the Bridge of her ship. Arriving even faster than her, shrouded in a cloak of crackling blue electricity, Admiral Kościuszko was already demanding a situation report. In response, the on-duty Communications Officer, wearing a rather futuristic set of headphones, calmly answered, "Scanners have detected a large, unidentified, object within the Mesosphere. Immediately after it appeared, a pillar of light approximately twenty meters in diameter descended upon Lake Argyre. Updating the image on the main display."With a soft 'blip' echoing through the bridge, the display previously focused on the distant Svanhvit changed to show a large hole in the center of Lake Argyre. It was a rather peculiar sight to behold, as, rather than rush back to fill in the void, an unseen barrier seemed to repel the tumultuous waves caused by the initial explosion...After a brief moment of stupefaction, Malina was about to order the man to adjust the display, but, as could be expected from a senior communications officer aboard the Imperial Flagship, the man had already queued up a command to split the display. The left side continued displaying the large hole near the exact center of Lake Argyre, while, high in the sky, far beyond normal sensor range, a glimmering golden dot could be seen slowly descending from the upper atmosphere.As the corner of the display showed that it was being magnified to the maximum, Malina didn't try and order the man to enhance the image further. Instead, she furrowed her brows for several tense moments before asking, "What is the reaction of the Megalomesembrian Fleet? Are they preparing an attack?"In response to her inquiry, the display changed to show the enemy encampment once again. The enemy was in a state of high-alert, but, rather than forming up for an offensive, their movements indicated they were preparing their defenses. This sounded alarm bells within Malina's mind, but, as the First Princess of the Empire, she did not allow it to show on her face. Instead, she maintained a perfect mask of calm as she said, "Open the command line."With a direct link established to all ships within the Southern Fleet, Malina took a slightly deeper breath to calm herself before stating, "Move into a barrier formation and prepare for a defensive engagement. The enemy's capabilities are unknown but there is nothing the Hellas Empire cannot overcome when we stand united. I have high expectations for all of you."Following their Princess-Commander's orders, the Southern Fleet quickly moved into their assigned positions, forming three concentric circles around the Hellas. This process customarily took several minutes to complete, but, in preparation for Megalomesembria's counterattack, many vessels were already close to their assigned positions. As a result, it only took around 73 seconds before a large magical formation more than 8km in diameter appeared. From the edges, hexagonal panels formed of pure magical energy began to manifest into existence, linking together to gradually form a giant dome around the entire Southern Fleet...---Seeing the massive barrier take shape, Vahn couldn't help but admire the sight. He found the idea of linking together hundreds of massive ships to form ritual-magic to be rather novel, and, though there were numerous weak points that could be exploited by powerful individuals, it was still very impressive. It showed what people were able to achieve when they joined hands toward a common goal, feats even Gods would not be able to perform without a considerable number of preparations and a concerted effort.Unfortunately, as his goal was to act as a deterrent, Vahn had little choice but to take the Southern Fleet's efforts and crush them underfoot. Before that, however, he had other problems to deal with, as, hidden beneath the surface of Lake Argyre, a phenomenally powerful foe was laying in wait.Originally, Argyre was supposed to be the dominion of the Great Spirit of Ice, but, after countless conflicts, it had eventually disappeared. This had left a large temple located at the bottom of Lake Argyre unoccupied, and, without anyone's notice, the Confederation seemed to have converted it into a research facility of sorts. This normally wouldn't have merited such an extreme response, but, when he noticed what they were researching, Vahn couldn't help but feel his anger rising alongside a palpable sense of excitement.Spreading his glimmering golden wings to their full length, covering nearly 130m from tip to tip, Vahn began to inhale deeply. Threads of elemental energy began to converge from the surrounding void, and, similar to a tailed beast condensing a bijudama, a massive sphere of bluish-white energy began to form above Vahn's maw as he leaned his head back. It wasn't nearly as strong as his actual Dragon's Breath, but, as he didn't want to annihilate the lake entirely, condensing elemental energy into a sphere more than three-hundred meters across allowed him to deal immense damage while also instilling fear and terror into onlookers...---While Vahn was busy channeling his inner-chuuni high above the clouds, a marginally beaten and bloodied serpentine creature continued to writhe about in the thick layer of frozen mud that had formed on the bottom of Lake Argyre. It had suffered considerable injuries from the pillar of light that smashed into its body, but, as that same attack had liberated it from its prison, the intelligent serpent released a maddening roar after coiling its body and facing the Heavens. It could sense an overwhelmingly powerful foe targetting it, but, rather than run away, it was eager to release the fury it had accumulated over decades of experimentation.Responding to the serpent's, Leviathan's, roar, the surrounded water began to twist and writhe as it broke free from the energy preventing it from crashing inwards. At the same time, several massive columns of water erupted from the surface of Lake Argyre, extending all the way to the cloud layer and causing a massive storm front to spontaneously form above the thousand-kilometer-wide lake.With the icy waters crashing in around it, Leviathan's wounds began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye. What remained of the phosphorescent blue blood on its exterior quickly dispersed into the surrounding waters, and, as if they were excited by its presence, the elemental energy within the water began to surge with even greater intensity. The surface of Lake Argyre began to glow with similar blue light to the Levithan's blood, and, around the same time that Vahn released his attack, the center of the lake began to surge upwards at several hundred meters per second.Much to Vahn's surprise, the surging pillar of water took on a form similar to the Leviathan itself. It then opened its watery maw to reveal a swirling vortex of glowing blue energy that erupted to form a massive water spout the coiled like a living creature as it slammed into his slowly descending ball of condensed elemental energy. The energies within the water spout caused the darkening clouds to ice over in an instant, but, more surprising, at least for the Levithan, it had absolutely no effect on the dense sphere gradually descending toward the lake's surface.As the swirling vortex of ice and water was its most powerful attack, the Levithan no longer tried to fight against the unknown dragon floating far outside its effective range. It had always been rather cowardly, and, after decades of imprisonment, it was in no hurry to return to captivity. It had a lot of frustrations it still needed to release, so, rather than fight against an overwhelmingly powerful foe, it would rather return to the open ocean and sink a few unsuspecting fishing vessels...---Though the watery visage of the Levithan continued to try and contest his faux-bijudama, Vahn was not fooled by its trickery. He had already locked onto the surprisingly small serpent, but, rather than give chase, his second vessel, accompanied by Asuna and Fenrir, moved to cut it off near the mouth of the Argyrian River. There was no reason for him to defeat the legendary creature on his own, so, rather than reduce the impact of his demonstration by chasing after a sneaky serpent, he continued to linger majestically in the sky as the ball of energy, like a small sun, slowly sunk into Lake Argyre...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'So many famous people (OwO)...','Bigger, bigger, bigger...perfect!','*Darude Sandstorm begins playing*')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1630: Deterrent