Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

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

Though they were one of the Confederation's most powerful war assets, especially against foreign mages and Airfish, the Demon-God Soldiers were wholly unprepared to engage a Grandmaster Ki User and Swordsman. It didn't matter how big or durable they were, as, even at the Master level, it was possible for many swordsmen to cut through concepts such as 'Immortality' and 'Invincibility'.As a Grandmaster who had comprehended the duality of Infinity and Nothingness, Vahn's skill had reached a transcendental level even before his entry into the Akamatsuverse. It didn't matter what his actual Base Power was, as, unless they embodied a greater concept or possessed some abstract Innate, there was 'nothing' he couldn't cut through.Reacting to the Demon-God Soldier's attempt to grab him, Vahn simply contracted his wing, cutting it forward to 'slap' the colossal creature's fist aside. It had an absurd amount of forward momentum due to its size, but, as if time has been frozen, the 100m tall entity came to a complete stop as Vahn swung his Laev-tan in an unnaturally slow motion from its hip to shoulder.Though the phenomenon occurred almost instantaneously after the slash, anyone with heightened senses would have witnessed the Demon-God Soldier remaining stationary for 'several seconds' as Vahn casually stepped around it. It was only when he bent forward in preparation for his next target that a glowing red line spread across the former's body. Then, as its body began to slough into two distinct pieces, both halves began to corrode away under the influence of brackish-red flames.Without sparing the first Demon-God Soldier a glance, Vahn took what appeared to be a single step forward, his body flickering as he appeared directly beneath his target, his sword already raised in a striking motion. Then, similar to his previous attack, the claymore-like Laev-tan fell forward in a perfectly natural motion, almost as if it was being propelled by gravity alone.As they were far more advanced than their white counterparts, the second Demon-God Soldier did its best to try and defend against the sudden attack. It actually tried to catch the 33m long blade in between its massive palms, but, long before it brought its hands together, Vahn's sword was already pointing towards the ground. As a result, the colossal creature effectively gave itself a simple round of applause, accelerating the manifestation of the cutting line that perfectly bifurcated its body.Rather than move on to his next target, Vahn closed his wings with enough force to crack the icy surface of the lake as tempestuous wings sent the massive creature tumbling backward. It hadn't actually died from his first blow, so, before he finished it off, Vahn wanted to see what else it was capable of.Though its body had been cut in half, the wound had been so precise that the regeneration of the black Demon-God Soldier allowed it to remain whole. It wasn't able to absorb Vahn's Sword Laws into its body, but, much to the latter's surprise, it was able to absorb Laev-tan's flames. As a result, it was able to gradually repel the energy preventing it from healing completely, gradually mending its injuries as it attempted to climb to its feet.Before the black Demon-God Soldier could get ahead of itself, Vahn pointed Laev-tan toward its body as he muttered, "Well, I should have expected as much from the Black of Venus..."Following Vahn's utterance, the flames that were being gradually consumed by the black Demon-God Soldier intensified with explosive force. It quickly spread through the colossus' body, burning the artificial magic circuits that allowed it to maintain its form.Though it had an affinity with absorbing energy derived from the Laws of Destruction, Laev-tan's flames were far more than simply 'Flames of Destruction'. They were infused with Source Energy, and, under Vahn's direction, they were even able to tear through Space, much less the body of a magical construct.After a few seconds had passed, the black Demon-God Soldier looked like a massive chunk of chared brimstone. There were fiery cracks covering its body, and, due to the drastic difference in temperature, it didn't take long for it to begin fragmenting into smaller chunks.Nodding his head in approval, Vahn turned his attention to the remaining Demon-God Soldiers, a smile on his face as he released one of them from the bindings of Enkidu, saying, "Come. I'd hate to leave any doubts in the minds of the fools who created you."Now freed from its bindings, the third Demon-God Soldier charged towards Vahn with just as much zeal as its predecessors. It was capable of very basic thought, but, without the ability to receive new orders, the only thing going through its mind was 'buying time', 'killing', or 'capturing' its target. As a result, it made no attempt to gauge Vahn's strength or try to free its companions. Instead, it used reinforcement magic to amply its speed and strength, fearlessly charging forward with its large eye recording and analyzing as much as it could about its opponent.Seeing the Demon-God Soldier use a variant of Cantus Bellax, the smile on Vahn's draconic visage became more prominent as he embedded the massive Lave-tan into the frozen lake. He wanted to completely shatter the hopes of any 'normal' people targetting him, so, rather than end the fight in an instant by cutting down all six Demon-God Soldiers in a single strike, he was drawing things out and putting on a show.Similar to his previous displays with Laev-tan, Vahn seemed to casually extend his hand without any care or concern. The fist of the Demon-God Soldier covered nearly his entire upper body, and, with a mass approximating thirteen-million-kilograms and a speed nearing Mach one, even something as simple as punch carried a force exceeding sixteen-billion Newtons. This was the equivalent force of four tons of high explosives being detonated on a point of contact, but, as such calculations had no relevance at all, Vahn simply caught the Demon-God Soldier's fist with his palm. There was none of the usual shockwaves that accompanied such an exchange. Instead, it was almost as if the force of the punch had been negated in its entirety...Feeling a little more overpowered than usual, Vahn had to fight hard to prevent a goofy smile from spreading across his face. There was nothing quite like the feeling of shattering the expectations of your enemies, fools who went to great lengths to exercise their power for malicious ends. It would have been even better if he used his own power to do so, but, as there simply wasn't time to reach such a level, Vahn didn't mind exploiting the [Runed Halo] to deter unnecessary bloodshed.Channeling his Source-infused Ki through his palm, Vahn sent a spear-like pulse of energy into the arm of the Demon-God Solder. It was able to travel without any perceptible obstructions, climbing up the monstrosity's arm before exploding near its shoulder. It's entire arm ended up being blown off as a result, and, as could be expected, the explosion was more than sufficient to knock it off balance.Without giving the Demon-God Soldier a chance to recover, Vahn's spread his wings to their full length as he drew both of his fists toward his waist. Then, preempting a series of massive shock waves, his fists seemed to multiply as his arms turned into a golden blur. At the same time, large indentations appeared across the body of the Demon-God Soldier before massive chunks of its body began to tear away from the force of the shockwaves.With nearly a hundred ki-infused strikes impacting the Demon-God Soldier before the shockwaves from the previous strikes could fully radiate, its body ended up being shredded to ribbons once the forces began to overlap with each other. By the time Vahn retracted his fists, returning to a neutral position, the only thing indicating there was ever a Demon-God Soldier present were the intact feet that had been spared his onslaught. Even then, they ended up being sent sliding several hundred meters from the site of their original owner, milky white blood staining the ice in their wake.Satisfied by his display of power, Vahn gave himself a curt nod before turning his attention to the final three Demon-God Soldiers. There were still two black variants remaining, so, after loosening Enkidu, Vahn extended his hand, forming a claw, towards the off-balance entity. He wanted to see how resistant it was to abilities derived wholly from mental power, completely lacking an elemental affinity. Thus, despite feeling as though someone had lodged an ax into the back of his head, Vahn ignored the pain as he slowly formed a fist.Though it attempted to resist using its raw physical might, it only took a few seconds before the black Demon-God Soldier appeared to be contracting its body. An invisible force was acting across its entire body, and, after several seconds more, a thunderous cracking sound could be heard as the durable material comprising its body gradually succumbed to the growing pressure. Following that, murky black blood began to erupt from cracks appearing across the surface of its body, and, after a full minute had passed, its substantial one-hundred-meter tall frame had been compressed into an egg shape barely eclipsing twenty.Restraining the urge to release an exhausted sigh, Vahn placed the Demon-God Soldier's corpse into his Inventory before raising his hand toward the sky and opening it once again. At a glance, it appeared as though he was just standing there with his hand up, but, if you shifted your focus to a point in Space seventeen kilometers above, you would find several 'acceleration gates' manifesting as the body of the Demon-God Solder was brought out of his Inventory.Like a hammer of judgment, Vahn dropped his hand toward the final white Demon-God Soldier as the corpse of its predecessor crashed into it with meteoric force. This caused the surface of the lake to fracture for tens of kilometers, and, due to its proximity, the black Demon-God Solider suffered a substantial amount of damage from the resultant shockwave. Enkidu kept it bound in place, so, with no means to bleed off the force of the explosion, its body ended up being pulped as the large eye glowing in its helmet-like head shattered into tiny pieces.Waiting until the dust and debris had cleared away, Vahn took Laev-tan into his hands, raising her tip toward the sky. This action alone caused a massive rift to appear in the storm clouds overhead, but, compared to the sequelae of his actual attack, this was negligible. It was a strike that carried his comprehension of Infinity and Nothingness, two contrary forces, which, like the ground before him, were perfectly divided by an incomprehensibly fine line.Though it wasn't perception-based like Asuna's Zanpakuto ability, Vahn was able to draw a perfect and inviolable line between the forces of the Hellas Empire and Megalomesembria. Unless someone exceptionally powerful destroyed it, this 'line' would remain indefinitely, visible even from hundreds of kilometers away. Anyone foolish enough to try and cross it would be bisected in an instant, much like the final Demon-God Solider...Staring at his own handiwork, even Vahn felt a little unnerved by the eerie black line that seemed to follow the movements of his eyes. It was incredibly thin, no thicker than a simple string, but, even if he looked towards the distant clouds or turned his attention to the lakebed, it was always visible. At the same time, like an invisible glass pane had been erected, the clouds above were unable to form together into a singular whole. Though the individual molecules were still able to pass through the region, anything bigger than a string's thickness, even a cloud, would be perpetually sliced through by the thin black line.Putting his own theory to the test, Vahn swallowed hard before extending his claw and attempting to bypass the region. There was actually a brief moment where 'nothing' happened, but, after a few seconds had passed, Vahn wasn't surprised by a sudden pain as the tip of his claw was sliced into a number of thin slices. All he felt prior to the pain was a strange vibration, and, even though he was supposed to be immune to damage thanks to the [Runed Halo], it seemed that his capabilities with the sword exceeded the SS-Rank when fusing the two dualistic concepts into one.Satisfied by the result of his efforts, Vahn turned his attention to Gaia's Light, negating its effects so that he could actually fly. His wings didn't give him actual flight capabilities, and, though he could largely ignore the effects of Gaia's Light, doing so in his dragon form was difficult. He didn't possess an ability related to increasing his size, so, despite his effective damage output increase, Vahn could only grow to a point that he was physically able to manipulate. Forty meters was pretty close to his absolute limit in a bipedal form, so, after demonstrating his abilities and swinging around Laev-tan, his body was on the verge of breaking down completely.Fortunately, from the perspective of the Hellas Empire and Megalomesembrian Confederation, he had suffered absolutely no damage in his battle against the Demon-God Soldiers. Rather, it seemed like he was messing around and putting on a show to demonstrate his power. His theatrics all but confirmed this, so, even after returning to his human form, thus confirming his identity, neither side had any intention of trying to re-engage him. His message had been received loud and clear, so, at least for the time being, an impromptu ceasefire agreement had been mandated by both sides...With his job done, Vahn communicated his intent to the nascent elementals that had congregated in the skies above Argyre. He wanted the lake to remain frozen so the Empire and Confederation could send people to investigate the area without having to take a boat or fly an Airfish over. The black line was visible from both shores, so, before trying to escalate the conflict further, they were bound to send someone over. Once they realized what the line represented, his intentions would have been made loud and clear, so, rather than stick around, the three versions of himself that had been prepared for the engagement simply vanished into thin air...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A forty-meter tall Grandmaster swordsman...','MUDA MUDA MUDA...!','Cross the line. I dare you. I double-dare you!','Flexin' ain't easy')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

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

Chapter 1631: Shifting Tide