Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With their vacation having ended, the members of Team Wolf Pack inevitably made their way to the 5th Floor's teleportation array. The only requirement for ascending to the next floor was becoming a B-Class Citizen, so, with a plethora of Points in their Pockets, Team Wolf Pack bid farewell to the large crowd that had gathered outside before stepping atop the large array that would take them to the 6th Floor.---A stark contrast to the 5th Floor's rather scenic Paradise Bay, the 6th Floor was an incredibly dark and dreary place. The only visible light at their destination was the ghostly glow emanating from the Test Administrator, a lanky man with eyes like will o' wisps and garments that resembled those of a Grim Reaper. He even had a rather vicious-looking weapon in his right hand, but, rather than a scythe, it was a gnarled wooden staff with a shovel-like head formed from blue crystal.Adding to the man's eerieness, his face was veiled by shadows beneath a wide-brimmed cap as he somberly explained, "I hope you enjoyed your stay in Paradise. From this moment onward, you will be ascending the Tower in much the same way as Jahad and the Great Warriors. Your only goal is to find the stairway leading upward to the next Floor. You will face various challenges and trials along your journey, but, so long as you work together and trust in your companions, it is only a matter of time before you bask in the light of glory. Good luck, Regulars...though, with a group of this size, I believe you will be just fine..."With those parting words, the reaper-like man promptly vanished from view, shrouding Team Wolf Pack in absolute darkness. Fortunately, it took very little time for Khun and Phae to produce their Lighthouses, illuminating the area to reveal they were inside an ancient-looking room. This included a patterned cobblestone floor, thick moss-covered stone walls that glistened with moisture, several destroyed statues, and a small shrine that was cracked down the center.Taking charge of the situation, Khun created a perimeter using his Lighthouses, scanning the area as he said, "Gandr, Endorsi, and Anak will scout the external corridor connecting this room. The rest of our Scouts will inspect this room for any sign of traps. This room will serve as our command center until we get a better grasp of the situation."Responding to Khun's words almost immediately, Jung raised her hand up high, chiming, "I want to go with Gandr~!" in an enthused tone. Unfortunately for her, Khun immediately shot her down, his tone leaving no room for argument as he said, "I have already made my decision. Gandr, Endorsi, and Anak have been working together for a long time. You will have plenty of chances to team up with him in the future. For the time being, just stay put with everyone else. If you run around and trigger a trap, I'm banning you from having any sweets for the remainder of the day..."Though she looked like she wanted to argue at first, Jun's huffy expression immediately mellowed when she heard Khun's threat. Her entire life revolved around fighting and sweets. Since the sweets given to her by Vahn and Phae were much better than anything she had eater prior to joining Team Wolf Pack, she couldn't bear to part with them. As a result, she ended up scampering over to Phae's side, hiding behind the woman before peeking around and glaring towards the blue-haired youth.Ignoring the vengeful loli's glare, Khun continued to delegate roles and responsibilities to the rest of the group. He knew Vahn wouldn't simply allow them to 'cheat' by using the Little Garden, so, with the expectation they could be stuck inside the Labyrinth for several months, his primary focus was on establishing a base camp. There was no sense in venturing out into the darkness without an idea of where their destination was located so he wanted to get a better grasp of their immediate surroundings before deciding what to do next.What Khun didn't expect was for Vahn to promptly produce Hwa Ryun from the Little Garden, an amused smile on his face as he stroked the woman's head and explained, "Guides are able to freely traverse the Tower. I didn't allow her to participate in the Survival Test since there was no reason to have her sit around for an entire month. Now that we're inside a Labyrinth, however, her ability will be of great use."Enjoying having her head pat a lot more than she ever thought possible, Ryun felt slightly saddened when Vahn inevitably retracted his hand. Then, with a cold and serious glower, she looked towards Khun and explained, "The 10th Floors bi-annual Positional Tournament is scheduled to take place in twenty-nine days. Our goal should be to clear the 9th Floor within three weeks. This shouldn't be an issue with our Team's composition, but we will still need to move quickly."Frowning in response to Ryun's words, Khun looked to Vahn just as the latter was nodding his head in approval, saying, "The delay on the 5th Floor was the result of my selfishness. Since I'm also the one pushing you to move forward, I will allow the Little Garden to be used between the hours of 2 and 5 AM. This will give you around fifteen hours for both rest and study each day."Feeling considerably relieved, Khun released a tired sigh before lightly patting his chest in an effort to calm his heart. Afterward, he immediately adapted his strategy to account for the assistance of a Guide and the fact that Ryun had directly stated they would need to move quickly. She was the type to play around with words, so, rather than continuing to establish a basecamp, he recalled Gandr's scouting party in order to arrange their traveling formation...---After sticking around long enough to make sure everything was running smoothly, Vahn made a show of entrusting the Little Garden to Phae before retiring to the interior. He had more important things to worry about than traversing a dark Labyrinth filled with traps and monsters, even if it did make him feel more than a little nostalgic.Shaking his head, Vahn looked toward his right to find a 156cm tall redhead wearing nothing but lingerie staring up at him with a vibrant smile on her face. She seemed to constantly exist within the periphery of his vision, and, unless he was directly focused on someone or simply stopped thinking about her, Vahn could see her wandering around and investigating things like a child exploring the outside world for the first time.With a somewhat wry smile on his face, Vahn asked, "Did you enjoy exploring the outside world for a short while...?"Nodding her head, the Law of Identity adopted an even more radiant smile as she replied, "It is very exciting to be able to see and experience things directly. Before the Creator blessed me with a body of my own, I was only able to experience the interactions of others. Thanks for letting me finally be myself~!" in a cheerful tune.Though her words made him feel strangely guilty, Vahn's expression softened quite a bit when he saw the sincere smile on the girl's face. He had been able to sense her presence within everyone he had interacted with ever since her creation so there was a very real chance she was directly linked with the true Law of Identity. This meant she was a part of everything, vicariously experiencing the world through others without a direct means to interact with it herself...After forcibly restraining most of his power, applying various seals across his body in a very short period of time, Vahn extended his hand to caress the smiling girl's head. This seemed to make her very happy, but, considering he was the only person she could actually interact with, it wasn't hard to understand why...With the Law of Identity offering no resistance whatsoever, Vahn continued to caress her hair and the sides of her face, a thoughtful expression on his face as he asked, "What should I call you from now on? It will be a little awkward if you go around without a name...hmmm..."Seemingly finding his words very amusing, the Law of Identity giggled in response before saying, "I already have a name. It is the one the Creator gave to me~!"Confused by her words, Vahn lightly furrowed his brows as he asked, "Can you tell me what your name is...?"Adopting an instantaneous pout, the Law of Identity stared up at Vahn with moistened eyes as she asked, "How could you forget such a thing? I'm [ ]! [ ]...!"Hearing absolutely nothing when the Law of Identity shouted her name, cold sweat quickly spread across Vahn's body as he found himself at a loss for words. He was absolutely certain that the only thing in his mind at the time was manifesting her as the Law of Identity. It wouldn't make sense for her to have a name if she was the origin of everyone else's identities so he hadn't actually come up with a name for her...With the redhead on the verge of tears, Vahn's instincts began to sound alarm bells within the back of his mind. Thus, in a desperate attempt to keep her calm, he adopted a wry smile and asked, "Can I call you Akasha...?"Immediately following his words, the Law of Identity's appearance changed to resemble an awe-inspiringly beautiful statue. It had the appearance of an indescribably beautiful woman that was 190cm tall. She had perfectly symmetrical hair that flowed away from her scalp like feathers, soft features that gave her a very peaceful appearance, and several clear gemstones running from the top of her crown to around her navel, visible due to the fact that she was completely naked...Though the woman appeared to be made from pure white stone, hands clasped together as if she were praying, Vahn felt a boundless aura of vitality flowing from her. It was so vast that he suddenly felt like an infinitesimally small existence, an impression that caused his body to literally shrink until his [Will of the Emperor] passively kicked in, liberating him from the dream-like state imposed upon him by the woman's aura.Realizing that the woman in front of him was likely Akasha, several trains of thought raced through Vahn's mind all at once. This was further proof that the Law of Identity was a part of everything and everyone, even other concepts. The problem was, the moment he referred to her as Akasha, the [ ] in his Unit Management completely disappeared. Akasha's name was also absent so there was a very real chance he had just manifested a higher concept by happenstance...one he had absolutely no control over...Doing his best to suppress his feelings of trepidation, Vahn gazed toward the statuesque woman's face. Immediately after that, her peacefully slumbering expression seemed to melt away as her eyes slowly opened to reveal translucent eyes that resembled the gems adorning her body.Though she had nothing like irises or pupils, Vahn had the distinct impression that the statuesque woman was able to see through him completely. This feeling only persisted for a very short period of time, however, as she soon adopted a familiar smile, shattering the illusion of a timeless goddess in an instant. Then, seemingly very intrigued by the changes in her body, 'Akasha' began inspecting herself before asking in an excited tone that seemed to resonate through his entire body, "Did your preferences suddenly change? I kind of liked my previous form though~."Unable to restrain himself, wry laughter, the kind that someone would emanate after completing an excruciating marathon only to find out it was the first challenge, escaped Vahn's throat. This caused the pale woman to show an expression of concern, but, before she could ask what was wrong, Vahn allowed himself to fall backward onto the soft grass, arms sprawled out as he stared blankly at the blue skies above...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Shovel Knight would be proud','Gotta go fast','User Vahn has disconnected from the server...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

In the days following Team Wolf Pack's ascension to the 6th Floor, Vahn focused most of his efforts on attempting to understand the Law of Identity. Fortunately, she was very cooperative so long as he didn't upset her, so, after several weeks in the restructured Ninth Layer, he was able to, at the very least, scratch the surface of her powers.Though her default appearance was the redheaded beauty who was paradoxically named nothing at all, the Law of Identity was able to emulate the very existence of other people, gods, and even concepts. Even Fenrir wasn't an exception to this, and, though she was unable to influence anything other than himself, Vahn was able to confirm that she inherited everything from a person's Innates to their memories due to the appearance of a second Fenrir within his Unit Management.So long as she cooperated, the Law of Identity was essentially a repository of all knowledge and experience that existed within the Record. The only person that existed outside the scope of her power was Vahn himself. As for the reason, it was explained by the Law of Identity that she and he were already one and the same, a concerning revelation that made Vahn realize that he might be able to manifest all the Laws through himself by simply creating Templates.The Law of Identity might not be the 'original', but it was transparently clear that she was directly linked to the concept. If this applied to every Template he created, it was theoretically possible to manifest every Law, and, though they would not simply replace the Laws that already existed within the Record, the example set by the Law of Identity suggested they would be linked. Of course, there was an equal chance that the Law of Identity was an exception due to the nature of the concept she embodied.With that in mind, Vahn decided to hold off on creating any Templates related to higher Laws and Concepts he didn't already have a decent understanding of. The Law of Identity had allowed him to confirm the existence of beings that governed each of the Laws by being able to freely assume the identities and appearances of several god-like beings. This was more than enough reason to justify his decision as the last thing he needed was something like a T6 being representing the Law of Fire getting upset because he created a Template that directly encroached upon their domain...Fortunately, even without creating such a Template, Vahn was able to learn more about the Laws by asking the Law of Identity in her 'transformed' state. She was unbelievably bad at explaining things, as everything simply 'worked' for her, but, by asking her to assume the identity of the Goddess of Wisdom, a beautiful and voluptuous goddess known as Nuana, he had access to the best possible teacher. The only problem was that the Law of Identity's personality superseded that of the person she was emulating; something that caused quite a number of problems due to the fact she was very easily bored and exceptionally mischievous...---Since even artifacts, armaments, and objects could possess an Ego, Vahn was attempting to scribe a few passages from an ancient grimoire known as the 'Sacred Tome'. According to Nuana, it was the grimoire in which all knowledge of the past, present, and future were recorded. Vahn had very little interest in these actual events, but, as it also recorded all information pertaining to everything from the Laws to the True Names of Gods, it was still exceptionally useful.Unfortunately, the Law of Identity was not particularly fond of being a book, so, after a few minutes had passed, the grimoire spontaneously disappeared. At the exact same moment, without any time passing whatsoever, a naked woman was suddenly sprawled out across his desk, belly up like a dog wanting to have its tummy rubbed.Having largely gotten used to the Law of Identity's antics, Vahn simply chuckled in response before setting aside his quill and remarking, "You're incorrigible..." in an amused tone. In response, the Law of Identity held her hands up as if to emulate paws, tilting her head to the side as she replied with a cutesy, "Wan~?"With her default appearance largely dependent on Vahn's perception of her, a pair of dog ears and a fluffy tail spontaneously sprouted from the Law of Identity's head and lower back. Then, following a mischievous giggle, she was suddenly straddling his lap, tail wagging madly as she wrapped her arms around his neck as she leaned in to whisper, "Play with me~."Though he knew it probably wasn't the best idea to indulge her, Vahn had come to learn that it was a lot easier to control the Law of Identity if he periodically pampered her. She had also helped him make several major breakthroughs, and, though it had been hard to convince her that his unnamed Templates actually existed, doing so had allowed those with stronger wills, specifically Madara and Roger, to develop True Egos even without [Keeper of the Akashic Tome].Deciding to just go with the flow, Vahn placed his hands on the Law of Identity's back, rainbow-hued energy flowing from his palms as he began to massage and caress her body. This caused her to hug his neck a little tighter, but, unlike before, her 'power' didn't snap him like a withered twig.Vahn had learned that the secret to avoiding a catastrophe during his interactions with the Law of Identity was to either take charge or simply disregard any and all expectations. The more the tried to comprehend and dictate the nature of her existence, the more violent the reaction was when she did something in defiance of his expectations. The only time this wasn't the case was when the Law of Identity had expectations of her own, culminating in a situation that allowed him to basically do whatever he wanted without any resistance. Fortunately, at least for the time being, she was content with just heavy petting and ample headpats...---Though weeks had passed from Vahn's perspective, only a few days had passed for the members of Team Wolf Pack. Despite this, they were already standing outside the 6th Floors 'boss room', a large chamber that was several kilometers across and approximately 100m in height. At the center of this chamber, a large automaton, appearing much like a heavily armored knight, could be seen pacing about with a five-meter long key-shaped blade.Since the group couldn't just rely on Gandr all the time, Khun was coming up with a strategy that would allow the weaker members of the party to defeat the automaton. The six selected for the task were Aleksai, Chunhwa, Shibisu, Nare, and, though they were actually two of the stronger members of the group, Baam and Khun would be participating for safety. As for everyone else, they would be watching the battle using Phae's Lighthouse; ample food and drink provided.Starting off the battle, Chunhwa took off with a burst of Shinsu-enhanced speed that caused a few cracks to appear on the stone floor. At the same time, Shibisu and Nare bolted towards the flanks, not to attack, but to make sure there were no traps lying in wait. They had Observers that had been hand-crafted by Phae so they could efficiently scout the area while providing ranged support using firearms that fired laser-like beams of Shinsu.Serving as the main firepower of the group, Aleksai channeled Shinsu into the armored greaves he wore beneath his trousers. These allowed him to not only jump higher than normal, but, thanks to Khun providing a few exceptionally pure pieces of Suspendium, apparently stolen from his father's treasury, Aleksai could freely jump around and even stand on the air.After reaching an ideal vantage point, Aleksai pulled out a lance-like spear from his Pipe, malicious red lightning dancing across its surface as he infused his Shinsu into it. He was waiting for the ideal time to strike, his red eyes glistening with a focused light as he watched Chunhwa, despite the size difference, deflect the automaton's sweeping blow upward.Taking advantage of the automaton being knocked off balance, Shibisu attempted to aim for its elbow joint using his rifle-like armament. He managed to accurately hit the target, but, thanks to the bulbous armor around the joints, his attack was ultimately futile.Clicking his tongue, Shibisu manifested his Arms Inventory in order to swap out the rifle for what appeared to be an oversized shotgun. Before he could charge up enough Shinsu to fire it, however, a beam of red lightning descended from the sky as soon as Chunhwa jumped back to evade the automaton's counterattack. This was enough to force the knight-like entity to its knee, slouching as red lightning danced across its body, courtesy of the lance stuck in its shoulder.Exploiting the moment when the automaton's head was lowered, a confident smile spread across Chunhwa's face as he brandished his sword to the side and exclaimed, "Ignite! Narumada!"With vibrant bluish-white lightning dancing across the length of his blade, Chunhwa powered as much Shinsu as he could manage into his legs, bruises immediately manifesting on his calves as he leaped towards the automaton with fierce momentum. The metallic entity was still stunned by the lightning coursing through its body so the only resistance it could manage was glaring at its would-be killer through the visored helmet protecting its glowing blue eye.Showing no hesitation whatsoever, Chunhwa stabbed Narumada through a gap in the visor before releasing a tremendous volume of Shinsu from his ignited weapon. This caused the automaton's head to instantaneously explode, shards of metal flying in every direction due to the sudden and intense explosion. Fortunately, none of these pieces connected with any of the Regulars present, but, even if they had, everyone was protected by a thin membrane of Shinsu formed from Khun's Lighthouse.With the automaton falling over immediately after its head had been destroyed, Chunhwa raised his Narumada toward the ceiling with a triumphant expression on his face. This caused Shibisu to shake his head in mock exasperation before returning his oversized armament to his Arms Inventory and remarking, "I didn't think Knights were the boastful type~." in a teasing tone.Hearing his companion's remark, Chunhwa adopted a somewhat embarrassed expression as he sheathed his Narumada and replied, "Sorry about that...it just feels refreshing to defeat a strong opponent after all this time. Sparring against Gandr and Hatsu makes me feel a lot weaker than I actually am..."Empathizing with Chunhwa's statement, Shibisu threw his hand around the man's shoulder as he said, "We might not be able to compare to those monsters, but we'll have plenty of opportunities to show off during the Position Tournament. For now, let's just keep focusing on becoming stronger..."Though he shrugged off Shibisu's arm, Chunhwa still adopted a smile as he stepped off to the side to receive Nare. At the same time, Khun and Baam approached the downed automaton as Aleksai dropped down like a meteor crashing to the earth. This was soon followed by the rest of Team Wolf Pack, who, after a few congratulatory remarks, allowed Anak to lift up the several-ton key-shaped blade that unlocked the massive gate leading to the 7th Floor.---Learning of the Children's successful conquest, Vahn afforded them two days to celebrate and relax within the Little Garden. He lived by Tsubaki's principle that you should work hard and play hard in equal measure; so, while the automaton might not have been particularly powerful, defeating it had allowed them to advance to the 7th Floor. This was more than enough reason to celebrate, so, after inviting everyone from the Emerald Grove to participate, he hosted a grand banquet with Chunhwa and Aleksai as the Guests of Honor...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Hax (O - O)...','This is certainly not the Darkest Dungeon...','Work hard, play hard')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Deciding it would be best to avoid further risks, Vahn slowly reformed his body before manifesting as his Realm-self. Throughout this entire process, the nameless redhead just watched him from the side with an intrigued smile on her face, seemingly very interested in everything he was doing.Noticing the change immediately after it had happened, the mischievous redhead adopted an even more prominent smile as she remarked, "You got bigger~! Amazing!" in a cheerful tone.Still feeling the same helplessness as before, a dry laugh escaped Vahn's throat as he attempted to preempt any further disasters by saying, "You need to learn how to control your strength. It is fine to be a little playful, but your antics will put everyone else in danger..."Tilting her head to the side, the redheaded woman seemed genuinely confused by his words as she asked, "I'm not really strong though~?" with her index finger touching her chin.Resisting the urge to point out they were currently seated with a 6000km long crevice formed from her attempt to sit in his lap, Vahn tried being more direct, stating, "Just don't destroy anything..." in an exasperated tone.Appearing even more confused, the befuddled beauty tilted her head to the left this time as she remarked, "Eh? Destroyed? You're not making any sense." with slightly furrowed brows.This time around, Vahn didn't hesitate to point out the devastation around them, gesturing to the bisected plateau as he explained, "This type of devastation is unacceptable. If anyone else had been present, they would have been annihilated. I know you might not mean any harm, but I can't let you interact with the others if everything you do puts their lives at risk..."No longer smiling, a frown that didn't suit her appearance in the slightest marred the girl's face as she exclaimed, "What are you talking about!? I haven't done anything since I got here! You're the one that keeps breaking everything, you dummy head...!"As if to prove her point, the girl began to stamp her foot in frustration. This time, however, there was no feedback when her foot contacted the ground. Even the dust in the area was completely undisturbed by her actions, perplexing Vahn to the point all his mental faculties momentarily shut down...Though she was just as confused as Vahn, Sis and her countless iterations were hard at work trying to make sense of the current situation. When she heard the woman's words, she began replaying all of Vahn's interactions with the anomalous entity thus far. This caused an uneasy silence to descend upon the normally bustling observation room, as, no matter how recent the memories, there wasn't a single trace of the woman present in any of them...Quickly sorting through their vast archive of information, Sis felt a 'cold sweat' for the first time in her life as she attempted to give Vahn something, anything, to work with, explaining, (*She seems to possess a Nonexistent Physiology or exists outside the Causal Axis of Reality...I know this might sound a little strange, but try throwing something at her...*)Coming back to his senses in response to Sis' suggestion, Vahn frowned slightly as eyed a nearby stone. His intended target also followed his gaze, seemingly understanding his intentions. Despite this, an amused smile immediately spread across her face as she cheerfully remarked, "Go for it~!" without a single sign of fear or trepidation.Since even the 'person' in question was suggesting he follow Sis' advice, Vahn hesitantly picked up the stone before lightly tossing it toward the smiling beauty. Unsurprisingly, despite causing his brows to raise quite a bit, the stone simply phased through her body. This effectively confirmed she had a form of 'Acausality', the ability to act unrestrained by conventional cause and effect. This was the answer that made the most sense, as, if she truly had a Nonexistent Physiology, she wouldn't be able to affect the world through her interactions with him...Realizing the implications behind this revelation, Vahn began to massage his head and temples with an exasperated expression on his face. It basically implied that her power was directly proportional to his perception of her, and, rather than destroying their surroundings, it was his overexaggerated reaction that led to Heaven's Arena being destroyed. This was troubling for a number of reasons, as, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been able to achieve such a feat even if he went 'all out'...Shaking his head, Vahn decided he would look into testing the true limits of his power in the future. For now, there was something he needed to test, so, while doing his best to assure himself that the adorable girl seated before him wasn't actually an incomprehensibly powerful monster, he reached out his hand and began to pat her surprisingly fluffy hair. It actually seemed to get softer with the passage of time, seemingly adapting to his perception of its feel and texture...Enjoying having her head caressed, the red-haired beauty's expression melted into a lax smile as she began to giggle in a contented manner. Shortly after that, however, Vahn was compelled to retract his hand after it literally sank into her head, almost like she had suddenly become a slime or a Doppelganger. It was a very peculiar change, and, if not for his interactions with Doppel and Illya, Vahn would have been a lot more perturbed by the amorphous nature of her 'body'.Upset that Vahn had stopped caressing her head, the petite anomaly adopted a slight frown before immediately pouncing on him with an, "Ei~!". Vahn reacted to this by assuring himself that the girl had no power, but, much like when he was facing an incomprehensibly powerful blow, the flow of time seemed to stagnate as the world gradually lost its color. He suddenly found himself unable to move a muscle, and, though she appeared to be moving in slow motion, it took, quite literally, no time at all for the girl to impact his chest...---Feeling a ripple through the fabric of time and space, a woman with two-tone white and black hair, much like Kenshin, spontaneously opened her eyes. She had large pointed ears atop her head, pale-pink eyes that possessed rings of light instead of pupils, and a short tail that, much like her hair, was white on one side and black on the other. As for her clothing, she appeared to be garbed in a form-fitting black garment that vaguely resembled a bunny suit, black stockings with a matching garter belt, a long-sleeved white top that extended to the tips of her fingers, and white boots with very prominent heels. All of this was adorned with golden trimmings, glistening green gemstones, and, most notably, two long ribbons that ran from the ring-like ornament near her lower back.Though she had the appearance of a taciturn and intelligent beauty, this peculiar pointy-earned woman was none other than Arceus, the Creation Deity of various Pokemon Records. She was an exceptionally powerful being with the capacity to produce a Pocket Realm despite being restricted by Vahn's Soul Tier. This was largely thanks to her surrogate sons, Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina, but it was still a remarkable feat considering she was severely weakened due to Vahn's 'mishap' and her own expectations.Sensing that her Creator was experiencing duress, Arceus didn't hesitate to teleport directly to the Ninth Layer, her aura flaring out to stabilize the chaotic space that was on the verge of collapsing into non-existence. The fact the Ninth Layer was in this state made her feel extremely panicky, but, showing absolutely no change in her expression, Arceus followed her instincts. This allowed her to manifest next to her Creator in an instant, ignoring time, space, and distance completely.Finding the Creator appearing as a cloud of anomalous black ooze that resembled a nebula, Arceus manifested countless cloth-like hands formed from a shadowy-black material. Each of these allowed her to literally 'grasp' the fabric of reality, contracting and forcibly stabilizing the surrounding space until it had formed an isolated sub-dimensional sphere. After that, Arceus fearlessly approached the nebulous black ooze, her expression calm even as it began to envelop and spread across her body...---Sensing a familiar warmth, Vahn opened his eyes to find a stoic beauty with bronzed skin and tiny green dots under her eyes staring down at him. There was also a softness against the back of his head so it didn't take him long to realize he was currently receiving a lap pillow from Arceus. This caused a natural smile to spread across his face, an expression that promptly froze when the usually expressionless woman suddenly returned his smile...Since he had just been about to greet her, Vahn was left unable to respond even as Arceus placed her hand atop his forehead and asked, "What happened here? I never imagined such destruction would occur within the Little Garden..."After peering through his memories and noticing that Arceus had never actually smiled, a frown immediately spread across Vahn's face as he rose to a seated position. He noticed that the Ninth Layer had been completely destroyed, the previously boundless and extremely durable expanse of space now little more than a destructive and chaotic abyss. It wouldn't take him very long to fix this, but the fact it had been destroyed as a result of his perception the Law of Identity's existence was a haunting thought...The very instant she crossed his mind, Vahn found himself staring at the red-headed beauty, now with an apologetic smile on her face as she drooped her shoulders. This caused him to instinctually regress back to his Record manifestation, fearful of what might happen if she forcefully reinstigated contact between them. The amount of destruction seemed to be proportional to his own power, so, with his Realm manifestation having functionally unlimited power, Vahn wasn't willing to take any chances.Gesturing for the Law of Identity to remain silent, Vahn looked toward Arceus in order to gauge her reaction. This was a little difficult considering she practically never showed emotions, but, thanks to their connection, he was able to quickly intuit that she was wholly unaware of the Law of Identity's existence. Rather, the moment he looked towards Arceus, Vahn had the impression that she and the Law of Identity were one and the same.Feeling profoundly exhausted, Vahn turned away from the increasingly confused Arceus to find that the Law of Identity had spontaneously manifested again. Her existence seemed to be directly linked to his perception of her, so, unless he was willfully perceiving her at all times, she simply 'ceased' to exist. During those moments, her existence seemed to overlap with others, and, though he had yet to confirm it, Vahn got the distinct impression that her existence was now intrinsically linked to all of his Templates.Though he couldn't deny that it had been his intention to use the Law of Identity to help his other Templates develop a True Ego, Vahn never anticipated that she would actually manifest with power similar to the concept she embodied. There was even a chance she was linked to the actual Law of Identity, sharing her existence with literally every creature that existed within the Records. This was a rather terrifying thought, as, even if she wasn't actually able to act through them, Vahn felt uneasy imagining the somewhat ditzy red-head as a part of everyone he would ever encounter.Realizing he had seriously underestimated himself and The Path, even though neither had any limits to speak of, Vahn resolved himself to be more conscientious of his decisions in the future. He didn't regret creating the Law of Identity as a Template. Rather, if she had the actual power of the concept she embodied, it virtually guaranteed that his other Templates would be able to manifest a True Ego in the near future. The only thing he lamented was his own inability to comprehend the true nature of her existence, the clear cause of all the destruction that had transpired...Shaking his head, Vahn shifted his attention away from the Law of Identity, the latter vanishing from his perception the moment he took his eyes away from her. Then, understanding she was extremely worried about him despite her stoic and unperturbed expression, Vahn began to caress the top of Arceus' head, smiling as thanked and assured her that everything was going to be okay...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'What is this fuckery...','The most dangerous Bakadere in existence...','I wonder if Arceus is truly the one Vahn is trying to convince xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1796: Ascent : Name