Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After resting for a few hours and getting to know his new 'friends', Vahn offered them a few gifts and some friendly advice before venturing out into the ever-strengthening storm. He still wanted to explore the battleground for a bit before checking in on Team Wolf Pack to make sure they weren't having any problems. After that, he intended to fly around on Kyrie's back, rescuing and eliminating Regulars until the competition finally came to an end.Fortunately, his Pocket showed the number of Regulars remaining so there was no need to wander around aimlessly. Rather, by flooding the battlefield, he forced everyone to move to higher ground in order to evade the rising waters. This made it significantly easier to locate the remaining teams as he simply needed to look for places that had yet to be flooded.With this in mind, Vahn had Kyrie meander around the battlefield while Latias and Latios exposed the hideouts of several teams. They had also been given permission to 'prank' the participating Regulars, so, every few minutes, Vahn would hear telepathic laughter in his mind as Latias snatched the badges of several Regulars without them realizing it. Only Observers that were B-Rank or above had any chance of detecting her so she was having a blast while Latios did his best to keep pace.Since Latias and Latios could share their senses with other people even without him using his Unit Management, Vahn was able to observe the former's antics through the latter's eyes. He was quite fond of Latias' innocence, and, though he felt bad for some of her 'victims', Vahn couldn't help but chuckle whenever she successfully jump-scared an unsuspecting Regular...---Though the preliminaries were significantly less important than the seeded tournament, it was still an even that was broadcasted throughout the entire 10th Floor. There were thousands of invisible Observers and Lighthouses that followed around potential seeds in order to hype up the event that was scheduled to take place near the end of the month. At the same time, Information Brokers and Bookies worked together to make a profit off gambling while Sponsors from the Ten Great Families kept a close eye on any promising or marketable talents.One of the primary goals of most unaffiliated Regular was securing the favor of a Sponsor during their climb up the Tower. Though this gave them considerably less freedom, having the backing of one of the Ten Great Families was often more important than becoming an actual Ranker. Not only did it reward you with several perks that most Regulars could only dream of, but, in some situations, it even afforded you the opportunity to be adopted or marry into one of the Ten Great Families.Though there was a remarkable amount of resentment towards the Ten Great Families, most people only hated one or two, not all. They specifically hated those who had wronged them, so, in the end, it was common for Regulars who sought things like vengeance to join rival families. This gave them a strong backing, and, most importantly, allowed them to take out members of the opposing family with relative impunity. After all, competition between the Ten Great Families was extremely common so it wasn't a big deal for bloody conflicts to break out. Rather, it was these conflicts that helped the Ranking Administration determine where each Ranker placed in the Official Rankings.With very few exceptions, any Regular aspiring to become a successful Ranker would ultimately find themselves as a part of an existing faction. Remaining independent became increasingly difficult the further you moved up the Tower, so much so that only 10% of Regulars made it to B-Rank without joining a party affiliated with one of the Ten Great Families, Wolhaiksong, or FUG. By the time they reached A-Rank, surpassing the 100th Floor, this number decreased to only 3%, not of all Regulars, but of those that remained from the original 10%.The presence of the Ten Great Families beyond the 100th Floor was simply too great for the average team of Regulars to overcome. They not only had a monopoly over practically every business within the Middle Tower but, the moment you ventured outside the Regular Districts, you would encounter countless individuals belonging to each of the Ten Great Families. It was from these areas that most of the resentment towards the Ten Great Families was fostered as many of their more 'troubled' and 'lackluster' descendants treated these regions as their stomping grounds; a place where they could vent all their frustrations unto others.In order to reach the 134th Floor safely, you would either need the protection of a powerful High Ranker, the favor of the Ten Great Families, or the kinship of Wolhaiksong. There were virtually no ways around this, as, from the 100th Floor onward, even the Jahad Army would be keeping a close eye on you.Those who showed great promise, without the backing of the Ten Great Families, would be 'asked' to join the most powerful military faction in the entire Tower. Refusal, in many cases, was the same as 'treason' in the eyes of Jahad's zealots; so, more often than not, anyone attempting to remain independent before becoming a Ranker would be eliminated in the name of preserving the peace and stability of the Empire.In the end, the most important factor preventing the decline of an Empire, or any powerful faction for that matter, was establishing a system of control. Preventing the rise of opposing factions and removing any rebellious elements was necessary if you wanted to preserve the peace and ensure the prosperity of your people. This was an intrinsic truth that couldn't be disputed, and, so long as the people in power did their best to empower and protect the people, control wasn't necessarily a bad thing.The real problem with any lasting system was that it was only a matter of time before nepotism and inequity gave rise to widespread corruption. This bred generations of vile, wicked, and opportunistic individuals whose only interests were satisfying their desires and extolling themselves above others. In turn, hatred and resentment towards the system gave rise to powers and individuals who wished to bring about 'positive' change. This was perfectly understandable, but, with the fate of the Empire and the lives of hundred-of-billions of people hanging in the balance, eliminating all dissidence was significantly easier than trying to reform the system and address the issues directly.The simple fact of the matter was, in a world where individuals had the power to destroy countries and sink continents in a single blow, there were far more important things to worry about than the lives of the mundane and the ordinary. Rankers literally had the power to establish and annihilate countries in the Outer Tower on a whim; so, while the system showed a considerable bias towards the Ten Great Families, controlling prospective and powerful Rankers was necessary to preserve a balance that had been maintained for more than ten-thousand-years.With this in mind, agents of the Ten Great Families and the Royal Enforcement Division worked with the Ranking Administration to compile dossiers on virtually every Regular. These files included all of the physical data pertaining to a Regular, their capabilities, notable feats, presumed affiliations, and, most importantly, their motivations for climbing the Tower. This last one was particularly important, as, more often than not, the easiest method to control someone was by grasping their weakness or promising to give them what they most desired.Unfortunately, finding out a person's motivations was generally very difficult so the most pertinent information often pertained to an individual Regular's capabilities and the rate at which they were climbing the Tower. Feats were the next most important metric, but, for the sake of marketing and branding, things like physical appearance and personality were also taken into consideration.From the perspective of talent scouts and sponsors, it was considered a 'jackpot' if you managed to find someone that was not only powerful but charismatic as well. This made it a lot easier to market them, and, more often than not, it drastically increased the chances of a person being able to marry into one of the Ten Great Families. Because of this, Vahn garnered a substantial amount of attention as he rode around atop Kyrie with a carefree smile on his face. He seemed completely unperturbed by everything going on around him, and, though he hadn't done anything directly, the golden aura radiating from his body made him appear rather awe-inspiring against the backdrop of a typhoon.Unsurprisingly, everyone was eager to know exactly who the man riding around atop an unknown Shinheuh was. Unfortunately, his recent arrival on the 10th Floor, combined with the doctoring of his personal files, made it very difficult to learn anything about him. The only pertinent data, other than his name and physical attributes, was that he was a remarkably talented Wave Controller who purportedly had the ability to treat virtually all injuries, illnesses, and diseases. They could also infer he was a skilled Anima but it was impossible to be certain since they weren't even sure if the whale-like creature serving as his mount was a Shinheuh. There were no records of such a creature existing in the Tower, and, based on its ability to control the weather, some even began to speculate it was the child of a Guardian.All anyone knew for certain was that Vahn was far stronger than any of the other Regulars that were participating in the preliminaries. This included multiple descendants from the Ten Great Families, a number of Sponsored Teams, and, most notably, a team led by a Princess of Jahad. This, alone, was worthy of notice, as, every time a Princess of Jahad had appeared within the Tower, they had always swept through the competition with extreme ease. They were even considered the 'ultimate species' within the Tower, transcending descendants of the Ten Great Families due to inheriting the blood of the most powerful being of all: King Jahad.With a new Princess only being chosen every few hundred years, specifically from the most talented females within the Tower, it was exceedingly difficult to imagine any Regular at the same rank being able to compete with them. Even those two ranks higher would struggle to compete with them; so, with Endorsi being famous for her ability to defeat a talented Ranker who had her Shinsu restricted, Vahn's capabilities stood out even more. As a result, he was quickly assigned the First Seed among Wave Controllers and the Second Seed amongst all Regulars. This was hotly debated by those who speculated that Vahn was a lot stronger than Endorsi, but, with the latter being a Princess of Jahad, the Administration had little choice but to give her the First Seed by default...---Though he was unaware of the chaos his actions were causing within the Administration, Vahn was well aware that his actions had garnered him a considerable amount of attention. He couldn't see all of them, but he could sense an increasing number of Observers keeping track of his every movement. This made him feel slightly annoyed, but, having expected this exact outcome, he was able to appear largely unperturbed thanks to Latias' antics.Since he was preparing to part with Team Wolf Pack, Vahn decided it was for the best if he stood out as much as possible prior to the separation. The more attention he could draw to himself, the easier it would be to protect them in the future. This was also the reason he did his best to lay low in the previous Floors, distancing himself from the team by spreading his own fame alongside yet tangential to their own.With Wolhaiksong and FUG taking proactive measures to obscure any and all information related to the existence of Irregulars in the Tower, Vahn was confident that his meteoric rise would serve as an adequate distraction from the rest of Team Wolf Pack. The only people who might act against them were the members of FUG, but, at least for the time being, they had no actual reason to antagonize him. It could be argued they were working towards the same goal, so, after seeing how powerful he was, combined with the fact he had the support of the 'strongest' faction, they were far more likely to compromise than create trouble.With this in mind, Vahn checked his Pocket to see that sixteen hours had passed since the start of the competition. Despite this, more than 20% of the participating Regulars had been eliminated, the majority of which were accredited to him. This was only secondary to his true intentions, however, so, now that he had so many eyes focused on him, Vahn's smile became even more prominent as he pulled out a sapphire blue orb with the Greek letter for Alpha. This caused an excited tremble to run through Kyrie's body, a high-pitched cry escaping her maw as he tossed the orb into the air and said, "Let's kick things up a notch." in an amused tone.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Latias be giving people heart attacks xD...','So long as individual interests exist, tyranny and control are necessary to preserve peace (T ^ T)...','Vahn has no chill')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though the ever-strengthening storm had made things exceptionally difficult for most participating Regulars, it was nothing compared to what followed the sixteenth hour of the competition. The rain had intensified to the point that venturing into it was like walking through a dense curtain of water; drastically increasing the water level as massive water spouts and colossal waves began devastating the terrain. At the same time, the Shinsu Density increased to such an extent that even the stronger participants began to have trouble breathing, forcing many to instantly drop out of the competition whilst others sought shelter within their Lighthouses.If it were just the Regulars on the battlefield being affected by the torrential downpour, that would have been one thing. To the horror of many, however, several massive storefronts began to develop throughout the 10th Floor's Inner Tower. Heavy rain soon followed, forcing residents to seek shelter as regions dominated by bodies of water soon became floodplains. Despite this, the Administrators made no attempt to interfere with the competition. Instead, dozens of Rankers began to appear in the skies surrounding the battlefield as the Ruler of the Floor, a High Ranker named Celineth, used his authority over the Floor's Shinsu to isolate the Space within the contracting barrier.Unfortunately, while this was more than enough to prevent the expansion of the storm, it made the effect of Kyrie's [Primordial Sea] even more powerful. The water level began to rise at an even faster rate, and, thanks to the strengthened barrier, not even a single drop was allowed to flow away. As a result, small hills and ruins were quickly submerged by the rising tide before the seventeenth hour had come to pass. Anyone who had failed to seek shelter in the mountains was quickly eliminated; and, by the time the first day had come to an end, more than 80% of the participating Regulars had been forced to abandon the competition...---With only 23,097 or the original 128,320 Regulars still remaining, Vahn lightly pat the top of Kyrie's head, muttering, "That's enough. Cough it up."Though she seemed to greatly enjoy flapping her wing-like pectoral fins to cause massive waves and water spouts, Kyrie didn't hesitate to obey Vahn's orders; a shudder passing through her body as she coughed up a glowing blue sphere. Shortly thereafter, she began to rapidly shrink to around ten meters in length as the runic patterns turning various parts of her body translucent returned to their original white coloration.Caressing the top of Kyrie's head, Vahn's tone turned affectionate as he muttered, "Good girl...you did very well today. I'll make sure to reward you plentily later. For now, enjoy a nice, long, rest..."Responding with a high-pitched purring sound, Kyrie's body began to vibrate contentedly as she descended towards the quickly calming waters below. This allowed Vahn to hop down from her back, standing atop the surface of the water as if it were flat ground as he pulled out her Master Ball, lightly tapping it against her snout as he whispered, "Return..."With Kyrie safely stowed away in her Master Ball, the rain ceased almost instantaneously as the massive storm front above began to recede at an extraordinary pace. Shinsu had a tendency to disperse the moment it was no longer under the influence of a person's will; so, now that Kyrie was enjoying a much-deserved rest, it wouldn't be long before the clouds quickly faded away. As for the waters below, now appearing similar to a small sea, they would also begin to recede at some point. However, due to the shrinking barrier surrounding the battlefield, the water level would continue to rise until the competition had come to an end.Satisfied with his results, Vahn turned his attention towards an area of empty space as he asked, "Is it possible to leave the battlefield without relinquishing my qualifications for advancing to the next floor? If not, I'll probably disappear for a short while until the preliminaries come to an end. I'll still be within the battlefield, but you won't be able to sense me. Will that be a problem...?"In response to Vahn's inquiry, an androgynous-looking man with ashen-black skin, pale-blue eyes, and steel-blue hair accented by matching feathers appeared out of thin air, answering, "Though it is a bit unorthodox, I'll allow it. Were I to disqualify you at this point, there would be outrage amongst the various financiers and sponsors who have taken an interest in your strength. Your Shinheuh put on quite the display..."Though it felt like all his nerves were tensing up in response to the peculiar man's words, Vahn still managed a light-hearted chuckle as he reached out his hands and replied, "Yeah, they're amazing, aren't they...?"Following Vahn's remark, Latias and Latios appeared out of thin air, nuzzling against his palms and surprising the High-Ranker enough to elicit a slight squinting of the eyes. Instead of inquiring about the duo, however, he just smiled before raising his own hand to press an invisible button as he said, "I look forward to seeing your performance during the Seeded Tournament...Vahn Aldrnari Mason..."Without waiting for a response, the androgynous man, none other than the Ruler of the 10th Floor, Celineth, teleported Vahn back to the Coliseum City. Then, with a wave of his hand, several massive trees erupted from beneath the sea's surface, absorbing the Shinsu contained within before rapidly spreading through the battlefield. He knew most Regulars wouldn't be able to venture through the dense field of Shinsu so he decided to simply remove it. After all, the preliminaries would be boring if everyone just sat around waiting for the water to rise without being able to do anything...---Finding himself in roughly the exact same location as before, Vahn checked his Pocket to confirm that just under twenty-four hours had passed. If he had pushed Kyrie further, there was a chance he could have ended the entire competition in under a day; but, understanding the tournament wasn't scheduled to take place until the end of the month, there was no particular hurry. He had managed to achieve one of his primary objectives so there was no harm in allowing the remaining Regulars a chance to shine.With that in mind, Vahn manifested the Little Garden before promptly disappearing from the view of several prying eyes. He had nearly a month to kill and he intended to use every moment of it to the fullest. First a foremost, however, he teleported to the large lake located a few kilometers away from the Emerald Grove, Kyrie's usual habitat.Most of the Pokemon were more comfortable in their 'True Forms' so he had constructed habitats for each of them. This particular location was known as the Sapphire Lake, a deceptively deep body of water that was 3800m deep near the center, Kyrie's resting area. She was most comfortable with atmospheric pressures ranging between 350~400 bar so he had constructed the lake after hearing her complain about feeling like a 'balloon' whenever she was on the surface...Though she didn't mind being inside the Master Ball, as it was very comfortable, Kyrie still issued a high-pitched mewling as she dipped into the chilled waters of the Sapphire Lake before promptly turning belly up. In response, Vahn jumped onto her stomach, eliciting a low rumbling from deep inside of Kyrie's body as he began to rub the soft underside of her belly. She was particularly fond of belly rubs, so, whenever she performed well, he made sure her to reward her plentily before she returned to the bottom of the lake to rest.With her wing-like pectoral fins happily splashing the water, Kyrie continued to issue a sound that resembled purring as Vahn took full advantage of the Law of Petting. He eventually got her to relax to the point that she began to sink into the water, body going limp as she blew bubbles from her mouth. It was only when she was fully submerged that he gave her one final pat, startling her awake before sending her off to rest near the abyssal black center of the lake...Emerging from the water wearing nothing but a pair of form-fitting black diving trunks, Vahn wasn't surprised to find Latias, Latios, and Xerneas waiting patiently near the shoreline. What he did find a little strange was the fact that the twins were wearing peculiar white sukumizu with blue and pink accents.Though this outfit perfectly suited Latias' lithe and slender frame, especially with her white pigtails, it created a certain sense of incongruency seeing Latios wearing a similar outfit. Still, it was better than them both wearing men's swimwear so Vahn decided not to try and correct them. Instead, he shifted his focus to Xerneas, sizing up her sporty black one-piece that was accented with blue and gold before asking, "Did the three of you want to go swimming...?"Being the most talkative of the trio, Latias happily pounced toward him, smiling radiantly as she happily exclaimed, "Nope! We just wanted to surprise you! Did it work!? Are you surprised~!?"Chuckling in response to the spirited girl's exclamation, Vahn began to lightly caress her head as he answered in a carefree tone, "Indeed. I was very surprised. The three of you look very cute..."Beaming in response to Vahn's words, Latias hugged him as tightly as she could manage before promptly releasing him from her grasp. She had been lightly chastised by several residents of the Emerald Grove, so, unless she was in her True Form or receiving a reward, she tried her best not to be too clingy.Nodding his head in approval, Vahn ruffled Latias' satiny-smooth hair as he said, "Good girl. When we get back to the Emerald Grove, we'll bake a cake together."As one of the Templates willfully created by Vahn, Latias hadn't inherited his mastery over [Hands of Nirvana] and [Cooking]. She was still capable of using both, but there was a very distinct difference between her capabilities and those possessed by his earlier Templates. This had become even more prominent after she developed her True Ego but that didn't stop her from enjoying baking. She was especially fond of being able to wear a frilly apron, and, though many of her experiments ended in disaster, she had been learning how to make and decorate tiered cakes as of late.Unable to contain her excitement, Latias stamped her feet a few times before leaping into the air and reverting to her True Form. Then, after flying several close circles around Vahn, she picked him up in her embrace, hugging him tightly as she spun around like a top. It was a little disorienting, but, having grown accustomed to her outbursts of excitement, Vahn just smiled wryly until Latias returned him to the ground and nuzzled her face against the underside of his chin...After finally escaping his most excitable Pokemon's grasp, Vahn made his way over to where Latios and Xerneas were waiting. The former just presented his head obediently, a calm smile on his face as he accepted his reward with a contented squint. He was a lot more reserved than his sister, and, unless spoken to directly, it was pretty rare to hear the androgynous boy speak. Despite this, he was a remarkably intelligent young man, and, though he had a propensity for wearing women's clothes, he could be extremely ruthless and decisive if he thought his 'little sister' was in danger.Vahn knew Latios' personality was the result of him essentially recycling Latias' Template without giving it much thought. The only real personality trait he had given the boy was a strong desire to protect his younger sister, so, with the exception of that singular characteristic, he was effectively a clean slate. Because of this, Vahn did his best to educate and guide the boy, teaching him all kinds of things so that he could better fulfill what he believed to be his 'purpose'.Fortunately, Latias' innocence and curiosity had also carried over to Latios, so, while he was a very quiet and reserved boy, he was easily excited by new things. He just didn't show it in the same way as his younger sister, often leaving her to explore new regions and experience new things while he did his best to support and protect her. As for his own curiosity, he satisfied his urges by reading a plethora of books and devoting himself to scholarly pursuits, two things his younger sister simply didn't have the attention span for...After fluffing up Latios' hair for the better part of a minute, Vahn gave it one final ruffle before retracting his hand and shifting his attention to Xerneas. She had been standing at the side with her hands neatly folded across her lap since the very beginning, her graceful elegance never fading for even a moment. Really really did radiate an aura of majesty, and, though her inordinately slim frame gave her an appearance similar to a perfectly crafted doll, she possessed the charms of a beautiful young woman.Though he knew he wouldn't get much of a reaction from her, Vahn adopted an appreciative smile as he commented, "That swimsuit suits you well. You look very beautiful."With the briefest hint of a smile appearing on her otherwise expressionless face, Xerneas bowed in a polite manner, saying, "Thank you for your kind words." before raising her head and standing still as a statue.Having grown used to Xerneas' curt acknowledgments and unwavering elegance, Vahn just smiled in response before reaching out both hands and stroking the sides of her head. She might not give a 'satisfying' response, but he knew she liked it when he scratched behind her ears and dug into the area around her crown. He just needed to be careful not to mess up her hair or else she would give him the silent treatment for several days...After making sure there wasn't a single strand of hair out of place atop Xerneas' head, Vahn gave a curt nod of his own before saying, "I'll come by and visit the Forest of Eternity in a few hours. Make sure to rest properly."Nodding her head in affirmation, Xerneas promptly returned to her deer-like form before bounding over the treeline with extreme speed. She was the type to idle about, so, the moment he told her to go rest, that is exactly what she intended to do. As for Latias and Latios, they were already waiting in their true forms; so, after following Xerneas' departure with his gaze, Vahn smiled back at them and said, "Let's go home..." in a gentle tone.(A/N: Alternate Titles: '110% maximum no-chill...!','Everyone loves belly rubs (OwO)...','I kind of feel bad for Latios xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With several centimeters of water already coating the lower-lying regions of the battlefield, Vahn had Kyrie transform into her 'true form', a ten-meter long whale-like creature with a sleek blue coat, a white underbelly, and two wing-like pectoral fins with four ivory white 'fingers'. She also had two angular dorsal fins running parallel along her back, but her most notable feature was the intricate, vibrant red, runes covering much of her body.Vahn actually thought Kyrie's true form was pretty cool, and, though it made his bottom wet, he enjoyed riding on her back as she gracefully meandered through the intensifying storm, the waters below following after her. She was both majestic and terrifying, so much so that they had yet to be attacked by a single additional party ever since she transformed.Having grown bored with fighting against weaklings who couldn't even react to her speed, Yoruichi retired to the interior of Vahn's shirt to remain dry and stay warm. As for Latias, Latios, and Xerneas, the twins were having a blast flying around at high speeds through the intensifying storm while the latter was sitting quietly at Vahn's side with her hands neatly folded across her lap. Everything about her gave off the impression of extreme yet natural grace, and, though the winds had been gradually picking up, not even a single strand of Xerneas' hair was out of place as she radiated the bearing of a goddess.Since Xerneas' crown made it a little hard to pet her, Vahn settled on cradling Yoruichi with his left hand while absentmindedly stroking the smooth and glossy hide of Kyrie with his right. He enjoyed the sensation of being able to send waves of comfort throughout the latter's entire body with just a minimal level of contact. It was a very strange and mesmerizing sensation, one that compelled him to continue pushing his mastery over the Law of Petting to the extreme.Releasing a sonorous high-pitched whine, Kyrie's elevation began to decrease as a desire to just curl up and take a nap welled up inside of her. This caused Vahn to issue a chuckle, but, rather than stop her, he just guided her to land near the summit of a mountain. Latios had found a cave system with two groups of Regulars huddled up around a small bonfire.Though it was more than a little unfair to them, Vahn decided he would give them a simple test of principles to determine whether or not he would allow them to continue hiding or eliminate them from the competition. With this in mind, he had Kyrie return to her human form while Xerneas kept watch from within her Lighthouse. Then, with the former curled up in his embrace as he carried her like a princess, Vahn walked into the interior of the cave.Having already detected Vahn's arrival using their Observers and Lighthouses, the group of nine Regulars quickly assumed a battle formation with two Fisherman at the front, a lone Scout flanking from the side, three Spear Bearers taking up the rear, and two Light Bearers protected by a single Wave Controller representing the 'center' of the formation. There was a pretty healthy mix of males and females within the group, five of the former and four of the latter, so Vahn had high hopes they were either a team comprised of couples or, at the very least, managed to avoid the usual pitfalls of a group of Regulars with females in their group.Seeing an inordinately handsome man enter the cavern carrying what could best be described as an exotic beauty, the nine didn't immediately attack. Instead, the presumed leader of the group, a girl who appeared to be in her late teens, called out, "Who are you!? Where is the rest of your party!? If you don't answer, we will be forced to attack...!!"With his impression of the team immediately improving, a relaxed smile spread across Vahn's face as he briefly scanned all nine members. Only the men displayed any real hostility toward him, but, considering he was a handsome man with a beautiful woman in his arms, that was pretty normal.Replying to the purple-haired woman's words, Vahn maintained his relaxed smile as he answered, "My name is Vahn Aldrnari Mason, the Sage Dragon Emperor. I have decided to let my companion rest for a short while before we return to the battlefield. Since you didn't immediately attack, I have decided to spare your team from elimination. So long as you remain in this cave for the next three days, you will be able to advance without issue."Hearing the man's response, the presumed leader of the team looked at him like he was some kind of idiot. She thought he had completely lost his marbles, but, seeing how calm he was in the face of being completely surrounded, she knew it would be dangerous to underestimate him. It wasn't rare for Regulars to be cocky but very few could pull off appearing calm while completely outnumbered.Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry, the woman gestured for her team to back down but stay alert as she asked, "What are your intentions? Are you trying to rest within this cave? If so, you will need to stay on the far wall...even if you have no malicious intentions, we can't exactly trust you during this kind of competition..."Smiling back at the woman, Vahn allowed Kyrie to stand on her own two feet, patting her head as he replied, "That's understandable. Still, I'd prefer it if you let me join you so that I might listen to your stories. Depending on your reasons for climbing the Tower, I may reward your efforts...besides, you aren't exactly in a position to simply force me to sit obediently at the side..."Punctuating his words, Vahn allowed his aura to spread through the large cavern like an explosive shockwave. This forced most of the Regulars to take several steps back, and, by the time they had recovered, Kyrie had already returned to her true form, now appearing much larger due to the fact they were inside confined quarters.Seeing the massive Shinheuh that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, many of the Regulars present felt a sudden sent of helplessness as they realized the only exit was now blocked. To make matters even worse, the man standing beneath the whale-like creature still had a relaxed smile on his face despite the fact he was releasing an aura that greatly eclipsed his beast.Before anyone in the group could attack him out of desperation, Vahn gestured for Kyrie to bring her snout near him so he could caress her head as he casually explained, "As I stated previously, I have already decided to spare you from elimination. Now, how about we all take it easy and have a nice, long, chat around the bonfire~?"---After several hours of searching for each other, Gandr's and Shibisu's parties had reunited near the ruins of an ancient fortress. It wasn't exactly weathertight, but, after clearing out the teams that had occupied it, they managed to shore up the defenses and form a tight perimeter using a few marble-sized Observers that could be adhered to walls. These were devices that supplemented the use of normal Observers and Lighthouses, effectively removing blind spots whenever static defenses were concerned.Monitoring their surroundings using Yun-Yun's Lighthouse, Shibisu couldn't help but remark, "Man, Vahn really doesn't know how to hold back. The water level is rising a little faster with each passing hour. At this rate, this entire battlefield is going to be turned into one giant lake within the week..."Shaking his head, Gandr refuted Shibisu's claim with a bolder one, asserting, "No. This is the effect of Kyrie's Innate ability, 'Drizzle'. Unless she willfully deactivates it, the intensity of the storm outside will increase without limit. It's hard to be certain, but I would argue we have around three days...less if we want to earn enough points to qualify for the Seeded Tournament. Hopefully, Phae will return with Khun's party soon or we'll need to start taking more proactive measures on our own..."Hearing Gandr's remark, the ears of Endorsi, Anak, and Jung all perked up as the shortest of the trio bounced to her feet and exclaimed, "I want to go out and play! Let's go, Gan-chan~!" in an excited tone. In response, Endorsi lightly snorted, crossing her arms with an amused smile as she remarked, "You can go play with yourself, brat. If Gandr is going to take anyone, it's going to be me. Isn't that right, Fluffy-Butt~?"Though he wasn't too surprised that the trio had been listening in on his conversation with Shibisu, Gandr couldn't help but release an exasperated sigh as he saw, not just Endorsi and Jung, but Anak staring at him with an anticipatory look. The simplest solution would be to take all or none of them with him, but, knowing Endorsi would be in a huffy mood if he chose to leave her behind, the latter wasn't really an option. The former, however, wasn't much better as Endorsi undoubtedly wanted to mess around a bit once they were alone together...Since he really hadn't had much alone time with Anak over the past couple of weeks, Gandr took a deep breath before deciding to bite the bullet as he said, "Endorsi...I'll take you out on a date once this round comes to an end. For now...no, never mind. It would make things a lot easier if you kept the base protected, but I guess it wouldn't make sense if a Princess of Jahad was excluded from the Seeded Tournament. Still, I would appreciate it if you let me watch over and protect the rest of our team members. Though I can't help but worry, I'm confident you can deal with most threats even if I'm not present...you're an amazing woman, after all."Though she was slightly annoyed by the fact Gandr didn't immediately agree to her words, Endorsi calmed down almost instantaneously when she heard his final statement. She was fully aware that he was just trying to pacify her but that didn't mean his words weren't true. Rather, so long as Phae was excluded, she was easily the second-strongest member of Team Wolf Pack. Even if Jung, Serra, and Anak all teamed up to face her, Endorsi was absolutely certain of her victory; so, having already gotten a significant advantage against the 'competition', she didn't mind giving the others a chance to catch up.With a somewhat scary smile spreading across her face, Endorsi squinted her eyes ever-so-slightly as she replied, "You're right. I am an amazing woman. I'm also pretty magnanimous so I'll agree to let you play around if you agree to fulfill one condition of mine. Know that you can't change your mind once you agree so make sure you properly weigh your options~."Ignoring the prickly sensation of goosebumps spreading across his body, Gandr returned a casual smile in response to Endorsi's obvious attempt to entrap him, saying, "Sure. I wouldn't really be able to call myself your boyfriend if I didn't trust you. I know you won't request me to become your slave or anything like that so I have no problem agreeing to your conditions..."Feeling a cold sweat break out across her body, Endorsi's smile became noticeably wry as she had actually been planning to make Gandr play the part of her pet. She wasn't completely comfortable with their current dynamic, but, most importantly, she knew Gandr had the ability to transform into an adorable wolf pup. She wanted to be able to carry him around, cuddle with him, and take him for walks so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try and shoehorn him into acquiescing to her demands. She had even bought him a collar after hearing about its significance from Fenrir and Ryun, but, due to being significantly weaker than him, it would be difficult for her to convince him to wear it...Realizing that Gandr might have seen through her intentions, Endorsi quickly came up with another condition, whispering it into his ears so that others wouldn't be able to hear. This caused the brows of the former to rise slightly before immediately creasing into a frown. He suddenly felt a powerful urge to give the woman a spanking, but, having already given his word, Gandr ultimately agreed to her unusual request, his expression hardening as he answered, "Fine...just don't go overboard. Don't think I won't punish you if you get out of hand..."Rather than show any fear in the face of Gandr's remark, Endorsi felt a slight twinge of anticipation in her body as a seductive smile spread across her face. Then, ignoring the gazes of everyone else present, she hugged Gandr's head to her breasts, a heated chuckle escaping her throat as she said, "You can't go back on your word~" in a sultry and amused tone.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Is this even a competition...?','Vahn is a troll xD...','Gandr really did inherit a lot of Vahn's more youthful qualities...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1807: Diversion