Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

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

Waking from his daily meditation, Vahn wasn't surprised to find that he had been surrounded by fluff from all sides. This was pretty normal whenever he attempted to comprehend the Mantra of Eternity within the Emerald Grove, so, after considerately waking everyone from their slumber and extricating Yoruichi from his shirt, Vahn stretched his body as he lightly mused, "You girls need to find a hobby. As for you, Kushina, you should take your condition into consideration...I don't think it would be a problem, but I can't help but worry..."Quickly reverting back to her human form, Kushina gave Vahn a light punch in his arm, smiling as she said, "You're such a worry-wart. I'm barely even a month in so stop worrying so much. Besides, it's not like it'll make much of a difference, right? I mean, no matter what happens, our kid should be able to transition between a fox and a human whenever they want."Though he knew she was right, that didn't stop Vahn from messing up Kushina's hair as he adopted a firmer tone and said, "It's better to be safe than sorry. Don't play around too much."Rolling her eyes, Kushina quickly fixed her hair as she said, "I'm gonna go make lunch. Do you want me to cook you up something?"Having already made plans, Vahn shook his head in response to Kushina's offer, saying, "I'll have to take a raincheck. I promised to eat lunch with Fenrir and Ryun. Afterward, I was intending to stop by and visit Arceus and the triplets. How about we do dinner together...?"Before Kushina could answer his question, something soft pressed against Vahn's back as a pair of arms wrapped around his neck, followed by a sultry voice asking, "How about you do me instead? I never got my reward for helping you eliminate all those Regulars~."Though he wasn't unaccustomed to Yoruichi's antics, Vahn felt a strong inclination to give Yoruichi's backside a spanking as he rolled his eyes and remarked, "I literally spent three hours with you in the outer rings..."As if she didn't hear him, Yoruichi began to gently nibble on the top of Vahn's ear. As for Kushina, she adopted a slight frown, crossing her arms as she answered, "Sure. We'll make it a date between you, me, and Hinata. Just the three of us."Answering before Yoruichi could interrupt, Vahn smiled as he said, "Sounds great. I'll ask Xerneas if we can use the Forest of Eternity. It's been a while since we've had an evening picnic."Since the Forest of Eternity was filled with various bioluminescent plants, it was an exceptionally beautiful place once the sky began to dim. Kushina was well aware of this, so, in response to Vahn's words, she returned an excited smile of her own as she gave him a thumbs up and said, "Yosh! I'll be looking forward to it, you know~!" (A/N: If Kushina's verbal tick annoys people, I can disregard it in future dialogues.)A little annoyed at being excluded, Yoruichi bit the top of Vahn's ear before releasing him from her grasp and whispering, "You owe me one." as she pinched his butt. Then, in a flash of bluish-white, she vanished from view with the sound of a thunderclap mildly disorienting those present.Though she was one of the ones who had been startled by Yoruichi's explosive departure, Kushina managed a victorious smile as she held up her middle and index fingers. Vahn just lightly chuckled at this before giving everyone present a few parting headpats...---With little else to do, Vahn spent the duration of the Elimination Competition in much the same way as he had before: training, researching, spending time with his loved ones, and helping to develop his Templates. There were a few hiccups every now and then, but it was nothing he couldn't handle with some skillful negotiation and the occasional compromise.In this manner, Vahn was able to improve his mastery over the Law of Petting, and, though it was far behind the former, he even managed to make a few breakthroughs in the Law of Authority. His Will of the Emperor helped a lot in this regard, but the true MVPs ended up being Roger and, to a lesser extent, Madara.Roger possessed an Innate called [Pirate King's Indominatable Will], the source of his [Conqueror's Haki], an ability that allowed him to effectively suppress, control, knock out, and even kill weaker willed individuals. As for Madara, she had a non-standard Innate called [Progenitor of the Uchiha], an ability that drastically increased her willpower and seemingly made her immortal so long as she was the only Uchiha left alive.By spending time with and training alongside the two charismatic battle-junkies, Vahn had learned how to resist and even deflect the intent of others. He was still at a very basic level, but, thanks to his [Will of the Emperor] already being SSS-Rank, it was more than enough to give him the edge in a contest of wills. He had even managed to stun Madara long enough to give her a light pat on the head, a mistake that resulted in him being buried beneath a hill-sized meteor. Still, it was worth it to see the look on her face, even if it was one filled with unadulterated wrath...At this point, Vahn had started to feel an inclination to 'pet everything', and, though he doubted it would happen, he even humored the idea of awakening an Innate related to petting. Thus, even if it resulted in him losing an arm, he had no regrets about petting Madara's head. Rather, he was even starting to consider the possibility of petting the Leaders of the Ten Great Families into submission; but, remembering the Ha and Eurasia Families were a part of this equation, Vahn wasn't quite at the point where he wanted to conquer the entire Tower through petting.Thanks to the Law of Identity, Vahn would be able to identify Jahad and the Leaders of the Ten Great Families by both appearance and aura. He couldn't deny that Yuri's Great-Grandmother was an unbelievably beautiful woman, but the most important takeaway was that Jahad wasn't nearly as omniscient as the rumors purported him to be. His power was borderline incomprehensible, but he was blissfully unaware of the existence of Baam as an Irregular thanks to Lo Po Bia Ren being stuck in a coma ever since Gandr's attack.To conceal Baam's existence and allow Team Wolf Pack to continue their climb unimpeded, Vahn was going against his original intention of lying low and just going with the flow. He didn't intend to 'spoil' everything for himself by researching and planning around everything, but, after sensing the auras possessed by Jahad and the Ten Great Warriors, he knew there would be plenty of close fights in the future. This gave him a lot to look forward to, so, before parting ways with his lovable brats, Vahn wanted to make sure there weren't any dangers lurking in the shadows.Fortunately, the Law of Identity was completely 'broken' in regard to obtaining information. She could literally assume the identity of anyone, obtaining all of their knowledge, experience, and memories. This meant she could find out the identities of a person's boss before asking her all manner of questions related to their operations and intentions. This could be repeated until he reached the highest point in a person's chain of command, the literal people pulling the strings behind every major event taking place in the Tower.With the loveable redheads support, Vahn was able to learn that some of the Elders of FUG were not completely on board with allowing Baam to remain outside of their control. Others, however, fully believed in the prophecy that stated he would be the one to defeat Jahad and open the way forward for everyone else trying to climb the Tower. This latter faction was actually the strongest within FUG, but, unfortunately, their belief made them inept and unwilling to support Baam. Even if others within FUG attempted to kill him, they wouldn't lift a finger to try and stop them since they genuinely believed he was 'fated' to succeed.Vahn was never fond of things like prophecies, and, knowing how Rachel had betrayed Baam, it wasn't difficult to imagine the latter suffering to an unreasonable extent just because the people who could have helped him believed there was no need. Fortunately, now that he was here, Baam would be able to move relatively unobstructed up the Tower.With any luck, Baam would remain the same vibrant, happy, and wholesome young man that inspired everyone in his team to be 'better' than their past selves. If anyone tried to corrupt or break him, the only mercy Vahn would afford them would be a quick death and a prayer towards their next life. He had absolutely no tolerance for those who would readily place heavy burdens of suffering upon the innocent just for their own sake. Thus, if FUG tried to intervene, Vahn would do everything within his power to completely wipe them out.Unfortunately, unless he directly intervened, Baam's powerful fate was bound to lead him down a path where he discovered the truth. This was something Vahn lamented because he had already learned about the boy's origins directly from his mother. She was currently masquerading as the High Priestess of a cult that existed outside the Tower, willfully serving the God who had infused the Primordial Sin of Gluttony into her dead child's body. This resulted in Baam's fractured Ego merging with the Primordial Sin, simultaneously killing yet resurrecting him.Though it wasn't inaccurate to call the revived entity her son, Arlene, Baam's mother, didn't see him as such. She lamented the fate of her child to such an extreme that she was blinded to the fact that her son's Ego had persisted thanks to her sealing him using a forbidden mystic art. As a result, she treated the being that possessed her son's actual Ego as a monster, sealing him beneath the shrine of her God and forcing herself to stay away. This was unbelievably tragic, as, despite being the Sin of Gluttony, Baam was the same child she grieved for every night for the last ten-thousand-years...When Baam invariably learned the truth about his origins, Vahn was intending to help him reunite, not just with his mother, but his father as well. The latter had died thousands of years prior, but his spirit still remained within the Tower, unable to move on after seeing his wife fall into madness. He was currently in a self-imposed hibernation, sealed within a pendant in the possession of the leader of FUG, the 15th Ranked Grace Mirchea Luslec.Luslec was a former subordinate of Baam's father, a former warlord named Viole, better known as V. The latter had entrusted Luslec the task of handing down the pendant to Baam once he was strong enough to fight against Jahad and the Leaders of the Ten Great Families. He didn't actually care for things like revenge, but, knowing how accurate his wife's prophecies could be, Viole had decided to preserve himself so he could pass down his teachings unto his son.Though Viole had the intention of disappearing after completing his final duty as a father, Vahn had already made arrangements to revive the man when the time came. He had even been mixing some of the man's teachings into Baam's foundation, preparing the latter for their inevitable reunion.Vahn had never been fond of tragic backstories, so, with both of Baam's parents still being alive, in one form or another, he saw no reason to keep them apart. He couldn't do much right now, but his power in the future was beyond even his own comprehension. Still, that wouldn't prevent him from doing just about anything he had put his mind to. After all, he didn't call himself the God of Infinite Possibilities just to toot his own horn. He had plenty of people who were more than willing to take care of that...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Nine-Tailed Fox vs Thunder Cat~','The Law of Petting has no limits...','Arlene could learn a lot from V...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

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

Chapter 1808: Escalation : Peace