Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Following the unsurprising defeat of Shibisu, the rest of Team Wolf Pack won their matches with relative ease. The only other members who had any real trouble were Aleksai and Baam, largely due to their rather passives natures.Aleksai's skills had blossomed under the tutelage of Fenrir, but he was far more focused on resisting blows than dishing them out. As for Baam, his talent was simply monstrous, but, due to his kind and caring nature, he had no desire to harm other people.Were it not for his nature, Baam could have easily secured the 2nd Seed among Wave Controllers for himself. He was simply too kind-hearted, a trait that was bound to cause numerous problems for Team Wolf Pack in the near and distant future.Despite knowing this, Vahn had no desire to change Baam's personality as, much like Khun had put it, the Tower needed people like him. The same could be said for Team Wolf Pack, so, while he was bound to struggle early on, Vahn was certain Baam would help pave the way forward for the rest of his team.For now, Baam needed more experience. Even if these experiences included setbacks, there were numerous people who would support him. His powerful fate would also protect him, so, even if he couldn't help feeling a little worried, Vahn believed things would work out even if he wasn't around to protect and guide them...---After waiting for nearly two hours, Vahn, once again, found himself atop one of the five pillar-like arenas. His opponent was a sporty-looking girl with fiery-red hair, matching eyes, and bronzed skin that reminded him of Quant.Unsurprisingly, the announcer introduced the spunky little brat as Quinn Blitz, a descendent of the Blitz Family. They were a Special Family that was famous for producing Hwayeomsa, people capable of converting Shinsu, Divine Water, into Flames. This was an exceptionally complicated process, but, seemingly at the cost of their rationality, the unique family was filled with fiery-tempered redheads who could produce flames at will.The moment the rounds were started, a wry smile spread across Vahn's face as the rather petite girl, another characteristic of the Blitz Family, fearlessly launched herself toward him as a flaming Baang of Shinsu coalescend in the air behind her. Then, even though she didn't have any actual bloodlust, a somewhat crazed smile spread across her face as she screamed, "Die~!!" in an excited tone.Though he had humored the idea of taking it easy on his opponents, Vahn knew it would be for the best if he wrapped things up quickly. With this in mind, he raised his hand in much the same way as his first match. This resulted in Quinn immediately jumping to the side, seemingly in an attempt to dodge the 'shockwave' he had used to defeat his first opponent. At the same time, she manipulated the flaming ball of Shinsu to create a surprisingly swift whip of flames.Unfortunately for Quinn, Vahn was still making use of his Telekinesis, and, while her willpower made her feel a little 'heavy', it was ultimately futile. He managed to lock her in place mid-jump, smiling as her whip of flame impacted the invisible membrane produced by his Domain.Without affording the raging redhead the opportunity to muster a counterattack, Vahn tossed her over the side with an unceremonious sweep of his hand. She screeched a number of expletives on the way down, but Vahn ignored both her swearing and the booing from the crowd as he shifted his attention to the other matches...---Though Baam was nearly eliminated in the second round due to his opponent resembling a young girl, the rest of the matches had preceded without incident. Even Aleksai managed to dominate his opponent with relative ease, seemingly becoming more determined after the close-call in the first round.With the second round of matches out of the way, things were finally beginning to get interesting as Vahn was facing off against Baam while Ran was matched against Aleksai. The second match, in particular, was something worth watching as Aleksai was one of the few people Ran considered to be 'slightly bothersome' on a unique scale that included: 'slightly bothersome', 'a little bothersome', 'bothersome', 'very bothersome', 'too bothersome', and 'wants to kill'.Ran was a rare breed of 'male tsundere' so there was naturally no 'not bothersome' category in his personal evaluations of the people around him. Even Phae was in the 'very bothersome' category due to motherly treatment, something that made Ran feel awkward since his own mother hadn't been particularly caring. As for the rest of Team Wolf Pack, the majority fell into the 'bothersome' and 'very bothersome' categories. The only notably exceptions were Aleksai, Laure, and Yun-Yun; essentially anyone who didn't 'bother' him all that often.Since he was a little interested to see how Ran would deal with someone he had virtually no desire to fight against, Vahn could only smile wryly when Baam adopted a combat stance and said, "I'll do my best!" with determination filling his tone.Unfortunately for his young protege, this was neither training nor a stage where Vahn could afford to humor him. It was the venue he had prepared in order to demonstrate his skills, so, after shaking his head, Vahn adopted a serious look as he said, "This might be the last lesson I ever give you...with that in mind, pay close attention. Allow me to show you the difference that exists between us...the incomprehensibly vast gulf you'll need to overcome if you desire the power to protect everything..."Before Baam could ask any questions, Vahn exhaled a sigh that produced a cloud of white vapor. At the same time, an eerie stillness seemed to spread throughout the entire arena as everyone present began to feel an instinctual dread welling up from the most primal region of their hearts and minds.After taking measures to prevent his aura from interfering with the other matches, Vahn opened his eyes to reveal blazing golden irises. Resplendent golden scales began to spread across all across his rapidly expanding body as two majestic wings erupted from his back, their breadth surpassing the diameter of the stage as Vahn, now in his Huanglong transformation, seemed to become the sole existence within the arena.Though he felt like his body was tearing itself apart, Vahn managed to appear absolutely calm as he stared down at the trembling Baam with an apologetic glimmer in his eyes. He had actually planned to save this transformation for the finals, but, realizing it would leave a deeper impression if he used it against Baam himself, Vahn decided to teach the youth one final lesson: the difference between a mortal and a God.Without affording his young protege any time to think, Vahn created a massive golden Baang that resembled a small sun. Then, to the horror of every spectating member of Team Wolf Pack, he fired the Baang towards the wide-eyed youth, cutting through the durable arena and piercing deep into the foundation beneath the Coliseum. When the light faded away, a tunnel that was more than 10m in diameter had formed, it's depths impossible to determine even with bands of golden lightning illuminating the interior...---Rising with a start, Baam took several labored breaths as he looked around to discover himself beneath a familiar emerald-green canopy. He could also see the place that had served as a home and headquarters for his team, the aptly named Wolves' Den Manor. This allowed him to quickly calm down, his breathing nearly returning to a natural rhythm until he heard a voice from behind muse, "You certainly recover quickly..."Though he recognized the voice, Baam nearly jumped to his feet before a hand pressed down on his shoulder, keeping him seated. Then, with an apologetic smile on his face, Vahn took a seat next to the boy, asking, "Did you manage to 'absorb' anything with that power of yours?"Feeling a warm and comforting energy flow through his body, Baam exhaled a sigh of relief as the shadow of fear warping his expression quickly faded away. Then, after several seconds of silence, he answered, "I felt 'something', but I don't really know how to describe it..."Nodding his head in understanding, Vahn lightly ruffled Baam's hair as he said, "Don't worry. You'll get it...eventually..."At this point in time, Baam's Innate, [Primordial Sin of Gluttony], had yet to awaken. He thought a near-death experience might help the youth awaken, but, after seeing how quickly he recovered, it was pretty clear that he was more confused than anything else.After briefly considering whether or not it was a mistake to make things 'painless', Vahn shook his head in self-admonition before explaining, "As I explained to you previously, there are a number of people in this Tower who intend to try and use you as a weapon. Since we'll be parting ways pretty soon, I decided to use this event to temporarily conceal your identity from them. From hereon, your identity as The 25th Baam will only be known to the members of Team Wolf Pack."Though he didn't fully grasp Vahn's words, Baam still nodded his head as if he understood what the former was trying to say. This caused Vahn to chuckle in amusement, affectionately ruffling the lad's hair a second time as he added, "With your consent, I intend to modify your apparent age, race, and physical appearance. This should allow you to climb the Tower without having to worry about your friends being targetted by fools who only see them as a means to control you. I don't want to see a future where you become a weapon used to fulfill the dreams of others..."Hearing the concern in Vahn's voice, Baam managed the type of smile that only a protagonist could pull off as he replied, "I understand, Mr. Vahn. I also want to protect my frien-, no, my family. Please do what you think is necessary. I'm ready...!"After suppressing the sudden urge to continue watching over and guiding Baam during his ascent up the Tower, Vahn ruffled the boy's rapidly growing hair as he said, "Your appearance will actually be very important for a number of future events. With that in mind, I won't be changing your basic features too much. I'll simply be aging you up a bit while changing your hair and eye color. As for your race, you'll still remain human, but you'll have features resembling those of an ancient species of Elves."By the time Vahn had finished speaking, Baam had 'matured' quite a bit. His height increased from 168cm to just over 180cm, his body becoming noticeably more muscular as his hair turned a similar shade of brown to his mother. His eyes also lost their golden luster, becoming a rich hazelnut color while his ears became pointed and more angular. These made his already androgynous appearance become even more 'refined', but, so long as he cut his hair, he would resemble a 'pretty boy' more than a 'handsome lady'.Preempting any questions his not-so-young protege might have, Vahn pulled out a hand mirror as he said, "You should change clothes using the [REquip] system. Though Khun might deadpan if they saw you nearly bursting out of your clothes, others might laugh."Following Vahn's advice, Baam quickly changed clothes before accepting the hand mirror so that he could see himself properly. Vahn wanted to mention that he could have inspected himself using the [REquip]'s interface, but, after habitually pulling out a hand mirror, he decided to stay quiet. Instead, he just smiled as Baam began to make faces at himself, seemingly struggling to reconcile that the person staring back at him was himself...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'DIE, RIAJUU! EXPLODE~!!','*Insert Gilgamesh firing Ea sound*','Vahn over here making Khun's life more difficult xD...')(A/N: Today is the second year anniversary of the first chapter of EPIC. I had originally wanted to do something special by releasing a bunch of chapters, but my health hasn't been particularly great as of late. Still, I hope everyone is still enjoying the story. If there are any issues, please let me know in the comments section or send me a message on discord. We still have a long journey ahead of us so your feedback is very important to me. Other than that, I just wanted to thank everyone who has stuck around to see the story grow into the 'epic' is has become. Without your continued support, I never would have been able to continue writing like this. Know that, from my perspective, you guys and gals are the best part of EPIC. Thank you.)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

While his temporary vessel was dealing with Baam within the Little Garden, Vahn, still in his dragon transformation, continued to hover silently above the arena. He was doing his best to stand out as much as possible, so, rather than power down after his instantaneous 'erasure' of Baam, he allowed his aura to continually increase as he turned his attention towards the other stages and said, "Sorry about that. You may continue."Though none of Team Wolf Pack truly believed that Vahn had killed Baam, that didn't prevent them from being stunned by the sequence of events. Even Phae, who was still a nascent Ego linked with Vahn, found herself at a loss for words so Vahn wasn't particularly surprised when a beam of red lightning, courtesy of Rak, emerged from the viewing area reserved for participants.Rather than attempt to dodge, Vahn allowed Rak's spear to impact his chest without so much as flinching. Instead, a terrifying smile spread across his face as he crossed his arms in what appeared to be a condescending manner. This further upset Rak, but, having violated the rules, he was rather unceremoniously ejected from the viewing stands before Khun and the rest could attempt to calm him down.Fortunately, there were still several minutes left before the next matches were scheduled to begin so the majority of Team Wolf Pack, after 'glaring' towards Vahn with masks of hatred, moved as a group to intercept the enraged crocodilian. Vahn was very impressed by this display, a 'taunting' smile spreading across his face as he watched the group depart in a hurry...Since the rest of the matches had yet to continue, Vahn shifted his attention back to the other four stages, his aura continually increasing as he asked, "What are you waiting for? I have already given you permission to continue."With the exception of Phae and Gandr, the rest of the Regulars, including Endorsi, Ran, and Aleksai, were still a little too surprised to take action. This was actually the trio's first time seeing Vahn in his dragon transformation. Prior to this, they thought his title as Sage Dragon Emperor was just that, a title. Now, however, they realized the title was, quite literally, a description of Vahn's 'true form'...Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, the notion that he might have gone a little too far, very briefly, crossed Vahn's mind. Immediately afterward, however, he realized he could capitalize on this situation, a thoughtful glimmer flashing across his blazing golden irises as he looked towards Phae and said, "It seems my presence here is a distraction. Come, Phae, we're leaving."Though she was momentarily confused by Vahn's words, Phae quickly realized his intentions when he momentarily strengthened their connection. This made her feel a little melancholic, but, as they were already planning to separate following the tournament's conclusion, she quickly teleported to Vahn's side, smiling as she took a seat on his shoulder and said, "I forfeit my match. Good luck with the rest of the tournament."Before the meaning of her words could properly settle in the minds of everyone present, both she and Vahn vanished in an explosion of golden light. This left the majority of the crowd completely stunned, unable to process what had just happened. The only Regulars exempt from this were the few who had actually bet against Vahn and Phae, their excitement compelling them to shout out in glee as they promptly ran off to collect their earnings...---Having already familiarized himself with areas that weren't under the Administration's surveillance during his date with Ryun, Vahn teleported to the roof of a building located in one of the shadier districts of the Coliseum City. The organization known as FUG had created numerous footholds for themselves on virtually every Floor, and, thanks to their agreement with the Guardians, their actions were 'invisible' to the networks maintained by the Administration. This was one of the reasons they were able to recruit gullible Regulars, as it created the illusion they had power that superseded the authority of both the Administrators and the Jahad Empire.After spreading his senses to confirm their emergence had gone unnoticed, Vahn, now in his human form, pulled out the Little Garden before ejecting Baam from the interior. Then, after explaining the situation, he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "You won't be walking alone, but, from this moment onward, you'll be treading a path of your own choosing. My last bit of advice, at least for the time being, is that you shouldn't be afraid to make mistakes. People learn more from failure than they do from success, so don't allow setbacks to prevent you from moving forward. When the time comes, I'm certain our paths will cross again...Noctis..."Though Vahn was tempted to give Baam his 'actual' name, he figured it would be more appropriate for him to receive it from his parents. Thus, after confirming Latin wasn't a language that existed in the Tower, he came up with the name 'Noctis', meaning 'Night'. It wasn't the most creative name, but, considering Baam's current name was derived from a date, Vahn didn't think it was that bad...Hearing his new name, a look of conviction flashed across Noctis' eyes as he balled his hands into fists and said, "I'll do my best to become strong enough to protect everyone. No matter how many times I stumble, I will always pick myself back up and keep moving forward. I promise."Smiling in response to the youth's assertion, Vahn ruffled Noctis' hair one final time as he said, "I know you will. Just as you believe in me, I also believe in you. See you at the top, kiddo..."With those parting words, Vahn retracted his hand from Noctis' head before standing next to Phae, both smiling as they teleported away in an instant. This left Noctis feeling a little melancholic, but, after hearing a ringing sound from his Pocket, the solemn expression on his face melted away as he was reminded of the fact he was never truly alone...---Appearing at the entrance to the teleportation terminal connecting to the 11th Floor, Vahn wasn't surprised to find the Ruler of the Floor, Celineth, waiting for them. There were several members of the Test Administration also present, but, as he hadn't exactly violated any rules, it wasn't like they could do anything to him. As a result, Vahn smiled back at the Ruler and his entourage, asking, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"Returning a smile of his own, Celineth replied, "I was looking forward to seeing your performance in the finals. With your power, you could have easily won the entire tournament..."Chuckling in response to the Ruler's words, Vahn's tensions eased as he explained, "There is no real meaning in securing victory in a tournament with five winners. Besides, I have already demonstrated more than enough power to garner the attention of every major faction within the Tower. Going out of my way to bully a bunch of brats isn't really my style. Now, if there is nothing else of import, my companion and I would like to advance to the next Floor."Though he was amused by Vahn's bravado, Celineth couldn't help frowning slightly in response to the former's words. He was both a High Ranker and the Ruler of an entire Floor, so, while it might not really matter in the grand scheme of things, he still expected a certain amount of respect from others...Feeling a remarkable aura begin to emanate from the androgynous High Ranker, an exasperated sigh escaped Vahn's lips as he asked, "Are we really doing this? I have already earned the right to advance to the next Floor. Even as the Ruler, you lack the authority to revoke that qualification. Do you really intend to try and intimidate me when we both know you can't so much as lift a finger to prevent my passage? The Guardian will literally erase you from existence if you try something."With his impression of Vahn decreasing by the moment, Celineth's expression turned sullen as he said, "Even if you possess an extraordinary power, making enemies out of High Rankers is unwise. I had hoped to extend to you my friendship...now, however, it seems you are more interested in my ire. Tell me...did my Lo Po Bia Family offend you somehow...?"Rather than answer the man's question, Vahn extended his hand out, palm up like he was expecting something. This caused quite a bit of confusion, at least until he explained, "Information isn't free. If you want me to continue with this farce, the price is one-million Points per question."Vahn had never been fond of being 'interrogated' one-sidedly by people who assumed themselves to be in a position of authority above him. Even he never 'expected' people beneath him to answer his questions one-sidedly so it always annoyed him a little whenever someone expected him to just disclose things for their convenience. This could largely be attributed to Loki's 'training', but, more than anything else, Vahn simply disliked being talked down to by people who believed they could toy with him at their leisure.As could be expected, his words weren't particularly well-received by the Test Administrators, but, somewhat unexpectedly, Celineth seemed to relax slightly as he pulled out his own Pocket. In the next moment, a million Points had been added to Vahn's. Then, with a smile on his face, he asked, "Tell me...do you have any enmity against the Lo Po Bia Family?"Quickly realizing that a 'verbal contract' had been established a result of his previous statement, an exasperated sigh escaped Vahn's throat as he answered, "There is no particular enmity between me and the Lo Po Bia Family."Though he was a little disappointed that Vahn hadn't tried refusing to answer his questions after the contract had been established, Celineth managed to smile as he sent over an additional two-million Points and asked, "What is your reason for climbing the Tower? Are you currently affiliated with any known organizations within the Tower?"Resolving himself never to arbitrarily antagonize a Ruler in the future, Vahn's expression became increasingly annoyed as he answered, "My reason for climbing the Tower is exactly that: to climb the Tower. I have no particular goal, nor am I directly affiliated with any known organization within the Tower."Since he had never actually joined Wokhaiksong, Vahn wasn't lying when he said he wasn't 'directly' affiliated with any known organization. He was a prospective member, sure, but there was no need to clarify that.Satisfied by Vahn's responses, Celineth nodded his head in approval before sending him one last batch of Points, asking, "Tell me, that power you displayed...is that your limit?"Resisting the urge to roll his eyes in response to the man's rather vague questions, Vahn shook his head in mild exasperation as he answered, "I am steadily growing stronger, just like everyone else that is climbing the Tower. Why would you assume that was my limit?"Realizing his question hadn't been specific enough, a discontented frown marred Celineth's face as he briefly considered whether or not he wanted to continue throwing Points at the man standing in front of him. As a High Ranker, a few million Points was tantamount to a couple of drops in a very large pale, but that didn't mean he wanted to continue handing them out. The only reason he had accepted Vahn's 'proposal' was to ensnare the man by using his own words against him. Since this hadn't really worked out, he saw no reason to continue playing around; so, after several seconds of silence, he ultimately shook his head, smiling as he said, "I have no further questions. You and your companion may go. I look forward to meeting you once you become a Ranker."Though he understood the hidden meaning contained within the man's final remark, Vahn didn't pay it any mind. It shouldn't take him more than a few years to rival the average High Ranker, and, by the time he reached the 'top' of the Tower, even the Leaders of the Ten Great Families might not be his match. After all, this was just a trial linking the lowest Realm in the Record to the three major Realms above. If he got stuck in a place like this, he might as well give up on his goal of reaching Tier 7 in a 'timely' manner.With that in mind, Vahn returned a nod towards Celineth and his entourage before walking past the group without another word. This caused an arrogant smile to spread across the face of the High Ranker, but, having already disregarded the man's existence in its entirety, Vahn advanced toward the teleportation platform without taking notice...(A/N: Alternate Titles: '*Flex*','Loki's training really 'pays off' in certain situations (OwO)...','Vahn be like, "Bye, Felicia..."')(A/N: For those who are confused by the 'verbal contract', it was basically just Celineth's attempt to exploit his position as Ruler. The Guardians are generally the 'guarantors' of contracts, but, as the Ruler of a Floor, Celineth basically wields a similar level of authority. Since Vahn had issued terms, it was well within his power to recognize it as an actual contract; one which would have allowed him to take 'direct' action if the terms were violated. TL;DR: Vahn played himself.)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With three days passing in the blink of an eye, all Regulars participating in the Seeded Tournament were asked to gather in the waiting rooms of the Coliseum located near the very center of Coliseum City.As could be expected, the Coliseum was a massive fighting arena that was encircled by viewing stands that could easily hold more than a hundred-thousand Regulars with room to spare. Instead of a singular stage, however, there were five circular pillars hovering above frigid, Shinsu-infused, waters.Though it would have made more sense for the event to be drawn out over several days, it was a long-standing tradition that the Seeded Tournament be concluded in a single afternoon. The Test Administrators didn't want passing Regulars to stick around for too long so they had arranged for five matches to take place simultaneously. Ten minutes were allotted for each of these rounds and the victory conditions included: killing your opponent, forcing them to surrender, or knocking them off the platform.Unfortunately for his opponent, Vahn found himself facing down a young man with dark-green hair, pale-purple eyes, and a pale complexion. He was the 32nd Seed among Wave Controllers, as, rather than determine the brackets by random, the Administration pitted the most powerful seeds against the weakest from the very beginning. This was meant to ensure that the finals were fought between the two strongest Regulars in a Position, effectively removing the factor of 'luck' from the equation.Vahn wasn't particularly fond of bullying the weak, so, immediately after the battle began, he simply extended his hand towards the youth. Even gifted Wave Controllers at F-Rank took several seconds to form a single Baang, so, without any suspense whatsoever, his opponent was forced back by an invisible wall of pressure. It took longer for him to hit the water than it did for the actual match so Vahn basically had the full ten minutes to watch the other rounds. Fortunately, Team Wolf Pack was scheduled to participate in practically every round so he would have ample opportunities to witness his Children's growth...---Though her match had already begun, Endorsi started things off with an extended yawn, much to the chagrin of her opponent, a spiky-haired man with a long scar running across his nose. From his perspective, she was demonstrating a complete disregard for him as an opponent, and, while this wasn't exactly wrong, the truth of the matter was that Endorsi was, actually, tired. She hadn't been getting much sleep as of late, so, while she didn't actually take her opponent seriously, she wasn't intentionally looking down on him either.Unaware of Endorsi's nightly antics, her opponent gnashed his teeth in indignation before pointing his Needle towards her and shouting, "I don't know much about the strength of a Princess of Jahad, but you have no right to look down on me! If you don't take this fight seriously...don't blame me for what happens next...!"Hearing her opponent's threat, Endorsi couldn't help but adopt a somewhat disdainful glower as she asked, "Are you an idiot? I am a Princess of Jahad. If I don't have the right to look down on an opponent, who does? Rather than broadcasting your ignorance for all to see, why don't you just attack? Seriously, are you expecting me to give you an invitation or something?"Gritting his teeth even harder, the spiky-haired Regular lurched towards Endorsi with a burst of speed that caused the latter to roll her eyes. He wasn't exactly slow, but, compared to the speeds she was used to dealing with, he might as well be standing still.Showing virtually no effort, Endorsi casually side-stepped the Regular's attempt to stab her in the gut. For a brief moment, she felt a powerful urge to just smash his face in, but, not wanting to do anything that might upset Gandr, she ultimately stepped around behind him before promptly pushing him in the direction of his initial charge with her foot. As a result, he ended up running out of the ring, unable to arrest his momentum before teetering off the edge and falling into the frigid water below.Though her words had no way of reaching the man's ears, that didn't prevent Endorsi from snorting disdainfully as she crossed her arms and groused, "Maybe that'll cool your head. Seriously, taunting a Princess of Jahad in public? Good luck finding people that want to team up with you in the future, you ignorant oaf..."---Seeing Endorsi kick her opponent out of the ring, Gandr couldn't resist issuing a light chuckle as he stood rather cockily with Abby-tan on his shoulder. He had ended up pulling his opponent into his shadow before depositing the unfortunate fellow into the water below. This allowed him to view the matches of Endorsi and Ran without distraction since Vahn and Phae, unsurprisingly, defeated both of their opponents in an instant.Unfortunately, with the weakest seeds being forced to fight against the strongest, things were very one-sided. Even Ran's fight only lasted until he got annoyed by his opponent mocking his height. This resulted in the latter being sent flying out of the arena with a lightning-infused kick, courtesy of Ran.Like many members of the Khun Family, Ran had a natural affinity with Lightning Elemental Energy. Even the physical form of his Shinsu Quality was a Lightning Spear so his speed, reaction time, and damage potential were exceptionally high in spite of the fact he was only twelve-years-old. He also had the 'benefit' of his opponents constantly looking down on him. This allowed him the element of surprise, and, more often than not, allowed him to end most fights in a single blow...---With Ran's fight taking the longest, the first round of the Seeded Tournament concluded after a mere 53 seconds had passed. This left many of the spectators feeling a little dissatisfied, as it was always more interesting to see drawn out and flashy battles, but there wasn't really anything they could do other than wait for some exciting action in the finals.Fortunately, so long as a member of Team Wolf Pack wasn't competing, the other battles were still pretty exciting. There were even a few close fights where the lower-seeded Regular managed to come out ahead of their opponent. These were the most exciting battles for spectating Regulars as it was a chance for them to make a profit and see an underdog come out on top. Everyone liked to see the strong succumb to the weak as it allowed them to believe they, themselves, might be able to overcome adversity and achieve greatness...---Though he was lucky to have dodged a bullet by managing to avoid being pitted against any other members of Team Wolf Pack, Shibisu was still struggling quite a bit against the 6th Seed amongst Scouts. His opponent was a short and squat woman that gave off the impression of a bee thanks to her Needle and Observers emulating the bulbous stingers of a honeybee. She had luminous blue-grey hair, a thick fur coat that included a puffy fur collar, and, most troubling of all, bee-like wings that allowed her to fly around at extreme speeds.Opponents that could fly were always extremely troublesome, and, if not for his Observers having an autonomous defense mode, Shibisu wouldn't be able to offer any resistance against the rather fierce female warrior. To make matters even worse, she had an extremely high Shinsu Resistance, so, even when he did manage to land a blow, the most he accomplished was angering her even further.Refusing to be the only person on his team that was eliminated in the first round, Shibisu traded in his rifle for a shotgun, beads of sweat appearing on his brow as he advised, "You're extremely fast and tough, I'll give you that. Unfortunately, it won't be enough to allow you to take a hit from this weapon. You've already lost your Observers, Vespa...I suggest you quit before you sustain an injury that will interfere with your climb up the Tower..."While continuing to evade the automatic fire from Shibisu's three Observers, his opponent, Vespa, adopted a potent glower as she rebutted, "Rude human. Do you really think you can defeat me? Without your annoying gadgets and that stupid cloak, this match would have already been over."Though it was a little embarrassing to admit, Shibisu couldn't actually refute Vespa's words. She had actually managed to stab him with her poison-coated Needle pretty early in the fight, but, thanks to his 'fashionable' purple [Bagworm], the only injury he suffered was a painful bruise beneath his left pectoral muscle.Shibisu felt a little annoyed by the fact he was only able to stay in the fight thanks to the items he had been given. That didn't mean he could just discard them, however, as Vespa's initial blow might have killed him had he not been fortunate enough to join Team Wolf Pack.Exhaling a sigh, Shibisu adopted a combat stance with the stock of his Shinsu-powered shotgun loosely resting against his shoulder. Unfortunately, he only had enough Shinsu and stamina to fire off a few rounds before he was completely exhausted. If he didn't defeat her before then, there was nothing he could do to stop Vespa from seeking vengeance. This made him feel slightly suffocated, not because he was afraid of losing, but because he would have lost in spite of the many benefits he had been given...Feeling a shiver run through her body, Vespa increased the amount of Shinsu she was infusing into her wings. They were a translucent yellow by default, but, whenever she infused a large amount of Shinsu into them, they would radiate a vibrant golden light. This not only increased her speed by a tremendous amount, but it also made it exceptionally difficult for her opponents to look directly at her. This was a countermeasure she had developed due to the majority of her enemies attempting to clip or injure her wings, removing one of the few advantages she had over others.With a focused glimmer flashing across her black sclera and amethyst-colored eyes, Vespa created a visible afterimage in her attempt to evade the fragmented beam of Shinsu fired by Shibisu. Then, before the latter could fire a second volley, several more afterimages appeared around the arena as she said, "I normally try to defeat my opponents without causing them pain...for you, I will make an exception..."Immediately following her words, Vespa seemed to appear out of thin air right in front of Shibisu, the tip of her Needle creating a small ripple in the surrounding Shinsu as she aimed it directly at his face. Unfortunately for her, the defensive membrane generated by the [Bagworm] actually covered the wearer's entire body. As a result, the tip of her Needle flattened to a dull point as it came into contact with an invisible barrier.Though some of the force was still transferred into Shibisu's body, causing his nose to momentarily flatten as he was pushed back by the force of the strike, his actual injuries were rather negligible. His training with Yoruichi had drastically increased his pain tolerance and resolution to continue fighting; so, even though he was sent hurtling towards the edge of the arena, he still managed to take aim at the surprised Vespa.Realizing she wouldn't be able to evade the attack at such a distance, Vespa surprised much of the crowd by spontaneously increasing in size. Her true form was actually much bigger than the squat and petite appearance she generally adopted for the sake of convenience; so, after deactivating her Compression License, her size increased from around 90cm to more than five meters in length.By spontaneously increasing her size, Vespa only suffered moderate injuries as the penetrative beams fired by Shibisu pierced her lower abdomen. This was far from ideal, causing her extreme pain, but it was a lot better than tanking the attack with her face. Fortunately, she could still use her Compression License to drastically decrease the size of the wound by compressing her body back to its petite form. This required Points each time she activated it, but, considering the alternative was to bleed out from holes the size of fists, splurging a few thousand Points was a small price to pay.Holding her bleeding abdomen, Vespa sneered in the direction where Shibisu had been sent over the edge. Part of her was tempted to fly down and finish him off but there were rules in place that prevented Regulars with flight capabilities from flying above or below marked lines. After all, if they could just fly wherever they wanted, it would cause all kinds of problems if they chose to interfere with other matches or spam long-ranged attacks...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP 32nd Seeds...','Shibisu's frustrations...',That's a big bumblebee...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1815: Transformation