Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though the teams participating in the Final Round had been designated high-class pavilions to accommodate all sixteen of their members, there was no rule requiring everyone to share the same residence. As a result, Arusha and Arryn effectively ghosted their teams throughout the entirety of the preparatory period. After all, they didn't really care about the items provided by the Workshop, so, knowing their Team Leaders were agents of FUG, they had no reason to stick around.Since there were a few things he needed to take care of, Vahn allowed the two girls to reside within the Little Garden as he, accompanied by Fenrir and guided by Ryun, traveled to one of the so-called 'unexplored regions' of the 30th Floor. These were territories where the Jahad Empire had limited to no influence, something Vahn couldn't really make sense of considering they had been around for more than ten-thousand-years.Vahn didn't know if it was because they were simply incompetent or just didn't care, but, in the end, it didn't really matter. All he knew was that FUG was going out of their way to antagonize him and he wasn't just going to sit around passively as they continued to grow bolder. He also disdained the fact that they had effectively spent the last ten-thousand-years just sitting around, 'conserving' their strength while people exponentially weaker than them sacrificed their lives towards for a cause that had made absolutely no progress in several hundred generations.Borrowing a phrase from Loki, the fact that they were so 'backassward' to the point that they were directly interfering with people who shared similar objectives was completely ridiculous. They were supposed to be the preeminent organization that stood in opposition to Jahad and the Ten Great Families, yet, rather than unify the people behind their banner, they relied on blackmail, threats, and other forms of coercion to bend others to their will.Though he had a somewhat reactive nature, Vahn had never been the type to just sit around and let his enemies conspire against him. He could be very merciful and empathetic, but, the moment they touched his bottom line, specifically targeting those around him and trying to coerce him, they had already dug their own graves. He had never shown such people tolerance, even when he was just a fourteen-year-old boy running around the streets of Orario. Now, he was literally both a God and an Emperor. He might not really care about things like politics and etiquette, but he wasn't the type of person that others could just blackmail, coerce, or manipulate for their own benefit...---Under the direction of Ryun, Vahn found himself high in the sky over what could best be described as an 'evil fortress'. It was comprised almost entirely of a murky black stone, and, though it was built into the side of a mountain, several spike-like towers stood out as its main features. There was even a massive demonic visage decorating the front gate, almost as if they were trying to advertise 'hey, look at us, we're the bad guys'.Rather than wonder what the hell was wrong with FUG for them to believe themselves to be on the side of 'justice' despite literally decorating their fortresses like evil lairs, Vahn spread his arms wide as several vibrant spheres of light manifested around him. Instead of Baangs, however, each of the relatively tiny spheres of light were purified [Elemental Star]s. He had spent a fair amount of time trying to make a breakthrough in his [Eyes of Truth] so he had tens of thousands of them sitting in his Inventory. They weren't nearly as easy to control as Baangs of Shinsu, but, by nature, they were exponentially more powerful.As could be expected, the guards manning the fortress quickly noticed the vibrant light show in the skies above their base. Before they could mount a real defense, however, Vahn created Acceleration Gates beneath each of the [Elemental Star]s as he coldly muttered, "Elemental Cataclysm." in a deep and resonant tone saturated with the Law of Authority. This caused the structure of the Acceleration Gates to change subtly, each radiating a vibrant golden light that seemed to illuminate the Heavens as [Elemental Star]s rained down upon the fortress below.Though several Rankers had been present in the fortress, only three people managed to escape the expansion of the [Elemental Star]s as they coalesced into a dense black sphere that spread to cover nearly three-kilometers before collapsing into a single point and disappearing. In its wake, not even a speck of dust remained of the stronghold and the mountain it had been built into, mortifying the three Advanced Rankers.Taking advantage of the trio's stupor, lightning momentarily danced across Vahn's exposed torso as he appeared next to the strongest of the three in an instant. This was a technique derived from the knowledge and experience he had accumulated from Yoruichi, and, though it wasn't comparable to her Innate-derived technique, it was significantly faster than the majority of movement techniques existing within the Tower.Demonstrating why he was an Advanced Ranker, the man managed to pull out a strange purple cudgel at nearly the exact same time as Vahn's appearance. Unfortunately, even a window as small as a microsecond was more than enough time for the latter to execute any number of moves. As a result, the man found both his arm and cudgel spinning through the sky as Vahn brandished Laev-tan and pointed her towards his throat.Seeing their companion held at sword point, the other two Advanced Rankers showed expressions similar to someone who had swallowed a bug. Before either of them could accuse him of taking a hostage, however, Vahn's aura caused the surrounding space to tremble as he declared, "This is the last warning I will afford you. The next time FUG seeks to intervene in my personal affairs, they will learn the terror associated with my title as Sage Dragon Emperor. I have no tolerance for a corrupt organization filled with crooks and nihilistic cowards. I don't care if your Elders want to sit around on their asses for another ten-thousand-years. Inform them that, if they pull another stunt like this, they will suffer the same fate as Jahad."Hearing Vahn casually insult their Elders, the trio of Advanced Rankers adopted looks reminiscent of warriors who had prepared themselves for death. Unfortunately, they had severely underestimated who they were standing in front of. Vahn had already seen through thoughts before they had even fully formed, his eyes blazing like golden suns as he shouted, "Go!" in a voice that created a visible ripple that fractured the surrounding space. This was a technique combining both his Draconic Aura and Conquerors Haki, the latter of which was obtained thanks to the knowledge and experiences of both Roger and Whitebeard.Feeling as if Vahn's words had impacted their minds directly, all three of the Advanced Rankers fell from the sky like flies that had approached a bug zapper. They weren't dead but they would spend the next few hours in a state similar to 'Mind Down', unable to move or muster any power. His voice would also haunt their dreams until they eventually gave up trying to oppose him or mustered a far greater resolve than any of them currently possessed.Unable to restrain his disdain, Vahn snorted through his nose before turning away from the trio that had fallen into the massive hemispherical void. He had used the Law of Identity to investigate all of the people occupying the fortress so he had very little empathy for any of them. Yes, they each had a reason to hate Jahad and the Ten Great Families, but, rather than taking action to directly oppose the people they purportedly hated, most of them had spent hundreds of years performing actions that made even their most hated enemies look tame. They had raped, murdered, and blackmailed countless people in the pursuit of their objective, often relishing in the vile acts while excusing their actions as part of the 'greater good'.Though there were few things he agreed with Merlin on, Vahn had come to disdain the concept of the 'greater good' quite a bit. He hated how so-called righteous people could justify even the most inhumane acts imaginable so long as it met their definition of the 'greater good'.Over the years, Vahn had even read about Records where humanity had been pushed to the brink of extinction, and, despite being on their last legs, it was almost always revealed that the leaders of the remaining humans were either the cause or direct contributors to the problem at hand. They built their entire society around the concept of service and sacrifice, compelling countless people to die for them all while they sit back and consolidate all the most important resources for themselves. There were even Records where the population of mankind had been pushed to just a few million people, yet, in spite of this, there was still a class gap that comprised of Royalty, Nobles, and Serfs...Realizing he was slipping into a negative mental state, Vahn just shook in mild exasperation before stepping through the unstable void and appearing thousands of kilometers away in an instant. His comprehension of Space and Time had increased extensively during his research into the Laws, so, even without a Divinity, his power and control had been steadily increasing. The experiences of his Templates also drastically increased his understanding as Arceus, Palkia, Dialga, and even Mavis all possessed Innates related to Creation, Space, and Time.Though he didn't really slack off during the moments when he actually trained, Vahn's progress in the Transcendental Path to Heaven made his growth in previous Records seem like a joke. This was largely due to the existence of his Templates, but, more than anything else, it was his knowledge of the 'pinnacle' that aided him most. This was entirely thanks to the Law of Identity, but, by knowing how powerful the beings at the absolute pinnacle were, Vahn now had a far better understanding of the heights he was aspiring to. His final battlefield was a place where concepts such as speed and power were completely negligible. Instead, battles were fought using Authorities, Intent, and, most important of all, Willpower.Understanding he still had a 'very' long way to go, Vahn decided to cool his head by taking a seat atop one of the Ember Isle's inactive volcanoes. From there, he could see most of the other islands in the distance, and, due to its size, the Archimedes stood out like a horizontal teardrop in the sky above the Workshop's geothermal facility. It was the size of a city from up close, but, at a distance of several dozen kilometers, it appeared as little more than a speck in the distance.With his knowledge of the Divine Realm, Vahn was aware that entire Universes existed as little more than sub-atomic particles to the beings that inhabited the highest plane of existence. From a purely objective perspective, this made something like the Tower, a mere pathway between Realms, seem completely inconsequential. Unfortunately, unless he intended to abandon what made him human, he would forever remain a subjective entity that was bound by his inordinate empathy. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, especially with what he knew of higher planes of existence, but, at times like this, it could be 'very' inconvenient to care about others.Exhaling a tired sigh, Vahn habitually adopted a lotus position in order to clear his mind of wayward thoughts. He had already made his decision, so, even if FUG reacted violently to his affront, that was simply their fate. Even if all the factions in the Tower turned against him, he would continue pushing forward until they had either submitted or stepped aside. He had never expected the path towards the pinnacle to be bereft of bloodshed, so, while he couldn't help but feel guilty about the lives he had just taken, his time was better spent improving the state of the world rather than wallowing in negative sentiments...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'If you continually pester a Dragon, you only have yourself to blame when they turn around to bite...','Vahn is becoming even more of a monster o_o...','Some things never change...not that this is a bad thing (OwO)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With the day of the Final Round arriving in the blink of an eye, Vahn was made to gather with his team onboard the Archimedes as the latter performed a 'Warp Jump' to the hidden Tournament Island. This brought them to a large volcanic island that, from above, greatly resembled an almond-shaped eye. From there, they were assigned to one of six waiting rooms, each outfitted with various foodstuffs and supplies intended to aid them during the Final Round of the Workshop Battle.Since he had no interest in playing FUG's little game, Vahn prepared a second vessel at a distant location while assigning Latias and Latios to keep watch over Arusha and Arryn. The latter likely didn't need such protection, but, while she was certainly very powerful, she lacked the experience to wield her power properly. She had recently started apprenticing under Android 21 and Yoruichi, but she still had a 'very' long way to go before she could be considered a competent fighter.Depending on how the situation developed, Vahn could teleport the girls to safety in an instant while his primary vessel infiltrated the island to discover the location of the Thorn. He could wait until later to steal it, but, after the recent 'altercation' with FUG, he suspected they might try and move it in the very near future. Before that could happen, he planned to steal it, and, much like the original fragment of the Thorn, he intended to give it to Rimuru.Though their abilities were fundamentally different, Rimuru's Innate was very similar to Baam's. This allowed them to integrate the fragment of Enryu's Thorn into their body, and, though they couldn't access its full power just yet, they had already managed to ignite it. Better yet, Rimuru's body didn't have to destroy the fragment in order to access its power, so, once they succeeded in analyzing its structure completely, they could 'regurgitate' it for further study.After recent happenings, Vahn was planning to, quite literally, 'break open' the Tower and expose its residents to the infinitely vast world beyond. To that end, he planned to shatter the 'common sense' of the so-called rulers and powerhouses within the Tower. They would be forced to see 'reality' with their own eyes, and, if they were unwilling to accept it, they would fade into the annals of history in much the same way as their precursors. After that, the only tales to speak of them would be fables related to the folly of tyrants consumed by depravity and hubris...---Since the majority of Regulars participating in the Workshop Battle had no affiliation to FUG, Vahn spent much of the Final Round watching over Ron Mei's shoulder with his arms crossed. As a result, she was unable to summon Varagarv as a participant due to her fear of what might happen without him protecting her. This was a pointless concern, but, even if they knew it was useless, most people would still choose to wear body armor if they entered into a pen with a dangerous creature.With Arusha and Arryn refusing to cooperate, combined with the fact Varagarv was never able to participate, the winners of the Workshop Battle were a team wholly unrelated to FUG. This wouldn't prevent them from approaching the victors in order to try and reap profits from their VIP status, but that wasn't really something Vahn had any control over. If they were smart, the victors would spend the next month forging connections with various Sponsors. This would make it a lot harder for FUG to approach them, as, due to their deeply ingrained observation of the status quo, the Elders of the organization generally prohibited their members from approaching anyone related to the Ten Great Families unless it was part of an assignment.The only members of FUG who were 'authorized' to target the Ten Great Families were the various 'Slayers' that had been selected throughout the millennia. They were effectively the 'Gods' of FUG, and, unless an order came down from the Council of Elders, they were allowed to act with impunity in the pursuit of their objective: eliminating Jahad and the Ten Family Heads. To this end, the Slayers gathered people who resented their respective targets, and, more often than not, they acted as the 'public face' of FUG.Since the Thorn was rumored to be the only weapon capable of killing Jahad, the Slayer that had been interfering with Vahn's plans was the same individual who had been designated the task of killing Jahad. He had spent the last sixty years researching methods to make the Thorn useable by someone other than an Irregular, so, as could be expected, he had taken exception to the fact that it had fallen into the hands of another. Vahn didn't particularly care about this, however, and, if the man was foolish enough to appear before him, FUG would have one less Slayer in their midst...To this end, Vahn waited until the grand ceremony announcing the Workshop Battle's completion had come to an end before teleporting to the hidden island. It was isolated within a complex barrier that functioned similarly to a sub-dimensional texture, but, thanks to Latios burying a rainbow-hued gemstone, Vahn was able to teleport without issue.Up until the moment of his arrival, everything had been going exactly as Vahn planned. There were very few places he couldn't venture once determining their location, and, even if his foes possessed some form of clairvoyance, it would be impossible to determine when and where he would appear through precognition. This was something he had absolute confidence in, as, much like the Law of Identity, he actually possessed a 'Nonexistent Physiology'.Because of this, Vahn couldn't help but raise his brows slightly when he emerged on the other side of his spatial transfer and found a bespectacled man with chestnut brown hair and matching eyes staring back at him. He seemed to be analyzing the crystal that Latios had left behind, and, though he was remiss to make such a comparison, the intelligent glimmer in his eyes immediately inspired thoughts of Da Vinci.Recognizing who the man was, a satiric smile spread across Vahn's face as he remarked, "It would seem the rumors of your curiosity weren't exaggerated...I was actually expecting to cross paths with you on the higher floors. Tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Mr. Gustang...?"As if he had only just noticed Vahn's existence, the man, Po Bidau Gustang, Leader of the Po Bidau Family, shifted his attention from the gemstone in his hand to plainly remark, "You are an anomaly. Tell me, is this crystal formed from your body? There are few things in this world that I cannot see through, yet, here, at this moment, both you and this stone appear as a void within my perception. You cannot be an Irregular, so what are you...?"Smiling in response to the man's words, Vahn's expression gradually relaxed into a casual smile as he asked, "If we're going by definitions, what would I be if not an Irregular? I'm not something that can be defined according to your current standards, so how can I be expected to answer a question you are ill-equipped to understand? Rather than waste both of our time, why don't you just tell me the reasons for your appearance?"Knowing that Gustang had appeared in order to ascertain whether or not he was able to 'read' his mind, Vahn activated the calming effects of his [Will of the Emperor] to the extreme while feigning ignorance. Unfortunately, as was revealed by the Law of Identity, he was immediately seen through by the man whose intellect, similar to Da Vinci's, was referred to as 'Omniscient'. He could process information faster than a supercomputer, and, whenever he got serious, even beams of light would appear to move at a snail's pace from his perspective.To make matters even worse, Gustang had also discerned the fact that Vahn had realized that he was seen through. This caused the briefest hint of a smile to spread across the man's face as he remarked, "Fascinating...throughout all my years, the only person who has ever been able to truly understand me was Macseth. Now, from seemingly out of nowhere, someone able to both grasp and understand my thoughts has appeared. I wonder, how many years has it been since I felt such a combination of relief and vexation...?"With the Law of Identity revealing both the answer and the fact that Gustang was currently splitting his thoughts into multiple processes, Vahn couldn't help but shake his head in mild exasperation as he said, "I didn't come here to play games with you, Gustang. Since you're not trying to prevent me from recovering the Thorn, I would rather we continue this conversation at a later date. I'm not in a position to fight against you and the other Family Heads just yet so there is no meaning in us trying to converse. Rather than waste time here, you should be making preparations to eliminate the more cancerous elements from your Family. If you continue along your current path, you will never learn the answers to your questions..."Since he could discern even the most minute changes in Vahn's facial expression, tone, and aura, Gustang couldn't help but raise his brows slightly when he realized the former wasn't making idle threats. There was an absolute sense of surety within his words, and, though there was currently an 'insurmountable gulf' between them, he suddenly got the impression that Vahn was exceptionally dangerous. Still, he had never been the type to resist his curiosities, so, even if it might cost him his life, he pressed forward without minding Vahn's warning.Shaking his head in exasperation, Vahn watched with a partial deadpan as blood began to pool from the man's eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Immediately thereafter, he collapsed to the ground, and, though the blood evaporated in a manner reminiscent of his Magia Erebea, restoring him to perfect health, he made no attempts to rise. This was in spite of the fact that his brain was dutifully processing everything that was currently happening, sorting, analyzing, and compiling it into data for later access. Unfortunately, though it was in the process of slowly repairing itself, the man's Ego had been fragmented to the point that even the Law of Identity entered a daze.Voicing his thoughts, Sis, in a moderately huffy tone, remarked, (*He deserved it. Trying to forcibly analyze the structure of your Ego is suicide even for the most powerful entities within the Records. He thought he would be protected just because this was one of his puppets? This is the reward for his hubris...!*)Since it was pretty rare for Sis to express her anger, Vahn couldn't help but chuckle as he bent down to pick up the gemstone still grasped in Gustang's hand. This ended up being a mistake, as, despite his Ego being fractured, Gustang had apparently 'programmed' his body to autonomously respond to any perceived threat. Thus, in a manner eerily reminiscent of Laplace's Key, his body reacted at a rate Vahn could hardly even perceive, vaporizing the latter in an instant. Then, likely as a method to protect the secrets of his puppet body, an Observer the size of a grain of rice disappeared into the void as an explosion more than 300km across, resembling a vibrant purple sun, caused the entirety of the 30th Floor to tremble...Though his second vessel was thousands of kilometers away, Vahn couldn't help but stare up at the sky in awe as the flow of Shinsu in the atmosphere shifted to resemble a multi-colored nebula that covered the Heavens. For a brief moment, day became night, and, though the explosion was more than thirty-five-hundred-kilometers away, he felt a sensation similar to vertigo as everything around him, the sea included, began to rise. It was like gravity had been turned off, and, though he wasn't truly afraid, he realized, at that exact moment, that the Leaders of the Ten Great Families were a lot more powerful than he anticipated...(A/N: Alternate Titles: '...','...','...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Shortly after they finished with their shower, Vahn was going to let Arusha and Arryn rest when all three of their Pockets informed them to head to the location where teams would be chosen. Before they left, however, Vahn turned to the two girls and said, "There is a chance my enemies will target you if we end up on separate teams. If that happens, activate the pendants I gave you previously. It will alert me to the situation and allow me to teleport you to my side. You are free to try and fight if you really want to, but, at the very least, I want you to activate the tracking function of your Pocket before trying anything."Without any argument whatsoever, Arusha and Arryn immediately nodded in response to Vahn's words. They understood their own weakness after seeing some of the climactic battles between him and the other residents of the Emerald Grove, so, while they wanted to help him, their desire not to become a burden to the person who had 'saved' them was even greater. This was especially true for Arryn, as, despite only knowing Vahn for little more than a week, she felt like her life had been given meaning after their meeting. She had come to learn how truly vast the world was, and, despite the fact he was a God who stood above countless others, he lowered himself to her level and allowed her to love him.Noticing the tell-tale glimmer in Arryn's eyes, Vahn couldn't help but issue a light chuckle as he caressed both of their heads and said, "We'll have more fun later on. For now, let's go and see what our temporary allies are up to. I'm curious to discover which Gambler is daring enough to think they can purchase me and order me around..."Though Arusha glowered at the thought of anyone telling her Master what to do, Arryn understood that Vahn was just joking around. She returned a chuckle of her own, and, after enjoying his caress for a while longer, the three of them made their way over to where the other passing Regulars were waiting. They were the last to arrive, but, considering how quickly they had qualified during the first round, nobody was brave enough to criticize them for being late. Instead, they occupied one of the tables that had been prepared by event organizers, casually conversing until it was their turn to step out onto the stage...---In order to introduce an element of strategy and ensure things were as competitive as possible, the organizers of the Workshop Battle had the six qualifying Gamblers participate in an auction. Though they would each end up with fifteen people on their team, this allowed them to drive up the prices of certain Regulars in order to pressure their opponents into wasting resources. As for why this was important, it was due to the fact that, with the exception of weapons obtained during the Workshop Battle, others could not be used in the tournament.To prevent members of the Ten Great Families from effectively guaranteeing a win through the use of rare and powerful artifacts, all equipment used during the Workshop Battle was purchased with the Points the Gamblers had acquired during the previous rounds. This included Lighthouses and Observers, so, even if they managed to acquire powerful allies during the auction, there was still a chance they would lose if their equipment wasn't up to standard.Fortunately, even if they squandered all of their resources prior to the start of the Final Round, they weren't completely without options. So long as they were able to complete certain objectives or defeat members of the enemy team, they could acquire a surplus of Points to spend. This allowed them to purchase items from various summoning altars located within the tournament grounds.With the exception of some mass-produced goods, each of the articles available for summoning was hand-crafted by the Workshop. This meant, so long as they chose their allies well and worked together, each member of a team could walk away with substantial upgrades to their existing gear. The winning team would even be awarded 3,000,000 Points per member, and, for the duration of one month, they would be allowed VIP access to all publically accessible Workshop facilities. This effectively provided them a 30% discount to all items purchased, and, as a result, they garnered a considerable amount of interest from various sponsors seeking to benefit from their boon.Simply put, the Gamblers had to decide between purchasing items or summoning allies during the final round. Since the price of summoned allies was determined by their value during the auction, it was important to spread their Points out over a number of reliable Regulars rather than invest all of their resources into individually powerful participants. Vahn and Varagarv, for example, had starting bids of 1,000,000 Points, respectively. Having them on your team virtually guaranteed victory if you could summon them, but, with each team only starting with 100,000 Points during the Final Round, earning enough to actually summon them was very difficult.Among the six Gamblers, the person with the most Points was a blonde-haired woman with fair features and petite, angelic, wings. She had managed to accumulate more than 2.4 million Points, an ample sum considering the second-highest Gambler had only earned 1.9 million. Under most circumstances, this would have put her in a rather dominant position, but, due to being the handler of Varagarv, the so-called 'Strongest E-Rank Regular', the other Gamblers managed to force her to spend more than 1.4 million in order to obtain him. As for Vahn, he was more than a little annoyed when it was his turn to come out, yet, despite several calls from the auctioneer, nobody attempted to bid for him...Though they recognized that Vahn was exceptionally powerful, none of the Gamblers believed they would be able to control him. The angelic woman was actually Varagarv's 'Handler', so, even though she didn't really have much of a choice in the matter, she could, at the very least, control him. As for Vahn, the only information people had on him came from rumors and the dominant display he had put on during the first round. To the Gamblers present, he was an 'extremely volatile' purchase, and, though his presence might guarantee their victory, there was a chance he could just refuse to obey their commands and outright throw the match if he really wanted to.In the end, Vahn was asked to return to the waiting area and wait until the rest of the competitors had been bid on. This gave him a strong desire to just forfeit his participation then and there, but, understanding the reasons why nobody bid on him, he managed to calm himself down by inviting Mikoto to come out in her Pikachu form. She wasn't his first choice, but, with Fenrir and Ryun in the middle of some kind of special training, she was a good alternative. The fact she had 'begrudgingly' accepted his invitation brought a smile to his face, and, though she was incredibly embarrassed by the presence of others, she still allowed him to squish and massage her cheeks until his mood had improved.Once everyone else had been bid on, Vahn was 'given' to the only team that had an empty slot left in their party. As for Arusha and Arryn, they had been purchased for 120,00 and 200,000 Points by two different Gamblers, both planted FUG. He conveyed this to the duo with a hand signal they had decided upon prior to the auction before walking over to his own team, a group also acting in the interests of FUG. What made them 'special' was the fact that this was also the team with Varagarv, effectively guaranteeing that he would not be summoned during the Final Round.As if she hadn't participated in the orchestration of the auction, the leader of the team, the angelic blonde, offered a 'friendly' smile as she remarked, "It's a shame, really. Varagarv was greatly looking forward to battling against you. Who could have imagined that the two strongest E-Rank Regulars would end up on the same team~?"Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Vahn ignored the woman's remark as he stared directly at the tall and muscular Varagarv. Other than the unique hood covering his dog-like ears, the only garment he wore was a pair of bright red pants. This allowed his rather intimidating figure to be on full display, but, while others might be cowed by the murderous and untamed aura lingering around him, Vahn was completely unaffected as he stared into the man's glowing red eyes and said, "It looks like FUG decided not to sacrifice you. I guess the Elder supporting this farce is trying to curry favor with your Master. Lucky you."Frowning in response to Vahn's words, Varagarv rose to his full height of 210cm, staring down at Vahn as he asserted, "You are powerful...but I am no coward. If you want to fight, I will fight you..." in a deep and resonant tone. This caused the angelic woman to pale slightly, but, while he was 'very' tempted to put the dog in his place, Vahn didn't actually care about the title of 'strongest' in E-Rank. It was also impossible for him to take the threats of someone that was thousands of times weaker than him seriously, so, in the end, he just teasingly remarked, "I'm not fond of bullying the weak..." while releasing part of his aura.Though he didn't cower in the slightest, Varagarv was unable to prevent his pupils from contracting into small points when he sensed Vahn's aura. At the same time, goose pimples appeared along his forearms, and, though his instincts were telling him to retreat, his training as one of Yama's 'fighting dog' compelled him to issue a low growl. This earned him an amused smile from Vahn, not because he found the man's reaction particularly amusing, but because the Law of Identity was narrating the chaotic thoughts of the angelic woman behind him.Deciding there was no value in teasing a bunch of Regulars, Vahn ultimately issued a light chuckle before shifting his attention towards the woman and asking, "I'm assuming you don't need me for anything, correct?"Though she had already been warned that Vahn possessed an ability that allowed him to read a person's thoughts, the angelic woman, Ron Mei, hadn't expected him to see through their ploy so quickly. She couldn't shake the feeling that her entire being was exposed before him, and, though she was loyal to both Yama and FUG, she suddenly felt like it was a 'very' bad idea to oppose the man standing before her. It was no wonder FUG had them come up with a plan that involved 'not' fighting against him, something that was very rare for the rather violence-prone organization.In response to Vahn's question, Ron Mei forced a smile as she instinctually placed herself behind Varagarv and answered, "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't make you work with us. The reason we had to come up with a plan like this is because you're someone that refuses to 'cooperate' with others. Now, please just behave until the end of the Workshop Battle...so long as you don't try anything, we have no intention of making any moves against you or your allies..."With his brows furrowing ever-so-slightly, the pressure emanating from Vahn was enough to draw the attention of virtually every Regular present as he stated, "You shouldn't be so eager to speak on behalf of people who would willingly sacrifice you without a thought. If I were half the monster your Elders would have you believe, you would have been dead the moment your plot was uncovered. In the end, despite your loyalty, you are just a convenient tool that is being misled by people who only have their own interests at heart. Seriously, more than ten-thousand-years have passed yet they still need Regulars like you to act on their behalf? Other than asking countless people to make sacrifices for their personal interests, what have the Elders of FUG done to actualize any of your dreams? How many billions more need to die before you people realize you won't get anywhere while the leaders of your so-called resistance are sitting around on their asses!?"Not expecting Vahn to suddenly shout, Ron Mei turned whiter than a sheet as Varagarv shielded her with his muscular forearm. As for the other Regulars present, they felt an oppressive chill penetrate their bodies despite the fact that Vahn had prevented his aura from applying any direct pressure to them. They suddenly felt as though they had been locked in a pen with an exceptionally dangerous creature, one that could decide their life or death at its whim. This caused all discussion in the room to cease, and, until he had departed alongside Arusha and Arryn, not a single person dared to utter so much as a whisper...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'An Emperor arrives when he pleases...','RIP Vahn xD...','It seems like FUG is in the process of digging itself a rather sizeable hole (OwO)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1848: Warning