Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

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

Realizing it might not be the smartest idea to stick around on a Floor that had just experienced a cataclysm, Vahn promptly abandoned the idea of securing the second Thorn fragment. He currently lacked the power to defeat a Floor Ruler, and, even if he was tempted to try, both the Jahad Empire and FUG were guaranteed to send powerhouses to investigate the area via a Warp Gate. FUG could not risk the Thorn falling into the hands of the Jahad Empire, so, at the very least, they would send a Slayer in to recover it before Jahad's Army could deploy.Fortunately, by pure happenstance, the Jahad Army had recently been experiencing some turmoil due to their Commander-in-Chief, Adori Jahad, killing several high-ranking officials. There had been no official reason given, but, thanks to Yuri, Vahn knew it was entirely the result of Ureko paying the proud Princess a personal visit. This resulted in a rather destructive battle, one which ended in Adori being spanked in front of several High-Ranking Officers before Ureko fled with a rather ornate pair of panties in hand.Due to the chaos caused by Ureko's recent actions, the response time of the Jahad Army had been greatly affected. The loss of several Commanders stalled deployments considerably, and, though she hadn't received any official orders, Adori had been pushing her forces into the 76th and 78th Floors in an obvious attempt to pressure and seek vengeance against Ureko. The only reason a war hadn't broken out between the two forces was that Adori didn't have an 'official' reason to send her forces into the 77th Floor. There was also the simple fact that, even if she did give the order to advance, it was far more likely that the forces of Wolhaiksong would emerge victoriously, shattering the long-standing belief that the Jahad Army was 'invincible'.Even if Jahad personally showed up to deal with Ureko, there was a 'very' real chance that he might not be able to defeat her. This actually went both ways, but, as the uncontested King of the Tower, he couldn't risk exposing the fact that there were people beyond his ability to defeat. It was for this reason that Wolhaiksong had been allowed to grow into an organization that was openly compared to both the Empire and the Workshop without consequences. Had Ureko been even a little weaker, the organization would have been crushed or subsumed long before its rise to prominence.In the end, FUG had a much easier time recovering the fragment of the Thorn than they otherwise would have. Ureko's recent actions were a contributing factor behind this, but the primary reasons for their success was the support of the Po Bidau Family and the excuse supplied by the Workshop.Po Bidau Gustang was actually one of FUG's secret Elders, and, as could be expected from someone purported to possess an 'omniscient' intellect, he had developed numerous contingencies against having his memory altered or erased. He had never trusted Jahad, so, at several times throughout the day, he would create 'backups' of all his memories to be analyzed for any irregularities. Because of this, he was able to 'recover' from having his Ego shattered in a comparably short period of time, and, though he was technically just a copy of the original, the fact they shared the same thoughts, memories, and even personality made it impossible to tell the difference. Rather, since he still had the same soul, it wasn't incorrect to say he was the 'exact same', just with a fundamentally different, albeit nearly identical, Ego. (A/N: The easiest way to comprehend this is to imagine that the current Gustang is basically a reincarnation of himself with a copy of his former self's memories.)With the Ruler of the 30th Floor belonging to the Po Bidau Family, Gustang was able to stonewall the Jahad Army thanks to his partnership with the Workshop. Since the military lacked the authority to investigate matters related to the Workshop without direct orders from Jahad, they had very little choice but to leave the matter in Gustang's hands while providing aid to the millions who had been affected by the gravitational anomaly. This provided the Workshop ample opportunity to come up with an excuse to explain what had happened, ultimately culminating in the 'admission' that one of their experimental Warp Drives had malfunctioned.Though it wasn't particularly well-known to the vast majority of Tower residents, it was relatively common knowledge among the higher-ups of the Jahad Army that the Warp Drives of Flagships had a strong influence on the fabric of space-time. They allowed the city-sized ships to move at speeds significantly faster than light, effectively teleporting anywhere within, or between, Floors of the Tower. This was a technology developed exclusively by the Workshop, so, while it was difficult to believe such an accident could occur, it wasn't inconceivable.Since the accident had occurred in a region outside the jurisdiction of the Empire, the Jahad Army ultimately withdrew after failing to uncover anything substantial related to the incident. Even their plants within the Workshop and the surrounding regions turned up nothing related to the massive explosion. The only noteworthy information they were able to obtain pertained to the destruction of one of FUG's secret bases, but, even after questioning the Guardian directly, they were ultimately unable to learn anything about who had attacked and their motives for doing so...---Though his reasons for doing so had changed slightly, Vahn drastically reduced his pace during the six-month period between the conclusion of the Workshop Battle and the start of the Hell Train. As a result, it took him nearly four months to pass from the 31st to the 35th Floor, the location of Train City, the First Station of the Hell Express. His primary reason for this was the lay low for a while, not because he was particularly concerned about the forces conspiring against him, but because Hinata and Kushina were expected to give birth within this period of time.Vahn had always tried to put his family and loved ones above all else, so, in the months leading up to the birth of his newest son and daughter, he did his best to spend an increasing amount of time in the Emerald Grove. The reason for this was that the pregnancies of both Kushina and Hinata had been accelerated due to the influence of the Law of Progress. As a result, it was difficult to ascertain when, exactly, the two would be born. His children had always developed uniquely in comparison to other fetuses so there were always a number of variables he couldn't really account for during each pregnancy.Fortunately, despite the uncertainties involved, Kushina ended up giving birth to a very healthy boy who, rather than resemble an infant version of Naruto, looked more like his counterpart known as Menma. He still had the same basic appearance, completely with whisker-like marks on each of his cheeks, but, rather than yellow-blonde hair, he had a small mat of nearly-black hair atop his head. His eyes were also closer to aquamarine than Kushina's sapphire blues, so, for the first time, Vahn actually had a son that closely resembled him...Understanding that Kushina had likely wanted Naruto to resemble him more than someone like Minato, Vahn was very-nearly brought to tears when he first noticed the similarities between him and his son. He had never really thought about it prior to that moment but it seemed like a part of him had always wanted a child that closely resembled him. Most of his other children had inherited the traits of their mothers, and, while he loved each of them dearly, he couldn't deny that he felt a special bond with Naruto the moment he first laid eyes upon him. This earned him a gentle chiding from Mavis, who was acting as his assistant, but Kushina just laughed it off before encouraging him to take as much time as he needed.In the days following Naruto's birth, Vahn spent most of his time attempting to shadow Kushina in order to help out in any way he could. This generally resulted in her shooing him away and telling him to look after Hinata, but, with the latter continually telling him to do the opposite, Vahn found himself teleporting around constantly. Fortunately, this didn't last for too long as Hinata ended up going into labor only five days after Kushina.Though it was a different feeling than the one he got from Naruto, Vahn's heart immediately turned to putty following the delivery of his youngest daughter, Hana. She seemed to have been born with a remarkable intellect, as, unlike Naruto, she didn't release an ear-piercing cry upon having her butt lightly smacked. Instead, she issued a few adorable baby noises before 'glaring' at him with her off-white, lavender, eyes. This caused a grin to spread across Vahn's face, and, though his instincts told him that Hana was going to be a little troublemaker, such things were the spice of life for a parent.With Hinata being pretty liberal in her allowing him to look after Hana, Vahn soon found himself in a position where he was regularly babysitting both of his children. They quickly became the newest members of his 'cuddle crew', and, more often than not, he could be found using Latias as a pillow while Naruto and Hana slept against his chest.If there was anything Vahn could complain about following the births of Naruto and Hana, it was that the two grew like beansprouts. This was true of most of his children, but, due to the effects of the Little Garden, Hana was both speaking and waddling around at less than two months old. As for Naruto, he was quite a bit slower in the speech category, but, due to his Uzumaki heritage, his body was developing even faster than Hana's. He also learned how to transform into a fox kit pretty early on, and, as a result, quickly developed a propensity for sneaking off to play in the forest. (A/N: Most toddlers can walk between 10~14 months. The Law of Progress effectively speeds up development by a factor of five.)Since there weren't any particular dangers in the forests surrounding the Emerald Grove, Vahn and Kushina agreed to allow the boy to develop his curiosity under the watchful eyes of Xerneas. Latias had also taken a considerable interest in both of his children, so, whenever Naruto snuck off to play, she was usually right behind him. As for Hana, she developed the unusual habit of following people around and secretly spying on them. This behavior was reminiscent of the way the 'original' Hinata behaved in her Record of origin, greatly embarrassing the young mother who thought her daughter was turning into a stalker.Fortunately, virtually everyone within the Emerald Grove could easily detect Hana, so, whenever she tried to spy on them, they would quickly expose her location. This caused Hana no small amount of frustration, and, as a result, she actually ended up awakening her Byakugan. She wasn't able to use it for very long, but, every now and again, the residents of the Emerald Grove would abruptly feel as if someone was spying on them from somewhere out of view.Though they didn't want to inhibit the development of Hana's curiosity, it became apparent pretty early on that they needed to educate her properly. It wasn't that big of an issue while she was still young, but it was bound to become a problem if she developed voyeuristic tendencies during her adolescence. She needed to learn how to socialize with people directly rather than spying on them from a distance; so, despite being around two-months-old, Hana began learning how to read and write from Mira while apprenticing under Mavis in order to learn communication skills...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'What is this, The 6th Day?','Kushina done good (OwO)...','| |_・)')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

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

Chapter 1849: Dawn