Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the 'former' members of FUG under control, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Vahn was now in total control of the Hell Express. Unfortunately, this didn't allow him to simply 'ignore' the rules of the unique testing grounds, so, even with Ryun guiding the way, it generally took several days to seek out and discover each of Hoaqin's siblings. Thus, by the time they reached the 37th Floor Train Station, colloquially known as the 'Wooden Horse', they had only found the youngest of the Arie siblings, a quiet and reserved young lady named Anna.Like every direct descendent of the Arie Clan, Anna possessed silvery-white hair, matching eyes, and inordinately pale skin. What distinguished her from her kin was the fact that, despite being from the family best known for their swordsmanship, Anna had very little talent for it. Instead, she had been born with an extraordinary talent for sorcery, specifically specializing in the production of doll-like familiars.Though they were only about as strong as skilled Regulars, Anna was able to create dolls that could learn from and emulate the capabilities of others. Her favorite was the plush rabbit she could often be seen carrying around, but, so long as it had been immersed in her Shinsu for an extended period of time, she could effectively control anything with a humanoid shape. This applied to actual people as well, but, for a variety of reasons, doing so was 'exceptionally' difficult.Unfortunately, despite possessing a remarkable ability with functionally unlimited potential, Anna had been born into a family that couldn't appreciate her talents. This led to her being ostracized by virtually everyone within the family, and, during her training, she was bullied excessively by her own siblings. The only people who were kind to her during this period were Hoaqin, Vicente, David, and Albelda, the same siblings she would later go on to fuse with for fear of being left alone.Anna didn't take kindly to the fact that Hoaqin had been killed, but, thanks to some careful coaxing from Vicente, she ultimately gave up on the idea of seeking revenge. After all, she was a remarkably intelligent young lady, so, while she was heartbroken by the loss of her older brother, she was also aware that someone needed to pay for his crimes. Hoaqin had killed billions in the pursuit of power, and, despite having numerous opportunities to confront their father, the purpose of their fusion, he spent thousands of years just idling about in the Outer Tower.Though he wasn't the only one guilty of such heinous acts, Hoaqin had gone out of his way to raise a Kingdom from the ground up. He united various peoples under a common banner and effectively became a Messiah to more than a hundred million people. Then, once his popularity had reached its peak, allowing him to masquerade as a literal God, he effectively vanished into thin air without selecting a successor.As could be expected, the power vacuum caused by White's spontaneous disappearance resulted in countless conflicts. There was no end to the number of people trying to seize power in his absence, and, as a result, the Kingdom eventually fragmented into a total of seventy smaller fiefdoms before eventually falling under the banner of a single, tyrannical, Empire.While his previously established nation was tearing itself apart, White had been busy masquerading as a sword-saint-turned-revolutionary in a distant kingdom. He worked his way up to becoming the leader of a massive revolution that was intended to tear down the nobility and return power to the people. This resulted in the deaths of countless revolutions, but, in the end, they were finally able to establish a Republic founded on principles such as freedom and universal education.From an objective point of view, White had spent more than a thousand years improving the lives of various people. In reality, his only reason for establishing order within the region was to grow the population and develop two rival superpowers with radically different systems of belief. This would ensure they were constantly at odds, slaughtering each other without end as he put the finishing touches on a massive ritual formation that spanned the entire continent.By the time White's activities were discovered by the Jahad Empire, his actions had resulted in the deaths of billions, each unwittingly sacrificed for the sake of increasing his power. This allowed his power to increase far beyond the scope of an average High Ranker, and, for a time, he became the public face of FUG, rising to prominence as one of the most prolific Slayers in history. He had even managed to start a number of successful revolutions in the lower floors of the Tower, his popularity exploding to the point that it became common for people to paint red markings around their eyes to indicate their intent to rebel.Unfortunately for the infamous Slayer, his power was far beyond the level required to defeat the true powerhouses among the Jahad Empire and the Ten Great Families. He was able to defeat the majority of their High Rankers with relative ease, but, hidden away within each of the families were powerful Rankers known as 'Blue Holes'. These were former Higher Rankers, who, for a variety of reasons, had faded into obscurity until they were invariably removed from the rankings entirely.During his attempt to conquer the 35th Floor and gain possession of the Hell Express, White had the misfortune of encountering one of the most powerful Princesses of Jahad at the time, his own older sister, Arie Hagipherione Zahard. If it were just her, he might have come out ahead, but, as a wielder of the Thirteen Month Series, possessing the Red October, her importance to the family was too high for her to travel alone. As a result, he found himself pitted against a peerless princess and one of the Arie Families three 'Sword Saints', Arie Orion, the former Rank 29.In the end, White attempted to secure an advantage by remotely activating the ritual formation he had spent more than a thousand years constructing. This was ultimately successful, resulting in the death of billions, but, before he could properly absorb the extraordinary amount of energy, he was struck down by Hagipherione's Red October.The enchantments on the Thirteen Month Series were rumored to possess the power to even slay immortals when ignited, so, in an effort to preserve himself, White was forced to flee at the expense of more than 60,000 of his allies. Even this wasn't enough to save him from death, however, so, as a last-ditch effort to preserve his life and escape pursuit, he used up most of his remaining power to undo the ritual binding him and his siblings before hiding within the Hell Express. His intent was to sacrifice the souls onboard to recuperate and further increase his power, but, the moment he tried to activate the ritual, his plans were interrupted and undermined by a group of inordinately brave Regulars.At the cost of her own life, Roen interfered with the activation of White's ritual, preventing him from absorbing the power of souls onboard the Hell Express. This caused substantial damage to White's own soul, forcing him to flee and ultimately requiring him to use the last remnants of his power to seal himself away for more than five-hundred-years just to heal. It was only after Daniel discovered his chamber that he finally awoke, and, after a brief confrontation, the former agreed to become his proxy, absorbing souls on his behalf in exchange for agreeing to resurrect Roen.In the single-minded pursuit of this objective, Daniel had spent the last forty-years luring the vilest and most despicable people he could onboard the Hell Express before killing them in secret. It was for this same reason that he joined FUG, effectively selling his soul to the 'devil' in order for a small chance at resurrecting the woman he loved. This was how FUG came to learn of White's awakening, and, as a result, Daniel became a relatively important figure within the organization due to the seal allowing him to locate Hoaqin and his siblings onboard the infamously labyrinthine locomotive.Unfortunately, after idling about for more than ten-thousand-years, most of the Elders within FUG had become political 'fence-sitters'. They were apprehensive about making any decision that might introduce great change within the organization, so, despite having the opportunity to revive one of their most prolific Slayers, they were hesitant to do so before they could gain leverage against him.It wasn't a particularly well-known fact, but, due to their propensity to elevate Slayers to the level of Gods within the organization, FUG's Elders had very little control over the rambunctious bunch. The position of Slayer was, by design, the 'highest' within the entire organization, so, unless they could come to a consensus and coordinate with other Slayers, interfering with the actions of another was very difficult.Of the 'seven' Slayers designated by FUG, three were currently inactive, one was 'dead', another had only recently ascended to his position, and the last was rather famous for not giving a damn about the organization's affairs. This put the Elders of FUG into a difficult position, as, without the support of an active Slayer, 'reclaiming' White would be very difficult due to the rules prohibiting them from taking overt action before the 'prophesied time'.Since Slayer Yama had absolutely no interest in anything unrelated to his personal enjoyment and the survival of his people, this left only Slayer Karaka as a potential backer. Unfortunately, the latter had only recently become a Slayer in the last 100 years, and, while his power could rival some High Rankers, he would struggle to break into the Top 500 even with the support of three Elders and his Master, the Rank 71 Ha Jinsung.For these reasons, the 'revival' of White had been stonewalled for decades as Daniel continued his efforts to accumulate souls at Hoaqin's behest. As for why they had chosen to resurrect him at this moment in time, it was largely due to the fact that the 'prophesied time' was fast approaching. This was originally attributed to the emergence of Baam, but, now that the former was 'dead', many of the active Elders within FUG were beginning to latch onto the idea that Vahn was the one they had been waiting for.Unfortunately for the opportunistic Elders, Vahn wasn't exactly 'cooperative', and, due to their past actions and continuing negligence, they were quickly moving their way up to the top of his list of elements that needed to be removed from the Tower. Their only lifeline at this point was Hwa Ryun, and, to a lesser extent, Vahn's understanding that FUG, despite all their flaws, weren't actually the bad guys. They had just become stagnant and corrupt over the course of thousands of years, and, much like the Heads of the Ten Great Families, the majority of the Elders had become desensitized due to their own longevity.Though there were exceptions to the rule, most 'mortals' were unprepared for a life that continued into perpetuity. Unless they had something to drive them forward, most people would simply break after a few hundred years. This is what led to most Rankers developing quirky personalities, as, after a while, they simply 'forgot' how to interact with people normally. Instead, their main focus became increasing their rank, expanding the influence of their families, and pursuing various hobbies.Those who failed to find something they were interested in either took their own lives or ended up latching onto others with a greater drive than themselves. They found meaning in following those who seemed to have a sense of purpose, something most of them had lost even before managing to become Rankers. After all, few people became Rankers without compromising themselves and making countless sacrifices along the way.During the average Regular's climb, they would experience frequent betrayals, witness the deaths of virtually every single one of their teammates, and, more often than not, just as they were beginning to spread their wings, they would invariably fall victim to the Ten Great Families. This was enough to leave the vast majority of fresh Rankers feeling 'extremely' fatigued. As a result, most spent the first hundred or so years after their ascent trying to justify why they had climbed in the first place. They would meander through the Middle Tower to experience all the things they had missed out on; and, in the end, quite a number chose to become Administrators, many searching for themselves amidst the countless Regulars following the path they had formerly tread...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Being born a talented sorceress in a family of sword-machos...oof...','Daniel has ascended 'even further beyond' the realm of Super Simpin...!','The only things that survive the test of time are bureaucracy and sin o_o...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After successfully preventing anyone new from boarding the Hell Express, Vahn and Co, now accompanied by FUG's former team, sans Elliot, began their ten-day journey to reach their next destination. This time, however, it wasn't Artoria and the rest clearing out the cars. Instead, Vahn had Yura act as the Team's Light Bearer, directing the trio of Daniel, Vicente, and Anna while Ryun rendered her services as a Guide. As for Angel, she had tentatively 'retired' to the Second Layer of the Little Garden, enjoying a momentary reprieve from an inordinately long period of suffering...As could be expected from a team comprised of 'elites', Daniel, despite being a Scout, was able to clear most cars without any assistance. He hadn't lived for more than six-hundred-years without picking up a few skills along the way, and, though he had lost Hoaqin's demonic parasite, he was still able to use a unique form of Shinsu control known as 'Necromancy'.Unlike the Necromancy Vahn was familiar with, Daniel's allowed him to absorb the 'souls' of the enemies he had defeated, storing them within a secondary 'container' that had been created near his dantian. Unlike the energy stored within the dantian, the wellspring that served as the 'root' of a person's power, the energy kept within this secondary vessel was finite. In other words, once he ran out, he could no longer use his abilities as a 'Necromancer', so, whenever he defeated a foe, Daniel would absorb the energy released from their 'souls' in order to refill this peculiar reservoir.Using the energy he stored within, Daniel was able to create 'living' Baangs of Shinsu. These often appeared as screaming purple heads, complete with twisted expression and teeth that could bypass most resistances due to their spiritual nature. It was quite the eerie sight to behold, as, even without his direction, these heads were capable of passing through objects and pursuing their enemies like vengeful spirits, wailing madly as they attempted to devour anything perceived as an enemy.With the ghostly heads able to absorb the 'power of souls' for living organisms, they were capable of both sustaining themselves and replenishing Daniel's reserves. The only downside was that most Shinheuh, for a number of reasons, provided very little 'soul energy'. This was especially true on the Hell Express, as, unlike those found outside, the Shinheuh found within were effectively 'projections' comprised of Shinsu. They even vanished into motes of light upon death, reabsorbed and recycled by the Hell Express in order to produce a functionally unlimited number of enemies for Regulars to face.Fortunately, what Daniel believed to be the 'power of souls' was just a purified form of Shinsu, so, even though the Shinheuh onboard were bereft of anything even remotely resembling an Ego, he was still able to sweep through them while replenishing his secondary reserves. The only thing that prevented him from defeating 'every' enemy was the fact he could only sustain two Baangs at a time, and, though they were quite fast, it wasn't particularly difficult to dodge ghostly purple heads that constantly announced their presence via screaming.Acting as the Fishermen of the group, Vicente wielded a peculiar sword, resembling a claymore with an inordinately wide guard, to deftly cut down any foes that ventured within seventy meters of him, his sister, and Yura. He was the type of swordsman who focused almost exclusively on defense and counters, so, as could be expected, his perception and reaction time were both remarkable. He also got 'a lot' stronger whenever he was protecting something, so, with his sister close behind, Vicente was able to demonstrate a degree of skill that would eclipse most B-Rank Regulars.With his techniques revolving around manipulating, curving, and severing Space, Vicente was able to create an 'absolute field of protection' that functioned similarly to a domain. This required him to remain stationary, but, so long as it was active, his technique allowed him to cut down anything that ventured into the hemispherical space surrounding him. This included other sword techniques, and, as could be expected, most Shinsu-related attacks.During his youth, Vicente, much like each of his other siblings that had been fooled by Hoaqin, had been ostracized by the rest of his Family. He was considered to be a prodigy on the level of Hoaqin, but, rather than go on the offensive, all of his techniques revolved around defense. This earned him a reputation as a coward, and, due to their inability to land so much as a single blow, even his older siblings began refusing to train with him. The only exception to this rule was Hoaqin, who, prior to becoming the entity known as White, researched all of his siblings before picking those who would be most useful to him after fusing.Hoaqin's swordsmanship focused entirely on offense, so, in order to cover for his own weaknesses, he extended a helping hand to Vicente around the same time that everyone else was shunning him. This was seen through by Vicente, but, having already given up on surpassing his father and being accepted by the rest of his Family, he didn't care about the consequences. He just wanted to belong somewhere, and, after getting to know his younger sisters, each equally as ostracized as he was, the only thing he really cared about was protecting them.In the end, White was an amalgamation of Hoaqin's otherworldly offensive capabilities, Vicente's unparalleled defense, Anna's innate talent for Sorcery, David's ability to temporarily possess other people, and Albelda's uncanny ability to completely erase their presence. These last two had been particularly useful as they were ultimately what allowed him to successfully fool countless people during his 'kingdom building' days. They were also what allowed him to survive his initial climb up the Tower, as, rather than appear as himself, he often possessed the bodies of talented Regulars in order to escape the scrutiny of the Ten Great Families.Unfortunately, though the whole Tower was better for it, White had been forced to separate into his constituent parts after his battle against Arie Hagipherione Zahard. This left him without the unique abilities he had relied on for thousands of years, and, though he still possessed a ludicrous amount of offensive power, his mentality as a 'God' made him blind to the schemes that had been enacted against him by a group of Regulars.Now, the only thing that remained of the tyrannical Slayer were the fragments he had been infused into the Egos of his siblings. Two of these had already been 'exorcised' by Vahn, so, for the first time in their lives, Vicente and Anna were free to make their own decisions. For the time being, their primary objective was saving their siblings. After that, Vicente wanted to study swordsmanship within the Little Garden, apprenticing under Vahn while Anna studied under Eva.Vahn had become rather fond of Vicente due to his resolute desire to protect the people he cared about, and, though their abilities were fundamentally different, Eva seemed to see her former self in Anna. She had also been ostracized at a young age due to her magical abilities, and, much like the former, her power had first manifested as an ability to create and manipulate dolls. She could also sense a powerful desire to prove herself simmering within the not-so-young girl's heart; so, with the intent to turn Anna into the Tower's most preeminent Magus, Eva had taken the taciturn girl under her wing.Though she had only been studying for a few days, Anna wasn't considered a prodigy in sorcery for naught. She might not have been able to make any real progress towards understanding the basics of Eva's constantly evolving magic system, but, with an Innate talent for creating puppets, she now had five mannequin-like humanoids, each with the aptitude of a powerful D-Rank Regular, fighting at her behest.Eva's intent was to guide Anna down a very similar path as her younger self, shaping the girl into an Archmage that could create a literal army of autonomous magical soldiers. This was something that Anna was also interested in, and, after witnessing Eva's instantaneous creation of several copies of herself, each capable of manipulating Shinsu to devastating effect, a powerful desire to develop her own ability had blossomed overnight. This brought the two of them a lot closer, but, unfortunately, Vahn was destined to remain 'hated' as Eva had forbidden him from approaching within five meters of her young apprentice...---After a relatively leisurely ten days, Vahn and Co found themselves outside of a chamber guarded by a giant, frog-like Shinheuh. It appeared almost identical to a standard bullfrog, but, instead of green skin, it's glistening hide was a peculiar shade of blue. It was also more than ten meters tall, and, rather than possess two eyes, it had a bulbous third eye located at the center of its forehead.Having spent much of the last six-hundred-years onboard the Hell Express, Daniel recognized the peculiar creature in an instant, saying, "I never expected to encounter the Three-Eyed Tyrant this early on. It normally only appears after the Hell Train had surpassed the 40th-"Before Daniel could finish explaining the specifics regarding the peculiar Guardian, Anna's dolls, now resembling various stuffed animals, began peppering it with concentrated beams of Shinsu. Her talent for Sorcery directly translated to an equally extreme potential as a Wave Controller, so, much like Ryun, she had managed to master the basics of the Shinsu Black Hole Sphere using the method created by Eva. This made her attacks especially devastating, and, though it had resulted in a number of puppets self-destructing, she had been working on manifesting the unique control skill through her ever-growing population of autonomous soldiers.Though he could have defeated it on his own, Daniel couldn't help but stare with his mouth agape as Anna's army of stuffed animals decimated the notoriously difficult enemy. It couldn't even fight back, as, unlike normal Shinsu, Anna's seemed to ignore conventional resistances, tearing apart the target without mercy.Turning his head, a fearful glimmer flashed across Daniel's otherwise vibrant blue eyes as he stared back at the white-haired girl, seemingly no older than ten, hugging a stuffed pink rabbit. She didn't even need to exert herself to defeat a foe that would have taken him several minutes to defeat, and, so long as Vicente and Yura were at her side, her defenses were nigh-impregnable...Noticing the former's gaze, Anna met Daniel's eyes with her own silver-whites, her face devoid of any emotion as she cocked her head to the side and asked, "What are you looking at...?" in a cold monotone.Feeling slightly unnerved by Anna's expression and tone, Daniel offered a wry smile in response as he said, "Ah...it's nothing...I was just surprised by how strong you've become in such a short period of time. The descendants of the Ten Great Families are pretty...amazing...?"Noticing the surrounding temperature decreasing, Daniel's instincts began to sound alarm bells in the back of his mind. He seemed to have stepped on a landmine by mentioning Anna's relation to the Arie Family, and, as a result, her expression became even icier than usual as the rabbit-like doll in her head raised its head to meet his gaze with its beady black eyes. At the exact same moment, each of the other dolls turned their heads toward him, necks twisting unnaturally due to their lack of bones...Fortunately, just as it seemed like he would suffer the same fate as the Three-Eyed Tyrant, Vicente moved to block Anna's view of Daniel, his expression and tone calm as he said, "Anna...he is not an enemy..."Calming down almost immediately, Anna just nodded her head before hugging her doll close and retracting her bloodlust. This caused the palpable chill in the surroundings to fade away, and, as a result of her apprentice's antics, Eva couldn't help but laugh aloud before making a few remarks at Daniel's expense...(A/N: Alternate Titles: '*The sound of every true Necromancer and Lich clicking their tongues*','Eva be like, "Not this time you little shit..."','Anna about to fuck up the Arie Family on her own o_o...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though he couldn't exactly call their matters resolved, Vahn shifted his attention away from Angel and Elliot, his eyes passing over the other three before settling on the white-haired 'youth' named Vicente. This caused the latter to furrow his brows slightly, but, rather than show any fear, his voice was extremely calm as he asked, "Did you really kill Hoaqin?"Nodding his head without hesitation, Vahn produced a tiny silver crown from his Inventory as he explained, "Your plan to fuse with your siblings and gain control over your combined form would never have worked. The moment you agreed to Hoaqin's plan all those years ago, you had already become a part of him. He sacrificed the four of you, binding your 'souls' to his while superimposing his Ego unto yours. The only reason you were allowed to keep your sense of self was to prevent any hiccups from occurring immediately after the ritual had been performed. Now, it is only a matter of time before Hoaqin overwrites your Ego with his own, becoming the master of your body."Showing the first noteworthy change in expression since the start of the encounter, Vicente's face morphed into a deeply perturbed frown as he asked, "How do you know all of these things? Who, exactly, are you?"Offering a casual smile in response, Vahn performed a very slight bow as he said, "My name is Vahn Aldrnari Mason, the anomalous entity known as the Sage Dragon Emperor. How I know what I know is completely irrelevant in this matter. What matters most is that I'll be exorcising Hoaqin from your body. Your options are to cooperate, freeing you from the burden of your brother's sins, or resisting and joining him in death. What will you choose?"Since he could hardly even move in the presence of Vahn, Vicente didn't need much time to weigh the options he had been given. Being forced to 'sleep' for thousands of years had been unpleasant, so, now that he had the chance to experience the world beyond the confines of his family's floating castle, he wasn't going to squander it in the vain pursuit of a profane power.Having made up his mind, a resolute glimmer flashed across Vicente's silvery-white eyes as he said, "I will choose the former. I have come to learn that there are considerably worse things than living a life where I am unable to surpass my father. Even if I am fated to become a failed product, there are still things I wish to see, experience, and obtain through my own efforts. To that end, I ask you with as much sincerity as I can manage...please, free me and my siblings from Hoaqin's curse..."Nodding his head in approval, Vahn's expression morphed into a slightly appreciative smile as he said, "You can leave it to me. I have a surprising amount of experience with things like this so it will be a simple matter to remove Hoaqin's influence from the four of you. Before that, however, there are a few other small matters that require my attention..."Shifting his attention to the man with dirty-blond hair, Daniel Hatchid, Vahn's brows furrowed ever-so-slightly as he said, "Your plan to resurrect White and have him revive Roen was fated to fail from the start. He has never possessed the power to resurrect the dead, even at his peak. The most you could have hoped for was acquiring Roen's soul, but, without the means to identify it, he could have just given you any soul. Even then, you lack the means to anchor it to a physical vessel or remove it from the Hell Express. In other words, even if White did honor the promise made between you, both you and Roen would have been absorbed shortly thereafter..."Glaring in response to Vahn's words, ghostly purple flames began to spread across Daniel's body as he shouted, "What are you saying!? What, was I supposed to just give up and abandon Roen to her fate!? Do you have any idea what-"Before the man could continue his tantrum, Vahn appeared right in front of him in an instant, index and middle finger pressed against the former's head. This caused the ghostly flames to immediately fade away as he calmly stated, "Relax. Just like I told your former colleagues, I will do my best to try and help Roen. Unlike White, I actually possess the power to revive the recently deceased and those strong of spirit. So long as her spirit hasn't been irreversibly tainted by negativity, reviving Roen is a simple matter."Retracting his fingers, Vahn extracted what appeared to be a fetus-like parasite from Daniel's head. This caused the latter to instantaneously collapse, the tattoos inscribed across his body evaporating as his body seized up from the pain.Incinerating the ghostly parasite using a combination of the Laws of Fire and Purification, Vahn left Danial to seize upon the ground as he returned his attention to the final member of the group, Ha Yura. Her body tensed up in response to his gaze, complexion paling as she averted her eyes to the side with a mixture of indignation and nervousness visible in her countenance.Though it had only been a few minutes, Vahn knew the insincere Idol had been ruminating over his earlier words. She had no easy way to refute them, and, after seeing what he was capable of, a small amount of guilt had been seeded within her heart. At the very least, she realized it was wrong of her to try and justify sacrificing the people who had supported her over many years. From an objective point of view, this was an inarguably monstrous thing to do; and, had she gone through with it, she would have become inseparable from FUG since nobody in their right mind would ever place their trust in her again...Understanding that Yura's hatred toward the Ha Family was primarily due to her mother, it was very difficult for Vahn to stay mad at her. She was a product of her environment, and, due to her unique heritage, she had been ostracized, pressured, and coerced countless times. She was forced to make countless sacrifices during her ascent, and, were it not for the power she inherited as a member of the Ha Family and the Asterian people, she would have been consumed by the Tower's degeneracy and corruption long ago...Suppressing a sigh, Vahn maintained a largely neutral expression as he said, "I have some powerful connections within the Ha Family and Wolhaiksong. I will try and smooth things over with them so that you and your mother no longer have to live in fear. You also have the option of retiring from your life as a Regular and living amongst your people, the Asteria Tribe. I have removed their curse and arranged a place for them to live out the rest of their days alongside other Native Tribes..."Having learned about her father's tribe from her mother, Yura couldn't help but feel taken aback by Vahn's sudden mention of the 'formerly' Cursed People. She found it difficult to believe that he had managed to both remove their curse and move them to a secure location without causing massive ripples throughout the Tower. As for his mention of powerful connections within the Ha Family and Wolhaiksong, his status as an Irregular made the former sound completely nonsensical...With the Law of Identity revealing Yura's rude thoughts, Vahn's expression morphed into a deadpan as he explained in a dull monotone, "Unlike FUG, I can prove the veracity of my claims with extreme ease. If you want, I can let you meet with your people here and now. Seriously, what reason would I have to lie about such things?"Though he had asked the question rather offhandedly, Vahn's deadpan became even more potent as the Law of Identity revealed, "She thinks you're trying to deceive her so that you can get into her pants. By the way, she is currently wearing baby-blue panties with a star pattern on them~."As if to prove her point, the Law of Identity attempted to lift her skirt, but, by shifting his attention away from her, Vahn was able to make her momentarily disappear as he said, "I won't deny that you are a beautiful woman, but, as you can see, I'm not exactly wanting in that regard..."Reacting to Vahn's words, Eva's brows perked up as she asked, "Did this brat think you were trying to hit on her?"Gesturing for Eva to remain calm, a wry smile developed across Vahn's face as he explained, "Just as any other, her expectations have been shaped by the life she has lived. It is difficult for those born within the Tower to believe that there are people willing to help them without expecting something in return. Don't worry, even if I allow them to enter the Little Garden, I have no intention of allowing either of them to stay within the Emerald Grove."Though she wasn't fond of being silenced, Eva just rolled her eyes in response to Vahn's words before crossing her arms under her breasts and muttering, "The women in this Tower are all thirsty little minxes..."Hearing Eva's remark, Yura's already ruddy complexion became even redder as she balled her hands into fists and bit her bottom lip. She realized that the rumors regarding Vahn's ability to read minds were true, so, with a somewhat indignant glimmer in her eyes, she attempted to mentally admonish him. Unfortunately, he was currently ignoring the Law of Identity, so, despite her best efforts, Yura's words ultimately went unheard as Vahn manifested the Little Garden and explained the basics of its functionality...---Without anything to mark the passage of time, Mordred couldn't be sure how long she had been in the Rice Pot. Her best guess was that a month or so had passed, but, without something like a day-night cycle, it was hard to be sure. All she knew for certain was that her boredom had exceeded her usual tolerance, and, though she was still making slow progress, she was starting to wonder if there was a reason to be tearing through the foundation of her own potential. After all, there was nothing preventing her from increasing her potential in the outside world. Rather, with the guidance of her Papa and the presence of several powerhouses in the Little Garden, there had never been a limit to her growth...As this thought crossed her mind, Mordred entered her 'low-power' state, sprawling out across the cold metal foundation before calling out, "How long are you going to keep spying on me? Do you enjoy watching me struggle...?"Reacting to Mordred's words, a juvenile lioness with eagle-like wings appeared out of thin air, its face fixed into a very humanoid expression of annoyance as it replied, "We're one and the same. How can I be spying on you? You're really beginning to lose it, aren't you?"Rather than immediately reply to the lioness' words, Mordred yawned rather loudly before looking over at the golden-furred creature and saying, "Even if we're the same person, the fact we can talk like this is proof enough that there is 'something' separating us. If I had to guess, you inherited my willfulness. You refuse to become a part of me and simply disappear. I certainly wouldn't be able to accept such a thing, so I imagine we'll eventually become two distinct entities. Who knows, you might even become my Zanpakuto? If that happens, try and become a greatsword or something..."Feeling inordinately sleepy, Mordred punctuated her statement with another yawn before folding her hands behind her head and closing her eyes. This left the lioness staring at her with a rather helpless expression, her voice failing to reach the former's ears as she grumbled, "Selfish brat...just you wait and see. If I do become a Zanpakuto, I'll be so massive that you can't even hope to wield me...hmph...!"(A/N: Alternate Titles: '*Casually plucks demonic parasite*','Thirsty little minxes xD...','Poor lioness-chan...that would just make Mordred even happier...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1868: Time Heals/Consumes All