Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the Guardian taken care of with relative ease, there was nothing preventing Daniel from using the seal tattooed on his body to remove the seal that would have otherwise required more 'forceful' methods to bypass. On the other side, seated atop a wooden chair that appeared almost comically oversized compared to its occupant, a young boy with the characteristic features of the Arie Family could be seen staring back at them.Though it was their first time seeing their brother in hundreds of years, neither Vicente nor Anna showed any real reaction. Rather, much like every other member of the Arie Family, Hoaqin being one of the few exceptions, they appeared unperturbed by everything happening around them. This caused many within the Tower to view the entire family as emotionless killers, but, while it was true they weren't very expressive, that didn't mean they were bereft of sentiments such as affection and love.While Vicente exchanged nods with the presumed David, Anna made her way over to his side, not to say or do anything, just to be near him. This earned her a deadpan stare from David, but, after a few seconds, he dutifully reached his hand out to caress her head as he dully intoned, "It is good to see you, Anna. Have you been well?"With an unchanging expression of her own, Anna nodded her head before gesturing towards the compressed dolls visible from within the fashionable purse gifted to her by Eva. This earned her a head-tilt from David, forcing her to explain, "I have found a teacher. Now I can grow stronger like everyone else."Though it was almost imperceptible, the briefest hint of a smile could be seen on David's face as he retracted his hand and said, "I'm happy for you." before shifting his attention to Vicente and asking, "Where is Hoaqin? I would have thought he would be the one unsealing our chambers."Frowning slightly in response to David's mention of their elder brother, Anna squeezed her rabbit-like doll, retreating to Eva's side as Vicente went on to explain the details of Hoaqin's demise. This came as a tremendous shock to David, not because he was upset by Hoaqin's death, but, much like Vicente, he had been planning to become the 'center' when they re-fused as White. He hadn't even considered the possibility that they would remain separated, so, following the sudden revelation, he just stared blankly at nothing before gradually shifting his attention to the 'culprit' behind Hoaqin's death.Adopting a casual smile in response to the youth's gaze, Vahn took the initiative to explain, "Your power is remarkable, but it won't help you in this particular situation. Even if you wanted to try and seize one of our bodies, everyone here is exponentially stronger than you. Besides, the moment you tried pulling a stunt like that in front of me, you are effectively deciding your own death. I'm not the type to consider an ability evil by default. The moment you use it for evil purposes, however, expect no quarter from me."Fearful that his brother might make a mistake he couldn't take back, Vicente immediately followed up Vahn's words with his own, proposing, "This man is similar to father, someone from outside the Tower. If you are worried about living and making decisions on your own, I will allow you to inhabit my body. We can share control and improve together, just like when we were younger."Hearing Vicente compare Vahn to their father, David's expression became the closest thing to shock he could manage, brows raised slightly as his pupils retracted to the size of pinholes. They had been taught from a 'very' young age how amazing their father was, and, at the end of every year, he even attempted to 'encourage' them by performing a sword dance. This became the driving force behind each and every member of the Arie Family, but, at the same time, it also showed them how vast and seemingly insurmountable their Father was. This impression was so strong that it was impossible for them to compare him to another, yet, here, at this moment, Vicente seemed to be doing just that...Shifting his gaze back to Vahn, David's eyes began to wander across his body, seemingly searching for whatever made him exceptional. This earned him a light chuckle from the former, who, feeling a little emboldened by the youth's expectations, manifested Laev-tan. Before he could move to swing her, however, Eva promptly smacked him in the back of the head, saying, "Don't even think about it! You don't even know how powerful you are right now! What if you destroy the entire Hell Express in your attempts to show off!? At least return to the Little Garden before you do something stupid...!"Rubbing the spot where Eva had smacked him, Vahn maintained a carefree smile even as he felt a warmth flood into his cheeks. This earned him exasperated sighs from most of the women present, the only real exceptions being Artoria and Fenrir; who, in response to Eva smacking him in front of other people, adopted slight frowns. This caused her body to straighten out, but, rather than take a step back, she adopted a frown of her own and asked, "What? Everything I said was the truth. Don't even pretend that Vahn doesn't have a habit of destroying things whenever he is trying to show off. He might be a Grandmaster swordsman, but he is also an incomprehensibly overpowered God. Are you forgetting what happened during his most recent attempt to awaken his Bankai...?"Though they wanted to support Vahn, even Fenrir couldn't help but avert her eyes slightly as she recalled the destructive inferno that had devastated more than a third of the Ninth Layer, a texture that could rival Gaia in surface area. If not for Vahn preemptively evacuating the region prior to the attempt, there was a very real chance that someone could have gotten caught up in the blaze...Feeling even more embarrassed due to Eva's words, Vahn began chuckling lightly as he returned Laev-tan to his body. Then, before the conversation could continue, he hastily manifested the Little Garden, saying, "I still need to remove Hoaqin's fragment from David's Ego. We'll resume our search come morning. I'm sure these three have much to discuss and I'm certain Rindo will have some new dishes for us to sample..."Hearing mention of Rindo's incomparable cooking, the stomaches of nearly everyone present made their presence known via the issuance of a loud war cry. Eva was no exception to this, so, with a red hue coloring her cheeks, she nodded her head in compliance, saying, "Very well then. Let us be off." in an uncharacteristically demure yet expectant tone...---Having disembarked the Hell Express at the 37th Floor's train station, Elliot, feeling frustrated at his lack of strength and the loss of his Angel, spent several days venting his frustrations within the Red Light District of the Middle Tower before reporting the incident. This required him to venture to one of the territories managed by FUG, a surprisingly difficult task now that he no longer had someone to provide directions.Fortunately, so long as he ventured to regions where the public order was terrible, Elliot needed only follow the scent of fresh blood in order to track down a member of FUG. Then, after beating the trio that had attempted to extort him, brutally killing two in the process, he was guided to a night club that served as one of the FUGs many fronts.What Elliot never could have expected was, less than five hours after he had made his report, two figures, neither of which he had ever anticipated meeting, appeared before him. This included an inordinately handsome man wearing glasses, and, though it was 'very' dangerous for them to be seen together, a woman with pale-pink hair and cold blue eyes had appeared alongside him.Unable to move so much as a single muscle in the presence of the duo, Elliot lowered his body to the ground, sweat covering his entire body as the man, none other than Po Bidau Gustang, casually remarked, "It seems like FUG is well on its way to triggering its own annihilation..."Snorting in response to the man's words, the pink-haired woman, one of FUG's most influential Elders, Sophia Tan, remarked, "Preposterous. Though we might not be able to avoid a few losses, even Ureko would not be able to destroy the entirety of FUG. Besides, that man seems to be in a hurry, and, despite all his power, he gives off the impression of someone 'soft'. So long as we seek to compromise, I imagine he will willingly seek an accord."Though he couldn't completely refute Sophia's words, Gustang still shook his head, insisting, "It is a mistake to delude ourselves into thinking we can finitely ascertain anything related to that man. His existence isn't a mere anomaly, it is something that defies logic in its entirety. According to the data I have been able to collect, there is a 93% probability that he doesn't actually exist. Rather, the man we see and experience as the 'Sage Dragon Emperor' is the manifestation of something far beyond our capabilities to understand. I will not deny the merit contained within your assertations, but, the moment you begin basing your actions on the assumptions you have formed, you will have assured your own destruction."Understanding the kind of man Gustang was, Sophia couldn't help but frown deeply in response to his words. He wasn't the type to exaggerate things, and, the moment he finished speaking, she felt a sudden and intense feeling of existential dread. It was like 'death' was standing right behind her, and, had she been alone, she wouldn't have been able to avoid looking over her shoulder. Instead, she forced a smile as she said, "It seems there is a need to further distance Seolhwangyon from the rest of FUG..."With a peculiar sheen flashing across his square-rimmed glasses, Gustang gestured to push them further up his nose as he suggested, "If there is anything we can be reasonably certain of, it is that man's obsession with women. It will undoubtedly require some sacrifices to be made, but there is a chance you can, at the very least, earn his favor. Just make sure you don't pressure the women into approaching him. Keeping secrets from that man is impossible so it is best to choose someone with a resolute heart and sincere belief in FUG's ideals."As the backer for several 'female-only' sects and organizations, Sophia was spoiled for choice when it came to choosing women to entice Vahn. She even had a number of personal disciples who were remarkably loyal to the cause, but, due to her teachings, avoided direct involvement with FUG. After all, it was an organization comprised almost entirely of criminals, many of which had been shunned or chased out of society for various profane or vile acts. Allowing sheltered women to interact with such despots was just inviting trouble, so, more often than not, her faction operated independently from the rest of FUG.Before Sophia could come up with an answer, Gustang shifted his attention back to Elliot, saying, "I will take this one with me. I would appreciate it if you didn't inform Yama of his disappearance. As it stands, FUG will soon lose more than half of its Slayers. There is a 72.095% chance that Yama will be able to avoid this fate. Allowing this man to come into contact with him reduces that chance to only 11.853%."Since she didn't particularly care about Elliot, Sophia just nodded in response to Gustang's words before manifesting a dark-pink Lighthouse and saying, "In approximately six months, myself, Hwa Yon, and Khel Hellam are intending to meet with the Sage Dragon Emperor. The latter believes the Jahad Empire will take action around the same time. It would make things easier on us if you could run interference from your end."Having already deduced Vahn's reasons for boarding the Hell Express, Gustang offered an amused smile in response to Sophia's words before casually remarking, "Measures have already been taken. I am not alone in my interest in that anomaly. So long as he doesn't do anything 'too' excessive, we should be able to prevent a full mobilization of the Empire's forces. If anything, you should be more worried about Hana losing her temper and reducing the entire Floor to ashes. She has become little more than a puppet over these last few millennia so there is a high likelihood she will do something drastic at the behest of that incessantly vain woman."Frowning in response to Gustang's words, Sophia quickly forwarded a few encrypted transmissions through her Lighthouse network before placing her palm against the front face and saying, "We will make the necessary preparations. Farewell, Mr. E..."Without waiting for Gustang's response, Sophia vanished using a very advanced form of Lighthouse Teleportation. Unlike the traditional skill, hers only required the use of a single Lighthouse, and, so long as they made use of the same network, she could freely teleport to the location of any other Lighthouse. This included the Lighthouses of most Regulars, and, thanks to the cooperation of the Workshop, she could even hack into the Lighthouses of enemy Rankers in order to send assassins to their side. These were capabilities unique to her Lighthouse, and, though it wasn't on the level of an Opera or the Eyes of God, it was one of the only A-Rank Lighthouses in the entire Tower...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'An entire family of anti-social introverts...,'The appetite demons demand sustenance...!','TFW you realize Phae produced an A-Rank Lighthouse prior to the 20th Floor...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though he had said they would resume the search in the morning, Vahn adjusted the flow of time within the Little Garden to afford everyone ample time for rest and relaxation.Ryun's ability to read the paths took into account the number of people who were passing through each car, so from the moment they began their search, they were forced to remain outside for the entire ten-day period. This meant ten days away from his children, and, for others, ten days without from Rindo's cooking.At this point, Vahn suspected that Rindo's popularity within the Little Garden was even greater than his own. He got along exceptionally well with everyone, and, more often than not, they treated him deferentially. Rindo, however, had become a 'goddess' of sorts, conquering not the hearts, but the stomachs of virtually everyone within the Little Garden.Though he was reluctant to admit it, even Vahn couldn't go more than a few days without Rindo's cooking. Other food just tasted bland, and, though he could prepare most of her dishes using his own skills, there was always something 'missing' within the final product. He knew this was primarily the difference in intent, as, despite enjoying cooking, Vahn couldn't compare to someone like Rindo whose entire existence seemed to revolve around creating and devouring new dishes.Fortunately, even though the population of the Emerald Grove had more than doubled in recent months, Rindo could easily keep up with the load thanks to her [Ultimate Culinary God System]. It had a function that allowed her to mass produce any dishes she had already mastered, and, though they had fixed bonuses, their flavor didn't diminish in the slightest. This meant, so long as she had enough ingredients, Rindo could effectively produce an infinite number of exquisite dishes, many of which provided permanent, albeit slight, increases to a person's status and parameters.Even if they never exercised a day in their life, living within the Emerald Grove and eating Rindo's cooking every day would penultimately result in even mortals ascending to Godhood. This wasn't an exaggeration either, as, thanks to Da Vinci deconstructing the [Nectar of the Gods] years ago, it had now become one of Rindo's 'uncommon' ingredients. This, combined with the fact she used things like Dragon, Hydra, and Phoenix meat in her dishes meant that Rindo's cooking was, quite literally, god-level.As the primary supplier of Rindo's ingredients, Vahn enjoyed a considerable number of benefits, chief among them being that he was often the second person to sample a new dish. The first was obviously Rindo herself, but, as the person cooking, that was to be expected. What was infinitely more surprising was the fact that Rindo often asked for him to 'produce' ingredients from his own body.Though he didn't have any issues producing things like Dragon Steak by cutting off his own tail and allowing Rindo to cook it up, things got 'weird' when Rindo began asking for his blood, bones, and other...peculiar...ingredients. She used these to prepare things like soup stock, gelatine, and, though he had never been bold enough to sample it, the parfaits, pudding, and sweet cream she prepared were particularly popular among the female population of the Emerald Grove...Even several months after the inciting 'incident', Vahn could still vividly recall the scene of Rindo licking fresh cream from her lips as she stared at him with her predatory eyes and matching smile. She was a firm believer in collecting the 'ingredients' herself, as, not only did it help to ensure their freshness, but, as could be expected from something like the [Ultimate Culinary God System], she received numerous bonuses from doing so.Due to Rindo's insatiable desire to create new dishes, Vahn had what some might describe as an 'inordinate' amount of experience being 'butchered' by the voracious redhead. Despite this, their relationship was actually quite close, and, though it had caused him to perform a spit take at the time, she had even 'returned the favor' by preparing him a special kind of tea using ingredients harvested from her own body. This was something that only he was allowed to have, and, though it was somewhat bittersweet, Vahn had become rather fond of the mellow aftertaste that provided a temporary increase in both sensitivity and libido...If he had anything to complain about, it was the fact that Fenrir, Illya, and Rindo were no longer the only ones who looked at him with 'hungry' eyes. There were actually quite a number of gluttonous girls among the women comprising his harem, so, after sampling items from Rindo's not-so-secret menu, it had become permanently affixed in their minds that he was 'delicious'. This culminated in a rather drastic increase in the number of bites he received during sex, the chief offenders being girls such as Artoria, Altria, X, and, to a lesser extent, Gray...Though these changes might have been concerning to some, Vahn didn't particularly mind them as there was also a sharp increase in the number of surprises he received throughout the day and early in the morning. This included waking up to fellatio nearly every morning, and, though they did their best to be discreet about it, principally out of consideration for Hana's propensity for peeping, Vahn experienced an average of ten sexual liaisons per day. This number would be even higher if he took into consideration his experiences in the various fictional worlds he had Actualized, but, as most of those encounters were 'experimental' in nature, he willfully excluded them...---Opening his eyes, Vahn found himself in a starry abyss, standing atop a circular platform seemingly formed from some kind of indestructible crystal. He immediately felt the presence of several Laws attempting to cling to him like a viscous and uncomfortable veil, but, with a simple 'shrug', he was able to liberate himself from their influence as he stared at the surprisingly petite woman standing across from him.Though he was used to her appearing in a different form during each of their encounters, Vahn couldn't help but raise his brows as he asked, "Are you the same Ethereal Queen...?"Unlike the previous iterations, which were all buxom women with golden hair, shapely figures, and a varying number of angelic wings, the woman standing before him was only around 145cm tall, her figure thin, lithe, and colored a healthy shade of brown. Her eyes, which were usually a breathtaking shade of amethyst, current resembled vibrant green emeralds; and, instead of pure white sclera, the area around them was beset with a blackness reminiscent of the abyss. As for her wings, they were even stranger, as, despite appearing angelic, they more closely resembled the wings of a butterfly than an actual angel...Giggling in response to the question, the Ethereal Queen shouldered her bident-like staff, smiling as she answered, "My existence is representative of an absolute concept. It is not something that can be bound by a particular shape. Are you not the same?"Nodding his head in understanding and affirmation, Vahn ceased inspecting her long platinum hair, elf-like ears, and predominately white garments as he manifested Laev-tan and said, "I'll be in your care..."With her feet gracefully parting from the platform that prohibited others from flying, the Ethereal Queen issued another child-like giggle as she mused, "You are persistent, I'll give you that. I wonder if you'll be able to beat your record of thirteen seconds~?"Understanding that the battle had already begun, Vahn swung Laev-tan in a slow and graceful arc that, to the untrained eye, resembled a very basic technique. Despite this, the 'world' acknowledged his intention, and, as a result, space, time, and several lesser concepts were cut through as a wave of reddish-black flames resembling a solar flare tore towards the Ethereal Queen at relativistic speeds.With their perception greatly exceeding their attack speeds, Vahn and the Ethereal Queen could see the wave of fire moving in slow motion as it tore its way through the fabric of reality in an attempt to consume the latter. In response, she directed her bident towards the heavens before 'dropping' it downward like the blade of a guillotine. This caused a terrifying black crack to open between them, perfectly bisecting the wave as the seemingly indestructible platform beneath them shattered like a thin pane of glass.Having experienced similar attacks in the past, Vahn manifested himself behind the Ethereal Queen, evading her attack by simply ceasing to exist for a brief moment. This allowed him to see the rather beautiful pattern in her wings, his eyes widening slightly as he felt a familiar sensation wash over his mind, much like when he viewed Haruhime's tails. His [Will of the Emperor] erupted outwards in an attempt to resist this effect, but, in spite of the cataclysmic shockwave released, the Ethereal Queen completely ignored it as she spun around and stabbed him in the chest with her bident, smiling as she remarked, "This makes seventeen..." in a voice that echoed within his mind, traveling far faster than the wave of flames moving near the speed of light...The moment his mind processed the words, Vahn felt an irresistible force flowing through his body, fracturing his very existence within the fictional world. This caused him to experience a backlash on par with the Law of Identity fracturing his Ego, but, unlike then, he could keep himself together due to the disconnect between his manifestation and his 'true self', the inviolable being that maintained the very structure of the Actualized worlds.Landing with a heavy thud in his Internal World, a pained grunt escaped Vahn's throat as he rolled himself over onto his back, sprawling out in order to reflect on the nigh-instantaneous defeat. The only time he had been able to last more than a few seconds against her was when he attempted to fight her at a distance, wholly focused on evasion and defense rather than defeating her. In nearly every other instance, she would answer his initial attack with an incomprehensible counter, many of which completely defied logic...Vahn couldn't understand how his attack could be countered by a tear in the void when his attack, quite literally, used the void as a medium to cut through space and time. If anything, it should have made his attack even stronger, as, despite its destructive potential, the void was completely bereft of a medium that could interfere with concept-based attacks. There was literally 'nothing' within the void to interfere with his attack, yet, as if such sentiments didn't matter in the slightest, the Ethereal Queen was, nonetheless, able to cut through it...Exhaling a tired sigh, Vahn rolled to a seated position before gesturing towards one of the many lights floating within his Internal World. In response, the tiny pink mote began to gravitate toward him before a sudden shift in perspective occurred, resulting in him 'falling' towards the expanding bubble. It quickly expanded to the size of several universes contained within a metaversal sphere before another shift in perspective occurred, this time allowing Vahn to rapidly descend towards his destination, a pristine world that was roughly two-thirds the size of Gaia...Before he could even fully manifest, a relaxed smile plastered itself across Vahn's face as the voice of a young woman suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! Kami-sama has returned! Someone send a missive to Galette and Pastillage~!"Opening his eyes, Vahn found an adorable pink-haired girl with dog-like ears and a tail floundering about with an excited expression on her face, tail wagging happily as she directed her attendants to make preparations for a feast. She seemed to sense his gaze, a lovely smiling blooming across her face as she practically spun towards the altar that had been prepared for him, running up the steps before leaping the remaining distance, pouncing on him as she happily exclaimed, "Welcome back, Kami-sama~!"As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Vahn began petting the young Chienthropes head with his right hand while using his left to stroke the right side of her face and dig into the fur near her ears. This caused her tail to wag even faster, a contented laugh emanating from her throat as she shamelessly rubbed her cheek against his palm. This caused Vahn's smile to widen, the look in his eyes softening as he lightly muttered, "Millhi...I've only been gone for a few days...I appreciate your eagerness, but there is no need to celebrate every time I visit..."Without losing her smile in the slightest, Millhi, better known as Millhiore Firianno Biscotti, Princess of the Biscotti Republic, cheerfully retorted, "Nonsense! Everyone is happiest whenever Kami-sama is around! Leo and the rest wouldn't forgive me if I didn't inform them of your arrival at the earliest possible moment~!"Unable to refute her words, Vahn just chuckled in response to Millhi's statement as he continued to caress her addictively soft hair. One of the main reasons he frequented this particular world, formed from an adorable anime known as Dog Days, was due to the pervasiveness of people with animal traits, the peculiar way in which they waged wars, and, most importantly, their fondness for petting and being petted by others. All he needed to do was prevent a handful of tragedies, clear up a few misunderstandings, and participate in a few 'recreational wars' before becoming a central figure in the peculiar world. Since then, he had been elevated to the status of a God, and, whenever he was feeling troubled, he liked to stop by and experience the overwhelming positivity present within the inordinately fluffy world.With this in mind, Vahn continued to fluff up Millhi's hair, smiling as the Princess happily nuzzled against his hand without any amorous intentions or desires. She just enjoyed being pet, and, as the 'God of Petting', there were none better than him in the entire metaverse...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Delicious (OwO)...','Paradoxical Omnipotence at its finest...','Someone arrest this man...!')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

Chapter 1870: Reunions, Meetings, and Machinations