Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

A stark contrast to Mash, who promptly hopped to her feet with shields in hand, Fenrir and Ryun just looked over lazily for a brief moment before gathering up all the cards and shuffling them. As for Jeanne, she brandished the banner of the Aldrnari Empire in a remarkably skillful manner, the silvery tip radiating a divine glow as she spun it around in a series of smooth and graceful arcs.With each motion of the banner, yet another attack of the enemy was dispersed into nothingness. This caused the person launching the attacks, a young blonde who was equal parts sporty as she was attractive, to momentarily adopt an incredulous expression. Rather than back down, however, she leaped several meters into the air, benefitting from the inordinately spacy chamber as a sphere of golden Shinsu more than five meters in diameter promptly manifested beneath her.Following the woman's ascent with her eyes, Jeanne couldn't help but lightly furrow her brows as she noticed the lace g-string worn beneath the woman's uniform-like black dress. They were the type of panties someone wore when they 'wanted' to be seen, and, considering the woman focused on kicks, it wasn't an exaggeration to call her an exhibitionist.Since the chances of her Master taking an interest in someone were never zero, Jeanne, for one of the few times in her life, was grateful for his absence. She didn't really mind him having any number of women, including 'lost lambs' who had strayed from the light; but, at the very least, she wanted to reduce the number of perverts around him...With this in mind, Jeanne lowered her center of gravity ever-so-slightly, her thighs bulging almost imperceptibly as she pointed the banner's speartip towards her foe. Then, like a spring under high tension, she launched herself towards the descending sphere without any fear or hesitation visible in her gaze.Though she was surprised that her opponent would jump towards her attack, the yellow-haired woman just laughed maniacally as she kicked it downwards with meteoric force. She was pretty confident in her Shinsu Tension, so, even if her opponent had inordinately high Shinsu Resistance, they wouldn't be able to avoid injury after taking her attack head-on. At least, that was how things were supposed to go...Similar to popping a bubble, Jeanne's spear pierced through the massive sphere of Shinsu as if it was nothing but a ball of air. There was even a visible twisting around the head of the spear, similar to a vortex except that it pushed things away rather than drawing them in.Demonstrating a surprising amount of finesse and combat experience, the yellow-haired woman didn't immediately panic upon seeing one of her strongest attacks dissipated. Instead, she kicked the air with enough force to launch herself sideways, a golden ripple appearing where her foot had impacted. Unfortunately, while this was a technique far beyond the capabilities of most Regulars, it wasn't anything particularly special in the eyes of Jeanne. Most of her sparring partners were able to use techniques similar to Koku Shundo, so, while the woman's capabilities weren't anything to scoff at, they were a far cry from the standard present among members of the Empire.After piercing through the area where the woman had previously been 'standing', Jeanne surprised the former considerably by nimbly inverting her body, wings and all, before kicking against the air with enough force to create cracks in the surrounding space. This was something even the majority of Rankers wouldn't be able to pull off, and, as could be expected, her speed greatly exceeded that of the yellow-haired woman.Though she managed to cross her arms and tuck in her legs to form a defensive posture, the very tip of Jeanne's spear was able to easily penetrate the small gaps present in her guard. This resulted in a relatively shallow wound on the left side of the woman's abdomen, but, unlike a normal injury, silvery tendrils quickly spread from the entry point. They appeared very similar to veins at a glance, but, rather than flow naturally, they resembled the pattern of a circuit board as they quickly spread to cover much of the woman's torso.With the pattern spreading before she had even hit the ground, the yellow-haired woman couldn't help but blank when she attempted to right herself only to find that the muscles in her lower body simply weren't responding. As a result, she ended up crashing to the ground at a rather awkward angle, and, though her body was extremely durable, a pained grunt still emanated from her throat as she glowered at Jeanne and shouted, "You bird-brained asshole! Did you seriously just poison me!?"Without any signs of deceit or subterfuge, Jeanne's expression relaxed into a slightly apologetic look as she shook her head and explained, "This spear is enchanted with a powerful purification spell. Though its primary function is to allow me to disperse the offensive and defensive spells of my opponents, its secondary effect allows me to remove things like curses and other abnormal status effects. For the effect to have activated with such intensity...it seems like you were under a very powerful curse...?"Though she wanted to call Jeanne all kinds of names in response, the yellow-haired woman was unable to speak further as the silvery pattern had already spread to cover her neck and face. She felt like all the blood in her body was on fire, and, though pain was nothing new to her, this was on a whole other level compared to anything she had experienced before. She couldn't even transform her body, and, after several seconds had passed, there was even a red mist rising from her body...Surprised by the woman's adverse reaction to her purification spell, Jeanne couldn't help but open her mouth as if to say something. Before she could, however, Ryun stepped in, explaining, "This girl is a Princess of Jahad...if I'm not mistaken, your spear is trying to purify the blood curse attached to each of the Princesses during the ritual to receive Jahad's Blood. How interesting..."As their Master had already informed them about things like 'Jahad's Blood Curse', Jeanne was able to follow along with and understand Ryun's explanation. Rather than feeling relieved, however, she felt compelled to bite her bottom lip as she contemplated the consequences of purifying one of the Jahad's Princesses before her Master had given his permission...Fortunately, she wasn't left to contemplate this for very long, as, almost immediately after Ryun's explanation, a familiar figure with dark-brown, aquamarine eyes, and sunkissed skin emerged from the void, adding, "Indeed. Though I must admit, I never expected an 'enemy' Princess to be the first to have their blood purified...hmmm..."With all eyes spontaneously shifting to him, Vahn couldn't help but crack a smile as he met each of their gazes in turn before directing his attention to the twin-tailed woman curled up on the ground. At this point, there was blood flowing from her eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. This resulted in a rather pitiable sight, yet, in spite of this, the person observing the fight showed no intention of stepping in and offering their assistance...Furrowing his brows, Vahn lifted his hand, gesturing towards the void and causing a ponytailed woman with dark-pink hair and matching eyes to 'pop' out of thin air. This seemed to startle her quite a bit, but, almost immediately thereafter, an unperturbed smile spread across her face as she smoothed out the creases of her dress and remarked, "You really did a number on my sister...am I to expect similar treatment~?"Ignoring the pink-haired woman's remark, Vahn briefly shifted his attention to the Law of Identity, his frown deepening as she revealed the woman's true intentions. This caused his aura to gradually leak out, and, though it was only a small amount, it was more than enough to cause the pink-haired woman's complexion to pale. Her status as a descendent of the Lo Po Bia Family provided her with enhanced senses, and, as could be expected, animalistic instincts that allowed her to ascertain how dangerous a situation was even without full knowledge of 'why' it was dangerous.For a brief moment, the pink-haired woman, better known as Lo Po Bia Shilial Jahad, considered running away from the scene. The moment this thought crossed her mind, however, her instincts began sounding alarm bells all throughout her mind. As a result, her feet were firmly rooted to the spot, and, for the first time since her meeting with Jahad, she found herself at a complete loss for words.With the Law of Identity revealing the woman's thoughts, Vahn's grimace relaxed into an amused smile as he shifted his attention back to her, musing, "Your head is filled with traitorous thoughts...I wonder how you managed to be selected as a Princess of Jahad? Ah...I see...you had quite a bit of 'help'..."Hearing Vahn's words, Shilial was unable to prevent her eyes from widening, her mouth forming into a forced smile as she attempted to say something, anything, to refute him. Unfortunately, her words had completely failed her. The most she could manage was opening her mouth as if she was going to speak; but, every time she managed to nearly force something out, a nervous tingle would spread through her body, preventing her from uttering so much as a single syllable.Nodding his head in approval, Vahn motioned to take a single step forward. Instead, he appeared next to Shilial and the collapsed Lilial in an instant, forcing the former to turn statuesque as he bent down to place his hand on the latter's back. This caused the sound of tongue-clicking to echo from behind him, but, doing his best to ignore it, Vahn spread his senses through Lilial's body in order to better ascertain her current condition.As could be expected from such a malicious curse, it was doing everything in its power to consume Lilial's vitality before being expunged from her body. Jahad was an 'exceptionally' petty person, so, in order to prevent the 'Power of Blood' from being used against him, he incorporated a number of failsafes intended to cause extreme suffering to anyone trying to free themselves from his influence. This was in spite of the fact that the contract he had with the Guardians prevented them from ever standing against him, effectively invalidating the need for such measures...Shaking his head in disapproval, Vahn began to forcibly expel the remnants of Jahad's curse from Lilial's body before it could cause even more damage. At the same time, he sent a steady flow of Source Energy into her body, rapidly repairing the damage that had already been caused before retracting his hand and saying, "I want you to return to Maschenny with a message...inform her that the Era of Chaos she seeks is certain to come. However, if she continues along her current path, the chances of her succeeding are infinitely close to zero percent. Even if I have to wipe out both sides on my own, I will never allow a prolonged battle to take place. If she really wants to fight that badly, tell her I will be more than happy to 'attend' her on the 50th Floor..."Though she didn't fully understand the reasons, Shilial found herself nodding enthusiastically in response to Vahn's words. It was only at that moment that her instincts stopped sounding alarm bells in her mind, freeing her from the tense state that had prevented her from moving so much as a single muscle in his presence. Then, with her sister's limp body in her arms, she quickly departed the Name Hunt Station, a cold sweat covering her body as she did her best to avoid looking back for even a moment...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Jeanne is smurfing xD...','I wonder if Vahn realizes how his actions parallel Tiamat's...','Like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs (O w O)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Following the hasty departure of the two Princesses, Vahn and Co resumed their journey through the Name Hunt Station, a venture that sequentially brought them to an arena-like antechamber connected to what appeared to be an escalator. There, a seemingly young man with brown skin, ashen-white hair, and peculiar white eyes could be seen standing next to a blonde woman with a pixie cut.Noticing the katana and wakizashi fastened to the youth's hip, combined with his kimono-like garb, Vahn couldn't help but raise his brows slightly, musing, "You must be Arie Inieta, the man known as the Sword Genius and the 'Strongest of the Ten Bosses'..."With what appeared to be an innocent smile, so long as you ignored the unhinged glimmer in his eyes, Inieta perked up quite a bit upon hearing Vahn's words. He didn't consider himself a braggart, but, whenever someone mentioned his titles, even sarcastically, it always made him a little happy.Feeling the youth's Sword Intent sharpen considerably, a hint of a smile spread across Vahn's lips as he directed his gaze to the woman 'blocking' the escalator, adding, "And that makes you Lo Po Bia Alphine, daughter of Alisaie and descendent of the Shadow Fox Tribe..."Though she had heard rumors about Vahn's ability to 'read minds', Alphine couldn't help but feel a little unnerved hearing him mention her mother out of nowhere. As for Inieta, the only thing on his mind was that he had found a strong opponent, his expression becoming a caricature reminiscent of childish glee as he unsheathed his sword and remarked, "I've never killed an Emperor before. I'm really looking forward to seeing how powerful you really are."Unable to contain himself, a light chuckle emanated from Vahn's throat as he gestured for the girls to stand down. He was still feeling a little bothered by what had happened in the underground, so, with Inieta showing a fair amount of promise, he wanted to personally test the youth. He could feel a remarkable Sword Intent exuding from the latter, so, with the teachings of the Main Family denied to him, Vahn was curious to see what kind of swordsmanship Inieta had developed over the last six hundred years.With this intent driving his actions, Vahn began to take a few casual steps forwards, hands behind his back as a relaxed smile spread across his face. This caused Inieta to frown deeply, and, though he didn't understand the reason, he instinctively leaped back to create some distance, sword raised in a defensive posture.Nodding his head in approval, Vahn took another step forward as he said, "It is apparent that your skills have been refined through actual combat...it's a shame you are so fond of killing. I would have liked to take you on as my disciple..."Immediately following this statement, Vahn looked over his shoulder to see a massive orange fox manifesting from the void and attempting to step on his shadow. Before it could, his figure turned into a blur, startling both the fox and its owner as he appeared next to it and said, "Lay down." in a commanding tone.As if it was compelled by some instinct, the inordinately large fox immediately lowered its head to the ground, allowing Vahn to caress its snout as he added, "I have a soft spot for creatures related to foxes and wolves...don't make me hurt you..."Though she was utterly gobsmacked by the strange turn of events, Alphine was able to recover relatively quickly, her expression growing stern as she gestured with her hand and shouted, "Kill him...!" in a shaky yet decisive tone.Under normal circumstances, the Shadow Fox would have unhesitantly obeyed without even a moment of consideration for itself. It couldn't actually be killed under normal circumstances, so, even if its opponent was much stronger, it wouldn't be afraid. Against Vahn, however, its instincts told it that the only outcome was the death of both itself and its master. This caused it to release a rather pitiable whining sound, its eyes becoming slightly moist as it stared back at Alphine without raising its head.While Alphine was confused beyond belief, Vahn, with a smile on his face, began to scratch one of the fox's sweet spots as he took the initiative to explain, "It seems your Shadow Fox is pretty loyal. It doesn't want you to die, so it is refusing to follow your orders. What a good girl~."Hearing Vahn's words, combined with his surprisingly comfortable petting, the Shadow Fox began to lightly beat its tail against the ground while, a few meters behind, Fenrir, Ryun, and even Mash could be seen with deadpan expressions on their faces...Having never experienced anything like this before, Alphine was at a complete loss for words as she saw her most trusted companion inevitably roll onto its back, presenting its belly for Vahn to freely caress. This caused her to feel strangely embarrassed, a trace of red bleeding into her cheeks when she heard Inieta curiously inquire, "I've never heard of anyone taming a Shinheuh belonging to an Anima. Is this normal?"Realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere using her Shadow Fox, Alphine attempted to recall it back to its Bowl. Instead, her face became even redder as a feminine voice sounded in her mind, exclaiming, ("I don't wanna...!") like a child refusing to give up its candy.With the Law of Identity providing narration, Vahn couldn't help but laugh in response to Alphine's plight. This was the scary thing about the Law of Petting, as, even without Skills like [Subjugation], it provided him a near-absolute advantage against anything he personally identified as pettable. This put the Shadow Fox in a rather precarious position, as, with the exception of Vanargandr, Vahn had always found foxes, and those with their traits, to be among the most pettable beings in all Records.Unfortunately, he still had other things to take care of, so, after scratching under the Shadow Fox's chin, he ultimately retracted his hand and said, "Return to your Master. If her face gets any redder, I'm afraid she might pass out..."Though it showed a considerable amount of reluctance, the Shadow Fox ultimately returned to its feet before sinking into the shadows and reappearing behind the red-faced Alphine. She actually looked rather striking with a blush on her face, but, rather than pointing it out, Vahn just smiled as he shifted his attention back to Inieta and remarked, "I half-expected you to try and attack while I was 'distracted'..."Amused by Vahn's words, a boyish giggle escaped Inieta's throat as he removed his sword from his shoulder and said, "I thought about it. It's just that, every time I tried to attack, my instincts told me not to. You must be a real monster."Rather than refuse the label, Vahn casually nodded in response to Inieta's words before resuming his slow march forward. This time, however, Inieta didn't run away. Instead, a resolute gleam flashed across his peculiar white eyes as he pressed forward and traced his katana in a beautiful arc.Without so much as a single change in his expression, Vahn met Inieta's attack with his bare hand, catching the blade between his thumb, index, and middle fingers. This caused the youth's eyes to widen considerably, but, rather than back down, he attempted to use the leverage of the hold to plant both of his feet squarely in the former's groin.Though it wouldn't have caused any damage, Vahn wasn't particularly fond of getting kicked in his nether region. Thus, using the leverage Inieta had generated against him, he sidestepped the boy's feet while shifting the blade back with his bare hands and smashing the unsuspecting prodigy into the ground.Despite a distressed gasp escaping his throat, Inieta's hold on his sword never once slackened. This was rather commendable, but, with the blade tip firmly clasped in Vahn's hand, it also put him at a rather severe disadvantage. After all, even a light tap to the end of a sword could drastically alter its trajectory, so, with his admittedly ridiculous strength, Vahn had full control of Inieta's movements so long as the latter refused to let go of his sword.Demonstrating this, Vahn lifted the white-haired swordsman from the ground, raising him high over his head before smashing him down a second time. At no point throughout this process did Inieta ever consider letting go of his sword. Instead, a determined fire continued to burn resolutely in his eyes, even as blood began to stain his pure white hair and clothes.Nodding his head in approval, Vahn released his hold on Inieta's sword. This revealed that the blade tip had been horribly mangled, but, as if it was the sharpest weapon in the entire cosmos, Inieta still charged forward as if his opportunity had finally presented itself. To his surprise, Vahn greeted this attack with one of his own, his figure seemingly becoming translucent as he made a cutting motion with his hand and passed through Inieta's body like a phantom.Appearing as though he had been frozen in time, Inieta paused mid-strike in response to Vahn's movement. His eyes had widened to the extreme, and, though he couldn't fully process what had just happened, he understood it was a form of swordsmanship that greatly exceeded his own. Thus, even when a massive gash opened across his chest, accompanied by a shower of blood, he couldn't help but smile as he fell forward, uttering, "Amazing..." as the light disappeared from his eyes.Without turning to face the collapsed swordsman, the corners of Vahn's smile curled upward as he manifested the Little Garden and pulled the man inside. At the same time, he directed his gaze to the now-stoic Alphine, asking, "Are we going to continue with this farce, or will you guide the way obediently...?"Realizing that his questions might be intended to prime his targets and make them easier to read, Alphine responded to Vahn's words by pulling out a knife and unhesitantly stabbing herself in the heart, saying, "I will never betray Kaiser..." as she fell forward. This left the latter with a moderately incredulous look on his face, an expression that gradually morphed into a wry smile as he scratched his cheek and muttered, "Did she forget about my ability to revive people...? I'm pretty sure that is the thing I'm most famous for at the present..."Shaking his head, a peculiar green aura veiled the surroundings as Vahn began to reverse the order of entropy, effectively reversing time. As a result, the blood from Alphine's wound quickly returned to her body before she ultimately came to stand upright, 'sheathing' the dagger in her hand before adopting a horrified expression as he allowed the flow of time to return to normal.Though he always felt strangely guilty about reversing time in such a manner, Vahn wasn't going to allow Alphine to kill herself over a misunderstanding. Thus, rather than afford her a second attempt, he forced her to remain stationary as he explained, "I'm not going to steal your name and make you into my servant. If I cared about such things, why would I allow some of the Ten Bosses to flee after liberating all of the Regulars in the Unnamed Residential Area? I would have thought my intentions were pretty obvious at this point..."With her freedom returned immediately following Vahn's explanation, Alphine momentarily lost her balance due to her efforts at trying to break free from his unique form of Reverse Flow Control. This caused a ruddy hue to return to her cheeks, as, moments prior to her meeting with the ground, an invisible force wrapped around her body, returning her to a standing position as Vahn continued to smile wryly from his initial position.Feeling uncharacteristically bashful, Alphine quickly smoothed out the creases of her form-fitting orange dress before fixing her hair and asking, "What, exactly, is your purpose? Are you acting at the behest of an organization or are you doing all of this for...personal reasons...?"With Alphine briefly shifting her attention to the woman standing behind him, Vahn didn't need the Law of Identity to understand what she was thinking. This caused a dry laugh to emanate from his throat, and, though he understood why, it made him feel awkward whenever someone assumed he was aiming to collect beautiful women...Seemingly misunderstanding the reason for his awkward laughter, Alphine's expression hardened as she went on to ask, "Do you understand how and why Kaiser became the Ruler of this backward place? At this rate, you are bound to provoke more than just the Lo Po Bia Family. The Name Hunt Station is an important lo-"Raising his hand, Vahn interrupted Alphine's explanation by plainly stating, "None of that matters. I am not acting to oppose the interests of the Ten Great Families. I honestly don't give a damn about the vast majority of them. All I know is that a place like this simply shouldn't exist. To that end, I will do everything in my power to destroy it. There is no greater meaning or intent behind my actions. I just don't like this place. Any more questions...?"Not expecting such a 'childish' reason, Alphine found herself at a loss for words, lips parted ever-so-slightly as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. This afforded Vahn the opportunity to respond with a curt nod, seemingly in response to his own words, before crossing his hands behind his back and adding, "Well then...lead the way..."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Instantaneous defeat...','No-sword-style secret technique...knife-hand!','Vahn is slowly becoming a shonen protagonist...!?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After spending a few hours liberating the Unnamed from their curse, Vahn departed from the now-abandoned floating island for the larger residence behind it. This was where all the Named Regulars stayed, and, compared to the slum-like residences reserved for the Unnamed, the accommodations here could even rival those prepared for Rankers.Unsurprisingly, nobody came out to 'greet' Vahn and his party this time around. Instead, the island was eerily silent, as, after the simultaneous defeat of four Bosses, those who remained ordered their subordinates to lay low. They were seized by the mistaken belief that he would 'have' to board the Hell Express before its departure, so, as long as they could remain hidden until then, things would gradually return to 'normal' in his absence.Unfortunately for the opportunistic despots, Ryun was capable of locating virtually every resident of the Name Hunt Station using her abilities as a Guide. Even without this, however, Vahn could always just spread his senses throughout the entirety of the floating island, locking on and teleporting to his quarry regardless of how well they had hidden.Though the various different types of spatial compression interfered with his senses, Vahn could extend his domain upwards of 30km in all directions. This allowed him to sense virtually everything occurring within the isle, a capability that was simultaneously a blessing and a curse considering he could also probe the regions where people were being held captive and exploited against their will.Restraining a sigh, Vahn gestured for the girls' attention, saying, "Give me a few moments...I need to take care of something..."Without taking the time to explain, Vahn's figure disappeared from the empty corridor, his presence disappearing almost instantaneously. In the very next instant, he found himself in a dark, damp, and foul-smelling underground chamber. There, a large octopus-like woman could be seen seated upon a throne, a sadistic expression on her face as she used her tentacles to tease and torment a number of feminine men while dozens of enslaved Regulars engaged in various licentious acts throughout the low-lit, perfume heavy, chamber.With his teleportation being soundless and without any flare, Vahn's presence wasn't immediately noticed until a nude woman nearly twice his size snaked her way over, a predatory smile on her face as she attempted to grab him by the neck, saying, "Are you new here? Come and give mama-"Interrupting the woman's remark, a dark glimmer flashed across Vahn's eyes as he slapped her hand aside, shattering nearly every bone in her hand, wrist, and forearm in an instant. The only thing that prevented the woman from crying out in pain was the excessive amount of narcotics in her system. They allowed her to remain unnaturally calm, and, for a brief moment, she seemed more confused than terrified as she dangled her limp left arm from side-to-side...Resisting the urge to pet himself in an attempt to remain calm, Vahn extended his hand towards the giant octopus-like woman, catching her attention in the process. Then, before her confusion could turn into recognition, he used his Telekinesis to lift her titanic frame by the neck before forcing her tentacles to extend, liberating everything within her grasp.As could be expected, the attention of everyone in the chamber immediately shifted to the floating figure of their boss, the 'Octopus Woman' known as Marte. She was nearly twenty meters in length with her tentacles fully extended, so, even if they were higher than a balloon that had escaped the grasp of a child, they were still able to notice the giant floating figure of the woman who had both tormented and corrupted them.With the rapt attention of everyone present, Vahn was tempted to pull the woman's limbs to their limits before ultimately crushing her into a small ball. Instead, a blue light began to emanate from within his pupils as invisible spheres, visible to him alone, began to expand at the location of the woman's brain and heart. Then, with a quick activation of Oblivion, even the most minute molecule comprising the two vital organs simply ceased to exist, quite literally 'erased' from reality.Though Marte actually had three hearts and nine brains, the vast majority were vestigial organs that relied on the primary brain and heart to function. As a result, the first of the Ten Bosses was killed in an instant, and, though her tentacles would continue to writhe about for upwards of ten hours, this was largely the result of muscle memory and a deeply ingrained self-preservation instinct.Exhaling a sigh, a tiny golden flame began to burn at the tip of Vahn's finger as the scene around him quickly descended into a state of utter bedlam. The death of Marte had effectively liberated them from their standing orders, so, while their fate was ultimately up to her killer to decide, they had a brief window of opportunity to enact things like revenge. As a result, several Regulars began attacking each other like feral animals, some even going out of their way to claw and bite at their former oppressors with tears rolling down their faces.Feeling the waves of resentment and negativity washing over him, Vahn's expression began to dull slightly as he released the tiny golden flame towards the still-floating Marte. Its heat was so intense that it caused even the Shinsu in its path to turn to ash, but, rather than radiate, it actually drew the surrounding heat into itself, drastically chilling the surroundings as the flame burned ever-brighter.After witnessing the 'overflow phenomenon' that occurred when reducing the temperature below absolute zero, Vahn had started to think about various other ways in which temperature could be influenced by the Laws. He knew there were some flames that burned ice-cold, and, though it was a little strange to consider, there were even water-based flames that caused their surroundings to fill with water vapor rather than smoke. Thus, while it 'made sense' for flames to radiate heat outward, Vahn had created a flame that did the opposite, drawing in heat and effectively freezing everything in its surroundings.Though it would quickly become unstable without his Source Energy to maintain it, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the tiny golden flame could effectively cool the entire universe if given enough time. Its interior temperature would gradually increase, and, so long as there was even a moderate temperature differential, it would eventually reduce the surrounding temperature to absolute zero. This was where things got strange, as, the moment the temperature reached such an extreme, the 'overflow phenomenon' would occur, spontaneously increasing the temperature in the surroundings to 1.41×10^32 degrees Kelvin.As could be expected, an incomprehensibly powerful explosion would occur the moment such an overflow phenomenon occurred, the force of which was more than enough to destabilize space-time in the surroundings. At the same time, the increase in heat would further fuel the growth of the golden flame, and, so long as it had a catalyst to maintain its integrity, it could, theoretically, grow to consume the entire Universe in a cosmologically short period of time.Fortunately for the people in the surroundings, Vahn had no intention of completely destroying them. His primary reason for using such a flame was that it was the most powerful expression of Yang that he could currently manage. This allowed him to change the nature of the flames at his leisure, as, on their most fundamental level, Yang flames were closely associated with Creation and Purification.With a small sun spontaneously appearing in their midst, much of the surrounding fighting came to an end in an instant. At the same time, everyone present began to feel as though they were basking in the gentle rays of the morning sun after an exceptionally long, cold, and dark night...---Though they felt a strong compulsion to go to where their Master was, Fenrir, Ryun, Jeanne, and Mash did their best to obediently await his return. Fortunately, this was something Fenrir and Ryun were rather accustomed to, so, shortly after his departure, the former began pulling out things like a table and cushions while the latter began preparing snacks procured from within her interspatial ring. This left Jeanne and Mash feeling taken aback, but, once a deck of cards was brought out, they didn't hesitate to sit down and join the more experienced duo in a game of Old Maid.For a multitude of different reasons, card and board games had always been popular among the residents of Avalon, and, as a result, the Little Garden. This was especially true for those who had spent time in the Menagerie, as, more often than not, such games were what determined the order in which they received their Master's affection.Jeanne had never been an official resident of the Menagerie, but, shortly after her first union with Vahn, she began spending a fair amount of time within its interior. It was the group she felt most comfortable with, as, even during their first time together, she had asked Vahn to change her into several different species just so she could experience being dominated as every conceivable version of herself. She knew this was rather strange, so, while she wasn't afraid of associating with his more 'normal' women, Jeanne had always gotten along better with the girls who were more 'honest' with themselves and their desires.Though she had mellowed out considerably since then, Jeanne was easily one of the most devout women in Vahn's rather extensive entourage. This resulted in her mastering a number of different card and board games, and, though she would struggle against monsters like Okita and Altera, she was able to come out ahead against most of the other girls due to her exceptional luck and ability to see through lies...Using said ability, Jeanne's sapphire-blue eyes were fixed upon Fenrir's scarlet-reds, her expression reminiscent of a warrior ready to face death as her fingers hovered over the hand of the latter. This caused Fenrir to adopt the closest thing to a perfect deadpan she could manage, but, in the depths of her eyes, a tiny light would flicker whenever Jeanne hovered over a specific card.With her exceptional perception, Jeanne was easily able to notice this subtle flickering, but, knowing Fenrir was surprisingly competent when it came to fooling others, she didn't immediately go for the other cards. This was especially true when 'coveted' prizes were on the line, so, with the prize being an extended session of brushing, neither could afford to lose.Though they could be 'very' inconvenient at times, Jeanne had become rather fond of her angelic wings due to her Master's meticulous care and grooming. She also enjoyed being able to envelop him whenever he had forced her onto her back, so, even if it was bound to earn her the ire of her senior, she 'needed' to win this hand. As for Fenrir, there were few things she enjoyed more than having her ears and tail brushed, so, the longer Jeanne stalled, the harder it was for her to remain calm...In an effort to prevent people from stalling, a ten-second time limit had established to prevent the game from lasting more than a few minutes at a time. Unfortunately, their heightened perception made these ten seconds seem like several minutes, and, for a brief moment, it was almost like time had come to a stop when Jeanne's fingers had graced the centermost card.After offering up a silent prayer to her 'God', Jeanne committed to pulling the card that responsible for the flicker in Fenrir's eyes. Under normal circumstances, this would have been the Old Maid, and, as a result, she would be guaranteed to lose the game. Fortunately, Jeanne's instincts had been on point, so, despite Fenrir's best efforts at deceiving her, the end result was her absolute victory.Unable to contain her excitement, Jeanne hopped up to her feet, wings spreading instinctually as a large banner manifested in her left hand. Said banner was then raised triumphantly towards the sky as Fenrir, like a defeated general, slumped forward, head and ears drooping as she silently cursed the winged woman under her breath...Seemingly oblivious to Fenrir's mutterings, Jeanne continued to wave around the banner of the Aldrnari Empire with extreme vigor, laughing all the while. This earned her a pointed look from Ryun and a wry smile from Mash, but, having secured victory, Jeanne didn't particularly mind their gazes as she continued to bask in the reverie of her triumph. It was only when a massive sphere of golden Shinsu began to barrel towards her that the smile on her face faded away, replaced by the resolution of a warrior as she stabbed through the projectile with the speartip located at the end of the banner...(A/N: I'm honestly a little taken aback by some of the comments in the previous chapter. It amazes me how senseless people can be at times; completely ignoring the actual context in the novel just because it contradicts one of their own personal biases. I mean, seriously, Vahn had never enjoyed killing people so why do some of you asshats keep acting like it is the only fucking solution to every goddamn problem in the novel? Even when he literally curses people to become cripples in a world where virtually everyone has superpowers, you act like every enemy he lets walk away is actually the reincarnated MC of a wuxia novel. There are even people making completely arbitrary claims about Vahn being a hypocrite for arbitrary reasons, none of which have anything to do with the context of the actual novel. Seriously, how is Vahn being 'hypocritical' when, from the very start of the fucking novel, he is always shown being depressed or remorseful after killing? It is something he genuinely hates to do, yet, as if he is some Chad Thundercock with a perpetual murder boner, you completely ignore this to say thoughtless remarks that completely ignore more than 1800 chapters of evidence contradicting your claims. Vahn has almost always killed as a mercy or to save the people he wants to protect. Stop pretending like he walks around with rosary beads filled with the eternally suffering souls of his enemies while wearing clothes sewn together from their still-living flesh. Seriously. This is the kind of shit that makes some authors want to drop their novels.)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1881: Reaction