Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

A little more than a week after she had departed, Vahn finally received news that Pram had returned from her journey to the 113th Floor. This was a trip that would ordinarily take several months, if not much longer, but, thanks to her association with the Jahad Army, combined with the fact she was acting at the behest of a Family Leader, Pram had been authorized to teleport between Floors using a Suspend Ship equipped with a Warp Engine.With nothing better to do, Vahn decided to teleport directly to Pram's ship, a craft reminiscent of an arrowhead. This startled the onboard crew quite a bit, but, having anticipated his arrival, Pram's ears perked up as she ambled towards him with a seductive sway in her step. At the same time, her fluffy tail snaked behind her, tip swaying from side-to-side in a meandering motion that granted a natural grace to each of her movements.Before she could follow through on her desire to embrace him, Vahn interrupted Pram's efforts by plopping his hand down on her head and saying, "Sorry, but I have no intention of waiting around for a year. Since your father has already given his permission, please alert the people at the Nest to expedite their preparations. I have my own means to bypass the Frozen Waterfall's protections."Hearing Vahn's words, Pram's dazed look promptly gave way for a more awkward expression as she replied, "That...might be a little difficult. My father has conferred his consent, yes, but that is quite a bit different than receiving permission to ignore protocol. If something were to go wrong-"Without waiting for Pram to finish speaking, Vahn plainly stated, "It won't. Even if someone tried to intervene and ultimately ended up destroying the Nest, it wouldn't matter. So long as I am nearby when it happens, I can revert everything to a time before its destruction. It's high time you people started treating my status as a God seriously..."Though she wanted to say something in response, Pram got the impression Vahn wasn't going to listen. The current him seemed completely different than the man she had parted with less than a week prior, so, without thinking, she found herself asked, "Did something happen...?" with a bit of worry in her tone.Surprised by the woman's unexpected sincerity, Vahn found himself at a momentary loss for words. Fortunately, from the perspective of others, this period was about the same amount of time it took for a nerve to fire. Only someone like Pram would have been able to perceive the pause, but, due to the peculiar state of her emotions, she suddenly seemed both more and less perceptive...With a natural smile developing across his face, Vahn used both hands to fluff Pram's inordinately thick hair as he replied, "Don't worry. This is a change that will benefit everyone in the Tower. Now, convey my words to your father and the people presiding over the Nest. I will be heading there first thing tomorrow morning. Once I am finished there, I will accompany you through the Middle Tower. to meet with your father. My journey through the Inner Tower has come to an end."Though common sense dictated that it was impossible to traverse the Middle Tower without first clearing the associated trials of the Inner Tower, Pram didn't question Vahn's words. Instead, a not-so-subtle glaze covered her silvery eyes as she pushed her head against the palms of his hands and issued an affirmative 'Nn...'. This left the predominately female crew at a loss for words, not because of their Elder's quick acquiescence, but because they were slightly envious of her treatment...---With a few hours to kill whilst waiting for Lord Lo Po Bia's response, Vahn returned to his suite to find Nio and Iifa still passed out, the latter with her exposed bottom still sticking out and her face buried in the blankets. This caused him with a marginal amount of guilt, but, almost immediately thereafter, the feeling passed as Iifa, seemingly in response to his presence, rolled onto her side and mewled, "Vahn...sama..." with a contented smile on her sleeping face.Restraining a chuckle, Vahn walked over to the side of the bed and planted a gentle kiss atop Iifa's head before transplanting her, her sister, and the entire bed into the Little Garden. Then, with a far more serious expression on his face, he turned towards empty air and said, "I know you're watching. If you want to avoid seeing the entire Tower burn, you will appear before me...Headon..."Though it wasn't immediate, a toothy grin appeared out of thin air before space began to twist and distort into the form of a white, rabbit-like, humanoid. Then, like a magical girl transforming, purple light covered the figure's body as a magical staff affixed with two highly compressed spheres of pure Shinsu burst forth from golden light. When the light faded, Headon, garbed in a purple outfit set with blue gemstones in the shape of a crucifix, appeared. Then, from within the thin black slit that served as both his mouth and eye socket, two vibrant cyan irises appeared as he said, "Even if you are an Axis User, I cannot-"Raising his hand in a silencing gesture, Vahn earned a toothy smile from the enigmatic rabbit as he said, "I have no interest in your games. You are more than capable of authorizing people to ascend the Tower without the need to complete Tests. Others might not know of your little agreement with Phantaminum, but I am well aware of the truth. Tell me, Gluttony, have you enjoyed playing God...?"Unable to restrain himself, the slit representing Headon's mouth opened to reveal a toothy maw as a guttural-sounding laugh echoed through the surrounding space. At the same time, several other mouths began to appear across his body as he quickly transformed from an unassuming rabbit to a hound-like beast with pale white skin, bloody tendrils for hair, and a perpetually shifting number of crooked maws covering its entire body...With his transformation finished, the maw at the center of Headon's forehead spontaneously turned into an abyssal black void before a vibrant blue iris appeared, fixating on Vahn as the crooked maws covering his body chorused, "I knew it...you are no simple Axis User. Tell me. What is someone from 'above' doing in the Tower of Babel? What could have possibly compelled you to interfere in a story that had nothing to do with you?"Smiling in response to the eldritch creature's question, Vahn unhesitantly took a few steps forward, far closer than anyone sensible would stand, before answering, "The reason is simple. Because I can. Now, the real question is...are you going to cooperate, or do you intend to stand in my way? I'm not going to beat around the bush. If you refuse, I'll have no choice but to seal you and your children. If you choose to cooperate, however, I will break the shackles binding you to this place and allow you to explore a far greater Realm. What say you?"Though he wanted nothing more than to devour Vahn then and there, Gluttony, formerly known as Headon, couldn't violate the laws governing the Tower. Vahn would need to be the first to attack, and, even then, he would be compelled to give the former a Test before earning the right to devour him. This was a law he had been unable to circumvent even after fourteen-billion-years of existence, so, in response to Vahn's offer, the maws across his body appeared to smile as he asked, "What did you have in mind...?"Understanding Gluttony's desire for freedom better than most, even if their circumstances were distinctly different from each other, a relaxed smile spread across Vahn's face as he listed out his terms. Simply put, he offered to use a Fate Severing Knife on Gluttony in order to free him from the contract that bound him to the Tower. Before that, however, he expected free passage through the Tower, and, most importantly, he wanted access to the 'Core Room' that existed beneath the Tower. In even simpler terms, he was asking Headon to surrender his authority in exchange for the chance to reincarnate into a Higher Realm with his memories and abilities intact.Though he obviously wouldn't take Vahn's words at face value, Gluttony had observed that the man had never told a lie. There were times when he spoke in a roundabout manner or relied on double-speech to avoid a specific truth, but, more often than not, he was very straightforward. He had also exhibited an uncanny obsession with liberating others from circumstances beyond their control, so, rather than immediately assuming Vahn was trying to deceive him, Gluttony agreed to his terms on the grounds that the former would remain bound by a contract until the moment of his release.Since there were no particular disadvantages to accepting Gluttony's conditions, Vahn agreed on the condition that the voracious Guardian would not reveal information related to their agreement to any third parties. This wasn't something he would have done under normal circumstances, but, as a result of the Workshop's schemes, Gluttony wasn't the only Sin within the Tower. They had come to the conclusion that the only thing capable of defeating a Sin was another of the same, so, in the hopes of usurping Gluttony's authority, Jahad and several of the Great Warriors had been made into unwitting guinea pigs during the process of 'Revolution'.Fortunately, though Vahn couldn't agree with the methods he had employed since then, Jahad had realized the truth before the Workshop could realize their penultimate objective. Since then, he had been a persistent thorn in the Workshop's side, not by directly opposing them, but by coordinating with Headon to inhibit their progress. This was accomplished by working within the existing system rather than destroying it, an outcome even Macseth hadn't considered since the Sin plaguing Jahad was none other than the Sin of Pride. They had expected him to sacrifice everything in his desire to reach the absolute pinnacle, yet, against every expectation, Jahad had privately accepted a position beneath the current Administrator while publically proclaiming himself King...Simply put, Jahad's 'pride' ended up coming back to bite the Workshop, as, the moment he realized the truth, he refused to allow himself to be used. Instead, he established himself as King in order to buy himself time to implement a convoluted scheme designed to circumvent the fate that had been assigned to him. This set him on a path to eliminate both Gluttony and the Workshop, but, as could be expected, neither was willing to just roll over and accept death. They each had their own cards to play, and, were it not for the unexpected appearance of Phantaminum, Gluttony would have had an absolute advantage against the other two.As an Axis User, Phantaminum had absolute power over a specific 'story'. By entering the Tower, he had effectively thrown a wrench into the plans of all three parties. To further complicate matters, he had made secret agreements with all three, drastically altering the course of fate with nothing but a few choice words and a fair amount of slaughter. This resulted in Baam becoming a lynchpin in the schemes of all three. More specifically, he was chosen by Jahad to destroy the Workshop and defeat Gluttony, chosen by Gluttony as a substitute, and chosen by the Workshop to slay Jahad.Phantaminum had effectively manipulated fate so that Baam would, without outside interference, accomplish all three feats. This meant, from an objective perspective, Phantaminum was keeping his promise with Jahad, Gluttony, and Macseth. In reality, all three would end up becoming just another piece of Baam, destroyed by their own machinations. This would allow Baam to become the ruler of the entire Tower, and, as a result, the way forward would be open for those seeking to challenge the Tower and have their wishes granted. In layman's terms, Phantaminum had realized the flaws of the Tower and used the last vestiges of their power to ensure things would be 'reset' to normal before moving on to enjoy a relatively simple life in a higher realm...(A/N: Alternate Titles: '*Pets into compliance*','Shit got real, real quick...','Phanny is both a troll and a bro...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Having resumed his Headon persona, Gluttony stared at Vahn, cerulean eyes blazing as he asked, "How much longer do you intend to remain in the Tower? I'm not in any particular hurry, but I'd rather get this over and done with. Ever since that upstart declared himself King, my children and I have been starving. In ancient times, I would be allowed to devour the bodies of those who ascend and use their energy to expand the Tower. As it stands, the Shinsu in the Tower is expected to dry up within the next seventeen million years."Amused by the enigmatic rabbit's concerns, a chuckle emanated from Vahn's throat as he resisted the urge to pat Headon's head, saying, "No worries. I can assure you that I will resolve everything before then. Heck, at this rate, I might be out of the Tower within the year. Just don't do anything crazy while I'm not looking. I'm able to free you from your contract. The only thing preventing me from violating the terms we agreed upon is your 'sincerity'. Even if it's in your nature to do so, you should avoid testing me as much as possible..."Snorting through his non-existent nose, Headon twirled his staff to create a small door reminiscent of the gate used to transport potential Regulars to the Floor of Tests. Then, just as he was about to step through, he looked back over his shoulder, the blue of his eyes briefly gaining a silver luster as he asserted, "I have reigned over this Tower for billions of years. If either of us is to violate the terms of our agreement, it will be you..."Having said what he intended to say, Headon passed through the gate without another world. By the time the gate closed behind him, the flow of time in the surroundings had returned to normal, and, as a result, the phenomenal amount of Shinsu that had built within the suite exploded outward with catastrophic force. Fortunately, in accordance with his request, the Lo Po Bia Family had left the Floating Palace containing Vahn's suite completely empty.Emerging unscathed from the violent whirlpool of Shinsu, a wry smile developed across Vahn's face as he watched the city-sized ruins descending towards the ground like an apocalyptic meteor. If left unchecked, it would assuredly wipe out most terrestrial life on the continent below, so, long before it could complete it's 13,000m descent, he opted to reverse the order of entropy before teleporting near the shellshocked members of the Lo Po Bia Family who had come to investigate. Being caught in a 'time-reversal' was a surprisingly terrifying experience, so, while it wasn't absolutely necessary, Vahn did his best to relieve their anxieties before informing them he no longer needed the Floating Palace as a residence...---As one of the most important facilities belonging to the Lo Po Bia Family, the Nest was located in one of the most isolated regions of the 50th Floor. It also had three nigh-indestructible walls, tens of thousands of Shinheuh, several branches of the Lo Po Bia Family, and an entire Division of the Jahad Army protecting it, so, as could be expected of a facility referred to as the 'Vault of Jahad', it was one of the most secure places in the entire Tower.Demonstrating a complete lack of regard for the inordinately large constructs reputation, Vahn was currently lazing about atop one of the countless skyscraper-sized stone bricks comprising the 'Sea of Debris' surrounding the Nest like an asteroid field. These were remnants of the impossibly large structure's construction, and, thanks to the Frozen Waterfall, the Suspendium Crystal located at the very center of the 1,000km wide construct, they were able to float without the aid of any crystals of their own.With his brick about to collide with one of the thousands littering the surroundings, Vahn resisted the urge to yawn as he moved to a seated position and lightly tapped the air. This caused a small ripple to appear within the void before a spell circle more than fifty-meters across spontaneously manifested out of thin air. Rather than producing any kind of energy beam, however, the few people observing Vahn were left speechless as a grid-like pattern appeared across the inbound brick before the entire thing simply vanished.Though he had already possessed knowledge related to the 106,000 grimoires comprising Index's Innate, Vahn took the initiative to absorb the actual grimoires during his three-and-a-half-year stay in the Unified Toaruverse. He couldn't stand to see any version of Index suffer, so, shortly after his and Mikoto's entrance into the Actualized World, they ended up confiscating the entire collection, much to the chagrin of the Catholic Church and the organization known as Necessarius.With forbidden spells capable of restructuring the heavens and using stars to form magic circles, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Vahn's magical capabilities had increased to an extreme degree in a relatively short period of time. The only conceivable limitation to his abilities was the Authority he had over reality itself, but, thanks to his contract with Headon, this was no longer a factor within the confines of the Tower.Satisfied with the results of his experiment, a smile spread across Vahn's face as he linked his fingers together, palms pointed outward to pop them. Then, after shaking the tensions out of his wrists, he decided to pass the remaining time by making a few quick adjustments to the Nest. It looked rather droll from the outside, so, in order to encourage the Lo Po Bia Family to hurry things along, he took it upon himself to beautify the structure. This included manipulating the impossibly large flowering plants covering parts of its exterior to encompass the entire structure, and, most notably, adjusting the actual color of the Nest to be an energetic shade of turquoise...Having never witnessed anything even remotely comparable to what Vahn was currently doing, the Scouts tasked with monitoring the exterior of the Nest were completely gobsmacked by what they were seeing. Some even thought they had succumbed to an illusion, but, after hearing confirmation from the Light Bearers coordinating their patrols, they had no choice but to accept the reality right in front of them.Fortunately for the onlookers, Vahn didn't invest too much time in shattering their world views, as, moments after he had started his redesign, several high-ranking members of the Lo Po Bia Family promptly teleported to his location. This included Pram, who, after gawking at the flower-covered Nest for several seconds, adopted a wry smile as she turned to Vahn and mused, "Had you notified us, we would have gladly prepared something to relieve the Sage Dragon Emperor's boredom..."After shrugging his shoulders with an 'it is what it is' kind of smile on his face, Vahn levitated to his feet and asked, "Have you finished your preparations? I know it's a little early, but I'd rather get this over and done with. There are quite a number of things I need to take care of in the upper floors so I'd rather not be delayed here for too long."Seemingly offended by Vahn's words, a dark-skinned man garbed in fashionable robes reminiscent of a bird attempted to take a step forward and admonish him, but, the moment his aura began to surge outward, Pram promptly spun around, her foot connecting with the bird-like mask covering his head. This sent the man smashing through several floating bricks, but, rather than paying him any mind, Pram turned her attention back to Vahn, a hint of anxiety visible in her silvery eyes as she explained, "Please, don't take this matter to heart. The members of the Windbird and Golden Eagle families have never been known for their mental acuity..."Annoyed by Pram's remark, a rather attractive woman with golden-blonde hair and vibrant yellow eyes, characteristics of the Golden Eagle family, adopted a potent frown. Due to the vast disparity between hers and Pram's strengths, however, she opted to remain silent. The more feline families had never been on good terms with those of avian descent, so, if she managed to offend someone on the level of an Elder, she wouldn't be the only one to suffer.As this thought crossed the woman's mind, both she and the other representatives present found themselves at a loss for words when Vahn promptly chopped Pram's head, his expression stern as he said, "I am more than capable of speaking for and defending myself. Don't use pandering to me as an excuse to carry out violence against the other families..."Rubbing the spot where Vahn had hit her, a small amount of moisture appeared in the corners of Pram's eyes as she answered, "I understand..." in an insincere tone. Fortunately for the members of the Windbird and Golden Eagle Families, this resulted in Vahn's countenance becoming noticeably more severe. This caused Pram to turn noticeably pale, and, though she couldn't help feeling a fair amount of resentment towards her family's long-time rivals, she managed to momentarily suppress the deeply-ingrained sentiment as she bowed her head and said, "Please forgive me." in a far more sincere tone.Resisting the urge to shake his head and sigh, Vahn extended his hand towards the top of Pram's, gently caressing the space between her ears as he said, "Once we're done here, let's return to the Little Garden. I won't force you, but I think you would benefit from spending some more time with Fenrir..."Though she understood he was basically saying she needed to receive a bit of 'discipline', Pram still perked up quite a bit in response to Vahn's words. Everything about the Little Garden was amazing, but, most importantly, it was an opportunity to grow stronger while simultaneously receiving Vahn's affection. His caress had allowed her to discern what had been missing from her father's, and, while it was somewhat difficult to believe, her instincts were telling her that Vahn was the stronger of the two...---Following the rather awkward incident that had occurred outside the Nest, Vahn was granted free passage into the Nest. This wasn't particularly well-received by those tasked with supervising the rather ancient facility, but, with permission from Lord Lo Po Bia and absolute silence on behalf of Jahad, it was impossible for them to do anything about it. The only resistance they could manage was offering him an 'escort' and inconveniencing him by extending the time it took to pass each checkpoint.Unfortunately, even this didn't work in their favor, as, shortly after receiving the 'go-ahead', Vahn performed a number of spatial transferences in order to directly access the Frozen Waterfall. This was considered 'impossible' in the eyes of many, but, as a Tier 5 with an advanced mastery over both Space and Time, the instabilities surrounding the massive chunk of Suspendium were little more than a minor inconvenience.While the administrators of the Nest were freaking out over his sudden disappearance, Vahn was staring into the eyes of an impossibly large cobra. This was one of the twenty-three Guardian Beasts representing the Lo Po Bia Family, and, while it was tiny compared to an actual Floor Guardian, Vahn couldn't help but marvel at the existence of a snake more than twenty kilometers in length.With the inordinately large creature flicking its massive tongue toward him in an attempt to capture his scent and sample his Shinsu, a smile spread across Vahn's face as he said, "Sorry, but I've moved on from that outdated concept. If you're hungry, why not try this?"Just as he had with several actual Guardians, Vahn manifested a crystalline sphere before tossing it towards the aptly named Ancient Odd-Eyed Giant Cobra. Rather than eating it, however, the giant snake promptly snorted through its nostrils, diverting the sphere before asserting in a surprisingly feminine tone, "I have no need for your offerings. Now, state your business. If I am not satisfied with your answer, you will, personally, serve as my meal."Rolling his eyes, Vahn teleported right above the snake as color faded from the world around him. In response, the Ancient Odd-Eyed Giant Cobra showed absolutely no reaction, it's gaze still fixed on the spot where he had previously stood. Then, with a functionally infinite amount of time to kill, Vahn found a nice spot on its head to relax before lying on his side and lazily scrutinizing the giant chunk of Suspendium it was coiled around...(A/N: Alternate Titles: '*Casually Reverses Time*','Vahn discovered the real life tilde key...','Never mess with someone who can control time...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Making the most of his free time, Vahn was watching the girls perform their morning routine with a relaxed smile on his face. This was easily one of his favorite ways to spend the morning, and, while it might not be particularly intense, seeing the girls stretching in little more than sports bras and yoga pants always improved his mood. It also demonstrated to the girls that he had a bit of free time on his hands, so, if they had nothing, in particular, going on, he was more than willing to make himself available for them.Fortunately, the girls had come up with their own system to determine, in advance, who would approach him during such situations. This was to prevent him from spending days, months, or even years just to pander to each particular person's needs, and, more often than not, the number didn't exceed five. The only exceptions were when the girls were struggling with their training or feeling a little lonely, but, given Vahn's propensity for monitoring each and every one of them, such instances were 'very' uncommon.With this in mind, Vahn always looked forward to seeing who would approach him following the morning routine. He could always find out by simply spying on the meetings the girls had at the end of every day, but, similar to when his original harem had adapted their 'network', Vahn did his best to respect the girls' autonomy when it came to their management of his harem. The was one of the most important lessons Loki had bestowed unto him, and, while it left him feeling left out at times, he understood that the private affairs and interpersonal relationships between women were least chaotic when unobserved by men.As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn was somewhat surprised to see Mikoto break off from the larger group of girls after exchanging a few words with Artoria. Even more surprising was the fact that she was the only one to approach him, a rare instance in and of itself.With Vahn's eyes following her unerringly during her approach, a ruddy hue gradually developed across Mikoto's face as she briefly considered whether or not she should use her [REquip] system to change clothes. Her outfit might be a lot tamer than the other girls, consisting of a sleeveless white top and matching shorts with red trim, but it still emphasized her figure quite a bit...Though he was largely to blame for the girl's quirks, Vahn couldn't help adopting an amused smile as he saw Mikoto stall before she was even halfway to him. She had a penchant for letting her mind wander whenever she was feeling anxious, and, every now and again, she would even begin talking to herself without any consideration for her surroundings.Taking advantage of the hazel-haired girl's absentmindedness, Vahn teleported directly behind her, his hand naturally gravitating towards her head as he mused, "It's rare for you to seek me out first. I wonder what you had in mind~?"Though her first instinct was to release a Thunderbolt, Mikoto ultimately managed to suppress the urge due to anticipating this exact outcome. She knew that approaching Vahn, at least in her case, was the same as asking to be teased, so, after some initial tensions, she managed to bat his hand away before saying, "I wanted to talk with you about visiting an Actualized World. We recently hit a bottleneck of sorts in our research, so, before we start having to do guesswork, I wanted to try and collect information directly from the source. I also have a few resentments to sort out related to my original source material, so, even if it's only for a short while, I wanted to explore that world and see if I can't improve a few things."With virtually all of his Templates sharing similar sentiments, Vahn wasn't particularly surprised by Mikoto's words. Rather, knowing the many tragedies set to occur in her world, it took quite a bit of self-restraint for Vahn not to interfere. Worlds with modern settings and extremes between science, magic, and religion were rarely pleasant once you peeled back the cute and often comical veil used to conceal the horrors hidden beneath. Mikoto's world, in particular, was one of the most atrocious examples of this, as, despite appearing as a romantic-comedy on the surface, it was a place where Scientists would unrepentantly make twenty-thousand clones of a middle-schooler just to sacrifice as part of an experiment...Without even needing to consider his response, Vahn offered a curt nod, saying, "I understand. How did you want to go about it? The simplest method is to adapt a version of the world with the Isekai sub-genre. Being 'reborn' with the memories of the person you wish to replace is significantly easier than trying to live their life from scratch. Of course, with your power, you could always just bulldoze your way through after assuming a different identity entirely..."Shaking her head in response to the last suggestion, Mikoto adopted a serious expression as she said, "Even if I'm my origins are that of a Template, my identity is still precious to me. I feel a little guilty about appropriating someone else's memories, but, for the sake of a better future, I will do what I can to correct the injustices that will have occurred by the time I enter the world. I also want to experience what it's like to have a mother, father, and childhood friends, so, even if it might be a little inconvenient, I will assume the identity of a transmigrator with the identity of Misaka Mikoto..."Unsurprised by Mikoto's decision, as several of his Templates had made similar choices, Vahn just nodded his head a second time, saying, "No problem. My only real question is, what role do you want me to play in all of this? For you to approach me in this manner, you must have thought of something, right?"With a remarkably potent blush spreading across her face, Mikoto averted her eyes to the side, fingers pressed together as she meekly replied, "I was thinking you could either be my guardian angel or a teacher that had just recently transferred into the city..."Though he knew she wasn't overtly suggesting anything, Vahn couldn't help raising his brows in response to Mikoto's words, an amused smile on his face as he mused, "I never expected you to have a preference for forbidden romance...well, at least you didn't ask me to be your step-father or something. Hahahahaha~"With illusory steam exploding from her head, Mikoto didn't hesitate to send Vahn flying into the sky with her variation of a Thunder Punch. Almost immediately thereafter, however, Vahn reappeared in front of her, a wry smile on his face as he scratched the back of his head and whispered, "It was just a joke..." before following it up with asking, "So? When did you want to head out?"Restraining the urge to hit him with a human-form Bolt Tackle, Mikoto took several breaths to calm herself before saying, "I've been meaning to ask since a while ago but you were already spending a lot of time in Actualized Worlds so I could never find a good opportunity. If you're up for it, I would like you to accompany me for the entire duration of my stay. Even if you have the power to control and manipulate time so that none passes while you're outside, I would rather not be left alone in a foreign world. With that in mind, it's really up to you when we depart. I'm pretty sure we can finish up everything within a year or two if we work together..."With Mikoto becoming meeker the longer she forced herself to stare directly at him, Vahn couldn't help adopting an affectionate smile as he immediately replied, "I'm looking forward to it..." in a soft and velvety tone. This caused Mikoto's expression to turn crimson, but, when he extended his hand for her to grab, she didn't refuse it...---After little more than a blink from the perspective of others, Vahn emerged from the Internalized Realm before opening his Unit Management and promptly summoning Mikoto to his side. This left the latter at a momentary loss, as, from her perspective, no time had passed from the moment they said their farewells to the time she appeared outside the Actualized World.Looking around, Mikoto quickly confirmed there were no other people present before looking up at Vahn, arms crossed as she pointedly remarked, "I half-expected you to bring everyone else with us. I guess even you have your limits..."Since the mood had been pretty good just moments prior, Vahn couldn't help scratching the back of his head as he found himself at a loss for words. Fortunately, Mikoto wasn't genuinely upset with him. Rather, after the three-and-a-half-years they had spent together, she could never stay mad at him for very long. He imagined she was just feeling lonely now that it was just the two of them, so, after a moment of consideration, he surprised the perennial youth with a warm and comforting hug as he whispered, "We can always return whenever you're feeling lonely...for now, how about we go and meet with the others?"Having grown rather accustomed to such actions during their time in the Actualized World, Mikoto made no effort to extricate herself from Vahn's embrace. Instead, she nestled a little closer to him, face pressed against his chest as her arms naturally wrapped around his body. Then, upon hearing his words, she simply nodded her head with an "Nn..." before accepting his hand and following him to the dining hall. There, she became quite emotional, but, with Vahn standing close by, she was, at the very least, able to avoid bawling her eyes out every time someone welcomed her home...---With his adventures in the 'Unified Toaruverse' requiring him to face metaversal threats capable of wiping out infinite universes with simple hand gestures, Vahn's interest in the politics of the Tower had waned considerably. He knew this was only a temporary side-effect of spending too much time in an Actualized World, but, with multiple Realms existing between him and the pinnacle, the notion he was spending too much time in the Tower had crossed his mind.Though less than a year had passed since he officially began his ascent, Vahn had aged more than seventy years in that time. When he had first entered the Record, he was a relatively spry 304-year-old. Now, however, he was getting remarkably close to 375 due to the gratuitous amount of time he spent training, researching, relaxing, and exploring various worlds. He had also accumulated the experiences of more than fifty Templates, so, despite his original desire to take things slow, he was already a lot stronger than he needed to be in order to completely dominate the Tower.With such thoughts plaguing his mind, Vahn emerged from the Little Garden to find Iifa and Nio, both completely naked, curled up next to each other in his bed. This immediately brought a smile to his face, not because he had any particular attachment to the two girls, but because their tails had coiled together naturally in their sleep. It was actually quite adorable, so, with more than three years having passed since the last time he saw the duo, an urge to celebrate their reunion swelled within Vahn's chest as fluffy ears and a rather thick tail sprouted from his head and backside. Then, eliciting a surprised yet playful 'kyaaaaa~' from the understandably bewildered duo, he practically pounced on them for the first time since their initial meeting...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'One of the 'Great Wonders' of the Aldrnari Empire...','The real question is: how big did Vahn's harem get in the Toaruverse...?','Vahn.EXE has stopped functioning. Initializing Horn.dog subroutine...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1960: Revelations