Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After explaining the situation, Vahn released Tperie so he could deal with the fallout of events on the 129th Floor. The Tu Perie Family served as one of the central pillars of the Empire when it came to administration, so, while Tperie held no official title, he was the first person people went to when something unexpected or disastrous transpired.Taking advantage of the man's departure, Vahn decided now was as good a time as any to expel the members of the Research Team from the Little Garden. They were one of the last groups remaining, and, while he had grown rather fond of some of the members, the majority had only been there for the sake of their family and laying a foundation for themselves in the future politics of the Tower. To that end, now was the best time to strike, as, not only had he already defeated the Khun, Arie, Yeon, and Ari Families, he was well on his way to taking over the Lo Po Bia Family.Though he advised them not to take things too far, Vahn didn't mind if the girls used his name to secure a position for themselves within the leadership of their own families. He also assigned them non-Templated Pokemon to both protect and watch over them, so, as long as they didn't use their newfound status to suppress others, they would have a relatively smooth path moving forward. The only people they really needed to safeguard themselves against were the more opportunistic and malicious members of their Families, but, considering most of them would be 'removed' in the near future, they shouldn't have too much to worry about.As a special service, Vahn escorted each of the girls to a destination of their choice before returning to the 113th Floor with the intention of settling things up with the Lo Po Bia Family. To that end, he used his Unit Management to recall Genzo, who, rather than accompanying them back to the Little Garden, decided to stay back and enjoy the Lo Po Bia Family's hospitality.Not expecting Vahn to teleport him while he was in the middle of petting half a dozen animalistic beauties, Genzo's somewhat ridiculous expression immediately hardened into a far more serious and solemn look as he crossed his arms and asked, "What do you want?"Shifting his attention away from the cat-like ears atop Genzo's head, Vahn met the man's gaze as he answered, "I didn't create you without memories. Even if you possess the personality of the original Genzo Shibata, it is irresponsible of you to behave like this. You know full-well I have no intention of killing anyone, so why are you acting so defensively?"Without needing to consider his response, Genzo immediately replied, "If the Lo Po Bia Family were a group of 'normal' people, you would not have tolerated their behavior. Instead, you have afforded them clemency because you know they are not fully in control of their actions, instincts, and desires. I don't have a problem with you facing off against Lo Po Bia. The issue here is that you are behaving violently and unruly when it is completely unnecessary. Lo Po Bia has already acknowledged you as his better and has shown no hostility towards you or anyone else in the Aldrnari Empire. If you can't see the problem with assaulting someone who is already cooperating with you, there is nothing for us to discuss. We will be enemies from here onwards."Though he had already anticipated this response, Vahn couldn't help exhaling an exasperated sigh as he combed through his dark-brown, almost black, hair. He was beginning to think his creation of Genzo had been a little rash, but, understanding the man would soon be in charge of the Lo Po Bia Family, this type of behavior was to be expected. He clearly cared deeply about each and every one of the branch families, so, as frustrating as it was to have one of his own Templates standing against him, Vahn also felt an iota of pride deep within.After a moment of consideration, Vahn ultimately nodded his head before saying, "Though I cannot agree with you wholeheartedly, there is a fair amount of wisdom contained within your words. Since you were created with the Lo Po Bia Family's interests in mind, I'll leave this matter to you..."With that said, Vahn gestured a half-hearted farewell before rising to his feet. Genzo was also a Tier 5, so, even if he was left to his own devices, there was nothing that could stand in his way to taking over the Lo Po Bia Family. He was also the person Vahn was going to leave in charge of cleaning up the Lo Po Bia Family's messes, so, rather than make the man's job more difficult, it seemed wiser to simply move on. After all, most of his interest currently lay outside the Tower, not within...Just as Vahn was about to teleport away, Genzo surprised him by saying, "I believe there has been a misunderstanding. I wasn't saying you shouldn't fight the Lo Po Bia Family Leader. The main point I was trying to make was that you shouldn't fight him with the intention of meting out some kind of punishment. He never acted with malicious intent, and, even now, he does not harbor any grudges towards you. Rather than attempting to conquer the Lo Po Bia Family using fear tactics, would it not be closer to your ideals to settle things as friends? You wouldn't have created me if you didn't think the Lo Po Bia Family were beyond saving."Finding himself at a loss for words, Vahn looked over his shoulder to find Genzo staring back at him with a massive grin on his face. This left him feeling a little helpless, not because Genzo had hit the nail on the proverbial head, but because the four-hour-year-old Template was using his own private thoughts against him. Everything he mentioned was something Vahn had deliberated at length, but, for the sake of 'fairness', he had been intending to punish Lo Po Bia in a similar manner to Arie Hon.Shaking that thought from his mind, Vahn adopted a wry smile before extending his hand to the inordinately muscular man and saying, "It seems the Lo Po Bia Family is about to experience an era of prosperity...you'll make a fine leader, Genzo..."---Following the impromptu meeting between Creator and Template, Vahn and Genzo met up with Lo Po Bia to discuss the upcoming 'competition'. It was decided that the first round would basically be an exhibition between Vahn's Sage Dragon Emperor Transformation and the Guardian of the entire Lo Po Bia Family, the Great Mother herself. This was the entire reason this particular venue had been prepared, and, while it was a little strange that Lo Po Bia wouldn't be representing himself, most of an Anima's combat potential was derived from the creatures they commanded.As the 'mother' of every first-generation descendant of the Lo Po Bia Family, the Great Mother was effectively the source of their animalistic traits. She was also the entity who had gifted Lo Po Bia the twenty eggs that would eventually go on to become the original Guardian Beasts of the Lo Po Bia Branch Families. This made her the single most important entity within the Lo Po Bia Family, and, to the surprise of even Vahn, she was actually a stayover from a time before Gluttony and his children were placed in charge of the Tower. The only reason she wasn't older than the aforementioned was that her true form was essentially a World Tree, one that had died and been reincarnated countless times...With World Trees appearing in virtually every Record he had visited, Vahn was unsurprised to learn that the Tower had its own variant of the surprisingly common yet inordinately rare organism. The only reason he was even marginally surprised was that he had been unable to detect the presence of the World Tree's Spirit due to the Great Mother currently being near the end of her life. She had been prolonging her life by sealing away her essence, and, as a result, her true form was none other than the giant briar bush that dominated a large portion of the 113th Floor.It was Lo Po Bia's hope that Vahn would be able to reinvigorate the Great Mother's life force, but, even if he couldn't, defeating her now would ensure she became even more powerful in her next incarnation. This was how the Great Mother had persisted since time immemorial, as, every time she was killed, she would become resistant to whatever had killed her. She was also part of the network that allowed for the existence of multiple Floors in the Tower, so, even if Gluttony wanted to get rid of her, doing so risked compromising the integrity of the 109th through 117th Floors. He was also bound by a law that stipulated he prevent the complete eradication of individual species within the Tower, so, with the Great Mother being the last of her kind, she was effectively 'untouchable' under normal circumstances.While this might sound like a tremendous boon from certain perspectives, the simple fact of the matter was that the Great Mother was still the last of her kind. She had also been cursed to prevent her from producing offspring that might threaten the stability established by the Guardians, so, for hundreds-of-millions of years, she had effectively been imprisoned within the Tower's 113th Floor. It was only during the Age of Ascension that she finally met someone who could hear the 'voice of all things'. This was none other than Lo Po Bia, and, due to his innate ability to communicate with and understand all living creatures, it wasn't long before she entrusted her everything to him.Loneliness was one of the most powerful emotions any sapient creature could experience, so, even if was only for a relatively short few tens-of-thousands-of-years, the Great Mother vowed that she would watch over and protect the Lo Po Bia Family. This was the sentiment that allowed Lo Po Bia to become the Tower's first genuine Anima, as, despite countless new species coming into existence since the creation of the Tower, all Shinheuh within descended from the Great Mother and her sister trees. They were the origin of every native species of the Tower, and, as a result, Lo Po Bia was able to exercise his control over every living organism, people included.The only limitations on Lo Po Bia's power were that he couldn't exercise his control over those with greater power, Irregulars, and anyone who had specifically made a contract with the Guardians to receive protection against mind control abilities. He also had no desire to rule over everything, so, after establishing the Lo Po Bia Family, most of his time had been spent communing with the Great Mother and nourishing the eggs she had provided. This was also one of the reasons he was so loyal to Jahad, as, prior to becoming King, his old friend had vowed to find a way to break the curse that prevented the Great Mother from creating sisters for herself.Upon learning these things, Vahn not only agreed to fight an exhibition match against the Great Mother, he also promised to remove her curse. This was something that Gluttony was vehemently against, but, with Vahn promising to liberate the eldritch entity within the next two years, it offered no real resistance against his decision to treat her. Thus, rather than complicating things by meting out a one-sided punishment, Vahn's first step towards settling things with the Lo Po Bia Family was earning the sincere respect and admiration of its current and soon-to-be-former Leader...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn be like, "Git..."','This is a very advanced form of self-counseling...','Vahn's affinity with trees and lolis has now spanned four Records xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though it took a while to sort out all the details, it wasn't long after his conversation with Lo Po Bia that Vahn found himself standing opposite from what could best be described as an exotic beauty comprised entirely of aged bark and faded leaves. Her presence caused everyone in the Lo Po Bia Family to lower their heads in a solemn gesture of respect, and, for a brief moment, it seemed that all the tensions between the branches had simply vanished into thin air.Noticing the atmosphere that had been created by the woman's presence, Vahn's smile turned into a troubled expression as he stared into the faded green pupils of the woman smiling back at him. Unlike every other World Tree Spirit he had encountered, the Great Mother seemed to be lacking in vitality. Her bark was broken and frayed, and, despite appearing rather remarkable at a glance, her complexion was an amalgamation of yellows, browns, and faded greens. She resembled a tree that had been forced to lay its roots in an inhospitable region, and, despite radiating vitality from every fiber of her being, Vahn could feel her power and life force waning with each passing moment...Sensing the change in Vahn's mood, the Great Mother's smile softened into a gentle and motherly look as she softly muttered, "Do not lament. I have lived a life more fortunate than most. Besides, death is not the end. It is simply the beginning of a new chapter. Now...shall we begin...?"To indicate her own preparedness, the Great Mother manifested a branch-like Needle in her left hand as various types of trees, plants, and shrubbery began to spread throughout the arena. The complexion of her face and body also became a healthy shade of green, but, with his ability to sense the flow of energy, Vahn could tell she was burning what remained of her life force in order to sustain her empowered state.Understanding his opponent didn't have a lot of time, Vahn wasn't going to dally for the sake of sentimentality. Instead, he took a moment to appease Leav-tan before surprising virtually everyone by manifesting a petite young woman with fair skin, dark brown hair, inordinately long and pointed ears, branch-like wooden horns, and, fur-covered legs that ended in hoofed feet. She also had a tail that ended in a tuft, but, before anyone could get a proper grasp of her features, the young woman promptly transformed into a wooden bow carved with the motif of two dryads shrouded in emerald green leaves and vines.Though it had been some time since he used archery within a fight, Vahn's skill had only matured with time. He also possessed numerous Zanpakuto Spirits in the form of bows, but, unlike the rest, this particular variant had very little combat ability. Her name was Dea, and, while her name could be credited to the Roman Goddess of the same name, what distinguished her among her siblings was her 'compassion'. Arrows loosed from her branches did not leave wounds. Instead, they did the exact opposite, and, though he could use her to stun, paralyze, and put things to sleep, Dea's main function was healing targets from afar.Without explaining this functionality, Vahn's figure flashed away from the Great Mother, effortlessly evading her vines as he twisted his body in the air and loosed several vibrant green arrows formed of Nature Elemental Energy. This confused the Great Mother's senses, and, for a very brief moment, she was almost tempted to let the arrows hit her before manifesting a root more than thirty meters in diameter to block the approaching arrows. At the same time, a series of plant bulbs erupted from the ground all throughout the arena, many growing to the size of skyscrapers before blooming into a series of beautiful flowers that released a tremendous number of spores.Under normal circumstances, Vahn would have been tempted to see what the spores were capable of, but, having experienced the terror plants were capable of at the hands of Xysteria, he swept Dea in a horizontal motion that caused every flower within the arena to be bifurcated. This earned him a pouty complaint from the faun that inhabited the bow, but, with a few carefully chosen words, Vahn managed to coax her by promising to fill an entire forest with flowers for her to frolick through...With the Spirit of his Zanpakuto momentarily pacified, Vahn manipulated the flow of Shinsu in the surroundings to consolidate most of the spores into a centralized location as he continued loosing arrows towards the Great Mother. This caused the latter to feel a tremendous amount of pressure, not because he was inflicting any actual damage, but because the vitality emanating from each of the arrows had already started to suffuse through her body. As a result, she felt mildly intoxicated, and, despite her best efforts to slow the intake, her malnourished cells greedily absorbed each and every micron of natural energy.Noticing the Great Mother's lack of focus, an amused smile spread across Vahn's face as he easily evaded a series of massive, thorn-covered, vines before teleporting directly in front of the hunched-over beauty with his bow drawn. The very tip of his arrows was pressed to the Great Mother's head, so, even if it was incapable of dealing damage, her vibrant green eyes widened as she instinctually stabbed towards his chest with her Needle.Adding to the World Tree Spirit's surprise, Vahn made no attempt to evade the momentous attack. Instead, he let it pass harmlessly through his body in a manner similar to Katakuri toying with Luffy during their showdown in canon. At the exact same moment, he loosed one of Dea's vibrant green arrows into the Great Mother's forehead. This would have caused most people's heads to snap back due to whiplash, but, unlike conventional arrows, Dea's didn't carry any actual momentum. Instead, the arrow disappeared into the Great Mother's head, instantaneously robbing her of consciousness as the leaves comprising her hair and clothing practically exploded due to their exponential growth.With the Great Mother now resembling a clump of vibrant green grass, Vahn allowed Dea to return to her faun form before sending her on her way after a healthy amount of petting. This earned him a fair number of complaints from his other Zanpaktuo, but, as was often the case, Vahn managed to pacify them with promises of maintenance. This was one of the downsides to possessing well over a hundred Zanpakuto, but, as needy as they could be at times, Vahn felt genuinely blessed to have so many adorable, versatile, and powerful Spirits to dote upon. They were also a part of him, so, even if he did have any complaints, the only person he could really blame was himself...As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn's body tensed up as the Great Mother's eyes spontaneously rolled forward. Their previous exchange had actually been his attempts to treat her condition, so, in a way, it was basically the warm-up heralding the actual battle. After all, the original agreement was that he would fight her in his Sage Dragon Emperor Transformation. Their goal was to eliminate any future dissent, so, while he could easily defeat her in a few swift exchanges, it would take something more 'theatrical' to convince the naysayers of his superiority.With this in mind, Vahn smiled towards the Great Mother before teleporting a few kilometers away in an effort to evade the spores she had sneakily released. Then, in front of the stunned eyes of the entire Lo Po Bia Family, his body began to rapidly increase in size, quickly exceeding five-hundred-meters in height and more than twice that in length. Unlike his past transformations, however, gold scales were not his most prominent features. Rather, since this was supposed to be his Sage Dragon Emperor Transformation, he elected to emulate Artoria's ivory scales in order to give himself a more regal appearance. This helped the golden accents of his body stand out even more, but, at a glance, it was his fiery blue eyes, the blade-like horn protruding from his head, and the shimmering golden glaive attached to the end of his tail that drew the eyes of the crowd.Since this was far larger than his previous transformations, Vahn was forced to adopt a quadrupedal stance just to support his own weight. If not for his contract with Gluttony, even half this size would have been too much for him, as, despite his breakthroughs in the Toaruverse, his ability to bend the laws 'outside' was still limited by his comprehension and authority. This restriction was waning with each passing day, but, the moment he departed the Tower and trespassed a higher realm, he would, once again, be at the mercy of the Laws.Dismissing such thoughts from his mind, Vahn waited patiently as the Great Mother attempted to create a Spiritual Avatar that could rival his current form. This ended up being a mistake, as, rather than settling on a construct of similar size, she created a behemoth of organic matter that towered over him several times over. Since her 'true body' was the inordinately large briar bush surrounding them, this wasn't particularly surprising. Still, with his own limit barely eclipsing 500m, Vahn couldn't help frowning as he noticed her head grazing the ceiling of the arena...Fortunately, prior to the battle beginning, Vahn had tasked Lo Po Bia with making sure there were no audience members on the western section of the arena. He also made sure most of the Floating Palaces had moved out of the way, as, the moment he released his attack, everything in front of him was bound to 'vanish'. The Great Mother's size meant very little in the fact of true power, so, before her impossibly large fist could squash him like a bug, golden light began emanating from the scales in his chest, rapidly spreading through his body before gathering in his spread wings.Just as people began to squint from the intense light, the atmosphere within the arena seemed to darken as the flow of time slowed to a crawl. Then, in a voice that shook the very souls of everyone present, Vahn's could be heard stating, "Sage Dragon Emperor's Majestic Roar." as a relatively thin beam of golden energy erupted from his maw. Said beam passed through the Great Mother's Spirit Avatar as if it was little more than an illusion before continuing on until it impacting the distant wall of the 113th Floor. Then, despite the beam rapidly contracting into nothingness, the hole produced continued to expand until it had formed a passageway more than three-kilometers in diameter...Satisfied with the result, an uncanny smile developed across Vahn's draconic maw as he tapped his glaive-like tail against the ground. This caused a series of golden ripples to emanate from the point of contact, rapidly spreading through the arena before crawling up the nearly destroyed barrier and producing countless shimmering runes. Shortly thereafter, the barrier was completely repaired, and, as a result, the audience was finally able to exhale the breath they had been holding. His aura was a little too potent in this particular form, so, from the moment he transformed, most of the audience members had turned completely statuesque, their minds wholly incapable of processing what they had just witnessed.Passing his gaze over the stunned onlookers, Vahn did his best to control the egotistical urges he felt whenever he transformed into a dragon, asking, "Is anyone not convinced...?" in as calm a tone as he could manage. In response, most of the Elders immediately averted their eyes, as, even if they were from one of the feline families, they only had one life. None were foolish enough to speak out against the indescribably powerful being staring down at them as if they were little more than weak and powerless children...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Leaf-bae getting bullied...','A Zanpakuto for every occassion~!','Blaaargh...!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

While he wasn't 'the' Genzo Shibata, Hero of a Record known as Kemono Michi, the Template Vahn had created possessed a near-identical personality and appearance. The reason for this was rather simple. Genzo loved animals to such extremes that even the mention of harming one was likely to get you suplexed into the ground.Though his fondness for Beast People and Demi-Humans was heavily influenced by their overall 'fluffiness', Genzo possessed a righteous and incorruptible character that was perfectly suited for settling disputes. He was also what some referred to as a "true champion of gender equality", so, regardless of whether they were man, woman, or something else entirely, he would love and punish everyone without bias. This, combined with a competing degree of charisma and 'density' allowed him to be an extremely likable, albeit strange, protagonist.As the concept of anime wasn't really a thing in the Tower, the members of the Lo Po Bia obviously had no idea who Genzo Shibata was. All anyone knew for certain was that he radiated the aura of a 'Beast King', and, despite a powerful barrier existing to protect them, those who managed to retain their consciousness didn't feel safe. Some, particularly those with inordinate amounts of fluff, even broke out into a cold sweat, as, even without him looking in their direction, they could feel Genzo's intent linger over them like a predator that had been starved for weeks...Noticing a small amount of drool flowing from Genzo's mouth, Vahn felt an overwhelming urge to smack the man in the back of his head. As a result, the mask-wearing man was sent tearing through the landscape, his burly body smashing into the barrier surrounding the area with a loud thud. This was purely instinctual on Vahn's part, but, from the perspective of the people in the crowd, it was a demonstration of the fact he was exponentially stronger than the muscular man they were quickly learning to fear.Further emphasizing this notion, Genzo casually pushed aside a few large boulders before rubbing the back of his head and saying, "Sorry. I guess got a little excited..." while lowering his head in an ingratiating manner.Though he was the one who decided to keep the original Genzo's personality, Vahn couldn't help shaking his head in mild exasperation before shifting his attention to Lo Po Bia and stating, "Your move. You can send one at a time or all of them at once. It won't really make a difference."Hearing Vahn's words, Lo Po Bia tore his eyes away from Genzo, brows furrowed as he answered, "It will take an hour or two to gather the Elders and decide the fighting order. While it is true we spent the last few weeks preparing for your arrival, only a few of our fighters have gathered to witness the battle between the Elders of the Snow Leopard and Forest Cat Families. For the time being, it would be my honor to play host to the Sage Dragon Emperor and his entourage..."As he had spent a fair amount of time analyzing the structure of the 'fleet' outside, Vahn was well aware of the fact that the Lo Po Bia Family wasn't prepared to receive him. Unfortunately, Lo Po Bia had made the mistake of listening to Gustang's advice, and, as a result, tensions between the Snow Leopard and Forest Cat Families had been inflated unnecessarily. They had effectively forced him to come out, so, while he would normally have no problem with a brief intermission, Vahn's expression hardened as he answered, "Your Elders will have as much time as you can buy them..."Without bothering to explain, Vahn's figure disappeared from within the arena before reappearing in front of Lo Po Bia in an instant. Then, before the man could so much as widen his eyes in shock, he found the collar of his leaf-green kimono being drawn with overwhelming force before his body crashed, hard, into the arena's floor. Immediately thereafter, the section of the barrier between the VIP viewing stands and the arena shattered like glass, silencing the audience and stunning Tu Perie Tperie.Ignoring the tense atmosphere he had created, Vahn landed on the outskirts of the massive crater formed by Lo Po Bia's union with the earth. The man had never been known for his power, so, while he was ultimately unscathed by the sudden assault, he had a difficult time climbing to his feet due to the overwhelming aura pressing down on his body. He was far more susceptible to such pressure than most people, so, with Vahn's existence qualifying him among the highest classifications of True Dragons, Lo Po Bia felt like a field mouse that had been encircled by a seemingly infinite number of voracious predators...To the surprise of everyone, Vahn included, a figure appeared in front of the downed Lo Po Bia with arms spread wide. This was none other than Genzo, and, though he had been the one to create the man, Vahn's serious expression turned into a wry smile as he remarked, "You can't be serious..."With an expression that demonstrated just how serious he was being, Genzo crossed his arms in a defiant manner, explaining, "Attacking someone after they have sincerely extended their hospitality is behavior unbecoming of an Emperor. If you are going to judge people based on their capacity as a leader, you need to be willing to set the best possible example. Dismissing propriety just because you are in the dominant position is the act of a tyrant. If you insist on throwing away your-"Before Genzo could finish speaking, Vahn, having adopted a deadpan expression, pointed towards the man's lips and said, "Don't lecture me whilst petting someone and drooling..."Blinking in surprise, Genzo looked down to notice he was no longer standing in a defiant position. Instead, he had knelt down next to Lo Po Bia, and, due to the man offering no resistance, he had begun to caress and stroke the former's mane-like green hair. This realization would have caused most people to feel embarrassed, but, demonstrating why Vahn had chosen him as a proxy, Genzo's expression became resolute as he shouted, "Fluff is justice...!"Feeling more exasperated at this moment than he had in several months, Vahn pinched the bridge of his nose, brows furrowed in consternation before replying, "Fine. Even if you were just talking out of your ass, there is still a fair amount of truth in your words. I'll use this time to show Tperie around the Little Garden. Once four hours have passed, we will reconvene here and settle things...once and for all..."Though he was trying to be serious, Vahn's words began to trail off when Genzo began rubbing his face against the fur-covered cheeks of the very confused Lo Po Bia. This caused him to feel a small amount of regret, but, having long ago decided to live without such sentiments, he ultimately just shook his head before gesturing to the girls and returning to the VIP stands to collect the relieved-looking Tperie...---While Vahn was busy dealing with the consequences of his actions, Gustang found himself standing before a massive crystalline structure surrounded by advanced machinery. This particular crystal was the repository of all the knowledge the Po Bidau Family had accumulated since the establishment of the Empire, and, for the first time in his life, Gustang was considering destroying it all.Though he couldn't be certain of Vahn's intentions, Gustang's intuition told him that Vahn wouldn't allow him to hold on to knowledge and information he had acquired at the expense of others. This just so happened to be the bulk of the information they had acquired over the years, as, more often than not, the use of force and other extreme measures was the best way to acquire new, interesting, and, most importantly, useful information. This was especially true in an environment where people competed for dominance even at the expense of their own life and limb.Unfortunately, while he could justify nearly every action he had ever taken, that didn't absolve him of guilt. Rather, it implied he carefully considered each of his actions, and, despite knowing he was going to ruin the lives of countless people, he had moved forward with numerous projects. Most of these experiments were carried out for the benefit of 'all' peoples within the Tower, but, as he had demonstrated time and again, Vahn didn't care about such things. He would zero in on all the times people in his family had acted out of curiosity, intrigue, or other selfish desires, and, regardless of the good they had done, he would still hold them accountable.Thanks to the countermeasures he had developed to prevent Vahn from reading his mind, Gustang wasn't sure if he had done anything to earn the ire of the seemingly unstoppable dragon. It was this uncertainty that caused him to consider whether or not he should just destroy everything and move on. He had never been particularly fond of the Tower, so, as long as he made an effort to 'fix' things, there was no reason Vahn shouldn't extend him the same offer as everyone else. Rather, depending on how he played his cards, there was a chance he might even be able to join the Aldrnari Empire's R&D Division...As that thought crossed his mind, a resolute light appeared in the depths of Gustang's ordinarily impassive eyes. If he were being honest, it had been a long time since he felt truly passionate about anything. He couldn't remember what had transpired, but he knew it had something to do with the burgundy-haired woman standing next to Blossom, the only woman he had ever truly loved.Seeing Blossom among Vahn's entourage had caused an indescribable discomfort to spread within Gustang's chest. It had been thousands of years since they were married, but, even now, when most of his memories were sealed away, his yearning for her overwhelmed the loathing he frequently felt towards members of the opposite sex. They were an unwelcome distraction from his research, and, more often than not, conversing with them was like trying to have a serious talk with a farm animal. This had caused him to feel disgusted by most females, but, for reasons he had never been able to truly quantify, Blossom had never given off this impression. Rather, even without his memories, just seeing her made him feel uncharacteristically nostalgic and relaxed...Shaking his head, an expression of self-admonition appeared on Gustang's face as he pulled out a key and said, "As frustrating as it is to follow that woman's example...perhaps it is time I also move on..."As those words left his mouth, Gustang turned the key, and, as a result, the gargantuan crystal in front of him immediately shifted from a pale-blue to a frightful red that screamed 'danger'. At the same time, a countdown appeared on every screen in the facility, but, after inputting a few lines of code into the command terminal at his front, Gustang quickly overwrote it before closing his eyes and adopting a rare smile...---Though he had been in the middle of showing Tperie around the various communities located on the Second Layer, Vahn's body tensed up as he received feedback from one of his Templates. More specifically, the albino Wailord he had entrusted to Whitebeard had just informed him that a large explosion had just occurred on the 129th Floor, the highest Floor managed by the Po Bidau Family.Confused by the turn of events, Vahn habitually froze time around him, ignoring Tperie's statuesque expression of surprise as he turned to the Law of Identity and said, "Tell me what Gustang is up to..."Under normal circumstances, the Law of Identity would have happily obliged Vahn's request, but, even after several seconds had passed, her form remained unchanged. As for the reason, it was due to the fact that the Gustang she had habitually emulated over the last few years simply didn't exist...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fluff is Justice...!','Turn back the pendulum...','O_O...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 2008: A Person's Actions Should Reflect Their Ideals