Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

"Just let me know when you feel like being sensible and talking things out."Freeing himself from the personalized crater Vahn had created for him, the heroic man spit a mouthful of blood onto the ground before wiping his mouth and saying, "You can't defeat justice. No matter how many times you knock me down, I'll keep getting back up. If you kill me, someone else will rise to take my place...!"Finished with his speech, the spandex-clad fool accelerated like a projectile fired from a MAC gun. Both of his fists were extended in an effort to reduce drag and slam into Vahn's body at the highest speed he could manage within atmosphere.Exhaling a sigh, Vahn allowed the man to pass, unobstructed, through his body. This confused the caramel-skinned hero until his companion, the bespectacled woman flitting around the battlefield with a barrier that also made her invisible, explained, "He has the ability to become immaterial! Try and hit him with a sound-based attack...!""Actually, no."Without waiting for the man to attempt yet another fruitless attack, Vahn teleported right behind him before grabbing the back of his head. The heroic man's body immediately went limp, and, as a result, the tinkerer-like woman shouted out, "Dauntless...!" in a panicked tone.Teleporting next to the woman, Vahn tossed the man known as Dauntless onto the ground as he said, "Relax. I just knocked him unconcious. Unlike you two fools, I wouldn't go out of my way to try and kill an opponent because of a misunderstanding."Rather than respond to Vahn's words, the ponytailed woman erected a spherical barrier with a hexagonal pattern before tapping the device on her wrist and manifesting a pair of twin gatling cannons attached to a mechanized exoskeleton. Then, despite the fact Vahn was just standing in place, she began firing a volley of puple-black projectiles that radiated a violet hue.Ignoring the superdense gravity projectiles, Vahn extended his hand to make a grabbing motion. The moment he pulled back, all of the devices on the woman's body were ripped away as if pulled by a powerful magnet. The only things spared were her artificial eye and the biomechanical nanites in her body.Tossing a blanket towards the half-naked woman, Vahn's expression hardened as he said, "I invited you here with the hope of reaching an agreement that would be benefit everyone. In exchange for functionally unlimited resources, the only thing I was asking for was your support as I endeavor to make the Little Garden a better place to live. Instead, you regard me as an opportunist despite the fact your Community benefits exponentially more from the agreement. Are you daft...?"Though she had been glaring fiercely after having her gadgets deprived and clothes torn, a look of grim realization appeared on the woman's face as she said, "Return my equipment and there is still a chance we can work things out..."Using his telekinesis, Vahn caused the woman's gadgets to crash into her body with enough force to knock her back without severely injuring her as he said, "I require neither your trinkets nor your cooperation. People like you and your little friend make me sick. You purport to be Heroes but the reality of the situation is that you've simply placed yourselves in an opportunistic position that lets you act however you please. I don't need ignorant and hypocritical fools within my organization."Snapping his fingers, Vahn brought the duo back to the room they were meant to discuss terms in. This caused a look of panic to appear on the woman's face, but, before she could utter so much as a single additional syllable, he promptly teleported away........."That could have gone better."Seeing Shiroyasha cover her smile with her fan, Vahn had to resist the urge to bend her across his knee and give her a spanking as he retorted, "As if you didn't know what kind of people they were before arranging our meeting..."Snapping her fan closed, Shiroyasha shrugged her shoulders before explaining, "Truth be told, I've never really understood the society of the West. Before the 'Age of Enlightenment' a few thousand years ago, the West was the most peaceful region in the entire Divine Realm. Now, it has become a veritable cesspool of corruption. I doubt this will come as much of a surprise but humans, especially those who have been swayed by demons, are remarkably terrible at governing themselves."Suppressing a sigh, Vahn shamelessly sauntered over to Shiroyasha's side before plopping down next to her. This caused a glimmer of expectation to flash across her eyes, but, feeling he ought to punish her for making himmeet such an asinine group of people, Vahn promptly adjusted his position before laying his head in her lap and saying, "Wake me up in a few hours..."Sensing Vahn's consciousness slip away, Shiroyasha's brow began to twitch as she muttered, "You damned tease..." before pinching his cheek stretching it like a piece of mochi.........Though Vahn's meeting with the 'Justice Association' hadn't gone particularly well, it would be inaccurate to say it was fruitless. It had taught him a very important lesson, chiefly that he didn't need to rely on outsiders to achieve his goals.Since he was already planning to spread the Empire into the Divine Realm, Vahn decided to take a risk by creating the additional Communities he would need to ascend to a 4-Digit Gate. He could still recruit additional Communities to his cause, but, for the sake of preventing future troubles, he decided to fill the central positions of the Alliance with people he could trust.Fortunately, while it was a strange way to view things, Vahn hadn't specifically targetted 'good' or 'righteous' women when he was expanding his harem. Quite a number of his women were outright considered villains in their previous worlds, so, while he would have a much easier time establishing Communities affiliated with the 'light', Vahn wasn't left wanting for options.After a considerable amount of discussion with the residents of his personalized Little Garden, a total of six Communities were decided upon. They had more than enough people to establish ten Communities but Artoria had proposed letting established groups fill the other four openings so they wouldn't need to spread themselves too thin.In the end, those that were interested ended up diving themselves into six different groups, each serving as the foundation for a future Community.Representing the first group, comprised of six people, was Artoria. She was going to be the Leader of a Community whose founding members consisted of Nero, Lakshmibai, Gray, Gareth, and, after a very long discussion, Arthur. As for the name of their Community, they had decided to go with the Saberface Alliance.Though Vahn felt they were establishing a dangerous precedence by drawing attention to the fact they had very similar features, the name Saberface Alliance wasn't the worst. That honor went to the Community founded by Mordred, Altria, X, and Jeanne, who, despite a number of protests, decided upon the name 'Sage Dragon Riders' as their Community name...Wrapping up the 'righteous' Communities was the group led by Ureko. She had decided to put off reincarnating in order to create a foundation for her clan in the Divine Realm. After all, if she could spread their name in the Little Garden, countless iterations of her clan would appear in the Realms below. This was, inarguably, the best way to ensure their continued existence, and, as interested as she was in the Realms below, Ureko was far more excited by the prospect of fighting powerful foes in the Divine Realm.Following Ureko's example, nearly every woman that Vahn had picked up in the Tower, specifically those with battle-hungry natures, decided to join her. This included Yuri, both Maschenny(s), Jaina, Lotte, and, somewhat surprisingly, Ryun.Vahn had expected Ryun to insist on joining him but she had apparently come to an agreement with Ureko to document the latter's exploits. In other words, she was intending to become a Poet by recording and publicizing the stories of Ureko and the other girls. Her penultimate goal was to reinforce the identity of everyone affiliated with the Aldrnari Empire, but, understanding the futility of trying to document Vahn's story, Ryun decided to start with Ureko and the girls originating from the Tower as she was already intimately familiar with their background.As someone who had always advocated for the independence of his women, Vahn didn't oppose Ryun's plan. He could literally visit any of his lovers whenever he wanted so it really didn't matter what they decided to get themselves up to. He was happy so long as they were.Representing the first 'dark' Community, not that she was even remotely evil, was Da Vinci. Vahn had basically entrusted her with taking over the entire West Side, so, while most of the other groups were relatively small, Da Vinci had the support of nearly every Magus Vahn had encountered in the Nasuverse.Vahn's hope was to reintroduce the concept of Magic in the West Side, as, ever since the rise of a being known as Yehowah, science and reason had suppressed pretty much everything else. This led to a situation where even Divinity was pretty much useless as people in the West had built a system of belief that devalued the existence of Gods to an extreme degree. They had even wiped out most magical creatures, so, with the exception of humans and a few genetically engineered subspecies, the West was inhospitable to and outright intolerant of other races.Simply put, Da Vinci was a 'hard counter' to the belief system embodied in the West. Magi on the level of Rin, Illya, and Aoko were also more than capable of actualizing the effects of their spells using pure imagination and willpower, so, unless they were against something that specifically negated magic, they could still use it.Unfortunately for the people in the West, creating technology that negated Magic was the same as accepting its existence as you couldn't make something to counter a concept you didn't believe in. To make matters even worse for them, the West, much like the South, was currently participating in a perennial Gift Game that affected everyone that chose to live there. This was what allowed Heroes and Villains to run rampant as they were basically the Players in an endless struggle between 'Good' and 'Evil'.All Da Vinci and the girls would need to do in order to cement their position in the West Side was create a profitable and reasonably powerful business. This was the reason they were considered a 'dark' Community, as, despite having good intentions, the powers that govern the West Side were bound to regard them as a villainous organization unless they decided to play ball or submit to the existing system.While it wasn't impossible to work with the people in power, the simple truth of the matter was that the people in charge of the West Side were irredeemably hedonistic and corrupt. They were also an extremely patriarchal society, so, the moment they set sights on the incomprehensible beauty of Da Vinci and the rest, they were bound to get greedy.As an additional precaution, Vahn asked Nobunaga, Kenshin, Musashi, Scathach, Okita, Yoruichi, Madara, and several other frontline combatants to assist with Da Vinci's efforts. If it came down to it, they were more than prepared to go to war against the entire West Side. A dystopian society had no place in Vahn's vision of the Little Garden's future...Wrapping things up, Vahn entrusted Semiramis with the Leadership of a Community consisting of their daughters Ebony and Raven. They were more than capable of protecting themselves and she had already built a literal kingdom for herself in one of Gaia's Textures. As for the final Community, it was comprised of Tamamo, Shuten, Ibaraki, and pretty much every animalistic member of Vahn's previous Menagerie. The latter group would be stationed in the East alongside the Sage Dragon's Hearth, as, even if he trusted them with all his heart, Vahn wanted to keep a close eye on the more 'mischievous' members of his harem.........(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The ultimate punishment for a mischievous demon...','Vahn be like, "Fine, I'll do it myself..."','We all know why Vahn wants to keep the members of his Menagerie close OwO...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With a helpless yet affectionate smile on his face, Vahn was currently staring at a map of the entire Little Garden while Xysteria, clinging to his head and back, curiously observed his actions.If she was just clinging to him, Vahn wouldn't have minded Xysteria's presence. The reason for his mild discomfort was the fact she would periodically sniff his hair, climb into his clothing, and bite him. She was also remarkably clingy, so much so that it was nearly impossible to separate her from him whenever they spent time together."Papa...Papa...hungry...!"Though she was well over three hundred million years old, Xysteria had never really matured. She was an extremely intelligent being, but, for reasons even Da Vinci couldn't understand, her mental development had stalled around the age of an extremely curious toddler. It was really peculiar, as, despite speaking in broken sentences, Xysteria's Wisdom parameter was even higher than Leticia's. She had memorized countless books, studied advanced magecraft, and could even dismantle and fix the advanced machinery produced in the Moon Cell. She just never matured.At first, Vahn thought that Xysteria's stalled mental development was similar to Fenrir's, but, even after spending a considerable amount of time with her, she hadn't progressed. This implied it had something to do with one of her Innates, but, as a being of Chaos, it was hard to ascertain the true nature of Xysteria's abilities. The more you tried to understand her, the greater your surprise when you later discovered that her ability had evolved into something completely different...Holding up an amethyst-colored insect that resembled the crystalline shell of a locust, Vahn said, "It's almost time for lunch. This is your last sna-"Without waiting for Vahn to finish, Xysteria extended her frog-like tongue to latch onto both the locust and his hand. Unfortunately, no matter how much she pulled, she was unable to move either as Vahn adopted a wry smile and muttered, "Someone is about to lose their desert..."With an adorably panicked expression on her face, Xysteria immediately retracted her inordinately long and sticky tongue before nuzzling her cur-covered head against Vahn's neck and lower jaw as she said, "Xysty be good..." in an assertive yet audibly anxious tone."Mmm..."Feeling even more fretful after hearing her Papa's response, Xysteria's body spontaneously became noticeably more malleable as she slithered around Vahn's neck and shoulders before slinking into the collar of his tunic. Moments later, she poked out the upper half of her face, amber eyes focused on the gem-like locust in his hand as she patiently awaited permission to eat it.Since he didn't want to stress his daughter too much, Vahn used a spell to increase the size of the insect as he assured, "Xysty is a good girl..." before drawing it closer to her mouth. In response, she promptly poked out the rest of her head, rows of razor-sharp teeth appearing in her maw as she bit down on the nigh-indestructible insectoid as if it was a rice cracker.Understanding she was probably going to curl up in his tunic to take a nap once she had finished eating, Vahn seized the opportunity to caress Xysteria's inordinately fluffy head as he returned his attention to the diorama of the Little Garden. It showed, in real-time, the current state of the Little Garden and its Communities. This included recently formed Communities so Vahn had been using it to keep track of the situation without making direct contact with the groups formed by Artoria, Da Vinci, Semiramis, Mordred, Tamamo, and Ureko.Unfortunately, the diorama wasn't always as cooperative as Vahn would like it to be...Tired of sitting still, Loi-chan reverted back to her default, scantily clad appearance before saying, "I'm bored." with a slightly pouty expression.Restraining the urge to both laugh and sigh, Vahn forced a smile as he asked, "Is there something you had in mind...?"Though Xysteria was a little confused by her Papa's sudden monologue, she just looked up at him for a brief moment before promptly descending into his tunic and curling up into a ball. The locust did little to satiate her hunger, so, for the sake of dessert, she intended to hibernate until lunchtime.Placing her index finger on her lips, Loi-chan appeared to be in serious thought as she slowly rotated in a mid-air, cross-legged position. This continued for several cycles until Vahn manifested a cup of coffee out of thin air before lying back against the fabric of space and time as if it were a hammock.Despite possessing an Ego of her own, Loi-chan had a difficult time forming thoughts of her own. Vahn had been trying to help her with this, so, even if she sometimes took several hours to make a decision, he didn't mind waiting. Time didn't have any real meaning to him at this point. After all, he could literally extend a single moment into eternity if he really wanted to.Fortunately, it only took Loi-chan around forty minutes to inquire, "Want to watch an anime? You can send a version of yourself inside or I can transform into all of the interesting female characters that appear on-screen. Though we have sex every time you have sex, it's been a while since we did it directly."Since she was fully aware of Vahn's exploits in alternate timelines, Loi-chan didn't see the harm in changing her appearance and personality to match the characters in an anime. They were all her, so, unlike other girls, she had no qualms about changing her appearance on a whim. Rather, she enjoyed seeing Vahn's reactions when she suddenly transformed into someone else mid-coitus...Smiling wryly in response to Loi-chan's suggestion, Vahn found himself seriously considering the proposal. He would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in quite a number of female characters that appeared in various 'fictional' universes. Loi-chan allowed him to fool around without directly expanding his harem, so, despite feeling it was pretty degenerate of him, it was hard to refuse her outright. It didn't help that she was literally cycling through all the women that came to mind as he allowed his thoughts to wander...Seeing Loi-chan settle on a slightly muscular woman with brown skin, dark-brown hair, and icy blue eyes, Vahn's left brow abruptly twitched as countless memories related to the woman's background and origin surfaced in his mind. She was the titular Main Character from a relatively low-tier Record known as the Legend of Korra. When he first watched it, Vahn had been fascinated by the animation style and plot, but, the moment the story began delving into the drama of Korra's love life, it wasn't long before things went south, fast.Though he would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in bedding Korra, it was far from the first thought that came to Vahn's mind when he saw her. Rather, it was her dysfunctional rearing and the gross incompetence of the people involved in guiding her as the Avatar, the Spiritual Leader of her world. She had been born in an era where people were transitioning from traditional sensibilities to a more modern perspective on the world around them. This placed her in a rather precarious position from the start. It didn't help that the organization responsible for training her allowed her nature to run rampant while they did everything in their power to 'protect' her by concealing the truth to the point she was effectively ignorant of the world around her...Interested to see what kind of changes his Template could introduce into the world, Vahn created a second version of himself so that Xysteria could continue her nap. Then, along with the transformed Loi-chan, he teleported to his private viewing room before making himself comfortable. Loi-chan immediately did the same, but, instead of paying attention to the screen, she straddled his lap before wrapping her arms around his neck and grinding against the bulge in his pants. In response, Vahn unhesitantly reached around to grasp her toned yet remarkably pliant bottom. He may not have any interest in pursuing the actual Korra but that wasn't going to stop him from having a bit of fun as the revised episodes began airing in the background.........After enjoying themselves for the better part of twenty-six hours, Vahn had Loi-chan revert back to the diorama of the Little Garden. He might have all the time in the world but he liked to stay on top of things whenever he was planning a conquest.Though it had only been nine days since he allowed his girls to venture out and have fun, a few were well on their way to becoming 5-Digit Communities. The only Communities lagging behind were Da Vinci's and Semiramis's but that wasn't too surprising. Progressing in the West required a fair amount of diplomacy and even greater amounts of scheming, so, despite having functionally unlimited resources, Da Vinci's progress was stalled by bureaucracy. As for Semiramis, she wasn't exactly the type to get her hands dirty so she was allowing Ebony and Raven to take charge while advising them from the comfort of her refurbished Hanging Gardens.Seeing one of the blue lights flash with a red light, a wry smile developed across Vahn's face as he connected his senses with the System Template active within Mordred's body. She and Ureko had founded their Communities in the South Side so they had been fighting multiple times a day ever since their formation.Finding himself in a familiar cockpit, Vahn could feel Mordred's thirst for battle as she piloted her crimson-red mech, the Mechanized Dragon: Red Clarent, against a horde of beasts led by a group of men and women resembling Viking Berserkers. They were literally charging at her without regard for life or limb, so, without disappointing them, Mordred cut through the seemingly endless horde using a massive claymore resembling her Zanpakuto, Superbia.Matching its name, Superbia was a sword that embodied Mordred's tremendous pride. As a result, it resembled a combination of Artoria's Excalibur and Vahn's Laevteinn. It also had a lion's face on the cross-guard, but, unless you looked closely, it resembled the visage of a Dragon more than the chimeric beast it was meant to resemble.Unsurprisingly, Mordred was making short work of her foes. Anything that got close to her was cut down, and, due to the tremendous heat emanated from her mech's numerous exhaust ports, much of her surroundings had caught fire.Shaking his head, Vahn sent a telepathic message reminding Mordred not to go overboard before cutting the connection. He knew his words would actually have the opposite effect, but, at the very least, they would prevent Mordred from behaving like a villain. Her affinity with War had a powerful influence over her nature, so, every now and again, he needed to remind her that she was supposed to be one of the good guys...Fortunately, the one thing that hadn't changed about Mordred's character was that she was very eager to please the people she cared about. Thus, if he really wanted her to calm down, the only thing Vahn needed to do was ask her to spread her influence without relying on violence. After all, wars weren't fought solely on the battlefield. A true God of War and Conquest was also proficient in diplomacy, delegation, and resource management. After all, while fighting was a core component of war, it wasn't the reason they were fought.Mordred was equally as skilled on the battlefield as she was at the negotiation table. If Vahn ever chose a successor, she would be near the very top of his list. Until then, she would remain his most pampered princess and one of his most reliable Generals...With that thought in mind, Vahn watched over Modred's battle from the perspective of Altria. She was the laziest member of the group, so, whenever he wanted to keep tabs on their progress, Vahn would usually interface with the cat-like woman to see what everyone else was up to.........(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Xysteria &lt;3','There are times when I can't help wanting to punch Vahn...','RIP Viking-sans...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

In the days following his meeting with Shiroyasha, Vahn explained his intentions to the other members of his Community while also gifting Companions to Sarina and Nono. Things were going to get pretty hectic in the near future so it was best they had the means to protect themselves on the off chance they decided to venture beyond the relative safety of the Sage Dragon's Hearth.Fortunately, while the requirements for ascending to a 4-Digit Community were pretty difficult for most people, Vahn had a few advantages. The Vahnatus had drastically increased the fame of the Sage Dragon's Hearth. People were literally lining up in the street to try and form an alliance with him so the condition of recruiting a total of 10 5-Digit Communities wasn't particularly difficult to achieve.With Leviathan's Tail and Twice Twilight already agreeing to form an Alliance with him, Vahn only needed 8 additional Communities to advance his plan. The only problem was choosing the correct affiliates, as, more often than not, the structure of an Alliance, especially one aspiring to ascend to a 4-Digit Community, dictated how people throughout the Little Garden viewed you.Though he wasn't particularly known for it at this point, Vahn was committed to establishing the Aldrnari Empire as a Neutral yet highly principled force. He wanted it to become a regulatory body for the 4-7-Digit Gates, so, while the most straightforward solution was to have the residents of his personalized Little Garden establish Communities of their own, the simplest way to ensure people viewed him as a neutral force was to recruit five 'righteous' and five 'villainous' organizations.Put simply, Vahn needed to recruit Communities whose Leaders hailed from Heroic or Demonic descent. He would also need representatives of the non-human community, as, despite being the Divine Realm, Speciesism and Xenophobia were rampant in each of the Cardinal Districts. Even the East Side was no exception to this as people of Eastern descent had always possessed traditionalist and reclusive views. They might not outright attack immigrants, but, the moment any issues arose, the natives of the East Side would quickly band together to oust anyone they didn't like.Fortunately, while Thousand Eyes was Headquartered in the East Side, they had numerous branches in the other districts. After all, Shiroyasha had a monopoly on Judge Masters and her omnipotence was extremely beneficial to the few who could afford her services.At the expense of a proverbial arm and leg, Vahn was able to arrange meetings with a number of foreign Communities using Thousand Eyes as a mediator. There was no restriction stipulating that the members of an Alliance hail from the same Cardinal District so Vahn's intention was to plant the seeds of future conquest by extending an olive branch to opportunistic individuals within the other districts.To this end, Vahn currently found himself seated, alone, in one of the rooms the Thousand Eyes Community used to conduct negotiations. From the perspective of some, this placed him in the lesser position, but, with the power contained within his body, Vahn was confident he could flip such 'misunderstandings' on their head if it became necessary.*tok* *tok* *tok*Though he had already sensed their presence long before they reached the room, Vahn waited until his guests had knocked before saying, "Enter." in a casual tone that seemed to resonate throughout the entire estate. In response, an inordinately tall man with shaven black hair and a healthy, caramel complexion stepped into the room. His features were sharp, serious, and heroic, but, considering he was literally wearing the type of outfit you would only see in comics, that wasn't too surprising.Shifting his attention away from the heroic-looking man in tights, Vahn eyed the bespectacled woman at his side. Her outfit was rather complain compared to the red, blue, and gold bodysuit of her male associate but she still stood out due to her stylish and futuristic-looking clothes. She even had a clipboard in her hand that was simply a metal frame with a vibrant blue, hard light surface.The technological development of the Little Garden was remarkably behind the norms found in the Lower Realms. This was especially true in the areas under the influence of the Buddhist Faction, so, unless you visited the West Side, it was pretty uncommon to find people walking around in modern clothes, much less futuristic attire...After briefly inspecting each of the woman's remarkably advanced devices, Vahn's smile became marginally more sincere as he mused, "Innovation and technology are truly wondrous. One of you possesses a body that has been enhanced to the point it could even contend against the strongest of Demigods while the other, despite appearing relatively normal, possesses armaments that can produce stable gravitational singularities. You've even managed to achieve biological immortality by replacing your marrow with biomechanical nanites. Very impressive."Hearing Vahn's 'praise', the duo became noticeably tenser as the man, demonstrating that his outfit wasn't just for show, stepped forward to say, "We didn't come here to chit-chat. Cut the creeper talk or we're leaving."Raising his brows, Vahn was tempted to ask how he was being creepy. The man had literally tried to scan him using half a dozen different ocular abilities while the woman, even now, was attempting to analyze him using her artificial eye and the chip implanted in her brain. Others might not notice the HUD visible on her glasses but Vahn's perception allowed him to discern even the most minuscule particles in existence. Seeing the full electromagnetic spectrum was child's play.Understanding they would probably storm off if he pointed out their hypocrisy, Vahn just shook his head before rising to his feet and pulling out furniture better suited to western sensibilities. It would be awkward as hell if they kept standing while he was seated on the ground, so, for the sake of their future cooperation, he wanted to make it easier to converse.Seeing objects appear out of thin air, the intelligent-looking woman's eyes practically lit up as the heroic-looking man furrowed his brows in caution. He didn't seem particularly fond of sitting and discussing things in a casual manner, but, after seeing Vahn sit down, he eventually took the seat opposite of him, stating, "We were told you could supply resources and technology that function even in the West. Well, let's see it."Rolling his eyes, Vahn leaned forward, elbows on the table and fingers linked together as he stated, "We haven't even been introduced and you expect me to put everything I have on the table? There is a limit to the amount of impropriety I can stomach."Furrowing his brows a third time, the caramel-skinned man exuded a commendable amount of pressure as he asserted, "Listen here, punk. I didn't come here to play games and make friends. Every second I waste here is a second I'm not saving lives. I don't know nor do I care how you do things here in the East. All I know is there are lives on the line back home. If you can't display the goods, you're wasting our time."While others might have been intimidated by the man's aura, Vahn had to suppress the urge to laugh. The man was the classical archetype for a superhero. He possessed a bevy of super senses, nigh-unlimited speed, strength, durability, and, most notably, a gross inability to grasp the bigger picture...Recalling how he had once aspired to be a Hero, Vahn couldn't help pitying the man. At the same time, however, he was tempted to give the man a firm knock on the head before literally beating some sense into him. After all, he could literally provide all the resources his organization needed to become one of the most influential in the West Side, yet, because of the biases he had formed as a 'Hero', the man viewed him as a potential enemy simply because he wanted to talk terms."You do realize there are more archetypes for people than simple Hero, Villain, and Civilian...right? Your time in the West had blinded you to the larger truth of the world. I would advise you to travel more and broaden your horizons. People aren't villainous just because they don't automatically step in line and support you..."Rising to his feet, the 'heroic' man adopted a stern look as he stared down at Vahn and said, "We're done here. I thought you might have been different but you're just another opportunist looking to profit off the people's suffering. When I return to the West Side, I'll make sure everyone knows what kind of person you are."Turning to leave, the caped crusader's body tenses when he sensed a distortion in the surrounding space. He immediately spun around in anticipation of a sneak attack, but, even with the ponytailed woman's pistol aimed at him, Vahn remained seated with a deadpan expression on his face."You're an idiot."Realizing that Vahn wasn't attacking, the man lowered his arms, but, as could be expected, he didn't let the tensions drain from his body. Instead, the energy contained within his cells began to swell as he demanded, "What are your intentions? Did Dystopia put you up to this...?"Exhaling a sigh, Vahn ignored the humming of the woman's plasma pistol as he rose to his feet and stated, "You really need to get away from the West Side. The Dystopian Demon Lord hasn't even managed to conquer the West yet you believe he has the power to influence the East? This might come as a shock to you but the Little Garden doesn't revolve around what happens in your district. Get over yourself."Though he waited until Vahn finished speaking, the caramel-skinned man's body language made it pretty clear he had already turned hostile. The center of his eyes had begun to release a vibrant red glow that illuminated the rest of the eye in a rather malicious manner. He had also balled his hands into fists, his cape billowing behind him as he said, "Fine, then. You want to play games? Let's play. Your kind only knows how to tell the truth when-"Without waiting for the man to finish, Vahn sent a wave of pressure toward him in the form of a simple palm strike. To his credit, the man was able to evade it in an instantaneous burst of speed that resembled teleportation. At the same time, the ponytailed woman fired off several shots from her plasma pistol, but, despite making direct contact, the plasma wasn't even able to burn through his clothes."He has some kind of barrier protecting his body...!"Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Vahn didn't even flinch as the heroic man's fist connected with his face. In their eyes, this all but confirmed the fact he possessed some kind of barrier but the truth of the matter was they simply lacked the strength to overwhelm his defenses. Sure, the man's punches might be enough to devastate small asteroids, but, without proper comprehensions of the Laws, he might as well be a normal human.Waving his hand, Vahn attempted to bat away the fist impacting his face. In response, the caped fool used his superspeed to retract his hand before attempting an uppercut with such speed and strength that the surrounding air superheated to form white-hot plasma.Furrowing his brows, Vahn's speed spontaneously increased to a point that far-exceeded his would-be opponent. Despite this, his movement didn't cause so much as a single ripple in the surrounding air, as, unlike the genetically engineered brute, his power and speed were derived from an adequate understanding of various Laws. The former's power was clearly defined by science while Vahn's was basically an abstract concept backed by Willpower and Authority. In layman's terms, this meant his opponent was working against the Laws while he was able to freely manipulate them at his leisure.Striking the man in various pressure points, Vahn was able to ignore his indestructibility by releasing Source Energy into his nerves. If he wanted to, he could easily overpower the man. Instead, he took this as an opportunity to teach him that the abilities granted to him were basically a gimmick. True power didn't come from a reliance on technological innovation. It was something that came from a mastery of oneself and a desire to protect. The man was on the right path, but, as his power wasn't something he had obtained for himself, he had allowed it to blind him. In his mind, he was right by virtue of the fact he was a Hero. This was a very dangerous mentality to possess, so, before the man could live long enough to see himself become the villain, Vahn decided to teach him a lesson.........(A/N: I'm back~!)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 2145: Sowing the Seeds of Change