Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With Amaterasu taken care of, Vahn didn't really have much left to do. He could destroy the other planets with relative ease but that would defeat the purpose of sending Nobu, Tomoe, and Okita to capture the Model Omega. Thus, after repairing the Sun and asking Amaterasu if she was willing to watch over it, Vahn teleported back to the throne/control room where Nobu was waiting.
"Oh~? Are you finished showing off? I expected you to at least wipe out the Akuma Community before returning."
As it had only been a few minutes since Vahn's departure, Nobu was still exhausted. Others couldn't see it but she was currently curled atop the throne in her most petite form, a smoldering, somewhat predatory smile on her face as she observed Vahn's approach with her carmine eyes.
Taking advantage of their relative privacy, Vahn picked Nobu up before placing a kiss atop her head and sitting back down. She responded by biting his nipple through the fabric of his clothes, but, as he was already used to such antics, Vahn just smiled as he drew her closer and answered, "I'll step in if Wu and Mikoto are unable to handle things..."
"Mmm...I see..."
Though she was prepared to defend the throne room with her life, Nobu would be lying if she said she wasn't happy that Vahn had returned. She didn't need to sleep but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy it. Thus, after making herself comfortable, she quickly dozed off in Vahn's embrace. A fatherly smile briefly appeared across the latter's face, but, understanding that Nobu wouldn't appreciate it if she learned he was looking at her with such eyes, Vahn subsequently leaned back, eyes closed as he enjoyed a short nap of his own...
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Even though it had only been a short while since she crashed into the planet, Kefla had managed to lay waste to a large portion of the Rakshasa tribesmen and women. If not for the interference of the Asura Tribe, she may have wiped them out in seconds.
Despite having one of the smallest populations in the Divine Realm, each individual member of the Asura/Asuri Tribe was a powerhouse capable of crushing weaker 4-Digit Communities on their own. They were considered one of the ultimate warrior tribes, so, while Kefla was able to fodder even the strongest Rakshasa, the only injury sustained by the nine members of the Asura Tribe was the loss of a single limb. A limb that almost immediately healed.
Unfortunately, as powerful as the Asura Tribesmen and women were, their only saving grace was the fact that Kefla was fighting with her arms crossed. She didn't want the battle to end too quickly, so, despite being surrounded on all sides by much larger combatants, she maintained a cocky smile as she practically danced around their attacks.
"You bastards ain't half bad. Keep this up and I may break a sweat."
While the other members of the Asura Tribe were offended by Kefla's remark, one of their members, an inordinately tall woman with ashen skin, untamed red hair, and emerald green eyes gestured for them to remain calm as she said, "Calm down. If you get riled up against an opponent like this, you won't be able to lay a hand on her. Maintain the encirclement and try to time your attacks so there are no gaps."
Shifting her attention to the apparent leader of the group, a taunting smile developed across Kefla's face as she raised her brow and asked, "Who the hell are you supposed to be? I'm Kefla, by the way. I guess you can call me the Saiyan Goddess. Nice to beatya."
Returning a smile of her own, the four-armed woman answered, "Pweamma." before manifesting a pair of daggers and two ornate metal clubs known as Gada.
Without waiting for Kefla's response, Pweamma charged forward with a relaxed expression on her face. Her attacks were unable to so much as graze Kefla's body, but, thanks to her large frame and four arms, she was able to gradually push her spiky-haired opponent back.
Dodging each of Pweamma's attacks at a hair's breadth, Kefla was committing each of the woman's moves to memory when the hair at the back of her neck and the tip of her tail stood on end. In the very next moment, a wooden mallet, the type typically used to beat mochi, passed through the area where her head had been.
Though she twisted her body and kicked towards the person that had sneak attacked her, Kefla was surprised when a jolt of pain ran up her leg. She felt as though she had just kicked an indestructible metal plate, yet, in place of such an object, there was a familiar and somewhat feral-looking woman with rabbit ears and a large, bushy tail.
"Usalia!? What the hell do you think you're doing...!?"
As Pweamma and the other Asura Tribe members had tentatively pulled back to observe, Usalia took a moment to massage the spot where Kefla had kicked her, stating, "Vahn never gave us the order to attack. I know you want to have fun, but you're out of line, plip. We may be at odds right now, but these people are supposed to be our allies. What you're doing is generating unnecessary enmity, plip."
Furrowing her brows, Kefla was about to protest when Fenrir and Mikoto popped up. The former didn't really concern her but the latter possessed an almost unreasonable amount of power. Kefla wasn't really afraid of either but she knew it wouldn't be particularly sensible of her to pick a fight with her own side.
Clicking her tongue, Kefla briefly surveyed the destruction she had wrought over the past couple of minutes. She didn't truly regret her actions, but, knowing she had probably caused trouble for Vahn, a mild feeling of discomfort swelled within Kefla's chest. Kale might not really care but Caulifla felt a debt of gratitude towards Vahn after everything he had done for them back in the Actualized World of Dragon Ball. She would never regard him as her Lord, Master, God, or anything else like that, but she respected him enough not to want to cause trouble for him.
"Fine. Just point me in the direction of someone I can fight. It's not like I particularly enjoy beating up weaklings..."
Though Kefla's final remark was directed towards Pweamma, the latter just shrugged her shoulders with a relaxed smile on her face. Mikoto was a bit of a surprise but she had known that Fenrir and Usalia were lurking around since earlier in the day. Her Lord, Indra, had told them not to antagonize the members of the Sage Dragon's Hearth, so, while Kefla's attack was somewhat annoying, she had no intention of pursuing the matter.
Snorting through her nose, Kefla didn't wait for a response before darting off toward the nearest Teleportation Nexus. Mikoto quickly gave chase while Fenrir, acting as a representative of the Sage Dragon's Hearth, stepped forward to cup her hands and say, "You have my apologies...it was never our intention to attack you so soon..."
Taking note of the fact that Fenrir had said 'so soon', a wry smile developed across Pweamma's face as she dispersed her manifested armaments and said, "It's no problem. This is a Gift Game, after all. It would be stranger if we didn't fight it out."
As she wasn't the type to ingratiate herself or be overly polite, Fenrir simply nodded in response to Pweamma's words before shifting her attention to Usalia and saying, "Let's go. We will return once our...my Master has given his orders."
Noticing the slight frown on Usalia's face, Fenrir quickly changed the way in which she referred to her Master. Usalia didn't really view Vahn as someone 'above' her. Fenrir didn't really agree with this, but, so long as her Master regarded his wives and lovers as equals, she would do her best to regard them as such.
Nodding her head in both approval and affirmation, Usalia took a moment to wave towards the members of the Asura Tribe before departing alongside Fenrir. Their departure was met with mixed reactions from the two groups of multi-armed tribesmen and women. Some wanted to give chase while others, seeing the devastation wrought by Kefla's rather casual assault, couldn't help feeling that the members of the Sage Dragon's Hearth were monsters to be avoided at all costs...
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With Amaterasu agreeing to watch over and protect the Sun from further interference, Kenshin and Tamamo decided to venture out of the obscuring mist to explore their surroundings. The planet was largely unprotected now that Amaterasu had been eliminated, so, before another Community could step in to reap their rewards, the duo decided to give invading the planet a go.
"Hurry along, Ken-chan~! I'm certain our Lord and Husband will reward us plentily if we manage to conquer this planet on our own~!"
Excited by the prospect of a reward, Tamamo was practically frolicking as Kenshin followed close behind her with a far more serious expression on her face. They may be able to move freely now that Amaterasu had been eliminated but she didn't believe that a Community as powerful as the Kotoamatsukami would leave their base unprotected. Tamamo's carelessness made her feel as if 'something' was about to happen, but, even after twenty minutes of skulking through a meadow, they had yet to encounter a single enemy.
What Kenshin didn't know was that the vast majority of Kotoamatsukami's members were currently engaged with the Akuma Community. The latter had gone on the offensive the moment Amaterasu had been defeated, so, even though Susano'o wanted to order the retreat, their strongest members were forced to hold the line in order to avoid a complete route.
At the present moment, the only people protecting Kotoamatsukami's planet were a few of their vassal Communities. Tsukuyomi had been sent to invade the planet of Kouryuu, so, while Kenshin was right to be cautious, she had severely underestimated just how lucky she and Tamamo were...
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Following Vahn's one-sided victory against Amaterasu, Wu was feeling excited to the point of fidgeting. She knew he was powerful but his performance against one of the most prominent Sun Deities left her feeling uncharacteristically hot and bothered. A growing part of her wanted nothing more than to use her Monkey Bounds Across the Heavens to return to his planet and immediately pounce on him. Instead, she turned her attention to the rapidly regenerating forest, a vicious smile on her face as she bellowed, "Come out and face me! If you continue with this farce any longer, you only have yourself to blame for what comes next...!"
To Wu's and Sarina's considerable surprise, the former's shout was immediately followed by a hooded figure manifesting from a cloud of mist. Her feet were completely bare, and, due to the charred remains of the forest, covered in ash and soot. In spite of this, she appeared completely calm and unflustered as she took a sip from a steaming cup of tea and remarked, "It's not nice to burn down someone's home..."
Brandishing her Ruyi Jing Bang, Wu was ready to pounce at the girl when a sudden chill passed through her body. Her Fiery Eyes of Truth allowed her to see through lies, deception, and illusion. The moment she peered into the shadowy veil concealing the woman's face, her instincts began sounding alarm bells that simply couldn't be ignored.
Trusting in her instincts, Wu immediately closed her eyes before shouting for Sarina to do the same. At the same time, she swept her Ruyi Jingu Bang towards the hooded woman, who, expecting the attack to simply phase through her, ended up being sent careening through several hundred trees before lying motionless at the end of a long and deep crevasse...
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Though her eyes were still closed, Wu managed to track her downed prey using scent alone. When she found Nav lying motionlessly on the ground, a sneer crossed her face as she spat off to the side and remarked, "You're one of those brats that relies entirely on your Gifts, aren't you? Consider this a learning experience."
"..."
Seeing that Nav had decided to play dead, Wu shifted her attention to Sarina, saying, "Go ahead and try to finish her off. Make sure you don't open your eyes. If you do, even Vahn might not be able to save you."
Furrowing her brows, Sarina resisted the urge to ask what Wu had discovered. Instead, she drew her pistol-like Zanpakuto, saying, "Sayonara..." in a somber tone.
Following a remarkably loud cracking sound, a condensed energy projectile escaped the end of Sarina's Zanpakuto before piercing through Nav's body in an instant. Said projectile managed to bore nearly three-hundred meters into the surface of the planet, but, as could be expected, it had no effect on Nav's body.
While Sarina might not be able to sense the subtle changes in Nav's condition, Wu was able to hear the sound of feathers rustling several kilometers away. One of the owls comprising Nav's seemingly endless entourage was punctured from chest to back. The surrounding owls attempted to cover up the noise by ruffling their feathers, but that actually made it easier for Wu to pinpoint their position and ascertain another one of Nav's abilities.
Realizing there was a very real possibility that Nav wasn't injured, Wu promptly smashed toward her with her Ruyi Jingu Bang. This time, however, Nav immediately evaded by turning into ghostly mist and darting back several hundred meters in an instant. What Wu didn't know was that her damage transfer ability was far from perfect. Precision attacks such as Sarina's would only result in the death of a single owl. When Wu sent her flying, dozens of owls ended up losing their life as a result of her carelessness.
"Oh? Do you honestly think you can flee from me, the Great Sun Wu Kong? You're really in the need of a harsh lesson, aren't you?"
"..."
Rather than signifying Wu's words with a verbal response of her own, Nav began to flap the hem of her cloak like someone trying to cool their legs on a hot summer day. Her actions resulted in a large quantity of mist cascading down her legs and spreading through the surrounding forest.
Hearing the sounds from the environment becoming muffled as the mist increased, Wu pounced towards Nav with the intention of putting a stop to her actions. Nav reacted by dispersing into a cloud of mist, but, having already seen through the technique, Wu pointed her Ruyi Jingu Bang in the path of Nav's retreat, shouting, "Monkey Pierces the Viel of Heaven...!"
As if it had a repulsing effect on the mist, the Ruyi Jingu Bang created a cylindrical tunnel through the ghostly substance as it extended more than a kilometer in an instant. Before making contact with Nav, however, it promptly expanded to fill this void. As a result, the aforementioned Queen of Owls could only stare in stupefaction as the skyscraper-sized staff smashed into her entire body.
Carried by a force comparable to a large meteor striking a planet, Nav was sent flying far beyond the bounds of her forest and into a mountain peak. Instead of stopping, however, she ended up smashing through said peak and continuing onward until she had nearly exited the atmosphere. There, she ended up floating aimlessly for a moment, all thoughts erased from her mind until she began a slow and gradual descent towards the planet.
Assured that she had seen through Nav's abilities, Wu turned towards Sarina and said, "Destroy the forest. Without her little pets, the Queen of Owls may as well be powerless. I'll keep her and anyone stupid enough to get in our way distracted."
Without waiting for Sarina's response, Wu bounded into the air before manifesting a fluffy golden cloud beneath her feet. She no longer felt threatened by anything Nav could throw at her, so, while the Sommersault Cloud was actually one of her slowest methods of travel, it was Wu's go-to means of transport whenever she was feeling lazy.
Sensing Wu's departure with her Ki Sense, a frown marred Sarina's expression as she opened her eyes and followed the monkey girl's ascent. She didn't like how Wu kept telling her what to do, but, understanding the futility of trying to reason with one of the most legendary troublemakers in the entire Divine Realm, she ultimately just shook her head before grumbling, "I hope someone appears to teach you a lesson one of these days..."
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Opening his eyes, Vahn directed his gaze towards the ceiling of the control room as he remarked, "Hmmm...? I didn't expect anyone to come looking for trouble after I defeated Amaterasu..."
Shifting his intent to the surface of the planet, Vahn was marginally surprised to find a single, white-haired woman casting an expressionless gaze over her surroundings.
Seemingly sensing his gaze, the white-haired woman shifted her attention to the relative location of Vahn's intent. Her blue eyes immediately lit up, but, even after several seconds had passed, she was unable to pinpoint his exact location.
"It isn't polite to spy on other people. If you're going to go out of your way to observe me, you may as well come out and introduce yourself..."
Though he had been having fun shifting his intent around to evade the woman's attempts to locate him, Vahn didn't hesitate to step out of the void and state, "You willfully came here in search of me. I would like to think my reputation precedes me..."
Instead of responding to Vahn's braggadocious remark, the white-haired woman continued staring at him with an impeccable deadpan. She seemed to be sizing him up, the antennae-like ahoge atop her head bobbing and twitching as nearly indistinguishable points of light appeared in the depths of her pupils.
("She appears to have some kind of system...not that I'm surprised...")
(*Well, she is the Leader of a Community comprised almost entirely of Isekai Protagonists...*)
Taking advantage of the fact that Vahn was just staring at her, the white-haired woman, Shion, Leader of the Akuma Community, kept trying to analyze him using her [God's Eye of Perception]. She had MAXed it out tens of thousands of years ago so it was supposed to be able to give her information on virtually anything. When she analyzed Vahn, however, the only information she was able to ascertain was his name, some miscellaneous information about his time in the Tower, and the various Fragments of Origin in his possession.
"You're a Transmigrator...someone who received a cheat and used it to traverse various worlds. Tell me...what do you seek at the end of your journey...?"
Assuming Vahn had a skill that allowed him to obscure his information, Shion decided to voice the first thoughts that came to her mind. In response, Vahn's expression actually softened, a sad smile developing across his face as he honestly answered, "I seek to one day be reunited with my family. Until then, I will continue doing what I can to make the worlds I inhabit a better place for everyone that dwells within."
Perusing the information related to Vahn's time in the Tower, Shion couldn't deny that he had done a decent job in correcting countless injustices. The thing that reduced her opinion of him was the fact that she could see a list of all the women he had 'collected' along the way. She had always hated how the vast majority of male Transmigrators treated the women they met along the way as prizes to be won...
Exhaling a sigh through her nose, Shion placed her hands into the pockets of her white hoodie as she said, "If you're serious about your desire to be reunited with your family, we should team up. I can promise you that once I become the Ruler of the Little Garden, I will return you to them."
In an effort to demonstrate her sincerity, Shion manifested a peculiar, ruby-red Geass Roll with the intention of sealing their agreement. This particular scroll, known as the Pledge of Eternity, was one of the most powerful binding contracts in the entire Divine Realm. If infringed upon, the offending party would become the other's slave for all eternity. Even if they were reincarnated a trillion times over, they would never be able to break free from the binds of the contract.
Raising his brows, Vahn briefly scanned the contents of the scroll before ultimately shaking his head and saying, "I'm afraid I can't agree to your conditions. Though I have no doubt you believe yourself capable of reaching the top, you are severely overestimating yourself. Those subordinate to systems established within the Order of Creation would never be able to surpass it. When you're able to cast aside your system and oppose the person that created it, I'll reconsider your words."
Though his own system was probably the most heinous cheat across all realities, Vahn actually went out of his way not to rely on The Path's various functions. He did make an earnest effort to try and comprehend Source Energy, but the vast majority of his efforts were focused on mastering himself and ascertaining the true nature of reality.
Exhaling a second sigh, Shion waved away the Pledge of Eternity before saying, "Your words make you appear to be wiser than most...however, the person overestimating themselves isn't me...I know, better than anyone, how weak I am..."
Placing a hand over her heart, Shion's eyes appeared to glaze over for a brief moment as memories from the past surfaced within her mind. Vahn had no doubt she was having some kind of flashback, but, as this wasn't an anime, he could only imagine what she was thinking about. If the depressive aura exuding from her body was any indicator, it wasn't something pleasant.
Coming back to her senses, a glimmer of resolution flashed across Shion's breathtakingly blue eyes as she said, "This world is broken. Even if it takes me tens of billions of years, I will never stop trying to fix it. If you won't join me, you're an obstacle standing in my way..."
Removing her left hand from her hoodie, Shion raised it in the direction of Vahn. Her already pale skin became a translucent shade of silvery-white before exploding outward like a dam that had just ruptured. In the very next moment, a veritable horde of magical creatures, monsters, demons, and even a few humans charged outward like a routing army.
Leading the charge was a handsome-looking youth with wild, windswept hair and a suit of armor that practically screamed, 'I am the Hero'. The sword in his hand was a brilliantly silver blade with a golden crossguard, so, as could be expected, he was able to unleash a massive discharge of Holy Elemental Energy capable of leveling a mountain.
Catching said blade in the palm of his hand, Vahn's expression became marginally more serious as a faint trickle of blood appeared beneath the wound. It healed almost instantaneously but it said a lot that the heroic-looking youth was able to injure him at all.
Meeting said youth's gaze, Vahn noticed there was no 'awareness' in the young man's crystal clear, pale-blue eyes. They glowed like jewels under intense light, but, much like a zombie or some kind of machine, there was absolutely no 'will' contained within the youth's eyes. He was just acting on pure instinct.
As various thoughts crossed his mind, Vahn was forced to take a step back when a scantily clad woman with vibrant pink hair and an outfit resembling an eastern dancer attempted to sever his neck with a pair of oversized chakrams. Immediately thereafter, a burly man that resembled a mix between a human and a lion attempted to tackle him, the spear-like protrusions on his shoulders making his intentions very clear...
Though he could easily dodge all the attacks coming his way, Vahn reacted to the lion-like man's charge by sending a laser-like spear of pure magical energy through his forehead. When the wound immediately closed up, a grim expression marred Vahn's countenance as he muttered, "I don't think I'm going to like where this is going..."
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Covering the distance between him and Amaterasu's avatar in an instant, Vahn took advantage of the fact she had reared back her head to grab her throat. His claws immediately extended to form solid bands around her neck as his two, free right hands sank into the massive fox's abdomen and chest.
"Kuh-! You-"
Though her true body was located near the center of the fox, Amaterasu could still feel the impact of Vahn's fist. Unfortunately, the moment she opened her mouth to try and curse him, he released a soul-shaking roar directly into her face. Her vision became completely obstructed by his maw, and, for a brief moment, the terrifying notion that he was about to devour her whole briefly crossed her mind.
Without waiting for Amaterasu to recover from her stupor, Vahn hooked one of his claws under her left arm as his remaining two hands sank deep into the gaseous flesh of her abdomen. Then, with a second roar echoing throughout the entirety of the Divine Realm, he promptly ripped her avatar in two...
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"Holy shit! Is that Vahn...?"
With space opening up, Kefla was no longer forced to sit and wait for a chance to rampage. She was originally planning to charge towards Amaterasu, but, seeing a massive dragon appear shortly after the massive fox took form, she correctly assumed it was Vahn. He had done something very similar during his battle against the Grand Priest.
From the back of Kefla's mind, the voice of Kale could be heard grumbling, ("Grrrrrr...how dare he steal my Ane-san's spotlight...!?")
Responding with her own inner voice, Caulifla stated, ("Don't get worked up over nothing. We just need to find some other place to wreak havoc.")
("H-Hai...!")
Feeling marginally more 'complete' after Kale's response, Kefla took off like a golden meteor towards one of the distant specks of light she believed to be a planet. She had already made a name for herself by facing off against the Onigashima Community and destroying their planet. In spite of this, Kefla was nowhere near satisfied. She was someone who had once aspired to be the absolute strongest. Vahn knocking her up had caused her to mellow out a bit, but, now that she had a chance to show off, there was no way in hell she was going to pass it up...
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Hearing her Master's roar wash over her like a warm shower, a smile developed across Fenrir's face as she angled her head towards the heavens with her eyes closed. Mikoto and Usalia had also taken notice of the battle occurring in space, but, compared to Fenrir, their reactions were markedly more grounded.
Though she had seen Vahn go full-blown Eldritch God in his battles against the Magic Gods and the being known as The Beginning, Mikoto never enjoyed watching it. She genuinely believed that Vahn was the type that hated violence. He may enjoy showing off every now and again, but, whenever he was forced to take action and cause harm, he would subsequently fall into a depressive state.
Someone that cared so deeply about the happiness of others shouldn't be forced to subjugate their enemies through fear...
While Fenrir and Mikoto were lost in their thoughts, Usalia's mind had wandered in a very different direction. She was one of Rindo's biggest fans, so, seeing Vahn in his dragon transformation, Usalia was practically drooling as she imagined what it would be like to engorge herself upon a mountain-sized dragon tail steak...
Liberating the trio from their reverie, a massive explosion rocked the very foundation of the planet they were currently standing on. The trio immediately came back to their senses with Mikoto being the first to speak, asking, "Was that Kefla...?"
Spreading her AIM Field across the planet, Mikoto was able to confirm her suspicions even before Fenrir had nodded in affirmation. This left her with a wry smile on her face as Kefla's arrival was one of the biggest possible wrenches that could have been thrown into their plans.
"We should hurry, plip. Vahn doesn't want this planet to be destroyed until the others have been taken care of. I'm not sure how powerful this Indra fellow is, but I don't think he can defeat Kefla in her current state."
Though Kale, Caulifla, and even Kefla would have been powerless near the beginning of the Gift Game, their performance against the Onigashima Community had earned them quite a bit of favor within the Little Garden. It was also well known that Indra had bequeathed the majority of his power to his son after the previous war, so, even though he was one of the Gods credited with the creation of the current Little Garden, his power was a mere fraction of his original self's.
Exhaling a sigh, Fenrir attempted to contact Kefla via telepathy, but, due to Kale's cheering, she was unable to get a clear message through to Caulifla. The latter was fully focused on breaking through a defensive formation maintained by members of the Rakshasa and Asura Tribes.
In truth, Caulifla was fully aware of the fact that Fenrir was trying to speak to her. She simply had no intention of backing down after crashing into a planet and discovering a massive army awaiting her. Had they been using a standard means of communication, she would have pretended the reception was bad before subsequently dropping the call.
Understanding exactly what Kefla was up to, an icy expression developed across Fenrir's face as she shifted her attention to Usalia, asking, "Can you deal with that monkey-brained idiot for me? I can't fight her in her current state."
Though her power had increased by leaps and bounds ever since her 'awakening' during Zao Shin's Immortal Banquet, Fenrir was still a lot weaker than Mikoto and Usalia. The former wasn't all that far behind Vahn in terms of actual Tier while the latter was durable enough to survive the collapse of a universe. If anyone could make Kefla feel as though she had hit a wall, it was Usalia.
Nodding in affirmation of Fenrir's request, the hair on Usalia's body began to flare outward as it became noticeably spikier. Her tail, in particular, seemed to inflate like a balloon, quickly increasing to the size of a large melon as red electricity crackled across her body.
Believing that time was of the essence, Usalia followed her transformation by squatting down onto all fours and practically teleporting in the direction of the conflict. A massive explosion crashed into the bodies of Fenrir and Mikoto, but, thanks to their magical barriers, the dust flowed around them as they began to discuss changes to their original plan...
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Amaterasu was afraid.
For the first time since her encounter with the Demon God, Amaterasu knew what it meant to feel completely powerless. Her body vehemently refused to listen to her, and, no matter what kind of defenses she tried to put up, Vahn would tear through them as though they were paper. To make matters worse, each of his attacks was followed by a period of calm. He was, quite literally, giving her the chance to regenerate and retaliate just to demonstrate the futility of her actions...
"Please...no more..."
After experiencing the pain of having her avatar ripped limb from limb more than a dozen times, Amaterasu had already lost the will to fight. Vahn had even managed to punch clean through her Sacred Mirror, the Yata no Kagami. It was supposed to be able to reflect any attack, but, as if there was no force in creation capable of stopping his blow, Vahn managed to smash through it before piercing through her avatar's chest with such precision that the tip of his claw nearly grazed her true self.
Stopping just as his claws were about to tear out the avatar's throat, Vahn retracted his hand long enough to say, "Those that willfully endanger children and try to leverage the lives of the innocent against their opponents have no right to clemency. As beings that stand above countless others, we have an obligation to set an example. If we don't care, why should anyone else...?"
Despite his words, Vahn didn't immediately continue his assault on Amaterasu's avatar. Instead, he shifted his gaze toward one of the cameras focusing on the action. This prompted the majority of displays to show the same image as he declared, "The Little Garden may be a crucible to determine who has the right to govern reality, but it is also a place for entertainment and fun. The existence of Gift Games was supposed to allow us to compete without causing harm. Instead, it has become a tool used by the strong and opportunistic to oppress and take advantage of the weak. Most of the current residents of the Little Garden lack even the most basic qualifications to participate in a Gift Game yet their lives and living conditions are decided through them..."
Shaking his head, Vahn raised one of his massive, clawed hands before forming it into a fist as he said, "No more. Soon enough, my Aldrnari Empire will spread its influence through all four districts of the Little Garden. If I find there are people exploiting the Gift Game system to take advantage of others, the only mercy they should expect from me is a quick death..."
Manifesting a star-sized version of Laev-tan, Vahn swept it through Amaterasu and her foxy avatar before she could even blink. She was instantaneously ejected from the Game Board but the image that was burned into the hearts and minds of the spectators wasn't the defeat of one of the most prominent Sun Goddesses. It was the sight of a massive, abyssal black rift dividing the Game Board in two...
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Rising with a start, Amaterasu found herself searching her body in a panic. The attack Vahn had used against her was empowered by the Law of Destruction, so, even though the Central Network had protected her, cold sweat had developed across her body as the fear she might break down at any moment persisted in the back of her mind.
Fortunately, while Laev-tan did, in fact, carry the Law of Destruction within her, Vahn controlled it so that it only affected Amaterasu's physical vessel. He could even cut through fate at his current level so controlling the power of destruction to 'spare' her mental and spiritual energies was remarkably simple.
After confirming that she wasn't going to spontaneously dissolve into dust, a sigh of extreme relief departed Amaterasu's lips as she collapsed against the throne-like chair in her private waiting room. For several minutes after that, she just stared off into space, her eyes periodically shifting in and out of focus as she replaced the battle over and over within her mind.
Though he had ripped her limb from limb, Amaterasu recalled that there was never a moment when Vahn showed a genuine desire to kill her.
"Was he trying to break me...?"
Shaking her head in response to her own question, Amaterasu reasoned that if Vahn had wanted to break her, she wouldn't be sitting in her Community's waiting room right now. It was far more likely that Vahn had acted with the intention of teaching her a lesson and illustrating the fate that awaited those who opposed him...
Recalling the moment Vahn had grabbed her throat, Amaterasu's fingers subconsciously moved to her neck. She became keenly aware that her heart was beating far faster than usual, but, instead of feeling discomfort, she felt relief. If Vahn had wanted to kill or replace her, Amaterasu had no doubt he could have done exactly that. He had even prepared an Amaterasu of his own, but, from start to finish, she never appeared. She didn't know what had changed his mind, but, feeling that Vahn had given her the clemency she had been looking for, Amaterasu decided to carve his final warning into her heart as she began to reflect on her past actions...
(A/N: So many buts in that last paragraph...also, since there is a good chance that people have forgotten, Vahn keeps the true bodies of his family/friends/lovers in his personalized LG. Those appearing 'outside' are basically just avatars. Caulifla and Kale are actually a few months preggers atm.)
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Chapter 2225: Entering the End Game