Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Within the structure of the lower realms, there existed a system to increase the rank and status of Gods and Goddesses. Those on the side of light/good/righteousness were able to summon heroes from other worlds to save planets on the verge of having their fate severed. In doing so, they were able to prevent the world's destruction, and, in the process, accumulate merits that would empower them to increase their standing among the various godly pantheons.
As the Order of Creation mandated that balance must exist between the forces of good and evil, the Gods representing the more positive aspects of creation weren't the only ones able to choose champions. The Gods representing darkness/evil/chaos were also able to select Heroes, but, unlike their counterparts on the side of light, their choices often reflected their interests. In essence, they selected people that would cause chaos in relatively peaceful worlds or designated relatively good people to be reincarnated into situations where they were forced to endure tremendous suffering.
Put even simpler, the Gods of Chaos often sought out lonely, depraved, or outright unstable people as their champions. They would then provide these individuals with systems, wishes, and cheat-like abilities to virtually guarantee their power would increase at a rate their maturity simply couldn't hope to keep up with. As a result, the people they chose would quickly grow stronger, and, in the process, wreak havoc within the worlds they had been reincarnated.
With each world that was saved from imminent destruction, another, comparatively peaceful world would be brought to ruin as a result of a single individual's selfishness.
Long ago, so long that she could no longer recall the exact passage of time, Shion had been given the chance to transmigrate into a fantasy world of her choosing. Her life prior to her reincarnation had been hell, so, the moment she found herself floating in an empty white space, she didn't even think to question the entity that had declared himself the God of Reincarnation. Instead, she eagerly recounted her wishes with the hope of being able to live free and unbound in one of the worlds she had always imagined herself inhabiting.
Like many in her position, Shion had already decided the types of wishes she would request long before her death. This was one of the criteria the Gods meddling in Reincarnation looked for. If a person's wishes didn't match with their interests, they would simply look for someone else.
Shion had been a relatively successful novelist during her first life, so, even though her worlds had some grim elements, she happily reincarnated into one of the worlds she had spent years crafting. As for her wishes, she picked Immortality, the ability to change her appearance at will, and a system that would allow her to play through life as if it were a video game.
Prior to her reincarnation, Shion had been looking forward to exploring the world she had created, interacting with some of her favorite characters, and increasing her strength at a slow and leisurely pace. She planned to use her knowledge of the plot to guarantee the easiest life possible, but, the moment she reincarnated, she found herself lying in a pool of blood in the middle of a prison cell.
As she had been an orphan in her previous life, another common trait among those chosen to be reincarnated, Shion hadn't particularly cared about the circumstances of her birth. She was looking forward to having kind and caring parents, but, even if her reincarnation followed the template of her being born as a Noble with strict parents, Shion was certain she would grow to love them.
Contrasting every expectation she could have possibly had, Shion's mother ended up being a Slave. To make matters worse, her mother had given birth to her several weeks early after experiencing a brutal assault from her Master and his friends. Thus, rather than finding herself in the embrace of a loving mother or the care of a wet nurse, Shion's only comfort was a cold stone floor and a mother that viewed her as a product of sin.
Though most infants in her situation would have died within hours of being born, Shion's wish for immortality ensured her survival. This was the true start of her suffering, as, shortly after discovering her, the Master of the household, one of the candidates for Shion's father, quickly took note of her abnormal qualities.
Either as a result of her developing mind or the fact she had simply suppressed her trauma, Shion was unable to recall everything that had happened to her during her first four-six years of life. All she knew with absolute certainty was that her life had been a living hell. She had been tormented and experimented on in ways that even the most brutal and imaginative authors couldn't put into words.
In the end, Shion was discovered by the Holy Church, and, shortly thereafter, seized as a candidate to become one of the many Saintesses that represented the Church's power. Unfortunately, as was often the case in both reality and fantasy worlds, the Church within Shion's world was unbelievably corrupt. The Saintesses were effectively human weapons that had been brainwashed from a young age to carry out the Church's will. Her mother and former Master were brutally slaughtered to tie up loose ends. As for Shion, she was forced to endure everything from sexual assault to literal mind control magic until the Church was confident she was a perfectly obedient soldier.
Unlike the suffering she had endured during her formative years, Shion could recall her training to become a Saintess with crystal clarity. She may have played the part of an obedient tool, but, from the moment the Church arrived to seize her, Shion had made an effort to memorize the names and faces of each and every person who harmed her. She didn't know how long it would take, but, due to her foreknowledge of the plot, she was absolutely certain the time for her revenge would come.
Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, approximately ten years after she had been forcibly seized by the Holy Church, Shion was finally given the chance to seek revenge when the Archbishop tasked her with getting close to the newly appointed Hero. This was originally a responsibility given to one of the most tragic heroines of her story, but, upon realizing the course her fate had taken, Shion did everything in her power to ensure she would be the one chosen.
Shion's original task was to make the Hero, a young man named Roland, fall in love with her. The Church had always feared the power of the Hero, as, unlike them, the Hero actually had the support of the Gods. The Holy Church had long since lost the Gods' favor, but, due to them eliminating any and all competing religions, they had managed to stay in power for hundreds of years.
In Shion's original story, the Saintess, a pink-haired woman named Celeste, was able to manipulate the Hero into becoming yet another weapon of the Holy Church. Roland would eventually come to realize the truth, but, due to his earnest nature, he never blamed Celeste for exploiting him. Instead, he directed his anger and resentment towards the Holy Church. He wanted to save her and expose the truth, but, shortly after the death of the Archbishop, Celeste ended up taking her own life once it became known how Saintesses were made.
Unlike Celeste, Shion had no interest in committing suicide. She had tried too many times to count, so, having already given up hope on dying a peaceful death, she intended to take out as many vile and despicable people as possible before building a cottage in the woods or disappearing into the mountains. As strange as it may sound, she actually blamed herself for all the bad things that had happened to her up until that point, so, after 'fixing' things, Shion intended to fade into obscurity or become something like a Hermit.
What Shion hadn't anticipated was the fact that she would genuinely fall in love with Roland. Prior to their first meeting, she had always viewed him as another one of her characters. She knew he was supposed to be handsome and charismatic but she had severely underestimated just how quickly he could peel back the defenses of a person's heart and expose the truth. She ended up confiding in him much sooner than planned, and, as a result, Roland ended up pointing his sword towards the Holy Church long before either of them was ready.
After a civil war that nearly brought their home Kingdom of Roma to ruin, Roland ended up being publically executed for dereliction of his duties as a Hero and conspiring with Demons. Shion had made the mistake of revealing that the Demons weren't nearly as evil as the Holy Church presented them to be, so, during their campaign to depose the Archbishop, Roland joined hands with several of the more prominent characters from the Demon Lord's Army.
Following the execution of Roland and all of the friends Shion had made during their journey, the Holy Church readily labeled her a Witch. They pinned the blame for everything on her while using her inability to die as proof of her conspiring with and selling her soul to the Devil. Very few people genuinely believed this, but, fearing the retaliation of the Holy Church, even children gathered to watch as the pyre that would consume her for thirteen years was lit.
Though she quickly gained an immunity to flames, Shion never attempted to free herself from her bindings or remove the nails that had pinned her to a large stone cross. She blamed herself for the deaths of Roland and their friends, so, for thirteen long years, she allowed the flames to wash over her as people would arrive on a daily basis to pelt her with stones and blame her for every terrible thing that happened to them.
What brought Shion down from her cross was the appearance of a young girl wearing little more than rags. She was clearly a slave, and, like many young girls in the same situation, she was forced to endure unspeakable suffering for no better reason than the fact someone had decided she was merchandise.
On most days, Shion wouldn't have batted an eye even if the girl threw herself into the flames that were perpetually consuming her. It was when the girl brought her hands together in a gesture of prayer, tears dripping down her face that clarity gradually returned to Shion's gaze. She didn't raise her head, but, for the better part of an hour, she listened as the girl recounted her years of suffering in horrifying detail.
Though the girl's suffering couldn't even begin to compare to her own, Shion saw much of herself in the downtrodden slave. The fury that had been slumbering deep inside of her for years began to bubble to the surface. Thus, once the girl's would-be Master appeared, Shion manipulated the pyre below to create tendrils of flame. Before the man even realized what was happening, he was pulled into the deepest parts of the pyre. An excruciating sound emanated from his throat, but, due to the crackling of the flames and the early hours, the only person who heard his final cry was the young slave girl.
Raising her head for the first time in more than a decade, Shion noticed a smile on the young girl's face. A similar smile developed across her own, and, from that moment onward, Shion embraced the title of Witch with every fiber of her being...
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Though it would have been simple for him to destroy all of Shion's army, Vahn didn't immediately take action to eradicate them. He may have if Shion directed any kind of male toward, but, in place of anger, hatred, or resentment, she radiated an aura that said, "I'm done." The only thing keeping her going was her desire to achieve her objective.
Dodging a literal meteor cast by a petite mage with an oversized witches hat, large glasses, and elven ears, a soft yet exasperated sigh escaped Vahn's mouth. Tragic and resolute Heroes were one of his few weaknesses, so, even though he was unaware of Shion's past, her conviction to see things through to the end made it difficult for him to retaliate.
Vahn had never been the type to crush people's dreams. (A/N: There are exceptions to everything.)
"It's futile...I won't tell you to give up on your dreams but you can't hope to defeat me using simple numbers. I can sense how much pain it causes you to manifest this army. Don't force me to destroy them."
Without so much as a single change in her expression, Shion lowered her left hand before removing her right from the pocket of her hoodie. Instead of reaching forward, however, she reached up to pull down the zipper of her hoodie until it had reached her navel. She was wearing a black sports bra underneath, but, while some took a moment to ogle her fairly modest breasts, it wasn't long before the eyes of every single person in the Little Garden gravitated towards the massive scar on Shion's abdomen.
"They are already dead...there is no longer anything you or anyone else can take from me..."
Caressing the scar with her fingers, Shion's eyes once again went out of focus as the center of her scar gained an unnatural, burgundy hue. Moments later, beads of blood began to gather near the surface before dripping downward as if the wound were fresh.
With the exception of her sports bra, the rest of Shion's ensemble was pure white. The moment her blood began to flow, the bottom of her hoodie became an eerie, carmine color that quickly spread through her shorts before sequentially flowing down her legs to dirty her socks. Even then, it didn't cease. Instead, it overflowed from her sneaker-like shoes before spreading outward to form a large pentagram.
Though he could have stopped her at any point, Vahn found himself unwilling to interfere in Shion's performance. She wasn't jeopardizing his plans or endangering anyone else's life, so, while her pain was becoming unbearable, he alternated between standing his ground and deflecting attacks. At no point in time did he turn away.
Undoubtedly fueled by Shion's blood sacrifice, an eerie black mass began to gather at the center of the pentagram. Just looking at it was enough to cause people to feel as though their skin had come alive, but, as if it was the most comfortable thing in the world, a faint yet deranged smile developed across Shion's face as the eerie black liquid crawled up her legs before spreading across the rest of her skin. When it was finished, her body resembled a living shadow with bottomless white eyes and hair that seemed to fade into the fabric of reality.
At this point in his life, there were very few things that could genuinely take Vahn by surprise. Shion was apparently one of them, as, rather than Shadow or Darkness Laws, the thing she had fused with her body was Emptiness. She had become one with the Abyss of the End, an unstable existence that shouldn't be able to possess an Ego yet clearly did.
Staring into the fathomless depths of Shion's eyes, the only thing Vahn could sense from her was pure, unadulterated apathy. She was basically the antithesis of everything he represented, a being that had completely abandoned the prospect of emotional connections in order to reach her goals.
Shion had managed to attain incredible power, but, in exchange, she had abandoned everything that permitted her to use it...
Seeing what could have been himself in the depths of Shion's eyes, a serious expression developed across Vahn's face as he evaded an abyssal black bolt of lightning that left absolute nothingness in its wake. The attack hadn't been aimed towards any of his vitals, but, had he been a normal person, he wouldn't have recovered even after the Gift Game had ended. In other words, Shion was seeking to cripple him. Permanently.
Though he could have requested a Host Master's adjudication to have Shion disqualified, Vahn did something that no one expected. He teleported next to Shion with such an unreasonable degree of mastery over Space and Time that she failed to detect any trace of him. Then, instead of hitting her, he plopped his hand down atop her head and said, "You've had it rough..."
As Shion's hair was somehow unaffected by the Void, Vahn was able to caress her head without having to worry about losing his hand. In response, Shion's figure seemed to 'glitch' before her head was spontaneously tilted in his direction. In the very next moment, without any preliminary movements, her abyssal black hand passed through his abdomen as a voice that sounded both distant and near echoed, "We do not...require...your pity..."
Retracting her hand from Vahn's abdomen, Shion was expecting him to collapse or cry out in pain. Instead, Vahn just adopted a wry smile as he answered, "Pity isn't something anyone requires. It is something we give freely when they empathize with others. I am not looking down on you. I am trying to understand your pain."
Staring at the pitch-black hole in Vahn's abdomen, Shion, once again, attempted to use her [God's Eye of Perception] on him. Her attacks in this form would generally inflict a status effect known as [Voidtouched] onto her enemies. Most of Vahn's information was hidden from her but she should still be able to view whether or not he was affected by any abnormal status conditions.
To Shion's shock, the only condition that had appeared in the column for Vahn's abnormal statuses was a box filled with question marks. This was something that typically only appeared when she had encountered beings far beyond her current level. Ever since her arrival in the Divine Realm, the only other being whose status she couldn't read was Shiroyasha, the former Rank 10...
Deciding not to hold anything back, Shion's figure spontaneously bloomed outward like an abyssal black shockwave. It didn't produce so much as a single sound, but, by the time she had retracted to her original form, an area of several hundred meters had been 'erased' from existence.
Looking around, Shion was unable to discover so much as a single trace of Vahn. In spite of this, she had yet to be ousted from the Gift Game. This could only mean a handful of things, so, after a while, Shion found herself whispering, "It must have been a clone..."
Unable to rationalize how else Vahn could stay calm in the face of absolute oblivion, Shion reached the same conclusion as countless observers. What she didn't know was that her attack had, in fact, been successful. Vahn simply wasn't the type to be overcome by something as 'basic' as existence erasure. He was one of the few beings in all of Creation that could step in and out of the Principle Axis of Reality at his leisure. Simply put, he decided when and how he existed.
Manifesting next to the abyssal black woman, Vahn couldn't help asking, "Did you get smaller...?" as he extended his hand to caress Shion's head. Her body momentarily tensed, but, with nothing but empty white voids for eyes, it was difficult to tell if she was genuinely surprised.
Never the type to explain her abilities to others, Shion responded to Vahn's question by forming her left hand into a blade and slicing through him at the waist. In the same fluid motion, she balled her right hand into a fist, accurately striking his diaphragm as she, somewhat surprisingly, growled, "You do not have permission to touch me...!"
Raising his brows, Vahn promptly retracted his hand from Shion's head, completely ignoring the fact he was now half a person with a hole in his chest as he said, "Sorry. I just thought you could use a headpat or two. It's not particularly well known at this point but one of my identities is the God of Petting. I meant no offense."
Taken aback by Vahn's 'earnest' response, Shion just stared at him for several seconds as the cogs in her mind slowly processed what he had said.
Unperturbed by Shion's admittedly eerie gaze, Vahn took a moment to confirm that she was, in fact, getting smaller. Her original height wasn't particularly impressive, but, with each use of her abilities, a part of her seemed to be lost to the Void. It was similar to how Mikoto would revert to a child-like state whenever she overtaxed her reserves. The only distinction was that Shion lacked the means to recover what she had lost.
("She really is sacrificing everything in the pursuit of her objective...")
(*Don't lose focus, Vahn...the best thing you can do for her is sending her on her way or completing your own objective. Even if she did manage to complete her objective, do you genuinely believe she would be happy...?*)
Though it was a little mean-spirited of her, Sis brought memories of Vahn's interactions with the original Scathach to the surface. He wasn't wrong to want to help people, but, every now and then, he was bound to encounter people that simply didn't want his help. This was something Vahn was still coming to terms with, as, in his mind, so long as there was life, there was hope.
Adopting a sober expression, Vahn broke the silence between him and Shion by asking, "What is it you hope to achieve by gaining dominion over reality...?"
Tilting her head to the side, Shion seemed to consider Vahn's words for several moments before answering, "I intend to abolish the current system of transmigration...the Gods should not be able to interfere with people's lives at their leisure...people should not be called to the Divine Realm for the sole purpose of providing entertainment to others..."
Recalling how she had felt when she discovered the reason for her own reincarnation, a hint of fury appeared in Shion's eyes. Immediately after that, several white cracks appeared across her body, the majority of which originated from the white voids representing her eyes.
Shifting her attention away from Vahn, Shion observed as one of the cracks spanned the length of her arm before spreading through her hand. Then, for the first time since she adopted her current form, she opened her mouth to reveal another white void as she exhaled a sigh.
One of the downsides to tapping into the Void was that it was constantly trying to consume you. The Void, or, more accurately, the Abyss of the End wasn't something that was meant to exist. It was a state that followed the erasure of all things, so, the more agitated she became, the greater Shion's chance of destroying herself. If she failed to deactivate it in time, she would be the one erased from existence.
"Were you aiming for this...?"
Though she didn't get the impression that Vahn was trying to make her self-destruct, Shion couldn't help asking him directly. Instead of answering her question, however, Vahn adopted a wry smile as he said, "Sorry about this..."
Without explaining what he was sorry for, Vahn, once again, plopped his hand down atop Shion's head. Several pieces of her body immediately fragmented, but, moments later, those that remained began to 'heal'. It didn't make any sense but Vahn was somehow able to 'replenish' the nothingness that made up her Void Transformation...
"What are you...?"
Returning a far more sincere smile, Vahn continued to caress Shion's head as he softly replied, "I'm Vahn Aldrnari Mason, Sage Dragon Emperor, and God of Infinite Possibilities. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
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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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Chapter 2227: Reflection Amidst Flames