Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

As part of the corps charged with collecting information and espionage in the West, it hadn't taken long for Madara to gain a reputation as a famous Supervillain. She had never gone out of her way to attack civilians, but her detractors had labeled her Madara, the Crimson-Eyed Killer, after she had assassinated several corrupt politicians.
Though she didn't really care about the label that had been forced upon her, Madara decided to use the Pandemonium Gift Game to demonstrate just how powerful she truly was. She doubted the general populace would come to their senses, but she wanted them to understand that if she were half as evil as the media made her out to be, she wouldn't stop at killing a handful of people...
Wearing her iconic red and black armor, Madara hovered at the center of a 3000km tall Susanoo, her voice echoing through the surrounding space as she muttered, "Pathetic...and you dare refer to yourself the Symbol of Peace, the Paragon of Justice?"
Having sustained numerous internal injuries, Madara's opponent, Paragon, coughed up a mouthful of blood before returning a smile and saying, "You may think you've won, but so long as a single flame of hope remains, I will never stop fighting."
Standing 190cm tall and possessing a muscular physique comparable to Heracles himself, Paragon exuded the aura of a Hero from every pore of his being. He was getting on in years, exemplified by his quaffed, silvery-white hair and neatly trimmed dark beard, but his race was one that grew more powerful with age. As the last member of said race, he intended to ensure his people's final legacy was one of truth, justice, and, above all else, hope.
No matter the odds.
Accelerating to faster than light speeds in an instant, Paragon smashed into the center of Madara's Susanoo, raising it from the ground despite the drastic difference in size. Massive cracks and a large crater appeared in the Susanoo's armored plating, but they were instantaneously repaired as Madara aimed her left hand at Paragon and coldly muttered, "Shinra Tensei..."
Just as he had been numerous times before, Paragon was sent crashing into the foundation of the Little Garden by the force of Madara's 'Almighty Push.' He had tried to resist it during previous exchanges, but it didn't take him long to realize that the more he opposed the invisible force, the more damage he would sustain.
As Paragon crashed into the ground, his body drilling into the foundation of the Little Garden as if it were soft tofu, Madara stabbed her six, seven-branched swords into the ground after him. Each blade was more than a thousand kilometers in length, but the most frightening thing about them was their speed. When massive objects moved at incredible speeds, even a casual blow could affect cataclysmic results.
Despite the Little Garden's outstanding durability, the entirety of the former West Side seemed to shake from Madara's meteoric blows. Those who had been observing the battle a little too closely, waiting for their chance to strike, barely had time to register what had happened before they found themselves awakening outside, eliminated from the Gift Game in an instant.
Rising from a deep crater more than 20,000km in diameter, Madara took a moment to observe the destruction she had caused, muttering, "It's a lot smaller than expected..."
As the average impact crater was roughly twenty times the size of the impacting object, Madara had expected her attack to produce a cavity at least 60,000~100,000km across. More surprisingly, there were still a few buildings in her immediate surroundings that had endured, devastated but still recognizable.
Interrupting Madara's reflection, a massive column of dust erupted from beneath her, followed by Paragon drilling into her Susanoo's chin. He was a little worse for wear, bearing numerous injuries, but he was healing at a visible rate and packed a punch that could shatter a decently sized moon.
Though the armor around Susanoo's head was a lot stronger than the rest of its body, especially the 'gem' containing Madara, Paragon managed to behead the massive energy construct, shouting, "Justice may falter, but it never stays down! This is the end for you, Madaraaaaaaaaaa-!"
Stabbing his hands into the gem surrounding Madara's body, Paragon accelerated with the intent of ramming her into the barrier surrounding the Little Garden. Not everyone could return to the boundaries of a Game Board after being ejected from it, so Paragon intended to smash through it, eliminating both himself and Madara.
What Paragon never expected was Madara phasing out of the gem the moment he accelerated, their forms briefly passing through one another as if she was an illusion. Then, before Paragon could even think to arrest his momentum, Madara's outfit changed from her iconic red armor to an eerie, ashen-grey cloak. At the same time, six sets of vantablack wings manifested behind her, complete with a strange black halo appearing over her head.
As Paragon turned in slow motion to meet Madara's gaze, the latter closed her eyes, suppressing a sigh as she muttered, "Sayonara, Symbol of Peace..."
In the instant following Madara's utterance, she angled the tips of her black wings in Paragon's direction. Each of the thousands of feathers unleashed thin beams of matching black light, their velocity far beyond their more luminous counterpart as they pierced Paragon's body, forcing him along his intended course.
After seeing Paragon endure the attack of her seven-branched swords, weapons that were capable of piercing just about anything, Madara had no choice but to accept his claims about never giving up. She was certain her attack had reduced him to little more than meat pulp, but as if he was powered by some form of Light-based Magia Erebea, Paragon revived, his strength and speed nearly double what they were previously.
Not wanting to endure the experience of being defeated by a Hero after acting arrogantly, Madara borrowed Paragon's plan and sent him crashing through the Little Garden's boundary layer. His body was immediately torn apart by the chaotic energies that swirled outside, but that wasn't enough to take him out of the game. He was nearly able to force his way out with sheer grit, but Madara was able to undermine his efforts with a full-power Shinra Tensei, repelling him at the last moment.
As the boundary closed up, effectively separating the Little Garden from the rest of reality, Madara stared at the location Paragon had 'departed' for several tense moments. Even when backed into a corner or up against impossible odds, genuine Heroes had the trait of being able to turn things around at the last moment. Madara was fairly certain that Paragon wasn't capable of creating a path back to the game board, but she didn't want to exhale a sigh of relief only for the veteran Hero to come crashing through, stronger than ever...
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Seeing one of their trump cards eliminated, the Patriarch Praelatus of the Ormus Society, occupying the lowest-digit Gate in the West Side, adopted a grim expression. It wasn't the defeat of Paragon that bothered him, but the fact that Madara appeared with six sets of raven wings, almost as if to insult their beliefs.
Voicing the Praelatus's thoughts, an inordinately tall man wearing clothing befitting a futuristic Bishop remarked, "Blasphemous cur from the depths of Hades. To think she would have the audacity to display twelve wings in the West..."
Nodding his head in agreement, the Praelatus looked like he was about to say something when a profound, deep, and simultaneously feminine voice echoed within his mind, sending shivers through his body as it stated but a single word, "&lt;PATIENCE&gt;."
Surprising his much younger counterpart, the Praelatus fell to his knees, hands raised and tears streaming down his wrinkled face as he shouted to the sky, "This undeserving servant has heard your words and shall obey! Glory to the Almighty...!"
Though he hadn't received a message of his own, the Bishop attending the Praelatus immediately emulated his elderly mentor's actions. It had been centuries since they last received guidance from their Creator, but he knew better than to ask questions. In the Ormus faith, there was only one Truth. Anyone that dared to question it was a heretic of the highest order...
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Immediately following Madara's 'blasphemous' display, an underground factory, located deep within a cross-shaped opening, whirred to life. All of the above-ground facilities related to the factory had been destroyed long ago, but the interior was immaculate, pristine, and sterile.
As the ancient yet undamaged facility activated, faint blue light began to fill the interior, illuminating various capsules, pods, and machinery. Among these objects, located at the heart of the facility, was an eerie mechanical bust. Its facial features appeared feminine at a glance, but its distinct lack of limbs and any prominent sexual characteristics made it difficult to know for sure.
Protruding from where the bust's arms should have been was a series of twelve tubes. They were splayed in such a way to resemble the wings of an angel, but anyone gazing upon the statue's visage would feel a sense of dread, not awe.
Located behind the eerie statue, almost as if it was being protected, was a cylindrical tank filled with glowing, greenish-blue liquid. Within said tank was what appeared to be a naked woman, her skin as fair as a doll's and her inordinately long hair rivaling clear skies with how breathtakingly blue it was. Were it not for the fact she had a barcode printed on her abdomen and several thin lines denoting the seams where her limbs were attached, her appearance could have been described as flawless.
As the liquid within her container began to bubble, the blue-haired woman slowly opened her eyes to reveal ruby-red, gem-like eyes. There were no visible emotions contained within them, but they gave off a peculiar sense of surety and purpose that couldn't be matched by 'lesser' entities, God or otherwise.
Without waiting for the liquid to drain away, the blue-haired woman slowly unfurled her arms and legs, uncoiling from the fetal position she had been in for what felt like an eternity. She was careful to control her movements, but the vessel containing her immediately cracked, followed by a series of alarms going off as the entire facility began to tremble.
Though there wasn't any air in her lungs, the blue-haired woman exhaled a faint sigh that sent shivers through the bodies of anyone within 6,000km of the underground facility. From their perspective, it was like the woman had exhaled mere millimeters away from their ears, startling them to their core.
Understanding that she couldn't spare the facility that had housed her for all these years, the blue-haired woman leaned forward slightly, seemingly unbound by gravity, as she freed herself from the fractured container. She gave a cursory glance at the statue that had been shielding her from view but promptly disregarded it as the roof above her abruptly collapsed, tens of millions of tons of metal and concrete raining down on her.
Before so much as a single particle of dust could sully her body, the blue-haired woman extended her hand toward the torrent of debris, 'freezing' it in place. Were it not for the lights flickering and alarms blaring around her, any casual observer might have assumed she had halted the flow of time. Instead, she was using an incomprehensibly powerful and refined form of Telekinesis to 'anchor' every fragment of debris in place.
Adopting a faint smile, the blue-haired woman gave a light push toward the debris. In response, it moved away from her as if freed from the pull of gravity, continuing to rise even after she no longer applied any force to it...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Paragon was preparing to go plus ultra xD...','This seems familiar...','A new challenger has entered the battlefield...')

Contrasting the chaos in the Outter Gates, things were relatively peaceful atop the three-tiered plateau overlooking the rest of the battlefield. Most of the Avataras participating as Representatives of 1-3-Digit Communities stood to gain nothing from achieving victory, so, with the exception of a few outliers, they were focused on collecting relics and biding time until the 'finale.'
Representing one of the exceptions, World Dragon Kurma hovered in the sky over the area where Vahn's palace would have been constructed if the two Little Gardens overlapped one another. She had much to discuss with the woman known as the 'Ethereal Queen,' but she couldn't discover so much as a single trace of her.
With a slight pout on her face, Kurma muttered, "Not being able to make use of my Authority is more annoying than I anticipated..."
Though an Avatara would generally be able to benefit from the powers and abilities of their original, particularly their omniscience, this particular 'projection' of the Little Garden made that difficult, to say the least. It was part of a System that predated the existence of the Central Network, and, were it not for the power of Shiroyasha, they wouldn't be able to access it, much less conduct a 'Gift Game' within it...
Understanding there was a high likelihood that Vahn's Representative had made their way toward the central plateau, Kurma was about to return to her original location when angular, greenish-black tendrils attempted to skewer her. She managed to shatter them with an ostensibly casual wave of her hand, but a crack appeared on the nail of her pinky finger.
Noticing the tiny imperfection, Kurma's brow twitched, her slit-like pupils contracting as she looked toward her attacker, growling, "You little brat. What's the meaning of this...?"
Undaunted by the fierce aura exuding from Kurma's body, what appeared to be a young girl with dark green hair, blade-like horns, and a dragon-like tail covered her mouth and giggled. She was garbed in a black, green, and gold gothic lolita outfit, but the first thing most people would notice were the bloodstains adorning it.
After laughing at Kurma's expense, the young girl narrowed her emerald green eyes, her pupils contracting into similarly thin slits as she playfully mused, "This is a Battle Royale with a single victor. I'm clearly here to try and eliminate you, silly."
Punctuating her words, the petite figure swung the crystalline spear in her hands. It was composed of a translucent, gradient green material and had a series of blade-like protrusions that gave it the appearance of a verdant, fierce-looking flame. When swung, greenish-black tendrils ripped through the space between the girl and Kurma, their velocity so great as to appear instantaneous.
Clicking her tongue, Kurma shattered the encroaching tendrils a second time, shouting, "You're starting to try my patience, Lahmu...!"
Instead of responding with a retort of her own, Lahmu, better known as the Dragon of Chaos, issued a cutesy, "Ehehehehehe~" as she continued swinging her spear around with reckless abandon. Only a small portion of her attacks actually went toward Kurma, the rest impacting the ground or empty air to produce glassy green matter that gradually spread from the point of contact.
Understanding that Lahmu couldn't be reasoned with, Kurma grit her teeth before releasing a thunderous bellow that caused the surrounding space to distort, bubbling outward. Even Lahmu's body appeared to bend in the direction of the distortion, her laughter momentarily ceasing as her fair complexion paled further.
After space had distorted to the point of resembling a fish-eye lens from the perspective of onlookers, the 'bubble' promptly shattered. Lahmu was knocked from the sky, blood flowing from each of her orifices, but she still managed a child-like smile, remarking, "That's the spirit~." before massive tentacles abruptly erupted from beneath her skirt...
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Seeing Lahmu targetting Kurma, a fierce scowl replaced Indra's usually relaxed smile. Lahmu didn't have enough reason to track down and target Kurma of her own volition, and the only person she willfully obeyed was her father, the Demon Dragon Emperor, Andramalech.
With his hands clenched into fists, Indra muttered, "That bastard...what could he possibly be thinking? Don't tell me he genuinely believes he can replace that monster...?"
As they were watching events unfold in the same room, Shiroyasha rolled her eyes at Indra's remark, retorting, "Wow, who could have imagined a being calling themselves the Demon Dragon Emperor trying to take over the Little Garden? Someone notify the press! Mobilize the Divine Army...!"
"..."
Losing a bit of his edge, Indra looked toward Shiroyasha and remarked, "You don't seem particularly concerned...is this 'Ethereal Queen' really all that powerful? You know wh-"
With a deadpan expression on her face, Shiroyasha interrupted Indra's words, stating, "I'm one of the people that's been maintaining the seal all these years. Of course I know what kinds of monsters are sealed within. Just shut up and watch the damn game."
Cowed by the fierce expression on Shiroyasha's face, Indra appeared to shrink in place as he returned his attention to the battle between Kurma and Lahmu. The former was ranked much higher than the latter, so even if Lahmu's power was a natural counter to Kurma, the outcome shouldn't be affected. To that end, it was highly probable that Lahmu was just sent as a distraction, preventing Kurma from reaching out to the Representatives of the Aldrnari Empire and its affiliates...
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After waiting several minutes to confirm Paragon wasn't going to pop out and sneak attack her, Madara permitted herself a moment of respite. The prohibitions against Authority placed a tremendous burden on her Mental, Spiritual, and Physical Energies, so she was actually tired for the first time in centuries.
Despite her harsh words targetting the Heroes of the West, Madara had to admit there were a few capable individuals among them. Paragon was a good example, but, despite being the Rank 1 Hero, he was only Rank 7 in terms of Madara's priorities. The person she was actually worried about was the Rank 9 Hero known as Dragon, a Technomancer whose brilliance and adaptability rivaled Da Vinci's.
With Dragon's ability to manipulate all forms of technology, even objects as mundane as a stone wheel, the ruins of the original Little Garden were both a treasure trove and an ideal battleground. They had yet to make an appearance, but Madara knew it was only a matter of time before an army of Dragon-themed automatons began swarming the battlefield, much like when Vahn gave Bulma access to her own personal Moon Cell.
Fortunately, as troublesome as Dragon's abilities were, Madara was the closest thing to a perfect counter against the enigmatic inventor. She was capable of creating tens of thousands of Shadow Clones, and though the rebound would probably liquefy her brain, she could sustain a moon-sized Susanoo with each of them.
"Hmmm...?"
While searching for an ideal place to rest, Madara sensed a powerful intent spying on her position, triggering her Rinnesharingan. The intent vanished the moment she attempted to lock onto it, but Madara was able to approximate its position and manifest one of her Limbo Clones over the area.
As the pale, white-haired version of Madara looked around, the smell of blood immediately caught her attention. The intent emanated from what appeared to be a long-abandoned battlefield, yet, despite the apparent passage of time, many of the corpses still oozed fresh, luminous golden blood.
Recognizing the thousands of deceased as former Gods and their kin, a curious glimmer reflected across Madara's eyes as she softly mused, "Are these the remains of the Divine Army...?"
Sensing the same intent from before, this time locking on to her Limbo Clone, Madara directed her attention to the decapitated corpse of a 3m tall man wearing golden reminiscent of an ancient Persian warrior. The moment she looked over, the plating covering the figure's chest began to bulge before bursting open to reveal the head of a strange, bone-colored lizard with round, emotionless, unblinking amethyst eyes.
As if it was confused by Madara's presence, the strange lizard tilted its head to one side, the ridges above its sunken eyes raising ever so slightly as a piercing, bone-chilling voice echoed through the area like a whisper from the void, remarking, "I thought I sensed an 'outsider,' but I dared not believe it. Tell me, woman. By what means did you enter the place...?"
Furrowing her brows, Madara ignored the creature's query as she softly remarked, "Now I understand...this place wasn't selected because of its convenience. Those bastards in the Inner Gates want us to clean it up for them..."
Instead of getting annoyed at Madara's apparent disregard, the bone-white lizard managed an uncanny smile as it mused, "I see...you come from the Second, or is it the Third now? Either way, it was a mistake to come here. Once I've devoured your flesh, I will find the path back and lay waste to as many playgrounds as those pathetic Gods have prepared."
Though others might be intimidated by the creature, especially those that knew its identity, Madara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, stating, "I have no interest in relics from the past. Get in my way, and I'll crush you like the insect you are..."
Unable to contain itself, the eerie lizard threw its head back and released a cackling laugh that caused visible cracks in the surrounding space. The ground beneath it appeared to heave as if influenced by an overwhelming gravitation force, while everyone unfortunate enough to be observing the scene felt a sense of existential dread.
Unaffected by the aura of malice that had descended upon her like a veil, Limbo Madara extended her hand toward the cackling creature and said, "Begone..." in a cold, icy tone. The peculiar lizard heard her and adopted a taunting smile, but before it could retort, a skyscraper-sized pillar of black energy impacted, seemingly erasing it from existence...
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As one of its countless offshoots was slaughtered, a vaguely humanoid figure with three draconic heads, each sporting stakes, awakened from its previously assumed eternal slumber. It had shackles on its long and thin limbs, shadowy wings protruding from its back, loose trousers sewn from its own flesh, and a red cape sporting a symbol that appeared to blur and distort when viewed directly, making it impossible to make out.
Rising into a squat, the creepy white creature raised its three draconic heads, the outer two sniffing the air while the centermost head inquired, "How long has it been since one of our brood met its end in this timeless place? Did they stumble across one of the remnants of the Old Gods...?"
Though they shared the same body and purpose, the three heads each possessed unique Egos, the left-most growling, "This is why I suggested we devour everything..."
Disagreeing with its left-most counterpart, the right head retorted, "There was good reason to believe those fools would eventually return to try and reclaim their lost heritage. If this turns out to be them, you're going to end up looking even more foolish than usual..."
Snorting through its nose, the left-most head growled, "We look exactly the same..." before following the gaze of the center head. Because of the restrictions on Authority, its perception was severely limited. The corpse it was inhabiting also got in the way, so, after a moment of silence, it raised its left arm and blasted a massive hole in the 'ceiling.'
Feeling a little annoyed, the center head took control over its left arm and pulled on the tassel dangling from the left-most head's stake. This caused all three of them tremendous pain, but the bulk of it was experienced by the left-most head, telepathically screaming, "You bastaaaaaaaaaaaard-!" until the central head released it.
As the left-most head attempted to use the horn-like ridge above its eye to stab it, the central head just ignored it, choosing to stare up at the hole overhead. It was annoyed by the left-most head's act of autonomy, but it couldn't deny the gaping hole made things easier. Various 'scents' rained down on it from above, some familiar, others entirely brand new. Thus, for the first time in eons, it cracked a malevolent smile and mused, "We have visitors...and quite a few, at that..."
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Chaos Deities can be a pain in the ass xD...','Madara doesn't play around...well, not too much...','*triple kek*')

"Why! Won't! You! Stay! Down...!?"
Though she outclassed Pweamma in speed and strength, none of Kefla's hits seemed to inflict any lasting damage on her opponent. Every time her strikes connected with the metallic bindings covering the former's body, a golden pulse would ripple out from the point of contact, nullifying physical and Ki-based attacks.
With six arms at her disposal, Pweamma was able to block the majority of Kefla's attacks, a wry yet taunting smile on her face as she replied, "Sorry, but, even amongst other Asuri, I'm particularly durable. You'll have to do a lot better than this if you want to break-"
Interrupting Pweamma's words, Kefla released a Ki blast directly from her mouth, impacting the burgundy-haired Asuri's face and causing her body to arch backward.
"Got you now...!"
To prevent Pweamma from recovering, Kefla grabbed the much larger woman's left ankle before flicking her body like a whip, slamming her into the firmament of space-time. A sound similar to glass shattering echoed through the area, and, for a brief moment, similar cracks appeared on the surface of Pweamma's armor before instantaneously mending.
Though it was only for the briefest of moments, Kefla didn't fail to notice the cracks on Pweamma's armor. However, before she could even think to repeat her attack, a sound akin to a thunderclap echoed through the area as an invisible force surged from Pweamma's body, forcing the confused Saiyaness back.
Feeling the bones within her body vibrating, Kefla stared at her shaking hands and muttered, "What the hell...?"
Providing some insight into what had propelled Kelfa back, Pweamma righted herself to reveal an ornate drum that vaguely resembled the claw of a sizeable crustacean. She had it tucked under one of her left arms, and the moment she struck it, another imperceptible shockwave radiated outward, accompanied by a peal of thunder.
Feeling the vibrations within her body compound, Kefla immediately used Instant Transmission to teleport far away from Pweamma. She could only guess at the actual effect of the drum, but her bestial instincts told her it wouldn't be wise to stick around.
Surprised that Kefla would actually flee, Pweamma raised her brows and remarked, "I guess she isn't just a muscle-brained monkey..."
Placing away her drum, a mystical instrument known as the Ālambara, Pweamma set her sights on the tiered plateau of the Inner Gates. She understood she had no hopes of achieving victory in the Gift Game, so her goal was to obtain relics of the ancient Rakshasa and Asura Tribes.
After waiting several minutes to see if Kefla would return, Pweamma set off toward the plateau like a beam of golden light...
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"God dammit! Why does everyone in this shitty Realm have to rely on bullshit trinkets and armor to fight!?"
As the vibrations within her body exacerbated each time she threw a punch or attempted to take her anger out on her surroundings, Kefla knew running away was her best option. However, while she didn't care about things like 'Saiyan Pride,' being forced to run away before she could go all out caused her blood to boil.
After firing off several Ki blasts at random, devastating her surroundings, Kefla did her best to restrain her frustration with a breathing exercise. The bones in her hands and forearms were vibrating with such intensity that it felt like they were about to fragment into a million pieces, so, even though she 'really' wanted to track down and beat the shit out of Pweamma, she descended into an abandoned building and tried to meditate.
Fortunately, as distracting and painful as the vibrations were, the training Kefla had undergone with Vahn had her endure the temperatures of blue hypergiants and the gravitational forces of supermassive black holes. Her body felt as though it was being invaded by tens of trillions of ants, but it only took a few moments before red markings appeared on Kefla's upper eyelids, the result of her entering Sage Made.
As her anger calmed, the vibrations within Kefla's body gradually waned. It would take hours for them to vanish completely, but Kelfa understood the only penance for hubris was patience...
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Unaware of the setback her ally had suffered, Yuri had a massive grin on her face as she stepped on the chest plate of her opponent, a handsome man with stylish brown hair, blue eyes, and armor befitting a knight.
Undaunted by the man's scowl, Yuri put more weight into her heel as she remarked, "It's no wonder Avalon yielded its position as Floor Master of the South. If this is your limit as their Representative, I can't imagine your Leader being all that great..."
Angered by Yuri's words, the severely beaten knight, Lancelot of the Lake, grabbed her by the ankle, his expression contorted into a fierce yet pained grimace as he said, "Insult me as you will. As the victor, you have that right. However, insulting my King...that I can never allow...!"
Unmoved by Lancelot's words, Yuri flexed the muscles of her remarkably toned legs, unceremoniously stomping him into the ground with enough force to cause a minor earthquake. The internal injuries he sustained were enough to cause Lancelot to lose consciousness immediately, but he was still in the game.
After waiting a few moments to confirm Lancelot was genuinely knocked unconscious, Yuri removed her foot from his chest with the intent to look for her next prey. As she did so, a phantom figure resembling a serpentine dragon appeared next to her. It had a head resembling a seahorse, coral-like antler, and jellyfish-like frills, but it radiated an aura of elegance as it calmly inquired, "Why not finish him off? Without special care, he is bound to be eliminated by the first person who comes across him."
Shrugging her shoulders, Yuri replied, "That's their business. I'm just here to have fun, not kill people. Now, where's our next opponent...?"
Though it didn't have a visible mouth, the illusory serpent exhaled a sigh before using the tip of its tail to tap empty air. As it did so, a watery ripple spread outward, starting off fairly slowly before quickly accelerating to an imperceptible speed.
"There are 137,292 targets within range of my senses. The most vigorous aura belongs to a woman with one of my kin residing within her."
Raising her brows, Yuri asked, "Seriously? Did Vahn go around passing out Companions to try and make things more interesting...?"
As it didn't have any shoulders to shrug with, Yuri's Companion, Mirage, had to imagine itself doing so as it replied, "I can only imagine what goes through the head of my Creator. All I can say for certain is that this would be a bad matchup for us, given our water-related abilities. The Companion I am sensing is the Lord of Ice, Gelid."
Undaunted by Mirage's warning, Yuri exhaled a curious, "Hoooooo~?" as the face of Maschenny appeared within her mind. She also possessed a Companion with dominion over Ice, so Yuri had first-hand experience with how annoying they could be.
Annoying, yes, but far from unbeatable.
Sensing Yuri's thought, Mirage exhaled another sigh before disappearing like her namesake. She knew Yuri couldn't be dissuaded once she made up her mind, so, rather than making a fuss, Mirage steeled herself for the coming battle. She might be at a disadvantage, but that wouldn't prevent her from trying to prove her superiority...
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Sensing his sister spirit's intent, Gelid promptly manifested next to Laulau, stating, "Be alert, a powerful foe approaches."
Before Laulau could ask any follow-up questions, the finer hairs on her body immediately stood on end as strange, emerald-green bubbles began manifesting in her surroundings. She couldn't actually sense them, almost like they were a bunch of illusions, but her instincts were screaming at her to evade.
Trusting her instincts, Laulau leaped into the sky, her body appearing to teleport just as the bubbles closest to her exploded soundlessly. It was a peculiar sight to behold, but what came after caused an involuntary shiver to run through Laulau's body.
Upon reaching their maximum size, the emerald-green bubbles promptly burst, unstable, pitch-black voids appearing in their place. Then, as if the silence from before was the calm before the storm, the foundation of the Little Garden trembled with the cacophonous sound of more than a million violent implosions.
Just as Laulau was about to cover her ears, Gelid provided relief to her by overlapping with her body and materializing into a black, blue, and white fur-lined outfit that resembled the attire worn by the Southern Water Tribe of Avatar. This included a pair of thick, fur-lined earmuffs that filtered out sound above a certain decibel level, so Laulau wasn't completely divested of her ability to hear.
As there was a small amount of blood leaking from her ears, Laulau was about to thank Gelid for his assistance when the latter warned, "They are coming."
Immediately following Gelid's warning, Yuri, wearing a casual outfit, not at all suited for combat, appeared a few meters away, smiling in amusement as she taunted, "Fluffy ears and a tail? It's no wonder Vahn entrusted one of his Companions to you~."
Without waiting for Laulau's response, Yuri released a shockwave from her palm that took on the form of a red flower more than ten kilometers across. Laulau generated a massive wall of ice to try and block it, but it promptly disappeared the moment the two forces overlapped, teleported to one of the many bubbles littering the battlefield.
"What the-"
Before Laulau could finish her exclamation, Yuri emerged from the bud at the center of the flower with a needle-like sword in hand, teasing, "I see you have yet to master cooperating with your Companion. What a shame."
Punctuating her words, Yuri stabbed her sword at the center of Laulau's chest. However, instead of piercing her befuddled feline opponent, she stopped less than three millimeters away, unleashing an oceanic torrent of water that sent Laulau crashing to the ground...
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Observing the match between Yuri and Laulau alongside Sis, Fenrir, and Mikoto, the latter in their Vanargandr and Pikachu forms, Vahn couldn't help smiling wryly as he remarked, "I should have warned everyone to steer clear of Laulau in the earl game. If she loses against her very first opponent, her status as Floor Master is going to be called into question..."
Though she could definitely see people calling Laulau's qualifications into question, Sis allayed Vahn's concerns by stating, "It won't be much longer until you challenge the Inner Gates. Once you've achieved your goal, Yuri and the rest will doubtlessly want to accompany you wherever you might end up. With less competition, Laulau should be able to secure her status easily...at least until someone like Yvonne steps forward to contest it..."
While gently caressing Mikoto's head, Vahn softly muttered, "Nn...you're probably right..."
Rolling her eyes, Sis playfully mused, "When am I not~?" before resting her head against Vahn's shoulder. In response, Vahn just exhaled a light chuckle before willing his holographic display to shift to another ongoing battle. The battle between Yuri and Laulau was far from a conclusion, but Vahn had no delusions about how things would end. Yuri had the benefit of training alongside Mirage in an Actualized World, so, while Laulau had grown tremendously in just a few short hours(years within the coliseum), the difference between them was like night and day.
"Speaking of one-sided battles..."
With the display now reflecting Madara's moon-sized Susanoo, the smile on Vahn's face became even wrier. Several famous Heroes from the West were doing their best to take her down, but it was like observing a bunch of fleas trying to take down a fully grown adult...
...
..
.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'When the bonk just isn't strong enough...','Even when pitted against a Lord of Ice, Yuri has no chill xD...','Madara be like, "Hmph...pathetic..."')

Chapter 2336: Cataclysmic