Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the most disdainful glower she could manage, Kurma stared down at Azi and uttered a simple, "Disgusting..." before immediately teleporting away.
Surprised by the rapid departure, the left head of Azi exclaimed, "Ah! That bitch is trying to run...!"
Rolling his eyes, the central Azi replied, "I can see that." before turning to the right head and questioning, "What do you think? Should we give chase or continue hunting other prey?"
Caressing the tassel dangling from his stake as if it were a beard, the right head took a moment to consider its answer before stating, "Contemptible as he may be, Vishnu is no fool. He wouldn't permit one of his Avataras to appear before us without some kind of plan. I advise caution."
Snorting tiny plumes of flame from its nostrils, the left head retorted, "You always advise caution. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been sealed in this shit hole for all these years."
Ignoring the left head's remark, the right head remained silent, patiently awaiting the central head's decision.
Though it briefly stared in the direction Kurma had departed, the central head ultimately exhaled a telepathic sigh before lazily grumbling, "I hate having to track prey..."
Too lazy to pursue Kurma, Azi used his impossibly sharp claws to create a gash across his chest. Luminous crimson blood began spurting from the wound, but instead of splattering across the ground, it floated away from Azi, forming thirteen carmine spheres. At the center of these spheres, tiny eggs could be seen undergoing rapid cell division, rapidly developing into embryos before 'hatching' as two-headed clones of Azi.
Reaching toward the nearest clone, Azi grasped its two necks before ripping it in two, blood erupting from the bifurcated halves and forming thousands of additional spheres. The resultant clones only possessed a single head, but each possessed power comparable to the Leader of a 5-Digit Community. This might not sound particularly impressive, but killing them would simply result in more clones being produced, each capable of devouring just about anything.
With an army to act at his behest, Azi mended the wound on his chest as he sneered and said, "Go forth, be fruitful, and multiply."
Never one to remain silent, the left head immediately added, "And if you see that bitch, Kurma, or any other 'dragons' for that matter, bring them to me."
Feeling obliged to offer his own amendment, the right head followed the other two, stating, "Be wary of the pale woman with red eyes and ashen hair. Her power is unknown, even to us."
Following the trio's words, the 3,419 clones of Azi offered respectful bows before splitting off into twelve groups, each overseen by a clone with two heads. Only the two-headed Azi(s) could transmit information back to the original, so they acted as Commanders. In contrast, their one-headed kin were little more than mindless pawns, their every action dictated by their Commanders' will.
Seeing his brood disperse, Azi stood silently for nearly a full minute until the left head quipped, "Have we finally gone senile...?"
Ignoring the left head's comment, the central head looked to the sky with the closest thing it could manage to a pensive expression. As a being that had existed even before the dawn of time, it was attuned to Creation in a way subsequent generations of Gods couldn't imagine. It hadn't noticed it initially, but 'something' had changed. He had no idea what it was, but the sense of incongruency he was experiencing was unmistakable...
Confusing the other two heads, a hint of emotion briefly appeared in the depths of Azi's eyes as he asked himself, "Is this real...?"
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Though she had yet to replenish her mental and spiritual energies fully, Kefla terminated her meditation early as she sensed dozens of powerful and malicious auras heading toward her with reckless abandon.
"What the hell...?"
With her Sage Mode allowing her to sense emotions and ascertain the 'alignment' of her opponent, Kefla was momentarily confused as not even Majin Buu possessed as much wickedness as the beings closing in on her position.
As one of the creatures burst through the wall of her hideout, Kefla got her first look at one of Azi Dahaka's clones. It spotted her at the same time, but there was no sense of awareness within its eyes, only ruthless detachment.
Interrupting the moment of tension between Kefla and the one-headed clone, three more burst into the room from different angles, each lunging toward the fused Saiyaness with extended arms and salivating maws.
Demonstrating the rather drastic difference in their speed and strength, Kefla evaded the lunging attacks with such finesse she appeared to be flowing with the air around them. Super Saiyan Sage Mode functioned as a kind of precursor to Ultra Instinct. So, even though she would generally thrash any opponent foolish enough to charge at her, Kefla abstained out of pure instinct, bursting through the ceiling to escape their encirclement.
Finding dozens more Azi(s) waiting for her in the skies outside, a battle-hungry smile developed across Kefla's face as she zeroed in on the two-headed clone, remarking, "Weren't Gifts and Abilities related to cloning against the rules? Seeing as you haven't been ejected from the game, I take it you're one of the 'dangers' we were warned about near the start."
Having gained knowledge of the existence of Gift Games from some of the Players it had devoured, the right head of the two-headed Azi replied, "Something like that..." while the left remarked, "Gold hair and a monkey-like tail...are you a descendent of Sun Wu Kong...?"
Furrowing her brows, Keflt lost her smile as she growled, "I am a Saiyan, not a monkey. You'll keep that in mind if you don't want to skin you and turn you into a handbag..."
As it didn't really care about Kefla's race, the two-headed Azi exchanged looks with itself before shrugging and saying, "Whatever. Monkey, Saiyan, insect...it's all the same when it comes out the other end..."
Without the need for a verbal order, the 283 clones following their two-headed Commander charged toward Kefla from all sides. They lacked the shadowy wings of the original, but they could still fly by manipulating the air and gravity around them.
While the speed of the clones was enough to horrify individuals in the 6-7-Digit Gates, they were moving painfully slow in the eyes of Kelfa. She didn't know their exact speed, but she knew it was slower than even the speed of light, something she could exceed in her teens. After receiving training as both a God of Creation and Destruction, she could dart across entire universes in just a few hours. Thus, for a brief moment, Kefla found herself seriously considering whether or not the white-skinned monsters were even worth her time.
Exhaling a sigh that was imperceptible to the one-headed Azi(s), Kefla muttered, "Let's just get this over with..." before 'floating' over to the two-headed clone at a lazy velocity. It was much faster than the one-headed clones, but it had barely widened its eyes and begun to uncross its arms by the time Kefla placed her hand in front of its face, adding, "If it's all the same in the end, eat shit and die..." in an icy tone.
Without giving the two-headed Azi a chance to respond, Kefla created a sphere of vibrant green Ki. She had fought against regenerative monsters such as Cell, Majin Buu, and Vahn, so once she resolved to kill someone, she did her best to ensure not even a single cell remained.
As the two-headed Azi was annihilated in an instant, the remaining 283 'ragdolled' in mid-air, their bodies following their original trajectory and crashing into one another with gruesome consequences. Kefla hadn't been expecting this, but she ultimately just shrugged her shoulders and remarked, "That's not something you see every day..."
Nearly as soon as Kefla had finished quipping, the mangled bodies of the Azi clones began to regenerate. At the same time, the veritable shower of blood that had rained down on the ground began to congeal, forming tens of thousands of tiny spheres before Kefla raised her hand and proclaimed, "Yeah, I don't think so."
Using nearly as much power as she had during her brief exchange with Pweamma, Kefla unleashed a devastating attack that enveloped an area much larger than the one covered in the clones' blood. She had no idea of Azi's capabilities, so she wasn't leaving anything to chance...
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A stark contrast to how smoothly things had gone for Kefla, the majority of Players were helpless against the onslaught of Azi's forces. Those from 6-7-Digit Gates were hunted down without mercy while those from lower-digit Gates managed to put up a fight but were ultimately overwhelmed by the clones' regenerative and replicative abiliites.
As he had been loitering around the 5-Digit Gates, Izayoi was one of the few capable of dealing with Azi's clones. With the aide of Seiun, he was able to fly around at faster than light speeds, shattering the clones as if they were glass before advising those he saved to abandon the game or regroup with other Players.
Unfortunately, as fast as Izayoi was, he lacked the ability to sense across vast distances. He could only eliminate the clones that appeared in front him, unware of their origin or if other clones had appeared to replace the ones he had already eliminated.
Feeling frustrated after eliminating what Seiun confirmed to be his ten-thousandth clone, Izayoi punched the air and shouted, "Where the hell are these things coming from!?"
Seeing the army of Azi clones scouring the battlefield like ants atop an animal carcass, Izayoi was increasingly tempted to just 'nuke' them from orbit. Other Players were bound to get caught up in the destruction, but it was better to be vaporized than endure being torn apart by the unfeeling, endlessly propogating monsters.
Raising his right hand, palm upward, Izayoi manifested a pencil-sized light construct. He was about to release the energy contained within when a white-haired youth with luminous golden eyes abruptly appeared next to him, reaching for his wrist.
Reacting much faster than the youth, Izayoi retracted his hand and asked, his usual smile nowhere to be seen as he asked, "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
Instead of revealing his identity, the white-haired youth narrowed his eyes at Izayoi and stated, "You should be thanking me. While there are many differences between them, Another Cosmology functions similarly to Authority. If you had activated that power, being eliminated from the game would be the least of your troubles..."
Though he doubted the credibility of the youth's words, Izayoi didn't attempt to activate his 'Aurora Pillar' a second time. Instead, he gave the golden-eyed youth an apprasing look, asking, "And why does that matter to you? I don't recall us ever meeting, and I've got a damn good memory."
Ignoring Izayoi's questions a second time, the youth placed his hands into his pockets and shifted his gaze to the plateau at the center of the battlefield, stating, "There are significantly fewer clones the closer you get to the Inner Gates. I suggest heading there before you expend your energy trying to eliminate an endless, self-replicating army."
Without waiting for Izayoi's response, the youth promptly turned around and teleported away. When he reached his destination, however, he was stunned to find Izayoi there waiting for him, arms crossed as he asserted, "I have questions, and you're going to answer them..."
Realizing that Izayoi was 'a lot' faster than he had anticipated, the youth only hesitated for a moment before answering, "Very well. However, there is a limit to my knowledge. If you want a detailed explanation, you should locate one of the Representative from the Inner Gates. Only those above with adequate 'permissions' can disclose the truth of this situation."
Nodding his head in affirmation, Izayoi replied, "Oh, I intend to. You can be sure of that. For now, just hearing the basics is enough. Now, out with it, chibi. My patience is already wearing thin."
Though he frowned at Izayoi referring to him as a chibi, the white-haired youth didn't bother to retort. Instead, her narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you know of the Communal Alliance known as Arcadia...?"
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Kurma be like, "Fuck this shit, I'm out~!"','Kefla is surprisingly diligent...','A 'mysterious' white shota has entered the battlefield! And he's eyeing Izayoi's palm-sized pillar...!?')

"Arcadia? It's a country in Greece and an island referenced in Greek mythology, located somewhere around the Peloponnese Peninsula. According to legend, it's a place where creatures of all shapes and sizes can be found, and, according to some, the inspiration for places such as the Garden of Eden."
As he had never heard of an Alliance called Arcadia, Izayoi could only respond with a few of the factoids he had acquired during his research. The woman he considered his mother had mentioned Arcadia during their travels, so it was one of the first things he looked into upon reaching the Little Garden.
Hearing Izayoi's response, the white-haired youth exhaled a sigh before muttering, "So, she never told you..."
Crossing his arms, Izayoi's expression hardened as he questioned, "That depends. Who's the 'she' you're referring to?"
Shaking his head, the white-haired youth replied, "Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to say. Besides..."
Gesturing to the chaos occurring around them, the white-haired youth added, "Now isn't the best time to be playing twenty questions. If you desire answers, seek out those who have concealed the truth. You can start with World Dragon Kurma..."
Having said what he intended to say, the white-haired youth turned away with the intent to teleport. Before he could, Izayoi placed his hand on the youth's shoulder, saying, "You never introduced yourself..." with narrowed eyes and a tightening grip.
Matching Izayoi's expression, a regal aura exuded from the white-haired youth as he replied, "Circumstances prevent me from disclosing my true name. As such, my close friends and colleagues have taken to calling me 'His Royal Highness.' I shall permit you to do the same."
Raising his left brow, a hint of disbelief appeared in Izayoi's expression as he smiled sardonically and questioned, "His Royal Highness? What kind of King can't even give his own name...?"
Instead of answering Izayoi's question, Highness smacked away his hand before disappearing in a flash of light. Izayoi was tempted to follow him, but, seeing as things were only becoming more chaotic with each passing moment, he ultimately exhaled a sigh, muttering, "Arcadia..." as he looked towards the plateau at the center of the battlefield.
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While the other three Districts were becoming increasingly chaotic, things were relatively stable in the West. The vast majority of Communities in the area, at least publicly, were related to Heroism. Thus, while competition in the West could get extremely fierce, especially around the time Rankings were updated, they understood the importance of cooperation more than any other region.
By combining forces, the Representatives of the Western Communities managed to drive back Azi's clone army with relative ease. They suffered tens of thousands of casualties before things settled down, but most of these could be attributed to Madara and other 'villains.' A veritable army of Heroes had tried to team up against her, led by the Rank 4 Hero, Blurry Bob, so she annihilated them alongside Azi's clones.
If there were a list keeping track of the number of Players each individual had eliminated, Madara would be in the top 10. Because of this, a growing number of people were paying close attention to her every action. Many of these people simply enjoyed witnessing brutality and violence, while others found themselves captivated by her beauty. Either way, the one thing virtually everyone could agree upon was that Madara was strong...
Unconcerned with how people viewed her, Madara was seated atop a massive, thousand-armed Buddha statue with three identical copies of herself. Gifts and Abilities related to cloning had been strictly prohibited, but Shadow Clones were an exception as they were considered physical projections, not actual clones. Any sufficiently powerful blow would cause them to disperse, so even though several defeated Communities had tried to have her disqualified, she was permitted to continue.
Sensing a disturbance, Madara opened her eyes just in time to witness a series of blue and pink explosions in the distance, peppering the horizon like numerous rising stars.
Without considering whether or not she would be intruding on someone else's fun, Madara rose to her feet and flew towards the explosions. They were several hundred kilometers away, but she closed the distance in an instant, finding several Heroes, Villains, and Azi clones being swept up by the explosions.
Ignoring the people fleeing for their lives on the ground, Madara turned her attention to a blue-haired woman 'standing' in the sky, high above the explosion. Said woman was facing off against a trio of two-headed Azi(s), but they couldn't get anywhere near her as she wielded oversized canons in each hand and was flanked by a total of six gatling guns, each firing off bullets that moved so quickly they left behind distinct black trails, tearing through the fabric of space and time.
Noticing the 'seams' in the woman's flesh, combined with the fact she was wearing futuristic, albeit skimpy white armor, Madara crossed her arms, raised her brows, and softly muttered, "Could this be the true form of Dragon...?"
As if she could hear Madara's utterance, the blue-haired woman looked at her, the upper half of her face blocked by a visor that vaguely resembled a VR headset. Despite this, Madara could feel the woman's gaze piercing through her as she continued to fire upon Azi's clones with cold, machine-like efficiency.
Just as Madara was thinking about taunting the woman, the visored battle maiden aimed one of her oversized cannons in the Uchiha's direction. The action caused the latter's instincts to scream 'danger,' so she immediately activated her Shinra Tensei, intending to deflect whatever was coming her way. Instead, her 'counter' spread unobstructed, suppressing a number of explosions, crushing several unfortunate Players, and sending a couple of Azi clones flying. When it impacted the blue-haired woman, however, she just shuddered for a brief moment, ultimately unmoved from her position...
Though it wasn't her first time encountering someone that could resist the Shinra Tensei, a frown marred Madara's face. She was almost positive the woman had exercised some form of Authority, so she promptly extended her right hand, grasping the hilt of a katana that had appeared out of thin air.
While drawing the katana from the void, Madara's expression became serious as she shouted, "Fan the Flames of Conflict, Gunbai...!"
As one of Vahn's Templates, Madara had functionally limitless Gifts, a Zanpakuto, and one of his most powerful Companions. When she called out the name of her Zanpakuto, fire erupted from her body, followed by a large fan manifesting in her left hand and a relatively plain-looking scythe appearing in her right. The two were connected by a series of interlinking metal rods, functioning as a kind of chain that allowed Madara to use the scythe as both a short and mid-range weapon.
Waving her fan, Madara produced a tempestuous wind that functioned similarly to Ea, tearing apart and collapsing the surrounding space. At this point, the blue-haired woman began to take action, the cannon in her left hand illuminating as it hummed like a tuning fork.
Expecting an attack, Madara was surprised to see the space around the woman solidify before rapidly mending itself. For the briefest of moments, she almost considered that the woman wasn't an enemy until a thin beam of light emerged from the end of the cannon, targetting her chest.
Though she was tempted to try and reflect the attack with her Gunbai, Madara decided on the 'safer' route, trading places with one of the Azi clones using her Rinnesharingan. Her initial target was the blue-haired woman, but the space around her currently couldn't be distorted due to the humming of her cannon.
As the swap was instantaneous, Madara was shocked for the second time as she found another laser awaiting her where the Azi clone had been. By the time she processed its existence, a beam of white light more than 10m in diameter had already enveloped her, its velocity several thousand times the speed of actual light.
Crossing her arms and closing her eyes, Madara was prepared to endure excruciating pain. Instead, she felt a similar sense of incongruency as her body, clothes, and armor began to lose their luster. When the light faded less than a second later, Madara tentatively opened her eyes to find that her previously crimson armor was now a peculiar shade of greyish-white, resembling salt.
As if to confirm Madara's suspicions, a gentle breeze caused her armor to begin flaking away. The same happened to her clothes, but while her hair and skin had turned a similar shade of white, they regained their luster as Madara stared at the blue-haired woman and growled, "You almost killed me, you bastard..."
Though they weren't visible due to the visor covering her face, the blue-haired woman's brows raised ever so slightly. Her heads-up display had allowed her to predict Madara's movements and confirmed the hit was a success. No matter how she analyzed the situation, her opponent's body should have been reduced to salt...
Speaking for the first time, the blue-haired woman asked, "What are you? Nothing born or guilty of sin should be able to withstand these sanctified weapons."
Equipping a new set of armor to replace her former attire, Madara leveled her Gunbai at the blue-haired woman and asserted, "I am Uchiha Madara, Grand Matriarch of the Uchiha Clan. Declare yourself, so I may know what to engrave upon your tombstone..."
Though the blue-haired woman's databanks recorded the existence of countless Uchiha, none of the information she had on file could explain how Madara could withstand her attack. Her records recorded the name and history of every human in the current Order, including their derivative species, so Madara either didn't exist or wasn't human...
Instead of revealing her identity, the blue-haired woman allowed her two cannons and the six gatling guns floating behind her to dematerialize. In their place, her right arm transformed into a black and white sword while a massive shield manifested in her left hand.
Witnessing her opponent manifest a sword and shield, a smile returned to Madara's face. She didn't mind using flashy attacks to take out groups of opponents, but her preference was close-range combat. The blue-haired woman gave her some 'questionable' vibes, but that wasn't going to stop her from enjoying herself.
As if she could read her opponents' intentions, the blue-haired woman charged forward at the exact same moment as Madara. Everything from their speed to the force behind their blows was functionally identical, but that just caused Madara's smile to broaden as she slashed forward with her scythe, shouting, "Block this...!" in a spirited tone.
Though she initially planned to do precisely that, the blue-haired woman changed the angle of her shield at the last moment while simultaneously stabbing forward with her sword. The former was the correct decision, as Madara's scythe possessed the not-so-unique property of being able to pierce just about anything. Thus, even though her attack was deflected, it managed to leave a deep trench in the shield's surface.
All but confirming she wasn't human, at least in the eyes of her blue-haired adversary, Madara didn't even attempt to block the sword aiming at her heart. It appeared to pierce through her, but, in actuality, she split open a channel just wide enough for the blade to pass through her as she continued forward to headbutt her opponent.
Despite her armor possessing properties that made it indestructible under normal circumstances, a sizeable crack appeared on the front of the blue-haired woman's visor while her HUD flickered violently. The damage was repaired almost immediately, but even a picosecond was enough time for Madara to capitalize on.
Still salty about being turned into a literal pillar of salt, Madara grabbed the blue-haired woman by the neck and attempted to use the Rinnegan's ability to read memories and extract 'souls.' She wanted to understand the blue-haired woman's purpose before deciding whether or not she should eliminate her, but she was denied the opportunity as her quarry's chest abruptly opened up, revealing a lens-like cannon within her chest cavity...
"Well pla-"
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Chuuni vibes...','Madara and Gunbai go hand in hand o3o...','The price of saltiness...')

While most spectators chose to pay attention to the movements and actions of the more high-profile Representatives, that didn't mean there was no excitement occurring near the Little Garden's periphery. Rather, as each Community could only put forth a single Representative, the majority of Players, representing Gates 10,000-9,999,999, had been transported to the ruins of the Outer Gates.
Among this comparably large portion of Players, a young man with blonde hair and amethyst purple eyes could be seen bounding through the air, his laughter echoing through the area as he shouted, "Come on! Are you even trying to aim!? You'll need to try harder if you want to hit the Great Izayoi, Strategist of the No Names...!"
Frustrated by the young man's laughter, the leader of the group that had teamed up to eliminate him bellowed, "Fuck you, you No-Name little shit! If you're a real man, stop bouncing around and fight me...!"
As flight-related Gifts weren't common among Communities occupying the Outter Gates, the group targetting Izayoi could only pepper him with ranged attacks in the hopes of knocking him out of the sky. Their leader was a voluptuous, blonde-haired woman with inordinately large, ram-like horns that framed her face and a thick, alligator-like tail. Her outfit, which consisted of a tube-top, vested jacket, form-fitting pants, and multiple belts, gave people the impression she was a bit of a delinquent, a notion further backed by her words.
Leaping hundreds of meters into the air, the horned woman attempted to tackle Izayoi, but he effortlessly evaded to the side, compelling her to shout, "Aaaaah! So you're so fucking dead! Just wait until I get my hands on you...!"
Instead of exhibiting even a hint of fear, Izayoi exhaled a light chuckle as he danced around hundreds of fast-moving projectiles. He knew the 'real' battles wouldn't start until the major players got a feel for the situation, so he was just killing time until something interesting happened.
*Mistress Asuka will not be pleased if you continue playing around with other women...*
Hearing the ethereal voice of his whale-like Companion, Seiun, the smile on Izayoi's face visibly cramped. He could easily imagine Asuka getting upset with him if he was 'too friendly' with another woman, so when the aggressive blonde leaped at him for the umpteenth time, Izayoi adopted a marginally more serious expression and said, "Better luck next time, gator girl."
Before the blonde could process Izayoi's words, a heavy blow impacted her abdomen, sending her crashing toward the ground like a meteor. The attack caused her little pain, but the moment she opened her eyes and prepared to launch a counter, she found herself in the familiar setting of her bedroom, eliminated from the Pandemonium Game.
Realizing what must have happened, the aggressive blonde gripped her horns and shook her head violently as she shouted, "You son of a bitch! Don't think this is over, Izayoi of the No-Names...!"
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Unaware that he had just acquired a 'nemesis,' Izayoi made short work of the blonde-haired beauty's remaining allies before perching atop the ruins of a partially collapsed tower. He could get a better vantage by flying up into the sky, but that came with the risk of exposing himself to individuals that could fire long-range projectiles at faster-than-light speeds.
Though he was pretty confident in his speed and reaction time, Izayoi had once fought against a 'serious' Wu. Her base speed at the time clocked in at around 1.4 quintillion times the speed of light, so Izayoi had no illusions about being the 'fastest' person in the Little Garden. Heck, with Vahn able to pull powerhouses out of his ass, he may not even be in the top 100.
Recalling his most recent encounter with Vahn, occurring just a few hours before the onset of the Pandemonium Game, Izayoi couldn't help feeling a little helpless. He could generally tell whether or not his opponent was more powerful than him, but the most recent version of Vahn gave him no impression at all. It was almost like he didn't even exist...
Sensing his partner's thoughts, Seiun whispered, (*If you wish to oppose my Creator, you have my complete and total support. Just know that, unless we have a good reason to win, he will never permit himself to be defeated.*)
Adopting a wry smile, Izayoi playfully remarked, "Most people don't have a say in whether or not they'll be defeated. Even your Creator must have a weakness..."
Though it currently lacked a body, Seiun nodded in response to Izayoi's words, stating, (*If he didn't, he wouldn't allow himself to be defeated at all. Because he believes everyone is entitled to pursue their own path, any sufficiently resolute individual would be able to depose him.*)
Raising his brows, Izayoi retorted, "Is that so...?" before tilting his head to the side, casually evading the laser-like beam of light that tried to pierce it. Several others followed suit, but Izayoi just narrowed his eyes, a simple action that caused the lasers to bend around him, almost as if they were afraid.
Seemingly realizing that Izayoi wasn't an opponent she could deal with, a bronze-skinned woman with ruby eyes, cat-like ears, and apparel befitting the sensibilities of the West abandoned her position and tried to flee. She was barely faster than an Olympic athlete, however, so Izayoi appeared in front of her in an instant, asking, "Is that a laser sniper rifle? That's pretty freaking cool, not gonna lie..."
Before the woman could respond, Izayoi snatched the futuristic-looking rifle out of her hands and began to inspect it. He could toss pebbles and deal more damage than the rifle was capable of dealing, but, as someone from a relatively modern version of Japan, he was still intrigued by mechs and futuristic weaponry.
Though her primary weapon was snatched away, the bronze-skinned cat girl made no attempts to protest or steal it back. Instead, she just stared back at Izayoi with caution, her body tense and mind racing to conceive a method of escape.
Fortunately for the woman, remaining silent was probably the best thing she could have done. Had she tried to negotiate or try to seduce Izayoi, he would have had little choice but to eliminate her. Since she just stared at him with worry, however, he felt no qualms about tossing over her rifle and suggesting, "You should stick to the outskirts and only target Players you've seen in action. You won't be able to achieve victory, but you might be able to gain some reputation if you're able to hold out till the end."
Before the woman could think to thank him or request a partnership of some kind, Izayoi flicked his middle finger and sent her stumbling back with a fierce yet ultimately harmless wind. He briefly got a glimpse of the contents of her skirt but resisted the urge to comment on it as Asuka was doubtlessly scrutinizing his every action...
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"Ahahahaha~! This is so much fun~!"
Despite being knocked around like a ragdoll by Kurma's attacks, Lahmu was in high spirits as she continued to attack haphazardly, spreading the influence of her corruption.
Seeing the battlefield gradually morph into a miasma-filled hellscape, the look on Kurma's face became increasingly grim. Unfortunately, while her power dwarfed Lahmu's by several orders of magnitude, she had nothing that could put down the cackling lolita permanently.
Balling her right hand into a fist, Kurma covered the distance between her and Lahmu in an instant, punching the latter with enough force to send her head spinning like a top as she growled, "You're beginning to try my patience, Lahmu...!"
After stumbling back a bit, Lahmu reached up to stop the spinning of her head, an expression of childish glee on her face as she replied, "Lahmu is just having fun. It isn't often Lahmu gets to play with others, so won't you keep her company a while longer~?"
Though she was tempted to shout that they weren't playing a game, Kurma knew the futility of trying to reason with Lahmu. The latter was the 'beloved' daughter of one of the most corrupt and demonic entities in the entire Little Garden, so her idea of fun was ripping people apart with her bare hands or watching them dissolve in her corrosive flames.
Exhaling through her nose, Kurma was prepared to employ a similar tactic as Madara but stopped when Lahmu abruptly looked away from her. She followed the petite Dragoness's gaze, and what she discovered caused a shiver to course through her entire body. It was a being standing a mere three meters tall, but it inspired a sense of dread comparable to watching a planet's host star go supernova.
As it had been observing the battle for several minutes, the bone-white creature just smiled with all three of its heads, the centermost remarking, "Don't mind us. Please, continue..." in an amused, bone-chilling tone.
Losing her usual smile, Lahmu looked at the exposed part of her left arm to find the flesh beneath it writhing about. She could produce tentacles from openings in her body, natural or otherwise. Now, however, they were being made within her body, completely disregarding her will...
As greenish-black blood began to flow from her mouth, nose, ears, and eyes, Lahmu looked toward Kurma and croaked, "This isn't fun anymore..." before bursting into innumerable, tiny chunks. A titanic figure with four eyes, dark green skin, and demonic horns had burst free from her body, half of its muscular frame comprised of fleshy tentacles as it charged at Kurma like a mindless beast.
Despite the creature's massive frame, Kurma was able to send it crashing to the ground with a fairly casual smack, ignoring the devastation wrought by her attack as she stared at the three-headed creature and hissed, "Azi Dahaka..."
Placing a hand over his heart, Azi impersonated a gentlemanly bow as he lowered his central head and replied, "At your service..."
Contrasting the central head's words and actions, the left-most head stared at Kurma with a predatory smile, adding, "I never expected this bitch to be our hundred-and-seventieth prey. This day just keeps getting better and better."
Smacking his left head, Azi pretended to be angry as he condescendingly bellowed, "Watch your language! Don't you know we're in the presence of Her Highness, the World Dragon Kurma!?"
Tired of the center and left head's antics, the right head exhaled a sigh through his nose, grumbling, "What is the point of these theatrics? Let's just devour her and be done with it."
Though the centermost head was inclined to agree, the left head made its depravity known, retorting, "Nah, fuck that. This bitch wants to go around calling herself a Dragon when she's just a turtle? I say we give her a taste of the real thing..."
Wresting control from the central head, Lefty used its corresponding hand to scratch between its legs. Kurma had understood his intentions from his words, but his actions made it even more apparent, causing the glower on her face to become an expression of abject disgust as she asserted, "The whole of Creation will benefit from your destruction..."
Without missing a beat, the left-most head began to retort, "You're about to benefit from these nuts in your-" before receiving another smack from the central head, silencing him. The three of them shared control over the same body, but the central head was the defacto leader between them as it had dominion over their reproductive functions.
With the left-most head temporarily silenced, the central Azi directed its gaze to Kurma, asking, "What is the meaning behind this farce you call a Gift Game? Considering your relationship with Vishnu, you should have at least some idea of the true purpose of this event. Reveal what you know, and I can guarantee you a dignified death. Refuse, and..."
Understanding what his central head had in mind, the left-most head regained a vicious smile as it added, "I'll fuck every hole you have and then create new ones to keep fucking...!"
...
..
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Izayoi is completely henpecked...','Ms. Kurma...I don't feel so good...','Team Three Star...!')

Chapter 2339: Spread