Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

"...!?"

Snapping his eyes open, Izayoi lurched into a seated position, hands shooting up to his face as if to confirm his head was still there.

"You were screwed from the start, but you really shouldn't have struck her in the face. Seraphina is rightfully proud of her looks..."

Extending a hand, Vahn helped Izayoi stand before patting the young man on the back. The Game Boards were indistinguishable from reality, so, while he was perfectly fine, it wasn't an exaggeration to say he had just experienced having his head blown off. He seemed to be taking it well but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Returning a wry smile, Izayoi replied, "Yeah, I kind of got the message when she blew my head off..."

While chuckling at the blond-haired youth's expense, Vahn turned to Asuka and Yo, a teasing smile developing across his face as he asked, "So? Still want a turn of your own...?"

After seeing the superhuman battle between Izayoi and Seraphina, Asuka's confidence had been thoroughly thwarted. Her abilities primarily revolved around controlling and commanding others, be they human, animal, or even plant to do her bidding. Prior to meeting Vahn, she had believed this ability to be infallible. Now, she was beginning to realize that it was an ability that pits her willpower against her target. In other words, the moment she tried to use it against someone with greater willpower than herself, she might as well be a normal, albeit athletic human girl.

"No, thank you. I have no way to deal with Seraphina's laser beams so I'm going to have to pass on this particular opportunity."

Adopting a highly practiced, business-like smile, Asuka attempted to take a step back with her dignity intact. This earned her an amused smile from Vahn, but, for the sake of her dignity, she pretended not to notice it.

Resisting the urge to verbally tease the former heiress, Vahn shifted his attention to Yo to hear her answer. To the surprise of everyone present, she had a slightly serious expression on her face as she said, "I would like to fight against you. If I win, please become my friend."

Punctuating her words with a courteous bow, Yo's sincerity was transmitted to virtually everyone present. As for Vahn, a casual smile developed across his face as he stated, "I may be an Emperor, but I rarely present myself as an untouchable existence. If you want to be friends, I am more than happy to oblige. There is no need to force yourself to this extent. Besides, even if you managed to borrow a bit of power from Fenrir, it wouldn't be enough. At your current level, you could exhaust yourself and still be unable to move me from my starting position..."

Though she was more than a little surprised to hear Vahn casually reveal the secret of her Gift, Yo's expression didn't change. She still wanted to try, so, without any fear or hesitation in her eyes, she said, "Please..." before lowering her head a second time...

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Seeing Yo dash around in a revealing outfit that greatly resembled a skinned version of Fenrir in her Vanargandr transformation, Vahn couldn't help smiling wryly. She looked like a little Berserker, but, instead of an ax or a club, she had scaled gauntlets that ended in remarkably sharp claws.

As said claws traced toward his throat, Vahn's expression remained unchanged even as they sliced across the right side of his neck. This wasn't the first time Yo had tried to attack him, yet, despite her best efforts, he remained in his starting position without even a hint of injury. He wasn't cheating by making himself invulnerable, either. She simply lacked the strength required to pierce his defenses.

Furrowing her brows, Yo didn't let up in her assault. Instead, she twisted her body like a bow before sweeping her leg towards the left side of his face. This also failed to get Vahn to budge, so, with the intent of catching him by surprise, a large volume of ice elemental energy erupted from her foot. It ended up encasing his head completely, but, as if it wasn't any concern at all, Vahn just stood there with his hands behind his back.

Having zero experience manipulating mana, Yo sprawled out on the ground immediately following her failed attack. She immediately noticed that her right leg was frozen up to her thigh, but, despite the paradoxically fiery yet numb sensation climbing up her leg, her expression was more pouty than pained.

Though it wasn't absolutely necessary, Vahn took a knee before placing his palm on Yo's outer thigh and dispersing the ice elemental energy before it could penetrate her bones and freeze the marrow within. He could have achieved a similar result without any contact whatsoever, but, curious to learn whether or not the young brunette could actually draw power from him, a bit of skinship would aid her quite a bit. From her perspective, he was basically just an animal so it really didn't matter all that much. Rather, if he allowed her to, Vahn could easily imagine Yo trying to pet him if he appeared in one of his dragon transformations...

Feeling the pain in her leg dissipate almost instantaneously, a smile developed across Yo's face as she cheekily yet softly mused, "You moved..."

Chuckling in response to the surprisingly mischievous remark, Vahn adopted a smile of his own as he extended his hand and said, "Congratulations. You're one of the few people in history to have defeated the Sage Dragon Emperor. Shall we advertise it to the rest of the Little Garden?"

Accepting Vahn's hand, a subtle blush developed across Yo's face as she answered, "I'd rather not. I don't really like attention..."

Since she still had her Vanargandr outfit on, Vahn ruffled the wolf head atop Yo's as he said, "I guess I get to preserve my dignity then. If people learned I was defeated by a little girl, I would never hear the end of it. Here, consider this an expression of my gratitude."

Pulling out a violet Gift Card, Vahn handed it over to the befuddled Yo with a smile. He didn't know the specifics, but he was pretty sure he had figured out her Gift. She was able to mimic the traits of 'animals' she had befriended. So long as she had enough spiritual energy, she could also transform into a form that made it easier for her to channel said abilities. He suspected there was more to it, but, even if that wasn't the case, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Yo's Gift was one of the most powerful and versatile he had ever seen.

Reading the text on the Gift Card, Yo's eyes practically produced stars as an uncharacteristically vivacious smile developed across her face. It was a Gift related to the Grooming ability Vahn had developed back in Danmachi. In other words, so long as she treated her 'friends' with care, they would be able to grow stronger alongside her.

Though Yo seemed oblivious to it, Vahn had taken notice of the fact that Calico Cat was already nearing the end of its life. If he had to guess, it was a little over fourteen years old. He could easily extend its lifespan on his own, but, for the sake of supplanting Yo's existing abilities, Vahn decided to secretly entrust the task to her.

"Thank you, Vahn. I promise to use it well."

Emulating Asuka, Yo crossed her hands over her lap before offering an even more courteous bow than the ones she had supplied previously. This earned her an approving smile from Vahn, but, at the same time, he couldn't help looking behind her at the wolf-like tail wagging happily despite not being attached to her body...

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Exiting the Game Board, Vahn was unsurprised to see Izayoi grinning at him with his hands in his pockets. Before he could say anything, however, Vahn beat him to the punch, stating, "Don't bark if you're too afraid to bite. If you're that eager for another lesson, I have the Game Board right here."

Raising his hands in a gesture of mock surrender, Izayoi maintained his smile as he mocked, "Wow, someone's testy. I didn't even say anything. No need to bite my head off..."

Realizing what he had just said, an imperceptible shudder ran through Izayoi's body. He had literally just had his head blown off, so, while his words were intended as a joke, they now carried a certain weight behind them.

Fortunately for Izayoi, Vahn had already escorted Seraphina back to her room. There was a very real chance she might attack him in the real world if she heard what he said, so, for the time being, Vahn intended to prevent the two from interacting with one another.

With that in mind, Vahn figured he might as well ignore the youth as well. To that end, he shifted his attention to Yo, who, at the present moment, was currently being stared up and down by Fenrir and Asuka. The former had a slightly annoyed look on her face due to the fact Yo's outfit resembled her a little too much. As for Asuka, she had a troubled look on her face as she cupped her cheek and asked, "Yo...isn't this outfit a little too revealing...?"

As she hadn't really inspected herself, Yo just tilted her head to the side before looking down at her outfit. Her top and bottom were basically just tattered rags and a loincloth that left very little to the imagination. She hadn't noticed it at first, but she wasn't even wearing panties. This caused a ruddy hue to spread across her face as most of her attacks against Vahn had been kicks.

Covering her face with both hands, Yo deactivated her transformation as even the tips of her ears glowed red. It didn't help that Fenrir placed her paw on her shoulder, saying, "Don't worry. Master is skilled at producing undergarments. I'll ask him to give you a [REquip] System so you don't end up flashing people."

Plopping onto the ground, Yo continued to conceal her face for several minutes as she imagined everyone seeing her exposed bottom. Fortunately, the Game Boards designed by Vahn had a built-in modesty function, so, even if someone were completely naked, impenetrable shadows or beams of light would appear to protect their dignity. It didn't cover absolutely everything, but, compared to being completely exposed, it was inarguably better than nothing...

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After sending off the problem children with a smile, Vahn, Black Rabbit, and Fenrir retired to the nursery to spend time with the kittens and discuss the trio's reception into the No Names.

Despite his cocky and brash nature, Izayoi was apparently very good with children. Black Rabbit revealed how she had detected him patrolling around the estate while most people were sleeping. He was apparently worried that the goons of Fores Garo would try something before the Gift Game, so, despite joining the Community hours prior, Izayoi stayed up all night to make sure nothing bad happened as a result of his, Asuka's, and Yo's carelessness.

Since Izayoi gave off a very warm and friendly aura in spite of his behavior, Vahn wasn't all that surprised by Black Rabbit's revelations. The blond-haired youth was basically just a male version of a Tsundere. What did surprise him was the fact that Asuka had decided to sleep in the same room as some of the younger children. As for Yo, she had spent the evening making friends with Lily, the various Fox Spirits, and most of the children with animalistic traits. Her entire reason for coming to the Divine Realm was to make one hundred friends, so, despite being much older than the average member of the No Names, she was doing her best to befriend each and every one of them...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Yo be like, "You will be my friend..."','Just imagine if I had given her Fenrir's original outfit. She just might explode...','The legendary male tsundere o_o...')