Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Thanks to handy-dandy time shenanigans, very little time had passed by the time Vahn emerged with Jin in tow. In fact, the others had yet to even sit down when he teleported them just outside the dining room, saying, "It's okay to make mistakes. You'll regret it a lot more if you never even try."

With a resolute expression on his face, Jin looked like he was about to say something when Vahn gave him a gentle yet firm smack on the back. As a result, he was sent stumbling into the dining room as Vahn emerged behind him with a massive grin spread across his face.

After quickly recovering his balance, Jin sent a pouty look in Vahn's direction before ultimately shaking his head and approaching Lily. The latter appeared a little confused by his actions, but, as usual, she had the same considerate smile on her face.

"Lily...can we talk somewhere private...?"

Though there was a hint of helplessness contained within, Lily's smile became even more radiant than usual as she answered, "Of course, Jin." Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the duo departed the dining room for one of the many empty rooms within the Sage Dragon's Hearth.

Waiting until the duo had disappeared completely, a smile developed across Izayoi's face as he said, "Let's hope he doesn't mess this one up. That last "confession" of his dealt collateral damage to my soul."

Shrugging his shoulders in mock helplessness, Vahn replied, "I did everything I could. Fortunately, Lily is too kind to outright reject him. She'll most likely give him a chance. Whether or not they stay together is up to him."

Since he didn't want to spend too much time talking about Jin's love life, Vahn punctuated his words with a casual wave of his hand. This caused various food items to populate the table as he sat down and stated, "I'm more interested in what the three of you were up to during your stay in the Game Board. Even without relying on my Gifts, I can tell you've grown quite a bit...some more than others..."

Though Vahn's final words were intended for Izayoi, it was Yo who reacted with a rather potent blush. This caused the gazes of everyone present to shift to her as she cupped her fiery cheeks and explained, "I don't know what happened. I tried dieting, but, no matter how much I starved myself, it was like everything I ate went straight to my thighs..."

"..."

Taken aback by the sudden shift in topic, Vahn found himself at a loss for words as Izayoi burst out laughing. This earned him a glare from Asuka, but, before she could say anything to rein the young hero in, Yo exacerbated the situation by asking, "Vahn, you do tailoring work, right?"

Blinking back to awareness, Vahn's gaze shifted to the golden bracelet on Yo's wrist as he answered, "Indeed. However, I believe your [REquip] system renders such services obsolete. There is also the matter of your Companion. They should be able to transform into virtually any outfit you can think of."

Though she nodded her head to show she understood, Yo left Asuka massaging her temples as she explained, "I am well aware of that. It's just that, even with the [REquip] system, my pants and shorts always feel tight around the inseam. It wasn't an issue when I still had my Aegis but they ended up dissolving away when I encountered a Black Slime. Speaking of which...you really could have warned us about those, you know?"

As it had literally been hundreds of years since he last encountered a slime, a wry smile developed across Vahn's face as he resisted the temptation to say he had simply forgotten. After all, he was the one who created the Game Board, and, as a byproduct, every single monster within. In other words, he was the one who had bestowed the Black Slime with the ability to melt clothing and armaments.

"Sorry about that. Truth be told, I never expected anyone venturing into the Game Board to get that far. Those with the ability to descend that deep generally wouldn't be inhibited by such an effect so I never thought to remove it..."

Though she didn't snort and cross her arms like she used to, Asuka responded to Vahn's apology with a pointed look as she retorted, "Oh, really? Are you sure you didn't just want to see us naked? Why else would such a monster exist?"

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Vahn adopted a deadpan expression as he flatly replied, "Every monster within the Dungeon is something I encountered during my own journey. Also, has your time in the Game Board dulled your memory? So long as you're within range of my perception, I can sense the very molecules that comprise your body. You could layer yourself in thousands upon thousands of layers of clothing and it wouldn't make a difference. From my perspective, you may as well be walking around in your birthday suit."

Blushing furiously in response to Vahn's words, Asuka looked like she was a hairpin trigger away from exploding. As for Yo, she simply averted her eyes with a bashful smile on her face. She had already been blushing even before his comment. Now, the crimson glow was gradually spreading to her ears, but, unlike Asuka, she didn't seem particularly bothered by revelation. Instead, she just picked up a simmering leg of lamb before using her inordinately large canines to tear away a rather sizeable chunk of the perfectly braised meat...

Amused by Yo's reaction, Vahn's smile promptly returned. This seemed to be the proverbial straw the broke the camel's back, as, from Asuka's perspective, Yo was someone she needed to protect.

Slamming the table as she bounced to her feet, Asuka's expression turned fierce as she exclaimed, "That's it! I challenge you to a Gift Game...!"

Raising his brows, Vahn's smile turned wry as he asked, "Have you lost your mind? It would seem I was a little too hopeful when I thought you would mature during your stay in the Game Board..."

Gritting her teeth, Asuka attempted to remove one of her white gloves until Vahn released a bit of his aura and said, "Don't do something you'll regret...I have been tolerant of your behavior thus far. Do not mistake my clemency for weakness and timidity. If you continue down this path, there is no turning back. I will have no choice but to teach you a lesson..."

Recalling the previous times Vahn had embarrassed her, Asuka's body became rigid and tense. She tried to tell herself not to be afraid, but, seeing the solemn look on Vahn's face as his eyes pierced straight through her, she would be a fool not to feel even a hint of trepidation.

"Sounds fun. Count me in."

After sitting in silence for several minutes, Izayoi decided to toss Asuka a metaphorical life preserver by chiming in. Sure, she could be pretty annoying at times but Asuka was still his friend. He wasn't just going to let her face off against Vahn on her own, so, with the intention of easing tensions and having a bit of fun, he began popping his knuckles with a cheeky smile on his face.

Feeling the tensions drain from her body, a faint smile developed across Asuka's face as she sent the blond-haired hero a sidelong glance. She felt a lot more confident having his support, so, while the serious expression on Vahn's face was no less intimidating, she managed to adopt a challenging smile as she said, "I may have spoken out of turn earlier. For that, I apologize. However, since I have already issued a challenge, it would be cowardly of me to retract my statement. I'm also interested in learning just how far I am from the top. I didn't spend the last six years training just to back down in the face of a challenge."

Though he maintained the serious look on his face, most of Vahn's anger had already disappeared. Asuka was far too weak to truly rile him up, so, even if she did remove her glove and challenge him to a duel, he would have just allowed her to tire herself out before giving her a spanking.

"Very well, then. I accept your challenge. I've been meaning to teach you a lesson and this is a good opportunity to see how far you've grown."

Without waiting for the trio to respond, Vahn sent a telepathic message to Will that resulted in their surroundings spontaneously disappearing. This caused the smile to fade from Yo's face, but, before she could pout, he tossed her a peculiar fruit called a Meat Apple before explaining, "Now that you have accumulated experience in a fantasy setting, I imagine you'll be a lot more active in the Divine Realm. Before that, there are a couple of things you'll need to be made aware of..."

Raising his hand, Vahn waited for the tensions to increase before snapping his fingers to produce a literal big bang. Were it not for the nigh-indestructible shields he had erected around their bodies, Izayoi, Asuka, and Yo would have immediately been reduced to dust as an explosion far beyond the comprehension of mortals spread through the surrounding void.

"First of all...so long as their actions do not adversely affect their surroundings, conflicts between Communities need not revolve around Gift Games. In other words, if you had truly antagonized me, I could kill, imprison, torture, or even erase you from existence without so much as a warning from the Central Network. Keep that in mind if you ever visit the territory of an unaffiliated organization or alliance..."

With the surrounding space rapidly stabilizing under his influence, Vahn manipulated a tremendous volume of space dust and debris to form a barren and lifeless planet. Then, with a wave of his hand, a planet-wide barrier manifested high above its surface before a tempestuous wind spread from his body. Soon after that, a breathable atmosphere had manifested as he dismissed the glowing green barriers protecting the trio's body, explaining, "Secondly...this is no illusion. What you see around you is an authentic universe. Were it not for those barriers separating you from the Standard Axis of Time, you would have witnessed its formation and the billions of years it took to reach this stage of development. In other words, were it not for the barriers I provided, your bodies would have aged to the point of being cosmic dust in less time than it took to blink..."

Spreading his arms, Vahn's clothes began to dissolve away as ivory white and resplendent golden scales began to manifest across his body. At the same time, a dharmic wheel appeared behind his body as six sets of wings unfurled from his back. Most of this was simple theatrics, but, as a literal God of Creation, they were as functional as he intended them to be.

"Lastly...as powerful as you have become, you are ultimately inconsequential when compared to the beings at the absolute pinnacle of creation. All it would take to defeat you at this point is to simply fly away. At your current level, there is absolutely nothing you could do. As for me, I could wave my hand and erase every star from the sky. I could grasp this very planet in my palm and crush it into dust while the three of you watch on in horror. That is the kind of power I possess, and, should you continue down this path, it is the power your enemies will invariably possess..."

With a muscular figure, arms in powerful draconic claws, twelve angelic wings, and a long, whip-like tail, Vahn truly resembled a God. His aura was so powerful and majestic that even Izayoi was forced to bend a knee while Asuka and Yo could barely even raise their heads from the pillowy cushions he had thoughtfully laid out for them...

"Now...since you foolishly decided to challenge me...show me what you've got. You have five hours to either destroy this planet or force me to move. After that...it's my turn..."

Punctuating his words, Vahn raised his hand towards the sky. This caused a fiery red magic circle to cover the sky. In reality, the spell circle was actually tens of thousands of kilometers away. It was just so large that it seemed to encompass the heavens. As for its purpose? That was a bit of a surprise...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Yo is primed and ready to save lives...!','Young Mistress Asuka...!','Vahn, this isn't even my final form, Mason...')