Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos-Novel

Chapter 1488 - Divergence

After briefing Hou Yi on some of his future plans, Vahn was preparing to be rid of the Great Spiritual Gathering Array when a familiar figure of Musashi appeared within the largely destroyed arena. She had an incredulous look on her face, and, after seeing how ’casual’ everyone was behaving, adopted a slightly annoyed expression as she asked, "Don’t tell me...I missed the battle?"

Though he hadn’t exactly forgotten about Musashi, Vahn was caught off guard due to her timing. He had already calmed down from the previous battles, so, while he didn’t mind continuing, it no longer felt ’right’...

With a wry smile on his face, causing Musashi to give him a pointed look, Vahn stated, "It seems the battle has already come to an end. The agreement was to fight...eight...battles..."

As he spoke, Vahn felt like the temperature in the surroundings was steadily dropping. At the same time, Musashi had lowered her head, her bangs concealing her face as a rather demonic atmosphere began to permeate around her. Then, while slowly drawing one of her katanas, she stated in an eerie, reverberating tone, "So...you’re gonna leave? Just like that...?"

Seeing Musashi’s reaction, Vahn lightly furrowed his brows. He knew she was a bit of a battle maniac, but, after their previous battles, it didn’t make sense for her to be so eager. Rather, the last time they fought was nearly four months prior, as, during their last encounter, she ended up engaging Artoria in a rather climactic battle. He had to step in at the last moment, as, due to their competitive nature, both women were on the verge of killing each other after getting too enthralled in their battle...

The moment Vahn began thinking back to the last battle, he felt his perception of time slow down a considerable amount. Before he could react, his left arm was already spinning through the air, albeit without any blood spilling. Instead, the limb dissolved into nothingness, replaced by a new one as he ’flickered’ out of existence. In the next instant, he appeared right in front of Musashi, a stern look on his face as he asked, "You’re so eager to do battle? Fine, I’ll keep you company..."

Following his words, Vahn was preparing to activate a [Virtual Reality Marble], but, in response to his question, Musashi just shrugged her shoulders, saying, "Meh, it’s whatever. I’m not gonna impose if you’re already finished with everything. I guess I’m just annoyed that I missed the timing?"

With the [Virtual Reality Marble] still in hand, Vahn had a somewhat awkward expression on his face, as, after Musashi’s ’attack’, his blood had started to boil. He was just about to get in the mood, so, to hear such a half-hearted response, he couldn’t help but feel as though the wind had been taken out of his sails. This situation reminded him of the instances where Nobunaga had intentionally riled him up, only to refuse his advances due to prior arrangements...

Seeing the look on Vahn’s face, a smile returned to Musashi’s as she mused, "Now you know how I feel. So, what are you gonna do? Wanna go? I could go either way at this point..."

As she spoke, Musashi cast her eyes toward her allies, briefly pausing when she saw the defeated look on Shirou’s face. This caused her brows to scrunch, a bitter taste spreading through her mouth that stirred her alcoholic cravings. It was pretty clear something major had happened, but, as that didn’t really concern her, she turned her attention back to Vahn, awaiting his response.

Having noticed the minute changes in Musashi’s expression, Vahn felt the timing for a battle had come and gone. She would undoubtedly accept his challenge, allowing them both to release some of their tensions, but, once everything came to a conclusion, it was difficult to say whether or not they would be satisfied. Without any ’stakes’, such battles were little more than glorified spars, so, regardless of how much fun they had, it would seem ’pointless’ after the fact.

As this thought crossed his mind, Vahn fell into a momentary daze, his attention drawn to one of the most prominent currents flowing around him. When he gazed into it, he saw a scene that caused his heart to palpitate a few times, and, if not for his control, he would have been compelled to swallow...

Noticing the subtle change in the way Vahn was looking at her, a look of suspicion flashed across Musashi’s eyes. She knew he had the ability to peer into ’future possibilities’, and, depending on his choices, he could guarantee certain outcomes. This wasn’t all that dissimilar to her [Empyrean Eyes], but, from their previous encounters, she knew his ability was marginally more advanced. He was the only person she had ever come across, with the exception of Munenori, who was able to completely counteract her ability to actualize an intended outcome.

Like the proverbial cat, Musashi couldn’t help but feel curious about Vahn’s subtle change, causing her to lean forward a bit as she asked, "What did you see...?"

Though he knew she wasn’t trying to seduce him, Vahn’s heart beat a little faster due to Musashi’s posture. Her intrigued look also enhanced her beauty considerably, nearly causing him to avert his eyes on instinct. Fortunately, nearly two-hundred years of experience with women didn’t leave him completely defenseless against their charms. As a result, he managed a wry smile, maintaining eye contact as he muttered, "I saw something...very tempting..." Follow current s on ɴo(v)elꜰɪre.ɴet

Hearing Vahn’s answer, various thoughts ran through Musashi’s mind. This included a fair number of ’dangerous’ thoughts, causing her complexion to flush slightly as she adopted an uncharacteristically bashful smile as she muttered, "It must have been quite something for an Emperor to be tempted in such a manner..."

At this point, the current had increased to the point that, unless he diverted course, all future actions would lead toward the same path. As a result, Vahn had to slowly inhale through his nose in order to avoid making a rash decision. He couldn’t deny it was an unbelievable temptation, but, when it came to certain bridges, there was no turning back once crossing. Depending on his choice, he would have to make a lot of changes to his current plans...

Due to his hesitation, Vahn noticed that the current had started to disperse into many smaller paths. At the same time, Musashi averted her eyes away from him, her unnaturally beautiful eyes reflecting the image of her companions in the Heroes Faction. She seemed to be reconsidering her thoughts, giving Vahn a strange feeling of unease that was hard to put into words. As a result, his body began to move before his mind willed it, his left hand gently turning Musashi’s face back toward him as he asked, "Would you like to join me for a drink...?"

For a brief moment, uncertainty flashed across Musashi’s eyes, but, almost immediately thereafter, the dispersing current converged into a powerful flow as she answered, "You’ll have to provide the drinks. I won’t accept any cheap alcohol either...my company is pretty expensive, you know?"

Though her word choice was a little suspect, Vahn couldn’t help but lightly chuckle in response to Musashi’s teasing. Then, without explaining anything to the other members of the Heroes Faction, he teleported them away from the Forbidden City. This made it appear as though they were going off to have a climactic battle elsewhere, but, while this wasn’t exactly wrong, the form of the battle was significantly different from expectations. The only one who seemed to sense the peculiarity of the departure was Shirou, but, after everything that had happened, he simply sighed before saying, "We should return..." in a tired voice.

---

Due to varying time zones, Japan was a little more than eight hours ahead of Avalonian time. As a result, it was already late in the evening when Vahn and Musashi appeared near the latter’s ’secret hideout’, the place where she kept all of her alcohol. It hadn’t really changed much over the last six months, but, due to the increase in monsters and the occasional appearance of Phantasmal Beasts, a powerful barrier had been erected to keep others out.

Seeing the familiar terrain, Musashi began to feel strangely unnerved, but, as she wasn’t exactly a maiden lacking in experience, she summoned her usual bravado, smiling as she teased, "I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you know about this place. I wonder, is there anything you don’t know? It always feels like we’re dancing in the palm of your hand..."

Though he knew she wasn’t expecting an actual answer, Vahn shook his head, explaining, "Though I knew of the location of this place, I knew nothing about it. It might not make a lot of sense, but, in a way, you are the one that brought us here. As for knowing everything...that isn’t really accurate. As a God, I have a limited form of Omniscience, but, in the grand scheme of things, I just go with the flow of thing..."

Hearing Vahn’s words, Musashi issued a dry laugh, crossing her arms as she said, "You know, people don’t really expect you to explain everything to them. Honesty is good and all, but it...kind of ruins the mood when you go out of your way to expose things. Now, it feels like you’re implying I’m the one that set all of this in motion. Make no mistake...I followed you here..."

Realizing he had been a little thoughtless in his behavior, Vahn released a sigh before lowing himself to the ground and saying, "Sorry. Honestly, I’m just a little nervous. It might sound a little cliche, but, no matter how much time passes, my heart still beats quickly when I’m alone with a beautiful girl. In a way, it makes me feel like I ’need’ to say bold things in order to impress them..."

Following Vahn’s example, Musashi also took a seat on the ground, making use of the cushion that had appeared out of thin air. She hadn’t missed the fact that Vahn snuck in a compliment, causing a smile to spread across her face as she said, "You’ve got a silver tongue, don’t ya? I wonder how many women you’ve wiled with such flowery words...?"

In response to Musashi’s question, Vahn showed a serious and calculating expression on his face, almost as if he was trying to find the solution to a complex equation. This caused Musashi’s smile to nearly break, the side of her mouth twitching as she internally remarked, ("Why is he acting like I just asked him about the number of meals he’s eaten in his life!?")

Deciding it was safer not to given an exact answer, Vahn ultimately shook his head, stating, "More than I ought to. In a way, it is one of my biggest flaws. Still, I can’t help but be drawn to beautiful and powerful women. If I were to refuse their sincerity, I believe I would regret it for a long time...it might not be possible, but I’d like to live without regrets."

Snorting through her nose, Musashi accepted the cup of sake Vahn had extended to her, adopting a chiding tone as she said, "If I didn’t know better, I’d say you have commitment issues. I mean, I’m not in a position to complain, but...well, let’s just say I’ve never been fond of the double-standards when it comes to sexuality. I want you to be honest with me, Vahn...if...if I let you have sex with me...are you going to be angry if I have sex with other people?"

Though he didn’t really expect Musashi’s question, Vahn didn’t react in an adverse manner, allowing her to breathe a little easier. Instead, he showed a thoughtful expression before answering, "Though I have earned a fair number of lectures as a result, I have always advocated that everyone is free to love as they please. I do everything in my power to make sure my women are satisfied, but, if a time came where they sought the companionship of another, I would accept that. So long as they were honest about the situation, it would be hypocritical of me to lambast them for something I am guilty of..."

Surprised by Vahn’s response, Musashi couldn’t help but look at him as if she were looking at an idiot. His words made sense, but, given his nature, it was hard to imagine him being okay with any of his women straying away. Rather, even if he was okay with it, Musashi imagined his ’harem’ wouldn’t take kindly to the ’betrayal’. All of the women around him seemed unnaturally faithful, in a way that greatly exceeded a natural relationship. Artoria, in particular, seemed more concerned about Vahn’s pride and honor than he was, willing to put her life on the line to protect it...

Deciding it was best not to think about Vahn’s complex love life, Musashi downed the remnants of her cup before setting it to the side and saying, "You’re a real weirdo...well, whatever..."

Following her dismissive words, Musashi pulled the cord binding her obi. In the next moment, her soft, impeccably-shaped, breasts were out in the open. She generally wore a loose-fitting, highly revealing, kimono, so, without its bindings, the garment could be removed in mere moments. If she really wanted to, she could discard all of her garments in an instant, removing the last piece before the first even touched the ground. To further ’exacerbate’ matters, she never wore a bra or panties, both as a result of the time period she had been born in and personal preference...

Seeing Musashi’s exposed breasts, Vahn could no longer resist swallowing, further egging her on by the ’unexpected’ reaction. She knew he was very experienced, but, contrary to expectations, Musashi found the current Vahn rather ’cute’. A sudden urge to tease him began to well up inside her, but, as her instincts cautioned her against such actions, she, instead, got straight to the point, asking, "Well, it’s your move...show me what all the fuss is about..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Musashi be like, "It’s been, like, ten minutes! It can’t be over!"’,’This has to be some kind of bullying... -Shirou, 2015’,’I’m not sure if this is the result of fearlessness or ignorance...’)

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