Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1517

After teleporting away from his attackers, a thin trail of golden blood flowed from Zeus nosed as he used a nearby pillar to support himself. He had long discarded the ability to feel pain, so, feeling the searing sensation that seemed to have cut through his entire body, he didn't know what to think. All he really knew was that the sword wielded by his assailant wasn't natural...

Wiping away the thin trail of blood, Zeus adopted an almost contemptuous stare as he looked at the glistening substance and remarked, "I will rip that man's flesh apart...he will suffer until the last stars in the night sky grow dark..."

Almost as if in response to his utterance, Zeus sensed a ripple in the surrounding Space. His golden eyes began to blaze with even greater intensity as he raised his right hand and roared, "You damned monkey...!"

Following Zeus' outburst, a phenomenal amount of lighting began to dance through the room, but, in spite of this, a look of incredulity flashed on his face. He felt as if something was missing, his hand grasping at empty air, as, before his eyes, the figure of his most hated enemy appeared with a smile on his face.

Understanding what Zeus was trying to do, Vahn's smile became even more vicious as he asked, "Are you missing something~?" in a taunting tone.

Immediately after the words left his lips, Vahn felt an overwhelming sense of danger as Zeus' figure appeared within his vision, hidden behind a massive white fist. He felt like time had stagnated to a considerable degree, allowing several thoughts to race across his mind as Zeus' fist smashed crashed into him with enough force to sink an island.

Due to Zeus' Divine Authority over the Sky granting him dominion over the surrounding Space, it took a considerable amount of effort to use skills such as [Shundo]. Thus, rather than dodge, Vahn grit his teeth as a phenomenal amount of golden light erupted from his body. At the same time, he tried to manipulate the force of Zeus' attack, repelling it back at him. Unfortunately, while this was able to mitigate the physical component of the attack, several different types of destructive energy still transmitted into his body, searing his bones and organs from the inside as he was sent hurtling towards the peculiar glyph-lined walls of the massive chamber...

Seeing his enemy smash into the wall, leaving a significant amount of destruction in his wake, Zeus allowed an arrogant smile to spread across his face. Before he could taunt his enemy, however, he noticed that his right arm had several cracks extending all the way to his elbow. His hand had also been ruined beyond recognition, ivory white bones, pale blue sinew, and golden blood forming a pulpy mass at the end of his forearm...

Now that he was observing the state of his body, Zeus' chaotic mind calmed down, replaced by an icy cold sensation. He began to analyze the situation faster than most supercomputers, organizing his thoughts and trying to make sense of the current situation. Then, in a booming, yet calm tone, he decided to buy time, asking, "Tell me, what grievances are there between us? What compels you to oppose the King of Gods?"

Emerging from the hole Zeus had helped him to create, Vahn had an equally calm expression as he plainly stated, "You are an errant and corrupt God who has ruined countless lives. There may not be a personal grudge between us, but you have harmed people I care about. To prevent even greater tragedies, I will eliminate you here and now."

The moment he heard his assailant's words, Zeus began laughing, his voice carrying enough force to produce small cracks in the surrounding Space. Then, with a smile wide enough to show off his dark-blue gums and pearl-white teeth, he stated, "When I am done with you, I will imprison your soul for eternity. I will peel back the layers of your memory, exposing the identity of everyone you have ever loved. Then, when I am satisfied with torturing you, I will track down your friends, family, and anyone else you have ever gotten along with. You will spend your days begging for a reprieve that will never come, watching as the people you care about are broken. In the beginning, the will beg for you to save them. In the end, they will curse the fact they ever met you."

Though Vahn had seen hundreds of encounters with Zeus, his ability to read the tye Flow of Fate didn't include the ability to discern sound. He had underestimated just how vile and despicable Zeus' threats could be, but, rather than show any sign of being upset, he actually felt vindicated. Someone like this couldn't be allowed to exist in the world he wished to create.

Rather than dignify the errant Zeus' threats with a verbal response, Vahn just smiled as his aura and domain began to rapidly condense. This caused Zeus' expression to turn fierce, but, before either of them moved from their starting positions, the proud God released a pained grunt as a phenomenal amount of pain began to wrack his body.

With the pain compounding each moment, Zeus' eyes widened in fury as he shouted, "What trickery is this!?"

Choosing to simply ignore Zeus' outbursts, Vahn pulled out several thousand Elemental Stars from his Inventory, spreading them in the surroundings. He took advantage of the fact Zeus had no idea what was happening to charge directly at him, now in his half-dragon transformation. Thick bands of golden lightning began to spread through the surroundings, preventing Zeus from teleporting away by forcibly seizing control over the surrounding Space, albeit only temporarily.

Angrier than he had ever been in his entire life, Zeus barreled toward his attacker, his fury so great it could be felt throughout the entire Texture. He had no idea what was causing him so much pain, but, if he could defeat the draconic man before him, he was certain it would go away...

While his second body was contending against Zeus, Vahn's main body was within the throne room of a massive underwater vessel. From the outside, it looked vaguely like a crossbow in shape, but, from the interior, it had a very sleek and futuristic design that was obviously constructed in a way to resist incredible pressures.

Currently, Vahn had Zeus' [Thunderbolt] in his left hand and the Asauchi in his right hand. The former was embedded into the chest of a man with similar features to Zeus, albeit with cobalt-blue skin, a mane of ocean-blue hair, and a massive golden crown embedded into the top of his head. This was none other than Poseidon, who, under the combined assault of Tiamat and the oppressive force of [Thunderbolt], feel surprisingly quickly.

While keeping Poseidon under control, Vahn seemed to be absentmindedly swinging his Asauchi at empty air. The truth of the matter was that he was exploiting the fact he could attack anything within his domain, striking Zeus with impunity while his main body continued to distract him. This wouldn't be able to kill Zeus, but, so long as nothing unexpected occurred, it was more than enough to keep him from thinking clearly as other phases of the plan were carried out...

Even with [Thunderbolt] embedded in his chest, Poseidon's aquamarine eyes glimmered with a fierce vitality, clutching at the surging bolt of lightning as he said, "You...you will never get away with this...I don't know who you are...but you will suffer for this...!"

Ignoring Poseidon's threat, Vahn looked toward Tiamat, smiling as he said, "Go ahead and eat up."

Hearing her Master's words, Tiamat smiled wide enough to display a rather fierce maw of teeth before happily chiming, "Okay~! Leave it to me, Vahn!"

More than the man who had his brother's weapon embedded in his chest, Poseidon feared the strange woman who had easily suppressed him moments prior. He had been virtually powerless against her, his Divine Authority simply 'ignoring' his commands. As a result, his ship was currently sinking to the bottom of an unfathomably deep ocean. Soon, the barriers protecting his true body would break down, and, though it wouldn't immediately kill him, descending past a certain depth made it virtually impossible to break free...

Fortunately, though Poseidon certainly didn't think so, he wouldn't have to worry about such an end, as, without any hesitation in the slightest, the strange woman began to tear his true body apart. She was like an unstoppable beast of destruction, her delicate fingers sinking into nearly indestructible metal before pulling it away with the ease of a child plucking flowers. In less than a minute, she had been able to tear her way to the location of his concealed core, mortifying Poseidon to the point of shouting, "No! No! No! You can't touch that! Stay away...!!"

Completely ignoring Poseidon's protests, Tiamat's smile became even more vicious, growing beyond the boundaries of normality. She even managed to surprise Vahn slightly, as, instead of stopping, the corners of her mouth began to 'tear' away at her own skin, fracturing her face like porcelain. After a few seconds, this phenomenon had extended all the way to her collarbone, followed by the terrifying sight of Tiamat's 'mouth' opening like the unhinged jaws of a snake...

As she instinctually knew the core would explode if she took smaller bites, Tiamat used her ability to restructure her body, increasing her size and altering the shape of her mouth. She would have liked to simply increase the size of her body to the point of being able to swallow the core like a piece of candy, but, due to the size constraints of the underwater vessel, more 'extreme' methods had been required. The end result was unchanged, however, allowing her to swallow the basketball-sized core in a single gulp, leaving both Vahn and Poseidon gawking with wide eyes and pale expressions...

With the massive core swallowed, Tiamat's stomach had expanded to the point that, at a glance, she appeared to be pregnant. Though it was a little 'higher' than normal, the comparison could still be made, causing Tiamat herself to smile 'lovingly', caressing her belly as she said, "I did it, Master. Are you proud of me...?"

Though the scene of Tiamat devouring the core had been burned into his memory, Vahn managed a smile of his own as he said, "You did great. When we return, I'll make sure to pamper you a lot."

Hearing her Master's response, Tiamat's smile blossomed even further as she ignored the slowly dissolving Poseidon, leaping into Vahn's embrace and nuzzling against him. She had reduced the size of her horns a long time ago, so, while they were still present, they no longer got in the way when she wanted to cuddle the people she liked.

With Tiamat's belly rapidly shrinking, indicating the core was being 'digested', Poseidon's time was very limited. Using the last bit of his energy, he released his grip on the [Thunderbolt], grabbing the leg of the man who had brought this calamity upon him, stating, "I curse you...may you never know a peaceful night for your remaining days..."

As Poseidon's words trailed off, Vahn felt a surge of malicious energy enter his body. It even tried to invade his Ego, but, less than three seconds later, it was completely expelled. This caused the last bit of light in Poseidon's eyes to fade, an expression of incredulity as his lips soundlessly mouthed the word 'monster'.

Rolling his eyes, Vahn pulled the [Thunderbolt] out of the floor, commenting, "Calling other people monsters immediately after trying to curse them for eternity...how petty..."

With Tiamat's belly having already returned to its flat stated, Vahn lightly rubbed the area with his palm, eliciting a happy giggle from the draconic Goddess before she spontaneously kissed him on the lips. Absorbing the Divine Authority of a God with dominion over the Ocean was a very potent form of nourishment for her, filling her body with fluttery feelings. She didn't want to wait until later for her reward, so, when Vahn touched her belly, Tiamat greedily sought out his lips.

While Poseidon had fallen rather quickly, as it was almost impossible to even use his Divine Authority against the 'Primordial Goddess of the Seas, the first God to fall had actually been Ares. It had taken very little time for his humanoid vessel to be destroyed by Altera's [Photon Ray]. Afterward, he tried to get an advantage against her using his True Body, taking on the form of a giant mech that looked reminiscent of a Spartan Warrior.

Altera could not receive blows from Ares' 20m long sword, but, with her small size and high Agility, she was able to evade him with considerable ease. Most importantly, however, was that her Divinity was derived from Mars, the precursor to Ares. This, combined with her [Civilization Erosion], allowed her to drain a little bit of his Divinity with every blow. By the time Ares realized what was happening, Altera's Divinity had increased from B to A+, eliminating the only advantage the proud God of War had.

Despite knowing he had already lost the battle, Ares only grew more excited as he swung around his sword with enough force to create devastating cyclones. He held nothing back, rending the ground asunder and destroying large sections of the Coliseum without care. It didn't even phase him when Altera created a massive pillar of pure destructive energy, severing his left arm and leaving a massive hole in his shoulder. Instead, he laughed, his synthetic voice carrying an unrivaled thirst for battle as he shouted, "Great! You are the opponent I have been waiting for! Come, let's see if you can take my serious blow...!!"

Burning what remained of his Divinity, using it as fuel for one final attack, Ares pointed his sword to the heavens. A massive blade of brilliant red energy then extended more than 1km in length before he cut towards the tiny figure that had pushed him beyond his limits.

Taking Ares' words literally, Altera stood her ground, the tri-colored blade of [Photon Ray] swirling in her hands as she faced the monstrous torrent of energy directly. For a brief moment, there was even a small smile on her face, an exceptionally rare sight that would have earned her a double-take from nearly everyone in Avalon...

At the exact moment before Ares' blade impacted her position, Altera raised [Photon Ray], the blade expanding to more than 3m across as a vortex of energy extended outward at the speed of light. It smashed through Ares' ultimate attack like a bullet crashing through a glass rod before piercing the God's already spent core.

Due to the energy contained within Ares' attack, a large portion of the already devastated city was enveloped in a brackish inferno of pure destruction. Even Altera wasn't completely spared from the aftermath of the sword energy dispersing, but, with her A-Ranked Endurance and [Natural Body] at EX-Rank, the burns across her body healed almost instantly. The only indication she had suffered any damage at all was the fact that part of her veil had burned away. Her clothes had also sustained a small amount of damage, but, due to the 'precautions' Vahn had taken in designing her new outfit, it repaired itself at a rate visible to the naked eye.

When everything was said and done, Altera was standing on the mechanical body of the deceased Ares, her eyes gazing off into the distance as her hair, driven by nonexistent wind, flowed gracefully at her back...