Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1682

With the not-so-secret island base being located in the far East, there was a time difference of nearly seven hours. As a result, Vahn needed to have at least one version of himself there when Juuzou inevitably arrived. Afterward, depending on Nagi’s decision, he would either return the boy his staff or teleport him over to Ariadne. These would be his final actions in the Akamatsuverse, as, due to the nature of their existence, he could easily recover Fairy Xuan and Xiao Bai with a simple thought.

Taking advantage of the island’s current stillness, Vahn watched the sun slowly ascend the horizon with Zhuque at his side. She was telling him all about her time as an Advisor, and, though he had already known about her taking on a class, Vahn enjoyed listening to her happily babble about her students. She seemed to really enjoy teaching, and, though she wouldn’t hesitate to leave her class behind to fulfill her ’duties’, it was refreshing to see just how much Zhuque had grown in their time apart...

While contemplating creating a world with a never-ending sunrise, Vahn lightly caressed Zhuque’s hand before turning his attention to a particular spot in Space. He could sense a small ripple in the spatial fabric, and, though it didn’t seem to be putting any effort into it, Vahn couldn’t resist lightly chuckling when he saw Juuzou emerge cooly from the void, his expression serious and his voice a little cold as he said, "The dawn has come...make ready, Sage Dragon Emperor...!"

Without minding the twitching of Juuzou’s brow, Vahn continued to laugh at the man’s expense before hopping down from the roof and landing in front of him. Then, before the man could say anything else, he gestured for silence, explaining, "I don’t mind fighting you, but, before that, let me ask you a question. Even if you were never able to return, would you abandon this world if it meant being able to freely fight against powerful opponents?"

Though he was a little annoyed by the delay, a smirk gradually spread across Juuzou’s face when he heard the question. Then, without any hesitation, he answered, "If there was even a single powerful swordsman among those opponents, I would gladly depart this world. Now, tell me, where have the others gone?"

Having already expected Juuzou’s response after a few conversations with Jinbei, Vahn wasn’t at all surprised by the man’s words. He simply responded with a curt nod of approval, Laev-tan appearing in his hands as he said, "They will explain things in greater detail after we’re finished here. For now, I will show you my current peak. If you wish to fight me after that, I will gladly be your opponent. Just know...at your current level, you wouldn’t be able to survive a single serious exchange..."

Hearing Vahn’s words, Juuzou couldn’t hide the subtle twitching of his brow as he gripped the hilt of his katana, his expression becoming solemn as he said, "I’ll be in your care..."

Noticing Juuzou’s sword intent manifesting into a giant tiger at his back, a technique known as Kenki, Vahn’s smile became ever-so-slightly more prominent. It was a truly impressive technique, and, if it had been used against virtually anyone else, it would have given Juuzou a tremendous advantage. After all, he was already a Grandmaster swordsman, so, with his Ki and sword intent able to follow up his nigh-unblockable attacks, there were very few people who could trade blows with the man.

Vahn could easily make a projection of the Four Divine Beasts, but, while they were functionally similar, he couldn’t actually use Kenki. His swordsmanship had simply taken a different approach, and, with Laev-tan in hand, it wasn’t an exaggeration when he said the current Juuzou was unable to reach him. To emphasize this point, he didn’t even bother to activate Laev-tan’s release state, his aura and intent seemingly vanishing as he calmly uttered, "Come..."

Though he would have gladly accepted under normal circumstances, Juuzou didn’t immediately move to attack Vahn. Powerful swordsman relied on extrasensory perception and their ability to read intent in order to determine how they should face their foes. The fact he could no longer sense Vahn, despite the man clearly standing in front of him, caused him to feel genuine uncertainty for the first time in centuries...

Noticing Juuzou’s hesitation, Vahn was actually a little impressed as most people would have, at the very least, tried attacking. Juuzou might be showing hesitation, but he was also exceptionally calm and composed, his hand never leaving the hilt of his sword as he spread his intent more than five-hundred meters in the surroundings. This was another impressive feat, as, while many Grandmasters were able to strike targets several kilometers away without issue, even someone at Jinbei’s level was limited to expanding their intent beyond three-hundred meters.

Using the pause as an opportunity to expand the man’s horizons, Vahn’s voice could be heard from every direction, filling his domain and echoing for dozens of kilometers as he said, "Just this once, I will show you the realm waiting beyond Grandmaster..."

Hearing Vahn’s words, Juuzou’s eyes widened noticeably, but, rather than ask for clarification, he gripped the hilt of his katana even harder as he pushed the range of his senses to around 530m, and counting. This was yet another impressive feat, but, compared to the attack Vahn was cooking up, everything else, for a very brief moment, seemed to lose all meaning as he muttered, "Witness the birth of creation within a blade’s edge...the formation of a billion worlds...Trichiliocosm(Billion-fold Worlds)...!"

Though it was impossible to describe exactly what he experienced following Vahn’s utterance, the singular thought present within Juuzou’s mind was, ("There is still so much to learn..."). By the time he had finished that thought, it was as if he had experienced the birth and destruction of countless worlds, each cleanly bisected by a single sword stroke that moved beyond the limits of time, space, and causality...an attack that cut through parallel worlds and timelines to ensure there was not even a remote possibility of dodging...

Seeing Juuzou just standing there without so much as a twitching of the eye, Vahn sat down on the ground in order to polish Laev-tan. There were actually several visible cracks along her surface, but, so long as a Zanpakuto wasn’t broken in its Bankai state, it would gradually repair itself as the user’s Spiritual Energy recovered. Fortunately, it would likely take Juuzou around six hours before Juuzou’s mind had processed everything it just experienced. Until then, he was in a paradoxical state of living death, a proverbial Schrodinger’s Cat whose very existence was decided by Vahn’s acknowledgment of his final state.

Vahn obviously wasn’t going to erase Juuzou from existence, so, with a few hours to spare, he did his best to recuperate while thinking about the technique he had pirated from Suzuka. He was still a long way from true mastery, but, so long as ideal conditions were present, he could execute it at the literal expense of his Divinity. It turns out the ’World’ doesn’t appreciate it when you perform a skill that effectively rewrites reality, so, at least for the time being, Vahn had lost his qualifications as a God...

After several hours of skillfully guiding Katarina through a passionate session of lovemaking, Vahn had the woman lying lazily against his chest with a listless, hazy, look in her eyes. He had ultimately chosen to hold back due to her being a virgin, but, after nearly two-hundred years, including a stint as a literal God of Sex, Vahn had little trouble leading her through various stages of pleasure, each a level beyond what most humans could ever hope to experience.

Needless to say, Katarina was ’very’ satisfied with the outcome, and, though she had the impression her body had perfectly memorized Vahn’s shape, she didn’t really mind. Part of her even hoped she was pregnant, but, considering the path she had decided, it was probably for the best she remained without a child. With that in mind, she raised her tired body to a seated position, and, after moving aside a few strands of scarlet hair sweatily sticking to her face, she plainly stated, "I’m not going to follow you..."

Of all the things he expected to hear, Katarina’s words weren’t even in the top one-hundred. In fact, Vahn was in such a state of disbelief that he actually opened his View Affection just to see if his ears were playing tricks on him. When he saw the value at 193(Love), he felt even more confused, but, as if she could read his mind, Katarina had already resolved herself to say, "Everything I said last night was the truth, but, even if my desire for freedom was ten times more potent, I wouldn’t be known as the Dauntless Katarina if I ran away from challenge and responsibility. Zephyria is my home, and, though you might come to hate me for it, I didn’t want to have any regrets...I’m not sorry for what I did...I am sorry for not being able to follow you..."

Hearing Katarina’s words to the end, Vahn didn’t know how to describe how he felt, but, rather than lash out, he just ran his hand through his hair in a self-calming gesture. He could feel Katarina tense up in response to this, her instincts compelling her to reach for the gun she had hidden beneath her pillow. Instead, she managed to suppress this urge, her eyes burning like ghostly pyres as she firmly stated, "I pray this is not the last time our paths intersect, Sage Dragon Emperor...it might be selfish of me to say this, but I’m certain I will come to regret this decision in the future. You weren’t my first man without reason, and, should it help quell your anger even a little, know that I’ve no intention of dedicating myself to another..."

Though he didn’t think it possible, Vahn felt even more exasperated and confused in the wake of Katarina’s attempts to pacify him. Still, ever since his accidental killing of Scathach, he had made a concerted effort to never lose control and give in to emotional outbursts. As a result, he was able to remain calm, his [Will of the Emperor] working in overdrive to suppress feelings of indignation, and, most notably, sorrow. He couldn’t help but think he had done something wrong, but, even after he sorted through every memory of the night before, Vahn couldn’t find where he had erred...

In the end, it was Sis’ explanation that broke Vahn from his reverie, her voice taking on a motherly tone as she calmly stated, (*She most likely made this decision the moment you mentioned the fact you didn’t commit one-night stands. The reason you didn’t notice is, as she pointed out previously, her words were the truth. Everything she said to you were her true feelings, but, rather than submit to her individual wants and desire, she prioritizes the most important thing in her heart: her home, the place her family has spent generations developing and protecting. You cannot fault her for this Vahn...you, of all people, know the importance of the thing called ’home’...*)

Hearing Sis’ guiding words sound within his mind, Vahn could feel the tensions in his body melting away like ice on a sunny day. He realized his mental state was the result of his recent expenditure of Spiritual Energy, and, though it wasn’t nearly as taxed as the former, his use of the Trichiliocosm had also drained his Mental Energies. This left him more susceptible to negative thoughts than usual, so, after a few deep breaths, he had calmed down enough to stare directly into Katarina’s eyes and say, "I understand...I will not try to force you. However, know that a time will come when I return to this land...when that time comes, I will make you mine..."

Feeling the intensity contained within Vahn’s words, even a woman of Katarina’s caliber couldn’t help feeling a little maidenly. Her previously flushed face seemed to glisten in the candlelight, and, though she didn’t break eye contact; she lowered her head slightly, misty blue eyes looking up at him as she lightly replied, "I’ll be looking forward to it...Vahn..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’The Chuuni has arrived’,’A level beyond comprehension’,’Katarina managed to secure one of Vahn’s firsts...’)