Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1822

Despite a substantial amount of protest from Evan, it wasn't long before Vahn had a topless Yuri sitting with her back facing him while Ureko observed from the side. This gave Vahn the impression he was trapped in a cage with two wild animals, but, now that they were inside of the Little Garden, he was able to regain his usual, somewhat casual, demeanor.

Though he could have finished things up quickly, Vahn took nearly half an hour to inscribe his crest on Yuri's back. The main reason for this was to reinforce the crest's structure to compensate for the phenomenal energy coursing through Yuri's body, but, were he to be asked, Vahn wouldn't be able to deny that he enjoyed the process itself.

Yuri was an inordinately gorgeous woman, and, though she gave off the impression of a model in her formal wear, her naked form was like a masterpiece sculpted by the hands of an artisan god. It was no wonder the members of the Ha Family were famous for both their strength and beauty, as, without a single exception, each of Yuri's muscles was located in a truly 'perfect' position. The same could be said for the energy channels in her body, each allowing a functionally unlimited amount of energy to flow through without any sign of strain...

[Status]

Name: [Ha Yuri Jahad], Sobriquet: Black Snake Head

Age: 618

Race: Human, Demigod(Sealed)

Position(s): Fisherman, Scout, Wave Controller

Strength: SS-Rank Ranker

Toughness: SS-Rank Ranker

Intellect: C-Rank Regular

Agility: SS-Rank Ranker

Control: C-Rank Ranker

Shinsu Resistance: SSS-Rank Ranker

Shinsu: [Quality:Fire, Bubble], [Total: 921,960,550], [Baang: 32], [Myun: 18,439,211], [Soo: 12,866,000], [Tension: 50:1]

Innate(s): [Child of Destiny: SS], [Descendent of the War Goddess(Non-Standard): SS], [Prodigy of the Ha Family(Body): S], [Jahad's Blood Curse(Non-Standard): (-)]

Skill(s): [Sword Mastery(Ranker): A], [Needle Mastery(Ranker): A], [Hook Mastery(Ranker): B], [Martial Arts(Ranker): B], [Flow Control(Ranker): C], [Reverse Flow Control(Ranker): E], [Shinsu Enhancement(Ranker): SSS], [Ha Family Shinsu Control: SS], [Yuri Style Shinsu Control: SS], [Nuclear Punch(Ranker): SS], [Hadoken: Red Velvet Sword(Ranker):SS], [Rose Shower(Ranker): SSS], [Shinsu Wave(Ranker): S], [Shinsu Barrier(Ranker): B], [Shinsu Bubble(Ranker): S]

Though his mind blanked the moment he saw the value of Yuri's internal Shinsu, Vahn was able to recover relatively quickly. She was 'a lot' stronger than he anticipated, but, at the very least, he now had a baseline to draw further conclusions from. The real issue here was Yuri's Intellect, not because it had any real relevance in the grand scheme of things, but because she would undoubtedly lay the blame on him for it being so low...

Noticing the change in Vahn's expression, Ureko broke the long-standing silence within the room, asking, "What? Did it not work?"

Vahn had informed them beforehand that his crest might not work on them due to the enormous disparity in their strength, so, seeing his expression, that was the first conclusion Ureko could reach. In response, Yuri also seemed rather dissatisfied, her face furrowing into a deep frown as she asked, "So I got this massive tattoo on my back for nothing...?"

Shaking his head, Vahn pulled out a piece of inscription paper, placing it against Yuri's crest as he explained, "Though your reserves are about five-thousand times my own, the strength of my Soul allowed the ceremony to complete without a hitch. The problem is, even though it has nothing to do with me, I'm pretty sure you're going to blame me for something I have no control over..."

Handing Yuri her status paper and a jacket to cover her body, Vahn prepared himself for the worst as she gazed over the document with sparkling eyes. She was very familiar with things like grades and rankings due to her background as a High Ranker and an avid gamer so it was quite exciting for her to be able to view a quantifiable depiction of her parameters. Unfortunately, as Vahn had predicted, her expression darkened when she noticed that her Intellect was comparable to that of a C-Rank Regular...

Anticipating a violent outburst, Vahn was prepared to teleport himself and Yuri to the Ninth Layer the moment her aura began to surge outward. To his surprise, however, Yuri spontaneously erupted into a violent fit of laughter before eventually remarking, "Well, it's not like I ever cared about using my head. The only thing that really matters is that I'm strong!"

As if to emphasize this was the case, Yuri knocked the coat from her shoulders by holding her arms up in a flexing pose. This caused the muscles around her neck, back, and shoulders to tense up, but, rather than appear gaudy, it actually greatly enhanced her charm. She was a woman who took great pride in her strength so each and every one of her muscles was toned to perfection.

Unfortunately, there was someone with even greater pride present, so, in response to Yuri's flexing, Ureko teasingly remarked, "Don't get too full of yourself, snake-brain. If Vahn is actually able to put that crest on my back, you're going to be super embarrassed when you realize how weak you are compared to the truly powerful."

Frowning in response to Ureko's words, Yuri crossed her arms under her chest, emphasizing her rather ample bosom even further as she retorted, "Yeah, yeah, everyone knows you're the strongest, Ureko. You're also like the oldest person in the entire Tower. If we were the same age, do you really believe you'd be stronger then me?"

Adopting a frown of her own, Ureko didn't hesitate for a single moment before answering, "There is no doubt. I was stronger at birth than you are right now. Even if I hibernated for thousands of years, you'd never be able to close the gap between us...."

With tensions increasing to the point that the surrounding space began to distort, Vahn positioned himself between the fiery duo, his voice gaining a stern undertone as he said, "This is a place where fighting is prohibited. Besides, there is no reason to argue over things like this. Depending on your choices in the future, you both have the potential to become infinitely stronger. That includes you, Ureko. You may very well be the most powerful being in the Tower, but you're barely at the starting point on your journey to becoming the actual strongest. There are countless beings in the Order of Creation who could defeat you without even raising a finger. Rather than comparing yourself to the residents of the Tower, you should be making preparations for your inevitable battles against foes far stronger than Jahad and the Ten Great Families."

Though it was difficult to take Vahn's words at face value due to the rather minuscule power he currently possessed, both Ureko and Yuri got the impression he was telling the truth. Thus, after glaring a few more daggers at each other, the tensions in the room began to gradually stabilize as the former spontaneously peeled off her shirt. This caught Vahn a little off guard, but, rather than avert his eyes, he just raised his brows slightly when Ureko asked, "So? How is it? I might not have useless lumps of fat like a certain snake princess, but I'm pretty confident in my figure."

Without any semblance of shame whatsoever, Ureko struck a pose with her left hand on her hip and her right hand raised behind her head. She didn't seem to mind being seen topless in the slightest. Instead, a confident glimmer flashed across her crimson-red eyes as a peculiar aura of 'majesty' radiated out from her body.

Understanding that she wouldn't be so forgiving if he failed to compliment her, Vahn shamelessly inspected the lines and curves of Ureko's body, an appreciative smile spreading across his face as he confidently stated, "Truly remarkable."

This wasn't really the answer Ureko was looking for, but, as it wasn't exactly a bad compliment, she ultimately nodded her head in approval before crossing her arms and saying, "You're a pretty lucky fella. Other than my family, the number of men who have seen me without a top on can be counted on a single hand. You would do well to remember that in the future. I have a lot of expectations for you, dragon brat."

With that said, Ureko made her way over to where Yuri had been sitting, shooing away the Princess before resting with her arms folded atop the back of the chair. This allowed Vahn to see the rather famous Winged Tree Symbol that was tattooed on her back. Her last name, Mazino, was also written in bold runic symbols between her shoulder blades, each radiating a phenomenal power that filled onlookers with a sense of awe.

Though he was momentarily distracted by the hidden complexity within the runic symbols, Vahn was able to quickly recover his senses thanks to Yuri clearing her throat at the side. This compelled him to send an appreciative smile her way, but, noticing she was sitting topless in Ureko's previous position, it quickly turned into a wry smile as he shifted his attention back to the surprisingly patient blonde...

[Status]

Name: [Ureko Mazino], Sobriquet: Ray Barracuda

Age: 30,492

Race: Lunarian, True Dragon(sealed)

Position(s): Fisherman, Scout, Spear-Bearer, Light-Bearer, Wave Controller, Jeonsulsa, Wonsulsa

Strength: SSS-Rank Ranker

Toughness: SSS-Rank Ranker

Intellect: SSS-Rank Ranker

Agility: SSS-Rank Ranker

Control: SSS-Rank Ranker

Shinsu Resistance: SSS-Rank Ranker

Shinsu: [Quality: Light, Lightning, Dragon, Star], [Total: 1,598,720,310,600], [Baang: 900], [Myun: 7,993,601,553], [Soo: 7,993,601,553], [Tension: 100:1]

Innate(s): [Child of Destiny: SSS], [Beloved Daughter of the Divine Dragon Emperor and Sacred Moon Priestess(Non-Standard):SSS], [Dauntless Dragon Princess(Spirit): SSS], [Faultless Jade Physique(Body): SS], [Inheritor of the Light of Origin(Emission): (-)]

Skill(s): [Dragon Avatar: SSS], [Limit Breaker: SSS], [Light of the Dawn: SSS], [Big Bang: SSS], [Star Crush: SSS], [Omni-Elemental Manipulation: SSS], [Imperial Dragon Martial Arts: SSS], [Light of Purification: S], [Needle Mastery(Ranker): SSS], [Telekinesis(Ranker): SSS], [Spatial Control(Ranker): SSS], [Lighthouse Control(Ranker): SSS], [Observer Control(Ranker): SSS], [Flow Control(Ranker): SSS], [Reverse Flow Control(Ranker): SSS], [Shinsu Enhancement(Ranker): SSS], [Cooking: C]

Despite knowing quite a bit about Ureko, thanks to the Law of Identity, Vahn was still at a loss for words when he saw her status. The fact she had five Innates listed indicated that she was, indeed, a Tier 5 entity, but, more importantly, at least in the present moment, was her truly ridiculous amount of Shinsu.

Vahn had thought Yuri's 921 million Shinsu was terrifying, but, as if she refused to let anyone even come close to her level of power, Ureko's 1.5 'trillion' completely transcended expectations. She was an absolute monster, and, thanks to her SSS-Rank [Child of Destiny], it was safe to say she was one of the most important existences to the 'story' taking place within the Tower...

Interpreting Vahn's stunned expression as an indicator that the ceremony had been successful, Yuri, still topless, instantaneously appeared at his side as she eagerly asserted, "Let me see! I want to see how I compare to the so-called strongest woman in the Tower~!"

Looking back at Yuri as if she was observing an idiot, Ureko couldn't help but crane her head as she asked, "What do you mean by 'so-called strongest'? It's not even up for debate, dumbass. If I'm not at least a thousand times stronger than you, I'll walk around on my hands from this point onward."

With her brow twitching in response to Ureko's remark, Yuri snatched that status paper from Vahn the moment he finished making the imprint. Unfortunately, she wasn't particularly great with math, so, after staring at the paper for nearly a full minute, she turned to Vahn and said, "Read this for me. I want to know how many times stronger this blonde bimbo is compared to me."

Though he didn't actually need it, Vahn accepted the paper from Yuri as Ureko turned around with what could best be described as a knowing smile. Her raw power, alone, would allow her to battle against Yuri with a Shinsu amp. This amplification generally increased a person's power, speed, and durability by a factor of fifty, so, after seeing Yuri's status sheet, she was absolutely confident that her own reserves were more than a thousand times her would-be rival's. Thus, when Vahn revealed she was actually more than 1700x stronger, she couldn't help but laugh boisterously at the stunned Yuri's expense...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn, the purveyor of beauty','Yuri got that dummy strength xD...','I think we just found Saitama's Onee-sama...')