Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1841

With only a few hours remaining until the start of the Workshop Battle, Vahn decided to pass the time by watching a few of his favorite animated movies in the master bedroom. He had converted the entire room into a makeshift theater of sorts, and, though he knew there would be a lot to clean up, he even provided food and drink to the many women who had huddled together atop the bed.

Fortunately, though the room was only equipped with a king-sized bed, virtually everyone present had the ability to transform into a more compact form. As a result, Vahn found himself buried under a mountain of fluff, his hand casually meandering across the fields of smooth, velvety, or sometimes bristly fur. The only thing he had to complain about, not that it particularly bothered him, was that Yoruichi was the one to claim his lap.

After wriggling her way in between his thighs, Yoruichi placed her head right where Vahn's sleeping dragon was located. Then, without requiring him to caress her, she produced a deep and resonating purr that caused the entire bed to vibrate slightly. Despite this, there was no actual sound produced by the action, as, over the past couple of months, Yoruichi had developed what she referred to as a 'silent purring' technique.

Though he could accomplish perfect cellular control if he really wanted to, Vahn had developed the habit of allowing his body to respond naturally a long time ago. Because of this, a very noticeable outline had appeared in his left trouser leg. This garnered a considerable amount of attention from virtually everyone present, and, as a result, the fragrance of female pheromones grew increasingly stronger with the passage of time.

Fortunately, even without resorting to more intimate means, Vahn had countless methods to satisfy or coax others into contentedness. He just needed to infuse his intent into his domain, and, though it was less effective than direct contact, he could effectively 'pet' everyone within. If he got serious, he could even pet their entire body all at once, eliciting sonorous and restrained mewls, moans, and whimpers from virtually everyone present.

The only person to escape the influence of Vahn's Law of Petting, at least for the present moment, was Index. She was fully immersed in the movie, blissfully unaware of the scene taking place behind her as she happily devoured a number of different treats. It was only when the credits had started to roll that she turned around, her expression demonstrating remarkable confusion as she noticed that even Mikoto was breathing rather heavily.

With her expression turning into a potent pout, Index, who had been snacking away in her Jirachi form, began to hover above the bed as she asked, "Why is everyone acting strange? Did you all do something naughty? Why didn't you invite me!?"

Before anyone else could answer, Vahn gestured for Index to come closer, his expression softening as he caressed the side of her face and said, "We weren't doing anything naughty. I just got a little carried away while petting everyone. Don't worry, I'll make sure to give you plenty of headpats later on. For now, I think it's about time that everyone returned to the Little Garden. You can come out to play once the first round of the Workshop Battle has concluded."

With Vahn cupping and caressing both sides of her face, Index couldn't help but produced a silly smile as she replied with a contented, "Ehehehe~.". As for everyone else, they reacted to his words by returning to their human forms. The only exception to this was Mikoto, who, fearful of how she would appear in her human form, alighted from the bed before disappearing into the bathroom as a Pikachu...

Though there were variations between each successive Workshop Battle, the basic structure of the event hadn't changed in more than a hundred years. This made it pretty easy to obtain information about the event, but, thanks to the Law of Identity, Vahn knew 'precisely' how things were going to develop. Because of this, while everyone else was shoring up their defenses and drafting numerous strategies, Vahn could be seen walking leisurely through the city streets with Arusha treading close behind.

After witnessing the wonders of the Little Garden and learning the true nature of Vahn's existence, Arusha's views towards him had changed drastically in a very short period of time. She now viewed him as an actual God, and, though she was still terrified of opposing her Family, he had assured her that she could simply reside in the Little Garden after the Workshop Battle had come to an end. For now, she felt fortunate just to be able to follow after and witness his greatness with her own eyes...

Sensing Arusha's focus on him, Vahn briefly glanced over his shoulder, a casual smile spreading across his face. This caused the sporty-looking woman to avert her eyes, a tinge of red bleeding into her cheeks as she seemed to be searching for an excuse. Before she could think of anything, however, Vahn had already slowed his pace, his arm wrapping around her waist as he guided her through the city streets as if they were a couple. This caused her face to turn an even darker shade of red, but, rather than pull away, she leaned a little closer, a contented smile spreading across her face as she muttered, "Thank you..."

Rather than tell her there was no need to thank him, Vahn just planted a kiss on the top of Arusha's head before putting a bit of strength in his hold. This earned them quite a bit of attention from the surroundings, but, most importantly, it demonstrated to the Observers spying on them that his and Arusha's relationship was developing smoothly. This was crucial for a number of reasons, but, most importantly, it would help to improve the standing of the Zebra family among the other twenty Lo Po Bia Branch Families.

Though he wasn't particularly fond of the way the Lo Po Bia did things, Vahn had promised Arusha that he would help her family elevate themselves from the 20th position, a standing they had been cursed with for nearly a thousand years. This forced them to act as 'beasts of burden' for the other Branches, and, though they weren't actually the weakest, their limited numbers ensured that weaker families, such as the Mouse, Rabbit, and Grey Wolf families were always ranked above them.

Vahn didn't really have an interest in the politics of the Lo Po Bia Family, but, understanding how much Arusha cared for her 'blood kin', he didn't mind playing his part. It was the least he could do until he was in a position to take advantage of the Lo Po Bia's hierarchal structure to essentially take over the entire family. This would ultimately require him to defeat the Lo Po Bia Family Leader, but, considering his 'unique' skillset, Vahn was pretty confident in his inevitable victory. The only Family Leader he was even more confident in defeating was Yeon Hana, as, regardless of how much Shinsu she possessed, it was ultimately useless so long as she infused it with the flames of the Phoenix and the Three-Legged Golden Crow...

After a short detour, making the most of their time together, Vahn guided Arusha to an area that was supposed to be off-limits to anyone unrelated to the Workshop. At nearly the exact same time, both of their Pockets were 'forced' into visible mode as an excited voice began to recount the rules of the first round, a game known as 'One Shot, One Opportunity'. This was one of the most popular events routinely selected by the Workshop, so, even without an explanation, most of the Regulars who had done their research were familiar with it. As for the actual rules, they were as follows:

[One Shot, One Opportunity!]

1: Every Regular will be assigned a unique revolver and a single bullet known as a 'Dark Bullet'. The first 248 Regulars to shoot an enemy with a Dark Bullet will be teleported to the Archimedes, thus qualifying them for the next round.

2: If a Regular is shot with a Dark Bullet, they are instantly disqualified.

3: It is possible to steal a bullet from another Regular. Anyone who has their bullet stolen will be immediately disqualified.

4: If a Regular manages to steal an enemy's bullet, they will earn the right to switch their revolver between Light and Dark Mode. Bullets fired in Light Mode will instantaneously teleport anyone hit, including previously disqualified participants, to the Archimedes, thus qualifying them for the next round.

5: Regardless of how many bullets a person has, missing with a Dark Bullet will result in immediate disqualification. This rule does not apply to Light Bullets.

6: The first person to shoot someone with a Dark Bullet will receive the 'Dyrnwyn', a special weapon produced by the Workshop. The person who shoots the most people with Light Bullets will receive the 'Saint's Grace', another special weapon that can be used in the upcoming Workshop Battle. As a bonus, anyone who is lucky enough to shoot the wandering 'Bong Bong' will receive both it and a VIP suite onboard the Archimedes.

7: If any non-participant is shot or harmed, the person responsible will be disqualified.

8: Though fighting between participants is allowed, killing is strictly prohibited within the confines of Sepia Island. This is meant to be a special event, not a Test for advancing to the next Floor. Let's all do our best to make the most of this unique opportunity hosted by the Workshop!

Since the Workshop Battle didn't officially start until after the rules had been listed, Vahn waited until his Pocket changed to reflect the number of people who had qualified before blasting a large hole in the nearby wall. This startled the nearly five-hundred Regulars who were inside, each chosen by FUG to make a complete mockery of the event. They had coordinated with sleeper agents within the Workshop to find out which event was going to be held. As a result, they had already gathered a total of 248 'sacrifices', each ready and waiting to be shot with a Dark Bullet so that the Workshop Battle could be completely dominated by members of FUG.

With all Rankers being forced to leave the city prior to the beginning of the Workshop Battle, Vahn was able to use Reverse Flow Control to freeze all but a single Regular. Then, using his telepathy, he began to extract the bullets from their guns while making his way towards the scythe-wielding man wearing a silver mask as the latter shouted, "How...!?"

Even without additional context, Vahn knew what the man was asking. Thus, with a relaxed smile on his face, he answered, "Perception is a curious thing...people place too much emphasis on what they can see with their eyes. Perhaps you have forgotten that after losing your own all those years ago?"

Though his face wasn't visible due to the expressionless silver mask, it was easy to tell how shocked the man was by how unstable his aura became. Immediately after, a shadowy black Shinsu began to emanate from his body as he darkly replied, "I see...the rumors regarding your 'awareness' were not exaggerated. Tell me, why do you oppose us when you know the reason why we fight?"

Cocking his head to the side, Vahn adopted a slightly incredulous look as he asked, "What are you talking about? I'm not opposing you at all. In fact, I have proactively issued a compromise to your Elders. They are the ones standing in opposition to me because, like the Ten Great Families, FUG has also become a cesspool for politics and corruption. You are simply being used as a convenient tool by one of the factions vying for increased political power and influence within the organization."

With the shadows around him becoming even thicker, the masked man leaned forward slightly as he shouted, "You're lying! You're just a fool who galavants around the Tower in the pursuit of sexual pleasure! Don't think you can shake my beliefs with such baseless accusations...!"

Realizing he couldn't reason with the man who was literally burning his Ego in order to increase his power, Vahn just shook his head before adopting a loose stance and remarking, "I didn't come here to try and convince you, Reflejo. Now, show me how powerful that hypocritical zealotry of yours has made you..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is well on his way to petting the Heavens xD...','The Law of Identity is such a cheat (O - O)...','Oh Yeeaaaaaaaaaaaah~!')