Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-2044

Chapter 2044: Unexpected Invitation

Though he could have just left Seraphina to wallow in self-pity, Vahn had never particularly enjoyed seeing women cry. Thus, after confirming that Killia wasn't going to randomly attack him a third time, he approached the faucet-like demoness and asked, "What's wrong?" in a gentle tone that didn't suit a Prinny in the slightest.

Sniffling like a child trying to hold back their tears, Seraphina answered, "M-My B-B-B-Balor Gaze...is brokeeeeeeennnnn...!"

Taking advantage of Vahn's close proximity, Seraphina clung to him as if he were her favorite pillow. This caused an "Oof..." to emanate from the former's throat as Seraphina's deceptively dainty-looking arms closed around his body like a vice. She was either a lot stronger than she appeared or, far more likely, his body was literally designed to be squishy.

As that thought crossed Vahn's mind, Seraphina's tears promptly ceased as she said, "Oh, you really are squishier than normal. I thought as much."

"Right...mind letting me go?"

Furrowing her brows into a potent pout, Seraphina tightened her hold, saying, "I refuse!" in an overtly spoiled tone.

Feeling as though his organs were being forced up his throat, Vahn promptly teleported out of Seraphina's grasp, a visible indentation visible around his body until he took a deep breath and reinflated himself. This caused Seraphina to appear as though she was about to cry, but, before she could begin the waterworks anew, Killia chimed in to ask, "How do I get out of this place? I don't have time to waste watching a comedy routine."

Deadpanning in response to Killia's words, Vahn was about to say something when Seraphina beat him to the punch, stating, "Sir Killia, you're still injured. We don't have to worry about the Lost invading this place. Please, relax and focus on recuperating."

Clicking his tongue, Killia continued searching for an exit with his eyes as he said, "I told you. I don't have time to play around. At this rate, Void Dark-"

Without waiting for Killia to finish speaking, Seraphina bounced up to her, pistols in hand as she attempted to shoot him in the shoulder. Instead, a powerful pulling force robbed both of the pistols from her hands as Vahn warned, "You're really asking for it..."

Paling in response to Vahn's words, Seraphina instinctually blocked her butt as the former directed his attention to Killia and explained, "Seraphina hasn't explained it, but time flows differently in this place. You have plenty of time to recover before venturing outside to face the Lost. Forcing yourself to fight in your current state is just senseless."

Though he could have easily taken care of Killia's wounds himself, Vahn waved over the busty Healer, saying, "Please look after Sir Killia. The quicker his wounds are treated, the sooner we can take the fight to the Lost."

Bowing low enough that her inordinately large breasts nearly spilled forth from her abyssal black dress, the Healer replied, "Understood. Please leave it to me."

Responding with a curt nod, Vahn shifted his attention to the frowning Killia, stating, "I'm sure you have your reasons for wanting to rush things. However, in your current state, you are more of a liability than anything else. Now, stop wasting time and get yourself healed up. You're the reason we're currently idling about."

Clicking his tongue a second time, Killia balled his hands into fists as he answered, "I never asked for your help..." through gritted teeth.

Nodding his head in affirmation, Vahn began to gradually levitate from the ground as he rebutted, "I don't recall Seraphina asking for your assistance in dealing with the Lost. That's the thing about being strong. You can generally do whatever you want."

With a complex magic circle appearing behind his back, Vahn extended his flipper towards Killia. This caused the latter's pupils to shrink, but, before the signal from his brain could ever hope to reach his nerves, the 'attack' had already hit him. As a result, he fell to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut, a surprisingly peaceful expression on his face as a comically oversized snot bubble expanded and contracted from his right nostril.

Since he would have felt guilty having the Healer carry Killia's surprisingly heavy body, Vahn used his Telekinesis to lift the man's body before turning towards Seraphina and saying, "You should also get some rest. There is no enmity between me and Void Dark. I will watch over the two of you to make sure nothing bad happens, but your vengeance is your own. You're going to have to fight."

Ostensibly offended by these words, Seraphina adopted a severe pout on her face as she asked, "You want me, Lady Seraphina, Overlord of Gorgeous, to do manual labor? Have you lost your mind?"

Without missing a beat, Vahn replied, "You're the one who decided to oppose Void Dark. How you do that is ultimately up to you. Just don't expect that charm ability of yours to carry you to the top. In fact, you're pretty lucky you tried it on myself and Killia first. Had it failed against an enemy, you would have been dead, or worse, by now."

Unable to refute Vahn's words, Seraphina just continued to stare at him with one of the most petulant expressions he had ever seen. She was used to everything going her way, so, hearing Vahn's words, she couldn't help feeling indignant. Unfortunately, no matter how indignant she felt, it didn't change the fact that she was weak and helpless without the support of others...

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With nothing better to do, Vahn decided to lounge about with Makoto, the Demon Thief that operated the Item World. She had also attempted to sit on him, but, after skillfully evading her 'attacks' for the better part of half an hour, almost as if they were playing tag, he ultimately let her squeeze and cuddle his body as he asked her various questions related to the Item World.

What Vahn didn't expect was for a sealed envelope to appear out of thin air as he was staring off into the starry abyss surrounding the Pocket Netherworld. Even stranger was the fact that Makoto didn't seem to notice it. If she had, her kleptomania would have immediately kicked in, as, despite possessing the coveted Class of Item Worlder, she was still just a Thief.

"Hmmm? What are you looking at~?"

Noticing Vahn extend his flippers to catch something she couldn't see, a mischievous glimmer appeared in Makoto's cat-like eyes. Before she could even think about grabbing it, however, an irresistible repulsive force sent her sliding across the ground as a vibrant bluish-white light enveloped Vahn's body. Immediately thereafter, the Prinny known as Vahn, and all memories related to him, had vanished without a trace...

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Opening his eyes, Vahn found himself falling from several thousand meters in the air. Looking out towards the horizon, he saw a massive pillar of light surrounded by concentric circles that were further segmented into a series of massive domes. At a glance, they appeared to be like greenhouses, but, rather than cover a small area, even the smallest appeared to be hundreds of kilometers across.

"Well, this was a little unexpected..."

Ignoring the fact he was falling towards the ground at terminal velocity, Vahn pulled out the letter he had been reading prior to the sudden spatial transfer. It resembled an expensive and highly embossed greeting card at first glance, but, thanks to his [Eyes of Truth], he was able to perceive the inordinately complex magic formation hidden beneath the words:

'This is an invitation to those of you with extraordinary powers. If you wish to test the limits of these powers, cast aside your family, your friends, and your possessions. We await you in the Little Garden.'

"Isn't it kind of pointless to call this an invitation if you forcibly teleport the person reading it? Feels more like a kidnapping than anything else..."

Though he was actually quite enthused about the current situation, Vahn couldn't help issuing a few complaints. Seraphina might have been a little annoying and Killia gave off an extremely edgy vibe, but neither appeared evil despite being born and raised in the Netherworld. Thus, even if it was only until they defeated Void Dark, Vahn wanted to watch over and guide them...

(*Are you sure you weren't just looking forward to 'training' Seraphina...?*)

Deadpanning in response to Sis' words, Vahn, still appearing as a Prinny, remarked, "I have no idea what you're talking about..."

(*Oh? It must have been my imagination...*)

Hearing Sis issue an amused giggle in the back of his mind, a fair amount of heat spread through Vahn's cheeks as he righted himself a few meters above the massive lake he was set to crash into. This caused the protective aura generated by the letter to dissipate, and, for the first time since his arrival in the Divine Realm, he could finally sense his surroundings.

"Oh, wow...this is quite something..."

(*Indeed...*)

Despite appearing as a relatively normal lake surrounded by verdant forests, Vahn nearly fell into the lake the moment he attempted to perceive his surroundings. He had already known this was the case prior to his arrival but even the most minute particle of sand upon the shore was a veritable multiverse. The same could be said of the air he was breathing and the water contained within the lake, so, the moment he tried to expand his domain through the area, it was like a physical mass of information had impacted his brain like a sledgehammer.

Fortunately, just as he could filter how much information was discerned by his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn was able to tune his domain so that it wasn't attempting to analyze the internal structure of every individual particle within his perception. This took the better part of an hour, but, now that he was in the Divine Realm, he literally had all the time in the world.

Though a part of him felt guilty about tuning out the voices of countless universes, Vahn knew he was nowhere near the level required to concern himself with their individual affairs. He still had a very long journey ahead of him, so, rather than allow himself to be distracted, he shifted his attention to the little girl who had been observing him since his arrival, remarking, "You're a little smaller than I anticipated..."

Smiling impishly, the little girl, possessing blue-hued white hair, elven ears, golden eyes, and a petite frame adorned with a wa lolita-style kimono instantly retorted, "Speak for yourself, Mr. Penguin."

Understanding why she had decided to summon him now, of all times, an amused chuckle emanated from Vahn's throat as he promptly transformed back into his true form. This caused the little lolita to click her tongue, but, without missing a beat, she sprouted two bat-like wings from her back and said, "Follow me. I doubt I need to tell you this, but my responsibilities as a Floor Master don't allow me to be away for long periods of time. We also need to register you at the Seventh Gate before those old farts in the central district decide to complain..."

Though he quickly followed after her, Vahn couldn't help asking, "Oh? Are there people that even the Ranked 10 Shiroyasha-sama fears?"

Snorting through her button-like nose, Shiroyasha promptly turned around, flying backward at hypersonic speeds as she remarked, "It seems your knowledge is a little dated. I haven't been in the Rankings ever since I gave up my title and obtained Divinity. Nowadays, I'm pretty sure the Rank 10 is either the Demon Dragon Emperor Adrammelech or that irredeemable pervert Deus. Either way, the politics of the central district have nothing to do with me. If that was your intent, I'm afraid you'll need to find someone else to act as a backer."

Noticing the purples and greys mixed into her aura as she talked about the central district, it was easy to imagine that Shiroyasha had experienced something traumatic during her time as the tenth most powerful being in the Little Garden. Vahn could easily ascertain what this was using the Law of Identity, but, understanding that some things were best left for the person in question to reveal, he just smiled in response to Shiroyasha's words, stating, "Don't worry. By summoning me to the place, you've already helped me more than enough. From here on, feel free to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. I'll be sure to make things interesting."

Amused by Vahn's words, a smile developed across Shiroyasha's face as she flipped over and continued flying normally. She actually wouldn't mind lending Vahn a hand, but, after seeing how drastically his power had increased during his time in the Tower, she doubted he would need it. Rather, depending on how things played out, the entire Little Garden might be turned on its head once Vahn found his footing...

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(A/N: Mwahahahahahaha. You thought the next arc was going to be Disgaea, but it was me, Mondaiji-dio~!)