Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-2090

"You about done...?"

Groaning in response to Vahn's words, Sigurd attempted to force himself from the ground only to fall face-first against the ruined terrain. It had been hours since the start of their battle, and, despite Vahn healing him over and over again, his mental and spiritual energies had depleted to the point he wasn't even sure who he was anymore.

Nodding in approval, Vahn pulled out a simple rune-covered longsword before stabbing it through Sigurd's heart without hesitation. This caused the man's body to dissolve into motes of bluish-white light before subsequently disappearing a moment later. As for the sword, Vahn left it embedded in the ground as he pulled out a blanket and laid it across a relatively flat piece of rubble. Then, under the slightly annoyed eyes of countless observers, he reclined backward with an amused smile on his face...

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With less than thirty minutes remaining until the end of the Gift Game, the Azure Dragon version of Vahn looked towards the sky to see hundreds of Valkyrie and Einherjar descending from the sky like drops of rain.

Recognizing this as a chance to show off, three sets of angelic white wings sprouted from Vahn's body as his relatively short limbs elongated into six powerful, vaguely humanoid appendages. He didn't want anyone to mistakenly identify him as a mere manifestation of the Azure Dragon, so, by the time his transformation had completed, even the most minute traces of green had faded from his body.

Holding back so that he didn't accidentally inflict 'permadeath' on anyone, Vahn performed a series of hand seals using his four hands, his soul-shaking voice echoing throughout the entire battlefield as he said, "Binary Annihilation..."

Opening his palms, Vahn revealed two relatively small black orbs before releasing them towards the approaching army. This was a variation of the Chibaku Tensei from Naruto, a powerful sealing ability with the power to generate literal moons if the user had enough Chakra.

Unable to resist the phenomenal gravitational field, both the Valkyrie, the Einherjar, and a large part of the mountain were sucked up by Vahn's Binary Annihilation. If he wanted to, he could have easily destroyed the entire Game Board at the very beginning of the game. There were no rules against it, but, in the spirit of competition, he decided to save the theatrics for the very end.

"Stay there until the game has concluded. Even flies can be annoying if they swarm endlessly..."

Though his words sounded arrogant, Vahn was primarily just putting on a show. There would be no end to the number of people seeking him out after this, so, for the sake of his future self, he didn't mind presenting himself as slightly arrogant. This would actually help to draw out the truly arrogant people who wanted to 'teach him a lesson', so, before his power exceeded the point where nothing could challenge him, he intended to enjoy himself as much as possible...

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Noticing yet another pillar of rainbow-hued energy, Vahn opened his eyes to find Gyda staring at him with what could best be described as an annoyed yet defeated look on her face. She knew she didn't stand a chance against him, but, for the sake of her Community and her pride as a warrior, she couldn't just avoid confronting him.

"You certainly took your sweet time. There are less than three minutes until the game is scheduled to end."

Brandishing her spear, Gyda adopted a low stance that strained at the fabric of her skintight pants as she asked, "Does it make a difference? Three minutes, three days, three years. Even if I had all the time in the world, I doubt I would ever be able to defeat you. Let's just get this over with."

Punctuating her words, Gyda charged towards Vahn with speed comparable to Sigurd in his second stage transformation. Unfortunately, her words had annoyed Vahn, so, rather than rise to meet her, he just stared at her with an unamused expression on his face as she ran full-sprint into an invisible wall.

"...!?"

With a trail of blood leaking from her nose, Gyda's expression morphed into a scowl as she placed her palm against the invisible membrane and asked, "What kind of trickery is this? Are you refusing to fight me?"

Since there was a chance the Central Network might declare the match Gyda's win if he answered her wantonly, Vahn waved his hand to send the redhead smashing into a wall as he said, "If you're not going to take this seriously, neither am I. Don't worry. I'll make sure to defeat you before time runs out. You simply aren't worth the effort of getting up for."

Pulling herself from the rubble with a pained grunt, Gyda's expression became markedly more serious as she asked, "What's your problem? You defeat my sister in an instant, toyed around with my brother for multiple hours, and now you're telling me I'm not worth the effort? Just what did my family do to antagonize you so?"

Rising to a seated position, Vahn maintained a deadpan expression on his face as he said, "This has nothing to do with your family. I defeated Ragna because she charged at me without consideration for the difference in our abilities. I humored Sigurd because, despite being a Demon, he possesses an honest and straightforward personality. As for you...well, I don't normally insult women, but you come across as an extremely shallow and vain person. Why are you even here?"

Gritting her teeth in response to Vahn's words, Gyda threw her spear like a javelin before drawing the sword at her waist and issuing a spirited war cry. Unfortunately, no matter how fast she ran, she found herself unable to move more than a few centimeters from her starting position. It was like the distance between her and Vahn increased every time she attempted to take a step forward.

"You! Fight me like a man...!"

Exhaling a sigh, Vahn picked up a stray rock using his telekinesis before sending it flying at Gyda's forehead at near-light-speed. She didn't even have time to process what had happened before her body began to break down into motes of bluish-white light that originated from the massive hole in her forehead.

"What a waste..."

Though he rarely evaluated women with lascivious intent, Gyda's appearance ticked a lot of Vahn's personal checkboxes. Her body was very nearly flawless, and, due to the color of her hair and eyes, he couldn't help overlap her with people like Hephaestus and Aoko. Unfortunately, her personality left a lot to be desired, and, despite calling herself a warrior, her aura demonstrated a complete and utter lack of motivation.

As that thought crossed his mind, a rainbow-hued light appeared beneath Vahn before enveloping him in the characteristic pillar representing the Bifrost. In the very next moment, he found himself in a circular chamber formed almost entirely of gold. On one side, standing more than twenty meters tall, was a statuesque figure wearing golden armor and a peculiar horned helmet. He also wielded a giant sword with its tip resting against the ground, but, more prominent than anything else were his resplendent golden eyes.

"I'm guessing this means I won?"

Without moving his lips, the giant figure simply nodded as a remarkably deep voice echoed from the void, stating, "You have earned my recognition, Vahn Aldrnari Mason. May the Allfather bless you in all your future endeavors."

Punctuating his words, the Heimdallr stand-in raised his enormous sword before striking the tip against the ground. This caused a massive Geass Roll to appear out of thin air. This time, however, it listed all the prizes that the Leviathan's Tail would have won if they emerged the victor.

Without needing to consider his response, Vahn casually asserted, "I only require the Pure-Blooded Vampir, Leticia Draculea as my prize. Everything else should be returned to its respective owner. Let it never be said that the Sage Dragon's Hearth lacks compassion."

Adopting a slight smile, the Heimdallr stand-in raised his sword, stating, "Very well." before letting it impact the ground a second time. Immediately afterward, a complex magic circle appeared beneath the feet of every contestant before a white light enveloped each of them. When it faded away, Vahn found himself standing atop a large stage overlooking a crowd of cheering spectators. Next to him, barely reaching his diaphragm, was a doll-like woman with golden-blonde hair and ruby-red eyes.

Creating a soundproof barrier with a wave of his hand, Vahn looked down at the girl and frowned as he saw the collar and manacles linked around her neck, wrists, and ankles. At the same time, the girl looked up at him with a questioning look in her eyes as she asked, "Who are you...?"

Since the girl was wearing a lacy black headdress that complimented her gothic lolita-style clothing, Vahn restrained the urge to caress her head as he answered, "A friend. I'll explain more once we get back."

Recalling the words the hooded woman had mentioned previously, various thoughts danced across Leticia's mind as she replied with a curt, "Understood."

Smiling wryly in response to the taciturn girl's words, Vahn awkwardly remarked, "You could smile, you know? You're free now..."

Raising her brows ever so slightly, Leticia emotionlessly replied, "Free? I'm afraid that's impossible. My contract with the Central Network designates that I am always in service to someone. If you do not intend to act as my Master, you must designate someone else in your place."

Though he was already aware of the contract in question, Vahn's smile became markedly wrier in response to Leticia's words. Black Rabbit had already informed him about her character but she was a lot more serious than he anticipated. It was no wonder she was once called a Knight of the Little Garden.

"So be it. For the time being, you can regard me as your Master. Whether or not you call me that is up to you though. My actual name is Vahn, Vahn Aldrnari Mason."

Grabbing the sides of her skirt, Leticia offered a polite curtsy as she replied, "My name is Leticia Draculea. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Vahn."

Issuing a light chuckle, Vahn confused Leticia by extending his hand for her to grab. The moment she did, he teleported them away from the cheering crowd without regard for the ceremony that was supposed to follow the Gift Game. He didn't particularly care about receiving the gratitude of the hundred-odd Communities he had benefitted by returning their possessions. There were a lot of people waiting to meet Leticia, so, while his other self dallied around with Fenrir, Hime, Scathach, and Siegfried, he carried the befuddled vampire princess back to his workshop at max speed...

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"Leticia-samaaaaaaaa~!"

Though her status was quite a bit higher than Leticia's, Black Rabbit still referred to the former with honorifics. She was one of the few people who knew Leticia's true identity and background, so, no matter how the Central Network identified her, Black Rabbit would always regard her with respect and adulation.

"Black Rabbit...?"

Not expecting to encounter Black Rabbit the moment Vahn carried her into his home, Leticia was at a genuine loss as the blue-haired bunny clung to her with tears in her eyes.

"I told you..."

Hearing Vahn's remark, Leticia looked over with a hint of emotion in her previously expressionless eyes. The presence of Black Rabbit all but confirmed he was an actual ally, so, after several seconds of simply staring at him, a very slight smile developed across her face as she replied, "Yes, you did..." in an audibly relieved, slightly amused tone...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn be like, "An opportunity to show off? Hold my sauce..."','That's a big oof right there...','The first wall has been breached...')