Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-2285-30041322

"Give up. I am empowered by the spirits of the more than 80 million victims of the Black Plague. You cannot hope to defeat me."

Though revealing information related to her origin could place her at a disadvantage, Black Percher wanted to see Sandora despair. Many of the spirits comprising her existence had been burned alive or cremated after death, so while flames were effective against her, they also served to stir the anger and resentment of her constituent spirits. These were the very emotions that powered her Divinity, so, the more pain and misery she was forced to endure, the more powerful Black Percher became.

Indicative of this, Black Percher's body was slowly yet visibly maturing. At the beginning of the fight, she resembled a girl no older than ten. Now, as a result of Sandora's attacks, her height had increased from around 131cm to 143cm. Her figure hadn't changed all that much, but it was beginning to show the signs of transitioning from a prepubescent girl to a teen.

Noticing the changes in her opponent's body, Sandora narrowly evaded the massive, 50m long scythe that attempted to bisect her at the waist. In the same motion, she stabbed her trident into the space next to her, the tip completely disappearing into the void as she asked, "Why are you attacking my Community? With power like yours, you could have gained a foothold in the Outer Gates. It doesn't make sense for you to antagonize a Floor Master in your debut as a Demon Lord..."

Furrowing her brows, Black Percher dissipated her giant scythe, replacing it with a pair of sickles attached to chains. Instead of attacking, however, she began to retreat backward, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized the glistening golden trident in Sandora's possession.

In an attempt to cut off her opponent's path, Sandora formed a seal with her left hand, shouting, "I don't think so...!" as rings of fire formed around Black Percher's biceps, ankles, and neck.

Feeling the weight of her body increase by several orders of magnitude, Black Percher clicked her tongue as her dress spontaneously burst into dark purple flames. When they faded away, a rather stylish suit of black and purple armor replaced much of her previous outfit. The top was a form-fitting black breastplate that left her shoulders exposed. As for the rest, it consisted of black tassets that followed the contours of her skirt, a pair of black greaves with rather prominent heels, and a head guard that protected her neck, cheeks, and chin but left the rest of her head largely unprotected.

Dissipating the sickle in her left hand, Black Percher reached up to grasp the collar of fire around her neck. She still had her oversized sleeves, but a black and purple gauntlet came into view as she tore away the ring with a simple tug.

"You dare try to collar me...?"

Since her opponent had previously ignored her, Sandora responded to Black Percher's question by cutting her fingers towards the ground. The rings around her arms and legs caused her to fall towards the city streets as Sandora removed her trident from the void to reveal its tip glowing like the core of a star.

One of the 'secret techniques' Sandora had learned from Vahn was how to absorb energy directly from the void. There were places where Elemental and Spiritual Energy simply didn't exist, at least not in a tangible form. The void, however, provided a functionally infinite supply as it was a domain of endless reserve. It was just very, very difficult to access, much less use.

"Though I'm sure you have your reasons, I cannot allow you to endanger the lives of my friends and companions! Take this...!"

Though she managed to get out quite a few words, the interval between the start of Sandora's attack and the moment she stabbed her trident into Black Percher's chest was only 0.00000003 seconds. She could go much, much faster, but she was holding back to try and limit the damage to her surroundings. Each of the buildings encircling her was someone's home or place of business; Sandora didn't want to destroy their hard work.

With this in mind, Sandora controlled the energy released from her trident to pierce nearly Black Percher's breastplate, body, and 3km of the ground beneath her. The ambient temperature increased to the point that several buildings caught fire, but that was promptly resolved thanks to the storm incited by Black Percher and her Stroms.

Grabbing the shaft of Sandora's trident, Black Percher rasped, "So long as our grudge remains...we will never perish..."

Instead of refuting Black Percher's words, Sandora nodded her head and said, "That may be. Unfortunately for you, this trident wasn't made to take lives..."

Punctuating her words, Sandora twisted her trident as if she were turning a key. To Black Percher's immense shock, there was no pain produced by this action. Instead, she felt as if all the power had drained from her body as Sandora removed the trident to reveal unblemished, fair white skin and an intricate tattoo resembling a keyhole.

"Vahn is far kinder than you can imagine. He imbued this trident with four different enchantments. The first, Mercy Strike, ensures that even a fatal blow would always leave an opponent with enough life to recover. As for the other three, the most relevant to this situation is its ability to seal the power of people it otherwise would have killed."

No longer injured, Black Percher attempted to leap to her feet, but the weight of her armor prevented her from so much as sitting upright. The material appeared thin and form-fitting, but even her gauntlets weighed as much as 60kgs. With her strength reduced to that of a pubescent girl, all she could do was glare at Sandora as she shouted, "Don't think this is over! You may have defeated me and destroyed my Stroms, but I've been releasing my miasma throughout the city for weeks! Unless you can clear the game and restore the light of the Sun, it's only a matter of time before my pestilence claims every member of your Community!"

Though she furrowed her brows, Sandora didn't take the teary-eyed Demoness's threat seriously. Vahn would never allow something like a plague to run rampant throughout the city. Even if it took days for them to complete the game, there was no danger of anyone dying or surrendering to escape illness.

Believing in the man, no, the God she had spent the last seven and a half years living with, Sandora repeated her earlier question, asking, "Why did you target my Community? Even if there was a personal grudge between us, attacking with Vahn present was incredibly foolish."

Snorting through her nose, Black Percher attempted to turn her head but found the action impossible due to her headguard. Her only option was to avert her eyes in a vain attempt to evade Sandora's line of sight.

"..."

Realizing her opponent wasn't going to reveal anything of her own accord, Sandora briefly considered her options before calling out, "Vahn? Can you hear me?"

Hearing Sandora talking to herself, Black Percher was about to ask if she had gone soft in the head. Before the words could leave her lips, however, the space next to her wavered as Vahn appeared out of thin air, a relaxed smile on his face as he answered, "Of course."

Not expecting Vahn to appear directly, even Sandora was surprised until she realized the reason, asking, "Did you predict this outcome...?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Vahn casually replied, "The rules prohibit killing. I also know you're not the type to strike someone down without knowing the motive behind their actions..."

Shifting his gaze away from Sandora's, Vahn briefly met Black Percher's carmine eyes before pulling out a blanket, covering her body, and adding, "Your subordinates, Ratten and Wesser, have already been defeated. Are you certain you wish to continue this farce...?"

Adopting a glare that was more cute than terrifying, Black Percher replied, "So long as I draw breath, I will never cease seeking revenge against all those related to the Sun. No one deserves to receive the Sun's grace after what we were forced to experience...!"

"Mmm...is that so?"

Crouching next to the enfeebled Demoness, Vahn disregarded her literal hissing as he placed his palm on her abdomen. There was a thick blanket, a thin layer of armor, and a dress separating them, but his hand was able to pass through all of them before sinking into her body directly.

With a wave of panic washing over her, Black Percher's breathing began to accelerate as she anxiously exclaimed, "Wh-what the hell do you think you're doing!? Get your hand out of there...!"

Without ceasing his actions, Vahn asked, "If our positions were reversed, would you listen to my pleas? Or would they simply make you excited...?"

Though the only sensation she felt as a result of Vahn's invasive actions was a feeling of warmth spreading through her abdomen, Black Percher did her best to writhe about as she exclaimed, "You...you don't know what you're talking about!"

Even with her Divinity sealed, Black Percher was so used to speaking the truth that she didn't consider lying. Instead, she was doing everything in her power to avoid answering Vahn's questions. If he knew the truth, that she would delight in every moment of his suffering, she had no doubt he would return the favor in excess.

Seeing through the panicking Demoness's thoughts, Vahn had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he used his Godhand and Hands of Nirvana to purify the amalgamation of negative energy encompassing and polluting her Divine Core. He was unable to change her nature as a Divine Spirit of Vengenace, but he could easily purify the negative energies contained in the 80 million Spirits comprising her. He had done something similar with Weiss, and she had well over a billion...

Feeling a warm and fuzzy sensation permeating her body, Black Percher gradually ceased her struggles. She had no clue what Vahn was doing, but, whatever it was, it wasn't painful. In fact, it was feeling better with each passing moment. As outlandish as it sounded, it evoked the distant memory of the time when she would rest her head against her mother's lap, the warm rays of the Sun beating down on her as a cool breeze blew over the meadow where they frequently picnicked...

In a markedly calmer voice than before, Black Percher listlessly inquired, "What are you...doing to me...?"

Retracting his hand from Black Percher's body, Vahn's smile softened as he replied, "I'm fulfilling the sincerest desire you and the eighty million Spirits within you have harbored these past seven centuries. I'm healing you..."

Despite the indescribably pleasant feelings permeating her body, Black Percher managed a severe pout as she softly complained, "You have no right..."

Without missing a beat, Vahn ruffled the petite Demoness's purple hair as he retorted, "I have about as much as your right to infect others..."

Unable to avoid Vahn's palm, Black Percher's pout amplified as she tried, in vain, to snap at him with her small but prominent fangs. With her horn-like hair accessory vaguely resembling the ears of a cat, she gave off the impression of a stray yet declawed kitten. She was very, very aggressive, but ultimately harmless...

...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The bad guy, moments before their defeat: "You cannot hope to defeat me!"','Black Percher's behavior reminds me of that 'very angry frog' meme...','Now she is going to be running around like Eula, screaming, "Vengeance!" without any genuine animosity xD...')