Chapter 1317: Invade
As much as he would like to simply deal with the Holy Church personally, Vahn's recent 'reminder' from Scáthach ultimately delayed his progress. He had originally come with the intention to clarify matters with the organization so, now that negotiations had broken down, venturing any further was ill-advised. Though there wasn't much danger, especially with Alaya at his side, there was no way of knowing the full breadth of the Holy Church's capabilities. There was also the fact that, after the last fiasco, Artoria, Luvia, and Rin had all lectured him for a considerably long period of time...
Believing this was a good opportunity for the others to get some training in, Vahn focused his mind, messaging Scáthach his intent so that she could teleport everyone over. He could use Alaya and the Unit Management function to achieve the same effect but, with a free alternative, Vahn wasn't going to expend resources unnecessarily. Fortunately, as he had made his intentions known prior to leaving Avalon, everyone was already gathered together as they fully expected 'something' to go wrong. It was very rare that Vahn went anywhere without causing trouble so they would have been surprised if this was the exception.
After setting an anchor point, Vahn waited for a few minutes as Scáthach, Okita, Jeanne, Kenshin, and Karna transferred over. At the same time, a mass teleportation occurred within the Vatican City itself as Gawain, heading a small army of three-hundred Homunculi, appeared alongside Galahad, Gareth, Sol, Boudica, Lakshmibai, and, refusing to stay behind this time around, Nobunaga. Her blood had been 'boiling' ever since the chaos began so, while the chance of anything happening was slim, she wasn't going to just stay home babysitting...
With the outside secured by Gawain's forces, Vahn looked over what could be considered his most powerful forces, explaining, "Scáthach and Kenshin will focus on recovering documents and artifacts. Jeanne, you will accompany Karna to identify whether or not the opponent is someone worth saving. Unless the situation calls for it, try to hold back as I'd rather avoid destroying this place. Okita, you'll be following me to the inner sanctum. Any questions...?"
Having missed out on both the tournament and the start of conflict against the Mage's Association, Karna was admittedly a little eager for the chance to test his skills. He had tried finding capable foes in his travels but, compared to when he was alive, the world had degraded to the extent that even the most influential families within the regions he visited were extremely weak. The Holy Chuch was one of the most powerful forces in the entire world so, when Vahn asked if there were any questions, Karna immediately responded by asking, "Are there any strong foes remaining? If so, I would like to battle against them."
Understanding Karna's desire for a worthy opponent, Vahn smiled wryly in response before saying, "They should have something called the Burial Agency. This woman here seems to be one of their primary members but I can sense that there are at least three people stronger than her. Here, this will help guide you toward them..."
Without him even needing to communicate his intentions, Alaya already knew what Vahn was going to ask from her so she immediately activated the Strings of Fate, tying together Karna and his rather unfortunate opponents. This caused the man's sun-like eyes to blaze with fervor but, before parting, he kneeled low alongside Jeanne before they both ventured into the underground sub-structure.
Not wanting to dally too much himself, Vahn called Gareth over to retrieve the silver-haired woman before he and Okita ventured forth, their destination the lowest levels of the labyrinthine structure. As for Scáthach and Kenshin, they had already vanished shortly after Karna and Jeanne set out, their destination a series of vaults hidden away inside of a massive library. Scáthach's [Wisdom of the Haunted Ground] would allow her to identify what was worth keeping while Kenshin was there as a mercy to anyone they encountered along the way...
---
As he had already teleported everyone with a diminutive amount of Od using his authority as the Bounded Field's owner, the only people remaining inside were relatively powerful members of the Holy Church. Even then, there was little they could do to even slow Vahn's progress as their attempts to collapse the tunnels with explosives meant very little when he could just reshape them using earth elemental manipulation. As for those that appeared directly, Okita moved faster than even he could perceive, cutting down anyone with hostile intentions in an instant.
Though he didn't pity them in the slightest, Vahn always felt an incongruous emotion whenever he went through this phase of his plans. Nearly every time he invaded a stronghold directly, there was such a massive power disparity that it felt extremely anticlimactic. This was undoubtedly beneficial to his interests but, compared to how exciting his past battles were, he couldn't help but feel 'parched'. Part of him wished there was more of a challenge, even though he knew any real challenge would be a major threat to his Empire and the people he cared about...
With Okita making short work of every enemy that appeared, it wasn't long before she and Vahn stepped into a large chamber. It was structured like a circular altar with a diameter of fifty meters while, at the very center, a massive humanoid figure could be seen. Though it was undoubtedly genderless, it had an appearance similar to a female yet, instead of flesh, muscles, and bone, it was comprised of metal, stone, and mechanisms that gave it a distinctly 'clockwork' kind of feel.
Seeing the ten-meter tall figure, complete with rail guns and some kind of anti-gravity boosters on its feet, Vahn was briefly reminded of Ina and Sophia. He could imagine them building something similar on a complete whim, a thought that made him wonder what kind of person its creator was.
Unfortunately, with its lens-like eyes glowing with a malicious red light, combined with the fact it aimed its railguns toward him, Vahn didn't have the luxury of admiring its craftsmanship. Okita had moved like a phantom, her 220cm long katana flickering with a crimson hue that inspired fear in any who bore witness to it. Using it, she could literally kill even concepts so, before the automaton could fire off a single shot, it was split into roughly twenty distinct pieces. Even the bomb in its chest was completely obliterated, the destructive force contained within simply erased from existence due to Okita's inability to hold back...
Without even flinching, despite having defeated a giant robot, Okita resheathed her katana before turning back and waiting patiently for her Master to catch up. Vahn had his usual smile on his face and, knowing she expected it, he gave her head a light pat, saying, "Good job..." for what felt like the hundredth time in the last few minutes. This caused the ahoge on Okita's head to waggle slightly, despite her facial expression never changing in the slightest. As for Vahn, he was doing his best not to allow a wry smile to spread across his face as part of him regretted choosing Okita as his escort.
---
Unlike Vahn, Karna was enjoying himself more than a little as his destination was the heart of the Burial Agency. This was the birthplace of the Eighth Holy Sacrament, the best-kept secret of the Roman Catholic Church who publically only made the first Seven Sacraments known. These were Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders, and the Anointing of the Sick. As for the Eighth Sacrament, it was known as the Necessary Evil and, unlike the rest of the church, its members were indoctrinated in Exorcism and Magecraft. They were a group that used any means available to them, oftentimes committing unspeakably heinous acts in order to ensure that the church never lost power.
Now, Karna was dancing through a tempest of gunfire as he used his spear to easily deflect bullets. He would normally be able to dodge them with ease but, due to the enchantments placed on them, combined with their anti-divine properties, he was forced to deal with them directly as they seemed to ignore causality if overlooked. It was as if they carried the concept of a 'miracle' so, rather than look down on them, he opted to meet the bullets head-on as it didn't take much effort to deflect them. As for Jeanne, she was largely immune to their effects so she just followed behind while using a large kite shield to periodically intercept any stray rounds that came her way.
In this manner, Karna had cut down more than a hundred Executors of the Burial Agency until he finally encountered his second worthwhile foe, this time in the form of a woman with short blue hair and a toned body covered in various tattoos and scars. She had an eyepatch over her left eye but, despite what this would indicate, Karna could sense 'something' underneath staring back at him. It was enough to make the hair on the back of his neck stand on end so, while his expression remained stoic and unflustered, his heart began pumping as he brandished his spear and stated, "I am Karna, Son of the Sun God, Spear of the Aldnrari Empire! State your name, worthy one...!"
With a serious expression on her face, the blue-haired woman glared between Karna and Jeanne as she stated in a cold tone, "I have no name to give to a group of terrorists. Come, let's get this over with..."
As she spoke, the woman lifted up what appeared to be a massive pile-bunker in the shape of a modified bayonet. It was nearly as long as she was tall and, despite seeming almost completely solid, she was able to lift it with considerable ease. This caused Karna to squint his eyes, not because the feat itself was impressive but due to the fact that, much like her eyepatch, the weapon in the woman's hands gave him a dangerous feeling. His instincts told him that a direct hit from it would spell disaster but, with his A-Rank speed, it shouldn't pose much of a threat.
Despite this, Karna wasn't the type to take unnecessary risks so, rather than charge the woman head-on, the pauldrons on his shoulders flared as his wispy red mantle ignited in scarlet flames. The same flames appeared on his spear and, in an instant, the surrounding temperature shot up to more than 15,000 degrees, air displaced and stone melting immediately thereafter. This caused a backdraft to occur, kicking up tempestuous winds that would turn a normal person to ashes in an instant.
Proving that she was anything but a normal woman, the blue-haired member of the Burial Agency clenched her teeth as she lunged into the wall of flames without any hesitation. Most of her robes burnt to ashes in an instant but, apparently accustomed to such attacks, she had undergarments not all that dissimilar to the [Aegis] underneath. They looked like simple underwear at a glance but, to those with the ability to discern their true nature, hundreds of minute runes could be seen glowing on the surface.
As even more evidence of her abnormality, the woman's flesh began to burn and char black as her hair, which had already been short, burnt away in an instant. Despite this, it was growing back and healing at nearly the exact same rate so, while it would have been more than enough to kill others, she was able to reach Karna in an instant, the piledriver in her hands causing a shockwave that easily dispersed the flames as its black stake drove towards the invulnerable Demigod's chest.
Always trusting his instincts, Karna evaded the attack without much difficulty as his spear cut from the woman's left thigh to her shoulder in a single swift strike. Even this wasn't enough to take her out, however, she she just released a loud battle cry before angling the pile bunker in his direction, this time pulling a secondary trigger on the right side.
Understanding the woman's intentions, Karna didn't completely evade the second strike. Rather, he was aware of the fact that Jeanne was in the line of fire and, while she may be able to evade it on her own, Karna wasn't the type to let others get caught up in his battles. Thus, to keep the momentum in his favor, he attempted to deflect the black rod that, upon contact with his spear, radiated a golden light. At the same time, several layers of what appeared to be pages exploded outward but, due to his flames, they burned away almost immediately.
Without understanding the purpose of the pages, Karna shifted his focus back to the blue-haired woman, noticing the surprise visible on her face. Due to his previous strike, however, the band on her chest had been cleaved through so, while not completely naked, she only had panties and some kind of stocking-type boots. This made Karna feel a little awkward but, as he wasn't the type to look down on his opponent in the middle of a battle, he kept his composure as he brandished his spear, this time attempting to cut the woman's left arm off to see if she could regenerate complete limbs...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn fears Shishou's 'lecture'...','In before Vahn starts wearing bells in his hair and sealing away his power to give other people a chance...','The Invulnerable vs The Immortal')
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Chapter 1318: Parallels
With Okita at his side, it wasn't long before Vahn found himself at the entrance of a palatial church several hundred meters between the earth's surface. The artistry that went into its construction was on the same level as St. Peter's Basilica upon first glance but, if you were to look closer, the figures of angels, saints, and historical religious figures had been replaced with demons, devils, and bloodied human figures experiencing various forms of torture...
After 'admiring' the macabre sight for a few moments, Vahn turned his attention to the entrance as he said, "Okita, I'll take point from this moment onward. Make sure to stay on your toes, though."
Hearing her Master's command, Okita simply took a few steps back until she was standing behind him, no words necessary. Vahn smiled wryly in response to this before walking up the marble stairs, passing under a group of thirteen demonic figures that seemed to be looking down at him. There was a thin spatial membrane than isolated the interior of the church from the outside but it did little to stop Vahn's progress.
Soon enough, Vahn found himself inside the church's nave, the central area that extended from the entrance to the chancel, a massive altar with a ten-meter tall crucifix positioned behind it. There, a young boy with raven black hair, lightless purple eyes, and an emotionless smile was seated with a ragged-looking golden-haired woman in the grip of his left hand. He seemed to be missing the left extremity but, as that wasn't an important factor in the present moment, Vahn's eyes hardened as he stepped unhesitantly toward the peculiar duo.
Perhaps due to surprise or amusement, the raven-haired youth raised his brow slightly as he cradled the woman's head in his hand, saying, "I never expected that you would be able to deal such a blow to the Church. You possess a truly inordinate amount of power..tell me, what compelled you to reach such extremes...?"
Rather than answer the youth's question, Vahn's eyes began to radiate divine light as he sternly commanded, "Let her go."
Blinking in surprise, the youth proceeded to tilt his head to the side, asking, "Did you not come here to kill this woman? Oh, perhaps you wished to make her one of your pets...? I see, I may have acted a little hastily then...how unfortunate."
As soon as he finished speaking, the raven-haired youth released the golden-haired woman from his grasp and, before Vahn's eyes, her body rapidly decaying as she convulsed in pain. Before she could die, however, she vanished in motes of white light, surprising the raven-haired youth. He didn't have time to ruminate over what had happened, however, as Vahn appeared right in front of him, the void tearing behind him due to the speed of his movement.
For a brief moment, the youth's eyes turned crimson red as he lifted his left hand, the tattoo on the back glowing with a vibrant light before it was snuffed out almost instantly by the force of Vahn's blow. He didn't appreciate people toying with the lives of others and, even without having to discuss the youth's intentions, Vahn knew he had likely tormented the woman in the hopes of getting on his good side. Fortunately, she had a relatively pure aura so, the moment her death had become certain, she was teleported to a world where she would be able to live freely, the Throne of Heroes undoing whatever the youth had done to torment her...
By the time the youth realized what was happening, most of the bones and organs in his torso had been completely crushed by Vahn's palm strike. He had been sent crashing into the surprisingly hard crucifix behind the altar, his body leaving a thick trail of blood as he slouched to the ground.
Despite the severity of his injuries, the youth never lost the smile on his face. Rather, he seemed even more amused by the development, using his left hand to pick at the bits of gore now marring his formerly white robe. He showed no signs of discomfort whatsoever and, as if he didn't require air to produce sound, the youth looked back at Vahn, musing, "You are quick to anger...though, I suppose that should have been obvious considering your past reactions...?"
Once again electing not to humor the youth, Vahn largely ignored his prattling and instead used his [Enkidu] to entangle his rapidly regenerating body. This caused the process to stop, surprising the youth once again as he tried to wriggle his way out for a few moments before ultimately giving up and asking, "Is this really necessary? I'm not even trying to fight back. Rather, I was never a true ally of the church. My only interests are freedom, animals, treasures, and humanity...will you fault me for being a victim of the church's machinations...?"
Now that he had bound the raven-haired youth, Vahn finally decided to respond, albeit after picking him up by the collar of his robe and asking, "Who and what are you? You are not human...no, you are something closer to a Counter Guardian...?"
Seemingly without minding the fact he was being dangled in the air, the youth responded with a simple shake of the head before explaining, "I am Merem Solomon, a Dead Apostle Ancestor and what some label a Planet Terminal. Most refer to my kind as Daemons, creatures given form by the wishes and desires of humanity, our sole purpose to fulfill the hopes and dreams of others. If not for a chance encounter, I would still be locked away within a room without arms and legs, destined to live my entire life at the whims of humans~."
Though he hadn't particularly cared about what response Merem might give, Vahn's brows twitched slightly when he heard the latter half of his statement. He knew better than most just how terrifying such a life was and, based on Merem's aura, he could tell the latter wasn't evil. Rather, it seemed as if he was 'detached' from the world entirely and, much like Jeanne and Okita, a presence similar to the Counter Force flowed through his body.
Releasing Merem from his grip, though not releasing him from [Enkidu], Vahn turned to Alaya and asked, "What exactly is this person? Is he truly a Daemon...?"
Without any pause for thought, Alaya immediately replied, answering, "He is as he claims to be, a Planet Terminal. His purpose is to give form to beings that have been abandoned by humanity, a natural balancing factor of the World to prevent the loss of Mystery. This one seems to have been corrupted by an Alien Factor, however, so it has obtained a will of its own."
Hearing Alaya's response, Vahn felt as if his thought process began to dull slightly as, in many ways, Merem was exactly the type of entity he had sworn to protect. Not only that, Merem's existence was a direct parallel to his own and, much like the raven-haired youth, he would have been powerless if not for the intervention of a far more powerful entity. The only real difference between them was the path they walked after obtaining their freedom. He could tell that Merem had a somewhat sadistic nature and, based on the purity of his aura, it was easy to deduce that he simply didn't comprehend that his actions were 'wrong'...
Vahn could only imagine what kind of life Merem must have lived to have developed this kind of personality. For the time being, however, he elected not to kill the raven-haired youth as it would leave a bad taste in his mouth. Rather, the boy seemed to possess a very high degree of immortality so, while he had undoubtedly committed heinous deeds in the past, there was a functionally infinite amount of time to correct his course.
After sorting his thoughts, Vahn squat down so that he was eye-level with Merem, asking, "What is it that you desire from life? Why is your reason for existing...?"
For several seconds, Merem seemed to contemplate Vahn's words, the smile on his face remaining the same emotionless mask as he finally answered, "My only desire is to live freely, unbound by the expectations and desires of others. As for my reason for existing...I give meaning to my existence by living purposefully. If I were forced to choose something, I would say my purpose is to destroy that foul woman who has tainted the legacy of my idol...that, and perhaps, making sure the Princess is able to live happily...?"
With Merem essentially saying his dream is the same as his own, Vahn actually felt a little annoyed. It was painfully obvious that Merem had made a lot of mistakes but, just as he had purported to others time and again, he knew it was only a matter of time before he made his own. However, no matter how things developed, Vahn promised he would never stop trying to make the world a better place, even if he must fail a thousand times in the process.
Fearing that he would become a hypocrite if he denied Merem a similar opportunity, Vahn loosened [Enkidu] as he sternly stated, "I will assign something to watch over you. From this moment onward, you can live as you please. However, if you continue to commit acts of cruelty, do not blame me for showing up to eliminate you. This is the last opportunity I will give you...do not make me regret my decision to show you mercy, Merem Solomon..."
Without [Enkidu] binding him, Merem's body rapidly recovered until he returned to his pristine and youthful figure. His height was only 143cm tall so, despite being well over a thousand years old, he had the appearance of someone between the ages of ten and thirteen. The only thing that ruined the image was the eerie smile on his face but, seemingly taking Vahn's words to heart, Merem gave a small nod before saying, "I would have hoped to ally with the Empire. It seems you are not in need of my power, however, so I will do as you suggest. Worry not, as I'm actually quite fond of humans. If it displeases you so, I vow to never harm another human unless my own life is endangered by my inaction. This should be acceptable, yes...?"
As the terms mentioned by Merem were similar to what he had in mind, Vahn gave a curt nod in response, adding, "Citizens and affiliates of the Empire are assigned Companions. My only mandate is that you take yours around with you, protecting it from harm. Should you conceal yourself inside a Bounded Field or harm the Companion in any way, I will consider it an announcement of malicious intent. Other than that, you are generally free to live as you please...the world is going through great changes at the moment so you'll have to exercise a bit of caution in the interim."
Rather than show any signs of frustration, Merem actually seemed pleased by Vahn's words. He was one of the primary members of the Burial Agency, representing the Fifth Seat, so he knew quite a bit about the peculiar creatures seen around those associated with the Empire. Since he was quite fond of animals, especially those with unique appearances, he had no problem with accepting one as his traveling companion. His best friend was actually a giant rat that had the ability to transform into the appearance of any human it had ever seen so having an adorable humanoid Companion was a boon in and of itself...
---
Though it couldn't exactly be stated that he and Merem were on good terms just yet, the latter went out of his way to expose the secrets of the Holy Church while simultaneously acting as a guide. This made progress through the underground tunnels much faster and, rather than have to figure out the nature of every prisoner he encountered, Vahn could rely on a brief explanation from Merem. The Burial Agency had only existed since the twelfth century so Merem knew virtually everything about it just by virtue of how long he had been a part of it. This would have caused his 'allies' to puke blood but, considering most of them would be dead by the end of the day, it ultimately didn't matter that he had 'betrayed' them...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP unnamed Pontiff-chan...','Seriously, how can Vahn and Merem have so much in common!?','Burying the Burial Agency...')
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Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
285 Power
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