Chapter 1842: Shadows
Immediately following Vahn's taunt, the masked man, Reflejo, erupted like a shadowy volcano. This caused a tremendous amount of highly corrosive Shinsu to spread through the area, but, before it was able to reach anyone, it began to roll upwards as if it had hit the interior of an invisible bubble.
Noticing the strange phenomenon, Reflejo began to increase the output of his shadowy Shinsu as he exclaimed, "You think you can keep me contained!? This is the power my Lord, Master Poken has granted me! In this form, even a B-Rank Regular wouldn't be able to defend themselves against my attacks...!"
Following the outburst, Reflejo charged forward with a double-bladed crimson scythe, slicing at the invisible membrane with enough force to generate blades of intense crimson light. To his surprise, however, there was absolutely no resistance in the area in which his scythe struck. Only the Shinsu that was being discharged from his body seemed to be contained, both confounding and terrifying the masked man.
Alleviating some of the man's confusion, Vahn casually remarked, "There is a functionally unlimited amount of Shinsu in the environment. Only a fool with terrible control would consume their internal Shinsu in order to release an external attack. You have become too reliant on a power that has been bestowed upon you. Tell me, have you ever even fought against a B-Rank Regular? Even if you have, does that automatically make you strong? There are plenty of actual Rankers who aren't even that powerful, yet you believe it is some kind of accomplishment to use someone else's power to rival a B-Rank Regular...?"
Unable to control his emotions, Reflejo continued producing shadow Shinsu from his body, quickly filling the confines of his bubble prison. He had tried to move beyond the unseen threshold, but, as his body had long since been consumed by the power his Master had granted him, doing so caused him extreme pain. He required a special metallic armor just to prevent his body from dispersing, so, unless he could figure out how Vahn was keeping him contained, it was impossible for him to move beyond the invisible boundary.
Seeing his self-created 'Reverse Flow Control Barrier' become filled to the brim with Reflejo's inky black Shinsu, Vahn couldn't help but cock his head to the side as he asked, "Can you seriously not break free? All you have to do is stop arbitrarily burning your internal reserves. I know that armor of yours has the function of sealing the power that has been granted to you. Are you so far gone that you can't even think about using your own power to fight...?"
Though he was currently sealed within a black bubble of Shinsu, Reflejo was still able to hear Vahn's words without any issues. As a result, his expression darkened beneath his mask as he attempted to reabsorb his expelled Shinsu back into his body. This process took several minutes, and, by the time it had completed, all of the Regulars he had prepared for the Workshop Battle were nowhere to be seen.
Answering the man's unasked question, Vahn explained, "Though I don't mind showing off every now and again, I'm not particularly fond of audiences. Now, let's try this again. Just know that, if you try to use that borrowed power of yours, things won't end well for you. I know all your tricks, including that little self-destruction tactic you keep in reserve. If you genuinely consider suicide a viable tactic, what is the point of having persisted these six-hundred years? I mean, really...you are so consumed by revenge that you would willingly walk the path of evil, yet, even after all this time, you continue to idle around in the lower floors just because someone told you to..."
With his internal Shinsu no longer leaking out, Reflejo was able to charge forward unabated, his voice trembling with fury as he shouted, "Stop speaking as if you know everything! You are just an outsider! You have no right to speak down to us, the people who have suffered at the hands of the Ten Great Families...!"
Adopting what could best be described as an incredulous deadpan, Vahn stepped inward just as Reflejo attempted to sweep with his scythe. This allowed him to easily disrupt the man's attack, his left hand arresting the momentum of the malicious-looking weapon as his right palm impacted the armored plating covering the man's chest.
As if he had been impacted by a freight train, Reflejo's weapon was ripped from his hands as his body impacted the far wall of the facility, crashing through it. This caused a large amount of rubble to cover his body, but, thanks to his armor, he was largely unaffected. As for Vahn, he was currently eyeing up the peculiar scythe, curious how anyone could justify using such a weapon when swords and other flat-bladed weapons were considered impractical.
Deciding that it didn't really matter, Vahn shook his head before shouldering the peculiar scythe and saying, "That strike was about the level of a B-Rank Regular. Without that armor of yours, you would have suffered severe injuries from such an attack. Do you still believe you're as strong as a B-Rank Regular...?"
Crawling from the rubble without any discernible difficulty, Reflejo stared back at Vahn with a fierce glower hidden behind his mask. He now understood why Irregulars were considered such monsters, as, even with the power conferred to him by his Master, an incomprehensibly powerful High Ranker, he was still being played with. This only served to enrage him even further, as, from his perspective, someone like Vahn didn't deserve to possess such power...
With his anger reaching levels beyond his control, wispy black shadows began to, once again, leak from Reflejo's body. This earned him a disapproving head shake from Vahn, who, noticing that the number of qualified Regulars was quickly approaching 248, decided to wrap things up. He actually wanted to offer the man a chance at redemption, but, with the Law of Identity revealing the man's innermost thoughts, Vahn knew he was far too gone for that.
Having made up his mind, Vahn brandished the scythe with a finesse that could rival a master, but, before he was able to use it to attack, brackish flames erupted from his body, thoroughly devouring the peculiar weapon as Laev-tan forcibly manifested herself. This elicited a light chuckle from Vahn, who, understanding how temperamental his Zanpakuto could be, grabbed her hilt and mused, "You are, and always will be, my favorite weapon..."
Though she emanated a discontented hum in response, Vahn could sense that his words had been effective in pacifying Laev-tan's fury. Her flames always became a richer crimson hue whenever she was in a good mood, so, even though she seemed to be pouting, he knew she had already forgiven him...
Seeing the weapon that had seemingly emerged from within Vahn's body, Reflejo felt a sudden chill run through his own. He had a distinct impression that Vahn's power had suddenly skyrocketed, his aura becoming comparable to the terrifying presence of his own Master, a High Ranker. This wasn't an exaggeration either, as, the moment Laev-tan released herself from his body, Vahn's power had increased by a factor of ten. This placed him at the same level as weaker High Rankers, his reserves temporarily increasing to nearly fifty million at the expense of a heavy strain on his mind, body, and spirit.
Though he felt it was more than a little overkill, Vahn pointed Laev-tan towards the stunned Reflejo, his expression turning serious as he said, "I pray that you'll find peace in the next world..."
Breaking free from his stupor at the sound of Vahn's words, Reflejo was about to say something in response. Long before this intention could be actualized, however, a sphere of flames, seemingly appearing from the void, enveloped his entire body. To his surprise, he felt neither heat nor pain, as, the moment the flames appeared, everything, including his Ego and the armor protecting his body, were instantaneously vaporized...
Shaking his head in mild exasperation, Vahn stared down at Laev-tan with a wry smile on his face as he remarked, "As always, you are simply amazing..."
Pleased by Vahn's words, Laev-tan released a cheerful hum, blade vibrating contentedly even as she returned to his body. This caused Vahn to feel a ticklish sensation at the core of his being, forcing a chuckle from his throat in spite of the fact that his Pocket had just informed him that he had been disqualified from the Workshop Battle.
Since killing your opponent was a violation of the rules, Vahn wasn't particularly surprised. Rather, he had already expected something like this to happen, so, before the battle even began, he sent Arusha ahead of him using one of the many Light Bullets he had pilfered. If he wanted to, he could easily sneak onboard the Archimedes or simply teleport to her location once she had reached the tournament island. This would place her in unnecessary danger, however, so, under the direction of the Law of Identity, he quickly made his way to a location near the outskirts of Sepia Island.
Generally speaking, the only way for a disqualified contestant to advance to the next round was to be shot with a Light Bullet by one of the teammates. Were he a 'normal' contestant, Vahn would be in quite the pickle now that he had sent his only teammate ahead. Fortunately, he was anything but normal, so, while it would be exceptionally difficult for others, it didn't take him long to track down the tiny pink fairy-like object known as 'Bong Bong'. Then, with a single well-placed shot, he earned himself both the item and VIP passage onto the Archimedes...
---
Sensing his connection with Reflejo severed, an inordinately tall man that seemed to be comprised entirely of shadows squinted his ghostly eyes in dissatisfaction as he remarked, "Useless till the very end...even with everything set up for you to succeed, you still managed to fail....haaaaa..."
Feeling a tremendous amount of exasperation, the shadowy man rubbed his head for several seconds before pulling out a Pocket covered in red runes. This allowed him to communicate with similar Pockets virtually anywhere in the Tower, so, after collecting himself, the man sent a call to his own Master. Then, once the call had connected, he promptly lowered himself to the ground, his voice gaining a highly reverential undertone as he said, "Reflejo has been killed..."
Though it was very subtle, the sound of a sigh could be heard from the other end of the call before a very deep yet ghostly voice asked, "Am I to assume that your scheme to secure all the positions in the Workshop Battle also ended in failure...?"
Without trying to lay the blame on others, the shadowy figure pressed his head to the ground as he said, "I underestimated the Irregular known as Vahn Aldrnari Mason. It seems that the report of that traitorous Guide was not false. Though I am unwilling to believe it is some form of omnipotence, he clearly possesses the ability to peer into the minds of others. He also seems to possess an unknown ignition weapon, one with the ability to incinerate souls..."
This time around, there was a full three minutes of silence from the other end of the call before the voice asked, "Was it the Thorn...?"
Since he had only gotten a brief glimpse of Laev-tan's form, the shadowy figure didn't have enough information to answer his Master's question with surety. As a result, he continued pressing his head to the ground as he answered, "I cannot say. All I know for certain is that it isn't an ordinary ignition weapon. It might even be stronger than the Thirteen Month Series..."
With the Thirteen Month Series being among the most powerful weapons in the Tower, capable of 'ignoring' the restrictions placed upon other items, any weapon even remotely comparable to them was remarkably powerful. This made the man on the opposite end of the call believe that Vahn had, somehow, found a way to infuse the power of the Thorn into another weapon. If that was the case, they needed to do everything in their power to obtain that weapon as it might very well be the key to defeating Jahad. With this in mind, he commanded his servant to rise, his voice becoming even deeper as he said, "Hear my order..."
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Oh no! Not a B-Rank Regular...!','Laev-tan won't tolerate cheating...!','I kind of feel bad for Vahn's enemies xD...')
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Chapter 1843: Guiding Hand
Though it allowed its user to both fly and teleport, Vahn ended up gifting the Bong Bong to Arusha. He was perfectly capable of performing both functions without the aid of an item, so, with the Bong Bong manifesting as a pair of pink fairy wings, he couldn't shake the impression it was better suited for a woman's use.
Not expecting to receive a B-Rank item as a gift, Arusha fallen silent for several minutes following their return to his VIP suite. Then, despite being moderately submissive during all of their previous romantic rendezvous, she suddenly became 'very' proactive. It seemed that the members of the Lo Po Bia Family regarded gifts and favor in higher esteem than most, so, while there were no actual misunderstandings, she felt 'compelled' to work harder after receiving such a blessing.
Vahn had never been the type to expect his women to remunerate him for actions he performed as a matter of course, but, as it was always more fun when both partners were enjoying themselves, he didn't prevent Arusha from expressing her 'gratitude'. After all, he was just as blameworthy as many of his women when it came to handing out rewards, so, rather than make a big deal out of nothing, he decided to, quite literally, just enjoy the ride...
---
As a vessel designed almost exclusively for use as a Cruise Ship, the Archimedes was equipped with a number of facilities that even exceeded the accommodations of most Rankers. There were even a number of shops that were fully stocked by the Workshop, shops which, unlike those back in Sepia Harbor, had no restrictions. The only thing that mattered was that you had enough Points to spend, so, if you had somehow managed to accumulate billions of the coveted currency, there were even A-Rank defensive items available for purchase. As for weapons, anything above B-Rank was highly regulated by the Jahad Empire, so, unless you had obtained one during a conquest or as the result of a challenge, they were nearly impossible to obtain.
With the ability to produce comparable items without too much difficulty, Vahn wasn't particularly interested in the items being peddled by the Workshop. They wouldn't just allow him to analyze the items at his leisure, so, with only a few million Points to his name, he spent most of his time aboard the Archimedes at the pool or lounging within his suite. There was an entire waterpark inside of the city-sized craft, so, with more than a week until the second round of the Workshop Battle was set to begin, he decided to spend it observing and analyzing the tens-of-thousands of Regulars who had purchased passage onto the massive cruiser.
Fortunately, while he had earned a fair amount of attention from both solicitors and the paparazzi, they were less insistent than he had imagined. There seemed to be a rule against badgering people who were trying to relax onboard the Archimedes, so, after refusing them once, journalists from the same organization stopped bothering him. This was quite the surprise as, even in his Realm, people who purported themselves as 'advocates of the truth' could be 'very' insistent.
By the eve of the second day, Vahn's relaxation was only ever disturbed by teams seeking to recruit him or women seeking a momentary escape from the stresses of climbing the Tower. When it came to the former, Vahn didn't even need to consider his answer before politely refusing them. When it came to the later, however, he ultimately ended up accepting quite a number of their invitations. It had always been difficult for him to ignore people who were in pain, so, even if it was just for a few hours, he didn't mind listening to their stories and helping treat some of their mental scars before returning them safely to their original teams.
Though it wasn't really the reputation he was trying to build, these actions earned Vahn quite a bit of 'appreciation' from members of the opposite sex. Rumors could spread quickly even in a large city, so, with everyone confined to the same ship, it wasn't long before his name became common among intertwining information networks. This basically forced him to act as both a confidant and a therapist to numerous women, but, as this was par for the course when it came to his life, he didn't mind becoming their emotional anchor for a short period of time. As for the men who begrudged him for his actions, they ultimately had nothing but their sensitivities and personal expectations to blame...
---
Finished with yet another massage, Vahn used a clean towel to wipe away the oil from his hands before gently caressing the head of the white-haired Gynoid lying on the table. His skills weren't limited to beings of flesh and blood, so, even though she perceived pleasure and satisfaction in a fundamentally different way than wholly biological lifeform, it only took him a few minutes to both map out and master the unique beauty's weak points.
Feeling a sensation similar to a rush of caffeine or a small dose of adrenaline, the woman lying atop the table quickly blinked into awareness, her expression briefly showing confusion until she saw the figure of the man she had been conversing with several hours prior. After that, all the memories of their time together came surging back, and, though blood hadn't pumped through her veins in a very long time, the artificial chromatophores in her cheeks allowed her to emulate a blush as she averted her eyes and remarked, "It seems the rumors of your skills weren't exaggerated..."
Chuckling in response to the woman's remark, Vahn passed her a bathrobe to help cover her nudity as he casually replied, "I won't deny that I have a penchant for showing off, especially in front of a beautiful woman. Despite that, none who have known me personally have ever referred to me as a braggart. I'm just 'very' capable."
Punctuating his words with a playful wink, Vahn left the woman to ruminate for a few minutes as he retrieved her clothes from the wash. She had an important decision to consider so he didn't want to put her under even more pressure by just standing around. He knew what kind of effect he had on people, especially those who had experienced his 'attentiveness', so this was the least he could do to respect her autonomy. He had already deactivated the tracker within her body, so, regardless of what she chose, her future would be, at the very least, a little brighter...
Carrying back a pair of form-fitting shorts, a skintight top, and a rather stylish jacket, Vahn wasn't particularly surprised to find that the peculiar beauty was still naked. She had been lost in thought as she sat atop the table, her ruby-red ocular lenses flickering with light as she attempted to weight the positives and negatives of the choice he had presented to her. This, combined with the fact that she had no actual aversion to being seen naked by him, resulted in her simply sitting in silence until his return.
Coming back to her senses in response to his arrival, the woman showed a considerable amount of apprehension as she muttered, "Though I greatly desire for my body to be remade flesh, I still have many things I wish to accomplish. Prior to the procedure that turned me into this...thing...I was little more than a sickly girl who placed a heavy burden on her family and friends. With this body, I now have the power to fight and make my dreams come true...though it might sound hypocritical after all my prior complaining, I realized long ago that the weak are fated to suffer at the whims of those who hold power. Even if I am ultimately nothing more than someone's experiment, I never want to go back to being the same helpless girl as before..."
Suppressing a sigh, Vahn had to forcibly combat the urge to reveal everything he knew about both her and the people who had turned her into a Gynoid. She was just being used by one of the more errant members of the Workshop to test a number of different experimental technologies. Though she possessed a considerable amount of power compared to the average Regular, her current form also prevented her from growing stronger. As a result, she would have little choice but to undergo several other procedures as she climbed higher up the Tower. If she proved incapable or unwilling to abide by their demands, the only fate that awaited her was being 'recycled' for parts...
Unfortunately, regardless of the truth contained within words, that didn't make people willing to believe them. The most natural response was to adamantly refute inconvenient truths, as, without some form of direction in their lives, the average person would simply feel lost before ultimately giving in to despair once they had confirmed the truth for themselves. From there, very few were ever able to recover, so, after several seconds of tense silence, Vahn's casual expression gave way to a far more serious one as he said, "Even if it is only temporary, I want you to join my team. Allow me to show you a better way, one that doesn't require so many sacrifices..."
Since she was well aware of the fact that Vahn had refused a number of pleas to join his team, the biomechanical woman couldn't help but show considerable confusion as she asked, "You want me to join your team? Why would you extend that offer to someone...'something' like me? With your looks and capabilities, there are surely countless women who would happily accept such an offer..."
Understanding that a detailed explanation would actually make things more difficult, Vahn ignored the woman's self-deprecation as he approached the table. This caused her to recoil slightly, but, as he gently guided her to look back at him, most of the anxiety and apprehension in her countenance quickly gave way for a ruddy and embarrassed look. Then, once she had finally turned her eyes up to meet his gaze, he simply stated, "Everyone has the right to make their own choices. I know that, if you were to leave here without me having done my best to help you, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Though it might be selfish of me to put you on the spot like this, I would never be able to forgive myself if I didn't at least try..."
Though it was inarguably manipulative of him, Vahn had moved his hand to gently caress the side of the woman's face during his speech. He even went as far as to trace his finger along the back of her elf-like ear, exacerbating the blush on her face in spite of the fact that her left ear was almost entirely biomechanical. Then, just as she was beginning to show doubt, he tenderly placed his right hand at the side of her stomach, his palm resting against her unnaturally cool yet exceptionally soft skin.
Feeling a little overwhelmed by the situation, the woman's lens-like pupils began to expand and contract rapidly as her brain failed to process everything that was happening. If one were to look closely, they would even be able to see numerous 'error' texts appearing across her pupils, each an indicator of how she was currently feeling. Despite this, she continued to stare into Vahn's eyes, her conflicted feelings gradually melting away until she inevitably replied, "Okay..." in a meek tone.
Though a smile immediately blossomed across his face, Vahn knew she would still feel doubtful if her answer was something so half-hearted. Thus, as he brought their faces progressively closer, he adopted a firm yet guiding tone as he said, "You'll need to be clearer than that...I want to hear you say it directly...tell me, what are you going to do...?"
Having already acquiesced before, an almost imperceptible glimmer of conviction spread through the woman's eyes as she answered in a slightly more confident tone, "I will join your team...I want to follow you up the Tower...please, take me with you..."
Hearing her say 'please' towards the very end, Vahn began to feel a little awkward, but, burying his burgeoning feelings of guilt, his smile became even more prominent as he softly remarked, "That is a much better answer..." before giving her a simple yet passionate kiss.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Arusha smash (OwO)~!','You thought he was having sex with all of them? Tsk tsk...','Is this the Legendary Cyber Elf Waifu...!?')
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Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
257 Power
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