Chapter 1903: Reflection
Though he might have been helpless to ascertain Gustang's intentions through the reading of his mind, there were countless other ways to discover the truth. Foremost among these was having the Law of Identity transform into the Sacred Tome, as, with the exception of concepts even higher than itself, it recorded all knowledge within the Transcendental Path to Heaven.
The most perverse use of the Sacred Tome, other than learning various truths related to the literal foundation of the Omniverse, was peering into future events along a specific axis of time. This was made somewhat unreliable due to the influence of his own existence on the timeline, but, excluding himself, everything else updated retroactively as changes were made. This included the actions that others would take, and, most importantly, their thoughts during specific moments in time.
Gustang believed he could gain some semblance of control by profiling Vahn and measuring his efforts against the data he had been able to accumulate. This would have worked out under normal circumstances, but, as Da Vinci had learned long ago, Vahn had never been the type of person that was constrained by a specific 'definition'. His was an existence that embodied the endless paths and the infinite possibilities contained within each. If he could be constrained by notions such as logic and common sense, he would never be able to reach the incomprehensible realm that was Tier 7.
Truth be told, Vahn had always been weak against intellectuals and people with strong principles grounded in logic and reasoning. His processing capabilities might put some of the most advanced supercomputers in existence to shame, but, for a multitude of reasons, much of his critical thinking had been left in the capable hands of Sis. He already spent an inordinate amount of time fretting over things that really shouldn't concern him, and, on the most fundamental level, he simply didn't care about the machinations of others. Thus, rather than play Gustang's little game, Vahn intended to give the man a very hard lesson about messing with forces beyond his comprehension...
---
With the passage of an additional three days, bringing the total time spent on the Floor of Death to five days, the Hell Express began moving towards its final destination, a luxury resort known as Last Station. At the same time, the security measures preventing entrance into the Hidden Floor became undone. This was an event Vahn and several others had been anticipating for quite some time, and thanks to the [Master Key] obtained from Pedro, they could enter through the Main Gate instead of wasting an additional ten days completing Tests.
At first, Vahn considered entering the Hidden Floor on his own, but, after a considerable amount of pressure from numerous residents in the Emerald Grove, he ultimately acquiesced to allowing those listed in his Unit Management to enter. Unfortunately, quite a number of people took advantage of this, so, rather than the handful he expected, more than forty people had gathered outside the Room of Time Past, the entrance to the Hidden Floor.
Though he could understand Mordred's eagerness to demonstrate her newfound power, Vahn was helpless when even people like Madara insisted on 'coming out to play'. She had apparently gotten a little fed up with staying cooped up within the Little Garden, and, as could be expected, this was a sentiment shared by virtually every Template who wasn't currently exploring an Actualized World.
Seeing everyone in high spirits, Vahn couldn't bring himself to change his mind on the matter, so, after a brief period of discussion with his affectionately referred to 'Council of Wives', everyone was grouped into a number of smaller teams, each assigned a specific objective. As for Vahn, his group, decided via lottery, consisted of Theo, sporting draconic features, Musashi, appearing as her normal self, Scathach, now resembling a demon queen, and, of all people, the insatiable glutton known as Index Librorum Prohibitorum...
As could be expected from Grandmasters near the pinnacle of their arts, Musashi and Scathach had both blossomed into powerhouses in a relatively short period of time. Vahn knew he didn't have to worry about either of them, as, even if they were to face off against a High Ranker, it would be very difficult for most opponents to wrap their heads around the buxom beauties' capabilities. Theo and Index, however, both possessed quirky personalities; and, while they should be able to defeat most opponents without assistance, Index, in particular, couldn't be left unsupervised.
In an effort to prevent any mishaps from occurring, Vahn donned a harness designed to allow parents to carry children hands-free before coaxing Index, in her Jirachi form, to ride within. This earned him quite a number of amused looks from the surrounding groups, but, with Index happily munching away on an endless supply of Golden Apple, he, at the very least, didn't have to worry about her spontaneously disappearing on him...
With their preparations complete, Vahn took a moment to remind everyone to remain safe before passing through the vibrant white membrane separating the Hidden Floor and the Room of Time Past. There, he found himself in a nebulous void that reminded him of the Imaginary Space existing between dimensional boundaries in the Nasuverse. At the same time, he could feel the Laws around him beginning to change in a few not-so-subtle ways, a clear sign they were entering an artificially constructed Realm.
Turning his head to confirm that Theo, Musashi, and Scathach had all entered without issue, Vahn adopted a confident smile as he reminded them of their primary objective, saying, "Assuming there are no surprises, we should arrive at one of the nine starting regions. From there, we'll immediately head to the 'Town of the Wandering Minstrel' and wait for the others to arrive. Once we-"
Interrupting his explanation, a massive mirror with two scales manifested a few meters away from Vahn and Co, it's voice synthetic and grating as it happily chimed, "Kho Kho~! How unusual! It has been a long time since someone entered the Hidden Floor using the key~! I wonder, did something interesting happen on the train~?"
Gesturing for Musashi and Scathach to stand down, Vahn was prepared to answer what he assumed to be the Mirror of the Past's question when it suddenly added, "Well, not that it matters~! My job isn't to worry about what is happening outside~! I'm here to record your data, create a reflection of your past, and generate a sworn enemy to impede your future~! Now, watch closely as I display the location you must go and the image of the enemy locked within the depths of your heart~!"
Though he had already learned about the Mirror of the Past during his investigation, Vahn hadn't expected it to be so 'vocal'. Despite this, he did his best to maintain a smile as he floated in front of the eccentric mirror and allowed it to read the memories Sis had prepared in advance. This caused the scales on both sides to emit a pale white glow, wobbling for several seconds without favoring either side.
Seemingly surprised by this phenomenon, the Mirror of the Past adopted an incredulous tone as it asked, "Hmm~? How can this be~? How can you have such grand aspirations yet so little ambition? Are you a real person~?"
Understanding that the mirror wasn't actually asking him to answer its questions, Vahn just smiled as he continued to wait for it to complete its scan. In the end, the scales remained almost perfectly aligned, so, without further ado, the Mirror of the Past had no choice but to admit, "It seems your path cannot be hindered~! Congratulations~! You're the first person in history to enter the Hidden Floor without generating a Sworn Enemy~!"
Nodding his head in response to the mirror's statement, the corners of Vahn's smile curled upward as he gestured towards Index and asked, "What about her?"
Lacking an actual face, the Mirror of the Past could only express itself through words. As a result, it bobbed slightly before asking, "What~? Do you expect me to care about the past of some random Shinheuh~? Are you actually an idiot~?"
Deciding to ignore the mirror's rebuttal, Vahn drifted to the side so that Musashi, Scathach, and Theo could have a turn. Unsurprisingly, the scales shifted quite a bit during their scans, and, as could be expected, all three were able to generate a Sworn Enemy. Infinitely more surprising was the fact that each of their Sworn Enemies looked like a version of himself...
As the first to step forward, Musashi couldn't help but burst into laughter the moment she saw her Sworn Enemy. Truth be told, she had a 'very' strong desire to defeat Vahn, but, understanding what kind of being he was, she had largely given up on the idea. Now, however, she had the opportunity to fight a data construct that is functionally identical to the version of himself that had defeated her in the past. This filled her with a considerable amount of expectation, and, though she felt guilty about him being designated as her 'Sworn Enemy', she promised to make it up to him later.
Had it just been Musashi, Vahn wouldn't have minded it too much since the former already had a habit of challenging him to a duel every few months. Seeing two more versions of himself appear, however, made him feel, understandably, self-conscious. Now, he was half-expecting to encounter a veritable army of himself on the Hidden Floor, as, for a variety of reasons, he was the 'goal' most of the Emerald Grove's residents had set for themselves...
With the scan complete, the Mirror of the Past began to generate a vibrant white light from its face as it happily chimed, "What an interesting turn of events~! To think, the Sworn Enemy of everyone present just so happens to be a member of your group~! How scandalous~! I can't wait to see what kind of drama this creates as you move forward~! Kho Kho Kho~!"
Rolling his eyes in response to the mirror's biting remark, Vahn allowed himself to be teleported to a coastal region dominated by white sandy beaches, verdant forests, and a vast mountain range as far as the eye could see. Fortunately, while their exit point was in mid-air, a beam of light, similar to a tractor beam, guided them to land at the edge of the sandy beach. There, a petite young woman with short brown hair, thick eyebrows, and black speckled eyes could be seen waiting for them with a welcoming smile on her face.
Even without a detailed scan, Vahn could sense that the woman wasn't a living being. In many ways, she was similar to the NPCs that populated the Virtual World, beings capable of emulating thought, but, on the most fundamental level, simply didn't exist. This made it all the more surprising when he sensed the tell-tale signs of a nascent ego within the woman, the result of a complex sense of self-awareness that reminded him of early Companions.
Unfortunately, without some form of outside stimulus, it was exceptionally difficult for an artificial humanoid or a digital entity to overcome the confines of its programming. This triggered a number of red flags within Vahn's mind, as, more often than not, such stimulus was often the product of severe trauma...
Temporarily shelving such thoughts, Vahn returned a smile to the peculiarly dressed woman as she manifested a tambourine out of thin air and sang, "Welcome, Great Warriors, to the Hidden Floor~! I'm the wandering minstrel who has been sent to guide you during your journey~! You can call me Mi-eum~! Though my name might make me sound delicious, please don't eat me~!" (A/N: Mi-eum means 'thin rice gruel')
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn be like, "You gon' learn..."','This is what some top Scientists refer to as a 'Bruh Moment'...','You had better run away quickly if you want to avoid being eaten (O w O)~!')
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