Chapter 2110: A Momentary Reprieve
Having never left Shiroyasha's side since the previous night, Vahn alerted the sleeping demoness, asking, "You're seeing this, right...?"
Though she wanted to pretend she was still asleep, a sigh escaped Shiroyasha's throat as she sat up and answered, "Indeed...still, it would make things easier on everyone if you followed through with your original plan. Didn't you say something about it being more meaningful to compel malicious individuals into contracts than it was to impose them on good people? Laius may be a bastard and a half, but he is far from irredeemable. Take it from someone who has witnessed the creation and destruction of every multiverse comprising our current reality. Laius isn't evil. He is just a misguided brat trying to win his father's attention..."
"..."
Recalling that Shiroyasha was, in fact, a conceptual entity that had existed since before time itself, much of Vahn's rage and indignation promptly dried up. Laius had crossed the line by attacking his home, but, at the same time, petrification wasn't something he couldn't deal with. Rather, much like the rest of his children, Usalia's kittens were outfitted with clothes that made them virtually immune to damage and negative status effects...
"Fine. So long as he yields after I smack the crap out of him, I'll settle with making him spend the next hundred years bald and celibate..."
Imagining the scene of Laius walking around with a perfectly bald head, Shiroyasha couldn't help snickering as she asked, "Why not make him take a monk's pledge? The Buddhist faction has a lot of influence in the Divine Realm. If you're going to shave his head and force him to be celibate, you might as well make him into a monk. A hundred years of helping people will go a long way towards rehabilitating him."
"Hmm..."
Though he wasn't particularly fond of the idea of forcing people to convert to a specific religion, it wasn't all that different from binding them to a contract. The only real notable difference was who Laius would be held accountable to...
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While the conversation with Shiroyasha was taking place, Vahn was simultaneously removing the petrification effect from his workshop. He wanted to directly infiltrate the Perseus Community to teach Laius a lesson, but, due to the organization being located in a 5-Digit Gate, his options were limited. The Sage Dragon's Hearth was still a 6-Digit Community so he would need to abide by the timeline that had been established by Perseus, the Host Community.
Simply put, Communities of a higher-digit Gate were unable to challenge those of a lower-digit Gate unless specific conditions had been met. This was one of the things that allowed lower-digit Communities to pressure and outright suppress groups in the outer gates. This was frowned upon by most Communities; but, as there were no Laws against it, less reputable organizations relied on this, and other methods to eliminate future enemies, expand their influence, and scout talent.
Perseus had branches that extended as far as the 7-Digit Gates but their Headquarters was located in Gate #26745. Even if Vahn outright declared war on them, the only people he could target were those in the 6 and 7-Digit Gates. As many of these were affiliates who were forced to obey Perseus, it simply wasn't worth the effort. Thus, after calming down, he decided he would just wait until the seven-day deadline had passed before teaching Laius a lesson. After all, Perseus had already issued a declaration. They no longer had the option of backing out...
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Hearing about what had happened to the advance party, Laius had fallen into an uncharacteristic silence as he sat atop a stone throne adorned with gold and jewels. At his side was a phantasmal beauty with long golden hair that seemed to billow despite the lack of a breeze. She also had azure blue eyes that radiated intelligence, but, were anyone to stare directly into them, they would find a perennial flame of wrath contained in their cold and calculating depths.
"You have erred greatly this time, Laius. What could have possibly compelled you to challenge a Pure-Blooded Dragon to a Rite of Challenge? Have you completely lost your mind?"
Though he would have lashed out at anyone else, Laius hung his head in response to the woman's words. She may only be a spiritual projection but her true identity was none other than the Greek Goddess of War and Reason, Athena. As for what she was doing here, well, word got around pretty quickly when half his Community had been tasked with keeping an eye on him and reporting to his father...
Exhaling a sigh, Athena crossed her arms under her rather prominent bust before saying, "Just do your best to survive. Our influence in the East is far too weak. Even if you're my Godson, I wouldn't be able to seek vengeance should you lose your life. The Demon of the White Night is far stronger than you can possibly imagine and the capabilities of the one referring to himself as Vahn Aldrnari Mason are simply unknown..."
Balling his hands into fists, Laius wanted to protest, but, knowing Athena was always just a single slight away from losing her temper, he did his best to remain in control of his own. After all, with the exception of Hephaestus and his father, she was his greatest benefactor. It wasn't because she was a Goddess that she sometimes referred to herself as his Godmother. She had literally given him her blessing when he was born.
Seeing the usually brash and unyielding Laius hanging his head in shame and frustration, a second sigh nearly escaped Athena's lips as she extended her hand to delicately caress the bald spot on the left side of his head. If this wasn't her spiritual avatar, she might have been able to remove the curse that had been placed on him. Unfortunately, Zeus wouldn't allow any of the Olympians to leave the South until his grudge with Odin had been settled. Her father was exceptionally petty, so, ever since Odin had tricked him into bedding a donkey disguised as one of his Valkyries, tensions between the Greek and Norse Pantheons had been at an all-time high...
Retracting her hand from Laius's head, Athena's body began to shimmer as she said, "I'll leave you with a parting gift. It should be able to preserve your life in a crisis. However, you must promise me that you will immediately surrender the moment it activates..."
As the color drained from her ephemeral figure, an obsidian black Gift Card glistening with fiery red runes manifested in her hand. This caused Laius to immediately perk, a greedy look in his eyes as he restrained the urge to snatch the card from Athena's hand.
Amused by Laius's response, a sonorous chuckle emanated from Athena's throat as she pulled the card away from him and said, "Promise me."
Understanding that she would never part with the card under normal circumstances, the muscles in Laius's jaw flexed a few times before he forced himself to say, "I promise..."
Nodding her head in approval, Athena willfully handed over the Gift Card that had been infused with a fragment of her Divinity. When Laius saw what it was, his eyes immediately lit up, a smile developing across his face as a boisterous, somewhat crazed-sounding laughter began to exude from his throat. This earned him a disapproving shake of the head from Athena, but, as she had already exhausted this form's spiritual energy, it wasn't long before she simply evaporated into a pale, bluish-white mist...
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After making sure each of the children had eaten their fill, Vahn gathered alongside Black Rabbit, Jin, Lily, Izayoi, Asuka, and Yo. He noticed the latter was still wearing the onesie she had adorned during the Gift Game against Fores Garo. He was tempted to ask why, but, seeing her tail wagging as she affectionately cuddled with one of the elemental foxes he had created for Lily, he decided against it. Instead, he opened the discussion by asking, "So? How was it? Did you enjoy your first Gift Game?"
Snorting through her nose, Asuka sent a glare towards the lazily reclining Izayoi as she answered, "We might have if a certain someone hadn't tried to hog all the glory for themselves..."
Half-opening one of his eyes, Izayoi briefly met with Asuka's gaze before smiling in amusement and reclining back even further. He was tempted to comment that she was playing with fire, but, having experienced having his head blown off by Seraphina, he decided to just kick back and pretend she didn't exist. After all, this was inarguably the easiest way to piss her off...
"You...!"
Slamming the table as she jumped to her feet, Asuka seemed like she was half a second away from leaping across the table to give Izayoi a firm slap. Before she was able to, however, Jin adopted the closest thing to an authoritative voice he possessed, saying, "Kudou-san! Please calm yourself! We haven't gathered like this to argue amongst ourselves...!"
Though she didn't cease her glaring, a hint of a blush spread across Asuka's cheeks as she realized he was being chided by an eleven-year-old. She was also the instigator in this case, so, after several seconds of growing awkwardness, she just issued a haughty harumph before crossing her arms and sitting back down.
Suppressing a relieved sigh, Jin's expression relaxed as he met Vahn's gaze and answered, "Given the circumstances, it would be improper to say we enjoyed ourselves. However, considering it was our first real Gift Game, I can't help feeling proud of each and every one of us. We have much room to improve, but, for people who had only known each other for a day, we were able to support each other without issue. I would have preferred it if Izayoi remained with the group but I understand his reasons for going off on his own. Thus, at least this time around, I am willing to forgo admonishing his behavior..."
Having had a lengthy heart-to-heart discussion with Izayoi the previous night, Jin's understanding of the older boy was far more comprehensive than Asuka's. He understood that Izayoi was the type of person to try and carry everyone's burdens himself. They were very alike in this regard, so, even though he didn't approve of Izayoi running off on his own, Jin understood he would probably do the same if he possessed such tremendous might.
Nodding his head in approval, Vahn prevented Asuka's imminent outburst by saying, "I agree. There are quite a number of things you can improve upon but the coordination between you, Asuka, and Yo was exceptional. If Izayoi coordinated with Yo and acted as the main vanguard, your Community could probably go undefeated until the 4-Digit Gates. Barring a few obvious exceptions."
Since there was no way in hell the No Names would be able to defeat his Community, Vahn would be lying if he said they could defeat anyone. He would feel an itchy sensation across his body at the mere thought of spreading misinformation, so, for his own sake, he wasn't going to lie and say they were unbeatable.
As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn surprised nearly everyone by creating a three-dimensional projection of the forest surrounding Fores Garo. He passively recorded everything within the range of his perception so he could replay the events of the previous night in super ultra-high definition. This earned him a frown from Izayoi, as, before anyone could speak, Vahn centered the camera on the blond-haired youth so that everyone could see what he was up to after their separation at the beginning of the Gift Game...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'You fool! Don't you know he will only become even more powerful without hair!?','Odin be like, "You want to bed one of my daughters? Well, if you insist..."','RIP Izayoi. There is nothing a Tsundere fears more than having their secret actions exposed xD...')
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Chapter 2111: Sentiments and an Important Lesson
After explaining what had happened during breakfast, Vahn surprised Sarina and Nono by saying, "I was thinking about having the two of you participate in the impending Rite of Challenge. You won't have to fight. I just think it would be a good experience."
Unable to suppress her excitement, Sarina immediately exclaimed, "Yes! I'll do it~!" with literal stars in her eyes. She had been feeling rather useless as the Vice-Leader of the Sage Dragon's Hearth, so, even if she ultimately just stood on the sidelines, she wanted to participate.
Though she demonstrated considerably less zeal than Sarina, Nono offered a delicate smile as she calmly answered, "Okay..." before following it up with meek, "I trust you..."
Directing her gaze towards Nono, Sarina's brow twitched ever so slightly as she internally groaned. She had learned that Nono, despite her lithe and petite appearance, was more than two years older than she was. She had just grown up in a desert with a very restricted diet, so, despite approaching thirteen years of age, her height was comparable to girls several years younger. The only thing that truly distinguished her from a ten-year-old was her rapidly developing chest, something Sarina was more than a little envious of...
Noticing the shift in Sarina's aura, a sigh escaped Vahn's lips as he muttered, "Sarina..." in a soft yet chiding tone. This caused the young girl to startle slightly, but, more importantly, all the negativity in her aura spontaneously disappeared as she nervously replied, "Yes...?"
Shaking his head, Vahn adopted a wry smile as he said, "It's nothing." Then, after rising to his feet, he added, "Your lessons start around noon today. If you want to go and visit the No Names, make sure you're back by 11:30."
On that note, Vahn waved to the two girls before promptly disappearing into thin air. This elicited a sigh of relief from Sarina while Nono, far more perceptive than she let on, just offered a polite smile and suggested, "I was going to do a bit of self-study in the library...would you like to join me?"
Though she enjoyed spending time with the No Names, the notion she should be focusing more on her own Community had long since developed in Nono's mind. Now that their contract with the No Names had come to an end, she wanted to focus on growing as a person. Thus, while she had no desire to fight, Nono had been studying hard to become a Nurse. She knew he didn't really need her help, but, if she could alleviate Vahn's burdens even a little, she wanted to try...
Exhaling a long and drawn-out sigh, Sarina rested her head on the table as she mumbled, "Reading is such a chore. I don't get how some people can just sit around for hours at a time without moving. If I sit still for more than thirty minutes, my body starts to itch..."
Covering her mouth to stifle a giggle, a mischievous glimmer flashed across Nono's aqua blue eyes as she leaned forward and whispered, "You know...the red sofa on the far side of the Library smells a lot like Vahn..."
Perking up, Sarina's eyes glistened with a far more innocent light as she practically bolted from the room. This earned her another soft giggle from Nono. Immediately after that, however, she cupped her cheek in a manner similar to Lily, musing, "How cute~" in a playful yet motherly tone...
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In preparation for the Rite of Challenge, Vahn placed a large sign outside the Sage Dragon's Hearth to inform prospective clients that it would be closed for seven days. He would still accept clients if it was an emergency, but, for the time being, he wanted to focus on strengthening the defenses of his home to make sure even the outside was fully protected from attacks.
The annoying thing about the Divine Realm, at least in Vahn's opinion, was that the Central Network tried to keep things fair and balanced. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but, when it came to Gifts that relied on legends and concepts, they could effectively ignore conventional defenses. This was the reason why even a knock-off version of the Head of Medusa was able to petrify the exterior of his home.
To prevent future incidents, Vahn was considering creating an Artificial Intelligence with the ability to analyze and respond to threats in a manner reminiscent of Da Vinci's Uomo Universale. He had a phenomenal amount of information stored in his mind so all he needed to do was load a ton of Gift Cards into the system so that it would basically be able to counter anything that was thrown at it.
Simply put, Vahn was going to create a Template that borrowed attributes from Household Spirits and the Mother System developed by Da Vinci. Sarina, Nono, and even Seraphina would probably enjoy having their own Companions. He could even make them function similar to Gifts, so, once he got production up and running, he could basically hand them out to burgeoning Communities to serve as Guardian Spirits.
Vahn had always been fond of the Companion system he worked alongside Da Vinci to create. The Companions were remarkably adorable, and, so long as they were issued at a young age, they had a demonstrable positive influence on the mental and emotional development of their partners. The children who had grown up under the influence of the Empire were far more adventurous than their parents. They were also much happier, so, while the Empire was far from a perfect place to live, only the most selfish and egotistical pessimists would argue that things had become worse...
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"Did you seriously create a Prinny!? Oh, Vahn, how thoughtful of you~!"
Seeing the custom Companion Vahn had made specifically for her, Seraphina practically beamed as she gave the extremely soft yet durable creature a hug. In truth, it was actually Templated from him, as, even if he appreciated Seraphina quite a bit, Vahn wouldn't just let her bully any ordinary Prinny.
Meeting the dead eyes of his newest Template, a dry laugh emanated from Vahn's throat as he said, "Try not to be too rough on it. Companions are neither pets nor servants. It will gladly help you out, but, if you treat it poorly, you only have yourself to blame if it shuns you."
After making herself comfortable atop the Prinny's head, Seraphina poked her tongue out at Vahn, saying, "Oh, hush you. Did you honestly believe I would mistreat a Prinny after spending a thousand years advocating for their rights?"
Though she may have forgotten about her interactions with Vahn after his spontaneous departure, the impression he left on her had influenced Seraphina's life from that moment onward. She wasn't the best Mistress they could hope for, but, compared to most other Demons, she was practically a Saint. Prinnies had literally been lining up to become her personal transport, but, even after going through thousands of them, Seraphina could never find one that perfectly conformed to the shape of her bottom.
If she were being honest, Seraphina would rather Vahn transform into a Prinny so she could sit on him. It was one of the few things she genuinely desired with all her heart, but, fearing he might get upset with her, she had never brought it up. Now that he had gifted her a proxy, she was truthfully a little disappointed, but, after sitting atop its head, her mood instantly improved. She didn't know if sitting atop Vahn's head would feel similar, but, at the very least, the golden Prinny he had gifted her was far beyond her initial expectations.
Maintaining a wry smile, Vahn just shook his head before saying, "We'll probably be gaining some new members in the future. Do your best to get along with them, okay?"
Squinting her eyes ever so slightly, Seraphina's smile became somewhat predatory as she said, "Oh? Well, I don't mind. So long as you continue to pamper and spoil me, you can have as many women as you please. Just remember. No matter what anyone else thinks, I'll always be your number one. I won't settle for second in anything I do. Oh-hohohohoho~."
Issuing another light chuckle, Vahn pulled Seraphina from the unfortunate Prinny, his hands snaking around her thin, soft, and smooth waist as he teased, "At the very least, you'll always be my number one most pampered Demon Goddess..."
Though he got the distinct impression that Shiroyasha had just squinted her eyes at him, Vahn did his best to ignore it as he planted a kiss on Seraphina's lips. Affection and intimacy were the easiest ways to get her to calm down, so, before she could go on a tirade insisting she was more important than his other women, he silenced her with excessive amounts of both...
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After having his actions exposed by Vahn, Izayoi immediately followed the battle analysis by stating, "That's a pretty convenient ability if you're able to move around freely. I imagine it would be super useful in the hands of a pervert..."
Realizing the implications of Izayoi's statement, Asuka's brows immediately furrowed as she sent an accusatory glare his way before subsequently directing her attention towards Vahn and saying, "Not everyone is as perverted as you, Izayoi. Besides, I doubt someone who deigns to call themselves the Sage Dragon Emperor would need to resort to such methods. Based on that little breakfast of ours, it's safe to say that Vahn already has quite a number of women fawning over him..."
Ending her statement by directing a knowing look towards the lightly blushing Black Rabbit, Asuka seemed pretty confident in her assertions until Vahn shamelessly explained, "I'll be honest. While he is a little off the mark, Izayoi isn't exactly wrong. Rather, you're both, kind of sort of, correct."
Blinking in surprise, Asuka couldn't help asking, "Pardon...?" as a fluttery and slightly anxious feeling spread through her chest.
Without beating around the bush, Vahn explained, "You're currently in a Realm that overlooks all of reality. Though there are various different kinds, omniscience isn't a particularly rare ability for Gods in the Divine Realm to possess. I'm not saying you should simply accept it and start running around naked but you'll need to come to terms with the fact that your privacy has never been a concern for the Gods that rule over creation."
Waving his hand, Vahn created a three-dimensional projection of Asuka before forcing it to cycle through a number of different outfits. This caused the young heiress's face to turn beet red up to her ears as she shouted, "How dare you...!"
Shaking his head, Vahn maintained a calm expression as he explained, "The sentiments you have brought with you from the Lower Realms have no place here. If things like this bother you, you'll be in for a rude awakening when some stray Alchemist or Poet produces a literal army of golems that share your appearance. In this world, there are no limits. This notion even applies to the depravity and licentiousness of certain Gods, so, if you're serious about reaching the peak, you'll need to be prepared. If the current you were to encounter someone as shameless as Zeus or Apollo, you would probably find yourself warming their bed that very same night..."
With visible steam rising from her head, Asuka slammed the table in front of her as she stood up and exclaimed, "I would never do such a thing...!"
Rolling his eyes, Vahn manifested a glistening black Gift Card from his functionally infinite reserves as he said, "For the next thirty seconds, you'll believe wholeheartedly that you are a cat. Also, from your perspective, Yo's entire body is covered in catnip."
"Vahn...!"
Though Black Rabbit called out to him with a reddening expression on her face, Vahn didn't retract his statement. As a result, Asuka's eyes briefly flashed with a mystical glow as she squats down like a cat seated on its back paws. Then, as if she had smelled something both fragrant and intoxicating coming from Yo's body, she began to rub her face against the blushing girl's legs while issuing an adorable yet extremely awkward purr.
While Asuka was enjoying another taste of her own medicine, Vahn maintained a calm disposition as he said, "The Little Garden isn't a playground. There are threats here you can't even imagine at your current level. This includes conceptual entities who literally dictate how you and pretty much everyone else perceives the world around you. They can literally rewrite the Laws of reality and you wouldn't even notice it. Thus, while you are ultimately free to do as you please, do so knowing that others, some far more powerful than yourselves, will be doing the exact same thing..."
With that said, Vahn liberated Asuka from his compulsion just as she was attempting to climb into Yo's lap...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Nono is just one evolution away from Onee-san status...','The return of the Companions...!','Vahn really likes bullying proud and obstinate girls xD...')
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Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
111 Power
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