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92.98% Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos / Chapter 2194: Identity, Divergence, and Incredulity

Chapter 2194: Identity, Divergence, and Incredulity

Emerging in the center of a misty mountainous valley that glistened with a peculiar green hue due to the abundance of spiritual energy exuded by the surrounding flora, an amused smile developed across the face of a remarkably beautiful vulpine woman with pale, sakura-pink hair.

Standing next to the woman, appearing near-identical except for their hairstyles and choice of garb, another vulpine woman remarked, "Where are we? The dense spiritual energy is interfering with my ability to sense beyond a few hundred kilometers."

Turning towards her descendant turned ancestor, the smile on the vulpine woman's face became notably mischievous as she said, "We're actually quite fortunate. This mist serves to obscure the light of the Sun. As a result, even my senses are blocked. If this truly is the planet of our would-be Origin, she shouldn't be able to sense us. If I didn't know better, I would think our husband had a hand in this."

Though she knew Vahn wouldn't interfere in such a 'small' matter, the sakura-haired woman felt their teleportation destination was more than mere coincidence. Fate seemed to be guiding them to meet with their Divine Realm counterpart, so, while a part of her feared the encounter, a much larger part of the woman's being was looking forward to securing her status and identity as "True Amaterasu".

Hearing even a casual mention of Vahn, a radiant smile developed across the face of the secondary vulpine woman. She, Tamamo, took comfort in the notion that Vahn was watching over and out for them. It gave her an overwhelming sense of assurance, as, even if things went south, Tamamo knew Vahn would never allow them to suffer. If she called out for him, she believed, deep in her heart, he would come running.

With her three tails flickering behind her, Tamamo looked like she was about to say something when one of the other two figures present, a rather heroic-looking woman with dichromatic black and white hair suggested, "We should set camp and gather information. Even if this is the planet of Kotoamatsukami, exposing ourselves and charging blindly into the enemy is not wise."

Reacting to the dichromatic woman's words, a teasing smile developed across the face of the woman standing next to her, a buxom, pink-haired beauty wearing a red and blue bikini adorned with stars. She also didn't think charging into the enemy was a particularly wise decision, but, hearing it from the dichromatic beauty, she couldn't help remarking, "Seriously? I didn't expect the brave and noble Kenshin to fear charging through enemy lines. Even in our world, isn't that what you were best known for?"

Sighing in response to her companion's words, the dichromatic woman, Kenshin, gripped her spear and katana tightly as she explained, "Such things are irrelevant in the present. Even my connection to Bishamonten doesn't exist so I'm using this as an opportunity to reinvent myself. I was previously able to become a Goddess of War through my own efforts. Now that we stand upon the precipice of the Aldrnari Empire's rise, I care not for the name Uesugi Kenshin. I am my Lord's spear...my only concern at this point is creating a world where children need not fear being shoehorned into a path chosen by someone else..."

Recalling her own son, Kenshiro, a motherly smile developed across Kenshin's face. The former's desire to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship without killing had left a deep impression on her. There was nothing she could do about the millions she had already cut down, but, for the sake of her son, Kenshin had resolved herself never to kill again. The fates of her opponents now rested in the hands of her Lord, Master, and Husband.

Rolling her eyes, the buxom, pink-haired woman, Musashi, made a show of popping her neck before saying, "You do you, Spear-chan. As for me? I'm going to scout the area and see if I can't find the woman holding on to my name and title. Don't worry. So long as I remain in the State of Nothingness, I doubt even that golden-haired vixen can detect me. If I'm not back before sunset, feel free to assume I'm dead."

Waving her hand in a casual gesture of farewell, Musashi's body appeared to blend into the surrounding space before even the most minute traces of her existence vanished. This was a little contrary considering she had dressed up specifically to draw attention to herself, but, for the sake of her sister-wives and companions, Musashi didn't mind lying low for a while.

Sensing every trace of Musashi vanish into thin air, a subdued sigh escaped from Kenshin's throat as she placed her hand between her fairly developed breasts. She was also wearing a swimsuit, but, rather than baring it all like a certain crimson-eyed Demon King, she elected to wear a comparably modest leather top to cover her breasts and a bright yellow sarong around her waist.

Feeling the steady rhythm of her heart, Kenshin was able to gradually calm herself. She had become a lot more emotional since the birth of Kenshiro, so, every now and again, she would feel a creeping anxiety that could only be suppressed by the memory or presence of Vahn. More specifically, she would reminisce on the moment when Vahn held her in front of the mirror. This would invariably cause a flame of passion to spread through her body, but, at the same time, it was the memory that made her feel most 'grounded'. The only thing that even came close was the moment she first laid eyes on Kenshiro...

...

..

.

While the members chosen to deal with Kotoamatsukami had decided on a more subtle approach, two of the groups associated with the Sage Dragon's Hearth had chosen decidedly different routes.

Prior to the start of the Gift Game, Caulifla had been determined to track down Wu so that she could finally teach the petite monkey girl a lesson. Her official mission was to confront the forces of Trayastrimsa, the Community led by Indra, but, as fate would have it, she and Kale ended up being transported to the planet protected by Onigashima.

Though their arrival was mere minutes after the start of the Gift Game, the planet belonging to Onigashima had already metamorphosed into a world of perpetual night. The rivers and oceans appeared to be filled to the brim with blood, and, rather than normal flora and fauna, the planet was populated by man-eating plants, carnivorous trees, sinewy black vines, and an incalculable number of blood-sucking creatures.

While others might have been daunted by the sight, Caulifla's golden hair and the bright red marks around her eyes weren't an aesthetic choice. The thing that allowed her to make the Super Saiyan Transformation her base state was her mastery over Super Saiyan Sage Mode. She had managed to refine it to the point it influenced even her base state. This was something even Broly and Yuri were incapable of emulating, so, in the weeks leading up to the Gift Game, Caulifla had refined the state even further by spending an uncharacteristic amount of time meditating.

One of the benefits of Sage Mode, even in its lesser state, was that it allowed the user to sense even minute fluctuations in the foreign and natural energies. This, combined with the fact she had been training with the Angels in order to master Ultra Instinct, made Caulifla very hard to surprise. There were very few attacks she couldn't evade outright, and, thanks to the golden energy exuding from her pores, she was practically immune to any attack that wasn't at least half as strong as her current power level.

With Kale even stronger than she was, the two Saiyanesses were able to easily counter the surprise attack waiting for them on the planet of Onigashima. Several carnivorous plants and trees had tried to attack them, but, with a single bellow from Kale, even the ground for several hundreds of meters was turned to dust. After that, the two Saiyanesses took to the sky before raining down a barrage of gold and green energy that left the side of the planet they were on looking like the scarred surface of a moon...

While that was going on, an eerily similar scene was occurring on the planet protected by the Roc Demon King Community, one of the four surviving Communities affiliated with the Seven Demon Kings Alliance.

Though they were more commonly known as the Seven Great Sages, the executive members of the Seven Demon Kings Alliance were, much like Shiroyasha in her prime/youth, were forcibly lumped together with Demons due to their destructive natures. The Roc Demon King, in particular, was one of the more destructive entities in the entire organization, as, leading to her inception, her father, a tyrannical Garuda, had forced himself upon the Divine Phoenix. Her mother had never resented her for this, but, as a result of the hatred directed towards her from the rest of the Heavenly Domain, Karyou, the Great Sage who Leaves Heaven in Dissary, could only manipulate her flames with the intent to destroy.

As fate would have it, Karyou's planet ended up being the collective destination of four different Communities. Since she was something of a loner, the petite and remarkably youthful-looking Roc Demon King had no choice but to focus purely on 'defending' her planet. As a result, the moment she sensed an intruder, she ended up setting the entire surface ablaze before appearing in the form of a massive golden bird exuding markedly less resplendent golden flames.

With a wingspan more than three hundred meters in length, Karyou was a sight to behold, both in reality and through a display. Her body, even whilst transformed, was covered in resplendent and highly ornamented golden accessories that resembled the plumage of the Divine Phoenix. The only thing that seemed 'off' about her were the flames exuding from her body, as, rather than the pure gold associated with the Divine Phoenix, the core of her murky golden flames was tainted with an eerie black light.

Though many within the crowd didn't understand the reason for the 'dirty' black hue, it didn't take long for rumors to spread amongst the spectators. As a result, Karyou could feel her very existence being tainted, resentment building within her as she assailed the people invading her planet with a seemingly endless tide of corrosive golden flames.

("Just you wait, Wu. Once this matter has been settled, I swear I won't rest until I pull on your tail at least once...")

As the person who had forced her to participate, Karyou couldn't help harboring a small amount of resentment towards Wu, her surrogate sister, rival, and best friend. She had been doing her best to lay low these past three hundred years as she was sick and tired of being hated and resented for an event she had absolutely no control over. Unfortunately, no matter how much time passed, people never hesitated to reinvigorate the negative rumors associated with her birth...

Unfortunately, just as Karyou attempted to unleash her anger and resentment on one of the groups that had invaded her planet, a stupefied expression developed across her avian face as one of the invaders opened her mouth to an unreasonable extent before simply sucking in all the flames like a black hole. Immediately thereafter, one of the invader's companions charged forward like a meteor, her previously petite frame growing to the size of a small mountain as she crashed into Karyou with her forehead, shouting, "Usagi Charge...!"

Though she managed to recover almost instantaneously, the look on Karyou's face became even more incredulous as she found herself facing a three-hundred-meter tall woman wearing a white leotard and rabbit ears. Gigantification wasn't particularly rare as far as Gifts were concerned. What caught Karyou by surprise was the woman's ability to physically strike her. She was supposed to be immune to physical attacks in her transformed state. In spite of this, the feral-looking woman was able to strike her directly while ignoring the flames licking her legs and feet...

Just as Karyou was about to ask the woman's identity, black lines appeared on her forehead as the ravenous rabbit girl held up her scary-looking claws and said, "You're pretty tough for a fire chicken. Come at me, plip."

"..."

...

..

.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'FYI, Tamamo's Luck Parameter is among the highest in Vahn's harem...','The legend of the Saiyan Sage begins...','Oof. Now I kind of feel bad for Karyou-chan...')

https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)

paypal.me/Einlion

Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh


Chapter 2195: Rage, Indignation, and Fury

Though it was a strange sight to behold, hundreds of millions of people were able to see Karyou's brow twitching when the giant bunny girl, Usalia, called her a fire chicken. She already had enough problems with people hating her due to the circumstances of her birth; she didn't need some stray rabbit coming up with a convenient insult for people to use against her.

"You dare insult the Great Sage who Leaves Heaven in Disarray!? My flames will burn you to ash...!"

In an attempt to do just that, a runic pattern spread across Karyou's wings as she reared back in the prelude to a sweeping motion. Her flames could reach temperatures comparable to the Sun's core, just under 15 million degrees Celsius. With their added corrosiveness, even Gods and Pure-Blooded Dragons could be reduced to ash in her fury.

Unfortunately for Karyou, Usalia had never been the type to sit around and wait for her opponent to finish their attack. The moment Karyou shouted her threat, she charged forward with a terrifying momentum that altered the very rotation of the planet.

"Usagi Punch...!"

With the pupils of her eyes contracting to points, Karyou attempted to close her wings in a manner that resembled an embrace. The temperature in the surroundings soared to the point that the land for several kilometers was instantaneously liquidated in a fiery explosion, but, thanks to her natural resilience, Usalia was able to push through the intense heat to give Karyou an uppercut.

Though Usalia was quickly becoming famous for her feral and untamed beauty, those that knew her well would attest that her two most prominent features were her durability and appetite. During her time in the Netherworld, she had tanked blows comparable to the forces present at the creation of a Universe. Though the power of the Sun was a direct counter to most demonic entities, especially those affiliated with the Moon, Karyou's tainted flames lacked the purification properties that would have given her an advantage. As a result, the only notable 'injury' Usalia suffered from the exchange were slightly singed pantyhose and a few black stains on her previously, pure white leotard.

With space being off-limits until the release of a Model Omega, Karyou found herself skidding along the invisible membrane surrounding her planet. By the time she came to a stop, she had circled the globe a total of thirteen times. This earned her a tremendous amount of laughter and ridicule from the spectators, and, though she couldn't hear them, Karyou could sense their disdain washing over her like frigid, unforgiving water.

"That's it! I'm done playing around! Every single one of you can go to hell...!"

Fearing that people would notice the tears building in the corners of her eyes, Karyou tucked her body and furled her wings in a manner that made her resemble a cacoon. The same runic pattern from before began to spread across her wings. This time, however, the runes shifted from a brilliant golden hue to pitch black as her entire body, previously golden, became shadowy and illusory.

"End of Nirvana...!"

Having lost interest in participating in the Gift Game, Karyou unleashed her most powerful attack without consideration for herself or the planet beneath her. An eerie black pulse was released from her chest, but, instead of simply spreading outward and destroying her surroundings, it vaporized her body before continuing outward at a slow yet unstoppable pace. From the outside, it was like watching the expansion of a star. Instead of bright, bluish-white, yellow, or red light, however, the entire thing was a mixture of abyssal black and suppressed golden flames.

What Karyou never could have anticipated was that the planets used in Vahn's Gift Game were quite a bit different from those that appeared in other games. Her penultimate attack was impressive but it was nowhere near the level of an Executioner's Judgment. If the planets were fragile enough that an invader could simply throw caution to the wind to destroy the entire thing, there would be very little preventing people from doing exactly that. Thus, while the eerie black pulse spread across the entirety of the planet's surface, it only managed to peel away a few hundred meters of the crust.

To Karyou's credit, glassing and stripping away the surface was a lot more than most people would have been able to pull off. Unfortunately, while it was able to eliminate some of the weaker and more opportunistic invaders, it was far from enough to deal with the trio that had invaded from the Sage Dragon's Hearth. If anything, her attack helped them out, as, due to the nature of the flames, a large portion of Usalia's already scandalous bunny outfit had been destroyed. This garnered her a tremendous amount of attention as the sight of a three-hundred-meter-tall bunny girl vexatiously concealing her body using fluffy paws wasn't exactly commonplace...

...

..

.

Observing the scene from the comfort of his throne room, a frown marred Vahn's face as he sensed the tremendous volume of negative energy flowing towards Karyou. Her attack may have destroyed her body, but, due to her heritage as the descendant of a Phoenix, her body had promptly reformed at the center of a 3,000km wide crater. This prompted him to cast a reality-altering illusion over the area, not just because Karyou had appeared completely naked but because she started crying the moment she realized her failure...

("Poor girl...")

(*Just don't go blaming some 'Loli Curse' or Innate if you decide to help her...*)

Chuckling dryly in response to Sis's words, Vahn briefly observed Karyou's figure as he prepared a change of clothes for her. The last time he saw the hybrid between a Garuda and a Divine Phoenix was when Loi-chan had assumed her form. At that time, she had dolled herself up using an almost ludicrous amount of makeup. She had also worn extremely gaudy clothing, and, as a tertiary layer of protection, relied upon multiple illusions just to make herself appear more mature.

Now that she had undergone a process similar to a Phoenix's Rebirth, Karyou had none of her usual protections. As a result, she looked even younger than Sarina when Vahn first encounter her at the entrance to the Little Garden. She was barely 140cm tall, and, despite possessing fairly large breasts in her illusory form, she was even smaller than Wu in her present condition.

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Vahn startled Karyou by using telepathy to inform her that the cameras and spectators couldn't see her. At the same time, he manifested a small, pagoda-style cottage around her before leaving a pile of neatly folded clothes on the ground. He could have just as easily placed them on her body, but, understanding there was a very strong possibility he would upset her even further, Vahn decided it was safer to allow Karyou to dress herself.

Instead of immediately grabbing the clothing, Karyou leaned forward to conceal her body, the temperature of her which caused the tears on her face to evaporate as she attempted to cast an illusion on her chest. This caused the smile on Vahn's face to turn wry, as, even at her lowest point, Karyou was more concerned with the perceived size of her breasts than the fact she was naked...

Resisting the urge to ask if she would like him to increase the size of her bust, Vahn remained silent until Karyou, having completed a physical illusion around her chest, sat up straight and asked, "Who are you? Why are you helping me...?"

Ignoring the two shapely mounds that now dangled from Karyou's chest, Vahn focused his intent on the petite woman's vermillion eyes as he answered, "This is the voice of Vahn, the Sage Dragon Emperor. I'm not sure if Wu informed you, but she and I have become very close since my stay at the Jade Palace. As her friend, I will not allow you to be shamed in front of the public."

Though he imagined Karyou would be more than a little angry once she learned that Usalia was a member of his Community, there wasn't much Vahn could do about that. They were fated to fight from the moment Karyou unleashed a wave of flames towards her, Fenrir, and Mikoto. If anything, she was lucky that Usalia was the one that took up the challenge. If Mikoto had her clothes burned away in the middle of a battle, she would have short-circuited before transforming into her Pikachu form and unleashing a thunderous and indignant fury upon her fiery golden opponent...

As Wu had actually bragged quite a bit about finally finding a man worthy of her affections, Karyou exhaled a sigh of relief when she heard Vahn's words. Immediately thereafter, however, a gleam of hostility reflected across her luminous vermillion pupils as she stated, "I'm not going to thank you. If it weren't for you and that damned monkey, I wouldn't be in this mess. I expect compensation once you've ascended to a 4-Digit Community..."

Though he smiled wryly in response to Karyou's words, Vahn didn't hesitate to answer, "Very well. If you come by the Sage Dragon's Hearth, you will have access to all the services we provide without needing to pay. I believe that should suffice as compensation...?"

Nodding her head in approval, Karyou generated an obscuring hemisphere of flames around her body before picking up the clothes Vahn had prepared for her. She was a little surprised to find that he had even prepared high-quality accessories to replace the ones she lost, but, after declaring that she wasn't going to thank him, the only thing she said after dissipating the veil of flames was, "I will visit once things have settled down." before immediately transforming into a fiery golden bird and bursting through the pagoda he had prepared...

("There she goes...")

(*Indeed...*)

...

..

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After mowing down a veritable army of carnivorous plants and creatures, Caulifla and Kale finally came face to face with one of the better-known members of Onigashima, Sōjōbō, the Daitengu of Mt. Kurama.

Tengu, as a species, were a form of Buddhist Spirit, that, as a result of their faith, made it impossible for them to go to Hell. At the same time, however, their excessive pride, vanity, or other flaws made it impossible for them to ascend to Heaven. As a result, they were trapped in the mortal plane until they either reached enlightenment or reneged on their beliefs and became yokai.

Generally speaking, Tengu were separated into one of two categories. Those who were wise and benevolent during their lives would become Daitengu, retaining the vast majority of their features prior to death. Inversely, those who lived ignorant or despotic lives would become Kotengu, many even losing their identities as they gradually metamorphosed into beings that resembled humanoid ravens.

Like all humanoid Tengu, Sōjōbō possessed an inordinately long nose, long-lobed ears, and a perpetually stern, almost angry-looking face. As one of the oldest and wisest Tengu, however, his complexion resembled that of a human instead of the traditional red and ashen-grey associated with those on the path towards becoming a Kotengu. The thing that stood out the most were his eyes, as, rather than white sclera and a natural eye color, he possessed black sclera and yellowish, perennially wrathful eyes.

"Ignorant and shameless wenches. You dare assail the great and mighty Onigashima Community in such licentious garb and in so few a number...!?"

Though Kale was wearing relatively modest clothing that consisted of a halter top, spat-like shorts, and a skirt, Caulifla was wearing her usual tube top and baggy pants combination. The majority of people wouldn't find this overtly scanty, but, due to her propensity to go commando and the low-lying nature of Caulifla's trousers, it wasn't exactly 'proper' either.

Angering the Daitengu even further, Caulifla unhesitantly used her middle finger to draw down the fold of her left eye as she stuck out her tongue, intoning a taunting, "Nyeeeeeh~!" before adopting a fighting stance and saying, "I didn't come here to listen to a lecture. If you're not going to attack, don't blame me for taking the-"

Moving even faster than instant transmission, Sōjōbō appeared right behind Caulifla without even a hint that he was about to move. An ethereal purple flame spread within his palm, but, the moment he tried to thrust forward to strike her back, Caulifla's tail promptly grabbed his wrist as she twisted her body to kick him directly in the temple...

...

..

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The legendary Usagi Punch...!','Another Tsundere appears...','Will Sōjōbō be able to put up a fight? Find out on the next, exciting episode of dra...wait, haven't I done this joke before?')

https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)

paypal.me/Einlion

Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh


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