Chapter 1691: Observation
Seeing Baam vanish into thin air, Yuri spun around to face Headon, her red eyes releasing a crimson light as her aura began to swell. Before she could explode, however, Vahn interrupted, stating in the same calm tone as before, "The boy is fine. Now, I would appreciate it if someone finally answered my question. I'm still calm at the moment, but I'm not particularly known for my patience..."
Snapping her head in Vahn's direction, Yuri's aura began to swell up even further, stopping only when her companion, Evan, stood in front of her and shouted, "You mustn't! We're already taking a risk just by being on the Floor of Tests! Let's just leave and recover the Black March! That boy must have been sent to Evankhell's Hell. If we move quickly, we might be able to catch up to him before he finishes the Position Test!"
Though Yuri didn't particularly agree with Evan's words, she was far more interested in the boy who had gone up than the self-professed Emperor staring back at her. Unfortunately, her duty required her to seek out an Irregular, so, after calming herself, she adopted a serious expression and asked, "Hey, Vahn, was it? Why did you come to the Tower? Where were you before?"
Annoyed by the fact that his question had yet to be answered, Vahn's smile faded away in response to Yuri's curt tone. Rather than exhibit anger, however, he appeared more indifferent than anything else, plainly stating, "I'm not in the habit of answering people who ignore my questions due to their perception of self-worth. I have tried to be polite, restating my question three times. In spite of this, you believe yourself entitled to answers, even going so far as to interrogate me? I've lost interest in this conversation."
Despite having gone to great lengths to calm herself, Yuri's eyes began releasing a fierce red light as the aura around her surged forth like a gravitational well, sinking the floor due to the pressure she was releasing. This came as quite a surprise to Vahn, but, even if she was far more powerful than his present self, he wouldn't back down. Instead, his own aura began to surge, surprising even himself as the blue water within the cage took on a golden hue in response...
Before things could get further out of hand, Headon also stepped in between Vahn and Yuri, his staff twirling in the air as silver eyes appeared within the black slit that seemed to function as both a mouth and an eye socket. His aura easily eclipsed both of their's as he plainly stated, "This is not some battleground where you can do as you please. Princess Yuri, you should not even be here. As for you, Vahn Aldrnari Mason...I'm not sure how you managed to enter the Tower. Despite this, I will welcome you as an Irregular, and, should you seek something atop the Tower, I will afford you the opportunity to climb. As for your questions, they will all be answered as you move further up the Tower. After all, be it fame, power, fortune, authority, immortality, or even godhood...all can be found at the top of the Tower..."
Assuming The Path had placed him at this point in time for a specific reason, Vahn began to slowly retract his aura as he stated, "Very well. Let's see what this Tower of yours can afford me. At the very least, it should be an interesting distraction."
With two rows of razor-sharp teeth appearing within Headon's slit-like mouth, Vahn got the distinct impression he was being looked at like prey. Despite this, the self-proclaimed Guardian of the First Floor showed no overt hostility, even offering a polite bow before grabbing his staff and explaining, "It is a bit unorthodox, but, for the sake of fairness, I will allow you to take the same Test as the boy preceding you. So long as you are able to destroy the ball or kill the creature contained within, you will have successfully passed the Test. What say you, Sage Dragon Emperor?"
Though the monster within the cage was certainly very powerful, Vahn didn't think it was suitable to test his capabilities. Despite this, he wasn't going to make things arbitrarily more difficult, as, based on Headon's words, it was safe to assume there were far more powerful being awaiting him in the Tower. With that in mind, he simply nodded in response before walking towards the cage, raising his left hand in the process. He wasn't fond of the idea of killing the creature when it couldn't even protect itself, so, rather than crush it using his Telekinesis, Vahn entered the cage without any sign of fear or hesitation.
Interested to see the power of another Irregular, Yuri and Evan both turned their attention to the cage containing the White Steel Eel, their eyes intently focused on Vahn's movements. The latter gave off the impression of a 'real' Irregular, and, though he shouldn't be stronger than any of the people present, his aura was nothing to scoff at. This implied he had a monstrous potential, one that might shake the very foundations of the Tower in the not-so-distant future.
Without minding the gazes boring into the back of his skull, Vahn slowly closed his hand, locking the White Steel Eel into place. He might not be a God of Space, Time, and Creation in this peculiar Record, but, even with his power significantly restricted, there were few people with an equivalent level of mastery over Space and Time. As a result, he easily suspended the giant eel in place before walking over to the black sphere that had manifested at the opposite end of the cage.
Though he was curious about his ability to 'breathe' the surrounding water, Vahn decided to follow Headon's advice and seek answers within the Tower. He actually felt more content 'not' knowing what to expect as it meant there was that much more for him to discover on his own. Thus, without sparing the trio a second glance, he placed his palm upon the black sphere, shattering it without any discernible effort...
---
Seeing Vahn enveloped by the same black mass that had consumed Baam, Yuri was momentarily at a loss as to how she should respond. She had expected something far more 'flashy', but, rather than feel disappointed, the casual display of the Emperor had left quite an impression.
Turning her head to face Headon, Yuri couldn't help but frown slightly as she asked, "Was that ball the same kind you had used with Baam? How was he able to break it so easily when even the Black March had trouble?"
Though he didn't have a discernible nose, Headon snorted in response to Yuri's words, turning his back to her as he answered, "That ball was at least ten times as strong as the one I used to test the previous Irregular. His ability to shatter the ball with such ease is a testament to his capabilities. It's no wonder he calls himself an Emp...no, a 'Sage Dragon Emperor'. How curious..."
Remembering Vahn's introduction, a rather eerie smile spread across Headon's face as he recalled the race of creatures that had gone extinct thousands of years prior. If Vahn was truly a Dragon, his power would make a lot of sense, as, prior to the rise of Jahad and his Great Warriors, Dragons had ruled alongside other Native Ones as the most powerful creatures within the Tower.
Noticing the smile on Headon's face, Yuri's expression became even more serious as she turned on her heels and exclaimed, "Follow me you chibi! We need to hurry if we want to intercept those two before the Position Test!"
Without waiting for Evan's response, Yuri grabbed the strap of his hiking bag, pulling him forcibly towards a nearby staircase. This would have normally compelled Evan to protest, but, with his mind focused on other matters, he took advantage of the free ride for as long as possible...
---
Using the pseudo-omniscience provided to him as one fo the Tower's Administrators, Headon kept track of Yuri and Evan with his mind. He waited until they were far beyond the perception of even a High Rankers senses before lowering his head, the black void on his face appearing to resemble a massive grin as he turned towards the shadows and asked, "Did you see? Though there were a few unexpected guests, the boy still went up. Now, what will you do...faker?"
In response to Headon's words, part of the adjacent stone wall seemed to melt away, revealing a young woman with plain features, blonde hair, and light freckles...
---
After what felt like several minutes of traveling through a much denser void than anything he had ever experienced, Vahn 'awoke' to find himself surrounded by tall, wheat-like, grass. He immediately became aware of several other presences nearby, but, rather than pay them any particular mind, he raised his head towards the sky, a curious glimmer in his eyes upon seeing a peculiar resort floating freely in the sky.
Just as Vahn was considering flying up to the building to take a closer look, a light whirring could be heard echoing through the vast expanse of grasslands. At the same time, a number of golden cubes seemed to appear out of thin air, each suspended motionless within the sky. They seemed to be using the energy within the atmosphere itself to remain afloat, but, to his surprise, Vahn also felt a separate space contained within each of the cubes.
Fortunately, before Vahn could give in to his urge to 'acquire' one of the cubes, the whirring sound gradually faded away as two values appeared on the cube's faces. The characters were somewhat abstract, but Vahn was able to interpret them as '200' and '30:00' respectively, implying the first was accounting for a number of something while the latter likely related to an amount of time.
Proving his analysis correct, a voice emanated from each of the cubes in a perfect chorus, a cheerful and spirited voice exclaiming, "Mic test! Mic Test! One, two, three! I hope everyone awoke without any issues! If not, well, you only have yourselves to blame! Now, as I don't really enjoy wasting time, let me explain the rules of this test. You'll need to find a team of three people and kill as many other contestants as possible before thirty minutes have passed. If you can't find a team before the thirty minutes have passed, well, too bad! This place isn't known as Evankhell's Hell for nothing! Now, prove you're qualified to become Regulars or die like the countless billions who have come before!"
Hearing the explanation, a dissatisfied frown spread across Vahn's face. He wasn't fond of the idea of a Deathmatch, nor did he have any particular interest in scouting two additional team members. Fortunately, he had already come up with a number of solutions with Da Vinci prior to his entry into the Record. This included methods to prevent people from viewing him as a romantic interest, but, most importantly, it afforded him the opportunity to cut loose in a way he usually wouldn't be able to.
With that in mind, Vahn caused a glitch in the cube-like displays as two distinctly different entities appeared next to him. The first was a relatively tall woman with chestnut brown hair, a confident expression, and a rather shapely figure. She was attired in such a way that even a normal person would be able to tell she was a blacksmith, complete with a leather apron, a tool belt, several large pockets, and a large hammer that glowed like heated metal. As for the second figure, he was much shorter, appearing to be around 8-10 years old with a perpetually mischievous look on his face.
Though the youth stood out quite a bit due to his 'punkish' outfit, consisting of a large fur-lined parka, baggy shorts, and sneakers, the thing that stood out most about him was his large, wolf-like, ears and the fluffy tail protruding from his lower back. He also had sharper than average teeth, but, considering he was meant to be a young Vanargandr, this wasn't too surprising.
In order to prevent young women from approaching him, Vahn had artificially aged himself to the point he was outside 'most' young girls' strike zone. As for the rest, that was what the woman next to him was for, a female version of himself that would act as both his guardian and his 'voice'. She be the vessel through which he did most of his forging, but, most importantly, she would allow him to speak his heart and mind freely. As for his Vanargandr self, Vahn had developed a seal to inhibit most of his power, so, while his Emperor self would continue to grow at an alarming rate, the young Vanargandr would be forced to rely on raw power and speed to overwhelm his foes.
Fortunately, while his Vanargandr self would be limited at normal times, he was also the version of Vahn that wielded Laev-tan. This would allow him to sweep through most foes without issue, but, most importantly, it guaranteed he would be able to enjoy the thrill of combat once again. To that end, Vahn had spent years practicing his act, refining it to the point that he could easily pretend to be three different people without an issue.
In the end, Vahn's Emperor self would become something of a leader and mentor to others while his so-called 'MILF' self would serve as a counselor and guardian for those he picked up along the way. As for his Vanargandr self, Vahn was intending to cut loose quite a bit, eager to experience the childhood he had missed out on while doing his best to make friends along the way. He based his personality on a mix between Nagi and Asuna, so, while he was bound to appear abrasive and childish to some, Vahn hoped that he would be able to genuinely grow alongside others...
Having already formed a 'three-person' team, Vahn decided to familiarize himself with the strange energy in his surroundings, manipulating it to form a transparent golden dome around him before pulling out a table and a few chairs. He wasn't particularly interested in the Deathmatch, so, at least for the time being, he intended to completely ignore the battles taking place outside as his female version, aptly named Phae, short for Phaestus, poured him some tea. While this was going on, his Vanargandr self, named Gandr for the sake of simplicity, skulked around the periphery of the barrier with a battle-hungry expression visible on his face...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: '*Gentle Touch*','Lurking within the shadows...','This is some fine ass tea...')
(A/N: Simply put, Vahn and Phae protect each other by virtue of their status and opposing genders. As for Gandr, we all know who is going to be protecting him (UwU)...)
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