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29.13% Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos / Chapter 684: Inherently Without Restrictions

章 684: Inherently Without Restrictions

It took a bit of effort, and coordination with Terra, but Vahn managed to get a decently sized room set up for Fenrir's cultivation. Because of the conflicts between natural energy, and all the elemental affinities Fenrir made use of, the room she used had to be completely isolated from the rest of Terra's dominion. To do so, she made several reinforced earthen layers surrounding the room, each bearing a complex arrangement of wards that would prevent the icy energy from spreading into the surroundings. By the time everything was complete, Fenrir had a room that was near -200 degrees Celsius, covered in a layer of ice with several valuable herbs and natural resources growing within, each suffusing ice and yin elemental energy through the room. Most notably, however, was the large slab of ice that formed the shape of a bed, something Fenrir seemed rather fond of since it was always very calming to be surrounded by your own element.

Vahn had to set up several barriers to the entrance of Fenrir's room since it could actually kill anyone that didn't have a high tolerance to cold. Exposure to the extreme ice elemental energy in the room would sap the strength of anyone inside of kill, freezing solid anyone that didn't have some means to resist the icy chill that would seize their body. Fenrir, however, seemed completely immune to it, much like Vahn who was currently laying on the [Pristine Jade Ice Bed] with the jubilant little Vanargandr clinging to his body. She continued to draw deep breaths, enjoying her Master's fragrance in this small world where only the two of them existed. After refilling her 'reserves', Fenrir lifted her body and said, "Thank you, Master...this room feel very comfortable. I will do my best to become even stronger in the future..." Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Fenrir leaned down and started kissing him, something she seemed especially fond of since the previous night.

Fenrir had completely stopped putting on the 'act' she had adopted ever since her return from the orb. With her Master accepting her desire to grow stronger, along with her feelings of wanting to be with him, Fenrir felt like a heavy weight had been removed from her shoulders. She hadn't realized it previously, but there had been a very heavy burden on her heart that had caused her to bottle up some resentment towards the other girls. After all, before spending four years with Terra and Eva, she had never really opened up to them completely. Though she still cared deeply for her Master's children, Fenrir was much happier being able to improve her strength while having a special place only she and her Master could visit...

Other than the time he spent visiting Alex, conversing with the girls, and playing with his daughters, Vahn spent the rest of the day helping set up Fenrir's room. Once everything was completed, they snuggled up on the bed and talked about cultivation and various other subjects, at least when Fenrir wasn't releasing her pent up 'affections' on him. Vahn, knowing how much he had restrained her in the past, pampered Fenrir quite a bit throughout the day, though it never went further than heavy petting and kissing. Unlike the past, they actually sat down and talked about the unique structure of her body, discussing possible solutions and steps she could take to overcome her 'Ageless' trait.

Like all of his subordinates, they were actually able to live forever but, as a result of some of the unique quirks of the system, they could still age and grow depending on special circumstances. This would continue until they reached physical maturity or, in the case that age resulted in their power increasing, even extend far into their twilight years. However, unless they were killed outright, none of his subordinates named through the Akashic Tome would die of old age. After all, though they were unique entities, they were still an extension of himself, sharing an unbreakable link with his soul and being entirely comprised of source energy...

Fenrir was a unique case among the rest of his subordinates because, much like Eva, Fenrir had a 'fixed' default state that her body always reverted back to. Fafnir, Terra, and Khaos, while having noteworthy regeneration, didn't possess this quality as it was something unique to Fenrir's existence as a Vanargandr. He wasn't sure which record he had drawn her name from, but the original record holder must have had the Ageless trait as well. As a result, Fenrir's body always reverted back to her base form, regardless of the damage she sustained. Unless she was outright killed, Fenrir could regrow lost limbs, regenerate organs, and even grow out her hair to the exact same length as her 'default' state. Even if she shaved her entire head of hair, it wouldn't even take more than two hours for it to reach the middle of her back once again.

Unfortunately, there weren't any outright ways to change Fenrir's Ageless body into a more 'normal' one, other than increasing the Tier of her soul and fundamentally altering the nature of her existence. The higher someone was in respect to Soul Tier, the greater influence they had over their own destiny, including the form they took and the capabilities they would possess. Innates existed outside the influence of laws so, if Fenrir was able to get an Innate that allowed her to freely alter her form, it would have a higher priority than her Ageless trait. She already nearly mastered her [Mimickry] Development Ability at this point and, though her transformation magic still needed work, Fenrir was quite gifted at it.

According to Eva, it took her nearly ten years to learn how to change the shape of her body with magic, something she had never truly mastered. Fenrir, though only working on it proactively for the last two months, already had a marginal amount of success with the ability. In the future, she may even be able to assume an 'adult' form, even without the reliance on an Innate. This, however, wouldn't get around the base issue so she needed to harden her intent and 'desire' an Innate that would give her more control over the changes in her body. Most likely, she would end up first getting an Innate related to the mind, increasing her control and willpower, so it was probable that the 'issues' with her body wouldn't be addressed until she reached Tier 3. However, with her [Insatiable Hunger] possessing no growth restrictions, Fenrir would be able to reach Tier 3 very quickly, likely in as little as a few months depending on how much effort she puts into her secondary Innate.

The development of one's Innates was the key to increasing the Soul Tier, though not the 'determinant' factor. Having a mastered Innate just meant you could reach the limit of your current Soul Tier, meaning a Tier 1 Soul could reach the peak of Tier 1 if they mastered their Innate. To actually advance your soul further, you required a breakthrough in both your understanding of laws and the nature of existence itself. This would prompt the awakening of other Innates, circumventing the laws of the world and allowing you to grow beyond the limitations you were born with. Interestingly, these changes would persist through all your future reincarnations as well, meaning Cultivation was the key to eternal life, regardless of the record you originated from. At the very least, you would make life easier for all your future incarnations since their potential would have been increased through your efforts...

Having a better understanding of how Innates function, Vahn realized why his own Soul Tier had increased so quickly, even though it was very difficult to do so for 'normal' people. His [Will of the Emperor] had already reached the peak at the moment of its awakening. This allowed him to have a rational view of the world while increasing his understanding of various laws through observation and interacting directly with the elemental energies within the air. It was also the major shifts in his mentality, supported by [Will of the Emperor], that caused his other Innates to awaken. Vahn knew that his Soul Tier fundamentally had no restrictions, meaning he already had several dormant Innates sleeping inside of him. If he truly managed to awaken each of them, pushing them towards mastery, his path to obtaining higher Tiers would only be restricted by his perseverance and understanding.

Vahn was tempted to try cultivation himself but, after forming the thought, Sis informed him it wouldn't be 'appropriate' given his bodies constitution. In truth, though there were skills that allowed him to have an almost 'perfect' control over certain elemental forces, Vahn had no affinity with any element. This made most cultivation techniques, even catered to his body through the path, fundamentally 'flawed'. Since he actually had no limitations from the start, normal cultivation would actually 'create' bottlenecks that didn't previously exist. By following a path laid out by other people, his growth would be limited, even if it would also give him an explosive amount of power in the interim.

Eva's [Magia Erbea] was a good example since, after learning it, Vahn had a lot of restrictions and issues that he has slowly been working to overcome. However, for his current record, the skill gave him too many advantages to simply throw away. Instead, much like he would have to do with any cultivation manuals he purchased, Vahn had to improve upon the skill and overcome the inherent restrictions through breaking down and understanding the laws that allowed the skills to function. Fortunately, this didn't apply to existences that he had named through the Akashic record as, even though their body was comprised of source energy, they still possessed elemental affinities.

Fenrir had limitless growth with her completely unrestricted [Insatiable Hunger], which was graded even higher than his [Will of the Emperor]. By cultivating certain techniques, Fenrir could have greater influence over how her base Innate affected her growth. This made it so that she had no 'real' bottlenecks in the future, limited only by her mental development and self-control. After all, even if she stayed Tier 1 forever, Fenrir would be able to have enough power and energy to rival beings that were much stronger than her. If left unrestricted, she could even devour an entire record without ever increasing her Soul Tier at all, including all the powerful entities and gods contained within. Now, by increasing her Soul Tier and working towards 'controlling' her own Innate, Fenrir's future growth was truly unrestricted, even without sacrificing her mind in the process...

---

After spending the night with Fenrir, Vahn woke up with a comfortable chill encompassing his entire body. Though he didn't have any water, ice, or yin elemental affinity, Vahn was entirely immune to the yin-ice poison that would have settled in his body by sleeping on the [Pristine Jade Ice Bed]. Instead, the icy chill made him feel very calm and relaxed as his body broke down the detrimental effects of the energy and converted it directly into source energy. Fenrir, though covered in a light layer of frost, also seemed to be very comfortable as her eyelids fluttered open, dispersing the small particles that had attached themselves to her hair and eyelashes. With a happy smile on her face, Fenrir wrapped her arms around him suddenly and began rubbing her head against his bare chest, lazily muttering, "Master~."

Vahn smiled, returning her embrace while enjoying the strange sensation of her ice-cold skin against his bare body. They had both slept naked the previous night, enjoying the cold energy pervading through their bodies while cuddling up with each other. Fenrir, even though his body was also very cold, commented that she enjoyed the warmth that radiated from his body. When he asked about it, Fenrir explained that it was like his aura was very warm, while his presence and aroma made her feel calm and safe. This was actually a sentiment shared by most of the girls in the Manor, which was why they all felt somewhat strange when they interacted with his memory fragment previously.

After Loki, Hephaestus, Eina, Hestia, and Syr had discussed the matter, it was decided that the 'reward' orbs wouldn't be used in the future. If it wasn't the real Vahn, it felt very strange since he acted distinctly different than normal while also 'feeling' different. The only Space-Time orbs that would be used were exclusively restricted to educational purposes and skill development. To make up for this, Terra was now trying her best to make a more powerful Sub-Space orb so that Vahn could spend time with each girl with his 'real' form.

Fortunately, it was possible to use multiple orbs to get around the restrictions that might have limited the progress of 'normal' people. If Terra made several orbs, it would be possible to make use of each of them, functionally increasing the time dilation a person experienced, potentially to the point where they could experience an eternity over the course of a single day. This, however, would take a vast amount of resources and a powerful understanding of space-time laws, which were currently far beyond the capabilities of Vahn, or anyone else for that matter...

Since Vahn had to make good on his 'promise' to Rakia Kingdom today, he couldn't really stay locked up inside Fenrir's room all day. Thus, after hugging her body for the better part of an hour, allowing her to fiddle around with his 'proud' dragon, Vahn and Fenrir got dressed to attend the morning training. When they finally came out of the icy chamber, Vahn felt his skin stinging as his temperature slowly normalized. Fenrir, however, seemed to 'contain' the icy energies in her body as a gentle mist wafted off of her. She always walked around bare-pawed so, every step she took made icy fragments spread around from the point of contact. Vahn found this rather interesting and, after checking over Fenrir's body with his [Eyes of Truth], he could see several icy strands of energy flowing through her body. Very small parts of this energy was being absorbed by her mana circuits, nourishing and strengthening them. However, the vast majority of the energy was slowly dissipating into the atmosphere, forming the mist that gave Fenrir an illusory look.

As they walked through the Manor, Fenrir left a small trail of ice that caused her to furrow her brows slightly and, upon coming across Emiru and Maemi, she apologized for making a mess. The twins were somewhat surprised by the 'honest' apology they had received, smiling softly in response as they synchronously said, "Don't worry about it, Fenrir. We will take care of it properly~." Unlike everyone else, the twins usually trained in the afternoon since they spent most of the morning cleaning the Manor, serving meals, and doing laundry. They genuinely enjoyed working as maids so, though it used to bother him int he past, Vahn had completely accepted their self-assumed roles. Fortunately, Syr, Milan, Lunoire, and, though he had been surprised the first time he saw her, Risna also helped out. She had something about not wanting to just 'leech' off everyone else in the Manor, feeling self-conscious about watching everyone else work hard all the time...

Arriving in the back yard, Vahn saw Tiona in her dual-transformation, making use of both her [Pactio] form and the wand in her possession. She was flying around creating shockwaves while she and Ais fought in the air above the training field. From below, Naaza and Ryuu were shooting arrows towards the two, allowing them to train their awareness while practicing high-speed movements. Ryuu didn't train much these day, but it didn't strain her body too much just using her artifact to fire arrows. Though slightly different in structure, Ryuu now had a crest carved on her abdomen that allowed her to absorb natural energy into her body. It didn't serve the same purpose as Riveria's, which was almost 'necessary' for pregnancy, but still allowed her mana to replenish much faster than normal.

One of the discussion topics in recent weeks was creating several types of crests that could help increase the acquisition of magic power in all the girls' bodies. Since it wasn't that difficult to remove later on in life, it would allow everyone that was currently in their development phase to increase their magic power further. This was especially true for the girls that were currently pregnant since their growth would be limited during the duration of their pregnancy. Now, not just Ryuu, but Eina also had a crest carved on her body. In the future, once the crests were refined to suit each individual elemental affinity, Vahn expected it would be 'common' to see specific types of crests present on people's bodies.

The trend would start with the girls in the Manor but, depending on how things developed, Vahn didn't mind making it available to the students that would attend the School. After all, anything that could passively aid a person's growth, especially when they are young, would be very beneficial to securing the future of their graduates. Then, once people learned the purpose of the crests, Vahn expected they would become commonplace after a few years. Thus, the crests themselves were actually a disguise for the 'real' formation that was carved underneath, making use of his knowledge of meridians and the existence of the spiritual and magic bodies. Even if people 'copied' the crests, they wouldn't have any true function, making the prestige of the School and its graduates elevated with an air of mystery associated with it...

Fenrir stood next to Vahn for a few minutes, watching the skirmish overhead with intrigue before turning towards the forest and saying, "Master, I'm going to go talk with Terra. I want to meet Alex and see what your memory fragment is like..." Vahn nodded his head, giving Fenrir one last kiss that earned him the attention of some of the other girls in the field. Fenrir smiled in return before suddenly shaking her body, forcing the cold energy to escape through her pores. A layer of frost covered the grassy area before Fenrir giggled and ran off towards the forest. Since Terra would have complained if she was 'leaking' energy in the Garden, Fenrir diffused it from her body before deciding to head over. Vahn, also covered in a layer of frost, shook his head with a slight smile on his face. Fenrir's laugh had been directed towards him but Vahn didn't mind, simply enjoying the change in her character and how happy she seemed.

Shortly after Fenrir had departed, Haruhime made her way over, accompanied by Lili, the latter of which was covered in a light layer of sweat from her morning exertions. Vahn habitually stroked both their heads the moment they entered his 'range', earning smiles from both girls as Haruhime said, "Fenrir seems a lot happier than before. I was actually starting to worry about her over the last few days. I'm glad everything turned out well..." Lili, nodding her head, added, "Yes, she seemed to be trying very hard to restrain herself. If things had kept going in that direction, it's possible she might have had a mental breakdown at some point." There was a very 'serious' look in Lili's eyes as she looked toward Vahn but, after a few seconds had passed, she smiled and said, "I knew you would take action before then, though~."

Haruhime laughed in response to Lili's words, pulling closer to Vahn as she said, "Indeed...after all, our Master is rather Heroic, isn't he, Lili~?" Lili's brows had twitched when she saw Haruhime suddenly get close to Vahn but, after hearing her words, she smiled and, without minding her sweaty body, clung to Vahn's other arm and muttered a happy 'Nn!' Vahn just shook his head with a wry smile before asking, "Mind if I join you two for training this morning? I want to warm up my body a bit before I leave later." Hearing his words, Haruhime and Lili exchanged a knowing look, understanding that Vahn may suffer a mental blow by the time he returned in the afternoon. Lili gave a small nod, seemingly communicating something between them before she looked up at Vahn and said, "I don't mind if you want to train with us. However, we were talking to Lefiya earlier and she had been looking forward to using her 'Heavy Petting Coupon' later on. If you're not busy this afternoon, you should go spend some time with her..."

Vahn was very surprised when he heard Lili essentially telling him to spend time with other girls, especially given her character. Though she had improved in leaps and bounds, Lili still had a somewhat jealous personality and it wasn't easy for her to prop up others. Understanding she was acting out of character on his behalf, Vahn started to realize that it wasn't just Fenrir looking out for him. With a smile on his face, Vahn made Lili flush as he bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips and said, "Sure, that sounds like a good idea. After I'm done, however, how about we all go play in the woods for a bit? This time, I'll be the Seeker and, if I managed to find you...well...I'm sure you'll enjoy it~." Lili had started to breathe heavily through her nose, face completely red as she nodded with a very serious, "Yes, that sounds great! Super great!" escaping her tiny lips. As for Haruhime, her eyes glittered with the light of expectation as she released a peal of elegant bell-like laughter...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn's body is a Cultivator's wet dream...','Vahn's body is Fenrir's wet dream...','RIP Lefiya, gonna get some of that 'Heavy Petting' soon')

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章 685: Premonition?

After eating breakfast with the girls, Vahn had been preparing for his venture when Eina and Hephaestus showed up. He had just been getting ready to climb on Fafnir's back but, detecting their arrival, jumped down to greet them. Hephaestus, carrying a very tired looking Ina in her arms, walked close and quietly said, "When Ina woke up, she said she wanted to see you all of a sudden. I'm glad I managed to catch you in time..." The smile on Vahn's face softened slightly but he also felt it was a little strange that his daughter would suddenly do such a thing. Yes, she was very clingy to him at times, but Ina had never outright asked someone to deliver her to him before.

Vahn accepted Ina from Hephaestus, staring into her sleepy blue eyes with a smile on his face as he softly asked, "Ina? Is there something you wanted from Papa?" For several seconds, completely uncharacteristically, Ina remained absolutely quiet before slowly nodding as she said, "I had a dream...I saw multiple Papa's in a place I've never been to before. You seemed very sad and I was very scared..." Since Ina had just met his memory fragment only recently, it wouldn't have been abnormal for Vahn to assume she just had a strange dream as a result. However, he could see the same mystical light in her eyes that he had observed in the past and understood things weren't so easily explained away...

Ina, seemingly finding her words, became teary-eyed as she tightly hugged his neck and said, "Papa...don't cry...Ina is here..." Vahn wasn't sure what Ina had seen in her dream but her reaction made his heart twist around in his chest, breaking the good mood he had developed since the morning training. Unable to do much else, as he didn't want to press Ina to recount something that made her sad, Vahn gently stroked her back and infused calming energy through her body until she fell asleep. Even so, Ina continued to cling to him long after she had fallen unconscious, making Vahn choke up a little when he finally passed her over to Hephaestus.

The only thing Hephaestus knew was that Ina kept 'insisting' to meet with her Papa so she was very confused by all of these developments. However, as a goddess, she had some idea about what was going on so, after placing the sleeping her chest, said, "Ina may have some degree of foresight or prophecy. Since she saw multiple versions of you, it seems to be a very powerful ability..." Hephaestus released a sigh as a somewhat melancholic look appeared on her face and she added, "Prophecy is both a gift and a curse, especially when one is still a child...hopefully, this was just a strange dream and nothing more..." However, though the words left her lips, even Hephaestus didn't believe them. She had sensed a strange energy circulating around her daughter and noticed the glow in her pale blue eyes when she laid eyes on Vahn earlier.

Eina had been watching from the side, showing a great deal of concern on her face before taking a deep breath and returning back to a calm smile. Walking over, she gave Vahn a very firm hug and said in a soothing tone of voice, "You're always doing the impossible, Vahn...I believe making your daughter smile should be easy. Hurry back...we'll be waiting for you when you return." Though it looked like she had been forcing herself at first, by the time Eina had finished her words the smile on her face had become natural and beautiful. Vahn had noticed the change, feeling the tension that had gripped his heart slowly fading away as he enjoyed the embrace with Eina and said, "Don't worry too much; I'll be back as soon as I can. When I return, I'm certain I can make Ina smile again..."

Vahn continued to hold Eina for more than a full minute, only stopping when a gentle morning breeze blew through the area and caused her hair to tickle his face. With a smile on his face, Vahn moved the strands of silky brown hair behind her ears, giving Eina one last kiss before turning to Hephaestus and doing the same. Then, though she was still asleep, Vahn leaned down and gave Ina a kiss on the forehead, smiling when he saw the 'sad' expression slowly melt from her face. This time, Vahn hoped her dreams would be more pleasant than whatever she saw previously...

As it took several hours to reach the border between Rakia Kingdom and the Western Forests, Vahn had a lot of time to think about what Ina might have seen. He hoped there had been nothing too graphic and, based on her reaction, that, very fortunately, didn't seem to be the case. She seemed to be upset by the fact that he was upset, meaning he must have done something he regretted. Considering he had just been about to leave for Rakia's border, Vahn could assume it was related to his trip and, knowing some of the lengths Rakia went to at times, he expected they had prepared something for him. Regardless, they wouldn't be able to pose much of an actual 'threat' so Vahn assumed it was some kind of cruel scheme one of their advisors had come up with. If he was careful, Vahn believed he would be able to avoid any real tragedies...

By the time he was nearing the borders, Vahn had also decided to send a telepathic message to Terra, informing her that he may summon her to his side in an emergency. One of the things that would be very devasting would be the loss of Fafnir or Khaos so, assuming Rakia might have come up with a method to target them, Vahn wanted to have a failsafe in place. After all, Terra could easily teleport back to the Manor and, even from a vast distance of several thousand kilometers, she would still be able to sense if someone entered her territory. Terra happily agreed, saying she would always be happy to come to his aid if he were in danger. After all, protecting him was one of the 'reasons' she had given for her own existence and, even if he was unkillable, Terra would regret having her Master suffer just because she was unwilling to assist him.

Vahn had arrived at the same spot where the first fortress had been located, something surprised by the fact a few tents had been pitched in the area while very obvious construction efforts were taking place. Right now, there were only materials present, but Vahn could tell they were already beginning to reconstruct the border fortress. Seeing several hundred slave laborers moving about below, many of which had become terrified upon his arrival, Vahn couldn't help but release a long and tired sigh. He had Fafnir and Khaos fly up to safety, sending them high enough that there were no practical ways to target them, regardless of what Rakia Kingdom might have come up with.

After landing in the central area, sending most of the laborers running in terror, Vahn expanded his domain and began scanning over all the tents. Some soldiers came charging out, fear apparent on their faces but nonetheless charging towards him with spears. Though he could allow them to pierce him, Vahn wasn't really fond of pain so he lowered his body's center and used his [Xuánwǔ Protector]s to deflect every spear thrust, robbing the weapons from the men in the process. There was a vast difference in their parameters so, even if they gripped the spears as if their lives depended on it, Vahn was able to disarm the men and throw their weapons into his Inventory.

Though they started off with a fair amount of momentum, even if it had been influenced by their fear, the men quickly lost their bravado after having their weapons seized. Other than a rather quick Level 2 who pulled out a concealed blade and tried to lunge towards him, most of the men retreated away, forming a loose encirclement after picking up makeshift weapons. Many took up the same tools that the slaves had been holding previously, staring towards Vahn without enough willpower to charge forward a second time. Even if they had been training for several years, nobody wanted to die and, feeling the 'tyrannical' and oppressive aura radiating from Vahn, only the most steadfast among them could even keep their bearing.

Vahn had long since finished passing his perception over the area, learning that there were only around one hundred soldiers present. The strongest among them was, once again, Level 3 while the vast majority of people within his domain were simple slaves, all around Level 1 in strength, likely without a Falna. Deciding he had claimed enough lives previously, Vahn made a new resolution as his eyes turned cold. Looking around at the surrounding men, many having black and grey auras, even if the purple contained within them was very prominent, Vahn decided to pass judgment on them, even if it was 'lenient'. The number of slaves present vastly outnumbered the actual combat personnel and, though he hadn't really been able to save the prisoners from the last time, most of the slaves had harder bodies and would be able to seek freedom if given the opportunity.

Like an illusion, Vahn vanished from the sight of all the soldiers present, now having gathered nearly half their forces in the encirclement. However, with the strongest person present only being Level 2, they couldn't even see his figure easily as Vahn came out behind the nearest group of soldiers, jamming his index and middle fingers towards their lower backs. The men screamed out in pain, some feeling such excruciating pain that the spat out blood as a result. Vahn was sending threads of energy through his fingertips, causing his source energy to wreak havoc on their mana circuits while severely damaging their spiritual and magic bodies. He didn't want to leave them with any physical disabilities, but Vahn intended to make sure none of these cruel people would be able to find success in their society that advocated might and power instead of tolerance and peace.

Many of the soldiers had been waiting for others to take action but, after Vahn made his move, those nearest him made desperate attempts to fight back while those further away turned around and ran. Vahn even saw one soldier tearing off his armor, picking up a dirty tunic nearby and trying to look like one of the slaves who had long fled. Since he had picked up a tool previously, the image wasn't far off from the usual workers, if not for the fact he didn't look malnourished with the glint of a murderer in his eyes. Vahn, having just dealt with another small batch of soldiers, appeared near the man who shouted out, "Please spare me, my Lord. Ah'm just a slave, n-" Before the man could finish his words, Vahn jammed his fingers, not at the disguised soldiers 'core', but directly into his heart. This was one of the few Levels 2 present and, based on how sickeningly black his aura was, Vahn had no illusions that he would have done many horrible things in his rise to 'power'.

With confusion and anguish written across his face, the man choked on a large volume of black blood as he fell to the ground. Moments later, with a look of absolute disbelief, the once arrogant and proud soldier had breathed his last. Perhaps as a result of the indignation he felt, the man hadn't even closed his eyes after dying, continuing to stare lifelessly towards the form of Vahn moving about the remaining soldiers like a wolf amongst sheep. Not even those that tried to run away were spared, including the few that tried their luck by pretending to be slaves. Truthfully, Vahn wasn't entirely sure if they 'weren't' slaves but, seeing that many had incredibly dark auras, Vahn damaged their mana circuits all the same.

After dealing with the majority of the soldiers, Vahn moved to the large tent where all the remaining combat personnel was located. There were about 50 presences within that one tent, a large black structure that was several times larger than all the surrounding tents. Vahn unhesitantly entered inside, setting up a barrier to intercept all the arrows that came flying towards him. Then, seeing that their surprise attack had been fruitless, a surprisingly fat man with bulging muscles held up a young girl while holding a sword against her neck, shouting, "You piece of shit! You dare attack Darius Crowley, Captain of the 37th Black-Iron Brigade!?" The fact he was shouting in a commanding tone while holding a hostage made Vahn's eyes turn dull as he coldly asked, "What are you trying to accomplish by taking a hostage...?"

Darius had a fierce look on his face as a cruel smile suffused his lips, saying, "I've read the reports, brat. You like to play hero, right? Fine then, let's see how selfless our little wannabe can be! Drop down all your weapons and you have my word that I will release all these ho-" Before he could finish, Vahn tilted his head slightly and asked, "Are you an idiot...?" Darius' eyes bulged in anger, face turning red as he pulled the sword in his hand closer to the trembling girl's neck and screamed, "Are you trying my patience, you cur!?" Vahn cast a very brief glance towards the girl before plainly stating, "Even if I try to help people, it doesn't mean I will simply give up my life in exchange, especially if its to allow cruel and viscious people to succeed. If every 'good' person just sacrificed themselves every time someone evil took a hostage, this would have been even worse..."

Vahn had no idea what went through the heads of bad guys at times, especially in moments like this. What, was he expected to suddenly drive a dagger through his own heart on the promise that someone who has exploited others for a living would stay true to their word? No, Vahn had already seen this situation in the past and, after thinking about it several times, he understood you couldn't compromise with people like this. Even if he had to bear the pain of failing to save some people, he wouldn't be able to save 'anyone' if he simply gave up his own life. After all, time didn't stop at moments like this and, even if the young girl died, there would be thousands more that needed saving that he would still be able to help. Though he might make an exception for his old children, Vahn wasn't selfless enough to give his enemies any advantages on behalf of a stranger.

Of course, this didn't mean Vahn was just going to let the fat man do whatever he wanted, as there are a functionally infinite number of ways to deal with a 'mere' Level 3. Before the man, or any of his cronies, could react to what was happening, Vahn converged his domain on them. In total, there were only eleven soldiers present and, given how weak their Levels were, Vahn was able to stun them all in an instant. Several small blades appeared in his hands the next moment, drawing cold lines through the air as they were buried into the skulls of the ten men, and one woman present. Given how close she was to Darius, Vahn assumed she had been something like a Lieutenant or lover to the man. However, she was also holding a hostage so Vahn hadn't given her any leniency, especially as her aura was blacker than almost anyone else present.

The nearly forty hostages all had various reactions, some screaming out in terror while others simply fell to the ground. However, there were a few amongst them that realized they had been saved and had proactively started calming down their companions. As for the girl that had been held captive by Darius, she fell to her butt in a somewhat catatonic state as a foul smell spread through the tent. Vahn's dagger had passed right next to her head since Darius had been using her body as a human shield, effectively causing her to experience the converging of his aura and the terror of having a blade flying towards her face. Vahn gave her a slightly apologetic look, tossing over a bundle of clean clothes before walking towards the middle-aged man that was trying to get matters under control.

Seeing Vahn approach, the man took a step back as a somewhat fearful look appeared in his eyes as he asked, "My Lord...is there something you need of us? I promise you we can still be of use..." Though there was a fair amount of propaganda in regards to Vahn circulating around the Rakia Kingdom, making him about to be some vicious demon, few people actually knew what he looked like. To many of the slaves present, though some had already realized the truth of the matter, Vahn was just a young boy with amazing power. However, as one of the people who had recognized Vahn, the man had already uttered a silent prayer hoping that the rumors regarding the seemingly young boy were exaggerated.

Vahn paused for a brief moment, feeling somewhat confused before realizing what must be going through, not just the man's, but most of the slave's minds. To them, who had lived lives of servitude, he may as well just be their next Master. They lived or died on his whims, even though he didn't actually have any intention of harming them. With a small sigh, Vahn shook his head slightly and said, "Relax, I'm not going to harm any of you. I see that you have some influence over the other 'people' present and was going to offer you a bit of advice. I can't personally escort you, but I can give your people supplies and you can try your luck escaping to the south. If you make it to the edge of the Plains region, you should be able to seek shelter at some of the smaller villages in the area." Though they likely wouldn't be accepted in the villages maintained by the various Agricultural Familia, there were several small villages located in and around the Western Forests that they could take up residence in. Since they were seemingly capable of constructing a fortress, they could even build their own village after finding a peaceful place to settle down.

Realizing what Vahn was saying, the man had a slight glimmer of hope in his eyes that began to fade away almost as quickly as it appeared. However, it didn't fade away entirely as he said, "My Lord, there be sev'ral other fortresses 'asides this one...we'd never make it far before one o' tha patrols picked up our trail..." Vahn shook his head once again, explaining, "I gave the Rakia Kingdom my warning and will be eliminating all the current border fortresses. I doubt they'll have time to send out patrols while they're busy trying to take care of damage control. Also, you can equip yourselves with the soldiers' weapons and armor. With your numbers, a small patrol wouldn't cause too much trouble. Some of you may die, yes, but it's better than returning back to the Rakia Kingdom and living the lives of slaves, right?"

Not just the man, but several nearby people agreed to Vahn's words, some even picking up the nearby weapons while others started stripping away the equipment of the now-deceased soldiers. Vahn was a little disturbed by the fact that none of them seemed to be bothered by the presence of corpses but, after considering where they came from, he wasn't too surprised. Death was a very common thing within the Rakia Kingdom, especially amongst those in the lower rungs of society. Vahn wasn't going to pry into how they had lived, or how they plan to live, so he just put the matter to the back of his mind for the time being as he started to arrange some supplies for them.

The slaves that had fled, fearing to go too far since it would have resulted in their death if they had been captured, slowly gathered together in the encampment. Many of the soldiers he had 'spared' ended up being killed by some of the slaves they had wronged in the past, not that it was any of Vahn's concern. As long as they didn't try to cruelly torment them, Vahn didn't bother stopping anyone from seeking vengeance, especially in the case where it was a young woman bludgeoning a male soldier to death. Vahn hadn't missed the fact that there would generally be numerous female slaves attacking the same men, generally aiming for the face and 'unmentionables' of said individual.

To give them a better chance at survival, Vahn purchased some simple weapons and rucksacks from the shop and distributed them to the people that were unarmed. He also weeded out some of the slaves that had much darker auras than normal, which had been made easier by the fact that they generally congregated together and were already trying to 'run' things in the newly formed group. Vahn didn't plan to let the people simply trade hands to another group that would exploit them so, after identifying the 'problem' individuals, Vahn asked the opinion of the same man he had met previously, who he came to know as Gant, if they were 'necessary'. Vahn wasn't surprised to find out that the men were some of the patsies that pandered to the soldiers for benefits, often causing harm to their fellow slaves and acting arrogantly. Thus, without any major flair, Vahn crippled their mana circuits, distributed their equipment to other people, and then left them behind to fend for themselves in the vast wasteland...

Once everything had been taken care of, Vahn parted ways with the small caravan that had been established, waving towards the group as he mounted Fafnir and moved on to his next destination. All throughout, as if they couldn't believe what was happening, there had been no cheering from any of the slaves. There weren't even a lot of people who thanked him, not that Vahn was really bothered by it. They had gone through a lot, experiencing a level of cruelty that most people wouldn't have been able to bear. Vahn only hoped that, one day in the far future, they would be able to find the happiness everyone should be allowed to seek. Perhaps, maybe after settling down in a nice clearing along the borders of the Western Forest, they would find it. After all, life was a precious thing and, as long as you continued living, there was always hope...

(A/N: New cover is live o3o~!)

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'No Papa, No Cry (TT_TT)...','Vahn might be a baka, but he's no idiot!','Hope Beyond The Horizon...')

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

paypal.me/Einlion

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


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