Capítulo 1888: Growing Tensions
Though he continued to monitor the events taking place outside through the Law of Identity, Vahn had already put the matters of the Name Hunt Station behind him. He didn't care how many people he had upset, and, were it not for the presence of Yuri, he might have even gone out to teach those conspiring against him a lesson. Instead, he had Poe forward a message for him when Evan secretly made contact, promising to meet with her after his arrival at the Last Station.
Needless to say, Yuri wasn't enthused by the five-month rain check, so, prior to her departure from the Name Hunt Station, she made sure to pester the Lo Po Bia Family as much as possible. This left the representative of the Snow Leopard Family feeling greatly exasperated, not because of Yuri, but because he would undoubtedly be held accountable for losing control over the Name Hunt Station and allowing the perpetrators to escape. He wanted nothing more than to send a group of Regulars into the Hell Express to smoke everyone out, but, with less than a day to act, combined with the fact it was 'very' difficult to find a Regular capable of defeating Kaiser, this was simply impossible.
In the end, the representative of the Snow Leopard Family could do little more than report what had happened to his superiors, embellishing facts as much as possible in order to shift the blame onto others. Specifically, he wanted the Grey Wolf Family to be held accountable for the actions of their progeny, but, with most of their living being unaware of Elaine's existence, this was difficult to achieve. This left him with no choice but to lay the blame on the other Families, specifically pointing fingers at the various representatives who had stood in opposition to them for the past thousand or so years.
Though the Elders of the Lo Po Bia Family weren't foolish enough to openly antagonize the other Ten Families, that didn't prevent them from trying to leverage the incident to curry favor with the Jahad Empire. They unhesitantly added to the rumors circulating around Vahn, outright accusing him of rebelling against the Empire and conspiring with FUG to dethrone the King. This compelled the Royal Enforcement Division to take action, as, no matter how unsubstantiated the claim, even a rumor regarding rebellion was unacceptable in the eyes of Jahad's most zealous forces.
With the reputation of the Royal Enforcement Division, it was no surprise to anyone that they were ready and willing to take action to protect the reputation and honor of the Jahad Empire. Infinitely more surprising was the fact that, shortly after the accusation was filed, the 1st, 4th, and 5th Army Corps began to mobilize.
Since the 5th Army Corps was almost entirely comprised of members of the Lo Po Bia Family, their mobilization was well within the expectations of the various forces monitoring the incident. What none of them expected was that the 1st Corps, headed by none other than Adori Jahad, had been mobilized.
As could be expected, the 1st Corps included many of the Jahad Empire's most powerful forces and assets. Adori, in particular, was the current Rank 7 among all the Tower's Rankers, so, while it wasn't too surprising that she would mobilize to pressure someone like Ureko, nobody expected her to be tasked with squashing a 'rumor'. This led many to suspect there was some greater meaning behind her mobilization, and, though he had already garnered the attention of virtually every faction in the Tower, the eyes of every pertinent party had momentarily shifted to Vahn and the Hell Express...
---
Largely unaware of the magnitude of the events he had set into motion, Vahn spent the first ten days aboard the Hell Express earning the right to advance to the next Floor before spending the better part of two weeks attempting to access the Hidden Floor. His instincts were telling him that he might not have as much time as he would like, so, while he always had the option of 'stealing' the entire train, that was a measure he wanted to save until he had no other choice. After all, the Hell Express took him directly to several important locations, and, while they were possible to find using 'conventional' methods, it was the simplest and most expedient way of achieving his current series of objectives.
Unfortunately, without outright destroying the door, Vahn had yet to find a way to gain access to the Hidden Floor. The Workshop had put in a considerable amount of effort to effectively make it impenetrable, so, even if they possessed the power of a High Ranker, breaching the door was nigh-impossible. Even if they could, doing so risked compromising the integrity of the Hidden Floor, so, without one of the three Master Keys that had been created, it was beginning to seem like his only option was to wait until he had cleared the Floor of Death...
Realizing he was still lacking in a number of ways, Vahn couldn't help exhaling an exasperated sigh as he removed his hand from the deceptively simple-looking metal door barring his passage. This earned him a pointed look from the blonde bombshell standing at his side, followed by a roll of the eyes as she said, "There is no sense in moping around. Aren't you always telling those brats about how sad and lonely it is to stand at the top? To that end, not being able to accomplish something is a blessing. It means you still have room for growth."
Chuckling in response to the woman's words, Vahn shifted his attention to the beauty, smiling as he said, "You're right. As expected of my former Master..."
Before she could go on about showing her proper respect, Vahn coiled his arms around Eva's waist, forcing her to stand on the tips of her toes as he stole a kiss. This caused her to fluster slightly, not because she was embarrassed by the act, but because there were quite a number of other people present to witness it. Despite this, she made no effort to try and break free. Instead, she returned his embrace with her own, enjoying the moment for several seconds before biting his tongue hard enough to draw a line of blood.
Rather than retract the offending appendage, Vahn continued to kiss Eva for an additional minute before finally releasing her from his grasp. This caused her face to turn beet red, but, at the same time, there was a visible 'fire' in her eyes after ingesting his blood. If not for the peanut gallery in attendance, she might have pushed him down then and there. Instead, she balled her hand into a fist, spontaneously condensing a monumental amount of Shinsu into a vibrant blue sphere as she smashed it into his chest with the force of a freight train.
Though he had allowed her to bite his tongue, the idea of having most of the bones in his body shattered wasn't very appealing. As a result, Vahn couldn't help but release his domain, a slightly apologetic smile developing across his face as he allowed her fist to impact his chest without any discernible effect. This caused Eva to click her tongue, but, rather than continue the assault, she just sent him a look that conveyed 'prepare yourself' before shifting her attention to Anna, Weiss, and Yura, asking, "What are you brats gawking at...?"
Being relatively sensible, Anna and Yura elected to remain silent in response to Eva's inquiry. Weiss, however, possessed the fearlessness of a lamb wandering into the domain of a lion. Thus, without any hesitation whatsoever, she happily chimed, "We were watching the two of you make out! That was pretty intense~!" while performing a thumbs-up gesture.
Having gotten a little closer to Weiss over the course of several weeks, Eva wasn't too surprised by her response. That didn't prevent her expression from darkening, however, an eerie laugh emitting from her throat as she asked, "Is that so...?"
Though she didn't understand why Eva was 'angry', Weiss instincts compelled her to manifest her sword and adopt a defensive posture as she flew backward at a remarkable speed. To her surprise, this reaction was met with an amused chuckle from Eva, who, rather than attack, mused, "That is a good reaction. If only you had the same discernment when it came to reading a situation..."
Confused by Eva's words, Weiss was about to ask for clarification when the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. At the same time, her pupils shrank to the size of pinholes as she witnessed the smiling figure of Eva fade away, a phenomenon that occurred simultaneously with a light poke to the back of her head.
Taking advantage of the white-haired beauty's momentary stupor, Eva went on to teasingly remark, "For someone whose swordsmanship revolves around the manipulation of Space, your perception is a little lacking. If you truly believed I was going to attack you, the correct response would have been to charge forward. After all, beyond a certain range, I have an absolute advantage..."
Adopting a slight pout, Weiss moved away from Eva's caress before asking, "How did you disappear like that? I couldn't sense you at all."
Answering in lieu of the chuckling Eva, Vahn earned himself another pointed look from the former as he explained, "She didn't erase her presence. You were just too focused on the bloodlust coming from your front that you didn't notice her spatial transference. Though her words aren't wrong, the truth of the matter is that you are too reliant on your ability to perceive threats. Against someone skilled in assassination techniques, you are at a massive disadvantage since the best assassins can erase both their presence and killing intent."
Understanding Vahn's explanation a little better, Weiss adopted an even more expressive pout as she shifted her attention toward Eva and accused, "You cheated...!"
Finished with her telepathic threats to Vahn, Eva turned to meet Weiss' gaze as she said, "Unless they have been stipulated beforehand, there are no rules of engagement. Even then, you should always harbor the expectation that your opponent will do everything in their power to cheat. Don't blame me for your lack of experience. Take this as a lesson and use it to improve."
Though she was still relatively naive, Weiss had learned enough about Eva to understand that she was being petty. Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do about it, as, despite possessing far greater reserves, her inability to manipulate external Shinsu meant she became noticeably weaker as a fight progressed. Inversely, Eva had an unparalleled mastery over the manipulation of Shinsu in the environment, so, while her internal reserves weren't anything impressive, she got progressively stronger as the fight dragged on.
Emulating Eva's habit of clicking her tongue, Weiss allowed her body to lazily list through the air, arms crossed as she began willfully ignoring the former. This caused Eva's brow to twitch, forcing her to take a few deep breaths in an effort to calm down. Then, demonstrating just how petty she could be, she answered Weiss's action in kind, ignoring the ghostly maiden until Vahn stepped in to mediate between the two...
---
Due to the presence of numerous fungal colonies dominating the entire Floor, both Regulars and Rankers tended to avoid the 40th Floor. This allowed it to become a safe haven for those seeking refuge, and, thanks to the presence of an individual known as David Hockney, possessing eyes that allowed him to see into the future, those residing on the Floor were able to avoid most dangers.
Unfortunately, even with his ability to see the future, there was nothing Hackney could do to help his fellow Regulars prepare for the arrival of an entire Division of the Jahad Army. To make matters even worse, there seemed to be several people within the military who knew about his ability, so, no matter what action he took to prevent it, all futures showed him being captured. Thus, in order to avoid death and buy time for his compatriots, he ended up handing himself over without a fight. Minutes later, he found himself being forced to kneel in front of an indescribably beautiful woman with golden hair and matching eyes, her only flaw being the ice-cold expression on her face as she began asking him various questions about the future...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Politicians are cancer...','Tier 5 Tsundere...','Well, this is escalating quickly...')
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Capítulo 1889: Emergence
Several hours prior to their arrival at the 40th Floor's train station, known best as the 'Mushroom Farm', Vahn received a rather urgent message from Poro Poe, the Hell Express' interim Conductor. This wasn't anything particularly abnormal, especially considering they were inbound towards the station. The contents of said message, however, were extremely troubling as, even with his current power, Vahn wasn't entirely sure how he would fare against an entire Division of the Jahad Army...
Fortunately, while the enemy had come out in force, they hadn't committed to a specific course of action just yet. The main purpose of their presence seemed to be to obtain information, so, rather than blocking the Hell Express from entering the station, they had simply cordoned off the region in preparation for conducting their investigation. The real issue was that several squadrons of Suspend Ships had been sent to intercept the Express, and, as could be expected, they had been demanding to speak with Pedro.
Though he could have easily pretended to be Pedro, Vahn knew that the Jahad Army had already been made aware of his connection with FUG. He also lacked the Administrative authority required to abide by their boarding requests, so, regardless of how convincing his performance might have been, it served no actual purpose. The Jahad Empire had already made the determination that the Hell Express had been hijacked, so, in the end, any procedures they came up with were simply ploys to secure an advantage.
With few other options, Vahn told Poe to go with the flow and pretend to cooperate with the Jahad Army's requests. So long as they could enter the Mushroom Farm unabated, it would be difficult for the encircling Rankers to take action. Their best course of action would be to stop the express prior to or immediately after its departure. After all, though they were the preeminent forces of the Jahad Empire, they couldn't simply ignore the Laws of the Tower without first reaching a compromise with the Guardians...
---
Since there was a chance he might not be able to recover the Hell Express and place it into his Little Garden before the Empire intervened, Vahn's first course of action was to recover Mordred from the Rice Pot. She had been inside for the better part of three months, so, while there was still a ways to go before she completed the process of 'Revolution', her power had already increased by several-fold. In fact, thanks to the system interface of his Unit Management, Vahn had been able to view her rather substantial growth in real-time...
--------------------------------------------------
[Status]
Name: [Mordred Aldrnari Pendragon], Sobriquet: N/A
Age: 335 Days [Ageless](A/N: Don't forget that they were basically 'reborn' into the current Record.)
Race: True Dragon
Parameters: [Transcendental Path to Heaven: 1-6]
Position(s): Scout, Fisherman
Strength: B-Rank Regular -> E-Rank Ranker
Durability: B-Rank Regular -> D-Rank Ranker
Intellect: D-Rank Regular -> C-Rank Regular
Agility: C-Rank Regular -> A-Rank Regular
Control: C-Rank Regular -> F-Rank Ranker
Shinsu: [Quality: Sword], [Total: 39,600->490,600], [Baang: 1], [Myun:198->2,453], [Soo:198->2,453], [Tension: 100]
Soul Tier: 4 (Divine Soul)
Karma: 159
Innate(s): [Sage Dragon Emperor's Pampered Princess(Mind): SSS], [Inheritor of the Emperor's Will(Spirit): S->SS], [War Goddess' Wrath(Emission): S], [Chimeric Queen's Blessed Body(Body): C->D]
Skill(s): [Anti-Dragon Constitution: S], [Dragon Transformation: A], [Aura of the Flame Dragon: A], [Dragon's Breath: A], [Domination: B], [Extrasensory Perception: B], [Enhanced Reflexes(Ranker): B], [Swordsman(Ranker): C], [Cutting(Ranker): D], [Wave Controller(Regular): B], [Flow Control(Regular): B], [Shinsu Enhancement(Ranker): D]
--------------------------------------------------
Though she still had a long way to go before she could be considered truly powerful, Mordred was well on her way to reaching the pinnacle of power within the Tower. Unfortunately, while she would be more than a match for the average Ranker, her power was incomparable to a High Ranker's. This put Vahn in a difficult situation, as, the moment she emerged from the Rice Pot, he knew she would be eager to test her power.
Had the situation been slightly different, Vahn wouldn't have had any problems allowing Mordred to participate in the coming battle. Unfortunately, the markings visible on their 'escorts' indicated that the Division waiting for them was none other than the 1st Army Corps, the most powerful force in the Jahad Army. This was a fight even he might not be able to emerge unscathed from, so, while it was difficult for him to say no to his 'pampered princess', Vahn had already steeled himself to do just that.
With this in mind, Vahn had Donar deactivate the spell on the Rice Pot, his expression becoming a mask of sternness as he prepared himself for Mordred's emergence. To his surprise, the only thing that greeted him was silence, so, without asking what the issue was, he immediately leaped to the mouth of the Rice Pot in order to view the interior.
Seeing a 'chibi' version of Mordred sleeping near the very center of the peculiar pressure chamber, a relieved sigh escaped Vahn's lips as he dropped down to pick her up. What he never could have expected was that, immediately after his descent, a rather aggressive lion cub extricated itself from Mordred's embrace, hissing at him with blazing, star-like, eyes.
Noticing the wings on the peculiar lion cub's back, combined with the fact it possessed scales on its forelimbs, it didn't take long for Vahn to intuit its origins. Despite this, an amused smile immediately spread across his face as he raised the cub by the scruff, ignoring its struggles and attempts to bite his hand. This caused Mordred to stir awake, a loud yawn originating from her throat as she raised her arms, stretching as she asked, "What the hell are you whining about now...?"
Shifting her attention towards the direction of the noise, Mordred's body froze, eyes widening as she noticed her Chichiue smiling down at her. For a brief moment, she was tempted to rub her eyes and pinch herself, but, thanks to her enhanced senses, she could tell he was the real deal from his scent alone. This caused her to promptly pounce up, shouting, "Papa~!" without considering the mental damage Vahn would suffer from such an exclamation...
---
After helping to replenish her reserves, Vahn retired to an area in the outer rings to spend some quality time with Mordred before asking about her experiences in the Rice Pot and explaining the situation outside. Fortunately, this tertiary conversation took place with her sitting naked on his lap, so, while she was eager to join him in the battle, it didn't take too much effort for him to 'convince' her to remain in the Little Garden. He just needed to promise her that he would 'compensate' her for the three months she had spent in the Rice Pot. After that, well...dragons will be dragons...
---
With his preparations largely finished, Vahn spent the final few hours of his journey meditating near one of the Hell Express' many exits. He was actually looking forward to the coming fight quite a bit, so, before he did something 'foolish', he wanted to get in the proper state of mind. After all, Adori was the current Rank 7. This placed her at a higher rank than some of the Family Leaders, so, while it was nearly impossible for her to defeat them due to their contracts with the Guardians, it wasn't an exaggeration to say she was one of the strongest beings in the entire Tower.
If he held nothing back, Vahn was certain he would be able to defeat, not just Adori, but the entire 1st Division with relative ease. More accurately, he could actually wipe them out without having to face them directly, as, much like when he fought against the Olympians and Velbar, exploding his own body was always an option. This, however, always left a bad taste in his mouth, so, rather than resort to 'extreme' measures from the start, he wanted to see how far his understanding of the Laws could take him against a foe whose power also defied conventional reasoning.
Exhaling a stagnant breath he had been holding for more than three hours, Vahn opened his eyes just as the door before him began to open. Then, without any hesitation, he stepped out into the surprisingly colorful Floor, his mind wandering to memories of the time Xysteria's power had gotten out of hand as his eyes shifted to the multitude of Regulars grouped on the platform below...
Recognizing Vahn as the person they were sent to investigate, the five groups, each representing different Sponsored Teams, immediately became tense. This was especially true for the group at the very back of the formation, as, for a brief moment, Vahn's expression darkened to the extreme as he muttered, "How the hell is this clown on the 40th Floor...?"
Though he didn't understand why Vahn was glowering at him, a lanky green-skinned man that was almost indistinguishable from Parakewl, the only exception being several scars on his face, adopted a haughty expression as he shouted, "Y-You trash! Traitorous swing! Get down here this instant and obediently surrender to the mighty Pinnacle! Don't make this harder than it needs to be...!"
Hearing the man's familiar voice, Vahn's expression became even darker as he turned to the Law of Identity and telepathically communicated, "Never transform into this guy..." before she could reveal the man's innermost thoughts. Then, with a far more relaxed expression on his face, he directed his attention to a massive flagship looming in the distance, its dimensions large enough to encapsulate an entire city with room to spare.
Despite the distance of several kilometers, Vahn could easily see the figure of a truly breathtaking woman with golden hair and matching eyes standing on the bow of the manta-like ship. It wasn't without reason that she was considered the most beautiful among the Princesses of Jahad, and, had he not met even more beautiful women, Vahn might have been smitten by Adori's god-like beauty at first sight. Instead, he just offered her a relaxed smile and a casual wave, actions that earned him a slight frown from the woman with a sobriquet matching the most powerful Shinheuh in the entire Tower, the 'Killer Whale'...
Annoyed by the fact that he was being ignored, the Parakewl-like Pinnacle began to stamp his foot in an expression of frustration before pointing his skeletal green finger toward Vahn and shouting, "What are you pieces of garbage waiting for!? Capture this man and string him up so that we can present him to the Princess!"
Reacting to Pinnacle's words, the majority of Regulars belonging to other teams looked toward him with expressions of scorn. This caused the man to visibly shrink, his unhealthy complexion turning a shade more sickly as he muttered, "W-What the hell are you guys looking at? Don't tell me...are you planning to betray the Jahad Empire and side with the enemy...!?"
Unable to ignore Pinnacle's words, a muscular figure who resembled a bipedal wolf unsheathed an inordinately long katana, saying, "Shut your slanderous mouth. The next time you try and insinuate something like that, I'll shave your tongue into a thousand different slices."
Covering his mouth with both hands, Pinnacle took several steps back, cowering behind the other members of his team as the three-meter tall wolfman continued to stare him down. Then, with a very similar expression, he shifted his attention towards Vahn, his voice gruff and challenging as he asked, "Well? What are you waiting for? Your only options are to surrender or fight. Stop dawdling."
Moving his eyes away from the wolfman's fluffy ears, the corners of Vahn's smile became ever-so-slightly more prominent as he mused, "I never anticipated I would meet a Lycanthian Swordsman as a Sponsored Regular. Things must be rather dire for the people of Lycanthia for you to sell yourself to your sworn enemy..."
Frowning deeply in response to Vahn's words, the muscular wolfman unsheathed his second sword before replying in a dark tone, "I am doing what I must in order to ensure the survival of my people. You have no right to pass judgment on anyone. Now, if you aren't going to come down...I'll just-"
Before the wolfman could begin his charge up the long flight of stairs, Vahn's figure appeared right in front of him. This caused the pupils of his golden eyes to shrink, his instincts compelling him to leap backward since it was difficult for him to attack someone so close to his body. Unfortunately, the moment he tried, it was like both of his legs had turned to jelly, forcing him to collapse to the ground as he, just then, became aware of the fist-shaped indentation in his abdominal muscles...
Resisting the urge to pet the wolfman's head, Vahn matched gazes with several of the Regulars encircling him, smiling as he remarked, "Don't worry. I can't promise you won't suffer a few minor scrapes and bruises, but I can at least guarantee your lives. Now...come at me..."
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Resistance is futile...!','Mordred is so spoiled (OwO)...','Barely escaped with his dignity...')
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