Capítulo 2089: Lesson
Though the massive pillar of rainbow-hued light made it pretty obvious someone had arrived, Vahn didn't immediately move from his position. Instead, he continued to recline backward with his eyes closed, asking, "Are you sure you want to do this now? We still have more than eight hours until the end of the game. Do you think you'll be able to accomplish something as an Einherjar?"
Slamming his ax into the ground with enough force to send fiery cracks outward for tens of meters, Sigurd answered, "I've never been good at thinking ahead. All I care about at this moment is seeing how I compare to a member of the Strongest Species. I know I'm not your match. However, I would be honored if you would grant me the privilege of a duel."
Rolling to a seated position, a relaxed smile spread across Vahn's face as he noted, "You're pretty straightforward for a Demon. Tell me, what compelled you to give up your humanity? Was it power you sought or something more...?"
Adopting a smile of his own, Sigurd's lime green eyes glistened with a passionate light as he asked, "Would you believe me if I said I did it for love?"
Blinking in surprise, Vahn's smile became more genuine as he rose to his feet, dusted himself off, and said, "I would."
Punctuating his words, Vahn flashed forward at a swift yet controlled pace. He had quite a bit of time to kill, and, due to the rules of the Gift Game, there was a considerable amount of merit to delaying Sigurd's defeat. Thus, even if he was ultimately just messing around for a few hours, he didn't mind humoring the redheaded demon's request.
With the pupils of his eyes contracting to form slits, Sigurd attempted to evade Vahn's punch by tilting his head to the side. His efforts were actually successful, but, rather than follow through and create an opening, Vahn was somehow able to arrest his momentum in an instant. Thus, before he could even think to counter with a sweep of his ax, Sigurd experienced the world spinning violently as he was tossed to the side with a casual toss from Vahn.
Like a shell fired by a cannonball, Sigurd smashed through the wall of the arena as if it was made from wet paper. This wouldn't have been enough to deal any real damage to him, but, much to his surprise, he hadn't sustained even minor injuries. It was like there was an invisible force protecting his body...
Shaking wayward thoughts from his mind, a violent red aura exploded from Sigurd's body as he emerged from the rubble with a loud warcry. At the same time, the runic symbols designating him as a berserker began to glow, his muscles expanding ever so slightly as a result.
"Hmmm..."
Dodging Sigurd's attempts to swipe at him with his extended nails, a thoughtful glimmer appeared in Vahn's eyes as he grabbed the collar of the man's kimono, pivoted in mid-air, and sent him flying into the opposite wall.
"There is merit to using a berserker skill, but, against an opponent like me, control is infinitely more important than raw power. I have battled against foes whose punches could initiate the collapse of a star. You would struggle to level a large building at your current level. Sacrificing your sensibilities for even greater strength is pointless."
Emerging from the rubble a second time, Sigurd's expression became severe as he asked, "Are you trying to embarrass me? I expected someone as powerful as you to possess at least a modicum of honor..."
Shaking his head, Vahn plainly answered, "I'm not trying to ridicule you. If anything, I'm providing you a bit of guidance while I have nothing better to do. As for your request for a duel...you simply aren't qualified."
Hearing Vahn's words, Sigurd's pupils contracted to their smallest size as he exclaimed, "You dare!? Even if you're a Strongest Species, you have no right to look down on the pride of a warrior...!"
Adopting a deadpan expression on his face, Vahn retorted, "It has nothing to do with looking down on anyone. I was simply making an objective statement. You may have infinite potential, but, at your current level, there isn't much of a difference between you and an ant on the ground. If I didn't hold back, there is a very real chance that I would squash you by complete accident..."
"You bastaaaaaaaaard...!"
With his muscles contracting even more than usual, Sigurd entered his third and most powerful form as he charged Vahn with the intent to prove him wrong. From the perspective of the average spectator, he was like a red blur tearing through the air in a single instant. From the perspective of Vahn, however, Sigurd was moving so slowly that it seemed like hours would pass before the man actually reached him.
Resisting the sudden urge to yawn, Vahn's body rose from the ground without actually requiring him to take a step. Controlling his orientation in space and time was as simple as breathing at this point. Thus, at least from his perspective, the world appeared to be moving around him rather than him moving through it.
Though Sigurd's eyes began to move ever so slightly the moment Vahn appeared at his side, there was nothing he could do as the latter 'gently' swat his hand. This caused a remarkably slow ripple to spread along his arms and through the rest of his body as a pressure wave expanded like a bubble from the point of contact.
If he wanted to, Vahn could let Sigurd topple head over heel with this action alone, his momentum more than enough to send him crashing into the far wall. Instead, he closely observed the ripple in the man's body before lightly tapping a few other spots around his ribs, back, and shoulders. As he moved, time seemed to stagnate even further, and, after a while, Sigurd had basically frozen in mid-air as Vahn floated around his body and continued to slightly adjust his orientation.
("Speed really is king at times like this...")
As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn allowed time to return to normal from his perspective. This caused Sigurd's body to spontaneously contract to a fetal position, his forward moment completely arrested as black blood erupted from his ears, eyes, mouth, and nose. Then, like a puppet with its strings cut, he collapsed to the ground with a look of utter disbelief on his face.
"I-Impossible..."
Grabbing the man by his collar, Vahn casually flung Sigurd into one of the pillars as he said, "That is for those at the pinnacle of power to decide. As someone who borrows his power from others, you have no right to make such determinations."
With a wave of his hand, Vahn sent a surge of holy energy into Sigurd's body, forcefully healing his wounds despite his current incompatibility with light-based energies. To his credit, Sigurd was able to restrain the urge to cry out in pain and anguish. Instead, his eyes became completely bloodshot as he did his best to stand despite a hazy black mist rising from his body like smoke from a pyre.
"Not bad..."
Since he hadn't moved much from Sigurd's original position, Vahn grabbed the man's ax by the handle before tossing it towards him with a casual fling. Then, with a smile on his face, he mused, "You have eight hours to prove me wrong. Let's see what you've got..."
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"So? What do you think? Will he be a threat to our plans~?"
Frowning in response to the hooded woman's playful words, a young boy with pure white hair and golden eyes answered, "I should be able to defeat him with my Trump Card. However, without more information, it is impossible to be certain. Have you learned anything about his origins...?"
Much to the young boy's chagrin, the hooded woman giggled in a manner that seemed to echo from every direction at once before answering, "All we've been able to ascertain thus far is that he has some association with Shiroyasha-sama. As for their actual relationship, we haven't been able to uncover anything. The wards around his workshop and residence make the inside function similarly to an isolated dimension. Without entering the interior, it's impossible to gather more information."
"This doesn't make any sense! How is it possible for the Eastern Floor Master to interfere with us to such an extent? She was perfectly content with sitting on the sidelines when we were crushing the No Names. What could have changed since then?"
Rather than the white-haired youth, the person responsible for the outburst was a young girl with medium-length black hair with part of her bangs tied fastened into a braid by a bright red ribbon. Based on her sleeveless outfit and the multiple belts of knives around her body, she was something along the lines of a Thief or an Assassin. Instead of appearing as a ruthless killer, however, her large amber eyes and slightly rounded face made her appear indistinguishable from a pure and innocent young lady.
"Rin...what did I tell you about shouting in my ear?"
Covering her mouth with both hands, the young girl adopted an extremely apologetic expression as she exclaimed, "Ah! Sorry, Highness! I didn't mean to shout...!"
Without a single change in his expression, the youth referred to as Highness exhaled a tired sigh as he said, "Even if you're covering your mouth, it doesn't change the fact you're still shouting..."
Blushing like the young girl she appeared to be, a layer of moisture developed across Rin's eyes as she meekly replied, "Sorry...I'm just so frustrated. We worked so hard to come up with this plan only for it to be ruined by some stray dragon. It's not fair..."
Though his expression didn't change, Highness extended his hand to caress Rin's head as he stated, "It's fine. Plans fail. So long as we keep trying, it is only a matter of time before we achieve our goal. If you let setbacks like this affect you, you'll be even more likely to make mistakes in the future. That is when you'll have truly failed."
Smiling in response to Highness's kind words and actions, Rin was beginning to feel better until the hooded woman at the side issued her characteristically creepy giggle, remarking, "My, isn't this just precious~?"
"Aura..."
Not wanting to deal with a crying Rin, Highness sent a glare towards the hooded woman that only succeeded in getting her to giggle a second time. Fortunately, this particular laughter also denoted her departure, so, after a few seconds of eerie laughter, silence pervaded the dark chamber where he and Rin were viewing the Gift Game hosted by Leviathan's Tail.
Shaking his head, Highness shifted his attention back to the game with a golden light emanating from his eyes. He could see Vahn move whenever the latter used his superspeed, so, while others were unaware of what he was doing, Highness's expression became serious as he muttered, "Is he trying to destroy the Gift of Demonification using raw power...?"
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Though he noticed he had been forced back to his second stage transformation, Sigurd never gave up trying to land a blow of Vahn. He didn't care if he lost. So long as he could land a single blow on the former's smug face, he would be satisfied with any outcome.
Maintaining said smile, Vahn grabbed the blade of Sigurd's ax with his bare hand, musing, "Put your back into it." before pushing the incensed man away with a gentle shove. This caused Sigurd to grit his teeth in frustration, but, rather than being baited into another careless attack, he did his best to measure the distance between them properly as he swung around his ax in an increasingly smooth trajectory. He was previously one of the most talented members of his generation, and, despite his youthful appearance, he was more than 1600 years old. Thus, even if his attacks were nowhere near hitting Vahn, he was getting closer and closer as time passed...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The power of love~','You are unworthy','Plotting in the shadows','Baby steps')
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Capítulo 2090: Matter of Course
"You about done...?"
Groaning in response to Vahn's words, Sigurd attempted to force himself from the ground only to fall face-first against the ruined terrain. It had been hours since the start of their battle, and, despite Vahn healing him over and over again, his mental and spiritual energies had depleted to the point he wasn't even sure who he was anymore.
Nodding in approval, Vahn pulled out a simple rune-covered longsword before stabbing it through Sigurd's heart without hesitation. This caused the man's body to dissolve into motes of bluish-white light before subsequently disappearing a moment later. As for the sword, Vahn left it embedded in the ground as he pulled out a blanket and laid it across a relatively flat piece of rubble. Then, under the slightly annoyed eyes of countless observers, he reclined backward with an amused smile on his face...
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With less than thirty minutes remaining until the end of the Gift Game, the Azure Dragon version of Vahn looked towards the sky to see hundreds of Valkyrie and Einherjar descending from the sky like drops of rain.
Recognizing this as a chance to show off, three sets of angelic white wings sprouted from Vahn's body as his relatively short limbs elongated into six powerful, vaguely humanoid appendages. He didn't want anyone to mistakenly identify him as a mere manifestation of the Azure Dragon, so, by the time his transformation had completed, even the most minute traces of green had faded from his body.
Holding back so that he didn't accidentally inflict 'permadeath' on anyone, Vahn performed a series of hand seals using his four hands, his soul-shaking voice echoing throughout the entire battlefield as he said, "Binary Annihilation..."
Opening his palms, Vahn revealed two relatively small black orbs before releasing them towards the approaching army. This was a variation of the Chibaku Tensei from Naruto, a powerful sealing ability with the power to generate literal moons if the user had enough Chakra.
Unable to resist the phenomenal gravitational field, both the Valkyrie, the Einherjar, and a large part of the mountain were sucked up by Vahn's Binary Annihilation. If he wanted to, he could have easily destroyed the entire Game Board at the very beginning of the game. There were no rules against it, but, in the spirit of competition, he decided to save the theatrics for the very end.
"Stay there until the game has concluded. Even flies can be annoying if they swarm endlessly..."
Though his words sounded arrogant, Vahn was primarily just putting on a show. There would be no end to the number of people seeking him out after this, so, for the sake of his future self, he didn't mind presenting himself as slightly arrogant. This would actually help to draw out the truly arrogant people who wanted to 'teach him a lesson', so, before his power exceeded the point where nothing could challenge him, he intended to enjoy himself as much as possible...
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Noticing yet another pillar of rainbow-hued energy, Vahn opened his eyes to find Gyda staring at him with what could best be described as an annoyed yet defeated look on her face. She knew she didn't stand a chance against him, but, for the sake of her Community and her pride as a warrior, she couldn't just avoid confronting him.
"You certainly took your sweet time. There are less than three minutes until the game is scheduled to end."
Brandishing her spear, Gyda adopted a low stance that strained at the fabric of her skintight pants as she asked, "Does it make a difference? Three minutes, three days, three years. Even if I had all the time in the world, I doubt I would ever be able to defeat you. Let's just get this over with."
Punctuating her words, Gyda charged towards Vahn with speed comparable to Sigurd in his second stage transformation. Unfortunately, her words had annoyed Vahn, so, rather than rise to meet her, he just stared at her with an unamused expression on his face as she ran full-sprint into an invisible wall.
"...!?"
With a trail of blood leaking from her nose, Gyda's expression morphed into a scowl as she placed her palm against the invisible membrane and asked, "What kind of trickery is this? Are you refusing to fight me?"
Since there was a chance the Central Network might declare the match Gyda's win if he answered her wantonly, Vahn waved his hand to send the redhead smashing into a wall as he said, "If you're not going to take this seriously, neither am I. Don't worry. I'll make sure to defeat you before time runs out. You simply aren't worth the effort of getting up for."
Pulling herself from the rubble with a pained grunt, Gyda's expression became markedly more serious as she asked, "What's your problem? You defeat my sister in an instant, toyed around with my brother for multiple hours, and now you're telling me I'm not worth the effort? Just what did my family do to antagonize you so?"
Rising to a seated position, Vahn maintained a deadpan expression on his face as he said, "This has nothing to do with your family. I defeated Ragna because she charged at me without consideration for the difference in our abilities. I humored Sigurd because, despite being a Demon, he possesses an honest and straightforward personality. As for you...well, I don't normally insult women, but you come across as an extremely shallow and vain person. Why are you even here?"
Gritting her teeth in response to Vahn's words, Gyda threw her spear like a javelin before drawing the sword at her waist and issuing a spirited war cry. Unfortunately, no matter how fast she ran, she found herself unable to move more than a few centimeters from her starting position. It was like the distance between her and Vahn increased every time she attempted to take a step forward.
"You! Fight me like a man...!"
Exhaling a sigh, Vahn picked up a stray rock using his telekinesis before sending it flying at Gyda's forehead at near-light-speed. She didn't even have time to process what had happened before her body began to break down into motes of bluish-white light that originated from the massive hole in her forehead.
"What a waste..."
Though he rarely evaluated women with lascivious intent, Gyda's appearance ticked a lot of Vahn's personal checkboxes. Her body was very nearly flawless, and, due to the color of her hair and eyes, he couldn't help overlap her with people like Hephaestus and Aoko. Unfortunately, her personality left a lot to be desired, and, despite calling herself a warrior, her aura demonstrated a complete and utter lack of motivation.
As that thought crossed his mind, a rainbow-hued light appeared beneath Vahn before enveloping him in the characteristic pillar representing the Bifrost. In the very next moment, he found himself in a circular chamber formed almost entirely of gold. On one side, standing more than twenty meters tall, was a statuesque figure wearing golden armor and a peculiar horned helmet. He also wielded a giant sword with its tip resting against the ground, but, more prominent than anything else were his resplendent golden eyes.
"I'm guessing this means I won?"
Without moving his lips, the giant figure simply nodded as a remarkably deep voice echoed from the void, stating, "You have earned my recognition, Vahn Aldrnari Mason. May the Allfather bless you in all your future endeavors."
Punctuating his words, the Heimdallr stand-in raised his enormous sword before striking the tip against the ground. This caused a massive Geass Roll to appear out of thin air. This time, however, it listed all the prizes that the Leviathan's Tail would have won if they emerged the victor.
Without needing to consider his response, Vahn casually asserted, "I only require the Pure-Blooded Vampir, Leticia Draculea as my prize. Everything else should be returned to its respective owner. Let it never be said that the Sage Dragon's Hearth lacks compassion."
Adopting a slight smile, the Heimdallr stand-in raised his sword, stating, "Very well." before letting it impact the ground a second time. Immediately afterward, a complex magic circle appeared beneath the feet of every contestant before a white light enveloped each of them. When it faded away, Vahn found himself standing atop a large stage overlooking a crowd of cheering spectators. Next to him, barely reaching his diaphragm, was a doll-like woman with golden-blonde hair and ruby-red eyes.
Creating a soundproof barrier with a wave of his hand, Vahn looked down at the girl and frowned as he saw the collar and manacles linked around her neck, wrists, and ankles. At the same time, the girl looked up at him with a questioning look in her eyes as she asked, "Who are you...?"
Since the girl was wearing a lacy black headdress that complimented her gothic lolita-style clothing, Vahn restrained the urge to caress her head as he answered, "A friend. I'll explain more once we get back."
Recalling the words the hooded woman had mentioned previously, various thoughts danced across Leticia's mind as she replied with a curt, "Understood."
Smiling wryly in response to the taciturn girl's words, Vahn awkwardly remarked, "You could smile, you know? You're free now..."
Raising her brows ever so slightly, Leticia emotionlessly replied, "Free? I'm afraid that's impossible. My contract with the Central Network designates that I am always in service to someone. If you do not intend to act as my Master, you must designate someone else in your place."
Though he was already aware of the contract in question, Vahn's smile became markedly wrier in response to Leticia's words. Black Rabbit had already informed him about her character but she was a lot more serious than he anticipated. It was no wonder she was once called a Knight of the Little Garden.
"So be it. For the time being, you can regard me as your Master. Whether or not you call me that is up to you though. My actual name is Vahn, Vahn Aldrnari Mason."
Grabbing the sides of her skirt, Leticia offered a polite curtsy as she replied, "My name is Leticia Draculea. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Vahn."
Issuing a light chuckle, Vahn confused Leticia by extending his hand for her to grab. The moment she did, he teleported them away from the cheering crowd without regard for the ceremony that was supposed to follow the Gift Game. He didn't particularly care about receiving the gratitude of the hundred-odd Communities he had benefitted by returning their possessions. There were a lot of people waiting to meet Leticia, so, while his other self dallied around with Fenrir, Hime, Scathach, and Siegfried, he carried the befuddled vampire princess back to his workshop at max speed...
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"Leticia-samaaaaaaaa~!"
Though her status was quite a bit higher than Leticia's, Black Rabbit still referred to the former with honorifics. She was one of the few people who knew Leticia's true identity and background, so, no matter how the Central Network identified her, Black Rabbit would always regard her with respect and adulation.
"Black Rabbit...?"
Not expecting to encounter Black Rabbit the moment Vahn carried her into his home, Leticia was at a genuine loss as the blue-haired bunny clung to her with tears in her eyes.
"I told you..."
Hearing Vahn's remark, Leticia looked over with a hint of emotion in her previously expressionless eyes. The presence of Black Rabbit all but confirmed he was an actual ally, so, after several seconds of simply staring at him, a very slight smile developed across her face as she replied, "Yes, you did..." in an audibly relieved, slightly amused tone...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn be like, "An opportunity to show off? Hold my sauce..."','That's a big oof right there...','The first wall has been breached...')
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paypal.me/Einlion
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