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99.7% Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos / Chapter 2353: Perspective

บท 2353: Perspective

Though her fists packed enough force to collapse planets, Yuri's attacks had little effect on the Azi and his manifestations. Even when she landed a devastating dropkick against the original's face, producing a visible shockwave that spread hundreds of kilometers and created a massive pit in the sea of lava below, Azi was barely pushed back a few meters.

"Just give up," said the grinning, one-eyed Dragon God, massaging his neck with his right hand as he added, "Even if your supporter is the most powerful Poet in Creation, they can't write out the existence of evil. They could dictate my defeat, but unless they include a 'condition' that permits my return, it's simply too unrealistic to become a reality..."

Blocking one of Yuri's punches with the palm of his hand, Azi casually added, "Even if there were only a single being left in all of Creation, they would invariably come into conflict with themselves, nurturing the seed of their downfall."

Punctuating his statement, Azi landed a cataclysmic blow against the center of Yuri's chest, creating a gaping hole that ran straight through her. She regenerated nigh-instantaneously, but due to the Laws dictating that beings with an assumed form suffered from the same weaknesses as the creatures they emulated, a trace of blood leaked from the corner of her lips.

Grinning from non-existent ear to ear, Azi firmly asserted, "You are not the one I've been waiting for. Only a human with a truly heroic nature has any chance of defeating me."

Returning a dauntless smile, Yuri asked, "Is that so...?" before licking the blood from her lips and adding, "If your power and existence were half as 'absolute' as you believe them to be, you or your Master would have taken over the Divine Realm eons ago."

Manifesting a red gauntlet that enveloped her right hand and forearm, Yuri launched herself toward Azi with tremendous speed, her fist sinking into his abdomen instantly. Azi could have avoided the attack, but one of the qualities of absolute evil was unbridled arrogance. More importantly, only Someone he recognized as a true Hero could deal consequential damage to him. Yuri had committed many heinous acts during her tenure as a High Ranker, so even if she was equipped with the most powerful holy sword in Creation, she could never hope to defeat him.

Seeing Azi staring at her with a glimmer of amusement in his singular pink eye, Yuri's smile became especially vicious as she remarked, "You're really starting to piss me off."

As soon as Yuri was finished speaking, a spear-like tip protruded from the gauntlet, piercing the gap between Azi's abdominal muscles. The moment it did so, Azi felt an encroaching power similar to the stakes used to seal his maw flowing through his body, compelling him to strike forward like an antagonized snake, biting into Yuri's shoulder.

Though Azi succeeded in taking a bite out of her, Yuri retreated without issue, leaving behind the silvery nail in his abdomen and regenerating her left arm and shoulder before charging forward a second time.

Realizing that Yuri was trying to seal him, Azi's casual arrogance turned to outrage as he tore the stake from his abdomen, removing a chunk of flesh in the process. Unlike Yuri, however, he didn't heal. Instead, a tremendous volume of black blood erupted from the wound, staining his lower body and the white cloth around his waist black as he charged forward to meet Yuri's attacks head-on...

...

..

.

After separating from Siddhartha, the first person Kurma thought to seek out was Scathach. The latter was among the greatest warriors in the Little Garden's ever-shifting history, but, more importantly, she had the backing of Queen Halloween.

"Is this supposed to be a joke...?" asked Kurma, a visibly annoyed look on her face as she discovered Scathach casually relaxing in a cafe, relaxedly sipping tea in a Maid outfit.

Opening her distinctly aquamarine eyes, Scathach adopted a faint smile and replied, "I'm not particularly fond of jokes." before rising to her feet, gesturing to the chair opposite her and asking, "Would you like to join me for tea?"

Though she furrowed her brows, Kurma didn't hesitate to take a seat, allowing Scathach to fill her cup and sit back down before asking, "Just what is going on here? Your Mistress should have been one of the people most concerned with the return of the Demon Dragon God..."

"I'm not entirely sure myself," replied Scathach, shrugging her shoulders and maintaining a relaxed smile as she speculated, "If I had to guess, the Sage Dragon Emperor did something to alleviate my Mistress's concerns. I received a message from her informing me it was no longer necessary to take direct action, so I've just been following young and promising Players around to ensure they didn't get gobbled up by one of the Demon Dragon God's clones."

Exhaling an exasperated sigh, Kurma took a sip of the tea Scathach had prepared for her, savoring its taste before huffily remarking, "It's because of things like this that your Mistress has and always will be regarded as a problem child. I thought she had matured a bit after Shiroyasha-sama's appointment as the Eastern Floor Master, but it appears I was mistaken..."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Scathach was tempted to point out Kurma would pay for making such remarks about her Mistress but knew it was unnecessary. Queen Halloween wasn't the kind of woman that needed others to speak in her defense, so Scathach remained silent, permitting Kurma to finish her tea before stating, "Regardless of the circumstances, if my Mistress says the matter is settled, we can assume it's well in hand. I won't stop you from running around like a panicked chicken, but there is no need."

Rising to her feet and slapping the table between them, Kurma exclaimed, "This is the Demon Dragon God we're talking about! Even if he hadn't gotten his hands on the power of the Ouroboros Cycle, it would take all of us supporting Sidd to seal him away! How can you be so calm!?"

Stopping just short of sipping her tea, Scathach calmly replied, "Your fear and sense of urgency make the Demon Dragon God more powerful. Just trust in my Mistress, Lord Indra, Shiroyasha-sama, and the Sage Dragon Emperor. If the Demon Dragon God were a genuine threat, Someone like Vahn wouldn't be content to sit on the sidelines, placing his loved ones in danger."

"That..."

Though she wanted to argue, Kurma, like most people in the Little Garden, was aware of Vahn's personality. He was the type that only allowed his friends and loved ones to take action when he was certain there was no danger. When real or perceived threats appeared, he was always the first to act, taking on entire Pantheons of Gods as if there were little more than trash to be taken out...

Catching Kurma a little off guard, Scathach set down her cup and asked, "Have you tried asking the Sage Dragon Emperor for his assistance? The people he allowed to participate in this event are clearly just here to show off or have fun. If you're truly concerned about the threat represented by the Demon Dragon God, you could appeal to him to resolve it."

Recovering from a brief stupor, Kurma adopted a serious expression as she asked, "And you believe he would do so, even if it violated the rules and restrictions of the Gift Game?"

"Vahn allows himself to be bound by our rules, but he fundamentally exists outside of them," replied Scathach. "If someone petitioned him for assistance and he believed in their cause, I doubt even those occupying the single-digit Gates could stop him..."

Hearing Scathach's borderline blasphemy, Kurma's eyes became as round as saucers. She knew Vahn was exceptionally powerful, but if he were beyond those that ruled the Little Garden, he would have returned to the place he referred to as home...

Seeing through Kurma's thoughts, Scathach closed her eyes and pointed out, "The Sage Dragon Emperor cares about those around him and has a very prominent sense of responsibility. For the sake of all, I believe he will see things through to their natural conclusion. Whether that places him atop the throne of the Little Garden or somewhere else entirely remains to be seen..."

Dropping back into her seat, Kurma paused to consider Scathach's words, staring at her empty cup in contemplative silence. She found it difficult to believe that Vahn had already transcended the power scaling of the Little Garden, but it was relatively easy to accept he didn't care about claiming one of its thrones. His Aldrnari Empire had immense power and authority, but when it came down to it, Vahn only truly cared more about spending time with his family, friends, and the loved ones he kept safely within the Sage Dragon's Hearth. He was Someone with an unparalleled capacity to rule, but other than 'maintaining order,' he didn't care about implementing policies or guiding people's actions in the slightest...

Deciding to humor Scathach's words, a frown marred Kurma's face as she met the purple-haired Heroine's aquamarine eyes and asked, "So he's just going through the motions so we don't feel as though our actions have no purpose...?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Scathach contended, "Life undoubtedly has intrinsic value, but it is given meaning by the wants, desires, and actions of those who live it. If my interpretation of his actions is accurate, Vahn already possesses the power to create a new Order, but he cannot ignore the desires of others. Thus, until Someone worthy steps forward, he will create a power vacuum at the very pinnacle of reality, preventing anyone from standing at the top..."

Furrowing her brows to their limits, Kurma muttered, "That's insane...the only way such a reality could endure is if those who hold it together were destroyed or had their power stripped away..."

Adopting a faint yet terrifying smile, Scathach replied, "Maybe that's for the best. The innately powerful and fortuitous have ruled over the weak for far too long. And those at the pinnacle allow it because that is how the current Order is structured. They believe the most powerful should stand at the top, but they have also created a system that prevents any singular entity from acquiring absolute power. As such, the trio that rules over the Divine Realm keeps one another in check, ultimately becoming little more than lynchpins obsessed with maintaining the current Order..."

Rising to her feet, the usually optimistic twinkle in Scathach's eyes was replaced by a cold glimmer as she added, "Individuals like myself should not be able to slaughter billions without repercussions. Such power takes away the meaning others assign to their life, denying them even the most basic right. Thus, even if the Sage Dragon Emperor chooses to slaughter us all, I will welcome my end with a smile, spear in hand."

Punctuating her statement, Scathach manifested a rune-covered crimson spear, sweeping it at Kurma without warning. The latter was able to react by darting backward and countering with a torrent of golden lightning, but the jagged tendril of energy swerved around Scathach's body without her having to dodge, causing her to laugh aloud as she pressured Kurma with a series of swift, seemingly random strikes.

"Have you lost your mind!?" screamed Kurma, teleporting away as the tip of Scathach's spear grazed one of her horns.

Lowering herself like a predator ready to pounce, a battle-hungry smile developed across Scathach's face as she cheerfully exclaimed, "This is a Gift Game, not a forum for discussion! The people of the Little Garden are eager to see us trade blows, so let's give them a show to remember...!"

Without waiting for Kurma to respond, Scathach whipped her body like a slingshot, the spear in her right hand transforming into a bolt of crimson lightning as she threw it with all her might, shouting, "Gae Bolg...!"

...

..

.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Uzumaki Clan would be proud...','I feel like Scathach has put more thought into Vahn's actions than Vahn himself xD...','Life is motion!')


บท 2354: Pendulum

"Did Kurma-chan offend you in some way...?" asked Queen Halloween, running her fingers through the hair of the Vahn resting his head atop her naked thighs.

"Even if she had, do you think me a petty man?" asked Vahn, opening his eyes to observe Queen's reaction directly.

"Not that I'm aware," replied Queen. "However, even if this is the path she chose for herself, it wouldn't take much for you to ally her concerns..."

"You're not wrong," conceded Vahn, closing his eyes and adding, "But I'm not the only one capable of clarifying the situation. Siddhartha discovered the truth fairly early on, but he continues going through the motions since it is our experiences that give meaning to life. As someone burdened with omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience, you know the importance of 'verifying' things for yourself..."

Furrowing her brows, Queen wanted to refute Vahn's words but knew there was no argument to make against them. Encompassing concepts such as omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience were intrinsically paradoxical due to the duality 'hardcoded' into Creation. A strong enough will could change the course of history and reshape destiny, so the true purpose of those with limitless power and knowledge was observing and comparing events that transpired in the present to how they were 'meant' to be. The problem was that the current Order allowed for contradicting interpretations of the same events. As a result, the structure of reality came down to a simple game of he-said-she-said based on the views of select entities and the Authority granted to them by their followers...

"Don't worry," said Vahn, opening his eyes just enough to let his usually aquamarine, currently rainbow-hued pupils shine through as he stated, "The changes you, Shiroyasha, and many others desire have either been introduced or set into motion. Rather than worrying about the future, you should focus on the present and make the most of every single moment..."

Grasping Queen's hand, Vahn planted kisses on her fingers until her smile gradually returned. She was used to being in control, but for the first time in her exceptionally long life, she felt it might not be so bad to entrust her fate to another...

...

..

.

"You're one tough bastard..." remarked Yuri, spitting out a mouthful of blood and one of her molars after suffering a devastating right hook from Azi's largely destroyed fist. The one-eyed, now one-armed Demon Dragon God looked like a porcupine due to the number of sealing stakes piercing his body, but even his grazing blows were powerful enough to strip away a planet's magnetic field.

Removing the stake that Yuri had stabbed into the side of his neck, Azi replied, "All you're doing is delaying the inevitable. Those who sealed me in the past did so at the expense of their life, power, and Authority. Your unwillingness to make a similar sacrifice makes your seals useless..."

Directing his gaze to the other battles, Azi added, "Also...no one person can hope to conquer 'absolute evil' alone. Those Spirits are powerful, but without companions willing to share your burden and sacrifice alongside you, even a pyrrhic victory is impossible. Unless..."

Returning his gaze to Yuri, Azi's ghastly voice sounded amused as he asked, "Are you trying to buy time for someone else? Those cowards in the Inner Gates would never permit someone to enter this place if they didn't have a plan..."

Adopting a cheeky smile, Yuri replied, "Who knows? I'm sure they're scheming something, but I'm here, fighting you, of my own accord. Now, stop chattering and fight...!"

Holding her gauntleted hand in front of her face, Yuri manifested a silver blade from its end before charging forward and slicing at Azi with reckless abandon. His left arm had fallen off during their previous exchanges, so she attacked the left side of his body, intending to slick through his torso in a single go.

Contrasting Yuri's expectations, Azi didn't attempt to evade her attack. Instead, he raised what remained of his left shoulder and bicep as if he were inviting her attack.

Undaunted by Azi's actions, Yuri sliced through his ribs and nearly half his torso before her blade was stopped by his spine. The Laws infused in the attack prevented Azi's flesh from closing and regenerating, but that didn't seem to be what he had in mind. Instead, shadowy tendrils erupted from the wound, piercing Yuri's body before exploding to resemble sea urchins with thousands of tiny spines.

Sensing that something was off, a distinct grimace marred Azi's draconic visage as Yuri's body faded into pink mist. He was certain he had stabbed the real Yuri, but another version of the grinning beauty appeared behind him as the one he stabbed faded without a trace.

Swinging his arm to intercept the newly formed Yuri, impacting her ribs with the back of his hand, Azi confirmed his suspicions as she promptly disappeared. He had definitely struck something solid, so the two most likely explanations were that Yuri was manipulating causality or exploiting a form of superposition.

Perfectly capable of causal manipulation, Azi intended to test his theory by rushing to meet Yuri's attacks directly. His Authority 'had' to be greater than some unknown woman without an established legacy, so he willed the phenomenon of his fist drilling into Yuri's head, causing it to explode like a watermelon.

Though Azi's attack found purchase, obliterating the upper half of Yuri's body, the same disappearing phenomenon as before occurred, allowing her to land a meteoric dropkick between his shoulders. The attack barely nudged him, but Azi had the distinct impression something was wrong as the flow of fate hadn't changed. He was 'certain' he had destroyed Yuri's body, but a greater power or Authority had instantaneously overwritten his influence...

Ignoring Yuri's subsequent blows, even as she pierced his body with dozens of additional stakes, Azi's mind raced to understand and come up with a countermeasure to his present circumstances. As the manifestation of absolute evil, he should have been able to do so intuitively, but no matter how far into the future he attempted to peer, he couldn't envision a reality where he put Yuri down permanently. It was as though the more he desired to kill her, the more assured her survival became...

Catching Yuri off guard, Azi abruptly caught her fist with his remaining hand, allowing the stake protruding from the end to pierce his palm. This wasn't the first time he had intercepted her attack, but instead of trying to retaliate, he looked at her and stated, "Our battle has concluded. Seal me away if you'd like, but I won't fight you any longer."

Furrowing her brows, Yuri pulled her fist free of Azi's grip, sneering as she asked, "What kind of bullshit are you spouting now?"

"It's the truth," replied Azi, appearing utterly disinterested as he looked to his other selves, mentally commanding them to stand down. He realized that the entity protecting Yuri would not permit him to kill her, so the best thing to do was bide his time and absorb his Master's power. It might take eons, but there would eventually come a time when he was able to break free from the mysterious entity's influence.

Disagreeing with Azi's decision, the fleshy Verethraghna glared at him with empty eye sockets, screaming, "Have you lost your fucking mind!? We've been waiting a fucking eternity to enact our revenge! If you want to-"

Before Verethraghna could conclude his outburst, a pair of spear-like, bone-white forelegs pierced through his body from behind, courtesy of his multi-armed, multi-legged counterpart.

"You...bitch..." croaked Verethraghna. He then tried to engulf both himself and his multi-limbed counterpart in the all-consuming 'flames of war,' but as an entity born from the power Gluttony had absorbed from the Demon Lord of Perpetuity, even Verethraghna's flames were devoured as his form disappeared in the eldritch abomination's chest.

Witnessing the gruesome sight alongside Yuri, Mirage, and Veil, a peculiar smile developed across Azi's face as he muttered, "I see...so that's how it is. I thought I had consumed you, but as the manifestation of the serpent that consumes itself, it is only natural that I will be consumed in turn..."

Instead of responding to Azi with words, the dark-skinned abomination returned a smile as she charged toward him like a spider pouncing on a fly in its web. Azi could have resisted, but as his most heartfelt desire was to be reunited with his Master, he burst out laughing as what remained of his body was skewered, torn apart, and ultimately consumed.

Believing she was next, Yuri recalled Mirage and Veil, the former forming clothes around her body while the latter took the form of an inordinately long, pink, hook-shaped weapon. Unfortunately, just as she was getting excited, her would-be foe formed into a sphere, all traces of its terrifying energy fading away as it fell from the sky like an inert white stone.

"..."

As the perfectly spherical object plummeted into the sea of lava produced by Azi's use of Khvarenah, disappearing beneath its surface, a thick layer of abyssal black ice formed across its surface, turning nearly a third of the former Little Garden into a glassy plane resembling obsidian. At the same time, the previously sun-like temperatures abruptly vanished, replaced by an invasive chill approaching absolute zero.

Feeling slightly aggrieved, Yuri looked to the sky and asked, "What the fuck, Vahn?" as if he were responsible for denying her a good challenge. In response, Vahn's voice echoed in her mind, responding, ("You sensed it yourself. The Demon Dragon God had already given up the fight, and the remnants of the Ouroboros Cycle had no desire to continue it. I may have the power to force the matter, but that's a line I refuse to cross...")

Understanding there was no point in trying to argue, Yuri exhaled a tired sigh before looking in the direction Madara had departed with Eve a few minutes prior. The former was just as much a battle junkie as she was, so after a moment of deliberation, a pink aura burst from Yuri's body as she disappeared in search of her next target...

...

..

.

Contrasting his expectations, Azi's consciousness didn't fade after his Master devoured him. There was a brief moment when he thought it had, but it was immediately followed by him waking in a grassy field, staring up at a beautiful, star-filled sky.

Rising to a seated position, the first thing Azi noticed was the change in his appearance. In place of bone-white flesh and powerful claws suited for slaughter, his hands and body were small, child-like, and covered in healthy brown skin.

Though it had been an eternity since he was human, Azi immediately recognized the hands as his own...long before he bore the weight of all sins.

Before Azi could make sense of his situation, specifically his lack of power and Authority, a delicate voice echoed from behind him like a bell, musing, "What a shame. Had you slept a few minutes longer, I would have placed a beetle up your nose."

Recognizing the mischievous voice, goosebumps spread across Azi's body as he turned to find a young girl with similarly brown skin, dark hair extending past the small of her back, and vibrant green eyes that seemed to glow even in the darkness. His own emanated a faint pink hue, earning him the label of a demon from his parents and subjects, but one person always called them beautiful...

"Ava..." muttered Azi, a wave of anguish washing over him, causing his voice to break slightly.

Adopting a heartbreakingly kind smile, Ava moved over to Azi, cradling his slightly chubby cheeks with her hands as she said, "Your eyes glisten like gemstones when you cry, but they're even more beautiful when you smile. Can you smile for me...?"

Catching Ava slightly off-guard, Azi abruptly tackle-hugged her, sobbing into her chest as he cried, "My smile has always been yours..." while no longer caring about the circumstances that led to his apparent loss of power, the gap in his memories, or his return to the past. All he knew was that he was where he was supposed to be. And this time, he wouldn't let anyone take it from him...

...

..

.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Paradoxes Abound...','How does the unstoppable force overcome the immovable object? It finds another path o3o...','There are no such things as absolutes...')


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