章節 1301: An Emperor's Wrath
At around the same time that Sakura was being stalked by their enemies, Vahn was sitting atop the Leviathan, pale blue light radiating from his pupils. His expression was blank but, based on how his finger was rhythmically tapping against his knee, it was obvious to any observer that he wasn't calm. Rather, it took more restraint than he knew he had to remain idle while viewing the scene play out through the perspective of Sakura's Companion, Momo.
Vahn had chief administrative access over the Mother System and, as a sapient entity, it qualified as one of his Subordinates. This allowed him to share senses with the System and, regardless of the fact it was an Artificial Intelligence with very few biological components.
In the grand scheme of things, life wasn't simply formed of flesh and an amalgamation of complex neural processes that were driven by electrical signals firing in unique sequences. If a person had a sufficient understanding of the Laws, being made purely of elemental forces could be given life. This was one of the reasons why he never looked down on Artificial Humans and Homunculi as, despite the nature of their being, there was never a doubt in his mind that they were living creatures that deserved the same rights as other people...
The only 'people' that weren't deserving of this recognition were those that lived by exploiting and victimizing others without any real rhyme or reason. He saw many of the nobles as monsters wearing the guise of humans as, other than themselves and their own interests, they seemed incapable of the most basic form of human decency. It incensed him to no end and, if not for his past promises and a strong desire to never lose himself to hatred and anger, Vahn wouldn't be able to stop himself from wreaking havoc on the people who set these kinds of events in motion.
Fortunately, Sakura's training was not without results so, while she was visibly shaken, he was more worried about the 'calm' that had washed over her towards the very end. She still had sequelae from her time as a vessel of Angra Mainyu's corruption as, while memories could be altered and erased, the Soul and body could still remember. Her Ego carried the echoes of her past self and, while the odds of her having a relapse were relatively slim, they weren't negligible.
Realizing this, Vahn closed his eye to focus while, back in the real world, his primary vessel awakened from its meditative state before teleporting back to London. At the same time, he sent a telepathic message to Sherlock Holmes who, mere seconds later, transmitted all of the pertinent information necessary to resolve this issue. This wasn't something outside of their expectations as Sherlock had already profiled every major and subsidiary family associated with the Clock Tower. This, combined with the data provided by Da Vinci and CHALDEAS, allowed him to instantly understand the greater plot that had been set in motion.
With this information at his disposal, Vahn's body seated atop the Leviathan teleported to London, this time directly into the Clock Tower. He knew Solon and Zelretch were keeping tabs on him so, in a cold and commanding tone, he called out, "We need to talk. Bring me to you or I will force my way inside."
Moments after his demand, a circular portal appeared in front of him, one which showed an endless expanse of blue sky and marbled structures. Vahn wasted no time in passing through, finding Solon frowning as they asked, "What has you in such a dour mood? Did one of those idiots touch one of your reverse scales...?"
Rather than answer Solon's question directly, Vahn plainly stated, "I will be causing an incident at the Trambellio family estate. They may have taken several steps to hide their tracks but I don't play when it comes to protecting my children. I'm only letting you know so their resources are not engulfed by other factions."
Solon's expression immediately turned dourer than Vahn's as they brought their palm to their head in a show of exasperation. They had gone to great lengths to get the other two Monarchal families to lay low but, based on this development, it was obvious the two families weren't as unified as the Barthomeloi family had been. This was the main reason they had been unable to usurp the former Monarchal family's status as the most prestigious family; they simply had too much infighting and internal competition.
Vahn was, of course, very aware of this fact but, as the Trambellio family flaunted its status while manipulating the Democratic Faction from behind the scenes, it was high time to teach them a lesson. He wasn't planning to destroy the family but, by the time he was finished with them, they would have to part with a lot of their power and resources. These assets would be absorbed by the Clock Tower, causing the other families to speculate that Solon was trying to centralize power within the Association by using the Empire as a proxy.
Unfortunately for Solon, Vahn was only here to give them the courtesy of a forewarning. By the time the green-haired Magus asked, "When will you strike...?", he was already tearing apart the roof of the largest Manor and destroying its wards. Thus, with the same severe expression that he entered with, Vahn coldly stated, "Three minutes ago..." before disappearing in a flash of pale blue light. This left Solon with a binary complexion that morphed between pale white and red as they shouted, "Old Bastard, return this instant...!"
---
Though Vahn was actually proud of Sakura for showing mercy to her would-be attackers, he didn't have much to spare against people that plotted against children. So long as they had darker auras and showed any signs of hostility, the only mercy he would afford them was a quick death. This was the limit of his compassion for these human-shaped monsters who, despite having more power and wealth than almost anyone else in the entire world, they were never satisfied.
Eventually, Vahn reached a large hall that was filled with powerful wards and more than fifty first-rate Magi. They were all standing in a formation and, immediately after his entry, each member formed a hand seal as they shouted in unison, "Ath nGabla, Sacred Dueling Formation...!"
When the group finished their chant, Vahn found himself surrounded in a field formed by [Primordial Runes] while, on the surface of his heart, another rune tried to embed itself. He knew the purpose of this Magecraft and, under normal circumstances, it would force the target and the challenger to face each other in a life and death duel. If he refused or tried to retreat, the rune on his heart would curse him to death but, as could be expected, even [Primordial Runes] weren't able to affect the interior of his body.
It actually took a concentrated effort on Vahn's part to keep the rune from immediately vanishing as he was curious to see what these fools had in mind. The formation imposed one-on-one combat so they were either hoping he didn't know its purpose or someone among them intended to battle him.
As if acting on some divine cue, a middle-aged man with a faded hairline and two peculiar tufts of hair poking from the sides of his head walked into the circle, explaining, "This formation was used to bind the Hero Cu Chulainn in the distant past. Upon activation, you are forced to fight everyone that had triggered the formation in single combat..."
While speaking, the man began to slowly take off his aristocratic-style clothing, revealing an aged and emaciated body that was covered in scars. He seemed calm on the surface while, beneath this facade, Vahn could feel his mana surging as a commendable amount of power began to course along his Magic Circuits. His control showed a great deal of mastery but, knowing the man had left a few details out of his explanation, Vahn smiled slyly as he said, "I'm guessing it restricts me to only being able to fight one person per day...?"
Rather than surprise, the middle-aged man began to laugh in an uninhibited manner before smiling as he said, "We never expected that the Emperor himself would invade our home like this. This was originally intended for that monstrous woman, Scáthach, so imagine my surprise when my nephew alerted me to your arrival. You'll have to forgive me, Your Majesty, but I'd rather not see my family so easily wiped from the fact of this world. I hope you will come to see reason by the time you finish slaughtering myself and my men..."
Hearing the man's words, Vahn was tempted to snort but, frustratingly, he could tell from the man's aura that he wasn't one of the evil members of the family. Rather, with the information provided by Sherlock, Vahn knew this man's name was Bancroft Lyle Trambelio, the younger brother and Steward of the Trambelio family Patriarch. He was known for his fair treatment of other people so it annoyed him quite a bit that the Trambelio family had sent him out as a sacrifice to buy time for themselves.
Deciding not to play their game, Vahn shattered the rune on his heart while grasping the air with his right hand. This caused the runes forming a circle to fracture like glass as the people who triggered the formation all collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from their mouths and noses. They had received a powerful backlash and, after a month or so of rest, everyone that Vahn hadn't directly put pressure on would make a full recovery.
With commendable composure, Bancroft just looked around at his subordinates before shaking his head and musing, "I can't say I'm surprised at this point. Unfortunately, I have a duty to uphold so I'll have to trouble Your Majesty for a short while..."
The moment Bancroft finished his words, his wirey body suddenly inflated to the point that even an Olympic athlete would have to do a double-take. He no longer seemed like a middle-aged man and, if not for his balding head, his age would be impossible to guess.
Even though he was deeply incensed, Vahn never looked down on people that were deserving of his respect. He knew the man was willing to die to protect his family so, while it would have been easy to just crush him outright, he went on the defensive for a short while. The Trambelio family was actually very famous for their unique [Reinforcement] Magecraft so he was interested to see just how powerful one of their experienced Magi were.
Adopting his Xuanwu stance, even without transforming, Vahn deflected Bancroft's surprisingly heavy blows as the man vaulted around the battlefield as if he had springs in his feet. He was able to accelerate to supersonic speeds in short bursts and, rather than damage the surroundings with his movements, Vahn was surprised to see him disperse his magical energy into a surface before quickly retracting it to power his next spring. It was a masterful use of magical energy, one which Vahn had never thought of due to the advanced movement techniques he was capable of performing.
Still, there was a massive gulf in their parameters and, while not as monstrous as Sakura, Vahn's own Od had reached a sizable amount. He was sitting just over 27,000 but, rather than magical energy, his reserves were purely comprised of Source Energy. If converted, it was comparable to 27,000,000 units of magical energy so, while his aura may not be that intimidating at a glance, the truth would horrify all but the Gods and a few unique Tier 4 and Tier 5 entities.
Bancroft could tell that Vahn was restraining himself considerably in their battle but, rather than be offended, he adopted a wry smile before coming to a stop a few meters away. He had a somewhat grandfatherly appearance for a brief moment as he said, "I've no doubt you have a good reason for being here. My family is not without its skeletons...this is something I am painfully aware of. Despite this, I would ask you to be lenient with them...a few bad apples may spoil the bunch, but it does not mean the entire orchard is rotten..."
Despite his fury hiding just beneath the surface, Vahn managed a slight smile as he nodded his head and stated, "We are aware of this. Today will serve as a lesson for the Trambelio family and all others who believe themselves untouchable. Our intention is not to cull, only to educate..."
As Vahn spoke, he adopted a low stance with his right hand forward and his left hand retracted, both formed into the shape of claws. At a glance, he would appear to be off-balance but, the moment he crouched down, Bancroft felt as if he was walking down a jungle path, an unseen threat lingering in the shadows. He adopted a stance of his own but, the stronger his desire to fight, the more powerful the suppression he felt on his aching joints...
With no other words necessary between them, Bancroft was the first to act. He converted almost all of his magical energy into raw physical power and, for a brief moment, exceeded even the limits of his prime. A powerful aura shrouded his body and, from his striking hand, a column of destructive energy traveling near the speed of light shot out, carrying with it much of his vitality in the process. At the same time, Vahn's body seemed to move in slow motion as he performed a low sweeping movement before sliding forward with both of his hands, seemingly forming a 'mouth' with both hands that simply snapped down on the air in front of him. Immediately after this movement, the massive column of energy 'blinked' out of existence as a phantom white tiger closed its jaws around both the attack and Bancroft himself...
(A/N: I woke up with chest congestion so I'm publishing this chapter early and going back to sleep. There will still be a few more chapters today but the schedule will be a little janky.)
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh
章節 1302: Err
When the smoke cleared and the phantom white tiger vanished, Bancroft could be seen collapsed on the ground with blood pooling from his body. This was less the result of Vahn's attack, however, as the man had overexerted himself far behind his limits. Most of his bones had shattered from the strain and, while his organs had been protected, many of his muscles had turned to a pulp as they visibly deflated.
Vahn knew that Bancroft had been sent out as a result of his enemies having a decent understanding of his character. By sending the middle-aged man out, they intended to temper his anger a little and, by having his opponent make a plea on the verge of death, he was 'honor-bound' to stay true to his word. There were powerful forces at play behind the scenes and, if a person did not keep their word, there were a number of powerful curses and rituals that could be used against them.
None of that mattered to Vahn, however, as he hadn't intended to completely annihilate the errant family from the face of the earth. They still had their uses and, by eliminating those that had enacted this scheme, he could elevate one of the more 'ideal' candidates to the position of next family Head. After all, while Alexander and Allard were the two reigning powers within the family, they both had children while the previous generation of the Trambelio family was still alive and well...
With this in mind, Vahn slowly made his way through now silent hallways, periodically stopping when he detected signs of life hiding away. There were several places that showed up as blind spots within his perception but, by forcibly sending his intent into the areas, he was able to peer inside to find the treasures and people hiding within. Most of these safe rooms were filled with staff that had used the chaos to hide away so Vahn simply ignored them before moving on.
It wasn't until Vahn used his Telekinesis to rip a large section of the floor away that further defensive measures were activated by the Bounded Field of the estate. Magical energy began to collect in the shadows and, after a few seconds, skeletal figures know as Dragon Tooth Warriors, an intermediate level summon, began to emerge. They were named as such due to a fragment of a dragon's tooth being used at the catalyst for their summoning so, unless it was a very profligate family, it was rare to see them in action.
Vahn didn't even need to lift a hand to deal with foes like this so he continued walking through the corridors in a casual manner as the Dragon Tooth Warriors around him were crushed by an invisible force. Telekinesis could be used for more than just lifting objects and anchoring himself to the void so, with his increased mental capacity, Vahn was able to crush weaker enemies just by locating them within his Domain. This didn't work well against people with high Od and strong [Magic Resistance] but, despite their name, Dragon Tooth Warriors were actually very weak against even simple spells like [Gandr].
Eventually, Vahn reached a stone corridor that, at a glance, appeared to be a dead end. It was rather unfortunate for his enemies but, from the very beginning, he didn't rely on conventional methods of detection. His domain was actually a very powerful perceptive ability and, while he couldn't extend his senses into the hidden room beyond, just knowing there was a void in his perception was all the information he needed to discover most secrets.
Extending his hand, Vahn began to walk forward and, while it didn't show at first, the muscles on his arm began to flex as the veins in his temples began to throb slightly. At the same time, the wall in front of him began to collapse inward, the shape of a palm embedding itself in the highly reinforced material. He hadn't been able to send his intent inside so Vahn decided to brute force it in order to terrify whatever may be hiding within.
It took longer than he would have liked but, after about twenty seconds, the meter-thick wall of anti-magic material gave out. This was much like a steam engine erupting due to intense pressure so the pieces of metal that Vahn had been pushing on shot forward with tremendous force. It embedded itself into the far wall, more than twenty meters away, causing the entire chamber to rumble while the people inside released startled and terrified cries.
Entering into the room, Vahn noticed that only women and children were present so, for a brief moment, he actually panicked internally. It was fortunate that nobody had been in the path of the 'door' he had made as he would rather avoid having the blood of young children on his hands. He believed that children were inherently innocent and, while they may do terrible things in their youth, this was generally the result of their parents and teachers failing them. If they were guided properly, it was possible to set them on a better path.
After sending calming energy through his domain, Vahn asked in a commanding tone, "Where are Alexander and Allard Trambelio? I'm not fond of playing games."
By manipulating the transmission of sound through his domain, Vahn's words were only heard by the adult women in the chamber. He didn't want to terrify the children too much as the oldest one present was only nine years old. Most of the other children would be at the Clock Tower around this time so he would need to be a little bit more careful as he went around destroying the place.
The oldest of the women present, appearing to be in her early thirties, put on a stronger front than the other girls as she stood up and answered, "There are only women and children here. We don't know where the Lord and his brother are! Please, leave this place at once...!"
Vahn was a little surprised by the woman's response as, based on her reaction, it was almost as if she didn't know who he was. With this in mind, he asked, "What is your relation to the Trambelio family? Are you the wives and mistresses of Alexander and Allard...?" Though it was obvious based on their current location, Vahn still wanted to see how the woman would respond.
Without even the smallest of fluctuations to give herself away, the woman shook her head, two of the younger children clinging to her dress fearfully as she answered, "We are mere servants of the Trambelio family. Please, if you have grievances against the Lord and his brethren, do not take it out on these children. They are innocent..."
If not for his ability to see auras and sense the internal structure of a person's body, Vahn wouldn't have been able to discern whether or not the woman was lying to him. She obviously had a lot of practice telling lies so her life must have been pretty difficult leading up to this moment. Since, as she said, these children were indeed innocent, Vahn decided to play along with the ruse. In more ways than one, the women that had married into the Trambelio family were victims as their marriage was decided for them at a very early age, often without their consent.
Having made his decision, Vahn gave a curt nod to the woman before turning his back to the group and saying, "This place is no longer safe, servant of the Trambelio family. Head towards the surface, you'll find a man named Bancroft being treated by his men near the main hall. I imagine he'll have a use for you..."
Though he could sense her aura fluctuate greatly, the woman's expression didn't change even the tiniest amount as she performed a polite and subservient curtsy, answering, "Thank you for your advice, my Lord. We'll do as you have suggested..." Then, with a brave front, she pulled along two of the younger children while the other mistresses followed closely behind, each showing considerable fear as they edged around the stationary Vahn.
Vahn just pretended not to even notice these women while, standing in the void at his side, Scáthach explained, "That woman is Stella Vane Trambelio, the current head wife of Alexander Trambelio. All of the other women are also the wives of Alexander, including the youngest with dark purple hair..."
Hearing Scáthach's explanation, Vahn just shook his head before asking, ("Has she had any children yet...?"). This was immediately refuted by Scáthach, allowing him to relax a little, even if he was still incensed by the fact such a young woman was likely forced to marry into the family. She suffered the fate that Olga had barely avoided so it felt more personal than it otherwise would have.
Once the assortment of women and children had departed, Vahn turned his attention to the now empty room as he said, "Run a trace for me. Something is off about this place."
In response to Vahn's words, Scáthach appeared out of thin air, her scarlet eyes showing a rare accusatory look as she asked, "Can you not ask Alaya for such things...?"
Hearing his Shishou's retort, Vahn blinked in mild surprise as it actually hadn't even crossed his mind to use Alaya in such a manner. He had grown so used to just coexisting with the blue entity that she only really crossed his mind when he was messing around with her. This was primarily due to the fact that she used most of his reserves to fulfill his wish of protecting children so, for the last year or so, he had made very few direct requests of her.
Without waiting for Vahn's reply, Scáthach created a complex string of [Primordial Rune]s, each flying off in random directions before sinking into the walls, floor, and ceiling. It was only when she was finishing up with her search that she turned back to Vahn, the same look of blame on her face as she said, "You should leave matters like this to myself and others. You are too emotional to handle matters like this personally."
Though he knew she had a point, Vahn shook his head to refute her words, saying, "If I keep using you to solve all my problems, our enemies will eventually develop countermeasures against you. You might not fear such things but, even if I can resummon you through the Throne, I'd rather not have even the momentary death of an ally on my conscience. Call me selfish if you'd like but this is my way of doing things. If I can't act as I please as an Emperor, what is the point of having such a title?"
Scáthach would usually agree with Vahn when he made such arguments but, this time around, she was less than pleased with his reaction. She sent another rune, this one shimmering with a blue hue, toward an area near the center of the room. Once it contacted the floor, a massive magic circle was revealed, one which had faded away after having been used previously. It was a very complex spatial transfer formation and, even with her abilities, tracing the destination was very difficult.
This wasn't what upset Scáthach, however, as she didn't like that Vahn was being reckless without any real need to do so. His showing up like this allowed their enemies to slowly get a grasp on his power and, though the odds of them actually being able to deal with him were slim, there was no such thing as impossible. Even Gods could be killed and sealed so she didn't appreciate that he was underestimating his enemies to such an extent.
To make sure he understood just how foolish his decision was, Scáthach unceremoniously grabbed Vahn by the collar before pulling him into a spatial void and teleporting them above the estate. She then pointed towards the Bounded Field surrounding the estate, her eyes colder than eternal ice as she stated, "Your enemies don't know your capabilities. They can only make assumptions based on the information they have been able to glean from observing you in action. Without knowing about your other bodies, some idiots will get ideas about going to extreme lengths once you appear. Do you understand how foolish your actions are!?"
Rather than answer Scáthach's question, Vahn was focused on the looming sense of danger that he had only become aware of after she pointed it out to him. He could sense something far beyond his perception, something lurking far beyond the atmosphere of the planet. Then, as if to punctuate the words of his Shishou, his nerves felt like they all simultaneously erupted into small motes of intense flame as, from the exosphere of the planet, several reinforced magical rods, each covered in complex runes, were released from their orbital platform...
(A/N: Yeah, I'm confirmed sick at this point. I didn't want to just do an 'update' chapter though so I went ahead and wrote one to inform everyone :P. I've taken a lot of meds so I'll probably have to edit this chapter once I'm feeling better. I'll see you all later as my bed is playing a very enticing melody that I simply can't resist.)
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh
每周推薦票狀態
200+ 推薦票
榜單 
380 推薦票 
段落評論