章節 1414: Embrace the Infinite
After a few more one-sided exchanges, where his attacks never found purchase, Vahn came to a stop above a half-destroyed building, staring at Musashi with a deadpan expression as he asked, "What is the deal with your power? I know about the state of 'nothingness' but it's almost like your body isn't even really here..."
Hearing Vahn's sudden comment, Musashi's smile returned and, after wiping a bit of sweat from her brow, she answered< 'You tell me your secrets and I'll tell you mine. My sword can even cut through the origin of concepts yet, no matter how much I try to actualize your death, you just keep coming back, stronger than before. I'm actually starting to get a little winded here..."
The moment she finished speaking, Musashi cut down with her katana, producing an invisible wave of energy that seemed to move beyond the time axis. As a result, Vahn ended up sliced from crown to groin in an instant, his two halves sloughing grotesquely for a brief moment before he reformed, seemingly without any trouble whatsoever.
With an even dourer expression than before, Vahn's right arm transformed into an organic-looking dragon's head, his hand forming a maw that swelled with an immense amount of energy. Though he hadn't made much progress in manifesting his power outside his body, there was little he couldn't achieve internally. There were a vast number of creatures that could fire their energy in the form of beams and breaths, himself included, so Vahn had long-since developed techniques to circumvent his apparent weakness.
Musashi showed an expression of mild surprise upon seeing Vahn's right arm transform, but, in the next moment, an amused smile spread across her face as she twisted her body, shouting, "I knew it, you really do have multiple forms...!" while cutting through the beam.
Though he wanted to just ignore her words and focus on the fight, Vahn was growing increasingly frustrated with the fact Musashi didn't seem to be taking the fight seriously. He wasn't going all out, as that would completely ruin his plans, but that didn't make it any less annoying to be looked down upon. Thus, while focusing the massive beam of energy into a finer point, he exclaimed, "You cannot even begin to fathom how many forms I can take...!"
Following his outburst, Vahn closed his maw-formed hand, causing his arm to swell up to several times the normal size as he used [Shundo] to appear near Musashi's side. His forearm began to crack with the phenomenal amount of energy store within and, before his punch could connect, it ended up exploding with enough force to devastate the surrounding city block...
Appearing just outside the blast radius, Musashi had a wry smile on her face as she used wiped a trail of blood away from her mouth. She didn't know how he was able to achieve it but, despite the fact she could enter a state of nothingness, making her virtually immune to damage, his attacks still managed to inflict damage to her. It completely defied her expectations but, rather than feel any fear whatsoever, Musashi was beginning to grow increasingly excited.
As she prepared herself for Vahn's inevitable attack, Musashi received her biggest surprise of the night as, from within the explosion, an identical version of herself appeared. For a brief moment, she didn't know what to think but, in spite of this mental gap, her body still moved, cutting the imposter into seventeen pieces in an instant.
Further increasing Musashi' incredulity, the insides of her doppelganger were filled with such a heavy volume of Magical Energy that it existed in liquid form. Once exposed to the air, it rapidly expanded, encompassing her body, and several hundred meters of the surroundings, in an instant.
Musashi's attack speed defied logic but her actual Agility was limited to the upper stages of B-Rank. Though her figure seemed to disappear at times, this was mainly due to her inability to 'ignore' the flow of time and actualize the result she wanted using her exceptionally rare Mystic Eyes, known to few as 'Empyrean Eyes of the Heavenly Deity'. Using these two unique traits, she could limit the flow of fate itself, constraining it to a singular path in order to guarantee the outcome she desired. This was, ironically, similar to Vahn's ability to act as a singularity, but, as the scale was incomparable, it was hard to make this connection without a comprehensive understanding of the ability...
By combining her state of 'nothingness' with her Mystic Eyes, Musashi was able to actualize her ideal path, 'cutting' through the explosion itself. As a result, though her body had been enveloped at close range, she was able to appear outside of the blast radius in an instant. At the same time, the massive explosion itself, like a bubble popping, vanished in its entirety. Only a massive crater, containing her glowering doppelganger, remained in the aftermath.
Though her [Battle Continuation: EX] would allow her to fight indefinitely, that didn't mean Musashi had inexhaustible stamina. She would eventually reach a point where her body would begin to fight, even after she had lost consciousness, so, before that could happen, Musashi sheathed her smaller Wakizashi, smiling wryly as she said, "You know, it's kind of creepy stealing my form like that. I can't say I'm fond of cutting apart someone that looks like me, even if I know it's just an imitation..."
In response to Musashi's words, her duplicate adopted a similarly wry smile, answering, "You think it's any easier being the one cut apart? Even if I don't cry out in pain, I can still feel every single one of your cuts. Earlier, you talked about being unable to see eye-to-eye but, have you ever had your body cut into hundreds of tiny pieces? You call me a monster but I imagine most of your enemies felt the same way before you ultimately cut them down like wheat..."
Hearing rebuking words in her own voice, Musashi couldn't help but wince slightly before releasing a tired sigh and saying, "You world-conquering types always have a way with words, don'tcha? Is that how you're able to convince yourself that what you're doing is right? The ends justify the means and all that, huh...?"
Though she was about to point out the devastation Vahn had caused during their fight, Musashi only just now noticed the complete lack of people in the surrounding buildings. In fact, though they had been fighting for nearly twenty minutes, the only other signs of life were Vahn's companions and her own allies. She had been so focused on her duty of keeping Vahn busy that she hadn't noticed all of the signs that something was very wrong...
Seeing the 'realization' on Musashi's face, Vahn issued a light chuckle, something the female samurai took exception to as there was nothing quite like hearing yourself laugh at your expense. Her katana moved before she even willed it to, severing Vahn's head at the mouth. This was a very unpleasant sight to behold but, as it put a stop to his laughter, Musashi felt a little bit better as she pointed the tip of her katana at him and demanded, "What have you done!?"
Rubbing his jaw to ease some of the numbness, still in Musashi's form, Vahn answered, "What? Did you think we were just going to sit around as your side freely resorts to underhanded tactics? You keep insisting we're the bad guys but, comparing methods, can you really call yourself a Hero? How did you put it...ah, the ends justify the means, right...?"
Having her own words thrown back at her, Musashi's smile had completely faded away, a conflicted scowl replacing it. From Vahn's words, it wasn't difficult to understand the Empire had seen through their intentions, to an extent. In truth, she actually hadn't been fond of their plan but, with the fate of all futures on the line, she had repressed her misgivings in order to perform her duty.
After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Musashi lowered her sword, saying, "Feel free to call me a hypocrite, if you'd like. We wouldn't have been forced into this situation if you hadn't appeared in the past, destroying everything the future had worked hard to obtain. I may not be smart enough to determine the best course of action, but, no matter how you spin it, what you have done to the world is inexcusable. You took the easy way out, choosing to wield your power as a Conqueror, not a Savior. Even if you had the best of intentions, your methods are beyond redemption..."
As Musashi seemed quite fond of attacking immediately after speaking, Vahn preempted her attack by summoning [Enkidu], wrapping it around his forearms and wielding the attached spearheads in his hands. At the same time, he transitioned out of Musashi's form as, with the exception of Boudica, she had some of the largest breasts he had ever seen. This gave him an urge to slouch forward and, though it didn't get in the way too much, Vahn was infinitely more comfortable fighting in his base form.
With Vahn discarding her form, Musashi's eyes became intently focused and, with her words finished, a ghostly red flame enveloped the blade of her katana. She knew there was something off about her surroundings but, even with her perception and senses, she was unable to ascertain exactly what had happened. Thus, in order to create a path forward, she abandoned the mission that had been given to her, unleashing her full power for the first time...
From Vahn's perspective, it was like the world around him completely disappeared and, other than Musashi and himself, nothing else existed. This was worrying for a number of reasons but, as he had already made ample preparations leading up to the battle, his resolute look didn't diminish. Even as his body refused to move, almost as if he had been stopped in time, his eyes blazed with divine light, their intensity increasing exponentially with each passing moment...
With all other concepts temporarily losing their meaning, even time and space themselves, Musashi took a slow and steady breath, her own eyes glowing mesmerizingly. Then, after angling her sword toward Vahn, her voice could be heard echoing throughout the void as she stated, "All me to show you the essence of the Five Rings. Behold what awaits beyond the pinnacle of swordsmanship, the state that transcends all things, returning them to zero. This single stroke encompasses the concept of the void itself, severing all things, even existence...!"
As Musashi spoke, a six-armed phantom appeared behind her, it's skin a dull-grey as its eyes flashed with a demonic light. It wielded a resplendent golden sword in each hand while, spinning behind its back, a Wheel of Dharma covered in a myriad of runes could be seen, their meaning, in Vahn's eyes, depicting both the concept of eternity and a finite end. When he saw this, something inside of him seemed to break and, before Musashi could say another word, his hand, covered in golden scales, covered her mouth as he gripped her head.
Though Vahn had surprised her several times thus far, Musashi was genuinely terrified when she felt his hand spontaneously sealed off her words. It should have been impossible for him to move within her 'Realm of Nothingness', much less attack her, so her mind drew a complete blank as she stared in abject shock at lean Dragonic figure grasping her face. Though there were exposed sections, each covered in a strange runic pattern, most of his body was covered in golden scales, each radiating a resplendent light that made it difficult to look directly at him...
A stark contrast to Musashi, Vahn had a calm and composed expression on his face, the result of a comforting clarity overtaking his mind. At this moment, he felt as if nothing in the world could touch him and, though he could tell it wouldn't last long, even this knowledge was strangely comforting. It was similar to how he would feel after meditating for an extended period of time, but, instead of feeling at one with the Universe around him, it was almost as if the reverse, for a brief moment, had become true.
In a voice that caused the 'nothingness' around them to gradually crack, golden light emerging into the previously empty space, Vahn explained, "All things are born from, and return to, Oblivion. While the concept of Zero is powerful, it always gives way to Infinity. The concept of Eternity may have its limitations, but, on the most fundamental level, existence is the preferred state of all things. Beyond all concepts, there is an intrinsic desire to exist that transcends all things...your Zero means nothing in the face of infinite possibilities...!"
Following Vahn's outburst, the phantom behind Musashi's body also began to crack, the Wheel of Dharma behind its back shattering into infinitesimally small pieces. In the next moment, the infinite nothingness around them gave away to an even greater amount of golden light but, no matter how bright it became, the scales of Vahn's body and the light within his eyes remained visible, almost as if his figure appeared directly within a person's thoughts...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: "What lays beyond the origin of all things, you ask? The intrinsic desire to exist, regardless of form, function, and purpose...')
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章節 1415: Resolution
Though Vahn's presence was overwhelming, Musashi wouldn't be considered one of the greatest swordsmen in history if she was helpless in the face of her opponent. In fact, she held a secret close to her heart, one unbeknownst to any of her allies, Archimedes included. Thus, in response to Vahn's words, she forced a smile, her lips curling against his palm as her aura erupted outward, bringing an absolute and inviolable void of darkness along with it.
With renewed vigor, Musashi kicked against Vahn's chest, not to do any damage but to use it as a substitute for solid ground. The aura radiating from his body gave her a feeling of weightlessness so, after using his vice-like grip as leverage, Musashi drew her Wakizashi, holding it in a reverse grip to cut through his arm. The collision between her blade and his golden scales caused a high-pitched whine, accompanied by a shower of sparks, but, as had been the case throughout her life, Musashi was ultimately able to cut through it.
Using Vahn's chest as a pivot, Musashi kicked away from him, but, in spite of her best efforts, his hand continued to grip around her face. More surprising was the fact that, instead of regenerating his arm, the larger section of Vahn's body disappeared into golden particles before he regenerated at the end of his severed arm...
Musashi's ability to cut off his arm didn't actually surprise Vahn. Rather, his recognition of her Skill seemed to be what allowed her to harm him. His instincts told him that, if he didn't acknowledge her power, it would be absolutely useless against him. At the same time, however, he felt compelled to acknowledge her skill as, while they didn't see eye-to-eye, Musashi was a commendable swordsman. If he denied her accomplishments for wholly selfish reasons, Vahn felt he would lose something very precious...something he would never be able to regain once discarded...
After tightening his grip enough to cause Musashi to release a muffled groan, Vahn balled his right hand into a fist, forcibly repelling away the void she was desperately trying to expand. It was like she was trying to overwrite the concept of 'Infinite Possibility', replacing it with the concept of 'Oblivion' and 'Nothingness'. However, as he had explained previously, existence itself was something sought after by forces far beyond both of them. If given a choice between existing and returning to oblivion, all things, including the Laws themselves, would choose to exist. Unless Musashi was to comprehend the erasure of her own existence, the concept of Nothingness she embodied would never reach its full potential...
With his own influence growing stronger with each moment, Vahn was able to impose his own rule over the strange realm they had found themselves in. Much like how Musashi had been able to rob him of the ability to move, as space and time themselves had lost their meaning, his movements had become increasingly smooth. At the same time, Musashi seemed to be slowing down and, though it was still impossible to trace the trajectory and motion of her blade, Vahn felt he was on the cusp of being able to see it.
Since there was little she could do to loosen his grip, Vahn eventually reached a point where his control over the concepts around them reached the point where he was finally able to act. This was proven when, in the next moment, his fist had already struck Musashi's abdomen. Though she didn't seem to take much damage, a golden shockwave erupted out from her back, destroying a large part of the concept of Nothingness surrounding her body.
Though she hadn't given up, Musashi's movements had slowed to the point that, even after Vahn pulled back his hand, her body remained in the position it had been when he struck. The blade of her katana, which had previously been invisible to him, now appeared to be moving in slow motion. Curiously, he was still unable to dodge the strike but this was primarily due to the fact that his own movements were still stagnant. The fact remained that, unlike before, he could now see her attacks, something that brought a slight smile to his face.
Knowing she would be able to hear his words, as 'intent' seemed to be perfectly conveyed within the realm they inhabited, Vahn loosened his grip on Musashi's face, saying, "You genuinely believe what I am doing is wrong. Even I cannot profess that my decision was the correct choice, so, from the very beginning, I accepted others would see me as a villain. However, there are many who also see me as a hero, one paving the way toward a better future, not specifically for humans, but all races. I want to save everyone but, no matter how much power I possess, it will never be enough in the face of fate and free will. The best I can do is bear the burden of my sins in the hope that, one day, things will be better than they are now. Though I may be severing countless futures, I am also building a stronger foundation, one that quantitatively increases the chance for success and happiness, not just for the citizens of the Empire, but, everyone that will be born in the future...!"
Borrowing a page out of Musashi's book, Vahn ended his statement by grabbing her outstretched leg and, despite the lack of solid ground beneath them, he easily hefted her body with one hand before slamming it down. The predominately gold realm around them immediately collapsed as a result and, in the next moment, time had began to flow normally as Musashi lay beaten and broken within a large crater.
Feeling a phenomenal amount of fatigue, Vahn was momentarily tempted to just leave Musashi to someone else but, before he could even consider who was most suitable, his world spontaneously split in two. This caused his mind to dull slightly and, as his transformation had already been on its last vestiges, a plume of golden light erupted from Vahn's body as the scales covering him vanished. He couldn't help but internally curse Musashi's resilience but, at the same time, Vahn found himself respecting her tenacity quite a bit...
Though most of her bones were broken, her consciousness long gone, Musashi was still able to rise to her feet, blood dripping from various wounds. Her beauty hadn't faded in the slightest, but, due to her injuries, she almost looked like a living corpse. The most troubling part was, while she didn't seem capable of walking more than a few steps, Musashi's sword strikes were just as swift as before. She also stopped holding back so, even though he had already been cut into several hundred pieces, Vahn wasn't even given time to reform as her swords moved like a tempest, cutting him into smaller and smaller pieces...
Feeling as if resistance was futile at this point, Vahn just went with the flow of her attacks, focusing his mind on preserving his Ego while sending a mental command to Da Vinci and, in turn, Arcueid. In the next moment, Musashi's attacks suddenly came to a stop and, much like Olivia, her body began to flake away into motes of bluish-white light. This left only a cloud of reddish-black mist within the massive crater that had been formed from her collision with Vahn...
With the humanoid blender gone, the mist began to slowly coalesce into a humanoid figure, taking nearly twenty minutes before it became solid. By the time Vahn managed to reform his body, Artoria and the rest had gathered around him, each having won their own battles without too much trouble.
Even after becoming solid once again, Vahn could hardly move even a single finger as, if he stopped focusing on keeping himself together, he would quickly 'melt' into a gooey black mess. Despite this, Vahn forced a smile onto his face as, in more ways than one, this had been their complete victory. It didn't matter how much damage Musashi had done to his spirit as, during their battle, his [Rakshasa Body] had made a remarkable breakthrough, reaching S-Rank. If anything, he actually 'needed' to fall asleep as, only after he lost consciousness would he be able to receive the full benefits of this pivotal breakthrough.
Unfortunately, there were still matters to attend so, while it took a considerable amount of effort, he began to telepathically question Artoria about the details of their operation. They had invested a lot of time and effort into baiting this trap, so, if Musashi and the others ended up being fake, just like Betty, Vahn wouldn't be able to rest until he personally checked every single Bounded Field on the Surface...
Fortunately, in response to his inquiry, Artoria smiled as she explained, "Lady Arcueid's efforts hadn't been for naught. Due to her influence, only one of the enemies seemed to realize they had entered into a Spiritual Projection. He managed to escape before we could track down his real body but the recovery of Musashi and Caenis proceeded without issue. As for the 'other' woman, we believe she was reverse-summoned through the use of a Command Spell."
Hearing Artoria's response, Vahn felt considerable relief but, at the same time, he couldn't help but feel confused. This seemed to be visible on his face as, following her explanation, Artoria added, "Da Vinci said she will need some time to collect more data but, from what she can tell, Musashi and the Greecian woman named Caenis aren't Heroic Spirits. Instead, they seem to be closer to Divine Spirits that have fused together with Heroic Spirits."
Though it was difficult to believe, Vahn didn't question Artoria's words as, with the prognosis coming from Da Vinci, it was likely very close to the truth. This also explained why Musashi ended up being a female, in spite of the fact that both Merlin and Alaya had claimed her to be male. He had confirmed this through the Throne of Heroes as well so, while the Musashi he had fought was undoubtedly the real deal, there was obviously something 'different' about her...
---
While Vahn was taking a considerable amount of time to recover, the woman in question opened her eyes back in the real world. She felt incredibly fatigued and, due to the strain on her Spirit, it felt like her brain was going to split open. As a result, Musashi tried to rub her temples but, before she could even move a single millimeter, an inviolable pressure prevented her from moving...
Before Musashi could make sense of her situation, a woman with maroon-brown hair and the most perfect facial features she had ever seen entered her vision. This had been necessary as, due to the force restraining her body, Musashi couldn't even turn her head. Even flexing her jaw was difficult as any muscle movement at all caused an oppressive pressure to resist the action.
It was only after a few seconds passed that Musashi realized she was suspended in clear fluid as, with an apologetic smile on her face, the beauty before her placed her palm against the virtually invisible glass pane separating them, explaining, "My name is Leonardo Da Vinci. You are currently suspended in a chamber that fixes your Spiritron makeup to a specific rhythm. It perfectly simulates any and all bodily functions so, while it may seem like you are breathing, it is actually the simulation driving your lungs to intake and expel the neutral ether solution surrounding you. Unless it is simulated, you will find it all but impossible to take any action, even blinking your eyes..."
Musashi couldn't help but feel shaken by Da Vinci's words but, as it wasn't stimulated by the system, her expression was completely neutral. Despite this, Da Vinci could ascertain her stressed state due to the implants showing the electrical signals firing within Musashi's brain. Her true nature might be that of a Divine Spirit, but, much like a Daemon, Musashi was bound by the vessel she had chosen to emulate.
In an effort to allay Musashi's concerns, Da Vinci adopted a comforting smile as she explained, "Do not worry. We have no intention of keeping you imprisoned here. Vahn isn't very fond of restraining people against their will so, once he had awakened, you will be liberated from this chamber. I believe you are the most aware of how dangerous you can be, so, at least for the time being, please remain calm and, as much as possible, try to relax. While you may not be able to move of your own accord, this solution is providing nourishment for your body while also helping to replenish your mental and spiritual energy. If you'd like, I can help you relax, but, you'll have to trust that I'm not trying to harm you..."
Though there were few things more terrifying than being a prisoner in your own body, Musashi felt no animosity from Da Vinci. Thus, despite not trusting her in the slightest, Musashi forced herself to remain calm. Everything from her breathing to the twitching of her fingers and toes was outside of her control so, rather than stress out over something she could do very little about, she decided to take Da Vinci's advice and just relax....at least until the situation changed...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Possibility vs. Nothingness','The combination of Arcueid, Da Vinci, and Merlin has culminated into something terrifying...','I would not be able to remain calm in this situation...')
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