章節 1799: Darkness : Light
Though she might have been the weakest member of their group, seeing one of their allies get their head blown off caused the remaining three girls to shudder. Despite this, they still managed to react almost instantaneously, the scarred woman transforming to the point that everything but her elastic pants were ripped to shreds. As for her other party members, one grabbed the cackling boy before tossing him to the side while the other, a muscular woman with red skin and curved horns, pulled out a large glaive from her Pipe.
Despite being severely outnumbered, the wolfish woman charged towards Rak with a murderous snarl on her canine face. She was more than three meters in length at this point, and, though she still had vaguely humanoid features, she had resorted to running on all fours to drastically increase her speed.
Snorting in disdain at the woman's charge, Rak spread his legs a bit further apart to receive the impact with his shield. At the same time, his dory spear reappeared within his right hand, the tip glowing with an intense red glow as he attempted to skewer his slightly stunned foe. Before he could, however, a thunderous sound resonated throughout the vast chamber as he was forced back several meters by the glaive that had impacted his shield.
Feeling a numb sensation spread through his left arm, Rak managed the closest thing to a smile he could manage before remarked, "You are pretty strong for a turtle..." while looking toward the red-skinned woman. This caused the woman to scowl with an incredulous look on her face as she loudly retorted, "I'm gonna make a purse out of you...!"
Since the wolf-woman had run around him to engage the other members of his party, Rak decided that the Red Turtle across from him would be his prey. In response to her remark about turning him into a purse, he just issued a loud bellow before beating his spear against his shield and exclaiming, "Come at me, Red Turtle...!"
Though she wanted nothing more than to do just that, the red-skinned woman didn't immediately charge at Rak. She might not be afraid of him but the large group behind him wasn't something her party would be able to handle. To make matters even worse, their Lightbearer had promptly fled the moment the fighting began so they were already outnumbered more than seven to one.
Cursing the cowardice of her teammate, the red-skinned Spear Bearer vowed that she would hunt down the Light Bearer if she got out of this alive. Then, without further hesitation, she released a loud war cry as she lunged toward Rak with her glaive raised like the blade of an executioner. The edge of her weapon began to hum as a swirling vortex of Shinsu formed, and, though it wasn't an ignition weapon, she was determined to bisect both the shield and its bearer in a single blow...
---
Unbeknownst to the red-skinned Spear Bearer, her chance for vengeance would never come since, even if she did emerge victoriously, her prey was already dead. She hadn't even made it fully up the stairs before coming to a stop, fearful of the wispy darkness obscuring her path. Her Lighthouse did nothing to penetrate its depths, and, shortly after encountering the obstruction, the effective range of her Lighthouse seemed to gradually diminish no matter how much Shinsu she pumped into it...
Terrified by the encroaching darkness, the Light Bearer, resembling an Elf with delicate features and pure white hair, released an ear-piercing scream as she formed a single Baang of Shinsu and fired it. To her horror, the bluish-white beam formed from her attack actually impacted the darkness as if it had physical mass, disturbing it ever-so-slightly before disappearing completely. This revealed that the darkness was actually some kind of Shinsu-infused attack, compelling her to form a barrier with all three of her Lighthouses before they, and her body, were soundlessly consumed...
---
As one of the people initially selected to fight the boss of the 7th Floor, Hatsu was the one to step out and face the wolfish woman. He was a little annoyed that she wasn't a swordswoman, but, after exchanging a few blows with his surprisingly agile foe, his mind was fully focused on the fight.
Dodging a sweeping blow from the woman's claws, Hatsu attempted to side-step her follow-up kick only to receive a smack to his face with her tail. In the same motion, she spun around on her heel, ducking beneath his blind swing before rising with the attempt to bite out his throat.
Fortunately, some of the earliest training Hatsu had done alongside Gandr involved honing each of his senses instead of just relying on his eyes. He had also been training with Roger for the past few weeks, so, while he had been somewhat caught off guard by the tail swipe, he managed to smash the butt of his katana into the woman's lower jaw after swaying his head just outside of her maw's range.
Though Hatsu's attack hadn't hurt, it was enough to demonstrate that he wasn't an opponent she could take lightly. It also helped to knock a bit of sense into her, so, after deftly rolling to the side to evade Hatsu's combo attack, she leaped back nearly a hundred meters to get a better grasp of the situation. To her surprise, she found Rak standing with his foot atop her downed ally, spear raised high as he released a loud war cry. She also noticed that the Light Bearer of her party was nowhere to be seen, her eyes glistening with a murderous light at the implication...
Deciding it would probably be for the best to negotiate or try to flee, the woman shifted her focus back to Hatsu, eyes widening as she realized he was right in front of her. She didn't think there was another Regular who could keep up with her speed so she was completely caught off guard, barely evading a fatal blow thanks to her animalistic instincts and inhuman reflexes.
Rather than pursue further, Hatsu allowed the woman to take her distance as he calmly advised, "It is unwise to shift your focus in the middle of a battle..."
Pawing the large cut that now ran from her right shoulder to just below her left ribs, the woman looked towards Hatsu with a feral look in her eyes as she growled, "I don't need your advice you damn human...!"
Frowning at the unexpectedly xenophobic remark, Hatsu lost all desire to fight the woman with his sword, sheathing it as he coldly replied, "I thought you were a worthy opponent...I was wrong..."
Shaking his head, Hatsu turned his back on the woman without actually dropping his guard. She didn't seem to realize this, however, as she immediately charged toward him, shouting, "You son of a bitch...!" as the razor-sharp claws of her right hand aimed toward his neck.
Exhaling the breath he had been holding, Hatsu's eyes opened wide as his pupils contracted into points. At the same time, he spun around with incredible speed, catching the woman's wrist with his right hand before using her own momentum to slam her into the ground. This was a lot harder than he expected due to her size, but, after swinging around a two-ton metal bat for training, controlling the momentum of 220kg werewolf wasn't that difficult.
Though it wouldn't have even have winded her in a normal situation, the wolfish-woman coughed up a mouthful of blood upon contact with the ground. The impact also caused the wound on her chest to open up further, the beige fur on the underside of her body become a crimson red as she quickly reverted to her original form. This actually caused a not-so-subtle blush to develop across Hatsu's face, unaccustomed to seeing a half-naked woman up close. As a result, he quickly peeled off the outer layer of his robe, tossing it over the woman before staring at her face and realizing she was actually quite beautiful...
---
With things going a lot smoother than he anticipated, Khun exhaled a sigh of relief before looking toward Phae and asking, "How should we deal with this situation? Should we revive them and mete out justice? If not, I would at least like to gather the bodies of the victims and cremate them..."
Though they had heard about Vahn's ability to revive the dead, Khun's words caught the attention of nearly every member of Team Wolf Pack. Even Yun-Yun and Laure, who usually rode around in slings attached to Baam's and Aleksai's backs, briefly opened their eyes to pay attention. (A/N: The thought of Baam piggybacking Yun-Yun around makes me smile xD...)
Since she was still an extension of Vahn, Phae could tell that there were actually a number of 'spirits' still present within the area. The Ego didn't immediately fade after death, so, while he might not be able to save them all, Vahn would still be able to resurrect the vast majority of those who had died.
Possessing the same bleeding heart as her Lord, Phae adopted a smile in response to Khun's words, softly musing, "I suppose this is as good a stage as any to allow my Lord to show off..." while pulling out the Little Garden. This caused everyone's tensions to grow exponentially as Endorsi, Anak, and even Jung adopted uncharacteristically serious expressions...
Fortunately, Vahn just so happened to be lounging about in the outer rings with Fenrir so he had plenty of time to clean himself up before emerging from the Little Garden with a dignified smile on his face. He was a little surprised by the number of corpses present, but, after quickly linking with Phae to get a better grasp of the situation, his demeanor relaxed as he ordered, "Those who have an aversion to death will help to establish a base camp. Resurrection isn't easy on the body or the mind so we'll need a place for everyone to rest. As for everyone else, please help me organize and separate the bodies. It is much easier to resurrect the recently deceased and whole so do your best to ensure 'parts' don't get mixed up..."
Understanding what Vahn meant when he said 'parts', Nare almost immediately turned away from the party to empty the contents of her stomach. She had been putting up a strong front until that point but the smell of blood, combined with the casual mention of dismembered parts, was a little too much for the relatively innocent young woman.
Feeling a little guilty about Nare's condition, Vahn realized he could have the support team wait in the Little Garden. This actually made a lot more sense since he could have all his Templates help in the preparation of food and other accommodations. The calming atmosphere would also help the traumatized victims remain calm, and, though it would likely take several months for some of them to recover, even this could be resolved using the outer rings.
Having made his decision, Vahn explained the situation to Khun before making the stipulation that only those who helped recover the bodies could stay around to watch the resurrection process. This was to compel those like Laure and Yun-Yun, both capable of moving bodies using their Telekinesis, from simply idling about as everyone else worked. This also had the effect of steeling the resolve of several people who were thinking about just waiting in the realm, drastically decreasing the amount of time it took to gather and organize all the bodies. After that, Vahn began the arduous process of healing and 'resurrecting' a total of fifty-nine people, a relaxed smile on his face as the Loyalty and Belief of everyone observing the process increased by leaps and bounds...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I am Rak Wraithraiser...!','Hatsu got a glimpse of his first nips...','*System Notifications Intensify*')
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章節 1800: Compromise
Though there were a few issues with people freaking out or thinking they had died and gone to Heaven, it didn't take too long for the Regulars resurrected by Vahn to be brought under control. The calming effects of the Little Garden went a long way, but, most importantly, the presence of incomprehensibly powerful people was enough to deter any legitimate dissent.
While Team Wolf Pack and his Templates were dealing with the revived Regulars, Vahn was seated in a relatively cozy with Phae standing next to him. Across from them, seated in a chair that made him appear even smaller than he actually was, a youth with pale skin and burgundy eyes stared back at them with an unfocused gaze.
Thanks to the Law of Identity, Vahn knew what the youth had experienced even without having him relive everything through an explanation. This was one of the most beneficial aspects of the Law of Identity, and, though her bubbly personality sometimes made things a little complicated, she would happily expose a person's most intimate secrets with a happy smile on her face.
Vahn had also used the Law of Identity to get a better grasp of the quartet's motivations, but, while it was understandable for some of them to act the way they did, that didn't excuse their crimes. He could empathize with their plight, especially the werewolf woman who had been hunted most of her life, but no amount of suffering afforded anyone the right to mete out even greater suffering to people that had nothing to do with their plight. Blaming an entire race of people for the actions of a few individuals was never a rational response.
Since the youth across from him was the human-hating group's primary victims, Vahn decided to discuss the matter of their fate with him. Unsurprisingly, the boy wanted nothing more than to see the four women beaten and violated in the most horrible ways imaginable. He didn't want them to die, he wanted them to suffer far worse than himself. At one point, he had even suggested letting the resurrected Regulars 'have their way' with the group with a rather vicious smile on his face...
Vahn had tried to reason with the youth, discussing the concept of the 'Cycle of Hatred' and the importance of empathy, but the eleven-year-old was completely unphased by his arguments. He just continued to stare back with emotionless eyes, his aura turning progressively darker the longer the conversation continued. This made Vahn feel a little helpless, so, after failing to convince him for the better part of three hours, he had Phae escort him to a comfortable room before departing the study to meet with the four wrongdoers, each held in separate quarters, directly...
---
Hearing a light knock, the scarred-woman, revealed to be Tasha Adalwolf by the Law of Identity, snarled in disdain before throwing one of the destroyed pieces of furniture towards the door. She had been allowed to move around freely within the fully furnished room, but, after trying and failing to break through the surrounding floor, walls, and ceiling, she ended up trashing the interior in her wolf form before curling up in the corner of the room once the transformation had worn off. There were few things she hated and feared more than being caged up and locked away so her hatred for the group that had defeated her had been increasing by the minute.
Noticing the door opening, Tasha's right arm became more muscular and elongated as her body half-transformed into that of a wolf. She couldn't maintain her transformation for very long, so, after tiring herself out during her tantrum, a partial transformation was the most she could manage. Despite this, she was determined to cut the neck of the person entering the room before escaping outside and taking a hostage.
What Tasha never anticipated was that she would be 'frozen' in mid-air, arm and claws extended as a man with kind features entered the room. Then, much her to her surprise, dismay, and a host of other emotions, he actually reached out his hand to pat the top of her head as he adopted a casual smile and said, "You shouldn't be so quick to violence, little pup. I am neither your enemy nor your captor. Once this matter has been settled, you will be free to leave at your leisure."
Though she initially wanted nothing more than to bite the man's hand before tearing out his throat, Tasha was surprised to find that her usual anger was nowhere to be found. Instead, she felt relaxed, calm, and, most frustratingly, she even felt a little happy to have her head pat. This made her feel an overwhelming amount of embarrassment, her face turning red as the invisible force suspending her in the air gradually lowered her to the ground.
Seeing the woman calm down much faster than anticipated, Vahn gave an approving nod before retracting his hand and pulling out a coat. Her transformation wasn't very kind to her clothes, so, with the exception of the elastic pants that hugged her figure, she was completely naked. She didn't seem too bothered by this fact, likely the result of experiencing similar situations countless times in the past, but it was still better to have her cover herself if they were going to have a conversation.
Noticing the man politely avert his eyes after handing her the coat, Tasha briefly considered tearing out his throat before promptly deciding against it. Her instincts told her that the man in front of her was incomprehensibly powerful, so much so that she actually had to resist the urge to go belly-up...
Hearing the rustling of clothes cease, Vahn turned around to find that Tasha was still seated on the ground. He suspected she was actually more used to this than sitting atop furniture, as, according to the Law of Identity, she had spent much of her life wandering the wilds of the Outer Tower. She had also been part of a pack with just two males, one being the man who had turned her and the other being his younger brother. They had a penchant for kidnapping and converting young girls into werewolves, rearing them from a young age to be submissive and obedient.
To make matters even worse, Tasha grew up in an area of the Tower where humans, vampires, and werewolves were constantly at war with each other. Being turned into a werewolf forced her to fight on the side of her captors as humans disdained, tortured, and killed anyone who had been turned. This filled her with despair when she was younger, but, after more than twenty years of being held captive and forced to fight a war, she eventually gained a resentment towards humans before fully succumbing to the mentality of a werewolf.
Simply put, the woman suffered from a severe case of Stockholm Syndrome after being kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and tormented for years. Her only way to 'free' herself from the suffering was to become obedient and willfully lower herself to the people she should have resented more than any other. She had even helped to kidnap other young girls in order to expand their pack, perpetuating the cycle despite empathizing with and even pitying the victims.
Restraining the urge to sigh, Vahn maintained a calm smile as he explained Tasha's situation, the fates of the Regulars she had previously killed, and the options she had moving forward. He even gave her the option of becoming human once again, but, in exchange, she would need to live out the rest of her days in the Middle Tower. Regardless of what she chose, however, he would never allow her to fulfill her dream of becoming a Ranker just so that she could return to the Outer Tower and kill all the Vampires and Humans who had persecuted and hunted her.
Had Vahn informed her that she wouldn't be allowed to complete her objective at the very start of her journey, Tasha would have resented him greatly. Fortunately, climbing the Tower had taught her that there were a lot of people who simply didn't care that she was a werewolf. There were even a number of races that were far stranger than her own, beings she had never even imagined during her time living in the Forest of Death. This taught her that the world was a much bigger place than she ever imagined, so, while she had continued to climb the Tower, her dream of getting 'revenge' had already started to diminish.
In the end, Tasha surprised Vahn quite a bit by looking up at him and spontaneously asking, "When I woke up, there was a red cloth on my body...what happened to the Fisherman who defeated me?"
Understanding she was asking about Hatsu, Vahn showed traces of amusement in his smile as he explained, "Hatsu isn't a Fisherman. He is one of the Scouts belonging to Team Wolf Pack..."
Hearing the name of the team that had defeated her, Tasha adopted a potent frown as she replied, "What a tasteless name...do you even know what it means to be part of a pack?"
Before the woman could go on forcing her views onto others, Vahn preempted Tasha's 'lesson' by plopping his hand down onto her head and saying, "You are hundreds of years too young to start lecturing me about such things, little pup. Your experiences cannot be applied to every situation so stop trying to force everything through the filter of your trauma. There are as many types of packs as there are races in the Tower. The sooner you accept there is more to life than the circumstances you were forced into, the sooner you will be able to move forward and obtain true happiness..."
Though she wanted to protest and argue that Vahn didn't know what he was talking about, Tasha found herself sitting silently as he continued to caress her head. She didn't understand the reasons, but she felt there was a certain surety within his words, almost as if they were an inviolable truth. He also had a very calm and pleasant aura, and, most importantly, there wasn't even a trace of the foul-smelling pheromones that caused her to disdain and resent most men.
Feeling increasingly confused by the current situation, Tasha couldn't help but lightly furrow her brows as she asked, "What are you...?" in an uncharacteristically demure tone. In response, Vahn adopted a slightly amused smile as he retracted his hand from her head and mused, "I am just a God passing through..."
---
After calming down Tasha and reaching an agreement with her other two companions, a Light Elf named Alea Faris and a Red Oni simply named Ohta, Vahn moved on to meet with the final member of the quartet, a Dhampir named Nezera Nyx.
Nezera was easily the most troublesome of the four, as, despite a shared hatred towards humans, specifically men, she was the only one who reveled in slaughter. Her race also needed fresh blood every few hours just to avoid going into a frenzy, so, as could be expected, they were disdained and feared virtually everywhere within the Tower.
Vahn had never been the type to judge someone based on their racial traits. He also had a distinct fondness for Vampires and their descendants so he wasn't against trying to help both Nezera and her people. Unfortunately, though he already suspected as much after learning about her from the Law of Identity, Nezera had absolutely no interest in reforming herself.
The only thing Nezera enjoyed more than killing people was tormenting them before they died. She even affirmed that she would rather die than stop killing and tormenting others, so, after failing to reach a compromise, Vahn put her on the spot by producing a vial of pale purple liquid that would end her life painlessly. This caused her to hesitate for more than a minute, but, seemingly with the intention to spite him, she ultimately downed the vial's contents before spending the final moments of her life smiling viciously back at him...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Don't tell the Republicans...(this is a joke btw)','The Godhand can no longer be stopped','No ragrets')
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