章節 2197: Appreciation, Fatigue, and the Power of Money
"Incredible. You truly live up to the name Musashi."
Though they had only exchanged a single blow between them, Kojiro could feel the indomitable sword intent contained within Musashi's sword. The moment their blades overlapped, a frigid chill ran through his body. It was almost like he had been walking alone in a peaceful mountain forest only to turn his head to find an avalanche charging towards him.
Instead of responding to Kojiro's words, Musashi's perpetually changing eyes shifted towards the edge of her Zanpakuto. It might be unnoticeable to others, but, thanks to her incredible eyesight, she was able to make out an indescribably small nick on the edge of her blade.
"Gaze into the Void, Gōenjin...!"
Realizing her opponent was more dangerous than his disarming smile let on, Musashi immediately unleashed her Shikai. This caused Kojiro's eyes to widen considerably, as, rather than a simple 10x increase in spirit energy, Musashi's Gōenjin provided a startling 50x increase. A bluish-white energy erupted from her body, forcing Kojiro back until he raised his almost comically long katana to block, or, more specifically, cut through the seemingly insurmountable pressure.
Adopting a far more serious expression than before, the edge of Kojiro's blade began to glow with a similarly bluish-white light as he murmured, "Has she already surpassed the realm of the gods...?"
Not expecting an answer to his question, the hairs on Kojiro's body stood on end as a feminine voice sounded from his side, stating, "The only person I focus on surpassing is myself."
Spinning away from the voice, Kojiro's body spun in such a smooth and graceful arc that, for a very brief moment, he appeared to be the only thing in existence capable of moving. The only exception to this seemed to be Musashi's eyes, which, in spite of her unmoving figure, stared directly at Kojiro, their hue shifting between various blues, greens, and purples.
Undaunted by the peculiar sight, an inexplicable scene occurred in the eyes of the Spectators. The spinning Kojiro promptly changed directions, a secondary arc forming as he cut towards Musashi's head to produce a dividing line that perfectly bisected her body. Some mistakenly believed this was the Tsubame Gaeshi. Instead, it was a raw display of speed. Speed so great that it simply defied the conventional rules of causality.
To the horror and chagrin of quite a number of people, the 'cameras' viewing and recording the fight were able to see a thin red line running down Musashi's body. With everything appearing to move in slow motion, they were even able to make out Musashi's flesh beginning to slowly part. In spite of this, the pale, pink-haired swordswoman maintained a smile as her eyes continued to focus on the increasingly nervous-looking Kojiro.
Just as it seemed as though Musashi was about to be perfectly split in two, the pink-haired Samurai took a step forward. Everything was still moving in slow motion, but, as if she was unaffected by the distortion, Musashi swept her Gōenjin in a casual arc that sent Kojiro's head spinning from his body.
As if someone had picked up a remote and pressed fast forward, Kojiro's spinning head appeared to revolve at several hundred RPM, a cascade of blood spreading outward in a perfect spiral as the crowd looked on with stunned, stupefied gazes. Then, in such a short amount of time that people thought the display had lagged, several other versions of Kojiro had appeared on screen while the spinning head from before had completely vanished.
Just as everyone was beginning to wonder what, exactly, was going on, Musashi satisfied their curiosities, her playful, almost innately seductive tone echoing through the Little Garden as she mused, "You've taken your Infinity in a rather interesting direction, haven't you? Your speed has exceeded the point of Parallel Superposition. Every action you perform results in the creation of countless versions of yourself...if I didn't already know she was taken, there is a redhead I would have liked to introduce you to..."
Wiping away a bit of sweat from his brow, Kojiro regained his earlier smile as he rebutted, "Those eyes of yours are dangerous...the ability to guarantee an outcome is beyond terrifying in the hands of a truly skilled warrior..."
As it was natural for people at their level to be able to see through each other's techniques with a single glance, Musashi simply shrugged in response to Kojiro's revelation. She didn't mind if people learned about her Empyrean Eyes. Rather, the whole reason she was wearing a bikini was to garner attention and increase her fame. If the residents of the Little Garden truly believed her eyes had the power to guarantee an outcome, the grade/rank of her Gift would invariably increase.
Unsurprised by Musashi's silence, Kojiro adopted a low, sideways stance with his sword held parallel with his shoulders. An indescribably sharp aura immediately surged forth from his body, but, due to the intense spiritual pressure emanating from Musashi's, Kojiro actually felt an even greater feeling of suppression than before. He felt as though he was trying to blow a bubble at the bottom of the ocean. The more effort he pushed into expanding his domain, the greater the surface area exposed to Musashi's.
Fortunately, the stance Kojiro had adopted was so famous that the momentum generated from the crowd's interest immediately shifted in his favor. His Tsubame Gaeshi was regarded as the absolute pinnacle of swordsmanship, so, while there were a frustrating number of opponents that had come up with methods to counter it, Sojiro had an absolute advantage when it came to high-profile Gift Games.
Just as Kojiro was sure of his victory, something the crowd had been anticipating for quite some time occurred. Many had noticed the peculiar and unnerving sight of Musashi's flesh beginning to part in slow motion, but, rather than focusing on such gruesome details, the vast majority of people had directed their gaze to the string tying together her bikini. They figured that if the body behind the fabric had been cut, it was only natural that the fabric had also been cut. Now that Musashi was on the verge of being defeated by the Tsubame Gaeshi, hundreds of millions of people immediately shifted their attention to Musashi's breasts, eager to see the string loosen or sliced through...
With so many people focused on the exact same thing, it was only natural that the Central Network took matters into its own hands. Thus, at the exact moment that Kojiro was preparing to unleash his Tsubame Gaeshi, the blue cord fastening together the two half of Musashi's top loosened...
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After thinning the numbers on the surface, Nobu had managed to breach thirteen layers of the offensive satellite's underground structure before her mental and spiritual energies began to wane. The activation of her Bankai had vastly increased her reserves, but, at the same time, it placed a tremendous burden on her mind, body, and spirit. If not for her tremendous willpower, she might not have been able to surpass the 10th Floor without stopping to take a rest.
Without wiping away the blood pouring from her eyes and nose, a vicious smile developed across Nobu's face as she mentally cursed the durability of the Imperial Dragons. She had wanted to clear the offensive satellite in a single go, but, with more advanced models appearing every five floors, it was proving to be impossible. It didn't help that Bosses appeared every ten floors, their power and durability far surpassing the parameters of lesser models.
Accepting the thermos of tea offered by Tomoe, Nobu grumbled, "Remind me to kick Da Vinci's ass when we get out of here..." before emptying the contents in a single go. She immediately felt a cool and refreshing sensation spread through her body as the complex tattoo coiling around her back and shoulders lit up in response to the revitalizing energies contained within the surprisingly minty liquid.
"Paaaaaaa...that hits the spot!"
Though she would have preferred sake or some other form of alcohol, Nobu was afraid she might pounce on Okita or Tomoe if she got tipsy. She didn't mind if the Little Garden viewed her as being bisexual, but, until her relationship with Vahn was known, she didn't want to do anything that might compromise his position. The only reason she openly gawked at Okita's butt was because she felt it would be an insult if she didn't admire such a flawless piece of work...
With that in mind, Nobu shifted her attention to the bronze-skinned woman only to find that she now had a red sarong wrapped around her waist. The three tomoe in her ruby red eyes immediately morphed into a shape resembling the Oda Clan's Family Crest, but, instead of asking what the hell Okita was thinking, Nobu directed an accusatory glower toward Tomoe.
Believing she had done nothing wrong, Tomoe maintained a calm and composed expression as she pulled out a bento box and said, "Take this. It's a bento box specially prepared by Lady Rindo. It will help you recover."
Snorting through her nose, Nobu practically yanked the bento box out of Tomoe's hands before plopping down on the ground with a clearly annoyed expression on her face. In response, Tomoe exhaled a sigh before walking over to where Okita was keeping watch. This caused a scrutinizing gleam to flash across Nobu's eyes, as, much like the countless spectators, her gaze immediately focused on a certain aspect of Tomoe's departing figure...
It didn't really need to be said, but there was a reason Nobu was the Heroic Spirit summoned by Vahn...
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While everyone else was showing off or struggling, a rather strange scene was occurring on one of the defensive satellites littering the Game Board.
Though she would normally be the first to show off, Seraphina had teamed up with Chronoa, the Supreme Kai of Time, to execute a special mission. They had been given the task of securing at least a single defensive satellite, as, while he was perfectly capable of defending their planet against the Model Omega, Vahn felt it wouldn't be fair if their Community was the only one impervious to the Executioner's Judgment.
Unlike the offensive satellites, the only obstacle preventing Players from reaching the core of the defensive satellites was a labyrinth. While Seraphina might not seem like the best option when it came to exploring and capturing labyrinths, her recently acquired Zanpakuto more than made up for her personal ineptitude. Even in its Shikai form, it was among the most obscene abilities Vahn had ever seen as it created a domain that emulated the Netherworld's Dark Assembly.
Representing the tip of a 'very' large iceberg, Seraphina was able to use her Zanpakuto to create or summon beings from virtually any world she was aware of. The only prerequisites were that she had enough money to create and enough spirit energy to sustain them. There was also a restriction that she could only use money and resources she had earned, but, as a Succubus Queen, Seraphina was more than capable of 'earning' everything she required from Vahn.
Using her ability, Seraphina was able to purchase a functionally infinite number of ethereal Prinnies. They would disappear the moment she deactivated her Shikai, but, until then, she had a veritable army of weak yet extremely loyal servants to search and navigate the defensive satellite's corridors. As for what she did while they were hard at work? Well, any excess movements would be a waste of energy, so, while tens of thousands of Prinnies scoured the labyrinth at her behest, Seraphina used the Companion Vahn had created for her as a tanning bed, her bare back exposed for all the Little Garden to see...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I don't know if I should feel bad for Kojiro or envious of the crowd...','Nobu is a truly cultured individual (U w U)...','Of course she would be the one to get such a broken ability...')
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章節 2198: Testing the Waters
Seeing Seraphina lounging atop her amorphous golden Prinny, an exasperated sigh escaped from Chronoa's lips. Vahn had informed them about the existence of his harem outside the Actualized World, but, even with foreknowledge regarding how he came to be associated with each woman, Chronoa couldn't comprehend how certain girls had managed to weasel their way into his life.
"He's simply too kind..."
Nodding in affirmation of her own statement, Chronoa crossed her arms under her rather large breasts before shifting her attention to the innumerable humanoids and beasts scouring both the surface of the moon-sized satellite and its interior. Seraphina may have a preference for Prinnies but they weren't the only beings she had summoned to carry out her mission. In fact, there were more than fifty different types of creatures roaming about.
"What a terrifying ability..."
Though the creatures she had summoned would dissipate once Seraphina ran out of energy, the versatility of her ability was beyond compare. If she had an adequate amount of spirit energy, she could theoretically spread her influence throughout entire Realms. She was basically a Creator God whose only real weaknesses were her laziness, vanity, and dependence on Vahn...
Were it not for Vahn's overwhelming power and seemingly infinite capacity for empathy, Chronoa may have felt compelled to deal with Seraphina before she could master her ability.
Fortunately, no matter how powerful Seraphina became, the chances of her surpassing Vahn were very near zero. Vahn had survived the erasure ability of the Omni King, and, though it looked to be a close fight, he had even managed to defeat the Grand Priest in a battle of pure martial prowess. The latter possessed the combined power of every being in existence. The notion that he could be defeated had never once crossed the minds of the Angels or the Kai.
By proving himself against the two most powerful beings in creation, Vahn had effectively installed himself as the de facto ruler of every Universe. As a result, Chronoa couldn't even imagine what it would take to actually defeat him. It was for this reason that she decided to accompany him outside of the Actualized World. She wanted to see what kinds of beings could give him trouble, and, more importantly, help him fulfill his objective of reuniting with his family.
After everything Vahn had done for her, Chronoa felt obligated to accompany him to the very end...
"Hmm...?"
Sensing a distortion in the surrounding space-time, Chronoa muttered, "Kai Kai." before vanishing into thin air and reappearing on the opposite side of the defensive satellite. Kai Kai was a technique similar to teleportation, but, instead of requiring an anchor point, the only prerequisite was that the user knows where they wanted to go. So long as you satisfied that very simple requirement, it could transport you to any person, place, or thing within a given realm of influence. In this case, it allowed Chronoa to teleport anywhere Vahn's domain extended.
Finding a trio of ashen-skinned individuals emerging from the center of a complex magical circle, a slight smile developed across Chronoa's face as she looked forward to the opportunity to do battle. This was her chance to begin paying Vahn back, so, while she wasn't particularly fond of Seraphina, Chronoa was determined to keep the frustratingly rambunctious Succubi safe.
With this in mind, Chronoa sent a telepathic message to Seraphina before teleporting all the nearby 'minions' away. At the same time, she descended before the trio, a serious expression on her face as she cautioned, "This satellite has been claimed by the Sage Dragon's Hearth. Depart for the nearest teleportation nexus or prepare to suffer the consequences."
Undaunted by Chronoa's warning, the largest of the ashen-skinned individuals, a mountain of a man with six arms and a height of 364cm, raised a 340cm long sword to his right shoulder as he said, "I'm afraid that isn't how this works. When the Rakshasa Tribe makes an appearance, there are only two options to our opponents. Capitulate or prove your worth."
Having never heard of the Rakshasa Tribe, Chronoa responded to the white-haired man's words by manifesting a cog-like halo behind her back as she said, "Very well then. My name is Chronoa, the Supreme Kai and Goddess of Time. State your names, brave warriors."
Rather than introducing himself, the inordinately tall man shifted his attention to the smallest member of their group, an ashen-skinned woman with six arms, ashen-white hair, grey, fox-like ears, and a ghostly tail. Despite her small stature, a mere 195cm tall, she was the leader and the most powerful member of their group.
Adopting a cutesy pose, two of her six hands pointed towards the dimples in her cheeks, the vaguely vulpine woman answered, "My name is Prurmubhi, daughter of Attutyaptish. Nice to meet'cha~!"
Following his leader's example, the massive, bare-chested man went on to thump his chest with one of his free hands, stating, "My name is Uvashu, son Attutyaptish. It is a great honor to battle against a member of the Sage Dragon's Hearth."
Nodding her head in response to the man's words, Chronoa shifted her attention to the remaining member of their group, an androgynous figure with the same ashen skin as their companions. She half-expected them to introduce themselves as the son or daughter of Attutyaptish. Instead, they opened their mouth to reveal two rows of razor-sharp teeth as they said, "Avhu...daughter of Kili..." before following it up by asking, "Do you bleed...?"
Scrutinizing the exceptionally spikey and heavily belted outfit of the peculiar woman, Chronoa promptly decided against answering Avhu's question. Instead, she directed her attention to the leader of the group, Prurmubhi, asking, "Will the three of you fight as one, or would you prefer to take turns?"
Placing one of her index fingers on her chin, Prurmubhi appeared to be seriously considering Chronoa's question. This gave the latter ample time to better examine her would-be opponents. Prurmubhi wasn't the only one with animalistic features among the three. Two of Uvashu's hands resembled paws, and, rather than humanoid feet, he possessed three-toed, lion-like paws covered in white fur. He lacked the rows of razor-sharp teeth that Avhu possessed but his bottom jaw was affixed with two, large, tusk-like teeth that gave him a rather prominent underbite.
Standing out even amongst the other ashen-skinned individuals, Avhu possessed four, antennae-like horns that vaguely resembled the horns of a nudibranch, a type of sea slug. There were also tiny gills on the side of her neck, but, due to the black leather choker biting into her skin, Chronoa wasn't sure if she actually used them to breathe. Her razor-sharp teeth gave off a rather dangerous vibe, and, unlike her two counterparts, she hadn't blinked once since appearing. Judging by the size and structure of her eyes, there was a very real chance she couldn't...
Seemingly incapable of coming up with an answer, Prurmubhi tilted her head adorably to the side before asking, "Are you strong~?" in a sing-song tone.
With a power level exceeding ten-quintillion, Chronoa was relatively confident in her strength. Thus, even though her instincts were warning her that the trio in front of her was exceptionally powerful, she didn't hesitate to nod her head, answering, "Of course." with a confident smile on her face.
Instead of acknowledging Chronoa's response, Prurmubhi shifted her gaze to the unblinking Avhu. In response, the 222cm tall woman promptly launched herself forward with terrifying momentum, kunai-like knives appearing in her hands as she attempted to simultaneously stab, slice, and skewer Chronoa's vitals. The latter's pupils immediately shrunk to the size of pinholes, but, long before the attack could connect, pointers reminiscent of the hands of a clock appeared on Chronoa's golden halo.
With Avhu's daggers mere centimeters away from her neck, chest, and ribs, Time for all but a few participants of the Gift Game promptly ceased. At the same time, a mildly offended look developed across Chronoa's face as one of the things she hated most were surprise attacks. She had given the trio a chance to flee and even discussed terms with them. Sneak attacking after she had shown such consideration was simply rude.
Intending to teach the trio a lesson, Chronoa balled her right hand into a fist before teleporting to the side of Avhu and striking forward with all her might. She didn't particularly excel in terms of raw physical strength, but, when your attacks exceeded time itself, the amount of force contained within was very near infinite. The only reason it wasn't was because she would destroy her own body if she attempted to strike someone while time was stopped. Instead, she unpaused it the moment her fist was about to make contact.
Though Avhu was more than a little surprised by Chronoa's counter, the look of stupefaction on the latter's face when her first barely deformed the monochromatic girl's cheek made it pretty obvious who was most shaken by the incident. As nonsensical as it sounded, Chronoa felt as though she had just punched a cotton ball the size of a planet. There was virtually no feedback.
Recovering before the befuddled Supreme Kai, Avhu opened her mouth wide, her jaw stretching to a terrifying degree as she attempted to bite Chronoa's hand. Instead, a golden sphere erupted from the latter's fist, blasting the seemingly indestructible slug girl several hundred meters as Prurmubhi and Uvashu watched on with a mixture of intrigue and excitement.
Seeing that presumed brother and sister had no intention of interfering, a golden aura surrounded Chronoa's body as she charged towards the downed Avhu. She wanted to confirm her suspicion, so, at the exact moment the expressionless girl pushed herself to her feet, Chronoa landed a lightspeed dropkick on her opponent's face. A massive shockwave erupted from the point of contact as a smell reminiscent of ozone spread through the area. In spite of this, Avhu neither blinked nor recoiled as she attempted to grab Chronoa's ankles and stab her legs...
Having confirmed her suspicions, the minute hand on Chronoa's halo began to move in a counter-clockwise fashion. She didn't want her opponents having any information on her abilities, so, rather than stopping time, she reversed it to the point when Prurmubhi was still in the midst of making her decision. Against a normal opponent, this was an absolute advantage.
What Chronoa never could have expected, even though Vahn had cautioned her against it, was for Prurmubhi to promptly raise her brows, a teasing smile developing across the vulpine woman's face as she remarked, "You really are a Goddess of Time. Interesting."
Before Chronoa could respond to the woman's words, Avhu revealed that she was also aware of what had transpired, a faint snort emanating from her nose as she remarked, "Annoying..." in her strangely soft and delicate tone. This left Uvashu as the only person seemingly unaware of what had transpired, a look of confusion marring his relatively simple-looking face as he used one of his free hands to scratch his head.
Though she was tempted to ask for confirmation, Chronoa's immediate response was to stop Time. She still needed to confirm whether or not Prurmubhi and Uvashu were also impervious to physical attacks. If that was the case, her only means of dealing with the trio would be blasting them with Ki or freezing them in Time. The latter would severely weaken her for the remainder of the Gift Game, so, unless it was absolutely necessary, she wanted to avoid it.
With this in mind, Chronoa teleported next to Prurmubhi, her right hand clasping one of the ashen-skinned woman's wrists before unfreezing time and flinging her into Uvashu. To absolutely no one's surprise, the vulpine woman was able to effortlessly react to the assault, seamlessly righting herself before using Uvashu's unmoving figure as a foothold to launch herself towards Chronoa. This was a little annoying, but, considering the force in which Prurmubhi was sent flying into Uvashu, Chronoa could all but confirm one of her suspicions regarding the trio.
For all intents and purposes, members of the Rakshasa Tribe were impervious to physical damage. If not, their bodies were so adept at dispersing shockwaves that they may as well be...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Seems to me that someone is jealous...','Never underestimate people that travel alone or in small groups...','The solution is simple. You just need to go PLUSU ULTRAAA...!')
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