章節 2234: Difficulties in Expression
Hearing Shion recount her tale, Vahn had to admit that her past was pretty lousy. She was able to narrate it with a straight face, but, thanks to his ability to view and sense auras, he could tell which parts of the story made her happy, sad, or frustrated.
Recalling how she felt when Margaret and her Party tracked her all the way to the Northern Tundra, Shion fell into a prolonged period of silence. She normally felt a sense of catharsis when recounting her tale. It had been tens of thousands of years since the majority of these events, but, while certain aspects of her past had faded into obscurity, others were still fresh in Shion's mind.
For reasons Shion couldn't understand, narrating her story to Vahn felt 'different' than normal. His reaction wasn't all that different from a normal person's but, for some reason, it just felt like he got her.
While others with a tragic background might feel a sense of relief knowing there were people who truly empathized with them, Shion grew increasingly uncomfortable as the conversation continued onward. It was almost like her instincts were telling her that once she finished her story, there would be no escaping the increasingly gentle-seeming man seated across from her...
Exhaling a sigh, Shion made the decision to gloss over and skip a few sections of her story, stating, "After Margaret tracked me down to the Northern Tundra, I became a nomad. The Gods may have given her incredible power, but they hadn't granted her or her allies an eternal lifespan. By traveling around by boat and avoiding large population centers, I was basically able to outlive them..."
Though he could tell she had skipped over a few key details, Vahn couldn't help thinking that was a very novel way for an immortal to deal with their opponents. At the same time, however, he could see the tell-tale signs of depression in Shion's aura when she brought it up. People could adapt to pretty much anything, but, when it came to a person's mental wellness, loneliness and long periods of isolation were two of the most potent poisons...
In an effort to disguise her mood, Shion took a moment to drink from the cup of tea Vahn had provided for her hours prior. It had gone cold long ago, but, the moment she raised it to her lips, a fragrant aroma of mint and a fair amount of steamy condensation tickled her nose as she savored the cup's extraordinarily refreshing contents.
Understanding that Vahn had warmed her tea in the brief period before it reached her lips, Shion gave him a pensive look as she said, "Thank you..." in a soft and feminine monotone.
Returning silence and a faint smile, Vahn waited patiently for Shion to continue her story. When she did, he was somewhat taken aback when she explained, "I'm guessing the Gods weren't particularly happy with me for outliving their chosen Hero. Whenever I sailed out to sea or attempted to make camp on an island, massive waves and tumultuous storms would assail me. After a while, they even began sending Dragons, creatures that were supposed to be neutral, to hunt me down..."
As Shion's mood took a sudden drastic shift towards rage and indignation, she noticed that Vahn was also exhibiting signs of suppressed fury in Vahn's aquamarine eyes. Most people would show signs of intrigue or genuine excitement whenever she was recounting the more 'fiery' aspects of her story. She was starting to realize that the thing that distinguished Vahn was the fact he appeared to experience the same emotions she felt when recounting her story...
"What's your deal...?"
Not expecting the sudden shift in topic, Vahn blinked in surprise, asking, "Pardon...?" in a genuinely confused tone.
Breaking eye contact, Shion took a moment to comb through and tuck the leftmost fringe of her bangs behind her ear as she said, "I'm told you most of my story. The only major events that took place after that are me contracting with a psychotic demon, going back in time, and killing more people than I'm comfortable with discussing..."
When mentioning her contract with the Demon Lord of Cinders, Shion habitually placed her hand over the large scar on her abdomen. She had been so focused on other things that she had yet to realize it was gone, so, for a brief moment, traces of confusion appeared on Shion's face until she suddenly raised the hem of her blouse to observe directly.
"Impossible..."
Though she was able to alter her appearance at will, Shion was unable to conceal the scar on her abdomen due to it being a spiritual injury. The Demon Lord of Cinders had taken away her future and a piece of her soul in exchange for the power and opportunity to seek vengeance against the people and Gods that had persecuted her for centuries. The incomparable feeling of 'emptiness' she felt when she finally realized what the Demon Lord of Cinders had done was one of the things that allowed her to tap into the Abyss of the End.
Feeling a genuine sense of panic for the first time in thousands of years, Shion quickly opened her own Status panel before exhaling a sigh of relief when she saw the skill [Abysswalker] listed near the top of her veritable encyclopedia of skills. She even spotted the curses associated with the contract she had made with Ashka. The only difference was that it now had the words (suppressed) listed in the Skill descriptions.
Directing what she intended to be an icy gaze towards Vahn, Shion was incapable of completely disguising her relief as she softly accused, "You did this..."
Without beating around the bush, Vahn nodded his head in conformation, saying, "Even if you grow to hate me, I won't regret it. No one should be burned with such a tragic condition..."
Blinking in surprise, Shion whispered the word, "Hate...?" in a tone so soft that she had basically just mouthed the word. In truth, she didn't know exactly how she felt right now. A part of her wanted to be angry. After all, she had never given Vahn permission to do such a thing. Rather, she had warned him multiple times not to touch her...
Despite her efforts to muster her usual indignation, Shion was too relieved to actually be angry. The strongest emotion she could manage was being mildly upset, so, while she did her best to glare at Vahn, it came across as more of a pout than a genuine glower.
Showing absolutely no signs of remorse, a faint smile developed across Vahn's face as he waited for Shion to collect herself enough to speak. His considerable amount of experience with members of the fairer sex was telling him it was best to remain silent. Speaking at this point was tantamount to willingly stepping on a landmine.
With Vahn failing to provide the fuel she needed to explode, Shion's fury gradually waned until she actually began to feel a sense of guilt. She hadn't asked for Vahn's help but getting angry at him for helping her didn't seem sensible. If she helped someone only for them to lash out at her, she would undoubtedly regard them as petty or foolish.
Deciding to change the subject, Shion, once again, avoided Vahn's gaze as she softly muttered, "No matter..." before mustering a bit of conviction and appending, "It's your turn to talk. Just know that I can tell if you're lying. If you try to embellish things, I won't hesitate to expose you."
As his past wasn't exactly a secret, Vahn just shrugged before pulling out a Memory Projection Orb from his Inventory. He kind of felt bad for all the people watching as Shion recounted her story, so, in an effort to make things a little more 'entertaining', he decided to provide them with a visual aid. With this in mind, he explained the function of the orb before placing it on the table separating him and Shion. When it began projection, people throughout the Little Garden were presented with the exceptionally graphic depiction of a very young and emaciated boy strapped to an operating table...
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Though she normally presented herself as an unflappable, mysterious, and outright scary woman, Nav, the self-titled Queen of Owls, was currently in a sorry state after severely underestimating just how ludicrously overpowered Wu was. She had known that Wu was a serious contender for the title of 'Strongest outside of the 1-3-Digit Gates', but she hadn't expected the gap between them to be so...massive.
Fearing that the army she had accumulated over the last seventy years would be annihilated, Nav attempted to try and flee by aggroing some of the dragons she had been fighting onto Wu. What she had failed to account for was the fact that most individuals hailing from the Heavenly Domain, dragons included, feared Wu. There was hardly a single powerful individual that hadn't suffered at the hands of Ruyi Jingu Bang, so, instead of aggroing onto Wu, the various descendants of Meng Zhang promptly fled to give the duo some space.
Though it was impossible to tell due to the shadowy veil concealing her face, tears of indignation had started to pour down Nav's face. She felt like she was being bullied and no one was coming to help her. She understood the reasons, sure, but that didn't make her feel better. If anything, it made her feel worse. She felt that was cheating to let people like Wu participate in a Gift Game. How was anyone supposed to defeat her when Wu was both immune to damage and capable of hitting even intangible objects? It just wasn't fair...
"Run, run, as fast as you can~! Don't stop! If you do, this Big Sister is going to beat the shit out of you~!"
And now she was rhyming...
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Sitting in the cockpit of the Model Omega, Tomoe felt an overwhelming sensation of elation as she interfaced with the remarkably powerful machine. She could feel her perception bubbling outward, her senses extending far beyond their limits until she felt as though she had achieved an awareness comparable to omnipotence. It was an exceptionally intoxicating feeling, but, as someone who had experienced melding with Vahn, Tomoe was able to maintain absolute focus as she manipulated the Model Omega's limbs as if they were her own. It was a little strange having four arms but it wasn't something that would inhibit her piloting abilities.
Directing one of her palms towards the 'ceiling' of her spherical hangar, Tomoe felt a pleasant chill run through her body as everything between her and the space outside, thousands of kilometers of reinforced metal plating, simply vanished. One of the most terrifying abilities of the Model Omega was its ability to 'disassemble' anything within the boundaries of its Domain. It was significantly less effective against beings with willpower, but, as the offensive satellite was a mindless structure, there was nothing preventing Tomoe from simply willing it out of existence.
"Incredible...is this what it's like to see the world through Vahn's eyes...?"
Believing that Tomoe was addressing her, Okita replied with a succinct, "I don't know." From the perspective of Tomoe, Okita's voice sounded directly in her mind, as, despite not interfacing with the Model Omega, Okita was still seated in the cockpit.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Tomoe decided to pretend as though she hadn't heard Okita's words. Instead, she prepared to fly into space only to stall when she abruptly appeared exactly where she had intended to move. Her perception of time had drastically increased when she linked her senses with the Model Omega, yet, even as the person piloting it, Tomoe hadn't been able to recognize its movement. It was so fast that she had effectively teleported to her destination faster than her ability to perceive...
"Da Vinci is a monster..."
Once again assuming that Tomoe was speaking to her, Okita nodded her head in approval, stating, "Agreed...". This brought Tomoe out of her reverie, and, as a result, one of the Model Omega's four-clawed hands moved to its mouth as its pilot coughed to cover her embarrassment...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'And thus the Origin of Vahn, the Sage Dragon Emperor was written into history...','Wu really is a bully xD...','Tomoe is cute...')
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章節 2235: Repudiation
Though she felt Vahn's suffering couldn't compare to her own, Shion would be lying if she said the parts prior to his transmigration hadn't shaken her to the core. Her childhood hadn't exactly been pleasant. In fact, she had experienced suffering beyond the imagination of most people. The thing that distinguished her from Vahn, however, was the fact that she had a system, cheats, and a future to look forward to. Her first reincarnation had been a waking nightmare but that was primarily due to the fact she had carelessly wished for immortality without considering the consequences...
Had Vahn's first incarnation lasted a bit longer, Shion may have tried to sympathize with him. What changed her mind was Vahn's life from the moment he reincarnated. There were moments when he experienced setbacks, but, once he had found his footing, Vahn hit the ground running. He became a true 'leading man', someone whose momentum was so unstoppable that the only options he left his enemies were acquiescence or annihilation.
Seeing Vahn grow from a naive, terribly tragic young boy into a bonafide, seemingly unstoppable force of will, Shion found herself feeling mixed emotions. She envied his confidence, but, far more than that, she envied his ability to gather people around him. Sure, he handled most issues on his own, but, no matter how great their burdens of others, Vahn seemed to be able to carry them with a smile.
The part of Vahn's story that impacted Shion the most were the parts related to his mastery over the Magia Erebea. While she had suppressed her trauma to the point it still haunted her even after tens of thousands of years, Vahn had faced his darkness head-on. Instead of simply overcoming it, however, he accepted it as an integral part of himself. He used his pain to propel himself forward, and, most notably, help others overcome theirs. He was like a beacon of hope that wandered the seas, actively searching for those in need of aid rather than waiting for them to find him...
By the time Vahn's extended, movie-like presentation had ended, Shion found herself no longer willing to 'compare notes'. Her suffering had been great, but, had she faced things head-on, she wouldn't have nearly as many regrets. Instead, she spent much of her life on the run or avoiding her problems entirely. When she had finally gained the power to defeat all the Gods in Celestia, she was incapable of feeling a sense of accomplishment. The only thing she felt was a painful, agonizingly lonely feeling of emptiness...
Placing her hand over her abdomen, the glimmer of resolution that had previously existed in the depths of Shion's brilliant blue eyes was nowhere to be seen as she said, "You win...even if I had all of eternity, I can't see myself surpassing you. Once this Gift Game has reached its conclusion, I will disband my Community and disappear into the Abyss..."
Though he wasn't even remotely surprised by Shion's words, Vahn couldn't help scowling. He hated seeing people simply give up, and, knowing what fate awaited Shion once she died, he vehemently refused to let her disappearing into 'nothingness'. Everyone deserved to be happy. They may not be able to obtain it in one life, but, given enough time and reincarnations, they would eventually find a place where their heart and soul could rest comfortably.
"I refuse."
Without going into detail, Vahn suddenly lunged forward to stab his right hand into the center of Shion's chest. Her eyes became as round as saucers, but, having already given up on life, she didn't even try to resist. Instead, a look of resignation appeared on her face as she closed her eyes and let Vahn do as he pleased.
While it may appear as though Vahn had pierced Shion with a spear hand strike, the truth of the matter was that he had activated both [Hands of Nirvana] and [Godhand] to their absolute limits. His hand had literally phased into her body, but, instead of targetting anything physical, Vahn was reaching much, much deeper.
Thanks to the numerous System Templates he had created, Vahn had become intimately familiar with the structure of a person's Ego. He was also one of the only beings in all of Creation that had even a basic understanding of the true nature of the Soul. He knew that, even if Shion did give her body, mind, and spirit to the Abyss, her Soul would eventually manifest another Ego at some point in time. It simply wouldn't have anything to do with her. Not even in the most elementary sense.
As horrible as tragedies were, Vahn 'had' to believe they served a purpose. They were one of the things that allowed a Soul and the Egos associated with it to grow and develop across countless incarnations. 'Resetting' the cycle was a purely destructive act that served absolutely no purpose. Shion may have experienced some of the most terrible things imaginable, but, so long as she, or, more accurately, the people she became kept moving forward, such experiences would eventually become her strength.
Removing his hand from Shion's chest, a gem-like object that resembled a rainbow-tinted star encircled by a ring appeared in Vahn's palm. The moment it appeared, the Cameras operated by the Central Network began to 'glitch' for the first time since the conception of the Gift Game System. It was like the image that had appeared on screen was simply impossible for it to reconcile with any known thing in existence...
Seeing the strange object in Vahn's hand, an overwhelming sense of panic exuded from the very depths of Shion's being. The resignation she had shown previously was now nowhere to be seen. In its place was an expression of terror and mild hysteria as she instinctually lurched forward, shouting, "Give that back...!"
Intercepting Shion's charge with his left hand, Vahn placed her into a state of unconsciousness that completely ignored any resistances she had against abnormal status effects. Her body became limp against his chest, but, as much as he wanted to focus on her, Vahn's gaze was fixed on the object in his right hand. It had a relatively simple structure but was somehow one of the most mesmerizing things he had ever seen. He felt as though he could just stare at it for the rest of eternity and never grow tired of it.
(*Vahn...*)
Hearing Sis whisper his name, Vahn immediately came back to his senses. He placed the pulsating object in the most secure region of his personalized Little Garden before supporting Shion's waist with his left hand and patting her back with his right. When she woke up moments later, confusion marred her expression before she suddenly pushed him away, shouting, "Get your hands off of me!" in an uncharacteristically panicked tone.
Raising his hands as both a placating gesture and to show he had no intentions of laying a hand on her, Vahn looked past the vexed expression on Shion's face and focused on the connection that had formed between them. For a very brief moment, he found himself staring back at himself before his perspective promptly returned to normal.
Feeling that somewhat was very, very wrong, Shion placed her hand over her chest while her eyes focused on the Status screen that had appeared before them. There didn't appear to be anything wrong with her but she couldn't shake the impression that something, something fundamental to her very existence, had changed. It was almost like she had become a completely different person.
With far more emotion than she had shown throughout the entirety of their interactions thus far, Shion glared at Vahn, asking, "What did you do to me?"
Though Shion and the people who had witnessed the scene would vehemently disagree with him, Vahn wasn't lying when he returned a smile and answered, "Other than put you to sleep and wake you back up? Absolutely nothing."
"Bullshit...!"
Grabbing the collars of Vahn's tunic, Shion shifted her weight so that she could leverage his before slamming him over her body in a textbook example of a shoulder throw. What distinguished it from a normal shoulder throw was the fact that it caused spiderweb cracks to spread outward as a plume of dust more than a kilometer in height dominated the image visible to spectators.
When the dust began to fade, the audience outside was able to see Shion mounting Vahn, tears building in the corners of her eyes as she rained down meteoric punches on his calmly smiling face. She couldn't recall what, exactly, he had taken, but Shion felt as though Vahn had taken something unbelievably precious from her. Emotions that she hadn't experienced in tens of thousands of years were surging forward like a tidal wave, and, no matter how much she tried to stymy her tears, they just kept pouring in an unceasing flow.
What Shion, or, more specifically, the woman that looked like Shion didn't know was that Vahn had, in fact, replaced her. She had the exact same thoughts and memories as the original, but, in reality, the woman smashing her fists into Vahn's face was one of his Templates. If Shion was incapable of bearing her trauma, Vahn figured he may as well bear it in her stead. As for the original Shion, Vahn had effectively enticed her Soul to inhabit the artifact he had pulled from her chest. Once the game had concluded, he was planning to create an Actualized World that was an exact replica of the one Shion had reincarnated into. This time, however, she would be able to live the life she had in mind prior to falling for the God of Chaos's scheme.
In essence, Vahn had separated the parts of Shion's Ego that comprised the version of herself at the exact moment of her original death. As for the pain and suffering she had accumulated, it was now his to bear. The Shion smashing his face in may act and think like her original self, but, on the most fundamental level, she was an extension of Vahn. His willpower and resolution were now an integral part of her being, so, while it was unbelievably painful, the emotions she had suppressed for tens of thousands of years were rising to the surface. This time, however, she wouldn't run away from them.
Though he wasn't sure he had done the wrong thing, the simple truth of the matter was that Vahn was never sure if his actions were objectively correct. All he knew was that he wanted to help, and, no matter how much either Shion hated him, he would willingly bear their rage, indignation, pain, and sadness. He would even bear their very existence if it meant they could move on and find the happiness they deserved...
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For the first time since the creation of the second Little Garden, the being that ruled over it as the absolute pinnacle of existence opened its eyes. It wasn't the type of entity that would traditionally pay attention to things transpiring in the 'outside' world, but, the moment Vahn withdrew the gem-like object from Shion's chest, the undisputed Rank 1 in all of Creation couldn't help taking notice, stating, "The Axis of Reality has shifted..." before once again falling silent...
Similar to the being occupying the Rank 1 Gate, the deities occupying the Rank 2 and 3 Gates both opened their eyes. The first was a statuesque being that simultaneously resembled an old man, a young woman, and a fierce beast. Everyone that gazed upon it would see something different, but, no matter who they were, all beings would recognize the entity as Ahura Mazdā, the Principal God of Zoroastrianism. As for the second figure, representing absolutely no one and the most powerful Faction in the Divine Realm, their appearance resembled that of a young scholar with jade-like skin, fair features, and exceptionally long, raven-black hair that was supported by twining branches that grew directly from their body. They were much younger than the majority of deities that called the Divine Realm, yet, in a remarkably short period of time, they had managed to secure their position as one of the three most powerful beings in existence. As for their identity, they were known across all Realms as the Buddha of Truth...
"Darkness falls/The Dawn Approaches..." x2
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is no mere mountain. He is the foundation that supports all...','That escalated VERY quickly o_o...','The Big Three have awoken...')
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