Despite being exponentially colder, so much so that a perpetual layer of ice and snow blanketed much of the region, North City was far more populous than its counterpart to the south. This was the region most residents had retreated to after Hell Joe’s takeover, so, despite feeling extremely stagnant, it gave off a far more hospitable vibe than the veritable wasteland surrounding the Red Fortress.
As could be expected, tensions in North City were at an all-time high after the climactic battle that had occurred just hours prior. There was even a militia that had been haphazardly thrown together, most gathering with the intent to protect the city while others were discussing whether or not they should venture southward to investigate.
Completely ignoring the gathering forces, Vahn ventured to an isolated cliffside cavern that, under normal circumstances, could only be accessed via a giant beanstalk or by flying. There, he allowed Ryun, Fenrir, and the most recent addition to the growing population of Vanargandr, Ai, to emerge from the Little Garden.
Though her personality was distinctly different from Ryun’s, Ai had ‘fallen’ in much the same way as the former. This was principally due to what his existence represented, but, even more so than that, it was Ryun’s significance among the Red Witches that ultimately swayed her decision. After all, she wasn’t ‘just’ the daughter of the Red Witch Elder. She was the Guide most loved by the Tower, and, as could be expected from her [Child of Destiny: SSS] and [Enyru’s Chosen: SS] Innate, her existence was believed to be instrumental to the defeat of Jahad and the realization of her race’s dream.
Ignoring the awkwardness caused by Ai’s nervous chuckle, Vahn took a moment to caress the heads of all three girls before directing Ryun to lead the way. This left Ai feeling somewhat confused, but, rather than asking why someone like him needed a Guide, she just followed along with her ears and tail flopping inexperiencedly…
After an hour or so of wandering through the complex network of tunnels, Vahn and Co emerged from a secret door leading into a stony, highly decorated, corridor. It was the type of corridor you would expect to find in a medieval fortress castle, complete with oversized suits of armor that gave off the impression of stalwart Knights dutifully guarding the passage.
Sensing the spells inscribed in the suits of armor, a light chuckle escaped Vahn’s throat as a golden pulse emanated from his body. This was followed by a strangely oppressive silence, the result of all traps in the area being deactivated simultaneously.
With the path cleared, it only took a few additional minutes before the group reached an expansive chamber formed from white marble and adorned with golden-trimmed pillars. At the very center of said chamber, a skeletal figure nearly five meters in height hovered menacingly in the air. It gave off a distinctly inhuman vibe due to its prominent fangs, ghostly white robes, and flowing black mantle, but, more so than any other features, it was the chilling aura emanating from the figure’s body that gave people reason for pause.
Shifting his gaze between the entity’s massive silver scepter and the golden crown atop its skeletal head, a relaxed smile spread across Vahn’s face as he remarked, “Grand De Jah, former Ruler of the 43rd Floor, Patriarch of the Grand Family, and Guardian of the Spirit Room. The years have not been kind to you…”
Demonstrating he was no mere skeleton, Grand De Jah’s bones morphed to form an obvious scowl as he replied, “Impertinence! Let’s see if you-”
Having already lost interest in the Floor of Death following the Hell Joe incident, Vahn wasn’t in the mood to listen to the ramblings of a demented old man who had effectively imprisoned his people for thousands of years just to fulfill a prophecy. The Grand Family were directly responsible for the existence of the Floor of Death, and, though their reasons might have been justifiable thousands of years ago, their handling of the situation left a lot to be desired. They had effectively imprisoned all the residents of the 43rd Floor, and, regardless of whether they had grown tired of living or wanted to simply venture beyond the Floor of Death, the Grand Family refused to return the spirits they had collected in the ancient past.
Moving faster than the ancient High Ranker could react, Vahn placed a thumb-sized golden cylinder against the skeletal figure’s forehead. Immediately thereafter, circuit-like markings exuded from the point of contact as the cylinder, an exponentially more powerful seal than a simple paper talisman, spread across his bony form.
Unable to resist the power of the seal, Grand De Jah remained completely motionless as the circuits formed several runic symbols across his body. Shortly thereafter, his aura had completely vanished, as, rather than sealing his movements, the primary purpose of the cylinder was to prevent spiritual projection, manifestation, and possession. It was even strong enough to completely seal the avatar of a God, so, while he might have been a powerhouse thousands of years ago, De Jah had become helpless after millennia of stagnation.
With the so-called Guardian taken care of, Vahn led the way through the antechamber at the back of the room before proceeding further into the even larger chamber beyond. There, at the end of a suspended stone pathway, a sphere of spiritual energy more than fifty meters in diameter hovered over a silver artifact that seemed to convert all the negative energies emitting from the former into pure Shinsu.
Though there were significantly fewer people comprising its mass, the amount of spiritual energy in the sphere even eclipsed the amalgamation of Egos contained within Weiss. It was enough to make Vahn’s skin crawl, and, though she was able to restrain the urge, Fenrir’s eyes released an eerie red glow due to her instinctual desire to devour the entire sphere. There was no better nourishment for someone with a Yin-based constitution than purified spiritual energy, and, were they to stay put, it would only be a matter of time before the compulsion to consume it overwhelmed her.
Ruffling the lovable Vanargandr’s hair with his right hand, Vahn manifested the Little Garden in his left, saying, “The three of you should enjoy a nice, long, rest. I’ll be along in a moment.”
Without arguing, Fenrir enjoyed having her head caressed for several seconds before extending her paw towards the Little Garden. Immediately thereafter, her body vanished nigh-instantaneously as Ryun, without missing a beat, stepped in to receive her own head pats. This compelled Ai to follow her example, but, rather than immediately proceed to pet her head, Vahn said, “You shouldn’t force yourself. Even if you consider me your God, that is no reason to compromise yourself on my behalf. I’m not going to abandon you just because you refuse to let me pet your head.”
Responding with an awkward chuckle, Ai inched a little closer, hands gripping the staff behind her back as she pressed her rather sizeable breasts against him and said, “I’m not afraid of death. What I fear most is living a life without purpose. I never want to experience something like what Soo Min went through, so, even if it terrifies me, I want to continue forging ahead on the path I have chosen. Besides… it’s not like I hate it when you touch me…”
With most of Ai’s weight now resting against him, Vahn’s expression relaxed into a tender smile as he wrapped his arms around her soft and fragrant body. This caused her to tense up slightly, but, as if to demonstrate she was okay with it, she forced her tail to waggle slightly as she nestled closer to his chest…
—
After safely depositing Ai into the Little Garden, Vahn proceeded to dive into the icy-cold reservoir of Shinsu fed by the peculiar artifact. At the very bottom of this peculiar basin, approximately 7km from the mouth, several pipes could be seen siphoning the chilled Shinsu to various regions on the Floor of Death. Their presumed purpose was supporting the various enchantments that allowed the peculiar region to exist, but, more important than even that, the complex arrangement served as a seal to nourish yet another fragment of Enryu’s Thorn.
As the mastermind responsible for the Floor of Death’s existence, Gustang should have known the shortest route leading to Thorn’s fragment. Unfortunately, the man seemed to have learned quite a bit since their previous encounter, as, even after transforming into him, the Law of Identity couldn’t reveal the path. More specifically, it seemed that Gustang had compartmentalized and segregated his knowledge and memories into various different databases. He effectively converted everything he knew into a digital format, and, while he was able to access the information at his leisure, it no longer existed within his mind.
Upon learning this, Vahn couldn’t help but release a deeply profound sigh as he lamented having an intellectual adversary on a level comparable to Da Vinci. Gustang was virtually guaranteed to be his biggest headache going forward, as, unlike Jahad and the other Family Leaders, he always took measured actions. He might be responsible for countless atrocities, but, at no point in time has he ever taken action with malicious intent. Everything he did could be justified and carefully explained in a way that absolved him of virtually all guilt, as, unlike a normal person, he analyzed and weighed the pros and cons of every action he took.
Fortunately, while Gustang’s actions were bound to cause him innumerable headaches, Vahn wasn’t incapable of acting without the knowledge provided by the Law of Identity. He could easily scan the complex network of pipes using his domain, and, though it ultimately proved unnecessary, he could even split off pieces of himself to drastically extend his range.
After mapping a large portion of the labyrinthine network, Vahn quickly discovered a region where even his senses couldn’t probe. This wasn’t guaranteed to be the container housing the fragment of the Thorn, but, considering the uniqueness of the surrounding space, there had to be something of importance hidden within.
As this thought crossed his mind, Vahn’s expression dulled as he promptly found himself before a bespectacled man with light brown hair and matching eyes. Unlike before, however, this version of Gustang was merely a projection, albeit one comprised entirely of Shinsu.
Realizing this must be Gustang’s version of the ‘Shadow Clone Jutsu’, Vahn couldn’t help releasing a tired sigh as he looked behind the man to inspect the pale white monstrosity resembling an organic jet plane. This was clearly his attempt at imitating Latias and Latios, but, rather than appearing even remotely adorable, the biomechanical creature resembled something from a science-fiction horror movie.
Seemingly capable of reading his thoughts, even as a projection, Gustang offered the briefest hint of a wry smile as he explained, “It is surprisingly difficult to collect data on you and those unusual creatures accompanying you. Fortunately, while its appearance might leave a lot to be desired, its combat proficiency greatly exceeds that of the creatures it is based on. Of course, this is merely an assumption based on existing data. If those creatures grow at a rate comparable to your own, I fear my research department might not be able to keep up…”
With the projection acting autonomously and without a true Ego, the Law of Identity was unable to ascertain anything about Gustang’s intentions as the real him was wholly unaware of the encounter taking place. This was yet another countermeasure he had developed in an attempt to gain a better understanding of Vahn’s power, something the latter was painfully aware of.
Knowing the ‘real’ Gustang would eventually be seeing this data, Vahn adopted a grave expression as he said, “I expected more of someone with your level of intellect. At this rate, it is only a matter of time before you irreversibly offend me…”
Other than motioning to push up his glasses, Gustang showed absolutely no signs of perturbation as he calmly replied, “Though I would not purport to understand the nature of your existence, your character is exponentially easier to understand. There is a 92.415% probability that those creatures accompanying you are the result of your own experimentation. Given your nature, you would not be able to fault me for creating versions of my own so long as I do not overtly use them to terrorize and suppress others. If my data proves true, you possess the type of personality that cannot refute the efforts of others when their actions can be directly measured against your own. Is this not so?”
Understanding the futility of trying to mask his emotions, Vahn’s expression darkened further as he answered, “You are only further proving my point. Given your intellect, you should know the danger of-”
Adopting an expression that could best be described as punchable, a smile spread across Gustang’s face as he interjected, saying, “You misunderstand my intentions. I did not come here to fight, nor did I desire to pit my own creation against yours. I simply wished to verify the data I have compiled thus far by gauging your reaction. I have also been entrusted with passing on a message, though, given your earlier reaction, I imagine you are already well aware of its contents…”
Suddenly wishing Da Vinci was present, a tired sigh escaped Vahn’s throat as he allowed himself to simply cease existing. His main body had entered the Little Garden whilst onboard the Hell Express, so, regardless of the measures his opponents might have taken against him, he could simply cease to be at any point in time. This left Gustang with a notably annoyed expression, but, having fulfilled his primary purpose, it wasn’t long before his own body broke down into tiny motes of vibrant blue light that subsequently disappeared into the void…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘An ever-expanding group of good girls’,’*Nuzzles*’,’Gustang is an asshat xD…’)
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