Seeing his opponent sprout additional limbs despite the restriction preventing the usage of Gifts, a look of understanding developed across Vahn’s face. At that exact same time, however, a silvery fist appeared less than a centimeter away from the tip of his nose.
“Mmm…”
Instead of dodging, Vahn allowed his body to become immaterial. This would have caught others by surprise, but, demonstrating he was no mere martial artist, Ziros’s body faded into silvery-white light as another version of himself appeared from a completely different angle, this time sweeping a reality-bending kick towards Vahn’s chest.
“Causality Manipulation…?”
With his attention fully focused on the fight, Ziros had no intention of responding to the words that appeared directly within his mind. He was determined to measure Vahn’s strength and ascertain the limits of his power. Thus, the moment his foot reached the apparent center of Vahn’s being, an explosion of destructive silvery energy spread through the interior of the arena without impacting the surrounding barrier.
Understanding that Vahn wasn’t going to be defeated by a simple kick, Ziros immediately put up his guard as he attempted to create some distance. What he never expected, at least this early on, was for Vahn to appear right next to him, adding, “I’m not so bad at it myself.”
Sweeping one of his metallic hands in Vahn’s direction, a blade of light emitted from its palm as several condensed spheres of energy gathered in each of Ziros’s other hands.
Demonstrating he wasn’t just making arbitrary claims, Vahn watched as Ziros’s attack sliced through empty space. Every attack, no matter how powerful or precise, had a possibility of missing its target. There was even a possibility that a perfectly normal apple could phase through a person’s hand just as they were biting into it. By grasping hold of these probabilities and manipulating the flow of fate around them, it was possible to sway even astronomical odds in your favor.
Seeing his attack miss despite the fact Vahn didn’t even dodge, Ziros’s eyes sharpened as he fired off the energy in his hands in seemingly random directions. At the same time, runic armor began to spread from his shoulders to his chest, gradually encompassing his upper body in the same silvery substance that comprised his additional arms.
While others might accuse Ziros of cheating, Vahn knew this was the man’s natural ability, not a Gift. It was similar to how the people in One Piece could use Armament Haki. He was also enjoying himself for the first time in quite a while so he, sure as hell, wasn’t going to stop the fight.
Noticing the beams fired by Ziros entering small tears in space-time before promptly reemerging in his blind spots, a smile developed across Vahn’s face as his body appeared to ‘glitch’. Then, just as Ziros manifested six blades from each of his hands, literal flames manifesting in his once azure blue eyes, Vahn flickered forward, saying, “Your offense is incredible. Let’s see if your defense matches.”
Punctuating his words, Vahn threw what appeared to be a normal punch. This confused the crowd quite a bit, as, ever since the fight started, very few could follow it with their eyes. Despite this, even the children amongst the crowd could see Vahn’s punch. Almost as if the world itself had slowed to allow it…
Seeing Vahn’s punch coming toward him, Ziros, for the first time in his life, regretted trying one of his finishing moves. His arms were currently spread wide, and, no matter how much he strained the muscles in his body, he knew he wouldn’t be able to put up his guard before Vahn’s fist connected. Even then, it might not help, as, for the briefest of moments, Vahn’s fist had seemingly become the very center of creation…
As that thought crossed his mind, Ziros felt as though the world beneath him had fallen away. He had been in the air, but, even then, his orientation towards the ground remained the same thanks to the Little Garden’s Primary Axis. Now, in the face of Vahn’s fist, it was like the only two things in existence were the seemingly innocuous punch and his body about to be hit…
“Not bad, kid…”
Though he was barely able to move his body, that didn’t prevent a rather demonic-looking eye from opening in the center of Ziros’s forehead. The iris glowed with a fierce indigo light while the sclera around it emitted an eerie black glow. At the same time, beads of crimson blood began to build near the bottom of the vertical slit, almost as if his forehead had been cut open to allow for the eye to reveal itself.
While most people weren’t able to see these changes, Vahn’s eyes widened ever so slightly as he saw visible cracks extending from his hand and crawling up his arm. He could feel the momentum and power in his fist inverting, and, the closer his fist came to Ziros’s chest, the larger the cracks on his arm became. This might have terrified someone else. As for Vahn, he just smiled even as his fist and forearm erupted in a thunderous explosion that made the spectators feel as though the world was coming to an end…
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Seeing the devastation wrought by the exchange between Vahn and Ziros, a purple-skinned man with an impeccable physique, flawless facial features, intelligent amethyst eyes, and a mane of dark-purple hair that flowed away from his scalp like flames couldn’t help frowning.
Unlike most of the people viewing the Vahnatus, this particular man had only taken an interest after learning that his former mentor was participating. He had even gathered some of his closest friends so they could all witness the defeat of the Pure-Blooded Dragon that had been gaining influence in the East. Instead, they were treated to the scene of Vahn casually deflecting strikes that would send lesser Gods to their graves…
“I now understand why our predecessor decided to participate in this farce of a competition. He is showing us the danger Vahn Aldrnari Mason represents. If we’re to oppose him, we’ll need to stand united. The Divine Army cannot keep fighting amongst itself.”
Though none of the people present disagreed with the man’s statement, the most senior among them, a rather plump man with faded golden skin covered in runes, remarked, “Lord Shiva’s wisdom is unmatched in this matter. However, what can we do? Ever since the previous war nearly wiped us out, the Divine Army has become fractured. The only person with the authority to command us is currently being sheltered by the White Night Demon, and, according to numerous sources, she is romantically involved with that upstart dragon.”
Furrowing his brows, Shiva, the Great God of Destruction, cursed, “Shiroyasha…that devious and licentious woman. This is clearly one of her schemes. The only question is, what is her aim? Is she looking for revenge…?”
Shaking that thought from his mind, Shiva cast his penetrating gaze over the five men staring back at him, saying, “It doesn’t matter what that scheming demoness is plotting. I will use my authority as a Grand General to convene a meeting with Perun, Odin, Zeus, Amaterasu, Marduk, Osiris, Pangu, and Yehowah. Even if they refuse to cooperate, we would be fools not to lay a foundation for future cooperation…”
Though his former mentor had given up his Divinity after the war, Shiva knew exactly how powerful Ziros was. The force from his blows was strong enough to make distant stars tremble. When he got serious, even Chief Deities would be forced to bend a knee if they allowed their arrogance to blind them. His raw power was only rivaled by True Asura, a mindless being with such phenomenal might that he needed to be sealed away to prevent the Little Garden’s destruction.
“Asura…”
Hearing their Lord mutter a name that was all but forbidden within the Divine realm, beads of sweat began to form on the heads of everyone present. Fortunately, Shiva was simply reminiscing his past incarnation’s encounter with the seemingly unstoppable demon. He wasn’t crazy enough to unleash one of their ultimate weapons just because Vahn ‘might’ become a threat. That would be like using a volcanic eruption to smother a campfire before it could potentially spread to the forest. Asura was a beast of pure destruction. Unleashing him had, and always would be, their last resort…
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Ignoring the fact that his arm now resembled a crystal that had been shattered beneath the elbow, Vahn looked around at the chaotic energy swirling around him with a smile. The collision between his fist and Ziros’s chest had effectively destroyed the surrounding space, but, instead of collapsing in on itself, the Source Energy released from his fist had effectively formed a bubble of non-existent space where the only things that existed were himself, Ziros, and endless possibilities.
“You’re pretty tough. The number of people who have survived one of my full-powered blows can be counted on one hand. Quite literally in this case.”
Holding up a single finger, Vahn made it clear that Ziros was, in fact, the only person to survive one of his full-powered blows. Sure, he might not have taken it directly, but most people couldn’t even hope to reflect one of his blows, much less survive a blast powered by Source…
Hearing Vahn’s words, a gruff laugh emanated from Ziros’s throat in spite of the fact he was now blind, deaf, bereft of five arms, and nursing a rather sizeable crater in his chest. The only reason he even knew Vahn was speaking was because the eye at the center of his forehead was the source of the reflection, and, as a result, it had emerged unscathed.
“It would appear…I may have…underestimated you…”
Nodding his head, Vahn began to willfully mend the fabric of space and time as he replied, “Don’t take it to heart. Even when I openly display my power, there are always people who think it’s some kind of trick. Not that I blame them. You see, my power is so far beyond comprehension that there are times when even I can’t wrap my head around it…”
Recalling the various ‘accidents’ he had contributed to in the past, a wry and slightly melancholic smile developed across Vahn’s face. There had yet to be a single enemy that could stand against him, yet, even now, he still had a long way to go if he wanted to reach the pinnacle of creation.
Shaking that thought from his mind, Vahn sent a haze of green energy towards Ziros’s body, rapidly accelerating his healing factor. This was the only thing he could do for him as the matter that had once comprised the man’s limbs had effectively been erased from existence. Even if the literal God of Time was here, they wouldn’t be able to restore Ziros’s body to its previous state.
Fortunately, like most beings around the pinnacle of Tier 4, Ziros’s physical body wasn’t the core of his being. Under certain conditions, he could even survive the complete destruction of his physical form, so, even if Vahn had left him unattended, he would eventually recover. It would just cost him a tremendous amount of Spiritual Energy…
Seeing his limbs grow back in mere moments, a contemplative glimmer flashed across Ziros’s eyes as he looked toward Vahn and asked, “What is your purpose…?”
Shaking his head, Vahn adopted a genial smile as he said, “Purpose is something that constantly shifts from one moment to the next. Those who are bound by a fixed purpose end up becoming monsters who justify their every action as if it were guided by providence. I choose to be free. As for my goal…I just want to be with my family. It’s as simple as that.”
Punctuating his words, Vahn extended his hand out before clasping it into a fist. This caused the ‘bubble of potential’ around them to immediately contract. As a result, both he and Ziros found themselves hoving in the air above the arena. More specifically, the hole where the arena used to be…
“S-Since there is no longer an arena to return to, both contestants are judged to be out of bounds! B-By my authority as Judge Master, I declare that Vahn Aldrnari Mason and Ziros Ishana have been disqualified from the competition…!”
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘Vahn has entered his ultimate form…Flex Mode…!’,’Anton Chekhov be like, “Naruhodo…”‘,’*wheezing* xD…’)
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