Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 1981: Setting Out

Though it might have made him sound a little desperate, Vahn couldn't help asking, "Are you sure about this?" while observing the back of the blonde-haired beauty standing a few meters away.

Without turning around fully, the beauty, Ureko, adopted an amused smile as she looked back to say, "It's only a few months, right? Make sure you get a lot stronger before then. Now that I know what kind of person you are, you'll need to work hard if you want to woo me. I have no intention of being someone's trophy."

With that said, the space around Ureko's body began to violently ripple, a sign she was about to depart. In response, Vahn blinked directly behind her but, before he was able to give her a parting embrace, the petite blonde rewarded his efforts with an elbow to the diaphragm, a teasing smile developing across her face as she said, "Get your shit together first. I don't really care if you want to complete your Princess collection, but I'll be pissed if you increase the number of 'random' women before our next meeting."

Finished with what she wanted to say, Ureko extricated her elbow from Vahn's gut before promptly disappearing into the spatial tear she had created. This left the latter massaging his stomach with a sad smile on his face, but, shortly thereafter, he simply shook his head before turning to the group standing behind him and saying, "Well, this is it. From this moment onward, everyone is allowed to move freely. Just make sure to travel in groups of two or more, and, no matter what, never separate from your Pokemon..."

Having discussed the matter in greater detail, Vahn ultimately agreed to let everyone travel on the condition that they always had one of his Templates nearby. This would provide him with constant updates on their status, and, if necessary, he could either teleport directly to their side or use Unit Management to recall them to his. Fortunately, Pokemon were quite popular, so, while it ultimately required him to produce a number of additional Templates, everyone had been excited to choose their favorite...

Though most of the girls could see the uncertainty on Vahn's face, it was Artoria, followed closely by a miniaturized Solgaelo, who stepped forward to say, "Everyone here understands the risks and is more than capable of protecting themselves. If you are feeling uncertain, you need only continue moving forward. You are our guiding light. Where you go, we are bound to follow."

Nodding his head, Vahn did his best to appear assured, smiling as he said, "I understand. No matter what, I will continue pushing forward...please, stay safe..."

Adopting a far more sincere smile, Artoria rewarded Vahn's words by removing her gauntlet and caressing his head. She didn't have anything like Petting Laws to rely on, but, even without them, the caress of a loved one was still effective in allaying one's concerns.

Feeling a little better, a natural smile developed across Vahn's face as he wrapped his arms around Artoria's waist and whispered, "I love you..." in the most sincere tone he could manage. This caused the subsequent parting to take much longer, but, even if their parting was only for a short while, he wanted everyone to know how much he loved each and every one of them...

---

With the departure of nearly every resident, Vahn's return to the Emerald Grove reminded him of how peaceful things had been at its inception. Back then, it's only inhabitants were the Templates he had produced. Now, however, most of the remaining residents were either members of Fenrir's pack, Pokemon, or those who completely lacked ambition. Everyone else had either been moved to another Layer, or, in the case of Kushina, Hinata, Naruto, and Hina, to Arceus' Realm.

Though he had intended to give everyone as much time as they needed to make a decision, Vahn had been surprised when the Council of Wives approached him the following morning with both a consensus and a compromise. They had spent days deliberating over the matter, and, after putting it to a vote, it was decided that the Emerald Grove, much like his Realm, would remain sealed unless he 'needed' to make use of it. Those who chose to remain behind did so understanding they would have very little influence in events of the outside world. As for everyone else, they would be moving in the outside world, completing quests, and, no matter how dangerous things became, they would face any and all threats head-on. They did not fear death. Rather, believing that it was only a matter of time until Vahn reached the Divine Realm, the only thing they feared was being unable to witness his ascension with their own eyes...

Having always left such decisions to his wives, Vahn took one last look at the timeless abode before shaking his head and returning to the outside. There, he found Fenrir, Ryun, Yuri, and Pram waiting for him, the latter appearing understandably confused since she hadn't been asked to participate in the previous discussions. She was still loyal to the Lo Po Bia Family, but, more than that, most of her ambitions revolved around developing the power and authority of the Snow Leopard Family. While there was nothing intrinsically wrong with this, she was a bit of an extremist in her ideals, so, unless she drastically changed over the next few weeks, he would be leaving one of his Templates to watch over, not just the Snow Leopard Family, but most of the Lo Po Bia Branch Families.

Adopting his characteristically casual smile, Vahn habitually extended his hands to caress the heads of Fenrir and Ryun as he said, "Though I'm tempted to charge straight up the Tower, I don't want to break my promise with Lotte. For the time being, we'll stick with spending three days on each of the Floors. The real question is, are you okay with exposing our relationship to the public...?"

With the last question directed at her, Yuri just waved her hand in a dismissive manner, asking, "Do you think I would have sent Evan off if I wasn't certain? Being a Princess was pretty interesting but I never really cared about the title. I just wanted to be free. Besides, now that I've become a Saiyan, is there any reason to fear the Jahad Empire?"

Startled by Yuri's words, Pram's eyes widened as she asked, "Princess Yuri, have you lost your mind? Vahn-sama is certainly powerful, but there is no guarantee he can defeat the King. Once your father learns of this, it isn't just you who will pay the price..."

Noticing the 'scheming glimmer' in Pram's eyes, Yuri rolled her own before saying, "You're living in the past. Even if you don't believe everything Vahn has revealed, do you really think Ureko and the members of Wolhaiksong would place their fates in his hands for no reason? I have no intention of being trapped in this Tower for the rest of my life. I want to see what lays beyond, so, even if I have to live with the brand of a traitor, I'm going to continue walking this path till the end. Besides, if he got serious, do you really think Vahn would lose against my father?"

Shifting her silvery gaze to Vahn, a conflicted look appeared in Pram's eyes. She knew he was very powerful, but, for a variety of reasons, she couldn't imagine he was stronger than her father, much less Jahad. There was a reason Jahad had been able to declare himself King, and, more importantly, remain King for more than ten-thousand-years. His power was simply unfathomable, and, though she had only met him a handful of times, Pram was convinced he stood at the absolute pinnacle of what any individual could achieve.

Turning to meet Pram's gaze, Vahn couldn't help adopting a teasing smile as he saw her lips part, clearly wanting to speak but unable to find the words. This made her appear adorable, but, at the same time, it proved just how indoctrinated she was in the current system. She would undoubtedly hesitate, but, should Jahad or Lord Lo Po Bia request it of her, the odds of her betraying them were remarkably high. This was one of the biggest detriments to dealing with races who were both loyal and extremely hierarchal, as, without 'proving' he was stronger, they would prioritize the orders of those they believed to be his superior.

Rather than making a big deal out of it, Vahn just extended his hand to caress Pram's inordinately fluffy hair, saying, "You'll get your answer soon enough. Now, let's get a move on. There are a lot of people anticipating our arrival on the higher floors. Let's not keep them waiting..."

With that said, Vahn retracted his hand from Pram's head, surprising her as he shifted his gaze to the sky and shouted, "Transfer us to the next Floor!". Until now, he had been moving between the various Gateports in order to facilitate his travel, but, thanks to his contract with Headon, he could effectively transport between Floors at his leisure. This had been a closely guarded secret, but, now that he had decided to press forward without hesitation, Vahn no longer cared about discretion...

---

With very little time passing since her conference with the Ministers, Adori found herself unable to suppress a twitch as she listened to the most recent string of reports. She had been confident in her assertion that Vahn wasn't going to arbitrarily cause chaos, yet, as if he was intentionally seeking to annoy her, persons of interest related to the Aldrnari Empire were somehow appearing all over the Tower. They hadn't done anything as of yet, but, considering some had appeared as low as the 28th Floor, it was becoming increasingly apparent that the travel restrictions imposed on everyone else had no effect on members of the Aldrnari Empire.

Fortunately, as they had literally been in the process of discussing their next course of action, Adori already had Senna, Andrika, and Lem with her. They were receiving the same reports as she was, so, while none appeared even remotely as exasperated as her, Adori took solace in the fact that others shared her burden. Senna, in particular, was extremely reliable at times like this, as, not only did she have experience as Commander-in-Chief, her capacity to gather information was second only to a select few members of the Tperie Family.

With her Lighthouse monitors displaying the images of several confirmed members of the Aldrnari Empire, a thoughtful look developed across Senna's face as she stated, "It would appear something major happened within the confines of the Little Garden. We'll need to send a delegation to consult with Vahn. I presume this is just an example of him providing his people the opportunity to explore the Tower in preparation for their impending departure. If this ends up being the case, we might be in for a number of headaches..."

Since it was just the four of them, Adori made no effort to suppress a sigh, a long, exasperated, and slightly sonorous sound escaping her throat before she observed, "If it's just that, we should be able to rest easily within the next year or two. For now, send units to establish contact with each member of the Aldrnari Empire. Though I doubt they will be accommodating, we should, at the very least, try to coordinate with them. If they are spread out across numerous Floors, there is a chance that Vahn might not be able to meditate when things get out of hand. If he can...well, at least we'll know more of what he is capable of..."

Imagining Vahn freely teleporting through the Tower, another sigh escaped Adori's lips, this time expressing extreme fatigue. She was hoping he could only teleport to Floors he had already been to, but, considering who they were talking about, there was a very real chance he could teleport to the top of the Tower whenever he wanted. He had a way of completely defying their expectations, so, rather than assume he had any limits, Adori was beginning to accept that his title as the God of Infinite Possibilites was accurate...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Come and get me~','The dawn of a new era','RIP Adori xD...')

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