Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2023: What is a King before an Emperor?

Though he hadn't expected it to earn him any advantages, seeing his attack knocked to the side with a simple backhand from Vahn caused Jahad's eyes to widen, albeit only a little. It wasn't the first time the attack had been countered, so, while it was certainly impressive to see someone swat it away, it wasn't enough to deter him from continuing the fight. Instead, a hint of a smile could be seen on his face as he held his hands out to the side and muttered, "You can block one...let's see if you can block a hundred...!"

"Jahad Style Shinsu Control Technique - God-Skewering Golden Needles...!"

Powered by a functionally infinite amount of Shinsu, golden needles more than three kilometers in diameter and a hundred kilometers in length began to fill the sky of the 134th Floor. Upon seeing this, the remaining residents felt an overwhelming sense of awe. A few, as if driven by some primal instinct, even fell to their knees and started to pray.

Unfortunately, just as the impossibly large needles began to turn into beams of golden light, a loud thunderclap could be heard throughout the entirety of the Floor as an invisible wave radiated from Vahn's body. This wasn't anything like a technique. Instead, he had simply 'erased' all Shinsu within sixteen-thousand-kilometers. As a result, every single one of the massive golden needles dissolved into nothingness as the man himself began to slowly descend, saying, "You should get serious...this might be an important event for you, but it's eating into my anime viewing time. If you don't go all out, I might very well lose interest..."

Though they were separated by several kilometers, Jahad could hear each of Vahn's words as if they were standing face-to-face. In response, he used his left hand to draw one of the three weapons at his side, a peculiar blade that resembled a curved fang more than a traditional Needle.

Aiming the tip directly at Vahn, Jahad, his voice carrying through the void, muttered, "You're more arrogant than I expected..." as a runic pattern coiled up and around the length of his weapon.

Recognizing the weapon as something forged from an inordinately powerful Killer Whale, largely considered the strongest Shinheuh in the Tower, an amused smile spread across Vahn's face as he manifested Laev-tan in his right hand. It hadn't even been two hours since the Tao Trio one-sidedly slaughtered a Shinheuh that thousands of Killer Whales wouldn't have been able to contest. Jahad was wholly unaware of this, but, the notion that he could be defeated by such a 'weak' weapon was very-nearly laughable.

Though he was unable to sense Vahn's thoughts, Jahad knew he was being looked down upon. This caused the smile to drain from his face as he silently muttered to himself, "It seems you are not the man I had hoped you would be..."

As the final few words parted Jahad's lips, a low rumble seemed to spread through the entirety of the 134th Floor as the runes along his weapon shone with an ocean-blue light. His weapon was an S-Rank Needle known as the 'Call of the Leviathan', and, while it only possessed a fraction of the original Shinheuh's power, it was still an item forged from the King of all Killer Whales.

The thing that made Killer Whales so deadly wasn't their size. Instead, it was their ability to generate a veritable ocean of Shinsu from within their bodies. The King of the Killer Whales, the Levithan, was actually the offspring of the 134th Floor's Guardian. It possessed such tremendous reserves that it could submerge an entire Floor in a dense layer of Shinsu more than a hundred-meters deep.

Shifting his attention away from Jahad, Vahn's pupils contracted ever-so-slightly as he wondered if this was how the people at Marineford felt when Whitebeard attempted to sink the island. After all, no matter which direction he looked, there was a tidal wave more than twenty-kilometers in height barreling towards him.

While he didn't have any particular reason to fear the incoming wave, the sight was so fantastical that Vahn couldn't help feeling a little awed. It was unlike anything he had ever witnessed, and, for a brief moment, he even felt small and insignificant as the converting wave gradually blotted out the sky.

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Vahn extended his left hand and said, "Stop." in a solemn and commanding tone. To the surprise of everyone viewing the fight, the massive wall of Shinsu obeyed his command, ceasing its advance in an instant. Even Jahad was no exception to this, and, for a brief moment, he could be seen standing in the air, lips parted in incredulity.

Nodding his head in approval, Vahn descended until he was roughly eye-level with Jahad before saying, "That's quite the cinematic ability. Unfortunately, your authority over Shinsu seems to have weakened your ability to control it. If only you had spent the last ten-thousand-years training...this might have been interesting..."

Though he would normally ignore such remarks, Jahad couldn't help furrowing his brows. The main reason he could ignore most people was that their remarks were simply inconsequential. It was just the vitriol spewed by the weak and powerless in an attempt to drag others down to their level. This was a stark contrast to what Vahn as, unlike the base and mundane masses, he had ample leeway to look down on others. Thus, for the first time in several millennia, Jahad felt as though his blood was beginning to boil due to a combination of rage and excitement.

With a snaggle-toothed smile spreading across his face, Jahad cast aside the Call of the Leviathan as if it were a useless piece of trash. Then, with his palms facing upward, hands formed into a shape reminiscent of claws, he asked, "You think my control is lacking? Let's test that theory...!"

"Jahad Style Shinsu Control Skill - Cosmos...!"

Using the tremendous amount of Shinsu contained within his own body, Jahad produced a series of Baangs reminiscent of stars, planets, and other celestial bodies. This included a substantial number of black holes, and, more surprisingly, a singular 'white hole'.

A white hole was basically the polar opposite of a black hole. If a black hole was a singularity from which nothing, not even particles or electromagnetic radiation could escape, a white hole was an impassable region of spacetime that spewed out a functionally infinite amount of highly condensed energy. In many records, white holes were often compared directly with creation events such as the 'Big Bang'. In other words, they were hypothetical points from which all matter in the universe could be generated.

Seeing Jahad produce a white hole, seemingly with the intention of countering his ability to erase Shinsu, an intrigued and slightly appreciative smile developed across Vahn's face. Jahad was clearly an unparalleled genius, and, were it not for the machinations of the Workshop, he might have been able to ascend to the realm of a Creation God. Instead, he became a lazy tyrant playing the part of a deterrent, a mockery of the ideals that had spurred him to become King...

Assuming Vahn's unresponsiveness was the result of his arrogance, Jahad didn't wait around for the former to speak. Instead, he swept his arms forward, commanding the planetoids and stars to circle around and crash towards his opponent. This caused the terrain of the 134th Floor to violently twist and crumble, as, unlike normal Baangs, Jahad's Quality allowed his to emulate the very objects they resembled. This meant they generated their own gravitational wells, and, as a result of the heat cast off by the various star-like Baangs, all foreign Shinsu instantaneously evaporated.

One of the things that had made Jahad 'unbeatable', even before he gained authority over several Floors, was his ability to absorb an endless amount of Shinsu from his surroundings while making it nigh-impossible for his opponents to do the same. Even the Great Warriors were powerless against this, as, from the moment they underwent Revolution on the Hell Express, their power had become extremely reliant on Shinsu. They could still fight without it, but, against an opponent like Jahad, the skills they accumulated before their ascent were simply useless. After all, while his current display of power was enough to make even the most skilled Wave Controllers doubt their title, Jahad was, first and foremost, the greatest Fisherman the Tower had ever known.

Unfortunately, this title was from the era preceding Vahn's entrance into the Tower. Any one of his Templates would be able to give Jahad a run for his money, and, were someone like Musashi to get serious, he might not even survive their initial exchange. As for Vahn, well, he was currently batting aside stars and smashing black holes with his bare fists, a feat that would have undoubtedly excited a certain raven-haired monkey.

Though it was somewhat unpleasant to feel his cells being pulled every which way by a number of conflicting gravitational wells, Vahn was able to maintain his original position. His intent was to let Jahad play all his cards, and, once the King had nothing else to give, he would draw the battle to its conclusion in a single, swift, strike. There was absolutely no suspense concerning how things would end, as, from the moment he ascended to Tier 5, Vahn's power had eclipsed virtually everything in the Tower. The only person who could have given him a run for his money was Ureko, but, thanks to his most recent breakthrough, even that was doubtful.

Simply put, even Vahn wasn't quite sure how strong he had become. His status simply displayed a bunch of question marks, and, even when he fought against his own Templates, he no longer felt even an ounce of pressure. It was like his upper limit had been removed in its entirety, and, so long as he willed it, any opponent standing across from him would simply cease to exist with a wave of his hand.

A testament to this fact, Vahn, having grown tired of the endless barrage of heat and gravitational incongruency, waved Laev-tan in the direction of Jahad. From an outside perspective, this was little more than a casual motion. As the person on the receiving end of the attack, however, Jahad's eyes widened as an invisible pressure formed a massive gulf in his onslaught of Shinsu. Then, despite his best efforts to stand his ground, he found himself careening through the wall of Shinsu summoned by the Call of the Leviathan. It took several seconds for him to regain his bearing, and, when he did, the first thing he saw was a massive 'divide' separating the top half of the wave from the bottom...

Sensing that Jahad hadn't sustained a single injury, almost as if he had just struck an indestructible object, an approving hum emanated from Vahn's throat. He knew Jahad's immortality was a much higher grade than the other Great Warriors, but, feeling a numb sensation in his hand, it was fair to say that had been an understatement. Were it not for Laev-tan shrugging off the brunt of the force, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that he would have sustained all the damage he intended to inflict.

"Immortality centered around damage reflection...my, you're just full of surprises, aren't you...?"

Though Vahn hadn't transmitted his voice through the void, Jahad was able to ascertain what he was saying thanks to the subtle fluctuations in the surrounding Shinsu. His perception and control actually dwarfed most High Ranking Wave Controller, so, despite Vahn's earlier provocations, Jahad was justifiably confident in his abilities. Were he facing any other opponent, this wouldn't even be a contest, as, the moment his foes unleashed their most powerful attacks, they would find themselves reduced to a pitiable state by one of his many curses, specifically his 'Curse of Retribution'.

Unfortunately, Vahn wasn't just any opponent. In fact, he was unlike anything Jahad had ever faced before. Thus, for the first time since the Age of Genesis, a toothy grin spread across his face as he excitedly replied, "I'm just getting started...!"

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Bully Mode Activated (O,...,O)...!','This confirms it. Vahn is denser than a black hole...','The demon that has accompanied Jahad since childhood is starting to awaken...and it ain't called Pride xD...')

(A/N: Just thought I would let everyone know I'm starting up a new project called Nobunaga Oda's Isekai Cultivation Experience(NOICE). You can find the link posted in the comments section. Give it a read and let me know what you think.)

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