Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2088: Incredulity

Standing between four and nine meters tall, the Jotun, colloquially known as Frost Giants, were a race of monstrous humanoids with an extreme preference for cold. Rather than garments of fabric or armors made from metal, they garbed their blue-skinned bodies in frigid black stone held fast by perpetual, magically enhanced ice.

In the myths related to their species, Frost Giants were among the most physically gifted races in the Nine Realms. Even their weakest members could overwhelm the average resident of Asgard, and, despite being a relatively primitive species, their raw physical power and magical resistance allowed them to wage war against the other realms.

Under normal circumstances, the only way to overwhelm a Frost Giant was with magical flames and enchanted Asgardian metals. They were nearly unkillable using other methods, as, even if you were to throw them into a river of molten lava, it would simply freeze over without doing any meaningful damage.

Unfortunately, as was often the case whenever Vahn was involved, such details simply didn't matter. He was far beyond the level where resistances, natural or otherwise, held any real meaning. Thus, to the surprise and horror of the simulated titans, there was nothing they could do as bands of vibrant azure lightning, many thicker than they were tall, tore through their ranks.

Without any suspense whatsoever, everything touched by the azure lightning found itself torn apart at the molecular level before being cast into the void. From the perspective of others, it was like the lightning was erasing everything it touched. This included the magical energy sustaining the storm. Thus, by the time three minutes had passed, the battlefield had become eerily silent as Vahn, still in his Azure Dragon transformation, lingered in the sky like a God of Destruction overlooking creation.

"Three-hundred-meters may have been a little much..."

Feeling the invisible membrane just a few meters above his head, Vahn didn't have a lot of room to move around. This tempted him to manipulate the space above the battlefield to give himself a bit of extra room, but, fearing people would cry foul play, he decided against it. Instead, he expanded his domain to cover most of the battlefield, powerful barriers erecting around each of the Altars as he grasped the position and strength of every remaining contestant.

Sensing there were no major threats remaining, Vahn nodded his massive head before shifting his attention to Hime. It was impossible to tell due to his draconic visage, but a wry smile spread across his face the moment he saw the inordinately beautiful white serpent staring at him with an intense, slightly glimmer in her pale yellow eyes.

Noticing Vahn's gaze, Hime immediately lowered her head in a respectful and subservient manner, muttering, "My Lord..." in an audibly impassioned tone.

Issuing a resounding chuckle that caused the surrounding space to ripple, Vahn felt a sudden and intense urge to coil around Hime's body. Unfortunately, as shameless as he was, he wasn't quite at the level of someone like Scathach. Hime might not be able to control herself if he teased her in her current state, so, after several seconds of contemplative silence, he said, "Return to the fortress. I'll take care of the rest."

Though her aura made it very clear she was reluctant, Hime didn't hesitate to obey Vahn's words. Instead of returning to her human form, however, she coiled around the icy throne in the hopes of cooling her remarkably hot body. She felt like literal flames had been ignited inside of her, and, as a result, the ice began to hiss and produce steam the moment she came into contact with it.

("It appears Scathach isn't the only person I'll need to deal with once this game has been settled...")

(*Vahn...*)

("Yeah, yeah, I know...")

As something similar happened nearly every time he transformed in front of a woman with draconic traits, Vahn knew he didn't have any leeway to act surprised. Rather, he would be far more surprised if Hime didn't have a reaction. After all, they were already mates. They might not be married, but he doubted she would even consider independence in the next thousand or so years. Dragons, even as servants, could be remarkably obstinate...

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"Gyda...are my eyes playing tricks on me? Did that man seriously just transform into a Pure-Blooded Dragon and wipe out the Frost Giants in an instant...?"

"..."

Unable or perhaps unwilling to respond to her brother's words, Gyda just stared at the projection of Vahn with a pensive expression on her face. She had been born into a 4-Digit Community, but, even after sixteen hundred years of existence, she had never seen anything even remotely comparable to the strength Vahn had shown.

Furrowing his brows, Sigurd changed the image to reflect the version of Vahn loitering in the arena. He had literally laid a pale-blue blanket across the ground, and, instead of exploring the area like a normal person, he simply relaxed with his hands behind his head.

"Dammit...you can at least pretend to take this seriously. Organizing an event this large takes a lot of planning and effort..."

Though he had the backing of one of the most powerful alliances in the Little Garden, it had still taken months for Sigurd to establish his Community and make preparations for a high-profile Gift Game. The negotiations, in particular, had been a nightmare. After all, no matter how eager they were to claim a Pure-Blooded Vampire as their prize, most Community Leaders had enough sense not to leave their fate in the hands of a lottery.

Vahn had managed to emerge entirely unscathed from the lottery process but some Communities had been unfortunate enough to draw lots that required them to hand over Gifts, members of their Community, or even their Flag. This was the reason so many Players became desperate the moment they became Einherjar. For some, their very futures were on the line.

Had things proceeded according to plan, Leviathan's Tail would have received a tremendous boon once the Gift Game had concluded. They stood to gain numerous Gifts, several additional Players, and an ample amount of territory in one fell swoop. Afterward, they would have returned Leticia to the alliance so that she could be auctioned off or used as bait in future Gift Games.

Shaking his head, Sigurd turned to Gyda, asking, "What do you think we should do? I was going to suggest attacking the Altars but most of our forces have already been eliminated. If we ascend now, we might not even have enough people to open the Bifrost for a return trip."

Without any discernible changes in her expression, Gyda stated, "We don't know how many times that man can split his body. I also get the impression he hasn't gotten serious, so, even if we initiate the Ragnarok protocol, I can't imagine it having any meaningful effect against him. The power of a Strongest Species is simply beyond our means to deal with..."

Though he was in agreement with Gyda's observations, Sigurd couldn't help frowning in response to his sister's words. Instead of getting angry at her, however, he just popped his neck rather loudly before saying, "Well, at least we can earn some brownie points with the spectators by ending things early. Fortunately, I doubt anyone will look down on us for failing to defeat a Pure-Blooded Dragon. They aren't called one of the Strongest Species for nothing."

With that said, Sigurd shouldered his oversized battleax before stepping on a runic engraving that depicted the same pattern as the one left behind by the Bifrost. A rainbow-hued light immediately expanded from the center of the formation, but, before activating completely, Sigurd had enough time to turn around and say, "I know I promised we'll fight together, but you're the only person I can trust to hold the first. Once I'm defeated, I'll see if I can't do something about the Altars as an Einherjar."

Finished with his words, Sigurd gave Gyda a cursory wave as a pillar of light erupted from his feet and instantaneously enveloped his body. He knew he couldn't defeat Vahn but that wasn't going to stop him from trying. Rather, once he became an Einherjar, he intended to descend the mountain and charge directly at the massive dragon that everyone else was avoiding. He had never fought a Strongest Species before. There was no way in hell he was missing the opportunity to do so...

Understanding her brother's thoughts, a sigh escaped Gyda's throat as she sat down next to the reflecting pool and cycled through various images. Under normal circumstances, she would have focused all of her intention on her brother's fight. In this particular instance, however, she refused to do so since it might negatively impact her impression of him. It had been quite some time since she felt the same passion towards her brother that had compelled her to follow him to the East, so, for both of their sakes, she decided to ignore him.

As that thought crossed her mind, Gyda's hand paused mid-swipe as the pool reflected the image of a handsome, and, most importantly, muscular man. His outfit left his chest and part of his back completely exposed, and, despite the strange runic pattern covering them, it was possible to make out every single muscle in his upper body.

Feeling a bit of tension in her throat, Gyda swallowed audibly as she dipped the tips of her fingers in the reflecting pool's surface. There was a time when her brother's physique had been even more impressive. Now, he resembled a young boy who had never trained a day in his life. His personality had also changed rather drastically, so, while she still loved him dearly, there were times when Gyda felt that her brother had been replaced with someone completely different.

"We should have never left the South..."

Shaking such thoughts from her mind, Gyda was prepared to change the reflecting pool's surface to focus elsewhere. The thing that stopped her was the kind and affectionate smile that had appeared on the ashen-haired man's face as he pulled out a silvery locket and gazed at the content. This was enough to garner Gyda's attention, so, rather than change the image to someone else, she adjusted it to take a peek at the locket.

"What in Odin's name...?"

Seeing the pictures of nine women reflected in the locket, six of which were nearly identical to one another, Gyda found herself at a loss for words. Harems weren't particularly rare, but, based on the similarities between the six women, they were clearly sisters of some sort. She had never seen any man capable of wooing sextuplets, much less three goddess-like women.

"He must be quite capable..."

Since there was an unbelievably beautiful redhead among the women displayed in the locket, Gyda couldn't help imagining herself in the ashen-haired man's muscular embrace. His horns, wings, and tail also made it pretty clear he had the blood of dragons flowing through his veins, so, even if she shouldn't be thinking things like this, she found herself contemplating how powerful their children would be...

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Unaware of the fact he was being observed, Siegfried continued staring at his locket for the better part of three minutes before returning it to his pocket. It had been less than two hours since he was summoned, yet, in spite of this, he couldn't help missing his wives and children. It didn't matter that his true self was currently sleeping between two of them. Even a moment away from the people you loved could feel like an eternity.

Exhaling a sigh, Siegfried turned his eyes aquamarine eyes towards the peculiar phenomenon in the sky. It was like an azure-green filter had been superimposed over reality, and, based on the pulsing of his scar, Siegfried knew this was the result of something Vahn had done. This made it pretty clear that his friend and Master didn't actually need his help, but, rather than feeling like this was a waste of time, Siegfried felt privileged just to see the former in action.

"You really do have what it takes to unify everyone, don't you...?"

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Hime be like: *jiiiiiiiiiiiiii-*...','Vahn needs to give Sigurd some protein powder or something...','Sumanai-san is a good guy...')

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