Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2138: Futility

"Well, if you're sending out invitations...it would be rude of me to refuse...!"

With a high-pitched sound echoing through the void, Izayoi managed to break free from the pressure weighing him down like a man freeing himself from chains. Then, with a battle-hungry expression on his face, he managed to take a single step forward before falling face-first into the dirt.

"Not bad. Unfortunately, the relative gravity between us doubles every ten centimeters. While the distance between us is a mere three meters, the effective gravity near the base of my feet is more than one billion times Earth's gravity. Good luck."

Hearing Vahn's explanation, the smile faded from Izayoi's face as he forced himself to a kneeling position and muttered, "You really are a monster...no...I guess you're a God, huh...?"

Tossing a stone he had picked up during his tumble, Izayoi's expression paled as it arced sharply towards the ground before becoming one with the flat terrain. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a series of concentric circles around Vahn's body...

"How thoughtful of you..."

Since going forward clearly wasn't an option, Izayoi took a step back before picking up Asuka and Yo by their waists and leaping backward. He was hoping to open up some distance so they could come up with a plan. What he didn't expect was for the relative gravity to decrease as he moved further away from Vahn's position.

If the relative gravity had simply decreased to zero, Izayoi wouldn't have been bothered by the unexpected development. Unfortunately, he eventually reached a point where gravity suddenly inversed. As a result, the three of them began falling toward the sky at an ever-increasing speed.

Seeing the trio rocket off like a group with a similar name, Vahn's smile gradually faded away as he silently cast protective charms on each of them. The barrier he had erected around the planet was around 50k above its surface. If they were unlucky, they would end up crashing into it at relativistic speeds. While this wasn't much for someone like him, he was worried that Asuka and Yo would turn into meat paste on contact. He could easily resurrect them, but, unless he mucked around with their memory, the trauma associated with their death would linger.

Though he didn't mind teaching the trio a lesson, Vahn didn't want to traumatize them. Thus, as an extra precaution, he also modified the planetary barrier to absorb the momentum of anything that impacted it. Then, he waited...

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"Sakamaki Izayoi! If you don't unhand me this instant, you...you better not come looking for me in the future...!"

With a crimson blush developing across her face, Asuka ignored the fact she was falling into the sky as she struggled in Izayoi's embrace. She wouldn't have cared if he had held her like a princess or a bride. Instead, Izayoi had chosen to carry her underarm like a sack of potatoes. She would rather die than suffer such indignity, so, after several seconds of him ignoring her, Asuka grit her teeth before shouting, "Unhand me this instant...!"

Though it was only for a brief moment, a mind-numbing chill ran through Izayoi's body. By the time he realized what happened, Asuka was already falling, upwards, away from him.

"This prideful idiot...!"

Too far away to hear Izayoi's remark, Asuka brought her hands together as if she were praying. The vertigo was intense, but, after six years of meditation training and experience, she managed to stay calm as a ghostly blue flame began to appear between her palms. When she finally separated them, an object resembling an urn emerged from her chest before bursting into a phantom-like creature with features resembling a jackal and a dragon.

"Abyssinian...!"

Reacting to its partner's cry, the elegant black, gold, and blue Companion promptly coiled around Asuka's body before overlapping its head with her own. This was a transformation method the two of them had come up with after a mishap that resulted in Asuka being exposed in front of half the Ganesha Familia. It took her months to get over that incident, so, instead of having Abyssinian turn into a mask, the two of them had practiced a more fluid and direct fusion...

Emerging from a plume of ghostly blue flames, Asuka, now wearing an elegant black, gold, and blue gown took advantage of Abyssinian's immaterial form to negate the effects of gravity. She couldn't hold it indefinitely, but, so long as she remained focused, she could effectively negate her mass and freely move through objects.

Seeing Asuka's transformed state, a look of realization flashed across Izayoi's face as he looked down at Yo with a wry smile and asked, "Can you also fly...?"

Nodding her head, Yo explained, "I befriended a Pegasus, numerous Harpies, and several Lesser Dragons. I also learned how to use Wind Magic and Koku Shundo from Jin..."

Realizing he may have jumped the gun a bit, Izayoi released Yo from his grasp before flipping upside down and kicking off the air as if it were solid ground. If the two of them could fly, he no longer had to worry about them. At the same time, he was also feeling a little embarrassed, so, while it would have been smarter to retreat and come up with a plan, it could wait until he had vented some of his frustrations...

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Catching a twinkle out of the corner of his eye, Vahn shifted his gaze just in time to see a rather beautiful-looking spear hurtling toward him at a speed rapidly approaching the speed of light. It had a leafy-green body, and, thanks to his ability to perceive everything within the universe he had created, Vahn noticed that this wasn't just an aesthetic. It was literally formed from a crystallized plant that had been whittled into the shape of a spear.

("A spear carved from the core and crystallized amber of a World Tree? Looks like someone became pretty close with the High Elves...")

Not wanting to destroy such a magnificent weapon, Vahn promptly willed it to be indestructible as he raised his hand to catch it out of the air. Before he could inspect it further, however, the six leaf-like protrusions around the head of the spear promptly branched outward to form emerald green vines that could give Madara's Mokuton a run for its money.

Though he remained unmoved, Vahn was 'technically' bound as a lance formed from red crystal immediately followed the first.

"What the heck? Did this kid become a Lancer when I wasn't looking...?"

(*Given the fact he keeps throwing them, I would argue he has become an Archer...*)

Rolling his eyes, Vahn made the flaming spear indestructible before intercepting it with a spatial rift. This caused it to reappear behind Izayoi, who, against his better judgment, attempted to grab it out of the air. As a result, he was sent smashing into the ground at nearly a third the speed of light...

"Is it just me or is that kid's durability abnormal...?"

(*He seems to possess an ability similar to your internalized realm. Most of the damage he sustains is absorbed within, converted to energy, and then weaponized against his opponents. It's quite the potent ability...*)

Though he had reached a similar conclusion after sensing the energy of the spear simply disappear, Vahn still nodded his head in response to Sis's explanation. Then, with a notably mischievous smile on his face, he mused, "He's basically the ultimate Shonen protagonist. Someone who gets stronger the harder his foes hit him. He would make an excellent punching bag..."

(*...*)

(*Well...you're not wrong...*)

Demonstrating just how ludicrous Izayoi's ability was, the ground for dozens of kilometers cracked as he erupted from the giant crater caused by his landing. A bluish-gold aura had surrounded his body, and, while there was blood dripping from his forehead and smoke rising from the palms of his hands, he somehow managed to appear heroic as he rested the fiery spear on his shoulder and asked, "Is that all you got...?"

Though there was a significant amount of distance between them, Vahn was still able to hear the brash youth's remark. This gave him the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he swept his free hand to the side in a manner resembling a backhand. To the shock of Izayoi, this caused a massive golden hand that was more than fifty kilometers long and twenty-five wide to sweep across the land like a giant golden tidal wave.

"Oh, shi-"

Unable to complete his exclamation, Izayoi and a large part of the terrain were swept away in the wake of Vahn's backhand. This wasn't an exaggeration. A large swath of land had effectively been erased from existence, as, despite its size, the hand had been moving at near-light speeds. Izayoi was able to tank the blow, but, due to the energy contained within the blow, the terrain where he had been standing was vaporized as the youth was sent careening into the barrier surrounding the planet. After that, he skid across its surface for several thousand kilometers, nearly enough to circle the planet before finally slowing to a stop.

"Incredible. He barely took any damage and his energy signature has practically skyrocketed. And I thought my abilities were broken..."

(*You say that despite having an infinite number of methods to defeat him...*)

Raising his brows, Vahn's smile gradually faded as he remarked, "You're uncharacteristically testy today. Did something happen...?"

(*...*)

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Though she didn't actually sweat, Sis felt as though numerous beads were forming across her body as she heard Vahn's concerned inquiry. At the same time, each of her sister-selves fell silent as they all looked toward her with slightly panicked looks on their faces.

Gesturing for them to calm down, Sis's tone became a whisper as she stated, "Don't worry...even if he senses something is amiss, he isn't going to try and sneak a peek. Just try and be on your best behavior..."

Nodding their heads in concert, the countless iterations of Sis immediately went back to what they were doing prior to the interruption. This included cuddling, making out with each other, and some pretty intense petting. The few that were still 'working' were either naked or wearing nothing but lingerie, as, every time Vahn used his power and decided to show off, the excitement they felt made it impossible to remain calm. For them, seeing Vahn demonstrate his power was like going into heat and being bathed in catnip at the same time...

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(*It's fine...it's just that your power is a little intoxicating. This is one of the reasons I never wanted to possess an Ego. I feel my body burning up every time you decide to show off...*)

Since she didn't want to lie to him, Sis decided to respond with a convenient version of the truth. It was much easier than trying to explain to him that there were currently several thousand versions of her fawning over his projected form...

Raising his brows even further, a fairly cheeky smile developed across Vahn's face as he teasingly replied, "Is that so? I knew you were my number one fan but I never expected you to have such an extreme reaction to me showing off. You're making me blush."

(*Don't tempt me...*)

Though he was tempted to do exactly that, Vahn's thoughts were interrupted as the ritual spell that Asuka and Yo had been working on was finally completed. A series of purple rings manifested in the air above him, and, though it seemed nonsensical to rely on a gravity-based attack, Vahn had to commend them for being able to recreate a spell he had only ever seen used by Mikoto...

Seeing the massive purple sword descending toward his head, Vahn couldn't help smiling as he muttered, "How nostalgic..."

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tripping at the starting line xD...','Asuka and Yo aren't your average damsels in distress...','I feel it as well...')

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