Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2142: Suitability

Since Izayoi's only real weaknesses were his aerial and spatial maneuverability, Vahn decided that his Companion would specialize in both. He also wanted to make sure the youth had a place where he could cut loose, so, borrowing inspiration from the Leviathan, Vahn created a Companion whose true form resembled a massive, horned white whale with an underbelly reminiscent of a nebulous expanse of space.

Unlike the Companions of Asuka and Yo, Izayoi's wasn't intended to supplement his growth. He was already growing at an extreme rate, so, rather than empower him directly, Izayoi's Seiun specialized in support.

Much like the original Leviathan, Vahn's companion back in the Nasuverse, Seiun was able to create a domain that allowed it to observe everything within a given space. Izayoi would be able to link his senses with it in order to get a better grasp of the situation. More importantly, Seiun would be able to teleport him around, and, so long as he could place his hand on their back, Izayoi would be able to absorb foes into the vast expanse that existed within his Companion's belly.

While all of the Companions were designed to have boundless potential, Seiun was quite a bit stronger than its kin at creation. Its belly was basically an Internalized Realm whose size directly correlated with the expansion of Izayoi's power. It was a place where he could unleash his power without limit, and, so long as he increased his mastery over the Laws, he would even be able to manipulate the space and time within to create his own universe.

Simply put, Seiun was a cheat-like Companion from the very start. It even had a radiant, tri-colored horn whose power and purpose matched that of Rhongomyniad. Izayoi wouldn't be able to access it at first, but, so long as his bond with Seiun exceeded a certain level, he would be able to manifest the horn as a nigh-unstoppable lance...

As the most powerful Companion he had ever conceived, excluding Skoll, the literal Goddess of Companions, Vahn would be lying if he said he wasn't greatly satisfied with how Seiun had turned out. It was more than 30km long in its true form, and, once it had matured a bit, its size might even exceed that of a planet.

With how great Seiun had turned out, Vahn had to force himself to take a break just so Jin's didn't turn out even more ridiculous. The idea he had in mind for the teal-haired youth's Companion was pretty abstract, so, depending on his mentality during the developmental cycle, it could easily come out slightly askew.

While Izayoi's had dominion over space, and, to a lesser extent, time, the Companion Vahn had in mind for Jin would draw its power from Chaos.

As a descendent of Solomon, Jin's Gift, Lemegeton Primer, allowed him to forge contracts with Djinn based on the 72 Pillar Demons of the Ars Goetia. These were phenomenally powerful demons, who, under the right conditions, could even slay a God. However, like most demons with magical origins, using their power demanded a heavy price.

Fortunately, as the name suggested, Jin's Innate was basically a children's version of the Lemegeton possessed by Solomon. So long as he didn't try to summon one of the Nine Kings of Hell, the only price he had to pay for manifesting the other 63 was raw magical energy. They would place a huge strain on his body, but, so long as he had the requisite amount of mana, Jin could manifest a literal army of demons.

The Companion Vahn had in mind for Jin was, for all intents and purposes, a failsafe. It would help Jin increase his mana reserves, but, far more importantly, it would act as a mediator between him and the Nine Kings of Hell.

One of the interesting things about Demonic contracts was that the contracts of a lesser demon could never supersede those of their superiors. In other words, forging a contract with a Duke-Class Demon could never supersede a contract with a King-Class Demon. This gave the Nine Kings of Hell a tremendous amount of leverage during the negotiation phase, as, more often than not, people only went to them when they were desperate to escape the consequences of their other contracts.

Using the Sacred Tome and the knowledge he had obtained in the Nasu and Akamatsuverses, Vahn inscribed a complex magical formation within the body of Jin's Companion that gave it nearly the exact same magical signature as Goetia, the Demonic God of Chaos. This would invariably earn Jin the attention of the actual Goetia, but, considering this was an identity associated with Solomon, it wasn't too likely to cause problems.

Simply put, Jin's Companion was a divergent avatar of Goetia that had no actual relationship to the aforementioned Demon God. Rather, much like the other Companions Vahn had created, it was a bonafide Pure-Blooded Dragon. This further elevated its status, so, even if Jin were to contract with a King of Hell, the presence of his Companion should serve as quite the deterrent. If it didn't? Well, Vahn had never been the type to leave things purely to chance.

While its chaotic nature and tremendous magical potential were its selling points, the thing that made Jin's Companion truly powerful was its ability to break contracts. It could only use its power three times before the magic circuits inside its body became inert, but, so long as he didn't try and spam the ability, Jin had three 'get out of hell free' cards that would gradually replenish with time.

The only caveat to Companion's, Loptr's ability was that Jin would need to win its trust to make use of the ability. It would literally be sacrificing a part of its magical aptitude to pay for his mistakes, so, unless the bond between them was remarkably powerful, there was no reason for it to take the fall in his stead.

Fortunately, like all Companions, Loptr possessed a predisposition to at least try and get along with its partner. Its nature might be chaotic and mischievous, but, much like Loki, the person Vahn had in mind during its creation, it possessed a resolute nature and an overwhelming inclination to protect the people it cared about. So long as Jin didn't treat it poorly, Loptr would likely do everything in its power to protect the teal-haired Magus.

Since the Little Garden mandated that beings of a certain nature appear in a form that embodied its innate characteristics, the design Vahn settled upon for Loptr was a serpentine dragon with a black and white theater mask set with large ears resembling the hat of a harlequin. Its inordinately long and slender body was covered in white fur with black diamonds running along its spine while the fur of its underbelly, matching the orbs in its six hands, was a vivacious mixture of greens, reds, and yellows.

While it was considerably less grandiose than Seiun, Vahn was quite happy with how Loptr had turned out. He had always felt a certain kinship towards chaotic beings, so, while Loptr's design was all over the place, he found its appearance rather charming. Its inordinately long and thin arms were a little creepy, but, so long as you looked past its skeletal fingers and the remarkably uncanny mask covering its face, it was actually pretty cool...

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Since the flow of time within his workshop was entirely separate from the outside world, no time had passed by the time Vahn emerged with a chibi-esque white whale and a six-pawed cat wearing a theater mask sitting on his shoulders. Thus, while his other selves were having fun, he spent close to two hours waiting in the reception room while the No Names enjoyed the feast he had prepared. When they finally appeared, he ignored the visibly conflicted look on Asuka's face as he smiled and asked, "How was it? Did you enjoy the meal...?"

Before anyone else could reply, Yo, eyes blazing with a passionate light, made her way closer as she asked, "Are these also Companions? Can I pet them~?"

Amused by the excitable brunette's enthusiasm, a light chuckle emanated from Vahn's throat as he replied, "That's up to them. Before that, however, they need to bond with their partners. It would be problematic if you obtained their favor before they had the chance to imprint with the people they were intended for."

Though she looked a little remorseful hearing Vahn's words, it didn't take long for the smile to return to Yo's face when he looked towards Izayoi and Jin, stating, "I created this pair with the two you in mind. Note that while I said pair, they are not part of the Dualistic Companions I have been working on. They have been created with your specific capabilities in mind."

Crossing his arms, Izayoi adopted his characteristically cheeky smile as he said, "While I -appreciate the sentiment, I'm more than capable of increasing my strength on my own."

Resisting the urge to point out that his power was entirely the result of a Poet's machinations, Vahn just rolled his eyes before explaining, "I took that into consideration when I was creating them. This little fella doesn't increase your power...at least not directly. Instead, it provides you with the means to teleport around the battlefield and release your power without causing collateral damage to your environment. In other words, its abilities are centered around support and utility."

Before he had finished speaking, Vahn telepathically encouraged Seiun to approach Izayoi's side. It was able to swim through the air as freely as it would in water, and, despite resembling a whale, its personality was similar to that of a cat. Thus, despite the awkward smile on Izayoi's face, it rubbed nuzzled against him like a feline seeking affection.

Without waiting for Izayoi's response, Vahn shifted his attention to Jin, added, "And this little fella is for you. It is an enhancer similar to the Companions of Asuka and Yo, so, as long as you treat it well, it will help to increase your power. As for its abilities...you'll need to uncover those on your own. I'm not going to reveal all of its secrets. Just like Asuka and Yo, you'll need to earn its trust if you want to have access to its full capabilities."

Though it was unable to fly in its compressed form, Loptr quickly bounded over to the befuddled-looking Jin before leaping onto his shoulder and whispering something into his ear. Most of the Companions were perfectly capable of speech, but, more often than not, they used telepathy to communicate. As for what Loptr had chosen to whisper? Even Vahn didn't know. He just chalked it up to the creature's pseudo-demonic nature and decided not to pry...

With that in mind, Vahn shifted his attention to Lily, the only person bereft of a Companion within the core group of No Names. She didn't seem particularly bothered by the arrangement, likely due to the fact he had helped her contract with numerous elemental spirits, but Vahn still took it upon himself to explain, "I already have a Companion in mind for you. However, since you just removed a part of the seal I placed on your body, you need time to adapt to your new power. Once your body and spirit have completely stabilized, I'll be sure to introduce you."

Nodding her head in understanding, a marginally more radiant smile developed across Lily's face as she replied, "Thank you, Vahn. I'll be sure to cherish it."

Returning a smile of his own, Vahn rose to his feet, stating, "I have absolutely no doubt about that." before stretching his body and adding, "Anyways, I'm beat. Creating those two took a lot out of me so I'm heading off to bed. I encourage the five of you to do the same."

Without waiting for their responses, Vahn waved his hand before spontaneously disappearing. This caused the smile on Izayoi's face to become even wrier while Asuka, clearly troubled by what Vahn had said previously, exhaled a tired and exasperated sigh...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: "I can totally see Izayoi just napping atop Seiun's head...','For those who are unaware, Loptr is another name for Loki...','Oof. Asuka couldn't even get in a word xD...')

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