Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2178: Tempo

Though it took weeks to get everyone settled, only a few minutes had passed from the perspective of people outside the Sage Dragon's Hearth. Vahn and Da Vinci had gone to great lengths to make sure each of the territories affiliated with the Aldrnari Empire referenced the same temporal axis. As a result, they needed only to inform Will of their intentions and they would basically have as much time as they required.

Taking advantage of this remarkably convenient function, Artoria, Eva, Rin, Luvia, Olga, Tamamo, Semiramis, Arika, Theo, Asuna, and pretty much everyone affiliated with the Council of Wives gave Vahn a lecture he wouldn't soon forget. They weren't actually upset with him. Rather, after learning how long he had been gone, they took it upon themselves to make sure he knew exactly how much they loved him.

Fortunately, while a few of the girls did whisk her away for a 'very' long discussion, no one blamed Sarina for the inordinately long delve into an Actualized World. They just wanted to hear her side of the story, and, more importantly, ascertain how her character might have changed. Even a few days with Vahn could be a transformative experience. Thirty-seven years may as well have turned her into a completely different person.

Before her descent into the Actualized World of Dragon Ball, Sarina had been lacking in power and confidence. Now, while her Authority and comprehension were lacking, she possessed enough raw power to go toe-to-toe with people like Yuri. She would eventually lose, but, considering the latter was hundreds of years old and possessed an even greater mastery of Ki, that wasn't too surprising.

Though she had the option of becoming a Saiyan, Sarina elected to follow the evolutionary path of a Human. As a result, she was managed to go from a High Human to a Demigod in just a few short years. Her penultimate goal had been ascending to the status of a God, but, despite gaining access to God Ki near the very beginning of her journey, she was never able to master it.

One of the problems with entering a world you were familiar with was that very little could surprise you. Sarina had trained hard, but, knowing the relative strength of your opponents years in advance led to her becoming complacent. It didn't help that she had people like Broly around since the start. She had done her best to try and compete with him, but, the moment the latter's Legendary Saiyan Biology kicked in, he surpassed everyone by leaps and bounds.

With most threats being dealt with long before they had the chance to mature, Sarina's interest in training gradually waned until the arrival of Beerus. This was around the time she suffered her first major defeat, as, shortly after the God of Destruction's arrival, even Broly was knocked unconscious with very little effort. After that, the cat-like God handily defeated each of the Z-Warriors until Vahn stepped in to bring an end to the conflict.

Realizing how close they were to the Battle of Gods and the Tournament of Power, Sarina began training in earnest. She may have given up trying to surpass people like Broly and Goku but that didn't mean she was going to just stand aside and let people like Caulifla and Kale steal her status as the most powerful female mortal.

In the end, Sarina was able to defeat Caulifla without too much effort, as, unlike in the series she and Vahn were most familiar with, Vegeta hadn't been around to teach Cabba how to become a Super Saiyan. As a result, Caulifla ended up participating in the Tournament of Power in her base state. She was still monstrously powerful, but, without the 100x multiplier of Super Saiyan Two, it was impossible for her to contend against Sarina's magically enhanced Kaio-ken.

Unfortunately, Sarina had never been the most forward-thinking individual. Her desire to defeat Caulifla had blinded her to the larger threat to her status as the most powerful female mortal: Kale.

Similar to Broly, Kale was a very passive woman with very little interest in combat. This changed the moment she witnessed Sarina celebrating Caulifla's defeat. Her rage immediately boiled over, and, were it not for Broly coming to her aid, Sarina may have been killed the moment Kale transformed into a Legendary Super Saiyan.

Fortunately, for everyone involved, the disparity between Broly and Kale was like Heaven and Earth. The former had spent nearly thirty years mastering his transformation, and, thanks to the training methods provided by Vahn, his power eclipsed even the Angels when he entered Super Saiyan Four, colloquially known as Super Saiyan: Sage Mode due to its reliance on natural energy.

When everything was said and done, Broly ended up emerging as the final victor in the Tournament of Power. As for Sarina, she ended up being knocked out of the ring shortly after Jiren realized Broly was a legitimate threat. After that, she and Caulifla became fierce rivals as the latter, alongside Kale, migrated to Universe 7 in order to train under Vahn.

With a powerful female rival, Sarina was able to increase her power by several orders of magnitude in a very short period of time. Caulifla was eventually able to surpass her after making Super Saiyan her base state, but, with the latter possessing absolutely no affinity with magic, Sarina was still able to secure victory in around thirty percent of their spars.

In essence, Sarina had developed more in the final seven years than the thirty preceding them. She went from being a relatively level-headed individual to a battle-hungry maniac with a penchant for fighting first and asking questions later. A lot of this could be attributed to Caulifla, but, more than that, it was their imminent return that compelled Sarina to train harder than ever before. She didn't want to return only to find she was still one of the weakest members of the Sage Dragon's Hearth, so, for the better part of six years, Sarina had trained tirelessly to shatter her limits. Fortunately for her, Vahn's unwillingness to impregnate her had left Caulifla feeling more than a little frustrated, so, no matter how often Sarina wanted to train, the golden-haired Saiyaness was more than willing to accompany her…

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While several of his counterparts were helping everyone get settled in, another version of Vahn was still attending Wu.

Unsurprisingly, thirty-seven years apart had drastically affected how Vahn viewed the petite monkey girl. She suddenly appeared even more adorable, and, perhaps as a result of the amount of time he had spent with Caulifla, he couldn't help imagining the two of them overlapping, tails coiled around one another as he teased them both.

Surprising the petite monkey girl quite a bit, Vahn asked, "Will you return with me to the Sage Dragon's Hearth…?" just as she was making herself comfortable atop his lap.

Not expecting such a question, especially after Vahn had shown very little interest in making use of her power, Wu found herself unable to respond. She would be lying if she said the thought hadn't crossed her mind. Unfortunately, her pride didn't allow her to ask, and, due to her contract with the Buddhist Faction, her fate was tied to the Jade Palace. She could leave for short periods of time, but, the moment she tried to break away, much of her power and authority would be lost.

Though Fragments of Origin could bestow someone with great power, they could also be a double-edged sword. This was especially true for individuals whose powers were directly associated with or linked to a specific group. Such was the case for Wu, so, unless she was acting in the interests of the Jade Palace, her power would be significantly reduced. To make matters worse, there was a very real possibility that she would become susceptible to foreign Poets…

According to the Demon King of Confusion, Wu had actually been a man in the past. She obviously didn't believe this, but, with most of her incarnations in the Lower Realms being male, she couldn't deny the possibility existed. This resulted in her existence becoming less defined, so, while she was tempted to agree to Vahn's proposal, Wu found herself unable to voice her heart's desire. The one thing she and many other beings in the Divine Realm were afraid of was being forgotten…

Sensing the fear and trepidation contained in the deepest recesses of Wu's mind, an affectionate smile developed across Vahn's face as he stared into her emerald green eyes and said, "The Little Garden is set to experience great changes in the near future. If being together isn't enough reason to convince you, ask yourself this. Would you rather be at the forefront of the changes to come or remembered as someone who sat at the sidelines?"

Furrowing her brows, a threatening glimmer flashed across Wu's eyes as she whispered, "You're playing with fire talking like that…"

Returning a dauntless smile, Vahn reached down to cup Wu's butt, his fingers digging into her firm yet pliant flesh as he retorted, "I'm brave enough to love the legendary Sun Wu Kong. There isn't a flame in all of creation that could intimidate me…"

Though she was tempted to headbutt him for daring to fondle her butt in the middle of a serious conversation, Wu's anger was promptly assuaged by Vahn's confession. A warm and fluttery feeling spread through her chest, and, though it didn't show in her expression, the curling and twitching of her tail gave away the fact she was happy.

Hammering the proverbial final nail into the coffin, Vahn drew his lips progressively closer to Wu's as he said, "Let's shake up the Little Garden and create a new legend…together…"

Without waiting for Wu's response, Vahn sealed her slightly parted lips with his own. This caused the golden-haired monkey girl to tense, but, after weeks of 'weaning', her desire for intimacy had reached unbearable levels. She could also sense Vahn's desires more powerfully than ever before, so, after a very brief moment of panic, she habitually tore away at the fabric of his tunic, her tongue eagerly entangling with his as the sofa and floor beneath them spontaneously collapsed due to the strain and intensity of her movements…

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Witnessing the remarkably intense and passionate session of lovemaking between Vahn and Wu, a glimmer of concern flashed across Shiroyasha's luminescent golden irises. Vahn's extended stay in the Actualized World of Dragon Ball was something she hadn't accounted for, so, while she didn't think it would affect her plans, the notion that he was far beyond her control had reaffirmed itself within her mind.

Fortunately, while the implications behind Vahn's existence were terrifying, so much so that it had caused her to question the very nature of reality, Shiroyasha was confident that he didn't actually need to be controlled. Vahn was altruistic to a fault, so, even if he did become the most powerful being in existence, it wouldn't corrupt him. The greater threat would always be the people around him, as, even if he had the means to know their thoughts, Vahn had a bad habit of limiting himself when it came to the people he cared about. If someone particularly clever got their hands on him, he might not even try to stop them from exploiting him.

She would know…

"It would appear my reunion with that hateful woman is fast approaching…well, at least I won't be the only one to suffer this time around…"

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'TBH, I can't really blame Sarina for slacking off when Broly basically solos the entire verse xD…','Sun Wu Kong? More like Sun UwU Kong…','Shiroyasha the Schemer…')

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