Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After dealing with an overexcited Kali, Vahn was finally afforded a bit of time to think when Amaterasu, now fully clothed, asked, "What is it like, Vahn, becoming the first mortal to ascend to godhood? How do you feel...?" These words caused Kali, who had been twitching nearby, to calm down a bit as she rolled over and began listening in on the conversation. Vahn gave her a brief glance to make sure she wasn't acting up again before turning his attention back to Amaterasu and saying, "Honestly...it's a little hard to describe. It feels like I'm 'more' now, almost as if my previous existence was small and insignificant..."

With his domain having jumped from around 3.3km to a monstrous 8.5km in an instant, Vahn felt like the entire world was in the palm of his hands, even if it was only a small portion of it. As for Kali and Amaterasu, they just gave a small nod in response before the latter showed a radiant smile, placing both hands on her cheeks as she mused, "To think that we would bear witness to your ascent so soon...ehehehe~." Though she didn't harbor any doubts about the path she had decided upon, Amaterasu felt more than a little vindicated seeing Vahn reach godhood in such a short period of time. Since it was something that had occurred right in front of her, Amaterasu felt as if she was viewing the literal dawn of a new era, one in which Vahn would shine like the very sun she represented.

Seeing that Amaterasu seemed even happier than he was, Vahn's smile softened as he reached out his hand and began stroking her ears. This caused her face to quickly develop a blush before she grabbed his hand, moving it aside with a bit of reluctance visible on her face as she asked, "What Divinity have you come to possess? It feels very powerful..." Even though Vahn's aura seemed 'small', Amaterasu felt as if the Divinity he possessed had a quality that couldn't be matched by other gods. As Kali had similar thoughts, she had sat upright with an expectant look on her face as Vahn tilted his head in contemplation before saying, "It feels as if my Divinity is related to Creation, but my instincts tell me it is something a little different..."

Within the system interface, Vahn was able to confirm that he did indeed possess a Divinity related to Creation but, as Creation was actually somewhat abstract, it was hard to determine exactly what he was capable of. Awakening his Divinity had given him some insight into his 'purpose', as all gods within Danmachi seem to have been assigned a role, but even that took the form of vague images that were impossible to focus on. It was as if he were trying to recall a distant memory but, with his ability to 'remember everything', Vahn knew it was impossible for him to forget such a thing. This meant the Laws of the world were obscuring his ability to decipher his own Divinity as, compared to the precedent set by other gods, his was unique in the fact that it had no inherent limit.

Following his instincts, Vahn extended his index finger as a lotus made of Pure Fire Elemental Energy blossomed almost instantly. Instead of having to use his 'Oblivion' to shape the energy, Vahn felt as if it was a natural part of himself as he watched the Pure Elemental Energy emulate life atop his finger. It was a strangely mesmerizing sight that caused Vahn's mind to enter a state of 'nothingness' as Amaterasu and Kali watched on with widened eyes. Though the lotus atop Vahn's finger was beautiful in its own right, the fact that there was 'vitality' contained within the energy was something that shook both goddesses to the core. After all, even if Vahn himself wasn't aware of it, they were very aware of the fact that his actions were akin to having created a lesser Spirit without any discernable effort...

After watching the lotus reach full maturity, Vahn felt a connection to the tiny flower that caused a small smile to spread across his lips. Though it lacked sentience and the presence of a Soul, Vahn could feel that the lotus was 'alive', even if it existed in a form that ran perpendicular to how most life was formed. Turning his eyes to the system interface, Vahn could see that there was a new [Nameless] entity within his Unit Management list. The system recorded this small lotus as a mana construct that, if named, had the potential of becoming a creature that may even rival the gods one day. This thought caused Vahn to feel an overwhelming sense of pride, comparable to the emotional upheaval he would feel when bearing witness to the birth of his children...

Using his free hand to stroke one of the lotus' petals, Vahn murmured, "It is a shame you were not born a little later...I would have liked to see what you would have become if given a proper name. For now, I will call you Jade..." With the petals of the lotus looking like pale white jade, especially with how they possessed a slightly translucent sheen, Vahn felt the name was suitable. In the future, upon returning to the Record, Vahn promised that he would give his first genuine creation a real name. By then, his [Keeper of the Akashic Tome] would be even more powerful, allowing the tiny lotus to truly blossom into an existence worthy of its own significance...

Though it lacked sentience, the lotus atop Vahn's finger curled its petals inwards and, as if awaiting the day it would receive a proper name, entered into a budding state that seemed to be on the very cusp of blossoming once again. Since Vahn couldn't place it into his Inventory, he used the Unit Management function to place his newly named Jade into stasis before finally turning his attention back to the two gawking goddesses. Seeing as even Amaterasu's mouth was slightly agape, Vahn felt more playful than normal as he extended his finger to her lips, surprising her back to awareness as a red hue quickly ascended her neck until overwhelming her fair disposition. With upturned eyes, Amaterasu stared back at him as she said, "You undoubtedly have a Divinity related to Creation...it is a very rare ability, being able to create Spirits so freely..."

Having regained her own senses, Kali nodded her head in response to Amaterasu's words before adding, "Keep in mind that, while you may have no equals in the Mortal World, using your Arcanum without restraint will draw a lot of unnecessary attention towards you. Gods like Ouranos may be content with simply observing History, but there are many other gods who may try to intervene if they see you abusing your powers. Even without descending themselves, there are numerous ways in which gods can interact with the mortal world, some of which possess Creation Divinities far greater than your own. Though I don't imagine you will misuse your power, you should properly consider your actions from here onwards..."

With a goddess like Kali warning him, Vahn was overtaken by a momentary surprise before he was able to make sense of her words. She was, after all, speaking an irrefutable truth as, with what he knew of the gods, Vahn was very aware of the fact that he was closer to the bottom of the pyramid than anywhere near the top. Though he could seemingly create Lesser Spirits with a bit of guided thought, there were gods residing in Heaven that were capable of creating Greater Spirits. These Greater Spirits were some of the most powerful existences within the Mortal World as they often embodied the purest form of a specific Elemental Law. Though Vahn would be able to move without being restrained like other gods, it didn't mean that there were no forces in the world that could oppose him. Chief amongst these were the gods enshrined within the Dungeon as, even though they were also bound in a statuesque shape, it was clear to see that the amount of power they possessed dwarfed anything he had observed in other gods...

Nodding his head, Vahn alleviated Kali's concerns by explaining, "I have no intention of letting this new power get to my head. Though I will be using it to conquer the Dungeon, that will be the last time I exercise my Divinity within this world in its current state..." Vahn chose not to mention that, by the time he returned to the Record, any of the gods that Kali was worried about wouldn't be able to do anything against him. Neither she nor Amaterasu knew that he would be leaving soon, even if the latter seemed to have 'sensed' something with her uncharacteristically high perception. This was one of the things he had quickly come to appreciate about Amaterasu as, even though her status among gods was actually very high, she was an extremely modest and sensible goddess...

Sensing that Vahn was thinking about her, Amaterasu adopted a small smile as she asked, "What will you do now...?" She knew that Vahn was probably going to leave them, even if she didn't know exactly what that detailed. Now that he had become a god, Amaterasu knew his focus was no longer with her and Kali. This made her feel a little lonely but, having already prepared herself to observe the world Vahn would create from the sidelines, she kept a gentle and unperturbed expression to alleviate any anxiety Vahn might have about his own actions.

Responding to Amaterasu's words, Vahn explained, "My avatar was destroyed on the 98th Floor of the Dungeon. For the time being, I intend to create a new avatar before continuing my conquest of the Dungeon. I will also return to Orario to resolve a few things that require my attention...after that, I will come back to retrieve the two of you. Though you may wish to stay in the Far East and watch over your people, you should still have a place picked out at the Manor. I'll set up a teleportation ward so you can freely move between the Manor and the shrine whenever you please..."

Though she knew Vahn wasn't being truthful with her, Amaterasu smiled in response before nodding her head in understanding. Her instincts told her that the whole reason Vahn had brought Kali over was to keep her from interacting with others, at least for the time being. By the time he returned to pick her up, Amaterasu felt as if Vahn would no longer be the same person. Though he would undoubtedly continue along the path their promise was based upon, Amaterasu felt melancholic knowing there wasn't anything she could do to help him. Fortunately, Vahn seemed too distracted to notice the melancholy she kept buried in her heart as she wore a mask that even Loki would struggle to read...

---

After making arrangments with Amaterasu and Kali, Vahn quickly set about performing the actions he had decided were necessary to complete his Main Quest. First, even before he began to process of creating a new avatar, Vahn teleported to a small cave located a few kilometers away from Amaterasu's shrine. Though the province located around the shrine was typically very warm, courtesy of the sun's gracing the land with its presence throughout most of the year, the area he had teleported to was so cold that the perpetual Spring settled into the area had been, quite literally, frozen in time. The flora that was common in the surrounding mountains had been converted into beautiful ice sculptures by the overbearingly powerful Ice Elemental Energy contained within the air.

Fortunately, most of the fauna within the area had fled by instinct so, other than the insects that resided deep within the earth, most creatures had evaded an icy fate. As for the cause of the tundra-like qualities of this particular mountain, Vahn found it located deep within the small cave. There, seated atop a bed of ice, Fenrir was in a deep state of meditation as a mystical blue aura radiated from her body. At the same time, the crest on her abdomen had turned from a vibrant crimson into a muted, blood-red color. She had been using her newly awakened Innate to slowly devour the Destructive energy within Tiamat's blessing, literally converting the energy forced into her body into her own. Since she would lose it upon leaving the Record, something Vahn had explained to her, Fenrir had been training in earnest to absorb as much of the invasive energy as possible before it was time to leave.

Sensing the presence of her Master, Fenrir exhaled a stagnant breath that caused a dense cloud of condensation to shroud her figure. When she inhaled inward, however, this cloud immediately dispersed as small ripples appeared within the void, almost like a vortex leading to the interior of Fenrir's delicate lips. It was only after this that Fenrir opened her eyes, asking, "Master...is it time to go...?" Though Vahn's appearance had changed slightly, Fenrir wasn't even remotely concerned by the change as, regardless of what form he took, her Master was still her Master. If anything, she was happy that he had grown stronger, even if it made her feel a little bothered that she was falling even further behind...

Shaking his head, Vahn quietly explained, "We may be leaving sooner than expected, but not just yet. I wanted to check in on you and make sure you were okay as I may be away for a few days..." Vahn suspected that creating a new avatar might not be possible in his current state, as his understanding of the process was still a bit lacking. It was easy enough to make a new body, as he could literally grow one out of his own flesh, but ensuring it possessed a Divinity wasn't that simple. Much like Eva's memory fragment, the shard of Vahn's Divinity seemed to be a unique existence within his Soul. Though he may be able to fragment it even further, Vahn felt this would diminish his power greatly. This meant that, instead of conquering the Dungeon with his avatar, Vahn would have to enter the 99th Floor with his main body while his avatar was left to wrap things up on the surface...

Hearing her Master's words, Fenrir adopted a small frown before hopping off from her icy platform and saying, "I will come with you." Even without Vahn explaining that he would be entering into the Dungeon with his main body, Fenrir could sense something was wrong. She resolved herself to follow after him, even if he tried to refuse her assistance. If nothing else, she would forcibly return into her core state to force his hand on the issue. As Vahn could sense the resolve Fenrir had mustered up, he didn't even try to refute her and instead reached out his hand to stroke her head as he muttered, "This may be it, Fenrir...after I deal with Ouranos and finalize the treaty with the Land of No Sun, the last thing we have to do is conquer the Dungeon...are you ready?"

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Fenrir nodded her head before adopting a serious expression as she said, "When we come back, I want to deal with that one personally..." Even without specifying who she was talking about, Vahn knew that Fenrir had a grudge with Tiamat after being taken against her will. Though she was more than a little happy to have awakened her new Innate, Fenrir hadn't been that far away from achieving it through her own methods. Having someone else forcibly push her down a path she hadn't chosen caused her hunger pangs in the middle of the night. It felt like the mark on her abdomen was a fiery brand that was constantly burning her skin as it continued to feed an incredible amount of mana into the vortex located in her stomach...

As he also wanted to teach Tiamat a lesson, Vahn gave a nod in response to Fenrir's request, even if he knew there was a good chance neither of them would put her in their eyes upon returning. After all, even if she doesn't reach the peak of Tier 6, Vahn expected that Fenrir would be near the peak of Tier 5 by the time he linked the records. It was very difficult to increase the Tier of your Soul without having sealed Innates already embedded within it. He knew that there were several Innates slumbering within his own Soul, meaning it wasn't surprisingly easy to advance, but Fenrir would have to rely on her own comprehension to become stronger. Though he may be able to boost her with his [Keeper of the Akashic Tome], Vahn suspected that the path Fenrir wanted to walk was one of self-reliance...

After leaving Fenrir's impromptu cultivation cave, Vahn spread his senses through the area before frowning slightly. Knowing what he was going to ask, Fenrir explained, "Medusa said she found something interesting to the South and left two days ago..." As she spoke, Fenrir's face formed a deep frown as she wasn't that fond of her newest companion. This was a combination of the fact that she had been looking forward to traveling to other Records with her Master, just the two of them. Though Eva would undoubtedly be a part of the question at some point, she had already come to respect the latter while, from the first moment she had laid eyes on it, Fenrir hadn't been fond of the Rainbow Viper.

With a wry smile on his face, Vahn stroked Fenrir's head as he used his Unit Management to recall Medusa to his side. Though he could have gone to pick her up, Vahn felt he might get wrapped up in something problematic if he went to see what she found interesting. She seemed to have an instinctual draw to both treasures and troublesome things, something he was fully expecting to be both a boon and the cause of infinite troubles in other Records. As for why he had decided to take her along with him, it was due to the fact that he felt some fate with the small serpent, much like when he first stumbled across her in the Dungeon. He knew this was likely related to an Innate that was slumbering within her then developing Soul but, after naming her, Vahn hadn't been able to glean any insights into what exactly was special about her...

After being forcibly summoned, a petite girl with cascading silver hair and golden eyes appeared in the air before Vahn. He told himself it had nothing to do with him but, seeing Medusa's figure caused Vahn to internally sigh as he wondered why she had chosen such a form. The only things he had desired upon naming Medusa was that she would become more powerful while at the same time being a companion that could work alongside Fenrir. As a result, Medusa took on the form of a petite young woman that was only 139cm tall. Though she had a golden tail protruding out of her backside, with a few rainbow-colored scales neatly arranged along the fringe, her base appearance was heart-wrenchingly youthful. This was even more apparent as, much like Fenrir in the early days, Medusa had a problem with wearing clothing that Vahn hadn't personally picked out for her...

Seeing her Master, Medusa's face warped into an excited smile as she spread her arms and unhesitantly leaped towards him. Her long silvery hair, as if possessing a life of its own, began to coil around him as she happily rubbed her cheek against his and exclaimed, "Master, lets play~! I found something really really cool~!" At the same time as she began clinging to Vahn, Medusa's smiling face morphed into a slightly taunting look as she peaked over at Fenrir and poked out her bright red tongue. Fenrir's frown deepened upon seeing this before she unceremoniously grabbed Medusa's golden tail, shouting, "Smelly snake...!" before she tossed her to the side.

Medusa was currently much weaker than Fenrir so there wasn't much she could do besides allow herself to be thrown. This, however, didn't stop her from adopting a pitiful expression on her face as she plopped to the ground and began sniffling. Vahn knew she was only pretending but he still sent a warning look towards Fenrir that caused her to snort, even as her ears drooped ashamedly. Vahn habitually rubbed her head before lifting Medusa with his telekinesis and saying, "You shouldn't antagonize Fenrir so much, Medusa. It isn't too late for me to change my mind..." Though he would like to pretend he didn't play favorites, Vahn was very aware of the fact that Fenrir had cemented herself in an especially sensitive spot within his heart.

Knowing her antics had gone too far, Medusa showed an apologetic expression as she lowered her head and muttered, "I'm sorry, Big Sis..." in a demure tone. Though it sounded a little half-hearted to Vahn's ears, he still set Medusa on the ground before explaining, "We may be leaving sooner than expected so I'll have to ask you to either return to your core state or go into stasis for the time being. Don't worry, it should only be a few days this time around..." As he spoke, Vahn could see Medusa adopt a pouting expression on her still lowered face but, by the time she looked up, it had vanished entirely as she said, "I understand. I want to go with Master so I will behave..." Then, without any hesitation, Medusa's body turned into rainbow-colored dust before a deep purple magic core, glowing with intense rainbow light, fell towards the ground. Vahn quickly snatched it out of the air, feeling the cores peculiar warmth before setting it within his Inventory. Once this was done, he turned towards Fenrir before extending his hand and saying, "Let's go..." in a gentle yet determined voice...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The birth of the Jade Lotus...','You think you can force me to use your energy? Good, good, good, Fenrir could use a snack...!','Medusa, Fenrir's rival...?')

(A/N: It may not come as a surprise to any of you that this Medusa shares the same design as the Primal Beast from Granblue Fantasy. Vahn's desire for Fenrir to have a companion meant that the form Medusa took was from the same Record of origin as Fenrir herself. Like the matter with Nagato/Amaterasu, this was something that had been determined long ago when the Rainbow Viper was first introduced. By the way, I love Granblue fantasy xD (Rank 128)...)

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