Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With a blood-curdling scream, Svin began to lash out against the surrounding cage while trying to purge the flames from his body. Even in his fully transformed state, Ereshkigal's flames seemed to completely ignore his resistances as an unbearable pain wracked his entire body. It felt like his soul itself was burning, causing Svin to enter into a maddened berserk state as he punched and kicked furiously at the surrounding cage.

From the side, Gray had already risen to her feet after recovering Add, now in the shape of a rather vicious looking scythe. Hearing Svin's scream was harder on her than she expected as, even though she hated what he had become, they had been good friends for many years. Seeing someone you used to consider one of your only friends being burned alive wasn't easy so Gray clutched the sides of her hood, pulling it over her eyes as she covered her ears to try and muffle the sounds. This was all she could do to prevent herself from asking Ereshkigal to show mercy on Svin who, even though he had held her captive in the past, had been an otherwise good man...

Unlike Gray, Ereshkigal's gaze didn't even fluctuate in the slightest as she continued holding out the pale-golden cage, endlessly feeding it flames that were intended to purify the soul. Though this was supposed to take a long period of time, easily exceeding thousands of years, she could accelerate the process to use it as an attack. The flames themselves dealt no physical harm and instead burned away the sense of self of the user so that they could be reincarnated once again. When the blood-red flames dissipated, Svin would still be alive but everything that made him the person who he was would no longer be present. Since she could tell that Gray didn't actually want to kill the feral man, this was the only mercy Ereshkigal decided to grant him.

Amidst the blood-curdling screams, several pale-gold beams of light tore through the darkness, creating small spatial cracks within Ereshkigal's Reality Marble. From the outside, the Reality Marble looked like a massive black sphere that was covered in a series of incredibly complex runes and, though it was very difficult for people to pass through the shell from the outside, it was far from impossible. As a result, a young woman with blond hair and blue eyes broke through fragmented space, following closely behind by a man with sleek black hair and pitch-black eyes. The bullets had apparently been fired from the surprisingly young girl who was geared from head-to-toe in tactical equipment that made her look like a military junky. However, with a set of four differently styled pistols, complete with an assortment of grenades, it was easy to understand she wasn't just playing around...

Ereshkigal didn't mind people breaking into her Underworld as, now that they were present within, there was little they could do within her dominion. She just brandished her spear towards the pair, sending waves of thorny red vines twining through the seemingly endless graveyard that forced them to take evasive action. In response to this, the blond-haired woman pulled out an ivory-colored pistol that was slightly larger than the other three. It had golden runes carved along the sides and, when fired, created a dazzling white light that drew a lethal arc towards Ereshkigal's heart. Instead of trying to evade it, however, Ereshkigal tilted her spear into the trajectory, deviating it from its course as she observed the young woman with cold eyes.

Seeing her attack deflected so easily, the blond-haired girl shouted, "F.u.c.k! This bitch isn't simple. Bradley, what the hell are you waiting for!?" Though she didn't seem any older than fourteen or fifteen years old, the girl had a rather foul mouth that caused Ereshkigal to frown slightly as she sent another wave of vines towards her. At the same time, the man identified as Bradley covered his right eye with his gloved hand, speaking in a low and eerie tone, "Demon King's right eye...it is time to claim another victim..." Following this, he lowered his hand to reveal a triangular rune burning within while the black of his iris spread to cover the whites of his eye.

Faster than she was capable of reacting to, Ereshkigal felt a strong pushing force pass through her body that knocked her back several meters. Then, atop her left b.r.e.a.s.t, a similar red rune had been embedded into the fabric of her raiment and an area of her skin. Though it was obvious that Bradley had been aiming for her heart, Ereshkigal's expression turned even colder as a reddish-black aura began to expand outwards from her body. Her maroon eyes began to turn a striking blue color at the edges as she looked towards Bradley and stated, "You defiled the body of this Goddess...you will burn...!"

Seemingly undaunted, Bradley gave a creepy smile in response as he venomously stated, "You have already been marked by the Demon King's eye. Only death awaits you, false Goddess...!" With this exclamation, Bradley pointed a finger-gun towards Ereshkigal and made a 'pa' sound with his lips. This caused the rune on Ereshkigal's body to sink slightly into her skin, burning the fabric of her raiment and flesh in the process. When this happened, a series of events that surprised everyone was set into motion as, instead of immediately being killed like she was 'supposed' to be, Ereshkigal was able to resist the rune's attempts to pass through her body, pointed her spear towards Bradley with a vicious look in her eyes.

Much like his own attack, which instantly affected anything within his line of sight, Bradley hadn't even processed what happened by the time a seering sensation spread through his body. It was only after the pain hit him that he noticed the fact that Ereshkigal's spear had extended more than thirty meters to pierce him straight through his diaphragm. The malevolent aura that accompanied the spear quickly began to encroach upon his body, bringing with it an indescribable pain that he was unable to voice due to having his diaphragm pierced. He could only painfully gag as his body was consumed by ghostly flames that began to suck him into Ereshkiga's spear as the blond-haired girl shouted, "You f.u.c.k.i.n.g bitch! Let him go! Stop it! I said stop, stop, stop...!"

With her bullets being consumed by the reddish-black aura surrounding Ereshkigal's body, the girl could only scream and curse as tears began to build up in her eyes. In response to her outburst, Ereshkigal coldly explained, "You lack the conviction to lose your life...and are afraid to see your friends die...you should not have become a killer...death is not a tool you can use to get your way..." As a Goddess of Death, Ereshkigal had little tolerance for those who used it as a means to get their way yet, when forced to face their own, they became like petulant children and lashed out at others instead of accepting the responsibility for their actions.

In response to Ereshkigal's words, the blond-haired girl pulled several grenades from her belt as she shouted, "F.u.c.k you...!" Then, with tears pouring from her face, she attempted to throw the grenades towards Ereshkigal to interrupt her attempt to absorb Bradley and the perpetual burning of Svin. The moment the grenades left her hand, powered only by the meager strength of a relatively normal human girl, a barricade of thorny vines emerged like a wall just a few meters away from her. This caused the grenades to impact against the flaming vines, rebounding them towards the wide-eyed girl as she quickly pulled a cord in her vest and crouched down in a fetal position just moments before the grenades erupted around her...

After a series of thunderous explosions, Ereshkigal moved the wall of vines while reducing her spear to a normal size once again. Now, at her hip, there was a 5cm long cage that had a small flame burning inside of it as, keeping her promise with Bradley, she would allow him to experience the slow-burning of his soul until nothing remained of his Ego several hundred years down the line. Though this may seem unbelievably cruel from the perspective of some, there was a price to pay for defiling the body of a Goddess and, at least before the Age of Men, this was how all souls in the Underworld were treated. She had seen billions burn within the cages of her dominion and, though she had often tried to come up with methods to ease their suffering, Ereshkigal had no empathy for Bradley after his indiscretions.

By the time the smoke and debris cleared away, there was a battered and bruised young girl laying on the ground, not as a result of the grenades themselves, but due to the red vines that were tightly binding her body. These vines were made from the ghostly flames of the Underworld given physical form, making them virtually impossible to resist without having Holy or Anti-Divine armaments. As a result, the blond-haired girl was left crying on the ground as the vines buried themselves into her body rather mercilessly.

It wasn't until Rin stepped in, feeling more than a little perturbed by Ereshkigal's cruelty, that the girl was given any lenience. Since they needed people to be held accountable for this blatant attack in broad daylight, she had Ereshkigal stop short of killing the girl. Svin had already collapsed within his cage with a dull expression on his face as drool poured from his slightly parted lips. The previously blood-red flames now burned with a similar bluish-white as his Beast Transformation but, instead of being a proponent of his own abilities, this simply represented that he had already been purified. As Ereshkigal didn't know the customs of the world all that well, even with the knowledge she obtained from the Holy Grail, she ultimately conceded to Rin's request before returning control back to her.

Emerging n.a.k.e.d within the department store, as Ereshkigal was no longer present to keep her Reality Marble manifested, Rin felt incredibly embarrassed as she pulled a set of clothes out from her storage bracelet while doing her best to ignore the burning pain on her chest. There was still a rather vicious triangular ringed wound burned into her left b.r.e.a.s.t and, though she felt somewhat sorry for the young girl that had experienced much worse, Rin didn't empathize with Bradley's fate all that much. Though she would probably calm down after the adrenaline wore off, she felt he 'needed' to suffer for a bit before she ultimately had Ereshkigal allow him to die in a more peaceful manner.

After rejoining with Gray, the latter had a concerned expression on her face as she asked, "Are you okay?" She could only imagine how painful a large burn on the chest could be but, surprisingly, Rin just gave a wry, albeit pained, smile as she answered, "This doesn't even make my top ten. At least, if there is a scar, I can get Vahn to remove it for me...ahaha...ha..." Mentioning Vahn made Rin miss him a lot more than normal as, if he were present, neither of them would have had to go through such an experience. This sentiment seemed to be shared by Gray who, after looking towards the collapsed body of Svin, muttered, "I want to go back to the Mansion..."

---

Shortly after the battle had come to an end, several members of the Edelfelt security forces entered into the virtually decimated department store. After 'securing' Rin and Gray, they were alighted back to the Edelfelt Mansion as, even though they should have arrived long ago, the Enforcement Division had yet to arrive. This indicated they had been paid off or that someone above Svin had pulled some strings to delay their response. Now, though the Enforcement Division would undoubtedly try to lay some blame on Rin and Gray, they would have to go through the Edelfelt's since, after this farce, there was no way either girl would listen to the 'demands' of the Mage's Association.

This was a fiasco that could cause just as much a stir as the new of Angra Mainyu's descent as, with the current tensions within the Clock Tower, even minor events could get blown out of proportion. If it was publicized that the Aristocratic faction within the Clock Tower was already trying to forcibly capture people, to the point they weren't even paying attention to the Laws that had governed the Association for more than two-thousand years, it would cause a great deal of chaos.

To try and skew the facts in their favor, several noteworthy figures within the Aristocratic faction decried Svin as an errant element who, feeling pressured by the world's end, had lost his mind and allowed his elevated status to get to his head. At the same time, however, rumors of Gray's 'true identity' began to circulate around, causing some within the Association to try and demand that she also be given a sealing designation. Even more than Gray herself, however, they wanted to get their hands on Add as, even though Svin had never revealed the truth of its identity, rumors of its true identity riled up several of the more powerful Magus families. Securing one of the most powerful weapons in the world for themselves, especially with the end of the world on the horizon, was of imperative importance to any family that still considered themselves separate from the Association.

At this point, the only thing keeping some of the more powerful families from storming the Edelfelt Mansion was the fact that Luvia's Grandmother was still alive and, unless they intended to send some of their heavy hitters out, it was impossible to use lower-class Magi, golems, homunculi, and familiars to try and directly face off against the Edelfelt's mercenary forces. Even if they did send out their family's main forces, this attempt would be a significant loss of face for any family that resorted to such actions, especially during these chaotic times.

As the Edelfelts were one of the ten most powerful Magus families, while also being considered one of the most wealthy, antagonizing them for the sole purpose of 'stealing' a single weapon would send unstoppable waves through the Magus Community. This could potentially send the entire community into a Civil War as, if even the upper echelons of their society were willing to go to such extremes, everyone would begin to panic even more.

Due to these reasons, other than lobbying to have Gray given a sealing designation and having her 'willingly' relinquish Add, there was little they could do without Luvia giving in to the pressure and turning Gray over to them. As the Edelfelt's were famous for their obstinance and loyalty, however, even normal students didn't believe she would crack and turn over one of her allies, especially when it seemed like the Clock Tower were blatantly displaying their corruption. In fact, instead of showing any signs of bowing down, Luvia issued a public statement, requiring the Clock Tower administration to be held accountable for their own words.

With the Association Director just recently announcing that such actions would not be tolerated, Luvia refused to let the matter just lay. Even though the Aristocratic faction claimed that Svin acted on his own, there were very few people who even remotely believed this. Though Zelretch wasn't a part of the Mage's Association, the fact he had made an appearance at the Director's side showed they were at least cooperating together. There was no reasonable justification for them allowing a member of the Clock Tower to cause a scene in public, especially when the 'catalyst' behind the attack was the very 'quota' they were requiring every member of the Association to fill.

Though it was a bit extreme, Luvia openly postulated a question that sent ripples through the majority of the Association, asking, "Does the Clock Tower now have sovereignty over all the other families? Will the 'quota' in the future start to include the lives of its affiliates just for the sake of benefitting those at the top? Are they going to start arbitrarily issuing Sealing Designations just so they can 'justifiably' rob the possessions of other Magi...?" These were questions lingering in the hearts and minds of many of the more vulnerable members of the Association, especially after having to show up and have to their blood drawn for uses they couldn't even see...

In response to Luvia's demands, a directive came from the Director to change how the quotas were met as they originally had no part in deciding what was requested. This task had been left to the various Lords and Department Heads previously but, as could have been expected from the start, there were a number of Aristocrats exploiting this system to benefit their own family. Now, all of the Department Heads were required to gather together to determine what contributions each large family would have to make while the blood requirements for students and lower-class Magi had been significantly reduced.

To encourage donating more, students could exchange their blood for increased access to the Spirit Grave Albion. Previously, only fourth and fifth-year students that had some achievements would be able to gain access to the 'Dungeon' located beneath the Clock Tower but, as now was the most opportune time to increase the capabilities of all its Magi, a special exception had been made to allow students to 'buy' time. Though their access was still strictly regulated and required to hand over most of what they harvested, they still stood to benefit greatly compared to how things had been in the past...

At the same time that the directive had gone out, the Association Director also contacted Luvia's Grandmother directly. They didn't make any demands persay, as the Edelfelt family had never been shy to confrontation, but promised that the matter of Gray's Sealing Designation would be buried while the individual quota requirements would be significantly reduced. In exchange, the Director hoped that Luvia's Grandmother would prevent her Granddaughter from saying anything that would sow even greater discourse within the Clock Tower. She agreed to do this, but only after having the Director promise to allow those associated with the Edelfelt family greater freedom in exchange for increased financial support and a few artifacts her family had secured over the centuries...

After coming to an accord, Luvia had gone relatively silent as, even though she was the Head of the family, she was very respectful of her Grandmother. There was also the simple fact that they had colluded together on this matter before she met with the Director so, after the meeting had come to an end, Luvia shared the good news with Rin, Sakura, Gray, and Olga. The latter had already been in touch with her father and, after a series of long discussions, ultimately agreed to ally herself directly with the Edelfelt's. Among the other three girls, Rin felt a great deal of relief as, with the Director's promise, she would be able to leave London without drawing too much attention. After the previous attack, any action taken against them would almost immediately throw the Clock Tower into even greater turmoil so they had a lot of freedom to move, at least until the current status quo changed once again.

With that in mind, Rin didn't waste any time to renegotiate the terms of many of her contracts, using Luvia's backing to even get out of the majority of them. Though some of her clients were less than understanding, they eventually showed leniency after entering into a direct contract with the Edelfelt family for even greater benefits than what Rin alone could offer. Then, though it was much sooner than she expected to leave, Rin, Sakura, Gray, and Olga were alighted from London via helicopter to the Edelfelt's private Manor in Northern Ireland. The Manor served as both a stronghold and the center of operations for the family's Alluvial Gold mining in the region. It was a native alloy that could be found in streambeds, a very rare amalgamation of Gold and Silver that could be used to produce extremely valuable armaments due to its inherent purification capabilities.

While the others were being secured in a safe location, Luvia still had her own affairs to deal with as, even though there was a lot going on in her life, she was still the Head of the family and needed to deal with their business partners. Now was actually an ideal time to reap several benefits and, much like her Ancestors, Luvia wasn't shy at all when it came to fishing in troubled waters. After all, there was a reason many of the other Aristocratic families referred to her family as the 'most elegant hyenas above the ground'. If she panicked like the other families and missed out on all these new business opportunities, Luvia felt like she would have betrayed hundreds of years of her heritage. Since this also allowed her to draw focus away from Rin and the others, Luvia was more than willing to play the shark swimming amongst panicked fishes...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Dayum, Eresh, you scary...','The Edelfelts aren't afraid to flex xD...','Luvia is not easily spooked (o 3 o)...')

(A/N: It is amazing how tired you can feel when you sleep a lot xD. I'm feeling much better today but, as everyone seems almost too worried, I'll go ahead and take it easy today as well. There will still be another chapter later, however, so look forward to it (^_^)~!)

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