Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the introduction of so many new Heroic Spirits, things had gotten relatively hectic within the Empire. Though nothing too serious had transpired, there were obvious issues with existences such as Azathoth and Leviathan.

Semiramis had been in the process of collecting materials to create her Hanging Gardens after finally realizing she wasn't going to be able to get her way. This immediately ceased after the second round of summoning, however. She had seen Leviathan with her own eyes and, much like everyone else in Avalon, it had been quite the sight to behold. After this, she complained about her Noble Phantasm no longer mattering until Vahn personally showed up to explain that he had virtually no control over Levithan. He couldn't just use the colossal creature like a mount and, rather than be its Master, it felt more like the giant whale-like monster was just here to test him.

This excuse had allayed Semiramis' concerns but, after he easily drank the poisoned tea she offered him, she still holed herself up inside her room for a few days. He had given her permission to try and poison him to her leisure, something Semiramis had scoffed at in the beginning. Now, however, she was quickly beginning to realize his past claim about poison immunity wasn't just his boasting...

Outside of Leviathan and Azathoth, the rest of his second batch of summons had been relatively well behaved. This included Hati who, much to Vahn's surprise, ended up looking not all that dissimilar to Fenrir. The biggest difference was that Hati had navy-blue fur extending up to her biceps and thighs and, instead of being petite and adorable like Fenrir, she was far more physically mature.

Hati didn't actually have a tail but, as if to emulate one, she had extremely long and wild hair that cascaded down her back like rapids. Around three-quarters of the way down, there was a banded piece of silk that forced the unkempt hair into a faux-tail around her lower back. Her ears were also a lot smaller than Fenrir's and, rather than cute, they were sharp and angular like an actual wolf's.

The most curious aspect of Hati was that she wore a tattered cloth outfit that was bounded in silvery chains. She also had an antagonistic relationship with another one of his summons, Sol, as there had been a time when Hati's meaning for existence was chasing after the rather unfortunate woman...

Contrary to Vahn's expectations, Sol ended up being the female of the celestial twins. He had made the false assumption that Sol, meaning 'Sun', would be male while Mani, meaning 'Moon', would be the female of the pair. When a rather muscular woman with curly golden hair, sky-blue eyes, a set of full plate armor, and a massive shield appeared, he had been more than a little surprised.

Fortunately, while Hati seemed to hate Sol a great deal, her target had always been Muni while the task of devouring Sol had been the ultimate goal of Skoll. Hati was also surprisingly obedient from the very beginning so, with Sol not particularly caring about the transformed Vanargandr, the two were able to, at the very least, tolerate each other...

While Hati and Soli weren't a particular issue, they were still more troublesome than the final two summons Vahn had made. They were none other than Boudica, the vengeful queen of the Iceni peoples, and Spenta Mainyu, the ultimate trump card against Angra Mainyu.

Boudica was a remarkably beautiful woman with long red hair that seemed to dance slightly, even without any wind present to billow it. She was attired in blood-red ceremonial garb that was covered in finely engraved leather plates. What stood out the most, however, were the two skulls she wore on her shoulders and, though they seemed to be extremely lethal, her sword and shield were both battered, chipped, and covered in blood. Even her cape, which seemed to originally be made from a kind of pure white cloth, had become stained and marred with the blood of countless people...

As an Avenger Class Servant, the version of Boudica that had been summoned was the one who had led a rebellion against Rome between 60-61 ACE. She had done so after the death of her husband, King Prasutagus who, in good faith, left joint management of their Kingdom to his two daughters and the then Roman Emperor, Nero.

Rather than accept King Prasutagus' display of loyalty towards the Roman Empire, several greedy statesmen who had made the Iceni territory their home took advantage of the situation. They broke into the castle, flogged Boudica, and r.a.p.ed her two daughters until they ultimately gave up the right to rule. After they made a public statement to this effect, the two young women were put to death while Boudica could only lament until she was finally released by servants loyal to her family.

After escaping confinement, Boudica slaughtered almost every male Roman within her territory. The men responsible for the defiling and deaths of her daughters were publically castrated and, though her rebellion only lasted for a single year, she became famous for nearly leading the Roman Empire to ruin. Her forces had conquered three cities in a short period of time, laying low nearly 100,000 Roman and Roman sympathizers, many of which were killed using tortuous means.

Despite the atrocities she committed, Boudica was considered by many to be a folk hero. Her tale was one of tragedy where she, for no better reason than the greed of man, was forced to experience the worst things that could happen to a woman. Thus, while she did many terrible things, they were arguably better than the actions propagated by the Roman Empire at the time. After all, war crimes were extremely common, especially against women and children...

Contrary to her status as an Avenger, Boudica was actually a very polite and respectful woman once she understood the situation. Her aquamarine eyes did not reflect that glow of madness and, as the Roman Empire had fallen nearly 1500 years ago, her only enemies were those who committed vile acts against children and those who exploited others for personal gain.

After changing into attire more suitable for a Queen, Boudica became even more beautiful than the blood-stained version of herself. Though she earned a few lamenting gazes from some of the girls living in the castle due to her bust size being close to an F-Cup, combined with her height of 174cm, there weren't any issues. Rather, as one of the first Queens of Ancient Britannia, Boudica was quite fond of Avalon and, as could be expected, Artoria.

Boudica was extremely respectful to Artoria at first but, after a few days had passed, it became very apparent that there was more within her gaze than simple admiration. Rather, Boudica looked upon Artoria with similar eyes to Iris when interacting with Illya. This made Artoria a bit fretful as she didn't really know how to deal with someone essentially treating her, not as a child, but like their flesh and blood daughter. Her only true parental figure growing up was Merlin so Artoria ended up having no resistances to Boudica who, after questioning, openly admitted that Artoria reminded her of the two daughters she had lost.

After a great deal of awkward tension, the relationship between the two women eventually reached the point that Boudica would quietly watch over Artoria and offer her advice. Vahn had even walked in on Boudica giving Artoria a lap pillow once, earning a playful shushing gesture from her as Gray stood off to the side with a helpless expression. She, despite having a near-identical appearance to Artoria, had somehow escaped Boudica's maternal instincts, not that she had been that desperate for affection after the way her own mother had treated her...

While Vahn was curious about how things would develop between Boudica and Artoria, his main focus had, for various reasons, been elsewhere. He had resumed his training and, now that Okita and Jeanne had joined his semi-permanant entourage, Vahn had also been helping train them alongside Gareth. He also needed to spend time with his children and, whenever his women were in the mood, tend to their needs. This, combined with the time he spent checking on Azathoth and meditating on top of Leviathan, ensured that, even with the Projection, Vahn was very busy.

Fortunately, the girls themselves seemed to be very aware of this so, unless he riled them up, days could pass without any of them proactively seeking him out. Even Circe had realized this was the case so, whenever Vahn was feeling particularly stressed out, he could visit the menagerie and get pampered by her, Medusa, Gareth, and, to a much lesser extent, Medea. The latter was extremely kind-hearted so, while she had been troubled at first, it didn't take long before Medea took over the role of preparing tea and making sweets for everyone within the menagerie.

Still, of all the people in the castle, Vahn found the most comfort alongside his ever-faithful Fenrir. She knew better than anyone else when he was stressed out so, if she wasn't busy with other things, the lovable Vanargandr would simply appear to comfort him.

It was during these moments that Vahn allowed himself to just 'shut off' as, even during the evenings, he didn't really have the time to sleep. This was something that weighed heavily on Artoria's heart and mind but, as Vahn promised things would become easier when the negotiations with the Mage's Association were finished, she allowed him to push himself.

Fortunately, even without the care and concern of so many people, Vahn was in high spirits. While he did get stressed out at times, he was living an extremely fulfilling life where each moment was filled to the brim with love, intrigue, and many other positive emotions. His mental fatigue was the result of using the summoning system and, to a lesser extent, his time spent inside of Azathoth's Universe. It was a chaotic place that allowed him to comprehend many new things and, while it could be very taxing on the mind, Vahn knew it would make him a better ruler when he had his own...

---

While Fenrir was certainly the best at comforting Vahn, another person had been contending for the title, even without doing anything. This was none other than Spenta Mainyu who, by virtue of their existence alone, made everyone around them feel a sense of comfort and security. They didn't even need to be nearby as their influence was tied to the Bounded Field they inhabited, not proximity or association. Vahn had even tested this by taking Spenta out into the real world, stunning almost all of the world's powerhouses simultaneously as her influence was, quite literally, global.

Since he didn't want to cause too much of a commotion, Vahn only spent a short period of time outside of Avalon before taking Spenta back inside. While some would argue that it was better to let Spenta stay outside, as the world was made a better place just by virtue of their existence, Vahn was fully aware of how desperate some people would be in their efforts to monopolize or outright kill her. After all, rather than just let Spenta exist, people would want to proactively use her ability and, if allowed, Vahn knew that there would be people who want to study her without consideration for the young girl's opinion.

Despite having an unbelievable amount of power, Spenta Mainyu took on the form of a young girl with pure white hair, amber eyes, bronzed skin, and an emaciated appearance. When Vahn had first summoned her, she was even wearing a tattered linen cloth as her only piece of clothing. This ended up being a sac for storing grains that had been modified into a makeshift dress, giving the little girl an impoverished and pitiable appearance.

In spite of her appearance, however, Spenta had a perpetual smile on her face while her amber eyes shone with the light of hope. This caused people to feel a natural sense of awe and, in the case of many, Vahn included, they even felt a strong urge to be 'better'. There was something about seeing a small child who, despite appearing as though they hadn't eaten in weeks, hadn't lost hope in the world. Rather, their existence itself inspired hope and, before Vahn could make a move, the little girl had already been whisked away by Artoria and the others for safekeeping.

Now, a stark contrast to when she was first summoned, Spenta looked much healthier but, despite her apparent age, she didn't really play around like other children ought to. Instead, she spent most of her time seeking out those that she knew needed her presence and, though she apparently lacked the means to speak, Spenta was able to get others to open up to her. This had started with the other children, such as Juliet and Zoë who, after spending a few days with Spenta, ended up pouring their hearts out about their pasts.

For reasons he wasn't entirely unaware of, Vahn became the bed for Zoë's tears as he comforted the young girl who had suppressed her trauma. She had cried for several hours but, after the fact, gave one of the most sincere smiles Vahn had ever seen. In the days that followed, she stopped acting out as often and, despite having a penchant for harmless pranks, she had become notably happier. She even began putting a lot more effort into her training, this time seeking strength to protect others, not just herself...

---

None were spared in Spenta's efforts to make everyone happy, something Vahn actually envied a bit since she didn't have to really do anything. Still, he never blamed her for this and, like everyone else in the castle, enjoyed having her around. Just being in the same room as her made you feel nostalgic and comfortable so, when he was cuddling up with Fenrir, Spenta would sometimes appear just to sit at the side with a smile on her face. She now wore a pristine white dress that matched her hair in color while, at the center of her chest, a blue runic mark would gently pulse in a natural and calming rhythm.

Vahn had inspected the wing-like rune in the past but, no matter how hard he tried to focus on it, he couldn't actually 'remember' what the rune looked like. Even Da Vinci had failed to photograph the rune and, after a brief session of trying to analyze it with Ark, she ultimately shelved the matter until her equipment had been upgraded a few times. It was obvious that the rune on Spenta's body was something near Tier 5, even if the person in question seemed to have less physical power than an actual human child.

Despite her frailty, Spenta had the ability to purify anything with her blood, something that made Vahn feel a deep kinship with the mute Conceptual Entity. Da Vinci had wanted to take samples but, as Vahn felt she was too young for such things, he had told her to hold off on it until Spenta could make such decisions on her own. Even if Da Vinci's intentions were pure, Vahn himself felt more than a little uncomfortable with arbitrarily deciding how Spenta's pale-blue, phosphorescent, blood was used.

After that small incident, Spenta seemed to become rather fond of him so, when she wasn't busy with helping other people, she would often come seeking him out. Though he was usually busy with his own things, she would happily spend the time with Gareth, Okita, and Jeanne, the latter of which had become quite taken with the pale-haired girl. As a result, it wasn't uncommon for Vahn to finish his training, only to find Spenta sitting in Jeanne's lap as Okita and Gareth played cards at the side.

Though he had come to expect it, Vahn couldn't help but smile each time he saw Spenta getting along with everyone. Her presence alone would make the Empire a much happier place and, so long as they were careful, there was a good chance her influence could reach the entire world. This would undoubtedly bring a few troubles their way but, now that he could summon several Heroic Spirits at a time, there weren't many forces in the world that could even hope to contest them...

While not entirely accurate, as the sample size was too small, Da Vinci had been coming up with a system to analyze and evaluate the strength of others. She used the Familia Crest as a basis for her own system and, after several generations of tweaking, it could now roughly determine how strong everyone was compared to everyone else. Though this didn't necessarily mean one person would win over another, it still gave a rough estimate of power that allowed people to be categorized and ranked.

Da Vinci's system, much like how Status was displayed, showed people on a rating between E and S-Rank. There was also a U-Rank but this was reserved for existences that couldn't be evaluated based on the current system's capabilities. At present, the only people that fit this designation were, to no one's surprise, Artoria in her Avalon state, Scáthach in her Godslayer state, Merlin in his default state, and Vahn himself.

Vahn's power to be measured in an instant but, despite its best efforts, Ark was unable to calculate the upper limits of his potential as the result of an experiment could vary drastically, even with the exact same output. This was due to the fact that, while he may not be a conceptual entity, Vahn had the intrinsic ability to essentially be weaker or stronger based on his desires. When he was focused on gaining and going all out, his power would reach immeasurable levels, even with the same basic output.

What it ultimately came down to was Da Vinci's and, by proxy, Ark's inability to comprehend and define the existence of Laws. Thus, the stronger a person's understanding of Laws, the harder it was for Da Vinci's system to analyze and evaluate their strength. She had been making progress with the help of people like Lakshmibai, Kenshin, and Vahn but, with Goddesses like Ishtar, Ereshkigal, and Sol refusing to be 'experimented' on, her progress was slower than she'd like.

It was in an effort to gather more data that Da Vinci approached Artoria with a proposition, preying off the latter's not-so-secret battle l.u.s.t. She intended to stage an exhibition tournament that would allow everyone to familiarize themselves with each others' power. This would allow everyone to vent a bit of their pent-up stress and, if there were any grievances about the current hierarchy, it served the dual purpose of making clear where everyone stood.

Though she wasn't convinced at first, it didn't take long before Artoria got wrapped up in Da Vinci's momentum. She had already challenged just about everyone, with most turning down her offer, so it was an opportunity for her to complete her quest and get to know her people better. Some wouldn't appreciate being made to participate in such an event but, if they came up with adequate prizes for earnest participation, it shouldn't be hard to convince them. Thus, with one woman's desire for battle and another's desire for knowledge, the first official Imperial Tournament of Power was planned to take place.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Bodacious Boudica','Protec the Spenta','Artoria got played xD...')

(A/N: The original chapter included part 1 of the tournament but, after I opened up my MacBook this morning, I realized that the chapter I wrote only had 700 words instead of the original 3500. I'm not sure what happened so I decided to just flesh out and introduce characters this time around. I'll be releasing the tournament chapters in 2-3 parts so, based on the comments section, I'll either do them all at once or release them as I finish writing. This will be the last set of interludes before the official start of the next volume.)

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