Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Ever since the first time he held Court, Vahn had made a habit of convening everyone at least once a week, real-time. This gave everyone nearly a month and a half of recess within the Projection so it hadn't really caused any disputes thus far.

During normal circ.u.mstances, Vahn would just listen to Gawain's reports before having everyone share any pertinent issues. When that was said and done with, he would make a personal address to bring the session to an end. Following this, a banquet would be held to discuss things of less import to the Empire where everyone, Gawain included, would participate. This was intended to be a social gathering of sorts, bringing together everyone in spite of their divergent schedules.

This time around, Vahn thought the most important matter on the dossier was discussing the ritual and deployment of Semiramis' 'Hanging Gardens of Babylon' but, before the discussion proceeded to the next phase, Artoria interrupted the session with a matter of her own.

As Empress, Artoria had more than enough leeway to make public requests so, after a brief moment of surprise, Vahn smiled affectionately before giving her permission to enter the well and address the Court. He could tell she was a little excited so, rather than confer with her in private, he was just as interested as everyone else to hear what she intended to discuss.

After getting permission, Artoria had a fervent smile on her face as she gave a polite bow and stated, "Your Majesty. If it does not displease you, I would request that you play host in a tournament, one officially sanctioned by the Empire. The Empire currently stands on the brink of a mass expansion so, before things become even more chaotic, I believe it would be prudent to glean an understanding of everyone's capabilities."

Vahn wasn't actually all that surprised by Artoria's request as he knew she and Da Vinci had been cooking up something behind the scenes. Still, he couldn't help but smile thoughtfully in response to her question. He gave her leniency to raise her head before tapping on the armrest of his Throne for several seconds in serious contemplation. She didn't really need to make any further arguments as, when it came down to it, the decision was ultimately his to make.

Though his mind was mulling over the event's details, Vahn's eye had passed over everyone in the room. He even activated his View Affection for a brief moment to ascertain whether or not their reaction was dictated by genuine surprise, frustration, annoyance, or perturbance.

As could be expected, a number of people present weren't at all enthused by Artoria's proposition, despite it being an inherent truth that it was better to understand each others' capabilities. It wasn't an exaggeration to say he was also curious about how strong everyone was but, as there was always a chance 'something' could go wrong, Vahn never thought to hold such an event himself. He would have to work with Da Vinci, Merlin, and Vivian to produce failsafes and, in order to make sure the greatest amount of participation, he would need to provide ample rewards...

Not once did Vahn consider not hosting the tournament as, until now, Artoria had never really made any public requests like this. Since he was curious about the results, he felt this was an opportunity to give her the face she deserved as his Empress. It was obvious that Da Vinci had talked her into the event but, as this was leverage that could be used to have the hermetic Magus participate in a public spectacle, Vahn was more tempted than usual.

It didn't take long for Vahn to work out the details before ultimately nodding his head and stating, "We cannot deny our own interest in this event. Though exceptions can be made, We will decree that all capable combatants participate in the coming tournament. If necessary, We will create a division between Knights and Magi. To compensate everyone for the trouble, a plethora of rewards will be prepared just for proactive participation. As for the final victor...hmmm...We will grant them a single request. So long as it is within my power and does not violate the ideology of the Empire, there is no limit to what you may request."

While it may sound like a false promise coming from anyone else, there were few doubts among the standing members of the Court when it came to the veracity of Vahn's claim. There was very little he couldn't promise to someone as, when it came down to it, even concepts like Space, Time, Life, and Death were inconsequential to the Empire. He could even provide Heroic Spirits with physical vessels that far exceeded the limits of their original bodies, effectively granting wings to a group of tigers.

There were mixed responses to Vahn's statement but, when they heard that there would be a divide between Knights and Magi, even people like Olga looked slightly contemplative. She knew there was no chance of victory but, after receiving a [Pactio] from Vahn in the past, Olga had always wondered how she would fare against a 'true' Magus with the Caster designation. It was said that even Lorelei couldn't match against a competent Caster from the Age of Gods so, with her newfound power, and the promise of a reward for simple participation, Olga was feeling a little competitive.

After gauging everyone's response, Vahn quickly gave Artoria leave to return to her position before Mordred pounced out of her own. He wasn't at all surprised that she wanted to participate so, while she had already broken through much of the seal on her own, it seemed like the time to remove it was steadily approaching. She would want to train at her maximum potential as, even if there was a children's division, it wouldn't really be fair to pit Mordred against anyone else.

Once Artoria returned to her position, the rest of the proceedings went according to expectation. It wasn't until the following banquet that they began to iron out the details, headed by a reluctant Da Vinci. Since it was originally her idea, Vahn wasn't going to let her just sit on the sidelines and collect data as, more so than most, he was very interested in how powerful she was. She had the longest list of EX-Rank Skills and abilities, combined with some of the highest parameters among everyone that currently resided within the castle, himself included.

With Da Vinci's participation, it was decided that there would indeed be two divisions in the coming tournament. There was a proposed third division but, as Vahn felt the children were too young to be a part of such an event, especially with the stakes involved, he made an arbitrary requirement that required you to be at least fourteen years old to participate. The only exception to this was Mordred but, as she had been an active Knight of the Round Table, there wasn't any controversy regarding her participation in the a.d.u.l.t's league.

When it came down to it, Artoria, Gray, Mordred, Gareth, Gawain, Galahad, Siegfried, Fenrir, Okita, Jeanne, Kenshin, Lakshmibai, Boudica, Hati, Heracles, and Scáthach would be participating in the Knight's League. As for Karna and Astolfo, the former had fallen off the radar while touring India while the latter was in the middle of a movie shoot back in Alaska. It was possible to summon them both but, considering this would likely become a common event in the future, Vahn excluded the battle junkie Demigod this time around.

The second division, the Magus' League, was considerably smaller in size when compared to the Knight's Division. It was also the 'easier' of the two on participants, at least when you excluded the existence of Ishtar and, once again, Scáthach. Her participation in both events was to essentially serve as a bottleneck of sorts, preventing anyone from actually winning unless they could overcome one of the strongest existences within the Empire.

Participating in the Magus' League were Da Vinci, Ishtar, Nobunaga, Scáthach, Semiramis, Medusa, Rin, Luvia, Olga, Iris, and, despite her diminutive appearance, Medea. As for why Nobunaga and Ishtar were included in the running; this was due to the fact that both fought at a range and, without going all out, it would be virtually impossible for them to beat anyone in the Knight's League. Since the tournament did not allow the use of any active Noble Phantasms, they would be at a distinct disadvantage. They both used their own magical power to fuel their ammunition as well so, at least for this first tournament, they were both within the Magus category.

While it may seem unfair for Rin, Luvia, and Olga to participate in a tournament that included literal Gods and legends from the ancient past, Vahn wasn't too worried about them. He had granted all of the modern girls a [Pactio] in order to protect them and keep in contact so, while they would still fall short of a Heroic Spirit, they wouldn't be eliminated outright. He was actually more concerned about Medusa and Medea, despite the fact that the latter may very well sweep everyone in the bracket, the sole exceptions being Scáthach and, for a variety of reasons, Ishtar...

---

With everything decided, Vahn gave everyone two weeks, projection-time, to make preparations for the event. He would have liked to give them more time but, as negotiations with the Association were scheduled to take place around the same time, there wasn't much of a choice. Nearly seven months had passed since the duel between Artoria and Lorelei so it was nearing time for the daily lives of everyone to transition from the Projection and into the real world.

It was no secret that Vahn was looking forward to things both speeding up and slowing down as the primary stress factor in his life was having 'too much' time. If they stayed inside the Projection the entire time, he would be over two-hundred years old when Angra Mainyu made its appearance. Even his children would be in their forties and sixties so, while it was a viable choice as far as training was concerned, Vahn felt it was very unhealthy to be so detached from the rest of the world.

At this point, both Mordred and Sakura were already ten years old, despite little more than four months passing since the time they entered the Projection. If they ended up staying inside for the entire year, they would be seventeen and sixteen respectively. They would be well over the age where it was easier to socialize with one's peers as, after High School and University, there were few opportunities to network effectively without borrowing from another person's connections.

Vahn had a decent grasp of children's psychology but it was the guidance of Luvia, Rin, and, of all people, Iris, that made him decide to send the girls to school. Though they didn't mind their children getting a basic education within the castle, as it was actually very common for 'nobles' to educate their children internally, it was still important to send them out into the 'real' world to socialize. This was the only way for their perspective to expand beyond the confines of their own home and, while it may leave them with a few emotional scars, this was how people matured.

Ultimately, Vahn intended to allow anyone below the age of fourteen to live inside the Projection, so long as they were accompanied by a parental figure. This was the opposite of how he did things in the Record of Danmachi but, as Vahn wanted his children to be able to protect themselves, he felt it was necessary for them to mature at an accelerated rate. He was slowly beginning to realize that age didn't matter all that much, especially in the grand scheme of eternity, so setting them on their path sooner was better than putting it off in a vain attempt to pamper and protect them.

When it came down to it, everyone associated with Vahn had some limited form of immortality as, if they were not prepared for death, old age meant very little. Even if Vahn didn't take action, Merlin, Medea, Scáthach, or any reasonably powerful Magus for that matter, had the ability to extend a person's lifespan indefinitely. Scáthach could outright reverse a person's age and, if the right steps were taken, she could do so without diminishing their actual power. Thus, while it was important to protect the children while they were young, to prevent them from developing any dangerous quirks, Vahn was beginning to accept the fact that fourteen years was a very short period of time when they might live for thousands...

Still, with fourteen being the age of a.d.u.l.thood back in Danmachi, Vahn decided to use that as his basis for maturity. While some of the so-called developed countries advocated the age of consent at eighteen years old, those same countries completely ignored the fact that children below that age experimented with each other. It wasn't considered exploitative if children took advantage of those in the same age range, despite the fact that, as a result of their experimental mentalities, they were inarguably more prone to exploiting each other than the average a.d.u.l.t.

Contrary to what was considered 'normal', Vahn felt that it was very important to educate children in s.e.x.u.a.l matters at an early age. He felt that demonizing it and treating it as some kind of taboo only invited the very crimes people sought to prevent as, for various reasons, people were drawn to such topics as the 'forbidden' was an irresistible temptation to the malleable mind. Thus, rather than send them down the path of deviancy, Vahn felt it was healthier to openly discuss such matters, even if it was extremely awkward to do so at times.

Fortunately, rather than have to give these talks personally, Vahn could leave such matters to the women of the household. While he would not shy away from answering any questions related to the topic, this was wholly dependent on the intentions of whoever was asking. So long as they had taken the time to rationalize their concerns, he didn't mind clearing things up for them. After all, while it may not be necessary at higher Soul Tiers, s.e.x and reproduction were the most intrinsic parts of any biological lifeforms. It wasn't something they should have to figure out on their own just because a few a.d.u.l.ts decided they were too young to be given a proper explanation...

---

With how busy Vahn's schedule was, two weeks passed in what felt like the blink of an eye. He had been given leniency by Scáthach to help others prepare so, after unsealing Mordred's power, albeit with her electing to keep the 'tattoo', Vahn helped her prepare. She wasn't the weakest participant in the Knight's League, a role that undoubtedly belonged to Gareth, but Vahn had the liberty to show a bit of favoritism when it came to his daughter having to fight against people several times her own age.

Mordred had really grown a lot since the time of her summoning so Vahn was very interested to see how she performed in the upcoming tournament. Though it wasn't an exaggeration to say that he was interested in how everyone would perform, there were obviously a few people at the top of his list. After all, Mordred was his adopted daughter and, though he had only been training her for a little over half a year, Gareth was one of his official disciples. The latter had been training in secret over the last two weeks so he was interested to see how much she had progressed during the time she had been away from his side.

Vahn had to admit that it was strange not to have Gareth following him around but, as Okita had become a permanant fixture accompanying him, it wasn't too bad. As for why she didn't train like the rest, Okita claimed that her strength was currently fixed and, as nobody knew her fighting style just yet, any training would only expose her weaknesses. This wasn't really something that could be argued so, when he wasn't training with Mordred and tending to his other duties, Vahn enjoyed the companionship of the quiet beauty. She had learned to make tea and, though it was rather bad, he appreciated the effort she put into improving.

On the eve of the tournament's opening ceremony, Vahn was helping set up powerful barriers and defensive arrays around a 10km wide area that had been constructed within the Training Orb. This size was the bare minimum for fights between Heroic Spirits as, even without their Noble Phantasms, they could cover such distances with their bodies and spells in an instant.

Rather than use a flat stage, various structures had been erected within the 10km square plot as open terrain was actually a monstrous advantage for certain people. The structures were meant to be used by those that had the ability to conceal themselves while, in other cases, they could be used as cover when evading rapid-fire attacks and abilities. Those like Fenrir would even be able to vault around the uneven terrain with considerable ease but, as this didn't really provide her a significant advantage against the average Heroic Spirit, it wasn't considered unfair.

To balance things even further, the majority of equipment had been standardized so that people like Artoria and Siegfried weren't able to just overwhelm others with their inactive Noble Phantasms. As for people like Scáthach, who could easily produce an unlimited amount of weapons, even without her Noble Phantasm, she had been restricted to using traditional [Gradiation Air] Magecraft since it would honestly be unfair otherwise.

Scáthach could elevate even simple iron swords to B-Rank Noble Phantasm so, with the equipment provided by the Dwarves being around the same grade, it was the best compromise they could make with the prolific Grandmaster. She was actually expected to sweep both brackets as, without their Noble Phantasms, it was virtually impossible for anyone to get a distinct advantage against her. Still, this didn't deter any of the competitors as Vahn had promised that, at the very least, they would be given a custom A-Rank piece of equipment just for participating.

While this may not seem all that great in the grand scheme of things, especially with the nigh-infinite wealth of the Empire, it was still a considerable prize when you considered the piece of equipment could be virtually anything. If someone wanted, they could even have an A-Rank spatula produced while, in the example of people like Semiramis, she could be given a goblet that produced an infinite amount of high-quality wine. There were no real limits so, even if he was asked for an A-Rank pillow, Vahn was more than able to meet the demand.

Thus, with the preparations completed, the opening day of the Imperial Tournament of Power was set to commence...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Karna is going to be salty xD','S.e.x is important! It may very well be one of the most important things xD!','Who will seize the victory!?')

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