Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

While following Danzō deeper and deeper into a complex underground system, Vahn was using his domain and enhanced senses to perform a comprehensive scan of his surroundings. Though there were a number of countermeasures against this, his senses had only ever increased after his arrival in the Nasuverse. Some things were still able to block them, especially if they were related to Innates or higher Tiers, but, here, beneath the Forbidden City, he could spread his senses with relative impunity.

Vahn was sometimes tempted to go into a situation completely blind, as it made things slightly more interesting, and, by proxy, more exciting. However, this was only ever an inclination, not something he would ever commit to. He believed there was never a situation when you should arbitrarily look down on your opponent, so, while there were times when he was lackadaisical, Vahn forced himself to overestimate, never underestimate, his enemies. It was better to assume they had some tricks up their sleeve, often in the form of Innates, than assume there was 'nothing' they could do against you.

As this thought ran through his mind, Vahn's aura began to gradually increase. This was enough to get Danzō to send him a cautious glance, but, seeing the smile on his face, she continued leading the way in silence. This was only her second time experiencing Vahn's aura up close, but, as she was an entity that prioritized the 'mission' over her life itself, Danzō was able to suffer the burden without showing any discernible discomfort.

After being led to a large antechamber, Vahn observed a set of massive double-doors, each set with a golden, four-clawed, Chinese dragon. The doors were approximately nine meters in height, making the two lifelike dragons appear both majestic and intimidating. They were even enchanted to put a fair amount of pressure on anyone who entered the chamber, but, with his own surging outward like an unstoppable tide, Vahn just lightly smiled as he muttered, "I suppose I'm expected to just saunter into the trap...is that right?"

Rather than refute his words, Danzō nodded her head in affirmation before forming a seal with her hand and disappearing in a rapidly dispersing cloud of smoke. This left Vahn lightly chuckling, but, as he had already guessed the intentions of the Heroes Faction, he didn't mind playing along. At times, he was rather fond of showing off, so, while it was obvious they had taken this into consideration, he wouldn't be the 'supervillain' people made him out to be if he didn't enjoy a little theatrics.

With that thought crossing his mind, Vahn raised his hand towards the massive set of doors, sending an invisible pulse of energy crashing into them. Each was more than a meter thick, largely comprised of enchanted Gold, but, as if they were sheets of paper, Vahn used his telekinesis to crumple them in an instant. This caused a violent and thunderous sound to echo through the area, but, compared to the booming crash that occurred when he sent the pseudo-sphere flying, it was rather tame...

Once the echo began to fade away, Vahn made his way slowly into a large chamber that appeared to be around 500m in diameter. The chamber itself was circular in shape, but, located at the very center, a large octagonal arena could be seen suspended above a seemingly bottomless pit. He could sense Space and Time distort within the abyssal depths, indicating it had been constructed in such a way that, if anything fell inside, they would continue falling for eternity.

Though Vahn had been admiring the rather complex setup, a light frown replaced his neutral smile as an elderly man, with a white beard nearly reaching his waist, shouted, "Those doors were artifacts that have been passed down for three thousand years! You claim yourself an Emperor, but lack the dignity expected of the title! Do you have any idea where it is you-"

Before the surprisingly fair-skinned man could finish his outburst, Vahn appeared before him like a phantom, towering over the elderly figure by nearly twenty centimeters. This caused the man's eyes to widen, but, before he could retract the finger he had been using to point in Vahn's direction, the entire hand seemed to simply 'vanish'. It was only at that point that the man seemed to realize who he had been accusing, his face paling as he instinctually activated a strange technique that allowed him to 'glide' across the floor in an instant.

Others might have trouble keeping up with the man's movements, but Vahn's golden eyes followed him with ease. This caused a primal fear to well up within the man's heart, especially when he heard the words, "Wrong choice..." pierce through the void, shaking him to the core.

If the man had kowtowed or apologized for his actions, Vahn would have temporarily afforded him a bit of leniency. Instead, the man took evasive action, and, though it was largely the result of muscle memory, the fact he had drawn a shortsword from the jade ring on his finger made him an 'enemy'.

Seemingly moving in slow motion, Vahn extended his hand towards the man, who, despite using a high ranking movement technique, now appeared to be stationary. Everyone was able to perceive his movement, but, due to the nature of the Laws, they were unable to take any action as he slowly closed his hand, chaotically twisting the Space around the man so that his arms and legs rotated a total of 720 degrees. This wasn't enough to kill him, but it would leave him thinking twice before he decided to arbitrarily offend an Emperor that had effectively conquered the World...

Unable to defend against an attack that directly bent Space around him, the elderly man released a feral-sounding scream, startling his compatriots to the core. Some, specifically those from the same family, had thought to intervene, but, fearing the consequences of doing so, they could only pale as their kin was dropped like a ragdoll after losing consciousness. They were too fearful to even try and confirm his death, waiting until Vahn dully said, "Treat his wounds..." before finally moving.

Turning his attention away from the group of ancient men, Vahn matched gazes with Hou Yi, finding the man smiling wryly with an intricate wooden bow in hand.

Prior to Vahn's arrival, Hou Yi had made it clear to the Xiantian Elders that they should remain silent and observe. He didn't expect one of them to feel emboldened enough to try and lambast Vahn, but, in hindsight, he realized it was largely their fault for not sending someone to open the doors. Even if he was an 'enemy', Vahn was still an Emperor, so, while they were basically asking him to walk into a trap, dismissing with courtesy was a mistake on their part...

Understanding what must be going through Hou Yi's mind, Vahn offered an almost indiscernible hint of a smile before adopting a more serious expression as he said, "We have accepted the challenge of your faction, presenting ourselves out of due consideration. Tell us, Hou Yi, what challenges has your faction concocted to test this Emperor's mettle and might...?"

Though Vahn's words contained a certain 'whimsy' to them, the tone he used was forceful enough to cow the majority of Xiantian Elders. Each of his words seemed to pierce through them, straining both body and spirit in equal measure. In Taiji terms, this was a phenomenon known as Spiritual Pressure, but, compared to what they were capable of outputting, it was like comparing a bucket of water to a vast, seemingly infinite, ocean. The weakest among them nearly fell to their knees, but, out of a vain sense of pride, they would rather bleed from their seven orifices than lower themselves to another...

Fearing Vahn's presence would cause every member of the Xiantian Elders to collapse, Hou Yi gave a respectful bow before indicating towards the octagonal arena in the center, explaining, "This place is known as the Divine Battlefield of Heavenly Ascendance. It is a totem gifted to Qin Shi Huang by the Jade Emperor, a means by which the Chinese people might ascend to the realm of Divinity in a world absent of Gods..."

While he was somewhat interested in the history of the place, Vahn lifted his hand, stating, "We have made arrangements for later today. Though the history of this place intrigues us, the purpose of our visit is to do battle, not make idle conversation. Now, who will be my opponent?"

As it actually provided them with a slight advantage by not disclosing the significance of the arena, Hou Yi didn't insist that Vahn remain patient. Rather, he knew the latter was actually just playing the part that had been 'assigned' to him, as, during their past confrontations, Vahn was generally very amicable. He had even visited the Terrestrial Moon Palace on several occasions, staying for tea and conversing on the subject of archery while Chang'e served them both tea.

Hou Yi was actually very grateful for everything Vahn had done, but, understand the 'necessity' of the Heroes Faction, he remained a part of it. Thus, even if he felt compelled to make things 'fair' by giving a proper explanation, he ultimately gave an understanding nod before saying, "Very well then. At Your Imperial Majesty's behest, we shall proceed to the main event. Put simply, we would like you to fight against our representative within the Divine Battlefield of Heavenly Ascendance. Should you emerge victoriously, we have prepared a tribute attesting to Your Imperial Majesty's prestige...as for the terms regarding each individual battle, that is for the contestants to decide. Are these terms to your satisfaction?"

Going by Hou Yi's words, Vahn speculated there were certain restrictions that would be placed on him during the battles, but, so long as things were kept 'fair', he didn't particularly mind. Thus, after a brief period of contemplation, he nodded his head, stating, "We accept." before vanishing from the viewing platform and reappearing in the arena. He immediately noticed that the Space within began to increase in density, but, compared to what he was used to experiencing during his training, it was almost negligible...

As this thought crossed his mind, Vahn heard a voice suddenly resonate through the surroundings, its tone deep and powerful as it stated, "Heaven's Will is Eternal. The Path of Eternity is wrought with Trials and Tribulations. Thou who seeketh to oppose Heaven's Will, prove thine might against those who would bar your passage. Only the Mighty may oppose the Heavens."

Immediately following the words, Vahn felt an oppressive force press down on his entire body, much like a mountain attempting to bring him to his knees. At the same time, an Eight Trigrams formation began to light up along the periphery of the arena, powered by the Mana that had been gathered by the Grand Spiritual Gathering Array. He could much of his power being suppressed by the mounting pressure, but, no matter how intense things got, his knees didn't so much as tremble, much less give way.

Rather than panic, Vahn showed an expression of mild intrigue as he observed the powerful sealing array. He could tell it was a special seal that affected everyone within the arena, but, while the inside experienced a significant amount of pressure, it also seemed to prevent attacks from the outside. It was structured in such a way that, were you to try and attack from the outside, your attack would be amplified greatly before being thrown back at you with greater speed and intensity.

Vahn suspected there was more to the array than met the eye, but, with his first opponent appearing on the opposite side of the arena, he adopted a slight smile as he said, "You know, it's really unfair to me to have you as my first opponent. Does Brynhildr know you are here...?"

Before answering, Vahn's opponent pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, icy-blue eyes shimmering as he said, "We told her the battle wasn't until next week..."

Restraining the urge to laugh, Vahn's smile curled up at the edges as he pulled out [Lævateinn α], igniting its brackish-flames as he mused, "That makes things a lot easier for me. Now, draw your sword. Show me the power of the King of Warriors...!"

Rather than immediately adopt a battle stance, the intellectual-looking man, Sigurd, pushed up his glasses a second time, plainly stated, "We have to set the terms before engaging. If we fight without respecting the conditions set, we will be thrown to the Abyss below..."

Feeling like the wind had been taken out of his sails, the flames around [Lævateinn α] extinguished in an instant. Though he managed to maintain a calm expression, Vahn was complaining inside the back of his mind, recalling Hou Yi's words about the 'terms' for each battle. It seemed like he had to make a wager against his opponents, and, depending on the terms agreed to, the Divine Battlefield of Heavenly Ascendance would place even greater restrictions on them...

Vahn was never fond of being restrained, but, so long as they didn't try to 'cheat', he was willing to humor them. Thus, after resting [Lævateinn α] on his shoulder, he gave a curt nod, asking, "So? What are your terms? I'm certain you have already thought of something, correct?"

Nodding his head in affirmation, Sigurd explained, "Our lives are intrinsically related to Dragon kind. I wish to contend against the might of your complete transformation, contesting it with my own. We will determine which is stronger, my [Dragon Kind Modification: EX], or your full transformation..."

Not expecting Sigurd to challenge his Huánglóng transformation from the onset, Vahn felt slightly confused. It was possible they simply intended to overtax his reserves, but, unless he held himself back a considerable amount, the fight would be settled very quickly. Sigurd was certainly powerful, worthy of his title as the King of Warriors, but, compared to the might of the Yellow Dragon, there was a vast disparity between them...

Shaking his head, Vahn set the matter aside, deciding to, instead, ask, "So, do we also get to set a condition?"

Somewhat surprisingly, Sigurd also shook his head, answering, "Only the challenger has the right to issue a condition. As the person being challenged, you are the representative of Heaven's Will within the Divine Battlefield of Heavenly Ascendance. I do not understand the specifics, but it is designed to allow the strong to refine their skills against opponents that would normally be too weak to prove a challenge..."

Hearing Sigurd's explanation, Vahn was tempted to release a heavy sigh, but, instead of complaining, he decided to just humor them for a bit. He could break through the array whenever he pleased, so, rather than shatter it immediately, using the arena for its intended purpose seemed marginally more interesting. Besides, he rarely had the chance to use his Huánglóng form outside of training. This was a rare opportunity, as, more often than not, the battles simply never escalated to that point.

Having made his decision, Vahn nodded his head in affirmation. As a result, an invisible forced tried to surge into his body, seemingly with the intent to force his transformation. This caused him a mild amount of annoyance, but, after snorting through his nose and 'shattering' the invasive force, Vahn's body began to rapidly increase in size. Fortunately, the arena had a similar function to the one used during Artoria's and Lorelei's duel, allowing the battlefield to be much larger on the inside than it appeared to be from the outside...

After several tense moments, Sigurd found himself staring up at a majestic and, admittedly, terrifying golden dragon. He felt like the Heavens themselves had fallen on him, but, compared to the Xiantian Elders in the stands, he seemed largely unaffected. They had all fallen to their knees, disbelief visible in their expressions as, despite Vahn's appearance resembling a western dragon, it was impossible to ignore the eastern influences in his design. As a result, the most powerful among them gave voice to the thought that was running through all of their minds, shakily stating, "Yellow Dragon Emperor...".

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Knock Knock','Do you know the breadth of the Heavens!?','Well, alrighty then. Maximum no-chill it is...!')

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