Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the children's excursion completing without incident, their long isolation within the Ivory Castle had come to an end. From then on, they were allowed to roam the island, visit the Castle Town, and explore the Yokai District. Though they required at least two escorts, not including Companions and Guardians, it was a considerable amount of freedom compared to before. As for the reasons behind this, it was to ensure they developed independence and knew how to interact with people outside of the Castle. They would be starting school pretty soon, so, to avoid any catastrophic developments, it was best they learned how to interact with other children.

While his whelps were beginning to spread their wings for the first time, 'Papa Dragon' was hard at work eliminating future threats. To this end, he met with his War Council and the active combatants within the Inner Sanctum. Their goal was relatively straight forward, involving the formation of Elite Task Forces that had the sole responsibility of tracking down hidden enemies on the Surface. As for enemies 'hidden' in other Textures, Vahn would personally lead their forces. If it was an enemy that could be defeated by others, he would allow them to push their limits.

With the exceptions of entities such as the Olympians, there weren't too many enemies that could pose a genuine threat to the most powerful forces within the Empire. Artoria would be able to take on most foes, and, if it came down to it, Illya, Arcuied, Aoki, and even Amaterasu were willing to step in. They were each capable of rivaling some of the most powerful entities in the world on their own, so, with a host of Anti-Divine armaments at their disposal, the majority of errant Gods could only grit their teeth in frustration.

Further increasing the incredulity of his foes, Vahn could freely spy on them with his intent, collecting information on their strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. He could even expand his domain in the area for a brief moment, releasing Elemental Stars from within his Inventory to severely injure or even kill them. This had completely incensed some of his opponents, as, due to various restrictions, it was impossible for them to do anything about it.

Even if a target had the means to backtrace his intent, they lacked the means to breach through to the Surface. It was possible for them to manifest for short periods of time, but this required a specific set of circumstances, often involving a large scale ritual, to achieve. Even if they still had followers on the Surface, however, CHALDEAS would quickly discover such a large-scale event. Thus, while some had tried, every effort had been quickly undermined by a quick response from the Empire's Special Task Force, often headed by Kenshin.

Ultimately, if he really wanted to, Vahn could sit on his Throne and simply 'nuke' his enemies without ever having to lift a finger. He had stockpiled more than a hundred-thousand Elemental Stars over the years, some possessing the destructive potential to completely annihilate small countries. This was more than enough to deal with the vast majority of enemies, but, in the hopes of allowing his companions to grow, Vahn only used this method when he wanted to irritate particularly annoying foes.

Though he had a long list of targets to badger, the three at the very top were none other than Zeus, Hera, and, for a variety of different reasons, Aphrodite. He had even invited Heracles to watch as he pestered Zeus for nearly six hours, enraging the unnaturally pale God to the point he began laying waste to his own Temple. This had been quite therapeutic for the normally taciturn Demigod, putting a smile on his face that had lasted for several days following the event.

Unfortunately, even if he released the majority of his Elemental Stars simultaneously, the chances of killing Zeus were very slim. He, and the other Olympians, were Tier 5 beings who, according to Gaia, came to her world from beyond the Sol System. They had arrived in the wake of their counterpart's, the Roman Pantheon of Gods', deaths. This was just after Velber 02 wiped out other Gods, allowing the Olympians to rule over a desecrated Surface world. As for why the Roman Gods were credited as being modeled after their Greek counterparts, this was largely a manipulation of the facts due to the vanity of the Olympians. They would never admit to stealing the Divine Authority of others, so, with none to contest the facts, history was altered for no better reason than to pad the Ego of Alien Gods.

Vahn wasn't actually surprised to learn that the Olympians were Aliens, as, compared to the majority of other Gods, their 'common sense' was simply nonexistent. With the exception of Hestia, they were some of the most prolific troublemakers in history, constantly interfering in the affairs of mortals just because they were bored. It was impossible to even fathom the number of tragedies their selfishness had wrought. They were also responsible for the majority of Demigods, with Zeus, alone, siring more than a thousand. History only recorded a total of 54, but, with Hera killing the vast majority, it wasn't surprising that the rest faded into obscurity.

From what Vahn had seen, Zeus had never learned his lesson, so, even after being forced to the Reverse Side, an advanced Greek civilization formed almost entirely of Demigods now existed. It was a rather startling discovery, but, in the grand scheme of things, it didn't change what had to be done. Zeus, and nearly every other Olympian, would need to be destroyed. Their nature made it impossible for them to coexist with others, so, from the moment of the convergence, they would not hesitate to wreak havoc in order to reclaim the world...

---

Though the main focus of the Empire had shifted to eliminating its enemies, that didn't mean it was their only focus. Rather, due to Vahn's ability to locate virtually any enemy, there wasn't much suspense when it came to tracking down and eliminating individual targets. Arcueid had quickly dealt with most of the Dead Apostle Ancestors, and, after learning of Vahn's ability, Merlin had teamed up with Vivian to confront Morgan. She had been hiding away in a sub-texture that was actually connected to Avalon, essentially 'hiding in plain sight'.

Vahn wasn't privy to how things had gone down, as it was a rather private matter, but he knew Morgan was still alive after the encounter. She seemed to have reached some kind of agreement with Merlin and Vivian, so, for the time being, she, nor anyone for that matter, wasn't much of a concern for the Empire. Instead, Vahn felt like he spent 90% of his time just lounging about inside of Marble Phantasms, improving his relationships and reducing the tensions between each of the 'sub-sections' of his harem.

Though his harem was basically self-managing, Vahn knew there were various 'factions' that had come into existence. The most obvious group was the Menagerie, consisting of women with more animalistic traits and rather straightforward desires. The most influential, however, was the group formed around Artoria, including most of what X referred to as 'saber-faces'. This was the faction that basically ran the day-to-day operations of the Empire, elevating their status and giving them a lot of power during court proceedings.

Other than the Menagerie and 'Imperial' Factions, the most noteworthy were the Yokai, Japanese, and, due to her individual influence, the Da Vinci Faction. The latter, with the exception of outliers such as Artoria and Fenrir, had the most influence in the entire Empire. Nearly every major project and endeavor was headed by Da Vinci and her expansive network, cementing her position as the most intrinsic existence to the Empire's success. As for the other two factions, the Yokai could be considered an isolated subgroup while the Japanese Faction largely existed as a byproduct of Vahn's fondness for the culture.

Though the Empire drew from a significant amount of European influence, Vahn had always felt more comfortable in traditional Japanese architecture. This was due to the fact that his first 'real' home had been Tsubaki's, a traditional Manor that allowed him peace of mind and reminded him of his roots. As a result, Avalon had slowly become a region that blended two distinct cultures into one cohesive structure. The existence of the Yokai District further aided in this cultural blurring, to the point you could sometimes find people, including Vahn and members of the Imperial Family, walking around in traditional yukatas and kimonos.

---

True to his word, Vahn had kept his promises to people like Shuten, periodically spending months at a time tending to her selfishness. As a result, she had actually started to mellow out a bit, albeit only after a considerable amount of 'coaxing'. The hardest part of the process had been 'taming' Ibaraki, but, after learning about her weakness to sweets, particularly macaroons and mochi, she, too, had mellowed out quite a bit. Now, all he had to do in order to pacify her was produce a bag of macaroons, earning a few remarks about 'offerings' and 'what it means to be an oni' before she ultimately snatched them away.

Fortunately, though Shuten had been rather aggressive in her pursuits, Ibaraki showed no interest in the opposite sex whatsoever. She seemed to consider the act a form of submission, so, at least for the time being, only Shuten could push her down. This saved Vahn a lot of stress, as, unlike the lascivious Shuten, Ibaraki was unable to alter her appearance. As a result, her figure was much like Kali's, reminiscent of an emaciated, yet exceptionally powerful, young girl.

Not having to worry about Ibaraki had removed a great burden from Vahn's heart, allowing him to more easily tolerate the rather dangerous affection of Shuten and Kiyohime. The former could get out of hand very quickly if you allowed her to. As for the latter, she had little to no control over her draconic heritage, so, when it finally came time for them to have sex, it became another contest to determine dominance. She had even transformed into a half-serpentine dragon, the lower half of her body, starting from the waist, becoming similar to a snake.

When Vahn first saw Kiyohime's transformation, it had actually been a little mortifying as her body had extended for nearly twenty-three meters. Fortunately, this state didn't last too long, and, after breaking free from her attempts to bind and ensnare him, her body ultimately returned to normal. Then, in order to ease her heat-like symptoms, he tended to her for nearly three hours before she was, temporarily, satisfied. Afterward, she had become nearly as clingy as Medusa, but, after a few small incidents, she began to calm down, 'begrudgingly' sharing him with the others.

Needless to say, Yokai could be moderately terrifying when they were impassioned, but, once you adapted to the intensity, they had their charms. This was especially so for Shuten, as, much like Da Vinci, her ability to alter her appearance, combined with the natural fragrances produced by her body, made her as tantalizing as a forbidden fruit. He even got to sample her 'naturally produced' wakame sake, learning that her love juices put the vast majority of alcohols to shame.

In the end, it was his acceptance of Shuten's wakame sake that caused the greatest change in her behavior. From that moment on, she mellowed considerably, and, when asked, it was apparently related to the fact that, under normal circumstances, her 'sake' was basically a death sentence for anyone 'fortunate' enough to savor it. The fact that he had survived was proof, at least for her, that they were 'fated' to be together. Thus, following the penultimate moment where he was lapping sake from between her thighs, she became considerably less aggressive. The following day, she had even started to wear her kimono properly, surprising virtually everyone by how 'demure' she had become...

---

While the developments with Shuten and Kiyohime were noteworthy, the changes Vahn had least expected came from other sources. This included Musashi officially joining the Empire, apparently after a drunken confrontation with Wukong, and, more surprisingly, a rapid escalation of tensions within Tamamo's palatial shrine. The former had been somewhat expected, as Musashi had been complaining about the Heroes Faction during each of their rendezvous. The latter, however, came as a complete surprise, leaving Vahn completely gobsmacked.

During one of his usual visits to Tamamo's shrine, Vahn had immediately noticed a not-so-subtle shift in the atmosphere. When he actually met up with the girls in their room, it had been cleaned from floor to ceiling, and, though they didn't openly make their intentions clear, everyone in the room had done away with their more casual clothing, donning loose-fitting kimonos. This, alone, was enough to indicate something was going on, but, with a fresh scent of citrus and lavender in the air, it didn't take the deductive reasoning of Sherlock to determine they had bathed before his arrival.

There was a time in his life when Vahn had been particularly dense, but, ever since arriving in the Nasuverse, he had proactively sought to change that part of his character. As a result, he was able to understand their intentions immediately, but, rather than overtly call them out on it, he decided to play along.

In the end, it was brought to Vahn's attention that, ever since Altria had started showing a greater interest in him, she and X had gotten into a number of arguments. It apparently bothered X quite a bit that Altria, someone who basically shared her appearance, behaved like a stray cat whenever she was around him. This led to Altria pointing out the number of saber-faces that already existed in his harem, something that X had been doing her best to simply ignore.

Ultimately, after a considerable amount of mediation from Tamamo, things somehow progressed in the direction of using the Virtual World to experience some of Vahn's more popular memories. He had allowed Da Vinci to compile everything he was willing to share, and, though it still had a long way to go, Ark and Mother had been able to construct a detailed simulation of the Danmachi Record. This was currently only accessible to members of the Inner Sanctum, but, in the future, it was scheduled to become the eighth thematic world once balancing had been completed.

After spending what amounted to months just sorting through Vahn's most precious memories, X had effectively been 'brainwashed' by Tamamo and Altria. As for Tomoe, her emotions were very complex, but, in the end, she ended up getting pulled along by the momentum of her three best friends. It was hard for her to even imagine life outside of their cozy little bedroom, so, after a very long period of discussion, they had 'unanimously' decided to forgo common sense, going so far as to make a pact of sisterhood and vowing to support each other...

Vahn didn't really know what to say in response to the sudden revelations by the shut-in group, but, as Altria's behavior had become increasingly risque, he wasn't too surprised. Rather, if not for the inclusion of Tomoe, he wouldn't have even required an explanation. X had always shown a fair amount of interest in his displays of affection, so, despite her protests, Altria's accusations of her being a closet pervert were spot on. Tomoe, however, was generally a very sensible woman, and, though she would sometimes address herself in the third person when she was flustered, making her seem pretty cute at times, Vahn hadn't expected her to acquiesce so easily.

Regardless of their reasons, Vahn could tell the girls were sincere, so, with four beauties wearing nothing but loose kimonos staring expectantly toward him, it was virtually impossible for him to refuse. Thus, much to the chagrin of Suzuka, he spent the evening enjoying the various different ways in which X could express her embarrassment while Tamamo and Tomoe helped assuage the ever-growing curiosity of Altria. This had gone on for nearly half a day, and, by the end of it, Altria wasn't the only one behaving like a spoiled kitten demanding treats...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn, God of Griefing','TFW you learn Shuten's 'sake' can even liquefy the bones of an average human...','Nyaa~')

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