Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though she was able to replenish her reserves almost indefinitely, using magic always placed a mental burden on the user. This was one of the reasons certain groups didn't fear hunting down powerhouses like Eva and Vahn, as, in their minds, there would always come a breaking point where their target simply broke down and lost the ability to effectively cast magic.

After around thirteen hours of rampaging, extended due to reinforcements arriving from Vulcan, Fenrir, looking a little worse for wear, returned to her Master's side.

Seeing Fenrir's wolf form return, it's fur matted, disheveled, and burned in several places, Vahn had to forcibly suppress a surging feeling of regret as he extended his hand, smiling as he said, "You did well. Come."

Without caring about the state of her own body, Fenrir moved over to her Master in much the same way as a dog that had lived well beyond their years. She had exhausted most of her energy in order to break away from the forces that had attempted to encircle her position, so, on top of her mental fatigue, exhaustion had settled into her body.

After crawling into her Master's lap, Fenrir plopped down, a snorting sigh escaping her nose as she rested her head against his thigh. At the same time, Vahn began caressing her fur, a glistening light enveloping his hand and forcibly extracting all the dirt and grime infesting her otherwise soft coat.

Feeling a comfortable tingling spread through her body, Fenrir released a contended groan from her throat as she instinctually rolled onto her back, exposing the fluffy white fur of her underbelly. This was where most of her enemies had focused their attacks, as, compared to the peculiar blue fur on her back, which glistened with a metallic sheen, it seemed inordinately soft by comparison.

With his left hand sinking into the dense fur of Fenrir's underbelly, Vahn extended his right hand toward her mouth. Since they were in perfect sync with each other, Fenrir understood his intentions even before he had finished the act, so, without any hesitation whatsoever, she bit down upon the fleshier section of his palm, drawing a considerable amount of blood.

Though he could easily just create something like a gemstone for Fenrir to consume, Vahn's time with Alaya had given him a strange attachment to having his blood suckled by the people he cared about. It was an exceedingly intimate act, and, though he never vocalized it, he was actually looking forward to Eva's return to vampirism. Holding her close as she suckled on his neck was always very pleasant, and, at times like this, it was strangely mesmerizing to see the puppy-like Fenrir vigorously lapping at his blood...

---

After returning to their hideout, Vahn had entered 'excessive pampering' mode, preparing a bath for himself and Fenrir so that he could continue doting upon her. She obviously had no complaints about this, but, after several hours had passed, she spontaneously ceased play biting his neck and shoulders to ask, "What will you do now, Master?"

As there was no way for him to truly hide something from the loveable Vanargandr, Vahn wasn't surprised by Fenrir's question. Instead, he just released a small sigh before answering, "I will stay here for a few days to unwind and allow Theo, Arika, and Eva a chance to act. Afterward, I intend to force both sides to back down. Fairy Xuan has already prepared dossiers on several priority targets. I will begin publically addressing the corruption in Megalomesembria while entrusting the Empire to Theo. At this point, I no longer care about Cosmo Entelecheia...if they want to continue hiding away, it doesn't really matter. I'd like to see them continue hiding after I subsume this entire world into my Realm..."

Imagining the surprise on their enemies' faces when her Master could forcibly summon them, Fenrir couldn't help but issue a mischievous laugh as she snuggled closer to his body. She looked forward to the day when her Master had as much power outside of his Realm as inside of it. It brought her a sense of comfort to see him exercising absolute power, as, in her mind, her Master had always been the only person 'worthy' of such authority.

Hearing Fenrir's mischievous laughter, Vahn's serious expression quickly faded away, replaced by a loving smile. He knew he would be taking away some of her opportunities to grow stronger, but, so long as they were together, such things didn't really matter. She had already exhibited her ability to maintain control in even dire circumstances, so, after entering the next Record, he would create an opportunity to summon her the first chance he got...

Sensing her Master's thoughts, Fenrir quickly fell silent, her scarlet eyes glistening in the low light of the room as she turned them up at him. This was enough to compel Vahn to swallow audibly as his dragon, which had been slumbering peacefully beneath Fenrir's inordinately cool body, awakened with a resolute vigor.

With her tail waggling due to the motion of her hips, Fenrir continued to stare up at her Master with an impassioned look in her eyes as she muttered, "I'm a little annoyed about something that happened earlier...if it's okay with Master, I want to do something we haven't tried in a while..."

Without waiting for him to ask, Fenrir demonstrated her intent by placing one paw on his shoulder and using the other to skillfully guide the tip of his glans past her glistening secret garden, aiming it towards the largely unexplored cavern beyond. This caused Vahn's brows to rise slightly, but, rather than refuse, he offered an approving nod as he leaned down and kissed the adorable Vanargandr's lips...

---

Following Fenrir's attack on the convoys and her subsequent defense against Vulcan's forces, a very large bounty had been placed on a creature known as the 'Scarlet-Eyed Wolf King'.

Though most were deterred by the prospect of fighting against a monster that had demonstrated a keen intellect, the fact there were so few casualties during the thirteen-hour conflict was enough to embolden some of the more experienced groups.

Unfortunately, even after several days of searching, no traces of the Scarlet-Eyed Wolf King could be found. This caused many to speculate that it was just passing through the region, a belief that was solidified by the fact it predominately made use of the Ice Element in a region saturated with Fire Elemental Energy.

More often than not, the creatures around the various Holy Lands made use of the same energy as the Great Spirit that resided nearby. It was very difficult for creatures with an opposing element to survive in a region saturated with their greatest weakness, so, after three days of fruitless searching, most of the groups seeking to make a name for themselves by hunting an S-Rank Magical Creature gave up.

What none of them could have expected was that almost immediately after groups began to give up the search, the Scarlet-Eyed Wolf King would reappear. Even more surprising was the fact that it appeared more than eight-hundred-kilometers outside their search zone, not in any unpopulated region, but one of the most populous in all of Mundus Magicus: the outskirts of Megalomesembria.

---

Though he knew it all but guaranteed they would be attacked, Vahn, accompanied by Asuna, had decided to approach the rather futuristic Megalomesembria by riding on Fenrir's back. She had a rather stylish harness that served as both a saddle and an S-Rank piece of protective equipment. She was also the one that had come up with the idea of using her as a mount, well over a hundred years prior, so, while it was certainly a little strange, Vahn also felt it was kind of cool to casually ride atop the head or back of a giant armored wolf...

Seeing hundreds of military craft responding to their approach, Vahn had a calm smile on his face as he turned back to Asuna and said, "You are allowed to defend yourself. However, if you feel it is justified, I will not stop you from attacking. I trust your judgment."

To punctuate his words, Vahn gently caressed Asuna's head, returning the smile to her face. She had been showing a serious expression ever since they entered enemy territory, as, even with her power, having a literal army as an opponent was a little overwhelming.

Though she was still feeling a little nervous, Asuna knew nothing would happen to her so long as she was with Vahn. She believed in him more than anything else, so, after enjoying his caress for a few seconds, she smoothly drew her tanto and said, "I won't let a single attack slip through."

Finding the twin-tailed girl's zealous response rather amusing, Vahn issued a light chuckle before retracting his hand and saying, "I have no doubt. Here, take this."

Seeing the rainbow-hued gemstone in Vahn's hand, Asuna's eyes widened slightly as she instantly understood his intentions. Then, before he could stop her, she quickly snatched it out of his hands before shoving it into the elastic sports bra-like Aegis she generally wore beneath her clothes.

Feeling a sudden warmth surround his 'body', Vahn's expression became a moderate deadpan as he mechanically turned away from the mischievous young girl. He wasn't actually that surprised by her antics, and, considering it was a relatively safe location to store the gemstone, he decided to simply ignore it. Instead, he set his sights on the approaching Megalomesembrian forces, golden lightning flickering across his body as an oppressive aura spread through his domain...

---

Though the majority of their forces were used to guard the border and the frontier, no nation was foolish enough to leave their capital unprotected. Megalomesembria was no exception, and, being one of the oldest and most technologically advanced nations in the world, its defenses were some of the most powerful.

Mere moments after the appearance of the Scarlet-Eyed Wolf King, an exceptionally advanced AI, programmed to assess threat levels and allocate forces accordingly, noticed the appearance of two Priority 1 targets upon its back. As a result, alarms began blaring in nearly every military installation around the capital, effectively mobilizing all of Megalomesembria's reserve forces.

Fortunately, the same AI programmed to assess targets was also linked to the automated defenses of Megalomesembria. It was able to recognize that the targets had yet to become hostile, so, unless it received a direct order, it had correctly chosen to abstain from attacking. Instead, it trained every weapon system in the region on the 'Scarlet-Eyed Wolf King' while awaiting the direct order of the nation's new Dictator...

---

While the city above was entering lockdown, a group of middle-aged and elderly men had quickly gathered together in one of the most secure rooms in the entire Confederation. Not only was it suspended in an alternate dimension, but, to provide an advantage to the decision-makers inside, an exceptionally powerful temporal distortion barrier had been erected within.

With a time-dilation of 100:1, those within the Situation Room had plenty of time to consider the most effective course of action. All of the data they received was in 'real-time', but, with computers able to process information at near the speed of light, the only latency came when commanders on the outside were issuing their reports.

Seeing the data displayed on the various monitors lining the spherical chamber, everyone inside the room had a mix of solemnity and fury visible in their countenance. The Sage Dragon Emperor had quickly become the largest thorn in their side, so, seeing him 'casually' approaching their city, only the trio seated near the head of the table was able to remain completely calm.

Seated at the very head of the table, denoting the highest authority, a rather handsome middle-aged man with neatly-combed silver hair and peculiar purple eyes silenced the turmoil in the room by simply raising his hand. All eyes quickly converged upon him, and, after a moment of silence, the man stunned nearly everyone present by saying, "We will seek a compromise..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Delicious (UwU)~!','Be bold! Explore the unknown!','I mean...let's be real...')

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