Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Following the start of the Special Test, Endorsi could be seen idling about with a bored look on her face, lightly tapping the needle she had received against her leg. Like the other Regulars, albeit for very different reasons, she didn't really feel like moving around all that much. Her spar with Gandr had left her body aching in various places, so, after quickly eliminating a few Regulars, Endorsi was intending to just relax until the Test came to an end.

Unfortunately, before she could even move from her platform, Endorsi felt alarm bells sounding in her mind, an exasperated sigh escaping her lips as she turned to her side and complained, "Really now...a fake thinks she can overcome the genuine article? You aren't terribly bright, are you? Even though I was going to ignore you, here you are, coming directly at me..."

Hearing Endorsi's complaint, a taunting smile spread across Anak's face as she asserted, "I've been looking forward to this ever since I learned about your existence during the Crown Game. Though I don't think you're as bad as some, I can never forgive the Jahad Empire for what it has done. Every time I see that stupid hair ornament on your head, I can't help but want to smash it into pieces...!"

Accompanying Anak's shout, the petite Princess charged at Endorsi like a bullet that had just been freed from its chamber. Her figure turned into a literal blur, but, without any perceptible difficultly, the taller of the two Princesses was easily able to evade Anak's attack, deterring a follow-up strike by orienting the tip of her needle in the pursuing path. Then, with a bit of distance between them, her expression became slightly serious as she said, "Even with the Green April, you wouldn't be able to defeat me...don't look down on a 'real' Princess of Jahad..."

Emulating a certain fluffy-eared swordsman, Anak tilted her head to the side almost comically, a confused look on her face as she asked, "Oh? Did Jahad actually have a child? Is there finally a 'real' Princess somewhere? Last I heard, there were just a bunch of brats that had his blood injected into their body."

With some not-so-pleasant scenes emerging within her mind, Endorsi had to inhale a deep breath just to restrain the urge to turn the girl across from her into a pincushion. She hated anything that reminded her of the process that turned her into a Princess of Jahad. It was for this reason she was unable to get along with Anak, as, despite knowing the latter must have experienced a tragedy of her own, Endorsi believed her personal history was far more tragic.

To prevent herself from accidentally killing the girl across from her, Endorsi threw her needle to the side as she said, "Honestly, I never really cared about you calling yourself a Princess of Jahad. If you want to paint a massive target on your head for the Royal Enforcement Division, that has nothing to do with me. What annoys me is how arrogantly you flaunt your power despite having done nothing to earn it. Real Princesses of Jahad have to put in an extreme amount of effort just for the chance to obtain a fraction of Jahad's power...you got it simply by being born. Your existence is an insult, both to the Jahad Empire...and the tens-of-thousands of young girls who are sacrificed in order to create just one Princess of Jahad..."

Though Endorsi understood that Anak was just another victim, she hated how the latter acted like she was the 'only' victim. There were countless people within the Tower who had experienced fates far worse than simply losing their mothers. Unlike Anak, however, these people didn't possess the blood of the Tower's 'God' flowing through their veins. They didn't have a powerful weapon passed down to them without having to make any effort to obtain it. Instead, they had to put in an extreme amount of effort to avoid just becoming a victim themselves, many never even having a chance to even think about vengeance.

Anak was undoubtedly an unfortunate woman, but, within the Tower, that didn't make you special. The only thing that distinguished her from countless others was that she had been given a power that many desperately sought to obtain. She was allowed to be strong, fast, and durable without any effort and had even inherited a weapon that would turn most Rankers green with envy. In spite of this, she used her trauma as an excuse to behave like an arrogant brat, haughtily flaunting all the things she had been 'given' while looking down on others, many who had experienced similar levels of suffering, as beneath her...

Taking another deep breath to calm herself, Endorsi stared at the petite woman across from her and said, "I can understand your desire for revenge...I really can...however, if I don't give you at least one spanking, I won't be satisfied. Now, come at me, you fake."

Incensed by Endorsi's remark, Anak's expression turned fierce as she launched herself toward the former, shouting, "We'll see which one of us gets spanked...!"

Having largely calmed herself, Endorsi chuckled in response to Anak's outburst, deftly evading the straightforward blow with practiced finesse. Then, with Anak chasing after her, she decided to take out a few of the other candidates to prevent any accidents. She didn't mind fighting it out with the bratty lizard, but that didn't mean she would risk being eliminated for the sake of someone else's revenge.

While lightly humming a song, Endorsi continued to evade the increasingly-angry Anak's attacks, even going so far as to link her hands behind her back as she gracefully backpedaled. There was a drastic difference in their amount of experience and combat proficiency, so, while Anak was indeed very powerful, she was also 'extremely' predictable.

Without having to look behind her, Endorsi easily ducked under the attack of the Regular whose platform they had invaded before giggling at his expense. This caused the man to visibly pale, but, before he could so much as think about a follow-up response, he was sent flying from the platform by a stray punch, courtesy of Anak.

Understanding that Endorsi was currently toying with her, Anak's anger continued to rise as she shouted, "Stop running away! Is this how a 'real' Princess of Jahad fights!?"

Without missing a beat, Endorsi performed a quick side-step before spinning playfully as she remarked, "Of course. After all, I am an actual Princess. I'm different than a certain blockheaded lizard who only knows how to charge blindly at her enemies. Woh, careful now~."

With Anak suddenly throwing her needle like a spear, even Endorsi was a little caught off guard. That didn't prevent her from easily evading the blow, however, a teasing smile on her face as she mused, "There goes your weapon~."

Snorting through her nose, Anak leaned forward an amount that was only possible due to her tail serving as a counterbalance. It was a long appendage that was nearly as thick as her leg, so, while it sometimes got in the way, Anak had learned to take advantage of her racial traits to attack in ways that most bipedal creatures struggled against.

Though she thought Anak's stance was a little silly, as it would give anyone behind her a full view of the spat-like garment she wore beneath her dress, she didn't underestimate it at all. She could feel the Shinsu in the air gathering around Anak's bare feet, and, after a few seconds had passed, visible white vapor could be seen rising from her skin; comparable to someone who had emerged from a hot bath during winter...

Since she had yet to master the basics of Shinsu reinforcement, Endorsi was genuinely surprised by Anak's ability to demonstrated basic proficiency after just two days.

As that thought entered her mind, the fine hairs on the back of Endorsi's neck stood on end, her instincts compelling her to dodge before she perceived the attack. For the first time since the start of their little game of cat and mouse, her expression changed to one of genuine shock, as, not only did Anak manage to close the distance in an instant, she was able to instantaneously stop herself by adhering her feet to the platform using Shinsu.

With widened eyes, Endorsi exclaimed, "Is that supposed to be your version of Gandr's-" before closing her mouth when Anak charged at her, fist extended. The latter had aimed directly for her face, further increasing Endorsi's annoyance as she put a 'considerable' amount of effort into her physical appearance.

Ignoring the pain in her arms from blocking Anak's attack, Endorsi formed a fist with her right hand, shouting, "Where do you think you're aiming, you bratty lizard!?"

Having been in the middle of a charge, it was Anak's turn to express surprise as Endorsi's figure, for a very brief moment, seemed to fade away. By the time her brain had processed this information, a powerful impact slammed into Anak's side, forcing the wind from her lungs as a sharp pain radiated from her rib cage.

Despite having the wind knocked out of her, Anak managed to flick her tail in a way that helped to counterbalance the rotational force of her body. Unfortunately, this brought her to a stop just over a gap between two pillars, a truth she only realized after gravity began working its magic.

Just as Anak thought she was going to be eliminated from the Special Test, the world around her seemed to spin as Endorsi leaped through the air, grabbing her ankle and flailing her body like a lasso above her head. This made Anak feel extremely nauseous, but, in the next moment, she found herself embedded into the surface of one of the pillars, now within bounds.

Landing softly on the periphery of the pillar, Endorsi combed back her bangs as she said, "I'm still in the midst of giving you a spanking. Don't think I'll let you fall out of bounds that easily..."

Noticing Anak wasn't moving, Endorsi allowed her words to trail off, a frown marring her beauty as a glimmer of concern flashed across her eyes. She could feel a depressive suddenly radiating from Anak's body, clearly the result of the girl's cognizance of the fact that she had, once again, nearly lost her chance at revenge due to her anger and short-sightedness.

Suppressing a sigh, Endorsi relaxed her guard, placing one hand on her hip as she said, "I'll admit it, you're pretty good. Even I can't use Shinsu to enhance my body just yet so you should feel proud...it seems you inherited more than just the blood of Jahad from your mother, the real Anak Jahad..."

Though she heard Endorsi's remark, Anak just continued to stare up into space, slowly acclimating herself to the pain in her body while thinking about her various failures over the last few days. She had nearly been eliminated three times in less than a week. If she failed, it would be impossible to get her revenge against the people who had killed her mother, so, while she was burning up like a volcano inside, she appeared uncharacteristically calm as Endorsi began monologing...

Taking advantage of Anak's silence, Endorsi's expression appeared equally calm, her voice filled with certainty as she asserted, "Anak Jahad was a Princess who had climbed the Tower more than three-hundred years ago. She was a powerhouse respected by many, even earning the right to wield the Green April thanks to her prowess. Shortly after that, however, rumors that Anak had eloped with a man began to circulate alongside whispers that she had become pregnant. Though it would have made more sense for her to simply have an abortion, it seemed like Anak couldn't bear to part with her child, so, before members of the Royal Enforcement Division could track her down...she simply vanished alongside the Green April. A few years later, rumors of the sinful Princess' death began to circulate within the Tower, but, even after scouring the Floor where she had been hiding, neither the Green April nor her supposed child was ever found..."

Seeing Anak still lying on the ground, Endorsi suppressed a sigh as she averted her eyes to the side and added, "When I had first become a Princess of Jahad, there was a widespread rumor asserting that Anak's child, a young girl, had disappeared along with the Green April. Back then, I didn't think it was possible for some stray brat to escape from the Empire's clutches. Because of this, I'm certain you can imagine my surprise when I found some random girl calling herself Anak Jahad during the Crown Game...truth be told, I decided from that moment on that I wanted to take this Test with you. I had always wanted to meet the girl that managed to escape Jahad's control and survive all these years without anyone learning her location. I wanted to know what kind of person you were, and, if given the chance, I wanted to ask you a question...tell me, daughter of Anak Jahad...tell me why my sister, your mother, chose such a path..."

Though she didn't immediately answer Endorsi's question, Anak removed her forearm from her head, sprawling it out to the side as she plainly stated, "She wanted to be happy...being a Princess had never brought her happiness so she married a man who could cook delicious chicken pies...her favorite..."

Not expecting such a 'silly' reason, Endorsi couldn't help but frown as she watched Anak slowly rise to a seated position. She wanted to remark that, even if she hadn't been happy, it was still better to be a Princess than a criminal. Her stealing the Green April all but guaranteed she would be hunted down by the Jahad Empire, and, once it was discovered she had actually given birth, both she and her daughter would be brutally murdered. Because of this, Endorsi thought that the original Anak must have had some great reason for doing what she did...she never even considered the fact that this reason would be 'chicken pie'...

Noticing the look on Endorsi's face, a smile spread across Anak's as she added, "My mother's only regret was that her favorite chicken pie cook was murdered at the hands of her own sister...one of the few she trusted. I'm here to avenge that chicken pie cook...I'll make sure everyone with the last name Jahad experiences the wrath of Anak Jahad! I will have my revenge, starting with you, Endorsi Jahad...!"

Finished with her words, Anak burst forward with enough speed to fracture to the top of the pillar, her palm impacting Endorsi's abdomen and forcing her to take a few steps back. This wouldn't have been a problem under normal circumstances, but, as she had been standing very near the edge of the pillar, Endorsi's eyes widened due to a sudden feeling of weightlessness. She barely managed to avoid falling by bending her knees and performing a half-squat with her arms extended out in front of her. This put Endorsi in a rather awkward position, and, as if to add insult to injury, a wicked smile spread across Anak's face as she extended her hand and attempted to finish what she had started...

With her expression both paling and turning red, cold sweat appeared across Endorsi's brow, her eyes seemingly asking, 'This is the thanks I get for sparing you?'.

Reading the meaning contained within Endorsi's words, Anak's smile became even more vicious, her own eyes communicating, 'I have no mercy for a Princess of Jahad,' before attempting to knock the former from the pillar. This caused Endorsi's expression to darken in an instant, her body moving faster than it ever had before as she leaned back to evade Anak's second push while subsequently grabbing her wrist and shouting, "If I'm going down, you're coming with me, my bratty niece!"

Though Anak tried to break free from Endorsi's hold, the latter's grip could easily crush steel, so, without any suspense, both Princesses were sent tumbling over the side of the pillar, the former shouting explicatives while the latter laughed like a madwoman; both stopping only when they crashed, hard, into the stone floor below...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Oh? You're approaching me?','Endorsi actually has a point...Anak is pretty lucky, all things considered...','Nothing like the good ol' crab bucket mentality...')

(A/N: Just as a reminder, I moved my rest days to Friday so that people have more chapters to read on the weekends. This will be the only one I release today as I'm pretty exhausted from increasing the chapter output xD...)

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