Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the Position Tournament only taking place every six months, combined with the fact only the top 10% were allowed to advance to the next Floor, it was no surprise that hundreds of thousands of Regulars had gathered to participate in the bi-annual event. Because of this, there were actually two parts to the Position Tournament: the Elimination Competition and the Seeded Tournament.

Though tens-of-thousands of Regulars would pass through the Elimination Competition, earning their right to advance to the next Floor, only the top thirty-two in each Position would be able to advance to the Seeded Tournament. This was the main reason people were eager to form strong teams for the Elimination Competition, as, with very few exceptions, the seeds were chosen from amongst the thirty-two parties who scored the most points during the preliminary event.

Fortunately, individual Regulars could also compete in the Elimination Competition so Vahn had the option of going solo or forming a party with Phae while the rest of Team Wolf Pack was divided into three relatively balanced groups. In the end, it really didn't matter all that much; so, while everyone else was making their preparations, Vahn spent the week leading up to the competition wandering around the Coliseum City. He even took Ryun on a date at one point, an event that seemed to have left a deep impression on the redheaded beauty if the passion she demonstrated after the fact was any indicator.

Now, with less than a day before the Position Tournament, Vahn found himself perched atop the head of a massive stone dragon as he watched the hustle and bustle of the city below. He enjoyed watching people go about their daily lives, and, though the conditions in the Tower compelled the residents to behave strangely, seeing so many people walk around with serious and resolute looks on their faces was rather inspiring. Everyone moved around with a sense of purpose, and, though their reasons might be derived from selfish desire, their convictions were commendable...

Picking up the black cat that was nestled in his lap, Vahn brought his face close to its snout as he mused, "It's almost time for your debut. Are you excited~?"

Though she couldn't deny that she was more than a little excited, Yoruichi responded to Vahn's question with a long and exaggerated yawn before answering, "Don't worry. I'll make sure to put on a flashy performance. Still, I'd rather we get a move on and hurry up the Tower. I'm getting tired of bullying the brats and training with the same people every day. I want to fight a real opponent. I've even considered letting you knock me up just so I have something to occupy my time."

Imagining the scene of a pregnant Yoruichi, Vahn felt a strange sense of incongruency within his mind since she didn't exactly strike him as the motherly type. Rather, her kid was bound to be even more rambunctious than she was...

Interrupting Vahn's thoughts, Yoruichi curled up her back paws to use his face as a springboard for a feline backflip. She didn't know exactly what he was thinking but her women's intuition told her it was something very rude.

Chuckling lightly in response to Yoruichi's antics, Vahn slowly rose to his feet before extending his hand so she could deftly transition to his shoulder. Then, while scratching behind her ears in just the way she liked, he softly muttered, "I'm sure you would be a great mother..."

Giving Vahn the kind of look that was reserved for unrelated people looking at mental patients, Yoruichi plainly remarked, "You're an idiot. I was just joking when I said that. Seriously, you think I want to compete with my own brat for affection? Maybe in a few hundred years, sure, but not right now."

Though he suspected she was just joking about, Vahn was still at a loss for words in response to Yoruichi's rebuttal. Fortunately, she didn't really seem to take his words to heart, following her own by licking the ridge of his ear before rubbing along the back of his head as she transitioned to his opposite shoulder. Then, with the side of her head rubbing against the fringe near his sideburns, she added, "You should only worry about spoiling me and finding strong opponents to beat up. I'm a simple woman. Give me headpats and something to punch and I'll be happy."

Nodding his head in understanding, Vahn promptly retrieved Yoruichi from his shoulders, holding her to his chest as he reclined against the stone dragon's back. Then, for the better part of an hour, the only thing he focused on was stroking and caressing the pampered cat until her purring could be heard near street level...

---

With the Elimination Competition only a few hours away, Khun was discussing various battle plans with Shibisu and Gandr. They had been selected as the leaders of the other parties, and, for the last week, they were gathering as much information as possible pertaining to past Tournaments.

Though there were rare cases where the event would be something completely different, the vast majority of preliminary events were, as the name implied, Team Deathmatches. This was necessary to keep the population of the 10th Floor under control, but, fortunately, there was no requirement that you actually kill your opponent. Everyone was given a saucer-sized badge they were required to wear on their chest, back, or shoulder. If this badge was destroyed, you would immediately be teleported outside of the participation grounds.

Khun's plan was to have all three parties rejoin each other as soon as possible. From there, they would establish a defensive line against other attacking Regulars before sending the Fishermen and Scouts off to attack with the support of the Lighthouses.

Since the only real benefits for competing in the Seeded Tournament were name recognition and bonus Points, Khun had little interest in trying to secure the team's participation. His main objective was ensuring that everyone passed together, so, before anyone could run off to try and ensure their participation in the main event, he wanted to secure a defensive position to protect the entire team.

Though the more fiery members of the group didn't completely agree with Khun's plan, they knew it was the best way to guarantee everyone advanced to the next Floor. He had also promised them a chance to go around and eliminate other teams after the fact so they couldn't really argue against his decision. Instead, they joked about the possibility of facing off against each other in the Seeded Tournament, an event Gandr, Endorsi, and Phae were all but guaranteed to win for their respective Positions...

---

Without bothering to return to Team Wolf Pack's lodgings, Vahn spent the remainder of his day exploring the city and watching various teams prepare for the competition. He, alongside every other participating 'Regular', would be teleported to the participation grounds the moment the Elimination Competition began.

Vahn had ultimately decided he would be participating in the event 'alone' so he believed it was for the best that he give Team Wolf Pack as much space as possible leading up to the competition. This was to allow Khun the opportunity to flex his leadership abilities, as, soon enough, he would be the only voice of authority within the team.

Yoruichi wasn't the only one of his Templates itching for a fight so Vahn had already been making preparations to part ways with Team Wolf Pack. He couldn't continue babysitting them forever, and, thanks to the Law of Identity, he knew just how much further he needed to go in order to reach the pinnacle of existence. Thus, even if it was earlier than he anticipated, Vahn was considering pushing them from the nest so they could finally spread their wings and fly.

Though he was largely to blame, Vahn had noticed that Team Wolf Pack was gradually becoming more and more dependent on the conveniences he provided. Some of them were even beginning to slack off in their training, so, before the problem could get out of hand, he wanted to push them towards independence.

Fortunately, Khun was a very perceptive young man so it only took a few hints from Phae for him to realize they would soon be forced to fend for themselves. From that moment onward, he redoubled his efforts to learn as much as possible from Phae while also taking a far more proactive approach to leading Team Wolf Pack. This involved establishing a loose chain of authority with himself, Gandr, and Shibisu as the representatives and decision-makers for each party. He had also been doing his best to accumulate as much Loyalty as possible by accepting various F~E-Rank Quests that allowed him to stockpile a few hundred points in a relatively short period of time.

Vahn knew what Khun had in mind for his Loyalty but he had never been the type to judge people when it came to matters of the heart and personal preference. His relationship with Da Vinci made him pretty open to most things, so, even if Khun asked to be converted into a woman, he wasn't going to criticize him. Rather, after seeing the life Rachel had been living in the Realm, Vahn felt it would be for the best if Baam moved on with someone else...

Unsurprisingly, Rachel hadn't been able to find true happiness even after being able to observe the stars at her leisure. She was a very needy and petulant woman who liked to complain about fairness whenever she wasn't allowed to have her way. There was even a period where she tried to convince people in the virtual world that she was his secret lover, behavior that immediately got her flagged and subsequently soft-banned from the social hub.

If the only problem was her incurable narcissism, Vahn wouldn't have cared all that much about how Rachel chose to live within the Realm. What really annoyed him was her audacity to complain about the Companion she had been given, whining about how it wouldn't 'properly' obey her. She was the type of woman who didn't want to do anything herself, so, despite being told it wasn't her servant, she was constantly trying to make her Companion perform every menial and mundane task she didn't feel like doing herself. This led to her residence becoming a veritable pigsty before Vahn finally sent someone to clean it up, yet another opportunity Rachel attempted to take advantage of by 'demanding' that she be given a caretaker.

What made all of this exponentially worse was the fact that time within the Realm moved at a rate of 1:10 in relation to the Record. This meant ten days in the Tower equated to only one day back in the Realm. The only exception was when Vahn entered the Realm directly, stopping the flow of time in the outside world so he could spend some quality time with his family, friends, and loved ones.

Simply put, all of the problems caused by Rachel had occurred over a relatively short period of time. She had even managed to annoy the Homunculus he had assigned to help her adapt to life within the Realm, a 'laudable' feat considering the average Einzbern Homunculus had an extreme level of tolerance. They could even lose limbs or suffer abuse without so much as flinching but Rachel had still managed to annoy the woman to the point that Vahn felt compelled to compensate her after the fact.

Fortunately, proving that he only really cared about her during specific moments, Baam had yet to request a single meeting with Rachel. Most of his time was spent training, hanging out with friends, and, most notably, spending time with Rak and Khun. His relationship with the latter was especially close, and, though he didn't have any romantic feelings toward Khun, it wasn't difficult to imagine Baam falling for 'her' after his change. Khun seemed to care about Baam to the point that he was willing to lay his life down for the boy so it was only a matter of time before their friendship turned into something 'greater'.

While imagining how Khun would appear as a lithe woman with pale blue hair and electric-blue eyes, Vahn sensed the Space around him begin to distort as the countdown on his Pocket reached 00:00. Immediately after that, he found himself standing in the middle of a massive battlefield that looked like it had been host to countless wars. There were even a number of large craters where the Shinsu of past attacks still circulated destructively.

Catching an emerald-green spear that had been aimed towards his head, Vahn promptly shattered it using raw physical strength before turning to his group of assailants with a smile. This caused the Light Bearer of the group to quickly shout out a number of commands to his party; but, before she could so much as direct the Fisherman to attack, a black cat veiled in vibrant blue lightning zipped between each of them, destroying the badges of five Regulars before sending the Spear Bearer in their group flying with a not-so-gentle tail smack...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Yoruichi be like, "Nah, fam, that ain't me..."','Does this count as christening a ship...?','He's lucky she didn't hit him with her panted Billion-Volt Neko-Paw Punch (OwO)...')

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