Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Since the Hidden Floor only opened for those who had completed the trial of the 43rd Floor, Vahn spent the month-long interval between the 38th and 39th Floors helping Vicente, David, and the aptly named Edelweiss with their training.

Though Vahn had thought to call her 'Shiro', his opinion was shot down pretty quickly since all of the other Arie siblings had Latin, European, German, and Spanish-sounding names. As a result, it fell to Eva to choose a name for the Little Garden's newest resident.

Truth be told, Vahn didn't think the name Edelweiss, meaning 'Noble White', was much better than the name Shiro, meaning 'White'. Still, he had never been the type to argue against his women, as, more often than not, they unhesitantly supported even his most outrageous decisions. His only real complaint was that Edelweiss had ultimately adopted the nickname Weiss, literally meaning White...

---

With a relaxed smile on his face and a dull Laev-tan resting on his shoulder, Vahn stared up at the panting Weiss floating a few hundred meters in the sky. She had spent the last hour trying to attack him, but, even without his domain, he could react to and deflect the majority of her attacks without moving from his starting position.

Though Vahn could achieve a similar result against virtually any Regular, Weiss was anything but normal. She was a conglomerate existence comprised of billions of fragmented Egos, so, as could be expected, she possessed more than enough power to rival the average High Ranker. Her speed, in particular, was truly impressive; so much so that it almost resembled teleportation when she was angry...

Feeling frustrated at her inability to make Vahn move, Weiss creased her brows in a simultaneously angry yet adorable manner, cheeks puffed out slightly as she groaned, "Muuu...". Then, without any apparent technique or form, her claymore-like sword began releasing a dazzling white glow as she sent a crescent sword beam as tall as a skyscraper surging towards him at relativistic speeds.

Resisting the urge to release an exasperated sigh, Vahn kept Laev-tan rested on his shoulder as he extended his left hand to 'catch' the massive beam of energy. Since sword beams had a tendency to emulate the rigidity of an actual sword, the sound of metal against metal could be heard for a brief moment before the former fractured into countless destructive pieces. In the aftermath, Vahn could be seen standing, unmoved, with a disappointed look on his face.

Realizing she had erred, Weiss' shoulders began to slump as she slowly descended from the sky to murmur, "Sorry..." in a demure tone. In response, Vahn just reached out his hand to stroke the girl's abnormally cold hair, enjoying the smooth sensation against his palm as he calmly explained, "That hot-headedness of yours is going to cause trouble for yourself and others. Right now, you need to focus on keeping your cool and controlling your power. You're already far stronger than most of the people currently residing inside the Tower. Once you master said power, even the Heads of the Ten Great Families might not be a match for you..."

Though she had severe reservations about Vahn's final statement, Weiss didn't bother to correct him. Instead, she just nodded her head in response before leaning into his palm with a contented smile on her face. It was only when he retracted his hand that she began to move against, her figure becoming an illusory blur as she swept the sword she had been 'concealing' behind her back in a shimmering horizontal arc...

With an amused chuckled emanating from his throat, Vahn tensed the muscles of his body with such intensity that a shockwave reminiscent of a thunderclap erupted from his form. At the same time, he used the flat of Laev-tan's blade to intercept her strike, deflecting it upwards at a sharp angle. This caused her arms to follow, exposing her abdomen and allowing him to kick her with enough force to send her tearing through several hundred meters of devastated terrain. Despite this, Weiss erupted from the debris moments later, a radiant smile on her face as she shouted, "I win! You moved your foot~!" before collapsing forward and giggling into unconsciousness...

---

After a lengthy discussion regarding the inherent dangers of the 39th Floor's 'Name Hunt Station', Vahn, this time accompanied by Fenrir, Ryun, Jeanne, and Mash, emerged from the Hell Express to find a series of massive stone blocks floating up and down in a linear fashion. Said platforms led to a city-sized manor suspended in the sky atop monoliths formed from pure Suspendium, and, even with his senses, Vahn was unable to sense the ground below.

Peering over the edge of the platform, Vahn noticed a thick covering of Shinsu-rich clouds that seemingly covered the entirety of the 39th Floor. He could even sense a number of Leviathan-sized creatures floating aimlessly within its mass, this size easily exceeding several kilometers in length as they filter-fed on a countess number of smaller Shinheuh...

As was often the case, Ryun took the opportunity to explain the specifics of the Floor, stating, "The 39th Floor has always been one of the most mysterious regions within the Tower. These clouds have never once dissipated in the last ten-thousand-years, and, though there are rumors of islands filled with treasure floating within the Cloud Sea, most who venture within are never heard from again."

Resisting the urge to jump down and take a look himself, Vahn just nodded in response to Ryun's words before turning toward the Hell Express, matching gazes with the two near-identical women observing from the interior as he said, "I'll leave this place to the two of you. If anyone attempts to board, send me a telepathic message."

Making themselves seem even more like twins, Artoria and Gray both offered a courteous bow in response to his words, hands neatly folded in their laps as the former said, "Good luck. We will be waiting for your return."

With one final round of nods and parting smiles, Vahn and his entourage of three Vanargandr and an inordinately beautiful Angelic beauty waited until their platform had aligned with another before advancing forward. There, a number of heavily-armored bear-like creatures, each wielding weapons such as maces, flails, and war axes, could be seen blocking the path.

Though he found the creatures strangely adorable, Vahn knew they were just simulated Shinheuh, much like those found onboard the Hell Express. Thus, without any real remorse, he gave a curt nod towards Jeanne, a wry smile spreading across his face as he said, "Try not to be too flashy..."

Hearing her Master's words, a tidal surge of excitement welled up within Jeanne's chest, silvery-white armor manifesting across her body as she spread her angelic golden wings wide and said, "Leave it to me!" in a spirited tone. This left Vahn feeling a little helpless, but, knowing Jeanne had been waiting for this kind of opportunity for a long time, he didn't attempt to intervene...

With a standard bearing the emblem of the Aldrnari Empire in her left hand and a sword formed of pure white light in her right, Jeanne charged into the platoon-sized group of armored bears with a resolute glimmer in her radiant blue eyes. Fortunately, she had taken his words 'very' seriously, so, despite having the power to destroy the entire stone platform with her charge alone, she only used the flat of her blade to knock out enemies while deflecting attacks with her seemingly indestructible wings.

In total, it had only taken around twenty seconds for Jeanne to knock out just as many enemies, all without getting a single drop of blood on the standard she carried in her left hand. In her mind, the flag was even more important than her own life, and, though it often worried him, Vahn didn't stop her from waving it around since it actually provided a number of benefits due to the Innate, [Flag-Bearer of the Aldrnari Empire]. It not only provided a substantial increase in her parameters; but, so long as they viewed the Aldrnari Empire in a positive light, it drastically raised the morale of allied forces while severely weakening the enemy.

After hearing about the ridiculous system present within the Name Hunt Station, Vahn had decided he was going to liberate the people who had been trapped there for centuries. He was already fed up with the Tower and its ridiculous traditions, so, while it was bound to bring him countless future troubles, he wasn't just going to sit around on his hands as people were being forcibly turned into slaves...

With Jeanne clearing the way, it only took a few minutes before Vahn and Co were approaching the end of the peculiar path. By then, several distinct groups of Regulars had gathered around the large plaza connecting to the floating platforms, some showing curiosity while others adopted disdainful sneers as they willfully blocked the route forward.

Though Vahn already knew what to expect from the infamous station, it was difficult to remain calm when a bunch of despots were eying his women with possessive leers and unveiled lust. This was especially true of the group of thug-like individuals blocking the path, and, based on their behavior, it wasn't difficult to imagine the fate of any woman unable to protect themselves upon arriving at the Name Hunt Station...

Resisting the urge to just erase the posse of thugs with a wave of his hand, Vahn forced a smile on his face as he casually remarked, "I never expected to encounter four of the so-called 'Ten Bosses' so soon after my arrival...it seems like your leader isn't particularly fond of me..."

Responding to Vahn's words, a masked behemoth of a man, seemingly comprised entirely of dirt, crossed his muscular arms before flashing rows of his razor-sharp teeth as he said, "Dude...you go around calling yourself something ridiculous like the 'Sage Dragon Emperor'. Of course people are going to want to beat some sense into your stupid ass. I mean, seriously, who the fuck do you think you are? The Tower only has one King, and he certainly ain't no punk-ass pretty boy walking around like he just finished getting his asshole waxed. It's high time for you to wake up and stop dreaming, 'Your Majesty'...!"

With Vahn gesturing for the girls to stand down, the literal dirt-man, better known as Hesse of the Ten Bosses, was given ample opportunity to finish his beratement. At the same time, his posse had already started to fan out, forming a loose encirclement as they eyed up each of the girls with lust-filled gazes. One, a giant man with four arms, even went out of his way to point directly at Mash, a sadistic gleam in his eye as he said, "I want that one. I'm going to teach you what a 'real' man is like by breaking in that lewd body until your legs no longer work."

Though her much younger self might have covered the exposed sections of her body in response to such remarks, Mash had long-since gotten over the traumas she had endured during her time as a Designer Baby. Now, she displayed her body proudly, and, though it made her feel a small amount of anxiety to hear someone call her 'lewd', this was primarily due to her proximity to Vahn and her own wayward thoughts...

Shaking her head in a rather comical manner, earning a few laughs from the encircling thugs, Mash emptied her head of wayward thoughts before manifesting two massive shields, each resembling a futuristic version of the 'Lord Camelot', as she said, "Master...please order me to dispense with these despicable vermin..."

While the surrounding Regulars were awestruck by the manifestation of what they presumed to be an Armor Inventory, Vahn simply nodded his head in response, saying, "Don't be afraid to be a little heavy-handed. Though some of them were forced into their current position, that does not excuse the crimes they have committed. I'll handle the aftermath so feel free to go all out. Let me see the result of your decades of training."

With a resolute look flashing across her amethyst-colored eyes, Mash grabbed the two handles on the interior of the massive shields as she shouted, "Yes! Please watch closely...!" in an excited tone. Immediately thereafter, the shields began to envelop her arms, quickly becoming a pair of massive gauntlets as she charged into the enemy without hesitation...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn can be surprisingly petty at times xD...','Raise your dongers for the angelic waifu...!','Time for a paddlin'...')

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