Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

While Vahn had been busy running around and trying to solve problems, several other groups were actually enjoying the time they had spent within the Hidden Floor. Among these, the groups led by Madara and Roger were having the most fun, as, rather than focusing on a particular objective, they were just accepting the most difficult Quests in each stage.

With arms crossed over the breastplate of her rather iconic red and black armor, Madara couldn't help but smile as she stared down at the grimacing face of her opponent, a handsome young man with pale blue hair, matching eyes, and twinkling stars flickering around his body. The youth made the mistake of trying to sneak attack and bind her while she was watching her team fight against the stage's villain. Unfortunately, the only thing they ended up capturing was a strange metal doll whose weight was so extreme that it caused a small explosion after falling over.

Though she could have ended the fight in an instant, Madara had a penchant for toying with her opponents so that she could get the most enjoyment out of a battle. As a result, her primary focus had been denying her would-be attacker the opportunity to escape. This left the pale-haired youth feeling rather exasperated, as, under normal circumstances, they should have been able to teleport away. Instead, strange trees had erupted all throughout the battlefield, and, though they could still move short distances, long-range teleportation and spatial movements had been completely sealed off.

Seeing the youth stay crouched for several seconds, Madara's smile gradually faded away as she asked, "Are you done?" in a voice mixed with contempt, intrigue, and a natural sultriness that had developed after spending several decades as a member of the opposite sex.

Frowning in response to Madara's words, the youth forced himself to stand before asking, "You are far more powerful than I anticipated. Even if I pushed myself, I doubt I would be able to land even a single blow against you. Since further struggle would be pointless, I'm choosing to give up. Do with me what you will."

Snorting through her nose, Madara leaped from the branch of one of the many seal-covered trees present in the area, crashing into the ground with enough force to produce a crater approximately three meters in diameter. This caused the pale-haired youth to stumble, but, before they could fall over, a black-gloved hand tightened around their collar. Unfortunately, while this provided them a bit of stability, it allowed the subsequent fist to their diaphragm to land precisely, instantaneously forcing the air from their lungs and forcing them into unconsciousness.

Creating a shadow clone to carry the youth's unconscious body, Madara turned her attention to the quintet that had been observing her battle from a relatively safe distance, saying, "If I'm not wrong, this brat should be one of the people we're looking for. We will return to town and confirm whether or not this is the case."

Though he would normally never dare question his 'aneue', a handsome youth with wild black hair fixed into a loose ponytail raised his hand, waiting for permission to speak before asking, "Would it not be easier to simply send a message and have Vahn come to us?"

Despite the smile on her face, Madara immediately shook her head before responding, "Life isn't all about efficiency, Izuna. Given Vahn's personality, he is most-probably running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Interfering with his movements just to confirm a person's identity will make us seem incompetent and overreliant on his validation. I refuse."

As one of the third-generation Templates that Vahn had allowed to develop naturally, Izuna wasn't able to fully understand why his elder sister was so deferential to their Creator. Despite this, he still nodded his head, saying, "Understood." in a curt tone.

Resisting the temptation to admonish her younger brother in front of others, Madara just shook her head before directing her glistening crimson eyes towards their group's Wandering Minstrel, saying, "Show us the way back. You surely know the way, correct?"

Nodding their head rather swiftly in response, the tribal-looking man known as Blatt tore his eyes away from the unconscious body of the 'Big Breeder', answering, "Once you complete a stage, you have the option of moving on to the next or revisiting one you have previously cleared. You can also abandon your current Quest to expedite things, but doing so will cause the black bar of your Good and Evil Monitor to fill up an amount based on the difficulty of the Quest you abandoned..."

Having completed a number of Quests, Madara wasn't particularly concerned about filling up the black part of her gauge. Still, she also wasn't the type to leave a task half-complete, so, rather than abandoning their current Quest, she directed her gaze towards the bored-looking Yoruichi and the lovey-dovey couple of Ichigo and Orihime, saying, "Finish tracking down our target. We will return once this Quest is complete."

Digging into her human ear with her pinky, Yoruichi seemed unimpressed by the tone of Madara's voice, her own containing sarcastic undertones as she remarked, "The monsters here are too weak. Why don't you wake up that little brat and let me have a go at him while you go off and deal with whatever joke of a villain has been prepared for us?"

Though Izuna's reaction was to glare hatefully at the cat-like woman, Madara simply adopted a relaxed smile, saying, "Very well. However, know that your precious Master will be notified of your unwillingness to cooperate. Come, Izuna. We're going."

Without waiting for Yoruichi's response, a purple glow emanated from Madara's body as she flew into the sky at a breakneck speed. At the same time, her clone set the unconscious youth on the ground before dispersing in a cloud of smoke as Izuna, following his sister's example, darted into the sky like a crimson rocket ascending to space.

Since she had primarily just been messing around, Yoruichi's expression morphed into a rather silly caricature of incredulity as she gawked in the direction of the duo's departure. Moments later, the tips of her cat-like ears and tail began to glow as the air around her quickly ionized and began to generate sparks.

In a desperate attempt to mediate the situation, Orihime put herself in the line of fire by stepping forward, an awkward yet gentle smile on her face as she held her hands up in a placating gesture and said, "Please calm down, Yoruichi-san. If you fall for her taunts and attempt to give chase, you will only make the situation worse. Madara-sama is too powerful for you to deal with and Izuna will not hesitate to support her if he thinks she is in danger. How about we have a picnic while we wait? I have sandwiches, onigiri, and sashimi prepared by Rindo-san. It has been a few hours since we last ate. Aren't you hungry?"

Though she was mildly annoyed by Orihime's comment regarding her inability to defeat Madara, Yoruichi quickly calmed down at the mention of Rindo's food. She also knew that Vahn wouldn't really be mad at her, so, while it was hard to suppress her urge to chase down the Uchiha duo and pick a fight, her stomach and rationale ultimately won out. After all, there was nothing preventing her from battling against Madara and picking on Izuna once they returned to the Little Garden...

---

Unbeknownst to his companions, Vahn used the time he spent suppressing Maschenny and waiting for Eduan's return to check in on each of the groups' progress. His [Universal Mind] allowed him to passively absorb their thoughts and experiences, but, even without it, he had long since possessed the ability to connect his senses with those listed in his Unit Management. He very rarely made use of this ability in the past, but, after spending several months watching over his Template's exploits in the Tri-Ace Anthology, he had gradually become accustomed to such practices.

Seeing how much fun some of the teams were having, combined with the earnest efforts of Fenrir's and Artoria's parties, Vahn's personal grievances towards the Hidden Floor began to gradually fade away. This was one of the benefits of being able to view a situation from the perspective of another, as, more often than not, the account of a single person led to the development of a bias. This was especially true for those who proactively sought to eliminate tyranny and provide aid those those in need.

When you exposed yourself to the more detrimental and negative elements of a society, it was easy to forget that there were quite a number of positive aspects associated with even the most heinous and cruel regimes. It was also easy to forget that places like the Hidden Floor, the Virtual World, and even the Eternal Sphere were originally created with noble purposes in mind.

In its inception, the mirror serving as the foundation for the Hidden Floor was meant to act as a time capsule of sorts for Jahad and the Great Warriors. As for the Virtual World, it served a similar function, but, more importantly, provided people with knowledge and the freedom to choose their own career paths and immerse themselves in various fantasy worlds. Lastly, the Eternal Sphere was originally created with the intent to advice scientific understanding and ascertain whether or not life could develop in a closed system without external influence. It was an experiment intended to help the inhabitants of the Fourth Dimension better understand their own origins, but, as was often the case, it's purpose had been perverted for the sake of profit and personal gain.

Simply put, very few things were designed with the express intent of causing harm or aiding in the propagation of corruption. Rather, most scientific discoveries were the result of genuine curiosity and a desire to advance one's civilization to the next level. Instead, the most intelligent members of a community were often exploited by the most opportunistic, and, unless something catastrophic occurred to necessitate progress, the advancement of civilization was bottlenecked for the sake of profit. This was one of the inherent detriments of society, as, without exceptionally powerful and responsible leaders proactively working to counteract it, the ambitions of opportunistic individuals would invariably lead to corruption and the gradual suppression of reason for the sake of maintaing the status quo.

Fortunately, while all civilizations would inevitably vanish into the ebb and flow of time, there was still merit in working to improve things. A few hundred years of peace might seem like a small blip in the ceaseless flow of time, but, for the people experiencing said peace, each and every day was a blessing. This was especially true for those who had suffered from tragedy and hardship, so, while it sometimes felt like he was fighting a pointless battle, such sentiments faded away the moment he saw the smiling faces of his family, friends, loved ones, and the people who had benefitted from his struggles.

Breaking the connection between himself and Yoruichi, an apologetic spread across Vahn's face as he looked towards the entrance of the room and said, "I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have been so heavy-handed with you. It's just, your appearance makes it difficult for me not to view you as a child. I would never allow my own children to develop in the manner you have, so it is difficult for me to simply ignore your behavior. Still, that doesn't justify my own behavior, so, while you might be unwilling to forgive me, know that I am sorry."

Not expecting Vahn to suddenly apologize, the hateful look on Maschenny's face gradually became one of confusion as the lightning around her body slowly fizzled out. Then, with a slightly conflicted look on her face, she complained, "Someone as powerful as you shouldn't be apologizing to others. It makes you seem weak. How am I supposed to raise my head up high when the person capable of defeating me is seen as a weakling by others? Have some self-respect..."

Chuckling in response to Maschenny's words, Vahn manifested a Japanese-style tea set before producing a few snacks and saying, "Come and take a seat. I will tell you about my journey thus far and allow you to view a recording of my battle against Adori, Hagipherione, and your counterpart. I imagine you are quite interested how strong the latter has become?"

Though she was initially going to refuse, Maschenny's interest was piqued the moment she heard Vahn mention owning a recording of his battle against her true self. Her primary goal upon leaving the Hidden Floor was to overcome her original and cement herself as the superior Maschenny, so, while it felt like she was being baited inward, her curiosity and desire to grow strong compelled her forward. This ended up being a 'mistake', as, the moment she ate one of the seemingly innocuous-looking cookies, her mind and tastebuds had been awakened to a new and highly addictive world of flavor...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Imagine thinking you can sneak up on Madara xD...','Peacekeeper Orihime-chan~!','Vahn be like, "Come to the Light Side. We have cookies..."')

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