Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

In the days following his meeting with Shiroyasha, Vahn explained his intentions to the other members of his Community while also gifting Companions to Sarina and Nono. Things were going to get pretty hectic in the near future so it was best they had the means to protect themselves on the off chance they decided to venture beyond the relative safety of the Sage Dragon's Hearth.

Fortunately, while the requirements for ascending to a 4-Digit Community were pretty difficult for most people, Vahn had a few advantages. The Vahnatus had drastically increased the fame of the Sage Dragon's Hearth. People were literally lining up in the street to try and form an alliance with him so the condition of recruiting a total of 10 5-Digit Communities wasn't particularly difficult to achieve.

With Leviathan's Tail and Twice Twilight already agreeing to form an Alliance with him, Vahn only needed 8 additional Communities to advance his plan. The only problem was choosing the correct affiliates, as, more often than not, the structure of an Alliance, especially one aspiring to ascend to a 4-Digit Community, dictated how people throughout the Little Garden viewed you.

Though he wasn't particularly known for it at this point, Vahn was committed to establishing the Aldrnari Empire as a Neutral yet highly principled force. He wanted it to become a regulatory body for the 4-7-Digit Gates, so, while the most straightforward solution was to have the residents of his personalized Little Garden establish Communities of their own, the simplest way to ensure people viewed him as a neutral force was to recruit five 'righteous' and five 'villainous' organizations.

Put simply, Vahn needed to recruit Communities whose Leaders hailed from Heroic or Demonic descent. He would also need representatives of the non-human community, as, despite being the Divine Realm, Speciesism and Xenophobia were rampant in each of the Cardinal Districts. Even the East Side was no exception to this as people of Eastern descent had always possessed traditionalist and reclusive views. They might not outright attack immigrants, but, the moment any issues arose, the natives of the East Side would quickly band together to oust anyone they didn't like.

Fortunately, while Thousand Eyes was Headquartered in the East Side, they had numerous branches in the other districts. After all, Shiroyasha had a monopoly on Judge Masters and her omnipotence was extremely beneficial to the few who could afford her services.

At the expense of a proverbial arm and leg, Vahn was able to arrange meetings with a number of foreign Communities using Thousand Eyes as a mediator. There was no restriction stipulating that the members of an Alliance hail from the same Cardinal District so Vahn's intention was to plant the seeds of future conquest by extending an olive branch to opportunistic individuals within the other districts.

To this end, Vahn currently found himself seated, alone, in one of the rooms the Thousand Eyes Community used to conduct negotiations. From the perspective of some, this placed him in the lesser position, but, with the power contained within his body, Vahn was confident he could flip such 'misunderstandings' on their head if it became necessary.

*tok* *tok* *tok*

Though he had already sensed their presence long before they reached the room, Vahn waited until his guests had knocked before saying, "Enter." in a casual tone that seemed to resonate throughout the entire estate. In response, an inordinately tall man with shaven black hair and a healthy, caramel complexion stepped into the room. His features were sharp, serious, and heroic, but, considering he was literally wearing the type of outfit you would only see in comics, that wasn't too surprising.

Shifting his attention away from the heroic-looking man in tights, Vahn eyed the bespectacled woman at his side. Her outfit was rather complain compared to the red, blue, and gold bodysuit of her male associate but she still stood out due to her stylish and futuristic-looking clothes. She even had a clipboard in her hand that was simply a metal frame with a vibrant blue, hard light surface.

The technological development of the Little Garden was remarkably behind the norms found in the Lower Realms. This was especially true in the areas under the influence of the Buddhist Faction, so, unless you visited the West Side, it was pretty uncommon to find people walking around in modern clothes, much less futuristic attire...

After briefly inspecting each of the woman's remarkably advanced devices, Vahn's smile became marginally more sincere as he mused, "Innovation and technology are truly wondrous. One of you possesses a body that has been enhanced to the point it could even contend against the strongest of Demigods while the other, despite appearing relatively normal, possesses armaments that can produce stable gravitational singularities. You've even managed to achieve biological immortality by replacing your marrow with biomechanical nanites. Very impressive."

Hearing Vahn's 'praise', the duo became noticeably tenser as the man, demonstrating that his outfit wasn't just for show, stepped forward to say, "We didn't come here to chit-chat. Cut the creeper talk or we're leaving."

Raising his brows, Vahn was tempted to ask how he was being creepy. The man had literally tried to scan him using half a dozen different ocular abilities while the woman, even now, was attempting to analyze him using her artificial eye and the chip implanted in her brain. Others might not notice the HUD visible on her glasses but Vahn's perception allowed him to discern even the most minuscule particles in existence. Seeing the full electromagnetic spectrum was child's play.

Understanding they would probably storm off if he pointed out their hypocrisy, Vahn just shook his head before rising to his feet and pulling out furniture better suited to western sensibilities. It would be awkward as hell if they kept standing while he was seated on the ground, so, for the sake of their future cooperation, he wanted to make it easier to converse.

Seeing objects appear out of thin air, the intelligent-looking woman's eyes practically lit up as the heroic-looking man furrowed his brows in caution. He didn't seem particularly fond of sitting and discussing things in a casual manner, but, after seeing Vahn sit down, he eventually took the seat opposite of him, stating, "We were told you could supply resources and technology that function even in the West. Well, let's see it."

Rolling his eyes, Vahn leaned forward, elbows on the table and fingers linked together as he stated, "We haven't even been introduced and you expect me to put everything I have on the table? There is a limit to the amount of impropriety I can stomach."

Furrowing his brows a third time, the caramel-skinned man exuded a commendable amount of pressure as he asserted, "Listen here, punk. I didn't come here to play games and make friends. Every second I waste here is a second I'm not saving lives. I don't know nor do I care how you do things here in the East. All I know is there are lives on the line back home. If you can't display the goods, you're wasting our time."

While others might have been intimidated by the man's aura, Vahn had to suppress the urge to laugh. The man was the classical archetype for a superhero. He possessed a bevy of super senses, nigh-unlimited speed, strength, durability, and, most notably, a gross inability to grasp the bigger picture...

Recalling how he had once aspired to be a Hero, Vahn couldn't help pitying the man. At the same time, however, he was tempted to give the man a firm knock on the head before literally beating some sense into him. After all, he could literally provide all the resources his organization needed to become one of the most influential in the West Side, yet, because of the biases he had formed as a 'Hero', the man viewed him as a potential enemy simply because he wanted to talk terms.

"You do realize there are more archetypes for people than simple Hero, Villain, and Civilian...right? Your time in the West had blinded you to the larger truth of the world. I would advise you to travel more and broaden your horizons. People aren't villainous just because they don't automatically step in line and support you..."

Rising to his feet, the 'heroic' man adopted a stern look as he stared down at Vahn and said, "We're done here. I thought you might have been different but you're just another opportunist looking to profit off the people's suffering. When I return to the West Side, I'll make sure everyone knows what kind of person you are."

Turning to leave, the caped crusader's body tenses when he sensed a distortion in the surrounding space. He immediately spun around in anticipation of a sneak attack, but, even with the ponytailed woman's pistol aimed at him, Vahn remained seated with a deadpan expression on his face.

"You're an idiot."

Realizing that Vahn wasn't attacking, the man lowered his arms, but, as could be expected, he didn't let the tensions drain from his body. Instead, the energy contained within his cells began to swell as he demanded, "What are your intentions? Did Dystopia put you up to this...?"

Exhaling a sigh, Vahn ignored the humming of the woman's plasma pistol as he rose to his feet and stated, "You really need to get away from the West Side. The Dystopian Demon Lord hasn't even managed to conquer the West yet you believe he has the power to influence the East? This might come as a shock to you but the Little Garden doesn't revolve around what happens in your district. Get over yourself."

Though he waited until Vahn finished speaking, the caramel-skinned man's body language made it pretty clear he had already turned hostile. The center of his eyes had begun to release a vibrant red glow that illuminated the rest of the eye in a rather malicious manner. He had also balled his hands into fists, his cape billowing behind him as he said, "Fine, then. You want to play games? Let's play. Your kind only knows how to tell the truth when-"

Without waiting for the man to finish, Vahn sent a wave of pressure toward him in the form of a simple palm strike. To his credit, the man was able to evade it in an instantaneous burst of speed that resembled teleportation. At the same time, the ponytailed woman fired off several shots from her plasma pistol, but, despite making direct contact, the plasma wasn't even able to burn through his clothes.

"He has some kind of barrier protecting his body...!"

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Vahn didn't even flinch as the heroic man's fist connected with his face. In their eyes, this all but confirmed the fact he possessed some kind of barrier but the truth of the matter was they simply lacked the strength to overwhelm his defenses. Sure, the man's punches might be enough to devastate small asteroids, but, without proper comprehensions of the Laws, he might as well be a normal human.

Waving his hand, Vahn attempted to bat away the fist impacting his face. In response, the caped fool used his superspeed to retract his hand before attempting an uppercut with such speed and strength that the surrounding air superheated to form white-hot plasma.

Furrowing his brows, Vahn's speed spontaneously increased to a point that far-exceeded his would-be opponent. Despite this, his movement didn't cause so much as a single ripple in the surrounding air, as, unlike the genetically engineered brute, his power and speed were derived from an adequate understanding of various Laws. The former's power was clearly defined by science while Vahn's was basically an abstract concept backed by Willpower and Authority. In layman's terms, this meant his opponent was working against the Laws while he was able to freely manipulate them at his leisure.

Striking the man in various pressure points, Vahn was able to ignore his indestructibility by releasing Source Energy into his nerves. If he wanted to, he could easily overpower the man. Instead, he took this as an opportunity to teach him that the abilities granted to him were basically a gimmick. True power didn't come from a reliance on technological innovation. It was something that came from a mastery of oneself and a desire to protect. The man was on the right path, but, as his power wasn't something he had obtained for himself, he had allowed it to blind him. In his mind, he was right by virtue of the fact he was a Hero. This was a very dangerous mentality to possess, so, before the man could live long enough to see himself become the villain, Vahn decided to teach him a lesson...

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(A/N: I'm back~!)