Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Cradling the unconscious Sarina in his arms, Vahn's expression became incomparably gentle as he picked a few stray hairs from her face and said, "I'm so proud of you. From this moment onwards, the entire Little Garden shall know the name Sarina Stone..."(A/N: Herm(es) means Heap of Stones. Sarina and Vahn never married.)

Punctuating his words, Vahn planted a kiss on Sarina's forehead before informing the ever-present Central Network that she would be retiring. She wasn't injured, but, after overtaxing her mental and spiritual energies, she had fallen into a deep state of unconsciousness. By the time she woke up, the Gift Game would be long over.

"Right...two more stops to go..."

Following his utterance, Vahn appeared at the center of the planet belonging to Kotoamatsukami. There, he found Tamamo in the midst of her battle against Kagutsuchi, an aspect of the very same God that had previously extended him an invitation to study Blacksmithing as his apprentice.

While most Gods manifested in a single form in order to consolidate their power and Divinity, Kagutsuchi was an exception. His origin myth attributed him with the tragedy of accidentally burning his mother, the Primordial Deity Izanami, during childbirth. She eventually succumbed to her wounds, and, as a result, Izanagi separated Kagutsuchi's body into eight pieces to serve as the foundation for some of the largest volcanoes in Japan.

Though he wasn't aware of the events that had occurred during the war, Vahn knew that five of Kagutsuchi's manifestations had lost their lives. The three that remained went on to become the Gods of Destructive Flames, Forging, and Ceramic Workers.

Even at a glance, it was pretty easy to deduce which version of Kagutsuchi they were dealing with. The oni-like entity was clearly the God of Destructive Flames, but, rather than immediately crushing him, Vahn appeared between the enraged God and Tamamo, declaring, "This battle has ended. You fought well, but your General has already fallen. Accept your defeat with the dignity expected of a God representing the Kotoamatsukami."

Exhaling a plume of scalding hot steam between the slits of his mask, the flames in Kagutsuchi's eyes wavered for a brief moment as he recognized Vahn as the man who had defeated Amaterasu. This effectively brought an end to his efforts to stall for time, as, even in his prime, Kagutsuchi was no match for his elder sister. With 5/8ths of his Divinity lost, he wouldn't even last a single exchange with someone on the level of a Pure Blooded Dragon.

Despite knowing how futile his actions were, Kagutsuchi stabbed into his heart with his right hand before pulling out a demonic-looking katana wreathed in flames. His coal-like eyes burned brighter than ever before as he said, "I, Kagutsuchi, challenge you, Vahn Aldrnari Mason, to a Trial by Fire. It is rumored that your skill with the sword has reached a transcendent level. Allow me to bear witness to the truth for myself."

Before Vahn could answer, Tamamo's ears and tail twitched in frustration as she stamped her feet and shouted, "Who do you think you are!? You can't even defeat me and you think you're qualified to challenge my Beloved Husband!? Absolutely shameless...!"

Ignoring Tamamo's remark, Kagutsuchi's fiery eyes remained fixed on Vahn. In response, the latter adopted a relaxed smile before gesturing to Tamamo, saying, "I'll allow it...please take a step back. It would break my heart if so much as a single hair on your head or tails were harmed..."

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Perking up the moment Vahn addressed her, a lovestruck expression blossomed across Tamamo's face as she happily exclaimed, "Hai hai, Darling~!" before scampering over to where Kenshin had been observing the battle. The latter immediately got up from the throne to allow Tamamo to take a seat while Vahn, adopting a marginally more serious expression, manifested the claymore version of Laev-tan in his right hand.

"A claymore...?"

With many of Vahn's companions wielding katanas and dressing in traditional Japanese clothing, Kagutsuchi expected him to manifest one of his own. After all, Vahn was presently wearing a stylish, dark-grey yukata with a white, hearth-like emblem embroidered on his back. A crimson sash was tied around his waist, and, were it not for the fact he was wearing form-fitting gauntlets and a pair of matching greaves, he could have easily passed as a foreign Samurai. Seeing him wield a claymore just felt wrong...

Unfortunately for Kagutsuchi, Vahn wasn't particularly concerned with how the God viewed him. He had already decided to end things quickly, so, the moment Laev-tan appeared in his hand, her edge emitted a crimson red glow as he swept her in what appeared to be a slow and relaxed arc. In spite of this, Kagutsuchi wasn't even able to react as his body, the wall behind him, and half of the planet were sliced in two.

By the time Kagutsuchi realized what had happened, a second line running from his crown to his crotch appeared. This was more than enough to be fatal, but, as Vahn had also decided to show off a bit, his third strike produced a line that cut through the walls, floor, and ceiling in a perpendicular arc. Then, with a push of Vahn's left hand, the side of the planet Kagutsuchi was standing on began to float away before splitting off into four, perfectly segmented slices.

"Good fight..."

...

..

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"Did you seriously recall us just to have us sit and wait patiently for our deaths!? What happened to securing victory and gaining a foothold to enter into the 3-Digit Gates? What about our friends, the people who have given their lives to ensure we made it this far? I demand an explanation...!"

Believing their planet had been in danger, Ryouma, accompanied by his plethora of wives, gave up his subjugation of an offensive satellite in order to rush back and provide support. When he learned that Shion was considering withdrawing from the competition, he couldn't believe it. She wasn't the type of woman that just gave up halfway. If she had been, he wouldn't have spent the last eighteen years occupying the Rank 2 position in an effort to impress and make her his woman.

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Having regained her stoic look following her encounter with Vahn, a cold shimmer flashed across Shion's luminescent blue eyes as she repeated, "Vahn, the Sage Dragon Emperor, is far beyond our present level. Even my [Abysswalker] transformation was completely ineffective against him. If we're serious about breaching the 1-3-Digit Gates, we'll need to reconsider our approach. Those nearest the pinnacle of the Divine Realm are far more powerful than we anticipated."

Smashing his fist against empty air, shimmering white cracks spread from the point of contact as Ryouma shouted, "That isn't a good enough reason! We're Heroes, Shion! We don't give up just because the enemy is more powerful than us! We keep pushing and doing our best until our foes submit or we no longer have the strength to continue! If we lose, we pick ourselves back up, gather our allies, and try again! We never, ever surrender...!"

With a fierce and heroic expression on his face, Ryouma looked like he was mere moments away from charging out of the throne room to assail the Sage Dragon's Hearth on his own. He didn't care how powerful Vahn was supposed to be. Until he had given his all and pushed beyond his limits, he would never accept defeat.

Anticipating this type of reaction from Ryouma, Shion exhaled an inaudible sigh through her nose before adopting a marginally more serious expression and stating, "Very well, Ryouma. If you insist on opposing the Sage Dragon's Hearth, I will not stop you. Just don't go seeking trouble with Vahn once he wipes the floor with you..."

Thumbing his nose, a warm yet calculating smile developed across Ryouma's face as he asked, "If you're that confident in my defeat, how about a friendly wager? If I win, you'll have to accompany me on three separate dates. With the promise of a date on the line, I bet I can draw out even more power than usual."

With an expression remarkably similar to the woman standing behind Ryouma, Shion made a show of rolling her eyes before leaning to the side and answering, "I will accept if you agree to have your Gifts related to pleasure amplification and quantifying a person's affection values sealed. If you lose, you will be prohibited from making use of them for a full year. Agreed?"

Though he managed to maintain his confident smile, a bead of sweat appeared on Ryouma's left cheek as he imagined managing his harem for a full year without 'cheats'. He believed he could pull it off, but, at the same time, he was worried that the more opportunistic and predatory members of his Community would seize the opportunity to poach the more susceptible members of his harem while he could no longer view their affection values of his harem. He was far from the only male in the Akuma Community with a Charisma parameter and the ability to amplify pleasure through skills or magic...

"That...isn't that a little unreasonable...?"

Without having to consider her response, Shion immediately replied, "Not nearly as unreasonable as expecting someone to willfully entangle themselves in your System with the excuse of a 'friendly wager'. I've told you before but I have absolutely no intention of becoming one of the Heroines in your little Dating Sim. The next time you attempt to bait me like this, expect a much steeper price."

Feeling Shion's bloodlust, a dry laugh emanated from Ryouma's throat as he scratched the back of his head and did his best to maintain a smile. He often disregarded just how much Shion resented the System he had received from his Patron Goddess, Eros. It allowed him to determine whether or not members of the opposite sex had an interest in him. So long as he could get a heart to appear over their head, he needed only fill it up before even the iciest of beauties were willing to sleep with him.

Simply put, Ryouma was no mere harem protagonist. He was a Hero straight out of an eroge. The world he had reincarnated into was that of his favorite adult visual novel. It was famous for having more than 300 unique Heroines to collect across three different routes. As his System allowed him to reset and receive bonuses after completing one of the main routes, Ryouma had collected each and every single one of the Heroines across eleven playthroughs.

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Upon completing the character catalog, Ryouma had even managed to sleep with the Goddess that had gifted him the aptly named Ero God System. Getting her to climax a thousand times was one of the requirements to unlocking Multiversal Travel. After that, Ryouma traversed a total of twenty-six different worlds before finding himself summoned to the Little Garden by Pearl Foam Community, a group comprised entirely of boyish and muscular men meant to service the Greek Goddess of Love and Lust, Aphrodite.

Though he had 'suffered' quite a bit during his stay in the Pearl Foam Community, Ryouma never blamed the Ero God System. Instead, it became his crutch once Aphrodite had gotten bored and discarded him. The notion of having it sealed even for a short while made him uncomfortable, so, while there were few things he wanted more than adding Shion to his harem, Ryouna ultimately ceased scratching the back of his head, sighing as he said, "I understand. I can't guarantee I won't try again, but I can at least assure you I won't try for the next three years. That should suffice as an apology, right?"

Staring at Ryouma as if he were a helpless idiot, Shion was about to agree when the dichromatic 'youth' exhaled a second sigh and appended, "Fine, fine, I get it. I crossed a line, okay? At least let me off with five years. Any longer than that and I would be too depressed to even raise my sword..."

"..."

"Okay, okay! Si-no-seven years! That's the best I can do...!"

"..."

"Ten...?"

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..

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Izanagi is kind of a cunt...','Never look down on Laev-tan...','Someone get this kid some Omega-3s. His brain is beginning to fail...')

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