Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With Shion announcing her Community's resignation shortly after Ryouma's one-way journey to the sun, the last Community Vahn had to deal with was Indra's Trāyastriṃśa.

As the Rank 1002 Community, Trāyastriṃśa was inarguably one of the most powerful Communities outside the 1-3-Digit Gates. The only groups occupying lower-digit Gates than them were the Three Schools Alliance, the principal Buddhist Faction, and the Divine Army.

Though the aforementioned Communities were ranked higher, the only reason for this was because one was the policing body of the Little Garden while the other was an amalgamation of hundreds of thousands of lesser Communities. When factoring in individual influence, Indra was without equal in the Little Garden. He was the Leader of Trāyastriṃśa, the Commander-in-Chief of the Divine Army, a Bhikkhu in the Three Schools Alliance, the Strongest of the 12 Devas, the Patron God of Heroes, and the Origin from which all Sky and Thunder Gods originated.

Simply put, opposing Indra was the same as opposing the interests of the Little Garden. His power had waned considerably with the passage of time, but, with so much as a single word, every major faction in the Divine Realm would move at Indra's behest. This included the recipients of his power, and, more importantly, the majority of Heroes to ever exist throughout history.

Ignoring these factors, Vahn, accompanied by Fenrir and Mikoto, appeared a few hundred meters away from the defensive line established by the Asura and Rakshasa Tribes. The Commanders of the opposing armies immediately noticed their arrival, but, before they could react, Vahn raised his left hand toward the sky and muttered, "Shukai." in a voice that resounded through the minds, bodies, and spirits of everyone present.

Ever since his 'awakening' in the Tower, Vahn no longer needed to undergo an incubation period in order to achieve Shukai. He and Laev-tan had long since become a singular entity. The only reason they spent any time apart was due to Vahn's pursuit of the stage 'beyond' Shukai. He wanted Laev-tan to one day become independent from him, so, when the two of them weren't fighting in Shukai form, he had her looking after his other Zanpakuto Spirits.

Due to his increased mastery of the Shukai form, there was no pulse of energy when Vahn activated it. Instead, his hair turned pure white as feather-like scales spread along his left and right forearms. As for Laev-tan, she resembled a plain yet pristine white blade whose only conspicuous trait was the fact it had fused with his arm.

Rather than slice downward, Vahn lowered Laev-tan in a slow yet graceful manner as he said, "The curtains have closed. Your chance to perform has now passed. Surrender and Begone."

Compelled by Vahn's overwhelming Authority, the majority of Rakshasa and three of the Asura Tribe members promptly surrendered. When the bluish-white light faded away, a mere eleven individuals, excluding the people from his side, remained on the battlefield.

Passing his gaze over those who remained, an appreciative glimmer appeared in Vahn's silvery eyes as he nodded his head and said, "The Trāyastriṃśa Community is worthy of its status as one of the most powerful Communities outside the 1-3-Digit Gates. I genuinely didn't expect more than three of you to remain. Beyond praiseworthy."

Towards the end of his statement, Vahn shifted his attention to Fenrir and Mikoto to find the two of them staring at him with serious yet fervid looks on their faces. The aura exuding from his body was enough to send those closest to him into a complete frenzy, so, before they could get too agitated, Vahn adopted an approving smile as he said, "Have fun."

Transforming into her Pikachu form, Mikoto practically teleported into the center of the remaining Asura Tribesmen and women before releasing a phenomenally powerful burst of golden electricity. Fenrir, following suit, transformed into her dragon-wolf form. Instead of charging forward, however, she activated her Gleipnir and began spreading her Domain of Primordial Ice through the area. She was very nearly immortal in her dragon-wolf form, so, even if the opponent attempted to interrupt the process, the most they could hope to accomplish was delaying the inevitable.

Unable to resist the urge, Vahn took a moment to nuzzle and caress Fenrir's head and maw before turning around. By the time he had turned around completely, he was standing less than ten meters away from where Indra was seated atop his throne.

Surprised by the ease with which Vahn transitioned through space and time, Indra's brows perked up to their maximum height. A visibly impressed expression developed across his face as he rose to his feet, manifested a five-pronged golden Vajra, and stated, "Shiroyasha really knows how to pick her Champions. At your current pace, I can't imagine it taking more than ten years for you to spread your influence throughout the entire Little Garden..."

Returning a smile, Vahn took a step forward, stating, "Only if I get distracted..." before reappearing in behind Indra in an instant.

Ignoring the veritable fountain of golden blood erupting from his shoulder, Indra's smile became markedly more vicious as he half-laughed, half-growled, "You cheeky brat..."

As the blood erupting from Indra's body flowed in reverse, countless tendrils of lightning erupted from the Vajra in his left hand. Then, at a rate far exceeding the speed of light, he 'sliced' towards Vahn as if he were wielding a cat o' nine tails.

Instead of dodging, Vahn maintained a relaxed smile as he met Indra's fiery golden gaze over his shoulder. Several tendrils impacted and coiled around his flesh, but, despite their best efforts, they were unable to leave so much as a blemish on his skin.

Though he wasn't going all out, seeing Vahn resist his lightning caused Indra's smile to fade away. Even the Demon God and other Gods of Lightning weren't completely immune to his lightning. It was supposed to be one of the most powerful and destructive forces in all of Creation. Vahn being able to resist it could only mean two things. His Spiritual Power was far beyond comprehension or his existence was somehow unbound by the current Order...

("That would explain his anomalous properties...")

Believing he had discovered Vahn's secret, Indra discarded his Vajra before manifesting a massive golden spear known as the Brahmastra Spear. With the exception of Shiva's Trishula and Vishnu's Chakra, it was the most powerful weapon in the Hindu Pantheon. It could turn entire armies to ash simply with its manifestation, and, once thrown, it could neither be evaded nor stopped. Unless the target possessed a 'very' special constitution, it would run them through and destroy them from the inside.

Eager to confirm his suspicions, Indra's smile threatened to tear at the muscles of his face as he excitedly shouted, "Let's see how special you really are...!"

Without needing to rear back, Indra merely swept his hand forward. In response, the Brahmastra Spear sped up to incomprehensible speeds in an attempt to run Vahn through. It was so fast that even the latter was unable to react, but, instead of piercing through his body, a devastatingly loud metallic ping resonated throughout both the Game Board and the Little Garden as Vahn was sent smashing through and far beyond the planet.

When Vahn finally processed the fact he had been hit, an incredulous expression developed across his face as he found himself viewing the Game Board from an 'outside' perspective. The interior of the Game Board was supposed to be an infinite expanse, yet, against all rhyme and reason, he now found himself flying away from it at speeds that could best be described as imaginary.

Grabbing the spear impacting his chest, Vahn continued to tighten his grip until fractures began to spread across its length. Had it not disappeared the moment the first couple of fractures appeared, it would have been destroyed.

Shaking his head, Vahn took a moment to inspect the area where the spear had struck him before teleporting back to a very serious-looking Indra. The side of the planet he had been standing on was now nowhere to be seen, but, rather than focusing on that, Vahn met the tanned God's gaze and asked, "Got any more surprises?"

Though he was anything but calm, Indra managed a smile and a soft chuckle in response to Vahn's words. His previous attack had effectively forced Vahn outside of the Game Board. This should have disqualified him from the competition, yet, as if the rules simply didn't apply to him, he was able to come back as if nothing had happened.

Understanding that he shouldn't address such topics in the middle of a Gift Game, Indra surprised nearly everyone by shaking his head and stating, "Not this time. Rather, now that you have proven yourself more than capable of contending against the prevailing Rulers of the Outer Gates, I look forward to seeing the changes you will introduce to the Little Garden."

On that note, Indra stepped forward to give Vahn a firm pat on the shoulder before turning to the nearest camera and announcing his Community's withdrawal from the Gift Game...

...

..

Though the Little Garden practically erupted the moment Indra declared his intent to withdraw, one person could be heard exhaling a sigh of relief.

Despite the immense trust she had in Vahn, Shiroyasha hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something would go wrong at the last moment. Now that he had defeated Indra, most of her plans moving forward could now be implemented with extreme ease.

"Nadeshiko, please inform the Salamandra Community that we have accepted their invitation and will be attending the festival to decide their next Leader..."

Appearing the moment Shiroyasha spoke, Nadeshiko offered a courteous bow before attempting to excuse herself. Before she could leave, however, Shiroyasha looked over her shoulder and added, "Once you have completed that task, feel free to take the rest of the day off. I'm expecting guests..."

Though she showed an expression of confusion, Nadeshiko didn't bother asking why she was being dismissed if Shiroyasha was expecting guests. Instead, she quickened her pace in order to carry out her duties as quickly as possible...

...

..

Around the same time that Nadeshiko was preparing Shiroyasha's response for the Salamandra Community, two exceptionally beautiful women emerged from behind an ordinary-looking light post. Their unexpected appearance startled the people nearest to them, but, the moment they laid eyes on them, any thoughts of questioning how the two women had appeared vanished from their minds.

Though she was relatively short at only 158cm tall, the first of the two women was an indescribable beauty with golden hair, ruby-red eyes, and an ensemble reminiscent of a high-ranking member of the Nobility. This included a fashionable red, white, and gold dress that was cut so low it looked like her ample bosom might spill out at any moment. The gazes of men and women alike were drawn to the captivating sight, but, the moment they dared to stare directly, a milky haze would emerge from the depths of their pupils.

"What the fuck!? Who turned out the lights!?"

"I...I can't see! Someone help me...!"

While dozens of people in the surroundings were panicking due to their sudden loss of eyesight, the golden-haired woman turned to her companion, a 183cm tall woman with sharp features, long purple hair fastened into a braid, and emerald-green eyes.

"It would appear I forgot to activate my concealing charm. Will you do the honors, Scathach?"

Offering a polite bow, the woman's companion, Scathach, answered, "It would be my honor to be of service to my Queen." before raising her head and drawing a series of glowing runes in the air. When she was finished, not only did the people in their surroundings stop panicking, they showed absolutely no signs of being able to discern the duo's presence...

"Thank you, Scathach. Now then, shall we pay our former vict-ahem, our old friend a visit~?"

"I'm looking forward to it. Ufufufufufu~."

"Ufufufufufu~."

...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Everyone else is desperate to master Shukai while Vahn is over here trying to get his Zanpakuto to be more independent xD...','1% Indra is surprisingly powerful...','Some massive ara ara energy radiating from these two...')