Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After giving Izayoi a 'stern' talking, Asuka, alongside the aforementioned troublemaker, returned so that she could use her Oraculum on Ratten and Weser. The danger of Pied Piper Hamlin had largely passed, but they still needed to clear the game.

Fortunately, though their tales weren't exactly pleasant to hear, Ratten's and Weser's status as Lesser/Low-Ranking Demons meant their origins were considerably less tragic than Pest's. Weser, in particular, was just a spiritual manifestation of the Weser River. In other words, he had no real origin and was just given form as a result of the Weser River's association with the tale of the Pied Piper.

Similar to Weser, Ratten was also a derivative spirit associated with the tale. More specifically, she was the personification of a 'Piper who could play a sweet melody to control rats and children'. She wasn't the original Pied Piper associated with the tale, but her flute had a similar effect.

Upon hearing the two Demons reveal their origins, Izayoi was, once again, the first to speak, remarking, "So that was a waste of time." before turning around with the apparent intention to leave.

Following Izayoi with her eyes, Asuka's brows visibly twitched as she shouted, "Izayoi, wait! At least tell us what you're thinking before you storm off on your own…!"

Without turning around or removing his hands from his pockets, Izayoi looked toward the sky and said, "I remember seeing some stained glass panels portraying the tale of the Pied Piper while we were exploring the Corridor of Displays. Since that's where our busty blonde friend made her first appearance, I figure they might have something to do with this whole charade. Who knows, they may even be the key to solving the riddle. Only one way to find out."

Finished with his explanation, Izayoi leaped into the sky without further remark. Asuka wasn't particularly enthused by this, but she didn't have time to brood as the tiny Earth Spirit that had been nestled between her breasts popped out, shouting, "Rattenfanger! Rattenfanger!" while waving in the direction Izayoi had just departed.

Confused by the tiny spirit's behavior, Asuka let it stand on her palms as she asked, "Yes? Are you trying to tell us something?"

Seeing the diminutive, faerie-like spirit in Asuka's hands, Pest surprised everyone present by advising, "You should take that Spirit with you and follow that boy…"

"Pest-chan…?"

Snorting in response to the way Ratten addressed her, Pest adopted a catty glower as she said, "I told you to stop calling me that…" before meeting Asuka's gaze and adding, "That boy wasn't wrong to take an interest in those panels. They are one of the catalysts used to summon us. However, they are not the key. If you want to learn the truth, you'll need to look deeper…"

Squinting her eyes, Asuka asked, "Why are you suddenly helping us? If this is some kind of trick-"

Interrupting before Asuka could finish, Pest answered, "We've already lost. All I can do now is try to protect the members of my Community…"

Not trusting the petite Demoness, Asuka was prepared to use her Oraculum when Yo grabbed her sleeve, saying, "We should hurry…" in a soft tone.

Exhaling a sigh, Asuka allowed her Gift Card to dissipate as she looked to the bound trio and said, "If it turns out you're telling the truth, we'll factor that into the reparations you'll be expected to make."

Shifting her attention to the quietly observing Sandora, Asuka asked, "I trust Salamandra has no problem with that?"

Shaking her head, Sandora calmly replied, "So long as we can wrap this incident without any significant damages or loss of life, Salamandra will not request anything unreasonable. With how things have developed so far, we may even be able to pass it off as some kind of prank…"

Surprised by Sandora's words, Asuka was about to ask what she meant when Yo suddenly picked her up in a princess carry, saying, "We're going." in an uncharacteristically firm tone. Then, without further delays, she took off in the direction Izayoi had departed previously.

After watching the duo take off, accompanied by the high-pitched sound of Asuka's scream, a pensive expression gradually returned to Sandora's face. What Pest revealed about the panels had resonated with her. If her suspicions proved correct, Pied Piper Hamlin wouldn't be the ones to hold responsible for this incident…

"Brother…"

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"You about ready to get out of here…?"

Though she heard Vahn's words, Leviathan didn't raise her head from his shoulder. Instead, she nestled a little closer to him as she asked, "Can't we just stay here? The outside world is so tiresome…"

In an effort to convince Vahn to accept her proposal, Leviathan snaked her hand up his thighs, firmly gripping the appendage nestled between his legs. They were currently relaxing in a bath of pulsing blue lava, but it was somehow colder than the heat radiating through her palm.

"Mmm…"

Closing his eyes, Vahn enjoyed the increasingly dexterous movements of Leviathan's hand for the better part of a full minute before saying, "There are people waiting for me. People whose importance I can't even put into words…"

Squinting her eyes, a glimmer of anger and moderate envy flashed across Leviathan's golden eyes. She hated when Vahn talked about other people. If it were up to her, she would lock him away and keep him to herself until the end of days. Unfortunately, she couldn't even imagine someone more powerful than he was. He had also forbidden her from fighting against the other members of his harem, threatening to cast her away into one of his self-created worlds if she tried. In other words, the only way they could remain together was if she behaved like a 'good girl.'

"At least promise me this won't be the last time…after what you've done to me, you have a responsibility to take care of me for the rest of my life…"

Though Leviathan's words were more than a little overbearing, Vahn just intoned a casual, "Nn…" before opening his eyes and adding, "I'm not the type to abandon others. So long as you don't cross my bottom line, you'll always have a place at my side…"

Inhaling a deep breath that ultimately came out from her nose in the form of two electric blue plumes of flame, Leviathan elected not to respond to Vahn's words. She hated being told what to do, but, unwilling to part with the man that had conquered her heart, mind, and body; she was willing to make an effort to play nice…

"Only the Sage Dragon Emperor could force a being of pure destruction to play the part of a pacifist…you damned tyrant…"

Despite her final words sounding like a curse, Leviathan planted a kiss on Vahn's neck. She actually preferred him to behave overbearingly, so the more potent her desire, the more profane her vocabulary. So long as she didn't bring up or insult maternal figures, he was generally willing to play along…

Meeting Leviathan's expectations, Vahn slid his hand up her waist until his scale-covered palm was over her breast. Leviathan was the type that got even more excited when he took on draconic features, so Vahn allowed a layer of gold and white scales to spread across his hand and forearm, his fingers growing to resemble talons as he gave her breast a firm squeeze.

Feeling a stifling surge of heat permeate her chest, an impassioned sigh that caused the magma within the pool to boil over escaped Leviathan's glowing throat. Her core temperature exceeded 6,000 degrees when she was excited, hotter than the surface of the yellow sun. This was nowhere near the millions of degrees certain Sun Goddesses could achieve, but it was more than enough to melt conventional metals and stone.

Immune to the rapid increase in temperature, Vahn lowered his head to give Leviathan's shoulder a not-so-playful nibble. His teeth sank nearly a full centimeter into her ashen-bronze flesh, but instead of screaming out in pain, Leviathan's back and tail arched, her toes curling as a moan akin to a dragon's roar emanated from her throat…

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After reaching the Corridor of Displays and locating the panels depicting the story of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, Izayoi inspected the metal placard underneath, eyes narrowing as he discovered it had been manufactured by the Rattenfanger Community.

"Figures…"

Since the original story of the Pied Piper of Hamlin was a German story called Rattenfänger von Hameln, Izayoi would have to be pretty dense not to notice the connection between the Rattenfanger Community and Grimm Grimoire Hamlin. He had even brought it up when Asuka initially discovered the tiny Earth Spirit. Thus, after a moment of deliberation, he promptly shattered the stained glass panels.

Accompanying the sound of glass shattering, an invisible domain spread outward at an alarming rate. Izayoi attempted to counter it with his Seiun, but that ended up being his biggest mistake. A cold sensation suddenly spread his mind, a soft, "I'm a fucking idiot…" escaping his mouth as the color of his eyes shifted from amethyst to blood red…

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Despite rushing over to the Corridor of Displays, the sinking suspicion Yo had felt ever since Izayoi's departure ended up proving true. Her instincts were a lot more attuned than Asuka's, so she had been able to sense that something terrible was going to happen. Unfortunately, Asuka's numerous delays caused them to arrive just after Izayoi's inadvertent rule-breaking, their expressions paling as his hair transitioned from a golden blonde to a silvery-white.

Feeling an almost overwhelming sense of dread, Yo opened her mouth to shout out Vahn's name. Before she could, Izayoi appeared right in front of her, a devilish grin on his face as he grasped hers with a vice-like grip and said, "Uh-uh, can't have you calling in the cavalry just yet. I want to have a bit of fun first…"

Punctuating his words, Izayoi, much to the shock of Asuka, attempted to crush Yo's jaw with his immense physical strength. At that exact moment, a hand closed around his wrist, completely cutting off feeling to his hand as Vahn, seemingly manifesting in an instant, asked, "Seriously? You, of all people…?"

Catching everyone but Vahn by surprise, Izayoi leaped back with more than enough force to sever the tendons and bones in his forearm. Even more surprising, at least for Yo and Asuka, was his ability to regenerate the missing appendage in an instant.

Tossing Izayoi's severed hand to the side, Vahn's expression morphed into a deadpan as he said, "Even if you've turned into a Demon Lord, you should still have enough sense to understand how foolish it would be to fight me. Stand down and let yourself be pur-"

Surprising even Vahn this time, Izayoi manifested a blindingly white pillar of light in the palm of his right hand. In the very next moment, similar to Wu's Ruyi Jingu Bang, the pillar extended to a size that was impossible to dodge within the confines of the Corridor of Displays. At the same time, it tore apart the surrounding space with such brutality that massive cracks formed in the sky above the city, almost as though the sky was about to shatter and fall.

Returning the favor, Vahn arrested the momentum of Izayoi's pillar of light with his left hand while concurrently teleporting Yo, Asuka, and their little faerie friend to safety. His ring and middle fingers fragmented like pieces of stone, and several cracks extended from his palm to his elbow, but he managed to stand his ground as he asked, "Is that the best you can do?"

With a few beads of sweat forming across his forehead, Izayoi remarked, "I'm just getting started, old man."

Thinking Vahn was going to humor him with a fight, Izayoi was surprised a second time when the former stated, "Unfortunately for you, the fight was decided the moment you grabbed Yo's face…"

Opening his mouth, Izayoi was about to ask what Vahn was talking about when an irrepressible surge of energy welled within him. The moment he became aware of it, all the demonic energy that had permeated his body was forcefully expelled along with his own. He would normally be able to supplement his power with the pillar of light. Unfortunately, the last thing he saw before his eyes rolled toward the back of his head was a series of golden chains coiling around it…

"Damned Problem Child…"

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Someones in trouble…','RIP Leviathan…','Vahn be like, "Bruh…"')