Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 1990: Warming Up

With only a few minutes remaining until the twenty-four-hour deadline, the temperature around the Sword Altar was steadily increasing as Hana, annoyed by the fact that Vahn had yet to arrive, huffily remarked, "The impudence of the Sage Dragon Emperor knows no bounds...are we certain he hasn't simply run away?"

Laughing awkwardly in response to Hana's words, Han ceased playing with his notoriously unruly bangs, answering, "I trust my daughter's judgment. Besides, the Sage Dragon Emperor has proven himself a man of his word time and again. If I had to make a guess, I would wager he is intending to teleport into our midst the moment twenty-four-hours have passed."

Hearing the word 'wager', Eduan's ears twitched, the briefest hint of a smile developing across his otherwise apathetic face as he flatly stated, "I will wager the 94th Floor against the Sage Dragon Emperor arriving on time..."

With a wry smile developing across his face, Han was about to refuse the wager when Hana chimed in, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes as she promptly answered, "You're on! However, instead of a Floor you don't actually care about, I want the Flame of Fiama...!"

Though it was impossible for most people to detect, everyone present could see Eduan's perfectly manicured brows rise ever so slightly as he remarked, "It's been ten-thousand-years, Hana...are you still hung up on-"

With gold and scarlet flames erupting from her body, Hana's expression became extremely severe as she warned, "Don't you dare finish that sentence..."

Closing his eyes, an imperceptible sigh escaped Eduan's slightly parted lips before he ultimately answered, "Unfortunately, the Flame of Fiama is no longer in my possession. One of my naughtier children ended up cleaning out my private collection. Assuming he hasn't been killed by another member of my family, I imagine it is currently hidden away in a location even High Rankers might not be able to access. He always was a clever child."

Though she was extremely annoyed by the revelation, Hana was equally surprised by the fact that Eduan was actually saying something positive about a member of his family. He generally paid very little attention to anything outside of his own interests, so, more often than not, his children would actually have to reintroduce themselves whenever they met him. There were very few exceptions to this, and, according to rumors, there were even times when he would forget the names of women he had been married to for hundreds of years...

Recovering from her shock, Hana asked the question that was everyone's mind, chiefly, "Does this 'clever child' have a name?"

Adopting the slightest of smiles, a glimmer of amusement could be seen in Eduan's electric blue eyes as he answered, "Khun." in a curt tone. This earned him a hateful glare from Hana, but, before she could lash out and demand a serious answer, Hon drew everyone's attention, saying, "The Sage Dragon Emperor approaches..."

Almost immediately after these words had fallen, a nearly indiscernible spatial ripple appeared a few meters off the ground, followed by a solemn voice stating, "Not bad. It would seem your little power-up has increased your sensitivity quite a bit..."

Though he could have remained immaterial, Vahn punctuated his words by manifesting near the exact center of the vast, circular, chamber. Then, with a slight frown developing across his face, he met Hana's glimmering vermillion eyes, adding, "It's no wonder you've been having trouble using the Phoenix's flames...tell me, do you enjoy playing the part of Ilarde's patsy? Are you satisfied with living the life of a 'convenient tool'...?"

Glowering in response to Vahn's words, Hana attempted to manifest a Baang formed from scarlet flames, but, before she was able to, a gentle voice in the back of her mind whispered, "No." before promptly throttling her connection to the flame's source. Immediately thereafter, a veritable pillar of golden flames erupted from her palm as an androgynous voice roared, "Release me! I will burn that man until not even a memory remains...!"

Following the outburst that only Hana could hear, a complex emblem formed from vibrant golden flames appeared behind her body. At a glance, this emblem was similar to a magic circle, but, rather than being comprised of geometric shapes and symbols, the 'core' depicted a realistic-looking crow with vibrant golden feathers and three legs.

Clenching her teeth, the shimmering golden hanfu on Hana's forehead began to gradually diminish as she fought to gain control of her own flames. This earned her a concerned look from Han, but, as this was far from the first time they had seen her lose control, Hon and Eduan simply observed from the side, veils of Shinsu protecting their bodies.

With the Law of Identity helping to narrate each person's thoughts, Vahn couldn't resist shaking his head as he asked, "I gave you twenty-four-hours to make preparations for our duel and this is what you greet me with? It's no wonder the Tower exists in its current state. This is just sad..."

Though there was a lot more he could say, Vahn decided to nip one of his bigger problems in the bud, his expression hardening as he raised his hand, seemingly seizing empty air. To the surprise of everyone present, the figure of a raven-haired woman spontaneously appeared in his hand, a mix of incredulity and fear on her face as he asked, "I'm guessing this wasn't a part of your plan?"

Before the woman could even gag a response, a wave of crimson-black flames erupted from Vahn's hand, instantaneously enveloping her body. This caused Hana to produce a veritable tidal wave of golden flames, shouting, "Nooooo...!" at the top of her voice. Unfortunately, other than singing the thinner sections of Vahn's clothing, the golden flames had absolutely no effect on him. Rather, due to her inability to control them properly, she ended up scorching the back of the struggling woman, incinerating much of her dress and instantaneously reducing large chunks of her flesh to pure white ash.

Raising his brows, Vahn increased the potency of his own flames, extinguishing those of the Golden Crow before subsequently enveloping what remained of the woman's cauterized form. This caused Hana to immediately regain her senses, but, before she was able to charge forward and attempt a less destructive means of providing assistance, the woman promptly dissolved into motes of black ash. Then, without minding the other three Family Leaders, Vahn moved to meet Hana's attack, his palm moving towards her head as her hand advanced like a spear towards his heart.

Confident in her immortality, Hana made no attempt to evade Vahn's attack. Instead, she channeled as much Shinsu as possible into her attack, tearfully exclaiming, "True Flame Manifestation - Golden Crow's Spear of Annihilation...!"

Though his palm had been able to make contact with Hana's head, Vahn felt as though he had been caught in a supernova as golden light abruptly covered his vision. This was immediately replaced by darkness, but, thanks to his extrasensory capabilities, he was still able to perceive the world around him as his body was hurled at near-lightspeed through several natural and artificial structures lining the 100th Floor.

Fortunately, thanks to the unique structure of the Tower, Vahn wasn't actually sent flying hundreds of thousands of kilometers. Instead, he ended up smashing into the nigh-indestructible barrier that prevented people from simply tunneling their way out of the Tower and into the inter-dimensional space surrounding it. Even this, however, was slightly cracked by Hana's attack, as, despite being a Tier 4, she was able to demonstrate power comparable to a Tier 5 thanks to her Authority and the inheritance she had received from two Divine Spirits.

With his body quickly regenerating, Vahn briefly allowed his body to be pulled along by the molten stone escaping the massive hole generated by Hana's attack, muttering, "I suppose this is what I get for feeling guilty whenever I see a woman crying...hahahaha..."

Initially, Vahn had been intending to tank Hana's attack without allowing it to damage him, but, the moment he saw the tears in her eyes, a seed of guilt instantaneously sprouted in his heart. This was easily his greatest weakness, but, so long as he didn't acknowledge that his opponent had the right to kill him, he didn't have to worry about being defeated. At most, they would be able to annihilate his body, but, as he had proven time and again, that was far from enough to keep him down...

Before emerging from his personal pool of golden lava, Vahn shifted his attention towards the sky, his view obscured by an ethereal golden crow that seemed to cover the entire heavens. At the very center of its forehead, he could see Hana glaring at him in a suit of armor that was clearly inspired by the spirit she had manifested. If he had to guess, it was similar in grade to the Raiment of a God, as, rather than being comprised entirely of metal, the connecting fabric and chainmail were entirely composed of violent golden flames.

Sensing Vahn's gaze wandering across her body, the resentment in Hana's eyes became even more extreme as she asked, "Why? Why did you kill Ilarde? She was the only family I had left! How could be so cruel and heartless!?"

Though the wall of the Tower was steadily melting around him, Vahn maintained a calm expression as he answered, "You know, deep in your heart, the answer to that question. I am sorry for your loss, but, so long as that woman drew breath, anyone who does not pander to her is bound to suffer. If it will make you feel better, you are free to continue trying to burn me. However, unless you sincerely believe she had done nothing deserving of death, your flames will not be able to affect me..."

Demonstrating this point, Vahn formed a Baang using Hana's own flames before pressing it to his exposed chest, extinguishing the highly compressed ball of golden flames without leaving so much as a blemish on his skin. This drew attention to the fact that he was practically naked, but, thanks to the contract she had made with the 21st Floor's Guardian, Hana simply frowned as the golden crow surrounding her body flapped its wings, instantaneously melting a large section of the Tower's wall.

While his statement had done very little to diminish Hana's hatred towards him, the calming energy Vahn had previously transferred into her mind made it impossible for her to simply ignore them. He also knew she was well aware of some of Ilarde's crimes, but, due to the latter being her only family member, she had always been quick to absolve her of any guilt. After all, Ilarde was also the mother of every single mainline descendant of the Yeon Family, so, without her, the family would eventually cease to be unless Hana took it upon herself to personally extend the line...

Emerging from the veritable river of molten stone, Vahn inspected himself to confirm that Hana's flames weren't doing anything before manifesting a replacement outfit. He didn't particularly care about being seen naked, but, for the sake of his image, he donned a suit of ivory white armor that matched the version commonly worn by Artoria. This included a fur-lined cape, but, as a personal preference, his gauntlets resembled the claws of a dragon rather than something more traditional.

With his preparations finished, Vahn turned to face towards the seemingly endless stream of flames, his eyes shifting from a vigorous aquamarine to a luminous golden hue dominated by abyssal black pupils. Then, inspired by the experiences of his Templates in Actualized World of Fairy Tail, a toothy grin spread across his face as he exhaled the remnant Shinsu from his lungs. Immediately after that, the endless stream of golden flames began to flow toward his pursed lips, a swirling vortex forming as he began condensing the energy from Hana's attack into a single, highly compressed, Baang...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Clever girl...','Tiamat would be proud...(>,...,<)...!','Vahn got that gud succ...')