Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 1995: Chance

Though she didn't understand what had happened, the notion she could deal damage to a Family Leader caused a massive grin to develop across Yuri's face. Her natural regeneration also helped to deal with the injury sustained by her fist, so, after lingering in the air for a short while, she grabbed the hilts of the two Needles sticking out of her body, saying, "You're so fucked." with fiery red eyes.

Having seen similar looks on the face of Yuri's mother, Han couldn't help developing a wry smile as he said, "Sorry, but this is the end..."

Glowering in response to the youthful-looking man's words, Yuri adopted a defensive stance, but, rather than attack, Han surprised her by adopting a strangely proud look as he stated, "I surrender. This is your victory."

While others might have been happy to hear such a thing, a visible tick mark appeared near Yuri's temple, her aura surging outward as she exclaimed, "Bullshit! You can't just surrender after a single punch! I-"

Before she could finish speaking, Han interrupted Yuri's outburst by calmly declaring, "I can. You're free to continue attacking, but, from this moment onward, I will no longer fight back. If you wish to strike someone who has already given up, be my guest. So long as you stop wreaking havoc on the rest of the Floor, I will tolerate your rage until you have settled."

Though she wouldn't have attacked any other opponent who had yielded, Yuri responded to Han's words by raising both hands and generating a massive, blood-red, sphere. This caused the ground to tremble violently, and, for a brief moment, it seemed like she was prepared to destroy the entire Floor just to force Han to defend himself.

Fortunately, this was never meant to be, as, the moment her 'primal rage' began to take over, Vahn appeared right in front of Yuri, gently embracing her body. His initial appearance nearly caused her to attack, but, feeling his familiar warmth, she quickly came back to her senses, whispering, "Sorry..." in an uncharacteristically meek tone.

Shaking his head, Vahn briefly strengthened his hold on Yuri's body, answering, "It's fine. You'll get used to it..." before loosening his hold and caressing her face. This returned the smile to Yuri's face, but, at the same time, it also lit a fire in her body that made it hard to resist pouncing on Vahn then and there.

Sensing the not-so-subtle shift in Yuri's temperament, Vahn fought hard against the urge to adopt a wry smile as he said, "Cancel your transformation. I'm going to send you back..."

Amused by Vahn's reaction, Yuri's expression became teasingly seductive, but, before she could say anything, he promptly teleported her to his proxy on the 199th Floor.

Though he wasn't particularly bothered by Yuri's behavior, even Vahn wasn't shameless enough to flirt with someone's daughter right in front of them. He wouldn't appreciate it if the partners of his daughters behaved in such a way, so, feeling Han's gaze on him, Vahn forcibly restrained his natural urges in favor of decorum.

With this same sentiment in mind, Vahn snapped his fingers, instantaneously erasing Yuri's lingering ball of Ki before looking towards Han and saying, "Sorry about that. She is still growing accustomed to her new race. Don't worry. Once she's out of range of any sufficiently powerful opponent, she will quickly return to normal."

Furrowing his brows in response to Vahn's words, Han adopted the kind of look reserved for young men meeting their partner's father for the first time, saying, "Normal...is it? Will she ever truly return to being a normal young woman after what you did to her? Unlike you, I don't know everything. Tell me, why did you turn my daughter into a beast?"

Adopting a deadpan expression, Vahn teleported in front of Han before answering, "I'm not fond of mistreating the family and friends of my lovers. You're also one of the few legitimately good people in the Empire, so, for both our sakes, I would suggest you never again refer to Yuri as a beast. She is a proud Saiyan warrior, an elite among elites whose potential surpasses the Gods. If you insult her a second time, don't blame me for a lack of courtesy."

Feeling the aura radiating from Vahn's body, a cold sweat developed across Han's as a phenomenal amount of spiritual pressure rooted him to the spot. It wasn't the first time he had experienced such an attack, but, when compared to Vahn's, every other person's spiritual pressure was like comparing a tiny candle to the sky being set aflame. It left people feeling small and inconsequential, and, for a brief moment, Han was seized by the impression he was an insignificant bug that had wandered far too close to an open flame...

Snorting through his nose, Vahn began to forcibly suppress his aura, adding, "I won't deny the role you played in Yuri's birth. However, unless she is willing to accept you, you have no right to refer to yourself as her father. A father is someone who watches over and protects their children from harm, regardless of the burden it places upon them. Instead, you shifted the burden to Yuri, forcing her to experience difficulties as compensation for your inadequacies as a parent. You can fool yourself into believing you were only trying to protect her, but, no matter how you spin it, the truth of the matter is that you failed all three of your daughters..."

Though others might have been tempted to try and refute Vahn's words, the subject was something Han had been brooding over for, quite literally, thousands of years. He had always regretted letting Yurin dictate how their twins were raised, so, following Yuri's birth, he pressured his ex-fiancee into concealing her identity and allowing her to experience life amidst both families. His intent was to let Yuri choose for herself what kind of life she wanted to live, but, as a result of her fiery temperament and prodigious talent, she ended up being ostracized and bullied by both families. To make matters even worse, she ended up being the target of numerous assassination attempts commanded by her elder sisters, the very people he intended to protect her from...

With the Law of Identity narrating the man's thoughts, much of Vahn's anger began to diminish. It was clear that Han deeply regretted his mistakes, so, while it did nothing to change the past, there was still hope for the future. A lot of people clung to the excuses they had constructed even when their lives were on the line so it was always refreshing to see someone willing to accept their faults without losing their cool or lashing out at their accusor.

Deciding to throw the man a bone, Vahn pat the youthful-looking leader's shoulder, saying, "Relax. So long as there is a future, there is hope. My presence in the Tower is an opportunity for all of you to improve. Rather than beating yourself up over things you can't change, start thinking about what you can do to make things better. Is that not the purpose of your Ari Family?"

Surprised by Vahn's attempt to console him, a moderately bewildered expression developed across Han's face. Unfortunately, due to his transformation into some kind of Fae-hybrid, Vahn's instinctual urge to tease people with pointed ears had been triggered. As a result, without even thinking about it, he ended up saying, "You should start by working things out with Yurin. If you don't act quickly, it might be too late..."

Realizing what he was saying, Vahn's words naturally trailed off as he awkwardly retracted his hand from Han's shoulder. To his surprise, this actually elicited an amused chuckle from Han, who, against expectations, answered, "Even when we were together, Yurin and I maintained an open relationship. I'm not sure how old you are, but she and I are approaching 24,000-years-of-age. That's a long time from the perspective of mortals, so, for our own mental wellness, we never forbade each other from trying out new things. We're also no longer together, so, even if you did manage to win her heart, it is no longer my place to intervene..."

Though Han's words actually aligned with his personal views, Vahn couldn't help staring at the man as if he had lost his mind. He knew Han cared deeply about Yurin, and, despite her amazoness-like nature, the latter was also deeply infatuated with him. Yurin had even made a commitment to never bear the child of another, so, even though they were currently separated, it was strangely annoying to hear Han say something so insensitive.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Vahn chopped Han's head with enough force to send radial cracks throughout the massive crater they were currently standing in. His Source Energy had also allowed him to overwrite the man's permanence, so, despite appearing relatively unharmed, a painful-looking bump had appeared on Han's head, his eyes turning noticeably moist as he asked, "What the hell?"

Blinking in surprise, Vahn looked between his hand and the knot on Han's head before adopting a stern look and saying, "That half-hearted way of doing things is the exact reason for your regrets. If you're going to separate with Yurin, make it clear. Running away and leaving things ambiguous isn't something a man should do. Seriously, you have three children together. Your eldest are more than twenty-thousand-years-old. At this point, they even have great-great-great-grandchildren. It's time for you to stop pussy-footing around and accept responsibility for the line you have created."

Remembering the reports filed by the Research Team, specifically those pertaining to Vahn's views about family and kinship, Han realized he had made a mistake in trying to trivialize his relationship with Yurin. He had also forgotten to consider that Vahn seemingly knew everything, so, while others might have been convinced by his statement, the draconic god before him was not so easily fooled. He also seemed to interpret everything seriously, as, rather than speaking with the intent of giving Vahn permission to act, Han's words had been intended to alleviate the tensions resulting from the former's verbal gaff...

Realizing this, Vahn promptly shifted his attention away from Han, his expression a hardened mask of solemnity as he added, "You should go. If you continue delaying things, someone else will report what has happened here. The one-sided defeat of four Great Warriors is bound to cause destructive ripples if spun in a negative light. Tell Adori and Senna I am willing to issue a statement disavowing rebellious actions so long as the Empire and the Ten are willing to announce their cooperation with the Aldrnari Empire. It is no longer a question of whether or not the Tower will experience a reform. The only question you need to be asking yourselves is: How many people are we willing to sacrifice in order to oppose the inevitable?"

Understanding the severity of the situation, Han did his best to ignore the throbbing sensation atop his head, answering, "Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Though I have a lot to say about how things have transpired, I also understand the meaning of displaying one's power. I just wish you had given us more than twenty-four-hours to prepare..."

Shaking his head, Vahn did his best to conceal his sudden melancholy, calmly stating, "Benevolence is one of the most valuable traits a leader can possess. Unfortunately, too much benevolence invites opportunists to take advantage of the situation. Others misunderstand it as a form of weakness that encourages them to do foolish things such as taking hostages and lashing out at others in the hope of 'teaching' someone a lesson. Truth be told, I've grown weary of such things. Had Gustang moved forward with his plan of trying to capture one of my loved ones during this competition, the Empire, the Workshop, the Ten Great Families, and everyone else who dares to oppose me would have been wiped out. Rather than complaining about the twenty-four-hours, you should be thanking whatever god you believe in for the innumerable chances I have afforded you since arriving in the Tower..."

Finished with what he had to say, Vahn turned away from the contemplative-looking Han, his eyes firmly fixed on the inordinately handsome man patiently observing him from a few kilometers away. Then, with Laev-tan appearing in his right hand, he muttered, "Bankai..." in a grim tone that caused the space for hundreds of kilometers to tremble...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Yuri nearly went full Frieza o_o...','Vahn's Greatest Weaknesses #03: Pointed Ears','Shit just went from 0 to ∞ in an instant...')