Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2130: Overwhelming : Persistence

After waiting patiently for the other events to finish, it was finally time for the Javelin Toss to begin. In preparation for this, Fenrir used her [REquip] system to change into an outfit resembling a sports bra and knee-length yoga pants. She didn't particularly care about showing off, but, for the sake of the Sage Dragon's Hearth, she was willing to do her part.

"You're going to pay for silencing me like that. I don't care if the Leader of-"

Without waiting for the long-armed woman to finish, Fenrir used Shundo to effectively teleport from the waiting room. This caused Edema to resemble a woman who had just swallowed a bug, but, before she could do anything they would all regret, the monochromatic Smokie opened her mouth to exhale a plume of smoke that briefly formed the words, 'We didn't come here to fight.'

Clicking her tongue, Edema used her inordinately large to create a rather sizeable indentation in the waiting room's wall. She had actually intended to punch through it, but, due to the durability of the material, she barely managed to send a crack from floor to ceiling as Smokie observed her silently from the side...

...

..

.

Similar to the traditional Javelin Toss, the first round of the event measured the maximum distance a contestant was able to throw without the benefit of Gifts. For most, this was well under a hundred meters, but, as could be expected from the highest realm in existence, there were quite a number of outliers.

Though she wasn't the first to blow the competition out of the water, Fenrir earned a considerable amount of fanfare when she appeared in her skin-tight uniform and an ice-covered javelin in hand. Her appearance might not be able to compare with the various Goddesses of Beauty that inhabited the Divine Realm but she could still turn heads with her curvaceous yet athletic figure, shimmering blue hair, inordinately large ears, and fluffy tail.

Feeling the gazes of countless people crawling across her frame, a slightly nauseous feeling began to build in Fenrir's stomach. Fortunately, this was the first time she had appeared in front of a large crowd, so, after a few deep breaths, she cast her gaze to the projection showing the current leader before taking her place at the foot of a 50m track.

While most people would adopt a stance with the javelin above their shoulders, Fenrir surprised the crowd by spreading her legs parallel with the track before arching her limber body in a manner that suggested she was going to toss her javelin without a running start. To some, her form resembled a trebuchet, but, instead of a counterweight, she relied on the stability of her stance and the flexibility of her waist to generate leverage.

In truth, these people weren't too far off. It's just that, instead of standing still, Fenrir took one last breath before raising her left foot, ever so slightly, off the ground. In the very next moment, she was already at the opposite end of the track, her foot less than a centimeter away from the disqualifying line as her body rotated with such force that her foot sank into the ground as if it were soft clay. At the same time, the javelin was released from her paw with such force that it would have melted into slag if not for the nigh-indestructible icy membrane protecting it.

Since it was against the rules to face the throwing direction after releasing your javelin, Fenrir just stood with her arms crossed as she stared up at the projection in the sky. The top three scores at the present moment were 1793m, 104.8m, and 99.7m respectively. She intended to surpass these scores by a landslide, so, even after a full minute had passed, her javelin had still hurling through the sky like a shimmering blue meteor.

To appease the crowd and prevent them from making accusations of foul play, Black Rabbit took it upon herself to explain, "While many of you rely on various Gifts to use magic, the members of the Sage Dragon's Hearth are taught how to convert spiritual energy into mana. In other words, while it might seem a little unfair, Lady Fenrir's use of magic to empower herself does not violate any rules."

Though there were quite a number of people dissatisfied with Black Rabbit's explanation, especially among the other competitors, there was no denying that Fenrir's actions were within the rules. As a result, they had no choice but to wait patiently until, three and a half minutes later, the scoreboard updated to show a ridiculous value of 2,487,080,003.9m.

"Bullshit...!"

As she had been looking forward to crushing Fenrir in the competition, Edema couldn't help giving voice to the thought that had crossed everyone else's mind. She wouldn't have been that upset if it was just a few hundred kilometers, but, based on the value shown on the screen, Fenrir would have had to have thrown the javelin at around 3% the speed of light to achieve such a feat.

Snorting through her nose, Fenrir just walked off the field with her head raised and a subtle yet confident sway in her hips. This was merely the result of her using Vis Maxima and a variation of Shundo to transfer her forward momentum into the javelin. It was far from her maximum output, so, if this was enough to shake the competition, she no longer had an interest in competing...

...

..

.

"Holy crap! Does every member of your Community possess such ludicrous strength!?"

Keeping in tune with his previous responses, Vahn just chuckled in response to Typh's outburst before musing, "Who knows~?"

Though she wasn't particularly surprised by Vahn's response, Typh still clicked her tongue before turning away from him with a pout. At the same time, however, she cradled the bag of cookies he had given her as if they were a treasure, eagerly stuffing her cheeks like a chipmunk as she sat less than an arm's length away on the same sofa.

Amused by the Plague Demon's behavior, a silent chuckle escaped Vahn's throat before he rose to his feet and said, "So long as you don't come looking for trouble, free to stop by the Sage Dragon's Hearth in the future. My Community has taken a neutral stance, so, unless you give me a reason, I'm not going to go out of my way to wipe you out. Just keep in mind that my services aren't free."

On that note, Vahn surprised Typh by trying to leave the room. He knew Fenrir would be looking for him now that she had effectively forfeited the competition, so, before she could reach his other self, Usalia, and Sarina, he was intending to intercept her so they could enjoy some alone time.

"Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going!? Aren't you supposed to be keeping me captive!?"

Raising his brows at the peculiar question, Vahn resisted the urge to manifest Loi-chan as he asked, "What are you talking about? I just invited you here to have a chat and issue a warning. You're free to go whenever you want. You just won't be able to use your power with malicious intent."

Blinking in surprise, Typh held up her hand to produce a gaseous orange flame. This caused the fire in her eyes to become more prominent, but, the moment her usual urge to cause destruction came forth, the fire in her palm promptly vanished.

"That flame of yours is pretty dangerous. Not only does it cause people to become sick, but it also affects your mind with delirium. If you'd like me to do something about it, feel free to stop by the Sage Dragon's Hearth. I should be able to create a seal that allows you to use your flames without affecting your mind. I can also help out your friends so don't be a stranger."

On that note, Vahn waved in a casual gesture of farewell before promptly vanishing from the room. Fenrir had already reached their waiting room, and, while he had effectively stopped time, he didn't want to keep her waiting.

Seeing Vahn disappear, the words that had been forming in Typh's throat ended up getting caught. This caused her to feel annoyed and frustrated, not because he had spontaneously left, but because she had been looking forward to being held captive by a tyrannical dragon. Vahn had basically been teasing her from the moment she was warped to his side, so, while she had no experience with the opposite sex, Typh couldn't help feeling like she had just been clam jammed.

"That mother-fucker...!"

...

..

.

After failing to get her scoop the previous day, Katana was skulking around the restricted areas of the Colosseum with a camera in hand, audio equipment strapped to her waist, and multiple layers of infiltration gear covering her body. This included a special beret that possessed an effect similar to the Helm of Hades, a Cloak of Invisibly inspired by the mantle of King Arthur, and a special black garter-belt manufactured by Water Nymphs. The first two provided the effects of imperceptibility and invisibility while the latter helped to regulate her body temperature so she didn't pass out and die of heatstroke.

One thing that most people didn't consider when they were using items that granted invisibility was the fact that they prevented your body heat from escaping. High-quality Gifts got around this using various enchantments, but, with her meager salary, there was no way Katana could afford the good stuff. This was the reason she had been pantsless when Vahn arrived, as, even if she left gaps for air to flow, being under a Cloak of Invisibility was similar to covering yourself in a heated blanket.

Fortunately, while he had taken her footage, Vahn had left her equipment intact. This caused Katana to wonder if he had an ulterior motive, so, after biting the bullet and spending all of her savings on a Helm of Hades, she decided to put her theory to the test.

Though her penultimate goal was to get a scoop on the Sage Dragon's Hearth, Katana's dream was to become a Poet. In this regard, Vahn was effectively a Golden Goose. He was powerful, handsome, and, most importantly, completely unknown. She had even scoured the 108,000-page compendium that was constantly updating to reflect the birth of new dragons, yet, even after fingering through it front to back, there was no mention of any dragons named Vahn Aldrnari Mason.

As a member of the Strongest Species, it was only a matter of time before Vahn and his Community rose to prominence. It had only been seven-and-a-half months since he registered his name at the outer gates and he was already promoting the Sage Dragon's Hearth to a 5-Digit Community. Thus, even if she had to spread her legs or perform acrobatics atop Vahn's cock, Katana was willing to do whatever it took to realize her dream.

With this in mind, the false redhead skulked her way through the halls of the Colosseum with every intention of getting caught. Thus, with the exception of her garter belt and the equipment covering her body, she was practically naked. She didn't believe Vahn would be able to simply ignore her if he disrobed her to find she was completely naked, so, after sneaking past a number of physical and magical barriers, Katana took slow and deliberate steps towards his Community's waiting room...

"You really don't give up, do you...?"

Pausing mid-step, Katana's head swiveled like a rusty turret as she looked over her shoulder to find Vahn standing less than three meters away from her. The fact he was peering into her eyes made it pretty obvious her beret and cloak had no effect, so, after a momentary pause, Katana allowed the latter to fall away from her as she heatedly replied, "Not even if it kills me..."

Though he already knew she was naked beneath the cloak, Vahn still raised his brows when he saw Katana reveal her sweaty, noticeably flushed body. She looked like someone who had just finished running a marathon, beads of sweat cascading down her voluptuous body as her chest heaved in response to her panting...

...

..

.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir has become the bully (U w U)...','Jebaited...','What's next? She shows up wearing dog ears and a butt plug...?')