Chapter 488: Concessions

[February 2nd DxD/September 25th DBT]

With a barrier preventing him from teleporting closer, Vahn appeared high in the sky above a verdant forest that stretched past the horizon in every direction. The forest's centerpiece was a colossal tree whose top crested the cloud layer, its canopy kilometers wide and its trunk nearly a kilometer in diameter.

'And to think, this place was a desert not that long ago...' Vahn mused, descending toward a palace and city of alabaster stone that formed a crescent around a large, circular lake that was nearly pitch-black at its center—its depth hundreds of meters. As for why that was necessary, it was to accommodate the growing population of Fishmen and Mermaids that had taken up residence in the city.

Touching down near the palace's entrance, Vahn gave a curt nod and told the armored, halberd-wielding guards on duty to stand at ease. They had snapped to attention and given sharp salutes as he approached. And since he was expected, the palace's thirty-meter-tall, five-meter-thick stone doors had been opened in advance.

"Announcing the arrival of Lord Vahn Mason, the Dragon God of Infinite Possibilities...!"

"Uuuuoooooooh—!"

"Welcome, Vahn-sama—!"

"Welcome—!"

"Welcome—!"

With nearly every guard and worker in the palace having gathered in the grand hall to welcome him, Vahn's progress to his destination was stalled. Fortunately, that only applied to the version of himself he had sent in as a distraction. His true self had smoothly slipped past the assembled throng of well-dressed men and women, unseen and undetectable to all manner of sensors...

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Reaching his destination, a spacious, circular room with high walls lined by bookshelves, a golden domed ceiling, and, most notably, a large pool at its center, Vahn paused for a moment to take in the scene with a smile. Seated at the far end of the pool, chatting happily with a group of some of the most gorgeous women in the setting, was a giant-sized Mermaid with long, wavy pink hair that formed two loops atop her head. Her large eyes were a gentle, pastel blue. And her figure and beauty wouldn't lose to any of the other women present...

"Is it not yet time for Vahn-sama to arrive? I hope nothing terrible has happened to delay him..." expressed the giant Mermaid, looking anxious as she checked the time on a golden watch whose face was larger than most circular dining tables.

"Calm yourself, Princess Shirahoshi. Vahn is not so easily delayed—not when he is scheduled to meet beautiful women~" reassured one of the giant Mermaid's companions, Nico Robin, relaxing atop a chaise lounge with a book in hand. Immediately after, she raised her gaze, her striking eyes narrowing and a knowing smile adorning her face as she stared at where Vahn was concealed.

"It would seem that I have been discovered~" Vahn hummed, revealing himself as he walked casually across the surface of the pool, producing faint ripples with each step.

"V-Vahn-sama! H-H-How long have you been here...!?" Shirahoshi asked, her panicked movements sending waves through the pool and making the water choppy. In contrast, the ripples produced by Vahn's steps caused it to settle like the surface of a reflecting pond.

"It's good to see you, Shirahoshi. Is that a new blouse? As usual, blue suits you..." Vahn remarked, nodding approvingly. Shirahoshi commonly wore a golden-scale, bikini-like top with a gold-and-white Hagoromo sash that framed her head and shoulders. She still wore that, but over it was a frilly, low-cut, pastel-blue blouse that ended above her hips, leaving her belly button and the taper of her iliac furrow visible—terminating behind a frilly white, golden-beaded loincloth that wrapped around her waist above her peplum fins.

"Oh...you're just saying that..." Shirahoshi responded shyly, her naturally ruddy cheeks tinting even redder as she turned her upper body, parted her very prominent bosom with her right hand, and avoided Vahn's gaze. She was attempting to play it cool, but the not-so-subtle flapping of the fins framing her waist made it clear she was happy to have received his compliment...

'She's as adorable as ever...' Vahn mused, suppressing the urge to grow to Shirahoshi's size so that he could pat her head. He might have if she were the reason for his visit. But much like the others present—including Robin, Nami, Yamato, Hiyori, multiple Mink women, and a mildly annoyed-looking Hancock—she was the guest of the brown-eyed, blue-haired, fair-skinned Princess tracking him with unblinking eyes and increasingly ruddy cheeks. Today was the day she, Princess Nefertari Vivi, turned eighteen. And, as a matter of course, spurred by Vivi filing a request with the Pavilion, he was there to formalize her Kingdom's inclusion in a growing alliance of nations whose rulers he was married to...

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[February 7th DxD/September 30th DBT]

After a festival spanning five days and spending the evening celebrating Robin's 147th birthday privately, Vahn awoke with the raven-haired Devil borrowing his right shoulder, sleeping peacefully with her hand resting on his chest.

Carefully extricating himself from the bed in a process similar to flowery cell division, Vahn left a version of himself to be there for Robin when she awoke. Meanwhile, he made his way through the corridor of Sisters, gave those on duty their due reward in his changing room, and then entered his bath—packed to the brim with hundreds of women from across dozens of settings. Not all were members of his harem, but if he were to proposition any of them, they wouldn't hesitate to say yes.

'Where shall I sit today...?' Vahn asked himself, sweeping the bath with a relaxed smolder. The rule about not approaching him was one of the few that had endured the bath's changing guidelines, so it was up to him if he wanted to bathe with a specific individual, a group, or alone. Depending on his choice, it could influence how he spent the entire day.

'Hmmn...?'

Just as Vahn was considering joining a sharp-eyed, well-built, raven-haired beauty from a world where beings known as Titans appeared to have overrun humanity, the version of him sleeping between Amalia and Eva was awoken by the sound of urgent knocking. The version of him in the bath didn't disappear, but his focus immediately shifted...

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bang bang bang bang

"King Regent Vahn! Queen Amalia! Queen Evangeline! I come bearing an urgent report...!"

"Mmnnnnnnnnngh...it's too early..." Amalia groaned, contracting her body into a fetal position and drawing closer to Vahn as he split from himself to answer the door—donning the traditional, orange-tinted leafy loincloth of a Sadida King as he approached.

"My King...!" exclaimed the Sadida messenger, taking a knee and bowing his head the moment Vahn opened the door.

"What do you have to report...?" Vahn asked, shielding the interior of the room behind him from further disturbances.

"My King! Three Dragons and a group matching the descriptions of Yugo, Sir Percedal, and Ruel Stroud have appeared within the palace alongside Her Majesty Evangeline's sister and two others! They are requesting an emergency audience with Your Majesty! One of their group appears to have been gravely injured!" the messenger explained urgently, prompting Vahn's brows to rise in surprise.

"I understand. You did well..." Vahn stated approvingly, rewarding the messenger with a pouch full of Blue Moon Rice before gesturing with his right hand to create a pale gold, diamond-shaped portal. The moment he was through, a familiar voice shouted, "Vahn...!"

Catching the leaping Yugo out of the air, Vahn couldn't help but smile as he gave the young Eliatrope a warm hug and responded, "Yugo...it's been too long..." At the same time, he instantaneously took in his surroundings through his domain, registering that nearly everyone present had at least mild injuries.

"My injuries...it's true then. This man truly is a God of our kind..." remarked a tall, burly man with conspicuously turquoise skin, an angular jaw, droopy ears, blunted grey horns, and large webbed wings. He hadn't been able to stand moments prior. But the moment Vahn emerged from his portal, even injuries he had sustained in ages past were healed.

"Grougaloragran recognizes and pays his respects to the Dragon God of Infinite Possibilities..." said the dark-skinned, ancient-looking man at the turquoise man's side, taking a knee and bowing respectfully. As he did, the turquoise-skinned Dragon followed suit, stating, "This Phaeris is also humbled to be in the presence of the God of Dragons..."

Seeing the mismatched group abruptly kneeling due to Grougaloragran's actions, Vahn exhaled faintly through his nose and said, "There's no need for that. Raise your heads and stand," while supporting Yugo with his left forearm. The boy had reverted to his childlike form once the power of the Age-Age Fruit had worn off. And with Vahn standing a casual two meters tall, Yugo easily fit atop his arm.

"I was wondering why we were all kneeling all of a suddenly..." Percedal remarked, scratching the right side of his head with the guard of his living Shushu blade, Rubilax.

"Yeah. Vahn might be a God, but he doesn't care about all of that stuffy formality," Yugo stated, making no effort to remove himself from the perch Vahn had granted him.

"So this is the man my sister married...he's intense..." muttered a blonde, Elf-like girl who was very visibly related to Eva. She looked almost exactly as Eva had the first time Vahn encountered her, with their most significant differences being the size of their bust, hips, and hairstyles. Compared to Eva, the Cra before him had a leaner build, sharper eyes, and an overall more untamed aura—with bangs that concealed her left eye, a long braid on the right side, and a wild ponytail at the back of her head.

"He doesn't look like a Dragon..." remarked a young girl with naturally dark skin, long, inky black hair, and distinctive copper eyes. She was dressed like a pirate, with an aquamarine, bandeau-style top, bright orange harem pants, and a red bandana covering her forehead. But the thing that caught Vahn's interest was the fact that she didn't seem to have a Class—making her part of an extremely small subset of the World of Twelve's population, unbound by the Gods from birth. And seated atop her shoulder was a pale pink Kralove with the hat and eye patch of a pirate.

"Just wait until he transforms. He's definitely not someone you should underestimate..." Adamai stated, standing cross-armed behind the pirate-like girl like her personal protector.

"That's for certain. It's great to see you again, Your Majesty..." Ruel said with the opportunistic grin of a Prospector, approaching Vahn confidently and raising his right hand.

pchaaaa—

Though he wasn't expecting Ruel to approach and try to dap him, Vahn naturally reciprocated, producing a crisp-sounding pop that echoed off the walls and ceiling of the hall they were in.

"Did you all see that!? The next time someone comes in saying they're the personal friend of the King, don't immediately assume they're lying!" Ruel barked, his words directed at the soldiers and guards who had previously encircled the group with weapons ready.

'Ah, so that's what it was...' Vahn mused, exhaling through his nose before proffering Ruel a hefty bag of Kamas for the pain and suffering his guards had caused. The elderly Enutrof never passed on an opportunity to turn a profit. And since he had functionally unlimited wealth, Vahn had no reason not to compensate people for their effort and troubles...

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