Chapter 490: Entrance

[February 10th DxD/October 3rd DBT]

“Hyaa! Hat! Hyaat—!”

“You’ve improved,” Vahn remarked, weaving out of the way of Yugo’s first attack before blocking his follow-up punch and kick as he passed through a portal and emerged in his blind spot.

Using the back of Vahn’s hand as a springboard, Yugo leaped backward through a portal that deposited him tens of meters away, where he slid to a stop.

“I appreciate the compliment. Though it’s a little hard to accept when I can’t even land a hit on you…” Yugo remarked, rising to his feet, brushing himself off, and adopting a wry smile. Vahn had even utilized the power of the Age-Age Fruit to enable him to draw out more of his potential, but the gap in their strength didn’t feel any smaller.

“That’s actually a good thing,” Vahn remarked, leaving Yugo confused until he smiled and explained, “If you ever require my level of strength in one of your battles, then your opponents would be individuals capable of destroying the world.”

“When you put it like that, it’s probably for the best that the strongest creatures we’ve encountered so far are Dragons…” Yugo conceded with a sigh, his body glowing as it regressed to a more childlike appearance. His chronological age was pushing twenty-six, but his appearance had hardly changed since he and Vahn first met.

“For the entire world…” Vahn affirmed with a nod. Then, as it was nearing the time for their conference with the curiously named Council of Twelve, which consisted of soon-to-be fifteen representatives, he opened a portal for Yugo to complete his own preparations before scattering into luminous golden flower petals…

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As Armant used his Sadida Magic to transport him and Yugo into a cool, well-lit freshwater grotto atop a large lilypad, Vahn took the opportunity to glean the thirteen representatives that had arrived before them. Each was the King or Queen of their respective Class, meaning they were the de facto strongest among all Feca, Osamodas, Enutrof, Sram, Xelor, Iop, Ecaflip, Eniripsa, Cra, Sacrier, and Pandawa. Then, positioned on opposite sides of the circular lilypad arrangement, were the representatives of the most powerful nations of The World of Twelve—the rival nations of Bonta and Brakmar.

‘What a diverse group…’ Vahn noted, his gaze briefly meeting that of the Eniripsa Class Queen, who was staring at him with raised brows and wide eyes. She wasn’t the only one to react with surprise upon seeing him, but she stood out due to her white-and-black-spotted, heart-shaped gorget, her red-and-gold mantle, her flowing but form-fitting white gown, and her beauty—characterized by healthy brown skin, long, platinum-blonde hair, angular golden eyes, a shapely figure, and hips that wouldn’t have lost to Amalia before the latter’s pregnancy…

‘Control yourself…’ Vahn mused internally, closing his eyes. That didn’t preclude him from being able to see everything within the grotto, but it prevented him from giving the Eniripsa Queen a flirtatious wink. Amalia had made it abundantly clear that she didn’t want him growing his harem in her world. Eva was marginally more receptive to the idea, but only if the girl was someone she and Amalia approved of in advance.

“Venerated Class Kings and Queens, it is my honor as Prime Minister of the Sadida Kingdom to introduce His Majesty, King Regent Vahn Mason. You might also know him by another, more prestigious title, the Dragon God of Infinite Possibilities…” Armant presented, interrupting the hushed whispers and crosstalk taking place after the lilypad he controlled settled at the grotto’s center.

“Sram…so, it’s true then. A God has descended upon The World of Twelve and taken the reins of a nation…” commented the Sram King, a remarkably lanky man with skull-like facial features and inky-black hair that cascaded from his scalp like a veil.

“This twig is the Dragon God? I expected someone tougher-looking…” appended the Iop King, resting his cheek on the knuckles of his scarred right hand. His towering, tanned body was a veritable palace of muscle, and nearly every piece of his conspicuous golden armor had a face or eyes, signifying their status as Shushu—the same as Percedal’s sword, Rubilax.

“Does this better match your expectations…?” Vahn asked, startling the representatives to their feet as he rapidly expanded, the muscles in his chest, shoulders, and arms swelling more than the rest of his body as he transformed into his half-Zoan Dragon form, minus his wings. At the same time, he allowed his Will of the Emperor to permeate his Domain, causing the space and those within to tremble.

“What is the meaning of this!? Have the Sadida betrayed The World of Twelve…!?” exclaimed the Cra Queen, a slender, notably middle-aged Cra with a long face, a pointy nose, and floppy, elongated ears. She also drew her bow but had the good sense not to open fire.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaagh—!”

Exhibiting considerably less caution, the Iop King leaped through the air and attempted to punch Vahn in the face. As he did, his right arm swelled to an immense size, his fist several meters across.

“As expected of the Iop King. Your physical capabilities are exceptional…” Vahn remarked calmly, his words sincere but his actions contradictory as he blocked and completely nullified the force of the Iop King’s punch with his left hand.

“W-What is this? I…I can’t move…” the Iop King groaned, finding his body frozen mid-air by an invisible force that pressed upon him from all angles with mountainous pressure.

“Please! Calm yourselves…!” Armant pleaded, gesturing placatingly and visibly sweating as he explained, “Though he admittedly could have given some form of warning before transforming, His Majesty was responding to the Iop King’s remark! We did not invite you here to start a conflict!”

“Mmn…my Prime Minister is correct. We did not invite you here to start a conflict but to prevent one. Let us all take a step back…” Vahn conceded, causing the Xelor King’s glowing, Wakfu-green eyes to illuminate beneath his hood as he clapped his hands together and saturated his Domain with a blue-green static. Then, while keeping their consciousnesses intact, he reversed the flow of causality, reverting to his original form and returning everyone to the positions they were in before his transformation.

“Xelor’s hands…so this is the power of a God…” muttered the Xelor King, his voice trembling with excitement.

“How frightening…” appended the Pandawa Queen, a plump, panda-like woman with braided black pigtails, red bao, and an outfit reminiscent of a Chinese courtesan and a chef. A prominent aroma of freshly baked bread lingered around her, and at her side was a markedly smaller, physically fit, and dainty-looking female Pandawa escort.

As each of the Class Kings and Queens offered their opinions on what he had done, sending Armant into damage-control mode, Vahn observed the group in silence. The purpose of his display was to get a grasp of each of the Kings’ and Queens’ personalities. Their reactions could be said to be a reflection of how all members of their Class would react to his power. And with Grougaloragran and Phaeris warning that Nox could become an even greater threat with Shinonome’s Dofus and the Eliacube being brought together, he didn’t have time to get to know them over weeks, months, or years…

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[Thirty Minutes Later]

“Alright. As much as I am enjoying getting to know each of you through observing your words and actions, I must ask that everyone settle down so we can discuss why you’ve been gathered…” Vahn interrupted, raising his right hand and causing boxes of varying shapes and sizes to appear before each King, Queen, and attendant.

“What’s this…?” asked the Ecaflip King, a man with feline features and a lithe but muscular body covered in brown fur. On top of his head was a bladed, broad-brimmed red hat. And as everyone else eyed their boxes with caution, he curiously raised the lid of his own using a long piece of bamboo reed.

“In my culture, there is the concept of fated and auspicious encounters. These boxes contain gifts—both to commemorate our coming together for the first time and to plant the seeds of goodwill between our people,” Vahn explained with a confident smile, sure that his gifts would be well-received by the majority of the delegation. Armant, less so…

“Of course you would…” Armant groaned, pinching the bridge of his non-existent nose with his left hand.

“A bow? And are these seeds…?” questioned the Cra Queen, her usually half-lidded eyes widening. The bow was nothing short of a masterpiece, but what really caught her attention were the seeds. She had never seen seeds that gleamed like blue gemstones. And even at a glance, she could feel the power they contained…

“These are seeds that have been saturated with the energy of the Blue Moon…” Aurora remarked in surprise. She was there as the attendant of the Osamodas Class King, her great-uncle. And since she had been living in the Sadida Kingdom since before Vahn’s stay, she knew what the seeds were—as well as the power they possessed…

Similarly recognizing the seeds, as Aurora had smuggled more than a few back to her Kingdom, the Osamodas Class King spiritedly remarked, “A fine gift indeed! Truly, the Dragon God’s gifts leave nothing to be desired!”

“I’ll say! This is amazing!” bellowed the Iop King, brandishing a colossal, golden, double-bladed axe that felt perfect in his hands. He didn’t care at all about the seeds, but the axe felt like a missing piece of himself that he had never known was missing.

“As Princess Aurora accurately assessed, these are seeds saturated with the energy of the Blue Moon,” Vahn affirmed, his smile broadening with a hint of mischief as he explained, “While they aren’t able to produce more seeds, the fruits these sprout have an array of effects—from increasing a person’s power to extending their lifespan. If you search, you will find that a pomological reference detailing each fruit’s effects has been included in your boxes.”

Spurred by Vahn’s words, every King or Queen except the Iop and Sacrier Kings searched for the text he had mentioned. Most of those present had long reached the upper limits of their Class and potential. And without the continued endorsement of their patron Gods, their power would fade until a new King or Queen appeared to depose them. In other words, they had a vested interest in anything that could prolong their reign by even a few more months—even if it meant borrowing power or accepting the blessing of another God…

While scrutinizing each King’s and Queen’s reactions, Vahn’s focus was drawn to the Eniripsa Queen for a second time. He had gifted her a short, solid gold scepter tipped with a large, heart-shaped ruby and flanked by angel wings. It had the power of boosting an Eniripsa’s healing magic by 500%, and that was just one of several effects. If the user was willing to sacrifice it, the energy within the ruby was potent enough to increase the range and efficacy of their healing magic to an entire country…

Seeing Vahn turn his head and meet her gaze, the Eniripsa Queen was momentarily surprised before she narrowed her golden eyes, angled her ears back, and gave him a smile that could impress a Succubus. Many of the other Kings and Queens also had thoughts of how they could benefit from or use him, but her view of him was more primal—partially due to her Class being half-spirit and uniquely attuned to his aura.

‘I suppose I could at least try introducing her to Amalia and Eva…’ Vahn thought, offering the Eniripsa Queen a curt, acknowledging nod. He knew what answer Amalia would give at that moment. But if the Eniripsa Queen became her midwife and helped to deliver their child…it wasn’t impossible that her mind would change…

Compelling Vahn’s gaze to linger for a moment longer, the Eniripsa Queen nestled the bottom of her newly acquired scepter against the indentation of the fabric stretching between her shapely thighs. She was very subtle about it. But since he could perceive the individual molecules of her body if he focused, she might as well have spread her legs and started touching herself directly…