Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

While the Empire had been repelling enemy forces, the Imperial Gala had continued without interruption. Rather, from the moment of the initial explosion, Luvia had taken control of the crowd, a confident smile on her face as she assured everyone this was part of the evening's festivities. Then, once she had received the signal that everything had been prepared, several large panels appeared throughout the ballroom, just in time to view the scene of Vahn sending Caenis flying with a single kick.

Though it may not be the wisest decision to allow others to view how Vahn fought, as it might allow some of their enemies to come up with countermeasures, the person in question wasn't particularly worried about such things. People already treated him as a monster and, no matter what measures they came up with, he was confident in being able to come out ahead. This was emphasized by the fact that, no matter how much damage Musashi did to him, he kept coming back with even greater momentum than before.

While the battle between Vahn and Musashi had been the primary focus of everyone in the crowd, especially when he suddenly took on the form of Musashi, it wasn't the only one on display. They also had the opportunity to witness the Phoenix Empress battle against a muted doppelganger of herself while, on other monitors, the one-sided suppression of Caenis could be seen. This was the battle that actually drew the most attention as, compared to the flashy battles involving Vahn and Artoria, it was the only one the vast majority of them could follow...

Kenshin had built quite a reputation for herself as a Commander of the Empire's Response Forces so it was a welcome opportunity to witness her prowess for themselves. They also couldn't help wonder about the origin of the unforgiving beams of red energy that would periodically strike Caenis, usually targetting her knee joints or the exposed areas of her abdomen. Some of these beams of light would cut cleanly through her body before devastating the buildings and streets in the surroundings.

Of course, with the wide-spread destructive visible on the screens, combined with the audible sound of distant explosions, many of the more astute Magi realized something was 'wrong' with the scenes on display. Eventually, it was Goldolf Musik, whose family had been doing exceptionally well due to his early association with the Empire and Luvia's Alliance, to ask the question everyone had wanted to know the answer to, chiefly, "Where are all the civilians?"

Goldolf had never been an official member of the alliance but, with the death of Lorelei and the purging of many of the oldest Magus families, he had risen to the position of Department Head of the Faculty of Policies. As a result, he was in a position that allowed him to support the changes Vahn had been introducing within the Clock Tower, becoming one of the principal forces helping to keep order, both within the Mage's Association and the now-defunct Noble Faction.

Hearing Goldolf's question, Luvia had her usual smile as she answered, "It would be quicker to give a demonstration." in a voice that easily reached everyone in the hall. Then, to the shock and awe of the entire assembly, Luvia waved over personal attendant, Sophia Mayweather. She was visibly pale but, as this was a duty that had been entrusted to her, Sophia pulled out an ornate golden revolver and, without much hesitation, placed it against Luvia's temple before pulling the trigger.

Needless to say, Luvia's display had a considerable impact on the crowd, briefly pulling everyone's attention away from the monitors. After all, it wasn't often they saw a profligate on the level of Luvia suddenly have her brain matter spread out across the crowd. It didn't seem to be an illusion either as, immediately after the thunderous roar of the enchanted pistol, Luvia's body fell limp against the stage, crimson blood flowing from the gaping wound in her head...

Just as tensions reached a critical level, Luvia's body began to flake away into motes of bluish-white light. This was a considerable relief to most people, as they assumed it was just an illusion, but, the more astute among the crowd quickly realized the truth of the matter. Their speculation was proven correct when, moments later, Luvia 'flickered' back into existence, her hand cradling the side of her head as she forced a smile and explained, "In preparation for an enemy attack, the Empire used the technology produced from its Magi-Science department to pull everyone, enemies and allies alike, into a Virtual Battlefield."

Hearing Luvia's explanation, more than half the crowd felt shaken as, even now, they were unable to distinguish between reality and a virtual representation of it. One person even cut their palm with a small dagger, watching in shock as their blood flowed naturally. Even the pain was indistinguishable from an actual wound, causing them to nearly have a panic attack as a strong desire to flee welled up inside them.

Unfortunately, Luvia nipped any thoughts of departing the gala early in the bud, adding, "Though the primary purpose of this gala was to foster positive relations between the Empire and the Magus Community, there were several other goals in mind. The Empire has already come to an agreement with the Mage's Association and, in an effort to ensure every student is able to benefit from a similar quality of education, the Virtual World, a topic many of you were undoubtedly interested in, will now be implemented within the entire Clock Tower. This demonstration was to show the level of realism that can be attained within the Virtual World..."

Though many were still shaken by the fact they had been trapped in a simulation without realizing it, a number of people within the crowd couldn't help but feel excited. These were the various Faculty members and researchers who had been wanting to gain access to the Virtual World. While it was a little concerning to know that there were no discernible differences between the virtual world and reality, this was actually a good thing for them as, with the variables being functionally identical, they could conduct experiments using rare materials without having to waste them.

As could be expected, a number of people wanted to ask questions about the Virtual World but, as she didn't want to draw too much attention away from the ongoing battles, Luvia simply stated, "The Virtual World is one of the Empire's proprietary secrets. Even I don't know much about it, only that it can emulate reality up to 99.937%. Also, though the actual ratio will be discussed at a later date, it is possible to control the flow of time within the Virtual World, allowing users to experience up to ten hours for every hour that passes in reality. More details will be made public in the near future so, for the time being, enjoy watching the battles on the monitors, ohohoho~."

Luvia's brief explanation created more questions than answers but, knowing the futility of trying to squeeze information out of her, many followed her advice. The only people bold enough to try and approach her for more details were the official members of the Alliance, so, unless they intended to throw their lot in with the Alliance, taking a wait-and-see approach was the best course of action. A number of Family Heads had been intending to join the Empire to gain access to its resources but, if things developed in the direction Luvia seemed to imply, they may not have to lower themselves so readily...

What Luvia hadn't told the crowd, for obvious reasons, was that they hadn't actually been pulled into the Virtual World. Rather, the current space was the culmination of Da Vinci's research into methods to prevent collateral damage, Arcueid's Marble Phantasm, and Merlin's ability to invade the minds of every attendee of the Imperial Gala. The latter had been proactively preventing people from realizing the true nature of the world around them, so, with the exceptions of people like Solon, Zelretch, and Director Atlasia, they were all easily convinced by Luvia's words.

To further enhance the effectiveness of the suggestion, even Spenta's services had been called upon. Her natural calming aura pervaded throughout the entire Edelfelt Mansion back in the real world, so, while their minds and spirits were transplanted into the Spiritual Projection, their actual bodies were kept calm and relaxed state, laying in beanbag like cushions that had been prepared by the Edelfelt Security Forces that remained in the outside.

Rather than a gathering of high society, the resplendent ballroom had become something akin to a massive slumber party from the moment Vahn's procession had arrived. In fact, it was the dimming of the lights, the focus of the crowd, and the incredulous statements made by Mordred and Sakura that contributed to the transition taking place without a hitch. When people experienced anger or surprise, they often prioritized those feelings over other incongruous emotions, especially during tense moments.

The most difficult part of the entire process had been luring their enemies into the trap but, by disguising Arcueid's Marble Phantasm as a normal Bounded Field, something their enemies would have expected to encounter, it had been easier than expected. As a result, they found Musashi, Caenis, and the unnamed Saber Class Heroic Spirit standing near the periphery of Arcueid's Marble Phantasm. They appeared to be in a trance-like state and, by making sure no animosity had been directed toward them, they didn't even react as their weapons were taken away and their bodies were bound.

Had it not been for the existence of the man they could only assume to be an Assassin Class Heroic Spirit, everything would have gone as planned. While they had actually accounted for the enemy having an Assassin on their side, they couldn't have accounted for the fact he either had EX-Rank [Presence Concealment] or an Innate related to masking his presence. Even Alaya, Arcueid, and Merlin hadn't been able to determine his actual location, despite knowing he had also been trapped in their barrier.

As existences that drew power from the Root, in one way or another, Alaya, Arcueid, Merlin, and any entity with a connection to Administrative Functions, was bound by certain rules and restrictions. As a result, Skills like [Presence Concealment] actually worked surprisingly well against them as, if it was beyond a certain level, no level of [Clairvoyance] or pseud-omniscience would reveal the location of their target. Alaya could literally be sitting right next to the Assassin, staring directly at him, but her mind would simply 'block' his existence from her perception, much like Aqua.

Fortunately, [Presence Concealment] had the specific weakness of being unable to conceal killing intent. Thus, from the moment an Assassin targetted you, anyone with reasonably high perception would be able to react. This made Rulers, Casters, Lancers, Archers, and Saber Class Heroic Spirits especially effective against Assassins while, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Riders, Avengers, Berserkers, and even Beasts, were weak against them.

Though it was easy to assume that Beasts would be super-effective against Assassins, as they had senses that far eclipsed even the most astute Caster. However, due to the fact that nearly every Beast could be classified as either a Tier 5 entity or a Greater Divine Spirit, [Presence Concealment] had the same efficacy against them as entities like Alaya and Merlin. This was a 'failsafe' created by the Root itself as, without Skills like [Presence Concealment], there would be few actual counters against those qualifying for the Avenger or Beast classification.

As a result of the enemy's unexpectedly high [Presence Concealment], their Spiritual form was able to penetrate the Edelfelt Mansion while Vahn and the rest were 'distracted'. He managed to reach as far as the room where the children had been kept safe but, due to the complexity of the barrier set up in the area, he had ultimately failed to enter inside. After all, Vahn had left Aura inside and, while she couldn't be compelled to fight, protecting the Spenta and the rest of the children was something she did willingly.

In the end, it wouldn't have mattered if the man had been able to kidnap any of the children as, with their actual bodies being safe in the real world, the plan was doomed to fail from the start. All they managed to accomplish was revealing their intentions, exposing their hypocrisy, and earning Vahn's ire. Afterward, the man managed to escape pursuit and, soon after that, Arcuied felt as if 'something' had left her Marble Phantasm. Since the unnamed Saber disappeared shortly thereafter, it was safe to assume he managed to flee through unknown means.

Needless to say, Vahn wasn't at all enthused by the fact his enemies had proactively tried to take hostages. He was even less pleased by the fact they had someone that could evade almost all forms of detection, implying they had been using this Assassin to gather information. Even this wasn't a certainty, however, as it didn't make a lot of sense for the Assassin to idle for nearly three months without taking more proactive action. This implied the Assassin was a recent addition to the enemy's roster or, at the very least, they had been keeping him concealed to take advantage of a blind spot within the Empire's observation network...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Better than a blockbuster movie','I feel bad for Sophia xD...','Yu Ilhan, is that you!?')

(A/N: While it may seem a little ridiculous, [Presence Concealment] actually works similar to how I explained it. Assassins are actually meant to be a natural counterbalance within the World, a means to restore order. Many of the most powerful Assassins have a connection to the Counter Force and, the main reason they are unknown is that their existence is essentially erased after they become a Counter Guardian. Though anyone can commit murder, Assassination is actually something that fundamentally carries greater meaning, at least in the Nasuverse.)