Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With a thunderous explosion to guide them, it wasn't long before Asuka, Yo, Jin, and Black Rabbit reached the clearing containing the ruins of the Fores Garo estate.

"Jeez, talk about excessive. Hasn't that idiot ever heard the term moderation?"

Interjecting before Asuka could voice too many complaints, Jin adopted what he intended to be an authoritative tone as he said, "In situations like this, it is better to assume there was a need for such force. Please stay on your guard, Asuka-san."

Turning to meet Jin's serious gaze, Asuka brought her gloved hand to her chin before issuing a soft and contemplative hum. She wasn't particularly fond of being told what to do by a boy who hadn't even started puberty, but, understanding there was a considerable amount of truth contained in his words, she didn't really have a platform to stand on if she wanted to argue.

"Very well, Jin. I'll withhold judgment until this matter has been settled. Now, shall we-"

Before Asuka could finish speaking, blue light emanated from Yo's body as she charged forward to intercept the transformed Galdo. He might be mindless in his current state, but, as a tiger through and through, he still had remarkable instincts. He had been prowling around under the cover of the debris field, and, the moment Asuka turned towards Jin, he used that as an opportunity to pounce.

Reacting nigh-instantaneously, Jin swept the curved wooden staff in his hand, shouting, "Lord of Wind, heed my call and grant my ally the speed and strength of a tempest! Focalor's Blessing...!"

Appearing in response to Jin's incantation, a feminine figure resembling a bard with predominately green clothes, hawk-like wings, lime-green hair, golden eyes, and an androgynous face manifested behind him with a lyre in hand. Then, with a simple strum of her instrument, a green aura wrapped around Yo's body, drastically increasing her already swift speed.

Though she was surprised by the supernatural acceleration of her body, Yo's instincts were far more attuned than a normal person's. As a result, she managed to avoid losing her balance and crashing into Galdo. Instead, she slipped past his extended claws and under his maw in order to land a heavy blow against his surprisingly soft underbelly.

Unfortunately, Yo experienced a very similar phenomenon to Izayoi. The winds surrounding her body allowed her to push Galdo's massive frame back but the only thing she accomplished was making him even angrier.

"My attacks...they do no damage...!"

As if responding to Yo's outburst, Galdo released a feral roar as he leaped toward her with the intent to sink his sabertooth-like fangs into her petite frame. This time, however, Asuka was the one to act, shouting, "Freeze in place you foul beast...!"

Though he was still in mid-pounce, a nigh-indiscernible red glow encompassed Galdo's body. As a result, his form became locked in the air, wholly unable to move as beads of sweat began to appear on Asuka's forehead. She could feel him trying to resist the influence of her Gift, but, after meeting Vahn and witnessing how powerful beings in this world could become, she refused to lose a battle of wills against a mindless beast.

Taking advantage of the opportunity Asuka had created, Jin's mana exploded outward as he held his staff with both hands and chanted, "Lord of the Abyssal Trench! Heed...my call...and bind mine enemies! Gaap's Prison...!"

Similar to when he had summoned the bard-like individual, Jin's incantation caused a muscular man with blue skin, fin-like ears, and seaweed-like hair to manifest behind him. He also wielded a trident in hand, but, instead of attacking with it, he lazily flicked his middle finger to send an icy blue beam of energy into Galdo's forehead. The moment it made contact, a torrent of water exploded outward before immediately freezing over and leaving Jin breathing even heavier than Asuka.

Fortunately, while Galdo was functionally immune to damage, there were no rules preventing him from being bound. The ice wasn't doing any damage and he couldn't suffocate, but, without the strength to break free, all he could do was glare at everyone from within his frozen prison.

Forcing a smile, Jin wiped the sweat from his brow as he proudly stated, "This is the first time I've managed to summon two Greater Djinn back to back. Vahn wasn't lying when he mentioned it was possible to draw out additional strength under duress..."

Using a handkerchief to wipe away her own sweat, a slight smile developed across Asuka's face as she said, "Not bad. It's no wonder you're the Leader of the No Names. Your power is impressive for an eleven-year-old."

"Not bad!? Are you kidding me!? That was amazing, Master Jin~!"

Unable to contain her jubilation, Black Rabbit happily embraced Jin with a massive grin on her face. This caused the teal-haired youth to fluster quite a bit as Black Rabbit had effectively forced his face into her chest as she danced around with him in the highest of spirits...

While everyone else had apparently dropped their guard, Yo continued staring directly at Galdo's blazing red eyes. He was still radiating a tremendous amount of bloodlust, so, while it didn't appear he would be able to break free, she couldn't relax. Fortunately, she didn't have to remain tense for too long, as, shortly after Black Rabbit had released Jin from her embrace, a dull impact sounded off to the side as Izayoi emerged from a rather sizeable cloud of dust.

Noticing the sword in Izayoi's hand, Asuka's expression turned soured as she placed her hands on her hips and exclaimed, "And where did you run off to!?"

Waving his hand to clear away the cloud of debris, Izayoi maintained his characteristically arrogant smile as he playfully rebutted, "What? Did you miss me...?"

Crossing her arms beneath her modest yet well-developing breasts, Asuka snorted in response to Izayoi's remark, saying, "You wish." before following it up by adding, "Just hurry and get this over with. Didn't you say something about returning quickly so the children could rest properly? Stop dallying."

Rolling his eyes, Izayoi just flung the cross-piece sword towards Galdo without hesitation. It looked like a casual fling, but, as if propelled by some unseen force, it was somehow able to speed up as it spun in a gravity-defying arc to cut through both the ice and the steel-like muscles of Galdo's neck.

With nothing to live for if he lost the Gift Game, Galdo had wagered his very life in order to secure the condition that he could only be defeated by a specific weapon. As a result, his entire body was enveloped in pitch-black flames the moment the sword sliced off his head. It didn't even have time to reach the ground before both it and his body had completely vanished into thin air, almost as if he had been erased from existence. Immediately after, the sky transitioned from a moonlit night to a setting twilight, as, rather than taking place in the middle of the night, the Gift Game had actually started around 7 PM.

"Well, that takes care of that. I think it's about time you stop spying on us, don't you...?"

Though Jin, Asuka, and even Yo were confused by Izayoi's words, Black Rabbit's ears perked up as she sensed the familiar presence of Vahn and Leticia an instant before they appeared. The former had an amused smile on his face while the latter, despite feeling an extreme amount of guilt, had reverted back to her usual, ostensibly emotionless expression.

"Vahn! Leticia-sama~!"

As she was already in a fantastic mood after seeing how well Jin and the others had performed, Black Rabbit practically pounced the moment she saw the duo. They were inarguably two of the most important in her life, so, while she was bound to feel embarrassed after that fact, that didn't stop her from rushing over to give them both a big hug.

Chuckling in response to the adorable bunny's antics, Vahn happily reciprocated Black Rabbit's affections as Leticia awkwardly distanced herself in order to stare down Izayoi and say, "You did well. Better than I expected."

Without beating around the bush, Izayoi's expression became serious as he asked, "Were you the one who gave that jerk a power boost?"

Nodding her head, Leticia was about to explain her reasoning and apologize when Izayoi charged forward like a loosed spring. He had already decided to slug the one responsible for the slaughter he had witnessed, so, even if he ended up pissing a few people off, that wasn't going to stop him from following through on the promise he had made to himself.

To virtually everyone's surprise, Leticia didn't even attempt to dodge Izayoi's punch. Instead, she just closed her eyes, seemingly accepting the punishment he was intending to mete out. As a result, Izayoi's fist stopped less than a centimeter away from her cheek, an annoyed expression on his face as he clicked his tongue and slowly retracted his fist.

"Izayoi!? What do you think-"

Before Black Rabbit could lash out at the blond-haired youth, Vahn covered her mouth with his palm as Leticia tilted her head to the side and asked, "Why did you stop?" in her usual monotone.

Clicking his tongue a second time, Izayoi just placed his hands in his pockets without bothering to answer Leticia's question. It was one thing if she resisted, got offended, and tried to protect herself. He might be an advocate of gender equality but even he wasn't brazen enough to strike a girl who wasn't even trying to defend herself. Instead, he just turned around and said, "Whatever. I'm going home..." while putting on his headphones...

Voicing the thought that had just crossed Vahn's mind, Asuka muttered, "What a tsundere..." in a voice that only he and Black Rabbit could hear. This caused him to chuckle as Black Rabbit, a little miffed that he had prevented her from speaking, adopting a pouty expression and complained, "I can't believe Izayoi tried to strike Leticia-sama! What was he thinking!?"

Patting the frustrated bunny's head in an attempt to calm her down, Vahn remained silent so that Leticia could explain, "He has his reasons. Try not to be too mad at him, okay? After all, it was my selfishness and desire to ascertain the strength of these three that led to the present situation. It is only natural that he would be upset..."

Hearing that Leticia had basically violated the Laws of the Little Garden, Black Rabbit's hair erupted into a violent shade of pink that exploded outward with similarly colored energy. It didn't cause any harm, but, by the time the smoke cleared away, Black Rabbit had collapsed into Vahn's arms with an afro-style hairdo as her eyes swirled around in their sockets...

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Understanding this was what Black Rabbit meant when she said Moon Rabbits would explode if they learned about blatant rule-breaking, a wry smile developed across Vahn's face as he picked her up in a princess carry. He had initially wanted to talk about everyone's individual performances, but, understanding this could always wait till later, he said, "I'll come by tomorrow to prepare breakfast as compensation for Leticia's interference. We can talk once everyone has eaten their fill."

Though it looked like Asuka was about to answer, Jin quickly interjected, saying, "Understood. I'm sure the children will be happy. They have been a little melancholic ever since our contract with the Sage Dragon's Hearth expired."

After issuing a light chuckle, both as a result of Asuka's pouting expression and Jin's words, Vahn half-turned before asking, "Would you like me to teleport you back, or are you fine with walking?"

Since the battle was already over, Jin immediately shifted his attention to Asuka and Yo, saying, "I'll leave the decision to the two of you. It would be a little anticlimactic to simply teleport back but it does have the benefit of allowing us to arrive before Izayoi."

At first, Asuka was perfectly fine with walking back. She enjoyed the various sights and sounds of the Little Garden as everything was new and exciting to her. This was secondary to the thought of 'beating' Izayoi, however, so, without even needing to consider her response, she adopted a rather cheeky smile and said, "Teleport us back this instant~!" in an audibly excited tone. She couldn't wait to see the look on Izayoi's face when he was the last to arrive...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Yo protec...!','Jin really is the descendent of King Solomon o_o...','Asuka is so petty xD...')