Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though he already knew the concepts of Space and Time could be freely manipulated, there was no better example of this than the Yokai District. While allowing Shuten to lead the way, Vahn was able to perceive Space contracting and distorting around them. As a result, they ended up tens of kilometers away from their starting location, finding themselves at a traditional Japanese villa that was located deep in the mountains.

It was hard to imagine Shuten running through the streets in the same way as Benienma, so Vahn had been wondering how she was able to quickly intercept them. Now, he understood that she had, quite literally, just decided to take a walk. She likely had even more influence over the Yokai District than Raikou, so, by simply choosing her destination, it was almost as if the world around them contorted itself to make her passage easier...

Seeing the curious look on Vahn’s face, Shuten just giggled seductively before pressing her body into his right arm, asking, "I wonder, are you the type that is more interested in the journey, rather than the destination? You’re alone in the mountains with a beautiful woman on a moonlit night. I believe there are better ways to spend our time, no~?"

As Shuten spoke, Vahn could smell a potent aroma of fruit, flowers, and alcohol. It attempted to invade every opening of his body, even seeping into his pores.

Though Shuten’s actions could qualify as an attack, Vahn just smiled in amusement as he allowed the invisible energy to invade his body. Much like he allowed Semiramis to try and poison him, a habit she had gotten over in recent days, Vahn didn’t mind Shuten’s attempts to get him drunk. It was as much a part of her nature as the desire to breathe for most terrestrial life, meaning she had very little control over the unique pheromone-based ability.

Seeing Vahn’s calm, smiling, expression, Shuten knew her [Alcoholic Scent of a Fruit] was unable to affect him. This was generally only possible if the other party was an ascetic monk, protected from her influence by a type of divine protection derived from abstinence and temperance. She could smell a strong aroma of women lingering around Vahn’s body, so, while the possibility of him being some kind of monk wasn’t zero, Shuten wouldn’t have believed anyone if they told her he was abstinent.

More affected by her own ability than Vahn was, Shuten’s complexion had turned ruddier, her blush tainted with a slight purple hue. She also felt emboldened by the fact Vahn hadn’t reacted negatively to the activation of her ability, allowing her to attempt slipping his hand between her thighs as she stared up at him with a seductive smile.

Vahn preempted Shuten’s attempts to escalate the situation too quickly by allowing his fingers to trace her abdomen. At the same time, he activated his [Hands of Nirvana] to their limit, doing his best to map her body during the brief contact, targeting various nerve clusters in the process. To Shuten, this felt similar to a small electrical shock, but, rather than tense up, her tensions began to relax as a tantalizing heat spread from the tips of his fingers, coursing through her body...

As could be expected, Shuten abandoned her intentions to ’sneakily’ place Vahn’s hand between her thighs, breathing heatedly as he gently stroked her abdomen. This caused a pink cloud of vapor to escape her lips, spreading an even more powerful aroma than before through the area. This time, her ability affected more than just Vahn, extending into the surroundings, rotting quite a number of sakura trees in an instant...

Seeing this phenomenon, Vahn reaffirmed his decision to keep Shuten isolated within Avalon’s future Yokai District, as, without at least A-Rank Magic or Poison Resistance, even Heroic Spirits would be brought low by her passive Skills. He could understand why she was considered one of Japan’s Three Great Monsters, considered the least destructive, but most dangerous, of the three.

Ignoring the intoxicating miasma that had started to seep from the surroundings, Vahn picked up Shuten’s petite figure, startling her slightly and eliciting a seductive giggle from her purple-hued lips as she mused, "Ten’nō-sama is quite bold~."

Following her musings, Shuten began to lightly rub her horns against Vahn’s body, surprisingly him by how paradoxically soft, yet hard, they felt. He could even feel their heat through the fabric of his clothes, a stark contrast to how uncharacteristically cool Shuten’s body felt in his arms...

After making his way inside the nearby villa, the only place that appeared unaffected by Shuten’s aura, Vahn carried her to the central chamber. This was a small room with various different types of sake containers adorning the surroundings, an impartial chaise lounge, and a single low-lying table. The floors were covered in tatami mats, making them comfortable to walk on, while, near one of the corners, a rather disorderly futon could be seen...

Vahn could smell a scent other than Shuten’s but, from the moment he entered the chamber, his ability to map his surroundings became highly restricted. There was even an effect that caused the flow of time to stagnate by a factor of ten, bringing a smile to Vahn’s face as this actually made it easier for him. Avalon flowed at a rate of 7:1, so, with Shuten’s chamber flowing at 10:1, he was freed from his mental burden of trying to pilot two bodies with drastically different flows of time.

Though Shuten half-expected Vahn to carry her over to the futon, she wasn’t surprised when he set her down gently atop the cushions surrounding the ornate wooden table. She knew her Skill had no effect on him, so, unless he had suddenly been captivated by her charms, dragging him to the bed would be difficult. Shuten felt this was a bit of a shame, really, as his draconic aura had an even more potent effect on her body than her most powerful sake...

Seeing Vahn sit across from her, rather than at her side, Shuten adopted a playful pout, muttering, "Ten’nō-sama really knows how to toy with a maiden’s heart." while puffing out her cheeks.

Chuckling in response to Shuten’s remark, Vahn pulled out a sake set from thin air, setting it out on the table as he explained, "Your charms aren’t wasted on me, but your appearance and nature are problematic. If I had any confidence that you wouldn’t try something, I wouldn’t mind drinking at your side. For now, how about we get straight to the point of this little rendezvous...?"

Hearing Vahn’s words, Shuten’s drunken expression seemed to melt away, replaced by a slightly more serious, yet equally seductive, look. Then, as if she was unaware of the meaning behind his words, Shuten took the bottle of sake from the table, removing the cork with a single deft motion before tilting the container to its side. This caused the crystal clear liquid to fill the space between her closed thighs, creating a small pool as the black bands around her lower body dissolved away into tiny black particles.

Rolling his eyes in response to Shuten’s antics, Vahn made a small gesture with his index finger, manipulating the spilled sake to climb up her body while saying, "We both know that isn’t the reason I came here."

Just as the sake was about to snake up Shuten’s neck and enter her mouth, Vahn manipulated it to create a small bubble, pulling it away from her body before heating the interior to evaporate it in an instant. He also pushed the table forward slightly, ensuring that Shuten’s naked lower body was kept hidden away, all while maintaining eye contact with the unamused Oni.

To Shuten, the idea of wasting sake was intolerable, to the point she had readily drank poisoned wine during her previous life. Thus, compared to before, she was even more serious as she asked, "Oh, I wonder what Ten’nō-sama had in mind? I only wanted the company of a capable man to keep my body warm. You accepted my offer, yet, here I am, sitting alone as the cold evening air penetrates deeply into my bones..."

In response to Shuten’s words, Vahn caused the temperature in the surroundings to rapidly heat up, exceeding the temperature of a sauna as he brought out another container of sake and said, "I wish to challenge you to a drinking contest. As my victory is assured, I will allow you to set the terms of our wager. What say you, Shuten-douji...?"

If she was pretending before, Shuten was now completely serious, the aura surrounding her body becoming solemn as she stared back at Vahn with glimmering purple eyes. Then, with a wave of her hand, one of the sake containers from the surroundings floated over, it’s size large enough to be cradled in a person’s arms. At the same time, she pulled out three differently sized saucers, the largest being 15m in diameter.

Once her preparations were made, Shuten filled all three cups, explaining, "We’ll see how far your confidence can take you. These saucers are enchanted, their effects varying based on the quality of the sake poured within. We will take turns providing the sake and choosing which container we will drink from. As for the stakes...well, I have promised to serve the man who can outlast me in a drinking contest. If you win, I will give you my everything. If I win, you will stay here for ten years, satisfying my every desire. It is possible to reduce the time of your service, but, based on Ten’nō-sama’s confidence, I see no reason to discuss the specifics~."

Knowing Shuten would simply request his bones as a keepsake, Vahn opted to ignore Shuten’s goading, smiling as he picked up the smaller of the three saucers. His ability to read the Flow of Fate allowed him to choose the least dangerous cup, but, in order to completely defeat Shuten, he had no qualms about choosing the most dangerous. As a result, he took nearly twenty large gulps from the deceptively small container, emptying the entire saucer before showing her the interior.

Shuten had a smile on her face when Vahn picked the smaller saucer, but, seeing how easily he downed nearly two gallons of sake, she stopped underestimating him. Her pride, however, didn’t allow her to take the easy way out, so, instead of choosing the medium-sided saucer, the ’safest’ option, she selected the largest, emptying the boiling contents into her stomach before releasing a steamy, pink-hued, sigh.

As their contest continued, Vahn knew Shuten’s powers would only become stronger. While she would eventually get drunk, her tolerance increased exponentially with the passage of time. If he allowed her the time to adapt, it was possible they would spend several days drinking before he was able to win. Thus, while his victory was already assured, Vahn wanted to eliminate any doubt in Shuten’s mind that she could win against him.

Since the sake in the middle container had magically evaporated, Vahn quickly filled the three cups, this time allowing Shuten to choose first. This caused her eyes to widen slightly, as, due to the quality of Vahn’s sake, all three cups were exceptionally dangerous, at least for her. It wasn’t for naught that the sake in his hands was known as [Oni Killer], its effects several times stronger against to notoriously affluent alcoholics.

Seeing the amused smile on Vahn’s face, Shuten squinted her eyes slightly, her smile curling up at the edges as she unhesitantly picked the most dangerous option. The results of the contest didn’t actually matter to her, so, rather than let high-quality sake go to waste, she made the most of the moment, her body trembling as the powerful alcohol spread through her system.

Even before Shuten had finished her cup, Vahn picked up the second-most dangerous option, ignoring the fact it contained a poison strong enough to kill a whale as he downed it all in one go. By the time they had both finished their portions, Shuten had a blush extending to her neck while, due to his unique constitution, Vahn was entirely unaffected by both the alcohol and poison.

Shuten was beginning to realize Vahn wasn’t full of false bravado, but, to put him to the test, she gestured to the side, pulling a small crimson container toward them. The contents, once poured, had a similar appearance to fresh blood, but, in spite of this, Vahn unhesitantly selected the most dangerous option, proving to Shuten he either knew the secret to the saucers or had terrible luck when it came to random selection...

While watching Vahn down the contents of his saucer, Shuten smiled slyly as she explained, "This is a type of sake known as [Virgin’s Cry]. Against a maiden, it is able to make them feel as though their entire body is being ravished by a horde of virile demons. As for men...well, I don’t believe I have to tell you what kind of effect it has~?"

Though his body filtered out the effect almost instantly, Vahn still felt a slight pain in his lower body, almost as if his penis was going to melt away. This made him feel slightly nauseous, but, by the time he set the cup back on the table, his complexion had completely recovered. This caused Shuten to issue a light chuckle as she picked up her own glass, eyeing the bloody contents within before ultimately throwing back her head and downing the entire saucer.

True to her words, Shuten felt like her body was being ravished, causing her to collapse onto the ground, pained moans escaping her lips as she writhed about for several minutes. These quickly turned into sonorous sounds of pleasure, but, due to the soundproofing barrier he had erected, Vahn was freed from having to hear Shuten’s cries as he did his best to ignore the immoral sight. Though this was ultimately futile, as he was perfectly able to sense it within his mind, Vahn still did his best to avoid looking directly, filling the cups on the table before patiently waiting for her to recover...

While a normal human woman would be broken after a single sip, causing them to hallucinate for several days before ultimately falling into a coma, Shuten recovered after only a few minutes had passed. Then, with a drunken and noticeably content look on her face, she giggled mischievously before picking up her cup and toasting the air.

Shuten knew Vahn wasn’t pulling his punches, but, in spite of this, she fearlessly devoured the contents of her cup before releasing a hot sigh that was tinged with a girlish squeal. Then, with a silly smile on her face, her body collapsed like a marionette, her head nearly slamming into the table as she immediately lost consciousness. Fortunately, while it wouldn’t have mattered, either way, Vahn had seen this coming, so, rather than let her bump her head, he supported her with his telekinesis while downing the contents of his own cup.

After seeing how far Shuten was willing to go, Vahn decided to wrap things up by using the same sake he had gifted to her during the previous banquet, [Inari’s Grace]. As a result, Shuten entered into a giggling fit, interrupted only by the periodic hiccup as her body radiated a startling amount of heat. Each of her breaths caused a palpable aroma of fruit to spread through the area, causing even Vahn’s to feel warm as he rose to his feet, picking up Shuten’s delicate body and laying her to rest in the nearby futon.

With Shuten out of commission, Vahn cleaned up the sake set, stowing the remaining alcohol in his Inventory before leaving the room. He was unable to navigate the area using his senses, but, with his ability to ready the Flow of Fate, finding his way was a relatively simple matter. As a result, he quickly found his way to a much smaller room than Shuten’s, opening it to find a blindfolded, bound, and gagged Ibaraki, tied in the shibari fashion with a deep flush covering her entire body.

Seeing Ibaraki’s dangerously youthful figure bound in such a way, Vahn couldn’t help but release a small sigh as he made his way to her side. Then, taking advantage of the fact she was drunk off of Shuten’s aura, he untied her body, fixing her loose kimono before carrying her to the former’s room and allowing them to rest in the same futon. Based on the fact Ibaraki’s mellow aroma had been present in the room, it wasn’t hard to imagine that they usually slept in the same bed. Thus, in order to pacify both Oni, Vahn let them keep each other company before taking a seat out on the veranda, enjoying the perpetual full Moon and the lingering aroma of fruit as he sipped high-quality sake in silence...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Shuten’s persistence’,’The Pride of an Alcoholic’,’ ’Vahn ain’t got time for lollygagging’)