Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and everything in between~! Welcome to the inaugural high-profile Gift Game hosted by the Leviathan's Tail Community~! Today is an especially-"

Hearing the announcer begin their opening address, Vahn rose from his position alongside Fenrir and Shirayukihime, stating, "It's showtime." before proceeding to stretch his arms and pop his back.

Vahn wasn't particularly well known for his patience when a person's freedom was at stake so he had been feeling increasingly itchy as the Gift Game drew closer. Now that it was about to begin, the only thing preventing him from releasing his aura was the knowledge that it would trouble both Shiroyasha and the residents of the Little Garden.

Fortunately, the opening ceremony was more for the spectators than the participants. As a result, it wasn't long before a massive teleportation array appeared in the square where the contestants had been asked together. Moments after that, they found themselves transported to a vast stretch of icy terrain surrounded by snow-covered forests and dominated by a colossal mountain that pierced the clouds.

Raising his brows, Vahn was about to try and teleport directly to the top when a massive Geass Roll appeared out of thin air, its text glittering like golden runes.

"Oh? They really shot themselves in the foot on this one..."

**********

< Feast of the Einherjar >

[Win Condition]

Access the Bifrost, ascend Himinbj?rg, and gain the recognition of Heimdallr.

[Hidden Conditions]

1: ?????

2: ?????

3: ?????

[Rules]

1: Players attempting to access the Bifrost need to occupy at least half of the Sigrun's 8 Altars.

2: Defeated Players will be escorted to the Halls of Valhalla by Sigrun's Valkyries.

3: Defeated Players will continue to spawn as Einherjar until the end of the game.

4: Einherjar are charged with protecting the mountain and preventing enemies from invading.

5: Einherjar that have defeated at least 10 other Players will be given the opportunity to respawn at their original location.

6: Only one person can earn the recognition of Heimdallr.

[Restrictions]

1: Flight above 1000m is restricted.

2: Teleportation beyond 500m is restricted.

3: Gifts that summon Familiars, Constructs, Djinn, and other Non-Player entities are limited to a total of three summons.

4: Gifts that override Immortality or cause Permadeath are strictly prohibited.

5: Gifts that allow Players to overwrite or invalidate rules are strictly prohibited.

6: Duels between Players cannot be interrupted by other Players.

[Time Limit]

000:000:09:59:43

**********

Amused by the nordic theme, a smile developed across Vahn's face as a massive, largely cosmetic magic circle appeared beneath his feet. Immediately thereafter, an inordinately tall and muscular man appeared, his chest glistening with a glowing green pattern that vaguely resembled a dragon. At his side was a remarkably beautiful woman wearing a skin-tight bodysuit, her purple hair waving gracefully despite the harsh wind as she cast her scarlet gaze over their surroundings.

"Yo, Siegfried, Scathach. Welcome to the party."

Smiling wryly in response to Vahn's words, Siegfried replied, "I never expected you to summon me like this. It's been a while since I had a spiritual form..."

Showing considerably less perturbation than the silver-haired warrior, Scathach adopted a far more sincere smile as she said, "It's good to see you, Master. How might I be of assistance...?"

Since the Geass Roll had already vanished, Vahn quickly explained the situation to the two Heroic Spirits. When Siegfried learned he had been summoned because he fit the theme of the game, the smile on his face became even wrier. Despite this, he was actually looking forward to helping out as he had always wanted to repay Vahn for his benevolence. He had literally lost count of the number of things he was thankful for. Thus, even if Vahn ordered him to draw his blade and assault the sun, he would do so without fear or hesitation.

"To surmise, I need the two of you to take over and hold two of Sigrun's Altars. You can strike down your opponents but make sure you don't use any anti-immortal or anti-divine weapons. Someone's freedom is on the line and I don't want to be disqualified."

Nodding his head in affirmation, Siegfried manifested his Balmung before giving it a few practice swings. It had literally been decades since he last participated in anything more than a spar. As for Scathach, she had mastered her body to such an extent that she could control the flow of blood in her veins. Thus, the moment Vahn finished speaking, she answered, "I will not fail." before using a variant of Shundo that left behind a crimson glow.

"She certainly seems spirited..."

Chuckling in response to Siegfried's statement, Vahn mused, "I've tried getting her to mellow out but she still takes everything seriously. Don't let it bother you."

Shouldering his Balmung, Siegfried returned a nod as the symbol on his chest began to release a vibrant green light. At the same time, a rather thick tail covering in black scales erupted from his lower back as two relatively small yet draconic-looking wings sprouted at its sides. This was a half-manifestation of his Armor of Fafnir, an ability that had essentially made him invulnerable back in the Nasuverse.

"A thousand meters, right?"

Seeing Vahn nod, Siegfried returned one of his own before flapping his wings and taking to the sky like a silvery-green meteor. This left the former alone with Fenrir and a very confused-looking Hime. Siegfried's sword had caused her body to tense up, but, compared to the horrifying aura emanating from Scathach, even the anti-dragon sword in the former's hand seemed tame.

Noticing the befuddled beauty's state, Vahn extended his hand to gently caress Hime's head as he said, "They're two of my closest friends and companions. You'll never have to worry about fighting them..."

Feeling the calming energy spreading through her body, Hime exhaled a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding.

"Did you say their names were Siegfried and Scathach? I have heard rumors of similarly named individuals. I believe Siegfried is called the Dragon Knight while Scathach is known throughout the Little Garden as The Witch of Dun Scaith. The latter is particularly famous since many of the people she has trained ended up becoming heroic figures whose names resounded throughout the Divine Realm..."

Since it would have been infinitely more surprising to learn that Scathach didn't exist in the Divine Realm, Vahn simply nodded his head in response to Hime's explanation. At the same time, he found himself wondering if there were parallels between the Divine Realm and the Nasuverse. They might not be directly related to each other, but, considering the number of remarkably beautiful women he had already encountered, he wouldn't be surprised to learn that certain heroic figures had been converted to heaven-sent beauties due to the machinations of a few Poets...

Shaking that thought from his mind, Vahn retracted his hand from Hime's head before saying, "For now, we'll stick together. I can easily take over and occupy each of the altars on my own so this is a good opportunity for the two of you to show off. The enemy was gracious enough to provide us an icy terrain. Might as well make use of it."

Though Hime seemed hesitant to proceed without an actual plan, Fenrir happily stepped forward, a tremendous volume of magical energy erupted from her body as she freely manipulated the water, ice, and snow in the environment. It took her less than thirty seconds to create a literal fortress of ice and snow that stunned both spectators and casters alike as it began a slow and gradual advance towards the nearest Altar. She had even included an icy throne for Vahn to sit in before curling up in his lap and focusing all her attention on piloting the fortress...

...

..

.

"Are you freaking kidding me...?"

Sitting within an observatory decorated with a twenty-meter tall statue of a golden god holding a double-bladed sword, Sigurd couldn't help but stare in disbelief as he saw the massive fortress of ice and snow float across the battlefield. It was basically a Game Board within a Game Board, and, to make matters even worse, laser-like beams of ice-elemental energy would bombard anyone that got within a few kilometers of the monstrous behemoth.

"Such a ridiculous mastery over ice and snow...it's almost like he knew what kind of Game Board we would be using in advance..."

Responding to her brother's incredulity, Gyda's voice was cold as she focused her crimson eyes on the image of Vahn lounging atop his icy throne. His bronzed skin, dark hair, stylish clothes, and glowing green cut quite the figure against the frozen backdrop. He was almost like a God-King, all-powerful and utterly unconcerned by the efforts and machinations of his would-be opponents.

Though he noticed the look on his little sister's face, Sigurd convinced himself it was nothing as he waved his hand and changed the image to reflect Scathach. If his affections weren't fully invested in his two sisters, he might have found her unreasonably attractive. Demons, including those with high ranks and titles, generally only had a single thing they obsessed over. For Sigurd, this obsession was his two sisters. They were the reason he had given up his humanity for them, so, other than intrigue, he felt nothing towards the phenomenal beauty cutting through an entire Community without even batting an eye.

"Do you think you can take her...?"

Seeing the same image as her brother, Gyda only hesitated for a brief moment before shaking her head and saying, "Impossible. I've never seen anyone with movements that sharp and I'm positive she is still holding back. Even if Ragna and I were to team up against her, I doubt we would be able to win."

Having reached a similar conclusion, an excited smile developed across Sigurd's face as he mused, "In other words, we're completely fucked! Gyahahahahahahahaha~!"

While most people would feel dejected or annoyed when they encountered a setback, Sigurd was the type that became exponentially more excited as the odds were stacked against him. It was this trait of his that had allowed him to sway the hearts of his two sisters, as, no matter what, he never gave up.

With horns protruding from his head and red markings spreading over his face and hands, Sigurd looked Gyda straight in the eyes as he asked, "Will you stand with me? It's been a long time since we fought together..."

Meeting her brother's gaze, Gyda's expression remained unreadable for several seconds until she invariably released a sigh and complained, "Do you really need to ask? I've already violated one of the greatest taboos of our people. I'm not going to get cold feet this late in the game..."

Smiling wide enough to display his unnaturally angular teeth, Sigurd appeared even more excited than before as he pumped his fist and exclaimed, "Alright! We might be up against a completely ridiculous foe, but that doesn't mean we can't go out with a bang! Let's make this a battle the Little Garden will be talking about for generations! Gyahahahahahahaha~!"

Nodding her head in response, Gyda did her best to return a smile of her own even as she watched her brother's body contract to the point he began to appear emaciated. She hated seeing him like this as he couldn't even be called a shadow of his former self. People in the East might find this kind of appearance attractive, but, back where she was from, men were valued based on their manliness and physique. She used to enjoy being forced down by her brother as his tree-like arms had always made her feel safe and secure. Now, his arms were even thinner than hers, and, whenever he was in his fully transformed state, he barely weighed more than nine stones...(A/N: 58kgs/130lbs)

Unaware of his sister's thoughts, Sigurd pulled out a massive battleax that made the pair wielded by Ragna appear cute and dainty. His physique might have diminished ever since he became a demon, but, compared to his past self, he was actually several times stronger.

"Vahn Aldrnari Mason, huh? Our battle will be legendary...!"

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..

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Imagine summoning an ice-themed Game Board when your opponent has a Water God and The Queen of the Frozen Abyss on their side...','Fenrir knows how to show off and pander to her Master at the same time~','Oof. Can I get an F in the chat for Sigurd...')