Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2325: Repercussions

"Are you just about done?" asked Vahn. "Even you must have a limit to your arrogance."

As he had been expecting a rebuttal of some sort, Zeus did his best not to lash out in response to Vahn's remarks. Instead, he paused for a moment, the cores of his azure blue eyes crackling with lightning.

After collecting himself, Zeus questioned, "What part of my proposal do you find disagreeable? The number of individuals that desire to be waited upon by Athena rivals the total number of men in the Little Garden. Of course-"

Though he was nowhere near the limit of his patience, Vahn interrupted Zeus's rant, asking, "Would you just shut up already? I didn't come here to hear you blather on and stroke your ego. Do you sincerely believe you have the leeway to talk down to and try to make decisions for me? Rather than shameless, you're outright delusional."

Resisting the urge to rise up and unleash his divine fury upon Vahn, Zeus balled his hands into fists and adopted a vicious grin. Vahn's reaction was 'confirmation' of his suspicions, so he firmly stated, "Then leave the South and never return. I extended you an olive branch, and you refused. If you continue to support our enemies and intervene in our affairs, I will ensure you experience regret beyond fathom."

Shaking his head, Vahn had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he flatly stated, "No, you won't. Your little plan may have worked against virtually anyone else, but there isn't an action that you can take to circumvent my awareness. The moment you try, you're as good as dead."

Hearing Vahn threaten him, lightning surged from Zeus's body, shattering the throne beneath him. He didn't attack, but his fury was approaching its limits as he growled, "Bold words, boy. However, unless you intend to take on the mantle of Demon Lord, there isn't a damn thing you can do against me. I will never agree to a Gift Game where you're a player, so all you can do is watch as I take out my fury on those the Empire purports to protect. Let's see-"

Before Zeus could finish speaking, everyone in the chamber was stunned to see a peculiar, ashen grey spear sticking out of his chest. The moment it pierced him, his voice spontaneously cut off, his previously luminous body gaining the same hue as the spear as Vahn asked, "What compelled you to believe I feared the title of Demon Lord...?"

Unable to perceive that a question had been asked, much less respond to it, Zeus just continued to stare at Vahn, his expression perpetually fixed in mid-bellow. The spear was the result of Vahn's insight into the Law of Stagnation, so while it appeared Zeus had been frozen in time, the truth was far more terrifying. He had effectively endured an eternity in a single moment, the energy within his body seeping into the Void as even his Ego crumbled to nothingness.

Absorbing the spear back into himself, Vahn looked around at the various Gods gathered within the hall, each frozen like a deer in headlight as the body of Zeus crumbled to dust behind him. Hera was the first to try and retaliate, but the moment she rose from her throne, a pressure akin to the gravitational force of a neutron star caused her to stumble face-first into the ground, unable to rise.

Though he felt a little guilty seeing Hera faceplant into the ground, Vahn knew she was nearly as complicit as Zeus in his crimes. She was the one who had talked Zeus into avoiding a direct confrontation, one of the most foolish suggestions she could have possibly made. After all, had Zeus just targeted him, Vahn would have readily accepted his challenge. Attempting to target everyone but him was a mistake beyond compare.

Shifting his gaze to Athena, Vahn was about to make it transparently clear what his desires were when a sound akin to a bullhorn echoed throughout the Little Garden. Ebony black scrolls unfurled next to the Leader of every Community, but, unlike a 'traditional' Demon Lord's Geass Roll, the letters embossed upon its surface glistened with a prominent golden hue.

<Last Embryo: Advent of the Demon Lord of Abundance and Stagnation>

[Win Condition]

1: Follow the Rules.

[Hidden Conditions]

1: ????

2: ????

3: ????

[Rules]

1: Everyone in the Little Garden is a Participant.

2: Vahn Aldrnari Mason is the Demon Lord of Abundance and Stagnation.

3: The Game ends when the Demon Lord of Abundance and Stagnation has fulfilled his objective or been defeated.

[Restrictions]

1: Targetting anyone affiliated with the Aldrnari Empire outside of the Demon Lord of Abundance and Stagnation.

2: Expatriation from the Little Garden.

3: Establishment of a new Little Garden.

[Rewards]

1: ????

[Penalty]

1: ????

[Time Limit]

None

Finished reading the scroll, Vahn couldn't help smiling as he mused, "Demon Lord of Abundance and Stagnation? I suppose that's better than the Demon Lord of Petting and Punishment..."

Shifting his attention to Athena, Vahn's smile curled up at the edges as he asked, "What do you think?"

As the Leader of a Community, one of many affiliated with Mt. Olympus, Athena had received a black scroll alongside nearly everyone else in the banquet hall. The moment she read its contents, a cold chill permeated her entire body. Not because Vahn had been declared a Demon Lord but because the Central Network had deemed it appropriate to pit everyone in the Little Garden against him. While that meant they were free to take action against him, it also implied that Vahn had the impunity to act freely within the territory of other Communities...

Seeing Athena's expression pale, Vahn rolled his eyes and said, "Relax. If I were the type to go around killing arbitrarily, there would be a lot fewer evil entities within the Little Garden. Zeus brought this upon himself, so-"

Interrupting Vahn's words, Apollo shouted, "Murderer...!" as he impacted the former within a sphere resembling the Sun. Apollo understood that his father was far from perfect, but Zeus was still his father. If he didn't try to avenge him, his spirit would never rest in peace.

Stopping Apollo's charge with his bare hand, a frown marred Vahn's face as the flesh of his palm sizzled and dissolved away. Apollo's outrage was entirely justified. Thus, while Vahn would ordinarily be immune to even the most extreme temperatures, the enraged Sun God's attacks were, at least for the time being, effective against him.

To counter Apollo's attack, Vahn channeled his self-created Sun Authority while sprouting golden scales from his hand and arm. The sun-like sphere surrounding Apollo's body then vanished, absorbed by Vahn as he calmly asserted, "During my battle with Amaterasu, I declared to the entire Little Garden that those who willfully endanger children or attempt to leverage the lives of the innocent against their opponents have absolutely no right to clemency. Your father believed he could 'punish' me by targetting those very groups. This is the natural consequence of his actions."

Punctuating his words, Vahn planted Apollo into the ground with enough force to shake the very foundations of Mt. Olympus. However, due to his extreme respect for those bearing the name and title of Hephaestus, the actual structure remained undamaged. Instead, it was Apollo's face that gave way, his nose shattering into countless pieces as silvery-gold blood spurted from his ears.

Exhaling a sigh, Vahn suppressed his feelings of guilt as he looked to the rest of the hall and asked, "Anyone else?"

As Zeus and Apollo were among the most powerful Gods affiliated with Mt. Olympus, every God gazed upon by Vahn immediately averted their eyes. Poseidon and Hades might have stood up to him, but they tended to avoid social gatherings that included Zeus. As for Ares, the version Vahn encountered previously was just a projection created by Morpheus, so the only Gods present that could oppose him were Hera, Athena, and Hermes. Artemis might have been tempted to try, but she had elected to return to her tower, annoyed by Vahn and Hermes leaving her behind.

With Hera currently pinned to the ground, Vahn briefly exchanged glances with Hermes before directing his attention to Athena, asking, "You asked if this is what I desire? The simple answer is no. While I do tolerate it, there are few beings in all of Creation that abhor slavery and servitude as much as I do. You also said this was the least you could do to make amends? I wholeheartedly beg to differ. The least you could do is acknowledge you made a mistake and try to learn from it. Stop shifting the blame to others and accept responsibility for your actions. Beyond that, I have absolutely no other expectations of you."

To demonstrate his point, Vahn promptly turned away from Athena and began to make his way out of the hall. He could have simply teleported away or ceased to exist, but he wanted to give the Gods present a chance to argue or attack him.

Just as Vahn reached the halfway point between Zeus's destroyed throne and the exit, a heroic-looking Goddess with braided brown hair and azure blue eyes suddenly manifested a war banner and shouted, "The sanctity of Mt. Olympus has been befouled! We cannot permit this Demon to do as he pleases! Brothers! Sisters! Let us fell this fiend for all those who inhabit the Little Garden...!"

Though they would ordinarily want nothing to do with someone like Vahn, the various Gods and Goddesses present began to exude a divine light in response to their dark-haired counterpart's cry. Her identity was Alke, the personification of battle-strength, prowess, and courage, so her battelcry was enough to compel even the most cowardly Gods present to action.

Joining in with their sister was the fiery-haired Eris, the purple-haired Phobos, and the crimson-haired Ioke. They were members of Zeus's Elite Guard, the Aegis, so it was their duty to protect him and fell his enemies. Zeus's death had actually left them feeling more relief than fury, but, as Goddesses of the Greek Pantheon, their pride didn't allow them to simply let the matter lie.

As the four Goddesses led the charge, the other deities present began to manifest their battle raiments. Those closest to Alke immediately joined in the fray, but not even those on the periphery were spared as Vahn's body became a blur, appearing next to each of them with a resolute expression on his face...

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..

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Reading the Geass Roll that had unfurled next to her, Shiroyasha took a long drag from her pipe before exhaling a thin stream of smoke. She knew it was only a matter of time before Vahn was burdened with the title of a Demon Lord, but she never expected him to be elevated to the status of a Last Embryo at the same time...

*tok* *tok* *tok*

Directing her cat-like eyes to the sliding door on the opposite side of the room, Shiroyasha deadpanned as she inquired, "Since when were you the type to knock...?"

Instead of the person Shiroyasha was 'expecting,' the door slid open to reveal a beautiful, heroic-looking woman with long purple hair, teal eyes, and an attire matching that of a butler. At that exact moment, she felt a stirring beneath her clothes as a soft pair of hands cupped her breasts, followed by a sensual voice whispering into her ear.

"You've been naughty, Shiro-chan..."

Furrowing her brows, Shiroyasha exhaled two plumes of smoke from her nose before grumbling, "You're trying my patience, Queen. Now is neither the time nor the place for your foolishness..."

Undaunted by Shiroyasha's words, Queen Halloween fully manifested behind her, an alluring smile on her face as she continued to grope her former rival.

"You should have informed me that the Sage Dragon Emperor was about to take action. While I have long abdicated my position, the South is still my domain. If your little pet were going to go around killing Chief Gods, a heads up would have been nice..."

Frowning even further, Shiroyasha was about to retort when she, Queen Halloween, and Scathach all sensed a distortion in the surrounding space. Then, as if he had been listening in on them, Vahn manifested out of thin air, a narrow-eyed smile on his face as he stared into Queen Halloween's eyes and remarked, "I believe she told you to stop..."

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Oh, how the turn-tables...','The Advent of Chad Mason...','Queen Halloween be like, "Haha, I'm in danger."')