Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2222: Bond

Chapter 2222: Bond

"Oh-hohohohohoho~! That's what you get for thinking you could stand against me, the beautiful, powerful, and brilliant Lady Seraphina!"

Seeing the destruction wrought by the mechanical War Ladies, Seraphina couldn't help believing she had already won. With the exception of the massive dragon and a few of the larger opponents, everything else had been utterly obliterated by the torrential volley of magically enhanced missiles. The few that remained showed signs of tremendous damage, cracks covering their bodies as their limbs crumbled away like brittle earthware.

Among the heavily damaged golems was Gaia, who, despite being much stronger than each of the individual Mecha Girls, couldn't hold up against their combined assault. Each of her leaf-like wings had been burned away. The shield she had previously wielded in her left hand, much like the arm it was attached to, was nowhere to be seen.

Had she not defended at the last moment, Gaia may have been destroyed completely. As for the Earth Dragon piloted by Leshaad, it was the least damaged among the army of golems. It had been given the name Adamantoise for a reason. Unless it received a focused strike from someone with an advanced mastery over one of the more destructive Laws, it could withstand virtually any attack.

Seeing that the original invaders were still standing, Seraphina paused to consider whether or not she should send the War Ladies forward. Instead, an ostensibly sadistic smile developed across her face as she suppressed a laugh and ordered yet another barrage. There was a reason she preferred guns over other forms of weaponry. If her opponents could be defeated from a distance, why waste time with other methods?

Following Seraphina's order, the group of ten War Ladies ended up unleashing several volleys of their splintering, extremely wide range missiles. For several minutes, it was like fire and death was raining from the sky over one specific area of the defensive satellite. By the time the onslaught had ceased, even the Adamantoise was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a pock-marked, ocean-sized crater had formed where the golem army previously stood…

"Oh-hohohohohoho~!"

…

…

.

After replenishing her Vahnobtainium reserves to their limit, Sarina, accompanied by Wu, returned to the planet occupied by Meng Zhang and the Guardians of the East. Shortly after that, they found themselves near the mountain range housing Meng Zhang's palace. It was there they encountered their first obstacle, a seemingly endless forest filled with dense fog and dead or dying trees.

"This wasn't here when I left…"

Shrugging her shoulders, Wu largely ignored Sarina's comment as her Ruyi Jingu Bang started to emit a fiery, reddish-orange glow. Her Fiery Eyes of Truth allowed her to ascertain the truth and see through illusions, so, having determined that the forest before her was real, she decided the safest course of action was to destroy it.

Noticing Wu's actions, Sarina was about to ask what the petite monkey girl was thinking when the latter suddenly leaned forward and dashed into the eerie-looking forest. Moments later, a scene that could best be described as an infernal tempest of destruction occurred. Wu ended up spinning her Ruyi Jingu Bang with such speed that it created a massive, fiery vortex. Each of the trees in her wake were uprooted or outright destroyed, consumed by the vortex and increasing the amount of destruction to her surroundings.

Teleporting several kilometers away, Sarina's expression formed into a deadpan as she watched the flaming pillar extend tens of kilometers into the sky. It was far from the most devastating attack she had seen, but, for reasons she couldn't quite understand, it still frightened her to her core. A part of her knew, even though she was durable enough to survive the destruction of a planet, she wouldn't emerge unscathed from the swirling vortex of flame.

"She kind of reminds me of Beerus and the Gods of Destruction…"

"Hey, watch your tongue. Don't go comparing me to some no-name losers."

Following the unexpected response, Wu promptly manifested from one of the tiny golden hairs that had snuck their way onto and even inside of Sarina's clothing. Her right hand had formed into a fist, but, instead of knocking Sarina on the head, she just tensed the muscles of her fingers a few times before dropping her hand and adding, "You're someone important to Vahn. As your name spreads throughout the Little Garden, the weight of your words will gradually increase. I'll ignore it this time but don't expect me to turn a blind eye if you make any slanderous remarks in the future…"

As someone that had endured quite a number of hardships as a result of the Little Garden's system, Wu didn't take kindly to people comparing her to others. It was marginally more acceptable if they were compared to her, but, even then, it was basically an insult that depreciated her character, and, depending on the circumstances, her very existence…

Recovering from the shock she experienced due to Wu's unexpected appearance, Sarina swallowed the knot in her throat before nodding her head and saying, "My apologies. Despite being born in the Little Garden, I'm still getting used to the way things work. I'll be sure to watch what I say in the future."

Understanding that Sarina hadn't been trying to insult her, Wu offered an approving nod before joining the comparably busty beauty in her observation of the ongoing destruction. It was a little strange, but it actually felt nice not to have to pummel someone every time they said something that could be even remotely misconstrued as an insult…

…

…

.

Mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausted, Hanzo was struggling to pull herself together after her seventh resurrection. As a result, Nobu, still in her Demon King of Sixth Heaven transformation, managed to locate her long before her body had fully formed and matured.

"Ara, ara~? What's this? You're a real cutiepie, aren't you~?"

Forcing a smile, Hanzo attempted to accelerate her recovery as she looked up at Nobu and asked, "Who knows? It's been a while since I've seen my actual appearance. Why? Are you going to spare me for being cute…?"

Surprising Hanzo quite a bit, Nobu shrugged her shoulders in a careless manner, answering, "Sure? By this time, Mochita and Tomoe should be nearing the core of the offensive satellite. I also get the impression you're no longer a threat. So long as you behave like an obedient little kitten, I don't see the harm in sparing you."

Unbeknownst to Hanzo, Nobu had developed a particular fondness for girls with cat and dog ears. She blamed this on Vahn, but, in reality, she simply enjoyed caressing beautiful girls with animalistic traits. Since Hanzo currently resembled a young Japanese girl with cat ears and a tail, Nobu's desire to torment her had promptly vanished. At the very least, the form of torment she had in mind had changed drastically.

Noticing the unconcealed lasciviousness in Nobu's gaze, realization washed over Hanzo like a bucket of icy cold water as she internally remarked, ("She is significantly more perverted than I thought…")

Realizing she could have saved herself a lot of time, effort, and pain if she had just altered her approach, a pained groan emanated from Hanzo's throat as she cradled her aching head. Nobu, amused by Hanzo's reaction, promptly squat before the petite cat girl, fearlessly caressing the latter's head as she asked, "What's your name, kemono brat…?"

Pulling a tanto blade from the shadowy substance covering her body, Hanzo attempted to stab Nobu in the heart. To her surprise, the latter actually let this happen, a sadistic smile spreading across her face as she mused, "Bad kitty…"

Punctuating her words, Nobu jammed the index and middle fingers of her right hand into Hanzo's mouth. Even without biting, a bloody taste spread through Hanzo's mouth before quickly invading her throat. She attempted to jerk her head away and sink into her shadow, but she was incapable of escaping the vice-like grip Nobu had on her skull.

"There, there…no need to be afraid. I'm just making sure you behave for the rest of the time we're together…"

With Hanzo promptly biting through her fingers, the sadistic smile on Nobu's face became even more prominent as she instantaneously regenerated the two digits. Before she could follow through with her plan, however, the familiar voice of Vahn entered her mind, whispering, ("Nobu…I didn't say anything previously but you're clearly getting carried away. You know I hate when people are forced to act against their will…")

Clicking her tongue, Nobu removed her fingers from the confused Hanzo's mouth before rising to her feet and giving the petite cat girl a firm kick in the rump, saying, "Scat! Get out of here…!"

Without hesitation, Hanzo gave up trying to fully form her body as she sank into her shadow and disappeared. She didn't know what had changed Nobu's mind, but, understanding that she had just escaped something terrible, Hanzo didn't hesitate to flee far, far away.

Tracking her quarry's departure with the spirit imprint, Nobu had to take several deep breaths to suppress her almost instinctual urge to give chase. Fortunately for Hanzo, she really didn't want to make Vahn angry or upset. He wouldn't lash out or try to harm her, but, in many ways, that actually made things worse.

It might sound kind of childish, but Nobu couldn't stand whenever Vahn forced a smile through his disappointment…

…

…

.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, Vahn contemplated pulling Nobu to his side and helping her calm down. Instead, he transmitted calming energy through the Unit Management Function. He would never classify Nobu as one of his subordinates but she was still listed alongside the tens of billions that had placed their trust in him over the years. In other words, he could link his senses with her, see through her eyes, and even experience her emotions whenever he wanted.

Sensing Nobu's inner turmoil and guilt, Vahn gradually absorbed it into himself before replacing it with pure, positive emotions. At the same time, he recalled some of the more precious memories he and Nobu had shared since the moment he first summoned her in the Nasuverse.

Though Nobu quickly realized what he was up to, Vahn sensed no desire for him to stop. Instead, a sense of relief washed over her as she mentally teased, ("If you wanted to get inside of me, you just had to ask…")

Returning a smile, Vahn decided to follow through on his previous urge to call Nobu to his side. She immediately appeared atop his lap, and, though she was slightly surprised by the sudden change in scenery, that didn't stop her from grinning like a demon, grabbing the sides of his face, and kissing him with the passion and fervor of a Succubus…

…

…

.

After fleeing to a completely random planet, Hanzo took a moment to forcefully expel the contents of her stomach. She wasn't entirely sure what Nobu had in mind but her instincts were screaming at her to get the woman's blood out of her system.

Unfortunately, even after Hanzo had completely purged her stomach, she still had the impression that something was seriously amiss. A sudden and intensifying warmth was spreading through her body.

As someone who was intimately familiar with poisons, Hanzo's first instinct was that Nobu had forced her to imbibe a powerful aphrodesiac. Beads of sweat began to develop across her forehead, and, though she did her best to resist the excruciating heat, it wasn't long before she had collapsed in a heap, her ears and tail twitching violently as she found herself lying in a bed that had ostesnbily appeared out of thin air…

…

…

.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Oh-hohohohoho~!','Wu is like a maiden in love (O w O)…','RIP Hanzo…')