Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2226: Entering the End Game

Chapter 2226: Entering the End Game

With Amaterasu taken care of, Vahn didn't really have much left to do. He could destroy the other planets with relative ease but that would defeat the purpose of sending Nobu, Tomoe, and Okita to capture the Model Omega. Thus, after repairing the Sun and asking Amaterasu if she was willing to watch over it, Vahn teleported back to the throne/control room where Nobu was waiting.

"Oh~? Are you finished showing off? I expected you to at least wipe out the Akuma Community before returning."

As it had only been a few minutes since Vahn's departure, Nobu was still exhausted. Others couldn't see it but she was currently curled atop the throne in her most petite form, a smoldering, somewhat predatory smile on her face as she observed Vahn's approach with her carmine eyes.

Taking advantage of their relative privacy, Vahn picked Nobu up before placing a kiss atop her head and sitting back down. She responded by biting his nipple through the fabric of his clothes, but, as he was already used to such antics, Vahn just smiled as he drew her closer and answered, "I'll step in if Wu and Mikoto are unable to handle things…"

"Mmm…I see…"

Though she was prepared to defend the throne room with her life, Nobu would be lying if she said she wasn't happy that Vahn had returned. She didn't need to sleep but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy it. Thus, after making herself comfortable, she quickly dozed off in Vahn's embrace. A fatherly smile briefly appeared across the latter's face, but, understanding that Nobu wouldn't appreciate it if she learned he was looking at her with such eyes, Vahn subsequently leaned back, eyes closed as he enjoyed a short nap of his own…

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Even though it had only been a short while since she crashed into the planet, Kefla had managed to lay waste to a large portion of the Rakshasa tribesmen and women. If not for the interference of the Asura Tribe, she may have wiped them out in seconds.

Despite having one of the smallest populations in the Divine Realm, each individual member of the Asura/Asuri Tribe was a powerhouse capable of crushing weaker 4-Digit Communities on their own. They were considered one of the ultimate warrior tribes, so, while Kefla was able to fodder even the strongest Rakshasa, the only injury sustained by the nine members of the Asura Tribe was the loss of a single limb. A limb that almost immediately healed.

Unfortunately, as powerful as the Asura Tribesmen and women were, their only saving grace was the fact that Kefla was fighting with her arms crossed. She didn't want the battle to end too quickly, so, despite being surrounded on all sides by much larger combatants, she maintained a cocky smile as she practically danced around their attacks.

"You bastards ain't half bad. Keep this up and I may break a sweat."

While the other members of the Asura Tribe were offended by Kefla's remark, one of their members, an inordinately tall woman with ashen skin, untamed red hair, and emerald green eyes gestured for them to remain calm as she said, "Calm down. If you get riled up against an opponent like this, you won't be able to lay a hand on her. Maintain the encirclement and try to time your attacks so there are no gaps."

Shifting her attention to the apparent leader of the group, a taunting smile developed across Kefla's face as she raised her brow and asked, "Who the hell are you supposed to be? I'm Kefla, by the way. I guess you can call me the Saiyan Goddess. Nice to beatya."

Returning a smile of her own, the four-armed woman answered, "Pweamma." before manifesting a pair of daggers and two ornate metal clubs known as Gada.

Without waiting for Kefla's response, Pweamma charged forward with a relaxed expression on her face. Her attacks were unable to so much as graze Kefla's body, but, thanks to her large frame and four arms, she was able to gradually push her spiky-haired opponent back.

Dodging each of Pweamma's attacks at a hair's breadth, Kefla was committing each of the woman's moves to memory when the hair at the back of her neck and the tip of her tail stood on end. In the very next moment, a wooden mallet, the type typically used to beat mochi, passed through the area where her head had been.

Though she twisted her body and kicked towards the person that had sneak attacked her, Kefla was surprised when a jolt of pain ran up her leg. She felt as though she had just kicked an indestructible metal plate, yet, in place of such an object, there was a familiar and somewhat feral-looking woman with rabbit ears and a large, bushy tail.

"Usalia!? What the hell do you think you're doing…!?"

As Pweamma and the other Asura Tribe members had tentatively pulled back to observe, Usalia took a moment to massage the spot where Kefla had kicked her, stating, "Vahn never gave us the order to attack. I know you want to have fun, but you're out of line, plip. We may be at odds right now, but these people are supposed to be our allies. What you're doing is generating unnecessary enmity, plip."

Furrowing her brows, Kefla was about to protest when Fenrir and Mikoto popped up. The former didn't really concern her but the latter possessed an almost unreasonable amount of power. Kefla wasn't really afraid of either but she knew it wouldn't be particularly sensible of her to pick a fight with her own side.

Clicking her tongue, Kefla briefly surveyed the destruction she had wrought over the past couple of minutes. She didn't truly regret her actions, but, knowing she had probably caused trouble for Vahn, a mild feeling of discomfort swelled within Kefla's chest. Kale might not really care but Caulifla felt a debt of gratitude towards Vahn after everything he had done for them back in the Actualized World of Dragon Ball. She would never regard him as her Lord, Master, God, or anything else like that, but she respected him enough not to want to cause trouble for him.

"Fine. Just point me in the direction of someone I can fight. It's not like I particularly enjoy beating up weaklings…"

Though Kefla's final remark was directed towards Pweamma, the latter just shrugged her shoulders with a relaxed smile on her face. Mikoto was a bit of a surprise but she had known that Fenrir and Usalia were lurking around since earlier in the day. Her Lord, Indra, had told them not to antagonize the members of the Sage Dragon's Hearth, so, while Kefla's attack was somewhat annoying, she had no intention of pursuing the matter.

Snorting through her nose, Kefla didn't wait for a response before darting off toward the nearest Teleportation Nexus. Mikoto quickly gave chase while Fenrir, acting as a representative of the Sage Dragon's Hearth, stepped forward to cup her hands and say, "You have my apologies…it was never our intention to attack you so soon…"

Taking note of the fact that Fenrir had said 'so soon', a wry smile developed across Pweamma's face as she dispersed her manifested armaments and said, "It's no problem. This is a Gift Game, after all. It would be stranger if we didn't fight it out."

As she wasn't the type to ingratiate herself or be overly polite, Fenrir simply nodded in response to Pweamma's words before shifting her attention to Usalia and saying, "Let's go. We will return once our…my Master has given his orders."

Noticing the slight frown on Usalia's face, Fenrir quickly changed the way in which she referred to her Master. Usalia didn't really view Vahn as someone 'above' her. Fenrir didn't really agree with this, but, so long as her Master regarded his wives and lovers as equals, she would do her best to regard them as such.

Nodding her head in both approval and affirmation, Usalia took a moment to wave towards the members of the Asura Tribe before departing alongside Fenrir. Their departure was met with mixed reactions from the two groups of multi-armed tribesmen and women. Some wanted to give chase while others, seeing the devastation wrought by Kefla's rather casual assault, couldn't help feeling that the members of the Sage Dragon's Hearth were monsters to be avoided at all costs…

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With Amaterasu agreeing to watch over and protect the Sun from further interference, Kenshin and Tamamo decided to venture out of the obscuring mist to explore their surroundings. The planet was largely unprotected now that Amaterasu had been eliminated, so, before another Community could step in to reap their rewards, the duo decided to give invading the planet a go.

"Hurry along, Ken-chan~! I'm certain our Lord and Husband will reward us plentily if we manage to conquer this planet on our own~!"

Excited by the prospect of a reward, Tamamo was practically frolicking as Kenshin followed close behind her with a far more serious expression on her face. They may be able to move freely now that Amaterasu had been eliminated but she didn't believe that a Community as powerful as the Kotoamatsukami would leave their base unprotected. Tamamo's carelessness made her feel as if 'something' was about to happen, but, even after twenty minutes of skulking through a meadow, they had yet to encounter a single enemy.

What Kenshin didn't know was that the vast majority of Kotoamatsukami's members were currently engaged with the Akuma Community. The latter had gone on the offensive the moment Amaterasu had been defeated, so, even though Susano'o wanted to order the retreat, their strongest members were forced to hold the line in order to avoid a complete route.

At the present moment, the only people protecting Kotoamatsukami's planet were a few of their vassal Communities. Tsukuyomi had been sent to invade the planet of Kouryuu, so, while Kenshin was right to be cautious, she had severely underestimated just how lucky she and Tamamo were…

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Following Vahn's one-sided victory against Amaterasu, Wu was feeling excited to the point of fidgeting. She knew he was powerful but his performance against one of the most prominent Sun Deities left her feeling uncharacteristically hot and bothered. A growing part of her wanted nothing more than to use her Monkey Bounds Across the Heavens to return to his planet and immediately pounce on him. Instead, she turned her attention to the rapidly regenerating forest, a vicious smile on her face as she bellowed, "Come out and face me! If you continue with this farce any longer, you only have yourself to blame for what comes next…!"

To Wu's and Sarina's considerable surprise, the former's shout was immediately followed by a hooded figure manifesting from a cloud of mist. Her feet were completely bare, and, due to the charred remains of the forest, covered in ash and soot. In spite of this, she appeared completely calm and unflustered as she took a sip from a steaming cup of tea and remarked, "It's not nice to burn down someone's home…"

Brandishing her Ruyi Jing Bang, Wu was ready to pounce at the girl when a sudden chill passed through her body. Her Fiery Eyes of Truth allowed her to see through lies, deception, and illusion. The moment she peered into the shadowy veil concealing the woman's face, her instincts began sounding alarm bells that simply couldn't be ignored.

Trusting in her instincts, Wu immediately closed her eyes before shouting for Sarina to do the same. At the same time, she swept her Ruyi Jingu Bang towards the hooded woman, who, expecting the attack to simply phase through her, ended up being sent careening through several hundred trees before lying motionless at the end of a long and deep crevasse…

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn be like, "Showing off is easy. I have better things to do."','No redheads left behind…!','Some say hubris tastes like blood and bile. Others say it tastes like dirt…')