As a Tier 5 who had reached the pinnacle of a far more complex magical system, it only took Eva two days to practically master the Shinsu Black Hole Sphere. This left the God of Guardians utterly speechless, but, seemingly dissatisfied with 'just' leaving the man at a loss, Eva then proceeded to give a far more detailed explanation of how the ability worked. To make matters even worse for the dutiful giant, she had even managed to deconstruct it into a magical formula, effectively producing an equation that would allow virtually anyone to use the unique control method.
The saddest part, at least for the God of Guardians, was that Vahn would easily be able to inscribe said formula onto various equipment and armaments. This would effectively allow anyone wielding the items to make use of the coveted control technique, regardless of their comprehension of said ability. This would be extremely beneficial for people like Artoria and Mordred, who, in spite of their masterful control and functionally limitless reserves, struggled to grasp even the basics of magical formulae.
Thanks to Eva's insights, Vahn, Fenrir, Illya, and Asuna were able to master the basics of the Shinsu Black Hole Sphere before the Conductor announced their imminent arrival at the 36th Floor's train station. Considering they were all Archmages, however, this wasn't particularly surprising. What did come as a surprise was the fact that even Ryun had made marginal breakthroughs in understanding the control technique; something that was deemed 'impossible' during the God of Guardian's initial explanation.
In essence, the Shinsu Black Hole Sphere required the user to create an artificial singularity to serve as a 'core' within a Baang. Standard Baangs were formed by the willful manipulation of Shinsu in the surroundings, effectively requiring the ability to both sense and control the peculiar energy in order to shape it to their will. Shinsu Black Hole Spheres ignored these two requirements, and, so long as you understood the method to create an artificial singularity capable of drawing in the surrounding Shinsu, you could create Baangs with terrifying destructive capabilities. The only caveat was, without an advanced understanding of spatial laws, allowing you to manipulate and control the surrounding Space, controlling a fully materialized Shinsu Black Hole Sphere was 'exceptionally' difficult…
—
Though he had seen it countless times before, Vahn couldn't help but smile when he saw Artoria don her nostalgic battle raiment, complete with a fur-lined mantle. This was immediately noticed by the person in question, who, rather than fluster about, simply returned his smile as she asked, "How long has it been since we stood together like this…?"
Unable to resist the urge, Vahn issued a subdued sigh in response, his expression softening as he muttered in a hushed tone, "Too long…far too long…"
Agreeing with this sentiment, Artoria went on to nod her head before saying, "The only thing that matters is that we are together, here, at this moment. The past is in the past. Our aspirations lay in the future. From now on, let us do our best to shape it…all of us…together…"
Feeling even more nostalgic than before, Vahn was tempted to reach out and caress Artoria's cheek, his expression morphing into an affectionate and slightly reverent gaze. Before he could, however, a slightly pouty voice could be heard at the side, shattering the rosy atmosphere completely as Asuna remarked, "Maybe I should leave the two of you alone…" in a flat monotone.
Blushing in response to Asuna's words, Artoria was about to say something before Vahn beat her to the punch, musing, "It seems your draconic nature is acting up again…after this is taken care of, how about a quick visit to the Outer Rings, just the three of us? You know I'm more than willing to lend a hand when you're feeling frustrated, Asuna…"
Similar to Artoria, Asuna couldn't prevent a blush from bleeding into her cheeks at the mention of a foray into the Outer Rings. At the same time, a robust heat began to spread through her body, and, though she did her best to restrain it, she could prevent her tail from twitching in anticipation. This caused her to feel even more embarrassed, her cheeks gaining a scarlet hue as she averted her eyes and muttered, "Bully…" in a perceptively impassioned tone.
Though he was tempted to tease her further, Vahn was silenced by a slightly pointed look, courtesy of a blushing Artoria. They were about to reach their destination, and, though she wouldn't overtly tell him to stop, her actions were a reminder to be mindful of the situation. Since he didn't want to embarrass them in front of others, this put an immediate stop to his antics, his expression turning slightly more serious as he responded with a curt nod of understanding. This ended up being the correct decision, as, moments later, the three of them came across John's group standing near an exit.
Noticing the presence of others, John and his companions immediately became tense until they noticed who, exactly, was standing at the front of the group. After that, visible relief could be seen on their faces as John, adopting a friendly smile, raised his hand in a gesture of greeting as he said, "It's good to see you. We were really worried when you didn't appear in the residential district even after several days. What have you been up to these last couple of weeks…?"
With John's eyes briefly wandering to Artoria and Asuna, it was pretty obvious he also wanted to ask about them, but, fearing he might inadvertently cause offense, he didn't directly broach the subject. He could be pretty tactful at times, and, though he couldn't completely prevent himself from gawking at the two inordinate beauties, he was able to collect himself relatively quickly.
Smiling in response to the man's greeting, Vahn resisted the temptation to wrap his arms around his two wives. Instead, he gestured towards each of them in turn, revealing, "These two lovely ladies are Artoria Aldrnari Pendragon and Asuna Vesperina Theotanasia Entheofushia Mason. I am blessed beyond compare to have both as my wives."
Bowing slightly in response to her own introduction, Artoria followed up Vahn's words by saying, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.". As for Asuna, she just adopted a friendly smile, gesturing in a manner similar to John as she said, "Nice to meetcha!" in a comparably casual manner.
Surprised by the revelation, John, along with the rest of his team members, found themselves at a complete loss for words. They each had a number of questions dancing about their minds, the most notable pertaining to the girls' origins, and how they were able to board the Hell Train. Rather than risk offending their benefactor, however, the majority just adopted awkward smiles as John went on to say, "It's nice to meet you, Artoria, Asuna…" before returning his gaze to Vahn and asking, "What are you going to do from now on? My team has decided to disembark here and return to the 35th Floor. We had more trouble than anticipated during the trial so we intended to spend the next ten months training before trying again next year."
Approving of John's decision, Vahn nodded his head before patting the average-looking youth on the shoulder and remarking, "Wolhaiksong wasn't mistaken when they scouted you as a prospective member. A lot of people would have continued pressing forward in spite of the dangers, blinded by the prospect of rewards. Rather than risk your lives over nothing, it would be better for you to clear the Floors through your own efforts and then double back to board the Hell Express. Just make sure you aren't going out of your way to suppress those weaker than yourselves. As for me, I'm going to continue forward. My goals can only be achieved by moving further up the Tower. Since this might be our last time meeting, I want you to accept these gifts. I specifically prepared them for each of you so don't even think about refusing."
Without affording the quintet the opportunity to refuse, Vahn began pulling out numerous items from his Inventory, shoving it into their hands. This included upgraded weapons, defensive artifacts, and, most importantly, a number of useful cooking tools and a surplus of special ingredients. These would help the group drastically increase their capabilities over the next year; and, while it wouldn't let them become powerhouses on part with descendants of the Ten Great Families, it would provide them a significant advantage against other competing Regulars.
Vahn had basically become 'fed up' with the structure of the Tower, so, at the very least, he wanted to help those who hadn't been irreversibly corrupted by its influence. In truth, he would like to help everyone, but, understanding the impracticality of such a pursuit, his primary focus was those right in front of him. As for his Templates, they had recently started venturing into various fictional worlds in order to complete Quests. Soon enough, they would be loosed into the Tower, and, though their actions were wholly their own, he could still take partial credit for the people they helped along the way…
With several brand new Needles and a number of other useful items forced upon him, John found himself at a complete loss for words. The same could be said for the rest of his team members, but, as the primary recipient of Vahn's interest, he had received the greatest number of boons. This was intended to help him strengthen his position as leader, as, after observing the youth, Vahn was fully confident that John would share with the rest of his team.
Finding their bewilderment to be rather amusing, a light chuckle escaped Vahn's throat as he ruffled John's hair and said, "You should put those items away before we arrive. People, especially Regulars, can be very greedy. If they discover you have a surplus of useful equipment, there would be no end to the number of people coveting your supplies. I can make sure nobody antagonizes you once we reach the station, but you'll be on your own after that."
Having experienced the greed of other Regulars first hand, Team John immediately complied with Vahn's words. There were no limits to the depravity of some Regulars, and, so long as it meant they could have their wishes granted, no manner of crime was beyond their capacity to commit. This was one of the reasons for the continued survival of FUG. They accepted virtually any applicant, and, no matter how grievous your crimes, you would always find a place for yourselves among the criminals and despots comprising the rebellious organization…
—
After descending into the watery abyss for more than two days, Modred's expression turned sour as she noticed her surroundings gradually lighting up. She interpreted this as her nearing the bottom, and, for a brief moment, she genuinely considering trying to swim upwards in an attempt to extend the amount of time taken. Fortunately, she realized the folly of such action, so, rather than resist the descent, she began to gradually increase her speed, a crimson aura surrounding her body…
Like a meteor descending from the heavens, Mordred crashed into the floor of the Rice Pot with the intention of 'breaking' through the foundation of her own potential. After all, a person's potential was constantly changing, and, so long as they continually pushed themselves, there were absolutely no limits to a person's growth. Mortals could become Gods, and, through an inordinate amount of effort, Gods could even become something 'more'. Thus, rather than accept that this was her limit, Mordred was determined to break through, and, if necessary, continue digging until the very nails on her hands gave way.
Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for a person to break through the foundation of their potential. As someone who had ascended to godhood through her own efforts, however, Mordred was far from what anyone would classify as 'normal'. Thus, rather than stop upon hitting the ground, she smashed through the endless plane of cogs with meteoric force, shattering tens of thousands in the resultant explosion. Immediately thereafter, a massive red dragon appeared from within the smoke, tearing away at the mechanical foundation with the fervor of a mole tunneling into loose soil…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Eva is a bully xD…','Vahn is so excessive…','You think this is my limit!? Witness the power of the Sage Dragon Emperor's Pampered Princess…!')
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