Under normal conditions, the structure of the 77th Floor made it virtually impossible for outsiders to navigate. The forest was constantly changing shape, and, thanks to Baek being the Floor Ruler, a number of restrictions had been placed on abilities related to flight. This forced both residents and interlopers alike to traverse the all-encompassing forest, and, as a result, only those with permission were allowed to smoothly navigate the 77th Floor.
Fortunately, even without Baek making an exception for them, Vahn could have easily navigated the 77th Floor. His contract with Headon allowed him to move with impunity through each Floor, and, if he really wanted, he could even trespass the Inner Tower at his leisure. This privilege extended to all who bore his Familia Crest, so, with the recent addition of Tarou and Marble, everyone in his current entourage was able to effectively ‘ignore’ the laws each of Floor.
This was important, as, despite acknowledging each member of the group, Baek had only made an exception for Vahn and Artoria. Even the upper echelons of Wolhaiksong were required to traverse the forest on foot, not because he liked forcing people to walk, but because it allowed him to keep a close eye on each of them. He didn’t like being unable to see and track the locations of people in his forest, so, with the exception of Ureko, someone he couldn’t really do anything about, very few people were permitted to fly freely through the skies of the 77th Floor…
—
With even Marble capable of moving tens-of-thousands-of-times faster than the speed of sound, on the low end, it only took Vahn and Co a few minutes to reach the exact center of the 77th Floor. There, a crystalline white tree reminiscent of an amalgamation of wings over everything, it’s height quite literally extending from ground level to the ceiling of the 77th Floor.
Though it wasn’t the biggest tree he had ever seen, Vahn couldn’t help admiring the spectacle of a glowing white tree that loosely resembled a pillar between heaven and earth. Unfortunately, he was only able to admire it from afar, as, shortly after trespassing the invisible barrier veiling the Winged Tree in perpetual night, a golden beam of light instantaneously erupted from its canopy, impacting Artoria as she moved to defend him.
Not expecting someone to block her meteoric kick, an amused, “Hooo~?” emanated from Ureko’s throat as her glowing red eyes met Artoria’s resolute silver gaze.
Under normal circumstances, Ureko would have readily complimented anyone capable of blocking her attack. She had even developed a habit of offering people Winged Tree Badges in accordance with their strength, but, the moment her eyes met Artoria’s, so too did a certain aroma.
With a somewhat vicious smile immediately spreading across her face, Ureko forcibly extricated her foot from Artoria’s grasp before attempting to grab the latter’s horns, fully intent on trying to knee her in the face. To her surprise, Artoria simply ignored her actions, charging forward with her hands drawn back in a rather peculiar stance that left her wide open. At the same time, the ivory gauntlets covering her arms rapidly transformed, their form vaguely resembling the heads of two dragons as she dauntlessly presented her head for Ureko to grab.
Though she was fully aware that it was a trap, that had never stopped Ureko from charging head-first into danger. Instead, Artoria’s actions only stirred her excitement to an even greater extent, a toothy grin developing across her face as she grabbed the former’s horns and motioned to draw her forward. This was where something unusual happened, as, despite mustering a considerable amount of strength, she felt that Artoria was simply immovable.
As that thought crossed her mind, the ends of Artoria’s gauntlets released a phenomenal amount of energy, quite literally acting as thrusters as she struck forward and exclaimed, “Sōkotsu..!” in a grave tone. This was one of the most powerful physical attacks in the Record of Bleach, and, under normal circumstances, it could completely ignore conventional resistances and destroy an opponent from the inside.
Despite feeling as though an explosion had been set off inside her stomach, Ureko simply cackled in response to Artoria’s attack before returning a full-force headbutt. This wasn’t an exaggeration, and, as a result, even Vahn ended up being pushed back slightly as a shockwave strong enough to destabilize the surrounding space devasted the verdant forest below.
Unamused by the destruction of his forest, Baek immediately emerged from the devastated terrain with what could best be described as a ‘severely pissed off’ expression. At the same time, a series of massive trees began to erupt from the ground in a manner evocative of a Wood-Style Ninjutsu. This promptly drew the attention of both Artoria and Ureko, the latter immediately adopting a wry smile, hands waving from side-to-side as she exclaimed, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! It was an accident! No need to blow a gasket! We’ll move somewhere else!”
Though she was exponentially stronger than him, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that, prior to her kinship with Yuri, Baek had been the closest thing to family that Ureko had found in the Tower. The youthful-looking Wave Controller had comforted her during a period where she was unbelievably depressed, and, as an expression of gratitude, she had gifted him an entire Floor and even helped him build an organization capable of rivaling the Great Families. Wolhaiksong existed entirely as a result of their shared dream, and, had she never found Vahn, there was a very real chance that Baek would have been the man she had chosen as her partner…
Finding it impossible to stay mad at Ureko, a tired sigh escaped Baek’s throat as he powered down his attack and said, “There is nothing wrong with friends fighting in order to strengthen their bonds and improve upon themselves. This, however, is unacceptable. I can sense the animosity that exists between the two of you. As a result, this is no longer a fight between friends. It’s basically a pissing contest between two children trying to demonstrate their superiority. I had higher expectations for both of you…”
With an awkward laugh emanating from her throat, Ureko rubbed the back of her head as Artoria, understanding her fault in the matter, offered an apologetic bow, saying, “Please accept my most sincere apologies…” while placing her hand over her heart. This would have been a big deal if her status as an Empress held any weight within the Tower, but, having never cared about such things, Baek just shook his head, answering, “Whatever. Just don’t do it again.” before directing his gaze to Vahn and asking, “Is this what you came here for?”
Though he would have liked to deny it, Vahn understood he was the principal offender, not because he had any intentions of destroying the 77th Floor, but because he had both delayed his arrival and primed Artoria for battle. He could have easily settled things by allowing Ureko to vent a bit before inviting her into the Little Garden, yet, for his own convenience, he had manipulated the situation in a way that all but guaranteed they would fight it out the moment they encountered one another…
Noticing Vahn’s hesitation, a disappointed look flashed across Baek’s face as he plainly stated, “I’m sure you have your reasons. Even so, I would rather you not get my forest and its people involved in your personal matters. You may very well be the person we have been waiting for, but that doesn’t give you the right to act however you please. I can’t speak for everyone, but, regardless of whether or not you are a God, Wolhaiksong will never follow a tyrant. We have gathered here, specifically, to escape such things. If you can’t respect that…please leave…”
Feeling guiltier the more Baek spoke, an extremely apologetic expression developed across Vahn’s face as he exhaled a sigh and said, “I have wronged you unnecessarily. Please, rest assured knowing that it was never my intention to harm you, your forest, or your people. I know my words might not hold much weight, given the circumstances, but, please, accept my apology. From now on, I will do everything in my power to ensure you and your people never have reason to doubt me. I only want to help…”
Though he hadn’t paid it any mind when Artoria lowered her head, Baek was quite surprised to see Vahn do the same. He could also sense the sincerity in the latter’s words, so, rather than continuing to censure the trio, a genial smile spread across his face as he said, “Very well. I have heard many a tale attesting to the value you place in your words. With that in mind, I can rest easy knowing you will remain a friend to Wolhaiksong, hopefully into the far future.”
Following these words, Baek offered a bow of his own before immediately proceeding to repair the damage caused by Ureko’s attack. This left everyone else feeling awkward and embarrassed, much like a group of children who had just received a chiding from overly concerned parents. Even Vahn was no exception to this, not because he held Baek in high regard, but because it hadn’t even been a half-hour since he was the one giving the lectures…
—
Though there was still a palpable tension in the air, Ureko had calmed down a lot after the rebuke from Baek and the consequent return of Artoria to the Little Garden. This allowed her to give Vahn a tour of the region surrounding the Winged Tree, a journey that started with a reunion with Yuri and ended with a long discussion with Baek and the other leaders of Wolhaiksong.
Unsurprisingly, several of the twelve-winged members had doubts about Vahn’s status, and, most importantly, his ability to open the way forward. Unfortunately, they couldn’t really oppose Baek’s decision to move the forest into the Little Garden, as, despite their status in the organization, they had no say over the structure, management, and location of the forest. They also couldn’t survive in the Tower without the protection of Ureko, so, while the discussion ended up lasting several hours, it was more of a formality than an actual debate.
In the end, Vahn managed to convince everyone by assuring them he didn’t require their power to make good on his promise. They could literally stay inside the Little Garden until he had conquered the Tower. More importantly, he demonstrated his ability to manipulate the flow of time within, so, if they were feeling impatient, he could literally slow the flow of time to such an extent that only a few seconds would pass before it was time for them to leave.
While a few members were understandably horrified by the prospect of being at the mercy of a God who could manipulate time in both directions; Baek managed to calm them by pointing out that, even if Vahn did drastically accelerate the flow of time, that was just an opportunity for them to live their lives in peace. They would also be immortal so long as they were within the confines of the Little Garden, so, even if thousands of years passed, they didn’t have to worry about dying of old age.
To many within the Tower, the promise of immortality was more important than anything else, so, with the only real alternative being to separate from Wolhaiksong, it wasn’t long before each of the twelve-winged members agreed to Baek’s decision. They were also uncomfortable with the idea of having to reincarnate into a completely random world; so, understanding that Vahn might very well be their only method to leave under ideal conditions, the discussion concluded with the creation of an additional layer, the transplantation of a planet-sized forest, and the migration of several million residents into the Little Garden…
(A/N: I’m doing my best to focus on recovering right now. Sorry for another single-chapter release.)
