Chapter 1976: Golden Sun

After spending weeks helping the members of Wolhaiksong get settled into their new home, Vahn returned to the Emerald Grove with less than an hour passing since his departure. There, he found Ureko and Mordred attempting to defeat Index in a drinking game, while, at the side, Enne could be seen conversing with Yuri and Lotte.

Since it was 'exceptionally' rare for Enne to leave her private residence, Vahn was highly tempted to listen in on their conversation. Instead, he made his way to the opposite end of the tavern-like hall, not because he wanted to ruin the fun everyone was having, but because it was never a good thing when Index got drunk. The last time she had a little too much to drink, she attempted to create an Imaginary Axis over the existing Eighth Layer...

Seeing Vahn approach, Ureko, Mordred, and several others immediately exploded into laughter as a spurt of alcohol erupted from Index's nose. Immediately thereafter, she attempted to run away with a sake bottle nearly half the size of her body, but, before she could get more than a few steps, Vahn teleported right behind her, grabbing the collar of her Jirachi-inspired garb as he asked, "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

While hugging the bottle of sake as if it was a precious treasure, Index turned her head, a nervous smile on her face as she answered, "It...it's water..." while attempting to cross her fingers and toes.

Deadpanning in response to the obvious lie, Vahn was about to say something when Ureko butt in, roughly smacking his back as she said, "Don't be such a sour puss! We're all having fun here! Come, I'll pour you a few drinks and then we can start doing some body shots~!"

Perhaps as a result of her similarities to Mordred, Vahn found himself instinctually chopping Ureko's head as he said, "There is a difference between having fun and letting things get out of hand. It's all fun and games until someone ends up accidentally destroying space-time..."

Rubbing the top of her head, a marginal amount of surprise was visible in Ureko's ruby red eyes as she instantaneously sobered up. She was able to tank attacks capable of wiping out entire planets without flinching, yet, in response to Vahn's relatively light chop, a small and throbbing bump had developed atop her head. This helped her to calm down, but, at the same time, a potent itch began to spread through her body as she looked up at him and asked, "Do you have a death wish?"

Though he squinted his eyes in response to Ureko's inquiry, Vahn first dispelled the alcohol from Index's body before setting her down and saying, "Behave yourself. If you end up doing something similar to last time, I'll place an enchantment on your body that makes it impossible to get drunk..."

Demonstrating a complete lack of regard for Vahn's warning, Index just beamed in response before scampering back to the circular table where everyone had been drinking. There, Mordred, Musashi, Mavis, Yoruichi, and Nobunaga could be seen quietly observing the growing tensions between him and Ureko. They wouldn't step in, but, based on Ureko's behavior, there was a very real chance she would lose all favor with the rather infamous group of drunkards.

Gesturing for the girls to relax, Vahn met Ureko's gaze, a relaxed smile on his face as he asked, "Do you want to go somewhere...?"

With her pupils contracting slightly, it was apparent that Ureko wanted nothing more than to settle things between them. Before she could reply, however, the group consisting of Yuri, Enne, and Soo-Yun made their way over, the raven-haired leader of the group chiming in to remark, "Oh~? Are the two of you going somewhere? Mind if we come along~?"

Seemingly surprised by Yuri's words, Lotte's face immediately turned bright red as she practically dragged Yuri to the side, loudly whispering, "Have you lost your mind!? That's Ureko Mazino! Let's just let them settle things and then try again later...!"

Extricating herself from Lotte's vice-like grip, Yuri appeared completely undaunted as she looked toward Vahn and Ureko, asking, "So? How about it? Don't tell me the two of you intend to run off and have fun all by yourselves?"

Recognizing this pattern, Vahn decided to step in before things could get further out of hand, his tone relaxed yet resolute as he said, "You're letting your excitement get the better of you. There is no need for all this drama. In this place, time flows as I see fit. Rushing things is unnecessary. Just relax."

Not expecting such a response from Vahn, of all people, Yuri found herself at a complete loss for words. As for Lotte and Enne, they both showed considerably relieved expressions, as, despite Yur's 'very' convincing words, they had yet to fully form their resolution. Enne, in particular, wasn't sure how she felt about Vahn. All she knew for certain was that she could lower her guard around him without having to fear he would take advantage of her. He was also an ideal sleeping companion, and, while that wouldn't change if they became a couple, she was afraid he would lose interest in her if most of their time together was spent sleeping...

Though he wasn't quite sure what Lotte was thinking, Vahn could easily ascertain Enne's thoughts based on her aura and the slightly melancholic glint in her eyes. As a result, he ended up casually caressing her maroon-red hair, a gentle smile developing across his face as he said, "In this place, even eternity is not too long to make a decision. Never let anyone pressure you into taking action against your will. Independence and personal happiness should never be sacrificed in the pursuit of something as abstract as love. Regardless of what you choose, I will always be here to support you."

Before Vahn could even finish speaking, Enne had already wrapped her arms around his body, not as an expression of love and affection, but comfort. Her favorite thing about him was that he never pushed her, and, no matter how long she took to make decisions, he would always treat her with patience, care, and understanding.

Seeing the duo embrace, Yuri couldn't help feeling a mixture of envy and guilt, but, rather than taking it to heart, she just shrugged her shoulders before meandering over to the drinking group's table and asking, "Room for one more?". In response, Nobunaga adopted a somewhat predatory smile, answering, "Plenty~." before making an opening between herself and the similarly grinning Yoruichi...

---

After escorting Enne and Soo-Yun to the former's abode, Vahn spent a bit of time with them, Latias, Latios, and Xerneas before teleporting to the former Ninth Layer. There, he found Ureko sitting atop a large boulder, completely topless. This allowed the fourteen-winged symbol on her back to be on full display, but, most notably, the tattoo of her own name could be seen glowing ever so slightly as she softly remarked, "You know...if we go through with this...there's no turning back..."

Following these words, Ureko leaned back onto her elbows in order to crane her head and stare at Vahn. Had she been a normal person, she undoubtedly would have slipped off the rock, but, almost as if she had adhered to its surface, Ureko remained affixed to her position, her modest yet flawless breasts on full display as she added, "I'll be perfectly honest with you. I don't think I'll be able to get along with most members of your harem. It's not really my place to lecture you on how you choose your women, but there is a clear disparity between the central members of your harem and the girls who seem to have been arbitrarily added to it. Things might be fine for the moment, but, as the size of your harem increases, so too will the disparity between the women passionate about supporting you and those who feel as if they're only there out of pity..."

Though he would have liked to refute Ureko's words outright, there were times when Vahn had very similar thoughts. He only needed to look at examples such as Arryn and Arusha to affirm there were a number of problems developing within his harem. The latter had even pushed herself to the point of a mental breakdown, not because she had a genuine desire for strength, but because she felt the need to prove herself 'worthy' of his affection. As for Arryn, she had dedicated herself wholly to her research, and, unless she made some kind of breakthrough, she would proactively avoid interacting with other residents of the Emerald Grove, himself included...

Seeing that Vahn was taking her words seriously, Ureko allowed her body to slide from the boulder, flipping in the process. Then, despite the fact she was wearing nothing but white shorts, she walked right up to him, stopping just short of her breasts pressing against him before asking, "Do you want my advice?"

Vahn's first instinct was to refuse, but, seemingly intent on getting her point across, Ureko adopted a serious expression as she said, "It's time for you to grow up. If you're serious about reaching the pinnacle, you can't keep playing these games. There's nothing wrong with trying to make everyone happy, but, if you keep this up, the only thing you'll achieve is placing an undue burden on yourself and everyone around you. Sure, you might be able to make everyone happy now, but, what will you do when they want to start exploring worlds on their own? As it stands, the only sensible option any of the women around you have is staying with you. None of them want to be the one to trigger you and make you upset, so, even if they have other interests, their only real choice is giving up on their dreams in order to support a pursuit they have no direct involvement with..."

Punctuating her words, Ureko jabbed Vahn in the chest with enough force to pierce the fabric of his tunic as she pointedly stated, "You're too strong! You know it. I know it. Everyone around you knows it. Despite this, you pace yourself and give those around the false hope when you can, quite literally, invalidate all their efforts on a fucking whim! If you really want them to catch up to you, give them a chance! Stop coddling and protecting them like defenseless chicks! Give them the freedom to make decisions without having to take into consideration how it might make you feel...!"

Ignoring the bloodstain spreading across his chest, a difficult expression spread across Vahn's face, followed by a deep frown as he resisted the almost overwhelming urge to ask who the hell Ureko thought she was. Instead, he forced himself to remain calm as he asked, "So? What would you have me do? They are the ones who chose to follow-"

Without waiting for Vahn to finish, Ureko's body appeared to move in slow motion as the world around them promptly lost its color. Before her kick could connect with his head, however, Vahn raised his left hand, deftly catching her ankle as a shockwave strong enough to create a massive crater around their position devastated the surroundings. This would have normally caused a large plume of dust and debris, but, thanks to the residual energy radiating from their bodies, an area of several hundred meters surrounding Vahn and Ureko remained devoid of even the most minuscule of stray particulates. Instead, the banks of the crater had been compressed to such an extent, that, despite exceeding their melting point, they resembled a glass-like solid.

Snorting through her nose, Ureko extricated her foot from Vahn's grasp, ignoring the solemn look on his face as she asked, "Tell me. If I were to gain an advantage in our fight, what would you do?"

Though he was more than a little annoyed right now, Vahn still found himself at a loss in response to Ureko's question. At the same time, he felt as though a wave of understanding had washed over him, and, as a result, Ureko's expression became even more severe as she balled her hands into fists and growled, "You fucking asshole..." before following it up, exclaiming, "Do you think I'm someone you can look down on!?"

Before he could even think to defend himself, Vahn ended up eating a meteoric golden fist directly to the center of his face. The force of the blow was so extreme, in fact, that his head spontaneously ceased to exist, and, as a result of the resulting shockwave, everything above his knees was reduced to ash as an explosion reminiscent of a miniature sun rocked the entirety of the Tenth Layer...

(A/N: This isn't the actual fight, only the prelude to battle. For those who are annoyed by Ureko's behavior, please consider her age, character, and what a union with Vahn is supposed to represent. She is looking for a life partner, someone she could fight alongside and compete with. The notion that Vahn can simply surpass her whenever he wants, literally in the blink of an eye, would be pretty upsetting. Even worse is the fact that she, and the rest of his harem, are basically denied the same right. In other words, she is basically calling out Vahn for being a hypocrite and a control freak xD...)

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