Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though Vahn’s presence was overwhelming, Musashi wouldn’t be considered one of the greatest swordsmen in history if she was helpless in the face of her opponent. In fact, she held a secret close to her heart, one unbeknownst to any of her allies, Archimedes included. Thus, in response to Vahn’s words, she forced a smile, her lips curling against his palm as her aura erupted outward, bringing an absolute and inviolable void of darkness along with it.

With renewed vigor, Musashi kicked against Vahn’s chest, not to do any damage but to use it as a substitute for solid ground. The aura radiating from his body gave her a feeling of weightlessness so, after using his vice-like grip as leverage, Musashi drew her Wakizashi, holding it in a reverse grip to cut through his arm. The collision between her blade and his golden scales caused a high-pitched whine, accompanied by a shower of sparks, but, as had been the case throughout her life, Musashi was ultimately able to cut through it.

Using Vahn’s chest as a pivot, Musashi kicked away from him, but, in spite of her best efforts, his hand continued to grip around her face. More surprising was the fact that, instead of regenerating his arm, the larger section of Vahn’s body disappeared into golden particles before he regenerated at the end of his severed arm...

Musashi’s ability to cut off his arm didn’t actually surprise Vahn. Rather, his recognition of her Skill seemed to be what allowed her to harm him. His instincts told him that, if he didn’t acknowledge her power, it would be absolutely useless against him. At the same time, however, he felt compelled to acknowledge her skill as, while they didn’t see eye-to-eye, Musashi was a commendable swordsman. If he denied her accomplishments for wholly selfish reasons, Vahn felt he would lose something very precious...something he would never be able to regain once discarded...

After tightening his grip enough to cause Musashi to release a muffled groan, Vahn balled his right hand into a fist, forcibly repelling away the void she was desperately trying to expand. It was like she was trying to overwrite the concept of ’Infinite Possibility’, replacing it with the concept of ’Oblivion’ and ’Nothingness’. However, as he had explained previously, existence itself was something sought after by forces far beyond both of them. If given a choice between existing and returning to oblivion, all things, including the Laws themselves, would choose to exist. Unless Musashi was to comprehend the erasure of her own existence, the concept of Nothingness she embodied would never reach its full potential...

With his own influence growing stronger with each moment, Vahn was able to impose his own rule over the strange realm they had found themselves in. Much like how Musashi had been able to rob him of the ability to move, as space and time themselves had lost their meaning, his movements had become increasingly smooth. At the same time, Musashi seemed to be slowing down and, though it was still impossible to trace the trajectory and motion of her blade, Vahn felt he was on the cusp of being able to see it.

Since there was little she could do to loosen his grip, Vahn eventually reached a point where his control over the concepts around them reached the point where he was finally able to act. This was proven when, in the next moment, his fist had already struck Musashi’s abdomen. Though she didn’t seem to take much damage, a golden shockwave erupted out from her back, destroying a large part of the concept of Nothingness surrounding her body.

Though she hadn’t given up, Musashi’s movements had slowed to the point that, even after Vahn pulled back his hand, her body remained in the position it had been when he struck. The blade of her katana, which had previously been invisible to him, now appeared to be moving in slow motion. Curiously, he was still unable to dodge the strike but this was primarily due to the fact that his own movements were still stagnant. The fact remained that, unlike before, he could now see her attacks, something that brought a slight smile to his face.

Knowing she would be able to hear his words, as ’intent’ seemed to be perfectly conveyed within the realm they inhabited, Vahn loosened his grip on Musashi’s face, saying, "You genuinely believe what I am doing is wrong. Even I cannot profess that my decision was the correct choice, so, from the very beginning, I accepted others would see me as a villain. However, there are many who also see me as a hero, one paving the way toward a better future, not specifically for humans, but all races. I want to save everyone but, no matter how much power I possess, it will never be enough in the face of fate and free will. The best I can do is bear the burden of my sins in the hope that, one day, things will be better than they are now. Though I may be severing countless futures, I am also building a stronger foundation, one that quantitatively increases the chance for success and happiness, not just for the citizens of the Empire, but, everyone that will be born in the future...!"

Borrowing a page out of Musashi’s book, Vahn ended his statement by grabbing her outstretched leg and, despite the lack of solid ground beneath them, he easily hefted her body with one hand before slamming it down. The predominately gold realm around them immediately collapsed as a result and, in the next moment, time had began to flow normally as Musashi lay beaten and broken within a large crater.

Feeling a phenomenal amount of fatigue, Vahn was momentarily tempted to just leave Musashi to someone else but, before he could even consider who was most suitable, his world spontaneously split in two. This caused his mind to dull slightly and, as his transformation had already been on its last vestiges, a plume of golden light erupted from Vahn’s body as the scales covering him vanished. He couldn’t help but internally curse Musashi’s resilience but, at the same time, Vahn found himself respecting her tenacity quite a bit...

Though most of her bones were broken, her consciousness long gone, Musashi was still able to rise to her feet, blood dripping from various wounds. Her beauty hadn’t faded in the slightest, but, due to her injuries, she almost looked like a living corpse. The most troubling part was, while she didn’t seem capable of walking more than a few steps, Musashi’s sword strikes were just as swift as before. She also stopped holding back so, even though he had already been cut into several hundred pieces, Vahn wasn’t even given time to reform as her swords moved like a tempest, cutting him into smaller and smaller pieces...

Feeling as if resistance was futile at this point, Vahn just went with the flow of her attacks, focusing his mind on preserving his Ego while sending a mental command to Da Vinci and, in turn, Arcueid. In the next moment, Musashi’s attacks suddenly came to a stop and, much like Olivia, her body began to flake away into motes of bluish-white light. This left only a cloud of reddish-black mist within the massive crater that had been formed from her collision with Vahn...

With the humanoid blender gone, the mist began to slowly coalesce into a humanoid figure, taking nearly twenty minutes before it became solid. By the time Vahn managed to reform his body, Artoria and the rest had gathered around him, each having won their own battles without too much trouble.

Even after becoming solid once again, Vahn could hardly move even a single finger as, if he stopped focusing on keeping himself together, he would quickly ’melt’ into a gooey black mess. Despite this, Vahn forced a smile onto his face as, in more ways than one, this had been their complete victory. It didn’t matter how much damage Musashi had done to his spirit as, during their battle, his [Rakshasa Body] had made a remarkable breakthrough, reaching S-Rank. If anything, he actually ’needed’ to fall asleep as, only after he lost consciousness would he be able to receive the full benefits of this pivotal breakthrough.

Unfortunately, there were still matters to attend so, while it took a considerable amount of effort, he began to telepathically question Artoria about the details of their operation. They had invested a lot of time and effort into baiting this trap, so, if Musashi and the others ended up being fake, just like Betty, Vahn wouldn’t be able to rest until he personally checked every single Bounded Field on the Surface...

Fortunately, in response to his inquiry, Artoria smiled as she explained, "Lady Arcueid’s efforts hadn’t been for naught. Due to her influence, only one of the enemies seemed to realize they had entered into a Spiritual Projection. He managed to escape before we could track down his real body but the recovery of Musashi and Caenis proceeded without issue. As for the ’other’ woman, we believe she was reverse-summoned through the use of a Command Spell."

Hearing Artoria’s response, Vahn felt considerable relief but, at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel confused. This seemed to be visible on his face as, following her explanation, Artoria added, "Da Vinci said she will need some time to collect more data but, from what she can tell, Musashi and the Greecian woman named Caenis aren’t Heroic Spirits. Instead, they seem to be closer to Divine Spirits that have fused together with Heroic Spirits."

Though it was difficult to believe, Vahn didn’t question Artoria’s words as, with the prognosis coming from Da Vinci, it was likely very close to the truth. This also explained why Musashi ended up being a female, in spite of the fact that both Merlin and Alaya had claimed her to be male. He had confirmed this through the Throne of Heroes as well so, while the Musashi he had fought was undoubtedly the real deal, there was obviously something ’different’ about her...

While Vahn was taking a considerable amount of time to recover, the woman in question opened her eyes back in the real world. She felt incredibly fatigued and, due to the strain on her Spirit, it felt like her brain was going to split open. As a result, Musashi tried to rub her temples but, before she could even move a single millimeter, an inviolable pressure prevented her from moving...

Before Musashi could make sense of her situation, a woman with maroon-brown hair and the most perfect facial features she had ever seen entered her vision. This had been necessary as, due to the force restraining her body, Musashi couldn’t even turn her head. Even flexing her jaw was difficult as any muscle movement at all caused an oppressive pressure to resist the action.

It was only after a few seconds passed that Musashi realized she was suspended in clear fluid as, with an apologetic smile on her face, the beauty before her placed her palm against the virtually invisible glass pane separating them, explaining, "My name is Leonardo Da Vinci. You are currently suspended in a chamber that fixes your Spiritron makeup to a specific rhythm. It perfectly simulates any and all bodily functions so, while it may seem like you are breathing, it is actually the simulation driving your lungs to intake and expel the neutral ether solution surrounding you. Unless it is simulated, you will find it all but impossible to take any action, even blinking your eyes..."

Musashi couldn’t help but feel shaken by Da Vinci’s words but, as it wasn’t stimulated by the system, her expression was completely neutral. Despite this, Da Vinci could ascertain her stressed state due to the implants showing the electrical signals firing within Musashi’s brain. Her true nature might be that of a Divine Spirit, but, much like a Daemon, Musashi was bound by the vessel she had chosen to emulate.

In an effort to allay Musashi’s concerns, Da Vinci adopted a comforting smile as she explained, "Do not worry. We have no intention of keeping you imprisoned here. Vahn isn’t very fond of restraining people against their will so, once he had awakened, you will be liberated from this chamber. I believe you are the most aware of how dangerous you can be, so, at least for the time being, please remain calm and, as much as possible, try to relax. While you may not be able to move of your own accord, this solution is providing nourishment for your body while also helping to replenish your mental and spiritual energy. If you’d like, I can help you relax, but, you’ll have to trust that I’m not trying to harm you..."

Though there were few things more terrifying than being a prisoner in your own body, Musashi felt no animosity from Da Vinci. Thus, despite not trusting her in the slightest, Musashi forced herself to remain calm. Everything from her breathing to the twitching of her fingers and toes was outside of her control so, rather than stress out over something she could do very little about, she decided to take Da Vinci’s advice and just relax....at least until the situation changed...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Possibility vs. Nothingness’,’The combination of Arcueid, Da Vinci, and Merlin has culminated into something terrifying...’,’I would not be able to remain calm in this situation...’)