Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After recovering her senses, Ayesha did her best to try and catch up to Yo but quickly realized the futility of her actions. Yo's speed greatly eclipsed hers, so much so that she would have immediately lost sight of her if not for the fact she was radiating a bright light in an otherwise dark region.

As an Ignis Fatuus, Ayesha was an Intermediate Earth Spirit capable of generating and manipulating natural gas. Her specialty, however, lay in creating illusions to deceive people. She could produce blue flames, but, much like the tiny tufts that would sometimes appear over marshes, they were relatively harmless.

"Damnit…!"

Biting the nail of her left thumb, Ayesha's ordinarily haughty expression turned to one of vexation. The Battle of the Creators was supposed to be her debut and an opportunity to repay the Leader of her Community, Willa the Ignis Fatuus. Ayesha was indebted to the much older Earth Spirit after she and Jack both protected and provided her a home. She didn't want to lose, not in such an embarrassing and one-sided manner.

"Jack! No more holding back! We can't afford to lose…!"

Nodding his oversized pumpkin head, Jack answered, "Very well." before his body appeared to flicker out of existence. In the very next moment, he appeared in front of Yo, stating, "Sorry about this, Oujo-chan."

Though his original size was around 2m, Jack spontaneously grew to more than 5m in height as he swept his oversized, white-gloved hand towards Yo.

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"That's cheating! That was clearly some kind of spatial movement…!"

Though Yo managed to evade Jack's attack with relative ease, Asuka couldn't stay quiet after seeing the pumpkin-headed creature suddenly appear to block her path. Unfortunately, Shiroyasha summarily shot her down, explaining, "No, it just resembles spatial movement. In reality, he's just fast."

Furrowing her brows, Asuka wanted to say more but immediately decided against it as Izayoi added, "Calm that pretty little head of yours. Yo's got this one in the bag."

As if to demonstrate just how unnecessary Asuka's concern had been, Yo used the surrounding tree branches to maneuver around Jack with such extreme speed that she created numerous afterimages. Though it lacked anything even remotely resembling pores, a bead of sweat could be seen running down the side of Jack's pumpkin head as it barely evaded one of Yo's increasingly powerful blows.

Seeing Yo's stunning display, Asuka was once again reminded that she was among the weakest of her Community's main forces. Her expression immediately turned somber, and, though she was happy that Yo had the upper hand, she couldn't help doubting her qualifications as Leader of the No Names…

Noticing the sudden and rather drastic change in his girlfriend's mood, Izayoi muttered, "This girl…" in a quiet and reasonably exasperated tone. One of the only complaints he had about Asuka, aside from her nagging, was her chronic bipolarism. There were times when she would go from a supremely confident woman to a meek and moody Aristocrat at the drop of a hat. The most annoying thing about her behavior was that she rarely trained yet got upset when others performed feats beyond her level.

Shaking his head, Izayoi decided to focus on the match. If he attempted to talk with her in such a 'public' setting, Asuka would invariably accuse him of trying to embarrass her. She would know that wasn't his intention, but her rigid upbringing and 'noble' mentality compelled her to behave in a certain way. She was quick to apologize after the fact, but it was still an extremely troublesome character flaw, one Izayoi wished she would make an earnest effort to correct…

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After darting around her opponent for several seconds, Yo decided to test Jack's durability by doing something she hadn't been able to do just days prior, combining her transformations.

As an honorary member of the Menagerie, Yo had befriended most of the girls within. She had also befriended every Companion she came across, so, after contemplating which would be the best to fuse with her Pikachu form, Yo's lightning-bolt-shaped tail suddenly inflated before splitting into nine distinct appendages. At the same time, long, fox-like ears protruded from her head as the color of her fur shifted from a bright, sunny yellow to a luminous shade of reddish-gold with black markings.

Empowered by the hybrid transformation, Yo's figure became a blur as she darted past Jack and lefter several significant cuts in his robe. When she looked back at him, her previously brown eyes had become crimson with black slits as she mused, "I'll have to thank Kushina-nee when I get back…"

Before he could ask who Kushina was, Jack was sent flying by a massive fist nearly the size of his body. Yo made sure to hold back, but a sizeable crack had appeared on his pumpkin-like head after he was sent crashing through more than a dozen of the inordinately large branches. It promptly closed up thanks to his incredible regenerative ability, but Yo was already long gone by the time he was able to recover enough to fly…

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"And our winner is Kasakabe Yo of the No Names! Everyone give her a round of applause~!"

Though the match ended much faster than anyone expected, the crowd still erupted into cheers. Not entirely because Yo had won, but because her hybrid outfit made her appear practically naked. Her entire body was veiled in a reddish-gold light, but that same light had also obscured the contours and details of her outfit. She wasn't actually exposed, but that didn't stop people from imagining she was.

Misinterpreting the reason for the crowd's enthusiasm, Yo inadvertently exacerbated matters by pumping her fists, waving her arms, and bouncing around the center stage with a contagious smile on her face. It was when she heard several people shouting out marriage proposals that she began to settle down, her expression becoming awkward as she meekly replied, "Sorry, but there is already someone I love…"

With her words were broadcast to the entire coliseum, Yo's response was met with a number of boos, an ample amount of laughter, and even louder cheering. A few of the more hopeful crowd members believed they would be able to poach Yo from the No Names, but they would soon realize the futility of their beliefs once it became known that Vahn was the object of her affection…

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"That's not something you see every day…"

Following Vahn's gaze, Sandora, who had been sitting beside him atop matching thrones, remarked, "Demons…"

While they failed to blot out the sky, the sight of millions of pitch-black Geass Rolls raining down from the sky was rather intimidating. Had she not spent part of her seven and a half years in the Actualized World of Ni No Kuni saving it, Sandora may have been as terrified as the members of the crowd. Instead, she was one of the first to take action, shouting, "An enemy Demon Lord has appeared! Prioritize relocating and protecting the citizens!"

Surprised by his younger sister's swift reaction, Mandra and many of his Officers were momentarily stunned. When she turned towards him with a severe expression and shouted, "Now!" however, he immediately regained his senses, repeated her orders, and began helping to carry them out.

Increasing the dread many people were feeling, an eerie black miasma began to manifest around Shiroyasha. Her expression immediately soured, not because of the miasma, but because of the feeling of powerlessness that had suddenly permeated her body.

"How annoying…"

Just as the black miasma attempted to surge outward from Shiroyasha's position, a two-layered spherical barrier appeared around her, one to prevent it from touching her and the other to prevent it from spreading outward. Immediately after that, an aqueous white light spread between the two barriers, rapidly purifying the miasma as Vahn appeared next to her and asked, "Should I let you out?" with a cheeky smile on his face.

To Vahn's surprise, Shiroyasha answered, "Check the Geass Roll first. If there is a rule prohibiting me from leaving this area, it could result in our loss if I try."

Though he was confident he could 'overwrite' the rules by initiating a Gift Game of his own, Vahn nodded his head and teleported a Geass Roll into his hand, reading:

[The Pied Piper of Hamelin]

[Participants]

1: Players, Hosts, Communities, and Citizens currently in the Outer Gate of 3999999 and 4000000, Kouen City.

[Victory Condition(s) for Participants]

1: Kill the Host Master

2: Shatter the False Legend, making the True Legend known.

[Victory Condition(s) for Host Master]

1: All Participants are either killed or forced to submit.

[Rules]

1: Spirit of the Sun and White Night, Star Class Demon Shiroyasha is the Host Master.

2: Participants who surrender during the Game are automatically enlisted as members of Community: Grim Grimoire Hamelin.

3: Members of Grim Grimoire Hamelin must do everything in their power to force others to submit.

[Restrictions]

1: Suicide or killing of other Participants.

2: Gifts capable of modifying or interfering with the Rules/Conditions of a Gift Game.

3: The creation of Domains is strictly prohibited.

[Time Limit]

None

Hearing Vahn read off the rules, Shiroyasha's expression soured further as she remarked, "How absurd. Killing other Participants is against the rules, but the victory conditions for both sides include me dying or killing everyone else? Even I wasn't this unreasonable during my Problem Child days."

After shaking her head in mild exasperation, Shiroyasha ignored the fact that everyone had gathered around her and Vahn, asking, "So? What are you going to do? If you use your ability, I imagine you could settle this in an instant."

Though he nodded in affirmation, Vahn didn't say he was going to settle things. Instead, he surprised Sandora by lightly touching her lower back, gently pushing her forward as he said, "Since the rules prohibit killing and suicide, I see no reason to intervene. Rather, this is a perfect opportunity for Sandora to demonstrate her capacity as a Leader. I'll only intervene if things get out of hand."

Recovering from her momentary discomposure, Sandora regained a calm and serious expression as she declared, "I am in agreement with Vahn. Though Salamandra and the Aldrnari Empire will soon become allies, this is currently a matter for the North to handle. If I can't resolve something like a Demon Lord attack, I have no reason being Floor Master."

"Well said, chibi."

Though his words were a little out of turn, Izayoi couldn't help admiring Sandora's conviction. He was also eager to cut loose, so, before Asuka could even think about lecturing him, he leaped into the air and took off towards the massive wall surrounding the city.

"That impatient oaf…!"

Unwilling to be left behind, Asuka directed her gaze to Sandora, saying, "The No Names and Salamandra used to be allies. Once this matter has been settled, we should sit down and discuss the terms of our renewed Alliance. Agreed?"

As she had been planning to do just that, Sandora immediately nodded in response to Asuka's words, stating, "There are very few things that would make me happier, Asuka-san." with a radiant smile on her face.

Adopting a faint smile of her own, Asuka shifted her attention to Yo and Lily, asking, "Can I ask the two of you to escort me? Though I may be the Leader, my combat power is severely lacking compared to the two of you and Izayoi. The best I can do is provide support."

Though Yo readily agreed to Asuka's proposal, Lily refused, apologizing before she explained, "I dislike fighting. If possible, I would prefer to aid in the evacuation and help treat the injured."

Seeing no reason to refuse and too anxious to continue standing around talking, Asuka immediately approved of Lily's suggestion before she and Yo took to the skies with the aid of their Companions. Sandora was very tempted to follow them, but her top priority was ensuring her people were safe. If there were people who hadn't read the rules and ended up giving in, things might quickly devolve into a situation resembling a civil war…

As important as it was to repel or deal with the enemies, defeating them would not bring the game to an end…

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Legendary Nine-Tailed Demon Rat…!','Yo would make a great idol (O w O)…','Those are some pretty janky rules…')