SWNOVELXO Chapter 133: Stance
"Vahn-sama~!"
Arriving a few minutes after Rias and Akeno, Asia, followed closely by Xenovia and Koneko, made a beeline for Vahn as if she had been the one away for two years. Vahn, sandwiched between Velenana and Rias, his hands on their left and right thighs, was tempted to remain seated but ultimately rose to his feet and spread his arms, allowing Asia to leap into his embrace and nestle him with tears in the corners of her eyes.
"You silly girl...why are you crying...?" asked Vahn, his expression and tone gentle as he held Asia tenderly and kissed her right temple.
"I'm just so happy to see you..." responded Asia, clinging to Vahn tightly as Xenovia and Koneko approached, the former sporting a relaxed smile as she said, "Welcome back..." followed by the latter tacking on a simple "Nn..." as her split tails flicked happily behind her.
Gesturing for the two girls to come closer, Vahn surprised Xenovia with a peck on the lips before embracing her and Koneko alongside Asia, holding them in silence for an extended period.
"Shall we begin our discussion, or should we wait for Kiba and Issei to arrive first...?" asked Rias, observing the interaction with slight envy as, while Vahn had greeted her and Akeno with deep kisses, he didn't hold onto them for an extended period like he was doing with Koneko, Asia, and Xenovia.
Relaxing his hold on the three girls, Vahn took a moment to affectionately caress Koneko's head, responding, "There's no need to rush, but we might as well start now..." before returning to his position between Venelana and Rias, snaking his hands around behind their backs to cup their respective asses as he revealed, "Originally, I wanted to have everyone here, plus a few obvious additions, move to the virtual world, which has since become a part of the Corridor of Intertwined Fates, specifically called Invirtua..."
Exhaling from her nose, Rias chimed, "I figured something like that would happen after experiencing how immersive it was the last time. But I notice you said originally. What's changed?"
Wriggling the fingers he had cupping Venelana's bottom, Vahn revealed, "Your mother convinced me I shouldn't abandon this world completely. I never had that intention, but with how extreme the compression ratio has become in Invirtua, we could pass nearly thirteen hundred years there by the end of this year alone. That degree of separation would undoubtedly influence our feeling of belonging to this world, so I revised my plans with input from your mother."
"I only offered feedback that corresponded with your desires..." argued Venelana, leaning into Vahn's shoulder as she contended, "If you didn't care about this world and the people who inhabit it, there is little I could have said or done to influence your decision."
"Well, even if it isn't my original world, this is undoubtedly the first place I could call home..." hummed Vahn, feeling a sudden urge to kiss Venelana, so he did. Doing so caused Rias to tense to his left, so once he was done with her mother, he gave the crimson-haired heiress a protracted kiss of her own before pulling them both a little closer and passing his gaze over everyone else present and stating, "That said, I'm planning to drop out of the Academy to develop my territory and pursue other interests."
"Do you no longer wish to graduate and attend college together...?" asked Rias, her eyes exhibiting a hint of sadness.
"There's just so much more I could be doing..." responded Vahn, shaking his head as he reasoned, "More importantly, there are too many eyes on me. If I stay at the Academy, it will become a target for those who want to use my power or eliminate me. As a precaution, I plan to establish my domain away from major population centers and produce physical gates or doors that permit access to the Corridor. That will require me to remain inside, but it won't interfere with our meeting or spending time together. I plan to install a permanent entrance at the Old School Building, so all you all need to do is step through, and we'll be reunited."
"You can do something like that...?" asked Rias, surprised and relieved as part of her felt Vahn was trying to distance himself from them. Now that she understood she could visit him whenever she pleased, she was more interested in the specifics of how.
Nodding, Vahn went on to explain that when he entered the Corridor, it effectively created a waypoint for them to return to that exact spot. But that wasn't the only way to create one. Much like with Bulma, Riko, and a growing number of people, if a person's faith in him was powerful enough, he could sense them calling out to him like a ping within his soul. In other words, all he needed was someone to pray to him, and he could lock on to their approximate location and grant them and those nearby access to the Corridor from virtually anywhere...
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[August 10th]
"Man, I can't believe you got with Bulma, Nami, and Yoruichi...those are some of the highest-tier waifus for an Otaku. You've got to tell me what it was like," insisted Issei, sitting a short distance from Vahn in a large, two-tier, open-air mixed bath with an elevated section for girls, allowing them to peek without being peeked at.
"Honestly..." started Vahn, smiling wryly as he confided, "All three have incredible looks, but there is a noticeable difference between Devils and human females in the bedroom. Shinigami seem to be comparable, but I only have experience with Yoruichi. For all I know, she could be an outlier. Her skills and appearance certainly are..."
"Well, why not ask them to become Devils...?" asked Issei, crossing his arms, cupping his chin, and tilting his head introspectively. All of his real-world sexual encounters had been with Devils, but he had also done it a lot using his personal VR setup. He had even had sex with more than a hundred different ship girls in his recreation of the popular gacha game, Azur Line, but while there were differences in tightness and wetness, it wasn't to the extent he would call it drastic or noticeable.
Shaking his head, Vahn shifted his gaze to Kiba, seated on the opposite side of Issei, noting, "You've been pretty quiet, Kiba. Is there something on your mind?"
Adopting a friendly, reassuring smile, Kiba revealed, "I was thinking about our earlier spar and the Tower of Ascension. You mentioned that you had only entered it for four months, but your power and speed have increased tremendously. I'm looking forward to entering it myself."
"I know, right?" appended Issei, grinning wolfishly as he pointed out, "The thought of so many anime, manga, and video games waifus in one place is enough to make a cultured individual like myself salivate. If you could fix things to get me into the Tower with a bunch of Succubi or some heroines from some god-tier eroge, I would literally revere you as a God or call you Vahn-aniki for the rest of my life."
"It's not impossible..." conceded Vahn. "But once you're inside the Tower and have become an Ascendee, I can't give you any favorable treatment outside what I would do for any of my friends. Even I need to earn TP by defeating monsters and selling goods, so if you end up bragging that you know the Tower's architect or try to sell my favor, I will both be unable to do anything and very disappointed..."
"Hey, what kind of person do you take me for...?" asked Issei, looking genuinely offended as he contended, "I would never betray one of my friends or use my relationship with them to curry favor like some kind of nepo baby. And, in case you've forgotten, I'm kind of a badass, even if I still depend on Ddraig to be strong. I just need to play my cards right and show what I can do, and my bed will be full of babes looking for a free or easy carry."
'He's become even more honest with his desires these past two weeks...' noted Vahn, exhaling from his nose but smiling. With the way things had developed between him, Grayfia, and Venelana, he wasn't in a position to judge others for being libidinous or perverted. However, as Issei seemed to care more about his body count than the people constituting it, he felt the brown-haired youth still had much room to grow as both a person and a prospective Harem King. They both did...
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[August 11th]
Though he was originally scheduled to return to Kuoh that morning, Vahn's early return and the revelation of his future plans mandated the consideration of the Three Factions. Venelana and Grayfia had explained what they could on his behalf, but Sirzechs, Michael, Azazel, and several other influential figures, such as Odin of the Norse Pantheon, desired to see and speak with him and discuss the specifics.
Arriving at the meeting place, a spacious stone hall with a high ceiling and a circular, black marble table trimmed and supported by gold, Vahn briefly took in his surroundings and met the gazes of the ten attendees. Serfall's presence wasn't a surprise, but there were three others on their side of the table, including a handsome man with green hair and sharp eyes, an inordinately tall, bald, and broad-shouldered man wearing flowing purple robes and oversized pauldrons, and a beautiful, exceptionally voluptuous woman with long blonde hair that formed a swirling ponytail kept in place by six pins. Her extraordinary body was garbed in a predominately yellow kimono with a black and yellow haori bearing a skull pattern, but her most prominent features were her pointed, fox-like ears, seductive golden eyes, and the nine remarkably fluffy, fox-like tails coiled behind her.
Recognizing the trio as the two remaining Satans and the leader of the Western Youkai Faction, Ajuka Beelzebub, Falbium Asmodeus, and the nine-tailed fox, Yasaka, Vahn's brows rose as he shifted his gaze to the other side of the table. Azazel was seated next to a handsome man who appeared to be in his late twenties with silver-white hair, purple eyes, and a predominately purple outfit that consisted of a purple beret, a two-tone purple trenchcoat over a black vest, and white pants that flowed into high black boots. Vahn recognized the man as Shemhazai, Azazel's Second-in-Command, but that title paled compared to the elderly figure seated next to him, sporting a long grey beard that nearly reached his waistline, white hair that extended just as far, a luminous, azure-blue right eye, and a gold and white monocle over his left.
'So that's Odin...' noted Vahn, his pupils contracting slightly as he felt the tremendous power contained in Odin's body. It paled in comparison to the power Sirzechs kept contained, but it was stable and incredibly pure, a stark contrast to the crimson-haired Satan's chaotic Power of Destruction.
Though there was a breathtakingly beautiful woman with long, pink-tinted white hair and intelligent blue eyes positioned behind Odin, Vahn focused his attention on the final duo seated at the table: Michael and a genuinely heaven-sent beauty with long, slightly curly golden-blonde hair, a sinfully voluptuous body, somewhat droopy blue eyes, and a smile that appeared to light up her surroundings. Marginally less notable were the six pairs of pure white, slightly glowing wings furled behind her, symbolizing her status as one of the Four Seraphs, specifically Gabriel, the Strongest and Most Beautiful Woman in Heaven, also known as the Guardian Angel of Humanity, Purity, and Innocence...
'Truly a gathering of extraordinary beauties...' thought Vahn, referring to Serafall, Yasaka, Gabriel, and the white-haired beauty behind Odin as a collective. Had he not already been inundated with beauties of a similar class, he might have succumbed head over heels for each of them right there and then. Instead, he adopted a confident smile and approached the only empty seat at the table, technically located at its end, but from an inverted perspective, it could also be viewed as the head...
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