<h4>Chapter 2308: Focus</h4>


    Making his way toward the monochromatic figure, Vahn''s expression became somber as he tried to speak, but no sound came out. There was no air to carry his voice, and while he could muster his intent without issue, it effectively dissipated the moment it left him. As a result, he couldn''t even use telepathy to try andmunicate with the ancient figure.


    ("How troublesome...")


    Stopping less than a meter and a half from the motionless man, Vahn half-expected him to raise his head or at least try tomunicate. Instead, he remained as motionless as the world around him, a milky grey glow emanating from the depths of his eyes as he stared into nothingness.


    Though he was unable to sense the man, that didn''t stop Vahn from kneeling down in front of him to get a better look at his face. It appeared human at a nce, but his flesh was knarled and twisted like a petrified tree. Deep scars covered his body, and severalrge chunks of his flesh appeared to have been gouged away by rune-covered stakes. A spear covered in simr runes had been stabbed through the gap between his left shoulder and corbone, a non-fatal wound designed to prolong the victim''s suffering for as long as possible.


    ("I guess I''m not the only one to have made it this far? How peculiar...")


    As the man before him was one of the most ancient and powerful beings in all of Creation, the Demon Lord of Stagnation, Vahn found it a little odd that others had managed to approach him. He was one of the few entities that Shiroyasha had expressly cautioned him to be wary of, a Last Embryo whose domain would inevitably spread to consume all realities...


    ("Hmmm...")


    Unsure of what, exactly, he was supposed to do, Vahn decided to confer with Loi-chan. He might not be able to form a link with the Demon Lord of Stagnation, but his connection with Loi-chan should give him some insight into what to do.


    Appearing the moment Vahn thought about her, Loi-chan''s face crinkled into a rare frown as she took a moment to view her surroundings.


    "I don''t like this ce..."


    Since she didn''t actuallymunicate with sound, Vahn was able to hear Loi-chan''s words without issue. In response, he adopted a wry smile and replied, ("I''ll take you somece fun once we return home. For now, can you tell me what, if anything, this man is thinking? If that doesn''t work, try transforming into Lace. If this is someone''s attempt to try and ''seal'' me away...well, some punishments will need to be meted out...")


    Though there was visible reluctance in Loi-chan''s expression, she didn''t hesitate to nod and transform into the Demon Lord of Stagnation. As she did, even Vahn felt an unusual sense of ''dullness'' in the back of his mind, almost like he was spacing out.


    After a tense period ofplete silence, Loi-chan eventually reverted to her original form, an apologetic expression on her face as she shook her head and revealed, "The only thing in this guy''s head is a strange sound. It''s kind of like the dial tone of a phone, but it reverberates around in your head and prevents you from thinking."


    Extending his hand, Vahn ruffled Loi-chan''s vermillion-red hair as he said, ("No worries. At least you tried.")


    Feeling a lot better after Vahn''s caress, Loi-chan''s smile returned as she changed into the form of a remarkably voluptuous woman with purple hair that extended well past her feet. She bore an uncanny resemnce to the Medusa from the Nasuverse, but she was nearly two meters tall and ''a lot'' more developed...


    Aware of Vahn''s thoughts, a teasing smile developed across Loi-chan''s face as she put her hands on her hips and shamelessly wagged her butt. Her white and gold outfit left ''very'' little to the imagination,rge sections of her skin left entirely exposed while the rest was veiled in a paper-thin fabric that looked like it would bepletely transparent when wet.


    ("Loi-chan...")


    As much as he appreciated the sight of Lace''s ostensibly wless body, Vahn didn''t want to tarry in the Demon Lord of Stagnation''s domain. He might be immune to most of its effects, but if his connection with the outside was somehow severed, the Little Garden might not even exist by the time he emerged. The likelihood of that happening was infinitesimally small, but it was better to be safe than sorry.


    Sensing Vahn''s concerns, Loi-chan offered a curt nod before closing her eyes and focusing. Lace possessed one of the most all-epassing forms of omniscience within the Transcendental Path to Heaven. She was given the purpose of observing and cataloging all things within the Order of Creation, so, in many ways, she could be considered the younger sister of Loi-chan. Others would bepletely overwhelmed by the vastness of Lace''s awareness, but Loi-chan felt a peculiar sense offort as she casually sifted through an infinite number of conscious threads.


    "Found it~."


    Opening her amethyst-purple eyes, a yful smile developed across Loi-chan''s face as she revealed, "It was Lace herself that intervened. She is concerned you''re ruining the n her friend sacrificed herself to set in motion, so she wanted to keep you here until things concluded. As for the clear condition of the game, you simply need to touch the Demon Lord of Stagnation''s body."


    ("Ah...")


    Understanding what Loi-chan was referring to, Vahn couldn''t help feeling a twinge of guilt. Unfortunately, while he didn''t mind letting Izayoi and the Problem Children y heroes, he wasn''t going to let trillions of people die in the wake of the Demon Dragon God''s release. Canaria, Izaoi''s adoptive mother, was an extraordinary woman, but the n she formted was no longer the only way to ensure the Little Garden''s survival.


    Extending his hand, Vahn gave the transformed Loi-chan another pat on the head as he said, ("Try to convey to her that the legacy of Canaria was never her n, but the future that lies beyond it. So long as even a single additional person is saved, I doubt Canaria would mind events ying out a little differently...")


    Nodding her head in understanding, Loi-chan closed her eyes and tried to convey Vahn''s intentions to Lace. She had no direct influence over the people whose identities she assumed, but Lace was methodical to the point she would notice even subtle changes in her thoughts or intentions. Thus, from the moment Loi-chan assumed her identity, Lace had been analyzing each of her threads of consciousness in search of the ''anomaly'' that existed within.


    While Loi-chan was busy doing her thing, Vahn floated over and ced his hand on the Demon Lord of Stagnation''s shoulder. The moment he did so, the world around him began to dissolve away as the Laws of the world gradually came into effect. What was far more surprising, at least to Vahn, was the fact that the Demon Lord of Stagnation abruptly raised his head, a twisted smile adorning his face before his body dissolved away with the world around him...


    Though he sensed no malice from the man, Vahn couldn''t help thinking, ("Well, that was ominous...") as a destructive force copsed in on him from all sides. The Demon Lord''s domain had created a void within space and time itself, so the pressure differential between the interior and the outside was enough to generate apressive force rivaling a singrity as the atmosphere attempted to achieve equilibrium.


    Unaffected by the destruction, Vahn took a moment to assist with the stabilization process before turning to meet the stunned gazes of Urer, Vereandi, and even Skuld. When he did, illusory hearts seemed to appear within pastel blue eyes before she abruptly teleported over to him, arms wrapping around his head as she forced his face into her bosom and eximed, "That''s my darling~! Not even one of the Three Great Demon Lords is enough to stop you~!"


    Seeing how shameless her elder sister was being, a faintly exasperated sigh emanated from Vereandi''s throat. Immediately afterward, however, a smile developed across her face as she and Skuld floated over. Vahn still needed toplete the Ninth Trial, but that was more of a formality than anything else. By bing the Master of the Past and Present, he could ''grasp'' the Future whenever he pleased.


    With Urer releasing him after a gentle smack to the bottom, Vahn met the gaze of Vereandi as he mused, "That was quite the Eighth Trial..."


    Smiling wryly, Vereandi attempted to defend herself by saying, "I have no control over who or what appears in my Trials. If I did, I would have never allowed that...thing to enter this ce..."


    Since there were no known means to stop the spread of the Demon Lord of Stagnation''s influence, only slow it down, it wasn''t an exaggeration to say his appearance had jeopardized the World Tree and the Nine Realms as a whole. Thus, even though she was still a little frustrated by Vahn''s previous words and actions, Vereandi''s most prominent sentiments right now were anxiety, gratitude, and a hint of expectation...


    Though he felt it was wrong for Vereandi to refer to the Demon Lord of Stagnation as a thing, Vahn alleviated most of her concerns by nodding his head and stating, "No worries." before shifting his attention to Skuld and asking, "What now...?"


    Averting her eyes, Skuled used her three pairs of wings to conceal her body as she meekly replied, "Now you just need to im your prize...by bing the Master of the Past and Present, you''ve gained the right to shape the Future as you please..."


    Punctuating her words, Skuld slowly opened her wings to reveal she was nearly naked. Aplex runic pattern covered much of her torso, almost like a corset, but the thing that stood out more than anything else was her ornate silver chastity belt. There was also a key attached to a silver chain around her neck, but Skuld promptly pulled it off and presented it to Vahn as she said, "The Future is yours..." in a solemn tone tinged with devotion.


    Though he epted the key, Vahn didn''t actually need it if he wanted to remove Skuld''s chastity belt. Thus, after a moment of deliberation, he left the blue-haired beauty at a momentary loss for words as he tossed it over his shoulder. Then, before she could misconstrue his intentions, he moved close enough to slip his thumbs under the metallic band of her belt as if it wereprised of ordinary fabric. Her body briefly tensed, leading to her closing her wings around him, but Vahn just smiled as he leaned closer in an attempt to kiss Skuld''s lips...


    *Ahem*


    After loudly clearing her throat, a tinge of red bled into Vereandi''s cheeks as she hugged her body remarked, "There is an order to everything...you can''t be the Master of the Future without first iming the Past and Present..."


    Understanding what Vereandi was trying to say, a low chuckle emanated from Vahn''s throat as two more versions of himself manifested out of thin air. He had already crossed the line Urer, so while he still believed the trio would be happier if they found someone else to dedicate their hearts and bodies to, he had no intention of leaving things half-finished...


    ...


    ..


    .


    Distracting her from her search for Loi-chan, the eyes of the original Lace widened as she ''witnessed'' Vahn oveing what should have been an impossible trial. Ever since the destruction of the original Little Garden and the advent of Gift Games, no one has managed to approach the Demon Lord of Stagnation. His power had increased drastically since then, so she couldn''t fathom had Vahn had managed to break free, much less in such a short period.


    Shifting her focus to Vahn, something she had rarely done throughout her entire existence, Lace was unsurprised to find him having sex. She had witnessed such scenes countless times before, so she didn''t so much as flinch upon seeing it. She did, however, pay attention...something she had never done before...


    ...


    ..


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    (A/N: We''re baaaaaaack~! For those that don''t know, I put EPIC on hiatus to focus on my mental and physical health for a bit.. If you''d like to read the story I was working on in my ''off time,'' feel free to check out Mushoku Impact. It''s up to Chapter 140 now and is only getting better~!)