Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Hearing Phae's words, the trio of Regulars briefly exchanged look between each other before the bowl-cut man at the front said, "Deod, First Emperor, let me go. Our chances of winning this round were nill from the start. I don't want to have a reputation for teaming up against someone who is fighting honorably..."

Agreeing with his companion's word, First Emperor, a hulking man with four eyes, a large nose, and ebony skin issued an understanding nod before crossing his arms and saying, "Very well, Leo. While you keep her distracted, Deod and I will face the other two. I will show this self-professed Emperor the might of my First Supreme King's Scorching Fist of Death..."

Seemingly very confident in his words, First Emperor raised his right hand at the very end of his statement, his fist glowing red hot and releasing a considerable amount of steam. Unfortunately, the moment he tried to break away from his team's formation to approach the throne, it was like the heavens themselves had collapsed upon him, smashing him into the ground and creating a square-shaped impact crater...

With the same 'kind' smile as before, Phae lowered her hammer to the side and reminded, "This is a match between the three of you and myself. Please keep that in mind..."

Seeing their teammate 'hammered' into the ground without their opponent even needing to move, Leo and Deod couldn't help but pale slightly. The former even managed to stare directly into Phae's eyes, fearful of receiving his own punishment for starting elsewhere.

Chuckling in response to the duo's reaction, Phae moved a few strands of hair from her face by combing them back with her gloved left hand. Then, at a relaxed pace, she began to walk forward, smiling as she explained, "If you won't come to me, I have little choice but to take more...proactive measures."

Without waiting for a third warning, Leo immediately pulled out a short knife in response to Phae's words before blitzing forward with commendable speed. Phae even rewarded him an approving nod, but, the moment he attempted to lunge toward her abdomen, she, very easily, sidestepped the blow before, very lightly, bonking him on the head with her hammer.

Despite the 'relatively' light tap, Leo ended up suffering a very similar fate to First Emperor, his body smashing into the ground as if a heavy pressure had descended upon him from above. Fortunately, other than a small bump atop his head, he didn't sustain any severe injuries despite a square impact crater nearly three-meters across forming beneath him.

With two of her opponents defeated, Phae smiled toward the remaining member of the original trio. She could see visible beads of sweat on his pylon-shaped head, his singular red eye blinking in a strange rhythm as he stared back at her. He truly was a rather 'peculiar' creature, but, never one to judge people based on appearances, Phae, once again, combed back her unruly bangs as she asked, "What will you do, Mr. Swordsman?"

Though he didn't have a visible mouth to speak from, the peculiar winged cyclops was somehow able to reply, "If possible...I would like to fight that youth...the further I get up the Tower, the less useful swords become. Before I set aside my blade for good, I would like to test my skills against a skilled adversary..."

Rather than abide by Deod's request, Phae just thumbed a small gemstone embedded near the top of her hammer's handle. Immediately thereafter, it changed shape from a square-headed hammer to a thick-bladed rapier. At the same time, she used a small hair clip to keep her bangs from falling into her face as she calmly exclaimed, "En garde..."

Demonstrating a fair amount of skill, Deod managed to swing down his peculiar brown katana in a practiced arc, the edge of his blade releasing a peculiar murky glow.

With her sapphire eyes flashing with a curious light, Phae was able to stop her initial charge almost instantly. As a result, Deod's blade swung several centimeters short, leaving his broad body open to a counter. He attempted to evade this by using the winged appendage on his back to create some distance, but, with far greater strength, speed, and finesse, Phae brandished her rapier in a flurry of silvery sword strikes. By the time Deod was able to complete his action of jumping away, dozens of tiny cuts had appeared on his body, none deeper than three millimeters.

If the only landmark on his face wasn't a single spherical eye, a very shocked expression would have been visible on Deod's face. He had never encountered someone who used such a flexible sword in all his years wandering the Outer Tower as a sellsword. As a result, he couldn't read the trajectory of Phae's blade at all, much less react to them...

After tentatively touching a few of the wounds on his left arm, Deod gripped the hilt of his katana even firmer as he said, "Your swordsmanship is very beautiful...it is my honor to do battle against you...Miss...?"

Humming in response to Deod's inquiry, Phae's smile became slightly more notable as she mused, "I was beginning to think there none within the Tower capable of displaying manners. My name is Ha Phae Stios. You may simply refer to me as Phae. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Deod."

Not fearing a surprise attack, Phae offered a courteous half-bow towards the cyclopean warrior. In response, her performed a much deeper and respectful bow, his tone becoming solemn as he said, "It is an honor to battle against you, Ms. Phae. I am grateful for the opportunity to retire my blade against an opponent of your caliber."

Offering a small nod in response, Phae raised the point of her rapier in a casual stance, her smile becoming even more relaxed as she mused, "I am humbled by your words...now, face me without regrets..."

Determined to do just that, Deod held his sword up as if he were about to perform a downward slashing motion. The same hazy brown as before began to coat his blade, this time becoming ever-so-slightly more condensed as he plainly stated, "I'm coming..."

With a surprising burst of speed, Deod managed to close the distance between himself and Phae in less than one second. Unfortunately, while he did manage to reach about one-hundred kilometers per hour, his movements were akin to watching a movie in slow motion from Phae's perspective. As a result, she managed to strike the very edge of his katana with the tip of her rapier, preventing it from completing its downward arc before slowly and gracefully, at least from the point of view of those who could perceive her movements, side-stepping the man with a sweeping flourish of her rapier.

Feeling a strange vibrational force spread through his body, Deod collapsed to the ground, his right hand moving to stymy the flow of blood from his abdomen. Phae's rapier had only cut as deep as his subcutaneous tissue, but the wound extended from the front of his abdomen to the small of his back. From the perspective of others, it looked like he had been partially bisected, something Deod also believed before tentatively tracing the wound with his fingers.

Noticing the man entering a state similar to shock, Phae adopted a pitying look before surprising nearly everyone present by manifesting a rather simple-looking rod in her left hand. This was none other than the [Heal] Vahn had once relied on during his first few years in the Record of Danmachi. It only had a limited number of uses, but it was still one of the cheapest and most efficient tools for general healing he had ever come across.

Though he was surprised by the strange pink circular pattern that had appeared beneath him, Deod released a sigh of relief when he noticed his wound healing at an incredible rate. It wasn't just him, either, as Phae subsequently cast the same healing spell to treat his other team members. It wasn't enough to stir them awake, but, unless they had something like a tumor in their brains prior to her hitting them, they would wake up pretty quickly.

With her duty completed, Phae returned [Heal] to her Inventory before returning to her position at Vahn's side and offering him a courteous bow. In response, Vahn returned an approving nod before looking directly at Deod and stating, "There is a vast gulf between your level of skill and that of my vassal. Despite that, you fought well without retreating. For that, you have my respect. Now, retrieve your allies and return to your waiting room. When the time comes, I will reward you for the bravery you have displayed today."

Humbled by Vahn's words, Deod bowed his head in a sincere show of respect before shouldering the bodies of his companions and carrying them back to his team's waiting room. He didn't really care about the reward Vahn had mentioned, but, as someone who was committed to climbing the Tower, he certainly wouldn't refuse what little boons were afforded him...

---

With the second round drawing to a conclusion, another three-minute break was afforded to the winning team before the Test Admin, Lero-Ro, began counting down to the start of the third round. Immediately thereafter, four teams entered into the arena, two lacking noteworthy candidates. The other two teams, however, included Baam's team and another with a particularly strong man with a large build, red hair, and demon-like wings. He also had an inordinately small squirrel-like girl riding his shoulders, and, though he didn't stand out much, his final companion was a youth with a scarlet red bandana and a large metal bat.

After briefly inspecting the trio, Vahn shifted his gaze back to Baam's group, sizing up the boy he believed to be the protagonist. The fact he had managed to acquire two powerful teammates in spite of his strength was a pretty big indicator this was the case, but, upon closer inspection, Vahn was surprised to find that the youth with pale-blue hair and the crocodile-like spearman possessed even stronger fates...

Though he had noticed a few incongruencies previously, Vahn was quickly beginning to realize that fate within the [Transcendental Path to Heaven] didn't work the way he was used to. It seemed like a person's fate could get weaker or stronger depending on their actions, as, the first time he viewed Baam, the boy appeared relatively normal. It was only when the massive eel-like creature charged at him that his fate seemed to increase, guiding him towards the path that ensured victory.

Vahn had heard about the existence of Guides from Gandr's conversation with Endorsi, but he still found it a little peculiar they were able to alter a person's fate. After all, the Records were supposed to be static prior to his entry, so, even if they did possess such an ability, the past, present, and even the future were already decided. This was likely still the case, but, unlike other Records, where it was pretty easy to determine whether or not someone was 'significant' from their aura of fate, it seemed the [Transcendental Path to Heaven] intentionally kept things vague...

Finding the thought rather amusing, a smile gradually spread across Vahn's face as he wondered what other surprises this Record had in store for him. Having no information about the world was rather refreshing, and, though he was bound to learn its secrets in due time, he intended to enjoy discovering them directly rather than compiling millions of texts to effectively 'game' the system.

With that in mind, Vahn gestured for Phae and Gandr to take a step back, his smile becoming even more prominent as he said, "Since we have so many bold competitors this time around, allow me to demonstrate my own capabilities. Though I'm certain you each have your own plans and strategies, I encourage you to attack me directly. So long as a single member of your team is able to reach this elevated platform, it is your victory. Now-"

Before he could finish reinforcing his Emperor persona, Vahn was compelled into stunned silence as the crocodile-man among Baam's allies suddenly shouted, "Enough blithering you Bearded Turtle! I am Rak Wraithraiser, proud Hunter and Leader of this team! I will crack open all three of your shells in a single blow! Now, become my prey!"

Without affording anyone the opportunity to intervene, Rak brandished a large red spear in his right hand before twisting his body and generating a tremendous amount of momentum. His form was borderline 'perfect', and, as a result, the spear generated a massive shockwave, momentarily forming the illusion of an unbroken red line as it traced a trajectory towards Vahn's smiling face...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Stop...Hammer Time~!','En Garde~!','Rak goes at his own pace')

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