[December 21st DxD/August 14th DBT]
"There was considerable push-back from the Noble Faction, but with the King holding his ground, the incident was ultimately settled with E-Rantel falling into the hands of the Sorcerer Kingdom," Vahn concluded, finishing his recounting of the events that had transpired in OL-2138 while seated around a low table with Jushirou, Shunsui, Sajin, Byakuya, and Shaka, who had all assembled for the white-haired Captain's birthday.
"This Ainz fellow sounds very interesting. The way you describe him is similar to Baragan, but he sounds far more reasonable," Jushirou noted, nursing a cup of steamy green tea with both hands.
"I'm surprised to hear he's involving himself directly in such a world. I'm not sure what the Pavilion stands to gain—though I do empathize with the desire to kick back and cut loose..." Shunsui proferred, punctuating his words with a long swig of heated cherry blossom wine.
"Truth be told, I'm not sure what I'm hoping to find there either. But since fate has seen fit for our paths to cross, I'll stick it out for at least a year or two before moving on," Vahn stated, shrugging. "After that, I'll move on to another world chosen by fate."
"It would be helpful if you could lend some of your time and assistance in resolving some of the ongoing issues with the Soul Society..." Shaka said, drinking his own beverage via a straw that attached to a small port on the left side of his futuristic-looking mask.
"Is there anything specific you need my help with?" Vahn asked, raising his right brow. As far as he was aware, Yoruichi and her secret corps had things well in hand in the world of Bleach. The two greatest threats in the verse, Yhwach and Aizen, were currently focused on gaining strength and spreading their influence through the Tower after attaining limited access. The other powers of the verse were in a similar position, so he wasn't sure what Shaka could need his help with.
"We're inundated with requests for aid, support, and supplies. There are too many Souls inhabiting the Rukongai and not nearly enough personnel or resources to allocate equitably across the districts..." Shaka explained, teeing up Jushiro to add...
"The situation isn't dire, per se. But with more opportunities available to them, many Rukongai inhabitants have regained the vigor and drive they once had as the Living. Some have even regained the memories of their past lives, leading to an influx of individuals who are attempting to create organizations or lobby for personal power."
"Mmn...I can see how that would be an issue..." Vahn conceded, cupping his chin thoughtfully. Before, only Souls with higher than average Spiritual Power would experience hunger, thirst, and the impulse to seek purpose beyond death. A greater number of spiritually attuned Souls was good for the expanding forces of the Gotei, but it also increased the likelihood that rival or organized criminal groups would appear.
"But are these not the growing pains we anticipated?" Vahn questioned, acquiescing, "I don't mind petitioning for additional support and resources to make the transition smoother, but things should gradually reach a state of equilibrium as perceptions change and the Gotei's forces and influence expand."
"That will surely make things easier on our end. Thank you for considering my concerns," Shaka expressed, nodding respectfully.
"It's a small matter. Now then, let us toast. To Ukitake Jushirou and the continued prosperity of our respective worlds and organizations...!" Vahn exclaimed, raising his plate-sized ochoko and prompting everyone else to raise their respective drinking vessels and respond with varying degrees of vigor or poise...
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[December 23rd DxD/August 16th DBT]
sfffffffffff...haaaaaa...sfffffffffff...haaaaaa...
As each of his measured breaths caused the water encircling the Seven Lotus Spring's central island to ripple outward, Vahn, seated in a lotus pose with his head lowered, felt increasingly one with his surroundings. Lupusregina was out gathering intel or performing tasks for Nazarick, so he was passing the time by practicing a Cultivation Technique known as Heaven and Earth in One Breath. If mastered, it was supposed to allow the user to attune with the planet they were on, linking their senses as if they were one being.
Though his mastery of Heaven and Earth in One Breath was only at the first of nine stages, Vahn was able to use it to gradually expand the range of his Domain by several meters with each breath he took. It would shrink back to its original size if he moved or his concentration were broken, but while the effect was maintained, he felt as one with flora, fauna, soil, and elemental forces within his Domain.
prick
Feeling a sudden, fracturing tension in the space near him, Vahn opened his eyes and looked to his right, preempting the manifestation of a purple and black Gate. There were only a handful of people who would visit him unannounced, so he was unsurprised to see Aura emerge, beaming from ear to ear as their gazes met.
"Lord Vahn. I got the information you asked for. But what are you planning to do with it?" Aura questioned, making her way over to Vahn and taking a seat on his left thigh as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Accepting the scroll Aura proferred him, Vahn spread it with his left arm hooked around her waist, his eyes scanning its contents as he answered, "I don't have any particular intentions toward the nation or its people. But if things are as bad as they seem, I can't turn a blind eye to the Elf King's tyranny..."
"From what we've been able to gather, he seems to be a heck of a lot stronger than most people in this world. There are even reports that he's able to summon a Primal Earth Elemental. If that's true, we've estimated him to be between Level 70 and 80~" Aura hummed, swaying from side to side. To the natives of the New World and the Gaitt Continent, being Level 70-80 effectively made a person a Demigod. To the Level 100 Aura, that was scarcely enough to qualify the Elf King, Decem Hougan, for a position as one of her mid-tier pets.
'That might be a problem at my current Level...' Vahn noted. He wasn't at all worried that Decem would be able to defeat him, but if he was unable to detain or put the man down quickly, the collateral damage was bound to claim many innocent lives.
Interrupting Vahn's musings, Aura shifted to sitting atop his crossed legs, her back to his chest, and her hands gripping his knees like the armrests of a throne as she revealed, "Lord Ainz has been wanting me and Mare to meet and interact with more of our kind. The Dark Elf Kingdom is located directly to the north of the Elven Kingdom. If we meet them as emissaries and learn of the Elf King's atrocities through them, it could provide us the pretense we need to depose him. What do you think?"
"Did you come up with that yourself...?" Vahn asked, raising his right brow. Aura was seventy-six years old and highly capable, but she wasn't really a big-picture thinker. She was great at following orders, but she spent the bulk of her free time playing around, caring for her pets, napping, reading horror manga, and watching psychological thrillers.
Shaking her head, Aura confessed, "I didn't. After Lupusregina reported that you wanted to look into the Elven Kingdom, Lord Ainz was the one to suggest we secure a foothold in the Dark Elf Kingdom beforehand. Then it was Albedo and Demiurge who came up with the plan to incite a rebellion and claim both Kingdoms as vassal states—placing pressure on the Slane Theocracy on three fronts."
"The Slane Theocracy does strike me as a fairly dubious nation..." Vahn acknowledged, raising his gaze to the boughs and canopy of the sakura tree overhead. He still remembered his encounter with the Theocracy's special forces and the callousness with which they massacred thousands of innocent villagers to escalate tensions between the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire. They purportedly performed similar subversions in other countries, and with a religion that glorified humanity over all other races, 'subhumans' within their borders were presented with two choices: submission to slavery or death.
'They must have been absolutely livid to learn that the King of the newly established nation to their north is an Undead...' Vahn mused, a faint smile adorning his face. King Ramposa certainly had been.
suyasuya
"Hmmm...?"
Lowering his gaze, Vahn discovered that Aura had dozed off and was sleeping soundly while sitting in his lap. He knew that he made her, Mare, and the three Elves they had taken in feel comfortable, but he didn't think it was to the extent that she would abruptly fall asleep.
'She must have been working hard these past few days...' Vahn thought. Most of Nazarick's former NPCs didn't require sleep, but Aura and Mare were exceptions. They had equipment that prevented their stamina from depleting outside of combat, but, like him, they still accumulated spiritual and mental fatigue.
Deciding to let the young Dark Elf sleep, Vahn contacted Nazarick to let them know she would be late in returning before continuing his breathing exercises. The watch on Aura's wrist would eventually wake her up for her next meal, but until then, she was able to sleep soundly within the safety of the Seven Lotus Spring and his arms...
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[December 24th DxD/August 17th DBT]
Waking in seven separate locations at once, the Vahn that had spent the night in the world of One Piece stretched out his legs and lower back with a contented groan. This caused the turquoise-haired woman at his side to stir and sit up, her hair slightly messy, her azure blue eyes drooping at the ends, and a sleepy, effortlessly enchanting smile adorning her face as she expressed, "Thank you for tolerating my selfish request. I will never forget the favor that Vahn-ookami has shown the Kouzuki Clan, me, and Wano as a whole..."
"There's no need for all of that. If anything, I ought to do more for you and your people to compensate for the unjust suffering you were forced to endure..." Vahn countered, holding the mature woman, Kouzuki Hyori's gaze with a natural smolder.
"That's unacceptable...Vahn-ookami has already become the sun that warms Wano with his light. And with the forthcoming appearance of our second sun, we have all that we require..." Hiyori asserted, caressing her faintly swelling abdomen with her right hand. She was initially content to wait for her older brother, Momonosuke, to return and claim his birthright as the rightful ruler of Wano. But as her duties as Wano's interim Shogun increased and she found herself interacting with Vahn more, she, mostly as a joke, tried seducing him. One thing had led to many more. And now the entirety of Wano yearned for the result of their union to become their next, and possibly final, Shogun.
"Then I suppose I'll have to settle for doting on you..." Vahn hummed, turning onto his side and sliding his left hand along Hiyori's soft, supple, and springy thigh. Before he could finish, she pushed him onto his back and straddled him, her expression a faux pout as she asserted, "It's my duty to serve you..."
Without waiting for Vahn's response, Hiyori pinned his ever-ready spear between their respective bodies and began rolling her hips with smooth, dancer-esque movements. She was exceedingly stubborn when it came to the dynamic and hierarchy of their relationship, so if he ever gave the impression that they were equals or tried to elevate her, she very quickly reminded him that he was her and the rest of Wano's Guardian God, their Eternally Rising Sun...
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