Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos c1-2203, page 141
Vahn raised his brows slightly when Tiona came out of the changing room and showed off her new outfit. Since it was a bikini, the top looked a bit strange on Tiona since her breasts were on the smaller side of an A-Cup. The bottoms, however, were a black fabric held together with a stretchy string-like band and barely covered the fleshy and fit butt of Tiona. Though he had been working on his self-restraint, Vahn couldn't help but swallow his saliva at the sight when she spun around to give him a better look.
Tiona had noticed his hardly concealed action and began laughing as she stuck to his arm and pressed her breasts against him. Vahn noticed that the fabric around her chest had risen a bit and he had serious concerns that it would fall off if she got carried away. Using his [Hands of Nirvana], he helped calm her mind a bit and managed to de-escalate the situation before things got out of hand.
Tione, who had been observing the scene furrowed her brows a bit more since she felt like Tiona had gotten another win against her. Even though Vahn had complimented her bikini, the one that her sister had selected was even more revealing. She had also seen Vahn swallowing his saliva and she felt envious of her 'little' sister's success. Turning her head away, she began to browse for more swimsuits while the two 'love birds' acted lovey-dovey in their own little world.
Though Tiona was still a bit excited, the moment Vahn began channeling the warm energy into her head she just smiled as she nuzzled against him without acting out too much. The calming energy didn't do much to prevent her rising emotions, but it allowed her to maintain her clarity long enough for Ais and Lefiya to finally exit the changing rooms. Seeing the two girls, she let go of Vahn and returned to wear her normal clothing. She had decided to buy both swimsuits since Vahn had complimented her when she wore either.
Likely emulating Tiona and Tione, Ais had also worn a black swimsuit that made Vahn have a brief flashback of Eva. Since both girls had beautiful golden hair, seeing Ais in a black getup had reminded him of the over-affectionate vampire princess. Seeing that she was waiting for his compliment, Vahn showed her a happy smile before taking a better look at what she was wearing.
Unlike the Amazon sisters, Ais's black swimsuit was a one-piece that covered the majority of the front side of her body while leaving her back mostly uncovered. There were several strings that bit into the skin around her waist before converging back to a point right above her tailbone. Overall, Vahn felt like the swimsuit was a bit too 'mature' for Ais considering she hadn't fully developed into the body of her future self. Even so, Vahn still paid her some heavy compliments which brought a smile to the typically blank expression of Ais. He realized that the longer they interacted with each other, the more expressive she became.
Lefiya's swimsuit was the tamest of them all, but she also had the most bashful expression as she hung her crimson-colored face as she seemed to be waiting for Vahn's evaluation as she covered parts of her chest and groin with her hands. Vahn had a few mixed feelings about Lefiya and how she acted around him because he was never sure what to say to her. He knew that she liked Ais and also seemed to have positive feelings for him, but her actions made it very difficult to make conversation with her normally. Vahn didn't want to pressure her and felt like she was just getting caught up in the situation through association with Ais and Tiona.
Even still, as long as she was making the effort to participate along with the other girls, Vahn didn't want to leave her out. He noticed that the swimsuit she was wearing was a one-piece that covered the majority of her torso and shoulders without leaving anything exposed. The entire thing was a natural looking white color with red flowers periodically dotting it. Around her waist, there was a red, somewhat transparent, sarong that covered her front and back. However, she didn't seem to have a lot of faith in it since Lefiya was still covering herself with her hands regardless.
Overall, Vahn thought it was a very cute swimsuit and suited her young and petite body well. When he gave her compliments, she blushed even deeper and hung her head low before returning to the dressing room after thanking him in a stuttering voice. Ais also followed behind her and even entered into the same changing room. The moment Ais's back disappeared behind the thick black fabric blocking the view from the inside, he could hear Lefiya release a muted 'wawawawa' which made him laugh.
Expecting the girls to return in their normal clothing, Vahn was completely unprepared for what happened next. Tione, who had entered the changing rooms earlier, came back out and, for a brief instant, Vahn didn't even think she was wearing clothing. She was wearing what essentially equated to a few strings of brown clothing that closely matched her own skin tone but with a more diffuse coloration.
The string holding the incredibly small fabric that hid her delicates rode high into a V-shape on her hips before converging into the shape of a T above her entirely revealed butt. Since she had an almost identical figure to Tiona, she also had a very fit and somewhat fleshy butt that drew the eyes and caused Vahn to instinctively gulp.
Since she had been showing it off, Tione had been paying attention to his reaction and smiled after seeing him gulp his saliva. Turning around, Vahn could see that the fabric around her moderately developed breasts created a triangular shape that didn't do much to conceal the contents. Before now, Vahn didn't know that a swimsuit could be so revealing and couldn't help but question the practicality of such a design. It almost seemed like it was designed more to draw attention than for actual swimming, especially with the almost skin-tone coloration.
Tione saw where his eyes and wandered and lifted up her breasts with her hands and asking, "Which do you prefer, big ones like mine or small ones like my sister's?" In response to her question, Vahn blanked a bit since it was a question he seemed to be asked often. Shaking his head, he responded in a serious manner, "I think every girl has their own charms, regardless of the size and shape of their breasts. I think your breasts suit you while Tiona's breasts suit her. I feel the same way about other features as well..." Vahn's words trailed off a bit since the image of various butts passed through his mind.
Tione didn't seem satisfied by his response much, but also couldn't find a way to refute it since it seemed like an 'honest', albeit non-committal, answer. She wanted to get more of a rise out of Vahn so she could get a little payback against Tiona, but it didn't seem like he was very cooperative. Remembering his gaze from earlier and how he had swallowed his saliva, she seemed to realize something before turning her back to Vahn while watching his face.
As one of the butts that had passed through his mind, Vahn looked down to stare at the entirely defenseless flesh of Tione's backside. Other than the T-shaped fabric running down the crevice between her two cheeks, the rest of the skin was entirely revealed and Vahn couldn't help but have his eyes drawn to it. Tione had noticed his expression and a smile grew on her face as she clenched together her butt to emphasize it.
Vahn's eyes widened a bit at her action before averting his eyes and staring at her smiling face. He realized that she had been teasing him and felt somewhat ashamed that he had fallen for her ploy. Turning his head away, he heard Tione asked in an amused voice, "Ehh~? Are you sure you don't want to keep staring? I think, just like my breasts, my butt is also bigger than Tiona's~."
Before Vahn could respond, a pair of hands reached around from the front of the distracted Tione's body and firmly grabbed the two fleshy butt cheeks. Tione startled from the unexpected contact as Tiona, who had been the person to grab her, began laughing loudly before declaring, "They seem pretty similar, but I think I might have the advantage~?"
At this point, Tione noticed that the three other girls were standing in front of her when she had been looking over her shoulder to tease Vahn. Though it wasn't too obvious, she began to blush slightly before shoving away the hands of her younger twin. In order to get a rise out of her, she said in a somewhat haughty voice, "It looks like Vahn had a 'bigger' response to me than he did to you earlier." As she emphasized the word 'bigger', Tione used her arms to press her breasts together with a mocking look on her face.
Unexpectedly, though she would have gotten upset in the past, Tiona just laughed loudly as she dashed over to Vahn and pressed her chest to him while hugging his neck. With a big smile on her face, she looked toward Tione and said matter-of-factly, "Vahn likes my breasts just the way they are, isn't that right~?" Vahn nodded his head as he wrapped his hands around Tiona's waist and gave her a short kiss. His response had made the smile on her face widened even more as she laughed in a silly manner.
Tione saw their interaction and frowned deeply since it felt like she had once again lost to her younger twin. Turning away from the affectionate display and walking toward the changing rooms, she saw Ais who had looked at her with an almost 'challenging' look in her eyes. Ais held her hands over her breasts and had a small smile on her face as she said, "Vahn likes mine too."
Hearing the confident claim of Ais, Tione felt like she had suffered a mental blow as she turned her eyes to the bashful Lefiya, the only person who was her 'ally' at this moment.
Lefiya saw her gaze and couldn't help but cover her chest in a similar manner to Ais, though for entirely different reasons. She thought that Tione was about to ask what Vahn thought of her breasts and, the moment she considered the matter, Lefiya's overactive imagination pictured Vahn's warm hands groping her chest while they were entirely nude in the bath together. A blush immediately rose to her face and it almost looked as though steam was about to rise from the delusional elf's head.
Tione misconstrued Lefiya's actions to indicate that she was also someone that had received Vahn's 'appreciation'. She suddenly felt like, amongst the four girls present, she had gotten the short stick and suffered several simultaneous defeats. Gritting her hands and teeth, Tione made her way to the changing room to return to her normal clothing. At the same time, she swore to get one over on the three girls in the future regardless of the cost.
After everyone had finished changing, they each purchased a variety of swimsuits as well as other outfits that Vahn also had the privilege of evaluating. Everyone seemed to be in higher spirits, even Lefiya who, after bearing the embarrassment of being seen in a swimsuit, didn't mind normal clothing as much. With a smile on her face and a subtle, ever-present blush, she too showed off various outfits and smiled when she received Vahn's unfettered compliments.
One noteworthy thing that had happened, other than the swimsuit scene from earlier, was when both Tiona and Tione had tried on maid outfits. Even though Ais and Lefiya had also tried them on, Vahn couldn't help but feel a bit incongruity at the sight of the two Amazon twins wearing matching maid outfits. Since they were nearly identical with the modest clothing, Vahn could hardly tell them apart if not for their expressions and hairstyles. Combined with the fact that Tione was obviously trying to compete with her sister, Vahn ended up sandwiched by the two healthy brown-skinned girls in frilly attire black and white attire.
After enjoying the latter half of the date, time was beginning to stretch into the afternoon and it wasn't too long before Vahn would be required to enter the orb. Explaining the situation, without giving away too many details, Vahn managed to convince the girls to call it a day. They had already nearly filled his inventory with their purchases, so everyone was in very high spirits with how the day had gone.
Vahn then escorted the four girls back to the Twilight Manor and exchanged embraces with both Tiona and Ais before preparing to head home. Unexpectedly, Tione had tried to tease Vahn into embracing her, but she inevitably stopped after Tiona's teasing regarding Finn. With a frustrated expression on her face, Tione ended up storming off into the Manor, likely in the direction of Finn's quarters yet again. Tiona laughed at the display and even Ais had a slight smile on her face as she watched the scene play out.
The only one who didn't seem entertained was Lefiya, who had hung her head slightly with a blush on her cheeks. Vahn somewhat understood what she was thinking, so he reached out his hand and used [Hands of Nirvana] to comfort the bashful elf as he said his goodbyes. Lefiya had a slight frown on her face and didn't stop him from rubbing her head as she nodded slightly with an 'Nn' sound.
Having said goodbye to the three girls, Vahn left the Twilight Manor after depositing their purchased items in one of the nearby rooms. Afterward, Vahn was in high spirits as he made his way toward the Hearths Embrace. Though it was slightly different than his expectations, Vahn enjoyed spending time with all the girls on their group date. Even though it felt like he had just accompanied the four girls on a normal outing, he still enjoyed the experience immensely and looked forward to having similar dates in the future.
Turning a corner, Vahn had a casual and happy smile on his face which quickly turned into an expression of caution and alert as he immediately expanded his domain. Since he didn't often walk around with his domain spread within the City, Vahn had nearly been caught off guard by the apparent ambush that was about to take place. If not for the fact he was very perceptive to auras after increasing his Soul Tier and awakening his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn may have been caught unawares by the figures encroaching on him. From within the surrounding buildings and roofs, Vahn could sense several black-aura'd figures approaching his position.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tione's Defeat','Vahn is a man of culture','Danger Approaches')
If you'd like to support me on ******* so I can become a full-time writer, please follow this link~!
https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149
I am currently at $581/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D
Chapter 189: Ambush
Unaware that they had been noticed, the presences in the surrounding area remained hidden even after Vahn entered a combat state. Vahn turned his head and saw two men behind him as a group of three appeared at the opposite end of the alley. Seeing their predatory eyes and attempts to appear intimidating, Vahn had no illusions that the men weren't enemies. He transformed into his Báihǔ form and the men started laughing as the largest enemy in front of Vahn crossed his arms with an evil grin on his face.
The man was around 180cm tall and looked to weight around 230lbs of pure muscle. He had brown hair and purple eyes and his entire body was covered in battle scars. He looked at Vahn like he was appraising a piece of meat in the market and opened his mouth and said without a humorous tone, "So, this is the famou-" Before the man could finish speaking, Vahn had leaned forward and rapidly closed the distance and tried to sink his claws into the man's stomach.
Unprepared for the sudden attack, the man barely managed to cross his arms to receive Vahn's blow. He could feel the bones of his body creak and he was sent back several meters before he was able to regain his footing. He had a grim expression on his face as he prepared to threaten Vahn, but the words got stuck in his throat when he saw the sight in front of him.
After failing to incapacitate their leader, Vahn immediately attacked the two men that had been at the scarred man's sides. They were also caught unprepared by his sudden attack as Vahn gripped their wrists and crushed the bones as he twisted his body and slammed them into the walls opposite of where they previously stood. Vahn then crouched low and stared at the man that had blocked his previous blow with a cold and emotionless look on his face.
The scarred man immediately realized that Vahn wasn't the easy mark they had thought, but didn't lose his confidence as he unsheathed a knife and got into the stance of a veteran knife-fighter. He held his left hand out and low in a loose position while holding the knife near his hip to allow for an optimal thrusting angle. Staring at the tiger-like boy in front of him, he displayed a somewhat crazy expression as he threatened, "You'll pay for that, kid."
At this point, the other two men at the opposite of the alleyway had closed the distance between Vahn with short metal clubs in their hands. Vahn scanned his vision over the two enemies before turning his attention towards the roof where there were three more enemy signatures. He had marked everyone on his map and could easily track their location within 300m from his current position. Satisfied with the result, Vahn smiled at the scarred man before disappearing from the spot when the two men had tried to attack the back of his head.
All three men's eyes widened as the entered a cautious state, but they were still unable to respond to Vahn who had appeared from behind them. Even though he hadn't mastered Shundo, his increased agility and perception in his Báihǔ form while having his domain active allowed him to cover short distances in an instant. The moment they tried to attack him, Vahn used Shundo and disappeared through the small gap between their bodies and used his superheated claws to reach forward and stab into the spines of the two assailants. They immediately dropped to the ground paralyzed and unable to even scream out from the intense pain.
Having dealt with four of the thirteen enemies, Vahn turned his attention back to the scarred man who had been too afraid to move forward after watching another two of his companions fall in such a cruel manner. Even though he was a Level 3, he had absolutely no confidence in being able to outmaneuver Vahn given the speed he had displayed. As soon as Vahn leaned forward slightly, he shouted out, "Don't fucking move another step unless you want those two cat bitches to suffer!"
The moment Vahn heard the man's words, his mind blanked and the cold feeling in his mind reaching an absolute low. Seeing Vahn's 'hesitation', the man showed a cruel smile as his confidence began to return. However, before he could even utter another word he felt Vahn's killing intent lock onto him as the burst of a golden aura spread throughout the area. Without being able to react in the slightest, the man felt a powerful impact through his back as he saw a resplendent golden chain pierce through his body and penetrate into the ground.
