Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2340: Lurking

While most spectators chose to pay attention to the movements and actions of the more high-profile Representatives, that didn't mean there was no excitement occurring near the Little Garden's periphery. Rather, as each Community could only put forth a single Representative, the majority of Players, representing Gates 10,000-9,999,999, had been transported to the ruins of the Outer Gates.

Among this comparably large portion of Players, a young man with blonde hair and amethyst purple eyes could be seen bounding through the air, his laughter echoing through the area as he shouted, "Come on! Are you even trying to aim!? You'll need to try harder if you want to hit the Great Izayoi, Strategist of the No Names...!"

Frustrated by the young man's laughter, the leader of the group that had teamed up to eliminate him bellowed, "Fuck you, you No-Name little shit! If you're a real man, stop bouncing around and fight me...!"

As flight-related Gifts weren't common among Communities occupying the Outter Gates, the group targetting Izayoi could only pepper him with ranged attacks in the hopes of knocking him out of the sky. Their leader was a voluptuous, blonde-haired woman with inordinately large, ram-like horns that framed her face and a thick, alligator-like tail. Her outfit, which consisted of a tube-top, vested jacket, form-fitting pants, and multiple belts, gave people the impression she was a bit of a delinquent, a notion further backed by her words.

Leaping hundreds of meters into the air, the horned woman attempted to tackle Izayoi, but he effortlessly evaded to the side, compelling her to shout, "Aaaaah! So you're so fucking dead! Just wait until I get my hands on you...!"

Instead of exhibiting even a hint of fear, Izayoi exhaled a light chuckle as he danced around hundreds of fast-moving projectiles. He knew the 'real' battles wouldn't start until the major players got a feel for the situation, so he was just killing time until something interesting happened.

*Mistress Asuka will not be pleased if you continue playing around with other women...*

Hearing the ethereal voice of his whale-like Companion, Seiun, the smile on Izayoi's face visibly cramped. He could easily imagine Asuka getting upset with him if he was 'too friendly' with another woman, so when the aggressive blonde leaped at him for the umpteenth time, Izayoi adopted a marginally more serious expression and said, "Better luck next time, gator girl."

Before the blonde could process Izayoi's words, a heavy blow impacted her abdomen, sending her crashing toward the ground like a meteor. The attack caused her little pain, but the moment she opened her eyes and prepared to launch a counter, she found herself in the familiar setting of her bedroom, eliminated from the Pandemonium Game.

Realizing what must have happened, the aggressive blonde gripped her horns and shook her head violently as she shouted, "You son of a bitch! Don't think this is over, Izayoi of the No-Names...!"

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Unaware that he had just acquired a 'nemesis,' Izayoi made short work of the blonde-haired beauty's remaining allies before perching atop the ruins of a partially collapsed tower. He could get a better vantage by flying up into the sky, but that came with the risk of exposing himself to individuals that could fire long-range projectiles at faster-than-light speeds.

Though he was pretty confident in his speed and reaction time, Izayoi had once fought against a 'serious' Wu. Her base speed at the time clocked in at around 1.4 quintillion times the speed of light, so Izayoi had no illusions about being the 'fastest' person in the Little Garden. Heck, with Vahn able to pull powerhouses out of his ass, he may not even be in the top 100.

Recalling his most recent encounter with Vahn, occurring just a few hours before the onset of the Pandemonium Game, Izayoi couldn't help feeling a little helpless. He could generally tell whether or not his opponent was more powerful than him, but the most recent version of Vahn gave him no impression at all. It was almost like he didn't even exist...

Sensing his partner's thoughts, Seiun whispered, (*If you wish to oppose my Creator, you have my complete and total support. Just know that, unless we have a good reason to win, he will never permit himself to be defeated.*)

Adopting a wry smile, Izayoi playfully remarked, "Most people don't have a say in whether or not they'll be defeated. Even your Creator must have a weakness..."

Though it currently lacked a body, Seiun nodded in response to Izayoi's words, stating, (*If he didn't, he wouldn't allow himself to be defeated at all. Because he believes everyone is entitled to pursue their own path, any sufficiently resolute individual would be able to depose him.*)

Raising his brows, Izayoi retorted, "Is that so...?" before tilting his head to the side, casually evading the laser-like beam of light that tried to pierce it. Several others followed suit, but Izayoi just narrowed his eyes, a simple action that caused the lasers to bend around him, almost as if they were afraid.

Seemingly realizing that Izayoi wasn't an opponent she could deal with, a bronze-skinned woman with ruby eyes, cat-like ears, and apparel befitting the sensibilities of the West abandoned her position and tried to flee. She was barely faster than an Olympic athlete, however, so Izayoi appeared in front of her in an instant, asking, "Is that a laser sniper rifle? That's pretty freaking cool, not gonna lie..."

Before the woman could respond, Izayoi snatched the futuristic-looking rifle out of her hands and began to inspect it. He could toss pebbles and deal more damage than the rifle was capable of dealing, but, as someone from a relatively modern version of Japan, he was still intrigued by mechs and futuristic weaponry.

Though her primary weapon was snatched away, the bronze-skinned cat girl made no attempts to protest or steal it back. Instead, she just stared back at Izayoi with caution, her body tense and mind racing to conceive a method of escape.

Fortunately for the woman, remaining silent was probably the best thing she could have done. Had she tried to negotiate or try to seduce Izayoi, he would have had little choice but to eliminate her. Since she just stared at him with worry, however, he felt no qualms about tossing over her rifle and suggesting, "You should stick to the outskirts and only target Players you've seen in action. You won't be able to achieve victory, but you might be able to gain some reputation if you're able to hold out till the end."

Before the woman could think to thank him or request a partnership of some kind, Izayoi flicked his middle finger and sent her stumbling back with a fierce yet ultimately harmless wind. He briefly got a glimpse of the contents of her skirt but resisted the urge to comment on it as Asuka was doubtlessly scrutinizing his every action...

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"Ahahahaha~! This is so much fun~!"

Despite being knocked around like a ragdoll by Kurma's attacks, Lahmu was in high spirits as she continued to attack haphazardly, spreading the influence of her corruption.

Seeing the battlefield gradually morph into a miasma-filled hellscape, the look on Kurma's face became increasingly grim. Unfortunately, while her power dwarfed Lahmu's by several orders of magnitude, she had nothing that could put down the cackling lolita permanently.

Balling her right hand into a fist, Kurma covered the distance between her and Lahmu in an instant, punching the latter with enough force to send her head spinning like a top as she growled, "You're beginning to try my patience, Lahmu...!"

After stumbling back a bit, Lahmu reached up to stop the spinning of her head, an expression of childish glee on her face as she replied, "Lahmu is just having fun. It isn't often Lahmu gets to play with others, so won't you keep her company a while longer~?"

Though she was tempted to shout that they weren't playing a game, Kurma knew the futility of trying to reason with Lahmu. The latter was the 'beloved' daughter of one of the most corrupt and demonic entities in the entire Little Garden, so her idea of fun was ripping people apart with her bare hands or watching them dissolve in her corrosive flames.

Exhaling through her nose, Kurma was prepared to employ a similar tactic as Madara but stopped when Lahmu abruptly looked away from her. She followed the petite Dragoness's gaze, and what she discovered caused a shiver to course through her entire body. It was a being standing a mere three meters tall, but it inspired a sense of dread comparable to watching a planet's host star go supernova.

As it had been observing the battle for several minutes, the bone-white creature just smiled with all three of its heads, the centermost remarking, "Don't mind us. Please, continue..." in an amused, bone-chilling tone.

Losing her usual smile, Lahmu looked at the exposed part of her left arm to find the flesh beneath it writhing about. She could produce tentacles from openings in her body, natural or otherwise. Now, however, they were being made within her body, completely disregarding her will...

As greenish-black blood began to flow from her mouth, nose, ears, and eyes, Lahmu looked toward Kurma and croaked, "This isn't fun anymore..." before bursting into innumerable, tiny chunks. A titanic figure with four eyes, dark green skin, and demonic horns had burst free from her body, half of its muscular frame comprised of fleshy tentacles as it charged at Kurma like a mindless beast.

Despite the creature's massive frame, Kurma was able to send it crashing to the ground with a fairly casual smack, ignoring the devastation wrought by her attack as she stared at the three-headed creature and hissed, "Azi Dahaka..."

Placing a hand over his heart, Azi impersonated a gentlemanly bow as he lowered his central head and replied, "At your service..."

Contrasting the central head's words and actions, the left-most head stared at Kurma with a predatory smile, adding, "I never expected this bitch to be our hundred-and-seventieth prey. This day just keeps getting better and better."

Smacking his left head, Azi pretended to be angry as he condescendingly bellowed, "Watch your language! Don't you know we're in the presence of Her Highness, the World Dragon Kurma!?"

Tired of the center and left head's antics, the right head exhaled a sigh through his nose, grumbling, "What is the point of these theatrics? Let's just devour her and be done with it."

Though the centermost head was inclined to agree, the left head made its depravity known, retorting, "Nah, fuck that. This bitch wants to go around calling herself a Dragon when she's just a turtle? I say we give her a taste of the real thing..."

Wresting control from the central head, Lefty used its corresponding hand to scratch between its legs. Kurma had understood his intentions from his words, but his actions made it even more apparent, causing the glower on her face to become an expression of abject disgust as she asserted, "The whole of Creation will benefit from your destruction..."

Without missing a beat, the left-most head began to retort, "You're about to benefit from these nuts in your-" before receiving another smack from the central head, silencing him. The three of them shared control over the same body, but the central head was the defacto leader between them as it had dominion over their reproductive functions.

With the left-most head temporarily silenced, the central Azi directed its gaze to Kurma, asking, "What is the meaning behind this farce you call a Gift Game? Considering your relationship with Vishnu, you should have at least some idea of the true purpose of this event. Reveal what you know, and I can guarantee you a dignified death. Refuse, and..."

Understanding what his central head had in mind, the left-most head regained a vicious smile as it added, "I'll fuck every hole you have and then create new ones to keep fucking...!"

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Izayoi is completely henpecked...','Ms. Kurma...I don't feel so good...','Team Three Star...!')