EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons-Chapter 234: Concern

'To think things had changed this much...I should have people explore and re-evaluate the other Floors as well...' thought Vahn, seated around a Checkpoint's bonfire with Lupheria, Lasti, and two parties of Sisters, eight of the more than four hundred currently exploring the First Stratum's First Floor as part of a training exercise. As for what he was referring to, it was the many rooms, passages, and even new Slime subspecies uncovered by the Sisters as they seamlessly coordinated to explore every centimeter of the expanded First Floor—having grown from its initial size of a small city to a moderately-sized island.

ding

'Hmmm...?'

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Just as Vahn was preparing to close the displays only he could see, a faint notification sound dinged in his head, prompting him to open his messages. The ding in question denoted the message as originating from a source he set to monitor status, so while it wasn't an emergency, he felt compelled to read it immediately.

'Oh, wow...' thought Vahn, his brows rising as he opened his chat with Orihime, presenting him with her posing topless in front of a mirror with her left hand covering the important bits and her right hand covering her eyes from embarrassment. Less notably, she was wearing a very mature pair of white lace panties and an elaborate garter belt with stockings, all but confirming she was being influenced by other Maids or members of the Dragon's Pavilion as they were a popular pairing among those he was routinely intimate with.

Drawing Vahn's gaze from the selfie, a message appeared beneath it, expressing, [I know you told me before that I should only send photos like these to the person I fell in love with, but it didn't feel right to thank you with words alone for saving Rukia-san.]

[Your figure is nothing short of incredible] affirmed Vahn, sending the message before promptly adding [But if you're uncomfortable wearing those kinds of clothes, don't let others pressure you. Also, it might be a while before Rukia can freely return to Karakura Town, but you should be able to meet her in the palace and possibly the Tower in the forthcoming months.]

[Really!?] responded Orihime, adding an exclamation point to emphasize her surprise.

[Really] confirmed Vahn, adding [Now, head to bed. I know you've been training hard these past few weeks, so use the remaining time until the Tower's opening to rest and recenter yourself. I had better not hear about you working here in the palace, understood?]

[I understand] responded Orihime, followed by a lengthy pause before a second photo appeared, this time showing her back and very full bottom, accompanied by the message [I was going to send this before, so please accept it. And, once again, thank you...]

[You're very welcome] responded Vahn, exhaling faint from his nose as he resisted the urge to comment on Orihime's rear profile. She really did have an exceptional figure, but even with the benefit of being a first-generation Ascendee, she had yet to satisfy the prerequisites to become a Second or First-Grade Maid. Thus, while there was nothing implicitly wrong with her sending him increasingly daring selfies, he would prefer if she considered her full range of options before wholly committing to the path of a career Maid...

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[December 26th DxD/August 18th DBT]

"Well, ain't that somethin'..." remarked a notably buxom woman with fair skin, green eyes, and spiky black hair that was mostly short around her head but formed two long, split strands—reminiscent of a swallow's tail—that extended to the small of her back. Moments before, a specialized, fully functional prosthetic arm extended from the bandaged-bound remains of her right bicep, but now she had a completely new arm. It was red and a little tender, similar to the complexion of a newborn baby, but the fact she could feel anything at all brought a tremendous grin to the woman's face.

"What did I tell you? Vahn gave form to our world, so it's only natural he can replace a missing limb or two," remarked Yoruichi, standing with her arms crossed in her usual long-sleeved orange top with white shoulder straps over an exceptionally form-fitting black bodysuit that left very little to the imagination, particularly around her ass.

"Right, you did mention something like that..." remarked the woman, Shiba Kukaku, redirecting her steely, scrutinizing gaze to Vahn. Yoruichi had told her about their reality originating from anime, given form by Vahn's power mere months prior from an external perspective. She found this difficult to accept for many, many reasons, but his ability to casually mend otherwise irremediable damage to the Spirit Vessel of a Native Soul like herself was unquestionably an ability that didn't exist in their reality...

"Well, at least you're not bad-looking..." noted Kukaku, sizing Vahn up like a piece of meat on display as she appended, "But I don't typically spread my legs in exchange for promises. First, help me reclaim my Clan's estate. Then, once those bastards in the Central 46 officially recognize my Clan's status and return what they stole from us, I'll rock your world every night for a hundred years straight if you can take it."

"Actually, most of Central 46 got wiped out the night before Aizen bolted," Yoruichi revealed coolly. "And until he's caught or beaten, Old Man Yama's running the show."

"Hoooo? That part of the plan?" Kūkaku asked, eyes narrowing. She'd watched her world's anime—proof of Yoruichi's wild claims—and knew Aizen trashed the 46 after faking his death. Their still dying screamed at a conspiracy, possibly to quiet any pushback against this Pavilion outreach.

Spurred by Kukaku's words, Yoruichi flicked her gaze to Vahn, the green-eyed Shiba following suit. In response, the latter immediately shook his head, his voice calm as he contended, "We didn't plan for Central 46 to perish. It's just that the Dragon's Pavilion needs an Ascendee's contract to mess with another world—lest we suffer the karmic blowback. Aizen's a central conflux within your world, with every action he takes having far-reaching effects on fate's flow. Interfering with his actions directly comes at a great cost."

"Aren't you already interfering a ton with the whole Ascendee thing...?" asked Kukaku.

"And, as a consequence, the Dragon's Pavilion is obligated to cooperate with Ascendees to help them achieve their goals and become stronger," affirmed Vahn, nodding.

"Mmn...I see..." muttered Kukaku, crossing her arms in a manner that heavily emphasized her bust as she added, "But even if Old Man Yama has seized power on the pretense of dealing with Aizen, it won't be long before the forty-six leading Clans appoint new representatives and steal away his authority. And then there's the Tsunayashiro Clan. Though Aizen set things in motion by targeting my uncle and older brother, it was those snake-like bastards in the Tsunayashiro Clan who incited the other Nobles to undermine the Shiba Clan and strip us of our status. Consequently, that made them the most influential of the Great Noble Houses."

Exhaling faintly from her nose, Yoruichi, sporting an uncharacteristically flat expression, reiterated, "Though the decision is my brother's to make, the Shihoin will almost assuredly support the Shiba Clan's reinstatement as a Great Noble House. And since he's undoubtedly feeling guilty about nearly sending his beloved wife's younger sister to her death, it shouldn't take too much to convince Byakuya and the Kuchiki to back the resolution alongside us."

"Sounds like a recipe for a Civil War..." noted Kukaku, her sharp green eyes gleaming with expectation and a dauntless smile accentuating her heroic features as she punched her recently regenerated right fist into the palm of her left hand, shouting, "But who gives a damn!? It's long past time that someone appeared to flip this stuffy, stagnating society on its head! And when the dust settles, Shiba Clan fireworks will again illuminate the sky of the Soul Society, heralding a new dawn...!"

"That's the spirit," affirmed Yoruichi, grinning mischievously as she added, "Now, if you're not going to join us, Vahn can assumably arrange for you to tour the palace before sending you back. I'm sure you have various things to prepare before you step back into the spotlight."

"Hey, I said I didn't typically spread my legs, not that I wouldn't," retorted Kukaku, crossing her arms and grinning at Vahn as she added, "If nothing else, I owe you for regenerating my arm—so spread open your yukata. Let me see what I'm working with."

"Sure," responded Vahn, deftly unfastening the cloth keeping his yukata closed before spreading the fabric to reveal his lean, exceptionally toned body. He had bulked a bit due to Sairaorg's influence, but he had more of a swimmer's physique than the refined muscles of a martial artist.

"Well, fuck..." muttered Kukaku, a bead of sweat adorning the left side of her face as she fixed her gaze on Vahn's not-so-little brother. Yoruichi had informed her that Vahn was packing, but more so than anyone before him, she felt he suited the phrase 'hung like a horse.'

"And he knows how to use it as well..." remarked Yoruichi, stepping past Kukaku as her clothes disappeared, revealing her deceptively full figure in all its glory as she took slow, cat-like steps toward Vahn. Kukaku couldn't help clicking her tongue when she saw them start making out, but not for the reasons most would suspect. The truth was that Yoruichi was her ex and sole romantic partner from more than a hundred years prior, so it felt like a crisp slap in the face to see her making out with a man right in front of her...

'Whatever...' Kukaku sighed internally, briefly closing her eyes before peeling off her exceptionally low-cut, shoulderless, red, white-trimmed top before joining the inordinately sexy and handsome dark-skinned duo. She was more than a little taken aback by how casually Vahn kissed her, but after some initial discomfort, she realized his saliva was considerably sweeter than anticipated and that his tongue was even more dexterous than her memory of Yoruichi's...

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[December 30th DxD/August 22nd DBT]

Though the decision had been made to allow them entry into the Tower, specifically with Misla and Yasaka, Vahn was spending the final few hours until its opening with Lupheria and Lastia. He truthfully felt it was too soon for both of them, but since Lupheria's capabilities were B-Rank and Lastia had S-Rank Intelligence and two high-ranking Skills, [Hypercognition(A)] and [Adaptive Learning(B)], they would presumably be okay even without chaperones.

"'Lastia's excitement is surging like a horde of blood-sucking butterflies...' notes Lastia, her heart quivering with anticipation..." remarked Lasita, her face lightly flushed and skin somewhat clammy due to the foreknowledge she was about to be transported to a battlefield. They had incorporated a feature that allowed Ascendees to drop out of the initial rank assessment at any time, but much like the actual Mikoto, Lastia was determined to get the best rank she could.

"Just remember to activate your tracking beacon and stay on the move..." advised Vahn, his expression and tone soft as he helped her fasten the belt of her split crimson hi-bakama, giving her the appearance of a young Shrine Maiden. Mikoto had a bit of an overreaction when she saw her in a frog-themed magical girl outfit, so while she didn't have to change, Lastia elected to do so out of consideration for her older sister's sanity.

"Chichi doesn't need to worry. Lupa will protect Lastia..." stated Lupheria cooly, seated nearby in a frilly, midnight blue Gothic Lolita outfit, brushing the hair of a doll that looked like a chibi version of herself. Vahn originally found her choice of attire concerning, as he was worried she was aspiring to become a Maid, but she evidently just liked frilly clothing, citing it made her feel like a princess.

"I have no doubts about that," affirmed Vahn, his smile gaining a hint of wryness as he added, "But do your best not to bite anyone. As effective as it is, most people will find it concerning if they see you running around on all-fours and taking large chunks out of people and monsters with your teeth..."

"I know..." sighed Lupheria, leaving Vahn at a brief loss for words as she rolled her crimson eyes, ostensibly exasperated by his reminders for her to behave normally. In truth, Vahn didn't mind her animalistic behavior in the slightest, finding it endearing. He just didn't want her to be viewed as a monster by other people.

"Ah..."

Realizing she might have said or done something wrong, Lupheria began to flounder, raising and waving her hands agitatedly as she tried to devise an excuse for her behavior. Fortunately, while Vahn was very surprised, he hadn't taken her words to heart, an affectionate smile adorning his face as he assured her she had done nothing wrong...

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