Chapter 1358 - Performance

Two things happened immediately after the start of Vahn's battle with Nero. The first was, from the moment the rose petal touched the ground, it felt as if all of his parameters had been spontaneously reduced. Even his mental perception seemed to be minutely affected; forcing a small delay between the signals from his brain and the actions of his body. Secondly, Nero's figure completely vanished from his field of view and, by the time he sensed her new location, she had risen to the edge of the highest viewing platform...

As Vahn turned his gaze to focus on Nero's figure, he was momentarily dazzled by the sight of rose petals dancing around her as light, seemingly cast from the void, illuminated her from behind. Then, with the flair of a grandiose songstress, Nero held one hand to her heart while extending the other outward in a smooth arc; a sonorous melody escaping her lips...

Vahn felt a powerful suppressive force attempt to further inhibit his capabilities but, rather than just stand around listening to Nero's performance; he vanished once again, this time tearing through the fabric of Space to appear right next to her. Golden horns now protruded from his temples as what appeared to be electricity danced across his azure-gold pattern of scales.

Without sparring Vahn a single glance, Nero continued her song as if nothing in the world could stop her from revealing her soul to all willing to listen. Even as his claws barreled toward the small of her back, intent on rending flesh and bone alike, Nero gave him no heed. This nearly caused Vahn to retract his attack but, with Nero's song sending shivers through his body; he had no choice but to bring it to an end.

What surprised him was the fact that, until the very end, Nero made no attempt to defend herself. His claws tore through her body, bisecting top from bottom but; instead of blood and viscera, an eruption of rose petals emerged from the wound; spreading to encompass the entirety of Nero's body before disappearing in the next moment. Throughout this process, Nero's song continued to echo through the surroundings with building intensity while, on the opposite side of the theater, a new version of the singing Empress had formed...

It didn't take a genius to realize he had been trapped in some kind of illusion but, with the singing Nero possessing a physical body and an aura to match, Vahn was unable to understand exactly how she had circumvented his [Will of the Emperor] and [Eyes of Truth]. It wasn't the first time the latter had failed him but, from the moment he had awakened it, Vahn had never encountered a moment where his [Will of the Emperor] had been fooled. He could even sense that the current Merlin was an illusion so it didn't make much sense that Nero could trick his senses.

Though nothing was impossible, Vahn elected to believe that he was actually seeing the real Nero, not an illusion. If this was true, it meant her Noble Phantasm allowed her to manipulate reality within the confines of her grand theater. Since this was actually a famous part of Nero's legend, as she was known to act with absolute impunity within, Vahn assumed he wasn't far from the truth.

With this in mind, Vahn focused his domain, constraining it to only a few meters around him before exploding it outward with tremendous force. This caused Artoria and the others to take cover, with Ozymandias even going so far as to take flight in order to move to a more suitable location. When he tried to exit through the gap in the roof, however, he suddenly found himself back in the viewing stands with everyone else...

Vahn hadn't been focusing on the viewing stands too much but he had obviously taken note of the actions of Ozymandias. To test his theory, however, he barreled toward the now-dancing Nero as she sang her heart out, completely ignoring the surroundings. Vahn could actually hear applause begin to build in his surroundings; his senses warning him of the encroaching danger.

Since she made no effort to evade, it took no effort for Vahn to vanquish the second of Nero's rose-filled forms. Then, without arresting his momentum at all, he slammed into the side of the theater with tremendous force, rending reinforced golden pillars and walls like paper mache. Despite tearing through several tens of meters of the durable metal, however, Vahn never reached the outside of the theater. Instead, when he finally did break through, he had emerged on the opposite side, almost as if he had been breaking in; instead of trying to break out...

Instead of being bothered by these happenings, Vahn couldn't help but laugh out loud in response to Nero's rather interesting Noble Phantasm. He had been wondering from the start how she would do battle, as she lacked both armor and offensive weapons, so this was a rather interesting turn of events. Thus, in order to express his thoughts on the matter, Vahn joined the invisible crowd for a brief moment, applauding Nero who, now, danced along a handrail; her form and grace far beyond the most skilled of ballerinas.

As if she only just now noticed his presence, Nero turned her attention toward Vahn, a smile on her face as suddenly spun with her back facing the interior of the theater, falling to the ground without any fear. When her body struck the floor, more than 50m below, it vanished into a rippling flow of rose petals, this time spreading to cover the entire floor. Then, from the very center of the arena, a small erupted occurred; revealing the dancing Nero; now clad in a rose-red gown that matched the seemingly infinite stream of petals now following her movements...

If he were asked, Vahn would unhesitantly admit that Nero's Noble Phantasm was one the most beautiful he had ever witnessed. Unfortunately, this was a battle and, as much as he wanted to just sit back and enjoy the performance; he couldn't just forfeit the match. Thus, as the rose petals began to form a slowly revolving cyclone, Vahn ascending alongside them; azure lightning dancing across his body in an ever-increasing flow.

As Nero's song began to reach its crescendo, Vahn extended his hand toward the opening in the ceiling, his pupils contracting to small slits as he began forcibly compress Space and Time; forming a small ball of immense gravitational force in the air. This was similar to a [Space-Time Elemental Star] but, instead of using his Oblivion, Vahn was condensing it from his own understanding of the two fundamental forces. He hadn't been slacking during the times he trained so, while it was significantly weaker than the one he threw at Solon; it was still terrifyingly powerful.

Unable to resist what was effectively a 'controlled' black hole, the rose petals that had been building in volume began to get sucked into the slowly expanding void. At the same time, the fabric of space itself began to twist and fracture as azure-black lightning periodically tore through the surrounding theater. Though it had instantly restored itself when he tore through the walls previously, Vahn now watched with intense focus as the building was steadily torn apart; this time without reverting back to its original appearance.

Eventually, Nero was finally forced to stop her performance as her body was lifted from the rapidly disintegrating foundation. She tried to control her ascent, spinning gracefully through the air a few times; but it was an ultimately futile action. Even with her A-Rank [Magic Resistance], there was no way to defend against Vahn's attack as it relied on the manipulation of Laws, not magical energy.

Just as it appeared as though she was going to get sucked into the gravitational abyss, Vahn's eyes began to slowly dilate as he cut his hand down; much like striking with a hammer. Instead of having the orb continue to pull things toward it, Vahn reversed the flow in an instant, emulating Mikoto's use of [Futsunomitama]; greatly increasing the amount of gravity within the center of the theater.

Though she was suddenly hurled toward the ground like a falling meteor, Nero was surprisingly able to right herself in mid-air. She even landed 'gracefully' on her feet, dispersing the force of her impact into the surroundings as a massive volume of golden debris and rose petals crashed around her. It was a chaotic sight to behold but, as if she was completely untouchable, Nero stood proudly in the center as everything landed outside of a 5m area around her body...

Seeing this, Vahn issued a light chuckle as he descended to the ground and asked, "Are we going to consider this my victory? Or, would you rather continue...?"

As Vahn asked his questions, he watched as the flow of time within the theater seemed to reverse, all of the damage from his attack being rapidly undone. At the same time, Nero issued her usual 'Umu' as she nodded her head and stated, "You have done well, my Master. Even if I went all-out, I fear my attacks would have no lasting effect. I had thought to secure victory by suppressing your power but, as we have all witnessed, that is easier said than done."

By the time she was finished speaking, Nero's theater had been restored in all its glory. The only sign of change was that her outfit was still the same rose-red dress she had spontaneously changed into partway through her performance. It was actually a little tamer than her usual outfit but, in much the same manner; the front part of the dress was completely missing to reveal Nero's panties for all eyes to behold. Since they were formed from an intricate lace pattern, complete with rose adornments, it inspired feelings of debauchery just by witnessing them...

Being even more perceptive of a person's wayward thoughts than most Magi, Nero's smile reached her eyes for a brief moment before she suddenly performed a graceful pirouette and said, "Umu, if you prefer this dress, I will wear it from now on. It stirs the flames of passion within our heart to have the appreciation of one such as thou. Umu, please, do not shy away from admiring us at your leisure, Master..."

Hearing Nero suddenly call him 'Master', instead of using the more possessive 'my Master', Vahn couldn't help but blink in mild surprise. Before he could say anything in response, however, Nero vanished into a plume of rose petals. When she next appeared, she was standing in the Imperial Seating Area; standing next to ornate Throne instead of sitting upon it. This conveyed her intent even more than her words as, being an Emperor; giving up one's throne to another was something incomprehensible in most situations.

Though he could try and make a point by choosing to stand with everyone else, Vahn ultimately decided to take the seat for himself. He knew there was a high chance that Nero would try to sit in his lap but he couldn't simply pass on such an opportunity. This whole event was essentially a way for them all to show off and basically affirm the current hierarchy so, for the time being, Vahn chose to play along by taking a seat on the surprisingly comfortable, albeit ridiculously ornate, throne.

Seeing Vahn sit upon the throne that everyone else had silently agreed to leave empty, Alexander couldn't help but issue his characteristic laugh. He believed that Emperors must be overbearing and dominant so, while it certainly annoyed him; he couldn't really complain after seeing Vahn's display of raw power. If it was him battling against Nero, the chances of victory were, admittedly, slim. He didn't even know exactly what had happened; only that it was impossible to leave the theater even with things like flight and teleportation...

Fortunately, Nero and Vahn were momentarily out of the way so, seizing the initiative, Alexander leaped into the center of the theater before exclaiming, "How about it, Empress Artoria, will you do me the honor of accepting my challenge!?"

Since he still remembered Artoria's words from the day of his summoning, Alexander felt she was the most suitable candidate for his first battle. It was unfortunate but, as Vahn hadn't summoned his adult self, Alexander's options were pretty limited. Though the thought of being able to grow even stronger than his past self was exciting; that would take several years to achieve. Despite knowing this was the case, he would never simply lower his head to another and; even if he ended up losing against everyone present, his pride would walk away unscathed.

Hearing Alexander issue his challenge, Artoria became even more serious than usual as she jumped down to meet him; sword in hand as she answered, "It is my honor to accept your challenge. Out of respect for your bravery, I will hold nothing back."

With an appreciative nod, Alexander followed Artoria's suggestion without delay; pulling his sword free from the scabbard at his waist. They were actually pretty similar to each other with their youthful appearances but, compared to the phenomenal aura radiating from Artoria; Alexander's seemed like a small, yet vibrant, flame. Still, with a confident smile on his face, he pointed the tip of his sword at Artoria and calmly stated, "Show me what you've got..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Can't touch this~','Vahn be like, "Bet."','Pride is knowing you will lose, using it as an opportunity to learn, and coming back stronger than ever before...as many times as it takes')

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