Chapter 2291: Breaking Point

“Come on, is this really necessary…?”

Though Vahn had dispelled the demonic energy from Izayoi’s body, he still ended up bound and, for a short while, gagged inside of a cell. After all, until the Gift Game came to an end, he was ‘technically’ on the side of Grimm Grimoire Hamlin.

In response to Izayoi’s words, it was Asuka who answered, “Though it is partially my fault you ended up here, I’m siding with Vahn on this one. I can’t believe you, of all people, made such a foolish mistake. Maybe a bit of prison time will make you think before the next time you run off on your own…”

Exhaling a sigh, Izayoi rolled onto his side with a bored expression on his face as he said, “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Princess…”

Squinting her eyes, Asuka was about to chastise Izayoi for his behavior when Vahn chimed in, asking, “Do you really intend to lecture someone under the influence of the Central Network’s compulsion? Izayoi isn’t the only one that needs to learn from this incident. You need to work on getting your priorities in order, Asuka.”

Hanging her head, Asuka’s confident demeanor momentarily cracked as she softly complained, “Not everyone can be like you. Some of us…”

Though she was about to say that ‘some people’ needed to work to obtain their power and authority, Asuka realized the irony of her words before they could part her lips. After all, she was born into a family with tremendous wealth with an ability that allowed her to get whatever she wanted. She also had one of the most potent Gifts, powerful allies, and a functionally unlimited number of supplies. Simply put, she didn’t have a platform to stand on if she wanted to argue about fairness…

Believing Vahn could be reading her thoughts, Asuka muttered, ‘”Never mind…forget what I was about to say. I’m…I’m just not thinking clearly at the moment…”

Just as Asuka was about to excuse herself, Yo suddenly embraced her in a warm hug, whispering, “You don’t have to be like Vahn, Asuka…we love you for who you are. Just be your best self, okay…?”

Surprised by Yo’s words and actions, Asuka opened her mouth to speak but simply couldn’t find the words. Instead, she hesitated for a moment before returning Yo’s embrace in silence. Their interaction earned them a rather rude remark from Izayoi but, thanks to Vahn, his voice couldn’t carry beyond the cell.

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After Asuka’s and Yo’s moment of bonding, the duo reconvened with Sandora to discuss their next plan of action. Vahn was also present, but none of the girls paid him any mind due to the fact he was, momentarily, standing outside the Axis of Reality.

Having regained her confidence, Asuka was the one to start things off, stating, “Things aren’t as bad as they could be. As much of a blunder as it was, Izayoi’s actions prevented whatever was meant to happen when the glass panels were broken. If we go back to the Corridor of Displays, we should be able to resolve this without further issue.”

Nodding her head in approval, Sandora stated, “We’ll go together this time. I’ve assigned Forte, Frey, Ebony, and Raven to keep an eye on the members of Grimm Grimoire Hamlin. Let’s try to end this without having to rely on Vahn a third time.”

Though she was grateful for Vahn’s intervention, especially in the case of Pest and her pestilence, Sandora couldn’t help feeling as though she had failed in her original intent. However, instead of letting it bother her, she was more determined than ever.

One of the most important lessons she had learned from Vahn was that it was okay to make mistakes. Even if the consequences of your actions were catastrophic, you hadn’t failed so long as you hadn’t given up. The burden of your mistakes may weigh heavily on your body and mind, but that was even more of a reason to push forward. If you simply gave up, the deaths that came about as a result of your actions would have been in vain.

“Agreed. I can’t stand being indebted to that man, so let’s try to wrap this up with just the three of us.”

As if to protest Asuka’s words, the tiny Earth Spirit seated atop her head gave it a firm pat as she shouted, “Asuka~!”

Smiling wryly, Asuka plucked the faerie-like Spirit from her head, gently poking its cheek as she supplanted, “Make that the four of us. After all, there’s a good chance you’re the key to everything, isn’t there…?”

Tilting her head to the side, the Earth Spirit had a supremely innocent expression on her face as she intoned a confused, “Asuka…?”

Producing a biscotti from her Inventory, Asuka fed the confused Earth Spirit a piece of the almondy cracker before returning her attention to Sandora and asking, “When do you want to set out?”

Returning a faint smile, Sandora said, “I would prefer to set out as soon as possible. The sooner we can solve this matter, the sooner my people can return to their lives.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

Though she wasn’t looking forward to getting crumbs in her bra, Asuka allowed the Earth Spirit to conceal itself in her cleavage before adopting a confident, resolute expression and saying, “Right! Let’s do this…!”

Feeding off Asuka’s energy, Yo pumped her fist in the air, shouting a spirited, “Ya-ho~!” while Sandora just nodded. Then, without so much as sparing him a glance, the trio bolted past Vahn with the Corridor of Displays as their destination. In their wake, Vahn walked over and made himself comfortable atop Sandora’s throne, a pensive expression on his face as he called out, “Sis…?”

“Hmmm~?”

Aware of Vahn’s present mental state, Sis elected to manifest in front of him instead of conversing with him from the comfort of his mind. Vahn’s mood improved qualitatively the moment she did, so Sis chalked it up to a win-win as she snuggled up next to him and asked, “What’s wrong…?”

Though he would normally bury his face in her breasts or enjoy her lap pillow, Vahn surprised Sis by wrapping his right arm around her, pulling her a little closer, and caressing the space between her cat-like ears. At the same time, his left hand nearly went for her breast, but he managed to catch himself at the last moment, his palm resting on her abdomen as he softly replied, “Yo nearly experienced something traumatic because of me…”

Ceasing her throaty purring, Sis’s words and actions were somewhat contrary as she affectionately nestled her head against Vahn’s chest and asserted, “You’re wrong. Yo willfully participated in this event, and Izayoi’s blunder was entirely the result of a personal oversight. Now, be a good boy and tell me why you’re actually upset…”

Nestling his face between Sis’s ears, Vahn closed his eyes to inhale a ‘very’ deep breath before opening them to reveal blazing golden irises as he said, “I’m tired, Sis…I’m tired of all the conflict, pain, and tragedy that is only ever a moment away from ruining everything. I have all this power, but it’s utterly meaningless unless I abandon my principles and take control of everything. I’ve been trying so desperately to hold onto all the things that make me who I am, but they only ever seem to get in the way…”

“Mmm…”

Dragging the nail of her right index finger down the center of Vahn’s chest, cutting through the fabric of his tunic as if it simply didn’t exist, Sis asked, “So…what you’re saying is that you’re trapped between the decision to ‘take control’ or ‘relinquish’ it. And you believing choosing either option means losing yourself…is that it?”

Instead of responding to Sis’s words, Vahn silently observed as she finished cutting a line down the entirety of his tunic. When her hand made its way over his heart, they could both feel the powerful organ pumping with enough vigor to power, not one, but innumerable stars.

“Does this remind you of anything…?”

Even without Sis helping to pull up his memories, Vahn recalled all the times when Chloe would affectionately caress his chest or listen to his heartbeat. He longed for those simpler times, a period in his life when-

“You’re lying to yourself…”

Blinking in surprise, Vahn’s face contorted into confusion as he asked, “What do you mean?”

Despite drawing a tiny heart shape in Vahn’s chest, Sis’s expression hardened as she asked, “Did you forget why you ‘fled’ the Record of Danmachi? If those times were truly as simple as you believe them to be, why are you here right now?”

“…”

Cupping Vahn’s face to prevent him from looking away from her, Sis maintained a stern look as she added, “Every burden you carry is one you willfully picked up, Vahn. If you want to drop them, I will support you to the very end. However, I won’t sit here and listen to you make excuses. Since the very beginning of this journey, you have been the only one that can make decisions for yourself. If you want to rampage for a bit, sleep for an eternity, or travel ten thousand worlds as nothing more than a guardian, there is nothing anyone can do to stop you…”

Near the end of her words, Sis brought her indescribably sharp nail to her blouse, her eyes glistening with even greater intensity than Vahn’s as she purred, “Just do as you please…”

Feeling a knot forming in his throat, Vahn barely managed to mutter, “Sis…” in an uncharacteristically shaky tone. In response, Sis squinted her eyes, surprising Vahn as she said, “If you desired it, I would set out and conquer this entire reality, bundle it up, and present it to you with a neat little bow around it. You might have forgotten, but my power is the same as your own. If you’re ‘really’ tired of making an effort, you need only say six words…”

Before Vahn realized it, he found himself being cradled in Sis’s naked bosom, his body resembling that of the young boy that emerged in the forest so many years ago as she whispered, “Sis…please help me return home. Say those six words, and you won’t have to worry about anything ever again…unless, of course, you choose to…”

Following her words, Sis emulated Vahn’s habit of sniffing her hair. If he didn’t recover his senses soon, she wouldn’t be able to control herself…

Fortunately, though it caused the massive array of animalistic beauties within Vahn’s mind to cry out in frustration, he promptly reverted to his ‘true’ form, whispering, “I still have a bit of fight left in me…”

Exhaling a hot sigh, Sis attempted to suppress her desires and resume her sisterly persona. Vahn apparently had different intentions, however, his voice gaining a soul-quivering quality as he said, “Sis…I love you…”

Feeling an insuppressible shiver spread through her body, Sis’s eyes began to glaze over as she whimpered, “We shouldn’t…if we do, I’m not sure I can contain myself. If I lose control-“

“I’ll rein you in…”

Punctuating his words, Vahn leaned in to give Sis a deep and passionate kiss. At the same time, taking advantage of the fact she had sliced open her blouse, he reached up to squeeze her right breast. He could feel her jaw trembling through their connected mouths and tongues, his passion and desire increasing by the nanosecond.

Just as Vahn’s hand began to move further south, Sis’s eyes widened like a startled cat as she jerked away from him and said, “No! Bad girls!” in a shrill, panicked tone.

Before Vahn could ask what was wrong, women of various shapes and sizes began to manifest within the Chamber of Flames, quickly filling it as a strange feeling of ’emptiness’ swelled within his mind. Then, like a horde of hungry animals swarming around someone holding a bag of treats, Vahn was quickly overwhelmed by what he would later come to know as the Sis Corps…

It was an experience he would never forget.

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(A/N: Well, hello there (O w O)…’)