endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 89

After a bit of discussion, the majority of the Loki Familia had retreated to the far side of the room near the stairs. Since the Goliath would attack everything in the area, they had to maintain a certain distance to avoid trying its attention. One person, however, had stayed in the area and was currently having a lively conversation with Vahn.

"So~You think you will be able to beat it? I don't mind helping you out, you know?" Tiona was sitting close to Vahn while dangling her feet. The small golden anklets made pleasant rings as she hummed the words. Vahn found her aura to be very comfortable as it was gentle like the sun with a tinge of pink.

Shaking his head, Vahn showed a firm conviction on his face as he responded, "I want to try on my own. I feel like I would regret it if I gave up without making an effort. If anything, I almost wish your Familia wasn't in the area, since it gives me confidence that I'll be able to retreat if things go south." Towards the end of his sentence, Vahn couldn't help but release a sigh. It wasn't a lie, as the presence of the Loki Familia did ease his mind a great deal.

Tiona laughed a bit as she leaned back, laying against the floor of the dungeon with her hands behind her back. She stared toward Vahn with an innocent and pleased expression. "I believe you can do it, even if we weren't here. I'm happy to be around to see you create a miracle~!" Tiona could tell that, though Vahn had grown much stronger recently, he was still a bit far from the point of being able to fight the Goliath alone. But, it was that same growth that gave her confidence he would succeed regardless. It had been less than a week since their spar, but she felt as if his strength had more than doubled in that time. In a way, it was already nothing short of a miracle.

Hearing someone speak so confidently about him, especially someone much stronger than he was, Vahn found his own confidence increase. He closed his eyes and focused his mind to recover the energy he had consumed summoning Fafnir. From his right, he could hear Tiona mildly humming a soft tune as she ceased trying to converse with him. Now, though Vahn couldn't see her, Tiona had become content just staring at the serious Vahn with an expectant look on her face.

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Forty minutes later, cracks began to appear on the 'Wall of Grief'. Everyone in the area noticed it, and Tiona rose from her spot next to Vahn and quickly retreated to the door. As she left, she turned toward Vahn and shouted, "Good luck Vahn~! Beat it up good!!" Vahn, who had also started to rise with a serious look, nearly fell over after hearing her complacent and excited remark. Shaking his head and laughing a bit, Vahn started to release his domain and transformed into his Baihu form.

While Vahn was transforming, all the members of the Loki Familia showed somewhat surprised expressions on their faces. Tiona had sparkles in her eyes while Ais had a serious expression on her face. Riveria looks toward Gareth, who nodded in response before she turned to Finn. "He has grown much stronger since we met him last week. His aura and that transformation, everything about him had increased to an incredible extent."

As Riveria spoke, Finn showed an intrigued smile as Lefiya, Ais, and Tiona all seemed to agree with Riveria's assessment. The only person who didn't seem impressed was Bete, who was brooding off to the side as he watched the change in Vahn's form. He could also see Vahn's strength increasing by a surprising amount, but he wasn't impressed so he loudly snorted through his nose to dismiss the atmosphere. Tione and Tiona both looked at him with annoyed expressions while Ais's brow twitched slightly.

Vahn wasn't paying attention to the Loki Familia; His vision was completely focused on the expanding crack. He watched as it slowly increased in size as small shards of the nearly indestructible material began flaking off of the wall. Curious, Vahn scooped up a bit into his inventory to be analyzed by the system later.