Chapter 2309: Freedom
"It's done."
Though he still needed to supply the Nine Realms with the Gifts he had promised, Vahn promptly informed Vor and her sisters of his successful trial. A few of them had been lounging about in his room, not having sex or trying to service him, but watching animated movies together.
Hearing Vahn's statement, a faint but genuine smile developed across Vor's face as she softly remarked, "You would be the one to complete an impossible series of Trials in mere hours...now I feel like a fool for failing to entreat you sooner..."
Chiming in from her position at Vahn's side, Fenrir appended, "Everyone who opposes Master is a fool. It's good that you realized your mistake..."
Instead of taking offense to Fenrir's words, a rare chuckle emanated from Vor's throat. She could still vividly recall the incident that had taken place during Zao Shen's Immortal Banquet. Back then, she genuinely believed she could at least injure Vahn. With the benefit of hindsight, she couldn't deny she had been incredibly foolish.
After ruffling Fenrir's hair and whispering for her not to bully others, Vahn asked the question at the forefront of his mind, specifically, "What will you and your sisters do now? I imagine quite a few of you will join the Aldrnari Empire, even if I insist it isn't necessary..."
Nodding her head in affirmation, Vor stated, "I can't speak for the others, but I intend to pledge myself to you and the Aldrnari Empire. As base as this may sound, I consider myself one of the more fortunate women in the Little Garden to be able to share your bed. I'll not give up such a coveted position willfully..."
Exhaling a soft chuckle, Vahn did his best to ignore the looks the other Valkyries were giving him as he replied, "If that's what you want, you're free to stay as long as you'd like. Just keep in mind the Aldrnari Empire doesn't need servants or soldiers. If service or combat is what they seek, tell your sisters they are free to determine their own path from now on. If that happens to be a life outside of the Little Garden, I have the power to send them to virtually any world, even the ones we've spent the last day or so binging."
Hearing Vahn's remark, one of the twin scouts, Göll, perked up to ask, "Is that true?" in an audibly excited tone. They had been binge-watching an anime related to the Nasuverse known as Poetic Edda, a three-part series where the main character had allowed his Servant, the Rider Class Sigrun, to wish upon the Holy Grail. As a result, Yggdrasil, located on the Reverse Side, had been linked to the Surface. What followed was a destructive but visually stunning tale that pit Servants and Gods from across time against the seemingly unstoppable forces of the Nine Realms.
Seeing through Göll's intentions, the corners of Vahn's smile curled up as he nodded his head and replied, "Of course. I'm not exactly known for lies and deceit. Why? Is there a world you would like to visit...?"
Pointing toward the theater-sized display, Göll adopted an expression that was equal parts pouty and adorable as she insisted, "I want to go and teach those despicable mages a lesson! How dare they attempt to set fire to the World Tree...!"
"..."
Resisting the urge to point out that the Mages, at least those aiding the MC, were technically the good guys, Vahn just nodded his head and said, "I don't mind sending you over. However, it goes against my principles to allow people to run rampant without regard for the sanctity of life. If I do send you over, you would have an obligation to preserve and protect, not cause wanton destruction."
"Eeeeh..."
As she had been imagining herself blowing up places like London and the Clock Tower, Göll's face scrunched up when she heard Vahn's words. She understood why Vahn would have such policies, but many of the Mages who appeared in the series were both despicable and cowardly. Instead of fighting honorably, they enslaved Heroes and Gods to do their bidding. To make matters worse, they even employed blood magic to sacrifice the entire population of Nothern Europe in an attempt to burn down Yggdrasil, all while they actively avoided the frontlines.
Adopting a wry smile, Vahn supplanted, "I didn't say you couldn't kill, just not wantonly. If you want to intervene in the efforts of the Clock Tower or try to talk some sense into the rulers of Asgard, I don't mind sending you over. You just need to keep in mind that there are good and bad people on both sides."
"Mou..."
Unable to refute Vahn's words, Göll began drawing circles on the ground while her twin sister, Geirölul, pat her shoulder. The latter also wanted to punish the Mages of the Clock Tower, but she also understood that there wouldn't be a conflict if Sigrun hadn't wished for it. After being trapped on the Reverse Side for so long, there was no way the Nine Realms would sit on their hands and try to negotiate with the Surface...
Deciding to offer the girls some advice, Vahn suggested, "If you value my opinion, you should descend into a peaceful world without conflict. There is no shame in living a mundane life. It's remarkably therapeutic and helps you better understand the values of ordinary people."
Nodding her head in affirmation, Sis, while happily snuggling up against Vahn, appended, "Vahn's right. If you've never even tried to understand how ordinary people live, you've no right to pass judgment on them. You girls were born with remarkable power and a sense of purpose from the start. You could benefit greatly from starting over and living a life where you seek purpose rather than being given it. That's what allows humans and other 'lesser' creatures to readily change and adapt, a characteristic even the Gods envy."
Supplying a nod of his own, Vahn all but cemented the decision of a few Valkyries as he added, "I can make it so that your 'true' body remains in the Divine Realm. That way, you can reincarnate or transmigrate without having to feel as though you're trapped in a specific setting. Inversely, I can inhibit your memories and allow you to live completely ordinary lives. That would be the best way to get an unbiased perspective on what it's like to live amongst humans, beast people, or whatever race you choose to become. Now that you're free, the possibilities are endless, the paths available to you infinite. You just need to be brave enough to take the first step."
With a hint of authority naturally suffusing his words, Vahn sounded pretty convincing to the group of Valkyries that had spent their entire lives in the service of others. Many of them had been planning to relocate to the East and join the Aldrnari Empire, not because they felt obliged to repay Vahn's favor, but because they didn't know what else to do. Before today, notions such as what they would do if given the freedom to determine their future were little more than a passing fancy. Now, after thousands of years in the service of others, they were finally free to serve themselves...
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While the 'prime' version of himself was lazing about with Sis, Fenrir, and a handful of Valkyries, another version of Vahn had been demonstrating his craftsmanship in front of Odin, Muninn, and a small village's worth of Dwarven Forgemasters. He didn't want to reveal that he could essentially just snap his fingers to create high-ranking Gifts, so he was forging a few directly.
Seeing Vahn's skill with a hammer, a few of the Dwarves inexplicably had tears in their eyes. The Norse Pantheon was one of the few without a God of Forging/Crafting. Instead, it was the Dwarves of Nidavellir who forged their weapons and armaments, their skills so legendary that they were the reason so many fantasy settings had Dwarves among their core races.
Ignoring the 'passionate' gazes of several Elder Dwarves, Vahn continued hammering away while casually manipulating multiple Laws to ensure the quality and condition of the materials he was forging. At his current level, he didn't even need to swing a hammer as he could freely manipulate the internal structure of anything he touched. He simply enjoyed the feedback of striking metal to form virtually anything he could imagine.
Using a pair of tongs that glistened like the surface of the sun, Vahn held up what appeared to be a dark-purple crystal. In reality, he had spent the last hour or so condensing Space Laws into a physical stone. Odin already had a few powerful armaments he was accustomed to using, so many of the Gifts he had requested for himself were catalysts that would empower his present abilities.
Sensing the immense power contained within the stone, Vahn activated his Oblivion and began inscribing an intricate latticework of runes within its core. His actions drastically decreased the output of the stone, but it also made it much, much easier to control.
"And that makes five..."
Dipping the unimaginably hot stone into a quenching liquid comprised of Pure Yin Elemental Energy, a glistening layer resembling ice formed over the stone. The energy it produced gave it a surface temperature nearing infinity, so he utilized Pure Yin Elemental Energy as a stabilizing element. After that, it was a simple matter of naming the stone.
Holding up the 100 carat stone between his thumb and index finger, Vahn looked to Odin as he questioned, "What do you want to call this one? The Space Stone...?"
As the other four stones he had produced were called the Time, Fire, and Water Stones, Vahn wasn't too surprised when Odin nodded his head and said, "Space Stone will suffice."
Nodding his head, Vahn channeled his authority and intent as he held the stone in his palm and declared, "Henceforward, you shall be known as the Space Stone..."
Reacting to Vahn's words, a layer blacker than the void formed across the stone as a massive surge of energy attempted to explode outward. Due to the presence of Vahn, however, the stone simply appeared to shimmer for a moment as the layer, despite appearing paper-thin from the perspective of an observer, had a volume comparable to a solar system.
Sensing that the energy within the stone had stabilized, Vahn took a moment to confirm it was 'only' S-Rank before manipulating it to drift over to Odin as he explained, "Like the other stones, it's Soulbound, so, unless you willfully transfer ownership to another, the only person that can make use of its power is you. As for its abilities, it's virtually indestructible and allows you to produce a domain in which you have near-absolute control over the Space within. Beyond that, you can use it to manipulate gravity and, more notably, the space between atoms. I imagine you already have the power to change size, but the Space Stone will allow you to alter the size and mass of anything it touches."
Grabbing the Space Stone, Odin could sense the power contained within even through his gauntleted hand. When he heard Vahn's explanation, his singular eye glistened as he muttered, "Extraordinary..." in genuine marvel. Gifts related to Space and Time were among the rarest and most powerful in existence. Now that he had Gifts related to both, he could theoretically manipulate Space and Time within the territory of other Communities, not just the Nine Realms and Asgard...
Shaking his head, Odin summarily suppressed his notions of domination and conquest. So long as Vahn and the Aldrnari Empire were around, he would have to measure his actions and 'play fair.' After all, no matter how powerful Gifts like the Space and Time Stone were, they might as well be trinkets in front of the being that had casually created them...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is Rank 1 speedrunner xD...','He said the thing...!','Casually creating Infinity Stones....')