Sowhat unexpectedly, it took a little more than ten minutes for Alaya to finally finishing altering the structure of the cavern to contain one of the most intricate and complex magic circles Vahn had ever seen. It not only covered the floor, walls, and ceiling, but even took the position of the Welsh Dragon and the thirteen pillars of luminescent crystal into account, creating a secondary magic circle around its body that allowed its mana to naturally spread into the surroundings without interfering directly with the system. Vahn intended to study the makeup of this formation in great detail later on as, even if he couldn’t recreate it with his current comprehension, the future was without limit.
While Alaya was busy performing her task, rlin had co to stand next to Vahn and Artoria, asking, "Have you considered which Heroic Spirit’s would best suit your cause? With the nascent state of the Empire, it may be best to request the aid of a Heroic Spirit specializing in Innovation, Counter-Curses, or any who can bolster our forces in a short period of ti. I do not know the limit of the system created by Alaya...perhaps you will be able to summon as many Heroic Spirits as you want? Regardless, it is important you select individuals that will not disrupt the order you have yet to establish. I’m certain you can understand, my wise Sage Emperor, how so ’Heroic Spirits’ could be more troubleso than others..."
With the matter of Circe fresh on his mind, combined with the fact he hadn’t even liberated dusa from her Magic Core, Vahn nodded his head in understanding. After all, he could even potentially summon a Heroic Spirit as powerful as Gilgash, an existence that would greatly increase their power, assuming he could ever be reined in. Sotis, it was better to secure weaker Heroic Spirits with a lot of potential as, with the help of Paracelsus and Illya, Vahn was planning to allow them to incarnate in the present. With the ability to learn and grow, even midling Heroic Spirits would be able to greatly increase their strength by the ti Angra Mainyu manifested into the world. The only problems with this was, until he had a ans for them to stabilize their existence, Vahn didn’t have the OP reserves to sustain too many Heroic Spirits...
For better or worse, he could actually deal with most ’female’ Heroic Spirits as, compared to their male counterparts, their ability to take in and store mana within their bodies was far more efficient. Even Homunculi were predominately created as females as, with the way the Magic Circuits of the w.o.m.b interfaced with the rest of the body, it was possible to use the organ as a ’battery’, much like Circe. He didn’t even need to really have s.e.x with them directly as, with a bit of effort, Vahn knew he could be able to catalyze his blood or s.e.m.e.n before either having them implant it into their bodies or consuming it directly. He didn’t have to personally be involved in the process, even for ’gluttons’ like Scáthach...
After thinking for a while, Vahn was unable to co up with an answer as it was impossible to determine the gender, much less the true nature of a Heroic Spirit. Even so of the most famous male figures that existed in the Age of Man, King Arthur and Oda Nobunaga, both ended up being cute girls. If the Throne of Heroes allowed him to sohow call upon Gods, Phantasmal Species, and Anti-Heroes, there was a chance he would be able to reap so serious benefits. However, as even Artoria and Scáthach weren’t supposed to be embedded into the Throne of Heroes, as they had never died, Vahn was skeptical. It was unlikely he would be able to summon any Heroic Spirit that didn’t exist within his current ti axis unless Akasha had given him Administrative Access to the ’real’ Throne...
This was the problem with having Alaya create the system as, if he had taken upon himself to spend a few months forming one for himself, it might have been possible to ’exploit’ things quite a bit. It was still possible, and highly likely, that he would be able to modify and upgrade the system in the future but, at least for the ti being, Vahn didn’t know much about its capabilities. With that in mind, he decided to go with one of his previous intentions, turning to Artoria to ask, "If you had the option, is there anyone you would like to reunite with? We’re going to be fighting together for many years and, as much as I believe we can all get along together, I know it would make things easier if everyone had soone they knew from their own tiline here in the present." As Vahn had already talked to Nobunaga, Lakshmibai, and Artoria about their pasts, he knew all three girls had important people they would undoubtedly enjoy reconnecting with...
Unexpectedly finding herself put on the spot, Artoria was slightly startled since she had still been in the middle of processing everything rlin had said. If not for the fact her Round Table had been torn apart by civil war and strife, she was tempted to throw out the nas of almost any of her forr companions. At the sa ti, however, Artoria felt like it would make things awkward within the castle if she summoned her most loyal Knights, only to have them bend the knee to another. She was no longer the King and, knowing what so of her Knights thought about her toward the end of their lives, Artoria wasn’t confident they would be happy to be called upon her in such a selfish manner. The only ones she knew would answer the call willingly were Galahad and her niece, Gareth...
Rembering how Lancelot had crushed the skull of her innocent and honorable niece, Artoria felt a twinge of pain within her heart. Though she had already pardoned Lancelot for his cris, resulting in the collapse of the Round Table, the mory of watching her kin unceremoniously slaughtered was not sothing that could be forgotten easily. Since she never had the chance to live a full life, Artoria was tempted to ask Vahn to bring Gareth to her side as, with the exception of Galahad, she was soone that would greatly benefit their cause. At the sa ti, however, Artoria felt a little anxious as she was afraid that Gareth would fall to Vahn’s ’wiles’, just as she had...
Seeing Artoria in deep thought, Vahn smiled thoughtfully before asking, "How about we call upon Mordred? It wouldn’t be easy, but I’m certain the both of you would beco much stronger people if you can set aside your differences and beco a real parent and child. If you can make up with her, summoning the other Knights of the Round shouldn’t be all that difficult. When I have a better understanding of how the system works, we may even be able to summon groups at a ti, trying to balance things out to avoid any major issues...hmmm..." Vahn knew it wasn’t going to be easy to keep the ’balance’ while the majority of individuals in his organization were Heroic Spirits. Though ’Knights’ were a little easier to deal with, as their sense of duty made it almost impossible for them to turn their back on a world facing destruction, even they had their issues...
Recalling the conversation she had with Vahn in the past, Artoria furrowed her brows slightly since, as much as she would like to co to an accord with Mordred, it didn’t seem like the ti or place to do so. Before she could make a decision on the matter, rlin rubbed his chin with an amused smile on his face as he remarked, "That may not be such a bad idea....yes, the existence of Mordred is sothing unique, even amongst Homunculi. She was the product of powerful Magecraft and a forbidden tryst, born into this world through deceit and wicked enchantnts..." Though he was going to say more, rlin saw the razor-sharp glare that Artoria was giving him, ultimately causing him to change the subject slightly, adding, "If give powerful parental figures and guided onto a more righteous path, I believe Mordred could beco a powerful ally. The main source of her rebellious nature is due to her small age and the fact she was manipulated by others...you would not fault a child for wanting their father’s attention, would you...?"
Artoria’s face ford into a frown when she heard rlin’s words, causing her to retort, "A child should have never been given power and authority in the first place. I understand there was more going on than I was made aware...perhaps you will actually explain things to now that I am no longer a King bound by fate...?" Since rlin had kept many things from her in life, Artoria felt very frustrated since he seed to know ’everything’ that was happening behind the scenes. She didn’t bla him for her failures as a King but being kept in the dark, even now, wasn’t sothing that sat well with her.
With an understanding nod, rlin surprised Artoria by saying, "Of course, my dear Artoria...now that you have set upon this path, it is only right that I reveal to you the matters of the past. However, I will only do so when you have truly started walking toward the future...one day, I hope you will be able to truly overco the burdens of the past. After all, isn’t that your own conviction as well...?" It had only been a few minutes ago that Vahn made his bold claims about the only important matters being the present and how they shape the future. Artoria had seed resolute when she heard this but, as she was ought to do, it didn’t take long before she let her apprehensions and failure co back to the surface. It was because of this that rlin felt it was actually a good idea to summon Mordred as the thing he desired more than anything right now was to see Artoria forged a path beyond the fate that had been decided for her...
Amidst the awkward silence following rlin’s question, Alaya broke from her pose, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room as she hovered over to Vahn’s side and said, "It is complete." At the sa ti, she pulled out a hexagonal key with thousands of shifting runes on its surface, handing it over to Vahn before explaining, "You are the only person who can activate the system to interface with the Throne of Heroes. Any attempt by others to do so will result in imdiate destruction so please keep that in mind, Master." With that said, Alaya turned her eyes towards Vahn’s neck as if she were waiting for permission. This elicited a wry smile from Vahn as he asked, "How do I use the system...?"
Turning her violet eyes to et his gaze, Alaya plainly stated, "You put in the key..." in a cold monotone. Fortunately, she also pointed towards a section of the massive magic circle where a small hexagonal outline existed within a nine-tiered magic circle, sothing that would require a person to be very near the peak of Tier 5 to even produce. Vahn realized he could have intuited where the key needed to be inserted without asking but, choosing to ignore the matter, he just gave a small nod in response to Alaya, saying, "Thank you..." Following this, she latched onto his neck once again, causing a small pinching feeling that was almost imdiately followed by a steady flow of warmth into his body.
Holding the strange purple key in hand, Vahn looked at Artoria and said, "Though you are already an amazing woman, I believe you can beco even more so in the future. So long as you continue to strive towards a better future, it will eventually co to pass...ultimately, the decision is yours to make, Artoria. You will have my support, regardless of the path you wish to walk..." Though he was trying to give Artoria a small push, his words didn’t seem to be as impactful as intended. Artoria gave a tired sigh in response before surprising Vahn as she asked, "What will you do when Mordred tries to make a move on you? That girl has a strong personality and cannot be controlled so easily. I do not believe we can’t reconcile but, until then, I know she will continue to pester you just to spite ..."
Vahn was slightly taken aback by Artoria’s words but, even more unexpectedly, rlin ca to his aid, pointing out, "Mordred should be easier to deal with than you imagine. If you want to avoid her taking such actions, you need only have Scáthach revert her physical body to match her age. Placing a temporary seal on her power, making it so that she can only use it under certain conditions, is also a relatively easy feat to perform. Are you intending to convince that you can’t deal with a child that just wants her father’s attention...? Perhaps that necessitates the summoning of Mordred even more...hmm, like father, like son...?" Though she was on following along with rlin’s words at first, Artoria flinched when he added the last ’unnecessary’ remark. She knew he was implying that she was just as immature as Mordred...
Finding so truth in rlin’s words, Vahn nodded his head before placing his hand on Artoria’s shoulder and saying, "It will be fine. You have anywhere between ten and seventy years to make ands with each other. Don’t forget that I will be there to help you as well..." Toward the end of his words, Vahn moved his hand to gently stroke Artoria’s chin with an affectionate smile on his face. This caused Artoria’s expression to turn complicated until, in a surprisingly adorable manner, she eventually stamped her feet a few tis before shouting, "Fine then...! I’ll do it, okay!?" Since she said these words with a red face and slightly teary eyes, both Vahn and rlin looked at Artoria like she were an adorable and rare creature. This caused her to cross her arms in a huff before saying, "Get on with it...the others are probably waiting for us to return..."
Though he was tempted to ask if she needed ti to collect herself, so as not to present an embarrassing sight to Mordred, Vahn figured this might actually be a good thing. With that in mind, he walked over to the hexagonal gap in the magic circle before placing the key into a small slot that was almost perfectly flush with the key’s outline. This caused the entire formation to flash with a brilliant blue light before, in the next mont, Vahn found himself alone in a bluish-black space once again. Even Alaya was no longer present on his shoulder, alerting Vahn to the fact that he had likely been removed from the ti axis, at least temporarily. This ant that, no matter how much ti he spent in this space, no ti would pass back in the real world...
With no tutorial to explain what he ought to do, Vahn made his way towards the only landmark in the space, a massive sphere that was hovering in the void above. Beneath it, there were a few black pillars that ca up to around chest level, each appearing like a computer terminal of sorts. Though others might not be able to read the information flashing across the surfaces, Vahn had no such handicap. Following the instructions on the main panel, Vahn placed his palm against the smooth ’stone’ surface before feeling his hand sink into the material slightly. A complex network of what appeared to be magic circuits extended outward from his hand like a pulse before, monts later, a synthetic voice echoed, "Authorized Access by Entity Classification: Type Oga. Please input the paraters and restrictions of your summoning."
After the voice sounded out, Vahn noticed the panels in front of him restructure themselves to show a nurical value at the top of the screen while a seemingly infinite list of options populated the panels to the left and right. The left side showed modifiable paraters, aning he could alter the base paraters of the summoned Heroic Spirit in exchange for reducing the nurical value at the top. On the right side, there were various skills and abilities listed, things Vahn understood to be ’restrictions’ since they would be the only abilities usable by the summoned Heroic Spirit. The only exception would be their unique Noble Phantasms and any skills derived from their Innates. It even seed possible to give skills and abilities belonging to a specific Class to any other Class, even though this caused the number at the top of the screen to steeply decline...
Since he seed to have a limitless amount of ti, Vahn continued scrolling through all the options without even turning his attention to the list of Heroic Spirits just yet. He had tried speaking with the voice to ask for assistance but the only thing he got in response was absolute silence. As a result, Vahn had to sort through the list manually, looking for a specific function that he hoped existed within the endless stream of options. Fortunately, after what felt like ten hours, Vahn saw an option that was functionally similar to what he had in mind, simply listed as ’Transmigrator’. Clicking on the ability, Vahn’s face warped into an excited smile since this was ’exactly’ what he had hoped for...
Though the Throne of Heroes was understood as being a chanism to record the feats of Heroic Spirits throughout history, Vahn knew it wasn’t as simple as the Magus Community believed it to be. The fact that the Greater Grail had been able to summon Anti-Heroes, Gods, and even ’living’ beings showed that it was a far more complex system than what was currently understood. The fact there was a [Transmigrator] skill at all was the only proof Vahn needed as, after clicking on its description, the skill ate the entire value listed at the top of the screen. In exchange, at least according to the skill’s description, it would literally pull the living person from their tiline, aning they would not be a fragnted soul and would have all their potential and abilities returned to them...
Vahn had been a little worried that the Throne of Heroes would only be able to transplant the Ego onto a vessel, aning it would, at best, be a ’copy’ of a previously existing person. The soul was not sothing that could be transplanted easily, sothing Vahn had been concerned about since the present Nobunaga, Lakshmibai, and Astolfo were all fragnted souls. Though Vahn knew it was possible to ’strengthen’ their current fragnt to the point it beca a complete soul, he couldn’t help worrying about them. If they suddenly lost their lives, even summoning them a second ti would only give him another copy, not the sa versions he had co to care about...
Shaking his head to clear negative thoughts, Vahn began to peruse the list of Heroic Spirits before only just now realizing there was a small ’space’ at the side that he could use to filter results. Since he had only used a computer a few tis, Vahn wasn’t that savvy when it ca to handling systems other than his own. Even then, he was incredibly reliant on Sis’ help to manage most functions so Vahn didn’t let it bother him too much that he had missed sothing as simple as a search box. When he saw there were actually several Mordred’s listed, however, Vahn’s face ford into a small frown before he changed the search parater to ’Artoria Pendragon’ this ti.
Though Artoria wasn’t supposed to be inscribed on the Throne of Heroes, this didn’t seem to matter at all as he got a massive list of results after inputting her na into the search box. Following this, Vahn input the nas of rlin, Scáthach, and even Ishtar. Every ti he inputs a na, Vahn would get a variable list of results, the fewest ’hit’s being when he searched for rlin’s na. Ishtar had even more results that Artoria, allowing Vahn to understand that the Throne of Heroes didn’t just record the feats of Heroes but more so served as a repository for every entity that had lived within the Root. There was an Ishtar for pretty much every tiline present within the system, as she was part of the natural order during the Age of Gods, while existences like Artoria only appeared in a few tilines. For being like Scáthach and rlin, who were isolated from the ti axis, they only appeared a few tis since they were on a level that even distinguished them from the Gods...
Releasing a heavy sigh, Vahn then proceeded to rub his temples to ease the tension headache that was threatening to overwhelm him. Though he had known there were functionally infinite tilines, many only having small differences from their parallel counterparts, it was still a bit overwhelming to see the nas of people he cared about listed billions of tis. With this information, Vahn knew it would even be possible to ’extract’ several Artoria’s from their tilines, having functionally identical versions of the sa person, each with their own unique souls but nearly identical mories. They would even have their own [Excalibur]s, an item that was only supposed to exist as a singularity of sorts within their respective tilines...
Realizing that he had undoubtedly been given access to the ’real’ Throne of Heroes, Vahn had to spend a few hours just sorting through his thoughts. After all, if he truly wanted to ’guarantee’ victory against Angra Mainyu, it wasn’t impossible to just mass summon the sa powerful Heroic Spirit, pulling them from their respective tilines to aid him in his own. If he didn’t want to have them transmigrate, Vahn could be content with knowing that their Ego was enough for the ti being as, with a bit of effort, he knew their souls would be complete. This would make them a ’unique’ existence, one which would undoubtedly appear on the Throne of Heroes from the very mont they obtained a complete soul...
After sitting with his back against the cold stone for an indeterminant amount of ti, Vahn once again released a heavy sigh before rising to his feet. He knew things like this would be ’normal’ for him when he had enough power to regulate his own Records. Still, it was a difficult reality to face at his current Tier since the concepts at play were simply beyond his ability to fully comprehend. With this being the case, Vahn input Mordred’s na again before adding extra search paraters to try and limit the variance down to the original Mordred hailing from Artoria’s tiline. This, however, still gave him several tens of thousands of options, each having nearly the exact sa description, skills, abilities, and base paraters. Since he didn’t know the Space-Ti coordinates of his own tiline, Vahn had no way of guaranteeing the Mordred he summoned was the one hailing from his tiline. Though it might not matter in the grand sche of things, as they would have the exact sa mories, Vahn felt incredibly perturbed justifying things in such a manner. After all, this would be the sa as him believing a ’copy’ of one of his lovers, so long as they had the sa thoughts and mories, was the ’sa’ as the original...
Though there was a fair chance she couldn’t answer him while he was in the Throne of Heroes, Vahn turned his head towards the void and shouted, "Akasha! I only want to summon the Modred from my current tiline! I will exchange unique thods to strengthen the soul if you and your superiors allow to designate specific individuals within the Throne of Heroes...!" Since Vahn assud one of the main research subjects of Termina Nasu was the strengthening of the soul, he didn’t imagine they would be able to refuse. Any random cultivation thod he purchased from the system shop would suffice to allow them to start a completely new experint that had fundantally no impact on things within the Root. Since they had lived for an incomprehensibly long period of ti already, Vahn didn’t imagine they would be able to reach Tier 6 so easily, regardless of the techniques he gave them...
Only a few seconds after his spontaneous shout, a complex pulse of runes flashed across the ground before the body of Akasha ca into existence from the bluish-black ’stone’ below. She wasted no ti in answering, "Your terms have been accepted. If your words are true, giving you higher access rights to the Throne of Heroes can be imdiately approved."
With a nod, Vahn spent 500,000,000OP to purchase one of the known Cultivation Techniques that had been referenced in so of the doc.u.nts he had perused during his research. It was known as the [Nine Yang Dragon] cultivation thod, allowing normal humans to train their souls to the level of Gods and obtain immortal souls. Though such things weren’t impossible within the Nasuverse, it was usually due to the ’fate’ certain individuals had been assigned, not because of their own efforts. A Record could never grow beyond its designated limit until sothing like Vahn entered within, irreversibly ’breaking’ everything by his and The Path’s existence...
Akasha didn’t even move from where she was standing, teleporting the scroll Vahn had produced directly into her hand before an incalculable number of runes flashed across her eyes. This process took much longer than Vahn expected, making him feel sowhat nervous, but Akasha eventually nodded her head before ’tossing’ the scroll into the void. Following this, she plainly stated, "The Throne of Heroes has been altered to allow for greater ease of access. You will not have any issues with designating specific tilines any further. Are there any other arrangents you would like to make?"
Shaking his head, Vahn gave a wry smile before explaining, "Producing that scroll actually took up a fifth of my total reserves. They are a little more complicated to manufacture than other items due to the complexity and significance of their existence..." Though Vahn had been intending to provide a bit of information for potential future benefits, Akasha caused his words to trail as she created a small transparent golden cube before levitating it toward him and saying, "This is an enriched cube of pure Divine Energy. According to our data, it will allow you to replenish your reserves to the point they had been at upon entering into the Root. My Superiors expected great things from you, Type Oga." With that said, Akasha sunk into the ground once again since she had determined that Vahn had nothing else to request...
Choosing to keep the [Divine Energy Cube] instead of cannibalizing it for OP, Vahn placed it into his Inventory with a straight face before turning his attention back to the stones panels beneath the Throne of Heroes. There was now an extra parater listed next to each of the listed Mordred, appearing similar to a serial number that was sixty digits long. At the top of the screen, he could see a similar number listed within the main interface, allowing Vahn to select the matching Mordred, implying that she should be the one he was looking for. It was possible that Akasha was trying to fool him but, taking into account how long they had lived, Vahn didn’t even know if they were capable of trying to deceive people. Deceit was sothing that short-lived entities used to gain temporary benefits, not sothing that external existences that made Ouranos look like a child would rely on...
Deciding it would only lead to a negative train of thought if he chose to believe Akasha and her Superiors were playing him, Vahn set the matter aside as he selected Mordred’s na and the [Transmigrator] skill. Though she would probably be a little ’difficult’ to deal with, the explanation for the Throne’s use detailed that the summoned entity had compulsory loyalty towards the summoner. Even though he wasn’t intending to host sothing like a Holy Grail War, Mordred would still fall under the classification of a Saber-Class Servant according to the paraters defined by the Throne of Heroes itself. This implied that he would be able to view her mories, and vice versa, while his Command Spells would be able to prevent her from going berserk and trying to kill Artoria...
With his mind made up, Vahn pressed his palm against the panel once again to confirm his decision, an action that imdiately caused his surroundings to change as the nine-tiered magic circle around his body began to glow with an even more intense light...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’He should have summoned Solomon or Galahad, tbh...’,’Poor Artoria, getting forced to face her past traumas directly xD...’,’Vahn is literally exploiting reality at this point...’,’ga Chapter Madness’)
(A/N: I’m not sure what the heck is wrong with these days, but they actually changed the main webpage to filter out any non-standard/non-premium content from the power rankings. Even though EPIC is ranked 6 in popularity, it doesn’t show up on the lists at all. You have to scroll past 154 other premium titles, translations, and originals to even find it right now. Though the phone app still shows it in the rankings, that is super busted right now because they are constantly changing things. In other words, they are crippling fanfiction and making them more obscure than ever, all to give more exposure to their cash cows...)
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