Challenger

While the children were enjoying their first taste of 'another world', another version of Vahn slowly ascended a set of winding stone steps. There were massive red tori gates framing the entire path, giving any who ventured forth a feeling as though they were passing into another dimension.

If you didn't have an invitation, this peculiar path would lead anyone who ventured inward around in an endlessly looping circle. Even if you tried to backtrack, you would never find yourself back at the entrance, giving the sense of descending indefinitely.

Vahn actually found such 'gimmicks' kind of cool, as, if you bounced a ball down the path, it would eventually appear 'behind' you from above. This path was essentially the combination of a powerful illusion and looping multiple spatial points. If you knew the trick behind it, breaking free was actually relatively simple as you needed only find the boundaries of the loop, destroying the Tori responsible for ensnaring you in the first place.

Due to the peculiar laws and restrictions governing Yokai, even their most nefarious traps 'required' the inclusion of a failsafe, a means by which those trapped within could free themselves. They were unable to create truly inescapable traps, and, unless their 'victims' met certain conditions, even killing them was off-limits. Thus, so long as you had a proper understanding of the rules, dealing with the majority of Yokai was relatively simple. Rather, they treated their life as little more than a game, one where they took great pleasure in just messing around and enjoying life to the fullest...

After reaching the top of the path, Vahn found a familiar figure waiting for him at the entrance of an expansive palatial shrine. They were wearing an outfit reminiscent of a Shrine Maiden, but, instead of a full-length hakama, they wore a skirt that wouldn't even extend past their palms. In a way, this was even worse than Circe's original outfit, as, whenever she moved around, anyone with even a decent level of perception would be privy to quite the sight...

As he was already quite used to this, Vahn brought his hand to his chin in a thoughtful manner, his eyes shifting to gold for a brief moment as he commented, "Your skirt is .8 centimeters shorter than the last time I saw you. It seems you haven't given up, eh, Suzuka?"

Rather than show any sense of shame, Suzuka smiled mischievously, her fox-like ears twitching as she brought her finger to her lip and mused, "This little one has no idea what Ten'nō-sama is talking about? We are just a lowly handmaiden...how could we ever harbor any intentions~?"

Towards the end of her words, Suzuka gave a polite bow before taking a few steps back and turning around. This made her skirt appear even shorter, and, if not for her fox-like tail obstructing the view, it would have been possible to see a lot more than just Suzuka's slightly exposed butt cheeks. She seemed to be going all out this time around, as, when she walked, her tail would sway from side-to-side, almost hypnotically.

After dealing with other vulpine women, including Haruhime, Shizune, and Tamamo, Vahn was less affected by their trickery than most. He knew Suzuka was just trying to win his favor in an effort to improve her standing, as, after challenging Tamamo for supremacy, she ended up getting defeated pretty severely. This wasn't because Tamamo was stronger than her, quite the opposite, but due to the 'authority' possessed by the former. The duel had also forbidden the use of killing techniques, so, despite possessing enough skill to even rival Musashi, Suzuka was ultimately suppressed by the three-tailed Tamamo.

Though he couldn't deny it was tempting, as Suzuka was an incredibly beautiful woman, Vahn had a considerable amount of resistance to those who 'only' saw him as a way to increase their standing. If her feelings were more sincere, he probably would have pushed her down long ago. Instead, she still looked down on him quite a bit, believing he would ultimately relent to her charms. This hadn't won her any favors amongst the women in the Inner Sanctum, but, as she quickly realized the danger of opponents like Artoria, Suzuka set her sights on ruling over the Yokai District...

As Vahn was 'absentmindedly' following along, he noticed a very small fluctuation in the surrounding space. Immediately thereafter, a small statuette fell off a display stand, causing Suzuka's ears to perk up as if she were surprised. At the same time, her tail also raised in alert, exposing her relatively small yet perfectly sculpted butt. More noticeable, however, was the pristine, seemingly untouched mound that bisected the two immaculate cheeks, forming a 'perfect line' crested with a chrysanthemum.

Vahn raised his brow slightly at the sight, not simply due to the fact she was exposing herself to him, but because of how she picked up the statuette. Rather than squatting down, she elected to bend at the waist, presenting her exposed bottom and holding the position for several seconds. For a brief moment, she even sneaked a peek at him through her legs before waggling her butt slightly in an effort to entice him further...

Rather than push her down, Vahn had a sudden urge to smack Suzuka's backside. As a result, a light chuckle escaped his lips before he adopted a look similar to an Art Critic, saying, "Exquisite...almost like a pure, shaven, peach..."

While speaking, Vahn had started to approach Suzuka, causing her breath to quicken as she began to tense up in anticipation. Unfortunately, just as she was searching for the words to further entice him, she felt a surge of electricity run through her body, preempted by an impact and the sound of something hard striking flesh.

With her balance disrupted, Suzuka fell forward while exclaiming, "Eeei...!?" in a surprisingly girlish tone. Her hands instinctually moved to protect her butt from further abuse, nearly causing her to fall face-first only the hardwood floor. Fortunately, Vahn spared her this fate, but, rather than thank him, Suzuka had tears building up in her eyes as she shouted, "You brute! Even my father never spanked me before...!"

Hearing Suzuka's outburst, Vahn lightly rolled his eyes before remarking, "I'm not your father. I am your Emperor. Have you forgotten...?"

Though she could still feel her butt pulsing due to the pain, Suzuka's expression immediately shifted from a look of blame to a demure blush as she lowered her eyes and answered, "This little one could never forget her Master's, Ten'nō-sama's, greatness. If...if it pleases Ten'nō-sama, this little one would be happy to receive another punishment..."

Following her statement, Suzuka pulled up her skirt to reveal a red handprint on her left butt cheek. Then, with a heavy blush on her face, she clenched her teeth and closed her eyes in anticipation of her 'punishment'.

Seeing his handprint, Vahn felt a little guilty, so, after releasing a tired sigh, he lined his hand up with the mark, using [Hands of Nirvana] to heal it almost instantaneously. This caused Suzuka to open her eyes in confusion, finding her Master staring directly at her, exasperation visible in his countenance as he said, "Sorry...I got a little out of hand. For now, return to your room or attend to your duties. I know the way."

Finishing healing Suzuka's butt, Vahn let her stand normally as he walked past her without looking back. This left the vulpine woman staring at his back, her golden eyes glimmering thoughtfully even after he vanished around the corner. Then, with a small frown on her face, she rubbed her still tender butt before muttering, "Damnit. So close...!" as she turned away and retreated toward her room with uneven steps...

---

After escaping Suzuka's vulpine temptations, Vahn made his way towards one of the larger rooms at the back of the shrine. Then, after taking a breath to steady himself, he opened the sliding bamboo door to find an increasingly familiar sight waiting for him on the other side...

In the past, Tamamo had been exceptionally clingy, but, after spending time in the Menagerie, she mellowed out quite a bit. When he asked her to serve as a counterbalance for Shuten, she had gladly accepted the responsibility, establishing a sizeable territory for herself in a single evening. Afterward, she spent most of her time cooped up within her shrine, basically living the life of a 'shut-in'. Though she still took her duties very seriously, most matters were resolved by her Shikigami, beings similar in structure to the masked entities that had appeared in the Moon Cell.

With little to do, Tamamo spent most of her time holed up inside her room, either playing games, viewing his memories, or eating various sweets. She even had a Virtual World Terminal installed, so, half the time he visited, Vahn found her sleeping inside the protective capsule with a rather lascivious smile on her face. What made matters even worse was the fact that, by some twist of fate, she wasn't the only one who had given in to such a 'depraved' lifestyle...

Despite having already announced his presence, Vahn was left standing in the doorway with a wry smile on his face as he saw four figures engaged in an intense battle. Other than Tamamo giving a quick, "Ah, one moment!" none of the others even acknowledged his presence. This caused Vahn to release a small sigh as he pulled a plush beanbag-style chair out of his Inventory and plopped down.

While the battle between the four girls was certainly intense, it wasn't as if they were fighting in the real world. Rather, they were playing a game called Street Tournament 5, a fighting game that had been quite popular before The Fall. It had even developed an international following, coinciding in the development of a Championship Series to determine the best players from around the world...

If said 'best players' were to see the current scene, they would have been completely captivated by the sight of four world-class beauties. When their eyes eventually turned to the screen, however, any thoughts of trying to impress the four would fade away, replaced by sheer incredulity. After all, due to the nature of Heroic Spirits, playing the game 'normally' would be impossible. Instead, they were playing a version of the game that ran at 20x normal speed, rebalanced by Ark so that the characters had massive health pools and balanced hitboxes.

In order to withstand the inputs of Heroic Spirits, arcade controllers that qualified as B-Rank Artifacts had been developed. Anything weaker wouldn't be able to 'survive' a heated match, as, when things got tense, controllers were sometimes sent flying. There had even been an incident where Tamamo transformed into a giant fox after suffering defeat one-hundred times in a row, destroying half of her shrine before she was finally pacified. As for her opponent, it was none other than Tomoe Gozen, the Yokai woman who had, in the past, refused to live within the Yokai District.

A stark contrast to her proud and noble self from the past, the current Tomoe was wearing a loose white t-shirt, a partially unzipped black hoodie, and, of all things, black spats. She currently had an expression of intense focus as her hands dexterously manipulated the controls, their trajector nearly invisible to the naked eye. She had lost the countenance of a warrior committed to dying on the field of battle, instead, becoming a person who enjoyed experiencing hundreds of different lives through the characters in video games.

Seeing how much fun Tomoe was having, Vahn didn't really have much to say about her unexpected kinship, not with Tamamo, but the other two girls flanking her...

As had become a bad habit of his, Vahn turned his eyes to the two pert mounds covered in glossy black material. Tomoe wasn't the only one in the room wearing spats, as, to her left, laying on her stomach and creating quite the sight to behold, Altria could be seen absentmindedly eating pocky as her hands danced across her own controller. She had arrived in Avalon merely three weeks after the first conflict with the Heroes Faction, claiming it was 'too troublesome' to help clean up the mess in China.

Vahn had always felt a little guilty about bribing Altria to fight on the side of the Heroes Faction, so, when she began to randomly appear around Avalon, he had gone out to meet her. There, he came across an even more troublesome sight, as, by happenstance, the other Altria had been conducting some kind of field test in the area. As a result, the two near-identical women began fighting it out in the middle of the sea, their attacks sending shockwaves that caused minor damage to a few nearby fishing vessels.

After intervening in the fight, and mediating a very long discussion, Vahn agreed to let the taciturn glutton reside within Avalon. As a result, her counterpart, who now simply went by 'X', also decided she would stay, purported to 'keep watch and make sure Altria didn't do anything wicked'. This had caused Vahn a few headaches around the time, but, with Artoria having already 'dealt' with X prior to the incident, things had been 'relatively' calm.

Now, seated to the right of Tomoe, wearing a blue cap, blue windbreaker, and spats of her own, X could be seen furiously mashing the buttons of her controller. She had an extremely frustrated look on her face, her eyes tearing up slightly, as, on the screen, her character was being caught in what appeared to be an 'infinite combo' by Tomoe's. She was trying to break out of it by button mashing, but, with a look of absolute focus, Tomoe was able to maintain the combo without dropping it for even a moment.

With her character trapped in an inescapable combo, X tossed her controller with enough force to embed it in the ceiling, exclaiming, "This isn't fair at all! How are you able to do so much damage with a handicap!?"

Without a single change in her expression, Tomoe began engaging Tamamo's character while plainly answering, "You fought well. I am simply better at this game than you are."

Hearing Tomoe's response, X mussed her hair in frustration, knocking her cap off and exposing a full head of silky golden locks. Then, with an exasperated sigh, she fell backward, laying on the floor and only just then noticing Vahn seated behind them. Her mental faculties seemed to have shut down completely as her sapphire-blue eyes, still moist from her whining, quickly began to dry out due to her unblinking gaze...

Since the others were still focused on the game, Vahn lifted his hand in a greeting gesture, stating, "Yo." in a casual tone. This seemed to liberate her from the stupor she had found herself in, causing her to instinctually zip up her windbreaker as she adopted an awkward smile and asked, "How long have you been sitting there...?"

As X was still laying on the ground, looking 'up' at him, Vahn couldn't resist the urge to tease her, answering, "Since before you got wrecked by Tomoe's combo. What did I tell you about breaking controllers? You haven't even worked off your debt for the previous seventy...or was it eighty?"

Though the Empire had functionally inexhaustible resources, that didn't mean they could be used and squandered arbitrarily. Rather, most things were created with a specific purpose in mind, and, unless it was something you naturally produced, all materials and requests were handled by Ark. If you were unqualified to work with the materials requested, the would simply be denied to you. As for instances where people destroyed or damaged the goods they were supplied, there were various penalties, mostly resulting in the offender having to pay off their 'debt' by either assisting in research projects or performing manual labor.

Hearing Vahn's words, X's face paled slightly as her eyes began swimming around for some kind of excuse. Then, causing him to deadpan, she adopted an awkward smile before lowly unzipping the upper half of her windbreaker...

Causing X to nearly jump due to her surprise, a cold monotone echoed through the area as Altria, without even turning to look, commented, "Lewd..."

Now in a seated position, X had tears in her eyes as she glared towards Altria and said, "Don't call me lewd! Aren't you the one who behaves like a cat!?"

Due to X's distraction, Altria ended up suffering a swift defeat at the hands of the opportunistic Tomoe. This caused a very small change in her expression, her amber-eyes glimmering slightly as she pushed her controller forward and sat up. Then, seemingly egged on by X's words, she languidly crawled toward Vahn on her hands and knees, stopping just short to raise her hand like a cat's paw and dully intone, "Nyaaa..."

Since their appearances were very similar, albeit with variations to skin, hair, and eye color, X always took critical damage when she saw Altria behaving 'shamelessly'. This was further exacerbated by the fact that Vahn unhesitantly extended his hand, lightly caressing the underside of Altria's neck as he said, "Good kitty~."

With a victorious glimmer in her eyes, Altria made a 'v' sign with her fingers before taking things a step further by crawling forward and laying with her back against Vahn's lap. This wasn't the first time she had done something similar, so, without showing any real surprise, Vahn pulled out a few snacks from his inventory and began feeding her as if it was perfectly natural...

Seeing the shameless duo, X looked like she was on the verge of pulling out her Rhongomyniad and eliminating evil from the Universe. Before she could act, however, Tamamo suddenly shouted, "No! I can still aim for a reversal...!" just as her character was KO'd by Tomoe. This caused her to turn into a living statue for a brief moment, while, at the side, Tomoe just giggled before saying, "It was a good match. As expected of my greatest rival."

Though she was still deflated by her loss, Tamamo's ears perked up in response to Tomoe's comment about being her rival. This caused a small smile to develop across her face, but, rather than challenge the undefeated Oni to another match, she turned towards the sight of her Master coddling another woman. For a brief moment, a flame of envy began to burn in her chest, but, seeing her Master smile back at her, Tamamo's negative feelings melted away in an instant as she mused, "It seems a new challenger has appeared~."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Someone get this woman a drink...!','Bunch of degenerate gamers xD...','Some say Heaven is a place on Earth (UwU)...')

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