Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos-Chapter 2206: Awaiting the Climax

Sensing no trace of her opponent, a plume of steam escaped Caulifla's throat in the form of a sigh. At the same time, the silvery hue of her fur gave way for a bright, pinkish-red coat that continued to exude an intense amount of heat. Her instincts were telling her the danger had yet to pass, so, while the Super Saiyan Sage Transformation greedily consumed her mental and physical energies, Caulifla ignored the throbbing in her temples as she called over Kale and said, "You're up next. Make sure to give them hell."

"Nee-san…"

Seeing how exhausted Caulifla was, Kale reached up to the golden locket dangling from her neck. It was a gift forged by Vahn that had been gifted to her by her beloved Aneue. The interior displayed pictures of her and Caulifla, but, as Vahn was the one that brought them together, Kale allowed him to engrave his Familia Crest on the surface. She might never love him in the same way as her Aneue but Vahn was still the most important man in her life…

More importantly, the locket also served as a storage device.

Retrieving a glistening golden bean from the locket's storage space, Kale practically forced it into Caulifla's hand, saying, "Eat." in an uncharacteristically firm tone.

As she had no reason to refuse, Caulifla accepted the Avalon brand Senzu Bean. Instead of eating it, however, a teasing smile developed across her face as she said, "The muscles in my jaw are feeling kind of weak. Chew it up for me, mama bird."

Taking advantage of the fact Kale had opened her mouth to protest, Caulifla effortlessly flicked the golden senzu into her mouth. Then, despite an unnervingly ticklish sensation spreading across her skin, almost as though billions of eyes had spontaneously focused their intention on her, she linked her arms around Kale's neck and uttered a teasing, "Tweet tweet…" before opening her mouth and extending her dazzlingly red tongue…

Swallowing both the senzu bean and the knot in her throat, Kale hurriedly retrieved a replacement before linking her hands around Caulifla's exposed back and sealing her lips. Though the majority of people assumed she was a bashful and shy woman, the truth of the matter was that Kale simply felt it was a waste of time to speak with most people. She disliked pretenses and deceit, so, from a very young age, she had always gotten along better with animals than people. It was her Aneue's 'wildness' that had first attracted her, so, while others might be afraid to exhibit their affection in front of others, Kale didn't mind in the slightest. In her mind, humans, Saiyans, and even the Gods were just animals. Being roundabout with their desires was simply denying their true nature…

Feeling Kale's hand slip into her pants, firmly grasping her right buttocks, Caulifla's back promptly straightened as she used her tail to grasp the aggressive Saiyaness's wrist. She actually liked it when Kale was bold, but, as they were currently in the middle of a battlefield, she swallowed the remnant senzu bean in her throat, saying, "Save it for later. Right now, we still need to conquer this planet. If we're going to 'play', I'd rather do it atop a throne…"

Spurred by Caulifla's words, Kale's previously obsidian-black eyes gained a golden luster as she snapped her gaze toward the planet below. The silver band keeping her hair in a ponytail promptly gave way, but, instead of falling under the influence of gravity, her raven-black locks flared outward to form a number of spiky clumps as ruby-red fur began spreading across her body.

Though she was quiet and reserved at most times, Kale was quick to anger when things got in the way of her spending time with Caulifla. She couldn't have cared less about the planet a few minutes prior, but, now that the Community protecting it was prohibiting her from spending time with the person she loved, the only thing she wanted more than their destruction was her Aneue's affection.

With one hand wrapped around Caulifla's waist and the other pointed towards the planet below, a feral grimace developed across Kale's face as she ruthlessly muttered, "Extinction Beam…"

Starting off as a highly compressed, marble-sized ball of fiery green energy, the Ki in Kale's palm promptly erupted to form a veritable column of destruction more than three meters in diameter. This might not sound particularly impressive when she was capable of producing moon-sized balls of death, but, as her goal was creating a path to the core, not destroying the planet, Kale was doing her best to control the output as much as possible…

Sensing the amount of energy contained in Kale's single-handed ki blast, an inaudible sigh escaped Caulifla's throat. She would be lying if she said it didn't bother her how effortlessly Kale was able to exert her strength. Instead of complaining about it, however, she took advantage of their proximity to rest her head against Kale's pillowy breasts. This caused the output of the blast to spontaneously skyrocket, as, even compared to love, 'horniness' was an extraordinarily powerful motivator…

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. 𝐟re𝐞w𝐞𝒃𝓃𝒐𝐯𝚎𝒍.c૦𝚖

Staring at the spot where Kojiro had been standing moments prior, a pensive glimmer illuminated Musashi's eyes even as a trace of a smile adorned her face. Kojiro was simultaneously stronger and weaker than she had expected. This made her excited for the battles to come, but, at the same time, she couldn't help thinking her time would have been better-spent training in one of the Actualized Worlds…

"Well…no matter. I can always start a new journey once I settle things with Black. No way in hell I'm letting someone else parade themselves around as the 'original'…"

With that in mind, Musashi took a moment to make sure her red and blue bikini top was properly fastened before directing her attention towards the fortress-like building's entrance. She had half-expected someone to appear during her fight with Kojiro. Now that several minutes had passed, a small part of her was tempted to go and test her skills against Amaterasu…

"Hmm…nah…"

Deciding she would rather avoid a sunburn, Musashi reached her fingers into her cleavage before manifesting GÅ?enjin in its Shikai form. This was completely unnecessary, but, as she was going out of her way to put on a performance, a bit of fan service wouldn't hurt.

Though her original intention was to slice the entire fortress in half, Musashi promptly changed her mind when the Spirit of GÅ?enjin muttered, "You should dodge…" in a flat yet child-like voice.

Trusting her Zanpakuto Spirits completely, Musashi appeared to fade from existence as countless beams resembling golden lasers tore through the area where she had been standing. Amaterasu had been observing her since the moment she appeared in front of Kojiro. She wasn't particularly bothered by the latter's defeat. There were moments she didn't approve of, but, as the fight was ultimately a fair exchange, she was willing to let Musashi walk away. She wasn't, however, going to let her destroy one of Kotoamatsukami's teleportation nexi.

Appearing at the top of a cliff more than seventeen kilometers away, Musashi directed her gaze towards the fiery orb illuminating the sky, a faint smile on her face as she said, "Fine, fine. I'm not gonna break your toys. In exchange, I'd like you to pass along a message for me. Tell your Musashi I'll be here waiting for her. If she doesn't appear before the competitions' end, she only has herself to blame when people begin recognizing me as the True Musashi…"

In response to Musashi's words, the sun overhead briefly increased in luminosity. At a glance, many would have assumed it was preparing an attack. Instead, a much finer beam of light struck the area in front of Musashi's feet. When it faded away, a message stating that Musashi would appear within three days could be seen…

Reading the immaculately engraved kanji, the corners of Musashi's smile curled upward. Instead of calling Amaterasu out, however, she directed her gaze towards empty space and asked, "Hey, Vahn. Mind providing me with a lounge or something? Looks like I might be here for a while."

To the surprise of many a spectator, a fully furnished Japanese-style cottage promptly appeared a few meters away from the remarkably beautiful swordswoman. More importantly, at least from the perspective of Musashi, a low wooden table and an adjustable chaise lounged manifested near the cliff's edge. The former had numerous glass and ceramic containers arranged atop its surface, so, with glistening purple eyes and a massive grin on her face, Musashi directed her gaze into the void and asked, "Have I ever told you how much I love you…?"

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. 𝙛𝘳𝘦e𝓌e𝗯n𝗼ѵ𝙚l.𝒄𝚘𝑚

Seeing the various items appearing within her domain, the amused smile Amaterasu had adopted in response to Musashi's challenge gradually gave way for a far more serious expression. One of the first things she had done following the commencement of the Gift Game was spread her Divinity to cover the entire planet. She couldn't prevent people from trespassing via the teleportation nexi, but, for all intents and purposes, she had sealed the surrounding space and claimed it as an extension of her territory.

"How hateful…that man must have implemented some kind of bypass that allows him to exploit the teleportation network with impunity. He's treating this like some kind of game…"

Disregarding the irony of resenting others for treating a Gift Game as a game, Amaterasu began to rhythmically tap the tips of her nails against the metallic surface of her armrest. A growing part of her wanted nothing more than to manipulate the sun to crash into Vahn's planet. She couldn't even begin to describe the fury she experienced when Kenshin came to her with Vahn's words of caution. Thus, seeing the apparent disregard he showed for his own Gift Game, the amethyst purple color of her eyes gradually gave way for a fiery, progressively golden hue…

Inhaling a deep breath, Amaterasu took a moment to herself that another person's brazen behavior wasn't an excuse to disregard propriety. As the Leader of the Kotoamatsukami and one of the most famous Goddesses in all of creation, she needed to set the example for others to follow. Losing her cool was the same as giving a Poet ammunition to harm her reputation, so, despite the metal of her throne turning white-hot beneath her nails, Amaterasu did her best to appear calm and composed as she focused on the actions of Ahirani and her children. She doubted they would be successful in their endeavor, but, knowing Indra was on her side in this matter, Amaterasu was gradually able to restore her calm…

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Sensing a fiery intent attempting to bore a hole into his skull with the sheer intensity of its gaze, the corners of Vahn's amused smile curled upward. He could always tell when Amaterasu was observing him as she didn't even try to keep her presence concealed.

Ignoring said intent completely, Vahn continued to caress the heads and bodies of Fenrir, Mikoto, and Usalia. They had gone out of their way to return, so, before sending them off to continue their mission, Vahn elected to help them recharge. As a result, he ended up with Usalia nestling against the left side of his body while Fenrir and Mikoto snuggled up to him in their wolf pup and Pikachu forms.

Though the spectators might assume Vahn's primary responsibilities were protecting their planet and throne room, the truth of the matter was that he was here to support the girls. With the power he had obtained during his time in the Actualized World of Dragon Ball, showing off was as simple as breathing. Thus, while their penultimate goal was to secure the lowest possible Gate, the primary objective of everyone participating was to show off and make a name for themselves. Establishing a legend was of paramount importance within the Little Garden, so, for the sake of his family, friends, and loved ones, Vahn didn't mind acting as the girls' recharge station. After all, once he got serious, no forces currently at play could prevent him from annihilating every other planet with a thought…

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Caulifla knows how to push Kale's buttons (U w U)…','I was kind of hoping for some hot, MusashixMusashi action…','I can practically feel the stonks radiating off of him…')