Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though it had started to get very cold during the evenings, the only people who were really affected by this were Catherine and Tristana. As for the two walking hand-in-hand under the light of the full moon, Vahn and Lakshmibai, they could wear light clothing even without Vahn using his domain to warm up the air around them. Lakshmibai, in particular, preferred to wear clothing that exposed her upper back, relying on her long sandy-white hair to protect her from the elements. When Vahn had asked about it, she explained that it was nothing more than personal preference as she enjoyed feeling the breeze against her back and shoulders. Since it gave her a unique appeal, especially with her healthy brown skin, borderline white hair, and pink irises, Vahn had no complaints whatsoever...

As they continued walking without any destination in mind, Lakshmibai seemed to muster up the courage to speak. She had been the one to hesitantly ask him to accompany her as, over the last few weeks within the Orb, their relationship had taken a few 'interesting' turns. This caused Lakshmibai to spend a lot of time reflecting after the fact as, for the time being, she simply had no other responsibilities. Though she would sometimes practice her marksmanship alongside Nobunaga, there was little she could do as a Heroic Spirit to increase her strength. Other than siphoning the energy contained within the Ego of living human beings, the only way she could reliably increase her strength was with Vahn's 'assistance' but this was ultimately just a temporary boost that would fade away with the passage of time.

After bringing Vahn to a stop, Lakshmibai looked up into his face and said, "I have been thinking about my place as of late. I lack the strength to protect you and, though I may be able to strike down some of your enemies, it is likely I would be a burden against any powerful foes..." Though she was by no means weak, having an average of forty times the Strength and Agility of other humans, it was hard to remain confident with monsters like Scáthach, Kenshin, Artoria, and Siegfried around. If there were subjects and personnel to manage, Lakshmibai knew she could be of assistance, as her enhanced [Charisma of the Rani] would be extremely useful, but that was a matter far in the future.

Adding on to her words, though not before taking Vahn's hands into her own, Lakshmibai smiled as she said, "I want a real body. Though I may be weak now, I believe I can become stronger if I make an effort. I do not believe this is the limit of my potential..." As she had a Goddess sealed inside of her, even if it was a Goddess of Misfortune, Lakshmibai believed she could become much stronger. Though it was very pleasant to continue living this peaceful lifestyle, especially when she and Vahn were alone together, Lakshmibai had been feeling an increasing amount of guilt since she was almost always on the receiving end. Even if she tried to be more proactive, Vahn's experience meant there was almost nothing she could do to surprise him, regardless of how embarrassing she thought her own actions were...

Hearing Lakshmibai's words, Vahn smiled affectionately, stroking the side of her face as he said, "I'll make the arrangements. When you're ready, I'll prepare a flesh and blood body for you to inhabit..." After the success of Irisviel, Vahn was confident he could use his modified Avatar creation technique to transfer Lakshmibai's fragmented soul into a body he produced from his own. Though it would be an uphill battle for her at first, Vahn was confident that Lakshmibai could use a cultivation method to increase the strength of her soul and unlock her potential. It was his theory that Heroic Spirits were only prevented from growing stronger as a result of their fragmented soul. It was for this reason that they got more powerful by consuming the energy contained within the Ego of humans as, though it didn't exactly strengthen their soul, it filled in the gaps to make their fragmented soul complete.

Having already prepared herself from the moment she learned that Irisviel's body had been created by Vahn, Lakshmibai nodded her head with a firm resolution in her eyes as she said, "I am ready. If I continue living without giving anything in return, I feel I may lose myself long before the battle with Angra Mainyu. Please, Master, grant me a real body..."

Though it was a bit awkward to meet her demands in the present moment, Vahn issued a wry smile while rubbing Lakshmibai's silky soft hair. After that, he brought her to a scenic area near the lake where, in the distant past, Merlin's student, the fairy Vivian, had granted Artoria Excalibur. There were small ruins located at the bottom of the lake which once served as Vivian's residence, now appearing much like a ruined castle-like shrine. Merlin had mentioned that Vivian was undoubtedly still alive but, as even powerful existences like the Knights of the Round Table and Morgan le Fay had been forced away by the Dragon's Breath, so too had she. Now, with the future being almost impossible to ascertain clearly, he was unable to locate her in the present time but assumed she had retreated somewhere near the bottom of the ocean to avoid having to interact with humanity...

After picking out an area, Vahn explained the process to Lakshmibai, including the fact that she would be formed of his own flesh and blood. Though this gave him no real power over her, it was important that she knew the various pros and cons of having a body created by him. As could be seen in Irisviel's case, her magic circuits were of a much higher quality than the ones she had in life while her Magecraft itself had become much stronger than before. Since her body was made of Source Energy, even though she had no means to make use of it, the mana conductivity of her circuits was inherently EX-Rank. She used a type of high-speed transmutation that allowed her to manipulate precious metals into extremely thin and flexible strings, a surprisingly effective means of attack and defense since she could make various golems and familiars in an instant. Vahn had given her a literal cubic meter of gold, as it was the easiest metal for her to shape, before watching her turn it into the shape of a bear. The most interesting part, for both him and Da Vinci, was the fact that the wire-golems she produced were capable of some basic autonomy based on the intentions of the user when they were created. It was by observing Irisviel's Alchemy that Da Vinci had gotten her idea for the various mechanical animals that now roamed all over the Island of Avalon...

Though her face had turned bright red at the thought that her body was going to be formed from Vahn's own, Lakshmibai didn't change her mind at the last minute. Instead, she wanted to witness the creation of her new form from start to finish, even though Vahn had advised her it could be a rather nauseating sight. Her reasons for wanting to witness this was Vahn's admission that he could change both the internal and external structure of her body, even altering her race if she wanted to try something new. Ultimately, Lakshmibai decided to remain human, at least for the time being, though she did give Vahn permission to alter her b.r.e.a.s.ts and butt to his preferences. This resulted in him honestly admitting that her body was already 'perfect', causing Lakshmibai's face to turn even redder, at least until she saw a version of herself pulling itself free from Vahn's back...

With a slightly pale face, Lakshmibai inspected her new body from the perspective of an outsider, finding the experience rather uncanny. There was a big difference between seeing yourself in a mirror and seeing a flesh and blood version of your own body from the outside. Lakshmibai felt embarrassed to see her own n.a.k.e.dness, something Vahn had taken note of as he covered her new body with a blanket before he went through the long process of setting up two magic formations. Since he didn't really need to use this technique to split his own soul anymore, as he had been able to do so by his own volition after reaching Tier 4, Vahn spent nearly an hour making sure there were no issues. Fortunately, even though it was fragmented, Lakshmibai also had a Tier 4 soul so, while she was a little weak in the present, Vahn knew she theoretically had more potential than even the current Kenshin...

Once the two magic formations were completed, Vahn had Lakshmibai lay down in the transfer circle while her new body was located within the receiving circle. Then, while holding her hand to assure her everything would be okay, Vahn activated the transfer. This was an extremely important moment as, if this method worked, he wouldn't even need something like a [Spirit Vessel]. So long as it was by their own will, there should be nothing preventing Lakshmibai's Heroic Spirit self from inhabiting his body as, with the nature of Source Energy, they should be perfectly compatible with each other.

Soon after the transfer had begun, Lakshmibai outright vanished from where she had been laying, much like when a Heroic Spirit would assume their immaterial spirit form. Then, the body he had prepared for her began to glow with a vibrant magical light as her eyes shot open and she took a gasping breath to fill her lungs for the first time. Lakshmibai's first impression of her new body was that it was very comfortable but, feeling this was too embarrassing to admit, she continued to cover herself with the blanket before trying to 'create' clothes with her magical power. Fortunately, just like Artoria, she was still able to use the skills and abilities granted to her by the Greater Grail. This made Lakshmibai feel a great deal of relief, not because she had been n.a.k.e.d in front of Vahn, but because she had grown fond of being able to change clothes on the fly...

Vahn had Lakshmibai perform some routine stretches, both as a means to ease her tensions and test out her new body. He observed from the side with an appreciative look in his eyes, something she was very aware of as her cheeks became progressively more ruddy. Then, after finishing with her stretches, Lakshmibai surprised him by sheepishly asking, "There is one thing I'm curious about...is this body technically considered a v.i.r.g.i.n...?" As she had felt strangely guilty about not being able to give her v.i.r.g.i.nity to Vahn, Lakshmibai wondered if he had 'modified' her body a bit when he created it. It wasn't that she had stopped caring about her past life but, now that she was alive in the present, Lakshmibai wanted to live in the moment instead of worrying about a past where she had already died...

Though he had admittedly considered it, Vahn shook his head in response to Lakshmibai's question, answering, "Other than giving you a set of magic circuits that should allow you to use a skill similar to [Mana Burst] in the future, I didn't change anything about your body. Since you want to try and awaken Alakshmi at some point, it was better that I left your body as it was..." As this surprisingly caused Lakshmibai's smile to turn somewhat melancholic, Vahn gave a wry smile before adding, "I already explained in the past that I can Modify the attributes of those who have pledged their loyalty to me. We have been together for over five months at this point so I have more than enough leeway to make you into a v.i.r.g.i.n if that is what you desire..."

Hearing Vahn's words, Lakshmibai's face became scarlet in an instant as, though she had certainly wanted it, at least a little bit, hearing him put it in such a way was extremely embarrassing. This, however, wasn't enough to stop her from placing her hand over her heart and stating, "Master...I want it..." Since their relationship had already developed to the point where she had recognized him as her 'true' Master, Lakshmibai knew how to appeal to Vahn, even if it made her heart feel like it was going to explode. When she saw his eyes widen and noticed him taking in a deep breath through his nose, it made her feel giddy with excitement, now more than ever before...

---

With Lakshmibai clearing the twenty-four-hour contention period without having any trouble, Vahn found himself being pestered by Da Vinci to produce a body for her personal study while Nobunaga, having been on the fence for the past few months, had also tracked him down soon after. She had been seriously contemplating her own 'death' before the summoning of Kenshin, all so that the 'real' her could be of assistance to Vahn, she was quick to ask for a body of her own. Vahn had already expected this so he spent the better part of four hours helping Nobunaga 'tweak' her new body in accordance with her own preferences.

Though this ultimately proved pointless, as her unique skill, [Demon King], was the source of her body changing shape and size, it still meant her 'default' state was now a far more mature version than it had been as a Heroic Spirit. Now, so long as she wasn't drained of mana, Nobunaga stood at a rather tall 180cm while her b.r.e.a.s.ts and butt were 88cm and 87cm respectively. It had been a little strange to watch her fondle herself to make sure everything 'felt' right but, so long as she was happy, Vahn didn't have any complaints. When she immediately wanted to 'stress test' her new body after the fact, Vahn had been a willing participant, ultimately proving to Nobunaga that it didn't matter what form she took when it was just the two of them together...

In this manner, the hot topic within the castle was the discussion of the bodies Vahn had produced as, in all instances, it was very apparent that the bodies Irisviel, Lakshmibai, and Nobunaga had received were far 'better' than normal. Not only were they incredibly resistant to most sicknesses and poisons, something Nobunaga had learned very quickly as it took her much longer than normal to get drunk, but even Irisviel only needed to sleep for 2-3 hours to make a full recovery. Their natural regeneration was much higher than normal and, by Vahn's own admission, there was a good chance they might not even age like normal people. Since their magic circuits could be shaped by him at the time of the body's creation, it became a matter worthy of consideration for almost everyone within the castle, especially Artoria and Astolfo.

Though the first person to try and come forward was none other than Tristana, as she was more than a little interested in having an eternally young body, Paracelsus had convinced her to stay as she was since he could easily grant such a request without her having to abandon her current body. This still served as the catalyst for Astolfo bringing Catherine by and, after a long discussion, Vahn ultimately made bodies for both of them. Though Catherine had already made a full recovery, and very likely wouldn't become part of their combat forces, it was still more comforting to her if she were able to have a body that never had to worry about disease and sickness. She had actually been considering the topic of children in the future, as she and Astolfo now had a far more intimate relationship, but was hesitant since she didn't want to burden her children with her hereditary illness.

As for Astolfo, he was surprisingly manly about the whole situation, not even hesitating to accept responsibility for Catherine's happiness. Though he did ask Vahn to 'tweak' a few things to make him look even cuter, this was something Catherine also allowed so he had no reason to refuse. By the time he was done, Astolfo's body was far more androgenous than before as, instead of the same muscle structure as a normal male, Vahn had modified some of his muscle groups to look distinctly feminine. Afterward, Astolfo could be found wearing even cuter clothes than before, taking full advantage of his modified figure as he and Catherine sometimes wore matching outfits...

The last person to come forward, though even Circe had joked around about gaining a new body, was Artoria. Much like Lakshmibai, she wanted to be able to increase her strength but, instead of simply keeping her current form, Artoria had asked him to give her a more mature appearance. As her actual age was closer to fifty years old, Artoria had become self-conscious about her appearance ever since the Fourth Holy Grail War when she became friends with Irisviel. Though it was useful to retain her youthful and somewhat boyish appearance when she was masquerading as a male, she now wanted to be a better mother for Mordred.

Unfortunately, though Vahn obliged her request, increasing her height from 154cm to 165cm while adjusting her bust and h.i.p.s sizes accordingly, Artoria's body actually reverted back to its fifteen-year-old appearance the moment the transfer was completed. It seemed that, so long as she had the Chrono-Displasia status, Artoria's form would always revert back to its 'default' appearance, much like Fenrir's. There was a silver lining, however, as Vahn did manage to help Artoria 'balance' out her appearance a bit by using his Modify function. Though she didn't have a lot of mass to work with, being only 42kg with a BWH ratio of 73/53/76, Vahn managed to adjust her sizes to 75/52/77 while softening up the appearance of her body. Regardless, this was still a very noticeable change from Artoria's perspective so she had gained enough confidence to wear a more lady-like dress around, at least until Mordred made an off-hand remark about her being weird...

Though Artoria seemed to have 'accepted' her fate of being perpetually youthful, Vahn followed up the incident by discussing the matter with Merlin. By his admission, the only thing keeping Artoria in her current form was the fact that she had bonded with the Holy Sword, Excalibur. If she relinquished its ownership and returned it to its proper resting ground at the bottom of the lake, the matter of her Chrono-Displasia would no longer be a concern. However, from that moment onward, Artoria would never be able to use Excalibur again while her fate as 'King Arthur' would cease to be a reality. Though this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, Merlin warned Vahn that it was a 'very dangerous' thing to have no fate, especially when your existence was essentially one of the anchors of the world.

Even though it was currently in Gray's possession, the Holy Spear Rhongomyniad was actually a part of Artoria. It was for this reason that Gray had to use Add to keep the spear sealed away as, without residing within Artoria, it would continually lose its mystery. If this happened, the boundary between the Surface World and the Reverse Side of the World would no longer exist, once again returning the world to the Age of Gods. This would functionally result in the end of the world, meaning it was very important to recover the Holy Spear at some point. The only thing that kept it from being an issue was the powerful fate surrounding Artoria and those that descended from the Line of Kings. Unless there was a force that could somehow sever fate entirely, the Holy Spear would ultimately return to Artoria's grasp in order to ensure the stability of the world...

From what Merlin had revealed, the only way to break Artoria's Chrono-Displasia was to essentially return the Holy Spear to her body while sealing Excalibur back in the lake to the west. Without the swords 'protection', however, Artoria would essentially become an existence closer to a Divine Spirit, undoubtedly gaining a more mature form but potentially losing parts of herself in the process. There was even a chance she would become a similar existence to Scáthach, burdened by knowledge and truth while her body, from that moment onward, would truly rival that of the gods. Excalibur actually worked as one of the seals on Artoria's power, serving as one of thirteen seals that kept the Holy Spear, Rhongomyniad, functioning as the anchor of the world.

This had all been rather surprising but, considering that Artoria had been 'fated' to one day lead the world towards prosperity on the brink of destruction, she would undoubtedly need such power. Even Avalon, which existed on the Reverse Side of the World, was supposed to one day exist on the surface. Essentially, by releasing the seals on her power, Artoria acted as the bridge between the Surface and Reverse Sides of the world. One day, she would unify the two and, much like how things were in Danmachi, the world would become a place where Mortals and Gods lived and worked alongside each other. This would explain why, compared to anyone else, the flow of fate around Artoria even made someone like Bell, the original protagonist of Danmachi, look relatively plain...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I want it...','RIP Nobu-chan','Poor Artoria. She just wanted to be a busty MILF to suffocate her daughter (T ^ T)...')

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