Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Seeing the familiar fluffy ears, most of Anak's tensions immediately faded away as she complained, "That man was my prey..."

Smiling back at the pouting Princess, Gandr reached into the pocket of his parka before pulling out an acorn-like pendant and tossing it over as he explained, "This is just a puppet. Though my attacks should have caused substantial damage to his Soul, it shouldn't be enough to kill him. Now that we know his identity, you will have plenty of chances to get revenge in the future. Before that, focus on becoming stronger. Even with his powers severely restricted, your chances of defeating this monster were less than 1%."

Though she appeared visibly relieved after receiving the pendant, her eyes moistening a little, that didn't stop Anak from 'glaring' back at Gandr when she heard his words. Even if they were the truth, hearing about her own weakness was never pleasant. Thus, after donning the pendant around her neck, she half-turned away before saying, "I will become stronger...much stronger than everyone in this Tower...even you...hmph!"

With her words complete, Anak was intending to continue chasing after Endorsi. Before she could take so much as a single step, however, a figure appeared to block her path, Gandr smiling wryly as he held his hands up placatingly and said, "You should return to where Shibisu and the others are. I dealt with the Bull before coming here, so Endorsi should be on her way back by now. I don't mind if you want to go to her, but the others could use your help completing the Test. Things are starting to get interesting back in the valley."

Hearing that Gandr had already dealt with the Bull, a dissatisfied frown quickly developed across Anak's face. She wanted to fight against something strong to release her building frustrations, so, even if she understood Gandr was just trying to help, she couldn't help feeling annoyed. She didn't like how much stronger he was compared to everyone else, herself included. It made her feel like he was trying to babysit her, a notion that filled her with a mixture of indignation and several harder to describe emotions...

---Several Minutes Prior---

Shortly after separating from Anak and Shibisu, an annoyed expression could be seen on Endorsi's face as she darted around the pitch-black cave with only a single Observer helping to light the way. Unfortunately, much like everything else available in the commissary, it was only an F-Rank item. As a result, it could barely illuminate more than a few meters around her, brightly lighting up things in her immediate vicinity but making it impossible to see anything further due to the stark contrast between light and shadow.

Releasing a frustrated groan, Endorsi perched herself atop one of the many stalagmites protruding from the abyssal waters below. She had the sinking suspicion that for a while now, she was being lured into a trap. The Bull had been erratic yet easy to predict when she first gave chase, but, almost immediately after she had separated from the others, everything from its movements to its general aura had changed drastically. At one point, it even completely disappeared from her perception, it's Shinsu seemingly blending into the surrounding environment as it melted into the shadowy waters below...

Despite the precariousness of her situation, Endorsi was able to remain largely unflustered. In fact, she was more annoyed than scared, as, due to the density of Shinsu on the 2nd Floor, there were very few Shinheuh that could pose a legitimate threat to her. This also applied to Shinheuh brought into the lower Floors by high-ranking Animas, the unique Position associated with those who either bred or tamed the various creatures within the Tower. After all, if someone could just bring down a Shinheuh from the 100th Floor and beyond, the balance of the Tower would have been destroyed a very long time ago.

Confident that she could kill anything bound by the restrictions of the Floor, Endorsi strained her senses to their limits, instinctually channeling Shinsu into her eyes and ears in order to expand her field of perception. This caused her already ghostly golden eyes to shimmer like flames within the darkness, a rather eerie yet captivating sight for those equipped to witness it directly...

Hearing the sound of disturbed water just a few dozen meters from her current position, Endorsi's Reel Inventory appeared next to her in an instant, propelling a ruby red hook through the darkness in an attempt to fish out whatever had broken the water's surface. Unfortunately, at that exact same moment, the Bull, now appearing nearly 10m tall, appeared right behind her. It had simply tossed a stone through the darkness, diverting her attention just long enough to produce an easily exploited gap in her senses.

With goosebumps immediately spreading across her entire body, Endorsi attempted to leap from her perch before she had even identified the danger. Her instincts were screaming at her to escape, so, at the very least, she needed to secure a better vantage point.

Despite her explosive leap shattering the stalagmite she had been standing upon, Endorsi's forward momentum was completely arrested as a slimy black tentacle snaked around her body in an instant. She didn't even have enough time to complain about how revolting it felt before the air was forced from her lungs, an event that was punctuated by the sound of a sickening crack. Two of her ribs had almost instantaneously broken, and, though she attempted to break free, Endorsi felt her body was being constricted by reinforced steel bindings.

With a trickle of blood running from her left nostril, Endorsi finally began to panic, not because she was afraid of dying, but because the Bull had leaped towards the abyssal waters below. She 'really' didn't want to get wet, and, though she wasn't particularly afraid of death, Endorsi would rather not drown. As a result, she channeled as much Shinsu into her body as she could manage, but, despite her best efforts, she wasn't able to weaken the Bull's hold in the slightest.

Fortunately, just as Endorsi was screaming expletives at the Shinheuh within her mind, a feeling of weightlessness enveloped her body as the force constricting her promptly relaxed. As a result, she ended up screaming, "You fishy piece of shit...!" at the exact moment a shadowy figure caught her falling body in a princess carry.

Though he wasn't too surprised by the Princess' outburst, Gandr still winced in response to the shrill noise entering his ears. Then, before she could continue her tirade, he stated in a voice that seemed like the call of death itself, plainly stating, "If you keep yelling, I'm going to toss you into the lake."

Hearing the familiar yet ghostly voice, most of Endorsi's tensions relaxed in an instant. Immediately after that, a relieved sigh escaped her lips as she quietly complained, "Don't make a habit of arriving at the last moment, Mr. Hero..."

Chuckling lightly in response to Endorsi's 'complaint', Gandr set the woman down on a dry section of stone before replying, "You're not exactly a damsel in distress. If it hadn't caught you by surprise, I'm certain the Bull would be the one getting bullied right now..."

Even if she knew his words were just pandering, Endorsi still giggled in response to Gand's remark, ignoring the pain radiating from her ribs as she mused, "You're not wrong. This time, however, I'll be gracious and allow you the opportunity to play the part of rescuing the Princess...be grateful..."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Gandr turned his back to allow Endorsi the chance to grimace in pain, answering, "Guess it's my lucky day..." before jumping to meet the enranged Bull...

---

Having refused to return to the rest of the group, Anak was currently following behind the cloaked Gandr as he led the way to Endorsi's location. It wasn't that she didn't trust the boy, far from it, but, for a number of reasons, Anak could only believe what she had seen with her own eyes. As a result, both she and Endorsi became privy to one of Gandr's 'secrets', surprise visible in their countenances when there were suddenly two identical hooded figures in the same location.

Understanding what the girls wanted to ask, Gandr concealed the truth by performing a half-ram seal with his right hand and stating, "Release...!". As a result, his 'clone' erupted into a large plume of smoke, quickly dispersing as he explained, "My duties sometimes require me to protect multiple targets at once so my Master taught me a simple cloning technique. They aren't very durable, but, thanks to my ability to become immaterial, they are more than enough to deal with most enemies."

As cloning techniques weren't actually that rare, especially in the upper floors of the Tower, Endorsi was easily convinced by Gandr's explanation. Anak, however, always felt uneasy whenever someone was lying to her. She didn't call him out on it, but, for a very brief moment, a very potent pout could be seen marring her otherwise adorable face.

Though he noticed Anak's reaction, Gandr didn't attempt to clarify things. They would most likely find out in the future, but, unless he had a legitimate reason to expose his secrets, he intended to keep them. At the very least, he wanted to wait until his Ego had sufficiently separated from Vahn's, an event all three of them had been anticipating over the last couple of days.

Ignoring the discomfort he got from seeing Anak's pout, Gandr removed his hood, dispelling the shadowy properties of the garment before asking, "What do the two of you want to do? Now that a member of RED has targetted Anak, it is only a matter of time before other members come seeking her out. I mean, this won't really change much since we have like five Irregulars in our party, but we should still consider our options."

Piggybacking off Gandr's words, Endorsi decided to ask something that has been on her mind for a long time, remarking, "On that subject, there is something I've been meaning to ask ever since the Crown Game. Why do you go out of your way to call yourself Anak Jahad? It would have been a lot easier to get your revenge if you kept your identity a secret until you became a Ranker. I can't really see any benefits in you calling yourself Anak Jahad when it is already known throughout the Tower that she died hundreds of years ago..."

After suffering numerous setbacks on just the 2nd Floor, Anak had already come to the conclusion that it was a mistake to assume her mother's identity. The only reason she continued calling herself a Princess of Jahad was due to her pride. She was unwilling to show fear in the face of her enemies, so, even if there were countless people more powerful than she was, Anak would continue walking her current path until her mother had been avenged.

In response to Endorsi's inquiry, Anak adopted a conflicted yet resolute look, tightly gripped the Green April as she said, "Let them come...I will kill all the bastards who get in the way of me and my revenge..."

Hearing Anak's answer, both Gandr and Endorsi released simultaneous sighs of exasperation. It was pretty easy to tell that she was just being obstinate, but, before either could say anything to try and convince her, a feminine voice echoed from within the darkness, confidently stating, "There is a fine line separating the brave from the stupid. No amount of conviction will allow you to arbitrarily close the gap between you and your opponents. If you're serious about getting your revenge, stop being an idiot focused solely on a distant objective and start doing everything in your power to increase your strength in the present..."

Before the words had finished, an exceptionally beautiful woman with glowing red eyes and long brown hair, nearly reaching her ankles, emerged from within the darkness. She had a peculiar red fascinator, resembling large flower petals, fastening her hair into an inordinately long side ponytail. As for her attire, her lithe yet shapely figure was perfectly accented by garments that appeared both formal yet casual. This included an expensive-looking white blouse, a black undershirt, a pleated red skirt, black stockings, and, most notably, a blood-red tie that was embossed with the symbol of the Jahad Empire...

Though he had tensed up quite a bit when a voice suddenly emanated from behind him, most of Gandr's tensions faded once he realized the woman's identity. She was none other Ha Yuri Jahad, the Princess he had been anticipating for more than a month. Her presence here confirmed many of the suspicions he had regarding this Record's original plot, and, if he wasn't wrong, she would have arrived just in time to save Anak from her fate. After all, Ren was obviously a very sadistic individual, so, even if his purpose was to assassinate the 'false' Princess, he would draw out the process for as long as possible. This was the main reason Gandr had stepped in, as, even if Anak had a very potent fate permeating around her body, he wouldn't just stand by and watch her be tortured...

Noticing Gandr's smile, Yuri shifted her attention to the boy for the first time since her arrival. Much to the former's surprise, her eyes immediately widened once she got a better look at him; her pupils contracting to points like a predator who had just found its prey. This caused Gandr's body to tense up like a rabbit that had been cornered by a wolf, his ears twitching noticeably as a strong desire to flee welled up inside of him.

Before Gandr's fight or flight response could take full effect, Yuri's body seemed to flicker out of existence before reappearing right in front of him. This caused the hairs on Gandr's body to stand on end, but, before he could even think to react, she extended her hand toward him, a somewhat giddy smile on her face as she fondled his ears and remarked, "You're pretty cute. Are you the one who protected my adorable little sisters from that fishy bastard? If so, I suppose it is only right that I give you some kind of reward. Be honest, is there anything you'd like from this Big Sister~?"

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Burgeoning Desires','Gandr be like, "Yare yare daze..."','"Mr. Police? I'd like to report a suspicious individual..."')

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