EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons

"The variety of clothes here never ceases to amaze me," remarked Nami, trying on a semi-transparent silk blouse and a pair of tight red shorts that conformed to her body and barely covered more than a pair of panties.

"The means of the Intertwining Dragon's Palace are certainly incredible," affirmed Robin, posing in front of a mirror in a backless, pale red crop top with a flower pattern. More notably, she was modeling black string bikini bottoms, riding high on her hips and leaving her large and round butt fully exposed.

"That's a pretty bold outfit," remarked Nami, sporting a smile but exhaling faintly from her nose as she added, "But let's not make things too easy for him. Vahn might be a God, but he's still a man. If we simply give him what he wants, he could take advantage or lose interest in us."

"Do you truly believe that?" asked Robin, closing her eyes and casually fixing her hair into a ponytail as she reasoned, "With access to countless worlds and seemingly unlimited power and means, I doubt our beauty is anything special in Vahn's eyes. It is our personalities and willingness to serve and spend time with him that make us unique."

"He does seem to be surrounded by some absurdly beautiful women..." conceded Nami, the images of Grayfia, Venelana, Rias, Akeno, Asia, and Xenovia appearing in her mind. She had met others, but they were the six that stood out as they had made it clear they worked alongside or served Vahn's will with enthusiasm.

Nodding, Robin calmly asserted, "Simply put, until we obtain platinum or crystal keys, we should assume we're easily replaceable. Forcing Vahn to work to receive benefits when he readily provides for us might work now, but once the number of women around him increases, who do you believe he will favor more? Those who play hard to get or those who make it clear they are willing and keen to serve or spend time with him?"

"Yeah, I get that..." said Nami, her smile gaining a hint of wryness as she asked, "But doesn't it bother you? Neither of us really had the time to be interested in romance, but it feels like we're throwing that prospect away by choosing to be with Vahn."

"Hasn't he made that clear from the start?" asked Robin, pointing out, "If you recall, he said we're free to fall in love and pursue a path independent from his. The only restriction he's placed on us is that we can't sleep with other men, but considering the many benefits we receive as his women, I would argue that's a small ask."

"You're beginning to sound like one of those girls in the Maid Batallion..." sighed Nami, prompting Robin to simply smile in return. She had already decided to join the Dragon's Pavilion, so if it were asked or expected from her, she would gladly don a skimpy Maid outfit and serve Vahn to the best of her ability.

Seeing Robin making slight adjustments to her hair that made her appear more alluring, Nami exhaled faintly from her nose, removed her tight red shorts, and donned white-and-turquoise-striped bikini bottoms that tied at the sides, making them easy to remove or slide aside, granting access to her already wet pussy. Having sex with Vahn was the most pleasurable thing she had ever experienced, so despite her words, Nami couldn't help looking forward to and fearing it in equal measure...

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After spending nearly an hour preparing, Nami and Robin arrived at the luxurious, crimson, gold-adorned, and distinctly eastern-themed lounge Venelana had prepared for a lingerie social. The palace would officially be opening for business after the next cycle, but since Vahn had commented that the Ninth Floor felt empty, the flaxen-haired Devil took it upon herself to invite of-age female Ascendees and their guests to mingle and hear the benefits of frequenting or working at the palace...

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Though he had been invited to the social, Vahn ultimately decided against partaking as he felt his presence would complicate things or make those with reservations uncomfortable. Instead, he was in a private room on the palace's first floor, seated next to Zoro and enjoying some hot sake as the Straw Hats made merry with Rayleigh, the Fishman Riders, Hattchan, and the Whitebeard Pirates, including their eponymous Captain.

"This is some good sake..." remarked Zoro, punctuating his words by taking several large gulps from a five-gallon jug of sake. Alongside their higher-than-average Constitution, people in the world of One Piece had ludicrous metabolisms, so even if he downed the contents of the twenty-kilogram container or consumed his body weight in food, the green-haired swordsman miraculously wouldn't gain any lasting weight.

"Feel free to take a few jugs with you when you leave," responded Vahn, sporting a relaxed smile as he raised a large crimson sake cup to his lips in his usual black and grey yukata. He couldn't get drunk, but he enjoyed the feeling of warmth that permeated his chest and throat when drinking.

"Seriously? You're really loaded, huh?" asked Zoro, raising his right brow and peering at Vahn.

"I need to make an effort to get my hands on valuable equipment and items, but it isn't an exaggeration to say my wealth is unlimited," admitted Vahn, shrugging.

"And what do you use your wealth for...?" asked Zoro, his expression and tone somewhat wistful as he stared at the mouth of his sake bottle and maintained, "As a man, you must have something you want to accomplish; some grand goal or ambition you strive toward..."

Shaking his head, Vahn revealed, "Before I gained my power, I spent my life locked away, a subject of human experimentation. There were many things I wanted and still want to experience, but my singular desire was to be free. Now that I am, my primary goals are to connect people and to keep the people I care about safe. I have no grand ambitions, as there is nothing I can't obtain if I put my mind to it..."

"Hmmm...that explains why you seem so distant and out of touch even when speaking with people like this. You've already reached the end of your personal journey..." remarked Zoro, shaking his head before taking several large gulps from his sake container.

'Is that really the case? Have I really reached the end of my personal journey...?' Vahn asked himself, tilting his head back and staring up at nothing in particular. There were still things he wished to accomplish, such as investigating the Frozen Abyss and reaching the depths of the Corridor, but he didn't feel pressed to do either. His biggest concerns at the moment were maintaining the status quo, keeping his women happy, and eventually becoming a father, but those were just matters of course, not ambitions or desires...

"What will you do?" asked Vahn, leaving Zoro confused until he clarified, "After you become the World's Greatest Swordsman, I mean. There's not much meaning to such a title unless you wield it to accomplish something beyond self-improvement..."

"I've never really thought about it," admitted Zoro, offering a shrug of his own as he contended, "Becoming the world's greatest anything requires an extreme amount of effort, so that's the only thing I'm focused on right now. Once I accomplish it, I'll most likely be busy defending the title from others. Everything else depends on what Luffy wants to accomplish once he becomes King of the Pirates."

"I see..." muttered Vahn, staring off into space for several seconds before exhaling from his nose and remarking, "You're a good friend..." with a faint smile.

"If you say so..." responded Zoro, shrugging a second time before gazing at Vahn and asking, "What about you? I get that you're a God or whatever, but do you have any friends?"

"I want to believe I do, but it's hard to say..." answered Vahn, realizing it had been over a year since he last spoke with Issei or Kiba directly. Issei was preoccupied with living a double life, and Kiba had gone on to attend Totsuki Academy in the world of Shokugeki no Souma. Vahn was sure the three of them were still friends, but it was undeniable that their paths had diverged, at least for the moment.

"Huh..." uttered Zoro, clearly finding Vahn's response strange but deciding it wasn't his place to question how the apparent God chose to live. He had enough on his plate.

Hearing Zoro's disinterested response and passing his gaze over the more than six hundred people happily celebrating Ace's rescue, Vahn felt out of place—disconnected. He had been thanked for his role and praised for his ability to keep an Admiral at bay, but after fielding innumerable questions regarding his palace, the Tower of Ascension, and other tedious topics, he gradually distanced himself from the rowdy group, preferring to drink and eat in relative silence since it allowed him to peruse his messages and pay attention to what was transpiring elsewhere.

'It's not like I need male friends...' Vahn told himself, believing that most men were more likely to envy than empathize with him. More significantly, he really enjoyed spending time with his women. If he didn't, he wouldn't spend days, weeks, or even years with them in a given day.

'Still, it would be nice to have at least a few guys I could interact with casually...' thought Vahn, stealing a glance at Zoro. The latter used to be his favorite character from One Piece, but that felt like an entire life ago. Interacting with him directly made it clear the green-haired swordsman was an introvert, so while they could sit and drink together, there was a distinct sense of distance between them...

Interrupting Vahn's thoughts, a faint ping sounded in his ear, drawing his attention to the displays he almost always opened, invisible to everyone but himself. Rico and some of the younger girls had ostensibly learned of the lingerie party through their shared contacts, as the former was asking to be permitted to visit the palace. He was planning to inform her and the others in her age group about the palace and its facilities during the next Tower cycle, but Colette, who was evidently attending the gathering with three others from her world, asked if they would be joining.

'Different worlds, different values...' Vahn reminded himself, closing his eyes and exhaling from his nose before earning Zoro's gaze as he rose to his feet and excused himself. He obviously couldn't permit girls as young as Rico to attend something like a lingerie party, but since they now knew of the palace's existence, he telepathically contacted Grayfia to prepare a welcoming party and one of the smaller banquet halls to meet with and explain things to them himself...

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[September 13th DxD/May 7th DBT]

Though the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament was scheduled to begin later that morning, Vahn wasn't feeling particularly rushed as he held the gaze of the woman aggressively shaking her hips atop him, a curvaceous and exceedingly athletic blonde with presently long and somewhat spiky golden hair, golden eyes, fur-covered hands, cat-like ears, and a matching tail. Her name was Leone, an assassin hailing from the world of Akame ga Kill, and after hitting it off with Yoruichi at the lingerie party, she found her way into his bed.

Feeling Vahn's semen entering her womb for the umpteenth time, Leone stopped, closed her eyes, and caressed her lower abdomen, relishing the innervating sensation as her entire body tingled with satisfaction. She had originally approached Vahn to secure funding for the assassination group she represented, Night Raid, but after seven successive days of gratifying sex, lounging about, and being doted upon like a kitten, a growing part of her wanted to abandon her mission and spend the remainder of her days in leisure at the Intertwining Dragon's Palace...

"Alright, a few more, and we'll call it quits..." said Vahn, causing a hint of regret to appear in Leone's eyes as she allowed him to guide her onto her back and into a mating press. Fortunately, she had received a bronze key by simply attending the lingerie party, and after their time together, Vahn had every intention of upgrading her to silver. She would also be joining the Maid Battalion as a part of their agreement, so while she was reluctant to do so, Leone eventually returned to her world with a belly full of semen and a jade-green bracelet that granted her access to the Tower's System and functions without being an Ascendee...

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