EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons-Chapter 242: Arrangement

"That's how things are set up, yes," confirmed Vahn, nodding. "But, as I mentioned previously, our insurance policy allows Ascendees to continue life within the Tower after death in their origin worlds. And if we determine that another Ascendee had a hand in their untimely demises, there would be severe consequences. The Tower and the Dragon's Pavilion encourage competition. We can't allow petty, greedy, or reprobate individuals to wipe out their would-be competitors and hoard the Tower's benefits. Because if the only thing that secures your place above others is denying them the opportunity to compete, you're not strong—you're a coward."

"Competition isn't always a good thing..." sighed Kyoraku, earning himself a warning look from Yamamoto.

"If we're considering candidates—" started Ukitake, raising his right hand as a clear indication he intended to volunteer himself.

"I will go..." interjected Byakuya, his expression and tone flat, stoic as he calmly reasoned, "According to what Ryukami-sama has revealed about the Tower, my Zanpakuto and Bankai are uniquely suited to clearing these Dungeons. Furthermore, the Kuchiki Caln were once allied with the Shiba. I will meet with this Shiba Kukaku and reach an accord with her that does not place the Soul Society at a disadvantage..."

"If it's you, I have no doubt you will act in accordance with your status and duty as both a Noble and Captain of the Gotei..." affirmed Yamamoto, offering a curt nod.

"Then, once this meeting concludes, I will arrange for Kuchiki-dono and Kukaku-san to meet in my palace," stated Vahn, offering a nod of his own before proferring, "On that note, I extend an invitation to everyone here to tour the bottom three floors of the Intertwining Dragon's Palace. You can also arrange a delegation, but while I loosely adhere to formalities during times like this, I'm not particularly fond of them."

"Bottom three floors...?" repeated Unohana, her countenance gentle and voice muted, akin to the synesthetic, sifting hum of a blade being slowly, meticulously polished...

"That's correct," confirmed Vahn, spreading his hands, causing a three-dimensional projection of his palace and its nine above-ground floors to appear as he unconcernedly revealed, "There are nine in total, but floors four through six are accommodations for the palace's live-in employees and permanent residents. Seven through nine are my private abode and where my harem, family, and select First-Grade Maids reside and perform their duties..."

Spreading his fingers, Vahn caused the top six floors to disappear and the bottom three to grow, creating a zoom-in effect as he explained, "The first floor serves as a communal hub, a place where Ascendees and those with entry permits can meet, hang out, or even live between Tower cycles. The second is the location of various production facilities and high-end stores, and the third is where those with Tower Coins to spare can augment their strength or unwind using specialized training and spa facilities."

"Vahn-sama's palace seems like quite the structure..." remarked Ukitake, his expression a mix of awe and incredulity as, based on what Vahn was showing them, the individual floors of his palace might be as large as their Seireitei. The bottom floor even had what looked like an amusement park, complete with roller coasters and a colossal Ferris wheel.

"Well, it's intended to be a place where Ascendees from hundreds, if not thousands, of member worlds congregate..." explained Vahn. "Right now, we routinely accommodate around 50,000 guests and 14,000 employees, but that number is expected to rise considerably as more worlds become integrated with the Tower."

"We will need time to prepare," said Yamamoto, reinserting himself into the conversation, his raspy, aged voice exuding finality as he asserted, "Though Ryukami-sama may not be fond of such things, this is our first contact with worlds beyond our own. The meeting between our Captain Kuchiki and Shiba Kukaku can proceed without formalities, but decorum and procedure dictate we prepare a suitable delegation for our first visit to the palace and domain of a foreign God."

"That's fine," affirmed Vahn, nodding. "And out of consideration for your efforts, the Dragon's Pavilion will receive you with equivalent pomp and circumstances. Just have Ukitake or Kuchiki-taichou inform us who and how many people will comprise the delegation. We will host a feast, gift, and cultural exchange to commemorate the occasion."

Punctuating his words, Vahn materialized a chessboard atop the low-lying table separating him and Yamamoto, smiling as he asked, "Are you familiar with a game called Chess?"

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"That's a splendid idea~!" exclaimed Rias, her blue eyes glistening and a broad smile adorning her face after hearing that Vahn wanted to sponsor an inaugural Rating Game between the Dragon's Pavilion and the Gotei. They had been discussing the possibility of expanding the Rating Game System to the Tower and the expanded macrocosm of Invirtua for some time, but this was the first concrete step toward actualizing that intention.

"I'm even tempted to make it a tournament..." revealed Vahn, sporting a relaxed smile as he sat, positioned behind Ravel, his hands massaging her exposed neck and glossy shoulders. His decision to explain the format of the Rating Games to Yamamoto, Ukitake, Kyoraku, Byakuya, and Unohana was something he had done spur of the moment, but he concluded it was the fastest way for them to understand the futility of making the Dragon's Pavilion their enemy...

"But who from our side will compete...?" asked Sona, purposefully lying on her stomach to provide Vahn a view of her fair, bubbly, thong-garbed butt as she perused various data streams using a tablet that looked like a pane of crystalline, semi-transparent blue glass.

"Hais...of all the times to be pregnant..." sighed Rias, seated in wariza to Vahn's left, her eyes losing their excitement but gaining a maternal gleam as she caressed her currently faint but increasingly noticeable baby bulge with her left hand. She knew the most suitable candidate to represent the Dragon's Pavilion as Vahn's Queen was Grayfia or perhaps Aileen, but she would have liked to see how her skills compared to the A or even S-Ranks from Bleach.

"I will definitely participate, but I presumed we would determine the rest at a meeting," answered Vahn, reasoning, "It ultimately depends on who the Soul Society and any other groups we invite to participate decide to field. The most important thing is depicting that the Dragon's Pavilion isn't to be trifled with without coming across as overbearing or tyrannical. The ideal outcome is one where all parties leave satisfied and looking forward to future games..."

"Then the rewards shouldn't be related to the outcome but presented as an expression of gratitude toward participating parties," concluded Rias, quickly adding, "Though, we'll need to be careful about hosting too many events where we hand out incredible rewards just for showing up. We can make an exception this once, but if we intend to establish a league, future prizes will need to be tied to ranking and performance."

"Of course..." affirmed Vahn, shifting his hands from Ravel's shoulders to sliding them under her arms to caress her satiny-smooth and warm sides. He intended to take things slow, but she evidently had different thoughts as she abruptly leaned forward and away from him, supporting herself on her elbows as she wagged her butt, clad in bright yellow lace t-back, from side to side.

"Looks like the time for discussion is over..." hummed Rias, narrowing her eyes in a devilishly seductive manner as she and Sona naturally lined up with Ravel, their captivating cheeks bumping against each other as Vahn immediately got to work pleasuring all three, starting by slipping his cock into the latter's searingly hot pussy before putting his fingers to work with her contemporaries...

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[January 8th TST/August 31st DBT]

With Ukitake contacting him that morning to express that the Gotei was willing to participate in a Rating Game, Vahn convened with the executive members of the Dragon's Pavilion to finalize the sixteen people from their side who would be participating. Grayfia naturally volunteered herself, but since she was going on sixteen weeks pregnant, Vahn wasn't comfortable with her or any other expecting women participating. As such, the rosters for both sides were finalized as follows:

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[Dragon's Pavilion]

King: Vahn Mason

Queen: Serafall Leviathan

Bishop: Ravel Phenex

Bishop: Asia Argento

Knight: Xenovia Quarta

Knight: Erza Scarlet

Rook: Sairaorg Bael

Rook: Hyoudou Issei

Pawn: Yuuto Kiba

Pawn: Kuisha Abaddon

Pawn: Regulus

Pawn: Liban Crocell

Pawn: Nico Robin

Pawn: Yamato

Pawn: Frieren Leise

Pawn: Lalatina Dustiness

[Imperial Court Guards]

King: Kyōraku no Jirō Sakuranosuke Shunsui

Queen: Unohana Retsu

Bishop: Kuchiki Byakuya

Bishop: Sui-Feng

Knight: Kenpachi Zaraki

Knight: Hitsugaya Toshiro

Rook: Marechiyo Omaeda

Rook: Komamura Sajin

Pawn: Aburai Renji

Pawn: Matsumoto Rangiku

Pawn: Kira Izuru

Pawn: Hisagi Shuhei

Pawn: Madarame Ikkaku

Pawn: Ayasegawa Yumichika

Pawn: Hinamori Momo

Pawn: Iba Tetsuzaemon

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