CHAPTER 352: LONG ROAD

psssssh

Reacting to the loud hiss of her pod’s internal pressure equalizing with the outside, Pruskha slowly opened her reflective red eyes and stared blankly ahead as the capsule opened, allowing cold air into the climate-controlled static environment.

"Relax and exhale like you’re trying to cough up..." stated Vahn, his voice low and comforting as he helped Pruskha rise to a seated position, his left hand patting her back as Riko, looking a lot like her mother but with much shorter hair, smoothly removed her breathing and feeding tubes. Nanachi had originally volunteered to remove them, but Riko had insisted on being the one to guide Prushka through the wake-up process.

"Riko...Papa Tw—coughcoughcough..." started Prushka, her words interrupted by a coughing fit. Vahn’s brows tensed when she had begun to address him as Papa Two, but since she didn’t really have a reason to address him differently, he didn’t jump to conclusions and assume her de-programming had been unsuccessful.

Holding Prushka’s right hand and continuing to pat her back, Vahn waited for her coughing to settle before expressing, "It’s going to take a while for your brain to reconcile everything you’ve experienced this past year and a half. Take your time..."

Hearing Vahn’s familiar, soothing voice, Prushka’s chin crinkled, and she began to tear up. She didn’t break down, but it was clear she was feeling a profound melancholy as she hung her head, her feathery ears drooping as she asked, "Is that really what my Pa—what the Sovereign of the Dawn is like?"

"When you’re up for it, you can ask him yourself," stated Vahn, reaching up to gently ruffle Prushka’s fluffy and slightly damp hair and fur with his left hand. Then, as the air was heavy with a fairly potent aroma reminiscent of stale fries, he gave Riko a slight nod, prompting her to begin removing the various cables, tubes, and diodes that fed into and out of Prushka’s green and white plugsuit.

"Now, let’s get you into a proper bath..." said Vahn, picking Prushka up like a Princess, causing her to curl up, nuzzle the right side of her forehead to his chest, and tightly grip the fabric of his yukata with her left hand. There were so many things she didn’t understand at that moment, but she chose to believe in the comfort and feeling of security Vahn had always provided without asking for or expecting anything in return...

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"It’s difficult to estimate how long it will take for her to make a complete and total recovery, but she’s inherited Riko’s optimism and has a clarity of mind and an understanding of her circumstances that didn’t exist before," stated Misla, sitting across from Vahn with their one-year-old son, Vaeris, sitting on her right thight, looking adorable with his spiky brown hair, large green eyes, and princely attire.

"I will be monitoring her closely, but please continue meeting with her and inform me if there are any concerning changes to her mental state..." expressed Vahn, returning Misla’s notes and the thick folder containing the results of Prushka’s physical and psychological examinations. Due to his regular utilization of Wound Transfer on her, Prushka’s muscles hadn’t atrophied, and there were no pressing issues with her body. Her mind, on the other hand, was a jumbled mess, with Misla diagnosing her with PTSD and a moderate case of dissociative identity disorder. She knew who she was, but twelve years of living as Riko had given her many of the blonde-haired Delver’s quirks, including the need to wear crystal-lens glasses to avoid having headaches.

"Without fail," affirmed Misla, offering a curt nod before smiling, placing her right hand on their son’s back, and playfully humming, "Now, if you’re not too busy, I’m certain our son would enjoy spending some quality time with his father."

Feeling embarrassed by his mother’s actions, Vaeris’s cheeks flushed red as he looked down and balled his tiny hands into fists. He was the one to ask her if she could ask Vahn if they could read a book or maybe go on a walk together, but he didn’t expect her to ask while he was present.

"I can always, and I mean always, make time for my children..." affirmed Vahn, directing the words and a smile at Vaeris. This caused the adorable little prince’s face to flush to his ears, but that was par for the course, as he was maturing into an intelligent, kind, and somewhat timid boy who got along better with animals than people...

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With time continuing to pass as if days were mere minutes, the number of Vahn’s children around the villa had increased to twenty-nine by the time the third Ranking Competition was coming around. Akeno had given birth to a daughter, whom she named after her mother, Shuri. Tsunade followed her example by naming their son Hashira. Sui-Feng birthed a little girl, Aki, who looked a lot like Yoruichi. Roxanne gave birth to a bright-eyed Wolfkin boy, Rowan. Carla delivered fraternal twins, a cat-earred boy and girl with brown and white hair, whom they named Sawyer and Sarah. Millianna was next up, giving birth to a daughter with her distinctive eye shape, Katrina. Lisanna followed suit, naming their white-haired, fairy-like daughter Clara Belle. His and Robin’s raven-haired son was called Alexei. Lilith’s vertiable clone was called Morrigan. His and Yamato’s white-and-red-haired, two-horned Oni son was given the name Masaru, meaning warrior. As for his last four children, they were younger siblings to Valcas, Valerian, Veylric, and, after much consideration, Naruto. Kushina was initially apprehensive about having another child since she was afraid it would be favored more than Naruto, but after witnessing how Vahn and the Pavilion cared for him as if he were one of their own, she gave birth to a beautiful, aquamarine-eyed, maroon-haired daughter, whom she had appropriately named Mito. Within the same month, Rias, Grayfia, and Venelana gave birth to their second, third, and fourth children, respectively—three breathtaking little girls with truly monstrous potential, which they named Anais, Lucia, and Xanah...

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"It’s hard to imagine that there are only nine months remaining until our scheduled return...are you prepared...?" asked Vahn, sitting on a sofa and only paying a cursory amount of attention to the D-Rank matches taking place as he caressed the head of the pink-haired woman bobbing up and down as she gave him a sloppy, vacuous blowjob.

"What’s there to prepare for...?" asked the woman, Bonney, rising to a seated position and shifting onto Vahn’s lap with his cock between her plump, provocatively shaking ass as she contended, "Even if I don’t lend them a hand, my old man and the Revolutionary Army is going to roll over those inbred bastards like a tsunami. Instead of worrying about what I’m going to do once we’re out of here, you should be worrying about shoving this monstrous cock in my pussy and becoming better acquainted with my womb..."

"Do you hear me arguing?" asked Vahn, grinning and spreading Bonney’s ass and pussy as she briefly raised her hips before effortlessly devouring the 35cm, nearly soda-can thick cock he had prepared for her. Ever since their first night together, they had been fucking an average of six hours a day with very few breaks. Now, instead of simply being along for the ride, Bonney routinely took him for one.

"We do need to talk, though...about where this is headed..." conceded Bonney, supporting herself with Vahn’s thighs as she raised and lowered her hips forcibly, rhythmically smacking her ass against him.

"I promised we’d remain together for at least a few thousand years, so if you’re suggesting we get married, I’m more than willing..." affirmed Vahn, slipping a large, gold, ruby-studded plug into Bonney’s ass and turning it on, producing a loud hum.

"I don’t trust Dragon and the Revolutionary Army..." stated Bonney, her words, more than her actions, catching Vahn by surprise as she sat flush against him and began skillfully controlling the muscles within her pussy to effectively stroke his cock with an undulating tension.

"Well, we know they’re not evil. At the very least, they didn’t do anything patently evil after deposing the World Government in canon," noted Vahn, slumping to slip further under Bonney as he conceded, "That’s not to say they lack the capacity to become evil once they’re in a position of power and global influence...regulating a planet as expansive as yours would be a challenge, even for the Pavilion..."

Leaning back, prompting Vahn to support her sides as she pulled her feet up and onto his knees, Bonney rolled her hips in a way that forced his dick to bend and his glans to scrape along the front of her pussy as she asked, "Why does there need to be someone in charge of everything? Wouldn’t it be better if everyone minded their own business? As long as the people in charge of each island aren’t bastards, everything should work out..."

"Mmn...that might work for the more prosperous islands, but others are dependent on the resources they import from others..." explained Vahn, guiding Bonney to recline against him, his left hand moving up to cup her throat and the fingers of his right hand finding their way to her clit as he added, "Then there are those who aren’t content with the islands they’re born on or the circumstances they’re born into. And when the systems in place don’t allow them to rise through other means, they invariably resort to banditry or piracy..."

"In other words, we’re fucked..." muttered Bonney, leaning her head back onto Vahn’s left shoulder, her expression a mix of pleasure and conflict as she concluded, "There will always be bastards who want more, and many more who lack the courage to fight. Things might get better in the short term under Dragon and his Ascendant Republic, but they won’t be able to avoid showing favoritism to islands with rare natural resources and strong militaries..."

’I know she’s been studying with Robin, but to think she’s become this introspective...’ mused Vahn, feeling proud of the many ways Bonney had grown in a short four and a quarter years. She was no scholar, but at least she mulled over more than food, fighting, and fucking—her three favorite pastimes.

Rubbing his cheek against the underside of Bonney’s jaw, the movements of his fingers increasing, Vahn smolderingly asserted, "Good and evil exist in a perpetual state of flux. The more influential one side grows, the more powerful the champion representing the disadvantaged side will be when they come to reestablish balance. Ultimately, the best we can do is strive to be the best versions of ourselves, take care of those we’re in a position to help, and set examples for our descendants, disciples, and devotees to follow. Trying to fix everything will leave you broken in the end...and there is no force more destructive across all of creation than a broken Hero who lost faith in their cause..."

"I can imagine...if you became evil, we’d all be fucked..." groaned Bonney, her pussy tensing rhythmically before contracting and producing a potent suction as Vahn’s cock swelled and released a veritable stream of semen into her awaiting womb. Afterward, she was left heaving, her body briefly devoid of tension, and her purple eyes out of focus before she recovered, turned around, and promptly straddled Vahn for a brief make-out session before round two.

’Fortunately, that could never happen...’ thought Vahn, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of Bonney’s post-orgasm pussy quivering around his cock as they made out. It was almost inevitable that a force or being able to challenge the Pavilion’s authority would appear, but with twenty-nine children, at least two more on the way, and an ever-growing number of people who believed in and relied on him to guide, protect, and provide opportunities for their growth, he was a continuous source of pressure on the scale that tilted the balance in favor of good...

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