Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Serena POV. – October 9, 2008
"I guess we can't continue until we find new data," Riveria said as she checked one last equation on the paper in front of her. I could only sigh.
"I could buy the Traveler and Veil Fragments right now, and we could adjust the equations regarding The Light and The Darkness hearts, which are the easiest to complete."
"But the other four are currently impossible to complete. We won't have access to what we need for the Magic Heart until we go to Fairy Tail, and for the Tech Heart until we go to Worm."
"The demonic power heart is the next easiest. If by easy you mean finding Lilith and stealing her from Rizevim or Hades, I don't really know which is the best option. And then you need the King Piece to power it up."
"The King Piece... is complicated. It would be helpful if we had at least one example. Has Diehauser Belial already defected to Qlippoth? Hmmm. Could I negotiate with him? Tell him the true reason for Cleria Belial's death in exchange for him getting the King Piece of Rizevim and the Great King's Faction for us?" I hummed as I thought carefully. "But if everything goes wrong, I might drag us down if we get involved in the whole thing, and force Ajuka to act against us." I sighed wearily.
"The replication of the Evil Pieces is 37% complete. We have acquired a large number of Evil Piece samples that were seized from Strays and stored on Distracted Globe. We even obtained some intact and unused ones from people who took them from a high-class devil they indiscriminately murdered."
"They are intact and unmodified enough that it didn't allow for a close examination of them, unlike yours," GLaDOS said, still focused on the crystals in front of her. I hummed softly.
"We need to complete it quickly enough. There are several mission objectives we have pending in this world that could mutate an Evil Piece. The power of The Company or the contractor who commissioned the mission must be strong enough for us to request that the King Piece be mutated."
"That should at least partially balance the other hearts. Although we would also need to mutate the equivalent of the Brave Saints." I muttered distractedly as I began to jot down symbols back and forth on the paper in front of me.
"We'd still be missing the angelic heart. It remains by far the least developed one we have," Riveria said distractedly. I grimaced and paused for half a second.
"I suppose I could go find Cao Cao and steal his Longinus. If I remember correctly, that was also a secondary objective I had to accomplish. I'm still not sure whether to use the True Longinus as part of the ritual. But it would be good to find out if it's at least capable of serving its purpose. And of all the sacred relics, it's the one I'd feel least guilty about stealing, really." I said easily. I could only sigh as I set the quill aside and stretched lazily. My bones cracked loudly as I stood up.
I looked around. The room was beneath the mansion, in one of GLaDOS's lab rooms. A fairly large room, now occupied and filled with whiteboards, papers, and books. All covered in circles, symbols, calculations, numbers, and letters that extended to every corner of the room; just looking at it made you dizzy or gave you a headache.
We had progressed far enough, or at least far enough, to know what we were really missing to perform the ritual. And basically, we were missing almost everything. Not to mention that the hearts needed to be balanced, and each one brought to a common point so none weighed more than the others and they were properly balanced; I needed to prepare my own body to accept all of that.
Even with my nature as The Traveler, my existence was relatively new and weak; I couldn't accept fragments of the original Traveler and The Veil, much less after being empowered by the ritual. And that was just two hearts. Even if the next four didn't have the same metaphysical, ontological, and conceptual weight as two paracausal entities that existed before time itself, they would still be extremely powerful.
I needed to prepare my body to make it even more malleable to accept and adapt to the hearts, but also resilient enough so that my body wouldn't explode from overload.
And… I must say I actually had some ideas on how to achieve it. Although it definitely wouldn't be cheap to obtain. But like the fragments, it wasn't something I could get in this universe.
But one step at a time.
"I guess I could go for Cao Cao," I said casually.
"Go ahead and do it," GLaDOS said casually. "I can finish the calculations here," she said easily without looking up.
"I guess I'll end up here too," Riveria said, twisting her aching neck. I smiled slightly. Of the three of us, Riveria was, unfortunately, the one furthest behind in everything, not because she was weak or not smart enough for the ritual, but because we were using things she wasn't familiar with. So it took her a couple of days to catch up and read through our entire library with the help of speed-reading glasses.
After that, she was an excellent help, especially with all the sorcery and magic she possessed thanks to the Merlin Prototype template, including her Item Construction skill and other abilities. She still had stronger clairvoyance than me, as well as the Six Eyes, but she was able to see things with the same or even greater accuracy than I could.
"Okay, get some rest. We've been here... for about a week," I murmured, glancing at my watch. Riveria laughed before yawning and nodding.
"I'll go to Orario, have a look around before taking a long nap," Riveria said, nodding slightly. I smiled back and created a portal to send her back to Orario, which she passed through.
Now… let's see. How do I find Cao Cao? Oh, I suppose I could do it the easy way.
I drew out the Sephiroth Grail. I twirled it between my fingers, then used its power to glimpse the principles of life and death. A vast amount of information began pouring into my brain before I directed my intention toward a particular point. Was this a complete waste? Using a Longinus as a Sephiroth Grail like the most insane GPS in the world? Yes, it was, but it still worked.
I held onto Cao Cao's location before releasing the Grails. I stored the Grails back before creating a portal, or at least I tried to. I frowned as I sensed the defenses on the other side. I snorted, almost offended, then sliced through the defenses like a scalpel, finally creating the portal. I snorted dryly before stepping through it. I looked around and stopped stiffly.
"Serena!" "Lady Prince!" "Prince!" I heard the various voices, some panicked, some relieved, and some annoyed.
"What... is happening?" I asked slowly, frowning as I looked around. Oh, I was inside Dimension Lost once again. We were in a replica of Kyoto. I had forgotten about the attack on Kyoto.
I'd been following it all this time. But I'd gotten lost when it came to creating the ritual; I'd forgotten about the attack on Kyoto. And I've just arrived at the most inopportune moment of all.
I could see everyone in trouble. The Hero Faction was on one side. I could see Jeanne, Siegfried, Heracles, and even Georg, along with Cao Cao. On the other side, I could see a completely exhausted Issei. In contrast, the others—Kiba, Xenovia, and Rossweisse—were badly injured and being healed by an almost-crying Asia, with a Kunoichi at her side.
And even Saji and Vitra were trapped by the tails of Yasaka's Kyuubi form while she was mind-controlled.
I hummed softly as I looked around. I could see the remnants of Issei and Draig's magic. He wasn't wearing his armor; he was on one knee, completely exhausted. I... I guess he'd just reached the end right when his new transformation, the Illegal Move Triaina, left him completely exhausted.
Finally, I saw Cao Cao staring at me with Issei in front of him, also looking at me with a hopeful expression.
I let out a loud, painful, tired sigh.
" Hey, Prince of the Succubi! Help us!" Issei exclaimed, almost panicking. I hummed and looked at Cao Cao.
"Serena Prince. It's truly a surprise to see you here," Cao Cao said casually. I just looked at him and grimaced.
"Actually, I came here for you. You have... something really interesting that I was looking for." I told Cao Cao honestly.
"Something I have?" Cao Cao asked casually before twirling the True Longinus in his hands. "You mean this? It's the first time I've heard of a devil seeking the True Longinus of their own volition. I didn't know you were so keen on the idea of committing suicide," Cao Cao said playfully. "Very well, I'll entertain you, Serena Prince," Cao Cao said confidently. I didn't even look at him.
"Give me a second, I'll take care of everything else. It's bothering me." I said casually before creating a Rule Breaker.
"Cao Cao! Stop her! That's her Rule Breaker! The ritual is about to end; she's capable of breaking—" I ignored Georg's voice, and my hand crossed a portal. At the same time, the True Longinus was already in front of my head. My free hand moved immediately; I pushed my magic into Cia and converted it into physical strength, then grabbed the True Longinus and stopped it in mid-air, inches from my eye. My fingers gripped the edge of the spear as they began to bleed and burn.
The force of the impact when it stopped was strong enough to create several cuts on my body, which did not heal, even with my regeneration; the wounds continued to burn. I could even feel my hand being completely burned due to the enormous holy light emanating from the True Longinus, just from holding it.
No, it wasn't just my hand; I could feel my entire body burning from Longinus's holy light. If it weren't for my regeneration and my ability to ignore my weakness to holy light, I can see how this could kill any devil with extreme ease.
But that didn't make me let go; I only squeezed her tighter. At the same time, I pressed Rule Breaker into Yasaka's chest. I pressed it, severed the mind control that kept her under Georg's control, and destroyed the ritual they were trying to use to summon Great Red.
"No!" Georg screamed in panic as the enormous nine-tailed Kitsune began to crumble, shifting its form, and Yasaka appeared and started to fall. I moved my hand and pulled Yasaka and Saji through a portal, dropping them where Asia and Kunou were.
"Mother!" Kunou exclaimed as she began to cry.
"Do you know what you've done?" Cao Cao asked, frowning and sounding angry. The circle beneath the transformed Yasaka completely crumbled, preventing the ritual they were performing from failing. I ignored him and looked at the True Longinus with curiosity.
"Interesting. The spear that pierced Christ's body. The first Longinus. Incredible, just this aura is enough to keep me tense and suffocated. If I hadn't protected myself properly, my body would be evaporating just from this presence." I murmured distractedly as I looked at the spear.
My eyes shone brightly as I used Clairvoyance on it. My Clairvoyance was still far less than Riveria's, and her Clairvoyance was inherited from Merlin's template. But it was still enough to help me fully analyze the spear and see through the different realms.
That allowed me to scan the spear thoroughly, though unfortunately not completely. But… I found what I was looking for.
It was small. Almost like a tiny flame. The will of the Biblical God. It wasn't the consciousness of the Biblical God; it wasn't even a splinter of his soul, or even a real consciousness, really. It was simply… a remnant.
Whether it was a small remnant in the blood of Christ or something the Biblical God himself left when creating the True Longinus, it truly existed and was there… but… it didn't serve my purpose.
It was just a small remnant, a remnant of His will and intention. The only reason it was so special was that it was a remnant of the Biblical God. And that, in itself, was truly extraordinary. It was a shame it wasn't useful for what was needed.
The calculations came to me quickly, and unfortunately, it wouldn't be enough. I needed more. I needed another option. I grimaced as I started doing the calculations. Maybe if I used the remains of the sacred relics, I could enhance that fragment to another level? Hmmm, that's an idea.
"How long are you going to ignore us?" I heard Cao Cao's annoyed voice. Then the True Longinus vibrated slightly, glowed intensely, and my arm was burned and disintegrated in a fraction of a second, before I turned back toward Cao Cao. Cao Cao looked at me, almost annoyed, as he twirled the spear over his shoulder.
I simply tilted my head before my arm regenerated. I gently adjusted it before humming a tune. I saw the small remnants of magic around me that were destroyed by my shields. I guess I'd been more distracted than I thought if I didn't even see when I was attacked.
"Sorry, what were you saying?" I asked casually. Cao Cao opened his mouth, and I just raised a hand to stop him. "It was a rhetorical question. I don't want you to answer; I just want your spear," I said boredly. I appeared next to a waking Yasaka and looked at her curiously. "Lady Yasaka, would you grant me permission to use Kyoto's Ley Lines to repel the Hero Faction?" I asked easily. She blinked with difficulty.
"You... you want to use the Ley Lines?" she asked incredulously, though with difficulty, then shook her head. "I... I appreciate you freeing me from their control. But the Ley Lines are bound to me, I... I can't give them to you. But... if you can do it yourself, you have my permission; go ahead, just get rid of them." Yasaka said wearily as she clung to Kunou. I just nodded. And chuckled.
I could see it; I could see how Yasaka was connected to the Ley Lines of Kyoto. It was… really interesting how her entire spiritual network was so intertwined with the world's Ley Lines.
But it wasn't something I needed to mimic, at least not completely. I swallowed large quantities of ferrochemical duralumin, and vast networks of connections began to form within my body. I directed all of my connections toward Yasaka, Kyoto, and the Ley Lines. I wasn't even close to Kyoto, but the connection to Yasaka reached all the way here, so I latched onto them and began to amplify them. Finally, I used my Reality Marble to temporarily transform into a nine-tailed fox.
Completely black ears and nine equally black tails sprouted from the bottom of my back and wriggled around. Then I felt it. The connections to the Kyoto Ley Lines. The power flowed into me immediately, and I eagerly absorbed it.
Then I drew Doom's enormous sword, with Cia hidden inside it, and channeled all my seemingly endless magic to increase my physical power. I stepped forward and appeared before Heracles.
His eyes opened slightly, but he didn't react in time. I brought my sword down hard, but I held back to avoid killing him. Even so, my blow left a large gash across his body, deep enough to incapacitate him.
Even so, the rest of the space took the full brunt of my attack. The force of my slash traveled through and completely severed the fake city, and struck the very artificial dimension we were in, cutting it in half.
I used my magic to stabilize it, but even so, purple Dimensional mist was still visible.
"Heh... this is so much fun." I said aloud before turning to face Jeanne. She seemed momentarily panicked and tried to back away, but I was already beside her. I raised my foot and slammed my boot into her stomach. The impact sent her flying through the city as she crashed into the counterfeit buildings. I vanished again, moving at high speed, and reappeared next to Siegfried.
Siegfried raised his six swords to defend himself. Mirage. My image duplicated itself, and two attacks struck Siegfried simultaneously. Two of his swords shattered instantly, his four dragon arms were severed, and all his other swords flew from his grasp as a cross-shaped gash appeared across Siegfried's chest.
Just like before, the attack shattered the entire fake city, then slashed the fake dimension, creating more cuts and rendering it completely unstable under sheer physical force. Finally, I looked at Cao Cao; behind him stood a terrified Georg.
"Is this all the fearsome Hero Faction has to offer?" I asked, almost contemptuously, resting my sword on my shoulder and walking slowly toward Cao Cao. Cao Cao frowned. I could see the nervousness in his posture, even as he gripped True Longinus tightly.
"What kind of magic are you using? Being able to turn into a Kitsune? Being able to merge with the Ley Lines of Kyoto? And that physical strength? You're supposed to be primarily a magic specialist," Cao Cao said cautiously. I raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't know it was my duty to inform some terrorists about my capabilities. It's not my fault your information is so lacking," I said dully. Cao Cao's eye twitched slightly. "But... I'm in the mood. Take a hit, and you can go with them," I said playfully to Cao Cao. Cao Cao looked furious.
"You are truly audacious, Serena Prince." Cao Cao hissed. "You are so sure of your superiority. You are strong, very strong. Exceptional among devils. Especially for a succubus. But we humans will never cower before you. Humans defeat dragons. Humans have faced adversity and defeated monsters and devils alike. It has always been so, and this time will be no different. It is just one more devil destined to fall before the heroes." Cao Cao said dangerously. I just looked at him and nodded.
"You're right," I said, shrugging. I hummed to myself. It had been a while since I'd really thought about myself as human. I was actually quite comfortable being a succubus. I'd adapted and liked my body. And I wasn't even a full devil with all the things I added to myself. "Humans can do amazing things. I do not doubt it. It's a shame you're not one of them," I said, shaking my head.
That seemed to enrage Cao Cao even more. I simply moved. I appeared in front of Cao Cao and attempted to strike him with a downward blow. I drew in all the Ley Line magic I could muster, then pushed it forward and unleashed Allomantic Duralumin. The Duralumin consumed all my magic in an instant, transforming it into physical strength. It also consumed and amplified my connection to the Kyoto Ley Lines; I could feel the power flowing like a tide, which was also transformed into physical force.
The force behind my blow began to distort the artificial dimension even before it struck. Cao Cao roared, and the True Longinus exploded in a massive blast of Holy Light as it hurtled toward me. My attack collided with the True Longinus, and everything around us erupted.
The entire fake city was destroyed. Enormous fragments raced through the artificial city. The artificial dimension began to crack as my attack pushed against the True Longinus. I stepped forward and grinned wildly. Finally, my attack overwhelmed the True Longinus with sheer physical force.
The True Longinus was completely deflected as my attack continued past, slicing Cao Cao in half. The attack continued, splitting the entire artificial dimension in two. I looked at Cao Cao as he crawled on the ground. His right eye was gone, and a long gash ran across his face and half his torso.
He glared at me with hatred. The True Longinus moved on its own and returned to Cao Cao.
"O Spear. The true Holy Spear which pierces through God. Suck the —" I didn't let him finish his chant. I simply created a portal behind Cao Cao and waved my hands. All the members of the Hero Faction were pulled through the portal. Since most of them were unconscious, they didn't resist, but Cao Cao planted his spear in the ground to prevent himself from being pulled in.
"We'll meet again, Cao Cao," I said easily. The ground beneath Cao Cao vanished, preventing him from getting a firm grip, and he was easily pushed toward the portal. I just watched the artificial dimension collapse. I grabbed everyone with magic before teleporting away.
Just thinking about what was coming next made me sigh with exhaustion. At least it was fun. Unfortunately, the True Longinus wouldn't work for the ritual; I'd have to find something else.
Author's Notes: Ufff, long chapters this week! I almost didn't finish them! My sleep was a sad victim of these chapters, so enjoy them!