The core chamber of the Outer Faction sprawled before them like a cathedral of war and energy. Towering spires of obsidian crystal pulsed with dark power, and rivers of flowing energy twisted across the floor, forming a living lattice that reacted to every step Sarah and her harem took. The air was thick with the weight of anticipation and malice, charged with the latent power of those who had ruled from the shadows.
Sarah's eyes burned with layered crimson-lilac intensity. Every heartbeat thrummed with Proto-Ascension, every glance and touch from her harem weaving the living lattice that now dominated the battlefield before even a single enemy strike.
Rias stepped beside her, fingers pressed to Sarah's side. "This is it. The source. The true force behind the Outer Faction. Every precaution they left… it's all here, waiting."
Sarah exhaled slowly, letting the Proto-Ascension pulse through every fiber of her being. "Then we test the final threshold. All of us. One lattice. One will."
Sarah PV: 500 / Lv: 60 / Force: 300 / Desire: 5000 / Intelligence: 77 / Agility: 98
Akeno brushed lightly along her forearm, igniting a precise surge in the Lust Engine. "Every pulse, every frôlement… weaponized to the extreme."
Koneko's grounding touch kept Sarah anchored, Rossweisse optimized flow along her back, Xenovia mirrored every movement with surgical precision, and Lilith Fragment's fully merged consciousness threaded through each strike, glance, and heartbeat.
The first guardians emerged—three colossal entities, each radiating an aura that warped the air around them. One was a towering shadow-construct, its body a jagged fusion of crystal and living darkness. The second shimmered with metallic fluid, its form flowing and reshaping with every motion. The third was an arcane colossus, sigils spinning across its surface, glowing with forbidden energy.
Sarah felt the Proto-Ascension surge within her, the lattice thrumming in anticipation. "Formation Omega Prime," she commanded. The harem moved as extensions of herself, their tactile and emotional resonance magnifying every vector.
Skill Triggered: Proto-Ascension – Absolute Core Deployment
Effect: All Proto-Ascension outputs synchronized at maximum; harem lattice projected as a weaponized network; every frôlement, glance, and heartbeat magnified exponentially; temporary +1200 Force, +2500 Desire, +700 Agility; battlefield dominance within core chamber.
The shadow-construct struck first, a sweeping arc of jagged darkness. Sarah shifted, each contact from her harem recalibrating her posture mid-strike. Akeno's subtle touch amplified reflex speed, Koneko stabilized the pivot, Rossweisse converted kinetic energy into counterforce, Xenovia directed offensive pressure, and Lilith Fragment threaded anticipatory vectors to nullify the blow before it landed.
The metallic-fluid guardian flowed around them, reshaping limbs into lethal blades. Sarah inhaled, integrating harem input, and Proto-Ascension output surged. A single, synchronized movement dispersed the entity's strikes, energy arcs bending around their combined force, leaving the guardian staggered.
The arcane colossus unleashed a barrage of glyphs, spinning in complex, interwoven patterns. The lattice, projected through harem synchronization, predicted trajectories before the projectiles formed, breaking them apart mid-air. Every frôlement and heartbeat amplified the psychic resonance, destabilizing the entity's arcane energy.
Sarah's lips curved, voice calm yet commanding: "This is what unity, desire, and will can achieve."
Rias pressed her hand to Sarah's side, guiding the vectors. Akeno traced deliberate arcs along Sarah's forearm, amplifying every subtle pulse. Koneko and Rossweisse maintained equilibrium, Xenovia directed lethal precision, and Lilith Fragment threaded preemptive corrections.
Skill Triggered: Ascendant Convergence – Core Overload
Effect: Full Proto-Ascension and harem lattice deployed at peak efficiency; enemy formations dismantled preemptively; reflexes and power output exceed calculated thresholds; temporary +1400 Force, +2800 Desire, +750 Agility; core chamber control absolute.
The three guardians faltered under the synchronized assault, staggering as Proto-Ascension projections and lattice vectors overwhelmed their defenses. Energy arcs spiraled, glyphs fractured, and shadows recoiled, unable to adjust to the instantaneous adaptations of Sarah and her harem.
Sarah stepped forward, Proto-Ascension flaring to its absolute limit. Her harem moved as a single, unstoppable organism, every frôlement and glance weaponized, every heartbeat a command across the battlefield.
Her voice resonated across the chamber: "We are the apex of desire and will. Stand or fall—choose now."
The core guardians roared in unison, a challenge and acknowledgment of the lattice's dominance. The final confrontation—the ultimate test of Proto-Ascension, harem synchronization, and Sarah's own identity—was at hand.
The Sanctum itself seemed to bend to her presence, crimson-lilac light surging along every surface, reflecting the unstoppable force she had become.
Sarah's eyes burned. Her heartbeat echoed through the lattice. Her lips curved:
"Together… we rise."