Project Seraphina [LitRPG, Magitech, GL]
2.69 The Power of 「The Anomaly」 VI

Golden light rushes through my [Ether] channels, suffusing my entire body within a warm, comforting radiance. The wounds I’ve sustained sizzle away. My broken flesh and organs knit themselves together in real time. It doesn’t hurt, but it tingles in an odd sort of way. I want to stop and marvel at and study this sensation, but I know from the last time I tapped into [Seraphina Overlimit] that my time is short. And that I won’t get another chance if I fail to bring these last few cultists down, and fast.

I flex my will, demanding that my [Status] window oblige me with some information about what exactly I’m capable of. And after a split second of… I want to call it hesitation, I get the information I’m interested in. Though there’s still that glitchy text that shows up over the name of this technique… I guess it’s a trait and not a Skill, for whatever that means.

[[S̸e̴r̵a̴p̸h̴i̸n̷a̶ ̸O̸v̷e̶r̷l̷i̶m̷i̶t̷]: The forbidden power bestowed upon 「The Anomaly」. Temporarily breaks the limits imposed by the System, granting the possessor of this power the ability to Manifest her will into reality. Increases all stats by (50 + Level) for (Level x 2) seconds. (Bonus applies after other buffs, but before modifications due to equipment.) [Health] and [Ether] are fully restored and overfilled to one-and-a-half times their maximum values. (Temporary [Health] and [Ether] in excess of maximum are lost when effect expires.) No Experience gained for enemies defeated while under the effects of [Seraphina Overlimit]. Additional effects unknown. Cooldown: 168 hours. (Current: 167:59:59)]

And sure enough, the numbers are absolutely ridiculous:

[Level: 33; Experience: ???,??? To Next: ??,???] [Error: Cannot determine Experience values. An Administrator has been notified.]

Well, screw that notification. But nothing I can do about administrators for now.

[Current Stats: [Health]: 5,564 / 3,709; [Ether]: 3,830 / 2,553]

[Current Stats: [Strength]: 114 (31); [Speed]: 112 (29); [Vitality]: 156 (73); [Mind]: 196 (113)]

Everything feels so crisp and clear and… completely untethered from all limitations, both those of reality and those which I have previously imposed upon myself, whether consciously or not. I take a moment to look at myself— though I only have now sixty-four seconds of Overlimit remaining, time seems to move so much slower now. The battle before me plays in slow motion, as though everyone were now swimming through a thick molasses syrup.

I look the same as I always do, though my hair is now glowing a rich, shining golden blonde, far brighter even than my normal sandy locks. I have no mirror, but I’m confident my eyes have switched from teal to silver. My wounds have completely healed as expected, and even my armor is stitching itself back together before my eyes. A true miracle— or horror— of the System. And I’m not sure which of the two it is.

Every muscle of my body feels electrified with raw strength. My [Ether] channels are filled to the bursting point with that strange violet power the first time I tapped into my Overlimit. And my entire body is coated in a golden aura, not quite under my conscious control, but which I instinctively know will act autonomously to protect me.

I clench my fists. My tendons are tight, ready to snap on my command. And I see a giant snake that needs to live out the rest of its life as a new purse, a gift from me to Chloe to celebrate our relationship.

I charge forward with brutality and purpose. I had expected to leave a tremendous gale and a cloud of dust in my wake, but neither appears. Just some quirk of how the System’s stats play out.

Manifestation of glyphs comes even more easily than before. The [Gravity] glyph that taxed my mind during training last night now flows to the forefront of my consciousness with hardly any effort whatsoever. The myriad shapes and curves, the intricate design that captures this fundamental force in the language of magic, all of it is borderline intuitive. And with but a thought, I power and release the glyph, aiming it squarely at the man who moments ago literally stabbed me in the back.

He falls face first into the dirt. I channel [Lightning], [Intensify], [Solidify], and [Sharpness] together into an electrical spear and throw it at the man, impaling him in the back just as he did to me moments ago. And though I get no Experience for it, I make damn sure I wait to see the System notification, confirming that he’s dead and out of my and Chloe’s misery for good.

That nagging sensation about morals and killing humans still exists in the back of my mind, but right now, having been stabbed and left for worm food, that no longer matters. They made the choice to terrorize the good people of Red Clay City. We made the choice to stop them. They made the choice to stab me and leave me to die. Right now, I’m making the choice that if it’s going to be me or them who falls today, it’ll be them.

Sixty-one seconds remaining. The snake comes next. I fire an [Ether Bullet Barrage] directly at its scaly carapace. It's difficult, and I have to do so manually, due to not having true access to my [Skills] while in Overlimit state. But I can manually form each bullet and power the glyphs with the barest of mental energy. Each bullet feels like it should send my arm flying backward, but with my [Strength] at such astronomical levels now, I hardly even flinch as miniature explosions rocket out at supersonic speeds, tearing the snake’s iridescent green-tinted scales and sending its blood spattering onto the ground.

The creature is far larger than I am. It’ll take far more hits to bring down. And that’s just fine. I’ve found a shit-ton of aggression to burn off since I got stabbed in the back, and this seems like a prime opportunity for some cathartic therapy.

Fifty-nine seconds. I Manifest [Strength] and [Intensity] directly into my fist. With [Durability] added to shield it from any lingering harm, I punch directly into the scales I shredded before. Green-tinged blood and stringy sinew erupt out from the wound. A bit of it splashes onto my face, but it’s burned off by the waves of golden light radiating out from my body.

I don’t hesitate. I activate my [Ether Bullet Barrage] from within the creature’s body and begin shooting its insides from point-blank range. It tries to spin around and bite me, but with over 100 [Strength], it’s too easy to punch its snout and repel the attack before it can do more than helplessly splash its venom on my radiant skin. Venom which quickly denatures and dissipates without effect.

My counterattack, a combination of [Ice], [Growth], and [Sharpness] to form a giant blade, is far more effective. I shoot it directly into the creature’s distended mouth, cutting away at its insides from that end even as I continue to unleash hell from within.

Before my all-encompassing assault, even this massive serpent falls in a matter of seconds. Another System notification, another confirmed kill. Another creature that will never harm another innocent civilian. And I smile. Fighting to protect the people of this world and all others from monsters, whether they wear the skin of snakes, humans, the System, or otherwise. This is my purpose. The very reason I was created.

And that’s what the cultist leader is, standing before me. A monster wearing the skin of a human. I see those eyes, blackened, tainted by the sins of greed and lust for power at any cost. My eyes stand resolute as I rip my [Mechanical Arm Cannon] out of the snake’s disintegrating carcass and turn my attention squarely upon the madman responsible for so many lives lost and so much blood stained.

He’s a younger man. Probably not older than twenty-five, maybe a youthful thirty. He wears a metal breastplate much like mine, but while the rest of my armor is a mishmash hodgepodge of whatever I could find, he wears the pants and boots of a well-dressed professional. Not sure if ‘sleazy banker’, ‘calculating mob boss’, or ‘scheming politician’. Probably a little of all three.

His short hair— not quite a buzz cut, but not far off— and clean-shaven face, on the other hand, scream military. And he’s ripped. Arms not much smaller than my thighs, with the biceps of a bodybuilder. Power through Strength, returning society to the Law of the Jungle? Yeah, a guy with a figure like that is at least practicing what he’s preaching. No matter. Today, he dies.

He steps backward, and the two sentinels flanking him draw their guns in a vain attempt to stop me. Somehow, they’re actually System-registered, but the glyph inscriptions carved into the barrel are so rudimentary and flawed that I can’t imagine they provide much of a boost.

Dammit, Theo. If you were the one who did the inscribing, your work is shitty and an insult to [Mechanists] and [Enchantresses] everywhere. I feel disgusted just looking at it. I suppose Theo was a [Glyphcasting Bulwark] and focused entirely on defensive glyphs, both in battle and while crafting. It makes sense that his ability to use offensive glyphs is piss-poor. Still don't like it.

I set the feeling aside. A dozen bullets all ram into my [Shielding Aura], as I’m calling it. Eight of them fail to pierce it, disintegrating before hitting me. The other four actually manage to get through it. But with my [Vitality] sitting well over a hundred, plus my gear bonuses, they too deal a pittance of damage.

One shot to each of them. My [Mechanical Arm Cannon] is not so weak to be stopped by their pitiful excuse for armor. Except… no, they’re still alive. That's probably a good thing. The leader has to die because he's simply too powerful to be detained, but these two deserve a chance at redemption, or at least, the right for the law to judge and sentence them.

Two more bullets to incapacitate the last man standing, and it’s just me and the leader, the rest of the field full of soldiers and cultists either wounded or dead. And Chloe, who is tending to as many of the wounded on both sides as possible.

I struggle with it, being a weapon rather than a human, especially in this state. But I don’t object. At least, until the civilian government can figure out what to do with them. I suspect they’ll still be executed, mostly because there’s no way to imprison a bunch of level 25-30 criminals at this time. But even in war, prisoners are entitled to certain rights, and I have no problem with her actions.

The leader, however, will die. Not a threat, just a promise.

I charge forward at my full speed, launching a single fist at the man’s gut. To my surprise, he manages to partially block it. Not completely, and I think I cracked his ulna from the force of impact, but it wasn’t the incapacitating wound I had hoped.

The next attack, a simple kick below the belt is enough to send him to his knees. Were I in a position to do so, I’d like to ask him for information. Try to figure out his goals, why he did all this, if he really meant what he says about a world for the strong alone, where those who are strong live and those who are weak die. But I’ve got only thirty-nine seconds left before I’m at his mercy. I can’t hesitate. I won’t hesitate.

At least, I say as much, right until the word out of his mouth stops and infuriates me in equal measure.

“M– Mercy,” he stammers.

Something within me shifts. The violet [Ether] of my Overlimit surges to the forefront of my skin, causing it to tint red with rage.

“Mercy? You want mercy? Now? You had no problem building a cult to terrorize millions of people. You had no problem ordering the slaughter of innocents. You had no problem ordering us dead. Why in the unholy hells should you be given the mercy that you denied thousands?”

“It was necessary!”

I raise my [Mechanical Arm Cannon] to his temple. Twenty-seven seconds. No other hostile forces. I can afford to hear out his explanation.

“Visions. Had visions. Forces from other worlds. Terrors from the depths. Monsters from our myths and legends. All of us die, because we are too weak to fight against them. Not just you and me. All of humanity.”

“So you hope that by terrorizing people out of their complacency, you can get them strong enough to overcome the challenges in these… visions, you called them.”

He nods slightly.

“You don’t need to worry about them. Because we’ll overcome those threats. We might suffer losses, but we will endure, adapt, and overcome. I will stand at the forefront and repel any force that threatens humanity. And we’ll do it without indiscriminate slaughter of the masses.”

“Hahaha,” he mutters, though his voice is still weak from my last attack. “I lost. You won. This is how it ought to be. Just be quick about it.”

Sixteen seconds left. The entire conversation has been happening at superhuman speeds. Even if I wanted to spare him, I can't. My Overlimit will expire soon, and then we'll be at his mercy. Mercy, I suspect, he will not grant us.

“I will. And I’ll defend them. The right way.”

“What… bullshit,” he says, right before my bullet pierces his brain and ends his life.

One System notification later, and finally, the threat of the Order of the Wilds is excised for good.

[You have slain a Luminary Oracle (Level 40). [Seraphina Overlimit] prevents Experience gain while active. (Duration: 00:00:14 remaining.)]

[Your [Angelic Insight (Rank IV)] has upgraded to [Angelic Insight (Rank V)].]

[Your [Ether Bullet Barrage (Rank IV)] has upgraded to [Ether Bullet Barrage (Rank VI).]

[Your [Glyphcasting (Rank XIV) has upgraded to [Glyphcasting (Rank XV).]

[Your [Basic Glyph Manifestation (Rank X) has upgraded to Basic Glyph Manifestation (Rank XI)].]