HUMMM
Two thick tentacles erupted from the space around Seraphina's slender form. As they appeared, their tips morphed into jagged, spinning drills that shrieked as they tore through the air, hovering inches from the faces of the two criminals.
WHIRRR
The chilling, high-speed wind whipped at their faces, causing sharp pain. The burly thug was the first to break; trembling violently, he stammered, "We... we're Hellfire members... our headquarters is..."
"Shut up!" the driver barked at his partner. "The leader will cast you into purgatory!"
"Hmm?" Seraphina's expression soured. The whip binding the talkative driver instantly lengthened, coiling around his head and entire body until he was wrapped in a massive black cocoon, stifling his voice completely.
She turned back to the burly man with a smile. "Good. Continue."
"Uh..." The thug swallowed hard. "If I talk... you... you won't let me go anyway, will you?"
"You guessed right," Seraphina replied bluntly. "I don't like lying. Indeed, you'll die regardless."
The thug's face contorted. "Then why the hell should I say anything?!"
"Because," Seraphina tilted her head and laughed, "this way, your death won't be quite so... painful."
"What... what does that mean?"
As the thug wavered in fear and confusion, the driver trapped in the black cocoon beside him suddenly erupted in a gut-wrenching scream.
"AAAGH... AAAAGH!"
After a period of intense, violent convulsing and prolonged shrieking, the driver finally fell silent. The whip uncoiled, dissolving into black flame and ash.
SPLAT!!
A large mass of grayish, murky acid, mixed with scorched, fragmented remains, poured out, slamming onto the ground.
HISSSSSS!!!
The moment the acid hit the pavement, the hard concrete began to emit sharp, sizzling sounds. Before the thug's eyes, a large section of the ground was visibly corroded, sinking several inches deep.
His partner, a living, breathing man moments ago, had been reduced to a shapeless slurry of unknown acid right in front of him.
The thug stared blankly at the expanding pool of gray liquid. "This... this is..."
"This is magic acid," Seraphina said in a low, resonant voice. "A billion times stronger than sulfuric acid. The strongest acid in the world. So... can we talk now?"
"Huff... huff..."
Gasping in terror, the thug suddenly screamed, "I'll talk! I'll talk! But... you can't kill me with that stuff! Please... I beg you, just shoot me!"
"Fine," Seraphina nodded calmly.
"...I'm from Hellfire..."
"...The leader is named Aleister Crowley..."
"He... he knows magic..."
"Magic?" A flicker of surprise crossed Seraphina's face. She asked curiously, "What kind of magic?"
The thug lowered his head, his voice trembling. "He can... burn people to death from a distance, melt steel like nothing, and summon zombies, demons, beasts, and all sorts of terrifying monsters to devour people alive!"
"Oh!" Seraphina's eyes lit up with extreme curiosity. "Where can I find this Aleister?"
"He lives year-round on the Marvell Islands," the man gasped. "There are no commercial flights there. You can only reach it via private jet or cargo plane. We snatched that Emberlight woman to send her there for the leader and his invited friends to use in their games. They... they love playing with foreigners."
"Games? What kind of games?" Seraphina asked, her brow furrowed.
"Uh... death games."
"Death games..." Her expression darkened. "And who are these 'friends'?"
"They're the big shots of Beaconreach. Each one is worth a fortune," the thug explained slowly. "They have massive influence in every sector: medical, food, industry, media, construction, arms, energy, finance. If they wanted to, they could influence the decisions of the Gray House and the Hexagon Building."
"Disgusting. A pack of animals," Seraphina said, her face turning cold. She looked at the thug. "Where and when is the plane taking off with the captives?"
The man answered with a dead, hopeless tone:
"Tonight at midnight. Sanisco International Airport, Terminal 3..."
"...A private cargo plane..."
"...The plane's name is: Beautiful World..."
...
Sanisco International Airport, Terminal 3.
Two ground crew members circled the Beautiful World, conducting a final inspection. After a few minutes, they signaled an 'OK' to the waiting hall above and walked away.
The moment they turned their backs, a shadow blurred across the tarmac, darting toward the plane's massive tires. Using the tires as a foothold, the figure grabbed the thick piston rods and effortlessly vaulted into the landing gear bay.
Shortly after, the Beautiful World began its slow taxi. Aligning with the center of the runway, the aircraft surged forward.
VROOOOOM
The speed intensified until the aircraft shuddered and lifted off, slicing into the night sky. The three sets of wheels slowly retracted into their bays.
Once the Beautiful World reached a cruising altitude of 12,000 meters, Seraphina pulled out a pen-sized flashlight and surveyed her surroundings.
Fueled by a spark of righteous fury, she had actually decided to hitchhike on the landing gear to go raise hell in the Marvell Islands.
She wasn't doing this for a grand cause or a complex mission; she was doing it because she was pissed off.
Ever since acquiring her supernatural powers, a natural arrogance had taken root in her mind, the kind that comes from possessing a "sharp blade." Under the influence of this pride, she did exactly what she pleased. If those white-collared elites didn't sit right with her, she'd simply go butcher them. It was that simple.
CLICK.
CLICK.
The flashlight flickered several times and died.
"Temperature too low?"
WHOOSH
Exhaling a cloud of white mist, Seraphina felt the heat and vitality within her body rapidly leaching away. The temperature inside the landing gear bay had plummeted to nearly -50°C, and the oxygen levels were less than half of the norm. An ordinary person wouldn't last long here.
But Seraphina was different.
The power of the Residual Embers flowing through her was practically omnipotent. At her command, it converted into boundless life force every second. Any cells frozen to death or tissues damaged by the frost were instantly repaired.
"I'll take a nap first."
Relaxed, she pillowed her head on her slender arms, closed her eyes, and drifted off.
Some time later...
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are beginning our descent. Please fasten your seatbelts, stow your tray tables, and return your seatbacks to their upright positions. Please ensure all carry-on items are properly stowed. We will be landing shortly. Thank you."
The faint announcement jolted Seraphina awake.
"Looks like we're here."
With a thought, dozens of pitch-black streams of fire erupted from her body, coiling around her like protective layers. Each strand of flame thrummed with intense vitality.
With this physical manifestation of Life Force surrounding her, any injury she sustained would heal instantly.
She had essentially become a version of Wolverine; dying was no longer an easy feat.
At that moment, the faint voice within Seraphine's mind suddenly spoke:
"The power of the Residual Embers will gradually strengthen your body and soul. One day, piercing through a star in an instant will be trivial. This power has immense potential for transformation; at its peak, simulating the entire mortal world is but a single thought."
"Huh?" the girl replied, startled. "Demon-lady... why are you telling me this so suddenly? Are you leaving?"
The faint voice said:
"Nothing major is happening here anymore. There's no point in lingering. I'm going."
In an instant, Seraphina felt a profound emptiness in her heart, as if a "physical entity" had suddenly departed.
"Demon-lady? Demon-lady?!"
She called out repeatedly in her mind, but there was no response. She could only let out a long sigh. "My life changed because of you. You... were my mentor."
In this moment, Seraphina's heart was a tangle of emotions, loss mixed with a sense of aimless wandering.
But a split second later, her resolve hardened. Her hand transformed into a jagged black claw, and she brutally tore through the metal bulkhead of the landing gear bay.
SCREECH
BOOM!!
The moment the bulkhead gave way, Seraphina's body erupted with the sound of fracturing bone. Twisted and spraying blood, she was "sucked" out of the aircraft and into the void of the world.
SWOOSH
Beneath the vast, dark-blue vault of heaven, a figure shot out like a bullet from the belly of the plane, hurtling toward the earth.
WHOOSH—
High in the sky, her beautiful face, turned a bruised purple from the cold, bore eyes that shone with brilliant intensity. She scanned for the islands, adjusting her descent trajectory. In her vision, the sky beneath her had been stripped of all colors, leaving only an expanse of deep, dark blue.
As she fell, the blue deepened, layer by layer, becoming as dark and thick as the ocean depths.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—
Coarse, gray clouds whisked past her. Before long, she pierced through a layer of dark cloud-sea.
FLAP—
The view suddenly opened up. A real sea, a vast, limitless ocean with several islands at its center, filled Seraphina's sight. She had finally reached her destination: the den of filth, the Marvell Islands.
SWOOSH~~
Rapid descent. Closer to the ground. Closer... and closer...
BOOM!!!
She slammed into a dense forest with terrifying force. Seconds later, Seraphina, her body having been nearly reduced to a pulp, snapped back into shape and stood up, her expression unchanged.
Surveying her surroundings, she found herself on a low mountain. Jagged, misshapen rocks and dense wood filled her vision. Layers of dry branches and rotting leaves carpeted the uneven ground beneath her feet. It looked like a wasteland that hadn't seen a human soul in a thousand years.
"Crowley..."
Seraphina looked toward the mist-shrouded depths of the island, her face as still as water.
WHOOSH—
In a flash of black light, she vanished from the mountain peak.
...
Pit of Hell.
HUMMM—
Around Seraphine, who sat cross-legged in the silent void, twenty-seven power projections appeared, encircled by branches of the Creeping Sea.
Aside from the one sent to Seraphina's space-time, the other twenty-six projections each contained a colossal amount of wrath and hatred energy, converted from massive amounts of negative emotions.
This wasn't just raw anger; it was combined with an astronomical level of Spirituality, essentially donated by the bodies and souls of all living beings across the various parallel Earths.
As for Seraphina's world... Seraphine felt it wouldn't hurt to let that one go. After all, that girl was, in a sense, another version of herself. Let her see how far she could go using that branch of the Bodhisattva of Radiance's Residual Ember power.
But Seraphine had no reason to spare the other parallel space-times.
HUMMM—
Divine light flared around her, birthing hundreds more power projections. These projections, the weakest of which possessed Shining Sun-level strength, nodded to her before being swallowed by the Creeping Sea branches, channels opened by Boxes of Sorrow, dark contracts, or demonic summons. They surged toward their respective parallel universes.
"To conquer all millions of mortal realms is going to take a lot of time," Seraphine mused. "Then there's the unknown locations of the Elder Ouroboros, the Source of Misery Uriel, and the abandoned Heaven. Tsk tsk."
With a sigh, Seraphine's form blurred. Leveraging the karmic connection between herself, Sachiko, and Mox, she instantly returned to the Ansel world, located an unfathomable distance away.
SWOOSH—
In an instant, only the collapsing ruins of the massive Pit of Hell remained in the void; Seraphine was gone.
...
In the boundless void, across vast distances, lay the Ansel world, towed by several gargantuan Void Whales. The many continents that once teemed with countless nations and mortals were now shrouded in the silence of death.
This horrific state was entirely Sachiko's doing. Under the terrifying power of her Demonic Curse, the mortals of the Ansel world were nearly extinct.
Morningstar-level witches had died in droves or twisted into hideous, ghost-like monsters.
99% of the Resplendent Moon-level witches had perished, leaving only a few survivors cowering in extra-dimensional Secret Realms.
Consequently, Sachiko, having corrupted and fallen the entire Ansel world, had stepped into the high-stage of Shining Sun, pushing toward the peak and the even greater False God rank.
Seraphine, however, didn't care about that. She was more puzzled by the fact that despite the world falling into such a state, the twelve Shining Suns and the False God Ansel himself had yet to appear.
"Are these guys all dead or something?"
With a thought, Seraphine swept her senses through the entirety of the Ansel world, inside and out. Yet, she found no trace of the Shining Suns or Ansel.
"Whatever."
She shook her head slightly and looked down at Mox, who was kneeling respectfully before her. At his feet lay a black bracelet, radiating intense space-time vibrations.
...
On the stone surface before Mox lay a polished silver skeleton, the remains of the unfortunate Wild Wolf team leader, Dueng Mydrintium.
The surface of this beautiful skeleton was etched with a chaotic array of heretical secret scripts, unrecognizable to an ordinary person. Though the symbols were alien, bearing no resemblance to Earth's languages or the scripts of the Mercury Race and Agate Clan, Seraphine's transcendent intellect deciphered their functions at a glance.
These runes provided seven distinct effects:
1. Massive reduction of external magnetic field interference.
2. Massive reduction of hypnotic and illusory influence.
3. Enhanced sensory perception.
4. Tenfold reinforcement of physical power.
5. Softening of internal and external muscle groups.
6. Condensation of life energy.
7. Permanently etched combat sword-style patterns.
"Not bad. A clever concept," Seraphine mused. "By enchanting a Mydrintium skeleton, you effectively bypass the counters of magnetic manipulators while integrating multiple skills into a single frame. Unfortunately, when facing an existence powerful enough to simply erase you, these tricks become flashy, meaningless clutter."
With a sweep of her gaze, she instantly deconstructed the skeleton's microscopic structure. As she suspected, its durability was tied to Ether.
Generally, without etheric influence, matter has a ceiling; only the degenerate matter found in the high-pressure environments of White Dwarfs or Neutron stars can reach such heights.
This alloy wasn't exactly the same as the Ether-Crystalline found in her prime space-time, but it shared structural similarities with Ether-Crystalline iron-carbon alloys.
However, this unknown super-alloy was far superior in strength and melting point. Even so, it still paled in comparison to the natural stable Nuclear molecules that composed Cadelon's body.
"Ultimately, still trash," Seraphine whispered, shaking her head. She extended a slender finger and pointed toward the skeleton.
DING—
Following a crisp, pleasant chime, the silver skeleton underwent something akin to the Hutchinson Effect. Without the temperature rising by even a single degree, the metal turned eerily soft, collapsing and merging into a single sphere of Mydrintium.
Then, like a conductor leading an orchestra, Seraphine flicked her finger left and right, carving through the air. The mass of Mydrintium was instantly wrenched apart and split into three spinning, liquid-like metal spheres.
The three silvery, liquid spheres, controlled by Seraphine's precise movements, rapidly began to take shape and solidify. They transformed into a silver machete with a serrated back, an oversized and heavy silver chainsaw, and a sleek, silver teardrop-shaped mask that looked more like a piece of art than a piece of armor.
The blade, the saw, and the mask drifted through the air, coming to rest before Mox.
"I have no use for these trifles. Keep them for yourself," she commanded.
Mox bowed respectfully to his master, stood, and raised a hand to his face.
WHOOSH—
The old, yellowed, tattered mask he wore dissolved into wisps of black flame, revealing his jagged, monstrously disfigured face. Mox then slammed the Mydrintium mask onto his visage.
SQUELCH—
Blood sprayed. Eight jagged spikes Seraphine had specifically integrated into the mask's interior pierced into his flesh and bone, fixing the mask permanently to Mox's head. He then tucked the Mydrintium machete and the silver chainsaw into his belt.
At the same time, Seraphine turned her gaze to the Divine Bracelet at Mox's feet, which appeared to be carved from obsidian. Under her will, the black bracelet rose and hovered in mid-air.
Seraphine's mental perception surged into the device.
HUMMM
Through her terrifyingly acute senses, she found that the bracelet, which looked somewhat like a fitness tracker, wasn't particularly remarkable in its material structure. It was just slightly stronger, more heat-resistant, and more durable than Ether-Crystalline. Even an ordinary person in a modern society could destroy it with a few hours of continuous bombardment from a multi-megaton hydrogen bomb.
Thus, Seraphine surmised that this item was likely meant for low-level Reincarnators. High-level Reincarnators, capable of destroying stars with a gesture, would surely possess more advanced Certificates, such as tattoos or mental imprints.
Having analyzed its physical makeup, Seraphine delved deeper.
HUMMM
Instantly, the energy, data, and space-time operational circuits within the bracelet were laid bare. She realized the bracelet was essentially a physical vessel for a small fraction of the Divine's power. Yet, even as a mere vessel, its complexity was staggering.
"Incredibly sophisticated," she noted.
Within her mental perception, the underlying circuits and operational rules of the bracelet displayed clear four-dimensional structures. It contained functions for positioning, scanning, storage, calculation, and security.
It was, in essence, a supercomputer.
However, its primary function was connecting to the branches of the Creeping Sea. Through the bracelet, she discovered that the Divine Space also utilized these branches to deploy its Reincarnators.
"Is it because they lack their own space-time transport capabilities... or are they bound by some restriction?"
Seraphine thought of the Phoenix of Profound Darkness and the bronze arrow she had seen above the River of Time.
"Perhaps many powerful beings in the infinite parallel universes, like those Observers, must rely on the Creeping Sea to transcend space-time," she mused. "If so, then the Creeping Sea God mentioned by Mobo the Chrono Merchant... wouldn't they be unimaginably powerful? At least a level above the Observers?"
It was only a guess. Perhaps transcending space-time wasn't that difficult, and there were loopholes to exploit.
"Thinking too much is useless."
Pushing those thoughts aside, she noticed the bracelet's current operational structure was in a state of chaotic blur, as silent and stagnant as death.
"Is it because Dueng died? What would happen if a new Reincarnator took his place?"
With that, she casually snapped the Divine Bracelet onto her left wrist.
CLICK
As the bracelet locked, Seraphine waited in silence. Suddenly, the device began to vibrate violently. The tremors even caused the surrounding space-time to turn hazy and indistinct. In this strange state, wisps of crystalline light coalesced before Seraphine, forming rows of text in the Emberlight language:
『Greetings, Candidate. Do you find your life utterly mundane? Worthless? Do you feel as though you are constantly repeating the same actions?
Do you feel oppressed and exploited by those above you? Do you feel forced to endure the cold indifference and fake smiles of others?
Do you feel as though you are constantly letting down your family, lovers, and friends? Do you feel as though you can never influence the world, never improve yourself, and never be the protagonist?
A busy job, harsh reprimands from superiors, endless overtime, failing studies, a boring marriage, a numb life... has all of this left you exhausted?
Are you content to remain a supporting character in life forever? Are you content to become a mere skeleton beneath the earth or a pile of ash in a box a century from now?
If you are not content, do you wish to escape this meaningless, ordinary life?
Do you wish to experience thrilling adventures? Do you wish for inexhaustible wealth? Do you wish for power to dominate the cosmos?
If so, come to the Divine Space and become a Reincarnator who transcends space-time.
In the infinite space-time, you can be a carefree hermit, enjoying endless beauty. You can travel through the vast universe with a sword, performing deeds of justice and leaving behind legendary tales. You can pilot starships across the cosmic expanse, discovering the mysteries of magnificent alien civilizations. You can even ambitiously raise an army, crown yourself king, and become the common master of countless beings.
Everything you desire is here. All your wishes can be fulfilled here.
Come, join us. Join the Divine Space.』
『 Yes / No 』
After reading these messages, Seraphine couldn't help but scoff.
"A supposedly grand Divine Space, and it sounds like a pyramid scheme pitch. How pathetic."
The deceptive, shouting tone felt more like a dark joke.
Despite her mockery, she didn't hesitate to tap the 『 Yes 』 option.
The moment she touched the illusory choice, the internal structure of the Divine Bracelet "resurrected." A nearly transparent "tentacle" of energy surged out, scanning her entire body and soul, eventually reaching for her Spirituality.
Unfortunately for the device, the Spirituality of this clone was merely a projection of her true self. The tentacle searched in vain, finding nothing substantial. Yet, even as a projection, the faint "waves" emitted by her Spirituality were enough for the Divine tentacle to barely touch.
The instant it made contact, the tentacle froze. A microsecond later, it collapsed and vanished into nothingness.
The vibrating bracelet fell silent once more, returning to its previous, half-dead state. The flood of illusory information before Seraphine's eyes shifted violently, replaced by a single, stark sentence:
『 Candidate's Spirituality level is too high. Entry into the Divine Space is impossible. 』
The sentence lingered for only a few seconds before disintegrating into nothingness.
"Spirituality level too high? So I'm barred?"
Seraphine didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Divine God, are you just a bully who fears the strong?"
She wasn't actually that surprised. Seraphine had already considered the possibility that the Divine God might reject her. If there were no limits on the initial strength of candidates, and they accidentally recruited an overwhelmingly powerful monster, wouldn't that just be inviting trouble?
She just hadn't expected the Divine God's strength threshold to be based specifically on Spirituality.
"It makes sense. Even if they recruited someone with only semi-materialized Spirituality, that Reincarnator could likely slaughter their way through 99% of the mission worlds. Where's the game in that?"
Without further hesitation, Seraphine tossed the Divine Bracelet back to Mox's feet.
"Put it on and enter the Divine Space. Scout its true nature thoroughly."
Mox silently retrieved the bracelet and snapped it onto his wrist. The Divine Space's messages flashed before his eyes alone. Bypassing the long blocks of "advertising," Mox reached out and tapped the 『 Yes 』 option.
HUMMM
Suddenly, the small patch of space-time where he stood twisted into chaotic distortion. Under Seraphine's focused gaze, a Super-Space-Time Channel, essentially a branch of the Creeping Sea, yet more complex, refined, and heavily modified than the portals created by the Boxes of Sorrow, slowly materialized.
It swallowed Mox whole and then abruptly vanished from the Ansel world.