“‘Anomaly?’ I dunno what you’re talking about. Not a single one of us goes by a name like that.”

I couldn’t tell if it was brashness or genuine confidence that led Seika to retort in such a manner.

The being that stood against us was one the system had previously identified as threat rank 9, the greatest numerical rank a corrupted could receive. 

Yet, I was certain that Seraphim’s current power far surpassed that ranking– No, not just the ranking… Right now, he was far more powerful than when I had killed him before, and at that time, he most definitely was a calamity rank threat.

[ The target’s form has been significantly altered ]

[ Accounting for change in threat… ]

[ The target cannot be categorized by Hanakawa’s threat ranking scale ]

Something beyond calamity..?

[ Updating threat processing in accordance to < World Zero >’s scale… ]

[ Update complete ]

I stared at the messages before me with an empty gaze. All the while, I could feel the updated information compiled by the system flowing into my head.

Everything I knew before about the threat scaling of corrupted beasts and beings had been turned upside-down.

Of course, it all made sense logically. After all, in my old life, a ‘calamity’ was simply something that posed an all-ending threat to Hanakawa, a single village. 

On the grand scale that is World Zero, what would it take for its inhabitants to truly view something as a calamity?

[ The Fallen Herald of Synoria, Seraphim, has been evaluated as a Rank 5 threat ]

So a being beyond Hanakawa’s definition of a calamity was now reduced to merely a rank 5 threat. It seemed I still hadn’t truly understood the scale of this world.

As these changes were flowing in my head, Seika had calmly approached Seraphim’s motionless body from behind.

“Listen. You once fought on our side, no? I’m not too sure about the details of what’s changed on your end, but none of this should be necessary. Just end the final wave and we can resolve this in some way that benefits us both.”

It was those words that made me realize Seika’s confidence in this very moment was nothing more than a front.

I had gotten to know her fairly well over the past week. She was a feisty, hot-headed individual who, as far as I knew, never would’ve passed up on the opportunity to fight a strong opponent.

Yet, for a person of such character, what would it speak of their opponent if they were the one to suggest a civil resolution without combat?

No, this didn’t make sense. Even as strong as Seraphim may have been, how was Seika of all people feeling hesitation? What was going on here that I couldn’t see?

Seraphim glanced back at her without a hint of care in his eyes.

“The high and mighty Seika, so prideful in her strength, is asking me to talk things out? Well, if you don’t want to fight, then as I’ve said, there’s an easy way out.”

He returned that chilling gaze of his to me.

“Hand over the boy. It’s that simple.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’ve quite understood.”

The pressure around them seemed to grow heavier.

“As far as I’m aware, there is no ‘anomaly,’ and there is no ‘the boy.’ His name is Kaito and he’s my apprentice.”

“So you’re finally willing to let yourself fall to the allure of battle… What a simple soul to sway.”

The ground around them began tearing up, unable to withstand the clashing might of their presences.

In the storm of aether that spiraled around Seika, her pendant began to flutter with a fearsome glow. At last, she was drawing out the full potential of her shard.

She led with a jab, the movement of which I couldn’t even track before she had already made contact.

Boom!

Seraphim folded one wing in front of him, shielding himself from the blow. 

It seemed both of them were unwilling to budge from their spots, Seraphim stubbornly holding his ground like an unbreakable fortress while Seika rained down attacks like ceaseless cannonfire.

Her individual punches seemed to be scattered, never once striking the same location as the previous, yet there was a method to her madness. 

The composition of powerful corrupted beings like Seraphim would always be unique, unlike the lesser beasts whose physical body shared many uniform traits. 

She wasn’t just throwing out attacks haphazardly. Instead, each blow carried force that was precisely controlled, her aether ever so slightly pulling back as to not completely shatter the surface of Seraphim’s wings. 

Each reverberation that resounded through his body gave her just a bit more information about his weaknesses.

“You’re smiling at a time like this? Aren’t you being a bit overconfident?”

Producing a gust of wind, Seraphim arched back his wings, revealing both arms poised to strike. Just as the multi-cored titan I had fought before, he had also employed the tactic of sharpening the crystallized corrupted energy over his arms into blade-like surfaces. 

“Right forearm. Lower left abdomen. Left shoulder. Bottom left wing. Middle right wing. Top right wing. Neck.”

With those instructions, Seika leapt back from the oncoming attack that thrust toward her like lances.

Verse 2: Fleeting words of parting rime

Almost instantly, Setsuya lunged forwards to take her spot, his blade winding with the elegance of a flowing ribbon as he masterfully contorted his body around the highlighted weak points.

A single slash carved through each body part Seika identified, each point of contact spreading cracks throughout Seraphim’s body that snaked up his height.

At last, one powerful stroke grabbed hold of each of those cracks, severing the head cleanly from the body as each severed piece flew into the air.

“You might have a new and fancy form, but it’s far from free of imperfections.”

Seika switched places with Setsuya once more, winding up a final punch to obliterate Seraphim’s unguarded core.

If only it could’ve been that simple.

There was a rhythm. A steady beat that had been building up within Seraphim’s body throughout the duration of that last attack. It was almost like a heartbeat.

I couldn’t comprehend it until just before that beat reached its climax.

“YOU TWO, GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

My body, previously frozen both in fear and awe of the fight, suddenly scrambled towards her as fast as I could.

Core Manipulation: Legion Resurrection

Masses of innumerable arms reached out from each damaged surface as conjoined beings, melded together, poured out from Seraphim’s wounds.

Seika and Setsuya were forced into a rapid retreat as the tsunami of bodies swarmed the field in all directions.

Like reanimated corpses, the bodies detached themselves from one another, first crawling, then dragging themselves into standing positions in their scattered spots.

“...He’s gained the power to create corrupted beings.”

I recognized these newly formed bodies as the same sort of angel-type beings I had fought back in Hanakawa. 

Somehow, their bodies, cores and all, had been formed within Seraphim’s body, and within that chaos of releasing these angels onto the battlefield, Seraphim had completely healed all damage inflicted by Seika and Setsuya.

“I’ve entertained you all enough. What is your final decision?”

The angels’ bodies cracked with every movement as Seraphim materialized spears for them to wield from his own body as well.

“You think we’re afraid of a few pieces of fodder?”

“...Then so be it. Attack.”

On Seraphim’s command, the angels rushed forward, brandishing their new weapons as their numbers began to surround their two human opponents.

Seika and Setsuya refined their auras once more, each individual attack of theirs eliminating dozens of angels from the battlefield.

Yet, from behind the conflict, Seraphim’s body continuously produced more and more soldiers, creating a seemingly never ending battle purely in his favor. 

As each angel was slain, their bodies were contorted and reshaped through core manipulation, their energy absorbed back into Seraphim’s body before being spat out anew.

This entire time, I had been watching the battle from safety. The difference in strength with the angels clearly played into Seika and Setsuya’s advantage, so why was I still so worried?

I couldn’t help but feel unbearably anxious. 

But there was still something I could do, even in this fight that now was way beyond my own strength.

Time itself seemed to slow as a residual beat began to pick up once more.

Was I the only one who could hear it?

In a flash, every angel vanished from the battlefield, their cores coalescing into a single concentrated mass of energy at the tip of Seraphim’s fingers.

That energy had originally come from him, yet somehow, it had now multiplied, enhancing him beyond his original state as he absorbed their energy into his body.

The density of his energy grew thicker, his wings expanded into the air as the shadows they cast crawled across the previously illuminated ground.

“...He’s going to destroy all of Synoria Outlook–”

“I suppose that means no more holding back then.”

“Disregard collateral damage to the town unless it directly endangers another human being. That’s an order.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

Before I could decide whether to fight or run away, Seika and Setsuya already began leaping into action, their auras now shining like stars against the backdrop of the battlefield.

Alter Zone

Verse 3–

Heavenly Lance - Recollection

Suddenly, the energy around Seraphim released in a tremendous flash.

I could no longer see nor hear my allies… But it wasn’t just them, even my surroundings had been eradicated from my senses.

***

“So eager to move on and fight. Go on then. Keep running away and keep fighting. I, your enemy, am right here. If you believe it so deeply, then show me your regrets won’t catch up to you.”

***