The core chamber trembled under the weight of the Outer Faction's remaining guardians. Their forms, now fully revealed, radiated power that bent reality around them. Glyphs spun in intricate, impossibly fast patterns; shadows thickened into tangible sinews of destruction; the metallic-fluid entity shimmered, constantly reshaping itself into lethal arrays. Every instinct Sarah had honed through Proto-Ascension, every heartbeat of the harem, every pulse of Desire was being pushed to its absolute limit.
Sarah inhaled, feeling the lattice tighten around her. Her eyes glowed with layered crimson-lilac intensity, reflecting the fully stabilized merge with Lilith Fragment. The Proto-Ascension wasn't just a power—it was an extension of her will, magnified through her harem, a living network of synchronized desire and combat precision.
Rias pressed a hand to her waist, grounding her. "We hold the lattice. We amplify. We dominate."
Akeno's touch sparked along her forearm, igniting instantaneous reflex enhancement. "Every pulse, every spark, every frôlement… weaponized fully."
Koneko's hands anchored her stability, Rossweisse aligned flow, Xenovia struck with precision, and Lilith Fragment's consciousness threaded anticipatory vectors through the entire network.
Sarah PV: 550 / Lv: 62 / Force: 350 / Desire: 5800 / Intelligence: 80 / Agility: 105
The first guardian launched a series of jagged, shadowed strikes. Sarah shifted with fluid precision, each harem member's touch recalibrating her stance mid-combat. Proto-Ascension output surged beyond predicted thresholds, energy rippling across the chamber like a storm.
The metallic-fluid guardian flowed around them, its limbs becoming blades in endless formation. Akeno's calculated frôlements amplified speed; Koneko stabilized vectors; Rossweisse converted kinetic energy into directed counterforce. Xenovia's blade aligned perfectly with Sarah's output, and Lilith Fragment threaded anticipatory corrections to intercept every lethal arc.
The arcane glyph-guardian unleashed a barrage of spinning sigils, each one threatening to tear through the lattice. But the harem's synchronization projected Sarah's intention outward, redirecting glyphs mid-flight. Every heartbeat, every glance, every brush of skin doubled as both shield and counterattack.
Skill Triggered: Ultimate Proto-Ascension – Lattice Overdrive
Effect: Proto-Ascension and harem lattice reach absolute output; tactile, glance, and heartbeat interactions trigger cascading chain-reactions across all vectors; temporary +1600 Force, +3000 Desire, +800 Agility; battlefield control near-complete; enemy adaptive algorithms neutralized.
The guardians faltered, staggering under the seamless synchronization of Proto-Ascension and harem resonance. The shadows quivered, metal limbs splintered mid-motion, glyph arrays fractured. Sarah stepped forward, every contact with her harem a calculated surge of force, projecting lethal intention across the chamber.
"Now," Sarah commanded, voice carrying the weight of absolute will.
Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Rossweisse, Xenovia, and Lilith Fragment moved as one extension of her power, every frôlement, every pulse, every glance magnifying Proto-Ascension to its outermost limit.
Skill Triggered: Ascendant Convergence – Absolute Offensive Vector
Effect: Every Ascension, harem lattice, and Charm Domain output fused into a singular offensive strike; enemy defenses dismantled preemptively; temporary +1800 Force, +3500 Desire, +900 Agility; core chamber dominance established; Proto-Ascension reaches near-final evolution.
The guardians reeled under the onslaught, staggered and disoriented. Sarah's eyes blazed, and her body resonated with a power that no individual, no collective enemy force, could withstand. She felt the Proto-Ascension pulse in perfect harmony with her harem, each beat amplifying her emotional, tactical, and Desire vectors.
The chamber itself seemed to bend toward her will. Crimson-lilac light surged along every spire, every floor panel, every river of flowing energy. The Outer Faction's ultimate defenses had finally met their match.
Sarah's voice carried across the chamber: "This is the apex of unity. The apex of desire. The apex of will. Witness our Ascension."
Every harem member pressed closer in perfect synchronization, transmitting power and intent through the lattice. The Proto-Ascension reached its threshold, teetering on the edge of full, uncontainable evolution.
The three guardians staggered, caught in the ripple of the living lattice. They attempted a final synchronized strike—but every vector had been anticipated, every motion countered before it fully formed.
Sarah's lips curved into a determined smile. "Together… we rise."
And in that instant, the Proto-Ascension shimmered, flaring outward like a storm made of desire, will, and unity—a harbinger of the ultimate transformation yet to come.