The Unforeseen Power

“Seraphina? When did you arrive?”

The True Ancestor’s hand trembled slightly as he reached out to Seraphina, attempting to manipulate the [Fragment] implanted within her.

‘What is happening?’ he thought, bewildered.

He could distinctly feel the [Fragment] inside Seraphina, yet he found himself utterly unable to influence her consciousness through it.

‘Could it be… this individual has countered my attempt at body snatching?’

‘How is that even possible!?’

****

Meanwhile, across from the True Ancestor, Seraphina slowly opened her eyes.

Immediately, she noticed a red glow emanating from her chest, shining brightly even through her clothes.

‘Did the [Essence Blood] resurrect me?’ she wondered.

‘Cardo? Cardo?’

Seraphina called out the deceased’s name internally, but no one answered.

‘Could it be… that white space… and that black domain… were all just a grand dream?’

‘Yet, it felt far too real to be merely a dream.’

****

Before she could fully process her thoughts, a potent sense of danger suddenly surged through Seraphina, making her hair stand on end.

The very next second, a buzzing sound echoed as a black shadow, reeking of blood, lunged directly at Seraphina’s neck!

Confronted by this swift, black harbinger of death, capable of seizing both consciousness and life in an instant, Seraphina’s bewildered mind found itself utterly incapable of reacting. She could only instinctively close her eyes and raise her arm.

Yet—

A hum vibrated through the air.

There was no destruction, no death.

‘Huh?’

****

Seraphina slowly opened her eyes, gazing at the black blade before her.

Like a horse’s hoof caught in quicksand, the dark blade was suspended against Seraphina’s arm, unable to advance or retreat. It could only emit a terrifying, impotent hum as magic surged around it.

“W-what is going on?”

Evidently, the True Ancestor was even more astonished than Seraphina.

“You’re merely a Level 1 weakling… how could you possibly block my attack?”

“H-how should I know!?”

****

Faced with the True Ancestor’s blatant scorn, a fierce surge of anger ignited within Seraphina, her mind burning with indignation.

As if something deep within her had been unleashed, she felt an unprecedented power coursing through her body.

This immense strength was enough to shatter the shackles that had long bound her frail physique, granting her the capacity to challenge anything—

‘Courage? No, it should be called impulse!’

With a mere flick of her wrist, the black blade wedged against Seraphina’s arm was instantly flung away, carving a dark arc through the air.

‘S-such incredible power!’

The True Ancestor glanced askance at the blade deeply embedded in the floor behind him. Beads of cold sweat streamed from his forehead, tracing a path down to the other face on his chest.

****

But it wasn’t over. The very next second, the True Ancestor’s throat constricted. Looking down, he saw nothing above his throat, yet his neck was grotesquely deformed, as if it had been crumpled like a piece of paper.

‘What is happening!?’

Struggling fiercely against the crushing pressure on his throat, the True Ancestor forced himself to look up. He saw Seraphina’s single hand raised, her pale, delicate palm clenched so tightly that her knuckles protruded starkly, a terrifying display utterly devoid of her usual gentleness.

‘When did she grab me!? By all accounts, her actions shouldn’t have escaped my notice!’

‘Could it be… her speed has reached another realm, making her utterly impossible for me to perceive!?’

****

As the progenitor of the bloodline and a favored servant of the Goddess of Life, the True Ancestor possessed a clear understanding of his own power.

He recalled the ancient conflicts, where he had once single-handedly faced dozens of powerful bloodline experts without yielding.

Now, however, Seraphina, having gained an amplification, possessed immensely formidable strength. Her speed and power had both reached an unparalleled peak, surpassing all but one type of being—

Deities!

****

“Precisely.”

In the very instant this terrifying conjecture formed, Cardo’s voice resonated within the True Ancestor’s mind.

“This power… it is the very essence of a deity’s might!”

‘No! No no no no no!’

As the black blade dissolved into wisps of smoke, Cardo’s voice utterly shattered the True Ancestor’s will to fight.

‘Me? Fighting a deity? Is this real?’

Fear spread through him. The bone-chilling dread from the horrifying decline ten thousand years ago lingered, making his legs weak. He couldn’t even muster the courage to pry open Seraphina’s tightly clenched palm.

‘Resist? What foolishness!’

Beneath the divine, all are mortals.

And mortals, by their very nature, cannot defeat a deity!

****

Instinctively, the True Ancestor curled his massive body, transforming into a creeping shadow that scurried away in the opposite direction like a panicked rat.

“Hmph, trying to flee?”

Perceiving the True Ancestor’s intention to escape, Seraphina extended her hands, instantly summoning a bronze staff.

At first glance, this staff appeared identical to the one she typically wielded.

Yet, in this moment, its surface shimmered with iridescent light, radiating a brilliant, sun-like glow!

****

Not only was the staff unlike her usual one, but Seraphina’s fighting style had also transformed.

Gripping the staff firmly with both hands, Seraphina used its tip as a guide, leaping high into the air. She aimed a magnificent slash directly at the True Ancestor.

“Lightning Cyclone Split!”

Although his power was no match for Seraphina’s, the True Ancestor was, after all, the strongest being below a deity.

Facing Seraphina as she soared high, he immediately seized the wind-up of her jump. He spun around, extended his hands before him, and gathered all his strength and magic, attempting to block the divine assault.

However… even with the True Ancestor exerting his utmost power, against such an absolute disparity in strength, it was all utterly futile.

****

“Agh!!!”

As the staff’s tip descended, it sliced through him as effortlessly as water. The True Ancestor’s hands were severed without resistance, falling heavily to the ground amidst a spray of blood.

Nevertheless, though he failed to block Seraphina’s attack, the True Ancestor had achieved his strategic objective: her strike had only severed his arms, allowing him to preserve his head.

Seizing the vulnerability in Seraphina’s attack’s aftermath, the True Ancestor endured the excruciating pain in his arms, turning to flee.

****

“It’s not over yet!”

Hearing that voice, the True Ancestor’s scalp prickled with dread.

The owner of that voice was not Seraphina, but Cardo!

Silently, a golden figure suddenly materialized beside Seraphina.

No one, not even Seraphina herself, could see this figure except for the True Ancestor. Yet, her exaggerated, golden-glowing warhammer was undeniable proof of her presence.

“You owe me a great deal! Don’t think you can escape just like that!”

With a single hammer blow, like playing whack-a-mole, the True Ancestor grunted and instantly collapsed.

“Eh? Why did you fall down?”

Seraphina was somewhat surprised by the True Ancestor’s sudden collapse.

However, she didn’t overthink it, charging forward once more. As blood splattered and agonizing wails filled the air, the True Ancestor’s legs instantly detached, falling to the ground as cold chunks of flesh.

‘This is bad!’

****

Having lost both his hands and legs, the True Ancestor had forfeited his ability to fight or flee.

‘Hurry! Regrow, quickly!’ he urged himself.

Strenuously driving the magic within him, the True Ancestor attempted to regrow his limbs. However, he discovered a formidable power subtly residing in the stumps of his hands and feet, sealing his flesh like an unbreakable barrier, preventing his regeneration.

Unable to recover, unable to fight, powerless to escape, and incapable of resisting, the True Ancestor had been utterly reduced to a fish on a chopping block.

Even in this state, Seraphina had no intention of sparing him.

Golden light descended, followed by the great hammer. Accompanied by Cardo’s invisible, coordinated attacks, Seraphina silently carved into this helpless wretch, just as the True Ancestor had once brutally slaughtered the hapless Cardo, reducing him to pulp bit by bit.

Until, finally—

Raising the staff in her hands, a cold gleam flashed, and the long blade whistled through the air. Seraphina aimed directly for the True Ancestor (Godia)’s heart, thrusting straight forward.