Black String of Fate

"...I don't feel my connection with the demon king anymore. Did he really die? I can't sense the heavenly demon either… Looks like they both killed each other.

Huh, the heavenly demon must've been extremely strong for him to push that monster to such an extent. An Elden Ring boss vs a Sekiro boss, damn, it feels like I missed out."

In the midst of a barren stretch of land, a girl was standing surrounded by 7 heavily injured men. This place, which looked like a wasteland, was full of life and nature just a few moments ago. It was the destructive magic of Seraphina that turned it into its current lifeless state.

"You witch. You damn witch that has sold her soul to the devil! TODAY YOU WILL FALL BY OUR HANDS!"

Seraphina snapped out of her thoughts as she looked towards the half-dead man holding a sword with his only intact arm. The people standing alongside him were also in similar states. They were burned, maimed, frozen, poisoned, electrocuted, and whatnot.

'It's praiseworthy that they're still standing. Are all demonic swordsmen this resilient?

Unfortunately, it's time to finish this. Their combination battle art won't save them from this.'

"You know, unlike you warriors, we 'witches' can't just power ourselves up through sheer will alone. Magic is an art, a delicate and complicated art that requires decades of dedication for a modicum of mastery.

And today, you will experience the magic of the one who stood at its peak."

The demonic swordsmen got alerted as they huddled closer, preparing for any dangerous magic she might throw with their 7-leaf blood demon battle formation.

'Ah yes, the provocation was perfect. They are standing close together, this just became much easier.'

Seraphina took a deep breath and resonated with her artificial mana heart. This was what allowed her to wield massive amounts of mana, thus unlocking her more potent spells and one of her trump cards.

Now that the heavenly demon was dead, she could use this trump card without hesitation.

'Phew, it will be long before I get to use it again.'

"Domain Expansion:

Touch of the Celestial."

The artificial mana heart, which was transplanted inside Seraphina, glowed with a bright light as it emptied all of its stored mana. The mana, shining with an ethereal, mystic light, projected outwards, enveloping everything present in Seraphina's vicinity.

The swordsmen were shocked after seeing this kind of magic. They had faced magicians before, but none were so mind-bending. They now stood inside a silver realm with colorful lights flashing around. It was a beautiful and fascinating spectacle, but none were in the mood to appreciate it.

"W-What is this?"

"My domain. Now, break your dantians and live as prisoners, or you will be obliterated down to ashes. Mark my words, you collectively aren't skilled enough to break out of this."

The swordsmen sneered at these words. They were the disciples of the demonic sect, no matter the threat, they will never surrender. They would rather die a warrior's death wielding their sword against the enemy.

"Haha, as if-"

"Burn."

Before one of the swordsmen could even finish, all of them got lit by a blinding white flame. They screamed in agony, but their words fell on deaf ears.

"AARGHH!"

"...I don't have enough time to exchange cliche dialogues. Since you choose death, it shall be granted."

Soon, the screams died down, and the bodies burnt away. There wasn't even a trace of them left, unlike normal fire that would leave ashes. Seraphina's domain had consumed them all, every bit of their essence was converted into more fuel.

Unfortunately, she couldn't use this recovered energy, since even using this domain had damaged her artificial mana heart to an irreparable degree.

"Well, with this, victory should be guaranteed. Sigh, that bastard died first and left the aftermath to me."

**************

Fateless: Cleared

Time Taken: 2194:34:43

Ending Achieved: As the battle drew to a close, the demonic sect was completely annihilated from the world. Their Arts and secrets were won by the Souvell empire as loots of war, strengthening their position in the world. Seraphina was declared the heir to the throne, attaining power to reform the archaic systems of the empire and receiving worldwide popularity.

Xavier, who contributed majorly to the battle, was honored as the hero of the empire, his statue being erected at the capital for the public to appreciate. His two siblings, even though they were sad about his death, were happy that their brother had his praises sung for him.

They were also conferred the noble title of Earl by the request of Seraphina, as a fulfillment of the promise she made to Xavier. Later in the future, their family would be conferred the title of Duke and become a pillar of the empire.

The two people, who were destined to have no influence on the grand course of fate of the world, changed it drastically to the point of overturning history. While it may not be a true world, they displayed their capabilities to overturn fate and truly be called Fateless beings.

Grade: EX+ (Perfect Ending)

************

"...Wow, what a short summary. This doesn't even convey the fraction of effort it took to reform the empire."

"Haha, don't worry, I was watching all your efforts from up here. I must say, you're kinda incredible."

Sitting on the clouds of a vast blue sky, a small red-eyed boy with black hair sat relaxedly with his arm on his raised knee. He looked toward the pretty girl similar to his age with amethyst eyes and silver hair, smiling as he took a moment to look at her properly.

"Ah, I remember you now properly, that glass cannon wasn't able to withstand a single hit. Though you look like a delicate beauty, there's no need to be literal about it…"

"...I really wanna punch you, but I'll break my hand instead, so I'll refrain."

"Oh my, so scary."

[Now now, kids. Don't start fighting, you just displayed such excellent teamwork, where's that spirit now?]

Xavier and Seraphina immediately looked over to the direction where the sound came from, eager to finally see what this mysterious god-like administrator looked like.