The Sanctum's outer rings trembled long before the breach re-opened. Fissures of crimson light rippled across the stone, pulsing in time with Sarah's heart—as if the entire fortress were now tied to her Proto-Ascension. Every breath she drew altered the air around her. Every controlled thrum of Desire tightened the lattice connecting her to her harem.
The final phase had begun.
Sarah advanced toward the central platform, legs steady, posture sharpened by a tension she kept secretly coiled beneath each controlled movement. A storm brewed behind the Veil, and the Sanctum felt it.
Rias was the first to join her. No words at first—just a hand near Sarah's waist, fingers brushing close enough to trigger a calibrated spark inside the Lust Engine.
"You feel it too," Rias murmured. "Something massive… waiting to break through."
Sarah didn't deny it. She didn't need to.
Sarah PV: 390 / Lv: 54 / Force: 200 / Desire: 3000 / Intelligence: 67 / Agility: 80
Akeno approached next, her steps slow, deliberate. Her fingers traced a measured line along Sarah's forearm—just enough to activate a pulse, not enough to disrupt control. A wave of heat unfurled through the lattice in response. They all felt it. They all responded to it.
"You're holding back," Akeno whispered near her ear, her tone a blend of warmth and provocation. "Proto-Ascension wants to break free."
Koneko placed a steadying hand at Sarah's hip, grounding her. Rossweisse pressed lightly between Sarah's shoulder blades, stabilizing flow. Xenovia matched her stance beside her, forearm brushing Sarah's with a precision that locked their combat vectors together. Lilith Fragment drifted close, spectral threads looping around Sarah's shoulders like silent guidance.
Every touch.
Every glance.
Every pulse of shared rhythm.
Each one fed the rising storm inside her.
Skill Activated: Proto-Ascension Stabilization – Tier 2
Effect: Proto-Ascension stabilizes into semi-controlled state. Desire output increases, lattice processing speed enhanced, emotional vectors strengthen offensive potential.
Temporary Bonuses: +200 Force, +600 Desire, +120 Agility.
The entire Sanctum shook as the Veil tore open.
This time, there was no swarm.
No scattered soldiers.
Not even an organized vanguard.
This time, three silhouettes stepped through—each radiating enough energy to warp the air around them.
The Outer Faction's true champions.
The first towered with a blade of compressed shadow-crystal, aura pulsing like collapsing stars.
The second moved with fluidity that defied physics, their energy shifting like liquid steel.
The third hovered, surrounded by spiraling arrays of forbidden glyphs—each sigil reacting violently to Sarah's presence.
Rias's grip tightened near Sarah's waist. "Champions-class. All three of them."
Akeno's voice softened. "We can handle it. If you let the Proto-Ascension breathe."
The air around Sarah thickened—energy folding inward, then expanding. Her senses sharpened until she could feel each champion's intent before their bodies even shifted. The Proto-Ascension wasn't just reacting.
It was anticipating.
Lilith Fragment's voice echoed directly in her mind, calm and resonant:
"Your next threshold is not strength. It is surrender—to the lattice, to the harem, to the resonance you fear unleashing."
Sarah stepped forward, pulse synchronized to the harem behind her.
No hesitation.
No restraint.
"Formation Delta," she said.
The harem closed in instantly.
Rias at her right side, hand brushing lightly against her lower back—command vector.
Akeno slightly behind her, fingertips near Sarah's shoulder—charge vector.
Koneko low and close, stabilizing her left flank—grounding vector.
Rossweisse directly behind, hands aligning precision arcs—calibration vector.
Xenovia beside her on the left, forearm pressed lightly to hers—offense vector.
Lilith Fragment above and around—amplification vector.
A single synchronized breath.
A single ripple of energy.
The Proto-Ascension ignited.
Skill Triggered: Proto-Ascension Unbound – First Release
Effect: Emotional cues unlock combat instincts beyond physical limits. Every frôlement doubles lattice efficiency. Every coordinated movement triggers chain-reactions in Charm Domain. Reflexes exceed human thresholds.
Temporary Burst:
+700 Desire
+350 Force
+180 Agility
The first champion struck.
A wave of obliterating force crashed toward Sarah—but she did not move. Xenovia moved with her. Rias synchronized her stance. Akeno's fingers traced the exact pulse necessary to amplify reflex timing. Koneko's grounding locked the vector. Rossweisse converted excess energy into controlled arcs.
Sarah redirected the champion's entire assault with a single, precise shift of her hips and a controlled pivot of her wrist.
The enemy reeled.
The second champion lunged, bladed arms cutting through the air. Sarah stepped into the attack, each contact from her harem feeding micro-adjustments into her footwork, her timing, her counterstrikes.
It wasn't instinct.
It wasn't calculation.
It wasn't even power.
It was unity.
The third champion unleashed a barrage of glyph-charged projectiles—but Rossweisse's stabilizing contact triggered a lattice rotation, redirecting every projectile into the Sanctum's reinforced barriers.
Sarah exhaled, grounding herself against Rias's warm, steadying presence.
"We can push them back," she said. Her voice was steady, even as the Proto-Ascension flared brighter.
Rias's hand slid to Sarah's waist again—tactical, intimate, perfectly placed.
"Then push."
Sarah surged forward, Proto-Ascension blazing.
Not the final form.
Not yet.
But enough to shake the battlefield.
Enough to show the champions what was coming.
And as the Sanctum roared with combat's rising heat, Sarah whispered:
"We ascend… together."