On the shore of Feinheath, a distance away from the catastrophic event just now, the old Priest was left gaping, as was everyone else. But unlike the others, he had clearly seen how Pherdanta's figure was finely cut into ribbons… and then sothing even finer by the wrathful, infinite slew of slashes that turned a portion of Aigas into a black void where even Rules didn't exist.
What had that woman been thinking?
The Priest could hardly fathom how such a level-headed expert like Pherdanta could have rushed towards an attack of that magnitude. Wasn't she trying to learn the technique that produced such atrocious power because she understood how deadly it was?
Or… wait?
Could it be that…?
Vali and Maxim seed to co to the sa conclusion as the Priest at the sa ti.
What if Pherdanta wasn't being reckless? Obviously, she had had so risky intention, but none had understood what that had been until just now.
Before any of them could voice the answer, sothing slow floated out of the mass of darkness beyond them. It was massive and overwhelming. It almost seed to be wholly made of long, black arms that clasped their hands together, its upper end so high up that it was beca buried in the clouds.
This was the thing responsible for the torrent of impossible slashes that butchered even concepts.
Unbeknownst to the beholders, it was a PHANTASMIC RETAINER imbued with a Seed of the Fruit of World Myths known as Limitless Paradox. This impossible Seed multiplied the equally impossible slashing attack Festos was capable of releasing infinitely within a second.
It was inconceivable.
Wolverik, Desmonn, Kudobtu, Shannazah and Morde could hardly believe that this was the power that had pressed Aigas hours before. And this was before the introduction of the mighty dragon that had joined the man robed in darkness!
'You an to tell this isn't even Divine?' Shura Desmonn groaned within. 'Just what were my ancestors capable of back in the day?'
Indeed. During the First Grand War, when most of the prestige of the Six Houses of Pelian was established, just how powerful had experts been then? Had they been this ridiculous?
It was impossible to know. But, it was known that the Immoral, Fulgardt, was at least this powerful during the Second Grand War.
As everyone marvelled at the PHANTASMIC RETAINER, soone warped behind them all on the shore. The sea water lurching forth to once again drown the dried sand acted as so grand welco for the figure. Everyone turned, wide-eyed.
Right then, as her eyes fell on the completely unscathed figure of Pherdanta, adorned in the starry plate armour and a pleated battle skirt with a similar design, Vali had to admit.
She felt challenged.
Pherdanta had confronted a baleful attack released by that great structure floating over the sea with confidence to achieve her goal… and returned alive.
Just what deep of mad resolve did this woman have?
What did she (Vali) lack to reach such a level?
"That was… bold," said the Priest to Pherdanta, who had her back to everyone. "I thought you were dead for a mont." But then the man frowned, realising sothing.
"I was certain you were dead," said Illyinni, trying her best not to look at Pherdanta as though she were so impossible creature – impossible to kill, impossible to defeat.
Shura gave the Unlimited Star a hard nod. It seed to him that this woman was worth her salt. He didn't even need to see her throw out a single attack to see that now. There was a reason she was the one tasked with the leading them to the Under.
Vali approached Pherdanta and was about to speak when the old Priest quickly barred her with an arm.
"Hold on," he said hastily. His eyes scanned Pherdanta, who had yet to move or say anything. The man's ghost might have left him right then given the expression he made. "By Listafelle… What are you?"
He saw it first, and the others sensed it – sothing remarkable.
A cut appeared on Illyinni's cheek, then another on her forehead. Strands of her hair flew off her head and were blown by the wind. Illyinni felt for the small laceration on her cheek, stunned.
Sparks flew from Shura's breastplate. Sothing had clashed against it, leaving a dent, and then several. Agnees' earlobe was slashed off, and Shannazah's outfit was cut up on the pant legs and sleeves. Guissepo multi-coloured hairs were also snipped, as were parts of his lips.
Vali t the sa bits of damage on her skin, as did Maxim. Ferex was too tough to be hard by sothing like this, and the Old Priest's clothing and body were lathered by a veil of Primus. He couldn't be touched by the small slashes swimming in the air suddenly.
He saw their cause and marvelled all the more.
Deep within Pherdanta, where several mana cores of the golden quality could be seen, a fundantal change was occurring. The Refineries to all her mana cores were already more complex than the average core of high-level experts the Priest knew, but they got even complex!
They adapted strange patterns, unstable it seed at first, but profound it seed almost imdiately after. All of them shimred dangerously and released bits of mana from their Shells, mana with extrely sharp properties. As this new, refined mana left Pherdanta, it mixed in with the ambient mana… also turning it mildly threatening. It turned slightly lethal, almost impossible to use for anyone who tried to draw it.
Vali drew back.
Again, she felt… challenged.
Was it near-death experiences that pushed a woman to reach this level?
No. It couldn't be!
Vali, with her advanced Healer Class, who was capable of doing all sorts of things with any physical body, had nearly tasted death so many tis simply because she could afford to. But that didn't make her strong – not this strong, at least.
She scowled.
Vali hadn't thought anyone could make her feel so pathetic, especially after she acquired a discount version of Rias' Imagining Technique back during the Premium Age Royale.
But now, here was Pherdanta.
Raw displays of strength alone weren't enough to sway Vali's heart. But this…
Right then, Pherdanta began muttering sothing to herself, her eyes tracing many locations at once, but without taking in any sights. She might have been going mad with inspiration.
Indeed, death was part of the reason she had evolved to this level. Everyone in the Stark-Soul Order had died at least a dozen tis during the Impossible Task. For soone like Pherdanta who had to fight and kill 8,009 copies of herself during the test, she had died more than a thousand tis and experienced at least half as many evolutions.
It was nothing new for her to spontaneously burst with inspiration after a daring move that led to her death or sothing close.
"Yes. It was as I thought. That slash can cut through anything, maybe even so Divine chanisms, but it has no way of keeping anything it slashes dead, unless it is used multiple tis in an instant to reduce an enemy to nothingness," she said rapidly. "I don't have the luxury of a complicated, high-quality complent that can make replicate that impossible slash endlessly… yet. I suppose this is the path for ."
She looked into the distance, where the Spirit of Blind Drowning, Noboboyama was floating, and her eyes opened wide.
"I'm not the Insurgent Magnus. I'm just the Infinite Sword God. I will find a way to make my Impossible Splicer Series even more lethal than his."
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