Project Seraphina [LitRPG, Magitech, GL]

It’s Chloe who pushes the initiative this time around. With four illusory, semitangible swords of searing white to join her twinned [Swords of Repose], even I find it difficult to fully block all the attacks.

One thing I’ve learned about Chloe’s [Mirage Sword] is that it possesses a degree of selective intangibility. Much like how my [Dimensional Slip], allows me to peel back the outermost layer of reality and into subspace underneath, Chloe’s newest attack exists partially on this layer of reality and partially in the interstice between the principal layer of space and subspace proper.

This, in turn, gives her attack the best traits of both. These blades can phase through solid matter at will— though thankfully not matter imbued with [Ether] or something like a [Repulsion] barrier that operates in both layers. They can— to my current chagrin— also hit me while I’m in subspace, and because they actually deal [Light]-type damage, also deal that extra 50% ‘screw you’ damage.

She’s also fast, and has no difficulty coordinating her attacks in ways that make it even more precarious for me to try to fight off. Attacking from antipodal angles with her mirages while she confronts me from head-on? Shifting the momentum of her blades at a moment’s notice, without warning? [Dimensional Rift] might be the type of ability that tells conventional physics to sit down and enjoy the scenery, but Chloe is showing an overwhelming amount of growth in so short a time.

I smile; I can’t help but be proud of how far my love has come. When the System first arrived, she was meek, lacking both the training of a soldier or my own psyche, hardened by years of combat in a dead world and created to operate within the post-System world. Now, she stands in the upper echelons of power, ready to stand up to all those who would wrong us.

A small part of me is happy to concede to her in recognition of her efforts. The larger part knows that’s a terrible idea on so many levels. She would never be satisfied with an easy win, and my students would never respect me as a combat instructor if I didn’t spar against such a worthy opponent with all that I’m capable of.

“Don’t tell me you’re about to give up, Sera.”

I coat my body in [Etheric Armor]. “I considered it briefly, but I know neither of us would be satisfied with such an outcome.”

Chloe just rolls her eyes. “Well, shall we?”

The two of us move with renewed vigor. Chloe’s attacks are every bit as intense as before, but [Etheric Armor] provides a good bit of resilience against her strikes. My armor cracks from the repeated assault, but it repairs itself quickly enough to not completely shatter under the pressure. I’m also able to use [Repulsion] as a further shield to defend my flanks. The problem is that every few seconds, she’s also hitting me with [Scouring Light], which has a nasty habit of ripping through all my defenses and being almost impossible to dodge from close range.

Thank the goddess we made sure to create some wards onto the practice field before the semester started, else the two of us might’ve ended up causing more damage than Fornieth did!

I launch a [Darkness] type [Elemental Ether Strike], which collides with and annihilates another [Scouring Light]. The problem with this, though, is [Ether] consumption. Chloe is mostly using her arsenal of System spells that are highly refined and minimize the casting cost compared with my relatively clunkier [Multidimensional Glyphcasting]. She also has an [Ether] pool nearly as large as mine, and a regeneration rate nearly a time and a half my own.

My only advantage is my stronger weapon, my [Dimensional Rifts] which are uniquely weak against Chloe specifically, and a bunch of Skills which boost my stats while defending the weak or fighting enemies of a higher level than I am. Both of which, again, do not apply here. My [Rebellious Surge] is comparable in efficacy to Chloe’s [Saintess’s Blessing] when neither are boosted by [Angelic Bond], except that Chloe’s had her spell for over 40 levels and literal months to gain heavens know how many ranks on it… or spell proficiency, which is how I think it works for System-produced Skills.

Dodge, dodge, block, and dodge some more. That’s all I can do. I’m pushed backward, constantly on the defensive, flying backward to try to give myself extra room to work with, and Chloe is right there, pushing the attack at every opportunity. I think my students realize exactly why I said before that Chloe is the highest authority in my class. Now that rumors will spread of exactly what she’s capable of, I expect any lingering resistance to that decree will be dead in a matter of seconds.

“So, this is the limit of the great Seraphina Mortensen, savior of the universe?”

I don’t fall for Chloe’s taunt. “I never would have gotten this far if not for you and everyone else who’s helped me along the way.” I parry a pair of [Mirage Swords] and take to the air.

Chloe’s right behind me, a six-bladed assault barely held off thanks to my slightly higher [Speed] compared with her. Keeping airborne will serve to my benefit; my [Valkyrion Body] reduces the cost of my flight to a technicality, which I don’t think is quite as true for Chloe’s [Etheric Wings]. My [Darkness Shield] deflects more of her swords without taking noticeable damage, but I can only handle two [Scouring Lights] before it is completely purged.

My [Ether] is falling, and so I make a decision. [Dimensional Rift] links two points together for a set period of time, but there doesn’t seem to be any native limit on how many of those I can keep going at a time. I suspect, like most things magical, it’s a function of my [Ether], [Mind], and Skill ranks. Now, it’s time to find that out firsthand.

I chain my current location to two points forming a roughly equilateral triangle at our current height of about twenty-five hundred feet. Then, I chain those two points to each other. My mind clouds for a brief moment as I adjust to the mental load. My limit seems to be four such rifts at a time, maybe five if I were desperate and not trying to maintain other spells at the same time.

Chloe slashes at me; I phase out and reappear at the point to my left. Her [Scouring Light] hits me right before I teleport back to my original spot.

“Now we’re making some progress? What have you got planned?”

Chloe fires another [Scouring Light] toward my current location; I can see the flicker of movement from one of her [Mirage Swords], so I flicker toward the third spot instead.

I’m chased by the blades, which move so swiftly toward my current position that I fear Chloe might have developed some sort of homing ability on them already. I flicker again, this time to the second spot.

“Convenient,” Chloe says. “But that won’t work again.”

She attacks again. Her eyes dart to the side. ‘Which way is it going to be?’ she’s likely thinking to herself, asking if I want the first door or the second. Do I plan to go left or right? The answer is, of course, neither. At the last second, right before her [Scouring Light] would have made contact, she turns to the left. Her blades head for the spot on the right. Which is why I activate [Dimensional Slip] instead and reappear back in the same position.

[Your [Dimensional Slip (Rank II)] has upgraded to [Dimensional Slip (Rank III)].]

[Your [Dimensional Rift (Rank II)] has upgraded to [Dimensional Rift (Rank III)].]

I deliver a strong hit to Chloe’s gut— sorry, love, but I know that’s far from enough to bring you down. Chloe retaliates with a pair of slices that cut through my chestplate and deplete just under a quarter of my [Health].

“You’re still holding back, Sera,” she says as [Potent Cure] seals shut the hole in her gut. “I know you could have ended this fight with that attack.”

“You’re right. I could have aimed for your heart but… No matter how much we try to simulate actual battle conditions, I’m not ever going to put your life at risk.” “Maybe I’m doing you a disservice, but I love you too much. And if I accidentally did irreversible damage to you, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself. We have to survive, no matter what. That’s what your father said.”

“Is that it, then” Chloe asks. “Are we done here?”

“I got another Skill rank out of our spar. Did you?”

“I did. And a lot of practice on how I can fight with this new Skill. And with swords in general.”

“I’ll say, Chloe. That was just about the worst-case scenario for me, so having some idea of how to fight against a flying healer with [Light] magic and melee capabilities? Very useful indeed. So thank you, love.”

Chloe snaps her fingers. The pain from my own injury vanishes within the sweet notes of [Potent Cure] washing over me with all the taste of vanilla and mint. Forgot how light and airy healing magic makes a girl feel. Like living on a cloud, narcotics without the risk of addiction. Beyond my growing addiction to battle itself, of course.

Chloe and I hold hands as we drop back down to the surface. A double check confirms that yes, the barriers held and any attacks that escaped while we were high up dissipated before they were able to cause any damage down below. Might need some higher barriers for the future. Also some spatial glyphs that give us a larger practice field. Area for future research.

The two of us touch down to the sound of applause. More than a few students are marveling at the display of power, and though I’m not keen on having our new abilities on display for anyone to watch online, if it gets more people interested in combat training, I think that’s a net positive for everyone involved. Maybe I should see about getting the combat training courses recorded and throw ‘em up there too.

Eh, maybe not. Then I’d have to deal with the policies about unduly profiting from my position, or whatever technical term it was called in the employee handbook. Maybe should have gotten something on those lines negotiated in my contract, but that’s my fault for not calling up my lawyer, Mr. Rutherford, before I signed on the dotted line. The joys of an eighteen year-old’s naivete.

Unfortunately, not everyone here is a fan, nor looking on just for a bit of entertainment. One face in the gathered crowd is familiar, and I detect several other people with levels in the 50’s or so closing in. My [Ether] reserves have dwindled to only a quarter of my maximum, but I go ahead and channel [Rebellious Surge] into Chloe with the bulk of the remainder. Now more than ever, I trust that our combined strength will get us through the fight I really hope we don’t have to have.

I sigh. Of course this was a possibility. Why didn’t I see that this was a possibility? Maybe even the most likely possibility. The fact that I didn’t makes me feel like a goddess-damned fool. Makes me feel like I never studied or experienced American history before. Guess I’ve had too many positive, or at least neutral, experiences with the local military stationed here. I’ve… grown soft, forgotten that not every aspect of the feds is so honorable or forthright.

There she is. The face of a petite woman with brunette hair and dark brown eyes, boundless energy teetering on a knife’s edge, those cold eyes brimming with impassivity and the sort of cold calculation I would expect from a machine like myself rather than a bona fide, actual human being.

“Miss Mortensen.” Those words are accompanied by the air of someone in complete control, like she’s the predator and I’m just a leaf before a hurricane.

“Clara Bennett,” I say. “How awful it is to see you again. I do hope we can dispense with the formalities; it’s been a long, stressful day, and I’m really not in the mood to deal with whatever shit you’ve brought with me. Oh, and do tell your goon squad to dispense with the camouflage; they aren’t hidden nearly as well as they think they are.”