As my attack finished and the dust that was still kicking around had just started to settle, I heard Lucifer's voice echo in my head.
Lucifer: 'Oi! Could I ask you to NOT do that again please? It's understandable that you don't really know your limit since the release of the seal but that attack was no joke Artoria!
I had to stop it with a barrier just before it hit the sea. Otherwise you would have obliterated a massive portion of the world's water supply…'
'Oh? My bad Lucifer. Got a little into it, it would seem. How bad was the damage?'
Lucifer: 'Well, that attack would have covered half the globe length wise and about 6,000 kilometres wide if I didn't step in. So, as a favour to myself, could you not?'
'Damn, okay. I won't use Burst Air anymore as a favour to you.'
The dust was still settling and I couldn't see anyone yet so I continued to banter with Lucifer.
'Speaking of favours, you haven't called in yours. You could do that instead of owing me a favour, yeah?'
Lucifer: 'Oh, I could. But it would be a HUGE waste. I have a great plan I want you to fulfil with my favour. But you're not strong enough yet, not even close. So, look forward to that, Artoria~.'
'Ominous! I can't wait till I am strong enough.'
Lucifer: 'Ha! We'll see if you still hold that opinion when you learn what I want you to do. Anyway, I am going back to my (not)date with you know who, so later Artoria.'
Saying goodbye to Lucifer, the dust was finally starting to settle. Getting a little impatient I used some wind magic to clear the battlefield.
And what I saw in front of me, brought a smile to my face. All three of the magic users were on their knees holding out one arm to support their barrier spell.
Ignoring them briefly, I look beyond them and all I see is molten rock and destruction.
'I don't know if I could ever tire of such a sight.'
Hearing Shazam talk brought my attention back to them.
Shazam: "Okay, what the absolute SHIT GUYS?! That is so far beyond what we've been told she can do!"
Etrigan: "I have to agree. If it were not for you Black Adam, I hazard to guess we would all be dead right now."
Black Adam: "Yes, well. Don't get too relaxed. Look at her. She's not even winded."
Superman: "Batman, come in!"
Batman: "Batman here. Superman, the damage is immense. We are lucky the attack was faced the way it was. And something stopped it from hitting the ocean as well. I was able to teleport everyone out of the way, so no casualties this time."
Superman: "That is good news. But her attack reaching the ocean from here is not."
John: "Constantine here. That's not even half of it Superman. We just avoided an Extinction level event. Her attack, if it wasn't stopped, would have boiled away at LEAST half of the ocean."
Shazam: "What the abso–"
Black Adam: "She comes!"
Having heard enough of their conversation, and wanting to fight, I charged them. Because I was permanently in Mana Burst my sword was also empowered, and my swings were no longer just that.
Closing in on Black Adam, I appeared slight above in front of him with a two hand swing going diagonally downward from his left.
Black Adam: "Shit!"
Black Adam brought up both his arms, while also forming a barrier around them to block my attack. As my sword hit his shielded arms there was a loud cracking sound as both his arms and shield nearly buckled under the strength, followed by an explosion of fire and light.
While he succeeded in blocking the attack, it sent him several metres into the ground. Before I could follow up, Superman rushed me and crashed his fist into my face.
Sadly, for the man of steel, all he managed to do was turn my head slightly. Crushing his chest with the back of my left hand fist, I sent him barreling away causing him to break the sound barrier a few times as well.
Raising my glowing sword to strike at Black Adam, I was once again interrupted by a golden lighting bolt and a massive fireball hitting me.
'I knew I had magic resistance, but damn. I didn't even feel those. Clearly all my stats are just way beyond what I started out with. I am looking forward to even more seals being released that much more now…'
Lowering my sword, I turn my attention to the two that attacked me.
Shazam: "Hey now… what kind of joke is this?"
Etrigan: "If this is a joke, I am not laughing. While that wasn't my strongest spell, it should have at least done something."
Shazam: "Yea, same with mine. Normally, that's enough to make most bad guys groan at least!"
Appearing in front of Shazam instantly, I smashed him in the chest with my left elbow. He flew off at supersonic speeds much like Superman.
Turning to Etrigan I said. "Come, little spawn. Let us find out who is more terrible between a Corrupted Heroic Spirit and a Hell Spawn."
Etrigan then summoned his demonic sword, and got in a ready stance.
Etrigan: "Jason Blood weeps for what has become of one of the spirits of King Arthur. We are united in our desire to free you of this corruption."
I just scoffed at him, and also got in a ready stance.
Artoria: "And you expect your toothpick there to hold its own against Excalibur Morgan? And you yourself against me?"
He charged at me, and we started to cross swords wildly but with purpose. After a back and forth for a few seconds, we end up in a sword lock with Etrigan struggling to hold me back.
Etrigan: "Alone? No. But as luck would have it, I am not alone!"
Having my instincts go off and warn me that an attack was coming in from behind, I just gave Etrigan a smug smile. His confusion turned to shock when all of a sudden I vanished from his sight, and Black Adam's fist just barely missed his face.
Appearing behind and slightly above Black Adam, I slash down. Catching him in an awkward position I was able to make a large gash on his back.
Black Adam: "Agh!"
The force of the attack once again sent him, and Etrigan this time as well, into the earth. Sensing another attack coming from my right, I slash apart the lightning spear that Shazam had thrown.
Bringing up my left arm after the swing, I summon my own spear. Mine however was made of red light with a black outline. Putting more mana into the spell, the spearhead ignited with red-black fire.
All of that took less than a second, and once the spell was done, I hurled it at Shazam.
Shazam: "Oh come on!"
He raised some earth in front of himself to act as a shield, while also casting a barrier. My spear totally ignored the earth, and collided with his barrier. It released a whining sound like metal was crashing against metal.
The spell then exploded into a sea of fire a few seconds after it hit the barrier. Hearing a sonic boom, I turn to my left and I see Superman has finally made it back to the fight.
He wasn't looking the greatest, as the chest part of his suit was gone revealing a very bruised looking chest. As he saw me, he started to pick up speed causing several sonic booms to echo out. As he was near me, he raised his right fist in preparation to strike me.
'This feels a bit familiar… Let's see if the outcome is the same.'
I turn to face Superman with my sword pointed downwards. When he was in range of a strike, I raised my left first and met him with a punch of my own.
The area around us was obliterated from the kinetic forces at play and red lightning flowed through his arm. Unfortunately it seems Superman forgot I am not actually made of flesh and blood, and also severely underestimated my strength and magic.
'If this was before my seal was released, I might have lost this exchange and been sent flying. But instead we have…'
Superman's arm exploded into red mist, much like what happened with that speedster from the other world. The kinetic explosion also sent not only him flying, but the other three as well as a good 40 metres around the point of impact was destroyed.
As I was slowly walking in the air to Superman ,who's injury had already stopped bleeding, I could only shake my head in disappointment.
Artoria: "Still underestimating magic Superman. And it seems this lesson will not only cost you an arm, but your life."
Raising my sword to finish off Superman, I was interrupted by having to dodge an attack from Etrigan. He had attempted to literally stab me in the back with his sword. Spinning and moving to the right to avoid his attack I slashed down in a counter attack.
After cutting off his arm at the base of the elbow, I brought up my left fist and smashed it into his face after the swing was done. He rocketed off several metres before he managed to stop himself with a spell causing him to flop down to the ground instead.
Etrigan: "Ugggh. That really hurts. Corrupted or not, it would seem a holy sword is a holy sword."
Shazam appeared next to Etrigan and used some magic to close his wound.
Shazam: "Not looking great buddy."
Etrigan: "Nor is our situation."
Ignoring them, I was looking at Etrigan's sword. Honestly, I didn't like it. Something about it just pissed me off.
Bending down slightly I breathed out some purple mist that corroded away Etrigan's severed limb, that was still holding the sword, in seconds. I then reached down and picked up his sword in my left hand.
Shazam: "Dude. What? That mist just melted your hand so fast! Aren't you supposed to be magic resistant?."
Etrigan: "Only if said magic is weaker than my own… What are you doing with my sword Artoria?"
Looking at the sword, I frown heavily. I don't know what it is, but something is really pissing me off about this sword. As I was thinking why, I felt my own sword vibrate slightly in my hand.
'Ah, I get it. Excalibur, and thus myself, find this sword insulting. It's not Gram, and yet it was wielded like it stood a chance against Excalibur.'
Turning my head to Etrigan I say, "I am offended that you would wield such a weak demonic sword against me. This is no Gram. It is an insult to my Excalibur, and as such has no place on this battlefield."
Etrigan: "Weak?"
Ignoring him, I threw the sword up in the air and charged a Burst Air. As I released the attack into the air against the sword, I noted that the Burst Air was even stronger than my last one.
'Really hated the thing, eh my companion?'
As the attack finished, and cleared up my sword vibrated a bit as if it was happy.
Etrigan: "Gah! Im-impossible!"
Etrigan slumped over and spat out some blood. It would seem that his sword was bound to him in some way and he is now suffering some backlash for its destruction.
Shazam: "There is just no way. How can someone expel so much magical energy and still have just as much left? That is so cheating!"
Tilting my head to the left a fist brushed against my cheek. Without giving the attacker time, I spun around and stabbed my sword through their chest.
Black Adam: "How…how…"
I had missed his heart, but just barely. Black Adam coughed up some blood and fell backwards onto his back.
Ignoring him, I turned back to Superman who was now back on his feet, if hardly. The amount of struggle he was showing looked like he was lifting the moon.
Walking up to him I prepared to kill him when I suddenly felt the pushing sensation from the spell Fate had been casting intensify massively.
'Ha! I totally forgot about that. Oh well, they are broken. Well, not Shazam, but I like him if I am being honest. So I'll leave it at this.'
Artoria: "Congratulations heroes."
Shazam: "Huh?"
Artoria: "It would seem you have stalled and distracted me enough."
A portal opened above me, and bits and pieces of myself started to break away and go into the portal. Looking down at myself, it was kinda freaky seeing it, but I felt nothing, and could tell I wasn't actually breaking down.
Turning to Dr. Fate who was on his knees panting, barely holding on I said, "Pray your kin finds a way Fate. I will not let this slight pass. Blood of your Blood will pay when I return."
I look at all the heroes around me as the last bits of me start to be pulled in.
Artoria: "And I doubt anyone will survive my playing around at that point…"
And with those words, the world went dark as I was fully pulled into the portal.
As I was flowing through the portal stream I suddenly found myself sitting on a chair made of blackness in a fully white room. Looking around confused, I suddenly heard a voice that sounded like the stars themselves.
???: "Welcome, little Artoria~."
Artoria: "Hello… umm... Beautiful voice."
The voice then giggled which sounded like soft cosmic winds flowing through space.
???: "Why thank you. To introduce myself, I am Lilith~. The one, or rather a fragment of mine, who sent that survey you took part in. I hope you've been having fun~?"
'Lilith!'
As I tried to get up to bow down, a force kept me seated.
Lilith: "None of that now, little Artoria. It is fine that you just speak with respect."
Artoria: "Ah, alright then, Goddess Lilith."
Lilith: "Just refer to me as Lady Lilith~. Now this isn't a social visit as you can say. A newborn goddess of the Dark faction has reached out to me for help with a matter. Since she is adorable, I have decided to grant her request~."
I nodded along listening intently to Lady Lilith.
Lilith: "But, just helping with a snap of my fingers is boring for me~. So I will send you, if you want."
Artoria: "You're giving me a choice, Lady Lilith?"
Lilith: "Indeed~. Three of them actually. I like my games after all~."
Artoria: "I am interested!"
Giggling again, I couldn't help but internally swoon at her voice.
Lilith: "Wonderful~. Now, as I have said, you have three choices. The first is to decline the other two, and be sent on your way to where you were originally going to be ejected to from the universe you were in.
The second is to help this newborn goddess~. That is to say, to hunt down some pesky reincarnators some gods of the Light faction had sent her way.
The last choice is to accept missions from me~. I will send you to a universe that I think would give me a lot of entertainment with you in it, with a task."
Crossing my arms I looked down in thought. But before I got too far into it, I asked something that was on my mind.
Artoria: "Do these options have good and bad sides like the selections on the survey did?"
Lilith: "Oh my~. How astute of you little Artoria! Yes, they do~. Since you asked, I'll inform you. I am so nice~."
Lilith: "The first one will be simple~. If you ignore the other options, I will make it so each seal will take longer to unlock. And it can never pre-unlock like what you did with your first seal. You will be FORCED to wait the time. As it stands, the second seal will give the hint in a year by the way. With this change, the time between unlocks will increase by ten times every seal.
The positive of this option is that the seals won't be anything special, and just unlock once the timer hits zero. It will just take you a long time. But you never know what will happen in those years. Not a threat, just a statement~."
Artoria: "A long time indeed."
Lilith then continued, "For the second option: Helping the newborn goddess~. Your task, as stated, will be to kill Reincarnators. The pro of this option is that I will change your seals to break upon killing enough of these Reincarnators. No time gating, no trials. Just good ole fashion murder to get stronger~.
The negative will be that you'll be fighting ever more powerful Reincarnators. I won't be blessing them or anything, but you'll be sent after more after helping the goddess. And some of them are quite powerful~."
Artoria: "I am liking that option honestly. I have recently found that I really, REALLY love fighting. But what about your option?"
Lilith: "As for mine I will be sending you to a universe, well several actually, to cause havoc and provide me entertainment~.
The positive is that I will never send you to a universe that will be impossible for you. But I may also send you to one that will be a joke to you. There will be no time limits on the missions, and if you fail there will be no penalties, I will just send you to the next world.
The negative is that I will only unlock a seal after you finish whatever mission I have given you. And more so, this will firmly make you a villain. No ifs ands or buts. You will be the bad woman murdering and causing chaos, all for my personal enjoyment~. Truthfully, all the options are for that reason, but for this route I will force you to submit to the evil in you fully. But trust me, you'll love it~."
Artoria: "Huh…"
Lilith: "Now, little Artoria. What will your choice be~?"
[author] BOOM~! New chapter~. I hope you enjoyed it! Please vote~! See you next chapter~.[/author]