"For the record, I would like it noted that I didn't have other options. Allowing the ritual to continue would have brought about untold deaths and destruction." James grumbled.

"Three million four hundred thirty-six thousand eighty-two humans. A lot more animals, but I doubt you're interested in that." The opposite version of himself said. It had green hair and black eyes, which felt a bit on the nose. Still, James supposed that when the omnipotent System dedicated an entire stream of consciousness to an insignificant being like himself, he couldn't complain too much.

"Not that insignificant, considering that you are somehow always there when something is about to breach the Weave," System-James replied, seemingly amused.

It gave him the shivers. The alien intelligence behind it had decided to mimic his mannerisms to a T, but that didn't help settle him down. Rather, it fell into uncanny valley territory.

It also had the bad habit of reading his mind.

"You said yourself that it would lead to a lot of deaths, but that doesn't seem like the kind of thing the System would directly intervene over. It certainly didn't during the early days of the Apocalypse, when billions died." James shot back. Being deferential had crossed his mind, but since the moment he realized System-James could read his thoughts, bypassing all his defenses, he decided it wasn't worth the hassle.

"I already told you the answer," System-James replied smugly. James briefly wondered if he was always that smug. It made his face look punchable.

Then he thought back to what the other said and nodded. "The Weave again. Something like the fabric of reality, I'm guessing. That means the Shard of the Abyss was much more dangerous than I thought…"

"It's honestly a statistical miracle you are still alive. That's the type of luck we need, so you got rewarded."

"And I just unlocked the last boon too… Luminous Being, I think it was. It let me use my soul to store the ritual's power." James continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.

System-James snorted. "Luminous Being is a Boon that gets given to a dozen sapients per planet on average. Over the entire course of their history. Even I am not privy to why the decision was made to reward you with it. It's definitely not just a larger mana storage."

"Yeah, I kind of guessed. It let me see my corrosive mana in a completely different manner. Actually, it let me see everything from a different perspective. It's similar to the ether in that, but a lot more useful since everyone has a soul." James mumbled to himself. He didn't know how much time he'd have to think, but given the blindingly white surroundings, he suspected it was a similar place to the space the System used for rank-ups, and those were instantaneous no matter how long it took to decide.

"Corrosive mana? Ah, I suppose you could call it that if you had no idea what it was." System-James replied, sounding amused by something.

"Well, I can't call it anything else if I don't have a skill to define it. I have suspicions, but they sound crazy even inside my head." Then James remembered the other him could read his mind and decided to go for it, "It's pure soul energy, isn't it? I somehow managed to tap into my soul from the beginning without realizing it. And it killed much more powerful beings than me because they had no protection against soul magic."

System-James tilted his head and wiggled his hand, "Almost, but not quite. It's soul energy, but it's not the pure stuff. Maybe thinking about how you call on it might help?"

"Ah. I use negative emotions. Or rather, strong emotions. So it's an aspected version of soul energy?" James asked.

"Closer. I'll leave you to study the details for yourself. I know how much you enjoy it. But we should get to what I'm here for before things become difficult." For something to be considered problematic by the System, it had to be truly dangerous. James didn't protest the subject change, realizing he had already gotten enough to proceed with his experiments.

Seeing that he was getting his full attention, System-James explained, "While the mana explosion, though regrettable, wouldn't be enough to require this many resources, what the ritual was primed to do certainly does. You suspect it was meant to transform humans into chimeras, but the truth is much worse. Roger Thunderstone, now known as Hephaestus, dabbled into soul magic without truly understanding what he was doing. Still, thousands of experiments have allowed him a modicum of expertise, and he has become capable of base manipulation through grafting. What he doesn't understand is that soul magic is not linearly scalable. It's exponential."

James didn't necessarily get the specifics, but he didn't need to. An exponential soul-related ritual sounded very bad.

System-James nodded gravely, "Yes, it's bad. His original goal was to massively increase his own power by absorbing a few thousand souls and then using the remaining millions as fuel. What would have happened, on the other hand, is the tearing apart of reality in a localized zone, allowing a Breach. That is unacceptable and would have led to the declaration of a Quest to a nearby Champion. Luckily, you were already there and solved most of the issue for me, so I didn't need to."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The joy of a middle manager: not having to dirty their hands with a problem but being able to take credit for it. It happened on any scale, it seemed.

"Frankly, at this point, I didn't need to intervene. You had already removed the worst problem by taking all that mana onto yourself and interrupting the ritual. Your soul would have exploded, of course. But you'd be the only casualty." And that was much more acceptable than a Breach in reality, it seemed. Still, James kept quiet. Things were not going that way, or there wouldn't have been a need for this discussion in the first place.

"Yes, you are correct. While I could have done nothing, I had already prepared some resources to handle the ritual, and you did me a favor. According to the guidelines, a new Boon should have been issued to you, but one powerful enough to save you from your soul being ripped apart would have broken the limits, which means anything weaker than that would be useless as you'd die on the spot. Therefore, I asked for the authority to make a Deal." That was big because James could feel the capitalization. He had also never heard of the System making Deals with anyone. Or of it being a possibility at all, for that matter.

"And what would that be?" He asked warily.

System-James smiled again, but this time, there was a predatory tint. He smiled a lot, and James wasn't sure he liked how that looked on his face.

"While the System isn't in the business of solving personal problems, it certainly cannot leave you unrewarded. You have demonstrated utility beyond a regular mortal's, so some leeway has been granted. I'll solve your problem, temporarily granting you the Boon necessary to control the power you gathered - yes, your "corruption" has managed to swallow up everything powering the ritual - thus allowing you to survive. It will last a day, giving you more than enough time to solve the current issue. In exchange, you'll incur a Debt with the System, which will be paid through missions given to you once you have achieved the proper power." The facsimile concluded, looking at James intently. There was something about the whole deal that stunk.

James didn't necessarily think the System was trying to fuck him over. It didn't need to do so. But it would undoubtedly extract its pound of flesh from him.

"Does that include being sent on missions to destroy things like the Shards of the Abyss?" He asked.

System-James shrugged, "It wouldn't surprise me. It depends on the skill you develop, but yes, that might be among your duties."

In the end, there wasn't much James could do. He didn't have the leverage to haggle, and looking too greedy might make the whole thing go bust. And he really needed the help.

Now that he was free from the chaos of battle, he quickly realized that pulling that much power in his soul couldn't have good results. He had essentially opened up the innermost part of himself and shoved so much mana into it that it was a surprise he hadn't blown up. Luminous Being accounted for a lot, but it couldn't save him in the long term, especially since he had begun doing the same with the even larger quantity powering the ritual.

But then, James would do it again if it was needed. He wasn't prepared to allow New York to be wiped off the map. And he could do this, while he couldn't fight off the being guiding the ritual - not if Miss Walker herself was having trouble with that. He just hoped the future price wouldn't be too bad.

"I accept." He finally said, and the smile he got this time was more genuine. Then, there was light.

----------------------------------------

The Gift of Divine Control

Mana, matter and all that is, is yours to command.

Coming back to his senses, James quickly grasped the power flowing into his soul, slowing it down. It was already under his control, and he spared only a moment to lament that the ease with which it answered his call would disappear soon.

Then he steeled himself and started using the new skill.

Despite James being present only in the soulspace, he could still affect the real world through mana. If he willed it so. If he didn't, he'd only touch souls, which was precisely what he needed to do.

Gathering a good chunk of the ritual's power - enough that James could have spent a year producing mana and still wouldn't have matched it - he sharpened it with his will. It answered eagerly, bending under his temporarily empowered will like a loyal hound.

Then, he turned to the battlefield and noticed that the defenders had gained some ground, though not enough to win. Even from where he was, he could feel the significant power being thrown around and the even larger pools sitting unused within the Awakeners. They were too afraid of the consequences of letting loose.

It was good that James didn't have to worry about such petty concerns.

With a thrust of his will, a tsunami of power flowed.

James could have turned it into a spell, given his incredible control, but he didn't need to. He just had to hit his target, and unfocused waves were unmatched at that.

The enemy somehow noticed the attack, likely having expected it since losing control of the ritual. It erected a greenish barrier of some kind. Even looking at it was enough to sicken his metaphysical stomach.

It, however, was worthless.

Like a wooden palisade against a tidal wave, it was swept away.

More and more mana followed in an unending stream. The enemy fought back, grabbing onto it and trying to divert it. It attempted to shield again. All of it did nothing.

There was simply nothing it could do. The same power it had gathered from the entire city through obscure means turned against it, sharpened into a deadly weapon by James' will.

In the end, it was almost too easy. The enemy had spent too much trying to survive an intangible, invisible attack, and its opponents didn't let that go unpunished.

Terrible fires blazed on the rooftop now that Miss Walker had a clear shot, significant enough that even James felt their heat from the soulspace.

Soon, he felt the enemy's tattered soul give out, too weak to continue protecting itself, and he allowed the ravenous mana to consume it, too.

Then, he turned to the mana itself. While it was docile now, entirely under his control, he couldn't keep it as it was. Stuffing his soul again would simply lead to his death when the Boon ran out. Pushing it back into the atmosphere wasn't an option, as the mana was too attuned to him.

James needed to use it.

His senses had always been his defining skill. Thus, he used a minuscule portion of his temporary power to enhance them. The universe opened up to him. Motes of dust. The stench of fear. The salty tang of the ocean. Wrath. Steel. Every atom of it was his to peruse.

Wrenching himself from the endless vision, James sought to narrow his scope. He looked for living beings empowered by mana. He removed average humans and then refined his search further, picking apart those who intended to save the city from those working to destroy it.

In a move that couldn't be matched by anyone currently alive on the planet, James turned trillions of mana points in an omnidirectional attack through the soulspace.

He had sworn to himself he'd clean up the state when he began, and he wasn't about to pass up on the opportunity.

Every chimera left in New York was struck down, smitten but the wrath of an angry god.