Actus Suprem Devick couldn’t help but feel a thrill of pleasure; yes, even driving your hand into a version of your own body provided a visceral thrill.

Then she narrowed her eyes and got to work.

Upon contact with the other’s soul, the Actus Suprem immediately realized one bewildering truth; this version of herself genuinely existed and possessed the same deep well of love for Randidly Ghosthound. Her love was comically naive and without any of the necessary hooks to ensure a safe and healthy relationship, but the emotions were at least present.

That, combined with the fact that the lion’s share of Devick’s power was tied up keeping ahold of the Grand Fates she had gathered, meant that her touch was relatively gentle as she ruthlessly ransacked the Aether connections around this other Devick’s Soul. The Actus Suprem might enjoy this process, but she wasn’t going to torture the girl.

Consider it lucky you come as a harbinger of my cute little son’s approach, Devick mused as she ripped through several pesky defensive barriers, half built, as though to purposefully stop her from reaching the core Aether arrays. Otherwise… hehehe. Ah, think of how I could have raised myself! To strip away all these weaknesses and blindspots I developed struggling on my own-

Wait a moment. Should I also have a cute little daughter? Although, even for me, a carnal relationship between children is a bit… Ah… why is my heart fluttering?!?! Such a forbidden relationship- ah, wait, there it is.

Devick punched all the way through to the core of this other Devick. More than anything else, she wanted to understand why she couldn’t grasp this Grand Fate that popped up in front of her. Devick hated the thought that she had missed something. She reached out and brushed against the dense web of connections—

From within those connections, she felt a rising force of rejection that had enough power that even she hesitated to push forward. Her madness hissed, but it was also struggling just to keep the other Grand Fates in line. But as she teetered on the edge of a decision, notifications began to pop up in front of her. Reading them, Devick began to laugh with delight. She easily pulled back, removing her hand from baby Devick’s chest.

For now, this would be enough. She kissed her clone on the cheek and vanished.

She snapped back to the present, sweat pouring down her face, crouched in the middle of the grand working. The chains in her offhand rattled and strained, almost managing to fight back and recover some of their stolen power.

“You are distracted.” Elhume boomed out his words. His blurry form tilted his head to the side. “Why?”

Devick barely suppressed a giggle. “I’m sure you can feel it. We are approaching the end of an era. Isn’t it exciting? Ah, even for me, I like to savor moments like this.”

Elhume’s energy projection released a noncommittal rumble and the Actus Suprem bent back over her work. Hand by hand, she tugged on the chains leading to the disparate Grand Fates, pulling them closer. Her grin widened. She glanced sideways once more, looking at the notifications she had been given, for even briefly connecting to that alternate Aether structure inside of her clone.

Congratulations! Due to your incredible honing of your image, your Skill The Bloody Claws of Insanity (L) has earned the Skill Designation Deviant (D)!

Deviant Skills signify exemplary development in individual Skills, altered to the cusp of varying from the typical Rarity structures. Effects of (D) Skills are slightly boosted!

Congratulations! Due to your incredible honing of your image, your Skill Bleak Breath of Pandemonium (M) has earned the Skill Designation Deviant (D)!

Congratulations! Due to your incredible honing of your image, your Skill Blood Drips and Lunacy Propagates (P) has earned the Skill Designation Deviant (D)!

You have earned three Deviant designations! You now have the smallest possibility of creating your own particular Deviation Rarity!

Congratulations! All Deviant Skills have evolved into Devick’s Deviation (DD)!

Recalculating… Skills evolving…

Your Skill The Bloody Claws of Insanity (L)(D) has evolved into The Rusted Gauntlets of the Actus Suprem (DD)! Skill Levels will be maintained.

Your Skill Bleak Breath of Pandemonium (M)(D) has evolved into The Exhalation of Degenerate Perdition (DD)! Skill Levels will be maintained.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Your Skill Blood Drips and Lunacy Propagates (P)(D) has evolved into The Infectious Laughter of Devick’s Hollowed Soul (DD)(U)! Skill Levels will be maintained.

*****

“Are you alright?” Randidly caught Devick as she swayed and fell backward out of the Nether Ritual. One arm slid around her waist, the other supported her neck. Her eyelids fluttered. Randidly suppressed his frustration, searching this Devick for signs that the Actus Suprem’s man had drilled into her body and left a dangerous mark.

A few quick scans with his image revealed nothing of note, but that only made him more worried.

Almost as an insult, the echo of the Actus Suprem’s arrival triggered; now they could see Devick as she had proceeded into the impressive crystal mountain range. The piece of shit was skipping toward one of the nearer ravines in the Aether mountain range. Randidly signaled Raymund with his eyes— the Vupline barked out orders and the group began to march. He turned his focus back toward Devick.

“Bah. Yup, I’m great,” Devick coughed several times, but her eyes regained clarity. She wiggled, pressing herself closer to him and then squinted up at his face. “You made it out like the other me was so dangerous. But that felt quite serene. Barely even felt threatened. Honestly, couldn’t have chatted for a few more minutes, if not for this whole invasion thing.”

Randidly’s lips twitched. “Really? Because the Pantheon of the Alpha Cosmos is an uproar about someone trying to forcefully dig through your soul.”

“Oh, that? Well, you know how hysterical middle management can get,” Devick coughed several more times. She brought an arm up around Randidly’s neck and pulled herself up. She kissed his cheek, slow and sweet.

Then she straightened, and shoved him away, almost collapsing in the process. “Okay, okay, get going. I simply cannot bear to have you hovering over me and fussing me all day. Go fight your battles, Randidly, now that I’ve won you a decisive victory.”

“Thank you,” Randidly said, wishing he had a better way of conveying his gratitude. Devick waved a hand and turned away.

After teleporting her back to within the Alpha Cosmos, Randidly straightened and faced forward. His body burned with barely controlled fury; he had teetered on the edge of this confrontation for long enough. They had the direction and now they just needed to open a path.

He took two sharp steps, moving from his starting position to the head of the column. He unleashed the Dread Homunculus, the being focused on advancement spreading its arms wide in the face of the crystallized Aether’s pressure. Watching Devick endanger herself had lit a whole new fire in Randidly’s emotional sea.

His energy came easily. His fury cackled and swirled together, tighter and tighter, creating a drill. He carved open the energy pressure of the glittering mountains, leading the Vulpis squad between the high walls of the crystallized Aether.

Almost immediately, the pressure ticked upward. Randidly grinned as he sensed several small side passages sliding open as they approached. Porcelain automatons filed out of the openings, spinning and activating. Hundreds of the defenses swarmed toward their position. While Yggdrasil might currently be tied up stabilizing the experiment in his chest-

Alana Donal poked him with the butt of her spear. “Nope, not for you. This sort of stuff is why we are here.”

“Vulpis Squad!” Raymund Ballast bellowed. “Shred them!”

As Randidly restrained himself, the forces he had trained roared and charged against the tide of porcelain dolls rushing toward their position. Charlotte Wick bounded forward past the front of the line, her aura forcing back the mist of the crystal citadel without Randidly’s assistance. Her image became a massive club of natural energies; she hammered down and shattered the first wave of opponents.

DiOrtho Vant spun forward a moment later, his machine god image screaming and grinding. A half dozen porcelain dolls split perfectly in two from his strokes, and those around the targets cracked and sputtered, messily hacked past the point of sustainability.

Behind them, Raymund Ballast grasped with his hands and borrowed the energy from five hundred of the dolls. As they stalled out, the Vulpis Squad released another roar and conjured a grand image that covered all of them. A massive spectral Vulpine punched and the debilitated dolls exploded.

Randidly released a breath and stilled his anxious body; his turn would come.

He allowed the Vulpis Squad to lead the charge, with some small support from the representatives of the Upper Sonara Society. They rampaged forward, destroying and breaking the automated defenses in their path. The pressure from Elhume’s crystallized Aether increased as they proceeded deeper, the long shadows of the ravine growing, but the group didn’t slow down. Randidly plucked up all the destructive kinetic energy, tugging away energy that would impede his warriors, leaving blasts that caused porcelain dolls to stumble.

Ahead of them, the echo of the Actus Suprem skipped her way forward.

More and more continued to rush out of the openings along their passage; Randidly wondered if they proceeded down the most dangerous path, or if this whole place had been thoroughly built up. Considering the amount of time Elhume had ruled from here, it could have been either.

Behind him, the kinetic storm grew violent enough to churn and shred through any porcelain dolls missed in the rapid charge. The significance above grew darker, signaling how much more dangerous this conflict would become.

Worst of all, the density of Aether in the air continued to increase. The passage through the ravines was clogged with the Aether mist. Randidly grimaced; they were approaching the point that it wouldn’t be strange if drops of liquid Aether naturally condensed here.

Charlotte Wick barreled her way forward, huge swipes of her paws empowered by the emotional ghost Randidly had given to her. She could physically bludgeon open their passage. And all at once, she blasted through the last line of defense. The tight passage of the ravine opened up into a wide chamber. The Vulpis Squad glided after her, finishing off any stragglers and filling the open space not clogged with porcelain doll bodies.

In the silent open space, Techetadore Ballast floated above the Swacc Family army, his eyes half closed uncomfortably bright due to the covetous spirit possessing him.