Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Serena POV.
I opened my eyes with a start, but I didn't get up. I stayed put, breathing deeply. I looked up only to see Enid's face looking at me with concern. I was lying down with my head resting on her lap.
"Are you okay?" Enid asked worriedly, her hand gently running through my hair. I just blinked.
"I am, thank you." I told Enid with a smile as I reached out and placed my hand on her cheek. She reacted easily and tilted her head toward my hand like a puppy. I chuckled.
Finally, I looked down and saw Cia sitting on my chest, looking at me with concern. I smiled slightly before stroking her head with a finger.
"Good job, you did an amazing job." I told Cia, who just laughed like a bell before puffing out her chest arrogantly. I chuckled and finally sat down on the floor and looked around.
We were still in the middle of the destroyed field, and I looked at Bella, who was lying next to me in Narcissa's lap.
"Is she okay?" I asked easily as I approached her.
"She's healthy," Enid said immediately, sounding worried. "But you know more about what's happening to her," she added.
"GLaDOS? Were you able to get the data?" I asked easily as I began to check on Bella.
"Of course," GLaDOS said immediately. "Both regarding the Usurpation ritual and the changes within Bellatrix's body. Most of the values were within estimates; some were above, but overall, everything went as we expected." GLaDOS said with ease.
"Luckily," I hummed. "My body really couldn't fully withstand the weight of the ritual. Nothing to worry about in the long run; it just means I won't be able to use it in succession without a break." I sighed. Most of them nodded in understanding.
"That blasphemous act... the heavens cried out in anger, the gods of this world heard it," Freya said gravely. "Bellatrix is marked; she will bear the hatred of the gods. They will recognize her instantly; I feel it when I look at her. She is... I won't say an abomination, but it's the only word that comes close," Freya said with a grimace, though she seemed worried about Bella. I just nodded.
"I know, I felt it. I felt the weight of the heavens and their combined wrath, like that of the gods. I didn't think they'd hear it, that they'd sense the ritual. Even so, they won't be able to find us. Our defenses will be more than enough to keep us hidden, and Bella too, unless she unleashes her authority before a god." I said easily as I finished scanning Bella. "Luckily, she's healthy. She should wake up—" Bella's eyes opened. "—now."
"What?" Bella murmured as she sat up slightly. Finally, she seemed to regain consciousness. "Did it work?" Bella asked, sounding excited as she looked at her hands.
"It works." I said with an equally contagious smile.
"A little too well. Your whole body has been enhanced. Much denser and more durable bones, a strengthened muscular system, greater vitality and recovery speed, immense stamina, your metabolism and immune system have improved enormously, and your body functions differently; it seems to optimize itself to adapt to any situation. It should function better if it's during a fight."
"Your senses have improved, both magical and normal. Your magical resistance is on a completely different level. Your reserves of magic, demonic power, and The Darkness have increased considerably. The first two as a response to your transformation into Campione, the last thanks to the Logic of the Sword. Killing a god has proven that your existence is superior to a god; the momentum and strength gained were exceptional."
"And finally, your soul became much stronger, possessing a touch of divinity as a new demigod. I suppose it's your authority; unfortunately, we don't know what it does." GLaDOS said quickly while explaining everything. I just nodded.
"It sounds so preem! I want to kill a god too!" Rebecca complained; Lucy snorted.
"Considering Thanatos killed at least thousands of Bella's souls, I wish you luck," Lucy said dryly. Rebecca shrugged.
"I'm immortal," Rebecca said easily before stopping. "I'm immortal, aren't I?" Rebecca asked, staring at me. I chuckled.
"Yes, you are. Fatality Defense protects you from instant and conceptual death or any attack against your soul. After that, The Light should constantly regenerate you. Even if you can't win, you shouldn't be able to die, even against a death god," I said playfully. Rebecca's eyes sparkled.
"Nova," Rebecca said with a wide smile. I just snorted and shook my head.
"No more plotting against gods for the time being," I said with a huff as I stood up and offered my hand to Bella. "We have more important things to do," I said easily as I helped Bella to her feet. "Your authority," I told Bella, my eyes gleaming.
"I can feel it," Bella said without hesitation as she straightened her clothes. "I... I can kill things," Bella said, blinking.
"That's the only thing you know how to do. What's so special about it?" Narcissa asked mockingly. Bella rolled her eyes.
"I... It's weird. I think I can kill anything," Bella said, frowning. "Like... I instinctively know where and how to hit to make something die," Bella said, confused.
"I mean, you shoot someone, and that person dies. Even a god did that." Rebecca shrugged, and Bella shook her head.
"I don't mean people; when I say things, I mean THINGS," Bella said, emphasizing each word. "I know where and how to hit to kill the rubble around us, our clothes, the ground beneath us; I can even kill the air, and somehow, I know how to kill gravity?" Bella said, confused, as she looked around. My eyes widened.
"Is it possible to... kill an object or one of the laws of physics?" Riveria asked, frowning.
"It's possible," I said immediately. "The first thing that comes to mind is the mystical eyes of death perception. They allow their possessor to see lines of death, strike them in those places, and make anything die. From objects and living beings to magic, concepts, and even the gods themselves."
"Everything that has a beginning must have an end; those eyes allow you to see and cut to reach that end. Bella's authority must be allowing her to do the same instinctively," I said incredulously.
"Without activating it?" GLaDOS asked, frowning.
"I think so? Or at least, I don't need to activate that part; I just know how to kill anything." Bella said, shrugging.
Bella picked up a stone from the ground, then pulled out a small dagger and stabbed it as if it offered no resistance. The stone began to crumble into dust the instant it was killed.
"Oh?" Bella said in surprise before dropping the dagger in her hand and grabbing something in mid-air. Something translucent seemed to take shape before Bella ate it. "Wow... do rocks have souls?" Bella asked, confused.
"Did you just... eat the soul of a rock?" Enid asked incredulously. Bella shrugged.
"It looked edible, and I was hungry," Bella said easily. "Although it definitely tastes much worse than the soul of a living being," she added curiously.
"And yes, they have souls, or at least, the closest thing to them. They have Spiritweb, which is what makes up a soul, although they are somewhat different from people," I said easily.
"Was that part of Thanatos?" GLaDOS asked immediately. Bella shook her head.
"No... I think it was part of Alucard," Bella said, frowning. "It seems the Authority changed parts of me, and things adapted. I... I still thirst for blood, but it seems I no longer need to drink blood to absorb their souls as a means," Bella said, surprised.
"Interesting," I murmured in surprise. "Has anything else changed in your other abilities? Did I influence the souls you already possessed? Can you still summon your familiars?" I asked curiously. Bella hummed before raising a hand, her body turning into shadow, and a stone appearing in her hand.
"Looks like I now have a rock as a familiar," Bella teased, bouncing the rock in her hand. I snorted dryly before frowning slightly.
"Can you absorb anything you kill? Does that mean you can absorb even magic and concepts? In theory, those things should have Spiritweb too," I asked curiously. "Where does all that go?" I asked once more. Bella frowned as she stored the stone within her soul. Then she stopped stiffly.
"I think it's best if you look at it yourself," Bella said stiffly. "Go to your Reality Marble." I frowned, but immediately looked inward, staring at where Bella's union had been.
It used to be a huge waterfall and a lake of souls surrounding the monolith of The Darkness. Now it had completely changed.
Now there was a vast necropolis. There was no architecture of any kind besides the Monolith in the middle; all that existed was a huge, irregular, and rough cemetery. Uneven, dark terrain, expanses of land with depressions, ditches, and disturbed earth stretched out in stark contrast to my Reality Marble.
There were individual graves, mass graves, corpses lying abandoned on the ground, piles of stones, extinguished funeral pyres that were still emitting smoke, small altars, and even a half-buried sarcophagus. There were gravestones of all shapes and styles, from different religions, all mixed as if someone had thrown together all the forms and rites of death that humanity had ever created.
And then there was the most important thing: stakes. Thousands of stakes piercing everything, including bodies. People, monsters, demons, creatures—everything Bellatrix had killed was being impaled and driven through by Bella's stakes. Some were unconscious and motionless, and others writhed, though no one seemed to scream; they all seemed calm.
A place where death simply existed.
I just stared in disbelief as I looked all around.
I approached slowly and could feel it. This… had a Reality Marble formed? Or at least the beginning of one, a Proto Reality Marble. The Authority of Thanatos, its Essence, had collided with Alucard's existence, and both had adapted. The form of Bella's Soul, which had taken shape thanks to Alucard's template, the form that helped keep the souls of her victims within her, had changed.
She had adapted to the Personification of Death. Origin and Affinity. Death. They had resonated with my Reality Marble because of our bonded souls, and Bella's soul had attempted to replicate it, but with her own Origin and Affinity in Death, thanks to Thanatos.
And Bella's Reality Marble had taken the form of a damned necropolis.
"It's... so weird." Bella said, appearing beside me. I could only nod.
"It's a Reality Marble. Or the beginning of one." I said without hesitation. Bella's face lit up with recognition, and she nodded. "I have no idea what its capabilities will be." I said, almost breathless, as we both began walking around the graves.
"Nor I," Bella said easily. "I can still... feel, use these souls as my familiars; I can use them as a replacement for my own soul and evade death, but beyond that... I have no idea what will happen." Bella said, almost in shock. We continued walking until I stopped, and Bella looked down.
"That's it..." I said awkwardly as we stared at the rubble, the only rubble sticking awkwardly out from the graves.
"I... wow, it seems like everything I kill, even a rock, ends up here," Bella said, sounding genuinely curious. I snorted, amused.
"I really want to see what happens when you kill magic, concepts, or something equally esoteric. Maybe they'll appear with their own tombstones and everything," I said mockingly. Bella snorted and mockingly shoved me. Then she headed off into the distance, toward my Reality Marble.
"We really match now, you're all life and probability, and I'm all death and torture," Bella said dryly. I laughed slightly.
"We'll really have to be careful with this Campione business, the authorities of the gods. They seem to be changing, or at least forcing the other powers to adapt accordingly. So far, it seems like everything has been an improvement for you, but we have to keep that in mind from now on." I said with a hum.
"Just so you know, I'm only going to kill," Bella said matter-of-factly. "Apparently, that's what I do now, and I can do it well," she said with a sadistic smile. I snorted.
"My adorable personification of death," I said playfully, bumping my hip against hers. She snorted and vanished from our inner world. I chuckled and pulled my consciousness out as well.
I took a deep breath and relayed all the information to the others. I could see shocked looks on some faces and disgust on others, especially Enid, who shuddered.
"How interesting, our own abilities, even those granted by other templates, were adapted to their new authority and divinity. I suppose that means we'd have to kill the gods we have the greatest affinity with, or at least something that doesn't change or modify our abilities in a way we don't want." GLaDOS said with a hum.
"And that's it?" Narcissa asked curiously. Bella hummed before stopping.
"Oh, wait, there's another part of the authority." Bella said easily, then took a deep breath and began proclaiming to the heavens before anyone could say anything.
"Let the chains close again!"
Let Death be chained!
May the last breath be denied!
Let no soul leave its body!
May no being reach its end!
As long as I remain standing and chained,
Death will remain captive!
With that scream, Bella unleashed a torrent of divine power; she could feel death looming over us before it vanished. Thick, gleaming steel shackles appeared on Bella's wrists and neck, attached to heavy chains that became translucent before touching the ground. Bella frowned at the chains.
"Okay, that was ominous, but... what did she do?" Enid asked, worried. I could only blink.
"That... was part of the myth of Sisyphus," I said immediately. "Thanatos had been sent to chain Sisyphus on Zeus's orders. Sisyphus managed to trick Thanatos into putting on the chains and imprisoned him. With Thanatos chained and imprisoned by Sisyphus, he couldn't fulfill his duty of guiding souls to the underworld, so no one could die until he was freed."
"I suppose that myth is what shaped authority, or at least, that's what Bella's chant and chains would imply," I said, frowning.
"Wait, does that mean we can't die?" Rebecca asked, confused. "Well, besides not being able to die before, now we can't die again. Does that mean we can't die like three times?" Rebecca said, confused. I snorted dryly.
"No one can be killed while the Authority is activated," Bella said. I immediately looked at her, incredulous and confused. "How can no one literally die? No living being, whether ally or enemy, will fall dead? They'll simply... stay alive." Bella said, frowning. "What good is it to me if my enemies don't die?" she asked incredulously, almost indignantly.
"Torture?" Lucius asked dryly. Bella stood still before smiling broadly.
"Of course you'd use your authority to torture your enemy." I sighed wearily. "Are you sure that's all there is to that authority? Maybe you're using it incorrectly, or in a biased way?" I asked once more. Bella just snorted, but began to think carefully before frowning.
"No, it's all I can find," Bella said with a sigh. I just nodded.
"We'll have to experiment with it, see its limits. It's... a really strong authority. Authority seems to have an area of effect if you can't control who receives the 'blessing.' There are many uses for that kind of authority. It's... a bit redundant for us, who are essentially immortal, which is why it doesn't seem very impressive, but using it with other people would be very useful." I said honestly. Bella shrugged.
"For any of the other situations, we have Enid," she said easily. I just snorted. "Okay, let's drop that," Bella said before smiling. "Oh no, if we can't die anyway, we don't need to hold back. I really want to see how much I've improved as a Campione now," Bella said with a sadistic grin.
"Oh, you're fired up!" Rebecca said, smiling broadly, as she pulled out her weapons.
"Me too." Ottar said, taking a step forward as Kratos's Blades of Chaos appeared in his hands, chains wrapping around his powerful arms. "Seeing a god fight made my whole body tingle. It would be an honor to fight the god-slayer," Ottar said, sounding genuinely excited for the fight. Bella just smiled broadly, appeared beside Ottar, and punched him in the jaw, sending him flying.
Bella burst into laughter as she followed Ottar's body. Rebecca mimicked her, laughing happily, donned the rest of her armor, and followed, joining the fight. I just sighed and looked at the others.
"You can come back sooner," I told them gently, flicking my finger around Cia before a cane appeared. "We'll really have to see Bella's limits," I added playfully.
"Have fun." Narcissa snorted. I created a portal to the mansion, and she stepped through it. Lucius nodded and went through the portal. Enid smiled shyly and kissed my cheek before running through the portal. I looked at the rest of them.
Lucy simply sighed as her equipment appeared within her body, then she merged with the Void and vanished. Riveria merely nodded and began walking toward the fight. GLaDOS murmured about data as she flew toward the battle. Freya simply summoned a comfortable armchair and sat back to watch the fight, Horn behind her with a drink in her hand, handing it to Freya.
I shook my head playfully as I closed the portal. Then I headed towards the fight. Let's see what a Campione can do.