The [Darkness] spell gradually abates after a few all-too-brief minutes. Neither Chloe nor I are completely fresh, and I’ll still need quite a bit of time before I’m close to maximum [Ether]. But Chloe’s not constantly panting, and I’ve had a chance to get out of that terrifying mindset that finds cold comfort within the slaughter and rush of battle.

No, despite their vaguely humanoid appearances, these aren’t human, and with their vicious talons and their obvious disregard for human life, their lives ought to be forfeit in the throes of combat. If they are going to swarm us and try to kill us, then I’ll do whatever I can to make sure that they fail. And should I fall, I’ll drag as many of them to the nine hells as possible before I go.

But, and I realized this first while fighting the members of Order of the Wilds, this mindset is a knife’s edge from doing the same against human beings, or other sapients we may one day encounter, capable of integrating peacefully among human society. I know that Chloe wouldn’t want me to wallow in bloodlust, and I know even more deep down that the [Mechanical Angel] is supposed to be a protector, not a brutal butcher.

I force myself out of that mindset and recenter myself on my logical thoughts. There are still thousands of harpies in the sky, and of them, hundreds at least have descended down into the streets, damaging property and rending the flesh of humans and any other creatures unfortunate enough to get caught in their raking talons. A few of them are fighting back, though. And some of them, to my surprise and relief, are holding their own.

Only a handful are actually winning their battles, and of those, most find themselves outnumbered in short order. But they are injuring the winged beasts, and more importantly, they’re buying time for those less capable.

Alana and Jasmine are continuing to cleave through the harpies like a hot knife through butter. I have to imagine that they are getting insane Experience from the fight; even if each one is only worth a couple dozen points, with tens of thousands flying around, that will certainly add up.

Chloe envelops me in her buffing spell. As gentle warmth and Chloe’s love suffuse my body, I feel strong, focused, and more powerful than I’ve ever been before. My muscles surge with vitality, my [Ether] channels seem to widen, allowing my power to flow throughout my body that much more easily, and my eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as I stare at the accompanying System notification.

[You are now under the effect of [Saintess’s Blessing]. [Angelic Bond] doubles the effectiveness of [Saintess’s Blessing]. All Stats +66% for 66 minutes. (Remaining: 01:05:59)]

[Current Stats: [Strength]: 63 (38); [Speed]: 63 (38); [Vitality]: 128 (77); [Mind]: 194 (117)]

My mental acuity and willpower, in particular, have skyrocketed. Glyphs that were previously easy to envision and Manifest in the forefront of my mind now come with nary a bit of conscious effort. Difficult glyphs now come with a simple flex of my willpower. And Manifesting glyphs that before were impossible now… Now it seems doable. I feel I can call upon the power of [Gravity] thanks to Chloe’s spell. And I believe that within that glyph lies the key to crushing this entire horde in one fell swoop.

I take a deep breath, dispelling the effect of [Archangel’s Gaze] and returning my vision to normal.

“Chloe, I have a plan, but I need you to cover me while I cast my spell.”

“Plan?”

“Thanks to your spell, I think I can call upon the power of [Gravity] that has thus far eluded me. With any luck, I can crush the whole swarm at once.”

“Is that dangerous?”

“Probably. But–”

“Right. Not doing anything while harpies are raining feathers down on us is also dangerous, and as you like to say, ‘not taking a risk is itself a risk’. Just, promise me that you’ll be careful. I don’t like to see you hurting, you know.”

“I know. And I know your magic and your presence and your love will protect me.”

The entire conversation takes place in the span of a couple of seconds; our superhuman [Mind], buffed further by each other’s spells, allows us to think and communicate with preternatural quickness. And with our telepathic bond negating the need to slow down to the limitations of our throats and mouths, we truly can communicate entire conversations in the span of a single breath.

I close my eyes and begin gathering [Ether] in the palm of my hand. And as I channel my power outward, bringing it to the surface and constructing my [Glyphcasting] array, I can feel more [Ether] rushing into my core to replace it, my regeneration having spiked as a result of [Saintess’s Blessing]. This too joins the raging tempests contained just within my body.

The outside world goes quiet as I focus the whole of my being on the spell I’m about to generate. My trust in Chloe is absolute. I feel her warmth, her power, and her resolve all through our bond. I send back a message of trust, of confidence, and of unwavering determination as I begin to trace out the glyph formation in front of me.

First, the [Gravity] glyph. It’s still not easy to bring its effect into being. The intricate labyrinthine patterns within the center of the multifaceted, spiraling glyph defy any sense of reason or attempt to analyze through human intuition. But thanks to my work thus far with studying glyphs themselves, combined with my Skills and other class abilities, I can summon it forth, placing the complex structure in the center of the spell circle.

I then add in an [Expansion] and an [Attraction] glyph— really an inverted [Repulsion] glyph— on either side of the massive circle. Already my mind is taxed and it’s a struggle to hold the glyphs in place in the air in front of me. Chloe’s mood is still one of unflinching courage— her [Piercing Beam] locks on to and vaporizes a harpy in front of me before it can lay a feather on either of us. But for now, I again force these distractions out of my mind.

I realize as I start linking the three glyphs together that this on its own isn’t going to be enough to capture the entire swarm. It’s going to put me right next to zero [Ether], but I add in an [Intensify] glyph, attaching it to the [Expansion] glyph rather than directly to the [Gravity] glyph. This should expand the range considerably, and not modifying [Gravity] further will reduce the mental strain by a tiny fraction. But when dealing with magic and reducing the risks of having another explosive backfire, even the tiniest efficiencies matter a great deal.

Having checked and double-checked and triple-checked the entire array and found no errors, no strokes out of place, nor even off by an amount I perceive, I release the spell. The moment I do, I feel lightheaded, having poured so much of myself in the spell. But I force myself to remain standing, at the ready to continue the fight should Chloe need me.

The spell takes the form of a small black sphere about the size of a tennis ball, though it crackles with power, and once activated at my command, it will explode, not unlike my [Ether Bullet] in a sense. But instead of exploding with a burst of concussive blast, this should— if I’ve defined the parameters correctly— create a localized point of immense and overwhelming gravity that will crush all of the harpies in an instant. [Black Hole] wouldn’t be a bad name for the spell, given the similarities to the cosmic phenomenon.

I note where Alana and Jasmine are still fighting, and aim the spell away from the two of them. I have to trust that their battle instincts will be enough to have them not get caught in what I’m about to do. With the last bit of my strength, I channel [Repulsion] into my arm and chuck the still-inert spell as high into the air as I can, willing it forward as fast as physics will allow. Higher and higher it ascends until it finally reaches its apex. And as I collapse to one knee from the stress of holding the spell, I allow it to rupture forth.

The sphere grows slightly as it ascends, until it reaches an altitude of around four miles in the air. At that point, it pops like a balloon, filling the sky with a massive dark sphere that leaves a tenebrous shadow on the city below. Buildings fastened to the ground and trees rooted in the dirt are barely able to withstand the force driving them upward. Cars are jostled around due to their temporary state of near-weightlessness, especially just beneath the center of the soon-to-be eruption of gravitational energy.

I’m sure a couple of people will be caught in the blast as well. I lament the damage to life and property this is going to cause, but I accept it and the consequences I will face as a result of my decision to use this spell, for I truly see no other way we could have dealt with this horde. Not short of a long, protracted battle of attrition and many more lives lost.

The harpies, however, being much higher and closer to the center of the [Black Hole], are not so fortunate. My spell begins sucking them in, faster and faster, like a giant vacuum cleaner purging this city of an infestation of hundreds of tiny ants. Alana and Jasmine, thankfully, do seem to have noticed the spell approaching and have darted away from the center of the eruption, so they’ll be safe.

The sky shrieks out in a single cry as a huge contingent of tens of thousands of harpies— the once around us included, all pile against one another, slamming into one another faster and faster. The lucky ones in the center of the blast are imploded and disintegrate quickly. Those less fortunate are ripped apart slowly and painfully, individual pieces spaghettifying in real-time as their bodies are enveloped within the immense force and pressure.

But it’s not enough. I’ve crushed thousands of them, but there are still tens of thousands remaining, attached to the sphere like magnets on a refrigerator. But it’s not crushing the ones inside nearly quickly enough, and I know that blast won’t last for more than another few seconds. Once it does, we’ll be–

My thoughts are cut off as a massive laser of teal energy out of the west collides with the sphere of harpies. The second they touch, the winged monsters start disintegrating. And as they do, their bodies start to glow, this infection of power metastasizing and destroying the creatures in a chain reaction.

“Damn you, Nicholas,” I mutter to myself, not at all happy that he’s managed to construct an [Ether Cannon] over the past two months using the research I’ve undertaken while working under him. Yes, I’m grateful that he has it right now, but there’s no way that won’t be turned on people, and probably sooner rather than later. No weapon doesn’t get repurposed for human wars, and I’m sure that with weapons like these, World War III is going to be more devastating than anything we’ve ever seen before.

The [Black Hole] disintegrates upon contact with the [Ether Cannon]’s blast, taking the overwhelming number of the harpy swarm with it, along with quite a few clouds now with noticeable chunks missing. A few thousand stragglers manage to avoid being caught up in the twin attacks, but with their main forces routed, they seem content to flee. Alana, Jasmine, and the couple of other fighters I see airborne aren’t pursuing, and considering the work we all have to do to return our home to some semblance of normalcy, I can’t blame them. Whatever happens later with the straggling vermin will happen.

I take Chloe in my embrace as we listen to the eerie silence that now permeates the city. Time to assess our gains, and after that, process the consequences.