Take Eldritch surveys! Noted!

A non smile was on my face as I tossed down the miserable little creature out of my grasp as I said, “My sisters and I will give you a new body, one that befits a soul such as yours. I’ll remove that Light sickness in your soul, by blotting it out with Evil thus making you immune from further infection from either the Light or Dark.”

 

I ignored the golden trio as they shouted Vasel’s name and rushed to her aid for an interesting little prompt that had suddenly appeared in my mind. With a curiously raised eyebrow I focused inward and read the alert from my system that I nearly forgot was there.

 

~Apocalypse system~

 

An update to the system has been requested and approved of from Sub-Administrator [Neo, Goddess of - - - -] and Co-Administrator [Tearwyn, Goddess of Fluff] respectively. The Apocalypse system will now absorb Sub-Administrator  [Neo, Goddess of - - - -]’s system, [Omniversal Chatroom System] and all of its subsystems, into itself.

 

Please stand by as the Apocalypse system applies the update and reboots…

 

I glance at Neo, and see the biggest shit eating grin I’ve ever seen on her face as she was bouncing around happily on my shoulder. She was quick to sense my gaze and said, “Surprised?! It’s a solution Tearwyn and I have come up with to help people be busy, and as a currency for our Dimension!”

 

With a slight nod of my head I motion for her to continue, “Right, well. Us sisters, and naturally our Sexy Mamma Lilith, can post quests for system points that residents can accept. These points will be used in the system shop naturally, but will also be used around our Dimension for various goods and services that people feel like charging for.”

 

Tearwyn hopped over to the same shoulder as Neo and gave her a gentle bonk on the head with her tiny hand then said, “Way to ruin the super serious mood I had set, Sis!”

 

Neo had fake little tears well up in the corner of her eyes as she gave Tearwyn a sly smile. Tearwyn merely snickered at her and turned to me and said, “But yes, I think it’ll be a great plan. And we can use it to send out our own “reincarnators” on missions! And because they are all now linked to the Apocalypse system, their souls are safe from any form of corruption outside of yours, Artoria!”

 

I gently shrugged my shoulders as I said, “I do not mind. If this is how you want to go about things Tearwyn, I fully support you and my sisters in this.”

 

Both Neo and Tearwyn’s fluffy ears and tails perked up and they said at the same time, "“Thanks, Sis!”"

 

They then turned to each other and stared for a few seconds before both breaking out laughing. A gentle but forceful cough caught my attention, and I turned towards its source.

 

Looking up at me with an uneasy face, the House Elf asked, “What exactly… Do you mean blotting out the Light in my soul with Evil?”

 

With a wicked smirk I replied, “Exactly that. I trust you know who I am?”

 

Her face twisted a bit into confusion as she said, “No? I mean, you look like Saber Alter, but-”

 

With an annoyed huff I said, “I don’t ‘look like’ her. I AM her.”

 

That seemed to send the little creature for a bit of a spin before she collected herself and asked, “Wait, really? No lies? You’re not just a reincarnator like me with her body?”

 

With a little bit of heat in my voice from the annoyance that she suggested I was a fake, I answered, “No. While I do have my own situation around Reincarnation, I am truly Artoria Pendragon Alter. Alter being my last name, and Pendragon my middle. Enough stalling mortal. I would have your answer as I have other things to do, and entertaining you is not on that list.”

 

Nodding her head awkwardly she asked, “Okay, but my question before still stands. I’d like to know what this ‘Evil’ business is before-”

 

Interrupting her by lifting my hand and causing the Golden Trio to float in the air away from her. A small little puddle of Black Water started to form under my feet before widening a few metres and moving to my right.

 

With a simple thought I had the mortals float over to my puddle as they were screaming in confusion and fear. They were even trying to Apparate, but because of all the knowledge I gained (stole) about their magic I finally was able to understand how magical teleportation generally worked; I was able to lock down space around me in a rather large area to prevent said teleportation now.

 

With a smile filled with a bit more sadasim than I likely intended on my face, I said, “This is what I mean.”

 

I then released my hold on the teens and watched as they all plunged into the depths. I heard Tearwyn and Neo clapping their hands while laughing as Tearwyn said, “I’ll never get tired of you doing that to people, Sister Artoria! The surprise on their face as they start to sink into your Waters is always hilarious!”

 

With a smirk that was filled with as much sadistic glee as my own, Neo added, “I agree! This could get addicting. I feel I can summon your black Water now that my old system has merged with yours, Sis. Which I was shocked to find out you had! Being able to make any Sacred Gear you want is such HAX by the way~.”

 

With a less evil and more mischievous look on her face she continued, “I’ll have to take that for a spin one day. But, I might try dunking some people in your Waters one day. While my Authority of Balance is at odds with it a bit, my other Authority of Freedom sings in joy at the thought of your Water. As it really does release them from the chains life normally has around people.”

 

Tearwyn must have sensed my surprise about Neo being able to summon my Black Water because she clarified something rather quick, “The key word here is ‘summon’, sister Artoria~. She can not create any, and only summon some via the system because she is a Sub-Administrator.”

 

My face gained an understanding look as I nodded my head before I turned my attention to the trio of mortals pulling themselves out of my Waters. All three of them were hacking and coughing out some Black Water in their lungs while spewing out some colourful expletives.

 

Taking a peek at the little elf out of the corner of my eye, I could see they had understood my demonstration and while they had fear colouring their eyes there was also determination.

 

With a soft hum I thought to myself, ‘Good. Though, I think I should ask Tearwyn if she thinks her soul is strong enough for my Abyss Waters. While I don’t want her worship, I do however want our first real “soldier” to be as powerful as possible.’

 

Before I could ask though, Vasel spoke up, “I’ll do it. I recognize that sludge… water… whatever. It’ll ‘Blacken’ me like what happened to you… right?”

 

I turned my full attention back to the little elf while nodding my head as I said, “Yes, that is correct. But also wrong at the same time. My version of Black Water is so much more than the original ‘All the world's Evil’s’ by now. But you get the general idea. However, I have a question.”

 

She pried her eyes away from the Blackened Golden Trio, who I must say look rather dashing now with my corruption I must admit, as she motioned me to continue.

 

Looking directly into her eyes I asked, “How badly do you want your Revenge? How much are you willing to risk for it? For power to stand as one of my, and my sisters, Generals? You may not stand by our side as an equal for some time, but we won’t deny you that growth, by the way.”

 

I was pleased to see her eyes flare with hate as she obviously thought of the Light Goddess who did this to her, and then gain a delightful amount of determination and resolve. With absolute confidence in her voice she said, “Everything.”

 

My face split into a warped smile as I asked, “Even your very existence? Everything that would make you… you? Would you risk it all to try and ascend to something far beyond what you thought possible?”

 

She gave me a hard nod, which honestly looked absolutely fucking hilarious comming from a damn House Elf, as she said, “My answer is unchanged.”

 

My eyes lit up in glee as I said, “Perfect. I will send you to my sister, Tearwyn. You will treat her with respect, or I will personally erase your soul from existence after torturing you for an eternity and then some. Understood?”

 

With a nervous gulp and a nod of her head she answered, “Yes!”

 

I relaxed my posture and withdrew the minuscule amount of Killing Intent I was directing at her as I opened a portal for her to enter. I gave a look to both Tearwyn and Neo, and they simply nodded their heads before they both vanished with a small pop.

 

As the soon to be former House Elf entered the portal, I turned my attention back to the only ones left in the room besides me: The Golden Trio. They’ve been inspecting their new forms and I was able to hear them comment on the changes they’ve felt while I was busy with Vasel.

 

Harry was still looking at his hands as if they were the most interesting thing in the world as he was saying, “I feel so… different, yet the same. I feel so free. Unburdened by all the pressure I’ve been feeling lately! I feel bloody fantastic!”

 

While the three of them were talking animatedly between each other, I noticed something interesting about Harry. While he still had his scar on his forehead, the soul of He-who-is-missing-a-nose is gone.

 

I turned to look at the puddle of Black Water as I was curious if somehow Voldi was removed because of it. And sure enough, there was a wretched little soul floating around in it. Looking a little too comfortable, if I had to be honest. As I raised my hand to remove the soul, I noticed a powerful soul suddenly manifest above my waters.

 

Lowing my hand, I looked at the newcomer with some caution and raised my guard a little. This universe’s incarnation of Death had manifested above my Waters and was looking down at the soul with interest. A few moments later it turned its attention to myself, and floated over.

 

With a raspy voice that was of neither gender it said, “You may relax budding Goddess of Corruption and War. I would never deign to hurt the sister of My Goddess. I have come to you to ask for a boon. That soul you have trapped in that corruption of yours. May I have it?”

 

Lowing my guard, I simply nodded before I raised my hand and summoned back all my Waters. As it all merged with me, it left behind the wretched little soul that started to whimper.

 

Death looked down on him and with its voice filled with interest said, “Fascinating. Your Corruption as solidified this shard of his soul, into a full entity. I need not wait for the rest of the shards to start on this one. I thank you, Goddess. With your leave, I will take this new one where it belongs.”

 

With a dismissive wave, I gave Death a nod. It was interesting that an entity like that was being respectful to myself. I honestly don’t know how well I would last against something like that now with all the changes I’ve undergone, and the seals lifted.

 

As if it was waiting for that moment, I suddenly felt a massive rush of power return to me as my fourth seal was broken. I closed my eyes and basked in the feeling of the power welling up within me, while resisting the moan I really wanted to release.

 

Sadly, my euphoria was short lived as it was over all too soon. With a disappointed sigh, I open my eyes and quickly notice that the teens were all looking at me with wide eyes that were coloured by fear and interest.

 

They were all pressed against the wall shivering a little as they looked at me, which caused me to remember that those dunked into my Waters form a link of sorts and thus can see me.

 

I opened a portal to our dimension to my left and turned to go through it before stopping. Turning my head to look at the teens I said, “Well, now you know what that little House Elf was talking too. Enjoy the changes to yourselves, and raise some hell. After all, Harry. You’re no longer bound by Fate, so go nuts.”

 

With a smirk at Harry’s eyes widening, I walked through the portal. I instantly exited it underneath the massive tree that Raven had planted. I crank my head back as I look up at the massive thing and let out a low whistle.

 

This thing was growing at an unprecedented rate, and the fruits that were growing on it were already giving off such a wonderful feeling. I suddenly felt a very familiar presence behind me, and a calming feeling that came with it. With a smile I turned around and said, “Hello, Mother.”

 

With a soft smile on her lips Lilith said, “Hello, Daughter~. A bit of a spoiler, but you eating that fruit is a lot sooner than you may think. Now, congratulations on your 4th seal~!”

 

There was another cheer as a pink bullet crashed into my chest and hugged me, “Yes, grats sister Artoria!”

 

Embracing Tearwyn and giving her some snuggles I thank them both before I sit down and rest my back on the tree. As I let Tearwyn get comfortable in my lap, I look up at Mother and ask, “So, you said you have something special planned?”

 

She nodded her head as she sat down on a fancy chair that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Along with the chair, a little table and a tea set with cake also appeared. I shook my head at her offer of the cake, but I did ask for some tea. Tearwyn did the reverse, naturally.

 

As I took a sip of the mysterious tea that somehow tasted like the stars themselves, leaving me baffled, Mother spoke up with a smile, “I am glad you like my tea, and cake, daughters~. To answer your question, Artoria, yes I do. Some Light gods are up to some shenanigans, and are trying to erase you by proxy~. But, instead of just going about it the boring way, I thought I could use this as a little opportunity for your growth.”

 

Not being able to help myself as Tearwyn was all smiles as she ate her cake, I gave her a few head pats. I then nodded at Mothers idea, and asked her to continue.

 

It was nice to see such a warm smile on the ever elusive Null Kitsune as she gazed at Tearwyn. She took a sip of her tea before she continued, “They may think they are being clever, but honestly… These newer god/dess's are so simple minded, even I struggle to understand how they have not been killed yet~.”

 

With a sigh filled with exacerbation she continued, “Anyway~. They are attempting to bypass my threat of having them erased for killing you outrite by summoning you to a universe that they think would do such a thing.”

 

With a tilt of my head and an amused smile I asked, “And what universe is it?”

 

Mother returned the smile and said, “You’ll see~. This is part of my idea for your growth. Now, tell me~. How do you feel like being the attacker for once, like those you’ve been killing? The fools are summoning you to a universe they have recently come into ownership of. Never once thinking of how~.”

 

Tearwyn started to giggle as she said, “Let me guess! You ‘gifted’ it to them! Dumb bitches~.”

 

Mother just blinked a few times while looking at Tearwyn before looking at me and asking, “Neo?”

 

With a sly smile I nodded my head, to which she said, “I think I’ll give one of my daughters a little visit soon…~”

 

As Mother licked her lips, I couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down my spine as I gave a prayer to Neo. Mother then gently hummed in amusement as she said, “Don’t worry, I am sure she’ll enjoy our… meeting. She needs to be spanked for teaching my cute little kit such words~!”

 

With a smirk I couldn’t quite categorise, Mother then waved a hand lazily to dismiss the matter before taking another sip of her tea. Deciding it was also in my best interest to drop the matter I followed suit and took another sip. I hummed in delight at the taste, as I was sure I would never find something like this out in the True Omniverse. Of that, I was sure.

 

Mother nodded her head at me with a smile before she continued once again, “As I was saying~. They are going to summon you to a universe they think will either outright delete you, or at the very least violently reject your existence to the point of getting rid of you. Here is my trial for you~. With every penalty I place on you, I will lift an additional seal when you are finished.”

 

My eyes widened as my eyebrows shot to the sky, threatening to leave my face. Tearwyn also snapped to me with an excited expression and was bouncing in my lap.

 

Seeing as I was fully interested in the idea, Mother said, “So here are the limitations you may select~.”

 

With a snap of her fingers a screen appeared in front of me with check boxes. Beside each box was a simple description of what would be sealed in return of releasing one after the whole thing was over.

 

One box I selected without any hesitation: No foreknowledge of what Universe you are going to.

 

Before I could even ask why such an easy thing was worth a seal, Mother spoke up, “I know what you’re thinking, little Artoria~. But that is a bigger downside than you are thinking. With zero knowledge of where you are going, you can’t make any informed decisions about the other options in regards to where you’ll end up. You have no idea what you’ll be facing~. While it’s true I won’t let anything out right kill you as you enter, it won’t be a walk in the park either if you get too greedy~.”

 

With a nod of my head, I continued to look over my options. As I was browsing the long list, I asked, “By the way, Mother. How many can I pick? Enough to remove all my seals?”

 

She finished her sip of tea before shaking her head and answering, “No~. You can have up to a total of 4 options selected. I have two wonderful trials set up for you for seals nine and ten~!”

 

With a hum, I went back to the list. As I was looking it over I asked Tearwyn, “What do you think, Tearwyn?”

 

She hummed herself as she looked over the list before pointing to one and saying, “This could be interesting. It could be both an easy one, or a super bad one though…”

 

Looking at the option she was pointing at, I couldn’t help but agree. She was pointing at: Have the ritual that summons you take full effect on you. Unable to break the binding for the duration of the trial.

 

I tilted my head back and forth for a few seconds before shrugging and clicking the checkbox. As I took a peak at Mother, who was now calmly eating a piece of cake, I thought, ‘I’d like to think Mother wouldn’t let something absolutely horrible happen to me via a ritual. So while it might be a pain to deal with, I don’t think it’d totally cripple me…’

 

I was more or less confident Mother was after her usual entertainment from this trial, and I also wanted to trust her as my actual mother. While this trial may test me, even to my limits and possibly beyond, I can’t see Mother doing this just to have me die a dog's death. Though, I should take her warning seriously, and not get TOO greedy. After all, she did say she won’t protect us from the consequences of our choices.

 

Feeling more sure of my selection, I continued inspecting the list as I thought, ‘That’s two. So now when I finish this I will have 6 seals unlocked. Hmmm…’

 

Tearwyn then perked up and pointed at another one while saying, “Oh, this one! It’s more of a buff to someone like you, Sister Artoria!”

 

Looking at the option, I immediately selected it without hesitation: Temporary removal of your Soul Pressure and ability to hide from weak souls. Note: Does not weaken you in any way.

 

I had to agree with Tearwyn again, this was a buff in my eyes. While it would let anyone fight me unhindered by my pressure, it would also let me enjoy going all out on some ants without having to worry about them just dying outright because of how weak their souls were if I got too excited and let my control over my aura falter. I also couldn’t care less if people could see me, honestly.

 

The next option under it also appealed to me, and I was quick to select it as well: Unable to summon your Black Water in any form. Note: Does not seal your Authority.

 

I had a smile as I looked over my options to confirm what I had selected.

 

• No foreknowledge of what Universe you are going to.
• Have the ritual that summons you take full effect on you. Unable to break the binding for the duration of the trial.
• Temporary removal of your Soul Pressure and ability to hide from weak souls. Note: Does not weaken you in any way.
• Unable to summon your Black Water in any form. Note: Does not seal your Authority.

 

With a nod of my head, I looked up at Mother who waved her hand to summon the list before her. As she was looking over the options she nodded her head and smiled.

 

Turning her attention to me she said, “Excellent choices~. Now, are you ready to go?”

 

Giving Tearwyn one more snuggle and kissing her on the cheek, I gently set her down as I stood up with a nod. Tearwyn walked a bit away from me before turning back and cheering, “You can do it, Artoria! You’re getting closer and closer to ascension like our sisters! Keep at it, and be safe! And most of all, HAVE FUN~!”

 

She then conjured up some confetti before she disappeared. I couldn’t help but share a chuckle with Mother at her antics before I said, “Alright, I am ready. Let’s get this show on the road!”

 

With another chuckle, Mother snapped her fingers causing a large magic circle to appear underneath me. As it lit up in a wonderful purple hue, Mother said, “Good bye for now, my lovely daughter~. And remember, while this is a trial, do keep Tearwyns words in mind: Have fun~!”

 

I didn’t have time to do anything other than flash her a smile before I found myself in a rather familiar cocoon/flower made of red ribbons. As they faded away into black particles I looked on at my summoner and instantly recognised who it was.

 

I felt a very strong compulsion to speak, and suddenly I said to the woman, “I ask thee. Are you the weakling seeking my power?”

 

The woman before me was absolutely gobsmacked as she stared with an open mouth. As she was collecting herself I thought, ‘Well, I am glad I didn’t weaken myself. Should I say it’s good to be home?’

 

After all, the woman who stood before me, who was my summoner, was none other than Rin Tohsaka.