The air reeked of iron, smoke, and the subtle tang of despair. The city beyond the breach stretched like a scar across the earth, towers leaning at impossible angles, neon lights flickering against blackened skies. It was alive in a way Sarah had never felt—the streets pulsed with latent malice, every shadow a potential predator, every distant scream a signal.
Sarah's boots hit the cracked asphalt. Her harem flanked her, six pillars of power and discipline, each step synchronized to her heartbeat. The lattice flared lightly around them, adapting to the new environment, scanning the subtle differences: gravity slightly heavier, air density irregular, dimensional friction low but uneven.
Lilith Fragment whispered, low and tense.
"This is not the Origin Layer. Your Proto-Ascension will respond differently. Contracts here… they are sticky. Emotional vectors entangle with every interaction. Miscalculate, and you feed more than yourself."
Rias's hand pressed against Sarah's shoulder. "Then we proceed deliberately. Observe first, act second."
Akeno's grin was dark, electric. "Observe? My dear, I don't think that's how you survive here. I vote we push first."
A low roar split the air.
From the street ahead, a group of Devils emerged—twisted humanoid forms with jagged teeth and glowing veins coursing along their limbs. One, larger than the rest, brandished a crude chainsaw-like appendage, its edge rotating silently but threateningly.
Rossweisse's fingers traced the air, stabilizing their lattice. "Hostiles. Local fauna… intelligent. They respond to fear gradients."
Koneko's stance tensed. "Then we show them we are higher predators."
Sarah exhaled, letting the lattice bloom. Desire, focus, and authority radiated outward like tangible force. The largest Devil hesitated, sensing the pull of the Sovereign pulse she had emitted. It growled—a low, grinding warning.
The Devil lunged.
Not with chainsaw first—but with sharp, snapping movements, testing the harem's formation.
Akeno met it with a teasing glide of her fingers, sending a spike of controlled energy into its jaw. The chainsaw limb bit into air harmlessly. "Patience," she whispered to Sarah. "We teach first, break later."
Xenovia moved with lethal grace, slashing the smaller Devils, each swing reinforcing the lattice's predictive vectors. Rossweisse projected stabilizing fields outward, converting the ambient fear into energy pulses synchronized with Sarah's Proto-Ascension.
Sarah stepped forward, her eyes glowing crimson-lilac. She whispered, voice low but commanding:
"Your contracts, your rules… they end here."
From her fingertips, arcs of energy radiated, enveloping the Devils in a cage of Desire-infused vectors. Every strike, every frôlement from her harem transmitted the lattice's rhythm directly into the enemies' systems, disrupting instinct, destabilizing aggression, rewriting intent at a perceptual level.
The largest Devil hissed, pulling back slightly. Then it did something unexpected—it lowered its weapon, tilting its head as if acknowledging her authority.
Lilith Fragment's voice threaded inside Sarah's consciousness, almost proud:
"They sense sovereignty… but that is only the beginning. Any contact will attempt contract negotiation. Be deliberate."
Sarah smiled faintly. "Then we negotiate… on our terms."
She extended her hand. Not in fear. Not in submission. In command. A vector of emotional authority, a pulse of her identity that acted like a binding contract.
The Devil hesitated. A translucent interface shimmered in front of it, the Chainworld's version of the System:
CONTRACT PROPOSAL – SOVEREIGN INITIATIVE
Offer: Integration into vessel lattice (temporary, consensual)
Receive: Guidance, Survival, Temporary Compliance
Notes: Emotional vectors converted into combat utility
Akeno's lips brushed Sarah's ear, voice low, teasing. "You always liked making a first impression memorable…"
Rias's palm pressed harder against Sarah's shoulder, stabilizing the lattice. "Focus. Not indulgence yet."
Sarah nodded, closing the distance. The Devil's eyes widened as her presence washed over it—a perfect mix of dominance, desire, and unwavering intent. The system integrated her pulse with its own.
The Devil staggered, but instead of retreating, it bowed subtly. Its chainsaw limb retracted. Its posture softened. The harem moved as one, guiding the energy flow, reinforcing her command.
Lilith Fragment's voice rang clear. "Phase Three influence… fully compatible with local contract variables. You can manipulate them without permanent extraction."
Sarah exhaled, lattice stabilizing fully. "Good. Let's see who else wants a lesson."
From the horizon, more Devils began to emerge, some curious, some hostile. But the first had learned the rules: this new Sovereign did not fear, did not bargain under duress, and could impose her will without breaking herself—or her bonds.
Akeno's grin widened. "I like it. First blood, first bond. That's how legends begin."
Sarah's eyes gleamed. "Then we make them remember all of us."
And the city shivered under the presence of a Sovereign no Devil had ever truly faced before.