Vijaya

All matter, both material and immaterial, carried a certain amount of magical energy. This energy existed in countless forms, yet at a fundamental level, all magic could be reduced to a single unit—a Mon . Such was proposed by Belial, the Fourth Great Evil, as well as Adra of the Fourth Seat. They would, however, take this concept further to discover the innate energy carried by an individual Mon.

This was the Variable Erasure Limit : 3.2 x 10^-11 Bels.

An incomprehensibly small amount, so small that you’d need to gather roughly 3000 more Mons to generate even a single Bel of energy.

Though the theorem was formulated by Belial, and its application perfected by Adra, no civilization across the Universe, aside from Wisteria, was capable of utilizing the Variable Erasure Limit effectively.

That was until the Nation of Urr made a groundbreaking discovery.

Rather than harmonizing Mon units of similar natures to create a multiplicative effect as Talisman Magic did, Vellar Stress pressurized one unstable Mon unit against another of opposing nature, generating an unprecedented burst of energy.

Initially, Vellar Stress was used to generate power, providing the nation of Urr with a near-limitless source of renewable energy. Skadhi Bhattacharya, however, saw the principle's potential as a weapon of war. Thus, the V.E.L Project was born.

The V.E.L. was a magical weapon that operated according to the Mathers Law. Rather than limiting the collision to just a few hundred thousand Mons and creating a perfect 1:1 conversion rate, the V.E.L. weapon forces a collision of trillions by manipulating both the geometry and density of the base material. In this case, the V.E.L was fashioned into a sphere.

Thus, one may ask: What was the total amount of material used for the attack on the Gaulf Strait, which reduced an entire landmass to ash?

16 pounds. It took only 16 pounds of raw material, roughly the size of a shotput, to bring about an end to civilization itself. Despite the sheer destructive capacity of the blast, only 2 pounds actually detonated. The rest were scattered and obliterated in the explosion.

That was the first innovation, the incomplete prototype, of the V.E.L superweapon.

Today, the humans of Wisteria would face a far greater threat. A weapon of unbelievable scale.

Skadhi Bhattacharya, Supreme President of the Autocratic Planetary-State of Urr, approached the testing ground’s central apparatus, golden key in hand. The V.E.L weapons could only be activated with a custom-made key in the President’s possession, which would then unlock a series of biorecognition scans, all of which must be unlocked to gain access to the final launch panel.

Three flipped switches. A twisted knob. A pushed button.

With the series of commands having been finalized, the V.E.L weapons were free to roam the sky in search of their target.

Human or Shura.

Saint or Demon.

It was a weapon lacking in distinction for its prey. Skadhi had likened the weapon to an extension of his own will, his law that would crush and supersede Twilight.

Skadhi, despite his cheerful, lackadaisical, and irresponsible method of governance, despised incompetence more than anything else. He had played with his food long enough. The bow had been drawn, arrow poised with lethal intent. Skadhi would not miss.

Two V.E.L weapons were launched from central command. The first weapon, Neela , etched ocean-blue streaks onto the sky, as a painter would onto their canvas. A roaring combustion. A terrible shriek. Its destination was not the Problem Children, but their enfeebled comrades in Grausheim.

The second weapon, Baingani , would meet the Problem Children at Astra.

A V.E.L was a powerful weapon indeed, likely the strongest magical weapon of the century, but even Skadhi Bhattacharya himself did not place his complete trust in its ability. They were a band of Uniqueness users, exceptionally strong ones at that. There was a decent chance that they’d survive the blast.

“But that’s fine!” Skadhi said with boisterous laughter. “Don’t gotta kill 'em. Hell, we don’t even gotta cripple 'em! As long as their attention is taken away from the war effort behind them, any and all reinforcements will be cut off. It’ll be game, set, and match.”

The war effort on Grausheim was a turbulent one indeed. Sahyat’s troops had long since exhausted their resources, while Athene’s forces were evenly matched by A-10 series Combat Androids. The A-10 series was an improved model over their A-20 counterparts, with a bipedal frame modeled after the feline wildlife of District 22. They were far fewer in number and small in size, but their speed and ferocity were unmatched amongst the Combat Androids, making them a decisive weapon of war.

And yet, despite the odds being stacked insurmountably against humanity, the forces of Wisteria held out against the machine horde. This was neither the work of miracles, lady luck, nor divine intervention. It was the work of a certain devil — Athene Noctua.

[Androphonos] - In exchange for bearing the role of “Commander,” Athene Noctua may assign those under his command as “Soldier.” The Commander role grants absolute authority over weaponry, including both soldiers as metaphorical weapons and literal ones that can be conjured from thin air. Any weapon can be withdrawn from his memory, so long as it is “mortal by nature.”

These two factors alone had tilted the scales in humanity’s favor. As long as they could hold out for just a moment longer, the Problem Children could open the path to victory, even if it were only a pin hidden within a haystack.

At least, that was what should have happened, had all gone according to plan.

“That’s…!”

A loud boom echoed through the air, attracting Sahyat’s gaze. The ocean-blue streak etched into the sky awakened a horrifying memory, a certain day, the day the Gaulf Strait had been reduced to ash.

“General!” she shouted.

Athene Noctua rubbed his neck, gazing at the blue star with a laidback expression. “Yeah, yeah. I get ya.”

Words were hardly necessary in conveying the gravity of the situation. A retreat would only end in total defeat, and reinforcements would take far too long. Interstellar communication was already a burden.

Thus, they had no choice but to overcome their limits.

“ OM !”

Much like Atreides, Sahyat lacked the talent to harness her own Mang, thus limiting her arsenal to standard magecraft. Despite this limitation, Sahyat had become a Grade 1 Magician through her own hard work and careful study of Avatara .

“Mā no martā abhi druhan tanūnām indra girvaṇaḥ | Īśāno yavayā vadham. Sahasrakshaya Vidmahe Vajrahastaya Dheemahi, Tanno Indrah Prachodayaat.”

Let not mortal men do harm to our bodies, O Indra, who delight in songs of praise. Sovereign that You are, keep away the weapon of destruction. We meditate upon the Thousand-Eyed One, and we pray to the One who holds the Thunderbolt in His hand. May Lord Indra enlighten and guide our intellect.

Sacred chants enabled the use of a catalyst, an avatar, to summon the power of Lord Indra, Vedic God of Thunder. Sahyat’s body would serve as one such avatar. Lightning magic supercharged her cells, reconfiguring her body into the perfect lightning rod.

A dark veil of thunderclouds obnubilated the sun's great rays over Grausheim, thrusting the world into a sea of night. Rolling thunder boomed as cackling lightning roared. It was as though the invocation itself had reenacted the battle of Khandava Daha.

“...!”

The lightning had found its target. It struck Sahyat’s divine flesh in all its intensity.

“Kgh!” Her muscles burned under the oppressive heat. Her bones snapped under the raging blasts. And yet, Sahyat of the Imperial Wisterian army refused to yield. “Now, General!”

“On it!”

Utilizing the authority of [Commander], Athene imparted the role of [Knight] to Sahyat, a role of far greater strength than [Soldier]. With this, her power would be amplified 10-fold, though the remaining units of the Wisterian front would receive a notable decrease in strength. It was a sacrifice, a large one indeed, but the fate of Humankind could only be seized with ambitious hands.

In other words, victory could only be attained with a gamble.

“Now, come to my aid, Lord Indra!" Sahyat gripped the torrential rain of lightning with her bare hands, molding its shape into the Divine Construct of legend — Vijaya . It was a silver longbow composed of solid light, with a sleek, minimalist design emanating beauty far beyond human capabilities.

“I really didn’t want anyone to see this, but I guess I have no choice.” She called forth a mass of condensed lightning with which to shoot before knocking the divine arrow in place. She pulled back, poised to fire. The commander would not miss.