Seraphim is a Bystander

Earning experience points and Aoi's special powers

 
 
For a while after that, my days were spent switching places with Aoi and purifying malformed phantoms.

Just to be sure, I checked to confirm that swapping with me wasn’t hindering Aoi’s growth.
After all, it would be pointless if taking over slowed down his development.
Apparently, purifying the malformed ones does contribute to Aoi’s growth.
To me, the energy that flows in is pretty negligible, but for baby Aoi—even as a "Hero’s Seed"—it seems like a decent way to gain experience.
Compared to when he was first born, he can now use over twice as much power.

"Auu~"
As I was thinking about that, another wave of anxiety flowed in from Aoi.
He’s still more sensitive than I am when it comes to reacting to those malformed things.
Maybe he was born with some kind of sixth sense?
"Dō-da~ (Purify!)"

I swapped with him just for a second and purified the malformed presence into nothingness.
Still, do I really have to become a woman every time we swap bodies...?
When it’s a flesh-and-blood body, it just hits differently from when I was an angel—it’s not exactly great for my mental health…
Oh!
What if I let Aoi handle them directly?

Up until now, I’ve been swapping in to use my own powers.
But now that Aoi’s built up some strength, with my help, he might be able to handle malformed entities on his own.
It’s worth a try.
Let’s see if I can manipulate his power a bit.
Let’s see... if I widen the path used during swapping just a bit like this... here we go!
When I do, I feel Aoi’s energy and senses link with me.

Apparently, Aoi’s power is fundamentally different from mine—almost like it has a different color or nature.
It’s not quite the same as what I’m used to, but I can move the energy.
Maybe this is a unique trait of split personalities?
"U~?"
Seems like Aoi also feels something moving inside him.
Yeah, his extrasensory perception is definitely sharp.

When I try shifting Aoi’s energy a bit, it feels less fluid than when I’m using my own power.
Looks like he’s not used to moving these energy circuits yet.
Hmm...
That means the amount of power he can use at once is limited.
Still, it should be enough to deal with malformed things.
And with enough practice, those circuits should improve.
While I’m doing this “circuit stretching,” another malformed entity drifts close—and Aoi starts getting restless.
Alright, let’s give it a go!
Go Aoi! Purify it!

"Auu!" — BOOM!
"Kyaa!"
Through Aoi, I witness a small explosion as the malformed being is burned away, and I feel a gust of hot air.
His mother, caught off guard by the sudden blast, lets out a scream.

…Wait, what??
Why did it explode??
"A phantom?! 〈Anomalous Barrier〉!"
Aoi’s mom immediately raises her guard and activates her ability.
Looking closer, it seems she’s a "Barrier Caster", with the power to deploy various kinds of defensive and detection fields.

"Kyah kyah!"
While the mom cautiously scans the area, Aoi just laughs innocently at the small explosion he caused and the faintly glowing green barrier his mother put up.
…Adorable.
"〈Detection Barrier〉... nothing. What on earth was that?"

"Kyah kyah!"
Though confused, the sight of smiling Aoi seems to disarm her.
After casting one last barrier to check for enemies, she confirms it’s safe and picks up Aoi to gently rock him.
…Still, why did it explode?
I should look more into Aoi’s abilities.

As I examine the vessel that houses Aoi, and the circuits that channel his power, I uncover several details.
First off, his superpower is called "Over-Spec".
It’s a pretty broken ability that lets him unleash several times the power compared to the energy used.
That explosion earlier?
Given how little energy was used, the blast was definitely too large—it was the result of Over-Spec kicking in.

And why did purifying something cause an explosion?
Turns out it was due to how Aoi’s circuits convert energy.
When I use my powers, I direct energy either from myself or ambient sources and shape it to my intent.
But it seems that humans in this world have to convert energy before releasing it.
In Aoi’s case, his internal filter turns energy into fire.

So what was supposed to be a simple purification ended up burning the malformed being.
And thanks to Over-Spec, that flame exploded.
...That’s what happened.
Man, that conversion filter is super inefficient...

Alright!
Let’s do a little modding on those circuits.
Let’s see, tweak this part here, add this thing there…
After some careful magical modifications, I manage to leave the original circuits in place, while adding a new direct output port that lets energy flow without being converted.

To avoid Aoi doing anything too crazy with it as he grows up, I locked the new circuit behind a key—so it only activates when I’m using Aoi’s power.
Perfect.
Now exorcising spirits will be a breeze!