Beyond Classification

The night sky above Meridian City was painted red with demonic energy as Darius soared through the air on his massive demonic wings. The grotesque, bat-like appendages beat with unnatural rhythm, each flap sending waves of corrupting energy across the sky. Shadow tentacles lashed out from his transformed body, crushing rooftops and sending civilians fleeing in terror.

"KNEEL BEFORE YOUR NEW LORD!" his amplified voice boomed across the city. "THE AGE OF MORTALS IS OVER!"

Itsuki, Clara, Rina, and Olivia emerged from the destroyed house onto the main plaza, their own astral wings manifesting as they looked up at the demonic entity. Itsuki's dark wings crackled with soul energy, Olivia's elegant green wings shimmered with divine magic, Rina's pink mechanical wings hummed with steam power, and Clara's red-orange wings blazed like fire.

"How do we even reach him?" Rina asked, her Steam-Powered Crossbow already configured for long-range combat. "He's got complete aerial superiority."

"Leave that to me," Olivia said, raising her staff. "I can create aerial platforms with solid light constructs. Itsuki, can you—"

"Already on it," Itsuki replied, activating his Phantom Dash to leap between the glowing platforms Olivia was manifesting in the air.

But as he approached Darius, the demon turned and unleashed a barrage of shadow bolts that forced Itsuki to animation-cancel between defensive maneuvers just to avoid being incinerated.

"Fast little pest!" Darius snarled, his red eyes tracking Itsuki's movements. "But you cannot reach me up here!"

Itsuki landed back on the plaza, reassessing the situation. Pure speed and soul attacks wouldn't be enough against an opponent with unlimited flight and ranged magical attacks.

"We need a coordinated assault," he said to his companions. "Something that can pin him down long enough for a finishing strike."

"What did you have in mind?" Clara asked, divine energy still coursing through her body from the event potion.

Itsuki closed his eyes, reaching deep into his understanding of magic and combat techniques. He'd observed countless different fighting styles over years of gameplay, studying how different classes approached similar problems.

Divine magic was about purification and binding. If he could combine that with his soul techniques...

"Everyone, I need you to channel your abilities through me," Itsuki said, extending his hands toward his companions. "Trust me on this."

Rina placed her mechanical gauntlet against his right hand, steam and electrical energy flowing through the connection. Olivia touched her staff to his left hand, divine magic beginning to resonate with his soul energy. Clara grasped his shoulder, her boosted magical power adding to the growing confluence of energy.

Itsuki felt the different magical signatures flowing through him, understanding their patterns and resonances through pure observation and intuition. He began weaving them together with his soul magic, creating something entirely new.

Golden light began to emanate from his body as he successfully mimicked high-level Divine Magic techniques, combining them with Rina's technological enhancements and Olivia's theoretical knowledge.

"WHAT?!" Darius screamed from above, his demonic senses detecting the unprecedented magical combination. "IMPOSSIBLE! YOU'RE A LEVEL ONE WRAITH LORD! HOW ARE YOU USING DIVINE MAGE SKILLS?!"

Itsuki looked up at the panicking demon, golden and dark energy swirling around him in perfect harmony. "I never chose a class," he said, his voice carrying the resonance of multiple magical disciplines. "I've been mimicking skills without the system's assistance. Just watching, learning, and replicating what I see."

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Darius shrieked. "THE SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY! CLASSES ARE FUNDAMENTAL! YOU CAN'T JUST—"

"The system is just training wheels," Itsuki interrupted, rising into the air on wings of pure golden light that he'd manifested by combining divine magic with his soul energy. "You relied on it. I learned to fight without it."

Darius lashed out with shadow tentacles, but Itsuki animation-cancelled through the attacks using Phantom Dash enhanced with divine purification. Every movement left trails of golden light that burned away the demonic corruption.

"Clara!" Itsuki called out, positioning himself directly opposite Darius in the night sky. "Channel everything into a synchronized attack! We end this now!"

Clara nodded, raising her hands as massive amounts of divine energy gathered around her form. The event potion had boosted her natural abilities to legendary levels, making her temporarily capable of techniques that should have required decades of training.

"Divine Judgment!" Clara unleashed a pillar of pure white light that struck Darius from below.

"Soul Annihilation!" Itsuki attacked from above with a technique that combined his Wraith Lord abilities with mimicked Divine Magic, creating something that shouldn't have been possible.

The two attacks met at Darius's position, golden and white light intertwining to create a devastating spiral of purifying energy. The demon's screams echoed across the city as his corrupted form was torn apart by forces he couldn't understand or resist.

"HOW?!" he wailed as his wings disintegrated. "HOW DOES A MERE LEVEL ONE—"

"Level is just a number," Itsuki said, floating in the air surrounded by impossible combinations of magical energy. "Skill is what matters."

The combined attack reached its crescendo, completely obliterating Darius's demonic form and sending waves of purifying light across Meridian City. The spreading corruption withered and died, leaving only clean air and the soft glow of dawn beginning to break over the horizon.

◇◇◇

Itsuki and Clara landed softly in the plaza, both exhausted but victorious. Rina and Olivia rushed to check on them, amazement clear in their expressions.

"That was incredible," Rina breathed. "I've never seen magical techniques combined like that. The theoretical implications alone..."

"Classless combat," Olivia said with wonder. "You really have been learning skills without the system's assistance. That should be impossible, but..."

"Nothing's impossible," Itsuki said, sitting down heavily on a piece of rubble. "Just takes practice and observation."

Clara looked out at the city, where people were beginning to emerge from their hiding places as the demonic corruption faded completely.

"It's over," she said quietly. "My family is avenged. The corruption is gone. And Uncle Darius..."

"Got what he deserved," Itsuki finished. "Some lines should never be crossed."

[QUEST COMPLETED: SHADOWS OF THE NOBLE HOUSES] [EXPERIENCE GAINED: 0 (LEVEL RESTRICTION ACTIVE)] [REPUTATION GAINED: MERIDIAN CITY +500] [REPUTATION GAINED: NOBLE HOUSES +200] [TITLE EARNED: DEMON SLAYER] [SKILL MASTERY IMPROVED: CLASSLESS COMBAT]

Clara stood up, straightening her torn dress and looking every inch the noble heiress despite everything she'd been through.

"I need to address the city," she said formally. "Claim my rightful position as head of House Vaelthorne, and begin the process of rebuilding what Darius destroyed."

"What about us?" Rina asked. "I mean, we're all kind of wanted fugitives at this point."

Clara smiled for the first time since they'd met her. "As the new head of House Vaelthorne, my first official act will be to grant full pardons to the heroes who saved Meridian City from demonic corruption. I think that covers any minor property damage you might have caused."

Olivia laughed. "Minor property damage? We destroyed half the Noble District."

"Details," Clara waved dismissively. "Besides, I'll need advisors for the rebuilding process. A brilliant artificer, a knowledgeable mage, and a mysterious warrior who apparently doesn't need the system's assistance to master legendary techniques."

Itsuki looked at his companions - Rina with her boundless enthusiasm, Olivia with her vast knowledge, and Clara with her newfound confidence and determination.

"Sounds like the start of something interesting," he said.

As the sun rose over Meridian City, casting golden light on the plaza where four unlikely heroes had saved an entire population from demonic corruption, Itsuki couldn't help but smile.

Just another day in this world, he thought. Though I'm starting to think it might be more than just a world after all.

◇◇◇

High above the city, invisible to mortal eyes, a figure in flowing robes watched the aftermath of the battle with great interest.

"Fascinating," the figure murmured, making notes on a crystalline tablet. "True classless development. System-independent skill acquisition. Cross-disciplinary technique synthesis."

The figure paused, studying Itsuki's form more closely.

"This one bears watching. The goddesses will be very interested in this development."

With that, the figure faded from view, leaving no trace of its presence save for a single feather that drifted down toward the plaza below.