A glorious ring of flames surrounded the town. The fire crystals spewed a blazing inferno onto the swarming Collectors, incinerating their paper-made tangled bodies. The roaring winds heaved flaming ash into the air as a grey monsoon befell the town.

The stars of the night sky, the colorful cosmic dust, and the beauty beyond were instantly snuffed by the intense light as the surrounding world distorted to the heat. A hoard of countless thousands of these things swarmed the surface of Brandar, almost coating it entirely as they scoured the world for prey.

But as many of the Adventurer’s had anticipated; tonight would indeed be an easy night.

“They’re weak to fire. Similar to the Crimson Hunger.” Jury commented Frost’s exact thoughts, consuming the world with agape eyes as they both tried to make sense of the ordeal.

“And the Animals. Lucky for them it wasn’t the Gears or the Hearts.” Cer pointed out, strolling along the battlements casually as others could be seen running around like their lives depended on it. “Those two are bastards to deal with if all you have are these tiny crystals. Like this is difficult to begin with. Hailstorm? C’mon. We Moons could walk all the way to the cities blindfolded.” She further ridiculed them, finding it humorous that the situation was so staggeringly different between the weak and the strong.

Pale strands of paper lunged straight over the walls like grappling hooks. These tentacles sought for a prey to snatch, thankfully burning almost as quickly as they appeared. However, there were some unlucky few who were attacked by these things.

They expressed the immediate area feeling numb. All exposed skin that so happened to brush these papers had words written along their flesh like tattoos, almost as if they were branded with hot iron.

“It’s the conversion process. These things turn people into pages, others into books. There was a bibliography if I also recall. We call that the Paged disease. It’s a tier 3 disease for what it’s worth.” Res pointed out, casually electrocuting all oncoming strands of paper like they were mere insects.

There were 5 tiers of diseases, each corresponding with the levels of Cure Disease. 1 being the easiest, such as Cataracts, and the most severe being tier 5. The White Plague was an example of a tier 5 disease that originated from the Mycelli, creating white, bulbous spores on the bodies of those infected.

Sort of like the Black Plague from Earth now that Frost noticed it. But a fungal-based disease intrigued her.

That being said – Their casual deflecting of these things with electricity caused them to begin avoiding their section of the wall almost entirely.

A tier 3 disease. Meaning I don’t have the adequate healing skills to cure them.

Their strength made this whole thing seem like a joke. The blindfolded run Cer spoke of held merit despite being an offhanded joke.

“You know, that’s not a bad idea sis! Just towing those women along might not work.” Ber entered deep thought as she legitimately considered Cer’s ingenious idea to walk across Brandar’s surface.

“All underground… Brandar had this problem from long ago, right?” Frost said, still entirely baffled by just how many of these creatures existed.

Cer adamantly explained that they had always existed. In the meantime, Frost couldn’t help but to doubt that the town would last an assault of this scale. And yet she was repeatedly proven wrong in and endless cycle of ups and downs.

When the Collectors seemed like they were about to ensnare someone, the flames instantly caught up to the rest of its body and dispelled them as if they were no more than a figment of her imagination.

Also, Scrutiny worked well on them. Their RESIST stat was so low that they instantly froze when she gazed upon them, sparking the curiosity of most who observed the phenomenon. It left up to a hundred frozen at a time, but all she was doing in the end was delaying their inevitable end.

Apparently, it was worse beyond the walls of the City of Spades and the City of Strings. In these parts only the lesser dungeon monsters emerged but elsewhere, creatures akin to the Macro Clumps and Angered Clumps were more common.

The fact that these also had the tendency to emerge within the sectors surrounding the cities also casted a lot of doubt of the Nex Megalopolis being ‘safe’. Despite this, the trio insisted that it was true since the monsters didn’t spill like they did here.

Instead, structures known as Dungeons emerged underground or sometimes above ground. Within was a normal Dungeon Heart, very rarely becoming an infestation, never mind a Plague due to how quickly they were destroyed.

And to think this happened every night over Brandar…

“… am I stupid for asking how people in Brandar managed to survive this before the Nex Megalopolis was built?” Frost slowly spoke, watching one paper tentacle approach her. She managed to catch it into her maw and devoured its paper-like contents. As expected, it tasted like she just bit into a solid block of A4 paper.

The trio looked at her amusedly. Her display was hardly strange to them. As the Amalgam, they partially expected her to be able to eat anything. In fact, they had already seen her devour a decent chunk of the Plagued Heart like it was nothing.

Although Cer seemed a little too fixed on her after that bite.

There was no way in hell any normal settlement was going to survive this kind of assault every single night. For countless years, not to mention. This discrepancy ate at her more than she was willing to admit. Her inquisitive mind did not allow her to spare any room for speculation when she had people who could easily thwart these questions at her command.

“You said it. We’ve said it. But ‘oh, it’s the Jesters again.’ No thanks to these two.” Res was the one who complained this time, breaking her usual professional demeanor as she wore a complicated face.

“That’s us.” Ber nodded proudly.

“Shut up.” Res snapped, tugging on her sister’s collar. “And no. You’re not dumb Frost. It wasn’t this bad 15 years ago. They never used to appear in huge swarms like this. But ever since the Nex Megaloplois was built these things grew out of control.”

One of the flaming crystals cracked all of a sudden, prompting a number of Adventurers to rush towards into its direction and begin laying down fire magic as a substitute.

The situation didn’t devolve into chaos. It was all still under control. A crystal failure was a common occurrence. In the event of a complete crystal failure all would have to take refuge indoors, and the oil moat between the two walls would be set alight.

Also, under normal circumstances powerful Justica Arms members would be teleported into this location. Unfortunately for them; it was not possible with all the Relay Sites now broken.

I really can’t wrap my mind around the notion of staying somewhere so dangerous.

“Neither. But they have the promised protection of an Atelier most likely. Either way – it is highly illogical for my logical reasoning.”

“But what do we Moons know? All we do is slay the Corrupted. What goes on in these parts isn’t any of our concern. Epiderma. Derma. The hell does that even mean? You get the point.” Cer concluded, moving up to Frost’s side. “No Moon, no Star and no Exalted will come down to save anyone unless it threatens the Nexus directly. Like a Corrupted. Pretty dumb rule if you ask me.”

“Did the Beholders tell you that?” Frost deeply questioned.

“As usual~” Ber hummed.

“Then, let me ask you three one thing.”

Frost then turned to them with eyes glowing brighter than the bellowing heat. Cer’s tail instantly waged left and right as she stared up into those eyes. The angle, her height; and her eyes were perfect.

While it caused the two to straighten themselves instinctively, it somehow caused Cer to instantly become obedient like a trained dog.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Will you answer to a Beholder, or to me, the Archetype of Amalgamation?”

“That’s a difficult question I’m afraid.” Res regretfully admitted.

“I’m sticking to their guts.” Ber motioned to the two.

“… yes. I do. Please eat – I mean, huh? You think some Beholder has authority over me? Think again! Having a floor on the Nexus dedicated to you puts you way above the Beholders don’t you think?” Cer proudly placed her hands on her hips.

These three were hardly on the same page even though they seemed to share the same brain cell. Aside from Res who actually had a fully functioning brain. Frost sighed and continued to observe the situation, finding nothing going awry.

“It certainly does.” Frost agreed.

Pinna, the healer, was highly skilled in curing diseases and mass healing. Considering that it seemed to be rare to get heavily injured by these things, her skillset was well suited for the situation.

All was somehow fine on this night of mayhem. It felt like the world had come to an end and they were within the last bastions of civilization.

Trepidation slithered into the hearts of many. They knew that one wrong step was all it took to end their lives. Even someone as strong as Furio wouldn’t last long out there. Mana was a finite thing. The same with life itself.

Frost peered out towards the massive walls of the Nex Megalopolis and wondered how life was within. Did they need to worry about whether they were going to wake up the following day? The answer was no.

So long as one lived within the walls of the cities, that is.

Rolling clouds of flames scorched the lands. Furio’s magic easily dispelled these Collectors all the while blazing arrows found their marks, hailing above these creatures to no end. The nightly routine was done so many times that every mana potion available was rationed perfectly between each of them.

Waves of water pummeled these things, as did razor-sharp blades of leaves. A colorful myriad of magic annihilated them, and within the next hour, these creatures began to back off, likely realizing that their efforts were futile.

If this was how the nights usually went, then their survival out here in these ravaged lands became much more believable for Frost.

A break of cheers drowned out the still spewing flames of the crystals as the adventurers abandoned their post, leaving only a select handful to keep watch as Frost remained there with the others.

She watched several of the Collectors disappear back into the pores which quickly sealed up, leaving behind nothing but an untouched field of moist grass, which steamed before quickly being ignited by the heat.

Frost didn’t even have an opportunity to heal anyone. Although it was not like she didn’t gain anything from witnessing this event. Aside from the horrors that plagued Brandar’s lands – the triplets hinted that the cities themselves had a hand in strengthening their numbers in some unknown way.

“Cer. Ber. Res. Are the Ateliers enemies of the Nexus?” Frost asked as silence befell the world, the grateful cheers behind were drowned by the severity of her voice.

“No. The Ateliers actively try to protect the Nexus. Oh, and those that are useful to them. What, you think the Nex Megalopolis was made for people? Ahaha! Listen close! It’s a giant fortress when it comes down to it. It was built in case of another Paradise Lost event.” Cer answered truthfully as Frost noticed something odd in the distance.

She thought she saw people. Multiple people. But the sheer number of the Collectors made it difficult to confirm this. She ended up glaring deeply upon the world as a result.

“I get you too. You also despise the world, huh? The Nexus really is the only place we can call home –”

“Shut up!” Res barked, noticing Frost’s intense gaze.

“Wait little wolf! Frost sees something!” Jury hushed Cer as well, staring down at woman with those giant, golden eyes. They weren’t sharp like Frost’s, but they managed to strike a different kind of bell within Cer’s heart.

“… O-Ok.” She nodded like an obedient puppy.

“What do you see? People?” Jury was good at reading Frost’s face, to the point where it never failed to surprise her.

She then described what she saw exactly.

“Five people, all wearing dark blue combat or military garbs… I think they have a gun? No, a stick that looks like a Victorian Era gun. Are those Wayfarers?”

“A stick-gun? That sounds like the 6th Branch’s Public Defenders… wait, Public Defenders? In the middle of the night!?” Res sounded shocked by this for some reason.

She managed to make out 5 distinct figures in the distance, each armed with these weapons. Their strength, while unknown, seemed to be enough to get them through the infested plains. But they struggled, and one was carried on the backs of two.

They were drawing their last breaths.

A magical circle written in an unknown language appeared at the tips of these pointed sticks, and then onto the target they chose. She was too far away to see any projectile leave the stick.

But it was odd.

The sticks didn’t have a barrel at all. Knowing that Justica Arms dealt with teleportation technology, she instantly realized that it was not shooing anything at all.

Rather, it teleported bullets to wherever they pointed, easily shredding through meters worth of these creatures alongside slightly larger variants of the Collectors.

They’d be overwhelmed in the next 30 seconds or so. With Frost’s speed she’d make it there in around a minute.

However, Frost possessed a new power to help alleviate this.

Nav! I can wear Corrupted Personas any time, correct?

“Indeed! I shall give you the prompt right now!”

I assume I’ll also borrow Calfasio’s skills?

“All of it.”

< Do you wish to equip the Iron Candle? >

< Yes | Yes >

Do it.

< Wearing the Iron Candle >

Frost felt her blood begin to boil as she warned the others to stay back. ‘Wearing’ a Corrupted Persona was different to manifesting them. Instead of becoming the Corrupted Calfasio, only his characteristics were worn like pieces of armor.

A pale, wax-like wing grew from her right shoulder as cracks seeping with lava formed along her right arm.

“Jury, you’re in charge of these three!” Frost departed with these words, causing the woman to sternly nod as the triplets watched on with confusion.

“W-wait you’re going to help them?” Ber exclaimed, heaving half of her body over the ledge.

“Look, I get wanting to help but they’re as good as dead out there! I can’t even see them at all!” Cer did the same. “Those are some crazy eyes!”

“Best of luck to you Frost.” Res on the other hand was more open to her helping them. Although, Frost could tell in her voice that she doubted those people would survive out there for long.

Unless they were strong enough to persist, of course.

A powerful heat radiated from her body in that instant, far surpassing the flames of the crystals which desperately tried to lick her back. She drew many eyes in that instant, some attempting to call for her aid, but they were quickly silenced by the triplets and Jury who all had a prompt flash before their very eyes.

How did she know this?

Because the Arbiter’s Trumpet was blown twice more in the wake of her presence, meaning the risk classification in this area had risen to Eternal Night. She didn’t know what else was shown to them but judging from their faces – it must have had her name appear somewhere in the prompt, hence why they didn’t seem to be flustered like the others.

Although flustered was a massive understatement. An Eternal Night creature was something only the Blessed and the Incandescent Colors were capable of defeating.

Therefore, she needed to end this quickly.

< Borrowing Active and Passive Skills of the Iron Candle >

< The Iron Candle has successfully been equipped >

< ACTIVE: I am Fire! >

< Only to burn those closest to me >

< Unleash a pulse of heat dealing your maximum MAG ATT damage to everything within a 10-meter radius. Increases as Burn stacks accumulate >

< Cost: 5,000 MP >

< ACTIVE: Backfire of Dual Embers >

< Warmth and wrath come from the same comforting heat >

< Create an explosion of flames wherever you touch. Deal ATT damage and place up to 30 Burn stacks onto target caught within your plume of flames >

< Cost: 1,000 MP >

< ACTIVE: Flame of a Fleeting Ember >

< The flame of a candle is strongest in its final moments >

< Propel yourself forward and reach your maximum AGI speed instantly. Creates an explosion of fire. Deal maximum MAG ATT damage to those within a 5-meter radius >

< Cost: 2,500 MP >

< ACTIVE: Final Onrush >

< My wrath. My vow to protect. Spearheading my heart into the unfairness of the world to show my strength >

< Your AGI incrementally increases the longer you run in a single cardinal direction. You may lock an enemy into your grasp. The longer they are pinned, the more damage the final explosion will deal. Up to a maximum of 5x your ATT damage >

< Cost: 8,000 MP >

< PASSIVE: Fuel Are Memories >

< They all perish with the heat as our candles dwindle, and our eyes masked by its elusive haze >

< Emotions heighten in tandem with self-inflicted Burn stacks. The higher your Burn stacks, the higher your emotional state becomes. Iron Candle becomes stronger at higher emotional state >