The downpour of the Empire shifted from water to bullets. The greyish haze from before became a burning red. Crimson mist collected on Frost’s face as she assailed the Red Barron. No introduction was required, nor did Frost spare him a moment to open his mouth.
The mere impact of her punch alone had caused his seemingly invincible armor to dent.
NAV! Do you have the Condition ready!?
She mentally roared as she struck the Red Barron the moment he made contact with the palace walls. Again, another imprint of her fist formed on his chest as she sent him tumbling through the walls.
They were five-meters thick and made from a layer of obsidian-colored marble brick and a steel framework that warped inwards like curved teeth. The interior walls were not like what lined the outside.
Finally, Nav revealed a prompt.
//////// < WARNING > ////////
< The Isolation Sphere has been hijacked by a Corrupted >
< Everything that exists within the Isolation Sphere will be subjected to its Corrupted Zone and its Conditions >
< CORRUPTED ZONE >
| No Tale’s Land |
Buildings of what Frost recognized were from the modern era of Earth rose like black silhouettes around them. What were once walls illustrated by grand ornaments, treasures and carpets was replaced by an expanse. It was like watching the walls of a box fall open, revealing the greater world behind it.
The way ‘up’ did not exist here, yet Frost, perhaps due to her [Comprehension I] Passive Skill, innately knew that the way up was somewhere in one of the cardinal directions.
… The burning library, I’m sure of it. Tch. Status!
The Red Baron
< Color Incandescent >
Soul Rank: Incandescent | Color: Red
LEVEL : 140 (x2) ORIGIN : Human
HP : 60,000 (x2)
ATT : 2,600 (x2) MAG ATT : 2,200 (x2) ATT DEF : 1,800 (x2) MAG DEF : 1,800 (x2)
MP : 20,000 (x2)
RESIST : 300 (x2) AGI : 50 (x2)
//////// < WARNING > ////////
< ETERNAL NIGHT >
< THE ARBITER’S TRUMPET RESONATES >
Vestment of Goodwill
< Authenticity eclipsed by fantastic feats, canards, and necessity; like the cut of cloth that all must unwillingly adorn >
AFFINITY : Wrath
LEVEL : 160 ORIGIN : Folklore
HP : 250,000
ATT : 3,000 MAG ATT : 3,000 ATT DEF : 1,500 MAG DEF : 1,500
MP : 10,000
RESIST : 140 AGI : 0
His stats are much higher than I anticipated. He’s stronger than a lot of Moons with his base stats… I thought Colors were supposed to be weaker than them.
“Levels do not equate to strength. A level 100 human can have all their levels in farming. That wouldn’t make them any stronger than a level 20 with offensive Skills, aside from their HP, MP, Def, Mag Def, and Resist. P-Factor Augmentation scales with the Soul Rank, but strength alone does not.”
Indeed, unlike Absolution – which right now seemed to augment one’s attacks – P-Factor Augmentation enhanced one’s inherent defenses, and if not all of one’s base stats. This resulted in the unfair distribution of power amongst people, as those with higher levels tended to be stronger and more resilient despite Nav’s example.
That said, the Red Barron’s stats were abnormal for his level when compared to Moons. Frost studied the man with calculating eyes as he was given the chance to rise from the rubble and onto his feet.
“That mantle must be the source of the Corrupted.” Frost stoically said, speaking to herself rather than to the Red Barron directly. “It’s disastrous now that this Isolation Sphere has been hijacked by it, but it works out for us in the end. The Librarians will be further plunged into chaos.”
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It amused the man that she did not even view him as a threat, a fact he hoped to change with a confident grin.
“You… You must be that one’s relative? With that strength, you must also be one of the Eclipses! Haha! But you can speak fluently, and you’re a human rather than one of those deep-sea beasts!”
Frost was clearly ignoring him.
“Humans don’t tend to take over roles meant for other races so easily. A dent like this doesn’t match that face, nor those little hands! Blue eyes, black hair… Forgive me, I thought that other one was you. I can’t be mistaken now! You’re the one!”
Ignoring him? No, it was not just that – it was a boiling rage that had caused her to remain silent. In her eyes, this person was no more than an insignificant insect that happened to have strong ties to Iscario.
It was for this reason that she didn’t immediately eliminate him.
The Red Barron is bound to know something. It’ll be a matter of making him speak… A part of me wants to tear him limb from limb. Iscario said that we were lucky that he wasn’t in the Village of Virt…
“That would make him a criminal most irredeemable.”
More than that. The fate of a Condemned is too light for a person like him. Followers of Iscario deserve nothing less.
Frost inwardly winced at the thought of the heinous acts the Red Barron must have committed. His heart glowed red with impure intent, glowing brighter than the flames of his mantle.
Furthermore, his Light glowed exceptionally brighter than most people. Frost adjusted her gaze, and like the hail of bullets and artillery fire that bombarded the world in waves, the Red Barron was struck by the immense weight of her presence.
“I like the silent type! But I’m afraid I’m going to have to beat your whimpers out of you!” He reveled in the unfamiliar sensation, clearly not used to being on the receiving end of a power discrepancy. “Next, it’ll be that black-haired healer as well –!”
Frost moved faster than the whizzing bullets. Flames coated her fists like the spearheads of manifested wrath as she closed the distance with the Red Barron in nearly an instant. His hands moved faster than he could think, blocking precisely where she struck.
But due to her foresight Ability, she was able to redirect her attack. What landed against the side of his rib was [Armor Piercing], an offensive Skill that increased one’s damage against armored targets by 25%.
A crimson shockwave penetrated through the Red Barron’s body like a flaming projectile. Most of the energy phased through his armor and attacked him directly.
“Though my armor!? Wench… Haha! But just so you know – I am emboldened by the might of this Corrupted!”
These few punches should have considerably destroyed his HP, but to Frost’s surprise –
Red Barron | HP: 120,000
Vestment of Goodwill | HP: 220,000
“– I see. I’m fighting the Corrupted first. It’s serving as your first layer of HP.”
“Hah! If you’re aware, then you know how futile it is to contest the strength of a Color –!”
“You’ll be dead either way. You’re just its puppet.” Frost’s calm demeanor confused the Red Barron as he launched a counterattack, swinging his hands expertly; the drills of his gauntlets gnawing at the air loudly
But he did not know who Frost was.
If he did, then he would have realized that it was futile attempting to attack her head on. The reason for this?
Her foresight Ability. Consecutive hits that were supposed to riddle Frost’s body like the rapid punches of a boxer missed her entirely. It was like fighting against a shadow. His hands seemingly phased through her body as she weaved to the side and landed yet another devastating [Armor Piercing] strike.
This one he was able to block by some miracle, a testament to his reflexes in combat. Sudden desperation grew in his eyes as he tried to comprehend the existence of Frost, only for her punch to suddenly connect with him.
“A… A phantom strike!?” The Red Barron skidded across the ground as he felt his chest ache to an unforeseen strike. “[Double Punch]… to this strength!?”
Frost, amused by his reaction to pain – as she had increased the pain threshold that he was used to thanks to her [Strike of the Black Dove Ability] – utilized [Double Punch]. It was a heavily underutilized Skill that finally found a perfect use case.
How is someone supposed to defend against that!? This was the look on the Red Barron’s face when he realized that he was not against a mere Eclipse, and this was proven by the golden glint that shone through Frost’s CognitO Filter.
“You’re… Haha… Hahaha! It makes sense now! It had to be another Color to match me. You’re her! You’re the Black Dove!”
“You’re wrong.” Frost solemnly spoke, her eyes sharpened like blades as she unleashed a torrent of flames at him using [Inferno]. She dove into the controlled flames which swept across the battlefields, and sept into the trenches containing the denizens of the Corrupted.
(Color) Civilian / (Color) Soldier / (Color) Mercenary
Their stats were meaningless. What mattered were the colors of their clothing which determined which side they were on. It matched the chaotic nature of the war around them. Finding meaning in the conflict was meaningless in itself, but still Frost kept a portion of her mind focused on it as a sudden Corrupted Skill was used.
< [Seven At One Blow] >
< EFFECT: Seven beasts will be shot with one blow. Unavoidable attack >
Frost happened to be one of such beast. She saw a glint of a what looked like a sniper scope for a split second before a bullet punctured her arm. It was not enough to draw blood, but she could clearly tell that it was indeed unavoidable.
“Seven at one blow!? Isn’t that line from a fairytale!?” Frost inadvertently yelled.
We will check for you! Nav exclaimed.
< “They made us wear them. We had to make a choice. Our stance to be known by all. Refusal meant condemnation by all.” >
As she continued to assail the Red Barron, she followed the sniper glint and saw a figure with a dark face concealed by a shadowy flame, and a uniform near identical to the Hired Arm’s.
Sinder’s here as well, or at least what’s supposed to represent him. What time period did this occur in? Libraries and buildings are set alight. Librarians are being persecuted on the streets.
Those with pale robes and books in their hands, named appropriately the Colorless were stabbed with swords, riddled with bullets, and churned by the monstrosities that roamed the battlefield.
Entities not dissimilar from the Corrupted existed here, and their names, while plentiful, defaulted to only one thing.
Fantastical Beasts
AFFINITY: Wrath
LEVEL : 120 ORIGIN : Folklore
HP : 50,000
ATT : 1,500 MAG ATT : 1,500 ATT DEF : 1,000 MAG DEF : 1,000
MP : 100,000
RESIST : Nil AGI : 40
Each of these Corrupted-like beasts, who were still insignificant in relation to Frost, each wore a mark on their heads and their right hands. It did not matter what form they took, who they were, or why they were like that.
They all had this mark in common.
< “Like them, he was given a mark, but not on their right hand or forehead. It was his uniform. They heralded him as a bringer of the end. But all he wanted to do was to help them.” >
Writhing within each of the Marked by Tale’s chest was an exposed, pink heart with a golden outline; different from the fully golden hearts of people in the current world. It drew Frost’s curiosity as she one-sidedly dragged the Red Barron towards the burning library, ploughing him through fields of barbed wire, and over minefields that did little to their bodies.
Conventional weapons were disturbingly ineffective, both against Frost and the Fantastical Beasts, who in contrary to their name, were entities that resembled things born from nightmares.
< [Coup De Grace] >
< EFFECT: Instantly deliver the killing blow to a Target with less than 10% HP. Target must be marked as a Sin, Impuritas or Corrupted (Unsure if there are more) >
< “Those who carried the mark were free to do as they wished, but often became violent or ill in the mind. Those without them were persecuted. Those who stood and watched were dragged into the maelstrom of madness – the disease that spread across the city like flames.” >
< “They believed that it all came from the stories written into the books. But the shooter and his friends with wings knew that they came from the rivers their civilizations were founded on.” >
The crack of thunder came after bullets exploded the exposed hearts of these beasts. Frost wondered who or what these related to as her fists became bloody from the blood that condensed on her fists.
“I think I have the answer.” Anna’s voice spoke softly. “It’s a time from before I met Sinder, and during the wars that were fought over control of the Eternal Library. The books corroded people more than they became Beholders. They held evidence of contamination by Stars, like what we see with Beholders now… but this also touches on the Corrupted, and unwanted transformations, sanctioned by beasts.”
Michaela was one of them, huh. Stars could do that. Angels too. But in this context, tales from the Rivers could be seen as an unwanted mark as well.
“Yes. Exactly that. Sinder’s legacy was often marred by violence. He killed beasts for our City, but people depicted him as a monster no matter how great of the feat was… The tale I’ve found is the Brave Little Tailor. It’s about a normal person who rose to notoriety by performing feats, but unlike Sinder, it was not done with tricks! They were all real! He did it with good intentions!”