291. Heart of Ours

291. Heart of Ours

< CONDITION: Greed Counter seeks the Empowered. The value of all will be undermined. Greed Counter takes significantly less damage from those that are not Empowered. Only the Empowered may Suppress it >

< SUPPRESSION REQUIREMENT: When Greed Counter’s HP reaches 0... >

< SUBJUGATION REQUIREMENT: Nil... >

< LIMITATIONS OF THE ISOLATION SPHERE >

< May only imprison upwards of Woe of the Fallen Star Corrupted. Apocalypse and above will destroy the Isolation Sphere >

Frost became an anthropomorphic version of the Greed Counter. The crossroads were paved with golden bricks as she remained in the center of it all, firmly cemented on her two legs as the ethereal-blue Touch of Golds split the skies into two.

The second phase caught them by surprise, almost as much as Jury’s Isolation Sphere. It manifested as a sudden dimming of their world; the skies becoming nothing but pure black. The stark contrast of the golden world and the eternal night was sight to behold, but none could afford to appreciate it. Not when their friend was masqueraded by her emotional turmoil.

“100 million Nex gone just like that... and you wonder WHY Beholders need so much of it!” Cer shouted, clasping onto her torn collar as her body began to profusely sweat. “Is this heat also a byproduct of your barrier!? I can’t think straight!”

“I don’t feel a thing! Maybe it’s targeting you with something! You were Empowered during our fight with the Greed Counter!” Ber brought up as Frost took aim into one of the four major streets, picking off emerging Impuritas entities with expert precision.

< [Stacking Wealth] >

< “I have the resources to make a change. The people above me in that proclaimed paradise carry mountains more than me. Would it hurt to throw it around to help others?”

< “My aid – my helping hand – has become so lethal.” >

Many dungeons began to take form within Jury’s Isolation Sphere, attracted to it like flies to a corpse. The phenomenon reminded her, although briefly, of how the Impruitas were attracted to the ImpulseWorks sites.

< Jury, please keep in mind that I can partially read your thoughts like a semi-coherent book. This is no time for stray thoughts to impede your judgement! >

“It’s an observation, Nav!” Jury defended, brandishing her claws as she vehemently dashed towards Frost, slicing the very molecules of air as a violent storm followed. “ONLY 200 AND A HALF THOUSAND HEALTH! EVERYEONE! PILE ONTO FROST BEFORE SHE CAN GET THE CHANCE TO USE THE REST OF HER SKILLS!”

< “All this greed displaces the value of ourselves. People can’t just be churned like resources...” >

|| DOPPLER STRIKE ||

Jury’s compressed attacks connected with Frost. Her claw met with her chest, as did another 30 afterimages. The combined attack totaling a colossal 240,000 damage. It should have been enough to almost eradicate the Greed Counter Frost, however, only a violent rush of air left the unmoving Frost.

It was though she had clashed with an unmovable mountain.

Greed Counter | HP: 200,000

“Don’t tell me –!? Nav – there’s 90% reduction of all damage!?” Jury, in spite of this, followed through with her claws, throwing off the Corrupted Frost’s aim before she backed off, allowing Cer, Ber, Res and Ignis to bombard Frost.

“You’re kidding! What the hell is that kind of bullshit!?” Cer grumbled, lashing out at Frost.

As expected, Cer was the only one whose damage wasn’t affected by Condition, absolutely because she was the Empowered Frost sought after.

“You’re not making this any easier for us Frost!” Ber’s [Resounding Voice] did passive damage to Frost. She had to time her attacks well with the others, for hers enveloped meters of land.

They worked like a well-oiled machine, and Ignis summoned forth two bone-like blades, one on each arm. When it was her turn to attack, she’d employ cat-like maneuvers, twisting herself in homage to Ber’s beautiful movements.

Greed Counter | HP: 160,000

Frost hardly had a moment to react. The sudden onslaught seemed to catch her off guard. As a Corrupted however, it was impossible to tell if this was actually the case. Suddenly, after depleting her bullets upon all life within the lane she faced, she threw her Touch of Golds into the air, creating the skeleton of a giant umbrella.

< “Wants precedes needs. Am I the only one that sees the value of others?” >

< “Hypocrisy also plagues me. I understand it. They do not. There are beings I cannot see as valuable, because they themselves don’t see the value in others.” >

< [Corporeal Value] >

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” The demented scream of the Corrupted Frost rendered the minds of those within a 100-meter radius, causing blood to pour through all bodily orifices.

Brains were rattled like the beads within a maraca, reducing the still abundant Scarlet Logic forces to breathing sacks of meat. Then, their bodies were obliterated by the coin-shaped bullets of her pale rifle.

“Values! Check your heads!” Res blurted out as numerical values appeared over their heads, most in the blue hundreds of thousands, with many of the panicked stray souls in the deep red.

< [Mangled Coins] >

The Touch of Golds target them, and to their surprise, they also prioritized Cer. Their colors changed into a brilliant gold, thrusting towards their targets like streaks of light. Those they caught were brought straight into Frost’s diamond chest.

One could imagine a body being violently forced through a small hole. No matter the size or orientation, all that were captured were hungrily devoured.

That one second of self-loathing ruined Cer.

Her value fell to 0.

“... huh...?”

*Crackle*

“CER!?”

“CEEEEEEEEER!?”

“No... way...”

“Cer...”

The Greed Counter monopolized her.

< [Unvalued] >

< “In the end, even I can be subjected to such a twisted perspective. People with value will only make this cleanse so much harder...” >

Cer didn’t even realize it before her body was swallowed by a blue diamond. Her body wasn’t violently torn apart like the countless others. Rather, the blue diamond from Frost’s chest burst forth, expanding its maw to completely encase her.

Then, like a balloon held by an invisible string, it hovered above Frost.

< “Therefore, please remain with me... my bundles of irreplaceable courage. The last remnants of morality. Bearers of my humanity.” >

< “This is my greed. It’s uncountable. You will be safe in here... by my side.” >

< [False Diamond] >

Cer had become the Greed Counter’s False Diamond. A small, handheld, diamond-shaped crystal with a tiny Cer suspended within. In that moment, the Greed Counter exploded into countless particles of light all the while the others screamed out Cer’s name.

< The Greed Counter has successfully been Suppressed >

The world then turned red, and in the ashes of Frost’s death emerged a version of her wrapped with an armor of myocardial tissue, and an overgrown heart exposed in the center of her chest. Veins wrapped around her body as her eyes cried blood.

< “My mind and heart are two different things.” >

< “Our hearts should be one in the same.” >

< “I hated that people were incapable of making their own choices.” >

< “Such was the unfairness of this world.” >

< “Therefore, like the heart that overrides my mind, shall we all come together? Like my precious diamond?” >

< “This heart of mine... let’s make it ours.” >

//////// < WARNING > ////////

< WOE OF THE FALLEN STAR >

< THE ARBITER’S TRUMPET WAILS >

Heart of Ours

Frost

< Our tiny hearts matter little in a big world of bigger hearts. Abandon all aspirations. We take theirs as our own, so we can continue gasping in our dreams or personal wishes >

AFFINITY : Civilization

LEVEL : 200 ORIGIN : Disorder

HP : 1,200,000

ATT : 20,000 MAG ATT : 12,000ATT DEF : 5,000MAG DEF : 6,000

MP : 100,000

RESIST : 750AGI : 0