604. Humanity Must (Not) Grow Wings

604. Humanity Must (Not) Grow Wings

Frost pummeled the Fourth Apostle until its armor shattered. Even after its HP had reached zero, she continued to strike it like it was the source of her torment.

“No one wanted this. Elysia perverted the meaning of Salvation. No one knows what it means anymore. Wingless Doves do the same thing!”

Frost smashed her fist into its chest.

“The Beholders!”

Again. Light could be seen through its fragmented body. Each punch made a wet, crunchy squelch.

“AND THE IMPURITAS!”

Her entire arm pierced through its body. When she retracted it with a heavy tug, the entity stared back at her with strange eyes. They were slit like that of an animal. This Apostle was a Demi-human. It was not surprising considering the old world had Demi-humans, but what was strange was that the Icon of Judgement referred to everything as mankind.

The Fourth Apostle | HP: 0

< “We are humans. Wings were not meant for us.” The Fourth Apostle laments >

< Hell had been harrowed. The Apostles it called friends laid in a pool of blood >

< Alas, the wings that they were promised to bear were pointless >

< The cage of misery was everlasting >

< [Pale Reverence] >

< [Pallid Regrets] >

< “Bear wings and fly. Soar to my absolute heights to find where paradise resides.” >

The fourth spear joined the rest above Frost’s head. She looked down at her fingertips, then at a distant Little Frost whose hair continued to turn white.

“To bear wings. The Icon of Judgement is giving them wings, but all its doing is killing them. Like humanity was never supposed to go through with it. Voice. I won’t ask again. What was it trying to transform them into?”

Frost looked up to see a colossal Marker. More continued to form in the background with each wingbeat. The irony of having transformed into something free of sin yet hid sin itself underneath nearly made her laugh.

“They couldn’t escape it even when they turned into that. The One Sin. It’s still human inside despite this.” She harvested the entirety of its veins and nerves, revealing a hideous bramble of red and blue. “It’s like they’ve been imprisoned rather than elevated into whatever the hell this is.”

< They have become remnants of the price that was paid for paradise >

< Something that was intended to be absolved of all sins >

Another hundred slices brought the total to 500 now. A long, dreaded silence lingered for the next half-hour as Frost rushed across Paradise, devouring many Markers as the hairs of her Innocents continued to replace the white.

The Pale Web hadn’t altered their movements. She expected them to have become stiff with calcified limbs. But instead, they began to bear an uncanny resemblance to the Black Wings. Soon, they’d look just like the Healers.

Then it hit her.

“Can it create Healers?” Frost blurted out as she moved into a different quadrant of the inner walls.

The voice uttered.

< And a purpose I thought I had failed >

< “A grief that I hath taken pity for thee. O’ Paolo, descend into the gates of hell. I shall bless thee with the power to resist the turbulent winds of missing love.” >

The Fifth Apostle

< “Tragedy cannot be avoided in this world. People are expected to be strong enough to forget it. But I have seen hell, and I shall descend to bring back was precious to me.” >

AFFINITY: Judgement

LEVEL : 160ORIGIN : Trauma

HP : 400,000

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

MP : 250

RESIST : 300AGI : 85

Despite it being duller, their stats were heavily bolstered.

< “My teachings will be etched into tablets. They will be absolute, and thee, Hannah, shall be the one to teach thy kin my truth.” >

The Sixth Apostle

< “Word for word. Letter for letter. The murmurs born from the rivers of human consciousness are written in a 56-letter alphabet. They must never be read.” >

AFFINITY: Judgement

LEVEL : 160ORIGIN : Trauma

HP : 400,000

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

MP : 250

RESIST : 300AGI : 85

< “My first perfected Lucifinia; arise from utter beginnings and serve me from my Kingdom of Paradise. Rise my morning star in a world where night and day has become one.” >

The Seventh Apostle

< “I was the first of many and shone the brightest of them all. I sought for higher seats in the pale Paradise, extinguishing the dark blue flame of glorious pride.” >

AFFINITY: Judgement

LEVEL : 160 ORIGIN : Trauma

HP : 500,000

ATT : 30,000MAG ATT : 30,000ATT DEF : 6,000MAG DEF : 6,000

MP : 300

RESIST : 350AGI : 85

She did not foresee seeing three of them to be an issue. Even with the Seventh Apostle being far stronger than the other two.

But Frost could not be more wrong.

< [Trumpet’s Call] >

<> [Promise of Paradise] <>

All three of them simultaneously summoned their pale spears from the moment they arrived. And as if things could not be any worse –

< [All Will Be Judged] >

– A pale, feathery snow descended onto Paradise.

< DETERMINED EFFECT: Greatly enhance the abilities of the Apostles. Pale feathers will fall from the Icon of Judgement and enact [Salvation] on those it touches. Those who repent will be afflicted with [Penance] >