727. The Black Dove VS The Red Baron

727. The Black Dove VS The Red Baron

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 : 160ORIGIN : Folklore

HP : 250,000

ATT : 3,000MAG ATT : 3,000ATT DEF : 1,500MAG DEF : 1,500

MP : 10,000

RESIST : 140AGI : 0

“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 : 120ORIGIN : Folklore

HP : 50,000

ATT : 1,500MAG ATT : 1,500ATT DEF : 1,000 MAG DEF : 1,000

MP : 100,000

RESIST : NilAGI : 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!”