775. Yetzirah – The Beginning of Formation

775. Yetzirah – The Beginning of Formation

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



< APOCALPSE >

< THE ARBITER’S TRUMPET HUMS ITS DIRGE >



< The Castigation Bird Seeks To Punish All Sins >

The warning stirred Jury’s heart with unease. The last time she saw this same message was when Frost transformed into the Crowned.

A bird of apocalyptic proportions smothered the skies as scarlet Sins invaded the lands. An Apocalypse-Classed Corrupted promised the annihilation of a Kingdom. It was not a threat that could be dealt with using Moons or Stars.

The 2nd Branch recognized this and lifted their weapons towards the horde of Wrath-based Sins, all the while avoiding the gazes of the Castigation Bird.



Castigation Bird

< One sin written in one thousand words, but their voices unheard. One judgement made by one thousand eyes, yet theyu could not see. One punishment ordered for the thousand condemned, and it will be just >



AFFINITY: Judgement

LEVEL : 300ORIGIN : Folklore

HP : 750,000,000

ATT : 150,000MAG ATT : 150,000ATT DEF : 120,000MAG DEF : 120,000

MP : 1,200,000

RESIST : 2,500AGI : 12

These were Jury’s stats in comparison:

LEVEL : 220

Beholder

NEX : 175,000,000NAME : JuryHP : 500,000 ^1,500/Min

MP : 200,000 ^250/Min

AGI : 90RESIST : 260 (+45)AGE : 27ATT : 13,500 (+1,200)

MAG ATT : 15,000 (+1,200)

O : 205D : 150ORIGIN : OriginalATT DEF : 10,000 (+300)

MAG DEF : 9,000 (+300)

S : 0E : 0

Galia’s were obviously higher than hers as a true level 250 Beholder, but it didn’t change that Jury was capable of producing Beholder Skills comparable to one. Jury also did not possess a Corrupted Zone that the Beholders of the Nexus possessed, which was capable of overruling the Corrupted Zones of Eternal Night and lower Corrupted, as well as weakening a Woe of the Fallen Star.

However, much like Jury, Beholder Umbra and Galia also did not have this power.

After all, they were not poisoned by their Gifts, hence why they were not burdened by anomalous effects, like how Beholder Knalzark could not interact with the world due to his ‘gravity’, or how the Golden Tickets were produced autonomously by Beholder Carpalis’ Faustian Bargain.

“Begin a blanket attack and probe for its weakness!” Galia ordered from the frontlines.

The 2nd Branch and Time Reverberation personnel evacuated the immediate premise. Instead of attacking their enemies head on, they began encircling the city to avoid being caught in the crossfire of the Beholders.

“My brave soldiers will search the city for the Phylactery.” Galia gave another word before snapping her fingers.

|| Heaven’s Fall ||

Trails of light soared through the skies before suddenly curving upwards to strike the body of the colossal bird. Each of these one thousand projectiles of light were capable of levelling an entire building, and yet, they minimally damaged the beast.

Shards of light and pale particles resulted from the impact against its vast body, like bullets striking snow.

“As for the Repenters? The Impuritas?” Simonia asked before she could leave.

“I wouldn’t have guessed. I was considering using smaller-scaled Skills to whittle down it’s HP. But we don’t have weeks to spare. I see. Invulnerability... It implies that there is a weakness.”

“Thankfully, that’s always been the case for the Corrupted. If it weren’t for that, then they’d be impossible to subjugate. But Galia – You’re standing right under one of its eyes!”

“It hasn’t opened yet.” Galia punctuated the chaos with a calm voice. “Step in with one foot.”

“Are you crazy!? Galia –!”

“Beholders never had peace of mind to begin. Have you every fought while riding the fine line between life and death? I’m asking little from you. Just one small step so we can gain much more from this Corrupted. I have a hypothesis. If I lose my corporeal form... then I trust you will turn back the clock for me.”

Just as Galia said this, the quivering eyelid tensed as another one in the distance shut.

< [Rightful Smite] >

“IT’S ATTACKING!”

Galia finally threw herself away from the gaze, standing at the very border beside Jury with. Jury stared at the woman, unable to comprehend how or why she wasn’t... afraid at all. There was no fight where Jury wasn’t wracked with fear, even when she was on the winning side.

Just what kind of life did she live?

“Did you see it?” Galia simply asked, snapping her out of her trance.

“I did. It came right before it attacked...” She tried to figure out what Galia was getting at until she realized something. “It didn’t appear until it was right next to us... but if it was based on distance...”

Another one beam of light smited the ground next to them, instantly vaporizing a band of Impuritas and Repenters.

She did not see it. Jury didn’t think much of the prompts, since Frost usually dealt with it. Also, Jury wasn’t as independent when it came to the prompts and identifying what was important in fight, as once again, this usually fell on Frost’s and even Nav’s shoulders.

It also didn’t help that Jury hadn’t actually fought a Corrupted entirely on her own to understand when, where and why a Skill was telegraphed. She knew that it was telegraphed slightly before the Skill was used, but that was it.

There was the One Thousand Eyed Bird which was mostly left to Frost, as well as the Listening Bird. She was asleep for the duration of Iron Candle’s fight. Asterism was defeated easily via a Realization.

The Heart of Ours however, was defeated almost entirely on her own, but only after letting Frost hold it off for 3 days straight. Then there was the Blood of Covenant and finally, the Crowned.

After all this time... I’m only just realizing it now!?

“It can’t be based on proximity. It has to involve me in some way. That’s when it becomes telegraphed.” Jury concluded, immediately relaying this to her Moons through the CognitO Transmitter.

So long as they were not terribly far away then communications were still active. It was an embarrassing oversight, especially since she considered herself capable, especially now as a Beholder.

But there was still a lot she didn’t know.

“I was wondering why the Aspiring Moons looked so silent.” Galia nudged Jury. “It’d doubtful that they’ll be targeted. We don’t know how much damage that does, but that’s the risk we take against a Corrupted. You’re far more in danger than I am. Avoid all attacks.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to survive whatever it throws at you?”

Galia nodded silently before throwing herself forward. She urged Jury to follow suit.

The two dashed alongside each other towards the walls of the city.

Jury observed the world around her. The Vexed Consanguinities, the Hemorrhagic Effigies and emerging Tablets of Bleeding Truths were oddly spared by the Castigation Bird.

“The Castigation Bird is supposed to punish all sins, but it’s letting them roam freely.” Jury’s Mantle of Sin caught on numerous types of ‘Sins’ as she passed by the members of the 2nd Branch.

The number of sins grew larger when she entered the city occupied by the Repenters and Impuritas, her mantle becoming heavier with its weight. Since attacking the Corrupted right now was a waste, she followed Galia around the city, observing the attack patterns of the Castigation Bird.