836. Bringer of Annihilation

836. Bringer of Annihilation

A pair of ethereal hands encased Frost like the folded wings of a bird. They defended her from the countless lances. Few managed to break through, but the vast majority were impaled within her benefactor.

“The Blue Dahlia!” Frost smiled at her sudden fortune.

< “I can take it from here temporarily.” >

“That wretched thing!” Iscario cursed. “So an Ego can return in full so long as the Soul exists. But so can the Soul be fished out if just a fragment of an Ego is used to bring it from the reservoir. The Memento Mori were successful in a complete resurrection.”



Attentive Claws

Blue Dahlia | Blue Chorus



AFFINITY : Attachment



HP : 250,000,000



“You call this complete?” Frost spat. “Being brought back as nothing but a slave can’t be considered being complete! Unless...”

“Ilya would want it that way.! All she needs to do is remain by my side! It does not matter what form she takes, so long as Ilya is Ilya!”

Iscario cradled the Price of Paradise. The faint sobs caused Frost’s fists to land harder. But nothing was getting through to him.

She needed more strength. She needed more power.

That eye is only reason why his HP hasn’t dropped to 1 yet. The cracks aren’t getting any larger!



< Frost! You are using Nex from the First State! You still have the Second State to draw power from! >



Nav reminded her, causing her to clench her teeth. She was right.

There was still more power to be drawn.

“ILYA NEVER WOULD HAVE WANTED THAT!”

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



< You are approaching the 5th State! >



< Drawing Nex From the Second State >



Her hands were now empowered even further by the Light as another fragment was added to the broken halo. Waves of light encased her fists and ruptured the air it passed through. There was virtually zero friction, and her hands seemed to move instantaneously.

The shockwaves expanded to as far as a hundred meters. Everything within was dominated by the power of her Light. Mountainous dunes of sand were instantly flattened as if subjected to the gravity of the star she had become.

Swirls of light popped into existence along the shockwaves, which appeared across every axis with each punch she landed onto Iscario as if he was being struck by a thousand blades of light.

[OO] [Reign of the Amalgam] [OO]

< EFFECT: 5,000,000 Damage. Deal 1,250,000 damage to those caught within the burst of light from the Reign of the Amalgam >



Frost’s expression darkened. The light in her eyes faded away. The luminosity of her hair also disappeared. One by one, the strands of gold reverted to black as her mind fell into a dark place.

< Frost!? What’s happening to you!? >



She didn’t know herself. The revelation of Iscario’s wish being achievable with her own powers drove her so far over the edge that she didn’t know if she could come back. She always knew that she was likely the key to unlocking the wishes for the Impuritas.

But hearing it from Iscario himself plunged her heart into further disarray.

“Now Iscario!” The Red Baron cried.

Seconds later, Iscario raised his hand into the skies. A ring of dark clouds formed above him as a double-helix-shaped rod fell into his hands like a bolt of lightning. It did not arrive from his Dimensional Storage. It was as though a deity had answered his calls and delivered a god-slaying weapon to him directly.

Unlike the False Lances of Annihilation, this Lance emitted a low-pitched frequency. The aura it emitted caused the very world to shudder just by merely existing.

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



The Lance of Annihilation

Longinus



ATT: Immeasurable



< EFFECT: The nature of the spear/lance is as simple as one thing – the utter annihilation of the living. The double helix bonds represent the piece of humanity ingrained within its design. It is a weapon to defy Stars and gods alike. It shall arm the Angels to carry out their duties. Behold, watch as their P-Factor destabilizes and return to a most primordial form. No Star will be free from its imprisonment >



The effect was written like someone’s ramblings. It was no doubt a leftover remnant from the old world. The Lance of Annihilation was everything its names entailed. A lance that could only annihilate whatever stood in its way.

It was easily more than 10, or even 20 meters long, but had shrunk once it reached Iscario’s hands as if to compensate for his size. Frost knew what those lances were used for. She had used it once to defeat the Icon of Judgment.

And it was here.

The same god-slaying lance was staring right back at her.

“This was kindly stowed away for the heart of the Arbiter. An Archetype has the tenacity to survive virtually all forms of damage. They can even live after their HP drops to 0. You can tell this is different. It radiates a divine energy. The Advent of Lament created such weapons. Uriel would talk about how humans lamented their weakness. They tried to turn their backs against their gods of their city. Hm. It’s such an overused tale.”

Those words were barely comprehended by Frost. It seemed like all light had faded away from her. Despite this, she didn’t stop her barrage of attacks like she was moving on pure instinct alone.

“I have heard that it’s been used to slay Faux Angels and kept Stars in cold storage to perfectly preserve them. No doubt used in tandem with Cassius.” Iscario with an air of supremacy, certain that victory was his now.

He had not yet managed to find an opportunity to stab Frost. A lance was an unforgiving weapon to use in close quarters. Frost used this to her advantage as her heart rate ramped up.

“Are there more Stars out there?”

“Infinitely so, but there are only one Star of each of its own kind. The Librarians make it so easy. Grab an Aspect of Technology, and you read that Star’s story. With enough words, you could even recreate a fraction of a living Star. It’s barely passable as the real thing, but to them, their existence is a real as ours!”

“Counterfeit Gifts of the Stars... That’s how...”

“It won’t be long until we receive Jury’s. A piece of Elysia. Can you imagine the ramifications it would have if we could compile her tale? Be honored! This was meant for the Arbiter!”

“... It was Ilya before. Michaela wanted to die by her hands... Before that, it was the old iterations of me. We spilled each other’s blood here as well to set things straight.”

Iscario’s eyes widened. The golden strands returned to Frost. It was ever slightly more plentiful now. One full bundle of her hair just by her right eye was completely golden, and the light glimmered in Iscario’s azure eyes as his mouth chattered.

No words came out.

“And now it’s you! Her Cycle wasn’t completely broken, and it won’t be until you’re gone!”

Finally, Iscario managed to squeak out:

“How do you know that name? Answer me Amalgam!? Where did you learn that name!?”