blueteamnovel 249. Scarlet Logic’s Woes
249. Scarlet Logic’s Woes
249. Scarlet Logic’s Woes
Limbs. Bodies. Organs. Carapace. It hailed from the skies as electrical pulses squashed the horde of Insectid before they could even comprehend what had occurred. An invisible electric bug net zapped those that strayed too close, and the embers of 50 Touch of Golds incinerated all. Frost drowned in blood, her body soaked in the scarlet juices of the train’s innards like a starving dog.
A long tube-like rope hung from her chest, precisely where her heart was. Connected to it was the colossal False Heart, which dragged behind them like a giant ball and chain. It amplified her heartbeat, which clashed with the one hidden deep within the City of Spades. Between the sound of grinding bones and flesh at the front of the train, the heartbeats, and the deafening woes of the fallen, she could no longer hear the voices of those closest to her.
Ignis remained atop the train, dragging along an enlarged bone blade to catch those on the right, whilst Ber did the same on the left, severing countless Fodder along the way as they barreled straight into the depths of Scarlet Logic’s territory. Jury dashed alongside the train to catch off any strays, whilst Cer and Res prioritized long-range attacks, striking at acid-spitting Insectids.
It was hell. Complete and utter hell. Their attacks waged against Scarlet Logic were immeasurably powerful now that she had unlocked the Unique Skills of the Heart of Ours.
< UNIQUE | PASSIVE: Determined >
< Aspirations brim with the light of stars. Even in our desolate world of darkness, he warned that we must carry the resolve to embrace our hearts, less they drag us down and drown us in a sea of fruitless ambition >
< EFFECT: Grant the Determined Condition onto allies within 100 meters of you and the False Heart >
< PASSIVE: False Heart >
< No one could hear the heartbeats within themselves any longer. It all resounded from beyond. From somewhere indescribable. But they knew that it never belonged to them >
< EFFECT: Enemies within 500 meters of the False Heart are immediately challenged with their aspirations. Failure will result in the formation of the Suppressed. Suppressed will form within a 1km proximity of the False Heart when incapable of withstanding Aspirating Aspirations
< ADDITIONAL EFFECT: Suppressed will emerge with an Aspirator straight from their chests. The more that exist, the larger the area of effect Aspirating Aspirations becomes. All Heart of Ours Skills are free of cost. The False Heart will automatically apply all skills >
Frost’s companions had their stats essentially sextupled. While Empowered granted a doubling multiplier, Determined added an additional quadrupling multiplier on top of their base stats, sky rocketing it to over 10,000 across the board, with Jury becoming nigh immortal. It allowed them to become flexible now that they possessed the maximum limit of 200 AGI.
They were all as strong as Frost, but in the end, Frost was the only one capable of inflicting damage upon the train. Suddenly, it felt like her flames was but an ember compared to their electrical might. But she deeply understood the power of the common flame.
“THIS IS WHAT IT’S LIKE BEING YOU, HUH!?” Cer was ecstatic with her newfound power. The 25-meter range of her Ultracharged Field had extended to a mindboggling 150 meters.
“Spread yourselves out! Don’t overlap!” Res exclaimed, taking the reins over Frost’s command whilst she focused solely on devouring the train. Their formation was like an arrowhead, and the zone of annihilation caused Frost to clench her teeth between each bite.
“Get a load of the ground!” Ber shouted, scraping her claws along as she dug up crimson, bleeding stones. “It’s just like the ones from the Derma Layer! Wait – The blood’s all getting eaten up by the ground!”
Countless were left screaming, clutching onto their hearts in the distance as the False Heart quivered. Its deep thumps cause extreme mental anguish along the ranks of the Scarlet Fodder as they desperately latched onto themselves, screaming at the top of their lungs in a horrid cacophony.
“LET ME FIND MY REAL SELF!”
“I CAN’T KEEP FIGHTING MYSELF OVER AND OVER AGAIN!”
“AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!?”
“HOW CAN WE GO AGAINST THEM WE CAN JUST BE REPLACED WITH A MORE OBEDIENT VERSION OF OURSELVES!?”
“Hatred ripples across what’s left of our bodies. Someone tell me – what is the soul!?”
“Why am I being recreated!?”
“AAAAAAAH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
“MAKE IT STOP AAAGH –!”
Aspirating Aspirations and the effects of the False Heart caused them to drown in their futile aspirations. None reacted to the awful sounds aside from Frost, who desperately wished she could shut out her ears. But she couldn’t bring herself to. A ravenous hunger overcame her as her eyes remained perpetually peeled, blood dying her irises red and hiding the golden glow underneath.
They’re willing to fight for hearts that don’t belong to them.
Frost mentally monologued, her invisible eyes witnessing the carnage beyond. The Aspirators, which were the giant, hopping hearts burst from those that drowned in their aspirations, all the while their bodies reanimated, becoming the Suppressed who became walking amplifiers of Frost’s heart.
Though they did not speak, she could sense exactly what was being conveyed.
Surrender. Walk to our side. Please don’t continue in this futile engagement...
“You have 2 million Nex on you, right!?” Cer exclaimed.
“Enough for two strikes!” Jury said, redirecting herself to the train where Frost remained awfully silent. “Frost? Frost!?”
“Well save the second one – Just in case!” Ber suggested. “... Frost – Don’t let those emotions get the better of you. You should be the last person who gets caught up by them!”
Jury, rushing into the chute of flesh, dropped down to find Frost feeding off the impervious meat, steam gushing from her cheeks. With her DEF, approaching Frost was easy. But the air was heavy with torment as she knelt there, surrounded by the Concealed Guilt.
Our One-Way Trip to Heaven (Hell) | HP : 230,000
“We wished to become one. I was still locked away in my ivory towers, using the blood of the fallen to begin writing the contents of our wishes. But for this strength, I firstly needed to become one of them – they who exist with the Pages.”
“Was it wrong for wishing to be together? I await the day he falls as a Star. To mark the first step of our wish. Maybe then he will grant it to us. I must confront him when he falls. Towards the end of the carnage, I left to see the beautiful homes of the innocent I had crushed in our City of Spades. I miss the simplicity of that City.”
“Frost! Are you ok!?” She embraced Frost from behind, uncaring of the flames that made the air unbreathable.
Frost finally blinked. The ticking brought her back, and she immediately held onto Jury’s hands like a frightened child.
“... The City of Spades wasn’t always like this, huh.” Frost spoke to herself. “... Jury. Thank you. I’m ok. Let me eat. Let me finish this. Let me... just burn this place down so no one needs to suffer here anymore. It’s all gone to hell. What can we save here, Jury?”
Her words were dangerous, but Jury never let her free until Frost’s heartbeats began to soften.
“... everything beyond this place. You’re right. It must be removed. It’s a rot in the Nex Megalopolis. The Nexus as well. Have you calmed down? I’m sorry that I can’t do anything more. Your flames have gotten hotter... But I’ll keep holding on for as long as you want.” Jury’s voice was the only thing that could ever bring her back, and for that she thanked her lover from the bottom of her heart.
Frost didn’t want to be selfish. And so, she assured Jury that her mental state hadn’t changed. She was not on the verge of breaking or becoming a Corrupted. This process had occurred numerous times. It wasn’t going to take a drastic turn all of a sudden.
“Mm. Yeah. We get rid of Scarlet Logic, take the Piece of the Fallen Star, and it’ll be over. 7 more days... and it’ll all be over.” Frost repeated this to convince herself as a small, lovable smile formed on her face. “Retrocausality, right? Do it. This won’t take any longer than a few minutes... And Jury.”
Frost called her name before she could finally leave. She stood there, turning back to a Frost who solemnly stared at her with a face brimming with hope.
“I’m counting on you to bring me back in case anything happens.”
Jury shone a smile to light up Frost’s darkness.
“I will. All of us will. Please hold on until this is over. Even I’m getting poisoned by it. Cer and the others are strong, hm. They’ve seen worser things. I really... really hope we can stop people from seeing them in the future.” Jury reapproached Frost, clasped her face and deeply kissed her. “No one’s going to leave you if you ever end up inside of a Black Forest!”
“Ha... Haha. Yeah. I figured as much. Go get them, Jury!”
* * *
Suddenly, a blinding light enveloped the entirety of the City of Spades. Pale orbs appeared in the skies one by one as the very fabric of space was torn apart. They fell like snow, appearing like white versions of Frost’s one thousand eyes. Each orb radiated an unnatural sound, half like a scream, and another like a holy hymn.
The battlefield froze in that instant as all gaze up to the falling snow. One reached out for it, and once it made contact with them, their body began to melt away from the hand down. They severed their hand, but the effects still advanced until only their armor was left.
|| RETROCAUALITY – ANGEL’S TOUCH |||
< ATT: 1,200,000 >
< MAG ATT: 3,200,000 >
< Call in a predetermined shower of hungry Angels >
< Use with discretion. Do you remember the sight, me? When the pale rocks fell from the skies and forever changed our world? >