"An amoeba started this? Is that even correct?" Frost asked the air as she prepared defensive magic in advance. "Either it's true, or it's an allegory."

"No idea what you're spitting about! But there's five of them! This whole damned place is infested with Complex Hearts!" Cer only raised her voice because she had to compete with the scraping wheels, and the distant screams of the biological trains.

She couldn't be calmer. Neither Frost, Jury, Cer nor Res even considered these beings as threats. Acedia and Horus would have a hard time dealing with these alone. At best, they could only fight defensively and with on-board weaponry.

Immediately, flying clumps of meat swarmed from the 'L' shaped mouth. Tiny wings flapped until they smoked and caught alight. Then, the clumps would plumet as a giant embedded eye silently screamed.

Ferried Passenger Crimson Hunger

< Toppings >

Soul Rank: Blue | Impuritas: Crimson Hunger

LEVEL : 65 ORIGIN : Impuritas

HP : 1,400

ATT : 1,300 MAG ATT : 400 ATT DEF : 100 MAG DEF : 100

MP : 100

RESIST : 50 AGI : 90

Ferried Passenger < Basic Observation >

< Passengers collected and overstuffed with a highly volatile gaseous mixture. All fat of the living specimen is used as a wick. When its wings burn out, it has 15 seconds before it detonates >

Furthermore, Frost Analyzed its Skill:

< ACTIVE: Hundreds and Thousands! >

< Sprinkle us! We make everything tasty! >

< EFFECT: Send anywhere between one hundred to one thousand shards of shrapnel. The higher the number, the greater the effect on unarmored targets. Lower shrapnel counts have a greater effect on structures and armored targets. Inflict the Hemorrhage Condition >

ATT : 1,300 MAG ATT : 400

"Abigail. I wouldn't waste bullets on them."

Frost suggested, but Abigail took it as an order.

"Leave the Crimson Hunger to us. There are many Complex Hearts here. Unfortunately, they were tucked away in this section of the City of Spades..."

She trailed off. Neither Cer, Res nor Jury moved, for they had faith that Frost would deal with this attack in a timely manner.

But what Frost had in mind exceeded their expectations.

The blood coursing through her artificial veins pulsed as the bombs bombarded her golden barrier. Shards of liquid blood jutted from her shoulders until they formed into four great pillars.

Then, with the swing of one hand from her left shoulder to the right–

"… They're… exploding… on their own…!?" Abigail choked on her breath.

–Every single one of these floating things perished within 50-meters of Frost.

[Progenitor Art: Warth – Rupture] had a second effect.

Any being with less than 50 RESIST and 1,000 ATT DEFF and MAG DEF were susceptible to having their blood rupture.

Basically, it was an instant delete Art.

All attacks sent in volleys by the Crimson Hunger were living entities. But with such low RESIST, nothing could dream of breaking through Frost's invisible domain.

"Rupture… From the looks of it." Horus recognized it, for she had seen Enoch fight in the past. "Lesser blood. Hah… And I thought I saw everything down there."

Frost wasn't done yet.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

She didn't wish to simply get by.

She could not afford to leave this section of the City of Spades uncleansed.

"We might as well since we are here. After all, one of goals is to eventually rid Elysia of the Impuritas. Horus. Abigail. Mimicry. Watch. Res. Jury…"

She moved to Cer and drew a golden light from the air.

"Cer."

It was bestowed upon Cer, and the wolfwoman knew immediately what Frost was asking from them.

"As many kilometers as this filth exists. I'll cleanse this little valley real good." Cer promised.

"Reduce it. Not even a single one of them are allowed to live here."

Gold (Cer), white (Jury) and blue (Res) trails split from the Leviathan and began eliminating the Complex Hearts.

A single cleave from Jury brought them down.

The brushstrokes of Res brought forth a shower of paint splotches that melted Impuritas till nothing remained. She created a mass-scale artwork, and she used the Crimson Hunger to fill in the 'red' of a giant apple.

And Cer…

… A quarter of the valley – which was filled with a mount of shanty houses and small hills – was upturned, ground and cracked as though a divine hammer had struck this place down. Kilometers were upheaved by a force so powerful that the shockwaves pushed Horus back.

The twins watched in stupor.

Suddenly, three more figures arrived at the top. Icara, Alcina, and…

"… Like a painting…"

These were Raoul's first words as he was made to witness the might of the sisters he had once believed were undeserving of their title as Moons.

"The Nex Megalopolis was founded by people, for people. Though the Ateliers created it as a fortress, people cultivated the Outskirts of their cities and called it home. Walls were built to keep out the Impuritas from their Sectors. They are unwelcome here."

A piece of a halo appeared above Frost's head, and the area of effect of [Rupture] grew from 50 meters to 75 meters.

Then, another one.

100 meters.

And finally, through channeling the emotions born from the suffering she witnessed from the Impuritas – of Divas Pass, the City of Spades, the Derma Layer, G-Y0…

Three fifths of a halo formed above her head.

< [Wrath] >

[OOO] [Progenitor Art: Sanguine Rupture] [OOO]

< EFFECT: Your blood reacts violently to dangerous stimuli. Send a barrage of bloody slashes and spears in all directions inside of a 150-meter radius. Increase AGI by 30%. Explode defeated targets and use their blood to propagate the effect >

< COST: 250,000 HP per minute >

< ADDITIONAL EFFECT: Those with less than 50 RESIST and 1,000 ATT and MAG DEF are susceptible to having their blood rupture from within. Terminate them. Propagate the effect >

Third State Absolution. Frost became a beacon of light where the sun failed to shine, and Cer zipped around like a ray of light from a star.

A Star and a Glimmer illuminated all, and with it, it brought untold devastation.

"Unwelcome, as are the Syndicates that prey on the innocent, and take advantage of those who fall through the nets meant to catch them. The Nex Megalopolis lives through the Nexus, its Ateliers, the Associations, and the Guilds. Is it not a place worth protecting? We've seen what lies outside in Grandis. Soon, we will see it in Emvita."

One minute was all it took for kilometers worth of embedded Impuritas to disappear.

"My Moons."

The Nexus flashed with a faint light. Suddenly, a capsule soared through the skies and landed precisely in the center of the aftermath. It opened, revealing a Seci Response Moon–

"My Stars."

–And a Star of the Nexus.

They emerged precisely as she called their names. And immediately, they began to scour through the ruined land for any remaining Impuritas as per their mission.

This location did not possess any Genesis Stones and was one of the few areas where the smoke had been cleansed.

However, the rest of the City of Spades was infested with it, which made it incredibly difficult for Moons to navigate through.

"My Beholders." Jury returned, carrying the severed head of several Memory Bistros with a cheery smile.

"My Eye, my Fang and my Claw."

Cer and Res returned. Not so much as a stain of blood was left on their bodies. The annihilation was so violent that blood simply evaporated upon impact. There was nothing left to stick onto them.

Jury munched on one of the bombs and even drank its fluids with her tail to learn of its chemical composition.

"That duty to protect also falls onto the shoulders of the Repenters. Haaaah. Nothing is easy. But, with enough time…"

She savored the pause. Frost had become oddly philosophical. Her mind couldn't be clearer. Third State Absolution was, after all, the result of tempering her heart. Every word she spoke was serene, like she was describing the flowers of a beautiful garden.

But in front of her laid the ruins of annihilation.

"… It becomes easy. As you can see, I don't like things that hurt people without a valid reason. Those who believe in the futility of the future, because they cannot change the present. A problem stemming from a shackled past."

She didn't look at Raoul, but the man knew right away that she was talking about him.

His form was identical to how it was when they first met in the Nexus. A tall, wolf-eared and wolf-tailed man with black hair and red eyes. The tiresome look her had also hadn't changed, but there was an air of surprise as he was allowed to witness not only Cer's might again, but also Res'.

"It's how the world works." Raoul cracked his neck. "Pretending to be heroes changes nothing. It is what it is."

"Really? I'd like to hear why you think that." Frost proposed.

Raoul sighed and walked towards the ledge. He gazed down. A part of Frost thought he'd jump, but he took a step back and sighed again.

"There's nothing worth saving. All things end in one way or another. I burned myself believing I could maybe get a second chance. In the end, I only caused misery again. Horus. Got a light?"

"Cigara Craftstmen. Cigars. No pipes. For the sights I wanna remember." Horus offered him an artesian cigar.

Just one cost several Platinum coins.

"Must be nice being a Repenter." She added, taking a whiff. "Don't gotta deal with the side effects of these things. Then again, big wigs who can afford these can probably get a Healer to scrub out the tar from their lungs."

"If we're done, then we're done." Cer yawned. "Alcina. Give me a back rub pronto."

"Yes babe!"

"I'm not your damned baby."

Once Cer left, Res took a moment to consider speaking with Raoul. However, she turned her head and went to the exit.

"Keep believing that Raoul. You'll end up like the old me thinking you can't change anything."

She ended up saying something.

"Res wanted Raoul to talk first. She realized that if she doesn't, then no one does. Someone has to talk first in the end."

It must be awkward for them. I can't imagine it. Raoul wanted them to Corrupt to preserve them. I'm actually impressed that's all Res had to say to him.

"A splendid display, mother." Acedia praised. "A light to shine where no light does… It seems that my goal is further than I anticipated. Abigail. Would you mind helping me molt?"

"Molt? You don't molt."

"I do now. Sister Cer needs massages. I should shed skin to refresh my being."

"Director. I'll punch your back. It's better than a massage. But you gotta stop copying everything you see."

"Why stop when it's entertaining?" Acedia wore a small, fake smile.

Abigail followed Acedia back into the Leviathan.

"That's my smoke break. Icy. Yup. You're going back inside. Don't intrude. Saw something you probably shouldn't have. Did it remind ya of something from a couple hundred years ago?"

Horus plucked Icara from her collar and carried her inside.

Frost, Raoul, Jury and the twins were the only ones who remained atop the Leviathan.

"Mind if I sit here?"

"You're the boss."

Raoul didn't particularly care.

His Sin could have easily been Acedia had he not betrayed the Nexus and his closest friends.

There was a lot Frost wanted to ask him.

Many were deeply personal questions.

But she didn't want to keep kicking a drowned dog.

The scenery changed, and they were back in the overworld of the City of Spades.

Grey clouds consumed the sun.

It was destined to never shine again.

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