5 of 10 Beholder-level attacks were revealed.
Four more likely belonged to Act X, Inflow Direct, Scarlet Logic and CogitO. The last however, couldn’t be ImpulseWorks as they did not have a Gift From a Star of their own. Neither could it be Time Reverberation’s technology.
There hasn’t been an instance of it being stolen yet. Stil, it was in the realm of possibility. But considering Luminal Synchrony – a Fallen Atelier – was used, the probable answer was the other Fallen Atelier.
“It was Midas Company after all.” Frost accused, avoiding the large 25-meter radius of [72 Quants of Gravity]. “The Valorem Extractors.”
She wove through the fabricated urban streets, her presence alone shattering windows and cracking the black pavement. Buildings collapsed into themselves due to the immense gravitational force.
“I’m surprised you don’t call it the Midas Extractor. Did you think Inflow Direct were the only ones who can extract Skills!?”
| 72 Quants of Gravity |
| Oblivion Shackles |
| Justica Arms – Execution |
The storm of crystal bullets destroyed the foundations of buildings in an instant. Each bullet travelled over 300 meters in each direction, causing widespread mayhem. The dark shackles captured the shadowy apparitions of people as Frost avoided them, laying in bullet after bullet against Iscario.
His False Lances of Annihilation sought to skewer the little Frost’s. They flew through the air like they had a mind of their own. Iscario could remotely control them, and the few that tried to impale Frost were promptly dodged thanks to [Thermal Propagation].
“Midas Company must still have their original Gift From A Star. They needed Healers to operate their Gift. That’s why you kidnapped Healers!”
“Healers are the second beings I can comfortably call pure. Second only to Ilya! Skills are not only thing it can steal! Valorem, Amalgam. It can steal ‘Value’ in its rawest form. But you must be curious as to what value entails.”
Frost hurled herself straight for Iscario as a sea of flames engulfed them. She channeled strength into her fist, boldly telegraphing another direct blow. Iscario smirked, knowing well that it would be blocked by the (Un)Attentive Claws.
“The only thing I’m concerned about are the Healers! Mark my words – if those Healers end up becoming Black Wings, then there’ll be nothing you can do to stop them!”
The (Un)Attentive Claws shielded Iscario as Frost made her approach. The last 50 meters were traversed in an instant as a column of air followed. She saw a glimpse of worry in Iscario’s eyes for a split second.
He must have realized that this attack was different from her previous ones.
“Healers will never forget what you did to them. Because of you… Because of the Impuritas and the people who used them like fucking tools – Healers won’t be ‘innocent’ for long!”
The strike was enhanced by a dark aura, and the moment Frost’s fist connected with the (Un)Attentive Claws, the darkness took the shape of a blade and penetrated through both overlapped hands.
[Amplification – Armor Piercing]. The amplified version of [Armor Piercing] was called [Core Piercer].
< EFFECT : Causes your punches to create highly localized and penetrative impacts. ATT increased by 250% against armor. 0% reduction against flesh >
375,000 damage. Insignificant, but it showed Iscario a glimpse of Frost’s accelerating strength. It pierced through the (Un)Attentive Claws and dealt equal amounts of damage to Iscario. The impact threw him backwards into several buildings. Frost gave immediate chase, appearing above him before he realized it.
The wing-like hands attempted to block the next blow, successfully blocking a spectacular kick that sent him spiraling into more buildings. Iscario was strong, but only because of the Qliphoth Field.
This was why Frost could throw him around like a puppet.
“If they can’t then I’ll break down their walls for them!”
Frost’s eyes burned with fury. Her emotions were rapidly building. Stars, cosmic dust and flames, her Judge’s Aids and the Innocents followed her in wake.
“Healers are cattle. They procure an invaluable product while being incapable of influencing their fate! Homesteads are needed to cage them! Their blood, fluids, tears – even the excrement of a Healer is worth the blood of a hundred thousand people! Why!? Because Healers can fuel Gifts better than humans can!”
“Then the reason why you’re taking them is because…!”
The world seemed to stop moving as she continued laying into Iscario and the (Un)Attentive Claws. They served as pseudo wings which allowed him to fly, but Frost could easily reach him as she flung from the building walls.
Suddenly, two False Spears of Annihilation impaled her back, dealing a significant amount of damage. It was nothing she couldn’t heal. But the problem was that when she tried to remove them, they only jammed further into her back.
“Agh… Gh… You’re using them in the place of people… as an efficient fuel for your Gifts. But that’s not all of it, and I’m not sure if that’s even scratching the surface.”
She felt tiny tendrils bore into her flesh. They invaded her blood vessels and coiled around her ribs, then, her spine. It was excruciating, and it was clearly designed to debilitate her both physically and mentally.
Thankfully, it wasn’t enough to have a noticeable effect.
“Nex. Fuel for Gifts. You should see them. Maybe like those heads, I’ll take you with me to show you how we dress them up. You’ll never get grow tired of hearing them scream when they look back at their extracted spinal cords. But that pain goes towards a grand cause! Midas Company’s technology requires insurmountable ‘Value’ – at a scale you can’t begin to comprehend!”
A massive cone of light surrounded the Price of Paradise, cleaving buildings in half, be it vertically, diagonally, horizontally – it didn’t matter. Everything the light touched was erased. The Dirge wailed as though carrying the voices of the millions revealed. This world they inhabited was not real.
Frost knew this, and yet, it brought a wave of sadness.
Another lance pierced her back.
“Value and equivalent exchange. Their fluids allow us to fuel the Valorem Extractor, to the point where even Stars can have their ‘Value’ exchanged! Healers in the past were once masters of exchange! The Blood Angels could apply the injuries of one to another! But Healers of this age have lost that power in favor of a wishy-washy, whimsical kindness!”
< The Effeuiler La Dahlia sees a familiar face >
< Can she cup her face once more? Can she do it with love? >
< “I want to be by your side.” >
The (Un)Attentive Hands briefly left Iscario’s side, rushing to the rubble where a splitting image of Cer must have rested.
“ENOUGH!” Iscario roared as a blue ring glowed.
| Cognition Scrambler |
< EFFECT: Scrambles the cognition of a chosen Ego. Must be linked through a physical resonance. Resonance cannot be changed once linked. Stolen Atelier technology >