Frost did not answer him. Her golden hair and eyes only continued to intensify as she dragged Iscario forward as fast as she could. The only way to completely immobilize him now was to ensure that he was flush against her body.
The Effeulier La Dahla’s Attentive Claws were on the verge of breaking. It wouldn’t last another minute. But that one minute was all she needed. Frost covertly reached into her Dimensional Storage and pulled out a certain black forest clock.
But that clock slipped from her grasp as one of the False Lances of Annihilation nearly cleaved her entire hand off. The Effeulier La Dahlia could no longer aid her, and the Little Frosts were too far away to be of any assistance.
“AMALGAM! Do you wish to stall this till the end of time!?”
“No. I plan to finish this right here! Iscario… You were the first person I met when I came into this world! I made the mistake of trusting you! You knew I was just born then! You know I couldn’t have done anything wrong! And still you believed I was a monster! But you turned me into this!”
Frost slit the sides of her cheeks, unlocking her jaw enough to wrap it around Iscario’s right arm. Steam erupted from the sides of her cheek as she healed her face, creating a powerful lock. It was like biting into a lead pipe. Her teeth could not puncture through the Qliphoth Field, but if she could just somehow bypass it – then she could take Iscario’s arm and the Price of Paradise.
The blade reacted to her teeth.
It shivered almost as if in delight as it began to point itself towards the red star above Mount Saris.
“Ilya…?” Iscario uttered. “ILYA!? I’M RIGHT HERE!”
“That’s precisely why she wants to leave you.”
“Your voice. AMALGAAAAAAAM! LET GO! REMOVE YOURSELF! AGH – AAAAGH!”
Her teeth alone were enough to instill unimaginable agony. She felt herself slipping off, and so, she put her newfound Ability to use. Dark chains formed around Iscario’s right arm, twisting and wrapping them both in place.
She only had 4 minutes until her Nex depleted.
[Thermal Propagation] further increased her speed. The short bursts of speed made it difficult for Iscario to accurately strike Frost.
Unlike his pale rods, the Lance of Annihilation could not be telekinetically manipulated.
They moved across the desert like a shooting star. Trails of light followed wherever they went, and the sands beneath them glowed white hot. The sobs of Ilya, and the fact that she was so close to finally enacting even just one percent of her revenge was more than enough to finally push her into the anointed 5th State.
//////// < EXTREME WARNING > ////////
< The Amalgam Has Reached the Fifth State >
< All Corrupted Zones equivalent or lower than Apocalypse-Class are overruled by the Amalgam’s Corrupted Zone >
< There are no Paradise Lost Corrupted to borrow Skills from >
< Your Corrupted Zone overrules the Genesis Stone’s influence >
Unlike last time, Frost was entirely lucid. She did not begin to lose her mind. Her mind was ecstatic, and her heart throbbed with newfound flames as her already glowing eyes now began to display a depth unseen before.
It was like looking into an infinite mirror. The depth of her gaze was utterly ceaseless. If the eyes were the window to the soul, then what did that say about Frost? Iscario caught a glimpse into the meaning of infinity, and his mind was nearly lost in that split second.
His obsession with Ilya was the only thing that saved him.
“ISCARIO! DO IT! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!”
“SILENCE! AMALGAM! PERISH!”
This time, Iscario had a clear shot of Frost. There was nothing she could do. There were so many rods on her back by now that it was impossible to manipulate her body.
However, the Lance of Annihilation struck something other than Frost.
It was a crystal. A large, dense crystal that hummed like wind chimes when struck.
“That crystal bastard dares to interrupt!?”
A piece of the Blue Chorus’ Ego intervened.
It was the last defense available to Frost.
She had to end this now.
“My bare hands and the skin of my teeth was all I had when you imprisoned me within the Black Forest.”
Cracks formed where her teeth met with the Qliphoth Field.
“No. No… NO! NO! ILYA! YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME! You… must never leave my side! Ilya!”
Tens of rods impaled Frost’s back.
“The things I ate would have driven an ordinary person mad.”
“Right Ilya? You wouldn’t leave your brother? Nothing is waiting for you there. Only death.”
Suddenly, a 12-armed star appeared in the skies. The star was so large that all of Grandis the Regions further would be able to see it in all its glory.
Iscario recognized that ‘star’ immediately.
“The Icon of Judgement… It’s… returned…?”
Over a hundred jutted from Frost’s back now.
“Common sense was lost to me. I thought the best way was to remain impartial. My first anointed Moon was that same child whose light nearly disappeared from her eyes.”
The Price of Paradise extended Iscario’s arm further out as if aiding Frost. The weapon desperately yearned to reach that distant star as though attracted by an unseen force.
“Ilya. There will be no world for me without you. You wouldn’t leave me , oh dearest Ilya…?”
The rods stacked upon one another, destroying or dislodging those beneath it in the process. Some pierced through her entirely.
Frost | HP: 5,200,000
Iscario | HP: 2,000,000
A new fragment of a golden halo appeared above Frost’s head. 3/5ths were now complete. She had not been Tempered to the Third State. It should not have been possible to achieve this according to the description of [Absolution Awakened].
But it was perhaps because of the Fifth State that she was given leeway.
“I ate my way up in this world.”
Golden cracks finally encompassed the entirety of Iscario’s right arm. Her teeth sunk deeply into his flesh as the Qliphoth Field suddenly gave in to the sheer power of her maw.
“So that one day this same maw would devour you too!”
< [OOO] [Maw of The Amalgam] [OOO] >
< EFFECT: Bypasses Qliphoth conditional manifestations, including Invulnerability. Ignores all DEF stats. Cannot be stopped. The part devoured is reflected on the target’s Soul. Devoured part may not be healed. It is effectively erased from existence >
“ILYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
The sound of shattering glass was accompanied by his scream. Frost’s jaw snapped shut like a bear trap. The taste of flesh pervaded her mouth, but she was far too used to feasting on such foul flavors and taboo meals.
Iscario’s arm came flying off. Her maw had come down like a guillotine. It cauterized his stub in an instant. The infested wart where his hand once was wildly writhed.
The blade shivered, breaking free from Iscario’s hand completely like red ice shattering from the handle of a frozen blade.
He stared at his fleeting sister; whose form became like that of a trail of light as it headed straight for the Icon of Judgement.
“Go, Ilya. Your mother’s waiting. Don’t make the same mistake again…” Frost began to pant.
She had let go of Iscario, resulting in him tumbling several tens of meters afar. Frost on the other hand, remained where she stood like a statue. Her mind was left in near tatters following the attack.
Insurmountable physical and mental exhaustion immediately took their hold alongside death’s cold grip. It was as though the weight of the world rested atop her shoulders. But strangely enough, she had never felt lighter before.
Frost quickly assessed her situation as a long, lulling silence brewed. It was just Frost and Iscario again. The Red Baron’s mouth was sealed shut. He did not expect Iscario to lose at all.
Her lungs were completely ruptured. She could not breathe even if she wanted to. Where the air came from to allow her to speak was a mystery. Her arms hung limply by her side, one twisted and mangled like a branch caught in a storm, and the other remained barely functional.
That same hand was the one that carried her engagement ring. The one body part that she considered invaluable, just like Iscario. Blood poured from the corners of her eyes. The toll of using Absolution was beyond immense.
If the Second State Absolution was enough to wind the Arbiter, then what about the Third? She was the first to know. It felt like every part of her body was being rearranged, which explained the countless spasms that occurred as she stood there.
Several rods that stabbed her vertically kept her upright. Additionally, the Ankou was nowhere to be found. But that was fine. It meant that she had more MP for herself.
Nav… I’ve taken a lot of damage. Anything I should know?
//////// < WARNING > ////////
< The use of Absolution without proper Tempering will result in a prolonged exhaustive state >
< Ergo, you will remain vulnerable for the duration of this unspecified time >
Unspecified… I really am the first… hah… agh… I’ve… never been in so much pain before.
< Frost. Are you safe right now? >
I don’t think so. I’ve lost my steam. I can’t even move… fuck…
< Iscario!? Is he still there!? >
He’s alive… Urgh… Nav… Should I be afraid?
< Aren’t you supposed to be scared? >
I can’t tell. I feel euphoric. Like I’ve won. I managed to free Ilya from him. I took what he couldn’t afford to lose. But…
< Frost! I’m issuing an order to every available person I can to your location! >
Would they even make it in time?
The Fifth State could not help Frost now. Nor could her Corrupted. The False Heart’s tether had been severed, and her hair had been cut down to shoulder length. The only thing that kept alive was [Prolonged Stasis] and its Mastery Effect [Black Dove’s Roost]. She couldn’t die so long as this was active.
However, her MP was not limitless.