141. Light of Hope

A bright light descended from the darkening skies. The series of supernovas that painted the skies were mesmerizing. They shed light in a world that knew nothing but darkness.

The dozens of painters ahead and the innocent lives gazed up into the air in fascination. For just a moment, their minds were taken off the cruelty of it all.

Tears welled in the corners of her eyes. Of all the pain she needed to endure, this feeling of relinquishment somehow managed to strike her the hardest.

They hoped to take the burden off everyone’s mind. Is it ok to believe that Corrupted with the Affinity of Hope want nothing more than to help others?

Our Happiest Moments and Asterism bared similarities in this regard. It pained her to know that even the most positive of emotions could send one spiraling down into complete self-destruction.

But… It was also through this that some people were able to realize themselves.

< Realization Criteria Reached >

< Do you wish to grant Asterism (Aster) your Blessing? >

< Yes | Confirm | Please accept it >

She had no reason to refuse. It took tremendous willpower to heave her Touch of Golds into the sky and cusp the falling light. She was like a reverse-blooming flower reaching out for a drop of morning dew. Her petals caught the light which eventually took on the form of a sleeping girl.

She bared no distinct features and was just a pale, fluctuating light shaped like a human. Cosmic dust spilled from her like sand seeping from a broken hourglass, releasing various rejuvenating properties that alleviated some of the pain in her heart.

< Asterism (Aster) has Successfully Been Blessed >

The dust eventually sucked back into her body, and she finally became a uniform blue light.

“You may be wondering why I am specifically naming Aster. It’s because –”

I know. You don’t have to say it. But I’m happy that they were still able to save someone.

“Ignis says it was all thanks to Stella.”

Stella, hm? I guess people can fight in all kinds of ways, huh. I’m glad.

< Asterism has been subjugated >

< Stats of the Asterism has been gained >

As Frost’s tentacles continued thrashing at the encroaching Aspirators, she lamented the loss of the rest of Stella’s friends. They had now become a part of her, and Aster was the only one who was saved and became a star of her own, disconnected from the Corrupted constellation.

The reason why Frost was able to absorb this Corrupted was because it consisted of the combined emotions of multiple people. Aster was but one part in the greater whole and saving her still allowed Frost to gain not only an ability, but also a new Corrupted Persona.

< Unique Ability Gained >

< ABILITY: Reach for the Stars! >

< EFFECT: Inspire the despaired and allow the impassioned to become the brightest version of themselves. Let them reach the unreachable and break through the bounds that keep them firmly in place >

< A cosmic soup surrounding an invisible body that twirls us round and round. I wish you were also here to enjoy the ride in this galactic merry go round! >

< Asterism has been added to your Corrupted Persona collection >

< Only one Corrupted Persona may be worn at any given time >

< Do you wish to wear Asterism? >

“From… FROM. AAAAGH…! What I’ve seen… It won’t burn everything… So maybe it’ll help them…” Frost struggled to speak as the Painters finally arrived within reach.

They hailed at her with outstretched arms, riding atop their painted animals and contraptions.

Among them was a certain multi-haired body painter.

“Do it… Give me that strength… So I can help them keep from pushing forward!” Frost hoarsely cried, and at once, hair ornaments began to clip all over her tumbling hair.

They were in the shape of spiral, brush stroke stars and twinkled with a beautiful light. Some were smaller than a fingernail, whilst others were as large as her head. Fewer stars orbited her, with countless tiny dusts twirling around her like some sort of dress-like accretion disk that extended out as far as her arms could reach.

Alternatively, one could imagine a young, miniature galaxy with Frost representing the galactic core.

< PASSIVE: Burdenless Heights >

< Gaze upon the stars and forget about your worldly troubles >

< Increase the stats of all allies that have a direct line of sight of you or your stars. Stats increase the higher an ally’s despair is. Don’t give up! >

< PASSIVE: Star Cycle >

< Even when they disappear, we can hope that new ones will arise. Thank you for showing us that it’s never the end! >

< Your stars will explode after taking enough damage. The resulting nebula will temporarily prevent the death of all those within. Only life can be made inside of them! >

It was difficult trying to restrain her tears from collapsing. She felt like the children were speaking to her directly through those skills and flavor text.

< PASSIVE: Nature’s Compass >

< No matter where you are, and no matter how far away from home you go, we will always be waiting there in the skies. So follow our lead and we’ll guide you right back! >

< Various stars will twinkle in the eyes of certain individuals. They will guide them when all seems lost. There must never be an eternal night again! >

Frost trembled. She could no longer hide her tears and they began to tumble down her cheeks as she fought on. For once… Just for once she was happy that not everything was filled with despair.

In her lament… In her despair, these children surrounded her and gave her hope. She didn’t know the nature of the Corrupted Persona, but maybe… just maybe, they weren’t completely gone after all.

< ACTIVE: Ray of Hope >

< May our warmth reach you! >

< Pull us into your core! Then fire a gigantic 10,000 MAG ATT beam in any direction you want! >

< Cost: Us! But you don’t have to worry! We’ll always be with you! So – Let’s watch over Stella and Aster together! >

The world was washed by countless tears as she kept Aster tucked close inside of a bundle of Touch of Golds. Then, through clamped teeth, she yelled at the top of her lungs:

“BLOODY HERRING! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR MEEEEEEEEEEEE! I’LL GO THROUGH THE ENDS OF THIS WORLD IF IT MEANS BRINGING YOU DOWN! I WON’T LET ANYONE GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN! I… I… I –!” Before she could finish, and as the Painters and the people they desperately protected came rushing by in the thousands; a voice suddenly interrupted her.

“… I never wanted to see people die all around me. I knew I was always so weak. I knew that I was always the one they tried to snatch away from our home.” Res uttered, her body becoming warmer to the touch as the petals of her tentacles bloomed open, revealing the heart wrenched Moon.

She clasped onto the tentacles for support, slowly dragging herself up to her feet as her fangs remained permanently bared.

“But I still strove to become better. Even though it couldn’t be helped because of what I became, I know for a fact that countless out there were saved because of our subjugations. Ber doesn’t despise me. Cer never hated me. I love them so much that it makes my heart want to shoot right out of my chest.” A powerful electrical aura suddenly surrounded Res as her heart eventually became stable.

Then, her eyes finally fluttered open revealing nothing but pure determination within the depths of her crimson irises.

“They told me that I’d live a better life. But I couldn’t stand the thought of my sisters sleeping on the mud while I was given a warm bed. We’re not animals. We’re people. No one was going to change me –”

Res, with one might heave, glared at the looming Big Red Heart and shouted with every fiber of her being:

“– BECAUSE THIS HEART IS MY OWN! NO ONE IS GOING TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME! NEITHER THE HUMANS OF GRANDIS THAT BURNT EVERYTHING DOWN, OR YOUUUUUUUUUUUUU!”

< [Determined] >

< “In the rarest of occasions, there were people who managed to surface from their drowning sea of aspirations. They were the people that we hated the most… Because ‘our’ hearts said so.” >

< Res has become Determined. Her stats have been temporarily quadrupled for this encounter >

Moon
Res
< Electric Eye >
Soul Rank: Incandescent | Atelier: Nil
LEVEL : 200     ORIGIN : Demi-Human     HP : 300,000     ATT : 12,000     MAG ATT : 12,000
ATT DEF : 12,000     MAG DEF : 12,000     MP : 120,000     RESIST : 600     AGI : 200 (Limit)

<3 Electric Lance <3

A flash of blue light instantly engulfed Res as the air crackled and popped. Miniature lightning strikes riddled the ground all around her as she fired a devastating beam straight for the Big Red Heart.

And despite her ATT and MAG ATT being below the Corrupted’s 15,000 DEF limit; Res was still able to inflict roughly a thousand damage out of its 15 million HP block. The reason for this was due to the combined effects of Beaten Desires which was still active, and the minor buffs granted by her Corrupted Persona.

Res | ATT & MAG ATT: 16,000

Big Red Heart | HP: 14,999,000

Frost unfortunately could not directly help. The Condition only allowed the Determined to damage it in the first place. Furthermore, she did not benefit from the buffs like everyone else. Her Corrupted skills were focused on empowering her allies more than herself.

“What’s wrong Frost!? Don’t start crying until we’ve beating that thing! Please don’t make that kind of face!” Res yelled encouragingly, flashing Frost a rare smile.

Frost rubbed her tears away with the back of her ruined sleeve. Her perpetually bursting heart had reduced her Coat of Prejudice to no more than a tattered cloth of feathers. She appeared like a malnourished bird that was dipped in blood and rolled into a mound of glitter.

To say that Frost was worse for wear would be an understatement. It took tremendous will power to even keep herself awake. But with Res’ determination now in full effect, hope began to steadily trickle back into her heart as she waited for Jury’s turn.

“It’s going to take 15,000 hits from you, you know!” Frost tried to laugh. She really did, but all that came out was a pained groan.

“I know… But I’ll be damned if we don’t do anything!” Res yelled, freeing herself from Frost’s tentacles as she rushed into the heart of hundreds of Aspirators.

<3 Galvanic Current <3

Just like Cer, she possessed an electrical dash that nearly teleported her from one place to another. The hard limit of 200 AGI seemed to be universal, save for the exception that was Snap.

Anything over 100 was already ludicrous. She could not even detect Res’ movements, aside from the trail of electricity that was left in her wake.

<3 Hyperelectric Field <3

A massive pillar of blue light instantly shot into the air. Then, it split into eight different segments that collapsed like giant blades. They dug into the earth and began to spin and fluctuate at different heights, instantly mincing everything within the gargantuan 200-meter radius.

The fleeing Demi-humans had their fur stocked with static electricity as Frost found her feathers and hair rise to the sheer power that Res displayed. The Aspirators were of no match to her, but their numbers were easily in the tens of thousands.

And not to mention that the Big Red Heart vomited them out from a tube located high above its main body to replenish all that it had lost. The only feasible way of annihilating the Aspirators for good was to take down the Big Red Heart itself.

“… This kind of Corrupted… Needs a lot more Determined people to take it down. A Moon alone can’t bear it all on their own! No wonder they couldn’t put a dent into it! See that Frost! That’s why multiple Ateliers are needed!” Res complained. “Hurry up and wake Jury up already! If anyone’s going to take down a Woe of the Fallen Star, then it’ll be a Beholder!”

“Right… Yeah. Nav? Any word on Jury?” Frost inquired, temporarily relieved of the fighting, but not from the Aspirating condition much to her dismay.

“Give her some time. She is currently in the final stages of receiving her technology!”

“… Will she be ok?” She was worried suddenly. “Carpalis mentioned that a lot of the Beholders eventually fall victim to their obsessions. Hey… Can you reassure me, just this once? I’m kind of desperate for some relief right now.” Frost said half-jokingly, her eyes only barely kept open as she gazed upon the fighting Res.

At the same time, she allowed her Touch of Golds to heal the stragglers. At some point Bhodie waved at her, but Frost was far too disorientated to notice her.

“How can you still joke when you’re in that condition?”

“Are you forgetting… Angh… Ngh… Who the fuck… I am? You’ve been stuck with me since the Black Forest… You should know me by now.”

“But you were lamenting just moments ago.”

“I still am… Believe me Nav, I still am.” She wasn’t afraid to admit this as she clutched at her pained heart. “But there’s no way… That I am going to let it keep me anchored down. Not when Stella’s friends are cheering me on. And not when there are so many others watching us. Our backs are the last thing they can rely on!”

“That’s right! Let them keep watching us from far away! No one should have their hearts displaced because of another’s desires!” Res exclaimed, her emotions heightened by the Determination Condition. “Frost! This might be sudden but – Thank you for keeping me alive!”

“… That’ll be my line soon… I just need to stand here and wait for Jury. It’s nice… having to rely on someone else for once. Aha… Ah… Shit. I’m so tired…”

She had lost so much blood and her heart had ruptured so many times that it was a miracle that she was even alive. Prolonged Stasis had gained so many levels that she lost count of it. Frost was no more than a giant, withering at this point. Her Touch of Golds slowly began to lose its strength as she battled to keep herself conscious.

She didn’t know how long Jury would take.

But that didn’t matter in the slightest to her.