291. Heart of Ours

< CONDITION: Greed Counter seeks the Empowered. The value of all will be undermined. Greed Counter takes significantly less damage from those that are not Empowered. Only the Empowered may Suppress it >

< SUPPRESSION REQUIREMENT: When Greed Counter’s HP reaches 0… >

< SUBJUGATION REQUIREMENT: Nil… >

< LIMITATIONS OF THE ISOLATION SPHERE >

< May only imprison upwards of Woe of the Fallen Star Corrupted. Apocalypse and above will destroy the Isolation Sphere >

Frost became an anthropomorphic version of the Greed Counter. The crossroads were paved with golden bricks as she remained in the center of it all, firmly cemented on her two legs as the ethereal-blue Touch of Golds split the skies into two.

The second phase caught them by surprise, almost as much as Jury’s Isolation Sphere. It manifested as a sudden dimming of their world; the skies becoming nothing but pure black. The stark contrast of the golden world and the eternal night was sight to behold, but none could afford to appreciate it. Not when their friend was masqueraded by her emotional turmoil.

“100 million Nex gone just like that… and you wonder WHY Beholders need so much of it!” Cer shouted, clasping onto her torn collar as her body began to profusely sweat. “Is this heat also a byproduct of your barrier!? I can’t think straight!”

“I don’t feel a thing! Maybe it’s targeting you with something! You were Empowered during our fight with the Greed Counter!” Ber brought up as Frost took aim into one of the four major streets, picking off emerging Impuritas entities with expert precision.

< [Stacking Wealth] >

< “I have the resources to make a change. The people above me in that proclaimed paradise carry mountains more than me. Would it hurt to throw it around to help others?”

< “My aid – my helping hand – has become so lethal.” >

Many dungeons began to take form within Jury’s Isolation Sphere, attracted to it like flies to a corpse. The phenomenon reminded her, although briefly, of how the Impruitas were attracted to the ImpulseWorks sites.

< Jury, please keep in mind that I can partially read your thoughts like a semi-coherent book. This is no time for stray thoughts to impede your judgement! >

“It’s an observation, Nav!” Jury defended, brandishing her claws as she vehemently dashed towards Frost, slicing the very molecules of air as a violent storm followed. “ONLY 200 AND A HALF THOUSAND HEALTH! EVERYEONE! PILE ONTO FROST BEFORE SHE CAN GET THE CHANCE TO USE THE REST OF HER SKILLS!”

< “All this greed displaces the value of ourselves. People can’t just be churned like resources…” >

|| DOPPLER STRIKE ||

Jury’s compressed attacks connected with Frost. Her claw met with her chest, as did another 30 afterimages. The combined attack totaling a colossal 240,000 damage. It should have been enough to almost eradicate the Greed Counter Frost, however, only a violent rush of air left the unmoving Frost.

It was though she had clashed with an unmovable mountain.

Greed Counter | HP: 200,000

“Don’t tell me –!? Nav – there’s 90% reduction of all damage!?” Jury, in spite of this, followed through with her claws, throwing off the Corrupted Frost’s aim before she backed off, allowing Cer, Ber, Res and Ignis to bombard Frost.

“You’re kidding! What the hell is that kind of bullshit!?” Cer grumbled, lashing out at Frost.

As expected, Cer was the only one whose damage wasn’t affected by Condition, absolutely because she was the Empowered Frost sought after.

“You’re not making this any easier for us Frost!” Ber’s [Resounding Voice] did passive damage to Frost. She had to time her attacks well with the others, for hers enveloped meters of land.

They worked like a well-oiled machine, and Ignis summoned forth two bone-like blades, one on each arm. When it was her turn to attack, she’d employ cat-like maneuvers, twisting herself in homage to Ber’s beautiful movements.

Greed Counter | HP: 160,000

Frost hardly had a moment to react. The sudden onslaught seemed to catch her off guard. As a Corrupted however, it was impossible to tell if this was actually the case. Suddenly, after depleting her bullets upon all life within the lane she faced, she threw her Touch of Golds into the air, creating the skeleton of a giant umbrella.

< “Wants precedes needs. Am I the only one that sees the value of others?” >

< “Hypocrisy also plagues me. I understand it. They do not. There are beings I cannot see as valuable, because they themselves don’t see the value in others.” >

< [Corporeal Value] >

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” The demented scream of the Corrupted Frost rendered the minds of those within a 100-meter radius, causing blood to pour through all bodily orifices.

Brains were rattled like the beads within a maraca, reducing the still abundant Scarlet Logic forces to breathing sacks of meat. Then, their bodies were obliterated by the coin-shaped bullets of her pale rifle.

“Values! Check your heads!” Res blurted out as numerical values appeared over their heads, most in the blue hundreds of thousands, with many of the panicked stray souls in the deep red.

< [Mangled Coins] >

The Touch of Golds target them, and to their surprise, they also prioritized Cer. Their colors changed into a brilliant gold, thrusting towards their targets like streaks of light. Those they caught were brought straight into Frost’s diamond chest.

One could imagine a body being violently forced through a small hole. No matter the size or orientation, all that were captured were hungrily devoured.

“Tch! I got a gold value here! Sorry Frost! For once I’m going to have to reject your advances!” Cer fled from the scene as dozens followed suit, only to be severed by the others who desperately resumed the fight against Frost.

Luckily for them, the Touch of Golds left them alone. They sought after only those with miniscule values and Cer specifically. However, they had an additional attack to now deal with.

< [Hired Arms] >

An array of Justica Arms surrounded Frost and began firing bullets at only those with blue values. Res was easily at the highest risk of death due to her being significantly weaker than the others, and so, Ignis spawned tentacles along her stomach like the maw of a beast.

“Res! Let me protect you!”

Res didn’t argue. Although, there was a tinge of instinctual fear in her eyes. Not because she was faced with a monster. Rather, it was because she knew her tail would be subjected to all manners of slimy, warm flesh.

Regardless, she allowed the tentacle Ignis to attach herself onto her back like a parasite, turning both hands into bony shields. Res was hardly effective in the fight due to Frost’s DEF stats. Cer at least could deal damage since she was Empowered and was not subjected to the 90% damage reduction.

Ignis was in the same boat, hence why she defaulted to a defensive fight.

Either way, neither of them allowed this to get the better of them.

Jury, although a little late, conjured perhaps her greatest skill of all.

|| RETROCAUSALITY – SMITE ||

Thankfully, it took upon the form of the massive beam, known to deal a flat rate of 2,000,000 ATT and MAG ATT damage. It trivialized the fight, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. However, as the gargantuan weapon descended from a rift in the sky and fired its ray of pale death, she was abruptly reminded of the Condition.

< Only the Empowered may Suppress it >

Greed Counter | HP: 1

< “Greed is but one language used universally. But it’s also ill understood by many. Probably for the best.” >

“You’re surprisingly light.” Res said to Ignis, their world suddenly illuminated by Jury’s beam. “I think I can still run around. CER! Don’t stop moving!” Res warned.

Then, as the light disappeared, her eyes widened at the sight of still standing Frost.

“How the – Frost is still standing after that!? Jury!? Care to explain!?”

“I AM NOT AN IDIOT YOU KNOW!” Cer screamed. “Retrocausality couldn’t kill Frost!? Does it have to be me!?”

“She’s not an idiot Res!” Ber backed her up. “Still – DON’T STOP MOVING CER!”

“WOULD IT KILL ANY OF YOU TO ANSWER!?” Cer cried.

“… Greed Counter won’t die unless it gets Cer. But we can’t risk that. I can’t bring anyone back from the dead!” Jury proclaimed, causing Ber to lash out at the nearly defeated Frost in a fit of rage.

“THERE IS NO WAY YOU ARE TAKING CER FROST! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!”

//////// < WARNING > ////////

< Negative Nex Detected >

< Please maintain Positive Nex Ber! Too much and you will become at risk of being temporarily devoured by the Black Swan! >

Nav’s warning was taken into consideration as all efforts were now placed onto hacking away the Touch of Golds that pursued Cer. However, they spontaneously regenerated and repeated the endless cycle.

< There is a major issue at hand. It appears that because we did not fulfil the initial requirements with the We Discarded Many that we are facing this conundrum. It’s unclear if Cer must land the final blow or if something must occur >

< “Can someone please show me that there exists an inherent value? That we don’t need to be judged by countless. I don’t know why I was betrayed. For whose greed or motivations that I became the villain of many.” >

* * *

Cer turned through every conceivable corner within the sprawling city, leaving behind toppling structures as the Touch of Golds followed the shortest path.

“She’s not fast! Galvanic Current’s not easy to match!” Cer howled, running on all fours before cracking a grin. “But she’s not stupid either! What’s with these pincer maneuvers!? Don’t you dare try to read – A MOON like the value over my head!”

Cer zipped from building to building, crashing through walls and windows without a care in the world. Still lives of abandoned rooms and halls surrounded her as she moved in what seemed like slow motion.

“… but I get you, Frost. I get what you’re so mad about.”

< “Morality remains broken. The people so many worships as Gods see them as nothing more than resources. Their evil counterparts fair no better.” >

Cribs. Unfinished paintings. Bloodied beds. Running water. Half-eaten breakfast plates… Cer deeply understood the root of Frost’s anguish. Normalcy was impossible when life itself was valued too little.

From house to house, Cer seemingly refused to damage these things, for they were the only proof that these people once existed.

“Moons like us aren’t valued that much either. No matter where you go, you’ll always have a price tag attached to an ear like some livestock or Demi-human. I know that better than anyone else. The kid was washed up on a riverbed, beaten till purple because she couldn’t get herself sold off.” Cer dabbled into her distant past, her voice trembling lightly as she dug a claw into the ground, twisting herself straight towards Frost with bared fangs.

As the others said, she was the only one who could end this.

“Tail cut. Ears gone. Jaw broken. Skin taken and flailed to expose the lies written along her ribs. To them, the life of that kid meant nothing. But to herself… it meant everything in the world. If you think the world is full of people incapable of understanding their own worth, then you’re wrong. You’re so wrong! Your living proof is RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF YOU –!”

Cer sent her bites at Frost, but even so, she was incapable of taking further damage. The Greed Counter sent everything it had against Cer. Every Touch of Gold chased her now. Cer’s eyes drooped. The memories of the past caused her ears to fall as well, and her tail to sadly fall.

She lowered her guard for just one moment.

“… but people above try to put us down. Serum G functioned like that in a way. But I can’t blame them for it. I’m really grateful you feel so strongly about it. Makes me wonder what would’ve happened if you took Galia’s place. Maybe this little me wouldn’t have turned out so despicable…”

That one second of self-loathing ruined Cer.

Her value fell to 0.

“… huh…?”

*Crackle*

“CER!?”

“CEEEEEEEEER!?”

“No… way…”

“Cer…”

The Greed Counter monopolized her.

< [Unvalued] >

< “In the end, even I can be subjected to such a twisted perspective. People with value will only make this cleanse so much harder…” >

Cer didn’t even realize it before her body was swallowed by a blue diamond. Her body wasn’t violently torn apart like the countless others. Rather, the blue diamond from Frost’s chest burst forth, expanding its maw to completely encase her.

Then, like a balloon held by an invisible string, it hovered above Frost.

< “Therefore, please remain with me… my bundles of irreplaceable courage. The last remnants of morality. Bearers of my humanity.” >

< “This is my greed. It’s uncountable. You will be safe in here… by my side.” >

< [False Diamond] >

Cer had become the Greed Counter’s False Diamond. A small, handheld, diamond-shaped crystal with a tiny Cer suspended within. In that moment, the Greed Counter exploded into countless particles of light all the while the others screamed out Cer’s name.

< The Greed Counter has successfully been Suppressed >

The world then turned red, and in the ashes of Frost’s death emerged a version of her wrapped with an armor of myocardial tissue, and an overgrown heart exposed in the center of her chest. Veins wrapped around her body as her eyes cried blood.

< “My mind and heart are two different things.” >

< “Our hearts should be one in the same.” >

< “I hated that people were incapable of making their own choices.” >

< “Such was the unfairness of this world.” >

< “Therefore, like the heart that overrides my mind, shall we all come together? Like my precious diamond?” >

< “This heart of mine… let’s make it ours.” >

//////// < WARNING > ////////

< WOE OF THE FALLEN STAR >

< THE ARBITER’S TRUMPET WAILS >

Heart of Ours
Frost

< Our tiny hearts matter little in a big world of bigger hearts. Abandon all aspirations. We take theirs as our own, so we can continue gasping in our dreams or personal wishes >

AFFINITY : Civilization
LEVEL : 200     ORIGIN : Disorder     HP : 1,200,000     ATT : 20,000     MAG ATT : 12,000
ATT DEF : 5,000     MAG DEF : 6,000     MP : 100,000     RESIST : 750     AGI : 0