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704. Pop Goes the Ankou

A seismic quake caused the earth to ripple like the surface of a pond. A gravitational anomaly swept through Seer’s Town before anyone could realize what was happening.

The short seconds that the portal to the Derma Layer was opened had caused Quantified Gravity to leak into the Epiderma Layer.

  *

Quantified Gravity was simply the measurement of Gravity compared to the standard and universal gravity which had the value of 9.8 Q...

703. Realm of Light

Gustus’ relentless strive saw him drawn near once again. Deiman propelled himself backwards to buy some time, utilizing Autumn’s copied magic.

“[Repellent Wind], [Windball].” Simple magic was cast from Deiman’s left hand as his staff followed him like a second limb. Powerful variants of the magic emerged from the staff, and yet Gustus continued to hack them down without effort.

“[Blessing of the Great Ones], [Body Hardening], [Body Enhancing Movement – Brisk Feet], [...

702. Realm of Darkness

Two voices tugged on each half of Deiman.

The left side of his tiny wings and mask were dyed black, and the right in white. Microscopic bristles found on each wing shivered as a newfound strength coursed through his veins.

He looked down at his palms, unable to fathom what was happening to him.

All he knew was that he was granted power, but the battle between the two voices was not yet over. Memories of the past riddled his mind like the barbs of a porcupine.

Gustus si...

701. The Isolation of Seer's Town

Seer’s Town was worse than what Frost had in mind.

Her prior reconnaissance from the mountains did not prepare her enough for what resided within.

Aside from the filthy walkways and the grim atmosphere of the town, she had at least expected the trafficking to be kept under the wraps. Instead, from the moment she set foot into the town, she was greeted by countless cages, wagons, and stalls selling people from the standard Demi-Human to even humans themselves.

Slaves were h...

40. Domain of The Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns

“What… does that mean? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?”

“LEAVE THE HEALER ALONE!” A man slapped the woman away. “She’s just as clueless as we are! You know the Corrupted! How can you expect a Healer to know how a Corrupted thinks or behaves when they defy all reason!?”

Snow dug into her diary. After reading a few short lines, she embraced it and announced:

“But! It’s only a Trickle Corrupted! We can still get out of here! Its Corrupted Zone should not be strong eno...

MA: 39. Red and Grey VS Bitter Thorns

Red’s stats gave her a clear advantage against the Bitter Thorns.

One strike was all she needed. She launched forward and began the offensive with [Huntress’ Slash], following the red mist as she entered the onslaught of puppeted corpses. The brambles replaced bone and wrapped them like a cage of barbed wire.

As soon as Red’s blade connected with the brambles, she immediately realized there was a problem.

“Tch! Their DEF stats are higher than my ATT!?” Her blade wa...

700. Between Two Worlds

Mae could not win against a Clockwork Prophet. The Sect of Gears were never known for their strength outside of the Clockwork Spindleworm. Indeed, the Clockwork Prophet was not as powerful as the aforementioned monstrosity and barely compared to its equals in the other Impuritas Group.

But where it lacked in strength, they made up for it in overwhelming combat prowess. There were no wasted movements. Everything down to the movement of Mae’s individual strands of hair were pre-calculat...

699. The Clockwork Prophet

Trembling hands clasped at her wounds as she felt Deiman slowly crawl to her side.

“I don’t know what I am.” He answered her, his voice suddenly filled with sorrow.

Mae finally pulled her gaze from the earth, looking up at Demin who was far worse off than she was. His body was beaten purple like the faint light that pervaded the drab chamber they entered, and yet he was able to push himself onto his feet without complaint.

One eye was sealed shut and bled bloody tears....

698. The Pain of Mortality

Mae dove into the elevator shaft headfirst, smashing through stray support beams like a bullet with her powerful ram-horns. The carnage left behind by the collapsed platform littered the shaft with overlapping beams like that of a spider’s nest.

A Clockwork Prophet! If it finds out who I am, then there’s no turning back!

It took seconds before she could reach the bottom. Any further and she would have sustained tremendous damage. A mountain of timber exploded upon imp...

697. Confrontation With The August Manus

“It’s insane how they’ll let anyone down there. One wrong turn and you’ll be a slave yourself.”

Autumn sighed as they joined the crowd.

“Everyone’s free game once you’re down there. Hit a dead end or walk into the wrong room and that’s enough for you to become a slave. I don’t have to tell you not to inhale or eat anything in this town.”

“They will go that far to ruin a person’s life?” Deiman wondered.

“A Shell shouldn’t have morals. Don...

696. What Is Normal?

Nothing was out of the ordinary as far as Autumn could tell. The long road from the maw of the Smuggler’s Pass was flanked by karst-like observation towers where archers and magicians carefully scanned every inch of the arid plains in the distance.

This was past the karst landscape which surrounded the mountain ranges for roughly a few kilometers before it eased out into a plain.

It was much dryer than Autumn remembered

 Grandis had plenty of storms and runaways, yet ...

695. Seer's Town

Seer’s Town wasn’t always a criminal haven. Turn back the clock one hundred years ago and life was no different from an ordinary, isolated village. Its proximity to the central mountain range of Grandis saw a culture revolving around the stars prosper.

Divinations were born from interpreting charted constellations. The town’s sprawl used to include the uncharted depths of the mountains. As much as they were infatuated with the skies, they left their marks into the mountains and de...

694. Mobility Upgrades

“Achoo! Whew!” A chill suddenly overcame Frost from out of the blue. She couldn’t remember the last time she sneezed, so she welcomed the fuzziness in her throat while it lasted.

“Frost? Was that a sneeze? Did you catch a Corrupted bug?”

Jury joked through the CognitO Transmitter, her voice speaking to Frost from within her head. It was weird hearing Jury instead of Nav, but she wasn’t complaining. A tender sm...

693. The Red Baron and Beethoven

The halls of the Red Baron’s estate were exactly like his banquette hall. Red carpets, curtains portraits of himself – it was a narcissist’ wonderland.

Beethoven followed closely as they passed through several sets of doors. They began from wood, to steel, adamantium, and eventually they reached a door sealed by a mass of flesh.

“Bzzt. The Crimson Hunger are serving you well. Bzzt.”

“Too well. They’re the ones who keep my Trophies fed. I hear what they feed is ...

692. A Feast For One

Clank Slurp

The grunt of a pig accompanied the clanking of silverware.

A long banquette table rocked as a large animal handled silverware far too small for their enormous hands. A bottle of wine sat beside the figure as they scoffed down slices of meat that would have caused one to choke.

Grunt Lip smack

This sole entity feasted on what could have easily fed a hundred peasants, or the servants who stood by the windows with a silver platter in hand. At...

691. Rolling Out

The time limit was less than 10 days.

Frost, however, wanted to finish things in five or less. Giving the Impuritas more than a week to prepare after the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant was far too dangerous. Countermeasures against the Iron Stars and Black Moons were already set up in the north, and there was no telling if they were already aware of their presence.

The sooner they claimed the Towers, the sooner Frost could move into position. There were only three perquisites ...

690. Our Interpretations of Salvation

“How bizarre. The featherless bird became something I could not dream to imagine~” D-13 hummed, caressing her flesh sensually before she slipped on a buttoned shirt. “Not a Shell, but something more than that. I was rescued by that ticking call and became the thing that I am. It bothers me that you’re so different~ What is this strange sensation I feel when you look at me?”

“It’s an Ability of mine. It’ll help calm you down. So you’re a Shell after all, huh. All Wander...

689. D-13, The Wandering Healer

“Ehe…”

“Ehehe…”

“Haaaaah…”

Pleasurable moans came from further within the mines. Between each moan arrived a maniacal giggle. They gargled and croaked like phlegm was stuck in their throat. No amount of wheezing could remove it.

Chills ran down the spine of the woman who volunteered to escort Frost, Cer and Lucy to the Wandering Healer. Ill omens in the form of scattered belongings surrounded them as they wandered off the path of the broken rails, pas...

688. The Adamantium Mines

The adamantium used to be the Bellum Empire’s most prized strategic resource. Despite possessing a Gift, adamantium had infinitely more uses as a highly venerated metal. Like magic, there were different tiers of metals.

Iron, steel and gemstone blades were normal with the latter usually belonging to mages as they were easier to imbue with magic. Iron-powered adamantium, mithril and pure adamantium stood at the top, bested only by a material called ‘midnight’ found deep within the ...

687. The Solemn Thorns of Red Roses

The Allegory of the Cave was a thought experiment that explored perception and reality. The metaphor likened one to being trapped in a cave, who could only perceive the shadows as reality.

These shadows came from an object and a light they could not see. Any object that cast a shadow constituted their perceived reality. Those who were stuck in the cave could not know of the reality beyond it. Some were chained, others feared the light of the flame for their eyes would sting with the bli...

MA: 38. Brambles of Envy and Bitter Thorns

Multiple screams echoed throughout the forest.

At first it came from ahead as she chased after it, her blade held in hand as she swiped stray shrubbery to warm up for a potential brawl. Her blade knocked against bark at the beat of her own heart.

Soon, screams arrived from her right.

What’s happening all of a sudden!?

Then, from the left. The closer she approached the source the more screams emerged. An unholy cacophony of inhuman cries replaced the chirps o...

686. Ara, The Emerald Composer

Mae obviously didn’t say this out loud. Otherwise, she would have outed herself as a Maestro of Flesh.

“Mae. I think what matters the most is that someone can fill what’s missing for them.” Ara said, drawing another person beside the one without a heart.

That person had a heart in their chest.

“Music doesn’t have to be sensual or play on our senses of corporeality. Frankly, anything I believe is bullshit. Music is subjective. But the cool thing about mag...

685. A Magician and A Musician

It took a day for Autumn to fully recover.

If there was a prime moment to eliminate her and Deiman, then it would have been then. But to her surprise, Ara, Raoul and Mae helped them out instead. She was prepared to pay them coins or offer knowledge of a spell just for the act of sparing them.

After all, this was Grandis.

Everything had a price.

“Actually.” Ara began, wiping her mouth with the back of her sleeves. Half of her face was wet with drool after sleeping a...

684. Two Hearts Apart

The edge city of Ravia had a population of only 7,000 and was spread across a city of just over a square kilometer. The number didn’t feel right to Frost. She was certain at least tens of thousands lived in Ravia as she and Cer explored its highly urbanized streets.

The scent of untreated sewerage and shouting assaulted them from every angle. Homes were built up to two or three stories and were shared by multiple families. The main roads that cut through the city were about two meters...