< [The Poisoned Oath] >
< “Yet I failed to pull the trigger.” >
A massive, 2-meter-long crossbow bolt made of brambles came zipping past her. It barely grazed her cheek. Had she not turned to face Snow, then she would have lost her head.
Tch… Is it because I’m going to kill Mister Huntsman…?
Red didn’t think for a second that Snow was ...
2025-01-20 05:51:05 +0000 UTC View Post< Origin: Vestige >
< A Corrupted being born from another Corrupted. Different from Denizens that already exist or are born directly from the primary Corrupted >
“Mister Huntsman… transformed because of the infection…?” Disbelief filled Red’s voice.
“And it’s not his fault that he Corrupted. The Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns completely ruined hi...
2025-01-20 05:48:39 +0000 UTC View PostWhat is the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns talking about? The apple of everlasting miracles?
Suddenly, the 50 Sweet Thorns shone a beam of light through the forest.
Those beams were pointed directly at Snow.
“SNOW! YOU SHOULD START MOVING NOW!”
“But something’s happening to Mister Huntsman!” She cried.
“YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT YOURSELF!”
“Aha… Aaa… Aaaaaa… ugh…” He slurred gutturally.
“Mister… Huntsman?” ...
2025-01-19 10:46:12 +0000 UTC View PostOnce upon a time, when Red was called the Vengeful Red-Hooded Assassin, she had murdered hundreds of humans, both good and bad at the facility she was once contained in. She recalled the pale walls that confined her. The tales that shared the same prison, and the people who experimented on her for a purpose she never understood.
Red’s gaze darkened suddenly. The world around her became silent. The Huntsman’s mouth moved, but she did not hear a word leave his lips.
Her mind wen...
2025-01-19 10:45:01 +0000 UTC View PostSweet Thorn
< Our bitterness is no different from the rot of the poisoned apple. Hopeful thorn burrow into its flesh, turning what was once rancid into a sweet nectar to attract the most perfect apple >
ORIGIN : Trauma ATTRIBUTE : Nihilism
< Page of the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns
If the Condition was anything to go by, then 99 Poisoned Apples were required to completely weaken the Forest of Everlasting Envy. The Poisoned Apples in question were the Sweet Thorns.
Defeating a Sweet Thorn caused the darkness in their immediate surroundings to dissolve, revealing a vibrant, emerald woodland. It was clearly still a part of the Corrupted Zone. The skies were still dark, and there wasn’t a source of light to illuminate the world.
But it was tranquil, and was th...
2025-01-18 08:24:45 +0000 UTC View Post“Sanguine Doves are impressive in that regard. When I first heard of them, I thought they rediscovered the Angel of Blood’s Oasis.”
She stood beside a seated Jury who made strange mouth noises. The Beholder squirmed in her seat and stretched herself along the table, rocking herself around like a bored child.
“Beholder Jury. Could it be that we did find the Oasis?”
“No… Nothing like that. We don’t even have a lead on where Uriel is. I doubt we’ll find this ...
2025-01-18 02:23:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe clopping of leather boots pronounced the arrival of a white-haired woman.
The spectacular pale interior of the first floor of Time Reverberation’s Headquarters was bustling with over a hundred newly introduced Healers, and dozens of Aspiring Moons who called this Department home.
The black-bricked pathways were spotless, just as how the white-haired woman expected it to be. It would be a concerning sight if there was even a smidge of filth in a place that cooped up so many M...
2025-01-18 02:22:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe brambles protecting the Bitter Thorns were far too sturdy for her blade to cut through. Instead, she turned her attention to the Envious Brambles first and made quick work of them.
Since there were more than 3 enemies surrounding her, the fine line turned into the bloody mist. Whatever existed within a few meters of her became predictable. No matter how many tendrils were sent her way, Red was able to dodge them with utter ease.
“IS IT OUR FAULT THAT YOU WERE BORN THAT WAY!?...
2025-01-17 11:20:36 +0000 UTC View PostRed and the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns were Suppressed when they devoured a golden apple. She imagined it’d the be the same here, but not exactly. It was unclear what the golden apples were for. She only knew that one had sprouted from her body.
They ventured deeper into the woods in search of the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns. There were no plans on how to deal with the Corrupted when they finally managed to find it.
All that mattered was that Red had to kill it. Nothi...
2025-01-17 11:19:18 +0000 UTC View PostHours later, Mr. Huntsman rose from his deep slumber.
His pale complexion did not inspire confidence in his condition, but he was thankfully still alive. If Snow had healed him any later, then this cave would have been his final resting place.
“Do you know how to make a splint?” Snow asked Red.
“No… What’s that?”
“Bring me some branches. I’ll show you what it is. It’ll help Mr. Huntsman walk. We can’t… leave him behind. Never him.”
Snow’...
2025-01-17 03:50:43 +0000 UTC View PostNow that the Assembly was over, Frost was able to focus on more important matters. Of course, the task of introducing the Nexus was not a small order but it was a manageable task in the grand scheme of things.
The margin of error was wide in regard to dealing with the Kingdoms and their emissaries. A single Moon or Star was more than enough to bring a nation down to their knees if they happened to bare their fangs at them.
It was doubtful, but Frost had to remind herself that only...
2025-01-16 09:59:09 +0000 UTC View PostRed was oblivious to her sudden growth spurt. Eating was only part of the equation that contributed to her physical growth. She had barely eaten anything aside from the Specific Nex and the Broken Brambles of an Envious Tree.
Not only that, but her clothes had grown slightly larger as well to accommodate her size. Red dug in and ate from the carcass of the oversized Rock Bug. The highly poisonous material was devoured without a care in the world.
Snow watched on from the side in u...
2025-01-16 05:24:12 +0000 UTC View Post“Squish! Awa! Waw!”
“Uwaaa!”
“Boing! Boing!”
“Gloop! Bwaa!”
A festival of cute noises filled the Stage. An army of slimes took over hundreds of seats and bounced in place with infectious energy.
The stray Healers who decided to stay back melted at the sight, whilst Moons glared at them for daring to act obnoxiously on sacred grounds. The cute squeals unfortunately had to come to an end.
Frost clapped once. A cold wave of unbearable pressure ...
2025-01-15 09:24:10 +0000 UTC View Post“To become human…”
Red had the same train of thought too, but she never once thought about killing a human and wearing their skin to become them.
She knew what it was like to live as a Corrupted. It was entirely different from the free will that humans possessed. But if these were the ‘Origins’ of the Corrupted, then weren’t these the thoughts of once living things?
Indeed, Red gradually came to understand that the thoughts of the living were the Origins of the C...
2025-01-15 05:01:15 +0000 UTC View PostAnd then, before the Bitter Thorn could even lift a leg to attack –
“No… Rockie wouldn’t lose to the likes of you!”
– She expertly slashed a leg off. Her momentum allowed her to then take out another which destabilized the Rock Bug. It limped as it turned its body around, attempting to whip Red with its tendrils.
However, Red was far too close to be struck. She didn’t play by the rules of common sense. A normal person would have struck and then left immediately...
2025-01-15 04:59:32 +0000 UTC View PostMoments earlier, Red followed the sound of Snow’s voice and a sudden, booming thwack. If Red had to describe the sound, then it’d be close to the crack of a whip.
She blazed through the forest, her blade kept close to her chest in a reverse grip. Foliage disintegrated as she slashed her way through at a speed that was almost impossible to see with the naked eye.
A lingering red trail of light was the only evidence that she had swung her knife.
I’m bound to get caug...
2025-01-15 04:58:33 +0000 UTC View Post“Please look into this book.”
Anna flipped through the pages of the Code of Sovereigns. The text flowed with a red flame as it was written by the ink-pen the Crowned had left behind for her. Those who read the text written by this pen caused its contents to be branded into their minds.
After they memorized the contents of the Code of Sovereigns, Anna wrote down the names of those who were bound to its laws. Afterwards, Frost kindly guided them back into the Stage.
They a...
2025-01-14 08:02:11 +0000 UTC View PostIn the end, Frost had to think about what the right thing was to do. Whilst sending Healers was irresponsible, there was a correct way to do it. A Moon would have to be sent alongside a Healer.
Additionally, Frost didn’t want to capitalize on a Kingdom’s grief. The young King of the Faragone Magicracy was more likely to accept Frost’s demands. She could gain anything she wanted from him, including his Gift, resources and knowledge.
But Frost did not wish for that.
...
2025-01-14 07:54:03 +0000 UTC View PostAll nine of the representatives were brought into the room to sit before the Amalgam. An unbearably thick air of tension choked them the moment they stepped foot into the room.
Blood drained from their faces, but it soon returned as the Amalgam motioned them to sit.
“Take a seat. You don’t have to be so afraid. Consider ourselves equal here.”
This talk of being equals only further twisted the knife of fear into their hearts. They were expecting to enter a throne room w...
2025-01-14 07:53:15 +0000 UTC View Post“Umu. Impressive. Amalgam.”
A Seci Response Moon greeted Frost as she moved into another room. An equally impressive chamber sat behind the Stage. It was separated by five wooden doors and a single steel, lattice door.
As one would expect, this room which was decorated with a few inward-facing sofas and a glass table was the most secure place within the Stage. It served as an isolated room where high-stakes meetings could take place.
While CognitO Filters can already ach...
2025-01-13 01:48:14 +0000 UTC View PostShortly afterwards, they were dropped off at the City of Clubs to collect their armies. The Stormweaver Continuity had already been sent back to their Kingdom without their representative.
Faces of surprise spread across the soldiers. They didn’t expect their rulers to return so quickly. But that surprise quickly faded as their attention went back to a strange, red-haired cat girl.
“A Demi-Human attempting to speak to a lowly slime?” Mary grinned. “It’d be like watching ...
2025-01-11 23:11:28 +0000 UTC View PostFor the representatives of the Kingdoms to leave the Stage with their lives was a mercy. Save for the Stormweaver Continuity, of course.
But not everyone saw it that way. They had caught a glimpse of a being that surpassed all reason. The weakest members of the Nexus were monsters that could send a well-defended city into a state of emergency.
One Puff Puff had the strength of an already rare Diamond-Ranked Adventurer. Platinum-Ranked Adventurers were quite uncommon too. The avera...
2025-01-11 23:09:42 +0000 UTC View PostShowcasing the zero tolerance of the Nexus’s judgement was only part of what Frost wanted to achieve. In fact, she initially wanted to avoid taking drastic action against the rulers of Elysia.
But she realized that the Nexus needed to establish its place in the world as a sovereign body. If she did not punish them then what was stopping them from exploiting the Blessed and the Healers?
Frost wanted peace above all else.
But resolving conflict was unfortunately done through...
2025-01-10 03:54:40 +0000 UTC View PostIndeed. Those 500 Blessed owed their lives to the Kingdom of Slimia. In fact, the reason why they were searching for a Healer was to help the Blessed. It was during the same day that they sent the request via a Herald that a Missionary arrived to personally escort the Blessed back to the Nexus.
It was not known why the Slimes or the Slime Queen rescued them. But considering that Blessed did not typically attack humanoid or semi-intelligent Slimes, it was perhaps a way of repaying them.<...
2025-01-09 01:23:56 +0000 UTC View PostBut how would the Amalgam know about that incident?
Mary didn’t understand. It wasn’t a well-known incident either. But somehow, the Amalgam knew what had happened down to who was involved by name.
“So long as it has happened, then traces of the past will remain.”
The Amalgam uttered ominously as she looked over to her Minu Auditors.
Are they responsible for finding that? How is that even ...
2025-01-09 01:22:34 +0000 UTC View PostThe silence of the Stage was deafening. By now, the Assembly should be bustling with Kingdoms hurling insults from across the Stage.
Exalted were all too familiar with the unruly conduct of the Kingdoms, particularly when they brought vassals, missionaries and a sizable army to accompany them. But here, not a single person uttered a word unless they were being spoken to.
Their breaths were carefully timed to not make a sound. They had to live as though they were playing dead in th...
2025-01-09 01:19:29 +0000 UTC View PostThe scorn of the Black Wings and the few red-haired Healers belonged to soldiers rather than a Healer. It did not make sense that Healers were able to display this level of animosity.
Suddenly, a hand was raised into the air.
It came from the virtuous side.
“Forgive me for asking… but assuming that the rules as the same as an ordinary Assembly, then are we able to ask for proof?”
It was a bold move to challenge the Amalgam’s claims, but he was right.
What...
2025-01-06 02:18:40 +0000 UTC View PostExactly 56 rings of seats made up both sides of the Stage. A black walkway cut between the two sections, leading to clearing shaped like a giant dodecagon (12-sides) in the center of the grand hall.
Golden strips ran along the edges of the black-marble floors. The entire room was illuminated by these lights as the reflective walls and ceiling dispersed it evenly across the chamber.
The shape of the Stage allowed all participants to view the center as well as the raised platform at...
2025-01-06 02:17:31 +0000 UTC View PostSuddenly, 59 explosions broke out one by one.
The Black Wings had each fired a bullet into the air to quell their screams.
“Defend yourself, Mary!”
“I’ll take on as many as I can!” The Bleeding Petal exclaimed, retrieving a petal-shaped throwing star. “Move the princess back!”
Yanarin threw her arms into an ‘x’ shape before her face, expecting the sound to trigger the instincts of the Puff Puffs.
However, it instead caused them to slowly part as...
2025-01-04 22:09:18 +0000 UTC View Post