977. Half Full, Half Empty - 1187. Would You Cuddle With a Thrombosis?

977. Half Full, Half Empty

A pitiful sight greeted Frost. Prostrating before her beneath the starless skies was an array of thirty-five White Midnight members, including an Impuritas. Judging by the expensive-looking clothes they wore, Frost determined that the Impuritas was their leader.

Half Full, Half Empty

Greater Witch

Grandmaster

Soul Rank:

White |

Affiliation:

White Midnight

LEVEL :

125

ORIGIN :

Impuritas

HP :

52,000

ATT :

1,250

MAG ATT :

1,900

ATT DEF :

850

MAG DEF :

850

MP :

150,000

ESIST :

250

AGI :

As for the Archmage Sisters – one whose body was coiled backwards on itself and the other vomiting blood in Frost’s presence – their stats were also quite high.

Sisters

Witch

Archmage

Soul Rank:

Black |

Affiliation:

White Midnight

LEVEL :

100

ORIGIN :

Human

HP :

2,300

ATT :

600

MAG ATT :

950

ATT DEF :

350

MAG DEF :

500

MP :

75,000

RESIST :

AGI :

It amused her.

“I asked you a question. I expect you to answer. I haven’t sealed your mouth.” She hovered her face in front of the Sisters and the glass-headed Impuritas, dragging a finger along their chins. “Wow. Look at you quiver. I’m hurt. I’m not that scary, am I?”

Her words were drawn out, and her reverent cadence was like a ceremonial blade being dragged across their skin. They feared that a single word would end them. But refusing to speak would result in the same fate.

Their mouths opened, but their voices were caught by the weight of their fear.

“Did your minds break? Hello? ‘Brothers’. Let’s see if this can wake you up.”

*Snap*

One of the Brothers’ bodies bloated before they ruptured like a crushed tomato. She merely snapped her fingers and utilized [Progenitor Art: Wrath – Rupture]’s secondary effect. Beings with less than 50 RESIST and 1,000 ATT DEF and MAG DEFF were susceptible to an instantaneous death.

Blood splashed across the faces of his Brothers and Sisters.

When they did not speak, and when their voices hitched, she snapped her fingers again.

And again.

“It’s not fun when it’s instant. My child had to nurse her hand for a while. She couldn’t stand the pain. It always breaks my heart when a child cries.”

*Snap*

Another exploded.

“The– The Head… (Amalgam). What do you want from us? (Desires?) What child? (A daughter?) The Homunculi? (Inferior species?) Is it about the people we brought from the Epiderma? (Non-Witches?) The manufactured souls from the Subderma…? (Worms?).

“Answers. What you tell me will determine whether you die a painful or painless death.”

* * *

Grandmaster Halva was a prideful Witch.

Bowing down did not exist in her lineage.

She had come from a long line of Witches dating back to the Dark Ages. Esoteric knowledge coursed through her veins as a Greater Witch who specialized in Demotomy (the dissection and study of Demons).

As such, she was appointed as one of the Sisters to oversee and administer experimental surgeries on various test subjects.

These subjects ranged between the common folk to the fervently sought individuals who held blonde hair, yellow eyes, yellow fur – anything resembling gold. Their manuscripts taught them that aspects of Abraxis – the God of light and dark – were manifested in those who possessed such features.

They were a mark of divinity.

A ‘Spark’ of greater light as the White-Haired deity had called them.

Who was this White-haired being?

It was simple.

A Goddess. What more could she describe the one who granted her the golden Seed that had given her a chance to become a vessel of light. A vessel to continue in White Midnight’s pursuit to surpass the limitations of what the Blessed called ‘Levels’.

They knew the light-magic they wielded was nothing like the radiant sparks of the Nexus. The proof was in the power and magic of the Moons and Stars. If they could become stronger, and enhance their bodies till they could retain that light… and use the lost technology of Luminal Synchrony to use the body to create that light…

Then will be closer to the radiant light of Abraxas.

We will pass that twilight.

“Such radiant eyes…” The bleeding Sister croaked.

The Grandmaster was lost in the light of the Head’s eyes.

How could it shine so brightly?

The way they wore black, and how she laced herself in gold, from her apparel to her hair and even her eyes…

“… An Avatar (Divine manifest)… Of Abraxas? (Light and dark).”

* * *

“Flattery won’t save you now. But you’ve said interesting things.”

Things were playing out favorably for Frost. She wanted to squeeze information out of them in the first place. Killing the Brothers was no more than an intimidation method to get them to speak.

If that didn’t work, then the Lantern certainly would.

But I doubt human minds will remain functional after gazing into the Lantern. Not a bad time to experiment.

Frost gave Dark Memoria a glancing look.

“I’ve yet to determine the source of Qliphoth. But it appears to be leaking from the Site Core. It wouldn’t hurt to spend some time on them. In fact–”

A flame made of shadows appeared in the palm of her hand. A magical circle formed at the tip of her bristly tail. It took the shape of a clock. The hour and minute hands moved accordingly, but the second hand remained frozen.

“This is a good time to make preparations before we head in. You have two minutes.”

A quick [Analyze Target] revealed this:

Dark Memoria

Basic Observation

An Aberration of Elysia connected to the Affinity of Attachment

< Skill Analyzed >

< ACTIVE: [Q] [Where The Second Hand Remains…] [Q]

It remains to be the first to move and the first to stop

< EFFECT:

Create a protective veil of Rewounded Time. Uses Nex to maintain

“Strange, I didn’t receive a Qliphoth warning from you.” Frost said casually, Corrupting another Brother on the spot, only to devour him seconds later. “Annoying. None of you are reaching past Hailstorm. Pathetic. At this point I’m better off eating you as you are.”

While she was opposed to cannibalism, it wasn’t like she hadn’t indulged in that taboo before. However, eating them like this would them being part of the walls or an Impuritas made her slightly queasy.

She

barely

saw them as people.

“It would be annoying to receive such a message every time a Qliphoth-based Skill is used. If Nav hasn’t shown you, then thank her for being considerate.” Dark Memoria quickly answered.

True. Thanks Nav~

“I didn’t do it for free. In exchange…”

Yes?

“The Site Core had a voice. I would like to see if you can talk to it again. I want to know what it feels like to be a machine. I must know the perspective of a machine without a Soul.”

… Why are you so curious?

“I rarely express my desires. I don’t understand it. Am I not allowed to understand?”

Nav had a point. It’d feel wrong to bar her from seeking her own answers. Besides, it wasn’t like Nav could leave the Nexus and get those answers herself.

Frost was, for all intents and purposes, her window to the outside world right now.

It’d also be cruel to refuse such a simple request.

Let me deal with White Midnight first. We’re heading for the Site Core anyway.

Thank you

* * *

“A Goddess! (Deity). They brought us here… A White-Haired Goddess with the same hair… (Traitor?) and a tail like yours! (Sacred). They gave me this power! (Reverence). This ability! (Strength). The Seed of light that granted me a body for my veneration! (Loyalty).

dedication! (Life). My engineering of these–!”

The Half Full, Half Empty Impuritas was singing now. She would have been kissing Frost’s feet if it weren’t for the rods.

Her arms flailed as she grabbed the arm of a Sister.

“Grandmaster…!?”

“GAAAAAAH!”

She ripped it, whether willingly or by mistake. She didn’t seem to care, other than that she needed to present it to Frost like an offering.

“– Soul Vessels! (Artifact). But as prosthetics! (Created). As machines fueled with Mortal Pulp of our loved ones! (Fuel). Head… O’ Head… (Omnipotent). If you listen closely, you can still hear them! (Echoes).”

Pathetic.

Her tune changed just like that?

Even when Frost was faced with certain death she had doubled down on her beliefs.

But the fact that they were talking so much was likely the doing of her Corrupted Skills.

< PASSIVE:

Gushing

The world doesn’t need to know what you think. Sometimes, it’s better to just keep it to ourselves… for our own sake

< EFFECT:

The higher your emotional state, the more inclined your heart will be to speak. All targets within a 50-meter radius are affected. Targets with over 200 RESIST will accumulate Gush Stacks

< PASSIVE:

Aspirating Aspirations

Grasp it. Or risk drowning in a sea of fruitless ambition

< EFFECT:

All those considered enemies will be challenged by their aspirations when their emotional state reaches critical levels

They were drowning in their aspirations. Grasping at the reeds by the bank. When those snapped off, they sought to appease Frost who stared down at them, hoping she’d take their hands.

Frost took the arm.

“It does have a Soul. What the fuck… Aren’t old-age Witches the only ones who can use Soul Transfer? Or can new age Witches do the same?”

“Old! New Age Witches rely on us! Much of that knowledge is gone! Keep me… Take them!”

“Sis… ter…?” One of the Sisters uttered. “No – We can do it too! White Midnight does not allow lowly Witches of this era into their upper ranks!”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Your child. I can transfer their Soul for you. I’ll do anything!

Anything!

”

“It’s becoming embarrassing. I do wonder what the merits of keeping you around will be.” Frost unceremoniously feasted on the arm.

When she was almost finished, the Grandmaster ripped the right left of the folded Sister and offered it. Then, she tore out one of her own arms in silent devotion.

Numerical values hovered over their heads. It was the doing of the Ability [Language of Greed] and the Passive Corrupted Skill [Corporeal Value] from the Greed Counter. She watched their value drop from nine digits to three with each artificial limb she retrieved and ate before them, and with each Brother she Corrupted only to devour.

One minute later, and all that was left were the three Witches.

Colorful blood pooled beneath them.

The fear that they once had had somehow turned to awe.

In their minds, there was no doubt that they were being spared because they had been ‘chosen’ by Frost.

Such was the depth of their delusion.

She placed a hand on the cheeks of the human Witches.

There aren’t many Witches capable of Soul Transfer available to the Nexus outside of the Blood Angels

White Midnight’s higher-ranking Witches are hard enough to find due to prosecution from rival Syndicates

I won’t speak for you. But there may be use for them in the future

Their initial value was already quite high

I unfortunately don’t have a reference since I’ve barely if ever touched these Skills and that Ability of mine. I wonder if it’s because it’s paired with Heart of Ours or… Actually, they’re not bound by a Heart to begin with.

Indeed. This meant that taking ‘hiring’ them was possible.

But this would not be paid in coin.

It would be her mercy.