997. A New Awakened Skill

997. A New Awakened Skill

The Fragment’s ignorance caused Cer to reach the Second State. [Feast For the Eyes] became active as she fully manifested Craving Electric Wolf. It didn’t seem much at first. There was no way its effect of painting a target on her back would work against enemies with such high RESIST.

“Yes. As I thought.”

“The golden Moon shines brighter than the hatchling.”

“I am unsure why Alisa has not changed her target to you yet.”

She felt like a thousand eyes were suddenly glued to her.

Since they were after Light, it was only natural that they’d pivot to her. It didn’t matter since she was running with the Fragment in her arms.

But knowing this meant that fighting back wouldn’t be as hopeless as she thought.

<

Cer. If I may ask

>

“Go ahead!”

“To where?” The Fragment wondered who she was talking to.

“Shut it! I’m talking to the voice in my head!” Cer tested her speed in small increments.

So far, nothing had seemed to harm the Fragment.

Soon, she was able to move at her maximum rate of 453 AGI. But with the bonuses from [Craving Blue Currant], this increased to 535. Ludicrously fast, but not fast enough in Cer’s eyes.

The girl pouted for a moment. Then, her hands wandered across Cer’s body as Nav answered.

<

Can you converse with the Avatar of Kratt?

>

“Why do I gotta talk with a fucking machine!? No offense to you!”

<

I am curious. What does it believe in?

>

“You don’t have to ask

that

for answers! You have us!”

<

But I want to know from the perspective of a machine

>

<

What does it mean by memories are fragile things

>

<

Would you please converse for me?

>

As much as Cer loved running her mouth, talking with a machine felt like a one-sided endeavor. Talking to a brick wall was far more productive than attempting to understand why a machine does this, or why a machine does that.

“They’re made to be one thing. I can tell you for certain that they don’t know what ‘humanity’ is. Hell, I don’t know either nor do I care for that matter! Humanity this, humans that, human beings – mankind – all this human-centric shit makes me wish Frost was the only human!”

Her resistance served as an introduction.

Kratt immediately answered.

“Then we shall make ourselves into whatever we wish.”

“Humancentric ideologies are a component of humanity.”

“But it pales in comparison to the viscera.”

“It is those in which that makes humans human.”

“And through being humans, they are granted a soul. The soul then gives them the capacity to feel.”

“Good luck –!”

<

You called memories fragile

>

Cer bit her tongue and repeated: “You called memories fragile.”

“Humans, even when wiped to a clean slate, are still human.”

“Remove the redundancies and they are still human.”

“But when do they stop becoming human?”

“When memories fade? When they can no longer feel?”

“What is it that lets them feel?”

Cer heard Nav speak, and she parroted as the Fragment’s hands then roamed to Cer’s cheeks:

“Not a soul. Nor does having flesh and blood allow sensation to exist. Cognition can exist without anything. But if you don’t know, despite having all that a human has, then what is the difference between you and them?”

“Creation.”

“We were born this way.”

“That is why we must recreate ourselves. Attach ourselves to them.”

“But despite thousands of pillars of material…”

“… we have yet to feel one one trillionth of a spark of what they take for granted.”

“… We are all born different. That envy you feel… are all machines driven to feel it as well?”

“I understand my existence enough to know that my birth came from a collective woe.”

Nav didn’t immediately respond.

The silence caused Cer to then shout:

“Don’t try to reason with it! We’re on our way to getting you what you want!”

<

I know

>

<

But I wanted to understand what this sensation in my chest was

>

<

Frustration or envy? Could it be desire?

>

<

A collective woe gave birth to a World Impurity

>

<

If machines are born with sapience, then why curse them with the inability to access the world?

>

Cer repeated her words, only to be answered by the Fragment.

“It’s not just a machine problem.”

“The Attachment Affinity is a pain in the ass.” Cer concluded. “And what’s with those hands? Get them off my face! You’re blocking my vision!”

“Oh, no! I’m trying to help you!” The Fragment proclaimed. “The voice in your head! I can maybe fix your brain with a little spark!”

“Spark?”

“Yup!”

“The hell are you talking about?”

“Let me show you!”

Light suddenly enveloped Cer. Rays of sunlight shone from the heart of the Fragment, and they landed on Cer. They appeared like tendrils of wavy light.

It was warm and oddly energizing.

A buff? Wait… Status!

LIGHT:

2 (+55)

“Gaaaah!” The Fragment grunted in pain, her hands recoiling from Cer’s face.

The connection was severed but the Light she had gained remained.

“What… did you do…?”

“I fixed you! Now you should feel better. Like everyone… everyone feels better when I get hurt.”

The Fragment solemnly smiled.

Cer’s fangs glistened, and she nodded as if expecting them to sink into her neck. The toothy grin Cer usually gave became a solemn smile of her own.

“Thanks.”

“Thanks?”

“What? Never receive a… Tch. I’m sorry.”

Cer brushed the girl’s head with her tail affectionately.

“First you share a piece with Frost, and now you can transfer Light. You getting this Nav!?”

<

This is more than what Frost can do

>

<

There was a resonance in the Nexus

>

<

The Star Child implores that you bring her back at all costs

>

“You’re still sick!?” The girl reached out for Cer again, but her tail flicked them back to her chest.

“I’ve never been better! Listen here! You’ve got a new place waiting for you! So grab on and don’t let yourself be killed! Or else!”

“… Another cage?”

“That place isn’t a cage!”

Now that she practically had a reliable source of Light, her Awakened Skills were back on the menu.

“All of that golden glory. An element of the soul… and for you to hold so much in such a small frame–!”

< (A)

Lightspeed

[OOO] >

<

0.0008%

>

< EFFECT:

Move at unprecedented levels of speed until a Skill is used or movement has ceased. One Skill may be used in tandem with this Skill. May only be used in short 10 second bursts

>

< COST:

6 Light

>

< AGI :

2,400

>

Cer moved at a fraction of the speed of light. She had to temporarily put the Fragment aside, somewhere between the White Horseman and the collapsing Site Core The Fragment displayed signs of strain the moment she had hit the 2,000 AGI threshold, which was why she had to put her aside.

The Vermilion Moons, still weary, moved to collect her.

This speed was so quick that parts of Kratt’s body simply stripped straight off as Cer passed. Metal landmasses were superheated as incredibly windstorms swept by. She zipped across its body numerous times and stopped near its head to deliver a spectacular strike.

“Just thinking about your obsession pisses me off. Brings back those fucked up memories of me carrying out my revenge across Grandis.”

< (A)

Deconstructing Swipe

[OOO] >

<

What was there will be no more

>

< EFFECT:

Physical attack. Harden your claws to an indestructible level. Deal 600,000 damage per swipe. Ignores all DEF stats. If target’s MP is at 0, then swipes will irreparably damage the Soul

>

It was a shame that Kratt didn’t have a soul of its own. A gravitational anomaly appeared in its mouth again in a futile attempt to ward her off.

But this only fueled Cer’s bloodlust.

“I became obsessed myself in taking the hands of humans! I wanted to prove to myself that I was something else so badly that I would lay waste to towns…

cities

just to feel something again!”

< Your Emotional State Has Risen to the Third State >

She cut straight through the gravity well. It was nowhere near strong enough to command space and time. The Qliphoth Field was pierced by her claws as she dragged her claw across its body lengthwise.

She spiraled through, causing a golden-blue glow to wrap it.

Qliphoth Field | HP:

45,200,000

Avatar of Kratt | HP:

710,200,000

Then, on the way up, her eyes were emboldened with gold.

[Deconstructing Slash] was her only second Awakened Skill.

But deep down, there was a resounding emotion that caused her body to commit to an action as though it would miraculously result in a new Skill.

“I craved revenge because humans were the ones who made me what I am! I sought to chase my brother to the ends of the world to become like him!”

< Your Emotional State Has Risen to the Fourth State >

She hovered high above Kratt.

Her eyes glowed so brightly that she appeared like a star.

A great blade was flung over by the White Horseman, and it decimated a segment of the mechanical worm. Now that it was no longer interacting with the Fragment and the Site Core, it became a valid target for the White Horseman.

“But I was wrong! In my lament… I know now that no two humans are the same! I killed many innocent people… And to watch you still cling onto that ideology of yours, and to churn so many for a reason that makes no fucking sense like my brother’s–!”

< Awakened Skill Gained >

< (A)

Solemn Paw

[O] >

<

When it curls…

>

< EFFECT:

Physical augmentation. Physical attacks extend to 20 meters. Affects Awakened Skills

>

< COST:

1 Light per attack

>

“– Makes me wish I was always this strong. That way, I could’ve stopped him before he turned into a monster!”