Chapter 1079. The Gravitas of a Glimmer

Blood spilled down her chin. She followed the trail, finding a hideously twisted spear had skewered her. Another impaled her right thigh, her left arm, and then, her stomach.

The spears ceased abruptly. A silent scream rang from within the recesses of her mind, muted by her lust to judge Frost for what she was. She lunged forward, and with the heel of her boot, slammed the rod embedded in her chest deeper.

“You must be on 1 HP left. Didn’t I tell you, Frost? How much easier it would be to give in? I’ve judged you for what you are. There was a tale about how a deity cast away their Angels from paradise. But I am merciful. Stay like that for me~ 1 HP, impaled by my spears in the safety of my kingdom.”

She stroked Frost’s cheeks. Her HP was undoubtedly low. Since blood did not translate to HP, at least in Frost’s case, there was no risk of her death. As much as she wished to deal the final blow, the Jury within was still awfully persistent.

But if she were to find another way to judge Frost, then, the Jury within would also die.

Slowly, she brought her lips close to Frost’s for a kiss, only to receive a face full of spit. Frost wasn’t able to utter a word before a blade was pressed to her throat.

“Ahhh~ Why, Frost? The old Jury would consider it a reward. But there is no greater sin than to willingly decline forgiveness. What is your reason for this behavior?”

“… How much do you know about me?”

“Enough to know that you’re probably seething about Cer’s failure. You lost your only chance to beat me~ Now that I have you as my hostage, I’ll also get to kill her.”

“… Hurgh…”

Frost vomited. A victorious glint filled Jury’s eyes as she cupped Frost’s mouth, forcing her to swallow. The muffled gag was music to her ears. To have this much power…

control

over her was ecstatic. Her life, her breaths… it was all hers in this very moment.

“These are my floors you’re dirtying. You can vomit when I’m finished with you.”

“Hmmgh… Hmm… Hm… Hmhmhm…”

The faint tremors Frost made were evident of her fear. That was what Jury first believed. Instinctively, the tremors could only mean she was either on the verge of weeping or was paralyzed by fear.

But with no mind to read between the lines, she did not notice that Frost was laughing. Slowly, she removed her hand from her lips, smearing chunks of bile across her cheeks.

“… Hah… Do you remember… The Black Forest?”

“I do~! Does it remind you of that place? Do I remind you of that bird? Don’t misinterpret judgement with prejudice.”

“… You can’t even see the difference yourself… No… I’m talking about that… Jury… Before I became the Amalgam… I was human.”

Where did she get this sudden confidence from?

A dangerous chill ran down Jury’s spine. She wrapped Frost in several loops with her tail and squeezed. That way, it was impossible for her to make any drastic movements. Her tail remained fixed along her neck, threatening to cut her open, even though she could not.

… Something is wrong. That confidence hasn’t died out. I do not sense Cer. Cer has abandoned her. That cowardly wolf ran and left her behind to save face. A jester at heart. A sinner in blood, like her brother.

“I bet she did.”

Jury’s voice appeared unexpectedly. It was meant to be a voice of resignation, but Jury was not very good at hiding her true emotions. There was a foul sense of hope in her words.

Suddenly, the outward Jury had to wonder

why

a being with speed that surpassed her own allowed Frost to fend for herself. Of course, Cer could do little against her mass-scale attacks. Even so, she had kept her distance from Frost.

She had plenty of time to take Frost with her as well. Moreover, the areas Frost had been struck during their battle were in places that did not disable her completely. They were superficial wounds meant to maximize HP damage but did little to affect her combat abilities.

It only occurred to her that Cer had intentionally let Frost take damage.

They are communicating using that thing. How does it still work in a Zone of Arbitration, less within the presence of another Advent? If it is here… then can I not access it because I am not the primary Ego of this vessel?

She could only speculate on the reason why this was the case.

But that was short lived.

“… Jury… When I was judged and skewered by the One Thousand Eyed Bird… My HP dropped to 1, just like this. The trigger for my transformation into the Amalgam…”

Frost’s weight shifted, and the knife that was held so firmly against her throat:

“… Was my first death…!”

–Had sunk until it clashed with bone.

“The trigger!?” Jury’s voice was suddenly muted by an intense howling of wind. It came from Frost’s body. No matter how hard her tail tried to latch on, she could feel her grip weakening. Pain assailed her tail. Spikes made of blood pricked her tail.

She had to release Frost. But doing so would mean she’d give Frost an opportunity to launch a counterattack. She doubled down on her efforts and stabbed her claws into the floor.

“I… Will… REMAIN HERE EVEN IF YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A CORPSE!”

“No you will not!”

The voice neither belonged to hers nor Frosts.

It was the inner Jury’s.

Frost’s form grew until it matched hers. A blinding light enveloped Frost as her silhouette swelled. Muscle fibers within Jury’s tail snapped. She had to constantly reset time to keep Frost suppressed.

Then–

“What’s it with you and constantly wrapping Frost up!?”

–Her tail was unexpectedly severed by an electric maw.

“The wolf…!?”

Cer’s presence stole her attention. She glanced away from Frost. In that same instance, a beating heart crashed into her, sending her staggering meters away. It had struck her like a wrecking ball, and Jury instantly recognized what had happened.

“Third State… Manifested as Heart of Ours… That is why I can hear her…”

“You have no desires to amplify. All you have is your instinctive belief to arbitrate good and evil.”

“I don’t have that same obligation.”

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“That is what makes us different!”

When the light finally settled, Jury was faced with an endowed Frost. Her size matched her in every aspect. Her hair had also returned to black, with its tips colored a mixture of grey, gold and red. Her Coat of Sanguine Prejudice sprouted spikes that tore her severed tail as it expanded, and she nonchalantly bit into it with a neutral expression.

“I’ve missed this feeling. Puts into perspective how limiting the human body is. But my idea of being human wasn’t exactly a physical form so much as it is the idea.”

“How wrong you are. A Healer capable of violence does not make them a pure Healer.”

“They are under my jurisdiction. A bird is a bird regardless of whether it can fly or not. And if that bird decides it wishes to become something else, then it’s my duty to let them try, however hard it may be. That choice is ultimately theirs.”

Frost clenched her fists and touched her thumbs with every finger, calibrating her body. In the meantime, Jury fended off the strings and Cer’s long-range attacks.

Frost remained there, inspecting every inch of her body as Jury let out a hoarse cry.

“DOES THAT NOT MAKE YOU AN ARBITER YOURSELF!?”

Her response was a shrug. Frost was far more concerned with removing the spears from her body. Curiosity took control of her, and she started eating the spears. Sudden disappointment overcame her when she failed to receive an Ability.

Then, she retrieved De Jure Sanguinis and fired a blood-crystalized bullet into Jury’s chest. The recoil sent her staggering further backwards. Her regenerated tail had to pummel the ground to keep her standing.

Jury’s strength had worsened.

Frost, even as the Amalgam, should not have been able to easily tear her tail apart, let alone damage her with a bullet. Even Cer seemed egregiously powerful compared to minutes prior. Her overall Level must have been lowered.

The inner Jury, who had found her voice, was to blame.

“JURY! THIS PAIN AND SUFFERING OF YOURS! ARE YOU WILLING TO LET IT CONTINUE!?”

“If I couldn’t feel what I felt when I lost those Moons, then how can I help people? I despise the pain. I hate death. But part of this journey… part of this path I’ve chosen to take with Frost is one of understanding!”

“How can you hope to judge rights from wrong if you don’t understand it yourself!?”

“Blasphemous…! To be uttered from one with the potential to become a higher being…! Who wields a Gift of their own…! Who is destined to become a Star in all its glory of a color lost to the past…!”

Of the roles and namesakes Jury could have received, the one picked out for her alluded to a future of domination. It was not farfetched, nor exaggerated for that matter. It was merely a possibility grounded in reality.

Under the right circumstances, Jury could rise beyond a Beholder. A Glimmer. A Star… A Corrupted, if she wished to choose that path.

Yet, her attitude was closer to the path Cer took to Awaken. A path of turmoil, instability and misery.

“The strings show us possibilities… a purpose we can assume… a role we can wear to live a life of comfort. It this the path you want!?”

“I have to go where Frost is going. I’m not going to stop her because I’m too scared to follow! I am nothing like you!”

Cer’s attacks became relentless. Jury was snatched by Cer’s impressive speed. What remained of the Floor of Judgement collapsed into itself as she dragged Jury across the blue space. Her body was folded into itself, unable to combat the speed.

Frost’s bullets riddled simultaneously, dying her last white feathers black.

“… No… I will not… Allow this opportunity to slip…!”

How can a higher being allow this to happen? How can one live when their purpose was taken away from them? She looked towards the strands that chased them. Though they were the same thing that sought to grant them purpose, they were also what now wished to remove them from this playwright.

“I won’t… I must not… I… I will…!”

“Tch, Frost! She’s eyeing the strings!”

A deep resonance filled her chest. The strings. They were the answer. In order to propagate her purpose and adhere to her role and namesake, she needed to be caught by it. Blades sprouted from her tail, and she sawed her body in half with a single clean swipe.

“Huh!?”

“The strings…! I… I will… I will not allow this dream to die!”

Her body slipped from Cer’s grasp. Both halves were ensnared by the chasing strings. They wrapped her into a cocoon and dragged her into the air. It wouldn’t be long before they’d be removed.

Then, Jury would return to normal…

However–

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

–Nine consecutive shots, followed by a bombardment of blood crystals, severed the strings. The ones still attached to Jury festered, cocooning her into a sphere that pulsed with violent, black energy.

“We still haven’t severed your string.” It was Frost. She refused to let them escape. “You’re staying right here until I get my Jury back!”

“Frost…!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WHY WON’T YOU SUBMIT!? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?”

* * *

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

< APOCALYPSE >

< THE ARBITER’S TRUMPET HUMS ITS DIRGE >

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Jury’s suppression is fading

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But fear not. She’s entombed within the shell. Jury is actively fighting for control

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However, you and Cer have HP now

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The silken cocoon containing Jury expanded until its radius reached over 20 meters. It was surrounded by a barrier that Frost could not penetrate, even with the Maw of the Amalgam. Cer was also short on luck, as Stage 3 Absolution Skills were deflected.

Awakening Skills left large gashes, however. But Jury’s regeneration and the constant reapplication of thread made Cer’s efforts futile.

Primordial Shell

ATT DEF :

???

MAG DEF :

???

RESIST :

???

Primordial Shell

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Primordial Factor that has physically manifested the Stats and attributes of a being, defending it from alterations in reality. Found on Gift From Stars to preserve the shape of the Star. Currently indestructible

>

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I am hearing another voice… I’m unsure of who it is, but they are offering this to us. It is the P-Factor version of the Qliphoth Field

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Though, I have an idea of who this person may be

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White Glimmer Jury (Sealed)

LEVEL :

400

ORIGIN :

Glimmer

HP :

20B

ATT :

180M

MAG ATT :

200M

ATT DEF :

2.1M

MAG DEF :

2.5M

MP :

1B

RESIST :

130,000

AGI :

650(?) (-650)

The Floor of Judgement was left exposed to world beyond. The abstract scenery clashed with Jury’s cocoon. It pulsated and morphed its immediate surroundings, creating dark portals that oozed with bloody larva, each containing a single eye.

They were the Dregs of Gluttony.

Sins seeped into the dream world, and they began consuming the strings indiscriminately. Suddenly, the ground exploded at various locations, revealing spires containing a blue, pulsating crystal embedded deep within.

“Cer, keep your eyes up and on the spires! They’re still after you!”

“Speak for yourself! Your precognition isn’t working on Jury, so you gotta listen to what I say! DUCK!”

Frost threw herself to the ground, right as a black, curved blade flung out from the cocoon. It spiraled around its base, severing as many strings as possible. A single attack was a death sentence to them both. 180M damage. Frost’s HP was around 84M, and Cer did not fare much better with only 3.2M HP.

The gap between Jury and Uriel was only 20 levels. If they were to fight in this very moment, Frost had no doubts that Jury would come out entirely unscathed.

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In any case, focus on survival!

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Target the crystals in the spires! They’re what’s left of the White Glimmer Jury!

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