Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

793. Let There Be Stars!

Two crucial pieces of information were made apparent to Frost during her fight with Iscario.

Firstly, the reason she was kept imprisoned within the Black Forest as a catalyst to resurrect Ilya, no doubt using the principles of the Light’s infinite possibilities. Frost would have liked to believe that seeing the resurrected Blue Dahlia would have dissuaded him, but the context of her being the Captured Star meant that a true resurrection was indeed possible.

After all, if the Advents were created from the Captured Star, then nothing was off the table. But then again, Frost wasn’t a deity. She was not a god that could create miracles from nothing. If there was a method, then Frost was not cruel enough to have discovered it yet.

Secondly, Jury was somehow wrapped into this as well. Frost had been wondering where Jury fit into the bigger picture for the longest time. Elysia was one thing, but Jury herself was another.

The fact that Jury was mentioned to be ‘required’ brought into question what exactly happened during her 14 years of solitude. She had no recollection of those 14 years, and it was undoubtedly the largest mystery surrounding Jury.

I thought we’d never have to remember it. It never occurred to me that they were responsible for Jury’s suffering.

Spectacular arcs of white light cleaved the air. They were ejected from the tip of the Price of Paradise as it was emboldened by a holy aura. Each swing only the backing of the movement of his arms. That was to say that Iscario did not put everything behind his swings, as the blade itself was more than capable of bleeding a Beholder.

Nothing less was expected from a Corrupted Item born from the corpse of a Paradise Lost Corrupted.

Frost weaved past them, leaping above and sliding beneath the arcs. She used her Judge’s Aid as stepping stools to help her move around as she conjured the might of the Heart of Ours.

Dark clouds surrounded Frost. They spread around the snowy battlefield like a plague. The sound of sizzling could be heard from the clouds as they devoured the snow and stray arcs of light as they passed through, giving her some form of cover against Iscario.

< PASSIVE: Shattered Dreams >

< Oh how we all wish we could all just sleep in a bubble of ignorance. Wouldn’t we all be happier that way? >

< EFFECT: Summon devouring clouds. Cannot dictate where they appear >

< CRITERIA: Active when emotional state increases and when your heart is confronted >

The damage it managed to output was identical to her MAG ATT and seemed to ignore Iscario’s DEF stats. It was a terrifyingly powerful Skill that inherited Frost’s all-consuming maw, but his Qliphoth Field made it pointless.

“Her tail was only necessary so long as you were still there. Be at ease. We can always use it as a backup. But I’m afraid they might believe that it’s too late to consider her useful.” Iscario grinned loathsomely as his orange ring glowed.

| 72 Quants of Gravity |

This time, the attack brought down 30 Judge’s Aids, instantly cracking them open to reveal the black-haired mini-Frost’s. The hatchlings instantly rushed to cover, diving into the snow like snow foxes. There was nothing they could do but hide in this conflict as they only possessed a tenth of her stats.

“Was that why they kept an innocent child trapped in the Black Forest for 26 years!?” Frost roared, responding to Iscario’s attack with another Corrupted Skill.

The sound of a great heartbeat throbbed from her chest, resulting in the Heightening of her Innocent’s emotions.

< ACTIVE: Beaten Desires >

< They could never act on their suppression. Ambition was wrung from their soul through bouts of violence >

< EFFECT: Ramp up the emotions of allies. Muddle the hearts of your enemies to suppress them >

< COST: 25,000 MP >

“You’re talking about my dear sister, right!? Of course you are! A monster can’t be loved. Oh, Amalgam, can you really bring yourself to love a monster?”

It was a hefty price, but was a small price to pay for a power that not even Iscario could resist. The true power of the Heart of Ours did not come in its offensive Skills, but rather in how it utilized emotions against the opposition.

“I must take after your sister then. She managed to love you, despite what you did to her. Now that I think about it… you and Raoul aren’t so different. No matter how much your sisters loved you, you couldn’t give them an ounce of love back!” Frost detested him from the bottom of her heart as she tried to break through the (Un)Attentive Claws with her bare hands, wanting to rip his throat out.

The Dirge swatted away her every attempt like she was a measly fly. Anything that came close to Iscario resulted in the same reaction from the Dirge. [Liquid Fire], [Inferno], [Prejudice] – these were not blocked by the Dirge, whereas her bullets were.

A mini-Frost sprang from the snow and suddenly hurled a snowball at Iscario. Much to her surprise, the (Un)Attentive Claws blocked it rather than ignored it.

Physical attacks! Skills are ignored, I think. Or does it just react to solid projectiles and people? If that’s the case –!

Suddenly, Frost threw another 50 Judge’s Aid into the fray, allowing her to weave through Iscario’s attacks and land several direct hits. Though his Qliphoth Field managed to tank it; Iscario was unamused by her wits.

Unlike him, Frost didn’t start off overly powerful. Yes, she was stronger than most, but she constantly fought with her heart on the line.

This was the difference between her and Iscario.

“No pale hair, and nothing of value to express their purity. A thing like that…!”

Suddenly, two different rings glowed. One was a deep obsidian black with a haze of red, and the other was of gold.

“… has no right to replace my dear Ilya!”

| Infinite Burdens |

< EFFECT: Transfer accumulated and/or external Nex to an eligible vessel. Stolen Atelier technology >

| Nex Conversion Procedure |

< EFFECT: Give form to accumulated and/or external Nex through an eligible vessel. This process does not produce Light. Stolen Atelier technology >

Pale rods assailed where Frost once stood. They appeared from tears in space, and Frost briefly used [Oblivion Lock] to stall his attack long enough for her to fall back.

False Lance of Annihilation

< The pale rods of a Fallen Star >

“Tch Those rods… those are the same ones you... no. They weren’t that strong. They have a different name as well…”

Frost retrieved the ones from long ago, yet to her surprise…

“Huh… it’s the same? That’s right… My [Appraise Object] level was low at the time. No one knew what those spears were?”

She had heard of this name before.

It was the same lance that Elysia used to defeat the Corrupted Sinder in the old world. Iscario chuckled in response. Then, he broke into laugher.

“Oboros Infinitas scrambled to find me when they realized that a Nex Accumulator can be easily stolen. Fascinating how simple their technology is when you think about it. We’re all vessels for Nex, but it’s another thing to give it a physical form.”

“… Oboros Infinitas can manipulate Light?” Frost felt betrayed for an instant, but her feathers did not rustle.

“We can.” Iscario corrected, likely affected by [Gushing!].

< 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. Target with over 200 RESIST will accumulate Gush Stacks >

“Demons can only dream of achieving even a fraction of what Luminal Synchrony did! If they weren’t so envious, then they would have gained a fraction of their insight into utilizing the Light! Still, it’s nothing like what the Light is capable of. Magic can create matter in the blink of an eye. But nothing can create matter this resilient – this powerful enough to scar even an Angel!”

Suddenly, Iscario surrounded himself with a ring of lances. Each were aimed in the direction of an Innocent. Though they only threw snowballs at him, they were proved their worth in distracting the Dirge.

This alone marked them for death.

“I wonder if killing them will damage you as well. Amalgam… did you think that I would not be able to hurt them because they had the face of my sister!?”

However, just as the lances were thrown at her Innocent, impaling them in the chest –

“Keep dreaming. I never mentioned a word about them looking like her. You’re the only one who thinks that. It’s only you who believed that I’m a replacement for her. I just wanted to live…”

< Do you wish to equip Asterism? >

< Yes | Of course >

< Wearing Asterism >

– Star-shaped ornaments appeared on Frost’s hair, decorating her like a christmass tree. Soon, so many filled her hair that it was like looking at a colorful night sky. Stardust and tiny, star-shaped orbs spiraled around her like she was a living galaxy.

“… All of us want to. Who the hell are you to take that right away from us!? You’re no different from your mother!”

< Borrowing the Active and Passive Skills of Asterism >

< Asterism has successfully been equipped >

“What is this light…?”

The painted stars that suddenly dotted the field exploded, both by Iscario’s spears and the acrid clouds of [Shattered Dreams]. Ironically, the death of the stars invigorated dreams, giving birth to a Corrupted Skill that did not allow her Innocents to perish.

“Hope, Iscario. Light. This is all I ever wanted!”

< PASSIVE: Star Cycle >

< Even when they disappear, we can hope that new ones will arise. Thank you for showing us that it’s never the end! >

< EFFECT: Your stars will explode after taking enough damage. The resulting nebula will temporarily prevent the death of all those within >

< “Only life can be made inside of them!” >

This voice didn’t belong to the Effeuiller La Dahlia. It was from the children who made up the fathoms of Asterism. They were like the voices of the Innocent, who stared at Frost with adoration. The look on their faces said: “We’re expendable, aren’t we?”

Frost believed otherwise. The painted stars that coated the night sky thanks to Asterism populated the world above with bright, shimmering lights.

< [Forget Me (Not)] >

The world changed again, but the skies remained the same. This time, an urban, modern-looking world surrounded them as shadowy apparitions stared at the sky, pointing upwards with stars in their eyes.

Frost couldn’t tell if this was Earth or the old world. It could have been an entirely different world for all she knew. It didn’t change that they were in the center of a busy city square, surrounded by thousands of faceless, shadowy people.

“How contrived. If that was the case, then you would have achieved it sooner. Instead, you killed tens of thousands in the Nex Megalopolis. You shattered the dreams of countless more.”

“I know. But can you reflect on the things you’ve done?”

“Is there a need to when it was this world that wronged Ilya?”

“… This was the world she gave her life for. If you can’t even respect that, then you’re a lost cause. I’m sorry, Ilya.”

Frost felt like she could no longer speak to Iscario. Instead, she answered the cries from the Price of Paradise. Her emotions Heightened further.

It wouldn’t be long before she could harness the power of the Crowned.

Frost | HP : 49,100,000 | 52,000,000

Iscario | HP : 152,540,000 | 155,000,000

(Un)Attentive Claws | HP : 243,320,000

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